Former New Zealand captain Bevan Congdon, who passed away on 10th February 2018, would have been 84 today. Congdon famously led New Zealand to their first ever Test win against Australia, at Christchurch in 1973-74. He played 61 Tests and 11 ODIs in all and is remembered as one of the best all-round cricketers to come out of New Zealand. Here is a look back at five of his finest performances with the bat, in an international career that spanned from 1964-65 to 1978. 166* v West Indies, Second Test, Port-of-Spain, 1971-72 Congdon’s second Test hundred, which rescued New Zealand from a precariou ..read more

India are playing their 1000th men’s ODI against the West Indies at Ahmedabad today, thus becoming the first team to reach the landmark. On that note, here is a look back at how India have fared in their milestone men’s ODIs over the years. 1st ODI v England, Headingley, 1974 Match Scores (second ODI of a two-match series, 55 overs): India 265 in 53.5 overs (Brijesh Patel 82, Ajit Wadekar 67, Chris Old 3/43) lost to England 266/6 in 51.1 overs (John Edrich 90, Eknath Solkar 2/31) by four wickets. 100th ODI v Australia, Srinagar, 1986-87 Match Scores (second ODI of a six-match series, reduced t ..read more

England and India have deservedly made it to the final of the 14th edition of the ICC Under-19 World Cup, to be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on 5th February. This will be India’s seventh appearance in the final (their fourth in succession), and they will be gunning for a fifth title to further cement their successful record at the tournament. On the other hand, England will play the final only for the second time, having emerged victors in 1998. It remains to be seen who the star of the final becomes this time – will it be Indian skipper Yash Dhull, who is fresh off a m ..read more

In this post, we look back at an extraordinary, low-scoring ODI encounter between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The match in question was the final of a short four-match triangular series, played at Mirpur’s Shere Bangla National Stadium on 16th January 2009. Bangladesh started the tournament off the wrong foot, losing to Zimbabwe by 38 runs in the opening game, failing to chase down 206. Zimbabwe themselves went down by 130 runs in their next game against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh then sealed a convincing five-wicket win, chasing 148 against Sri Lanka in a rain-reduced 31-over affair, thereby setting ..read more

The year gone by featured plenty of memorable action to keep Test match lovers hooked – from historic performances to sensational victories to impressive debuts, the past twelve months had it all. On that note, here is a look back at the eleven best moments from men’s Test cricket in 2021. Incredible India breach Brisbane Embattled by injuries and forced to field a greenhorn bowling unit, Border-Gavaskar Trophy champions India entered the fortress of the Gabba – where Australia had not lost a Test for 31 years – needing at least a draw to maintain their hold on the trophy. With the series lock ..read more

The iconic Newlands in Cape Town, picturesquely situated with the Table Mountain serving as a breathtaking backdrop, holds a special significance in South African cricket history. The ground hosted South Africa’s second Test match, against England in 1888-89, and has gone on to become a fortress of sorts for the hosts after readmission. As the Proteas gear up for the deciding third Test against India at the venue from 11th January, here is a look back at five Cape Town classics. South Africa v England, Second Test, 1922-23 The hosts held a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, courtesy of an impr ..read more

Namibia continue their impressive T20 World Cup campaign on 5th November with their first ever international outing against New Zealand. While the Eagles have not faced the Black Caps at the highest level so far, the two sides did encounter in a couple of 50-over tour matches at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek ahead of New Zealand’s visit to Zimbabwe in 2005-06. The first of these matches took place on 30th July 2005. Namibia had played in their maiden World Cup two years earlier, and while they did not win a game at the tournament, they produced a spirited display against England bef ..read more

Nigeria’s Peter Aho entered the record books on 24th October thanks to a stunning spell in the fifth T20I of the recent six-match bilateral series against Sierra Leone at Lagos. The 18-year-old medium-fast bowler returned astonishing figures of 3.4-1-5-6, including a hat-trick, to dismantle the visitors’ batting line-up and hand his team a series-clinching win. These are now the best bowling figures in men’s T20 internationals. Coming into this match, Nigeria were holding an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, which had kicked off on 19th October with Sierra Leone marking their first men’s T2 ..read more

When England take on the West Indies in their opening men’s T20 World Cup fixture at Dubai tomorrow, they will be looking to break their tournament jinx against the defending champions. Since the two teams first met in the 2009 edition, England have lost on all five occasions, with the 2016 final being the latest episode. As we await a potentially cracking contest, here is a look back at these five matches. Windies knock the hosts out – Super Eight, The Oval, 2009 With both teams having lost to South Africa, this was a knockout for a semifinal berth. England put up a competitive 161/6, with op ..read more

With Papua New Guinea about to take on Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup later today, it is a good time to revisit the first meeting between the two countries. Almost four decades earlier, in the English summer of 1982, the two teams were part of the 60-over ICC Trophy, as the World Cup Qualifier was then known. Sixteen ICC Associate members battled it out across the Midlands for a solitary spot at the 1983 World Cup. Each of the two groups featured eight teams, with the top two from each proceeding to the semifinals. Group A was led by Zimbabwe, while Papua New Guinea edged past Canada to finis ..read more