Big picture: Where has the competition gone? A rivalry that started with intensity in a one-off Test in 1992 has fizzled out into a one-sided affair with South Africa victorious in 22 out of 32 matches against West Indies, and vanquished in just three. They have never lost a Test […]
2024
After opening classic, Sri Lanka and India look to break tie and get the lead
Big picture – More grip and turn at the Khettarama? Where do ODIs sit on world cricket’s priority list? The answer sits right there in India’s schedule: they only have one more ODI series lined up between their current tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in February-March 2025. […]
Will it be another mismatch as Sri Lanka and India switch to ODIs?
Big picture: SL hit by injuries and illness Sri Lanka just can’t catch a break. While still reeling from the almost comical nature of the defeat in the final T20I, one which handed India a 3-0 series sweep – and possibly a multitude of nervous breakdowns to those watching, their […]
Unchanged England seek 3-0, as Test cricket desperately seeks a contest
Big picture: Can WI go to the well again? They were putting out the bunting ever so briefly at Trent Bridge last week. Roll up, roll up, free entry for the fifth and final day! Relive the glories of that first heady summer of Bazball in 2022… marvel at the […]
Ireland host rusty Zimbabwe at Test cricket’s newest venue
Big picture: Test debut for Northern Ireland With its lush, green outfield and the iconic Stormont Estate situated behind it, the Civil Service Cricket Ground in Belfast is a picturesque addition to the list of Test grounds. On Thursday, when Ireland take on Zimbabwe, it will become the 123rd venue […]
England go back to the future as post-Anderson era begins at Trent Bridge
Big picture: New guard? Not quite It’s the start of a new era up at Trent Bridge although, at a glance, it looks a lot like the old era. There’s a solitary change to England’s winning line-up from Lord’s, albeit a significant one, as James Anderson takes his leave of […]
History beckons for Anderson as England eye future
Big picture: Anderson enters the end-game It’s been an emotional week already for the grand old men of British sport. At Wimbledon on Thursday, Andy Murray unleashed the waterworks as he bade farewell to Centre Court, with a final acceptance that his flesh was now too weak to sustain his […]
Unbeaten India and South Africa come face to face in bid for glory
Match details India vs South Africa, T20 World Cup 2024 finalBridgetown, June 29, 10.30am local time, 2.30pm GMT Big Picture – It’s just a cup… right? There are no fairytales in life, obviously, but sport does a great deal to make up for it, to the extent that it offers […]
India start favourites as women’s cricket makes a return to Chennai
Big picture: Can South Africa challenge upbeat India? It’s been a while but women’s cricket finally returns to Chennai. Both teams are unfamiliar with the conditions: India haven’t played here since a Quadrangular Series in 2007; South Africa have only played one match in Chennai, a T20 World Cup game […]
England up against a changed India from Adelaide 2022
Match details England vs India, 2nd semi-finalGuyana, June 27, 10.30am local time Big picture – Adelaide redux All the best origin stories start from a point of intense trauma. England’s rise from their humiliation in Adelaide at the 2015 ODI World Cup has been well documented – the shedding of […]