The Cricket.com Weekly - November 13th

If the last week saw the World Cup reaching the boiling point, it spilt out of its boundaries this week as we finally got the four semi-finalists after a lot of drama, controversy and some exceptional cricket. From a batter’s one-legged wonder of a double century to a fake cricket league in France and the retirement of an all-time great, we have much ground to cover in this Newsletter. 

So, why wait? You know the routine by now, right? Let’s close the other tabs and focus for a few minutes on this zesty newsletter, where we have coalesced everything you need to know from the happenings between November 6 and 13th in the cricketing world.

Player in focus 

Who else but Glenn ‘Gladiatorial’ Maxwell? 

Sometimes, sportspersons achieve feats in their playing arena that make you proud that you belong to the same species because that commonality implies that even an ordinary-seeming human being is capable of such achievements! Doesn’t it fill you with hope? With the insurmountable zeal of action?

Such was Maxwell’s innings. We don’t need to tell you how he came in when his team was 91/7 chasing 292. We don’t need to tell you how much Maxwell was cramping up and how he nailed himself to the crease and insinuated a calculated, brutal attack that only stopped when the Afghan total was breached. We’ll not forget Maxwell and how he transformed himself into a batting god in human clothing.

They were 201* runs of all-time brilliance, probably the best we have seen in ODI cricket history. 

Also read - 2% chance, 98% faith, Maxwell orchestrates the greatest La Remontada

World Cup Recap

> After 45 games in five weeks, we finally have the top four teams that would joust against each other for the World Cup title. The first semifinal will be played between India and New Zealand in Mumbai at the Wankhede on the 15th. Meanwhile, the second one will be held at the iconic Eden Gardens between South Africa and Australia on November 16. 

There was quite some tension in the year as New Zealand, Pakistan, and Afghanistan were involved in a tripartite battle for the fourth spot on the points table. However, Afghanistan’s loss against Australia and New Zealand’s win against Sri Lanka ensured that Pakistan and Afghanistan were eliminated, and the Blackcaps made the semis. 

> The Indian juggernaut finished its domineering run in the competition by remaining unbeaten. The Men In Blue absolutely pulverised the Dutch team in Bengaluru by 160 runs. Shreyas Iyer batted like a man free of his “short” demons, and KL Rahul reminded everyone of his 2018 mega version by scoring India’s fastest World Cup hundred.

A big challenge awaits in the build-up to the semifinal for them as they face the trauma of all the knockout games they lost in the past decade or so. However, it is a classic Dar ke aage jeet hai (there’s a win after fear) scenario for the Indian team, quite literally. (Mountain Dew didn’t give us any money for this, of course). 

Regardless, we know which is the best team in the competition. But now, we’ll know who actually goes on to win this thing.

Also read - Underrated aspects of India's 2023 World Cup campaign

 > England finished their disastrous campaign with some semblance of a positive ending by winning their last two games against the Netherlands and Pakistan by 160 and 93 runs, respectively. These two wins ensured that they finished sixth in the competition and saved themselves the royal embarrassment of not being able to make it to the Champions Trophy in 2025. 

> Meanwhile, Pakistan had to bear the burden of their sins earlier in the competition as they failed to make it to the semifinals in their third consecutive ODI World Cup. They had to win by an insane margin in their last game against England, but they lost the game and finished fifth on the table. 

> Bangladesh won only two games in the competition and were poor for most of it. Their off-field happenstances made more noise than their performance on the field, and their eighth position in the competition reflects that. Their win against Sri Lanka on November 6 also saved them from missing out on the Champions Trophy qualification. 

> Afghanistan were the story of this World Cup. If not for their loss against Australia, where Maxwell literally had to play one of the best ODI innings of all time to bail his team out, their future might have been different. But from winning just one game in the last two editions to pushing hard for the semifinal in this one, the conflict-ridden cricketing nation has come a long way. 

Also read - Plenty of positives & same old mistakes in Afghanistan's memorable World Cup

And you know what’s the best part? We saw many great youngsters in that team who are bound to be globetrotting T20 league stars, which will only help grow the game in Afghanistan. If not already, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Noor Zadran, and allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai will soon be common names in cricketing parlance. 

> Meanwhile, the Netherlands finished tenth and failed to push for the semifinal like they wished to do before the tournament, but their wins against South Africa and Bangladesh reflected what they did really well throughout the tournament – meticulous pre-game preparation, fighting till the last ball, and the confidence of belonging at this stage. Their path from hereon is uncertain, with them missing the cut for the Champions Trophy. 

In all probability, they’ll be back to playing Division Two games before another ICC Trophy gives them an opportunity to play at the highest level. 

> And guess what? For the first time in this competition, we don’t have any serious injury updates for you all! Expect full-strength teams in the knockout stages. 

What else is happening in the cricketing World

> Diana Edulji, one of the pioneers of Women’s cricket in India, dashing Indian opening batter Virender Sehwag, and Sri Lankan legend Aravinda de Silva became the latest inductees in ICC’s Cricket Hall of Fame on Monday. Edulji, remarkably, is the first Indian woman to receive this honour. 

> On November 10 last week, the ICC suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership with immediate effect. The ICC found SLC “in serious breach of its obligations as a Member, in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference in the governance, regulation and/or administration of cricket in Sri Lanka.”

This suspension will impact all the upcoming cricketing commitments of the Sri Lanka men’s and women’s teams and will also likely impact the organisation of the Under-19 World Cup scheduled for early 2024. 

> If the ignominy suffered due to their on-field performances wasn’t enough, Bangladesh and Pakistan cricket suffered another blow by losing their South African fast bowling coach.

Allan Donald said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo that he doesn’t wish to extend his coach’s contract with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after the World Cup. Notably, this news broke out a day after the BCB asked him to explain his comments criticising Shakib Al Hasan’s appeal to Time out Angelo Mathews. 

Meanwhile, Morne Morkel has also decided to end his association with the Pakistan cricket team after they crashed out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Morkel had been on a six-month contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board since June 2023. 

> You must have heard of the fake cricket league in India some time ago. However, this time, according to the allegations made in a report by France 24, players, clubs and other members of France Cricket have insinuated claims of mismanagement and fraud against the organisation, which includes phantom cricket matches to exaggeratedly present its commitment to women’s cricket in the country in lieu of ICC funding.

The ICC has taken cognisance of the report and has started looking into it. 

> Royal Challengers Bangalore’s former Director of Cricket Mike Hesson has joined the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United as their head coach. The Islamabad team has won two PSL titles, and with Hesson, they would like to add a few more. 

Meanwhile, Laura Wolvaardt has taken over as the full-time captain of the South African women’s side after performing that role on an interim basis in the series against New Zealand and Pakistan. 

> Australian skipper and batting great Meg Lanning announced her retirement from international cricket on November 9. She had won everything that was there for her to win and led her team to heights of glory, which very few cricket teams have reached in the past, leaving behind a legacy that would be extremely hard to match. 

Also read - ‘Megastar’ Lanning leaves behind a legacy that could go unmatched

Indian spin-bowling all-rounder Gurkirat Singh Mann also announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The Punjab cricketer had played three ODIs for India in 2016 against Australia. 

Meanwhile, Australian umpire Paul Wilson announced his retirement from Umpiring in international cricket after officiating 77 international games, which included 8 Test matches. 

> The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced their men’s and women’s squads for the West Indies and India tours, respectively. 

Jos Buttler will continue to lead the Men’s side after England’s shocking performance in the World Cup. 

Meanwhile, the biggest news for the Women’s team is that Sophie Ecclestone returns to the English side after her shoulder surgery. The left-arm spinner and her team are scheduled to play a three-match T20I series and a one-off Test Match on their India Tour. 

> Things are also abuzz in the Women’s franchise league world. The Women’s Premier League player auction will take place on December 9 in Mumbai. The BCCI is yet to inform the franchises if the tournament will be played in a home-away format or in a single city. 

> In the ongoing Women’s Big Bash League, the Perth Scorchers are currently on the top of the points table after 10 games. They are hugely helped by Sophie Devine, the leading run scorer in the league with 419 runs, including a 62 ball 106 against the Brisbane Heat. 

Indian Domestic Cricket Update

The men’s and women’s premier T20 domestic tournaments in India were completed this week, with new winners added to the list. 

In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the Punjab men’s side defeated Baroda in a high-scoring game where the winning side scored 223/4 in 20 overs, and Baroda fell short by just 20. Anmolpreet Singh was the Player of the Match for 113 of just 61 balls. Meanwhile, the all-rounder Abhishek Sharma was the Player of the Series for 485 runs in the tournaments. 

Meanwhile, the finals of Senior Women’s T20 Trophy 2023 was played between the Uttarakhand and Mumbai sides, where Jemimah Rodrigues led her Mumbai team to a title win, and she did that while leading from the front by being the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 473 runs. Her side defeated Uttarakhand by 6 wickets in the final. 

Controversy of the Week

There is something about the Naagin derby, no? It’s beyond logic and so dramatic that the most wacky Indian daily soaps would fail to match their level. 

This time, it was the first-ever Timed out dismissal in International Cricket, where Angelo Mathews was given out because of being late in getting ready to face the ball. Mathews challenged the decision at every opportunity, even replying on an ICC tweet on X with video proof showing that he was ready to face the ball within the stipulated time, but suffered an equipment malfunction with his helmet’s chin strap coming off. 

Mathews also called Shakib Al Hasan “disgraceful”, and his appeal for a dismissal of that kind “lacking common sense”. 

In a week where the final four of the World Cup were to be decided, the Naagin bit hard on the hype and all that the cricketing world was obsessed with was Mathews’s timed out. 

Picture of the Week

Rohit should have listened to “Kohli ko bowling do” (give the bowling to Kohli) much before. Don’t you think? 

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