The Cricket.com weekly - 20th November

Well, well, people! We have a new World Champion. And it’s not India. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 ended yesterday, along with the Indian hopes of winning one again, but all that is left in the Indian fan’s heart is sorrow and despair. 

But but but, that’s the beauty of sport, you people. If a billion hearts were broken in one part of the World, an entire nation woke up with a surprise World Cup in their hands. A win that no one thought was a possibility. An Australian team that was written off after a couple of early defeats wrote its name on the biggest trophy in cricket. 

In this week’s Newsletter, we’ll cover the last week of this World Cup and also take a look around the World of cricket. So why wait? You know the routine. Close all other tabs. Stop doom-scrolling reels and start with this zesty recap of everything cricket from last week. 

Player in Focus

Who else but the Head which broke a billion hearts? The mighty South Australian has had an epic time of late. 

Player of the Match in the World Test Championship Final

Player of the Match in the World Cup Semi-final

Player of the Match in the World Cup Final

Travis Head achieved all this and won his country the World Test Championship and the World Cup. Yesterday, he scored 137 off just 120 balls in the World Cup final and made himself immortal by taking his team across the line and straight to the trophy. In what was a high-pressure chase, he batted within himself at the start but completely took on the Indian bowlers in characteristic fashion whenever given an opportunity. 

With two back-to-back performances in knockouts, his stocks have certainly risen tremendously in World Cricket. Well played, Travis Head! 

World Cup Recap

It was knockouts week in this World Cup, and boy, we saw some riveting contests in these three games! Knockout cricket is just bonkers, and this week was no different. 

> The first semifinal between India and New Zealand was a high-scoring affair at the Wankhede. India batted magnificently, with Rohit Sharma giving the usual fiery start, and then centuries by Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer took India to 397!! Virat scored his 50th ODI ton, surpassing the great Sachin Tendulkar’s record in the format. 

New Zealand lost their openers early, but Daryl Mitchell played an innings to remember. His 134 runs came off just 119 balls and were sumptuously scored sans any sign of pressure. In fact, at a stage, it looked like New Zealand would make a go at the target. But ultimately, they fell 70 runs short, and India made the finals. 

> Australia and South Africa was always going to be a tough contest, and it lived up to its hype. In a rain-interrupted encounter, Mitch Starc started off in fiery fashion, and in no time, South Africa were 24/4. But in came David Miller, who scored what is probably the best century of his career. His 101 off 116 balls allowed the Proteas to reach 212. 

Australia started off well, but the Proteas team helped them further by giving them many chances in the field. Despite a strong fightback undertaken by the spinners Tabrez Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj, Australia managed to sneak through into the finals with three wickets remaining. The crowd at Eden Gardens lit up the atmosphere with their noise. 

> Almost 1 lakh Indian fans! The A-list stars of Bollywood watching the action. The Prime Minister of India was present at the venue. A flypast by the Indian Air Force after the toss. 

The buildup for the World Cup final and an Indian win in it couldn’t have been bigger. They had been the best team in the competition, and the World Cup trophy would have been the apt summation to a boisterous campaign. 

But sports wouldn’t be sports if the best teams always won the trophies. 

It was all yellow in the semifinals, as Coldplay proclaimed in their famous song. Pat Cummins wanted to silence the crowd before the final. In the final, his team did exactly that. Despite leaking 80 runs in the power play, their disciplined bowling and supremely agile fielding enforced a nose dive from India and restricted them to 240 in 50 overs. 

In the chase, there were early hiccups as Australia lost three wickets under 50 runs, but Travis Head combined with Marnus Labuschagne and played sedately but steadily, and their 192-run partnership took their team across the line. 

Australia came full circle in the tournament by defeating the two teams they lost against in the group stages to win the World Cup, from which they were written off. It was as much a victory of a team and its individuals as it was of Australia’s winning culture that is part of their cricketing DNA. 

What else is happening

> The Israel-Palestine war made an appearance in the World Cup final in the form of a pro-Palestine streaker in the World Cup finals who was wearing a t-shirt with the slogans “Stop bombing Palestine” and “Save Palestine” written on it. The invader has been identified as Wayne Johnson, an Australian citizen. He was arrested and taken to the Chand Kheda Police Station in Ahmedabad, according to PTI. 

> The currently suspended Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board has initiated a defamation lawsuit against the Sri Lankan Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Roshan Ranasinghe. This is a new incident in a long-drawn battle between the board and the government, which earlier became a major reason behind the suspension of the board. 

Also read - What lies ahead for Sri Lanka Cricket?

The ICC will discuss SLC’s suspension in its board meeting on Tuesday this week. 

> In shocking news for the Big Bash League in Australia, star England player Harry Brook, who was the second pick for the Melbourne Stars in the overseas draft, has withdrawn from the tournament due to his increased workload. 

Brook is scheduled to feature in the England Men’s Tour to the West Indies.

> Former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff has been appointed as the Head Coach of the Northern Superchargers in the Men’s Hundred competition. This appointment is being looked at as a significant step in Flintoff’s return to the World of cricket. Earlier, he was in the news for featuring in England’s practice session during a bilateral series prior to the World Cup after suffering a crash while filming an episode of Top Gear. 

> After the group stage exit from the World Cup, Bangladeshi skipper Shakib Al Hasan is ready to make an entry into the national politics of Bangladesh. He has formally entered politics, seeking a nomination from the ruling Bangladesh Awami League to run in the upcoming general election on January 7. The Bangladesh captain's candidature has to be confirmed by a ruling party parliamentary board headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

> The Australian women announced a 16-member squad for their upcoming tour of India. This announcement came just five days after the retirement of Meg Lanning, and no one has been named captain of the side so far. Notable squad inclusions include left-arm seamer Lauren Cheatle and right-arm seamer Darcie Brown. 

Australia squad: Darcie Brown, Lauren Cheatle (Test only), Heather Graham, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20Is), Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham.

> In what was a tumultuous time for Pakistani cricket, where a raft of changes were made this week, skipper Babar Azam resigned from his post after a poor World Cup campaign for Pakistan, where his leadership was brought into intense scrutiny by the public and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) alike. 

Within a few hours of his resignation, the PCB appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20I Captain and Shan Masood as the Test Captain of the side. 

The PCB has also significantly reduced the roles of Team Director Mickey Arthur and Head Coach Grant Bradburn, and they won’t be travelling with the team to the upcoming tour of Australia. 

Along with that, the PCB clubbed the role of Team Director and Head Coach and appointed Mohammad Hafeez as a head coach for the tours of Australia and New Zealand. Hafeez will also fulfil the role of Team Director. 

Wahab Riaz was appointed as the Chief Selector, and Sohail Tanvir as the head of the Junior Selection Committee. 

> The ongoing Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) is heating up as the last week of the league stages has begun. The Perth Scorchers are currently leading the points table, and Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunders are in the second and third positions, respectively. The top two teams will play in the finals scheduled for December 2. 

Meanwhile, in a groundbreaking move, a seating zone at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) will be named after Sri Lanka Women captain and Sydney Thunder batter Chamari Athapaththu, the Sydney Thunder announced on Thursday (November 16).  The specially dedicated seating zone will be unveiled for the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) derby clash on November 26 to honour the left-handed batter's contribution to her WBBL team, Sydney Thunders. 

Controversy of the Week

A pitch fiasco right before the semifinal of the World Cup isn’t desired. But when have only desired occurrences graced the game of Cricket? 

Many news publications reported that the Wankhede game would be played on an old pitch despite having a fresh pitch prepared for the game. Reports also suggested that ICC’s independent pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, wasn’t happy with the change. 

However, later, ICC released a statement saying that the pitch change wasn’t unusual and their pitch consultant had no reason to believe that the pitch wouldn’t play well. 

As it happened, India scored nearly 400 batting first, and New Zealand came within 70 runs of chasing it down. Sunil Gavaskar, commentating for the official broadcasters, lambasted the journalists and ex-cricketers who were making a huge furore over the matter on social media. 

Picture of the Week

Ye dukh kaahe khatam nahi hota hai be (Why does this pain never end?)

CDC's coverage of ICC CWC 2023

Why does this pain never end?

Agony to ecstasy: how Australia turned around their World Cup campaign

The 'Head-shots' that gunned down a billion hearts

Why an India-Australia final is a fitting conclusion to this cycle

Rohit Sharma, the dark knight in the team of superheroes

CDC's Fancams - A must watch!