International cricket

India were 74/7, and as the fans could hear the “Coffin Dance” music pop up, there was Ravichandran Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer to the country’s rescue. Not only did they save India from the blushes against a valiant Bangladesh bowling unit but also ensured that the Men in Blue have a firm foot in the race to the World Test Championship final, with a partnership that sealed a 2-0 series win for India. 

Elsewhere, there was South Africa in Australia. You know how a fish feels out of water? Like the Proteas felt in Melbourne. They were feasted on by the rampant Australian unit, who for the first time in several years registered a Test series win over South Africa. Alex Carey (111), David Warner (200), and Green (5/27) all put on their A-show in Australia’s innings and 182 run win. 

And then there was Pakistan. A side who has failed miserably at home, with zero wins this year in the longest format. New Zealand did fancy a win for nearly four days but some gritty partnership and bad lighting ensured that the hosts held on to a famous draw. Famous? Well, their last four Tests at home have been such that a draw is a miracle. Kane Williamson returned to his natural best, with an unbeaten 200. 

Franchise cricket

Well, the Big Bash, a league where teams fight to either face Perth Scorchers or Sydney Sixers in the final. This season hasn’t been any different, with both Scorchers and Sixers at the top of the standings with eight points each. After a struggle, Alex Hales finally hit some form, scoring a 77 earlier in the day, taking his run tally to 245 runs. With the ball, you definitely would have seen a familiar name in the form of Henry Thornton (15 wickets), who really was a thorn to the Thunder’s when they were bowled out for 15. 

On the other hand, the preparations are underway for the SA20, a league that is now powered by the Indian Premier League franchises. If rumours are true, Joburg Super Kings would be without their English star, Harry Brook, who apparently has been withdrawn from participating in the tournament. A harry blow for JSK. 

Domestic cricket

At Cricket.com, we have been providing you all with the latest updates from every Ranji Trophy round, including this week’s, where we saw some memorable performances: starting from Riyan Parag to Manish Pandey to Shams Mulani and much more. 

Riyan Parag took Assam to a famous win over Hyderabad, a match where he had struck eight times with the ball, after striking a thunderous 78 off just 28 balls. Hold on, he even took the final wicket in the win, continuing his dazzling run this year in domestic cricket. 

Shams Mulani (10/174) put on a valiant attempt to help Mumbai claw over Saurashtra but the domestic red-ball behemoths in Saurashtra did not let it happen. Dharmendrasinh Jadeja starred with the bat and the ball (104 and 6/154) to help them edge past the Mumbai brigade by 48 runs.

Karnataka could only muster a first-innings lead in their clash against Goa, one where Pandey struck a sizzling 208 off 186 deliveries, a knock of some quality. On the other hand, their neighbors, Tamil Nadu yet again were overpowered by the bad lights, ensuring that another win slips away from them. 

Who has been making the news?

The 36-year-old David Warner. After being on a decline for most part of the year, Warner decided enough is enough, following the footsteps of Cheteshwar Pujara to break his Test century drought. It got the entire world talking, not because of the landmark but because of the bowling attack in front of him. They were quick and genuinely threatening, and I’m sure you could sense it too. 

Cricket fraternity shared their wishes for Rishabh Pant's speedy recovery. BCCI has confirmed that Pant is stable.#RishabhPant | #TeamIndia | #Cricket pic.twitter.com/jXHuPp1Dle

— Cricket.com (@weRcricket) December 30, 2022

Rishabh Pant. The entire world, forget just the cricketing fraternity have been left highly concerned with the 25-year-old’s accident. While there are several speculations, the official press release from the BCCI are here, and everything else confirmed until now. We, at Cricket.com, hope for a speedy recovery. 

Video of the Week

Articles in Focus Year Enders

After a year of riveting cricket, Shweta Haranhalli takes a look at the top moments this season that will go down in the glorious history of women's cricket. From Commonwealth Games to equal pay, to the inception of the Women’s IPL, here is everything you need to know

Sandeep Sharma has been a revelation in the IPL but in this year’s Auction, not a single franchise picked him. In this candid interview with Bastab K Parida, the bowler expresses his feelings over the Auction that transpired in plush Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty

Anirudh Suresh here looks back on a year that, for team India, was tumultuous to say the least, recapping all the things that unfolded across a forgettable 12-month period. Do you agree with that?

Suryakumar Yadav: SKY-high among his contemporaries. Isn’t that enough? But in case you really want to remember every single record that Surya currently holds from 2022 in T20Is, Shubh Aggarwal has you well covered. 

Last but not the least, we have the CDC Awards, the annual one that no one except we at Cricket.com and our audience care about. Or wait, do people actually care about this more than the ones that ICC handed over? Either way, read to know how our team has curated some categories that are utterly ridiculous. 

Poll

Make your pick 🤔⁉️#INDvSL #INDvsSL #Cricket

— Cricket.com (@weRcricket) December 28, 2022