The Cricket.com Weekly - Edition 9

International cricket

India managed to salvage some pride in the last game of the three-match series against Bangaldesh by recording an emphatic 227-run win in Chattogram. Ishan Kishan shattered numerous records en route to his blistering 210 and was ably supported by Virat Kohli, who notched up his 72nd century - his first ODI century in more than three years.

Things have gone from bad to worse for Pakistan in the longest format, as they have now lost three consecutive Test games at home after falling short by 26 runs in Multan and now genuinely face the prospect of suffering their first-ever Test series whitewash at home. Harry Brook continued his sublime form in Asian conditions and smashed a match-winning hundred in the second innings to power England to a series win. 

Australia continued their domination in Test cricket as they sealed the two-match Test series against West Indies with a 419-run win in a Day and Night match at the Adelaide Oval. Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head scored 163 and 175 runs to help the home team declare on 511 runs in the first innings. 

The Australian women's team endured their first loss this season in the shortest format after Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh powered India over the line in a Super Over at a packed DY Patil Stadium in the second game. The defending champions lead the five-match series 2-1. 

England women have taken a 2-0 lead against West Indies in the five-match T20I match series at home. Danni Wyatt was the star performer for the hosts by scoring 59 runs in the first game to power the team over the line. The second match was a nail-biting contest, with England edging past the Windies by 16 runs.

Franchise cricket

In the opening fixture of the Big Bash League, Sydney Thunder registered a one-wicket win against Melbourne Stars, and Adelaide Strikers dismantled Sydney Sixers by 51 runs to start their campaign with a bang. 

16th December 2022, a day Syndey Thunder would want to erase from their memory as they were dismissed for 15 in 5.5 overs, the lowest total in the history of T20s. Well, you read that right. FIFTEEN ALL OUT IN A BBL GAME. 

Kandy Falcons and Jaffna Kings continued their domination in the Lanka Premier League and are the top two sides in the tournament with five and four wins, respectively, in the six league games. 

Domestic Cricket

The prestigious Ranji Trophy kicked off across the nation, with 37 teams vying for the coveted trophy. 41-time champions Mumbai started the season in a commanding fashion as they defeated Andhra Pradesh by nine wickets. 

Arjun Tendulkar, who is making his debut for Goa in this edition of the Ranji Trophy, smashed 120 runs along with a record-breaking double hundred by Suyash Prabhudesai against Rajasthan. 

Himachal Pradesh and Madya Pradesh too, recorded wins in their opening games against Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, with Avesh Khan scalping eight wickets across two innings. 

Tamil Nadu came agonisingly close to winning the opening clash against Hyderabad. Chasing 144 runs, the duo of Narayan Jagadeesan and Sai Sudharsan went beserk and managed to get to 122 runs in seven overs. That is insane because Tamil Nadu can think of being robbed of a win here. 

In the Women's Under-19 tournament, Sanika Chalke of Mumbai etched her name in the record books by becoming the fourth player to score 200 runs in a domestic match en route to her unbeaten 200 off 117 deliveries against Sikkim. 

Who has been making the news?

The second women's T20I match between India and Australia witnessed over 47000 people thronging the stadium, making it the highest attendance for a women's game in India. 

Kuldeep Yadav wreaked havoc in the first Test against Bangladesh by scalping his third five-wicket haul in Chattogram. The left-arm wrist spinner returned with figures of five for 40 in 16 overs to help India bundle out the hosts for 150 runs in the first innings. 

And while we are discussing Test cricket, New Zealand cricket were rocked earlier in the week as Kane Williamson stepped down as the captain of the Test side. The 32-year-old will continue to lead in the white-ball formats, with Tim Southee named as captain for their away Test series against Pakistan. 

With the inaugural edition of the women's Under-19 World Cup set to commence early next year in South Africa, India have named Shafali Verma as the captain of the side and also included Richa Ghosh in the strong 15-member squad. 

Articles in focus

Pujara’s 102* — an extraordinarily anomalous knock (By - Anirudh Suresh)

A 1,443-day-long drought came to an end in Chattogram on Friday as Cheteshwar Pujara, for the first time since January 2019, reached three figures in Test cricket. The 102* in the second innings was Pujara’s 19th Ton in Tests, but it truly was a knock like no other for a variety of reasons.

Kuldeep seizes the moment and serves timely reminder of his x-factor ((By - Anirudh Suresh) 

20 months after his last Test appearance, Kuldeep, in one of the most remarkable displays of spin bowling all year, bulldozed Bangladesh. On Thursday, the Indian management’s decision and, subsequently their faith in Kuldeep’s ability was vindicated as the 28-year-old ran through the Bangladesh middle-order in brutal fashion. 

Captain Williamson has raised the bar and he’s not done yet (By - Pramod Ananth) 

End of an era, as one of New Zealand's greatest captains, steps down from Test cricket. Winning the World Test Championship last year may very well be the highlight of the six-year reign, but what Williamson brought into this team is a sense of calmness that is unmatched.

December 16, 2022 - The day cricket took a crazy turn (By - Anirudh Kasargod) 

There wasn’t any shortage of madness in cricket today, and Sydney Thunders’ innings in the 12th edition of the Big Bash League is certainly the mother of all blunders.

Ishan Kishan: India’s Stairway to Heaven (By - Aakash Sivasubramanian) 

Bangladesh’s spirit is crying for leaving; there’s a sign on the wall. Ishan Kishan is a show on its own, a blockbuster that none of the theatres in the country can afford to show.

Unadkat’s story of never giving up would be echoing for years (By - Bastab Parida)

The left-arm pacer was selected as a replacement for Mohammed Shami for the two-Test match series against Bangaldesh. "I don’t have any regrets, but surely, I want to feel the magic of the India jersey once again,” Unadkat said during a conversation with Cricket.com on December 8.