South Africa Tour Of India 2019 - Preview

South Africa Tour Of India - Proteas Begin Their Campaign In The ICC World Test Championship

Battle of Two Giants in International Cricket

South Africa would kick-off their quest for glory in the ICC World Test Championship with the 3-Test Series against India, which is all set to begin from 2nd October at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. This will be followed by two more tests, one from the 10th of October, to be played at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune and the 3rd Test, starting from the 19th of October at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. 

3-Match T20 Series To Start-Off The Tour

Quinton de Kock will lead the T20 side for South Africa

The Gandhi-Mandella Series is going to be South Africa's second assignment after their disastrous campaign in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England, where they had suffered a humiliating first-round exit from the showpiece event. The Tests would be preceded by a 3-match T20 series.

The 1st of the 3 T20Is will be played at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. The 2nd and 3rd T20Is would be played at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali and at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on 18th and 22nd September respectively.

The T20 Series would be an ideal platform for both India and South Africa to try out different combinations, as they look towards building a core team for the T20 World Cup next year in Australia. As we all know, India has the honour of winning the inaugural title back in the year 2007 under the astute leadership of MS Dhoni, when they beat Pakistan at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. So, come the summer of Australia next year, where India would be aiming for their 2nd title, South Africa would look to stamp their authority and become champions in the shortest format of the game.

Captains' Corner

South Africa would have a new captain in the form of Quinton de Kock to lead their T20 outfit, while they will have their regular captain Faf Du Plessis back for the Test Series. On the other hand, The Men in Blue will have their ever-reliable Virat Kohli leading in both formats of the game.

Let's take a look at what the captains of both teams will have in store for us:

Quinton De Kock

The newly appointed T20 captain for South Africa, Quinton De Kock will aim to use his experience of playing in India during the IPL to good effect as far as adaptability is concerned and help his teammates do the same by sharing valuable inputs. For De Kock, this T20 series will provide an opportunity for him to showcase his captaincy skills apart from his role as a swashbuckling opener.

After the team's arrival in India, Quinton De Kock stressed the importance of competing and fighting hard on a consistent basis. He said, "Coming into this series, we've got a lot of new players. Win or lose, I just want the guys to keep competing, keep fighting. As long as they keep doing that, I'm sure we'll be in good hands. We've got a young team, so there will be a lot of energy. Looking forward to that."

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has recently led India to a series victory against the West Indies in the Caribbean across formats and began their campaign in the ICC World Test Championship in style with a 2-0 win in the Test Series. Where on one hand, it was a clinical performance from India but one has to accept the fact that the Men in Blue did not get tested at any point of time in the Test Series. This upcoming series against South Africa will prove to be a different kettle of fish altogether. Despite South Africa missing out on the services of their recently retired star players, Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn, they will still have enough ammunition to dismantle India in their own backyard. 

The test for Virat Kohli would be to rise to the challenge and not take the Proteas lightly by sitting on their laurels. South Africa has always been extremely competitive, whenever they come over in this part of the world to take part in any series. So, it is not only important for captain Virat Kohli to step-up and lead from the front but also necessary for experienced players like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Jasprit Bumrah to be in top form and guide the youngsters like Krunal Pandya, Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar, Navdeep Saini and others.

Faf DuPlessis

Faf du Plessis will lead the team during South Africa's inaugural series against India in the ICC World Test Championship. The test squad consists of three uncapped players along with those, who have not had much exposure in International Cricket. So, this would put additional responsibilities on the shoulders of Captain Du Plessis, Aiden Markram and Quinton De Kock not only to put their best foot forward but also guide the youngsters towards tackling the potent bowling attack along with the strong batting line-up of India.

It will be extremely important for DuPlessis to start this World Test Championship off in style, especially after a below-par performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. This will be an opportunity for Faf and his men to showcase the kind of talent that South Africa possesses. 

Players To Watch Out For:

Both India and South Africa boast of quality players, who would make for a grand spectacle in front of packed crowds during the T20 series. As far as the Test Series is concerned, hopefully, there would be sporting wickets on offer, which would allow the matches to be result-oriented. Hence, viewers will not have to settle for a draw.

Let us take a look into the players, who can make a difference in the T20s as well as in the Test Matches:

Rohit Sharma

India would like Rohit to be in red hot form for this series

Known as the 'Hitman', Rohit Sharma would like to get the team off to a flying start and make it count by scoring big. He will be the man, South Africa should look out for, along with captain Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli

Virat will look to convert his starts into big hundreds

You can look past the charismatic captain Virat Kohli. The charismatic captain of India along with Rohit Sharma would form the backbone of the Indian batting line-up. He has been in good form but unfortunately, failed to convert his good starts into big scores during the recently concluded series against West Indies. So, he would like to set things straight this time around against the Proteas. He will be key to India doing well in both forms of the game in this series. So, South Africa, brace yourselves for Virat Kohli magic.

Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara would like to repeat the form that he had shown in the
series against Australia Down Under

Patience, Grit, Determination and Solidity. These are the words, which one can easily use to describe the Test Specialist Cheteshwar Pujara as a player. He has the ability to make even potent bowling attacks look blunt because of his rock-solid defence. So, at No 3, you cannot expect anyone other than Pujara to steady the ship, in case one of the openers fail to get going. 

Hardik Pandya

Hardik will wish to play the finisher's role to perfection in the T20 series

Hardik Pandya possesses the power and skill to turn any match on its head. He has proved to be a match-winner on several occasions while playing both for India as well as for Mumbai Indians during the IPL. So, all eyes will surely be on him during the T20s.

Jasprit Bumrah

India will wish to see Bumrah continue with his wicket-taking abilities

Jasprit Bumrah is one bowler, who has come up the ranks through some exemplary performances in International Cricket. He is arguably the best bowler in the world and the go-to man for captain Virat Kohli. You need 20 wickets to win a Test Match and with Bumrah leading the bowling attack, India should be confident enough to get the job done more often than not.

Quinton De Kock

De Kock will hope to play the dual role of wicket-keeping and captaincy with perfection in the T20 series

Quinton de Kock will have a crucial role to play as a leader, during the T20I series. Captaincy will be a different challenge altogether for the wicket-keeper batsman and in the absence of experienced players, South Africa would expect him to step-up even in the Test Series.

Faf DuPlessis

He would like to lead from the front in the Test Series

Faf du Plessis will be leading South Africa in the Test Series against India, which is also going to be their first assignment in the ICC World Test Championship. Du Plessis would be eager to make amends after a below-par performance during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England, which saw them crash out of the tournament in the league stage. South Africa has inducted three uncapped players including Rudi Second, Anrich Nortje and Senuran Muthusamy, which makes Faf's role both as a leader and a batsman, extremely significant.

Aiden Markram

A chance to cement his place at No 3 in South Africa's test team

Aiden Markram, still early in his career, has only played 17 tests and scored 1358 runs in 31 innings, at an average of 43.81. During the last series against India in the Rainbow Nation, his performance was nothing to write home about. Apart from a 94 in the 2nd Test at Centurion, Markram did not trouble the Indian bowlers. In this present South African test outfit, with the retirement of the second-highest run-getter in Test Cricket for the Proteas, Hashim Amla, it is imperative for Aiden Makram to put his hand up and score big runs for his side.

Kagiso Rabada

Rabada will be eager to stamp his authority in the series

The No 2 ranked bowler in International Cricket, Kagiso Rabada will spearhead the bowling attack for South Africa. He had an ordinary World Cup by his standards, which made captain Faf du Plessis question his commitment towards the national team and raise eyebrows for his inclination towards representing Delhi Capitals in the IPL. This would have surely hurt Kagiso's ego and hence, he will be eager to fire in all cylinders during the T20s and the Test Series against India, thus restoring the faith back in his captain's mind.

Lungi Ngidi

Ngidi will hope to be the perfect aide for Rabada

Lungi Ngidi will be an important weapon for South Africa in the Test Series. His ability to pick wickets at crucial junctures and the partnership with Kagiso Rabada will help form a formidable bowling attack for the Proteas. Ngidi would take heart from the fact that he was the Man of the Match in his debut test against India at Centurion last year, where he picked up 7 wickets in all, six of which coming in the 2nd innings to win the 2nd Test for his team. Faf du Plessis would surely like to see a repeat of that performance in the upcoming test series against the Men in Blue.

Australia vs England : 1st Ever Test Match in 1877 And The Infamous Bodyline Series

1st Ever Test Match And The Infamous Bodyline Series Of 1932-33

The oldest and the most fierce rivalry in cricket is between Australia and England, going back 140 years when the first ever official Test match was played on 15th March, 1877 with the Australia and England teams being captained by Dave Gregory and James Lillywhite respectively. Australian Charles Bannerman became the first batsman to score a hundred in Test Cricket. Unlike today, where 6 balls made an over, in those days 4 legal deliveries were enough to be considered as an over.

Charles Bannerman - First Batsman To Score A Hundred In Test Cricket

Since that first test series which ended at 1-1 scoreline, with Australia winning the first test followed by a win for England, these two teams have been involved in high-profile encounters. One such series which we are going to talk about is the infamous 'Bodyline Series of 1932-33', where England captain Douglas Jardine with the help of his deadly fast bowlers Harold Larwood and Bill Voce used their captain's bizarre tactics of bowling towards the body of the batsmen on the line of leg stump. We discuss about the series in great detail later on.. First let's talk about why Australia-England series is known as The Ashes.

How Did Ashes Series Get its Name?

The Ashes, name by which we all know Australia-England series, kicked off in the year 1882 after nine tests had already been played between the two sides. In that year on their tour of England, Australians had played just one Test at The Oval in London. The test was a low scoring affair and England required only 85 runs to win the match but Australian fast bowler, Fred Spofforth had other plans. In the 2nd innings, he was instrumental in inspiring his teammates to go for the kill. He picked up 7/44, getting the final 4 of his wickets for only 2 runs to give his team an improbable seven-run win. The Oval crowd watched the proceedings in utter disbelief.

The loss was so tough for the Englishmen to digest, that they had termed it as Death of English Cricket and in The Sporting Times, a weekly British newspaper where a mock obituary was written.

This satirical obituary gave birth to the term "Ashes" and that's how England-Australia series has been known by this name since then.

ARRIVAL OF THE DON

The year 1928 saw Donald Bradman, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time, make his debut against England but the 1930 series became the defining moment in his career when he was truly unstoppable and amassed a staggering 974 runs in 5 Tests against England, which involved one hundred, two double hundreds and a triple hundred.

Bradman acknowledges the cheers of the crowd on reaching his triple century at Headingley
against England

THE BODYLINE SERIES: 1932-33

Cricket's most famous and undoubtedly the most controversial series was played in the 1932-33 Ashes series on Australian soil. Remembering that Bradman had struggled against bouncers in the 1930 Oval Test when he had scored 232, England captain Douglas Jardine combined traditional leg theory with short-pitched bowling to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Bradman.

Harold Larwood - The Chief Exponent Of Bodyline Bowling

Douglas Jardine

He used his two weapons in Harold Larwood and Bill Voce to implement and do justice to the plan. Larwood's unusual speed with great accuracy made him lethal and one of the most fearsome bowlers to face in those uncovered pitches. He was a great exponent of the "Bodyline" tactics, where the deliveries were directed towards the body of the batsman with fielders kept on the leg side and thus the batsmen had only two options, either to duck or get caught by the fielders surrounding them. The balls delivered by Larwood and Voce were of such speed and accuracy that it was almost impossible for the batsmen to duck under the ball, thus resulting in batsmen getting hit on a regular basis. The tactics were considered by many as intimidatory and physically threatening. The Bodyline which was supposed to curb the natural instincts of Don Bradman eventually caused trouble to every Aussie batsmen. Bill Woodfull got struck over the heart by a Harold Larwood delivery and Bert Oldfield's skull getting fractured, thanks to the same bowler. With mounted police outside the ground, it seemed as if a riot was about to break out.

Bodyline Series - Australian Captain Bill Woodfull trying to evade a bouncer from
Larwood but getting struck over the heart

 Wisden noted this was "probably the most unpleasant Test ever played...altogether the whole atmosphere was a disgrace to cricket." Jardine successfully implemented the tactics of Bodyline bowling and achieved two things out of it: First, preventing Bradman from scoring freely. The Bodyline Series saw Bradman's worst average of 56.57 in his test career. Bradman had missed the First Test at The Sydney Cricket Ground due to contract issues, so it was during the 2nd Test at The MCG, when he about to face the hostile English bowlers and confront their Bodyline tactics, devised primarily for him. Unfortunately, the legend was bowled by Bowes for a duck, until that time it was only the 2nd of his career. 

Don Bradman getting bowled by Bill Bowes for a duck at the MCG

Repercussions

The repercussions which the happenings in the series evoked were hysterical in nature. MCC tour manager, Pelham Warner who tried to smooth relationship which had turned sour for the obvious reasons, was given a mouthful by Australian captain Bill Woodfull in 25 words, regarded as the most famous 25 words in the sport. "I don't want to see you, Mr. Warner. There are two teams out there. One is trying to play cricket and the other is not." The comment was leaked to the media, resulting in Australian Board of Control for International Cricket sent a cable to the MCC, describing England's tactics as "unsportsmanlike". MCC reacted with incredulity that the tactics used by the England were unsportsmanlike and felt it was out of the question for a man of Jardine's character to behave in such a manner. Jardine threatened to withdraw his team from the last two tests unless the allegation was retracted. MCC went on to introduce a new rule to the laws of cricket for the 1935 English cricket season. They hoped that the game would be played in the right spirit and a resolution was passed that bodyline bowling would violate this spirit but unfortunately it had proved to be insufficient leading to another law getting passed, wherein "direct attack" bowling was termed unfair and put the onus on the umpires to identify and stop.

IPL- INDIAN CRICKET

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE - A BOON OR A BANE FOR INDIAN CRICKET

IPL or The Indian Premier League, Lalit Modi's brainchild termed as the Million Dollar Baby, got off to a blazing start in the year 2008, with the Indian public embracing this new concept of teams having a combination of players from the domestic circuit, Indian team and International players rubbing shoulders with each other, exchanging ideas and ultimately treat everyone to a whole new level of cricket.

Lalit Modi - The Man Behind The Revolution

The main idea behind staging a tournament like this, was to give exposure to local Indian players, who don't get the desired recognition from playing State-level cricket, where in by playing with top notch cricketers, interacting with the legends of the game would not only allow them to fine tune their skills but also help them get exposure at the big stage and finally through their performances, attract the attention of selectors, thereby taking the first step towards realizing their dreams of playing for India. 

This cash-rich tournament over the years have produced some quality young cricketers, who through their stellar performances have made people take notice, stand up and applaud. The inaugural year, 2008 itself saw likes of Sanju Samson and Yusuf Pathan, playing for Rajasthan Royals under the spin legend Shane Warne, consistently treat us with breathtaking knocks to win matches from hopeless situations. The impact of Yusuf Pathan's performance was such, that not only it helped Royals to win the title but also helped him earn a place in the Indian Team, later in the year. Obviously Yusuf found it tough to hold on to his position in the side, as consistency has always been a matter of great concern for him. Ravindra Jadeja, originating from Saurashtra, is another player on whom IPL had a great impact. He hogged the limelight so much as his all-round skills developed by leaps and bounds, that he earned the nickname "Rockstar" from his captain Shane Warne. In the very next year, with the Indian selectors taking note of his performance, he made his debut for India against Sri Lanka and remained unbeaten at 60 in that match. Since then he has hasn't looked back and now he is an integral part of the current Indian outfit.

Shane Warne and Yusuf Pathan while palying for Rajasthan Royals in IPL

To talk of other teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore saw a new sensation in the form of Manish Pandey who gave us a glimpse of what he can do, when he became the first Indian to score a hundred in the 2nd edition of IPL, an innings filled with sparkling shots. Though it is difficult for him to get into the currently settled Indian outfit but till now, whatever opportunities have come his way, he has made use of them pretty well. If we look at the current Indian team, likes of Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohit Sharma all have made their way into the side through IPL and surely there are many more in the pipeline, waiting for a call-up. IPL has not only helped unearth the hidden talent which our country possesses but also helped other nations discover the true potential of their domestic circuit. 

Likes of Moises Henriques, Chris Lynn, David Hussey coming through from The Big Bash in Australia, where they have been prolific scorers, ultimately got recognized by the Australian selectors after their performances in IPL. West Indians Sunil Narine and Keiron Pollard, who represent Trinidad and Tobago could not make any significant mark in the international level before playing in the IPL, so was the case with South African David Miller. So, a tournament which was originally aimed at giving rookie Indians the platform to showcase their skills, has equally benefitted the uncapped players of other international teams. 

THE MAIN TALKING POINT

Now if we look at the skill level of players playing for different countries, it has definitely gone up few notches. Players nowadays have become fearless and play a different brand of cricket altogether, which was not the case 10 years back. Just like you cannot have a rose without thorns, similarly this IPL is slowly becoming a thorn in the flesh for Indian Cricket. Where the commitment levels have gone up for players of other nations, after getting selected in the national team through IPL, certain Indian cricketers have started showing lackadaisical approach while representing India. The amount which the cricketers receive from playing a minimum of 14 matches in IPL each year, for a span of close to two months is so mindboggling that even a hefty pay from The BCCI for representing India looks meagre. 

It's not that players have not performed while playing for India or India, as a team have not won tournaments after the commencement of IPL. In fact, India won the 2010 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka after 15 years. In the very next year, the team was crowned World Champions for the 2nd time after 28 years, when they beat Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium on 2nd April, 2011. 2013 saw India winning the 2nd most important tournament in 50-over cricket, The ICC Champions Trophy, after beating England in their own den. Unfortunately since being crowned the Champion of Champions, India hasn't really won anything of substance in the last 3.5 years, the latest blemish being their inability to defend their Champions Trophy Title. They have tasted success in few bilateral tournaments against Zimbabwe, Australia, West Indies, England but they have struggled to make any impression in ICC Tournaments and also while touring places like Australia, South Africa, New Zealand. A team which boasts of having the best batting line-up, with players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni in their ranks, these facts are hard to accept. 

Somewhere there is a feeling that the focus has shifted from International Cricket to the glamour and extravaganza of IPL, which should never have been the case. First priority for any cricketer should be to perform and bring laurels for the nation. So, what seemed to be a boon for Indian Cricket initially, IPL has surely turned out to be the nemesis for cricket in India. Now it's upto the players to introspect and bring about a change in attitude while playing for the nation, which would automatically bring forth positive results for the side.

Kohli-Kumble Fallout

Inside story on Kumble's exit as Team India Coach and hunt for the next Head Coach begins    

A captain-coach saga is not new for Indian cricket. Remember the summer of 2005, India's tour of Zimbabwe, when Sourav Ganguly's removal as the captain of the side by then newly appointed coach Greg Chappell, as he wanted Sourav to solely concentrate on his batting, had triggered an uproar not only in the cricketing circuit but the ripple effects could be seen on the streets of Kolkata, Ganguly's hometown and also became a topic of discussion in the Parliament of India. The anger among the public was evident from the fact that the demand for Chappell's resignation from the position of Team India's coach had gone high.

Twelve years have passed since that infamous incident, rift between the current Indian Captain Virat Kohli and head coach Anil Kumble had taken shape at the worst possible time for Indian Cricket when the team was preparing to defend their Champions Trophy crown. Kohli as we all know, possesses a very dynamic personality. The exuberance is quite evident from the way he conducts himself on the field and he is someone who will not think twice before taking up a challenge against the opposition. On the other hand, Anil Kumble, with all his experience and calm demeanour, commands respect from everyone. His soft spoken nature and towering personality is something everyone in the international arena, admires. He is a hard taskmaster and a no-nonsense individual.

When two individuals work together towards a common goal, it's quite possible that differences in opinions would arise and they wouldn't agree to each other's views on all fronts. Here, with Virat and Anil Kumble, we are talking about two very strong individuals who don't shy away from sharing their views on different matters. What actually led to the rift is hard to predict but from the hindsight, it seems as if cultural differences might be the root cause which had triggered the conflict. Anil Kumble played in a generation, starting from 1990 till 2012,  where the game initially was not fast paced, the psychology of the players in those times, were different from what the current crop of players have. 

Now the game has changed significantly. As days have gone by, it has become more and more commercialized and with the advent of T20, players have become fearless, which gets rubbed off in ODIs as well. 

Conservative approach has given way to flamboyance and here's where, the feeling arises that may be Virat Kohli had reservations against Kumble's style of working with the boys. The young crop of players want freedom and a go as you like approach. The discipline and sincerity which Kumble demands from his players in all respects, seemed to have come in the way of the players' carefree attitude. 

Now with the coach's position vacant, BCCI has invited applications for the post which is expected to be filled before the team embarks on the tour of Sri Lanka in July. The contenders, who have applied for the post are Virender Sehwag, Dodda Ganesh, Lalchand Rajput, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus and Anil Kumble himself. As far as coaching experience is concerned, everyone except Ganesh has first hand knowledge about how to go about in doing the job. 

Virender Sehwag was Kings XI Punjab's mentor in this year's Indian Premier League. 

Lalchand Rajput was Team India's manager at the inaugural ICC World T20 Campaign in South Africa in 2007, where India had emerged victorious under the leadership of MS Dhoni. 

Tom Moody had been an international coach previously for Sri Lanka and he recently coached the Sunrisers Hyderabad side in the IPL. 

Richard Pybus had been the coach of the Pakistan team and also for the Bangladesh side.

MY VIEWS

The main aspect which the Cricket Advisory Committee needs to ensure before setting out to pick the next coach of the Indian Team, is that there should be clear cut communication between captain Virat Kohli and the person appointed as coach. In order to avoid another Kohli-Kumble fallout, the agendas have to be set for the two individuals that they need to respect each other's viewpoints and should in a mature manner, deal with any sort of differences that might arise, keeping in mind the well-being of Indian Cricket as a whole and there can be no better group of mentors than that of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman who have seen it all through their glorious careers spanning over decades and put the focus back on cricket. Open conflict between two individuals at responsible positions doesn't do any good to the morale of the side. Hopefully better and brighter days are ahead for Indian cricket.

ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2017 - REVIEWS OF MATCHES

                                           Match - 1

                                 England vs Bangladesh

                                                   OVAL, LONDON 

The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 kicked off at Oval, London with host England taking on Bangladesh. This was the first meeting between the two sides since 2015 World Cup Match at Adelaide Oval, Australia where Bangladesh had emerged victorious. So with England playing at home, it was a chance for them to set the record straight and show the world that the loss at Adelaide Oval was due to an off-day for the Englishmen.

Coming back to this match, England decided to put Bangladesh into bat after winning the toss. The primary reason behind it was generally Bangladesh likes to chase. Tamim Iqbal looked to be in cracking form with everything coming from the middle of the bat and giving him good company was Soumya Sarkar. They had stitched together a partnership of 56 runs for the first wicket until Sarkar was caught by Bairstow off the bowling of Ben Stokes for 28. 

Imrul Kayes looked decent for his 19 runs but he had to make his way back to the pavillion when he went for an expansive drive, got an inside edge and got caught at mid off by Mark Wood. Tamin Iqbal, in the meantime brought up his 37th half century. He was looking good right from the outset and capitalized on the good start to go on and bring up his 9th ODI Hundred.

He upped his scoring rate significantly after reaching the landmark and supporting well at the other end was former captain and wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim. Liam Plunkett brought England back into the contest and stemmed the flow of runs for Bangladesh when he picked up the wickets of two set batsmen one after another. Tamim Iqbal went back to the pavillion after scoring a brilliant 128, studded with 12 boundaries and 3 sixes and Mushfiqur Rahim followed him for a well made 79.

After the dismissal of two set batsmen, England had taken control over the game, specially when at one stage it looked as if Bangladesh would easily cross 320. Finally they ended up scoring 305 for the loss of 6 wickets.

This is how the batting card of Bangladesh looked like at the end of the 1st innings :

Bangladesh Innings305-6 (50)

Batsman

R

B

4s

6s

SR

Tamim Iqbal

c Jos Buttler b Plunkett   

128

142

12

3

90.14

Soumya Sarkar

c (sub)Bairstow b Stokes   

28

34

4

1

82.35

Imrul Kayes

c Mark Wood b Plunkett   

19

20

3

0

95.00

Mushfiqur Rahim (wk)

c A Hales b Plunkett   

79

72

8

0

109.72

Shakib Al Hasan

c Stokes b J Ball   

10

8

2

0

125.00

Sabbir Rahman

c Roy b Plunkett   

24

15

3

0

160.00

Mahmudullah

not out

6

6

0

0

100.00

Mosaddek Hossain Saikat

not out

2

3

0

0

66.67

Extras

9

 (b 1, lb 1, w 7, nb 0, p 0)

Total

305

 (6 wkts, 50 Ov)

Did not Bat

Mortaza, Mustafizur, Rubel

                                                      

  

England's opening pair of Alex Hales and Jason Roy got off to a shaky start which resulted in the loss of Jason Roy, picked up by Masrafe Mortaza in his 2nd over, with the score reading 6-1. Alex Hales got joined by England's prolific run-getter Joe Root and he looked to be in cracking form right from the word go. They were hitting the balls right off the meat of the bat and made sure that they put all the loose deliveries away for a four or a six. 

                                     

Whatever advantage Bangladesh had garnered by picking up an early wicket got withered away by the solidity this pair showed and thereby keeping England well ahead of the required run rate throughout the chase. Hales looked set to reach his 6th hundred but a rush of blood at the wrong time, when he went for a big shot for the 3rd time after hitting two consecutive sixes, brought about his downfall for 95.

After the dismissal of Hales, Eoin Morgan came to the crease and he got himself moving smoothly along with Joe Root and gradually developed a healthy partnership to ensure there are no further hiccups on way to victory. Morgan slammed his 33rd ODI fifty, his silken touches were a treat to watch and Root made sure that he did not repeat the mistake which Hales did, thereby lose out on his hundred. Root brought up his 10th ODI Hundred, and remained unbeaten at 133 to steer his team to a comfortable 8 wicket victory.

Let's have a look at the England's batting card to see how they chased down the target of 305 :

England Innings308-2 (47.2)

Batsman

R

B

4s

6s

SR

Jason Roy

c Mustafizur b Mortaza   

1

8

0

0

12.50

Alex Hales

c (sub)Sunzamul Islam b S Rahman   

95

86

11

2

110.47

Joe Root

not out

133

129

11

1

103.10

Eoin Morgan (c)

not out

75

61

8

2

122.95

Extras

4

 (b 0, lb 2, w 2, nb 0, p 0)

Total

308

 (2 wkts, 47.2 Ov)

Did not Bat

Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen, C Woakes, Plunkett, Mark Wood, J Ball

Fall of Wickets

6-1 (Jason Roy, 2.3), 165-2 (Alex Hales, 27.6)

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INDIA vs PAKISTAN - ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2017 PREVIEW

India take on arch-rivals Pakistan in the fourth match of The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 on 4th June at Edgbaston, Birmingham. This is a very important match for both the teams as they will be eager to start the campaign on a high. The Champions Trophy being a short and crisp tournament, it offers very little room for complacency because one slip up can put a team under severe pressure in their quest for a Semi-Final berth.

When it comes to playing against Pakistan in World Cups, India have always had the upper hand but surprisingly in case of The ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan enjoys a 2-1 lead over The Men In Blue. The first of the two losses came in the 2004 edition, held in England where the match was played at the same venue, it's due to be played on Sunday, Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Pakistan’s Abdul Razzaq (left) collides with India’s Rahul Dravid while going for the ball during the ICC Champions Trophy match in 2004 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

India suffered their 2nd loss 5 years later, in the year 2009 when the two teams locked horns at Centurion. In that match Pakistan had emerged victorious by 53 runs. Pakistan had put up a massive 302/9 riding on Shoaib Malik's 126-ball 128 and Mohammad Yousuf's run-a-ball 87. Ashish Nehra picked four wickets for 55 and Ishant Sharma bagged 2 for 39 but the Pakistan batsmen were always on top. In reply, Rahul Dravid top scored with 76 while Gautam Gambhir made 57 but India folded up for 248 in 44.5 overs after Mohammad Amir, Naved-ul-Hasan, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi picked up two wickets each.

Shahid Afridi celebrates after picking up the wicket of Rahul Dravid as Shoaib Malik becomes ecstatic
Rahul Dravid feeling dejected

However in 2013, India turned the tide in their favour to break the jinx with a resounding win. Put into bat, Pakistan were bundled out for a paltry 165 in 39.4 overs, thanks to some brilliant bowling and fielding by the young Indian side. Indian bowlers used the overcast conditions to good effect and created problems for Pakistani batting line-up to accelerate the scoring rate. Rain took away some sheen off the contest but India achieved the revised target of 102 off 22 overs in just 19.1 overs for the loss of two wickets, courtesy Shikhar Dhawan's 48 and useful contributions from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

A baffled Misbah looks on as his bails get dislodged. MS Dhoni can't hide his excitement at the back

The upcoming June 4 encounter has created a lot of hype, as any Indo-Pak clash does. It remains to be seen which team handles the nerves better on the D-Day. So, it promises to be another classic between the two Asian Giants.