Category Archives: Sri Lanka

The Curse of Number One

Amid the endless rounds of bi- and tri-lateral tournaments that dominate the cricket calendar, there are really only two honors that the major cricket-playing nations covet. One is to win the quadrennial World Cup, which uses the one-day (50-over) form … Continue reading

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A Tale of Two Series

Two cricket series recently ended. A resurgent Pakistan took on top dogs England in three Test matches (in which Pakistan thrashed a hopeless England 3-0), four one-day internationals (in which England thrashed a hopeless Pakistan 4-0), and three Twenty20s (in … Continue reading

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Slaughter!

In May of last year, India were ranked the best cricket team in the world at the longest form of the game, Test cricket. England were a close second. What a difference nine months make! Shortly after triumphing in the … Continue reading

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The Fight to Be Number One

It is a truth universally acknowledged (or at least it is in the world of international cricket) that teams visiting the Indian subcontinent are as unable to cope with the mysteries of spin generated by pitch and weather conditions in … Continue reading

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Field Notes

Ron Kaplan, one of our most insightful and inquisitive baseball correspondents, has wondered how a cricket captain decides where to place his eleven players when there’s no foul territory and a batsman can hit the ball anywhere. Is there a … Continue reading

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The Declaration

The Test match (the international version of the five-day game of cricket) offers a fascinating, strategic option for captains: the declaration. As Ron Kaplan notes of India’s current game against Australia : “Isn’t there the chance that India could have … Continue reading

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All Hail Sri Lanka!

Sri Lanka has had a bad 2011. How bad? Well, as a commentator on espncricinfo.com puts it: Sri Lanka have hurtled from one low to another after a sizzling run to the World Cup final. Their board ran into losses, … Continue reading

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Hemispheric Pressure

While our baseball friends in the U.S. huddle around their stoves and await the first sprigs of spring training to appear in February, cricket lovers are enjoying a sun-drenched, beer-fueled banquet of competition in the southern hemisphere. After an inconclusive … Continue reading

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Test Match Cricket Is Back

After a frenzy of one-day internationals, Test match cricket (the version of the game that separates the men from the boys, and the women from the girls) is back! And it’s providing some interesting stories. Zimbabwe, once (late 19990s) an … Continue reading

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In Praise of Kumar Sangakkara

Earlier this year, the great Sri Lankan batsman and wicketkeeper, Kumar Sangakkara, led his team to the finals of the cricket World Cup, and he was named the International Cricket Conference’s One-Day International cricketer of the year. He pulled off … Continue reading

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