Category Archives: Test Cricket

The Curse of Number One

Posted on March 29, 2012 by rightoffthebatbook

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 →

Posted in Australia, Cricket, England, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Test Cricket, West Indies | Leave a comment

Ascending Mount Vernon

Posted on March 26, 2012 by rightoffthebatbook

With his six-wicket haul in the third Test match against New Zealand, South African bowler Vernon Philander has taken over fifty wickets in only seven Test matches: the quickest to that feat since—wait for it!—1893. Unlike his bowling partners in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cricket, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Test Cricket | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Sachin Finally Does It

Posted on March 20, 2012 by rightoffthebatbook

It wasn’t exactly a crunch game; nor was the opposition (Bangladesh) the fiercest; nor was the location (Mirpur) a locus classicus for cricket lovers. But no one will remember the place or opposition—or even the fact that India still managed … Continue reading →

Posted in Bangladesh, Cricket, India, One-Day Cricket, Test Cricket | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Slaughter!

Posted on February 6, 2012 by rightoffthebatbook

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 →

Posted in Australia, Cricket, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Test Cricket | Leave a comment

The Fight to Be Number One

Posted on January 20, 2012 by rightoffthebatbook

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 →

Posted in Australia, Cricket, England, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Test Cricket | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Old Ones

Posted on January 5, 2012 by rightoffthebatbook

At the end of 2011, much of the talk in cricket was over what Australia, South Africa, and India should do about their aging titans. Should Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey (Australia) gracefully leave the stage? Were Jacques Kallis’s days … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Cricket, England, India, South Africa, Test Cricket | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Declaration

Posted on January 5, 2012 by rightoffthebatbook

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 →

Posted in Australia, Cricket, England, India, Sri Lanka, Test Cricket, West Indies | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

All Hail Sri Lanka!

Posted on December 29, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

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 →

Posted in Cricket, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Test Cricket | Leave a comment

Hemispheric Pressure

Posted on December 28, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

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 →

Posted in Australia, Cricket, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Test Cricket | Leave a comment

New Zealand Beat Australia for the First Time in Twenty Years

Posted on December 12, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

In a major upset and in a finish that was the very definition of nail-biting, the underdog New Zealand cricket team has beaten the mighty Australians in a Test match for the first time in twenty years. Doug Bracewell, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Cricket, New Zealand, Test Cricket | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments