Another year in the cricketing calendar is firmly in the rear-view mirror and there were a lot of phenomenal feats in 2018. Some players enhanced their already stupendous achievements while others addressed the gaps in their CV. Some young players put their hand up to show that they had it in them to become the greats of the game, while there were some whose performances turned out to be a damp squib. There were a total of 48 Tests, 128 ODIs and 81 T20Is played in 2018 and in this podcast we look at the top performers in all 3 formats.

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The late Richie Benaud, who was considered the doyen of cricket commentary, once called cricket the most controversial game of all. Over the years, cricket has been involved in a lot of controversies like gambling, match-fixing, spot-fixing, sledging, disrespect towards umpires, dalliances of a non-platonic nature, verbal tirades and even the odd physical skirmish. Ball-tampering can also be added to this list but for some reason over the years it failed to be considered a serious offence. There have been a lot of players caught red-handed, tampering with the ball over the years but for some reason the offence does not seem to warrant the seriousness that it deserves. Here is a list of players caught tampering with the ball over the years.

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The calendar year 2018 has been a fantastic one for Indian cricket. They were unstoppable in the shorter formats of the game and in Test cricket they won their first ever Test series in Australia. They learnt from their mistakes in selection and execution in South Africa and England and put that to use in Australia where the team jelled as a cohesive unit and emerged 2-1 victors. In T20Is, they played 6 series and won 5 with 1 series being drawn. Out of the 19 T20Is they played in 2018, they won 14, lost 4 while 1 ended in a no-result. Their Win-Loss ratio of 3.5 in T20Is was the 2nd best after Pakistan (8.5), while Afghanistan were victorious in all 7 T20Is that they played and therefore didn’t have a Win-Loss ratio.

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No Balls can be costly, just ask a bowler when he gets a wicket only for the delivery to be declared a no ball. It can change the fate of a match, as Jasprit Bumrah found out in the ICC Champions trophy final of 2017.

Having said that, a couple of no-balls in a test match between Pakistan and England at Lord’s in 2010 had a sinister hand behind them and far-reaching consequences. They unearthed a ‘spot-fixing’ scandal and had dire consequences for the culprits at the centre of it all.

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The year 2019 promises an interesting feast of cricket for fans from all over the globe. The ODI World Cup will be held in England from 30th May till 14th July. This year will also feature the inauguration of the World Test Championship, which would include the Ashes in England. So, there is a lot of cricket to look forward to. However, while the established stalwarts in various teams are expected to rule the roost, there are also a number of new exciting players on the horizon. Some of them have captured the fancy of the cricketing public with their exploits in the T20 arena while others have impressed in their first outings in international cricket. If these players keep their head on their shoulders and live up to their potential then they will certainly be the ones to watch out for in 2019. Here are 8 players who could impress on the world stage in 2019.

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There are some cricketers who are prolific run scorers but do so at a snail’s pace and are not particularly appealing to the eye. There are some cricketers who score runs at a brisk pace but do not score enough runs to be called great or even good batsmen. There are some cricketers who excel at a particular format but are found wanting in another. There are some cricketers who score a lot of runs at a brisk pace and also stir the senses by the manner of their stroke play. Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards falls into the last category. He had a long and illustrious career and entertained his legion of fans with his scintillating stroke play in both Tests and ODIs. What made Richards tick over such a long career was his god given gift of picking the line and length of the ball earlier than most mere mortals. He was also blessed with immense power and was considered the hardest hitter of the ball in his era.

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As of 1st January 2019, there have been 2956 players who have played Test cricket. So, when pundits of the game sit down and choose an all-time great World XI, there is a plethora of talent to choose from. Since Test cricket began in 1877, there have been a number of great batsmen, bowlers, all-rounders and wicket-keepers to choose from. Therefore, it is only natural that the pundits who choose the all-time great Test XI will differ in their choice of the playing XI. However, there are some players whose exploits on a cricketing field are so compelling, that leaving them out of the playing XI is impossible. They include players like Don Bradman, Garfield Sobers, Shane Warne and Wasim Akram.

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It was an event full of drama, controversy, gossip, a (perceived) pantomime villain, a (perceived) hero of the people. There was infighting, there was a public spat, it was spoken about on all TV channels and discussed ad idem in offices during the water cooler chats. TV commercials were made taking a dig at the entire episode and there was a bittersweet ending. Some may think it was a soap opera, and, why not, as the ‘script’ certainly had that feel to it. However, we cricket fans simply refer to it as the Ganguly – Chappell saga. We delve into what happened, why it happened and what it led to.

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An India – Pakistan sporting rivalry, there is nothing like it. Any sport – If India is going up against Pakistan there is bound to be massive interest in both countries. Be it Kabaddi, Hockey, Volleyball or football. We don’t like losing to them and vice-versa.

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In the previous podcast, we had covered cricket since its beginning to the period immediately preceding World War 1. The last Test before the War was played between England and South Africa in February 1914. With the onset of the war, there wasn’t any Test cricket played between the 3 countries as priorities changed. Ironically cricket was played in India, whereas in England, South Africa and West Indies, First Class cricket was abandoned for the entire duration of the war. In Australia and New Zealand, cricket was played in the 1914-15 season but afterwards, First-Class matches were completely abandoned. 

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