Cricket Blogs

Some of the the ICC's rules are open to debate and in urgent need of revision or change.

While Steve Smith has rightly been castigated for his action, at least he came forward and owned up.

Rajasthan Royals secured England all-rounder Ben Stokes for an eye-popping Rs 12.5 crore, two crore down from the price he fetched in 2017 season by Rising Pune Supergiant.

Justice Lodha, as long as he was addressing legal issues - corruption, cronyism and conflict of interest - was on the right track. But the switch from surgeon to system disruptor has destroyed the two nurseries of Indian cricket and replaced them with passive vote banks

India have not had an umpire in the ICC Elite Panel in over 11 years. Even several national cricketers have low opinion of the umpiring standards at home. "It's a tough job, respect them" says Simon Taufel. "Would love to see Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid donning white coats."

In England, merit is not the only criteria to decide who plays or doesn't. In West Indies it is no different. In South Africa, it seems, a quota decides who plays and who doesn't. The deprived are the fans. The unaffected is the cricket administration. The frustrated are the cricketers.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni caught an entire nation off-guard when he announced his Test retirement in the middle of the Test series against Australia last month.

Years ago Sourav Ganguly spent time with Greg Chappell in Australia (when they were still on talking terms) and immediately scored a hundred in Brisbane on a lively pitch. Recently, top Indian cricketers have started working with their own coaches and the most well known case is that of Pravin Amre.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni made his One-Day International debut for India ten years ago on 23rd December 2004.

Rory McIlroy, I found out,is a keen cricket follower, he was not only well informed about Tendulkar's exploits but even knew Rohit Sharma recently smashed 264 in a 50-over game. Among English cricketers he admires Kevin Pietersen for his flair and flamboyance, for his wonderful stroke-making and ability to win matches .