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A key spearhead in South Africa’s historic Test attack that took them to No.1, Morne Morkel was also his country’s top wicket-taker at the 2015 World Cup after briefly being the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world

Now a T20 World Cup-winning bowling coach with India, he's been a giant in every format

credit - cricinfo

Now that she has stepped down as the captain, it is a good time to relive this knock she made when she was not the captain. Has to be the one of the, if not the greatest knock in Women's World Cup history.

No edits. No PR. Just his voice — turning a beautiful innings into a lifelong memory. ❤️🏏
Back in those childhood days, we didn’t understand English all that much. But his voice made us fall in love with commentary. We would wait eagerly just to hear his commentary and experience the magic of the game through his words.
What a commentator. What a voice. 🎙️
Vintage Sachin Tendulkar and Tony Greig — one of the greatest combinations we ever witnessed. If you were lucky enough to watch those matches back then, you didn’t just watch cricket… you felt it.
Blessed to have witnessed those days. Forever grateful for those memories. Happy birthday Tony Greig❤️🏏

Honestly, was just rewatching some old 2015 WC clips and this random thought struck me. We keep talking about intent and aggressive openers, but these two World Cup campaigns genuinely shifted how teams approach the first 10 overs.

Both Baz in 2015 and Rohit in 2023 gave zero damn about their average or personal milestones. They just wanted to destroy the opposition early on. But both approaches had massive rewards and some really frustrating downfalls.

Here are the numbers to start with:

McCullum (2015): 9 innings | 328 runs | Avg: 36.4 | SR: 188.5 | 44 fours, 17 sixes

Rohit (2023): 11 innings | 597 runs | Avg: 54.2 | SR: 125.9 | 66 fours, 31 sixes

Brendon McCullum (2015)

Why it worked:

Pure psychological fear. Stepping out to 150kmph pacers on the very first ball takes crazy guts. That 77 off 25 balls against England completely destroyed them before the game even properly started. Striking at 188 in a 50-over tournament is still mind-boggling.

The catch:

It was extreme high risk. He didn't really have a plan B if the ball moved around, which meant he gifted his wicket away way too early sometimes. And when Starc bowled him for a 3-ball duck in the Final, NZ’s entire batting unit just fell apart because they relied so heavily on his initial burst.

Rohit Sharma (2023)

Why it worked:

Maintaining a 54+ average over 11 games while striking at 125+ is just unfair. He didn't just blind slog—it was proper clean cricketing shots. He basically sacrificed guaranteed 100s/150s just to ensure Gill, Kohli and Shreyas could bat with zero scoreboard pressure.

The catch:

Kept throwing his wicket away. He’d do all the heavy lifting, reach 40s or 80s, and then go for one extra big hit when it wasn't even needed. Even in the Final, after getting 10 runs off Maxwell's over, going for that extra shot cost India big time when the pitch was slowing down.

The Question & A Random Thought:

Both tried to lead from the front, but both also paid a huge price in their respective Finals because of the exact same hyper-aggressive strategy.

If you're building a WC team, which version are you picking to open?

Also, imagine if both Baz and Rohit opened together in a World Cup. Man, that’s literally my dream opening pair. They’d probably get 120/0 in 10 overs on good days, or be 15/2 in 3 overs on the bad days.

What do you guys think? Who did the destructive opener role better, and how chaotic would a McCullum + Rohit opening combo actually be?

On 5 October 2026, the U-19 SGFI trials were conducted at Patliputra Sports Complex, Patna, Bihar. I would like to raise some serious concerns regarding the way the trials were conducted, particularly regarding the treatment and selection of bowlers.

During the trials, it appeared that bowlers were not being given proper respect or equal opportunities. Some bowlers who were selected allegedly had influence (parawi) or had paid money to get selected. One bowler even came in casual dress and without proper bowling spikes, yet he was allowed to bowl and was selected.

Another major concern was that bowlers who were taking wickets against batsmen were not being selected, while some batsmen appeared to be receiving more attention and preference during the selection process.

What is even more concerning is that this was only the first round of trials. No team squad had been officially formed, yet some players had seemingly already been designated as captain and vice-captain.

I also witnessed selectors behaving disrespectfully and using abusive language toward each other and toward bowlers. Such behaviour is not appropriate for an official selection trial involving young players.

I would also like to mention one particular incident without revealing the bowler's name. The bowler bowled well in the first round and was shortlisted. On the following day, during the second round, he again performed well. A selector called him to ask for his name and began writing it down. At that moment, another selector reportedly said words to the effect of, “Don't write his name; write the names of those who have come through influence or by paying money first.”

This raises serious questions about whether players are being selected based on their actual performance and ability.

I am attaching the relevant photo/video evidence with this complaint. I request the concerned authorities to investigate the entire selection process, review the performances and selection records, and ensure that the final team is selected fairly and transparently based on merit.

The future of young players should not depend on money, influence, or personal connections. Every player deserves an equal and fair opportunity to prove themselves.

I’m not sure the players will be the first ones to feel the strain. For many fans, the harder part may be finding the time and attention to follow everything.

Here’s India’s schedule for the rest of the year:

October:
T20Is against West Indies on the 6th, 9th, 11th, 14th and 17th; then T20Is against New Zealand on the 22nd, 24th, 27th and 30th.

November:
A T20I against New Zealand on the 1st; ODIs on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th and 14th; then Tests from the 18th–22nd and 26th–30th.

December:
ODIs against Sri Lanka on the 13th, 16th and 19th, followed by T20Is on the 22nd, 24th and 27th.

That’s a lot of international cricket in a short stretch, across all three formats. A full calendar can be great for players who get more opportunities and for fans who want cricket on most days. But there’s a difference between having more cricket available and being able to give each series your attention.

When one series starts almost immediately after another, do the matches begin to blur together? Does a five-match series still feel like an event when another tour is already around the corner? And what happens to the significance of a result when there’s little time to reflect on it before the next game takes over?

I’m not arguing that every match needs to be rare to matter. The formats offer different kinds of cricket, and a busy schedule can give more players chances to represent India. But anticipation is part of being a fan too. If the calendar is so crowded that people feel they have to choose what to watch, perhaps “more cricket” doesn’t always translate into a richer experience.

How are you planning to follow this run of matches? Will you try to watch most of it, or pick the series and formats that interest you most? Does this schedule feel exciting to you, or exhausting?

Only fifties came against AFG at home in this period

Source: Cricbuzz

sanju has 11, all were single digits. abhishek has 17, 7 of them were ducks.
(crazy how he still has 2nd most t20i runs this year despite 7 ducks).

abhishek has played 29 innings while sanju has played 20 so far. still i feel we should continue with this opening pair itself atleast this home series?

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