Pakistan revamp their selection process
PAK seem to have injected some sense into their selection process, the BCCI are doubling down on the Ranji Trophy, & AUS-W destroy BAN-W.
Dawn’s Imran Gabol reports on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to reorganise their selection committee and provide more weight to the coaching & data analysis staff, while stripping away power from a chief selector.
In a series of encouraging moves, Haris Rauf has gotten a new central contract, and Mohammad Amir has made himself available for the national team for the first time in years after discussions with the PCB.
ESPNcricinfo’s Osman Samiuddin pays tribute to the great chairman the PCB has had during a turbulent 21st century, as Shaharyar Khan passed away over the weekend.
Indian Express’ Devendra Pandey reports that the BCCI has added a maximum bonus of up to INR 45 lakh per match for the Ranji Trophy, while the Mumbai Cricket Association has also pledged to double the salaries of their players.
A couple of RCB-W stars shone as the Australia Women beat Bangladesh by 6 wickets in their second ODI. Sophie Molineux picked up 3-10 in her return to international cricket after a two-year injury layoff, and Ellyse Perry mopped up the run chase with an unbeaten 35-run innings.
Emerging Cricket’s Nate Hays has all the details from the less heralded but equally dramatic domestic draft for the second season of Major League Cricket.
You would think that the best teams would get the best stories…
…but, that’s clearly not the case. I went through 850+ stories from five different outlets who covered the WPL and the first week of the IPL to ask a simple question; why does it feel like the lesser watched WPL has better cricket coverage? You can read the entire story (with lots of graphs like this!) here.
By the way, I’ve set up a Twitter and Instagram account under @BestCricStories where I post all these graphs & images, and would appreciate the support if you like them!
Gujarat gives Mumbai a Hard(ik) welcome
Kane Williamson on Gill’s great captaincy, the strengths & weaknesses of every team, & the IPL is struggling to sell ads.
The Gujarat Titans eked out a six-run victory over the Mumbai Indians, led by former captain Hardik Pandya.
News18’s Sahil Malhotra talked to Kane Williamson about what makes new GT captain Shubman Gill so good, while Cricket.com’s Hardik Worah who praises MI’s go-to pressure bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who picked up an incredible 3-14 in yesterday’s loss.
In the other game, the Rajasthan Royals beat down the Lucknow Super Giants by 20 runs, led Sanju Samson 82* & Riyan Parag’s 43.
Cricket.com’s Shubh Aggarwal writes about how LSG are still struggling to chase down victories, while ESPNcricinfo’s Sidharth Monga writes about the re-invention of RR’s Sandeep Sharma as death overs specialist, as he showed again yesterday.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore host the Punjab Kings today. Cricbuzz’s Kaushik Rangarajan hypothesises on how RCB can use their home advantage, while News18’s Aakash Biswas interviews Punjab’s IPL debutant Ashutosh Sharma.
Good Areas’ Jarrod Kimber has a comprehensive preview of each IPL teams’ strengths and weaknesses, alongside spider map graphs pointing it out for each of them.
Data analyst Dan Weston looks at the bad roster construction and planning by RCB and the Delhi Capitals, especially when it comes to their bowling stocks.
Economic Times’ Javed Farooqui reports that both Disney & Jio are struggling to sell ads and sponsorships for the IPL so far. The problem boils down to the insane amounts they paid for the media rights, leading to high ad rates that most companies don’t way to pay.
Hogg reminisces on Australia, the IPL & the right wife
Brad Hogg on RR’s ban, the best WI players in the IPL, & a best T20 XI from the 80s and 90s.
Cricket.com’s Avanish Hegde talks to Brad Hogg about everything from the Rajasthan Royals’ ban, being part of the 2000s Australia team, and the drinking culture during the early days of the IPL.
Carribean Cricket Podcast’s Santokie Nagulendran talks to Bharat Sundaresan about the best West Indies players to be playing in the IPL.
The 81 All Out podcast flips the discussion on how T20 has changed the game by asking who would make a best of the world T20 side in the 1980s & 1990s? [Apple Podcast]
Editor’s Note
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