Monthly International Cricket Round Up
The first month of 2016 had a lot to display for the cricket fans.
Pakistan vs New Zealand (3 T20Is )
New Zealand won 2-1
With the World T20 just a couple of months away, every Twenty20 series now for each team has become of prime significance to get their sides settled before the all important tournament
After losing to Pakistan in the first match New Zealand made the most out of the remaining two matches to gear themselves for the all important global event. In the first match, the batting unit led by a knock of 60 runs by Hafeez, Pakistan put forward a quite gettable total of 172 to chase for New Zealand who too looked almost there with Williamson scoring 70 in 60 balls and Munro smashing 56 in just 27 deliveries. But a complete collapse of the middle order with no one getting past a single digit score, Pakistan triumphed by 16 runs.
In the last two matches the Kiwis bounced back ,and in style to clinch the series. Both the remaining matches were a one-sided affair as the Kiwis commanded them with some great performances.In the second match, with only Umar Akmal firing of the Pakistani lot, NZ onlyy had to chase 169 and they did that with extra ease and comfort as the openers Guptill 87(58) and Williamson 72(48) accomplished the job at hand and the Kiwis emerged victorious by 10 wickets.
A Martin Guptill and Corey Anderson show was put up in the last match as they thrashed the Pakistan bowlers with some really quick knocks putting up 196 on board to chase for Pakistan. The visitors had no answers to the further pressure inflicted upon by the hosts as they crumbled down for merely 101 with Grant Elliot and Adam Milne bagging 3 scalps each, leaving a lot of questions to be answered by Pakistan before they come to India for the WT20.
Australia vs India ODI series
Australia won 4-1
If it was about defining a dismal and disappointing start to the cricketing action in 2016, the outcomes India got in the ODI series versus Australia would be completely fitting. Individually the batsmen lived upto the expectations, particularly while batting first but it was a total failure of the bowling unit that let them down and the Aussies are a side who would never let go of taking advantage of such a situation.
The first setback came with the very first match, when victory seemed highly possible after Rohit Sharma recorded his highest score against Australia of 171 and helped India put up 310 runs on the board. However Australia led by their captain, Steve Smith who seems to have a special chemistry with the Indian bowlers, cudgeled India with a score of 148 catalyzed by George Bailey who too made the most out of the collapse of the Indian bowlers, by scoring a ton too. Debutante pacer Barinder San looked promising to an extent but the heaving relied upon, spin twin of Jadeja and Ashwin seemed completely ineffective.
A complete replica of the first match followed at the Gabba as Australia relished a victory and this time by a margin of 7 wickets. It was a century yet again for Sharma who was supported by Kohli and Rahane to make India cross the 300 mark yet again but the story repeated as the Indian bowlers looked totally at sea and the Australian batsmen continued the rampage taking the team past the total by a collective effort from Finch, mash and Bailey. The WACA wasnt a witness to a much different tale except for the fact that Virat Kohli was the centurion this time and the Indian bowlers tried pushing Australia to the edge. However Maxwell was the man this time along with Shaun Marsh who with scores of 89 and 62 respectively ensured their camp a victory both for the match and the series.
Things changed a bit in the 4th ODI with India chasing this time, but the results remained the same/ Yet another century of Virat Kohli went in vain, as India failed to chase a mammoth total of 348 put up by the Kangaroos owing to a century by Finch and 93 runs thrashed by Warner. For the Aussies Kane Richardson stepped up to the occasion sending back half the Indian side when it seemed as if India would win comfortably but ending up collapsing terribly.
A win finally came for India in the last match, but the things fell in place when it was already too late. The consolation victory came for India, when they chased 330 as two centuries from the Australian side of Warner and Mash went in vain unfortunately. When Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 99 and Dhawan for a well made 78, Manish Pandey registered a memorable knock in his very first international series against Down Under finally helping India cross the line. Apart from that jasprit Bumrah's bowling came as a huge positive for the Men In Blue.
It was something to with the pitches or lack of application by the bowlers the series was a fiesta for the batsmen who overwhelmingly turned the tables in each match.
South Africa vs England Tests.
England won 2-1
Playing the South Africans in South Africa is no easy task, but the Englishmen went further ahead this time and accomplished the task of demolishing the Proteas in their own den in the whites. In the 4 match Test Series, The perturbed atmosphere in the South African camp was evident as Hashim Amla stepped down as the captain in the middle of the series but on the other hand, the English team looked quite a well balanced and strong unit under Alastair Cook.
The first match brought an embarrassing 241-run defeat for the Proteas, as after some initial blows by Steyn the South Africans could not avail his services as he suffered a shoulder injury. Compton and Taylor drove England to a respectable total of 303 in the first innings in reply to which Dean Elgar was the lone survivor from South Africa as Broad and Moeen Ali made inroads to get them all out for a 214 only. A collective effort from the batting unit of England set forth a humongous chase of 416 for Proteas wherein they failed miserably getting all out for a 174, credits to destruction by Finn and Moeen Ali.
The second test was an affair entirely of the batsmen where Ben Stokes for England looked invincible and unstoppable as he scored 258 of just 198 balls supported by Bairstow who too scored 150 as England piled up 629 on the board. South Africa were not far behind as Bavuma scored his maiden Test century and Amla registered a double ton along with du Plesssis and de Villiers who contributed 80 odd runs helping the Proteas make 627. The match as expected ended in a draw.
It was all about Stuart Broad in the third test, who changed the a test dramatically which was going on at par after the first innings score of 313 and 323 by South Africa and England respectively. Broad demolished the Proteas bagging 6 wickets to seal the series as England won the match by 7 wickets. It was finally some respite for the South Africans in the last test as they managed a victory of 280 runs in the last test. With three centurions from their side in the form of Amla, de Kock and Stephen Cook, SA put up 45 on board in reply to which England managed only 342. South Africa set a target of 382 for the Englishmen in the last innings where they failed terribly ending with only 101 due to exploits by young Rabada.
Pakistan vs New Zealand (3 T20Is )
New Zealand won 2-1
With the World T20 just a couple of months away, every Twenty20 series now for each team has become of prime significance to get their sides settled before the all important tournament
 |
| Image// ESPN |
After losing to Pakistan in the first match New Zealand made the most out of the remaining two matches to gear themselves for the all important global event. In the first match, the batting unit led by a knock of 60 runs by Hafeez, Pakistan put forward a quite gettable total of 172 to chase for New Zealand who too looked almost there with Williamson scoring 70 in 60 balls and Munro smashing 56 in just 27 deliveries. But a complete collapse of the middle order with no one getting past a single digit score, Pakistan triumphed by 16 runs.
In the last two matches the Kiwis bounced back ,and in style to clinch the series. Both the remaining matches were a one-sided affair as the Kiwis commanded them with some great performances.In the second match, with only Umar Akmal firing of the Pakistani lot, NZ onlyy had to chase 169 and they did that with extra ease and comfort as the openers Guptill 87(58) and Williamson 72(48) accomplished the job at hand and the Kiwis emerged victorious by 10 wickets.
A Martin Guptill and Corey Anderson show was put up in the last match as they thrashed the Pakistan bowlers with some really quick knocks putting up 196 on board to chase for Pakistan. The visitors had no answers to the further pressure inflicted upon by the hosts as they crumbled down for merely 101 with Grant Elliot and Adam Milne bagging 3 scalps each, leaving a lot of questions to be answered by Pakistan before they come to India for the WT20.
Australia vs India ODI series
Australia won 4-1
If it was about defining a dismal and disappointing start to the cricketing action in 2016, the outcomes India got in the ODI series versus Australia would be completely fitting. Individually the batsmen lived upto the expectations, particularly while batting first but it was a total failure of the bowling unit that let them down and the Aussies are a side who would never let go of taking advantage of such a situation.
 |
| Image// Cricbuzz |
The first setback came with the very first match, when victory seemed highly possible after Rohit Sharma recorded his highest score against Australia of 171 and helped India put up 310 runs on the board. However Australia led by their captain, Steve Smith who seems to have a special chemistry with the Indian bowlers, cudgeled India with a score of 148 catalyzed by George Bailey who too made the most out of the collapse of the Indian bowlers, by scoring a ton too. Debutante pacer Barinder San looked promising to an extent but the heaving relied upon, spin twin of Jadeja and Ashwin seemed completely ineffective.
A complete replica of the first match followed at the Gabba as Australia relished a victory and this time by a margin of 7 wickets. It was a century yet again for Sharma who was supported by Kohli and Rahane to make India cross the 300 mark yet again but the story repeated as the Indian bowlers looked totally at sea and the Australian batsmen continued the rampage taking the team past the total by a collective effort from Finch, mash and Bailey. The WACA wasnt a witness to a much different tale except for the fact that Virat Kohli was the centurion this time and the Indian bowlers tried pushing Australia to the edge. However Maxwell was the man this time along with Shaun Marsh who with scores of 89 and 62 respectively ensured their camp a victory both for the match and the series.
Things changed a bit in the 4th ODI with India chasing this time, but the results remained the same/ Yet another century of Virat Kohli went in vain, as India failed to chase a mammoth total of 348 put up by the Kangaroos owing to a century by Finch and 93 runs thrashed by Warner. For the Aussies Kane Richardson stepped up to the occasion sending back half the Indian side when it seemed as if India would win comfortably but ending up collapsing terribly.
A win finally came for India in the last match, but the things fell in place when it was already too late. The consolation victory came for India, when they chased 330 as two centuries from the Australian side of Warner and Mash went in vain unfortunately. When Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 99 and Dhawan for a well made 78, Manish Pandey registered a memorable knock in his very first international series against Down Under finally helping India cross the line. Apart from that jasprit Bumrah's bowling came as a huge positive for the Men In Blue.
It was something to with the pitches or lack of application by the bowlers the series was a fiesta for the batsmen who overwhelmingly turned the tables in each match.
South Africa vs England Tests.
England won 2-1
Playing the South Africans in South Africa is no easy task, but the Englishmen went further ahead this time and accomplished the task of demolishing the Proteas in their own den in the whites. In the 4 match Test Series, The perturbed atmosphere in the South African camp was evident as Hashim Amla stepped down as the captain in the middle of the series but on the other hand, the English team looked quite a well balanced and strong unit under Alastair Cook.
The first match brought an embarrassing 241-run defeat for the Proteas, as after some initial blows by Steyn the South Africans could not avail his services as he suffered a shoulder injury. Compton and Taylor drove England to a respectable total of 303 in the first innings in reply to which Dean Elgar was the lone survivor from South Africa as Broad and Moeen Ali made inroads to get them all out for a 214 only. A collective effort from the batting unit of England set forth a humongous chase of 416 for Proteas wherein they failed miserably getting all out for a 174, credits to destruction by Finn and Moeen Ali.
 |
| Image// Cricbuzz |
The second test was an affair entirely of the batsmen where Ben Stokes for England looked invincible and unstoppable as he scored 258 of just 198 balls supported by Bairstow who too scored 150 as England piled up 629 on the board. South Africa were not far behind as Bavuma scored his maiden Test century and Amla registered a double ton along with du Plesssis and de Villiers who contributed 80 odd runs helping the Proteas make 627. The match as expected ended in a draw.
It was all about Stuart Broad in the third test, who changed the a test dramatically which was going on at par after the first innings score of 313 and 323 by South Africa and England respectively. Broad demolished the Proteas bagging 6 wickets to seal the series as England won the match by 7 wickets. It was finally some respite for the South Africans in the last test as they managed a victory of 280 runs in the last test. With three centurions from their side in the form of Amla, de Kock and Stephen Cook, SA put up 45 on board in reply to which England managed only 342. South Africa set a target of 382 for the Englishmen in the last innings where they failed terribly ending with only 101 due to exploits by young Rabada.
Monthly International Cricket Round Up
![Monthly International Cricket Round Up]()
Reviewed by Jayati Jain
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