Tag: #Australia

Steve Smith: Inspirational Journey

Australian cricket team’s star batter Steve Smith is my role model. The star cricketer made his International debut way back in 2010 and within a short span of time, the batter became an integral part of the Australian side. Steve Smith had come into the side as a bowling all-rounder but later during BGT 2013, he got a chance and made a strong case for himself.

Steve Smith holds a peculiar record to his name as the batter is a part of the victorious 2015 ODI WC, 2021 T20 WC & the recently concluded ICC World Test Championship 2021-23. It won’t be wrong to say that Smith is a big match player as he has contributed immensely in all the crunch matches of ICC tournaments.

Steve Smith’s batting style is quite unorthodox as the batter doesn’t have any significant weakness in his game plan. Smith is tipped to break all the cricketing records as currently he has 32 tons to his name and is looking unstoppable. Smith may not have a spectacular record in ODIs as compared to Tests, but the batter can change the complexion of the match with his attacking game plan and funky shots.

The way Steve Smith made a comeback after the ball-tampering in 2018, not many gave Smith a chance. Smith was banned from the sport for a year by CA and his captaincy too was snatched away. Steve Smith is the deputy of skipper Pat Cummins in the Test format.

Cricket Australia (CA) has shown faith in Smith despite being involved in the infamous ball-tampering scandal. Smith has got attacking tactics & game plan as compared to Pat Cummins. Steve Smith had a wonderful Ashes 2019 series and he silenced all the critics with his belligerent stroke play. Smith continued his brilliance against England and has got staggering numbers against the arch-rivals.

Steve Smith is expected to open the batting for Australia in the T20I format against South Africa in August-September 2023 in South Africa as the batter had a prolific BBL 2022-23. Smith though was unsold in the IPL auction but the batter can be the surprise package for the opposition in the upcoming T20 WC 2024 with his crisp stroke play.

Steve Smith will have to bring his “A” game if the Aussies want to clinch ODI WC 2023 which is staged in India. Smith was a part of the ODI WC 2011 squad as a right-arm over leg spinner but the side lost against India in the Quarter-Finals. I

It is assumed that Steve Smith would bat at the No.4 position in the marquee championship and guide the batters in the middle overs phase, especially against the spinners as the pitches in India are expected to assist the spinners.

Steve Smith’s journey is inspirational for all aspiring players. A Smith has shown a never to say die attitude. Smith would be keen to get his hands on the silverware in October-November 2023 in India which won’t be an easy task as this time all the 10 teams are evenly matched.

Vendetta

If a person has got deep enmity for a bunch of individuals then either he will go alone and ambush everyone or will join those guys as it is said if you can’t beat them then just join them;

The guys have got no idea what is going to come at them as that individual is more than a spy, he will win trust of everyone by doing ‘n’ things for those people;

All of the guys would feel that he is one of them but after some time, he will Assasin everyone nicely not physically but mentally as he wanted nothing but revenge and to be honest it’s Vendetta

Reincarnation of a Spirit

Why does an individual feels so much dejected when his/her respect and image of the lifetime is tarnished; no doubt that to create a name in this professional world and field it takes era/s;

But an individual should not get disheartened and think & believe that his/her life is finished and done & dusted because no matter how much and many stains we get on our character and image but we can still recreate and establish our old name by disseminating everyone with our exceptional and mind blowing work and performance which should be of zeitgeist quality ;

But there would still be some hecklers and ignominious people and organization who would target our past and poke fun at ; such type of treatment which people give us should be ignored and at the same time we should take their words and language as a blessing in disguise as these scoundrels want us to perform more than our potential which we always try to emulate ;

An individual should forever remember that the past cannot be changed at any cost but by doing deep analysis of the past we can learn and understand ‘n’ things about ourselves which none of the highly intellectual personalities and professionals can help us infinitely

Headlines for 16th March 2022


(1) Pat Cummins rues missed chances in the 2nd Test Match, which went down to the wire but couldn’t produce a result. Aussie bowlers bowled more than 170 overs in the 2nd innings as of now the Pacers would be exhausted, next Test Match is scheduled on 20th March 2022.

(2) Joe Root makes a resounding comeback as he hammered Caribbean bowlers and scored an unbeaten 119 runs. He along with Daniel Lawrence were involved in a huge 166 runs.

(3) Babar Azam misses out on an incredible double century by 4 runs, in his innings he had consumed more than four hundred deliveries and made sure that Pakistan aren’t losing the match. Rizwan played a crucial role in drawing the match by notching up a Century where the pitch was doing a lot of talking.

Cricket Headlines of 12 March 2022

(1) Usman Khwaja smashes a terrific Century against Pakistan at Karachi. Aussies manage to score 251-3 till the end of Day 1 Play.

(2) England and West Indies inaugurate Richards-Botham Trophy 2022 with a Draw. Joe Root and Co tried to bundle out West Indies but their batters were resolute in defence which made sure that they don’t lose the 1st Test Match.

(3) Pakistan’s curator could be questioned for preparing a road kind of pitch. Only two wickets were taken by the bowlers and one was a run out, if such template continues then PCB won’t be able to bring all the nations to Pakistan as the teams would know the output of a pitch which is not at all promising for Pakistan’s fans.

Cricket Stories for 12th March 2022

(1) Australia

Pat Cummins confirms the debut of leg spinner Mitchell Swepson for Karachi Test Match. Aussies surprisingly would go with 2 spinners which no doubt can be risky as Swepson could be targeted.

(2) England

England’s batters made sure that they aren’t losing nor winning the 1st Test Match on Day 4. Zak Crawley and Joe Root made sure to fret and annoy Caribbean bowlers by rotating the strike and knocking an odd boundary, The batters are well set to score daddy hundreds and would hope that the bowling line up of England creates a magic on Day 5 by bowling them out in a span of 50-70 overs, the fate of the Test Match has changed drastically and is looking for a Draw which isn’t good for Test Cricket.

(3) Pakistan

Babar Azam makes a bold statement by stating that his team dominated Rawalpindi Test Match. Former Head Coach Misbah ul Haq lambasted Aussies and said that Australia don’t ask Pakistan while creating pitches.

Sri Lanka avoid Ignominy in the 5th T20I Match

Sri Lanka edge past Australia in a nerve wrecking thriller at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Sri Lanka won the game by 7 wickets with 1 ball left. Australia would rue that they missed out on a white-wash. Sri Lanka would be booming with confidence as their next assignment against a dangerous India which is about to start on 24th February. Australia on the other hand is all set for a historic Pakistan Tour starting from 4th March. The crowd at MCG witnessed one of a thrilling encounters where finally Sri Lanka got the better of Australia after 4 attempts.

Australia had won the toss & elected to bat. Australia managed a challenging total of 155 runs for Sri Lanka. Challenging in the sense the pitch was a bit uneven. Sri Lanka had a productive power-play as they scored 54 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. This time Kusal Mendis took the responsibility of taking the team out of trouble. Sri Lanka required 84 runs in last 11 overs with 6 wickets in tank.

The onus was on the Captain Dasun Shanaka & Kusal Mendis. Both the batters played smartly as they were taking calculative risks. The Captain Aaron Finch tried every trick in the book but both the batters didn’t allow the pressure to get the better of them. Kusal Mendis struck a defining knock of 69 runs in 58 balls. He along with Shanaka made sure that required run rate was not getting out of reach. Getting out of the reach in the sense not beyond 10.

SNAPSHOT: Kusal Mendis waiving his bat after scoring a well-constructed knock of half century.

In the last 2 overs Sri Lanka required 20 runs to win. Kusal Mendis showcased his batting prowess as he played wittily against the foxy Jhye Richardson. In the last over Sri Lanka required 9 runs. It was high time that Sri Lanka win as losing from here would be a huge embarrassment. Skipper Dasun Shanka smacked a gigantic six & levelled the scores. The way skipper smacked the ball was absolutely a treat to watch. Sri Lanka lost skipper in the next ball & then the all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne finished off the game.

Ashton Agar continued his dream run. He was the pick of the bowlers as he took 1 wicket & gave away 19 runs in 4 overs spell. Kane Richardson was the only bowler who got wickets.  He took 2 wickets & gave away 28 runs in his 3.4 overs (* he went out of the field due to hamstring problem). Australia would be happy that they have a back-up bowling unit who can irk any batting line up.

SNAPSHOT: Ashton Agar the crafty off spinner keeping the batters guessing through his variations.

After electing to bat first once again Australia had a poor power-play as they scored 22 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in power-play overs. Australia’s batters were facing times as Sri Lanka’s bowlers bamboozled them through shrewd variations. The likes of Josh Inglis & Glenn Maxwell tried to resurrect the innings. Both the batters managed to scored 20 odd runs. At the end of 10 over mark Australia’s score was 58 runs for the loss of 3 wickets.

Finally, the wicket-keeper batter Matthew Wade had runs under his belt. He played a terrific knock of 43 runs in 27 balls. His contribution helped Australia to post a competitive score of 154 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.

SNAPSHOT: Matthew Wade smashing the bowler all-around the park & scoring a breezy cameo.

Lahiru Kumara & Dushmantha Chameera took 2 wickets each. The entire bowling unit of Sri Lanka made sure that they don’t let Aussie batters get away. Sri Lanka’s pace department made sure that they don’t spoil the hard work of spinners.

Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis & Bowlers Dismantle Sri Lanka

Australia came out flying colors against Sri Lanka. Australia won the match by 6 wickets & now have taken an unassailable lead of 4-0 in the 5 T20I Series. Australia in this T20I match were without the services of the trio: Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood & Pat Cummins. All 3 were given break as the Aussies are set to tour Pakistan in the next month. Sri Lanka would hope that they avoid a whitewash which looks most likely because the brand of Cricket which Sri Lanka doesn’t quite fit in the international level. Sri Lanka is in all sorts of trouble as they are not showing a fight.

Australia had opted to field first. Sri Lanka once again failed to put up a sizeable total. Sri Lanka managed to score 139 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. In response to 140 target Aussies lost 2 wickets & managed to score only 30 runs in the power-play overs. Then came the duo of Glenn Maxwell & Josh Inglis. Josh Inglish who is new to International Cricket scored 40 runs in 20 balls, he along with Maxwell toyed with Sri Lanks’s bowlers.

Glenn Maxwell made a contribution of an invaluable 48 runs in 39 balls, as Australia won the 4th T20I match with 1.5 overs remaining (*11 balls). From Sri Lanka Lahiru Kumara was the only bowler who had good figures as he took 2 wickets & gave away 22 runs in his 4 overs spell. Maheesh Theekshana the mystery spinner had a good outing as he took 1 wicket & conceded 20 runs in his quota of 4 overs.

SNAPSHOT: Glenn Maxwell guiding the ball towards third man by playing an upper cut shot.

After electing to bowl first, Sri Lanka had a decent power-play where they managed to score 41 runs for the loss of 1 wicket. The elegant opener Pathum Nissanka once again continued his good run by scoring 46 runs in 40 balls. Sri Lanka were looking set for a total in excess of 170 runs but as usual there was a collapse. Sri Lanka lost 6 wickets for 12 runs (110-2 to 122-8). Apart from Nissanka not a single batter scored 30 runs. Jhye Richardson & Kane Richardson both fast bowlers took 2 wickets each. The spinners Ashton Agar & Adam Zampa were quite economical with the ball. Both the spinners gave away 40 runs amongst themselves in a span of 8 overs & both of them took 1 wicket each. The role of spinners is critical as the middle overs phase is pivotal.

The next T20I match is scheduled on 20th January. Australia would be delighted as they were without Steven Smith & the pace trio. All in all, Australia is making a statement that their any team is enough to create destruction. Sri Lanka on the side would hope that their batters show some intent which has been missing since the start of the T20I Series. Sri Lanka should not forget that their next assignment is against India which is scheduled on 24th February, so Sri Lanka cannot take the next T20I match as every match for them is a contest.

Australia Edge Past Sri Lanka in a Frenetic Super Over

Spirited Australia registered victory against all odds. Sri Lanka would be regretting about the loss as they came so close yet so far. Australia now have taken an unassailable lead of 2-0 in a 5 T20I Match Series.

Sri Lanka had won the toss & opted to bowl first. In response to the 165 total Australia’s bowlers dented Sri Lanka’s run chase by picking up 3 wickets. Sri Lanka managed to score 36 runs only. The tyro Pathum Nissanka & Skipper Dasun Shanaka were involved in a 48 runs partnership. Both the batters tried to put the run chase back on track after early hiccups.

Shanaka was dismissed by Steven Smith via run out. He managed to score a quick-fire cameo of 34 runs in 19 balls. At his dismissal Sri Lanka required 50 runs in 4 overs. Nissanka tried his best but the required run rate got better off him. He was dismissed in the 20th over where Sri Lanka required 12 runs from 3 balls. He scored an eclectic knock of 73 runs in 53 balls which included 7 fours & 2 sixes.

The off spinner Maheesh Theekshana smashed a six off the very fast bowler against Marcus Stoinis. His six was one of the magnificent hits as the spectators witnessed an absolute stunning effort by Steven Smith on the boundary. Just when it looked like the game was done & dusted the off-spinner’s blistering six changed the course of the match. On the last ball Sri Lanka required 5 to win & then Dushmantha Chameera hit a 4 at long off. Stoinis was seen shocked as Chameera converted a yorker to a full toss to smack the bowler for a boundary.

Super Over was needed in order to determine the Winner. From Sri Lanka the skipper Dasun Shanaka & Dinesh Chandimal came out to bat. The captain faced tough times as from Australia, Josh Hazlewood was bang on with deliveries. He gave away only 5 runs needing Australia 6 to get over the line. In response, Glenn Maxwell & Marcus Stoinis came out to bat. It took 3 deliveries for Australia to emerge out victorious.

SNAPSHOT: Australian & Sri Lankan Cricketers playing the Game of Cricket in Right Spirit.

Sri Lanka had invited Australia to bat first. Australia had a marvelous power-play where they scored 52 runs for the loss of 1 wicket. Josh Inglis had a good outing as he scored a well composed 48 in 32 balls. Apart from him no one managed to score 30 runs as the rest of the batters scored in bits & pieces. Australia somehow managed to put on a formidable score of 164/6.

Clinical Australia Overcome a Buoyant Sri Lanka

Australia showcased nerves of steel by winning a close encounter against the Courageous Sri Lanka. Australia won the 2nd ODI by a whisker of 20 Runs according to DLS (Duckworth Lewis Stern) Method. Australia have taken a lead of 1-0 in 5 Match T20I Series. This T20I Series starts the journey of the upcoming T20 World Cup in October-November 2022 in Australia. Australia are the Champions of T20 World Cup as earlier in T20 World Cup 2021 they thrashed the puissant New Zealand in Finale

Sri Lanka had opted to bowl first. Sri Lanka’s bowlers were spot on as they restricted Australia to a below-par total of 149/9. In response to 150 target Sri Lanka’s batters lost 2 wickets in power-play overs & managed to score 30 runs. The runs where hard to come due to the immaculateness of the Josh Hazlewood & Co. The opener Pathum Nissanka was dropped on 12 by the speedster Pat Cummins. At the end of 10 overs Sri Lanka managed to score 60 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. Sri Lanka needed another 90 runs to be victorious.

In 11th over the leg spinner Adam Zampa got rid of Nissanka & Charith Asalanka and all of a sudden Aussies were in the ascendancy. Sri Lanka were bruised as they needed the opener Nissanka to stay till at-least 16 overs; he scored a fighting 36 runs in 37 balls. The skipper Dasun Shanaka & the flamboyant spin all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga tried to put the run-chase back on track. Sri Lanka required another 74 runs in 6 overs which was a bit too much.

In the 16th over Josh Hazlewood did the damage by getting rid of Shanka & pinch hitter Chamika Karunaratne. His 2 wickets over dented the run chase as now the required run rate was way far off from the reach. Sri Lanka’s batters tried to score runs & fell short of the target by 20 runs (*DLS method).

Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the bowlers as he took 4 wickets for only 12 runs in his 4 over spell. He along with the sly leg spinner Adam Zampa ruined Sri Lanka’s chances by picking up 3 wickets as he gave away 18 runs in his 4 over spell.

SNAPSHOT: Josh Hazlewood thrilled as ever after breaking the back of Sri Lanka’s batting line-up.
SNAPSHOT: Adam Zampa grinning after an impressive performance with the ball.

Invited to bat first Australia’s skipper Adam Finch had a forgettable outing as he scored 8 runs in 12 balls. His poor form now has been a concern as it has been a long time since he has notched up a gritty half-century. Ben McDermott made the most of the opportunity as he smashed a fighting half century of 53 runs in 41 balls. The debutant Josh Inglis had a decent run as he scored 23 runs in 18 balls. Australia’s middle order woes continue as the likes of Glenn Maxwell & Steven Smith had a bad day in the field. Hasaranga achieved a rare feat by picking up Fich, Smith & Maxwell

Then came one of the finest finishers in World Cricket Marcus Stoinis. He played a dazzling cameo of 30 runs in 17 balls. At the back end of the innings Sri Lanka’s Binura Fernando slowed down the run rate by getting wickets of Mattew Wade & Marcus Stoinis on consecutive deliveries. Those wickets just pulled the things back for Dasun Shanaka as Sri Lanka were chasing a moderate total of 150 runs. The left arm lanky fast bowler Binura Fernando had a dream spell as he took 2 wickets & gave away 12 runs in his 4 over spell. Chamika Karunaratne too had a good outing as he took 2 wickets & was economical.

This victory for Australia may sound good but this is a wake-up call. Sri Lanka at the same time would need to get mistakes corrected & create an upset. Australia look favorites but Sri Lanka can’t be taken for granted. All in all, we are in for a spectacular T20I Series where we may & most probably see some enthralling yet mesmerizing Cricket.