Author: news

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan on a bowler who both lost and won Winnipeg Hawks need 13 runs to enter the GT20 final. The man whom Brampton Wolves have picked to bowl that over is a 35-year-old medium-pacer who plays for Canada, Cecil Pervez. Cecil plays for the Shahid Afridi Cricket Club in Toronto. He was in high school when Afridi first played for Pakistan, when he reeled off that madcap hundred off 37 balls. For the next few years, Cecil “wanted to be Shahid Afridi”. He moved to Canada in 2000 and…

Dean Jones on the four big evolutions he wants to see in T20 By Siddhartha Vaidyanathan Dean Jones approached one-day cricket in the mid-’80s like many others would in the ’90s. He was one of the best when it came to running between the wickets, and he understood the importance of accelerating in the middle overs instead of sitting back and waiting for the last ten. He wore sunglasses to help him take catches when the ball disappeared in the glare of the sun. And he experimented with oval bat…

We respond to some Frequently Asked Questions by cricket newbies in North America Do they actually stop for tea? Do the players only wear whites? Do games really go on for five days? Do some games end without a winner? Our answer is always: Yes, yes, yes and yes but remember, this is true only for the oldest form of cricket. There are shorter versions of the game where these questions are irrelevant. Cricket has come a long way since when it was synonymous with the British empire. It is now…

The moments that stood out on a wild, edge-of-the-seat Playoff Thursday It was a day packed with action. A day when Vancouver Knights booked a spot in the final, when Brampton Wolves braced themselves for a semi-final on Saturday, when Winnipeg Hawks just about qualified for the game on Saturday, and when Toronto Nationals were eliminated by a hairsbreadth. It rained a bit, then it rained fours and sixes. There were electric catches and magic deliveries. It’s now time to pick the best of the lot: Most inventive innings of…

A look at how a team of diverse individuals combined for a clinical win The Toronto Nationals’ 35-run win over Montreal Tigers was a complete team effort. All eleven players had a role to play in a victory that ensured a place in the playoffs. To make matters interesting, the XI was as global as it gets. Here’s a brief summary of what happened: St Vincent-born Rodrigo Thomas – who is now settled in Canada – made an entertaining 70 with five fours and five meaty sixes. Partnering him at…