All You Need to Know About India Tour of England 2021

2021 has been an exciting year for cricket with several high-powered events. Some of these events have already and some are yet to happen. And there is one exciting event that we are in the middle of right now – the India Tour of England 2021.

Following are the players in the competing squads –

Players in the England Squad

Joe Root (Captain), Moeen Ali (Vice Captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicket keeper), Sam Billings (wicket keeper), Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wicket keeper), Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood

Players in the India Squad

Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (Vice Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Ravichandran Ashwin, K.S. Bhagat (wicket keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ravindra Jadeja, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wicket keeper), Axar Patel, Cheteshwar Pujara, K.L. Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket keeper), Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Hanuma Vihari, Suryakumar Yadav, Umesh Yadav

Here is all you need to know about what has happened so far –

1st Test

The first test was held at Trent Bridge Nottingham from 4th August 2021 to 8th August 2021.

In the first inning, England scored 183 (65.4 overs) and India scored 278 (84.5 overs). In the second inning, England scored 303 (85.5 overs) and India scored 52/1 (14 overs). The match was drawn and Joe Root was declared the Player of the match.

In this match, Joe Root’s performance led him to surpassing Alastair Cook’s record of being England’s highest run-scorer in international cricket. James Anderson from the England squad took his 620th dismissal and became the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests. For Ollie Robinson of the England squad, it was his first five-wicket haul in Tests. Ravindra Jadeja made India proud by becoming the fifth Indian cricketer to score 2000 runs and take 200 wickets in Tests.

2nd Test 

The second test was held at Lord’s London from 12th August 2021 to 16th August 2021.

In the first inning, India scored 364 (126.1 overs) and England scored 391 (128 overs). In the second inning, India scored 298/8d (109.3 overs) and England scored 120 (51.5 overs). After the middle order dismissals of India’s batting lineup in their second innings, the game looked to be set in stone as an England victory until the partnership of Shami and Bumrah sparked a comeback for India. With Kohli declaring with 60 overs to go, England were all out before the end of day 5 and India won the Test by 151 runs. KL Rahul was declared the player of the match. This match led to Joe Root becoming the second batsman for England to score 9000 runs in Tests.

3rd Test

The third test was held at Headingley, Leeds from 25th August 2021 to 29th August 2021.

In the first inning, India scored 78 (40.4 overs) whereas England scored 432 (132.2 overs). In the second inning, India scored 278 (99.3 overs). The match was won by England with an inning and 76 runs. James Anderson of the English squad took his 400th wicket at home in Tests.

4th Test

The fourth test was held at The Oval, London from 2nd September 2021 to 6th September 2021.

In the first inning, India scored 191 (61.3 overs) whereas England scored 290 (84 overs). In the second inning, India scored 466 (148.2 overs) and England had a score of (92.2 overs). India won the Test by 157 runs and Rohit Sharma was declared the player of the match.

Virat Kohli’s performance led to him becoming the fastest batsman to score 23,000 runs in international cricket in terms of innings. For Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah of the India squad, the match was special as they took their 150th and 100th wickets in Tests, respectively. Rohit Sharma of the India squad gained his 15,000th run in international cricket.

5th Test

The fifth test was cancelled due to an outbreak of Coronavirus in the Indian camp. At this point the match is set to be played at a future date.

Conspiracies have been floated around as to whether it was truly due to this reason or instead because the IPL was fast approaching. Of course, you’re view may vary depending on which side you sit on but what cannot be disputed is that all Test cricket fans are looking forward to seeing if India can win this rollercoaster of a series or if England can stop them!

Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup!

`2020 was not a great year for cricket as the coronavirus pandemic caused several cricket tournaments including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. But the good news is that the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tournament is happening this year!

Earlier, the venue for the tournament was India, but now, the venue has been shifted to the United Arab Emirates given the Covid-19 pandemic situation in India. The tournament is scheduled to start on 17 October, 2021 and the final match of the tournament is expected to be played on 14 November 2021.

The teams that have qualified for participating in the tournament are – India (qualified as Host nation), Pakistan, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh (qualified because they were ranked as the top 9 teams in the last T20 tournament), Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Ireland, Namibia, Scotland and Oman (these teams qualified for the tournament via the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier).

The T20 World Cup will have 2 rounds in which 42 matches will be played in all. In the first round, there will be twelve matches between the eight teams of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Netherlands and Oman.  The top performing 4 teams will then make it to the Super 12s. The Super 12s will start on 24th October 2021 and will consist of 30 matches that will be played between the four teams from Round 1 and the top eight T20I teams. These teams will be divided into 2 groups of 6 each that will play three knockout games, two semi-finals and a final.

The venues for the matches are – Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium and Oman Cricket Academy Ground.

In the First Round, Group A will comprise of Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands and Sri Lanka, whereas Group B will be made up of Bangladesh, Oman, Papua New Guinea and Scotland.

In the Super 12s, India, England, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan and Australia have already been selected and the remaining four teams will be decided based on the performance of the teams in Round 1.

For the knockout stage, England, Australia, South Africa and West Indies have been put in Group 1, and two remaining teams are yet to be decided. In Group 2 are India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Afghanistan with the remaining two teams yet to be decided.

All in all, it is going to be a very exciting tournament and we can’t just wait for it. May the best team win!

 

 

 

England and New Zealand Test Series Highlights

One of the most exciting events to have happened in the world of cricket this year is the England and New Zealand Test Series. Two of the world’s best cricket teams came together to play two exciting test matches in June 2021 which were held in England. 

Here is a summary of the series if you missed watching it –

The England squad comprised of Joe Root (Captain), Stuart Broad (Vice Captain), James Anderson, Dom Bess, Sam Billings, James Bracey (wicketkeeper), Rory Burns, Jack Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone and Mark Wood. Ben Foakes had also been selected for the England squad but he had to be ruled out due to his hamstring injury. 

The New Zealand squad had Kane Williamson (Captain), Tom Latham (Vice Captain), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (wicketkeeper) and Will Young. 

1st Test

The first Test was played at Lord’s, London between 2 June and 6 June. New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first. In the 1st innings, Devon Conway scored 200 runs in 347 balls, thus becoming the 12th batsman for New Zealand to score a double century on his Test debut. He scored 22 fours and 1 sixer for his team. In bowling, Ollie Robinson had a score of 4/75 in 28 overs. In England’s turn to bat in the first innings, Rory Burns scored 132 runs in 297 balls, whereas Tim Southee took 6 wickets in 25.1 overs. 

In the second innings, New Zealand’s Tom Latham scored 36 runs in 99 balls which included 3 fours, whereas Ollie Robinson took 3 wickets in 14 overs. The English squad’s Tom Sibley got 60 runs in 207 balls with 3 fours. Among bowlers, Neil Wagner had the top score of 2/27 in 16 overs.

In all, New Zealand scored 347 runs in 122.4 overs and England scored 275 runs in 101.1 overs. The match was drawn with Devon Conway being declared as the Player of the Match. 

2nd Test 

The second Test was played at Edgbaston, Birmingham between 11 June and 14 June. England won the toss and elected to bat first. In the first innings, the England squad’s Dan Lawrence scored 81 runs in 124 balls with 13 fours. In bowling, Trent Boult had a score of 4/85 in 29 overs. In New Zealand’s turn to bat, Will Young scored 82 runs in 204 balls with 11 fours. In bowling, Stuart Broad scored the highest with 4/48 in 23.1 overs. 

In the second innings, England’s Mark Wood scored 29 runs in 38 balls with 5 fours and 1 sixer. Among bowlers, Neil Wagner performed the best with a score of 3/18 in 10 overs. New Zealand’s Tom Latham scored 23 runs in 32 balls with 3 fours and among bowlers, Olly Stone got 1 wicket in 1 over. 

In all, England scored 303 runs in 101 overs whereas New Zealand scored 388 runs in 119.1 overs. New Zealand won the 2nd Test by 8 wickets, and Matt Henry of the New Zealand squad was declared the Player of the Match. 

England Tour of India 2021 – Highlights of Past Matches and Schedule of Upcoming Matches

One of the most exciting cricket events of 2021 is happening right now – The England Tour of India 2021! England and India – two of the most powerful teams in the world of cricket have been competing against each other in test matches since February. The test series is over and they are now getting ready for T20I and ODI series. 

First, let us recapitulate the results of the test series.

1st Test – The first test match was played between the two teams in early February at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. It started on 5th February 2021 and ended on 9th February 2021. England scored 578 & 178 and India scored 337 & 192. England won the match by 227 runs and Joe Root was the Player of the Match.

2nd Test – The second test match was played between the two teams in February at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. It started on 13th February 2021 and ended on 17th February 2021. England scored 134 & 164 and India scored 329 & 286. India won the match by 317 runs and Ravichandran Ashwin was the Player of the Match.

3rd Test – The third test match was played between the two teams in February at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. It started on 24th February 2021 and ended on 28th February 2021. England scored 112 & 81 and India scored 145 & 49/0. India won the match by 10 wickets and Ravichandran Ashwin was the Player of the Match.

4th Test – The fourth test match was played between the two teams in early March at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. It started on 4th March 2021 and ended on 8th March 2021. England scored 205 & 135 and India scored 365. India won the match by an innings and 25 runs. Rishabh Pant was the Player of the Match.

From March 12, the T20I series is beginning. The first, second, third, fourth and fifth T20I matches will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on 12th March, 14th March, 16th March, 18th March and 20th March respectively. 

The ODI matches will take place at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune after the T20I series finishes. The ODI matches will take place on 23rd March, 26th March and 28th March. 

Which match did you find the most exciting so far? Let us know in the comments below!

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Do You Know Which English Players Were Sold in the IPL 2021 Auction?

In February, a total of 16 English players had participated in the IPL 2021 Auction in Chennai and only a few of them were sold. These sold players will now be playing in the 2021 Indian Premier League, which is scheduled to begin on the 9th of April 2021 and end on the 30th of May 2021. The matches will be held across six different venues in India, marking the fourteenth season of the IPL. 

Here’s what you need to know about the sold English players who will be playing in 2021 IPL –

  1. Moeen Ali – Moeen Ali is an English international cricketer of Pakistani descent who got sold for £692,000. He will be playing for Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming IPL. He is a left-handed batting allrounder and right-arm off spinner who has represented England in all formats of cricket, including the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He was honoured with the Warwickshire’s NBC Denis Compton Award in both 2004 and 2005 and Worcestershire’s NBC Denis Compton Award in 2009. 
  2. Tom Curran – Tom Curran is an English right-arm fast-medium bowler and right-handed batsman. He was auctioned for £518,000 and he will be playing for Delhi Capitals. He has represented England in Test Matches, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals, and in domestic cricket, he plays for the Surrey County Cricket Club. Though Curran was selected for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, he could not play any matches during the tournament. 
  3. Sam Billings – Sam Billings, who will be playing for Delhi Capitals, got auctioned for c. £197,000. He is a right-handed batsman who fields as a wicketkeeper. He comes with experience playing in the Pakistan Super League, Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League in Australia. He currently plays domestic cricket for the Kent County Cricket Club. 
  4. Dawid Malan – Dawid Malan, who got auctioned for £148,000, will be playing for Punjab Kings in the upcoming IPL tournament. He is a left-handed batsman and bowls legbreak. He currently ranks first in the ICC T20I batsman rankings, with a whopping 915 points – the highest ever rating. He plays domestic cricket for England and Yorkshire County Club. 
  5. Liam Livingstone – Liam Livingstone got auctioned for £74,000 and he will be playing for Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming IPL tournament. He is a right-handed opening batsman and an occasional spin bowler. He can also bowl right-arm leg and off spin. He has been playing in T20I tournaments since 2015. 

Unfortunately, Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Ben Duckett, Nayan Doshi, Lewis Gregory, Reece Topley, George Garton, Ravi Bopara and Liam Plunkett are players that went unsold in the auction. 

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