As anticipated, the political masters of Pakistan have finally directed its national cricket team to lift the boycott and play India on 15 February, 2026, as scheduled in Colombo . The Masters must've thought the money at stake is too lucrative to continue indulging in such kind of grumpy politics. Of course, they had imposed some pre-conditions that included making the 'handshake' a mandatory protocol, but the ICC looked the other way. So, the PCB takes it as protecting the 'spirit of cricket'. The Indian cricket board , the sponsors, the TV channels and millions of fans who do not necessarily mix patriotism with sports, if it's cricket in particular, must be deliriously ecstatic that all the revenues and hype and excitement shall be there for harvest thr oughout the ICC Men's T20 World Cup-2026 , co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka . Most of the Indians fans must also be ecstatic to have their heroes go on vanquishing the enemy neighbor and humiliating t...
The first onedayer between India and South Africa had everything like that of Hadley Chase thriller. The apparent weaknesses, the ups and downs and the twists!
India were without four key players and SA was without it captain. Perhaps SA put India into bat first to attack the weaker batting order right away.
India added to their plan by a shaky start with Tendulkar run out and Sehwag run out in an absolute tragedy. But India did very well in the end amassing 298/9. There was just one half century by Suresh Raina, but almost every player did his bit contributing to the final competitive score.
SA started very well thanks to a couple of weird umpiring decisions. But then, wickets fell at regular intervals and India looked to finish it off with SA begging for mercy at 225/8 with all recognized batsmen back in pavilion.
And then, the final twist. With some fierce batting by the tailenders South Africa almost snatched the match away from India. India won by 1 run!
A classic encounter reminding all cricket lovers of the intensity of the game of cricket.
One last word is unavoidable though. India always corners a team and then gives it a new lease of life. On so many occasions and losing finally many of them. Jaipur ODI and the Kolkata Test are the latest instances. But winning both of them by the closest margins lends to Team India a new vigorous positive energy.
Don't bother about short or longer versions of cricket. Just enjoy good cricket!
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