The Cricket Badgers

The West Indies is a fairly decent team in the present day. They have qualified for all world cups and have one a T20 world cup in 2016. However during the late 1970 - mid 1990's, West Indies were cricket's most powerful force. This all started when the West Indies were in the 1975 world cup. They ended up at the top of their group's table. They ended up beating New Zealand in the semi-finals and Beat Australia in the Finals by 17 runs. They also went unbeaten during the whole tournament. They were also in the 1979 world cup. They also ended at the top of the group again. They beat Pakistan in the semi-finals. They beat England in the finals by a whopping 92 runs. They again went unbeaten during the whole tournament. During these times they had the best bowling attack in the history of cricket. This bowling attack included Colin Croft, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Malcom Marshall. Who have all had a 5+ wicket hall and whose test bowling averages were...

It's a warm November afternoon. Another unsuspecting Sheffield Shield match is taking place, with little crowds and TV audiences, more of a platform for hopefuls to grab the national selectors' attention.  Sean Abbot of South Australia is steaming in to bowl to his Australia teammate and friend, Philip Hughes. He delivers the ball. Clunk! The ball hits Hughes' bat and gently rolls to one side. There is a look of calm determination in his eye: he has been dropped from the national side, and he knows that he has to force himself into the talent-bag that is the Australian cricket team. Abbot runs in again, Hughes taps the ground with his bat in anticipation. One. Two. Abbot delivers the ball. It slams into the pitch. Hughes turns his head as the ball comes speeding towards him. There is a quiet thud as the ball collides with the back of his head. It all goes silent. There is a dull sense of fear in the air. Players quietly tread towards Hughes, who lies motionless on the ...

You must know Sachin Tendulkar. Well if you don't, he is one of the best cricketers to have played the game. However, he wasn't always the best.  Back when Sachin was growing up, there was a player who was earmarked for massive success . His name was Vinod Kambli. You may not know him but many people say that, in his prime, he was much better than Sachin. The reason why he is not well known is the topic that we are discussing today. Vinod Kambli (left) and Sachin Tendulkar (right) They were in fact best friends. During their school cricket days, they put up a 664 run partnership. Sachin put up 326 and Kambli contributed 338. They both spend their teenage years  tearing teams apart with their batting. They both went on to play professional cricket. They both got selected to play international cricket. Sachin's debut was 1989 and Kambli's was 1991. Sachin was 16 at the time and Kambli was 19. They had such similar levels of talent and such similar ca...

Cricket has a long and illustrious history. In this article we will explore the development of cricket over time, the first EVER international cricket match, and how sheep farming is connected to the birth of the game. The sport of cricket (as it is played now) has a known history beginning in the late 16th century. Having originated in south-east England, it became the country's national sport in the 18th century. International matches have been played since 1844 and Test cricket, the longest and oldest current form of the game, began in 1877. The game has developed into the 19th and 20th into the sport that is viewed and played all around the globe. Let's first take a look at the first ever international match. Surprisingly, the two countries involved were Canada and the USA. British influence had left its mark on both the countries (and Canada was still occupied by them at the time) and it does beg the question, how did cricket disappear from the Americas? But tha...

Coaches are vital in every player’s development. It is well known that if someone is coached by someone else who is experienced in said sport or skill, they will learn and improve much faster. It is the same as the education system. A highly qualified individual (let’s say a maths teacher who has a degree at university) uses their expertise to teach the students. However, cricket is not like maths. There are no right or wrong answers. Cricket is more like art. You must nurture a player’s creativity and let them have their own style and methods, rather than following everything from a textbook of the ‘correct’ ways of doing things.  If you want evidence that the coaching manual alone can’t make you a successful player, look at the international scene. There’s Australia’s best batsman, Steve Smith, who wafts his lightsabre threateningly towards the fielder at gully before every delivery. And if you looked back to the Stone Age, you would find Virender Sehwag, who batted as if h...