I have been reporting on the Australians who have taken the IPL by storm. Coaches, assistant coaches, domestic players, strength trainers - you name it and the IPL teams have these Aussies on their pay roll.

One glance at the other 20-20 league and you see that its the Pakistanis who are making the ICL their very own.

The Lahore Badshahs was an all Pakistani outfit that made it to the finals of the ICL Edelweiss 20s Challenge with an unbeaten run of 7 wins. In the finals they were stopped by another Pakistani, Abdul Razzak, who also won the player of the series award.

Lahore Badshahs won a lot of hearts in India and the public back in Pakistan followed them with intent. People around Dubai were also buzzing about how good the Badshahs looked.  read more »

I watched Taare Zameen Par on Day 1 of the Perth Test, and i told my friend, that even a 2-2 Test match result by India would not be a superior experience to watching that film. After Perth, i remain steadfastly in the Taare Zameen Par corner, but i must admit that its getting more and more tenuous. One thing is certain, if India do win at Adelaide, it will be the greatest month of cumulative accomplishment ever for two of India's greatest pastimes - Films and Cricket.
 read more »

India vs South Africa, ICL Edelweiss 20s Finals, West Indies vs Sri Lanka

Gone Sunday was a typical one I grew up with in Delhi - there was cricket all around and cricket matters being discussed. The difference perhaps was that it was mostly on television unlike the days gone by when it was all on the numerous grounds and parks which dotted the Delhi landscape. Today, you would need an eye in the sky to peer into the depths of built-up Delhi to find a ground hosting cricket. But you will still find cricket being played on some ground or the other despite the capital having assumed the concrete garb of Mumbai. I took in some of that as well as what the television had to offer later in the evening. A round up of the Sunday that was....

 read more »

Shaun Marsh and Kumar Sangakkara hit brisk half-centuries as Kings XI Punjab beat Deccan Chargers by six wickets in an inconsequential Indian Premier League match in Mohali on Friday night.
Scorecard
Chasing 176 for victory, the duo put on an 84-run stand before Sangakkara departed. The Sri Lankan had a little earlier brought up his third [...]

• Absolutely Absolem !
  
  Hyderabad Heroes (175/4 off 18) Decimate Ahmedabad Rockets (127/10)Absolem 7/15 off 4 overs Maher 84(52),Rayudu 65(36).Absolem, Ahmedabad Rockets, Cricket, Hyderabad Heroes, ICL, Indian Cricket League 2008, Maher, Rayudu, TCWJ, The Cricket Watcher's Journal,Hyderbad Heroes vs Ahmedabad Rockets, TCL Edelweiss 20's Cup 2008
  
• Holi Greetings To You All
  
  TCWJ wishes its readers a happy and colourful Holi.
  
• Third Test: England vs New Zealand 2008
  
  

Another last-over thriller in Hyderabad saw Alok Kapali hit the first ton in the history of the ICL but finish on the losing side as Hyderabad Heroes overhauled the Dhaka Warriors' target of 169 with a complete team effort.

The BCCI-backed Champions League Twenty20 tournament will be played this year in India but may not feature a team from England, Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, has told Cricinfo. Modi’s statement comes on a day the English press reported that the ECB, which has been at loggerheads with the BCCI over issues regarding an international Twenty20 tournament, was finalising a “rival” Champions League, to be held in Abu Dhabi. The one organised by the Indian board, Modi said, will be held from September 29 to October 8 at three venues - Jaipur, New Delhi and Mohali.  read more »