Sambit Bal

Editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo

@sambitbal

The master of nuances

Anil Kumble's 600 wickets are just rewards for a cultured practitioner of a unique art

17-Jan-2008•Sambit Bal at the WACA

Finally, cricket returns to centrestage

After the misery of Sydney, Perth provided an enthralling and rewarding day of Test cricket when the focus returned to the contest between bat and ball

16-Jan-2008•Sambit Bal at the WACA

Questions from Sydney

The SCG saga has thrown up all sorts of thorny questions - to do with the removal of umpires and the way hearings are conducted, among other things - with no easy answers in sight

09-Jan-2008

The decline of the ODI and other stories

Too many ODIs, too many of them tepid; the continuing dominance of Australia; the birth of Twenty20; and the decline of spin

03-Jan-2008•Sambit Bal

'The speed gun is killing swing'

It isn't about muscle, aggro, and going 100mph; it's about using guile, wit, and science to think a batsman out. Swing bowling's finest exponent Wasim Akram talks about the craft he helped make famous

22-Dec-2007•Interview by Sambit Bal

Night isn't right

Day-night Test cricket won't work - and not just for romantic reasons either

19-Dec-2007

Flat pitches, flatter series

Dead pitches, toothless attacks, diffident tactics - is it any wonder this India-Pakistan series ranked alongside the last one for dullness

13-Dec-2007

Ganguly's fairytale

Sourav Ganguly is living out a dream at the moment, and nothing he achieves will be a surprise anymore

09-Dec-2007

A touch of Brian Lara

Yuvraj Singh's 169 was outstanding both for the manner in which he scored the runs and for the situation in which they came

08-Dec-2007•Sambit Bal

The strange case of Rahul Dravid

Dravid being dropped is another incoherent decision from a selection panel known for them

29-Oct-2007

Australia won the big moments and small

The big difference between the sides was skill. Australia had better batsmen, greater depth, better fast bowlers, better fielders, and, would you believe it, the better spinner. And as ever, they were focussed, driven, and relentless

18-Oct-2007

What to do with the Big Three?

Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid still have plenty to offer, but they need to be phased out gradually for the sake of the team's future

11-Oct-2007

Toast the success, beware of excess

The first world Twenty20 was an unqualified success but there is a danger of it being milked too much by too many

25-Sep-2007

India won because they refused to lose

India were fitting winners because they held their nerve whereas Pakistan lost theirs in the moments that mattered

24-Sep-2007

Oh Misbah, not again

Sambit Bal picks the Plays of the Day during the final between India and Pakistan

24-Sep-2007•Sambit Bal in Johannesburg

The deliriously brave ones meet

It is not a coincidence then that India and Pakistan have been involved in the most exciting matches in this tournament

23-Sep-2007•Sambit Bal in Johannesburg

Gul lays the Shoaib factor to rest

Umar Gul, one of the lesser lights in Pakistan's fast bowling attack, followed up a match-turning effort against Australia with a match-winning spell against New Zealand

22-Sep-2007

The script's changed, the drama hasn't

India's upset win changed the nature of the World Twenty20 semi-finals but it doesn't take away from the competition that will be on offer

21-Sep-2007

Tenth-day thoughts

A week and a half into the World Twenty20, an attempt to sum up the tournament till now

21-Sep-2007

Start too early and form counts for nothing

Australia have found the form of champions but even they would acknowledge that winning the toss and bowling first gave them maximum benefit

20-Sep-2007

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