In Case You Missed It: Decisive wins and a comeback for the ages
Our best content from the week gone by
Rahul Tewatia's rollercoaster innings guided Rajasthan Royals to a seemingly impossible win • BCCI
The innings of the IPL so far belonged to Rajasthan Royals' Rahul Tewatia, who plumbed the depths of despair and then rose to be the hero of an impossible chase, all in the space of a few overs. Sidharth Monga relives an innings that made you want to believe that the tide can turn, even in T20s. The match also had Shiva Jayaraman looking at the numbers and asking are big partnerships overrated in T20 cricket?
England women overhauled the small target in a rain-shortened five-over match as West Indies' Shamila Connell's three wickets went in vain. The emergence of spinner Sarah Glenn as part of England's three-pronged pace attack, alongside Sophie Ecclestone and Mady Villiers, signals a bright future for the team, says Valkerie Baynes.
She turned in a masterly display with the ball before arresting a batting collapse to deliver victory, while younger sibling Jess Kerr pitched in with a maiden over to Alyssa Healy in the powerplay - New Zealand women captain Sophie Devine said, "It must be something in the Kerr family, nerves of steel". New Zealand lost the T20I series, but they have a chance to prove themselves in the ODIs. However, Australia will be looking to protect their 20-year dominance, says Andrew McGlashan.
Cricketers are more open about anxiety and depression than ever before, but are they provided systemic support? Varun Shetty explores the need of the hour in cricket.
Twelve games in, have the pitches and conditions been as teams and fans have expected them to be? Aakash Chopra breaks it down. Gaurav Sundararaman, meanwhile, has an eye on IPL trends that have emerged this year, including the dominance of pace over spin in the powerplay, the death-overs graveyard for bowlers, and the curious case of win toss, lose match.
The legspinner talks to Shashank Kishore about the concerns of losing his rhythm, working on new tricks with Adam Zampa, mentoring younger players, and more.
As the Bob Willis Trophy winds up, Paul Edwards muses on how it has provided moments of normality in an unfamiliar world.
He was pilloried for awarding England six runs instead of five for overthrows, and that proved crucial to the result, but was the impractical law to blame for the decision, asks Andrew Fidel Fernando.
Ian Chappell recalls his most magnificent innings and what it said about his skills and endurance, while Daniel Brettig remembers the time he refused the money in a cake tin, and provided a warning that could have helped stamp out corruption in cricket early had it been heeded.
Who's in at No. 9? An allrounder in his prime against a world-class batsman under pressure to protect his team's No. 1 status, that's who.