T

he Indian cricket

team suffered a

stunning exit from

the ICC World

Cup 2019 after

succumbing to a

defeat against New Zealand in the

semi-finals at Old Trafford in

Manchester. India were terrific in

the entire tournament, but this blip

came perhaps in the most crucial

time of their campaign. In the end,

all the form and confidence counted

to nothing in this

knockout phase. One

should take the oppor-

tunity to praise New

Zealand for their efforts

on the given day.

India’s middle order

was a doubt through-

out. There were too

many changes in terms

of personnel and bat-

ting order. The side

didn’t look assured. MS

Dhoni played well, but

was unfairly criticized.

Hardik Pandya showed

his improvement. But

the rest of the order

looked short. Unfortunately, that

turned out to be the Achilles heel in

the main game against New Zealand,

where someone like a Rishabh Pant

threw his wicket away after getting

set. There has been much specula-

tion made about Mahendra Singh

Dhoni’s retirement decision follow-

ing his below par performances thus

far in the ICC Cricket World Cup

2019. Even as Dhoni has reportedly
      denied knowing when he himself
      wants to hang up his boots, not just
      his critics but also, the International
      Cricket Council (ICC) has thrown
      shade on the subject. The fact that

Dhoni has suddenly slowed down his

game significantly, unable to push

gears for a second match, has raised

eyebrows and rightly so. Dhoni has

remained the team’s no.1 wicket-

keeper-batsman, to the point where

the young, rambunctious Rishabh

Pant could not even find a place in

the original fifteen member squad.

Dhoni is in the team for a specific

reason and if he is unable to perform

his duties for whatever reasons,

there is reason to be concerned. The

2019 World Cup has

been filled with some

spectacular moments

be it with individual or

team affairs. Several

players upped the ante

either with bat or ball.

Some of the fielding

efforts witnessed were

magnificent. Then there

were some spectacular

team moments, besides

players providing an

edge with levels of

consistency and

momentum through-

out the tourney.

Mitchell Starc is one

of the best bowlers in world cricket

and he has already etched his name

in World Cup folklore with 48 wick-

ets to his name across two editions

so far, has two five-wicket hauls

under his belt. In both cases, he

helped Australia seal the deal after

striking in pivotal moments of the

match. His first one came against

West Indies (5/46). He then saved

another special outing against New

Zealand (5/26). Not just that. Starc

has also bowled the ‘ball of the tour-

nament’ to England’s Ben Stokes.

Enjoy the action packed edition of

Cricket Today...

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In the end, all the form

and confidence counted to

nothing.

02 CRICKET TODAY^ JULY 12, 2019

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