From the diary of a cricketer

6 December 2021 – my first official day as a freelancer – was one that came with nervousness, excitement and relief. It was like a long exhale having held my breath for far too long. It was an adventure into the unknown. I was dreading it… but there was also a glimmer of hope. What followed was a year of unending questions, doubts, crippling anxiety, fear and hopelessness intertwined with fleeting moments of excitement, relief, gratitude, inspiration and determination. There were the highs that came with covering a World Cup, working with some wonderful people (thanks for taking a chance on me), speaking to some of the world’s best, and a sense of freedom that came with going to another country, but the overwhelming feeling was one of doubt and being directionless. Did I do the right thing? Am I any good at what I do? I am no longer useful. Will people forget me? How do I stay relevant? What if I fail? Maybe I’m just a fraud… I don’t know any of this. What skills do I even have? Yup, I

Over the last five domestic tournaments, spread across three seasons, Niranjana Nagarajan has scored over 800 runs and taken more than 35 wickets. In 2019-20, she registered her maiden T20 century when opening the batting against Mizoram. In 2020-21, she finished as the highest wicket-taker among the seamers with 14 scalps. In 2021-22, she grabbed her second List-A six-for, ripping through Uttarakhand’s line-up to finish with figures of 6 for 37 – the second-best figures in the season, and the best by a pacer. Every year, her knocks on the selectors’ door have become progressively louder, but so far, they have been ignored. At 34, Niranjana, a pace bowling allrounder from Tamil Nadu, is no spring chicken. She last played for India in 2016; she last featured in a Challenger Trophy in 2016-17; and the last time she played at a ‘higher’ level than the state team was in 2018 – the last inter-zonal tournament in Trivandrum. If you were a betting person, you may be hesitant to bet on a comeb

The eight captains pose with the trophy. (ICC) The 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa is fast approaching. The dates are out, the venues nailed down, and the excitement around the tournament is building nicely. However, before we get to South Africa for the first game, there is the simple matter of identifying the final two teams who will make the trip there. That will be done over the course of the next week at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Abu Dhabi, where between September 18 to 25, eight teams will battle it out for that coveted prize. Bangladesh and Thailand, who were part of the previous World Cup in 2020, will be joined by the five regional qualifiers — Papua New Guinea (EAP), Scotland (Europe), United Arab Emirates (Asia), United States of America (Americas) and Zimbabwe (Africa) — and the highest ranked non-winner, ie Ireland. The teams have been divided into two groups of four and will play each other once, with the top two teams from each group pro

Zimbabwe squad in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru (Zimbabwe Cricket - Women/ Twitter) It’s a rather humid morning in Bengaluru thanks to the overnight rain. The sun is out, beating down on the still slightly damp outfield of the NICE Cricket Arena. At one end of the ground, the NICE Academy players are sitting in their dugout, sharing a laugh as they prepare for their warm-up. At the other end, the Zimbabwe women’s cricket team have already begun their pre-match routines. It is July 29, Zimbabwe’s last day in India – the end of an 18-day tour during which they played a total of nine limited overs matches against NICE Academy and Karnataka State Cricket Association teams, all in preparation for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Dubai beginning on September 18. “We arrived here on 12 July,” batter Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano tells me. “It’s been a great experience being here and playing in India for the first time. We have learnt a lot about playing spin and have also gotten u

Marizanne Kapp is a complex character. Her on-field persona – that of a typically angry, snarling, unhappy fast bowler, almost always on the verge of an outburst – is in stark contrast to the slightly shy, kind, and soft-spoken person she is off it. It is hard to believe that both are born of the same person. One has the heart, passion, protective instincts, deep knowledge and powers of Wanda Maximoff, and the other, the rage, ruthlessness and determination of the Scarlet Witch – both separated only by a “white line”. “We call it white-line fever,” Dane van Niekerk, Momentum Proteas skipper and Kapp’s wife told Scroll.in earlier this year. “People think she’s this angry person and never happy, but she smiles a lot. She’s soft-spoken and she’s got a big heart.” Years ago, whenever Kapp took the field, opposition knew she was out to destroy them. She’d stand at the top of her mark, not a hint of emotion on her face, staring down the batters, only letting out a scream of exultation when

Embed from Getty Images Issy Wong wasn’t meant to play. She was part of England’s Test squad against South Africa as a traveling reserve. She was meant to steam in in the nets and give England’s batters a hard time. She was meant to potentially run the drinks and soak in as much of international cricket as she could from the sidelines before she got a real go. Yet, when Emily Arlott had to be withdrawn from the squad quite late in the piece, it was Wong who got the nod to play ahead of ‘senior’ seamer Freya Davies. For a while now, there have been whispers around Wong and the energy and excitement she could bring to the England team. Her speeds were thrilling, her energy infectious, and her passion and exuberance, mixed with a sense of clarity, came as a breath of fresh air. Wong was supposed to be England’s answer to Tayla Vlaeminck and Darcie Brown – an aggressive fast bowler who would have the opposition hopping around. She was supposed to be their point of difference in what is a

Marizanne Kapp celebrates her century (Getty Images)   “… Like you guys know, (my) first Test match was an absolute nightmare,” Marizanne Kapp laughed when she addressed the media at the end of Day 1 of the Test against England at the County Ground in Taunton. She had just recorded a career-best 150 – the highest individual score by a South African woman in Test cricket – and was justifiably upbeat. Her innings of 266 minutes and 213 balls had lifted her team from a precarious 89 for 5 to a respectable 284 all out by stumps, emphatically washing away those “terrible” memories of India and saving the Proteas from a path they had hurtled down on her debut 7 years, 7 months and 7 days ago. …7-7-7 is a number used in American slot machines to identify a jackpot. Some call it the ‘angel number’ or ‘God’s number’: one that is expected to bring good luck, positive change and divine guidance; a sign that the universe is on your side. When Kapp walked in to bat with South Africa reeling at 45