Summer of Cricket
thoughts after some weeks in Austin.
In just over a week, I’ll be heading off on my next cricketing adventure, and I couldn’t be more stoked. It’s been a solid few weeks leading up to this.
I made a quick visit back home to Austin to spend time with family. My club captain from uni in London, an absolute gun of a cricketer, also made the trip out for his first time in Texas. I did all the Austin things with my favorite people: went for a drive and jammed to the Dazed and Confused soundtrack, hung out at Zilker Park, swam at Barton Springs, had beer at Meanwhile Brewery, and munched on quesadillas and frozen margs at La Holly (maybe should gatekeep this one).
At home, I spent a lot of time in our garden because touching grass is something I rarely get to do in a city like D.C. or Alexandria. I also probably put on a few pounds with all the home-cooked Indian food my family kept sending my way (mostly the stuff I am still learning to cook). And of course, I picked up my bat after over three months and got my eye in during a few net sessions, one of which had a unique audience of several horses. The hill country is such a unique landscape: I never thought I would see a cricket net facility, small as it may be, take root out there.
The time certainly flew by, and a lot has since happened in the world of cricket.
South Africa made history by winning the World Test Championship against the mighty Australians. While my visiting friend, brother, and Dad were out on the river fishing, I watched Markram build his innings against the best bowling attack in the world. His century was remarkable. No matter how confusing the ICC tournament might seem, it’s always special to see an underdog nation bring a trophy like this home, and South Africa is most deserving. It was a win for cricket.
As I write this, Lhuan-dre Pretorious has just scored a magnificent century on his South African Test debut against Zimbabwe. I mentioned him briefly in a previous piece, Indian Premier League and India, and even back then, he looked like one worthy of keeping an eye on. While the Indians and Australians are fielding new options in England and the West Indies, respectively, South Africa continues to build on their momentum, and I think they are poised to become a real force in the years to come.
I had hoped for a similar debut for Sai Sudharsan in England, but it was not meant to be: a four-ball duck in his first and 30 in his second innings, both taken by none other than captain Ben Stokes. It wasn’t India’s new captain in Shubman Gill, or their batting order that seemed to be the problem (aside from the lower-order collapses), but rather India’s heavy reliance on Bumrah and the sheer number of dropped catches. Gill will need to be given time, but having a century on captaincy debut is something nice to have behind you. It was India’s bowlers that were inconsistent with keeping the pressure on, both with the bat and ball in hand, and combined with dropped catches, the match quickly slipped away.
Australia’s decision to drop Marnus Labuschagne was perhaps overdue. I will say, I love the man, and I absolutely love his passion for batting, cricket, and toasties, but he’s had consistent backing and plenty of chances to no real avail. Again, I hate to see his exclusion from the squad, and Cameron Green’s performances haven’t necessarily proven himself to be Australia’s number 3 replacement (I think lower down the order), but time will tell.
All of this has made the past few weeks in the world of cricket even more exciting to follow, but now, I’m looking forward to soaking it up in person and with my camera in hand. In just over a week, I’ll be back in London to watch India and England at Lord’s Day 1. I am still debating whether I should wear my 2003 England jersey or my 2010 India jersey. Or, perhaps I’ll wear a white linen, because at the end of the day, I’m really just there for the cricket anyway.
What are you most excited to see going forward in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy?