A Tactical Encounter in Dubai: India vs Bangladesh in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between India and Bangladesh was expected to be a routine victory for the Men in Blue. However, played in Dubai rather than the cricketing hotbeds of Lahore or Karachi, the usual fervor of an India match was noticeably subdued. Unlike the electrifying reception they might have received in Pakistan, the Indian team played in front of a relatively quiet and scattered crowd, making for an unusual setting for a high-stakes tournament game.

Bangladesh’s Fightback on a Tough Pitch

The slow, low deck in Dubai made run-scoring a laborious task for both teams. Bangladesh’s young brigade, despite their inexperience, showed great resilience in posting a competitive total. Their batting lineup initially crumbled under pressure, slipping to 35 for 5 due to some rash shot selection and disciplined Indian bowling. However, a remarkable century from Towhid Hridoy, aided by some crucial dropped catches by India, gave Bangladesh a lifeline. The middle and lower-order fightback ensured that they posted a total of 229, which proved tricky for India to chase.

Shami’s Brilliance and India’s Missed Opportunities

Mohammed Shami was the architect of Bangladesh’s early collapse, claiming his sixth ODI five-wicket haul and becoming the quickest bowler to reach 200 ODI wickets in terms of balls bowled. His incisive bowling left Bangladesh reeling, but lapses in fielding allowed the opposition to recover. Axar Patel, too, played a significant role, claiming crucial wickets and nearly securing a hat-trick. However, dropped catches—particularly by Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul—allowed Bangladesh to gain momentum.

India’s Chase: A Struggle for Stability

India’s pursuit of 229 started assuredly, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill laying a solid foundation with a 69-run opening stand. Rohit played aggressively, scoring a quickfire 41 off 36 balls before falling while trying to capitalize on the powerplay. His departure marked a turning point, as India’s innings slowed down considerably.

A Battle Against Spin and Conditions

Virat Kohli, India’s mainstay, once again fell to a legspinner, this time Rishad Hossain, who deceived him with a well-disguised delivery. Shreyas Iyer tried to settle in but perished while attempting to accelerate. Axar Patel, promoted in the batting order, failed to read a topspinner and was dismissed cheaply. With the wickets of key batters falling at regular intervals, India’s chase became a test of patience and adaptability.

Shubman Gill: The Anchoring Role

Amidst the struggles, Shubman Gill emerged as the saviour for India. Unlike his usual flamboyant style, Gill adjusted to the sluggish nature of the pitch, crafting his slowest ODI century and the slowest by an Indian in six years. After Rohit’s dismissal, he curbed his attacking instincts, relying on singles and rotating the strike efficiently. He took 52 balls to score his next 30 runs, waiting for the right moments to accelerate.

The Final Surge: India Seals the Victory

As the match neared its conclusion, Gill finally shifted gears, targeting the returning Tanzim Hasan. He reached his century with a six and a four, finishing with 125 balls to his name. KL Rahul, who had earlier survived a dropped chance, provided the finishing touch, striking a six off Tanzim to take India home with 21 balls to spare.

Lessons from the Contest

Both teams walked away with key learnings from this gripping contest. Bangladesh will rue their missed chances—both in the field and with their early batting collapse—but will take heart from the resilience shown by their middle order. India, on the other hand, will view this victory as a test passed under difficult conditions, but they will be wary of their vulnerability on slow pitches, something that haunted them in Sri Lanka previously.

In the end, it was a tactical battle where Shami’s brilliance, Bangladesh’s fighting spirit, and Gill’s patience combined to produce a contest that was far from a foregone conclusion.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

Madrid’s Tactical Supremacy: A Masterclass in Control

It appeared so effortless, so unhindered—Madrid in full command, their superiority manifest in every movement. The inevitability of their dominance was written in the air, in the smoothness of their passing, in the poise of their execution. The sequence was deceptively simple: Vinícius found Rodrygo, whose pass cut cleanly across the face of the area. Khusanov hesitated, an uncertainty flickering in his movement. He stepped toward Rodrygo, halted midway, and in that frozen moment of indecision, the ball slid through his legs. Perhaps he saw it, perhaps he didn't. It hardly mattered.

Mbappé’s Brilliance: A Moment of Magic

Mbappé was already there, his awareness operating on a higher plane, a master at work in a game others were only playing. He stepped inside, leaving Gvardiol sprawling, undone by the inevitability of what had just happened. The finish was inevitable too—calm, assured, merciless. City, so often the architects of destruction, looked adrift, mere spectators to their own unraveling. They needed three goals now. One would have been a start. A single shot, even, would have signaled intent, but instead, there was only the vast emptiness of their performance. Madrid, relentless, sensed blood. And they struck again.

Madrid’s Ruthlessness: A Second Blow

For a moment, it seemed there might be resistance. Mbappé, momentarily crumpled after colliding with Ederson in pursuit of a Valverde cross, saw the City goalkeeper produce a moment of defiance, a superb save that momentarily delayed the inevitable. But inevitability, by its nature, cannot be denied for long. Mbappé rose again, untouched by doubt, and did what he was born to do. He glided inside, shaped his body to perfection, and sent a low, clinical strike beyond Ederson, into the net with the casual inevitability of an artist signing his name.

The Psychological Collapse of Manchester City

There was half an hour left, an eternity for City to endure, a mere formality for Madrid to enjoy. The Santiago Bernabéu reveled in their suffering, the olés cascading through the air, each passing sequence a testament to their authority. City were not just losing—they were being played with, reduced to mere props in Madrid’s exhibition of supremacy.

A Footnote in Madrid’s Dominance

A late goal arrived, but it was inconsequential, a footnote rather than a twist. Nico González’s strike was an echo in an empty chamber, a whisper drowned out by the overwhelming roar of Madrid’s dominance. The game was over long before the final whistle. So too, it seemed, was City.

Pakistan Cricket: Between Hope and Heartbreak

An ICC event in Pakistan was once unthinkable. A nation burdened with relentless setbacks since the dawn of the 21st century has never ceased to push forward. Pakistan, in its resilience, has turned survival into an art form, and its people have redefined perseverance. Cricket, in the grand scheme of their struggles, may not be the most pressing concern. Yet, the sport has endured, surviving where logic suggested it would perish. Decades of isolation following the tragic events in Lahore created a lost generation—one that grew up watching their national team play in foreign lands. And yet, cricket never abandoned Pakistan, just as Pakistan never abandoned cricket. After 29 years, an ICC event returns to its soil, albeit in a hybrid model, because the financial overlords of the sport deemed Pakistan unworthy of a full embrace.

But what of Pakistan, the team? Even their most passionate supporters do not expect them to rival the clinical efficiency of Australia, the strategic might of England, or the calculated dominance of New Zealand. They do not seek trophies or domination—they crave improvement, fight, and a return to their proud heritage of unpredictability. Yet, their wishes remain unfulfilled, their expectations met with heartbreak more often than triumph. The structural weaknesses of Pakistan’s cricketing ecosystem are exposed time and again—an inconsistent domestic system, fragile player development, and administrative instability all contribute to the team’s stagnation.

The opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was supposed to be a homecoming, a statement of revival. And for a fleeting moment, it seemed as though Pakistan had seized the narrative. A leg-spinner producing a carrom ball dismissal. A young fast bowler removing one of the world’s best batters. The dream was taking shape. But then, reality set in. Will Young batted as though he were playing against a club team, while Tom Latham anchored, and Glenn Phillips ensured Pakistan’s misery was complete. The lack of a clear bowling strategy, especially in the middle overs, highlighted Pakistan’s persistent tactical shortcomings.

A total of 320 on a surface with just enough variable bounce to keep bowlers interested should have been a competitive challenge. But then, Pakistan batted—or did they? They were present, in uniform, holding bats, but their innings only truly began after the 18th over. By then, the chase was already slipping away, like sand through desperate fingers. Expecting to chase down 321 with a self-inflicted handicap is not optimism; it is delusion. The lack of intent in the powerplay overs, a recurring issue for Pakistan, continues to undermine their chances in modern white-ball cricket. While the world embraces aggressive play and high strike rates, Pakistan remains shackled by outdated approaches.

Somewhere, Babar Azam is still playing out dot balls, eternally waiting for his moment to attack. His inability to accelerate under pressure, while technically gifted, reflects a deeper issue within Pakistan’s batting philosophy. The absence of a structured middle-order approach exacerbates the problem, often leaving too much for too few at the death.

While most New Zealand batters struggled, Young’s innings appeared effortless, a masterclass in quiet destruction. He never imposed himself with brute force; rather, he glided through the innings while those around him floundered. And when Pakistan had the new ball, it was anything but menacing. Mohammad Rizwan, ever the dramatist, made every delivery seem like a landmine, though his presence was only necessitated by Fakhar Zaman’s back injury.

New Zealand’s fielding was surgical in its precision. A tight backward point, an aggressive point fielder in the circle, and an advanced cover point made Pakistan’s offside strokes redundant. Every firm push met an immovable Kiwi, every well-timed shot found an agile hand. Glenn Phillips, a cricketer molded for moments like these, provided a fielding masterclass before pulling off a breathtaking catch—a left-handed stunner that typified Pakistan’s plight.

Pakistan’s chase of 321 was already a distant dream by the tenth over—22 for 2. Fakhar Zaman arrived too late to make a difference, his 24 off 41 a mere footnote in an innings that never found its rhythm. Rizwan and Babar, the twin pillars of Pakistan’s batting, once again looked for redemption but found only frustration. Khushdil Shah and Salman Ali Agha provided sparks, but in isolation, sparks do not ignite a blaze.

The structural flaws in Pakistan’s cricketing setup demand urgent attention. A reactive approach to team selection, inconsistent leadership, and tactical rigidity hinder progress. While talent is abundant, the pathways to nurture and harness it remain flawed.

Defeat was never in question—it was merely a matter of time.

New Zealand, ever clinical, continued their fine run in Pakistan. The hosts, meanwhile, remain trapped in a familiar cycle of hope and despair, knowing that improvement is imperative but never quite knowing how to achieve it. Until systemic changes are made, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between moments of brilliance and prolonged mediocrity, never quite bridging the gap between nostalgia and reality.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

The 1999 Kolkata Test: A Clash of Cricket, Controversy, and Chaos

Cricket has long been intertwined with history, politics, and the raw emotions of millions. Nowhere is this truer than in the enduring rivalry between India and Pakistan, where a single game can be both a sporting contest and a geopolitical flashpoint. The events of the Kolkata Test in February 1999—originally intended as the crowning fixture of a highly anticipated series—became a symbol of how sport can both unify and divide, enthral and enrage, captivate and combust.

It was a match that showcased Test cricket in all its dramatic beauty—breathtaking bowling spells, magnificent batting displays, and an ebb and flow that kept both players and spectators on edge. Yet, it was also a match overshadowed by controversy, marred by crowd unrest, and completed in an eerie, near-empty stadium that bore silent witness to the storm unfolding.

A Tour Precariously Balanced on the Edge of Politics

Even before a single ball had been bowled, the 1999 Pakistan tour of India teetered on uncertain ground. The political climate between the two nations was tense, as it often was, with cricket being wielded as both a bridge and a battleground. There were voices—some loud, some insidious—that sought to leverage the tour for nationalist posturing. Ultimately, after much diplomatic manoeuvring, the series was allowed to proceed, but only at the eleventh hour.

The Kolkata Test, initially scheduled as the third and final encounter of the series, was elevated to an even grander status—the inaugural match of the newly conceived Asian Test Championship. If anything, this only heightened the stakes.

The public, undeterred by the political undercurrents, responded with unbridled enthusiasm. Eden Gardens, a coliseum of cricketing passion, was packed to capacity. Over the first four days, 100,000 spectators flooded the stands—a record-breaking figure that eclipsed a six-decade-old milestone. Even on the final day, when India's hopes hanging by a thread, 65,000 loyalists remained, clinging to the belief that their team could script an improbable victory.

But as fate would have it, the battle that played out was not just between bat and ball, but also between raw passion and the very spirit of the game.

An Unraveling Masterpiece

For three days, the contest unfolded like a classic Test match, oscillating between domination and defiance.

India had dramatically seized the early momentum. On the first morning, Pakistan's innings tottered on the brink of collapse at a staggering 26 for 6. Javagal Srinath, a craftsman of seam and swing, was at his devastating best. But amidst the ruins, Moin Khan stood resilient. His counterattacking 70 ensured Pakistan reached 185—a total that still left them gasping but not entirely buried.

The crowd's hunger for an Indian masterclass was palpable, yet it was met with a gut-wrenching moment. Shoaib Akhtar, the Rawalpindi Express, came steaming in, and in an instant, the roar of expectation turned into a stunned silence. A searing yorker, a perfect symphony of speed and precision, rattled Sachin Tendulkar’s stumps first ball. The heartbeat of Indian cricket was gone without scoring. Eden Gardens, a cauldron of deafening support, was momentarily mute.

India eked out a narrow first-innings lead, and then came the counterpunch. In one of the greatest innings played on Indian soil, Saeed Anwar batted with an elegance that defied the carnage around him. He carried his bat for an unbeaten 188, a lone sentinel guiding Pakistan to 316. It was a statement of intent. India now needed 279 for victory—gettable, but by no means easy.

By the fourth afternoon, India seemed well on course. At 143 for 2, with Tendulkar at the crease, the script was aligning for a memorable triumph. And then, the match veered into the realm of the surreal.

The Run-Out That Ignited the Fire

Tendulkar, in full command, worked Wasim Akram to deep midwicket and set off for three runs. It was a routine moment, one among thousands in the game. But then, the extraordinary happened.

As he turned for the third, his path crossed that of Shoaib Akhtar, stationed near the stumps to field a potential return. Tendulkar, his eyes fixed on the ball, collided with Shoaib, momentarily losing balance. Even as he stretched towards the crease, the throw from the deep crashed into the stumps.

The moment hung in the air, pregnant with uncertainty. It was the first series officiated entirely by neutral umpires, and the decision was referred upstairs. After a long, agonizing delay, third umpire KT Francis ruled Tendulkar out.

The reaction was instantaneous, visceral. Boos cascaded down the stands. Chants of "cheat, cheat" reverberated around Eden Gardens. Bottles, plastic cups, and anything within reach were hurled onto the field. Shoaib Akhtar, now the villain in the crowd’s eyes, bore the brunt of the fury.

Play was suspended. As tensions boiled over, it took an appeal from Tendulkar himself—accompanied by ICC President Jagmohan Dalmiya—to pacify the crowd and resume the match. But the equilibrium had been shattered.

When play restarted, India collapsed in a daze. Rahul Dravid, the bedrock of the chase, fell almost immediately. Mohammad Azharuddin and Nayan Mongia followed in quick succession. By stumps, the hosts teetered at 214 for 6, still 65 runs adrift.

A Game Finished in Silence

The final morning promised drama, but what followed was pandemonium. When Sourav Ganguly perished to the ninth ball of the day, the crowd erupted in renewed fury.

Newspapers were set ablaze. Stones, fruit, and bottles rained down. The match halted again. This time, the authorities responded with force. Over the next three hours, police and security personnel cleared the stands, using lathis to drive out the 65,000 spectators. Elderly men, women, children—no one was spared the chaotic exodus.

When play resumed, Eden Gardens, once a pulsating fortress, was now a hollowed-out shell. A mere 200 people remained to watch the final rites. It took Pakistan just 10 balls to wrap up victory, but the atmosphere was unrecognizable. Where there should have been celebration or despair, there was only emptiness.

The Fallout: A Cricketing Tragedy

What should have been a celebration of Test cricket’s finest attributes had instead descended into farce. Dalmiya, initially dismissive of the disturbances, later condemned the events in strong terms, decrying the "unjustified and uncalled for" behaviour of the spectators.

For Pakistan, the triumph was bittersweet. Their captain, Wasim Akram, directed his ire at the Indian media, accusing them of fanning the flames of controversy. "You have said that Shoaib obstructed Sachin from making his ground and that I should have recalled him," he snapped. "Why should I? If a team collapses over one moment, that is our bonus."

For India, the fallout was even harsher. Azharuddin, weary and disillusioned, offered a quiet lament: "We are human beings. We can fail. But every time we cannot win."

Yet, perhaps the most tone-deaf remark came from Dalmiya himself, who, despite the chaos, tried to spin a triumphant conclusion:

"The game was finished, and cricket was the winner."

But was it?

If anything, the Kolkata Test of 1999 exposed the uneasy undercurrents beneath the game’s surface—the delicate balance between passion and provocation, adulation and anarchy. It was a match where the cricket was brilliant, the emotions volatile, and the end unsettling.

A Test match had been played. A spectacle had unfolded. And yet, in the silence of an emptied Eden Gardens, cricket had lost something.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

The 1986 England Tour of the West Indies: A Study in Ruthless Dominance and Utter Defeat

Cricket is a game of skill, patience, and mental resilience, but at times, it also becomes a display of sheer physical and psychological warfare. Some series are remembered for their balance, for the ebb and flow of competition, and for the heroics of both sides. Others, however, are one-sided massacres—tours where one team arrives with hope and departs in humiliation.

The 1986 England tour of the West Indies was such a tour, and its infamy remains unmatched. Over the course of five Tests, England—an established cricketing nation with proud traditions and accomplished players—was reduced to a mere shadow of itself. It was not just a defeat but an utter dismantling. The West Indies did not just win—they annihilated, outclassed, and bullied their opponents in a manner rarely seen in cricket history.

While Australia, in their own era of dominance (1995–2007), would go on to achieve 14 clean sweeps, the West Indies managed only two during their golden era—both against England. This fact alone speaks volumes about the psychological and cricketing mismatch between the two sides.

England’s 1986 experience was, in the words of cricket historian Rob Steen, nothing short of a “slaughter.”

The Build-up: Misplaced Optimism

In the lead-up to the series, England had reason for cautious optimism. The previous summer, they had reclaimed the Ashes with a 3-1 series win over Australia, and in the winter, they had defeated India 2-1 on Indian soil. Victories in Australia and India were historically difficult to achieve, and David Gower’s men believed they could put up a fight against the mighty West Indies.

However, their confidence ignored one fundamental reality: no team, no matter how well prepared, could truly brace itself for what awaited in the Caribbean in the 1980s. The West Indies were not just the best side in the world; they were arguably the most dominant team cricket had ever seen. Their battery of fast bowlers, their intimidating presence, and their unrelenting aggression had already dismantled stronger teams than England.

Moreover, England’s squad was carrying its own baggage. Several key players, including Graham Gooch, had been part of the controversial rebel tours to South Africa. This created tension not just within the dressing room but also among the West Indian public, who viewed these players with disdain. The political undercurrents only added to England’s woes.

And then, there was the issue of leadership. Gower, a naturally elegant batsman but a somewhat reluctant and passive captain, was about to face his most harrowing challenge. His team was about to be tested in a manner no England side had ever been before.

The Horror Begins: Sabina Park’s First Salvo

If England believed they had any chance of success, the first One Day International at Sabina Park shattered that illusion.

It was here that one of the most horrifying incidents of the tour took place. Mike Gatting, a tough, fearless batsman, had his nose smashed by a brutal Malcolm Marshall delivery. The ball, short and venomous, rushed at Gatting before he could react. It crashed into his face, leaving him bloodied and dazed. The impact was so severe that a fragment of his nasal bone was later found embedded in the ball.

The image of Gatting walking off, his face a mask of blood, was a chilling warning of what was to come. The West Indies won the match comfortably, but the real damage was psychological.

Gatting later admitted that, while he had always accepted the risk of injury, this blow was different. It left a lasting mark—not just on his face but on England’s confidence. Even his eventual return for the final Test in Antigua was an act of defiance rather than a sign of recovery.

As for the West Indies, they were only just getting started.

Patrick Patterson: A Force of Nature

By the time the first Test began, again at Sabina Park, England were already on the back foot. What followed was nothing short of carnage.

While the West Indies had built their reputation on a fearsome quartet of fast bowlers—Holding, Garner, Croft, and Marshall—by 1986, the attack was evolving. Holding and Garner were nearing the end of their careers, and Colin Croft had been banned for joining the South African rebel tours. But if England thought they would face a less formidable attack, they were in for a brutal awakening.

Patrick Patterson, a young and raw Jamaican speedster, was unleashed.

If sheer pace had a face, it was Patterson’s. According to Michael Holding, Patterson bowled faster than anyone else in that series. He generated outswing at speeds nearing 100 mph, producing deliveries that defied logic and shattered technique.

John Woodcock of The Times later wrote that he had “never felt it more likely that [he] would see someone killed on the pitch.”

Even Allan Lamb, a batsman renowned for his skill against pace, struggled against Patterson. One delivery climbed off a length and struck the shoulder of his bat, flying over the boundary for six. England’s batsmen were not just being dismissed; they were being physically overwhelmed.

Roger Harper, standing in the slips, recalled how deep the fielders had to stand. “We were so far back that we could almost spit over the boundary.”

By the end of the Test, England had been pulverized. Patterson had signaled his arrival, and West Indies had reaffirmed their status as the undisputed kings of world cricket.

A Procession of Defeats

From that point onward, the series followed a grimly predictable pattern.

England’s batting was a collective disaster. In ten innings, they failed to cross 200 on eight occasions. No player scored a century. No batsman averaged 40. It was not just that they lost—it was how feeble they looked in the process.

The West Indian pacers, as they had done for years, made batting a terrifying ordeal. Marshall, Holding, Walsh, and Patterson were relentless. The bowlers hunted in packs, feeding off each other’s energy, targeting not just wickets but the very confidence of their opponents.

By contrast, England’s bowlers were rendered impotent. The West Indies lost only five second-innings wickets in the entire series, a statistic that highlights just how unchallenged their batsmen were.

Viv Richards: The Final Insult

If the tour was a nightmare, then the final Test in Antigua was its cruelest chapter.

Viv Richards, the king of Caribbean cricket, decided to end the series in fitting fashion. In a brutal onslaught, he blazed his way to the fastest Test hundred of the time—off just 56 balls.

It was an innings that transcended the match itself. Richards was not just batting; he was making a statement. England’s bowlers, demoralized and broken, had no answer. Ian Botham, in a desperate move, positioned Lamb on the boundary in an attempt to counter Richards’ hook shots. But the plan was futile. The ball simply kept sailing over Lamb’s head, disappearing into the stands.

David Gower later admitted that there was nothing England could do. Richards was too good, too dominant.

The Aftermath: A Defeat Like No Other

England’s history is littered with humiliating tours, but the 1986 "Blackwash" stands alone.

Unlike their Ashes whitewashes, where they at least managed to reach 300 in some innings, this series was a complete annihilation. There was no moment of hope, no silver lining.

West Indies, at their peak, were an unstoppable force. England, by contrast, were a team that lacked belief, skill, and resilience. They left the Caribbean not just beaten but broken.

David Gower, years later, would admit that he tries not to think about that tour. And who could blame him? The 1986 West Indies tour remains one of cricket’s most complete demolitions—a brutal, unrelenting, and unforgettable example of sporting dominance.

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar