The Setting: The match, played on February 28, 2012, was a must-win encounter for India to stay alive in the triangular series. Sri Lanka had set a challenging target of 321 runs, and India needed a victory not just to keep their hopes alive but also to showcase their resilience in the tournament.

Kohli’s Arrival: Coming in to bat at a precarious situation with India at 2/21, Kohli joined opener Gautam Gambhir, and the duo began the repair work. The Hobart pitch offered assistance to the bowlers, but Kohli’s determination and skill set the stage for one of the most memorable innings in limited-overs cricket.

Masterclass in Chasing: Kohli’s innings was a masterclass in the art of chasing. He combined impeccable technique with aggressive shot-making, dictating terms to the Sri Lankan bowlers. The right-hander showcased his ability to pace the innings perfectly, anchoring one end while scoring boundaries at regular intervals.

Building Partnerships: The hallmark of Kohli’s innings was his partnerships with other batsmen. He stitched crucial stands with Gambhir and Suresh Raina, guiding India towards the target. His ability to rotate the strike and accelerate when required displayed a maturity beyond his years.

The Turning Point: As wickets fell around him, Kohli continued to play with remarkable composure. The turning point came when he was joined by Suresh Raina, and together they constructed a match-winning partnership. Kohli’s ability to control the innings even under pressure was on full display.

The Celebration: The century was sealed with a boundary, and Kohli’s exuberant celebration reflected not just personal achievement but a collective sigh of relief for the Indian team. His 133 off 86 balls featured 16 boundaries and 2 sixes, etching his name in the record books and the hearts of cricket fans worldwide.

Legacy and Impact: Virat Kohli’s innings in Hobart not only helped India secure a crucial victory but also showcased his prowess as one of the best chasers in contemporary cricket. The knock marked a pivotal moment in Kohli’s career, setting the stage for the numerous masterful innings that would follow.

Conclusion: Virat Kohli’s 133 against Sri Lanka in Hobart remains a testament to his skill, temperament, and the ability to thrive under pressure. The innings is etched in the memories of cricket fans as a defining moment in Kohli’s career and a shining example of his unparalleled batting prowess. It stands as a reminder of why Virat Kohli is considered one of the modern-day greats in the sport.

The post Virat Kohli’s Masterclass in Hobart: Recounting the Unforgettable 133 Against Sri Lanka in 2012 appeared first on Cricket Country.

Our cameras capture every stroke, every boundary, and every milestone as Kohli takes control of the game with an innings that will be etched in cricketing history. From exquisite cover drives to powerful straight shots, experience the full range of Kohli’s batting repertoire.

Join us in the commentary box as we analyze the key moments of this innings – the partnerships, the milestones, and the sheer determination that defined Kohli’s dominance on that memorable day in Hobart.

The post Most Dominant Innings in ODI : Virat Kohli vs Sri Lanka. 2012 Hobart, Commonwealth Bank Series appeared first on Cricket Country.

Australia captain Pat Cummins on Thursday confirmed that Travis Head, who was left out of the squad due to a Covid-19 test, would return to the squad and will reclaim the No.5 spot he was forced to vacate for the Sydney Test after contracting Covid 19 and being forced into isolation in Melbourne following Australia’s series victory.

Khawaja is in superb form and had stuck twin hundreds in the fourth Test at Sydney means that Harris is squeezed out of the playing XI to face England at Blundstone Arena in the series’ second-day-night contest.

Harris, who struck his Test-high 76 in the low-scoring third Test at the MCG, has managed only 179 runs at 29.83 for the series and has not scored a century in 14 Tests.

Cummins on Thursday emphasised that the decision to change their opening combination had more to do with Khawaja’s stunning Test return than Harris’ indifferent form.

Though their batting line-up looks settled, Australia are yet to decide on the make-up of their bowling unit for Hobart, with Cummins and selectors waiting to see how Scott Boland fares at a training session on Thursday.

According to a report in cricket.com.au, Jhye Richardson is pushing for a return to the side following his impressive pink-ball effort in Adelaide where he took a final-day five-wicket haul, while Michael Neser (who made his debut in Adelaide) is also in the mix.

Boland hurt his ribs in Sydney and underwent a fitness test in the Blundstone Arena nets under the watchful eyes of assistant coach Andrew McDonald and physiotherapist David Beakley on Thursday afternoon, the report said.

“Scotty’s ribs are the only factor,” Cummins told reporters on Thursday. “He’ll give that a go, if he’s not in then Jhye and Michael Neser are both fit. We’ll work that out this,” Cummins was quoted as saying in the Australian media.

“Jhye coming off a five-for in the pink ball (means) he’s probably the next one (in) but we’ll have that conversation when we need to.

“It’s a pretty tight turnaround between Tests. We think he (Boland) should be right but he’ll just have another bowl in the nets,” he said.

The post Ashes 2021-22: Usman Khawaja Will Open in Hobart, says Australia Skipper Pat Cummins appeared first on Cricket Country.

After Australia got all out for mere 85 in the first innings of second Test against South Africa at Hobart, fans began making fun of their batting on social media and started trolling them. That kind of trolling troubled many Australians and one of them was former Australian cricketer Dean Jones, who is currently in India and doing the commentary job in the ongoing Test series between India and England. On a track which is well known for being batting friendly, turned into a bowler friendly, especially for pacers. South Africa‘s bowlers exploited it to near perfection knocking out Australia for 85. This is their second instance of getting all out under 100 in a Test innings in last one year.

It seemed like Australian fans and former cricketers faced more humiliation than their team and Jones was found to be one of them. On Saturday morning, while Jones was preparing for commentating, every other English commentators was coming to him and asking for Australia’s score in order to tease him. It was started by Michael Atherton, to which Jones got irritated and replied that he is not going to talk to him. From there on, he kept trying hiding from everyone but one by one, every English commentators teased him to the point that they followed him till the washroom.

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Geoffrey Boycott and Ian Botham were among those English commentators who irritated Jones a lot. Later, even Jatin Sapru did not miss this opportunity to take a dig at Australian team in from of Jones by showing a hilarious tweet from Adam Mountford.

Perhaps @englandcricket should cancel the Ashes & play a 5 match series against some decent opposition like Bangladesh next winter pic.twitter.com/PXhZTbnQBz

— Adam Mountford (@tmsproducer) November 12, 2016

Watch the entire video how Jones was troubled his so called commentators friend.

Well, in the video, they did not include Twitter legend in trolling & commentator par excellence  Virender Sehwag. The former Australian himself tweeted on Saturday and asked Sehwag  not to ask him the score of Australia.

@virendersehwag please leave me alone! Stop asking what the score is in Hobart! pic.twitter.com/NZgdkuiiB6

— Dean Jones (@ProfDeano) November 12, 2016

Had StarSports included Sehwag in this video, it could have been more hilarious than it was. The second day of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at Hobart was been called off because of heavy rain and the hosts were probably praying for the same to happen in next three days as well.

The post Watch Dean Jones hiding from English commentators after Australia were bowled out for 85 appeared first on Cricket Country.

The second Test between Australia and South Africa at Hobart got off to a cracking start as the hosts could only survive 32.5 overs in the first innings to get dismantled at 85. Hobart is one of the batting friendly tracks since 2000s but the hosts’ batting line-up failed to live upto expectations. From the start of this century, there have been eight Tests played at this venue and only in three occasions teams batting first have been all out while in the rest, they had to declare after scoring in excess of 450. The first day of this Test was one such rare day at Hobart where pacers took advantage of conditions and exploited it to the fullest.

With South Africa bowling first, Australia lost their first wicket at the score of one and soon began their miseries. Half of the side were sitting back in the pavilion with only 16 on board. Skipper Steven Smith was the only one who showed some resistance with an unbeaten 48. South African pacer Vernon Philander was the main strike bowler with a five-for and was ably supported by Kyle Abbott, who took three scalps. With Australia being bowled out at such low score, Abhishek Kumar presents some mind-boggling numbers from first innings of the hosts.

Australia lost their first 4 wickets under 8 runs — their second lowest at home. Their lowest score after losing first 4 wickets in a Test innings is of 7 which came against England at Brisbane in December 1936. Overall, this is Australia’s fourth lowest start in Tests. This is also Australia’s shallowest start, losing first 4 wickets for 8 runs, in their first innings.

Australia lost their first 5 wickets under 17 runs — their second lowest at home. Australia’s lowest score after losing first 5 wickets in Tests stands at 16, which also came in the same match against England at Brisbane in December 1936. Overall, this is Australia’s fourth disastrous start in a Test innings. Also, losing first 5 wickets for 17 runs is Australia’s lowest batting first in whites.

31/6 — This is Australia’s second worst start in the first innings of a Test match at home and worst since ever since 1978. Their worst again came against arch-rivals, England, wherein they lost 6 wickets for just 26 runs on board at Brisbane in December 1978.

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56.47% of runs scored by Smith in Australia’s innings of 85. This is the highest percentage of runs contributed by an Australian in an innings where they were folded under 100. This is also the second highest percentage of runs contributed by an Australia batsman in an innings against South Africa after Don Bradman (58.28% of runs — 299* out of 513).

3rd five-wicket haul for Vernon Philander against Australia in Tests. This is joint third most five-fors by any South African bowler against Australia. Also, this is his first five-wicket haul against Australia in Australia.

85 — Australia’s lowest total in the first innings of a Test against South Africa and eighth overall against any team.

3rd lowest total for Australia against South Africa in Tests after 47 & 75 in Cape Town (2011) and Durban (1950). Also, this is Australia’s lowest total against South Africa on home turf.

Australia becomes first team to be bundled out under 100 at Hobart. Previous lowest total was also held by Australia when they got dismissed for 136 in 2011.

34th instance of Australia getting all out under 100. Apart from Australia, South Africa is the only team to get all out for below 100 on more than 30 occasions. This is also Australia’s 12 instance of getting all out under 100 in the first innings of a Test. No other Test team has been folded under 100 in first innings of a Test on more than seven occasions.

10th instance of Australia getting all out under 100 at home. Joint second most instance in this criterion along with England, who have been done the same on 10 occasions in their own den. South Africa has been all out most for under 100 at home — 20 occasions.

In 19th century — 15 times Australia were bowled out under 100, in the 20th century —13 times they were dismantled before reaching three figures while already in 21st century, 6 times the current No. 3 Test side has folded up under 100.

(Abhishek Kumar is a cricket devotee currently staffing with CricLife and CricketCountry.com. He can be followed at @abhik2593)

The post Australia’s batting collapse, Vernon Philander’s rampage spell and stats highlights from Day 1 of Hobart Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

The second Test of the series between Australia and South at Bellerive Oval, Hobart has taken a dramatic and unexpected turn in the game. Hobart is a venue, whose recent records says that this ground favours to the side which bats first. Since the start of this century to till now, there have been seven Tests played at this venue, excluding the ongoing match. Out of those seven games, in the first innings of each match, batting side were all out only twice and in rest other four occasions, team which bats first has scored at least 450 or above. Saturday’s day was another such rare day in Hobart, when team batting first were all out under 100. FULL SCORECARD: Australia vs South Africa, 2nd Test at Hobart

After winning the toss, South Africa invited Australia to bat first in a track which has good amount of grass and was visible that it will offer swing for pacers. South African pacers take the full advantage of that by exploiting the condition as their strike-bowler Vernon Philander scalped his 10th five wicket haul in Tests, while Kyle Abbott took three wickets. Australia lost half of their wickets in just 17 runs, which is their second lowest score of losing first five wickets in a Test innings at home. The lowest score for Australia at the fall of first five wickets is 16, which came long back in 1936 at Brisbane.

Philander was the architect of Australia’s batting collapse and Abbott played the supporting role in that. Nine out of Australia’s 10 wickets were because of either poor shot from their batsman or an excellent delivery from South African bowlers. They could score only 85 and thanks to their skipper Steven Smith for his lone 48-run knock. This will surely go in the history as one of the worst batting performances by Australia and meanwhile, watch and enjoy how they collapsed.

Rain is expected to interrupt in this game and with Australia getting all out so early in the match for such low total, one can still expect a result.

The post Watch how Australian innings folded for 85 against South Africa at Hobart appeared first on Cricket Country.

After getting defeated in the first Test of the series against South Africa at Perth, Australian team were expected bounce back in the series with some impressive performance in the second Test at Hobart but totally opposite happened. Everything started with the toss, which Australia lost and were asked to bat first on a track which has grass on it but its recent record favours the team which bats first. After being asked to bat, Australia lost their first wicket in the very first over of the game in the form of David Warner, followed by his opening partner Joe Burns in the second over. Those two wickets were scalped by experienced South African pacer Vernon Philander and Kyle Abbott. FULL SCORECARD: Australia vs South Africa, 2nd Test at Hobart

After the second wicket, skipper Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja tried to stay at the crease for next six overs with adding only six more runs to the scoreboard but soon that partnership too did not lasted for long. Khawaja was the one to get out, while Smith stayed at the crease. From there on, there was a flurry of wickets and Smith was the one to held the nerves and remained unbeaten till the end. Australia were bowled out for mere 85 and Smith was the top scorer in the innings with 48 runs to his name. Philander was the one to take most wickets, infact, he run through the Australian side with his 10th five-for of career.

Apart from Philander, Abbott took three wickets, while Kagiso Rabada got one. This is Australia’s lowest total against South Africa at home and third lowest against them, irrespective of the venue. With this Australian collapse, which is known to be one of the best teams at any conditions, fans and cricketers on social media have started talking and trolling them. We present some of those tweets here.

85 on a first morning of a test isn’t worthy of an Aussie side. Our bats are crucifying our bowlers careers with woeful small totals

— Thommo (@JeffreyRThomson) November 12, 2016

That moment when you wake up and you realise #Aus all out for 85!! #Shocking #AusVsSA who says Aussies love to take home ground advantage!!

— Pooja Gupta (@pooja1601) November 12, 2016

@virendersehwag please leave me alone! Stop asking what the score is in Hobart! pic.twitter.com/NZgdkuiiB6

— Dean Jones (@ProfDeano) November 12, 2016

Nothing better than an Australian collapse to kick off your day! #AUSvsSA

— Karan Dewan (@karan13dewan) November 12, 2016

Wait. I’m sure Stuart Broad is not present in Hobart. Then, HOW? #AusvsSA

— Sritama Panda (@crickcosmos) November 12, 2016

So #Australia is 85 all out? Dear Bradman,rest in heaven peacefully. #AUSvsSA

— Kamalika Basu (@KamalikaBasu) November 12, 2016

Whoa Australia 85/10!!!! Must have required something special to get out for 85! #AusvsSA

— Savi (@Savi_2411) November 12, 2016

And Now 85 all out.
Australia in probably one of their worst phase in their Test history.
Struggling away and even at home.#AusvsSA

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) November 12, 2016

Looks like @CricketAus era is over
Batting, Bowling & fielding three departments are awful
Day By Day #AUS Cricket going into Slump#AUSvsSA

— Gopi RTFan (@RTFanzz) November 12, 2016

Darren Lehman has done an amazing job with Australian cricket but now it’s time for a change #AusvsSA

— TAYMUR KHAN (@CRICKTKHAN) November 12, 2016

A Coach who is associated with an international team for so long wil eventually plateau. This is exactly the case with Oz n Lehman #AusvsSA

— TAYMUR KHAN (@CRICKTKHAN) November 12, 2016

Lagta hai Aussie batsmen bhi 500/1000 ki jaldi me hai … 2nd test Day 1 AUS all out on 85 #AUSvsSA

— SUSHANT DESHPANDE (@i_Sushant10) November 12, 2016

SA showing this pitch is not as bad as a lot of people think.

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) November 12, 2016

Still some movement but shot selection has been spot on from the SA openers.

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) November 12, 2016

Still some movement but shot selection has been spot on from the SA openers.

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) November 12, 2016

Going by the news, rain is expected to interrupt in this match but seems like South Africa have already taken a huge upper hand and result will surely come.

The post Twitterati troll Australia’s collapse against South Africa at Hobart appeared first on Cricket Country.

This was the 11th match of the Commonwealth Bank Series between India and Sri Lanka at Bellerive Oval, Hobart, where team India needed to win with bonus point to remain alive in the hunt for final. Indian skipper MS Dhoni elected to field first after winning the toss. The run feast began with Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan’s batting, who remained unbeaten till the end. Dilshan’s knock of 160 runs from 165 balls was not an aggressive one, which he is known for but it looked a very calm, composed and mature innnings. Along with him, Kumar Sangakkara too scored a century and helped Sri Lanka reach a huge total of 320.

It looked almost impossible for any team to chase such a big total under 40 overs against a side which has world class bowlers like Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, and Angelo Mathews. But the Indian team had nothing to lose and the only way to go was bat fearlessly. India got a good start with Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar both firing quick runs at the top but both got out in their thirties. India were two wicket down for 86 runs in 9.2 overs.

From there on, south paw Gautam Gambhir and Kohli began their hunt and kept hammering Sri Lankan bowlers fro boundaries. There is a saying, “If you wan’t to win then attack at your opponent’s strength”, and similarly Kohli did by attacking Sri Lanka’s best bowler at that time —Malinga. In between Gambhir got out after scoring an intelligent 63 from 64 balls at the score of 201 from 27.3 overs.

Further Kohli was accompanied by another south paw Suresh Raina and then both the batsmen went blitzkrieg as they added 118 runs inside 10 overs. Raina scored a quick 40 from 24 and Kohli remained unbeaten on 133 from 86 deliveries, team India chased down the humungous total of 321 in just 36.4 overs. This was the most successful run chase in the history of ODI cricket in terms of balls spared. Kohli’s strike rate of 154.65 is the third highest for an Indian batsman while chasing. Apart from batting, Sri Lankan bowler Malinga was hammered for 96 runs in his 7.4 overs with one wicket.

Irrespective of how badly Indian team played that summer in Australia, this epic knock by Kohli and the sheer determination showed by Indian batsman while chasing this target probably made their fans forget their previous bad performances.

Team India got the bonus points and now they had to wait for the next match result which was played between Australia and Sri Lanka. India could have qualified for the finals if Sri Lanka would have lost their next match against Australia but it wasn’t to be as the latter suffered a close defeat.

(Abhishek Kumar is a cricket devotee currently staffing with Criclife.com. He can be followed at abhicricket.kumar and @abhishekkr2593)

The post Video: When Virat Kohli’s furious knock of 133 not out stunned Sri Lanka appeared first on Cricket Country.

During his childhood days, Bailey was very much studious and good in football too. In the below video, which is presented by cricket.com.au, Bailey is seen playing backyard cricket with his teammates David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Shaun Marsh and Steve Smith and meanwhile sharing some old funny stories from his childhood, where his mom used to bowl him with full pace and many more things. Watch this amazing video and enjoy the childhood stories by Bailey.

A funny story from George Bailey and the fielders he needed to call upon in #theHCG! https://t.co/X6DeSdq4rB

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) December 12, 2015

The post Video: A funny story by ever smiling George Bailey appeared first on Cricket Country.

1.  This was Nathan Lyon’s 50th Test match and with this he also becomes the first Australian off-spinner to have achieved such feat in Test cricket.

2.  Adam Voges (36 years 67 days) scored 269 not out in the first innings and became the oldest player to score 250 plus score beating Mark Taylor (33 years 353 days).

3.  The partnership of 449 runs between Voges and Shaun Marsh is the highest fourth-wicket partnership in Test cricket as they surpassed 437 runs stand between Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene and Thilina Samaraweera.

4.  This was also the sixth highest partnership in Tests and second highest for Australia.

5.  Voges-Marsh (449) partnership is also the highest partnership against West Indies after Colin Cowdrey and Peter May’s 411 in 1957 at Birmingham.

6.  This is the third 400 plus partnership for Australia and the first ever without involving Don Bradman.

7.  Voges’ 269 not out is the highest score by any player at Hobart.

8.  West Indies Test captain Jason Holder (24 years 35 days)becomes the third youngest visiting skipper in Australia after Jackie Grant (23 years 217 days in 1930) and Ivo Bigh (23 years 292 days in 1882).

9.  Voges scored 174 on the first day of the match, which is the sixth highest by a number four batsman on an opening day of a Test.

10. Voges’ score of unbeaten 269  was achieved for the first time in Tests.

11. Voges completed his century in just 100 balls, which is the fastest in Tests at Hobart after Adam Gilchrist’s 110 balls ton against Pakistan in 1999-2000.

12. New Zealand 409 for eight and Australia 438 for three is the first time in the history of Tests, when two 400 plus totals made on the first day of the match.

13. Darren Bravo scored a belligerent 108 runs in the first innings which is the first century in Australia after Richie Richardson (109) at Sydney in 1992-93.

(Abhishek Kumar is a cricket devotee currently staffing with Criclife.com. He can be followed at abhicricket.kumar and @abhishekkr2593)

The post 13 interesting statistical highlights from the 1st Test between Australia and West Indies at Hobart appeared first on Cricket Country.