Windies end ODI drought

The West Indies whitewashed Afghanistan at Lucknow to complete their first ODI series win in five years. In that interim, they’ve lost 13 series and drawn two.

In a series where the maximum run-rate a team could achieve was 5.19, Shai Hope predictably thrived. He scored an unbeaten half-century and a century and also became only the fourth batsman from the Caribbean to score 1000 ODI runs in a calendar year.

Afghanistan have now lost 12 ODIs in a row, with their last win in the format coming in May against Ireland.

England vs New Zealand Deja vu

Four months after the World Cup final, the Kiwis and the English were at it again.

This was the first ever five-match bilateral T20I series between two major cricketing nations and it had to be decided by a super over.

It was an England all-rounder once again who emerged as the hero as Chris Jordan smacked 12 off three deliveries in the final stages of the 11-over match to force a tie.

Teenager Shafali Verma breaks Sachin Tendulkar’s record

At the age of 15 years and 285 days, playing your first international series on foreign soil by itself is an achievement but India’s new found prodigy announced her arrival by breaking a 30-year-old record held by her idol, Sachin Tendulkar.

Image – ICC/Twitter

Shafali Verma is now the youngest Indian ever to score an international half-century when she scored a whirlwind 73 from just 49 deliveries at Gros Islet in the first T20I against the Windies. During the course of the knock, she was involved in India’s highest partnership in women’s T20Is alongside Smriti Mandana as the duo added 143 runs for the first wicket.

Verma followed her record breaking fifty with another one in the next game, leading India to a 10-wicket victory by stroking an unbeaten 69 off 35 deliveries.

Deepak Chahar’s hat-trick

Deepak Chahar’s T20I hat-trick against Bangladesh in the final game of the series saw Indian bowlers complete the set in 2019, after Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah’s previous feats in an ODI and a Test respectively.

Chahar became the first Indian bowler to hold the record of best bowling figures in any format of international cricket.

The medium pacer continued his penchant for wickets in quick succession in his next two domestic games.

In the Syed Ali Mushtaq trophy games that the 27-year-old played in this week, he picked up three wickets in four deliveries against Vidarbha and also against Uttar Pradhesh.