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By K.R. Nayar From Dubai  International Stadium   It wasn’t an India-Pakistan final or a clash between subcontinental teams, yet 21,457 UAE fans almost filled the 25,000-capacity Dubai International Stadium for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 final between New Zealand and South Africa. Despite their favorite teams making an early exit, the fans sportingly turned up to cheer for women’s cricket. They were rewarded with a thrilling match as New Zealand stunned the favourites South African team, winning by 32 runs to claim the world title. New Zealand’s day in cricket   October 20, 2024, will be remembered as New Zealand’s day in cricket. Hours before the women’s World Cup final, New Zealand’s men’s team defeated India in the Bengaluru Test by eight wickets – their first win in India in 36 years. Following the victory, New Zealand skipper Tom Latham sent his best wishes to the women’s team.   New Zealand women did what their men could not do repeatedly, despite being so close t

By K. R. Nayar From Sharjah Cricket Stadium   It is indeed surprising that the major focus of discussions about the second semi-final is primarily on New Zealand reaching the final, despite their narrow win over the West Indies by just eight runs. In the end, it seems that what matters most is the victory, not how it was achieved. The West Indies' batting approach was more like a "catch us if you can," after they offered numerous catching opportunities to the New Zealand fielders who repeatedly dropped them. Ultimately, luck prevailed, and New Zealand reached the final. However, witnessing so many dropped catches in a semi-final is far from ideal for the image of women’s cricket.   The fielding throughout this World Cup has resembled club-level cricket. It seems as though women’s cricket has forgotten the famous adage, “catches win matches.” One would expect better fielding, especially in a semi-final. The West Indies effectively lost the game by failing to capitalize

By K.R. Nayar From ICC Academy Oval The DP World ILT20 Development Tournament 2024, staged to identify talented players from the UAE for the ILT20, which is set to begin on January 11, 2025, showcased some of the finest cricketing talents in the country. The final, held at the ICC Academy Oval 1 on Wednesday, October 16, amidst a festive atmosphere, was fiercely contested. Vriitya Aravind skippered Gulf Giants lifted the trophy, beating Alishan Sharafu captained ILT20 Pearls by six wickets. Legendary cricketer and coach of the Gulf Giants, Andy Flower, along with Simon Taufel, one of the world’s finest umpires, and UAE team coach Lalchand Rajput, were present to witness the action. Flower, alongside David White, CEO of the DP World International League T20, Zayed Abbas, member of the Emirates Cricket Board, and Sanjay Adesara, CEO Adani Sportsline presented the awards. Gulf Giants skipper  Vriitya Aravind receives the winners' trophy from  Zayed Abbas, member of the Emirates

By K.R. Nayar From Dubai International Stadium Australian women walked into the semi-final of the ICC T20 Women’s tournament against South Africa at the Dubai International Stadium with the reputation of being an unshakable team. They had every reason to feel superior, having beaten every opponent in this tournament. Besides being the defending champions, they have also won the title six times. However, regardless of a team's history or reputation, cricket has repeatedly shown that the winner is always the team that believes they can win and gives their best. South Africa's moment of joy    Past history has no relevance    The South Africans believed they could do it. Their past record of never having beaten Australia didn't matter. The fact that their opponents reached the semi-final undefeated didn’t seem to faze them. What mattered most to South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch was to keep scoring freely, apply pressure by attacking, and hit bound