All posts tagged: nicholas pooran

Steve Smith blasts century as Washington Freedom record highest-ever T20 chase in MLC Eliminator

Steve Smith blasts century as Washington Freedom record highest-ever T20 chase in MLC Eliminator

Published by Webster

2 min readUpdated: Jul 16, 2026 11:09 AM IST Australian superstar Steve Smith powered Washington Freedom in a record-breaking T20 run-chase as they overcame defending champions MI New York in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 Eliminator match in Oakland on Wednesday night. Set a record 267-run chase on the back of Nicholas Pooran’s 31-ball century, the fastest in MLC history, Washington skipper Smith and wicket-keeper Andries Gous (132, 51b, 10×4, 12×6) combined to produce a stunning six-wicket win. Down 10 for two inside three overs, Smith and Gous produced a record third-wicket stand that yielded 241 runs in only 89 balls. In a match that was a repeat of last year’s final where MI had emerged victorious, Smith remained unbeaten on 110 off 48 balls (7 fours and 9 sixes) as Washington stormed to the target in only 18.4 overs. Washington broke the all-time T20 record held by Indian Premier League (IPL) side Punjab Kings for the highest successful chase in the format. PBKS had gunned down a 265-run target against the Delhi Capitals …

Mitchell Marsh’s mayhem gets Lucknow Super Giants rare win, dents Chennai Super Kings’ playoff hopes

Mitchell Marsh’s mayhem gets Lucknow Super Giants rare win, dents Chennai Super Kings’ playoff hopes

Published by Webster

Synopsis: LSG-ian Marsh mellows CSK yellows after Akash flashes notes and serves notice Two wickets in as many balls ignited hope for Chennai Super Kings. A third too would soon fall, but the havoc that Mitchell Marsh had wreaked with his 90 from 38 balls was so irreversible that LSG, resisting all their self-implosive impulses, sauntered past the finish line. Victory would only do so much to restore their battered pride. But it imperils CSK’s playoff hopes and dents their run rate. Marsh, the man his teammates call Bison, sneered. He had sent the first four offerings of Anshul Kamboj over the fence. But the fifth— a savage strike no less — ricocheted off the bowler’s trailing right leg in his follow-through. So ferocious the straight drive was that it landed near the cover fielder. But Marsh did not stop; he was in a merciless mood, brutalising anything his long and powerful levers could reach. AS IT HAPPENED | LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS VS CHENNAI SUPER KINGS IPL 2026 HIGHLIGHTS No doubt he was venting out …

Justin Langer on whether high-scoring chases are good for cricket: ‘I cannot believe the batting I’m seeing’ | Cricket News

Justin Langer on whether high-scoring chases are good for cricket: ‘I cannot believe the batting I’m seeing’ | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Every year, run-scoring in the IPL only increases, with bigger bats, shorter boundaries and placid surfaces turning it into a run-fest. IPL 2026, however, has been unlike any other season in recent times. Teams have regularly made over 200 in the first innings and, even more impressively, chased down 200-plus totals consistently, putting the idea of ‘what is a good score’ firmly in the bin. LSG coach Justin Langer was asked whether such high-scoring chases were good for the game or if the balance between bat and ball needed restoring. The Australian could only marvel at what he was seeing, while also acknowledging the pressure it puts on bowlers. “I literally, as an ex-batter and an ex-warrior who loves batting and a coach for a long time, I cannot believe the batting I’m seeing at the moment. It is breathtaking. It is absolute.” “Who would have thought, however many years ago you have run chasers like we’ve just seen today, or Nicky Pooran or Rickelton come – and we’re not even talking about the young …

Ro-Ry, MI’s 6-hitting machines get roaring, as their talisman Rohit Sharma returns

Ro-Ry, MI’s 6-hitting machines get roaring, as their talisman Rohit Sharma returns

Published by Webster

Synopsis: A 143-run stand for the opening wicket between Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma helps MI chase down 229 runs against LSG. Sunday may have been optional nets, but Rohit Sharma spent an hour honing his batting skills under the evening sun. It was perhaps an indication that he was fit and raring to go, and on Monday, with Mumbai Indians (MI) needing to win to halt their losing streak, he delivered with the bat, much to the delight of the capacity crowd at the venue. The Wankhede Stadium roared in delight as Rohit Sharma made his way down the stairs and into the middle to bat for the first time in three weeks. Playing as an impact sub, he would have hoped for an easy chase to mark his return, but his bowlers were not as grateful, conceding 228 runs in 20 overs. If there was pressure, it did not show early. It was Ryan Rickelton who took charge. Fresh from a century in the previous home game against SRH, the left-hander started briskly, …

Rishabh Pant and Justin Langer defend sending out-of-form Pooran

Rishabh Pant and Justin Langer defend sending out-of-form Pooran

Published by Webster

How Lucknow Super Giants messed up another straightforward chase is a question that would vex their supporters. They made numerous blunders, tactically as well as on the field. Most perplexing was sending an out-of-depth Nicholas Pooran to open the innings in the Super Over. The Trinidadian had laboured for runs and boundaries all season. Suddenly, he was thrown into a high-pressure salon. He got out first ball, attempting a wild sweep of an off-break that spun across him from the low-turning surface. His captain, Rishabh Pant, said Pooran’s was the first name that came up during the discussion. “We had a discussion as a group, we had a discussion and the name came up was Nicky P. He might not go through the best form of his life, but at the same time, you gotta trust your player in a hard situation like this,” he said. ALSO READ | 83 runs, 5 catches and hitting winning runs: A night Rinku made and a night made for Rinku Coach Justin Langer contended that the decision was …

‘When you’re desperate to win…’

‘When you’re desperate to win…’

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: Apr 27, 2026 08:40 AM IST Lucknow Super Giants’ fifth consecutive defeat in IPL 2026, in a Super Over thriller against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, culminated in another ordinary batting display by Rishabh Pant’s side. Amidst the failures of a star-studded top order, Nicholas Pooran bore the brunt of sharp criticism for his twin failures in the regulation chase and the Super Over. Pooran, who walked in at No. 4 in a 156-run chase, fell for nine off 12 deliveries against Varun Chakaravarthy. The West Indian left-hander is enduring one of his poorest IPL seasons, just a year after slamming more than 500 runs in an edition for the first time in his career. Pooran has only aggregated 82 runs in eight innings, his 81.18 strike rate his lowest across seven years in the IPL. ALSO READ | 83 runs, 5 catches and hitting winning runs: A night Rinku made and a night made for Rinku Surprisingly, the LSG management opted to send Pooran out to open the batting in …

‘Couldn’t hit water if he fell out of boat’: LSG lambasted, management shredded for ‘criminal’ Nicholas Pooran move

‘Couldn’t hit water if he fell out of boat’: LSG lambasted, management shredded for ‘criminal’ Nicholas Pooran move

Published by Parlour News

Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn minced no words as he tore into the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) management for keeping faith in Nicholas Pooran and sending him out in the Super Over against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Sunday. The left-handed batter has been woefully out of form in the tournament, looking a pale shadow of his old self. The move to send the former West Indies captain backfired as he was dismissed on the first ball of the Super Over by Sunil Narine, and LSG eventually just managed one run, and the target was overhauled by the three-time champions quite easily. Nicholas Pooran of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) clean bowled by Sunil Narine. Pooran, viewed as one of the best T20 batters in the world, has managed just 82 runs in the 19th edition of the tournament so far, at an average of 10.25. In the regular game time against KKR, the 30-year-old returned with just nine runs off 12 balls and was eventually …

83 runs, 5 catches and hitting winning runs: A night Rinku made and a night made for Rinku | Cricket News

83 runs, 5 catches and hitting winning runs: A night Rinku made and a night made for Rinku | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Synopsis: Rinku Singh’s 83 trumps Mohsin Khan’s five-for as KKR pip LSG in Super Over thriller The calamities that ensued from a poor Powerplay were poised to dictate terms when Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants were set to meet again after a forgettable first half of the season. Poor starts from the openers have marred their run. So when two teams of weakened batting repositories clashed at the non-partisan Ekana, dullness and drama matched in equal measure across phases before the dust settled in a Super Over climax at midnight. On a black soil strip on Sunday, where LSG opted to bowl first, the ability to vary speeds was premium. But when Mohsin Khan skinned the KKR order with five wickets of unrelenting attack on both edges of the bat, the relative weakness of his team’s top order returned to bite them during an unoffending 156-run pursuit. AS IT HAPPENED | LSG VS KKR See-sawing comeback A generous smattering of two free hits and a boundary from an erring Kartik Tyagi’s final over …

‘Rishabh Pant getting himself out more often than opposition bowlers’: Sidhu says LSG need ‘a lot of soul searching’ | Cricket News

‘Rishabh Pant getting himself out more often than opposition bowlers’: Sidhu says LSG need ‘a lot of soul searching’ | Cricket News

Published by Webster

2 min readApr 16, 2026 10:15 PM IST Rishabh Pant’s journey as Lucknow Super Giants captain started off in a horrid way last season and it hasn’t gone too much better than that this year thus far. In the five innings that he has batted for LSG in IPL 2026, Pant has scored just 104 runs at a strike rate of 122.35, which is middling by any standard in T20 cricket, let alone in a year in which five of the top 10 run scorers thus far are striking at over 170. What makes it worse for LSG this season that Pant is not the only talented batter who is underperforming. Their top five also consists of the likes of Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran, all of whom are yet to truly hit the races this season. Former India batter and commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu feels that Pant seems to be almost getting himself out. “I don’t think bowlers are getting Rishabh out; more often, he is getting himself out. He has the …

Rishabh Pant ’empowers his bowlers’, is a ‘players-first captain’, says LSG spin bowling coach | Cricket News

Rishabh Pant ’empowers his bowlers’, is a ‘players-first captain’, says LSG spin bowling coach | Cricket News

Published by Webster

2 min readApr 9, 2026 12:47 AM IST Rishabh Pant’s captaincy has earned praise from Lucknow Super Giants’ spin-bowling coach Carl Crowe. LSG face the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday having won their last match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad to bounce back from the defeat they suffered before that to the Delhi Capitals. Crowe said that Pant empowers his bowlers as a captain. “I would say he definitely empowers his bowlers. He is very keen to hear their views in team meetings and is interested in understanding their perspectives and plans. Personally, I’ve really warmed to him,” he told reporters on the eve of the match against KKR. “One thing he does really nicely — it may seem small — is that when he enters the room as captain, he says ‘hello’ to every single person and shakes their hand. As a leader, that makes you feel welcome and that you belong, and I really like that about him.” Crowe said that Pant tries to guide bowlers as much as he can but he also …