Sri Lanka players resume training after COVID-19 lockdown | Sri Lanka cricketers back in training after COVID-19 break
Sri Lankan players are slowly but steadily returning back to normalcy, as they completed their first training session post lockdown. The head coach Mickey Arthur oversaw the residential training for the 13 players who were a part of the program.
“We have done a lot of conditioning and every day we have upped their bowling. So they are almost ready. In the next month, they will be ready to play cricket,” Arthur said.
The Sri Lankan team’s future schedule is uncertain as India’s tour to the island nation was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sri Lanka last played International cricket against West Indies in the T20I series which concluded on March 6. They had a Test series scheduled against England, but the visitors pulled out of the contest as the fear of the COVID-19 virus grew all over the world.
Dimuth Karunaratne, the skipper of the national team, said that it was tough getting back to training post the 24-hour curfew in the island nation.
“Even when we are training in the first day it was really hard, but now I am shaping and I am getting my fitness back. We are trying to bounce back and play good international cricket,” the 32-year old said.
Earlier this week, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) swapped the hosting rights of the Asia Cup. If the six-nation tournament goes ahead this year then it will be held in the island nation.
Which team has the best bowling attack in Test cricket? | Which nation boasts the best Test bowling attack?
It is almost impossible to win a Test match without taking 20 wickets.
Yet, we as fans tend to hurl our admiration to the Virat Kohli’s of the world. Don’t get me wrong, the importance of runs cannot be overstated, but I do believe that given the way the game has developed over the years, we have lost sight of the ‘art’ that is bowling in Test cricket.
It wasn’t too long ago that the dynamics of Test cricket; or rather the contest between bat and ball, was vastly different. A string of fast bowling Caribbean giants from the late 60’s though to the early 2000’s made sure of it. The ‘fearsome foursome’ of Andy Roberts, the towering Joel Garner, Colin Croft and Michael Holding (AKA ‘whispering death’) were particularly devastating throughout the 70’s and 80’s, with 835 wickets between them at an average of just over 23!
Any team in world cricket would be happy to have had just one of the of the ‘fearsome foursome’ at their disposal, which gives some context as to just how destructive it was to have all four together. By the mid-to-late 80’s, many would have thought that the era of fast bowling may have ended with the careers of the Roberts, Garner, Croft and Holding.
A young Malcolm Marshall burst onto the scene in the late 70’s and became, in my opinion, the greatest fast bowler to ever play the game. His career overlapped with the likes of Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop, who, between the four of them, boast a record of 1461 test wickets and 22.57 a piece.
Courtney Walsh retired in 2001; the last of the West Indies fast bowling giants. Since then, we have seen many world class bowlers come and go with a number of partnerships that we won’t forget in a hurry. The likes of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne come to mind, greatly assisted by Brett Lee and the underappreciated Jason Gillespie. Zaheer Khan and the spinning duet of Kumble and Harbhajan. Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald, followed soon after by the likes of Ntini, Steyn, and Philander.
But, which country boasts the most impressive attack today?
Enjoying Dan’s content so far? Check out some of his other work:
We’re all very aware of the ‘fab four’; Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson. However, who are the best bowlers at present? Who are the elites?
Having a glance at the latest ICC test bowling rankings, I am relatively surprised. I see just one Englishman, one South African, one Indian, and one West Indian. The remaining six positions are occupied by three Aussies and three New Zealanders. Without looking at the rankings, I would have said that it is a toss up between the Australians and the Indians, with New Zealand and England in close pursuit.
This gives us a good point of reference, but it does not paint the full picture at all. Much like batting, bowlers form partnerships and work off one another to form a bowling unit. They operate as a pack.
So, which country offers the most devastating pack at present time? There were a number of variables that I looked at, including their:
Career records
Records away from home
Records against quality opposition; and
Performances in high pressure situations
With all this in mind, I find the case for Australia the strongest.
Why do Australia possess the best bowling attack?
Starting at the summit of the ICC test rankings, Australia’s bowling ‘unit’ consists of Pat Cummins, the number one ranked bowler in world cricket, left arm speedster Mitchell Starc (6th), Josh Hazlewood (10th) and last but most definitely not least, Nathan ‘Gary’ Lyon (16th).
Many would disagree, but I believe Nathan Lyon to be the most pivotal member of the Aussie pack. The role of the spinner in Test cricket is something that is overlooked all too often. Fast bowlers, and particularly the Aussie quicks, operate at ‘optimum efficiency’ when rotated in short spells, where they are able to bowl at full tilt for six or so overs before having a breather and coming back for more.
Nathan Lyon gifts Tim Paine the ability to rotate his trio of quicks from one end, while he operates from the other. What makes Lyon quite remarkable is not necessarily his ability to keep an end quiet, but also his ability to take wickets. Many aren’t aware that Lyon is thethird-highest wicket taker (390) in Australian Test cricket history, with only the legendary Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne ahead of him.
Which team has the best bowling attack? Nathan Lyon has been a superb bowler for Australia
Moving on, as I mentioned earlier, these bowlers operate as a pack and variation within that pack is a crucial aspect to their success. Pat Cummins, the spearhead of the attack (at the tender age of 27), is the full package as a fast bowler. He can not only operate at 150 clicks, but can do so while taking the ball away from the right hander, and doing so consistently over three spells in a day of cricket. His effectiveness doesn’t diminish with the shine of the kookaburra given his ability to get the ball to reverse swing in most conditions. He is hostile, aggressive and intimidating and has rightly earned the title of the worlds best. Furthermore, Cummins appears to have been successful on the road as well, averaging 21.86 with the ball away from home with an almost unprecedented strike rate of 45.89 deliveries per wicket!
Mitchell Starc is one of the fastest bowlers in the world. In fact, he is one of only a few bowlers to ever reach the 160km/h mark. He adds natural variety as a left armer, and like Cummins, posses the ability to generate both conventional and reverse swing; not to mention the most lethal yorker in Test cricket which comes in handy against the tail. Starc is often criticised for being a tad on the expensive side for Test cricket, going at roughly 3.4 to the over. But, with a career strike rate of 48.17, I can’t imagine Tim Paine being too bothered about it.
Josh Hazlewood is one of the more underrated or unappreciated fast bowlers in Test cricket. He is the McGrath of this bowling attack in the sense that he has the ability to put the ball in that corridor of uncertainty all day. He doesn’t have the pace of Cummins or Starc, but relies on movement off the wicket and through the air. If need be, I believe that he is perfectly capable of bowling longer spells than the likes of Cummins and Starc, and I’ve found him to be particularly dangerous against the left handers.
All in all, I believe that we are blessed to have a number of quality bowers at the moment. The partnership formed between Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad has been exceptional for many years for England. A young Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are more than capable to lead that attack going forward.
Jaspit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav have done exceptional work for India, and often don’t get the recognition they deserve given the magic that is so often produced by their spinners Ashwin and Jadeja.
Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Tim Southee (all of whom are in the ICC top 10 rankings), have made New Zealand one of the toughest places to visit in Test cricket. Wagner in particular is arguably the most underrated Test bowler in the world.
With Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander having moved on for South Africa, Kagiso Rabada will need to find two quicks to share the load with. I’m excited by Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi, and the prospect of having a young seam attack that can work together for the next 7-10 years.
Having said that, the Aussies attack of present is the best that Test cricket has to offer. The unit as a whole checks all the boxes necessary – variety, pace, consistency, aggression, and patience. The Aussies have reached the summit of Test cricket, and I believe that their bowlers are largely responsible.
And, with a number of youngsters already in the side and more on the fringes, they will occupy that top spot for quite some time.
Written by Dan Orsmond. Follow Dan on Twitter today.
CPL to host entire tournament in T&T: Players to take pay cuts | West Indies Cricket plan to stage CPL 2020 in Trinidad and Tobago
In the aftermath COVID-19, the Carribean Premier League (CPL) organisers are expected to stage the tournament entirely in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago is country which has handled the coronavirus pandemic most efficiently in the Carribean, with only 117 positive cases reported till date.
The tournament is slated to be hosted from 18th August to 10th September with the players expected to arrive on August 1 in Trinidad and Tobago in order to undergo the quarantine period directed by the Trinidad and Tobago government.
Michael Hall, the operations manager of the CPL wrote a letter to the various stakeholders of the tournament, as reported by ESPNCricInfo.
“We have taken the decision to stage the tournament (subject to final approval from the government of Trinidad & Tobago, which we expect next week). I can advise that the tournament period will be from August 1 to September 12, with the first matches on August 18 and the final on September 10.
Should the tournament take place, it will take place entirely in Trinidad & Tobago, which is the most successful country in the Caribbean in controlling the spread of the virus – recording just one new case since April 30 and just 117 total cases overall,” Hall wrote.
The tournament will be played behind closed doors and the teams will be staying in a hotel which is supervised by the medical team of the tournament.
“One of the consequences the COVID-19 pandemic will have is that the CPL will be played behind closed doors in 2020. We were therefore faced with the very difficult decision of whether to play the tournament at all. [But] we also felt strongly that it is important for cricket to be seen to be getting underway again as well as to show the world that the Caribbean is open for business,” he added.
Compared to the previous edition, the players and match officials are expected to take a 30% pay cut. However, players below $20,000 will not be affected by the same.
“We accept we are asking players to give up a portion of their salary,” Hall added. However without such a gesture it will be impossible to run the tournament, so we need to be clear that non-acceptance of the proposed reductions will result in your clients already under contract being replaced, or if not already contracted, being removed from the draft list.”
To complete the tournament in the 23-day duration, there will be double headers on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
India can’t call themselves World Champions unless they prove it – Gambhir | Gautam Gambhir accuses India of lacking mental toughness
Two-time World Champion Gautam Gambhir claimed that Indian players lacked mental toughness to handle pressure in big matches. He also said that India can’t call themselves World Champions unless they prove it on the cricket field.
“If you look at all the semi-finals and finals, it just shows when playing really well in the league stage and you don’t play well in the semi-finals or knockouts, it’s probably your mental toughness as well,” the 38-year old said.
Gambhir, who was a vital cog in the Indian sides which won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and 50 over World Cup in 2011, said that the teams can afford to make a mistake in bilateral series. But, if you make a mistake in knockout stages, you are knocked out of the tournament.
“It’s just your ability in those crunch situations. In bilaterals and league stages, you have got probably a chance to make the mistake. Come to knockout stages, you don’t have a chance to do that.
You make a mistake and you’re going back home. That’s where beliefs come into play and that where India lacks in all those crucial games.”
He also said that the best players in the team prove themselves in crunch situations.
Gautam Gambhir often stepped up in big games for India.
“What sets you apart from being a good player to being a very very good player in a team squad is what you do on those crucial games. I think probably we have not been able to handle the pressure; probably other teams have been able to handle the pressure that way,” Gambhir said on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected.
“We can keep talking that we’ve got everything, we have the ability to be the world champions, but till the time you don’t go on the cricket field and prove that, you will never be called the world champions,” the 38-year-old said.
The Indian Cricket team last won an ICC tournament back in 2013 when they clinched the ICC Champions Trophy in England.
But, since then, they have made it at least to the Semi Final of every World event, but have faltered in the knockout stages. They lost in the Final of WT20 2014 and Champions Trophy 2017, while they were out in the Semi Final in World Cups 2015 and 2019, as well as the WT20 2016.
PCB offer to swap Asia Cup hosting rights with SLC | Who will host the 2020 Asian tournament? | Will Sri Lanka host the 2020 Asia Cup?
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which was originally slated to host the 2020 Asia Cup, has swapped the hosting rights of the mega event with the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Sri Lanka, originally slated to host the tournament in 2022, has now handed over the rights of that tournament to Pakistan.
The Asian Cricket Council is expected to approve the decision later this month and also decide the future of this year’s edition.
Among the countries which can potentially host the Asia Cup, only the island nation has controlled the coronavirus pandemic efficiently with only 1.9K cases of COVID-19 reported as of 13th June 2020.
Sri Lanka last hosted the Asia Cup way back in 2010 and will relish the opportunity to host a six-nation tournament if the event goes ahead in September. There are clouds over the future of this year’s edition, which was considered as the appetiser for the lucrative ICC T20 World Cup.
Also, hosting a multinational tournament will require more medical arrangement with SOPs in place as cricket will resume post the enforced COVID-19 break.
Earlier, the Indian Cricket team cancelled its tour of 3 ODIs and as many T20Is to Sri Lanka as both the boards decided against having the tour. The Bangladesh Cricket team is expected to travel to Sri Lanka in July.
Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.
Brijesh Patel says Coronavirus may result in IPL outside India | COVID-19 may see Indian Premier League happen overseas | Will IPL happen in 2020?
Brijesh Patel, the chairman of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Governing Council, said that the tournament may move out of India; partially or entirely, and that the organisers have already earmarked the September-October window.
“Right now, we’re saying it’s tentative because finalities of the schedule can only be worked out once official confirmations arrive. Talks are going on with the league’s multiple stakeholders and we’re all on board. So, it’s a matter of time before we start putting things in place,” the senior cricket administrator said.
Patel then echoed BCCI President Ganguly, who earlier this week said that the BCCI are working on all options to ensure the IPL goes ahead this year.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly is hopeful of IPL taking place in 2020.
The Governing Council are waiting for the ICC’s official announcement to postpone the ICC T20 World Cup, which was scheduled to take place from 18th October to 15th November this year in Australia. The tournament could now be pushed ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the ICC, which was expected to formally announce the decision on 28th May, are now playing the waiting game and have deferred the decision until July.
“We are ready to go ahead with the IPL. But, we can start planning the schedule formally only after the official announcement is made on the T20 World Cup, which I’m expecting will arrive anytime soon. On our part, we’ve already earmarked the September-October window for the tournament to be played,” Patel said in an interview with the Times of India.
Patel, who played 21 Tests for India, also said that there is a chance that the tournament may be played overseas as COVID-19 cases in India are on the rise. “We have to watch how things are going to play out over the next one month from a COVID perspective. We don’t mind shifting the IPL to another country, either in part or in full. There are other aspects to be considered here,” the IPL GC said.
“Suppose we shift just the first leg out of the country, we will have to go through a quarantine when we fly there. But we may probably also have to go through another quarantine when we’re back for the India leg, if COVID doesn’t relent. Or who knows, by October things will be different. Let’s see. Right now, we’re not ruling out the idea of playing the whole tournament overseas,” the former KSCA secretary said.
Foreign boards are eager to host the IPL, with the Emirates Cricket Board (UAE) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) registering their interest, should it not be feasible to host the tournament in India. The UAE has already hosted the IPL; back in 2014, when the tournament was moved overseas due to the general elections in India.
Fans are keen to see the likes of MS Dhoni in action in IPL 2020.
“If the IPL has to begin in September, there’ll be a threat of monsoon. Whatever the case, logistics will have to be worked out carefully. Whether in India or overseas, the tournament won’t be played at more than two or three venues because it’s only for television,” Patel added.
The Indian Cricket Team is expected to travel to Australia in December for the Test series. There will most likely be a quarantine period, which means that the IPL must finish early.
“Also remember, wherever the IPL is played, it’ll be played to empty stands. So, as long as it’s available prime time for Indian fans, it shouldn’t be a problem,” said Patel.
It will be interesting to see how things pan out in the future and whether the overseas countries will readily release their players for the lucrative eight-team tournament.
Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.
Australia set to have cricket in front of fans | Australia on track to welcome fans back to stadiums after COVID-19 restrictions | Will World T20 go ahead?
The Australian government is set to allow up to 10,000 spectators in stadiums for sporting events in July. This may boost the chances of having the ICC T20 World Cup down under later this year, after original doubts.
Along with this, the South Australia and Queensland governments have said that they will reopen their borders in July, as there are positive signs of competitive sport, including cricket, making a comeback down under with domestic travel restrictions easing.
At the moment, the permission to allow 10,000 spectators for a sporting event is applicable only to venues having a capacity of less than 40,000 spectators. As a result, this excludes the big stadiums like Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Adelaide Oval, Gabba, and Perth.
But, the likes Hobart, Gold Coast, and the WACA are available, and could get a chance to host international cricket.
MCG won’t be eligible to host 10,000 fans just yet.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison gave the details in an interview with ESPNCricinfo.
“This is going to be looked at over the next few weeks. For the larger ones [venues] I would venture that it would be the subject of a discrete approval for each venue that would be worked out with the Chief Health Officer in each state or territory,” the Australian Prime Minister said.
Morrison said that the decision of staging the ICC T20 World Cup will take time as it means including 15 nations touring Australia. However, with crowd getting into the picture, it will be interesting to see whether the fans are allowed to be at Ground Zero for the Big Bash and the Test series vs India at the back end of this year.
“So by the time you get into July there may be that type of opportunity for the rules that apply to those under 40,000 carry over to those above 40,000. These will be practical, commonsense issues, work through by the medical expert panel over the next few weeks and I think they will give a great instruction.”
This news comes as New Zealand opened their stadiums to fans, after they announced they are COVID-free.
Earlier this month, Cricket Australia announced a full fixture list for the 2020-21 season and the first match of the men’s team was against ZImbabwe. But as things stand, the women’s team will kick-off the home season for Australia with a series against New Zealand in late September.
Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.
Shahid Afridi Tests Positive to COVID-19 | Afridi announces that he has tested positive to the coronavirus
Former Pakistan Captain Shahid Afridi announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The announcement came via Afridi’s official Twitter handle.
The cricketer tweeted, “I’ve been feeling unwell since Thursday; my body had been aching badly. I’ve been tested and unfortunately I’m covid positive. Need prayers for a speedy recovery, InshaAllah”
I’ve been feeling unwell since Thursday; my body had been aching badly. I’ve been tested and unfortunately I’m covid positive. Need prayers for a speedy recovery, InshaAllah #COVID19#pandemic#hopenotout#staysafe#stayhome
Last month, Shahid Afridi bought Mushfiqur Rahim’s bat to raise funds for the poor and needy people in Bangladesh. The ICC praised Afridi’s efforts to help the needy, via Twitter.
They tweeted, “Mushfiqur Rahim has found a buyer! Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has joined the good cause, picking up the bat on behalf of his charity foundation,” as the bat was bought by the Pakistan cricketer for $20,000.
Mushfiqur Rahim has found a buyer!
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has joined the good cause, picking up the bat on behalf of his charity foundation ? pic.twitter.com/FMm7GH0Q04
Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh also appealed to people to donate funds to Afridi’s foundation, but it didn’t go down well with the Indian Twitterati.
The former allrounder is the third Pakistani cricketer after Taufiq Umar and Zafar Sarafraz to test positive for the coronavirus pandemic, while Scotland’s Majid Haq and South African domestic player Solo Nqweni are the other players to have tested positive for Covid-19.
Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.
Pakistan name Haider Ali & Sarfaraz Ahmed in 29-man squad for England tour | Highly-rated Haider Ali picked in Pakistan squad for tour of England
The Pakistan cricket team named a huge squad for the upcoming tour of England, consisting of 29 players which will play three Tests and as many T20Is.
The team will be led by Babar Azam in the shortest format and by Azhar Ali in the Tests. The entire squad will stay together for the full duration of the series, due to the quarantine periods and Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) to be followed as cricket comes back after the COVID-19 break.
Fast bowler Sohail Khan has been included in the Test squad after a gap of four years. His last appearance in red ball internationals came way back in 2016, during the England tour. Khan picked 22 wickets in nine matches in the Quaid-E-Azam trophy, but the statistics don’t entirely reflect the quality of his performance.
Misbah-ul-Haq, the head coach and selector of Pakistan confirmed this, starting “The selectors also felt he bowled much better in the 2019-20 domestic season than his figures reflected.”
Haider Ali, who was impressive in the ICC U-19 World Cup earlier this year, gets his debut call-up as the 19 year old is fast tracked into the senior side. While plying his trade for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League soon after the World Cup, he scored 239 runs at a strike rate of 159. In his inaugural First Class season, Haider scored 645 runs in the Quaid E Azam trophy at an average close to 50.
Haider Ali, who has just received his first senior call-up for ??, scored an important 56 against ?? in the semi-finals of this year's U19 @cricketworldcup ?
“The players have also been selected with one eye on the future. I want these players to acquire as much cricket knowledge as possible from the additional backroom staff of Mushtaq Ahmed and Younis Khan that can help them post the England tour,” said Misbah, the former Pakistan captain.
Mushtaq Ahmed and Younis Khan have been named as spin bowling consultant and batting coach for the England tour.
“The selectors have picked a squad which gives us the best chance of success in England,” Misbah said. “It was a challenging process as the players have not played for an extended period of time, but nevertheless, with the month that we will have in England and the intense training we will undergo, we are confident we will get the players up to the mark to be ready for the three Tests.
Coach Misbah-ul-Haq is focusing on Test cricket.
The squad also includes the likes of Kashif Bhatti, Fawad Alam and the regulars. Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been included as the back keeper to Mohammad Rizwan in the squad. Four players, namely Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz are added as cover if any of the members fail COVID-19 testing.
“Our second-best option is still Sarfaraz and this is why we have kept him as back-up for this lengthy tour. He was dropped because of poor form but the cricket he has played afterwards, the pressure has been eased now. He had an added pressure on him as captain but Sarfaraz has a good record in England as keeper. With a lengthy tour and the 29-man squad, we needed two keepers, with Rizwan already playing.
We always judge them in terms of runs, which isn’t actually the way to go. In England, keeping isn’t easy at all and when you pick a player, we look for many aspects and at this very important tour you can’t really take a chance on a younger player. It’s relatively easy to try out younger options at home but on overseas tours, you must have a solid option on the bench.”
Pakistan is the second team to tour England after West Indies, who have already landed in England and are due to play three Tests. Misbah reiterated that the focus will remain on the Tests which are part of the World Test Championship.
“The main focus of the selectors has been red-ball cricket, which we will play for nearly two months with the T20Is to be played at the back-end of the ICC World Test Championship fixtures.”
Misbah said that they have to train hard as the players haven’t played any competitive cricket since March.
“The series against England will be challenging as our players have not played any competitive cricket since March, while the home team will come following a series against the West Indies. This means we will have to hit the ground running as soon as we land in England and make the best use of the training sessions and match practice before we enter the first Test.”
Earlier, Mohammad Amir and Haris Sohail pulled out of the tour citing personal reasons.
Squad: Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (Test vice-captain and T20I captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan, and Yasir Shah
Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.
3 Mistakes to Avoid on Dream11 | Dream11 Winning Tips | How to increase your chances of winning in Dream11 Fantasy Cricket
Fantasy sports is a very interesting place. It feels great when your prediction is correct, with the rewards an added bonus. Millions of people play it every day, and one can be very successful if they avoid a few common mistakes that most fantasy players make.
These mistakes result in loss of hard-earned money, so it’s important to keep these tips in mind. Here, we are going to talk about three key mistakes you should avoid in fantasy sports that will improve you as a fantasy player. They might not guarantee that you win, but it certainly increases your chances of doing so, while losing less.
Also read: Dream11 and fantasy cricket content on CricBlog:
This is the most common mistake fantasy players make. In the attempt to earn as much as possible, they tend to play every match, regardless of whether they have any knowledge about that match or not. They either:
Create a team on their own without any knowledge of the match and the players; or
Follow someone’s team blindly.
Most of the time, they end up losing their money.
Playing without proper research is a key reason why people end up losing. So, be sure to undertake proper research about the players, tournament, ground, records and conditions before playing any match. In the end, you want to make sure you’re fully confident about your team.
Deadlines have moved to the match start time, so do your research!
2. Going All In at Once
After winning one or two matches, many players then invest all their winnings in a single match. This is very risky and never recommended.
One should keep in mind that no one can win every match, every day. So, if you have invested all your winnings in a single match, you will most probably lose all your money in a snap, and there’s nothing you can do except regret your decision
It is recommended that you fix an amount from your capital and invest only that much whether you win or lose. This way, by making an investment plan, you can avoid losing unnecessarily and it will be very beneficial in the long run.
And still, if you’re not able to control yourself, there’s a suspend account option in Dream11, whereby one can suspend their account for a certain period of time. So. use this feature when you win 2-3 games continuously to save your money. After all, “a penny saved is a penny earned”.
Be sure to invest wisely.
3. Playing Only for the Money
If you’re playing fantasy sports just to earn money, then I recommend you immediately stop playing and never play again as this is not the right place for someone with that mindset. One should play fantasy sports passionately for fun as a fan of the game they love, not as a career option.
It’s very unpredictable and one can lose all their earnings in a blink of an eye. It is advised that one should invest only that much which you can afford, as it’s impossible to win every time. It’s a place to showcase your skills and knowledge about your favorite sport.
So, these are three mistakes one should avoid on Dream11 or any other fantasy platform, to become a good fantasy player in the long run.
Thanks for reading!
Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today.
Also read: Dream11 and fantasy cricket content on CricBlog:
