It looks set to be another exciting year for international cricket, starting in May when the Sri Lankan team arrives for their English tour. The first test match clash will be at Headingley Stadium in Leeds, continuing on to Riverside in Durham, before ending up at Lords. This will be followed by seven one-day internationals for the Sri Lankan side; two against Ireland and then five against England. On 5 July they will play their only T20 match, against England at Southampton’s Rose Bowl.
The West Indies Tri-Series is set to feature the West Indies on their home turf, plus Australia and South Africa in a series of one-day internationals throughout June. Elsewhere, India will be up against Zimbabwe and the West Indies, and in July, August and September it will be Pakistan’s turn to come up against England and Ireland in a series of test matches and one-day internationals.
Australia will then be playing in Sri Lanka, New Zealand in Zimbabwe and South Africa, Pakistan in Ireland, and Bangladesh in India.
Lively time for England
The schedule obviously shows England facing a dual sub-continental challenge from Sri Lanka and Pakistan. England’s recent Ashes triumph will see them going out to bat with a good deal of justified confidence, and their supporters will certainly be right behind them once again. Nevertheless, they will face some tough competition, particularly from the Sri Lankan side, which is currently ranked number one in T20 international cricket.
Last year saw Sri Lanka defeat England 1-0 in the test series and 3-2 in the one-day internationals, so the home side will certainly be motivated to get their own back. The Sri Lankan and Pakistani communities in England will also of course be rooting for their teams, which should contribute to an exciting and lively atmosphere at all the English matches.
Tips for 2016
South Africa, unsurprisingly, were crowned test cricket champions for the third year running in 2015, but 2016’s winners and losers are harder to predict. However, Australia currently look like this year’s favorite, with India and South Africa close behind. New Zealand and England shouldn’t be discounted either; the former played a surprisingly strong game last year, and as previously mentioned, Alistair Cook’s boys currently have the form and determination to take them all the way if fate is on their side.
England’s Joe Root is being tipped for leading run scorer, if for no other reason than England is down to play many more test matches this season than any other team. As long as he stays in good shape, Root will simply have more opportunities than any other player, though India’s Virat Kohli is another man to watch.
Also in India, bowler Ravi Ashwin looks set to hold on to his title of leading wicket taker. Bangladesh, the West Indies and Zimbabwe all look likely to fall beneath his mighty off-breaks and spinning carom balls.
New Zealand’s Kane Williamson is a batsman who is on the up. The 25-year-old already has 13 international test match centuries under his belt, starting with his very first test match in 2010. He also has seven centuries scored at one-day internationals, and should provide some heart-stopping moments over the season ahead.
Enthusiastic cricket fans will be able to view the odds and the latest cricket news at 888sport. There you can see all the latest updates as they happen and even make a wager on your favorite team. It’s always fun to watch the latest drama of the match and place your very own in-game bet.
Plucky underdogs
Nobody is necessarily claiming Zimbabwe to be favorites in 2016’s international cricket fixtures, but the African side is certainly worth keeping an eye on. Their January T20 series against Bangladesh ended in a 2-2 draw overall, but Zimbabwe’s Hamilton Masakadza scored an incredible 222 runs across the series, setting a world record for the most runs scored in a T20 bilateral series. He has since replaced Elton Chigimbura as team captain, who stepped down following the January series. Zimbabwe always plays a strong match, even when outclassed, so cricket fans are guaranteed an exciting game. Wherever they ultimately finish, this is a team worth watching, and with Masakadza at the helm they look set to go from strength to strength.
At this stage, no one can say for sure who is going to come out on top, which should make for lively betting action and some nail-biting matches as the season draws on. There are some great young players out there at the moment, and interest in the game has never been higher, meaning that for cricket fans, 2016 will be a season to remember.
