Cricket fever hasn’t subsided even after ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 concluded. And why would it? Fans of the gentleman’s game are regularly treated to non-stop cricket action and many terrific clashes. In the last week, many fantastic international cricket matches were played across formats, which also included many jaw-dropping individual performances. All three formats have witnessed great action and nail-biting clashes. The week gone by saw the second ashes test match between England and Australia, third ODI between India and West Indies and first Test match between Sri Lanka and West Indies. Ashes 2019 Series: Jofra Archer Faces Ire on Social Media for Smiling After Hitting Steve Smith With Ferocious Bouncer in 2nd Test.

All three encounters proved to be interesting as the clashes went down to the wire. India and Sri Lanka won their respective matches while the England vs Australia clash resulted in a draw. The scorecard might tell the result of a match but numbers can’t depict the effort put up by the individuals and the whole teams. The contesting teams were not ready to put their guards down till the last ball and their effort resulted in a treat for the cricket fans. So, let’s have a look at five of the best individual performances from the last week. Virat Kohli Completes 11 Years in International Cricket, Shares Throwback Photo and Thanks God For Blessings!.

Steve Smith -92, Lords

The former Australian captain didn’t stop after scoring twin centuries in the first Ashes test match. In the second test of the series, Smith came on to bat after the top order collapsed. But the right-handed-batsman showed great resilience and scored a fighting fifty in a tricky Lords wicket. Playing on 80, the batsman was hit by a ferocious bouncer by Jofra Archer, which forced him to leave the field. However, the 30-year-old came back and added 12 more runs to his tally, which proved to be crucial as the match ended in a draw.

Jofra Archer- 2/59 & 3/32, Lords

Jofra Archer made his much-anticipated test debut in the second Ashes test match as England’s ace bowler James Anderson got injured in the first match. However, the debutant continued his stellar form from the 2019 World Cup and bowled magnificently at the Mecca of cricket. The right-arm pacer took five wickets in the match and also grabbed the spotlight for his lethal bouncer, which forced Steve Smith to leave the field. Archer’s effort couldn’t help England cross the line but the bowler certainly made a great start to his Test career.

Dimuth Karunaratne 139, Galle

The new Sri Lankan skipper was at his premium best in the first test match against New Zealand. The left-handed-batsman already guided Sri Lanka to a test-series victory in South Africa and now the challenge was against the Kiwis. The skipper delivered with the bat and scored a sensational century in the fourth innings and guided the hosts to a famous victory against the number two ranked test team.

Chris Gayle 72, Trinidad

The Universe Boss proved his mettle again by playing a blistering knock in the third ODI against India. The men in maroon were 1-0 down in the series and the encounter was a decider. However, the southpaw went after the Indian bowlers from the ball one despite all the pressure and scored a quick-fire fifty. The veteran ended his innings at the personal score of 72. However, Gayle’s effort went in vain as India won the match.

Virat Kohli 114, Trinidad

In the deciding ODI of the series, Virat Kohli came on to bat after the top order was collapsed. However, the critical situation of the match didn’t restrict the Indian skipper to go after the bowlers and he notched up his 43rd ODI ton. The right-handed batsman helped India to chase a mammoth total of 256 runs in 35 overs and the effort also led India to a series victory against West Indies.

So, these were some great individual performances from the cricket field and the fans will expect much more in the upcoming days. Test Cricket has got more relevance after the introduction of the inaugural World Test Championship and a lot of test cricket will be played in the upcoming days.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 19, 2019 03:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).