Cricket Week Recap: From Steve Smith’s Double Ton to Lasith Malinga’s Double Hat-Trick And Moeen Ali’s Carnage, A Look at Finest Individual Performances

Another action-packed week in cricket in done and dusted where the fans were treated with some high-quality action and some incredible individual performances. The week that went by proved to be an absolute feast for the cricket fanatics as the fans witnessed many thrilling clashes, courtesy some credible team efforts across formats. From the nail-biting 4th match of Ashes 2019 to some thrilling encounters in T20 leagues like Vitality T20 Blast and Caribbean Premier League, a variety of cricket matches were played in the last week. Australia Beat England in Fourth Ashes 2019 Test by 185 Runs to Retain The Urn! Fans Laud Tim Paine-led Team With Congratulatory Posts (See Tweets).

Talking about the Ashes 2019, the 4th match also went down the wire, like the other three clashes of the series. And it’s Australia who emerged as the winners this time around and took a 2-1 lead. In the shortest format of the game, Sri Lanka locked horns with New Zealand in the three-match T20I series which the Kiwis won by 2-1.

Coming to franchise leagues, some high-strung encounters were played in CPL 2019 and Vitality T20 Blast 2019. The excitement of these clashes was enhanced by some unbelievable knocks and some breath-taking bowling spells. So, let’s have a look at five of the best individual performances from the last week. Lasith Malinga Claims Four Wickets in Four Balls During Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, 3rd T20I; Check out the Video his first 'Double Hat-Trick' in ODIs Against SA in CWC 2007.

Steve Smith- 211 & 82

The former Australian captain is in the form of his life as he once toiled the England bowlers in the 4th Test of the series. After returning from a concussion injury, the Australian stalwart showed no signs of complacency and played not one but two match-defining knocks in the clash. In Australia’s first innings, Smith registered his third double century in Tests and guided the visitors to 497/8. The no. 1 test batsman backed his double ton with an 82 in the third innings and took the game completely from the hosts.

Lasith Malinga- 5/6

The Sri Lankan maestro seems to be ageing like fine-wine as he produced a lethal spell against New Zealand in the third T20I at Pallekele. The captain replicated his 2007 heroics in the third T20I and took four wickets in four balls for the second time in his career. Malinga also scalped a five-fer and became the first bowler to take 100 T20I wickets. The pacer’s effort converted a small total of 125 runs into a mountain to climb for the Kiwis, and the hosts won the match by 37 runs.

Pat Cummins- 3/60 and 4/43

The no. 1 ranked Test bowler played a crucial role in guiding Australia to victory in the 4th Ashes Test. In the first innings of the match, Cummins took three crucial wickets and restricted the hosts to mere 301 runs. The pacer bettered his tally in the last innings of the Test where he bowled a sensational spell and rattled the English top-order. As a result, Australia won the match by 185 runs and took an unassailable 2-1 lead.

Moeen Ali- 121*

After getting dropped from the England side post the first Ashes Test, the all-rounder decided to play for Worcestershire in the Vitality T20 league 2019. In the third quarter-final of the tournament, Sussex piled up a gigantic score of 184 in the first innings and seemed to be the favourites to win the clash. However, while chasing, Moeen Ali came to bat at no. 3 and made an absolute mockery of the bowlers. The southpaw rained boundaries and sixes, and notched up a blistering century. Courtesy Ali’s effort, Worcestershire won the match by 8 wickets and advanced to the semi-finals of the tournament.

Shimron Hetmyer- 70*

The Caribbean southpaw had a quiet series against India at home, but he came to his premium best in CPL 2019. Playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors, Hetmyer came to bat at no. 3 while chasing a total of 154 against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. The 22-year-old took charge from the first ball and smashed the opposition bowlers to all the parts of the ground. The left-handed batsman played an astonishing innings of 70 runs and guided his team to a comfortable victory by eight wickets.

So, these were some stand-out individual performances from the last cricket week. The cricket atmosphere is not going to get cold anytime soon as the South Africa tour of India is just a few days away and the T20 carnival has just started, which means the fans of gentleman games will be treated with many more exciting matches in the upcoming days too.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 09, 2019 11:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).