Norm Da Costa

LATEST STORIES BY NORM DA COSTA

DA COSTA: Former England captains tell beleaguered Root, ‘Time to go, Joe’

Cricket and soccer were among a host of sports England introduced to the world. The tentacles of its colonial powers spread these disciplines right from Canada to Australia and in between.

March 30, 2022 Other Sports

DA COSTA: Rihanna’s pal Brathwaite leaves England cricketers frustrated

Australia left England battered and bruised in the Ashes series recently. Now during its tour of the Caribbean, Joe Root’s England squad has found itself suffering from severe headaches because of the lifeless pitches laid out by the curators.

March 23, 2022 Other Sports

Kraigg Brathwaite of West Indies bats during the fifth and final day of the second Test between West Indies and England at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, on March 20, 2022.

DA COSTA: India newcomers Iyer, Vihari make a huge impression

There’s no place like home, just ask India.

March 15, 2022 Other Sports

Cricket fans display the flags of India (left, right) and Sri Lanka (centre) before a cricket Test match between India and Sri Lanka at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali on March 3, 2022.

DA COSTA: Australia’s fiery pace attack blunted by Pakistani bats in drawn Test

The Australians returned to Pakistan after a break of 24 years, but they must have wished they would have stayed away longer.

March 9, 2022 Other Sports

Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) during the fifth day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on March 8, 2022.

DA COSTA: Pakistan plans to keep visiting Aussie cricketers safe

Pakistan has laid out a security detail fit for a visiting head of state. The pariah state of world cricket has not left any stone unturned in its mission to make sure no harm comes to Australia’s national squad that will live in a high-security bubble in that country for the next six weeks.

March 1, 2022 Other Sports

Security personnel escort a convoy carrying Australian and Pakistani cricketers as they arrive at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to attend practice session in Rawalpindi on March 1, 2022, ahead of the first cricket Test match between Pakistan and Australia.

DA COSTA: India follows England in cleaning house of cricket veterans

With spring in the air, it’s time to clean house.

February 22, 2022 Other Sports

India batsman Ajinkya Rahane in action during the third and final test match between South Africa and India in Cape Town, South Africa, on Jan. 11, 2022.

DA COSTA: IPL auction makes many cricketers rich

Ishan Kishan’s swashbuckling battering of the bowlers with his trusted willow has thrilled fans at home, and at the international level has paid huge dividends.

February 16, 2022 Other Sports

DA COSTA: England's cricket leadership change was expected, but Australia's was not

The fallout from the Ashes has blanketed England’s cricket headquarters at Lords. The director of the game in England and the national coach have paid the price for the debacle in Australia with their jobs, and possibly their cricketing careers.

February 9, 2022 Other Sports

Former Australian cricket coach Justin Langer.

DA COSTA: All eyes on Bengaluru for IPL auction of cricket players

The world’s greatest cricketers will have their eyes focused on the Indian city of Bengaluru on Feb. 12 and 13. That’s where some 592 of them will go under the hammer at the mega auction for the upcoming India Premier League, and you can bet that several of them will be laughing all the way to the bank. Valentine’s Day will come a day early for many.

February 1, 2022 Other Sports

DA COSTA: Storm brewing in South African cricket

Temba Bavuma is a South African cricket star. He captains the national one-day team that earlier this week completed a 3-0 whitewash of India, one of the game’s powerhouses. Earlier, Dean Elgar piloted the Test squad to a 2-1 victory over the world’s No.1 Test team to kick off a glorious home season for a rebuilding Proteas squad. Both Elgar and Bavuma were supported to the hilt by their teammates and the results bolstered the Proteas’ hopes of once again returning to their status as a world power.

January 26, 2022 Other Sports

South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, shown in a 2007 file photo.