Cricket

The Pakistan cricket team is going through a tough phase. The Babar Azam -led side has won only three out of seven games at the Cricket World Cup. A semi-final berth, though not impossible to achieve, will be very tough for the side. In the midst of this, a huge controversy has broken out with an alleged WhatsApp chat leak of Babar Azam. A Pakistan tv channel shared a screenshot of the alleged chat. The text, as displayed by the Pakistani channel, read: "Babar, there's also been this news circulating on TV and social media that you have been calling Chairman and he's not answering. Have you called him recently?", the sender by the name of Salman wrote. The receiver, whose name was saved as 'Babar Azam New', responded saying," Salam Salman bhai, ma ny to sir ko koi call nai ke (Hello Salman brother, I did not call sir)." It has now been revealed by the news anchor, who displayed the WhatsApp message on live TV, that it was the PCB chief himself who...

After Pakistan registered a 7-wicket victory against Bangladesh, captain Babar Azam lavished praise on his team's outstanding performance in all three departments and said that his side will hope to carry the confidence into the next two games. Pakistan defeated Bangladesh in Kolkata to register their third win in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. With this brilliant victory, Pakistan broke their four-match losing streak in the ongoing tournament and moved to 5th in the points table with 6 points. Meanwhile, the ODI World Cup semifinal dream remained unfulfilled for Bangladesh. "Credit to the boys, the way they played in all three departments. This win hopefully gives confidence in the coming matches. Shaheen started well with the ball. After 15-20 overs, they built a partnership. But our main bowlers struck. The main thing was our bowlers hit good lengths and took wickets," Babar Azam said during a post-match presentation. Babar lavished praise on Fakhar Zaman and stat...

Following his side's loss to Pakistan in their ICC Cricket World Cup match, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan admitted that the team is looking for answers for their disappointing campaign but is struggling to find answers and added that something needs to be thought about his batting position. Riding on Fakhar Zaman , Abdullah Shafique 's half-centuries and bowlers' brilliance Pakistan registered a 7-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday. With this brilliant victory, Pakistan broke their four-match losing streak in the ongoing tournament, moving up to 5th in the points table with 6 points. Meanwhile, the ODI World Cup semifinal dream remained unfulfilled for Bangladesh, who have registered their sixth loss. "Not enough runs. The wicket was really good. We lost early wickets. We had partnerships but not big ones that would allow us to go big in the last ten. We should have bowled better too. Pakis...

With his vulnerability against the short ball coming to the fore once again, India number four Shreyas Iyer trained with the aim of overcoming his longstanding struggles ahead of the Cricket World Cup 2023 game against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Thursday. None of the top-order guns — captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill — were in attendance for the optional session. Iyer versus the short ball was the focal point. The team's famed bowling attack, which delivered a fabulous 100-run victory over England last Sunday, also opted for rest. Perched at the top of the World Cup points table and with a spot in the semifinals virtually sealed for Rohit and Co, it is only imperative that the team keeps ironing out the areas of concern along the way. Iyer's troubles against the short ball, combined with the lack of big scores as the preferred No 4, is certainly something that the team management and the player want to overcome and it was evident as far as his approach to the ses...

Gujarat will take on Uttar Pradesh in Pre-Quarterfinal 1 of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, 2023 on October 31 at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali, India. The match is scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM IST. The Gujarat cricket team found themselves in the pre-quarterfinal 1 after finishing third in Group C with 20 points from seven matches. They registered five wins and suffered two defeats in the group stage. Despite finishing equal on points with Saurashtra, Gujarat finished third with a low net run rate compared to Saurashtra. Saurav Chauhan, Aarya Desai and Chirag Gandhi have been the top three run-getters for Gujarat. Ravi Bishnoi and Arzan Nagwaswalla have shone with the ball for the Gujarat team. On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh finished second in Group E with 14 points. In six matches, UP won three matches while losing two. One match yielded no result. India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the star of the Uttar Pradesh team in the group stage. The speedster r...

Giant-killers Afghanistan go up against Sri Lanka in match no. 30 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Monday, October 30, from 2:00 PM IST at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. With wins against the Netherlands and England, Sri Lanka are currently fifth on the World Cup 2023 points table with four points and a net run rate of -0.205. The island nation lost their first three games - vs South Africa, Pakistan and Australia - but bounced back to win two in a row. The Afghanistan team, meanwhile, had two unexpected victories against England in Delhi and Pakistan in Chennai, respectively, from their five matches in the tournament. Their net run rate, however, took a big hit in defeats against India and New Zealand, which sees them placed seventh in the points table. In their latest match, Afghanistan spinners, headlined by Noor Ahmad, restricted Pakistan to 282/7 on a good batting surface at Chennai. Half-centuries from Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah...

Captain Rohit Sharma on Sunday heaped praise on his bowlers for "showing their magic" in India's 100-run win over England in a Cricket World Cup 2023 match in Lucknow, saying "you don't see that every day". Pacers Jasprit Bumrah (3/32) and Mohammed Shami (4/22) bowled fiery opening spells before the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav (2/24) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/16) joined the party as India bowled out defending champions England for a paltry 129 in 34.5 overs. Before that, Rohit struck 87 on a challenging pitch to help India post 229 for 9 after being put in to bat. "You don't see that every day when you are defending such a total. Our seamers exploited the conditions very well, there was swing and lateral movement available (on the pitch)," Rohit said at the post-match presentation. "We have got a good balance there. A couple of good spinners and seamers bringing in their experience. When you have a bowling line-up like that, it's important...

The battle between fans is quite common during the Cricket World Cup 2023 and it was in full display during the high-profile match between India and England in Lucknow on Sunday. It was a rare off day for Virat Kohli as he was dismissed for a duck and England's official fan army - Barmy Army - took to social media to taunt the veteran batter. While India were able to post a modest total, the bowlers were in full form and the duo of Joe Root and Ben Stokes also lost their wickets without scoring a single run. India's fan army - Bharat Army - wasted no time in coming up with hilarious replies to the earlier taunts. Earlier, England bowlers led by David Willey kept India down to 229-9 despite skipper Rohit Sharma 's 87 in a must-win Cricket World Cup 2023 match for the defending champions on Sunday. Just out for an evening walk https://t.co/G0P54UrpRB pic.twitter.com/SugpLAQPbB — The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) October 29, 2023 Willey, a left-arm quick, returned fi...

An unbeaten India face England in the 29th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Sunday, October 29, at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, starting at 2:00 PM IST. England, after three defeats in a row, are ninth in the points table at the World Cup 2023. The reigning champions lost the tournament opener against New Zealand but bounced back to beat Bangladesh. However, the Three Lions have since lost to Afghanistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. India, meanwhile, are the only unbeaten team in the tournament with five wins in five matches. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team are second in the points table with 10 points and a healthy net run rate of 1.353. The Indian team has chased successfully in all matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Their latest game saw a four-wicket victory against 2019 edition runners-up New Zealand. While Daryl Mitchell smashed a ton for the Kiwis, Mohammed Shami scalped five wickets as some good death bowling restricted New Zealand to 273. ...

Australian openers David Warner and Travis Head created a new batting record in their World Cup match against New Zealand at Dharamshala on Saturday. Warner and Head stitched a partnership of 175 runs in just 19.1 overs (115 balls). The opening duo achieved a run rate of 9.13 per over, which is the highest run rate for any 150-run plus opening stand in ODIs. Warner and Head overtook England duo of Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, who scored 159 in 105 balls, with a run rate of 9.08 against Pakistan in Bristol back in 2019. This is the second-highest partnership for the first wicket by Australia in an ODI against New Zealand. The highest partnership is by Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh, of 189 runs against Kiwis in 2000. Travis Head is also the fifth Australian to register a World Cup hundred on his debut in the tournament. Other names to do so are Trevor Chappell, Geoff Marsh, Andrew Symonds and Aaron Finch. Coming to the match, a 175-run opening stand between Travis Head (109 in 67 bal...

Australia vs New Zealand Live Score, WC 2023 : Australia take on New Zealand in an intriguing Trans-Tasman Cricket World Cup 2023 clash at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Place fourth in the points table, Australia have won their last three encounters, while New Zealand's winning streak was snapped by India in the last game at this very venue. Australia have won eight of 11 matches between the teams in men's ODI World Cup history, and are also unbeaten in the eight against their Trans-Tasman rivals in India. Australia are likely to welcome Travis Head back into the team, with Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith to drop a slot down in the batting order. ( Live Scorecard | Points Table ) World Cup 2023 LIVE Updates: Australia vs New Zealand Live Score | AUS vs NZ Live Score, Straight from Dharamsala from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/zJb3NjA

South Africa survived a late charge from Pakistan to pull off a thrilling one-wicket win and move closer to the semi-finals of the World Cup on Friday. Aiden Markram hit a solid 91 and at 206-4 South Africa were well on course to comfortably chase down a 271-run target. However, it was left to the last pair of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi to score the final 11 runs. Shamsi survived a close leg-before appeal that went to umpire's call off fast bowler Haris Rauf with eight needed. The incident took place on the final ball of the 46th over. Shamsi was hit on the front pad on the bowling of Rauf. The ground umpire gave it not out and Pakistan reviewed the decision. Ball tracking revealed that the ball would have clipped the leg stump, which meant the wicket was on umpire's call. Shamsi survived as the field umpire had given him not out. Not getting a wicket despite getting so close, the Pakistan players, especially Haris Rauf was left heart-broken. The video of the Paki...

A disappointed Pakistan captain Babar Azam took it on his stride despite being on the wrong side of a DRS call during his team's gut-wrenching one-wicket loss to South Africa in a Cricket World Cup 2023 match in Chennai on Friday. It could have been all over in the 46th over for South Africa when a Haris Rauf delivery, bowled wide off the crease, stuck Keshav Maharaj on the pads and Pakistan went for the DRS call after on-field umpire ruled it not out. Ball tracking showed that the ball would have kissed the leg stump but Maharaj survived the DRS appeal, courtesy Umpires' Call, leaving the entire Pakistan unit distraught. "It's part of the game. This is umpire's call so I think it's just part of the game. Had he given it out, it would have favoured us," Babar said during the post-match presentation when asked about the DRS call. With Pakistan almost out of the tournament, Babar seemed drained with the opportunity lost. "I think it's disappointi...

The captaincy of Babar Azam has come under severe scrutiny since Pakistan's eight-wicket loss to Afghanistan in Cricket World Cup 2023. With it, the Babar-led side suffered its third consecutive defeat in the ongoing tournament. It was a good start for Pakistan in the tournament with two wins in as many games but Rohit Sharma -led Indian team broke the Asian neighbour's winning run before the side also suffered defeats at the hands of Australia and Afghanistan. Babar has been at the receiving end of all the backlash. Amid the ongoing criticism of Babar's captaincy, former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond picked Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards ahead of Babar when he was asked to pick the 'ODI World Cup captain' between the two. Bond revealed his choice during an interaction with ESPNcricinfo . Pakistan are in a must-win situation against a marauding South Africa in Chennai on Friday and a loss will virtually end their hopes of progressing to the semifinals, as the...

Glenn Maxwell admitted he "wasn't expecting" to hit a record 40-ball Cricket World Cup century on Wednesday. Maxwell, nicknamed 'The Big Show' for his flamboyant hitting, clubbed eight fours and eight sixes in his run blitz as Australia piled up 399-8 against the Netherlands in New Delhi. On a record-shattering day, five-time champions Australia went on to bowl out the Dutch for just 90, completing a World Cup record 309-run rout. Maxwell's stunning assault bettered the record of South Africa's Aiden Markram who blasted a century off 49 balls against Sri Lanka at the same venue 18 days ago. "It feels pretty good. I have been pretty cooked today so I wasn't expecting much but it probably cleared my head a little bit to be able to go out there and play," said Maxwell. It was also the fourth fastest century in all ODIs. South Africa's AB de Villiers leads the way with his 31-ball century against the West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015....

Australia's record-breaking batsman Glenn Maxwell blasted mid-match, nightclub-style light shows at the Cricket World Cup as "the dumbest idea" on Wednesday, claiming they cause "shocking headaches". Maxwell struck the fastest World Cup century in just 40 balls to lead Australia to a tournament record 309-run win over the Netherlands at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley stadium. But a pounding sound and light show in the middle of the Dutch reply did not amuse Maxwell, who covered his eyes with both hands during the near two-minute spectacle. "Well, I had something like that light show happen at Perth Stadium during a Big Bash game," Maxwell said after his man-of-the-match knock of 106 off 44 balls in a team total of 399-8. "And I just felt like it gave me shocking headaches and it takes me a while for my eyes to readjust and I just think it's the dumbest idea for cricketers." Arun Jaitley Stadium today's match lights show . #AUSvsNED...

There arguably isn't a person in cricket who is more under pressure than Pakistan captain Babar Azam . Following a dismal campaign in the Cricket World Cup 2023 -- losing three of the first five matches -- Pakistan see their semi-final hopes hanging by a thread. The situation is such that Babar's captaincy skills have also come in the line of fire, with fans, experts, and many former cricketers questioning if he even has what it takes to succeed as a skipper. There are those who feel that the captaincy responsibility is the reason behind Babar's poor show with the bat in the World Cup. When he was asked about the same in the post-match press conference, the Pakistan skipper played down the talks. Reporter : Your emotions are telling us that you are sad just like the whole nation is sad. What message would you give to the crores [millions] of people in Pakistan who are following this team? The question from this team is incomplete, do they have any expectations? And the ad...

After producing a stunning upset victory over their more fancied and bitter neighbours Pakistan, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said his team has set sights on more such wins in their ongoing campaign at the ODI World Cup. Leaving the cricketing world and pundits in utter disbelief, Afghanistan registered their second surprise victory in the World Cup and their first-ever win over Pakistan in 50-over cricket. Riding on a dazzling all-round performance in the field, Afghanistan stunned their neighbours with a thumping eight-wicket defeat on a sluggish Chennai surface on Monday. The opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65), and Ibrahim Zadran (87), along with Rahmat Shah (77)* at No.3, starred with the bat to help Afghanistan post a win for the ages. Chasing 283, a challenging total on a Chennai pitch affording uneven bounce, Afghanistan cantered to a win by eight wickets, with an over to spare. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Shahidi lauded the team's ...

After sledgehammering Bangladesh with a 174, South African opener Quinton de Kock said that he was a bit nervous coming into the World Cup match on Tuesday. De Kock's hundred and Heinrich Klaasen 's blistering 90 was the cornerstone of South Africa's impressive 149-run win over Bangladesh here. "I was a bit nervous this morning, don't normally get nervous at all. I had a bit of fun, great to get two points. But I was a bit more tired than satisfied (after the innings)," said de Kock during the post-match presentation. The left-handed batter praised Klaasen for producing another hurting knock. "I need some of the juice he's having. He's been special, for every team he's played for. Taking the tournament by storm," he added. South African skipper Aiden Markram , who himself made a 60, lauded de Kock and Klaasen for their brilliant innings. "What Quinny did was superb and then Klaasen walks in and smashes it. Everyone approaches it...

Riding on Quinton de Kock 's ton, some brutal late hitting from Heinrich Klaasen and bowlers' brilliance South Africa registered a massive 149-run victory over Bangladesh in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 match at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. The Proteas also garnered a massive net run rate boost with another emphatic win. Defiant Mahmudullah was the only batter who stood tall today for Bangladesh but his vigilant knock of 111 runs went in vain as other batters failed to score big. Gerald Coetzee was the destructor-in-chief as he returned with a 3-wicket haul while Lizaad Williams and Marco Jansen bagged two wickets respectively. With the win, South Africa have climbed up to the second spot in the points table.  While chasing a whopping total of 383, a promising start to Bangladesh's reply came to an end when Tanzid Hasan (12) gloved behind a short ball from Marco Jansen. Jansen then strangled Najmul Hossain Shanto along the leg side on the next ...

Former pacer Irfan Pathan compared Mohammed Shami with "Ferrari" after the 33-year-old bagged a five-wicket haul against New Zealand at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday. "Mohammed Shami is like Ferrari. Whenever you take it out of garage it will give you same speed thrill and joy to ride every time," Irfan Pathan wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Following his brilliant performance against New Zealand, Shami broke plenty of records. He became the first Indian to bag two five-wicket hauls in the history of the ODI World Cup. Shami's stupendous performance helped the 'Men in Blue' to restrict New Zealand at 273 on Sunday. Shami also overtook legendary spinner Anil Kumble to become the country's second-highest wicket-taker in the history of the ICC Cricket World Cup. Mohammed shami is like Ferrari. Whenever you take it out of garage it will give u same speed thrill and joy to ride every time. @MdShami11 — Irfan Patha...

England captain Jos Buttler accepted the champions "have no room for error from here on in" at the World Cup after a record 229-run defeat by South Africa. The Proteas piled up 399-7 after Buttler sent them into bat in Mumbai on Saturday, with Heinrich Klaasen defying the hot and humid conditions at the Wankhede Stadium to post a gutsy hundred. England, having conceded their highest one-day international total, then collapsed to 170 as they suffered what was also their record loss at this level. They have now lost three of their first four games -- a nine-wicket hammering by New Zealand and shock defeat by Afghanistan also on their record -- with another defeat likely to scupper their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals. "It certainly leaves us in a tough position," said Buttler, whose side next play Sri Lanka on Thursday. "There's no room for error from here on in. "It's going to be incredibly difficult. We haven't left ourselves any...

Ahead of the clash between India and New Zealand, former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor lauded New Zealand and its stand-in skipper Tom Latham for their performances, but also warned that Men in Blue in their home conditions is a "different beast" and will remain favourites to win the tournament irrespective of the result of the match. India will lock horns against New Zealand at Dharamshala on Sunday. Both teams are undefeated in the tournament, having won four matches each and having eight points. New Zealand is at the top due to a better net run rate. "I arrived in India on Friday and it is fantastic to be here in time for what is set to be a great match between the two remaining unbeaten teams," said Ross in his exclusive column as quoted by ICC. "Of course, the fact New Zealand are one of them is particularly pleasing and I have been really impressed with how they have gone about it so far. They have played fantastically well. The first game would have c...

Indian batting icon Virat Kohli reached a new milestone in his illustrious career, notching up his 48th century in ODI cricket as India hammered Bangladesh in a World Cup 2023 match. As the cricketing fraternity celebrated Kohli's new milestone, there were a few who wondered if Kohli slowing down to reach his hundred at the end of the game was the right move. There were moments in the match where his non-striking partner KL Rahul would even deny singles to ensure Kohli get the strike. Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara , however, wasn't happy with this approach. "As much I wanted Virat Kohli to score that hundred, you have to keep in mind, you want to finish the game as early as possible. You want your Net Run Rate to be at the top. If you are in a position where you are fighting for the Net Run Rate, then you don't want to look back and say 'you could have done that'," Cheteshwar Pujara told ESPN Cricinfo .   Pujara is of the opinion that Kohli a...

David Warner and Mitchell Marsh symbolised Australia's insatiability with the bat and Adam Zampa's relentlessness with the ball as the five-time champions registered a revitalising 62-run win over Pakistan in the World Cup match in Bengaluru on Friday. Brutal hundreds by Warner (163 off 124 balls) and Marsh (121 off 108 balls) led Australia to an imposing 367 for 9. Pakistan batters fought valiantly but could only manage 305 as leg-spinner Zampa (4/53) inflicted blows at vital junctions. Australia need to profusely thank both Warner, who hammered his 21st ODI hundred, and Marsh, his second ton, for keeping their World Cup campaign on track with a blistering assault. The Aussie openers amassed 259 runs in just 203 balls, and it was only the fourth instance in World Cup history that both openers notched centuries in the same match. Australia needed a dominant show to spruce up their confidence after three middling efforts that fetched two defeats and a win in this tournament, a...

Virat Kohli is one great batter on whom the Indian cricket team trusts. His intensity on the field is unmatchable. And till the time he is at the crease, any total looks chase-able. Virat Kohli slammed his 48th ODI ton in an ODI Cricket World Cup match to take India home in a 257-run target chase against Bangladesh. While Kohli looked positive throughout his innings, towards the end it seemed like he and KL Rahul were not taking singles so the former remains on strike to get his first century in the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. India had reached 238/3 in 39 overs, chasing 257, with Virat Kohli batting on 81 and KL Rahul on 34*. From that point, the two batted in a way that indicated that getting to Kohli's ton was the aim.  After India reached the target in just 41.3 overs, KL Rahul revealed the discussion that was going on between the two.      "He was confused actually. He said 'it will not look too nice, not to take this single. It's still a World Cup. It's ...

Dropping as many as five catches at crucial junctures and failing to read the nature of the track became their undoing, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said after his team's humiliating 149-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in a World Cup game on Wednesday. Batting first, New Zealand scored 288/6 in 50 overs and Glenn Phillips (71) and Tom Latham (68) got reprieves at opportune moments to conjure a match-winning 144-run stand. In reply, Afghanistan were bowled out for 139 in 34.4 overs. "Very disappointed because at this level you have to take those kind of catches. End of the day those catches hurt us as otherwise the team was doing well but the fielding let us a little bit down," Shahidi was straight-forward in his assessment. Afghanistan conceded 78 runs in the last six overs and it was the turning point on a track that offered a lot of turn. "Last six overs, a lot of runs were scored by New Zealand. Before that, we dropped two catches before t...