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World T20 snapshots: Miandad confident of Indo-Pak final

March 22, 2014 14:03 IST
MS Dhoni and Mohammad Hafeez

Pakistan may have been humbled in their World Twenty20 opener against India but former captain Javed Miandad is confident that Mohammed Hafeez's men will stay alive to make the final where he expects them to face off against the arch-rivals once again.

"Pakistan lost to India because they didn't bat well at all but remember they are still not out of the tournament and we could still see a Pakistan and India final," Miandad said.

Miandad said the format of the tournament is such that teams could still make a comeback even after one or two defeats.

England's Wright ruled out with injury

March 22, 2014 14:03 IST
Luke Wright of England

England all-rounder Luke Wright was ruled out of the World Twenty20 with a side strain on Saturday while recuperating Australian James Faulkner will miss Sunday's super 10 match against Pakistan.

Barely hours before the already-depleted English side begin their Super 10 campaign against New Zealand in Chittagong, 29-year-old Wright joined Joe Root and Ben Stokes in being forced out of the former winners' squad with injury.

"The Event Technical Committee ... has approved Craig Kieswetter as a replacement player for Luke Wright in the England men's squad," the International Cricket Council said in a statement.

Like Wright, South Africa-born Kieswetter was part of England's 2010 World Twenty20 winning side.

Faulkner's wait on the sidelines also got prolonged as the 23-year-old continues to recover from a knee surgery which forced him out of Australia's test tour of South Africa.

"He will miss tomorrow's game," Australia captain George Bailey told reporters, still optimistic that the bowling all-rounder would play a pivotal role in the tournament and beyond.