England's Harry Brook and Ben Duckett combined for a brilliant partnership and the returning Mark Wood snared three wickets as the visitors beat Pakistan by 63 runs in the third Twenty20 in Karachi on Friday to take a 2-1 lead in the seven-match series.
While Rohit Sharma will be eager to test his ultra-aggressive batting template against the Asian giants, for Virat Kohli it is the perfect platform to return to form after enduring a tough phase in the last few years.
Kohli reached the landmark in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 against England
A global title may be eluding India for a decade now, but former captain Sourav Ganguly said on Thursday that there is no need to press panic button while placing the onus on batters to win the World Cup at home.
The former Pakistan spinner has also come out in support of Deepak Hooda, who has not been included in the playing XI, despite being in top form in the white-ball setup.
Mohammed Rizwan will fondly remember the local curator in his prayers for producing a batting beauty
'The next game is obviously a big one for us against the Netherlands in Adelaide. Have to put this one behind quickly, take whatever learnings we can.'
Suryakumar jumped in front of Pakistan captain Babar Azam and into third place on the latest list of T20I rankings for batters
Ashwin gained two places after taking six wickets in India's emphatic victory over Australia in the second Test in New Delhi.
'There are matches immediately after Netherlands, so it's unlikely there will be time for changes'
Babar Azam would have to learn from how Kohli had handled his captaincy responsibilities.
After left-armer Afridi's two early wickets, Australia could have been in even deeper trouble but Pakistan failed to capitalise on chances offered by Khawaja and Smith.
The 10-team tournament will be played across 10 venues culminating in the November 19 final at the 132,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
England take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar confirmed that there are no assigned death bowlers for India in the T20 World Cup.
Babar Azam's glorious unbeaten 102 kept Pakistan alive but Australia remained on course for victory in the second Test in Karachi on Tuesday.
'It's good to have someone with a lot of experience batting with you because he can take you through how to take the game on'
Pakistan captain Babar Azam and his deputy Mohammad Rizwan were looking to get some batting practice but were forced off the ground as the rain stopped play in the third over.
Kuldeep Yadav is the best spinner going into the World Cup and will give India a distinct advantage in the middle overs through the course of the 50-over showpiece, reckons former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam.
Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn, the foreign coaches attached with the Pakistan cricket team, are likely to continue in their respective roles
Chasing a target of 135 runs, Haider Ali's 65* off 43 including three sixes and skipper Azam's 51 from 28 balls put their side over the line with 29 balls to spare.
Siraj, Shubman nominated for ICC Player of the Month Award
'Shaheen's absence big setback for Pakistan'
Pakistan registered a comfortable seven-wicket victory to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
The second Test, also in Karachi, begins on Monday.
Chasing 152, Pakistan got off to a steady start as openers Rizwan and Azam took Pakistan to 35 after five overs. The two batsmen looked in great touch and eventually steered the side to a 10-run victory.
Mohammad Rizwan scored a fluent 88 and Haris Rauf and Mohammed Nawaz took three wickets each as Pakistan edged England by three runs in a rollercoaster finish to the fourth Twenty20 in Karachi.
Heavy rain is expected on Sunday's match-day and also the reserve day on Monday as a multi-year La Nina weather phenomenon continues to drench much of eastern Australia.
Pakistan have soaked up stories from the landmark 1992 Cricket World Cup final win over England in the lead up to Sunday's Twenty20 decider and hope to share their own tales of triumph in years to come, team mentor Matthew Hayden said on Friday.
In India's last group match, Yadav blasted a 25-ball 61 as he added six points in the weekly rankings update to go 39 points clear of second-placed Mohammad Rizwan of Pakistan.
Virat's captaincy may have come of age in this competition.
A win over Pakistan in Sydney would take New Zealand to a final against either England or India in Melbourne but Southee said the Black Caps, who lost to Australia in last year's final, were taking it one game at a time.
India showed they have plenty of depth waiting in the wings as they completed a sweep over the Caribbean side on Wednesday
'It shows a lot of security within, and it means they have a lot of confidence to bounce back so I won't be surprised if India bounces back very quickly and in a big fashion.'
The team is packed with India's Gen-Next IPL performers but stakeholders in Indian cricket will keenly observe Bumrah
Dinesh Chandimal smashed his second half-century of the match to put Sri Lanka in the box seat in the opening Test against Pakistan in Galle on Monday.
Virat Kohli now has highest fifty-plus scores in T20I history
The opening Test, also played in Karachi, ended in a draw as well.
Suryakumar (838) is still second ahead of the blockbuster clash
Dominic Xavier wonders why India has lost its mojo.
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