England's death bowling prowess played a crucial role in their progress to the World Twenty20 final and could be a potent weapon against the big-hitting West Indies batsmen at Eden Gardens on Sunday. While England have eked out victories in their last two matches by being miserly in the final overs, West Indies have largely banked on their powerful batsmen to chase down targets in the tournament. Ben Stokes and Chris Jordan defended 22 runs in the final two overs as England beat Sri Lanka by 10 runs while the fast bowling duo gave away just 20 in the last four in the semi-final against New Zealand. England captain Eoin Morgan said that gave his side extra confidence going into the title clash against the hard-hitting Caribbean team. "It's a small ground here given that it could be a good wicket, that's going to be a key area for us," Morgan told reporters on Saturday.
Captain Eoin Morgan hammered 66 from 33 balls, while Dawid Malan hit an unbeaten half-century to power England to a five-wicket victory against Pakistan, in the second T20 International, in Manchester, on Sunday.
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday defeated title holders Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets via Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-truncated Indian Premier League Eliminator to set up a meeting against Mumbai Indians in Friday's Qualifier 2.
It will not be an easy task for a struggling Punjab side to stand up to the challenge thrown by a RCB team
Captain KL Rahul has been one of the few consistent performers in the formidable-looking Punjab batting unit and he once again led by example against MI
Images from the third and final Twenty20 international between India and England at Bengaluru on Wednesday.
As coach Ricky Ponting pointed out, he would expect a better "on his feet" thinking from the young captain.
The two sides experienced contrasting fortunes in their respective tournament opener.
That miss meant Chris Gayle went on to his first IPL-11 century.
India are unlikely to tinker with the winning combination save the return of star white-ball opener Rohit Sharma
Still very much in the play-offs race after registering their fourth victory on the trot, Kings XI Punjab skipper K L Rahul said his side has at last made winning a habit after a slow start in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Kings XI Punjab head coach Anil Kumble said his franchise went all out for Glenn Maxwell in the IPL players' auction on Thursday as the team needed firepower in the middle-order. Kings XI, who went into the auction with the biggest available purse of Rs 42.70 crore, spent Rs 10.75 crore for Australia's Maxwell and Rs 8.50 crore for West Indian pacer Sheldon Cottrell.
Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his golden run with the bat with his third half-century in a row to help Chennai Super Kings end on a high, with a hat-trick of victories, even as they failed to make the IPL playoffs for the first time.
KXIP's chances of a top four finish took a serious hit after Rajasthan Royals handed them a seven-wicket loss,
Kings XI Punjab captain KL Rahul blamed his side's inability to defend a decent total against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match to the dew factor
KXIP got its campaign back on track with three consecutive wins -- over mighty Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore and the KL Rahul-led side would be hoping to carry the winning momentum forward to break into top four.
'The game against Delhi Capitals came to my mind. However, Gayle told me 'Mayank, just watch the ball and the rest will be fine'.
A win for Mumbai Indians will virtually seal them a spot in the play-offs while a loss for KXIP could send them out of contention.
Kings XI run into a RCB squad which has grown in confidence by leaps and bounds since their last meeting.
Norma Astrid Godinho picks her IPL 2022 Dream XI, an unbeatable combination that could give the very best a run for their money...
Rahul also backed youngsters in the team saying that the young guns will play a "big role" for KXIP in this season.
'If technology is not to be used for the fairness and transparency of the game and to ensure that it is equitable to all, then why use technology at all?'
Left shaken by a bunch of world-class operators, the Indian team's white-ball stars will be aiming to put up an improved batting effort in the second T20 International against England in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The West Indies trailed England by 244 runs at the close of the second day of the first Test in Antigua on Tuesday after Shivnarine Chanderpaul applied the brakes to any potential batting slump
Knocked out of the quarter-final race, the England cricket team ended its World Cup campaign with a consolatory nine-wicket triumph over debutants Afghanistan in a rain-curtailed pool A match in Sydney.
Fast bowler Liam Plunkett has replaced Steven Finn in England's 15-man squad for next month's World Twenty20 tournament in India.
It has been a dramatic turnaround for the KL Rahul-led side after a string a losses earlier in the tournament.
The nail-biting win over defending champions Mumbai Indians was certainly a morale-lifter but the inconsistent Kings XI Punjab have another tough battle at hand when they take on table toppers Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
KKR are gradually emerging as a strong contender for a third IPL title
Their bowling attacks struggling to find form, Kings XI Punjab and SunRisers Hyderabad will look towards their power-hitters to do the job when the two erratic teams go head to head in an IPL match, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Chennai Super Kings put an end to their poor run after registering a massive 10-wicket win against Kings XI Punjab in Dubai
CSK have better resources but they must utilise them to the hilt. Teams:
It will be a battle of survival for the two national captains as Virat Kohli's struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore square off against a fledgling Pune Supergiants led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in an IPL encounter for the bottom-rung teams in Bengaluru on Saturday. With five defeats in seven games, RCB are currently placed at a lowly seventh spot in the table with four points while Pune are just a notch above in sixth spot courtesy their third win against Delhi Daredevils, on Thursday. It has been a tough journey for the two superstars of Indian cricket as their franchises have dished one disappointing performance after another. RCB with perhaps the most intimidating batting line-ups has had to taste defeat because of a pedestrian bowling attack that has failed to defend 180 plus scores in most of the matches.
Factbox World Cup match between Australia and England at the MCG.
Coming off heartbreaking losses, the Indian Premier League game between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab will be a test of character for both sides as they look to get back to winning ways, in Abu Dhabi, on Thursday.
Captain Quinton de Kock smashed a sparkling century as South Africa eased to a seven-wicket victory over World champions England in the opening One-Day International, at Newlands, on Tuesday.
The match, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, will also be a face-off between skippers KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both seen as future India captaincy material.
Ben Stokes was named in England's Twenty20 squad for a tri-series against Australia and New Zealand on Monday, his participation dependent on whether he is charged for his involvement in an altercation outside a nightclub in September.
Australia avoided a series whitewash as they survived a mid-innings wobble to beat England by five wickets in the third T20 international and regain their top-ranking in the sport's shortest format on Tuesday.
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