Afghanistan registered their first Test victory after Rahmat Shah's second fifty of the match helped secure their seven-wicket win against Ireland in a one-off contest in Dehradun on Monday.
Lost in transition, defending champions Sri Lanka will look to come out of the rut and start well against a spirited Afghanistan in their World Twenty20 Super 10 opener at Eden Gardens on Thursday. The defending champions, who were also runners-up in 2009 and 2012, have managed to win only four of their 14 matches since they beat India to win the 2014 edition in Mirpur. They are in the middle of a transition phase after Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene's exit. The build-up to the tournament was also forgettable with series defeats in New Zealand and India followed by an early ouster in Asia Cup. To add to the misery, their 2014 WT20 winning skipper Lasith Malinga has stepped down as leader of the team, following concern over his slow recovery from a knee injury. Now Test and ODI skipper Angelo Mathews' task is cutout. Having joined the squad on Tuesday, Malinga is a doubtful starter for the match. His presence in the team would impact the team a lot.
One of the most consistent teams in the Indian Premier League over the last few years, Sunrisers Hyderabad will be one of the teams to watch out for in IPL 2021.
Down and out, the two bottom-placed teams know that this will be their best chance to post their first win in the ongoing 50-over showpiece.
Rohit Sharma smashed 150 as India outclassed minnows Afghanistan by 153 runs in the World Cup warm-up match in Adelaide.
According to an ICC release, Maxwell's scores of 56 and 113*, in the two T20Is that helped Australia claim the series 2-0, helped him rise two positions to 3rd in the rankings.
While SRH can't afford to slip up even one bit with five games remaining, RR would be hoping to continue the winning momentum and hope that their foreign recruits continue in good nick like they did in the match against CSK.
Time is fast running out for the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings, a team which desperately needs its batting to click when it takes on SunRisers Hyderabad in Dubai on Tuesday in a battle to keep its IPL hopes alive.
Captain Kane Williamson, all-rounder Vijay Shankar and comeback man Wriddhiman Saha will look to score in the key match.
Dhoni's men will be slight favourites as it will be Bairstow's last game
In David Warner, who is back as captain for this season, the franchise has an inspirational leader and a superb batsman, who would like to lead from the front.
No other spinner headed into the World Cup with a burden of expectation heavier than the one on Rashid Khan's shoulders. But seven matches into the tournament and the poster boy of Afghan cricket is buckling under the weight.
Peaking at the right time and with all their boxes ticked, Sunrisers Hyderabad are certain to hold sway over a dishevelled Delhi Capitals in a virtual semi-final in the second Indian Premier League qualifier, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
Batsmen from Papua New Guinea, Oman and UAE leap to find place in top-50
Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to shrug off the disappointment of two back-to-back defeats and get back to winning ways when they taken on Sunrisers Hyderabad as they aim to seal their place in the play-offs, in the IPL match, in Sharjah, on Saturday.
18-year-old Afghan sensation Rashid Khan can't wait to start his maiden stint in the Indian Premier League with Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he will be sharing the dressing room with his childhood hero Yuvraj Singh.
Disappointed with India's slow batting in Saturday's World Cup match against Afghanistan, batting icon Sachin Tendulkar said the middle-order batsmen, particularly Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav, lacked positive intent.
After Mumbai's bowlers gave the team a great start by dismissing Sunrisers Hyderabad for a mere 118, the defending champions made a hash of the chase.
Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi are a spin-bowling unit the equal of any in the world
For Hyderabad, KXIP encounter is the last game where they can avail the services of Warner before he leaves home for Australia's World Cup preparations alongside Steven Smith and Marcus Stoinis.
Royals are more affected than Sunrisers with the absence of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Joffra Archer, who have left for England to join the World Cup camp.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the numbers before the first World Cup Semi-final between India and New Zealand.
Ambati Rayudu will be aiming to make a statement when a marauding Chennai Super Kings take on a desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad
'It's a historic moment for them and an opportunity for us to be part of the occasion'
The 19-year-old wonder spinner has gained 54 points to finish with 813 points, 80 more than second-placed Shadab Khan of Pakistan.
According to reports, the incident took place in a restaurant in Manchester on Monday when some of the players took objection to being filmed by a man in the public and confronted him.
Warner would be looking to make the most of the early start and put runs on the board again.
With Jadeja almost clinching victory with a boundary and Khaleel Ahmed scampering home for his life to tie the scores, only a single was all that was required off two deliveries.
Sri Lanka could have batted better, says Mahela Jayawardene
None other than India skipper Virat Kohli acknowledged Afghanistan's rapid rise in the last four years.
Every person was tested 72 hours before they travelled in order to ensure that all members of the party were travelling virus free.
Kolkata Knight Riders, who have lost their last four games, need to get back to winning ways and keep their hopes alive of making it to the play-offs.
Rajasthan's campaign started on a controversial note when Jos Buttler became the first cricketer in the IPL to be 'Mankaded', the practice of running out non-strikers, who back up early, by bowlers on their delivery stride.
Images from Day 1 of the one-off Test, between India and Afghanistan, in Bengaluru, on Thursday.
Comeback man David Warner will be the cynosure of all eyes when last year's finalist Sunrisers Hyderabad open their campaign against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the 12th Indian Premier League, in Kolkata, o
Riding high on contrasting half-centuries from Shakib al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh crushed Afghanistan by 105 runs in their opening Pool A match of the World Cup in Canberra.
All-rounder Imad Wasim's unbeaten 49 guided Pakistan to a thrilling three-wicket victory over minnows Afghanistan in Leeds on Saturday, maintaining their hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals.
A wise word from Mahendra Singh Dhoni inspired Mohammed Shami to bowl the delivery that earned his place in ICC Men's Cricket World Cup history.
Images from the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and SunRisers Hyderabad, in Delhi, on Sunday.
'I still don't know why I was ruled unfit when I was fit enough to play'
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