United Arab Emirates became the 20th and last team to qualify for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup after beating Japan by eight wickets in the last Asia/EAP Qualifying game here on Thursday.
Debutants Afghanistan will aim to continue their impressive rise in white-ball cricket, while South Africa will once again attempt to shed the 'chokers' tag when the two sides kick-off their Champions Trophy campaign in Karachi on Friday.
Cricket will make a triumphant return to the Olympics at the 2028 Los Angeles Games after a 128-year absence, with six teams vying for top honors in both the men's and women's competitions. The sport was last featured in the 1900 Paris Olympics. The qualification process for the 2028 Games is yet to be confirmed, but the USA, as host nation, is likely to receive a direct spot, leaving five qualification places up for grabs.
India's aid comes to mind as Afghanistan script famous win
The 19-year-old man of the moment dedicated his match-winning performance in the IPL's second qualifier to those who lost their lives in his native - the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.
India's mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy retained his place among the world's top T20I bowlers, sitting just ahead of New Zealand's Jacob Duffy in the latest ICC Men's Rankings update.
Afghanistan are only mathematically alive in the race although they beat England in their impressive Champions Trophy debut.
With stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan sidelined, it will be a test of character for the Salman Agha-led Pakistan side.
Dwayne Bravo appointed Afghanistan bowling consultant for T20 World Cup
Images from the ICC Champions League Group B match between Afghanistan and Australia in Lahore, on Friday.
Delhi blast: Heightened security in Kolkata ahead of India-South Africa Test
While wickets fell all around him with fellow opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, as well as Sediqullah Atal and Rahmat Shah all back in the hut inside the first ten overs, Gurbaz kept his cool.
"The beauty of our team is we have talented youngsters and at the same time we have senior guys who are at the top level. Everyone knows their own roles of what they should do in this team.
Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha broke the silence about playing the format without the nation's batting bigwigs Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam.
'I feel like we are so lucky to be here giving this happiness to people back home. We hardly see these kind of events back home where they could celebrate and enjoy those moments. That's something which really, really satisfies me.'
Bleeding runs in the death overs and failing to offer adequate support to Joe Root cost England dearly, captain Jos Buttler said after their elimination from the Champions Trophy following an eight-run loss to Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Images from the ICC World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, in Pune, on Monday.
Legendary West Indies batsman Sir Vivian Richards expressed his disappointment and frustration at the absence of the Caribbean side from the Champions Trophy, urging them to emulate Afghanistan's rise in world cricket. Richards highlighted Afghanistan's fighting spirit and consistent performances, contrasting their presence in the tournament with the West Indies' exclusion.
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott feels his team is a stronger unit in a day game and expects them to optimise the conditions against a formidable India.
In all the three group matches, Sri Lanka thrived while chasing and one would expect the Islanders to continue the same trend if they win the toss on Saturday.
Gill's highest score in the three Asia Cup matches has been an unbeaten 20 with the Test skipper failing to click in the games against Pakistan and Oman after a fruitful red-ball away series against England.
UAE play Oman at Abu Dhabi's Zayed Cricket Stadium on Monday, 15 September. Their last group game is with Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday, 17 September.
India's first match of the tournament against the hosts United Arab Emirates is scheduled to take place in Dubai on September 10.
UAE batter Alishan Sharafu hailed the quality of India's players ahead of their Asia Cup opening match in Dubai on Wednesday.
Suranga Wellalage, Sri Lankan all-rounder Dunith Wellalage's father, died on September 18, the same day his son played the Asia Cup Group fixture against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.
Ravindra Jadeja's standout performance in the first Test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad has helped him reach a career-best 25th position in the ICC men's Test batting rankings.
Yashaswi Jaiswal advance two slots to fifth after notching 175 in the first innings of the New Delhi game while KL Rahul's knocks of 38 and 58 not out lifted him two places to 33rd.
India captain Shubman Gill, head coach Gautam Gambhir along with Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel arrived in Kolkata late on Sunday ahead of the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa.
Tickets for the match on September 14 are in huge demand than for any other match. Most journalists are also arriving only in time for this match, even skipping India's opening match against the UAE on September 10.
IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match played between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Chennai on Monday.
Bangladesh will see this as an opportunity to start on a strong note and settle into the tournament.
Centuries from openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran powered Afghanistan to their first ever ODI series against Bangladesh in Chattogram on Saturday.
Namibia beat Tanzania by 63 runs to become the first team from the African Qualifiers to secure a spot in the next year's T20 World Cup.
UAE captain Muhammad Waseem said they won't treat the opening match against T20 World champions India as a big game and will look to play normally.
The clash was a record-breaking one. Right from individual pieces of glory to team milestones, India opener Smriti Mandhana's records to Australia once again re-writing history books to justify the seven titles in their trophy cabinet, this match had it all.
'Scoring those half-centuries and winning the trophy for India is indeed special.'
Rajaneesh Gupta lists the amazing numbers that make Rohit Sharma one of the finest ODI batters of his time.
South Africa's bid to lift a first major cricket trophy could come down to whether they can finally shed the unwanted tag of "chokers".
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