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.
Less than four years after playing their first tournament against teams including Japan and Norway, Afghanistan will write a new chapter in their remarkable rise with a One-day International against Pakistan on Friday.
Pakistan's middle-order batter Asif Ali, who represented his country in 79 white-ball games, has retired from international cricket.
Mitchell Santner and Lockie Ferguson picked up three wickets each as New Zealand trounced Afghanistan by 149 runs.
Jatinder Singh has played 61 ODIs and 64 T20Is for Oman.
Zimbabwe secured victory off the last ball as they beat Afghanistan by four wickets in the first of their three-match Twenty20 series at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.
The Afghanistan cricket team might take a roundabout route to reach Sri Lanka for their three-match ODI series against Pakistan, scheduled to begin in Colombo on September 3.
Players from the other teams who could push the Men in Blue to the limit.
Australia sailed into the Champions Trophy semi-finals after their final Group B match against Afghanistan was abandoned at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.
Kuldeep Yadav has a good record in T20 Internationals with 69 wickets in 40 matches at an economy rate of 6.77, with a best of 5/17 against South Africa.
Virat Kohli moved up to No. 4 in the latest ICC rankings with a match-winning hundred against South Africa in the first ODI at Ranchi boosting his ascend.
All-rounder Mohamed Enaan struck a magnificent unbeaten century at No. 8 to power India A to a 26-run win over India B.
Rohit Sharma followed up his knock of 73 in the second ODI in Adelaide with a match-winning unbeaten 121 in Sydney to be named the Player of the Series.
Afghanistan spinners Ahmad, Rahman reprimanded for breaching ICC Code of Conduct
Defeat will severely dent both the teams' dreams of a semi-final berth in the tournament, as South Africa and Australia have already notched two points.
How Mumbai Maidan coach Patwal's tough-love sessions gave Harmer his second wind
Former BCCI president and batting great Sourav Ganguly on Monday side-stepped the debate surrounding Indian players' refusal to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts after their Asia Cup clash in Dubai but said terrorism must end "all around the world, not just India and Pakistan."
"The ICC (International Cricket Council) Champions Trophy 2025 is a culmination of those efforts," PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told Reuters.
'We gave too many freebies to Afghanistan, but we came up with a plan today and implemented it more effectively.'
IMAGES from the ICC Champions Trophy Group B match between Afghanistan and England at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Wednesday.
14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi produced an exhibition of magnificent strokeplay, smashing 171 from just 95 balls, including 14 sixes and nine fours.
Young India opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy continued to occupy the top spots among batters and bowlers in the latest ICC Men's T20 Players' Rankings issued on Wednesday.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has criticized the ICC, calling it an "event management company" and stating that financially stronger boards are dictating a self-serving schedule that harms Test cricket.
"Captaincy is a huge responsibility. I have the experience of leading my country before, there is a great bunch of guys with whom I have a good understanding and feel pretty comfortable.
With stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan sidelined, it will be a test of character for the Salman Agha-led Pakistan side.
India enjoys close relations with Afghanistan and both accuse common neighbour Pakistan of not doing enough to stop Islamist militants operating on their territory.
An Afghani team will appear in Pakistan's domestic tournament later this year while a youth side will undertake a separate tour in September.
What each team from Group B needs to do to make the semis.
Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha broke the silence about playing the format without the nation's batting bigwigs Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam.
BCCI might field a second string team for the proposed home series against Afghanistan.
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.
India's first match of the tournament against the hosts United Arab Emirates is scheduled to take place in Dubai on September 10.
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.
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott acknowledged the ground staff's diligent efforts to prepare the pitch for the one-off Test against New Zealand in Greater Noida.
The non-availability of halal meat, a must-have in their menu, in their Bridgetown hotel forced them to temporarily wear a chef's apron.
UAE batter Alishan Sharafu hailed the quality of India's players ahead of their Asia Cup opening match in Dubai on Wednesday.
Afghanistan, Australia and Bangladesh are in the running for a place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
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.
