The points table of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
With the announcement of IPL resumption imminent, Punjab find themselves well-placed with majority of their star Indian and foreign players already in the country and on standby.
Security was breached again in Lahore, where another pitch invader ran onto the field during Afghanistan's post-match celebrations.
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.
BCCI could opt for a neutral venue with Pakistan unlikely to travel to India.
Allowing India to play all their matches in Dubai robbed Pakistan of the honour of hosting the final and disrupted the schedule of the knockout matches.
Members of the trophy-winning squad from 2017 were present at the event with then captain Sarfaraz Ahmed in conversation with former West Indies pacer and broadcaster Ian Bishop.
The ISI strategy has been to use its proxies to target Hindus in India. They want an outrage and counter-targeting of India's minorities. Further, even the whiff of it restores the Pakistan army's popularity, especially when it's in the dumps, like now, points out Shekhar Gupta.
The Pakistan Cricket Board's chief operating officer Sumair Ahmed has blamed the ICC for the mismanagement at the final presentation ceremony of the Champions Trophy in Dubai.
Afghanistan scripted history by qualifying for their maiden T20 World Cup semi-final with a win over Bangladesh on Tuesday.
As the battle for semi-final berths intensifies in Group B, top-ranked South Africa will aim to assert their dominance and secure a spot in the final four when they face a struggling England in a high-stakes Champions Trophy clash in Karachi on Saturday.
Australia's historic pedigree in cricket's biggest tournaments will count for nothing when they run into an Afghanistan side that is fast cementing its place in the game's top table in the Champions Trophy match in Lahore on Friday.
Group A winners India will take on World champions Australia in the first semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
Fans can expect a wide open tournament in the absence of an overwhelming favourite in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.
Australia will be without their premier pacers but their envious pedigree in ICC tournaments make them favourites to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy from Group B.
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.
IMAGES from the Asia Cup Super 4s match played between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Sharjah on Wednesday.
The outcome of the last group match between India and New Zealand on Sunday will determine if Australia or South Africa will face Rohit Sharma and Co in Dubai.
The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, with the ruling NDA defending it as beneficial for minorities while the opposition called it "anti-Muslim". All amendments moved by the opposition were rejected and the bill was passed with 288 votes in favor and 232 against. Union Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that India is the safest place in the world for minorities, refuting claims of their insecurity.
India vice-captain Shubman Gill dethroned Pakistan's Babar Azam from the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters on the back of his strong showing against England in the recent home series.
Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali said that the pressure will be on India in the much-anticipated World Cup clash between the two traditional rivals in front of a packed house at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Chances of India travelling to Pakistan for Champions Trophy are slim: ex-PCB chief
England previously faced Afghanistan at the 50-overs Cricket World Cup in 2023, as well as at the Twenty20 World Cup in 2022.
Singh, the joint secretary heading the division for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran in the ministry of external affairs, held talks with Taliban's foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Thursday.
'... when I'm not quite at my best and not feeling that great out there, is my ability to still contribute and take those big wickets.'
30% of Indian employees report experiencing daily stress in their workplace. This high stress level is compounded by anger, with 34% of Indian employees experiencing daily anger at work -- a figure significantly higher than many other countries.
The US has the distinction of destroying a flawed but functioning State thrice since 1979. Pakistan has been their constant accomplice, explains Shekhar Gupta.
Afghanistan (6 points) will not only look to secure two points against the Dutch (4 points) but also aim to win big and improve the net run-rate
And the Men in Blue will need to beat Afghanistan by a big margin on Thursday.
Rachin Ravindra lost sight of the ball in the floodlights when attempting a catch and was hit in the forehead during a warm-up match for the Champions Trophy against Pakistan in Lahore.
Afghanistan have appointed former Pakistan players Younis Khan and Umar Gul as batting and bowling consultants respectively for their training camp in the United Arab Emirates, the country's cricket board said.
Days before the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, intelligence agencies had flagged the potential targeting of tourists especially those staying in hotels on the outskirts of Srinagar in the foothills of the Zabarwan range, officials in the know said Saturday.
'If they aim to remain aligned with the public sentiment, as any democratic government should, then they must respond. Why else would the prime minister have cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia? And why would he have instructed the home minister himself to travel to Srinagar to assess the situation firsthand? This suggests that something is indeed being planned. I am quite certain of that, although the exact form it will take remains to be seen.'
There was talent and a pathway, but a decade down the road the UAE have not made any other appearances in a global event.
Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) stated with 'deep regret' that the daughter of the Afghan ambassador to Islamabad Silsila Alikhil was abducted for several hours on July 16, 2021 and severely tortured by unknown individuals on her way home.
The tournament was decorated with several impactful players and 12 of them have made it to the ICC Champions Trophy Team of the Tournament.
The diplomatic crisis between Pakistan and Afghanistan deepened on Sunday after Kabul announced that it will withdraw its ambassador and other senior staff from Islamabad after the abduction and torture of the daughter of its envoy to Pakistan.
England, who have the option to call in a replacement for Carse if he is ruled out of the tournament, are winless and sit third in the Group B standings behind South Africa and Australia.
India has said it will consider engaging in development projects in Afghanistan and provide material support to the country in the health sector. The announcement came after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held talks with the Taliban regime's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai.
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