The first World Cup in the Middle East has been anything but insulated from the troubles of the volatile region, set against a backdrop of anti-government protests in Iran and an upsurge in Israeli-Palestinian violence.
England's Jofra Archer will miss this year's Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes series against Australia after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday the fast bowler suffered a recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow.
Retired Ivorian player and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba: "They did it!!!! Well done Morocco for this feat. Long live Africa."
The following are five bowlers to watch at the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Jacob Bethell helped England advance to the semi-finals of the U19 World Cup in a six-wicket win over SA
Fast bowlers will need a varied skillset to conquer the "tired" pitches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Australia's Pat Cummins said ahead of their Twenty20 World Cup opener against South Africa on Saturday.
Franchise is the future but Australia rule the here and now
Morocco relied on the usual mixture of North African style, combining committed defence with counter-attacks
Recuperating from an elbow injury, star Australia batsman Steve Smith says Test cricket remains his top priority and he is ready to skip the T20 World Cup to be in the best shape for the Ashes series against England.
New Zealand will travel to England later this month to play four T20 and as many one-day internationals before heading to India for the ODI World Cup in October-November.
West Indies will again rely on a hardened bunch of Twenty20 specialists as they bid to retain their World Cup title, but are set for a stern test from India, out to secure a first global trophy under Virat Kohli, and an England team bidding to become champions in two formats.
Sri Lanka were made to work hard for an 82-run win over Scotland to top Group B
Kristian Clarke handed the Kiwis a thrilling last-over victory to knock Sri Lanka out of the tournament.
Neither Kadri nor Jebali would be drawn on the issue of captains at the World Cup wearing a "OneLove" armband in support of the LGBTQ community, which FIFA said will result in a booking.
Images and a round-up of all the World Cup qualifiers played across continents on Tuesday.
Al Janoub is a fully air-conditioned stadium which keeps the temperature 10 degrees lower than the 29 Celsius outside.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday announced cancellation of the Asia Cup T20, scheduled to be held in September, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pakistan originally had the hosting rights of the six-team continental event but considering the alarming COVID-19 situation, the PCB board had decided to swap it with Sri Lanka.
Bouyed by the vociferous crowd at the WACA, India thrashed UAE by 9 wickets.
Morocco will no doubt revel in another opportunity to thrive as underdogs
Following is reaction to the 2022 FIFA World Cup draw, which was held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Qatar on Friday.
31 games (including the play-offs) in IPL 2021 are left to be played and October-November will be the only period when international players will be available since no country has any series scheduled in view of the T20 World Cup.
Factbox on Saturday's World Cup Pool B match between India and United Arab Emirates.
The International Cricket Council on Monday postponed the T20 World Cup in Australia owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, a long-anticipated decision which paves the way for the BCCI to organise the IPL during the October-November window.
Star India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Sunday hailed United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s stunning win over New Zealand in a T20I.
Qatar said on Wednesday there was no way it would be stripped of the right to host the World Cup despite the corruption scandal surrounding FIFA, dismissing a 'bashing campaign' of criticism of its 2022 bid as anti-Arab prejudice.
Chasing 176 to win, India 'A' lost both their openers -- Sai Sudharsan (8) and Abhishek Sharma (19) inside the sixth over with the scoreboard reading 41 but Dhull (108 not out) and Nikin Jose (41 not out) ensured an easy win, stitching unbeaten 138 runs for the third wicket.
India will open their campaign in the T20 World Cup with a high-profile clash against Pakistan in Dubai on October 24, the International Cricket Council said on Tuesday.
India lose to Bahrain 0-1, crash out of AFC Asian Cup.
The ACC said in a statement it is hoping to stage the Twenty20 competition, which will feature six countries including India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in June next year.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had proposed expanding the tournament and explored the idea of adding additional host nations.
Mbappe and Benzema inspire France to 2-0 win against Finland
Quaison fires Sweden to extra-time World Cup playoff win over Czechs
There is a "very real possibility" that Pakistan will boycott this year's World Cup in India if they lose hosting rights to the Asia Cup
Afridi reckoned a good start could take the 1992 champions all the way to the July 14 final at the Lord's.
India has a population of 1.3 billion but the nation's obsession with and success on the cricket pitch has left it a massive underachiever on the football field.
Athens Olympics silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Ronjan Sodhi will spearhead Indian challenge at the ISSF Shotgun World Cups in Mexico and United Arab Emirates in March and April.
Argentina and Mexico fans lit up the World Cup on Saturday with their vast and vociferous followings creating a thunderous atmosphere in and around Qatar's Lusail Stadium.
Australia made the worst possible start to the defence of their Asian Cup crown on Sunday as Graham Arnold's Socceroos were handed a 1-0 defeat by unfancied Jordan.
Aaron Finch bows out as one of his country's greatest limited-overs players and as the captain who delivered Australia a first global T20 title in the United Arab Emirates in 2021.
As the game wound on, Morocco fans screamed "Ole, ole, ole!" in unison, drowning out the handful of Portuguese fans and whistling whenever Portugal took possession of the ball.
