Pakistan was waiting for an opportunity to bring the Jammu and Kashmir issue to the global agenda and resorted to the terrorism route to provoke India, observes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
But Starc warned his bowling colleagues to not rely on the Gaddafi Stadium pitch to make their job any easier and rather rely on reverse swing, which they used expertly on Wednesday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board is set to register its protest with the ICC for ignoring its CEO during the trophy ceremony in Dubai on Sunday.
'We should not just react when a terror attack happens on our soil.' 'Our approach should be continuous and a launch pad should be destroyed the moment it comes up.'
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy justified his selection with a five-wicket haul and bowled India to a 44-run victory against New Zealand.
Afghanistan's performances at the 50-overs and Twenty20 World Cups mean there is no chance of Australia taking them lightly in Friday's Champions Trophy match.
The Pakistan Cricket Board will use new floodlights at stadiums in Karachi and Lahore for the Champions Trophy early next year.
Chasing 326 for victory, England were bundled out for 317 with Afghanistan batter Ibrahim Zadran smashing a superb 177 and pacer Azmatullah Omarzai grabbing a five-wicket haul.
Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi appeared in the Lahore high court for protective bail.
While six of them have been held from Punjab, five were nabbed from neighbouring Haryana, and one from Uttar Pradesh.
Terror shook the world for the second time in less than a week on Sunday, with a suicide bombing that killed at least 65 at a park in Lahore.
'Indian Army officers always lead their men into battle or combat. Pakistani officers are seldom seen at the front.'
Senior police officers were among 13 people killed on Monday when a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up targeting them during a protest rally outside Pakistan's Punjab assembly in Lahore that also wounded 60 others.
Pakistan on Monday launched a massive military operation in Punjab province in the wake of the deadly Taliban suicide bombing in Lahore, conducting raids and making several arrests.
Australia's middle order enforcer Josh Inglis said their depleted side will draw a lot of confidence after pulling off a record chase against England in their Champions Trophy opener on Saturday.
The high point of the 19 Shastri months was the 22-day war that he fought against great odds and won in principle, even if military historians often call it a stalemate. Pakistan saw a great opportunity to conquer Kashmir and lost. It was the last time they had the relative strength militarily and diplomatically to take Kashmir. Shastri's resolve buried that dream forever, points out Shekhar Gupta.
The omission sparked a social media storm, with fans questioning Pakistan's intent and criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board.
'They thought nobody would hit Bahawalpur and Muridke because they have nuclear weapons.' 'They used to think India cannot touch our military targets because we are a nuclear weapons country.' 'After Operation Sindoor we have called their bluff.'
Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc said a sore ankle and his "personal views" were behind his decision to pull out of the Champions Trophy.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has restricted the entry and movement of the mainstream and digital media at its stadiums in Karachi and Lahore, which are under construction ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian national convicted in the United States for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has been extradited to India. Rana, a close associate of Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, was involved in the conspiracy from 2005 onwards and assisted Headley in obtaining a visa for India. He is the third person to be sent on trial in India for the 26/11 attacks after Ajmal Kasab and Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal. Rana's extradition comes after US President Donald Trump approved the request.
'Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I've ever seen. So it would be stupid not to look at him.'
Mitchell Santner believes that putting Rohit Sharma's side under pressure in that encounter gave his team the confidence for their upcoming summit clash on Sunday.
'That is something I really wanted, to have six bowling options and then batting till No. 8 as well.'
IMAGES from the Group B Champions Trophy match between Australia and England in Lahore on Saturday
Former Pakistan captain blamed frequent changes in the team's management, coaches, and players for the chaotic situation.
The attacks against the Pakistani air force have taken them at least five years back and caused great damage to them and their Chinese and Turkish inventory of weapons.
The countries' biggest cities -- Delhi and Lahore -- are fighting a common enemy: Smog.
'One good outcome of Operation Sindoor -- perhaps, its best outcome -- could be that India has resumed meaningful contact directly with Pakistan at the military-to-military level,' observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'Even known names and social media handles went berserk by stating that Karachi has been attacked and an F-16 was shot down.'
'I am worried that Pakistan will still feel compelled to take substantive military action beyond this apparent drone activity.' 'If so, the crisis could persist for a while more and dangerous days are still ahead.'
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.
Starc's withdrawal comes after pace stalwarts Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were ruled out due to injuries.
Standing near the noose, he recited a couplet in which he said he wished nothing but to sacrifice his life for the motherland. Utkarsh Mishra remembers Ram Prasad Bismil on the revolutionary leader's 128th birth anniversary.
The Imran Khan enclosure, which is one of the VIP stands in the stadium, has been a permanent fixture at the venue since 1992.
Barely 11 days before their Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan, New Zealand's leading pace bowler Lockie Ferguson has been rendered doubtful for the ODI tournament after suffering a hamstring injury during an ILT20 match in the UAE.
According to a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, the trophy tour would begin from Skardu in northern Pakistan.
They will meet the winner of Wednesday's second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand in the final in Dubai on Sunday.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead has acknowledged the threat posed by India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy in the upcoming Champions Trophy final.
Soon after landing in Lahore, the World Eleven players and officials were taken to a five-star hotel on the main Mall road which was closed for traffic from all sides.
