Afghanistan batsman Hashmatullah Shahidi hit an unbeaten 74 as the World Cup underdogs stunned former champions Pakistan to win by three wickets with two balls to spare in a thrilling warm-up match in Bristol on Friday.
'7 years of fearless leadership': Pakistan cricketers' reaction after Kohli's shocking announcement
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam finally found their scoring touch with half centuries in a 105-run stand to lay the foundation for victory.
Images from the Asia Cup T20 match between Pakistan and Hong Kong in Sharjah on Friday
With this thrilling win, Pakistan has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
India's batters will have to counter a potent Pakistan bowling attack that can make an impact irrespective of the nature of the pitch.
Six of the 10 Pakistan cricketers bound for England who tested positive for COVID-19 have now registered negative results on re-testing, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday. Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz, however, must return a second negative result before they can join the main squad of 20 players who will leave for England on Sunday.
The selectors also retained former captain and wicketkeeper, Sarfaraz Ahmed in the squad as a standby to vice-captain, Mohammad Rizwan.
IMAGES from the T20 World Cup semi-final match played between New Zealand and Pakistan in Sydney on Wednesday.
With bilateral cricket remaining suspended between the bitter neighbours, India and Pakistan play each other only in multi-team tournaments with their rivalry now a rare but enticing occasion for fans worldwide.
Suryakumar (838) is still second ahead of the blockbuster clash
In India's last group match, Yadav blasted a 25-ball 61 as he added six points in the weekly rankings update to go 39 points clear of second-placed Mohammad Rizwan of Pakistan.
Images from the T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.
KL Rahul has struggled at the top of the order, managing just 36 runs at a strike rate of 90 in the first two matches against Pakistan and Hong Kong.
The Pakistan cricket squad was allowed to leave their managed isolation facility in Christchurch after getting clearance from New Zealand's Health Ministry on Tuesday.
The selectors have also put Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz on standby to cover for any player who fails pre-tour COVID-19 Testing scheduled later this month.
Thirty years after Imran Khan's Pakistan claimed the 1992 World Cup, Babar Azam's team may feel it is their destiny to deliver trophy.
Zimbabwe shocked Pakistan by one run in a thrilling T20 World Cup Super 12 match at Perth Stadium, in Perth, on Thursday.
IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match played between Australia and Pakistan in Bengaluru, on Friday.
Pakistan will aim to maintain their remarkable consistency against a spirited Namibia and seal a semi-final spot in the T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Pace legend Waqar Younis is backing Pakistan to win the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia later this year, saying the pitches Down Under could favour their potent bowling attack.
Rajneesh Gupta lists interesting records from the first week of the Super 12 competition in the T20 World Cup in the UAE.
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 12 Group 2 match between India and Pakistan, in Dubai, on Sunday.
England underlined their domination in white ball cricket as they outclassed Pakistan by five wickets to win the T20 World Cup title on Sunday.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Saturday lauded his bowlers for bundling out Pakistan for a paltry 191 on a pitch that had nothing much in it for the bowlers during their marquee World Cup match.
'I somehow felt that Muzaffar Ali was in Aligarh to feel the pulse of the Muslim youth, especially in the darker and harsher times that India is passing through,' notes Mohammad Sajjad.
Virat Kohli now has highest fifty-plus scores in T20I history
Suryakumar smashed three fifties in five innings
Brandon King finally departed in the 16th over a well-made 67 and West Indies was left in a spot of bother, needing 55 to win from 28 balls. The visitors kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and in the end, Pakistan registered a win.
While Rohit Sharma will be eager to test his ultra-aggressive batting template against the Asian giants, for Virat Kohli it is the perfect platform to return to form after enduring a tough phase in the last few years.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index after 37 World Cup 2023 games.
The outgoing Lok Sabha had 23 Muslim MPs, the most being from Congress and TMC. The highest number of Muslim MPs were in 1980 when as many as 49 MPs from the community which constitute nearly fifth of Indian population present in the Lok Sabha.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing for the World Cup match against Pakistan?
Coming off a socio-economic crisis and the worst turmoil in its country's history, the Sri Lankan cricket team would like to provide the island nation with an emotional catharsis by beating fancied Pakistan in the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday.
Rajneesh Gupta lists the Pakistan players at the T20I World Cup and their T20 Internationals records.
Rajneesh Gupta lists the Pakistan players's T20 Internationals records updated after the game against Scotland in the T20 World Cup.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja could do with a break, which will allow India to try out new players in the Caribbean.
Ramiz hit out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for reintegrating players such as Mohammad Amir, who has served prison time and a long ban from the game for involvement in spot-fixing, into the national team setup. The former opener felt allowing tainted players back into the sport has damaged Pakistan cricket.
Images from the T20 World Cup semi-final between Pakistan and Australia, in Dubai, on Thursday.
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