'He worked very hard in the last two years, he played a lot of domestic cricket, focused on his batting.'
Kuldeep Yadav spun his way into history on Sunday, becoming just the fifth Indian spinner to take 300 international wickets.
Pakistan beat Bangladesh, set up first ever Asia Cup final date against India
The Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan was called off due to persistent rain in Pallekele on Saturday.
Pakistan made short work of an inexperienced UAE batting unit by winning their last group league game by 41 runs in Dubai on Wednesday.
It is often speculated that the Pakistan team has two factions -- one supporting Skipper Babar Azam, while the other group is loyal to fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Babar Azam provided 73 in 95 deliveries with the visitors profiting from some sloppy South African fielding as they dropped numerous catches and were not accurate enough with the ball.
Matthew Hayden wants India skipper Rohit Sharma to negotiate Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi's first three overs with "caution".
With stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan sidelined, it will be a test of character for the Salman Agha-led Pakistan side.
Axar Patel revealed he was doing the math for Virat Kohli's century during their partnership in the India-Pakistan match, ensuring he didn't edge the ball to make sure Kohli reached his milestone
Pakistan have dropped plans to conduct "major surgery" on the national team as it included senior players Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi in the Test squad for the two-match series against Bangladesh.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday demoted premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to Category B from Category A, and did not offer central contracts to senior players Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Osama Mir for the 2024-25 season.
Having pulled off a thrilling win over Bangladesh, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha said such victories make him believe it is a "special team" and added his side has the quality to beat anyone, including India, in the Asia Cup final.
India and Pakistan clash in a highly anticipated T20 World Cup match. India needs middle-order stability and a fit Abhishek Sharma, while Pakistan's spin attack poses a threat. The weather forecast predicts a high chance of rain.
'It's a relief for other teams that Bumrah and Harshal aren't playing this Asia Cup!' Irfan told Waqar.
'Prayers for the entire family. We battle on the field. Off the field we are just regular humans.'
This final was filled with unusual happenings, and one that will stand out is India coach Gautam Gambhir seen smiling for a change!
Afridi was among the most expensive bowlers and went wicketless in the first two games. On Sunday, he set the tone with firm lengths and also managed to get on board in terms of wickets against the Netherlands in Perth.
Salman Ali Agha top scored for Pakistan as they snatched a last-over victory over South Africa on Tuesday in an exciting finish to the first of three One Day Internationals at Faisalabad.
Afridi said Rohit instils a sense of self-belief in his team with his aggressive style of play.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title. The 10th edition of the 20-overs global showpiece event will run from February 7 to March 8.
Trent Boult has seen how Shaheen Afridi swung the ball to wreck India's top order at the Twenty20 World Cup and the New Zealand pace spearhead is plotting something similar in Sunday's crucial contest against Virat Kohli's men.
The leggie and the tearaway have both taken 10 wickets and could bring Pakistan their first World Cup title in 30 years.
Pakistan have made four changes to the side for the second Test against England after resting senior cricketers including former captain Babar Azam from the rest of the series.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in familiar home conditions next month.
This year's roster sees ten players each placed in Categories B, C, and D. Notably, no player has been selected for Category A in this cycle, the PCB said in a statement.
'Pakistani players think that if they don't perform well, the coaches will be sacked, and nothing will happen to them.'
Shaheen Shah Afridi ripped apart India's batting line-up as he took 4/35 to bowl them out for 266 in 48.5 overs
Babar had stepped down from his leadership role across formats following the conclusion of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The left-handed batter suffered a muscular strain while fielding in the opening over against New Zealand at Karachi's National Bank Stadium on February 19.
Former captain Babar Azam and pacer Naseem Shah have been recalled to Pakistan's T20 squad for the upcoming home assignment against South Africa and a tri-Series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe next month.
'It was just bad decisions. All of the teams have that at some point. It was us today. We didn't make the best shot selections.'
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has started working on an alternate plan as serious doubts have arisen over Afghanistan's participation in an upcoming T20 Tri-Series amid military conflict between the two countries.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi has indicated that a decision on Shaheen Shah Afridi's future as captain of the T20 team will be taken after the upcoming national camp in Kakul.
With just a week to go until the start of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE, it sets up a tight race for the premier position for batters in 50-over cricket during the eight-team tournament.
India must look to score runs off Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheeh Shah Afridi instead of trying to play out his overs when the two arch-rivals clash in the T20 World Cup, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir said on Wednesday.
Pakistan's disappointing group stage exit, which included losses to India and debutants USA, has sparked widespread criticism.
Fast bowler Gus Atkinson and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith will make their red-ball debuts for England in the first of the three-match home series
Abhishek Sharma got into a war of words with Haris Rauf with Shubman Gill also stepping in to protect his younger team-mate.
Moin Khan has said his son Azam's confidence had taken a beating because of the way he was treated over the years, and held former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja responsible for the damage done to his son's career.
