Sunil Joshi is backing Bangladesh's spin bowlers, led by the in-form Shakib Al Hasan, to hold their own against India when their World Cup campaign continues next week.
Robin Uthappa was elegance personified during his 52-ball 80 as he powered Kolkata Knight Riders to a convincing six-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League match in Cuttack on Wednesday.
No other spinner headed into the World Cup with a burden of expectation heavier than the one on Rashid Khan's shoulders. But seven matches into the tournament and the poster boy of Afghan cricket is buckling under the weight.
Earlier, Nathan Lyon kept Australia in the contest, claiming six for 82 to help bowl out Bangladesh for 221 after the hosts had resumed on 45 for one.
Pakistan pulled off a thrilling three-wicket victory over hosts Bangladesh to storm into the finals of the Asia Cup cricket tournament, knocking India out of the title race.
Irfan Pathan has heaped praise on the bowling attack of Sunrisers Hyderabad saying they have performed well even without their pace spearhead Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.
New Zealand held their nerve under the floodlights to beat Bangladesh by two wickets in a dramatic low-scoring Cricket World Cup match at The Oval on Wednesday.
A struggling Indian team, severely depleted by a spate of on-field injuries and fitness-related problems, will be determined to avoid the ignominy of a clean sweep against Bangladesh in the final ODI of the three-match series.
India will enter the Asia Cup as a seven-time champions, most by any team, but adding an eighth title might just not feature on top of their bucket list.
Former wicketkeeper Brad Haddin says Australia missed the experience and skills of senior spinner Nathan Lyon during their unsuccessful World T20 campaign in India. Lyon was kept out in favour of young spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar, while allrounder Glenn Maxwell also chipped in with his part-timers. Rookie leg-spinner Zampa was a revelation for the Aussies, claiming five wickets in four matches in the tournament. But Australia's other spin options were used sparingly throughout the tournament; Agar bowled just one over in his only match against New Zealand, which went for 18, while Maxwell sent down eight overs in four matches, taking two wickets and conceding 7.6 runs an over. Australia suffered defeats to New Zealand and hosts India to be knocked out in the group stage and on wickets the supported spin bowling, Haddin says Lyon was sorely missed.
Skipper Kane Williamson hailed the fighting spirit of Sunrisers Hyderabad while praising star Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan's all-round brilliance which earned them a 14-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League and a place in Sunday's final.
Pakistan will be eager to raise their game.
- Mahela Jayawardene struck his seventh double hundred and Kithuruwan Vithanage reached his maiden century as Sri Lanka toyed with Bangladesh's toothless attack before declaring their first innings on a mammoth 730 for six in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Battered and bruised, Australia scored a consolation victory, thrashing Bangladesh by seven wickets, to round off a disappointing campaign in the ICC World Twenty20, in Mirpur, on Tuesday.
Images from the second One-Day International between Bangladesh and India, in Mirpur, on Wednesday.
IMAGES from the IPL match played between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Mumbai on Tuesday
The board has formulated new sports guidelines for schools mandating them to have a daily sports period for class 9 to 12 so as to prevent students from having a sedentary lifestyle and turning into couch potatoes.
Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by five wickets to qualify for the final of the Asia Cup.
Sunrisers Hyderabad held their nerves to edge past Mumbai Indians by one wicket off the last ball of the match in a thrilling Indian Premier League match, in Hyderabad, on Thursday.
Vijay in 11th spot; Kohli falls five places
Chennai Super Kings seem to hold a slight edge going into the match as they have not only got the better of their southern rivals twice in the league stages but also have the winning momentum going into the match on what promises to be a bouncy track.
India's Ravichandran Ashwin has jumped to the number one position in the ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders by virtue of his stellar show in the recently-concluded first Test against the West Indies at Kolkata.
Ajinkya Rahane cracked a superb half-century to power Rising Pune Supergiants to a competitive 160-5 against Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Sunday.
Ajinkya Rahane paced his innings to perfection in the company of comeback man Robin Uthappa, as India cruised to a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a rain-truncated first One-Day International in Mirpur, on Sunday. Chasing a target of 273 in 50 overs, India were cruising at 100 for one in 16.4 overs when the heavens opened up, leading to play being stopped for nearly two hours.
Involving the tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir will be 'extremely dangerous' for the reputation of the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL), former captain Ramiz Raja has said.
In-form Indian opener Rohit Sharma broke back into the top-five at fifth, while skipper Virat Kohli held on to the numero uno position in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI rankings, issued on Monday.
Their campaigns thrown haywire by back-to-back losses, defending champions West Indies and Bangladesh would be locked in a do-or-die battle when they square off in a crucial group 1 Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup in Sharjah on Friday.
Up against fancied India, Bangladesh's ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza says the home team should be 'realistic' and enter the one-off Test with an aim to achieve a draw.
Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer combined in a rollicking 159-run partnership to help India wrest back control of the second Test against Bangladesh.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on veteran seamer Ashish Nehra, saying he's a crafty bowler who has proved that "age is just a number".
Bangladesh's first World Cup centurion Mahmudullah is hoping to extend his big scoring spree at the World Cup when he faces off against India.
Struggling KKR seek change of fortunes against RCB
Tamim Iqbal scored a double century and Imrul Kayes 150 in a record opening stand of 312 as Bangladesh overhauled a huge first innings deficit to force a draw with Pakistan in the opening Test at Khulna on Saturday.
India stalwart Virat Kohli retained his second spot in the ICC men's ODI batting rankings on the back of his decent performance in the recently-concluded three-match series in South Africa.
Check out the statistical highlights of the first cricket One-day international between India and Bangladesh.
Would only comment on Yadav after talking to BCCI: Mysore
Professionalism will be pitted against passion when defending champions India square off with Bangladesh in the second semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy, in Birmingham on Thursday.
As for the home side, Kolkata Knight Riders' quality might appear thin on paper in absence of their captain Shreyas Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan, but coach Chandrakant Pandit firmly backed the team to do well.
India will look for another colossal victory and inch closer to the semi-finals when they square off against an embattled Bangladesh.
On a high after Rinku Singh's phenomenal knock, Kolkata Knight Riders will be gunning for a hat-trick of victories when they face a resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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