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.
The full implications of the India's refusal to play Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan were laid bare on Sunday as Australia and South Africa waited to find out whether they will play their semi-finals in Lahore or Dubai this week.
Starc's withdrawal comes after pace stalwarts Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were ruled out due to injuries.
South Africa will look to fix their chasing troubles before the semifinals while Afghanistan will back themselves to beat another top team
The ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan has seen a decline in attendance following the early exit of the Pakistani cricket team and the start of Ramadan.
Australia have enough experience and versatility in their line-up to get into tournament-mode quickly for the Champions Trophy following a difficult buildup to the One-Day International showpiece, according to opener Travis Head.
Pakistan tailender Naseem Shah cut down Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi in the final over of a cliff-hanger once again on Thursday.
'India needs to score big because they will have to defend those totals without Bumrah.'
Mitchell Santner and Lockie Ferguson picked up three wickets each as New Zealand trounced Afghanistan by 149 runs.
South Africa's Anrich Nortje has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy with a back injury
Centuries from openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran powered Afghanistan to their first ever ODI series against Bangladesh in Chattogram on Saturday.
Buttler said it will take a lot of effort from his team to overcome the setback.
Australia and South Africa, two teams renowned for their batting prowess, will go head-to-head in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, aiming to secure a place in the Champions Trophy semifinals.
Afghanistan were once considered World Cup minnows, having won just one game in their two previous campaigns.
South Africa crushed England by seven wickets in their final group match to storm into the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy.
Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has announced that he will retire from One-Day Internationals after next year's Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
Images from the ICC World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, in Pune, on Monday.
Afghanistan dismissed England for 215 to create one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Wondeful shots of African women and giraffes roaming Kenyan grasslands were judged the most outstanding photographs of the year.
Insurgents opened fire on a passenger train in Pakistan's Balochistan province, injuring the driver and prompting security guards aboard the train to fire back. The attack occurred in the Bolan district on the Jaffar Express from Quetta to Peshawar. The train was stopped by armed men in Tunnel No 8, and efforts are being made to contact the passengers and staff. The Balochistan government has ordered emergency measures and all institutions remain active.
"The ICC (International Cricket Council) Champions Trophy 2025 is a culmination of those efforts," PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told Reuters.
Lending her support to Donald Trump's leadership prowess, the Italian PM said that the Left Wing is nervous about leaders from conservative parties winning and collaborating globally.
Bari said he is delighted to see the ICC Champions Trophy being held in Pakistan now and multiple teams landing in the country.
India captain Rohit Sharma, who led the team to their second ICC T20 World Cup title last June, has been named skipper of the ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year 2024.
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi, suspended from the Maharashtra assembly over his remarks praising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, will be '100 per cent' put in jail, Chief Minister Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in the legislative council.
Arshin Kulkarni starred with both bat and ball to enable India prevail over Afghanistan
Former India player and coach Lalchand Rajput says this Indian team has a clear instinct that will just finish off opponents
'When I was batting, I realised the wicket wasn't supportive for batters against spinners. I told the boys that 280-290 would be enough when I got back into the dressing room. I want to say that the belief, trust and talent is there.'
Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran said dew made life difficult for his bowlers and fielders during India's run chase in the first T20 International.
Jos Buttler joins greats Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara as players who failed to translate their many individual triumphs into success as captains.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes South Africa has a slight edge over New Zealand in their Champions Trophy semifinal clash.
Crime Beat is engrossing enough to binge-watch, endorses Deepa Gahlot.
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott said that they weren't aware of the net run rate (NRR) permutations which might have worked in their favour during their last group clash against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup in Lahore.
Female sport in Afghanistan has been crushed since the Taliban took over from a Western-backed government in August 2021.
At least 27 terrorists were killed and 155 passengers rescued by the security forces after Baloch militants hijacked a passenger train in a tunnel in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Tuesday, security officials said.
While retirement is very much a cricketer's individual call, the counter point will be if the national selectors or the BCCI feel that they need to look at the bigger picture and have only one among Rohit and Virat in the ODI set-up going forward.
IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match played between Bangladesh and Afghanistan in Dharamsala on Saturday
The cabinet of the new government led by Rekha Gupta balances representation of all major communities that propelled the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in Delhi with a massive majority after over 26 years.
Images from the ICC World Cup match between Afghanistan vs South Africa, in Ahmedabad, on Friday.
The quake triggered panic among people, with many in Delhi and the National Capital Region reporting shaking of furniture.
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