Injuries to key players such as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma is giving them the jitters but India would still be firm favourites when they take on a depleted and struggling Sri Lanka in their penultimate league encounter of the Asia Cup Twenty20 cricket tournament, in Mirpur, on Tuesday.
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has joined the chorus of players who believe tainted Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir should be banned for life for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal. Amir will return at Lord's six years after he deliberately bowled no balls at the same venue during a Test in 2010. Pietersen was among the England team that played against Pakistan at that Lord's Test in August 2010 and the 36-year old believes anyone caught spot or match fixing should not be allowed to play the game again.
A miffed Pakistan Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi abandoned a press conference midway in Lahore on Wednesday after he had a verbal spat with a reporter leading to a partial protest by the media demanding an apology from the flamboyant all-rounder.
BCCI might be keen on organising a tri-series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka in India later this year, but Pakistan Cricket Board's caretaker chairman Najam Sethi said he would be more interested in reviving bilateral cricketing ties between the two nations.
Disgraced Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif took a step further towards his rehabilitation when he subamitted a written apology to the Cricket Board (PCB) and also agreed to cooperate with authorities on the spot-fixing issue.
India are eyeing a place in the final after three wins in as many matches, while Pakistan will look to step up their game in the Super Four match, after a scare against Afghanistan.
World cricket's most intriguing rivalry will once again be renewed when India take on an unpredictable Pakistan with rehabilitated pacer Mohammad Aamir being the focus of attention in a round-robin league encounter of the Asia Cup T20 tournament, in Mirpur, on Saturday.
Pakistan pacer Mohammad Aamir was Friday booed on his return to international cricket by the crowd during the first Twenty20 match against New Zealand in Auckland. The 23-year-old left-arm pacer was making his first appearance for Pakistan since returning from a five-year ban and jail time for being implicated in a spot-fixing scandal in 2010. Pakistan defeated the hosts by 16 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with Mohammad Hafeez scoring 61 as they reached 171 for eight. Shahid Afridi's astute captaincy coupled with an all-round effort, helped Pakistan overcome New Zealand's challenge.
Pakistan's disgraced cricketer Salman Butt has tendered a personal apology to his former captain Shahid Afridi when they crossed paths at the national cricket academy in Lahore.
PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan has slammed the team's performance at the Asia Cup but admitted it was too late to make sweeping changes ahead of the World Twenty20 this month.
Disgraced Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif is anguished and disappointed that some former cricketers are against the idea of letting players banned for spot-fixing return to the game after being reformed and rehabilitated.
One-Day International captain Azhar Ali and opening batsman Mohammad Hafeez reported for the national conditioning camp in Lahore in the morning session but did not return back for the second session, protesting against the presence of tainted left-arm pacer Mohammad Aamir.
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar feels Indian batting is equipped to handle Pakistan pacers, who will have to deal with the dashing opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan when the arch-rivals clash in Asia Cup in Mirpur, on Saturday.
Mohammad Aamir backed former Indian captain Rahul Dravid's suggestion to make fixing a criminal offence.
Pakistan's banned former captain Salman Butt has finally admitted his unconditional involvement in the spot fixing scandal that shook world cricket in 2010 in a bid to get some relaxation from the International Cricket Council (ICC) when his five-year ban ends in September.
Banned Salman Butt was asked by the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit to appear for a hearing.
Desperate to save the career of tainted pacer Muhammad Aamir, the Pakistan Cricket Board would try to seek ICC's permission for the youngster to start training at PCB facilities and play some domestic cricket.
With 35 matches spread over 27 days, World T20 looks set to illustrate once again just how skewed the 20-overs game is against bowlers.
Jolted by the shock loss to New Zealand in the opening game, India will be fighting a survival battle quite early in the tournament when they take on arch foes Pakistan in what is being seen as the marquee clash of the ICC World Twenty20 in Kolkata on Saturday. The hosts, who started clear title-favourites, were in for a blow in the first match itself when New Zealand's spinners bamboozled their famed batting line-up on a turning Nagpur track. As a result, the world No.1 side is staring at an early elimination should it lose to Pakistan in the high-voltage game at the Eden Gardens. As is the case with most India-Pakistan contests, this game too has been preceded by its share of drama. The match was originally scheduled to be held in Dharamsala but was shifted here after the Himachal Pradesh government expressed inability to provide security to the Pakistan team owing to protests by ex-servicemen and their families.
Images from the Asia Cup T20 cricket match between India and Pakistan on Saturday.
Indian cricket's fortunes ebbed and flowed in 2015 with Virat Kohli successfully leading the national side in Tests and Mahendra Singh Dhoni appearing to be losing his midas touch, while in off the field drama Shashank Manohar returned as the president of Board of Control for Cricket in India.
'Mahendra Singh Dhoni has at his disposal a range of multi-skilled players who possess the ability to turn the game around at the flick of a switch.'
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances