The pressure was on AB to do the job and boy, did he do it in style!
The player registration deadline closed on Thursday and the list comprises 207 international players including 21 capped Indians.
Mohammad Shahzad struck a lusty 84 runs to propel Afghanistan to a seven-wicket victory over the West Indies to win the World Cup qualifying tournament at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
'We have been already successful in Australia at Big Bash. That's why they pick us. The main thing is to adjust to the conditions. Here most of the times, the condition is such that the ball is turning. In Australia, it is totally different, there is bounce and not that much turn, so you have to stick to your line and look for dot balls'
KXIP's chances of a top four finish took a serious hit after Rajasthan Royals handed them a seven-wicket loss,
A desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad would seek inspiration from skipper David Warner to arrest any further slide when they take on Punjab Kings in an IPL match, in Chennai, on Wednesday.
Shakib Al Hasan, on Monday, became the leading run-scorer in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.
Virat Kohli was named in the Asia XI squad to take on a Faf du Plessis-led World XI in next month's Bangabandhu 100-year celebration three-match T20 International series in Dhaka.
Getting the combination right would be topmost on Sunrisers Hyderabad's to-do list when they take on a qualitatively superior Mumbai Indians in an IPL encounter in Chennai on Saturday, trying to arrest an early slide after back-to-back defeats.
KXIP got its campaign back on track with three consecutive wins -- over mighty Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore and the KL Rahul-led side would be hoping to carry the winning momentum forward to break into top four.
Rajneesh Gupta presents us all the numbers that matter in T20 World Cup 2021.
With 871 rating points, Virat Kohli is at the top followed by Rohit (855) and Pakistan's Babar Azam (829).
Opting to bat after winning the toss, India struggled on a slow pitch and crawled to 224-8 with Virat Kohli (67) and Kedar Jadhav (52) managing half-centuries against a disciplined Afghan attack.
A win for Mumbai Indians will virtually seal them a spot in the play-offs while a loss for KXIP could send them out of contention.
Kings XI run into a RCB squad which has grown in confidence by leaps and bounds since their last meeting.
Cricket Australia gave the day-night match against Afghanistan the green light on Thursday when it announced its summer schedule headlined by a marquee series against India.
Shikhar Dhawan moved up 10 places to achieve a career-best 24 while teammates Murali Vijay and Ravindra Jadeja also moved up in the latest Test rankings.
'Overall as a team, they cannot be seen as walkover. They're very competitive as a one-day and T20 side. They keep proving it over and over again'
KL Rahul and Co would like forget the unsavoury incident and focus on the task ahead.
Krunal Pandya helps Mumbai Indians snatch a thrilling 6 wicket win to keep their hopes alive in IPL-11.
Former champions Kolkata Knight Riders will look to strike a perfect balance under the astute leadership of Eoin Morgan when they open their IPL campaign against a consistent Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Sunday.
It has been a dramatic turnaround for the KL Rahul-led side after a string a losses earlier in the tournament.
Jasprit Bumrah in full flow is always a joy to watch, six or seven stuttering steps, a skip and a shuffle, followed by undiluted fire and fury.
The nail-biting win over defending champions Mumbai Indians was certainly a morale-lifter but the inconsistent Kings XI Punjab have another tough battle at hand when they take on table toppers Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
Kohli (886 points) and Rohit (868 points) have gained two and three ratings points, respectively to occupy the top two positions in the batting rankings.
An ABVP member has also been slapped with a fine of Rs 20,000.
KKR are gradually emerging as a strong contender for a third IPL title
Their bowling attacks struggling to find form, Kings XI Punjab and SunRisers Hyderabad will look towards their power-hitters to do the job when the two erratic teams go head to head in an IPL match, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Afghanistan's spin sensation Rashid Khan says he is prepared for the 'test of patience' that awaits him in the country's five-day debut against India, where all he wants is to keep the jangling nerves at bay.
CSK have better resources but they must utilise them to the hilt. Teams:
Coming off heartbreaking losses, the Indian Premier League game between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab will be a test of character for both sides as they look to get back to winning ways, in Abu Dhabi, on Thursday.
West Indies opener Chris Gayle, who is a popular name among T20 leagues around the world, was not picked along Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga.
Afghanistan spin sensation Rashid Khan produced a match-turning effort for Sunrisers Hyderabad with the ball.
Three consecutive defeats have more or less sealed their fate and for things to turn around for the Royals, every aspect of their game needs to improve and click for them.
Rohit is tied at the eighth spot with England's Alex Hales. Both batsmen have 664 points.
A win for Punjab will elevate them to the top four, while a victory for KKR will take them to 14 points
Rashid Khan's road to success in the longest format as he has a '30-year-old mind in a 19-year-old body'
Kings XI Punjab face the uphill task of not only pulling the rug from under the feet of formidable Chennai Super Kings but also boosting their net run-rate in the last IPL round-robin match to salvage hopes of sneaking into the play-offs.
The only problem for India in the Asia Cup so far has been lack of batting time for the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik.
The irony of being the lone Indian head coach in an Indian Premier League franchise is not lost on Anil Kumble who firmly believes that the piece of statistic is not a "true reflection" of country's coaching resources.
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