Tag: ICC World Cup 2023

PAKISTAN vs AFGHANISTAN (2nd INNINGS)

Set to chase 283, Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided a solid start to the team as the pair put together a century-plus stand as both scored half-centuries.

The duo dominated Pakistan bowlers before Usama Mir got the much-needed breakthrough for his side by dismissing Gurbaz in the 22nd over.

Gurbaz scored 65 off 53 deliveries with the help of nine boundaries and a six.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim stood his ground firm and was involved in another anchoring partnership when he added 60 runs for the second wicket with Rahmat Shah before Hasan Ali got rid of him in the 34th over.

He top-scored for Afghanistan with 87 in 113 balls, hitting 10 boundaries.

Shah was then joined by his skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and the duo knitted a sensible 96-run partnership to steer Afghanistan to a historic victory with an over to spare.

Rahmat Shah scored an unbeaten 77 off 84 deliveries, laced up with five boundaries and two sixes while Shahidi scored 48 not out in 45 balls with the help of four boundaries.

For Pakistan, only Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali could pick up a wicket each while the rest of their bowlers went wicketless.

FALL OF WICKETS 

33.3: Ibrahim Zadran 87 (113b 10×4 0x6) SR: 76.99

Hasan gets some extra bounce off a length and Ibrahim departs. He looks to force it through the offside but is deceived by that extra bounce and can only edge it to Rizwan.

21.1: Rahmanullah Gurbaz 65 (53b 9×4 1×6) SR: 122.64

Afridi bowled short around middle and off, and angled across to finish outside off. Gurbaz seemed to be into his pull early, as the ball took off from the top edge for a simple catch

PAKISTAN vs AFGHANISTAN (1st INNINGS)

Opting to bat first, Pakistan put on a formidable total of 282/7 on the board, courtesy of Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam’s half-centuries, followed by a late onslaught by Iftikhar Ahmed.

Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique scripted a decent start for their side by putting up 56 runs for the first wicket, which lasted when Azmatullah Omarzai removed Imam (17) in the 11th over.

Abdullah, alongside Babar, then anchored the innings with a solid partnership before Noor Ahmed pulled things back with twin strikers, removing Abdullah (58) and Mohammad Rizwan (8) in his successive overs.

Babar then stitched brief partnerships with Saud Shakeel (25) and Shadab Khan before falling victim to Noor, who returned with splendid figures of 3/49 in his 10 overs. Babar top-scored for Pakistan with a 92-ball 74.

All-rounders Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan then launched a late onslaught on the Afghanistan bowlers, adding 73 runs in 45 deliveries before both perished in the final over.

Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan scored 40 each, while the former took just 27 deliveries, 11 fewer than Shadab.

FALL OF WICKETS

49.6: Shadab Khan 40 (38b 1×4 1×6) SR: 105.26

Naveen bowled short and wide of off and Shadab could not place it as intended and ended up handing a simple catch to Mohammad Nabi.

49.2: Iftikhar Ahmed 40 (27b 2×4 4×6) SR: 148.4

Iftikhar looked to loft this inside out, seeing that the ball was on a length, and wide of off. He got the elevation but went right into the lap of the fielder on the boundary.

41.5: Babar Azam 74 (92b 4×4 1×6) SR: 80.43

Noor bowled short and wide, inviting Babar to have a slash away from his body. He shifted his weight onto his back foot, and went hard, only to be caught by Nabi at extra cover.

Abdullah looks to sweep Noor but is hit on his front pad. Afghanistan reviews and it shows no bottom edge. The ball goes below the bat, and ball tracking shows the ball hitting the top of the leg stump.

CHENNAI: Pakistan have won the toss and elected to bat first against Afghanistan in the 22nd match of the ICC World Cup 2023 at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Pakistan

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi

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Afghanistan

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmed

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD:

Overall ODIs: Matches 7, Pakistan 7, Afghanistan 0

ODI World Cup: Matches 1, Pakistan 1, Afghanistan 0

READ: Brydon Carse replaces injured Reece Topley in England ICC World Cup 2023 squad

CHENNAI: Pakistan have won the toss and elected to bat first against Afghanistan in the 22nd match of the ICC World Cup 2023 at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Pakistan

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Watch ICC World Cup 2023 Live on ARY ZAP

Afghanistan

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmed

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD:

Overall ODIs: Matches 7, Pakistan 7, Afghanistan 0

ODI World Cup: Matches 1, Pakistan 1, Afghanistan 0

READ: Holders England suffer major setback to their World Cup campaign

CHENNAI: Pakistan Men’s cricket team held a full-strength training session on Sunday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here ahead of their ICC World Cup 2023 clash against Afghanistan.

According to the details, Pakistan, who are on a two-match losing streak, engaged in a rigorous practice session for a crucial fixture against spirited Afghanistan.

The players partook in several batting, bowling and fielding drills to boast their preparations for their fifth ICC World Cup 2023 fixture.

📸 #PAKvAFG preparations in Chennai 🏟️#CWC23 | #DattKePakistani pic.twitter.com/lKY54E4RBT

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 22, 2023

The national team reached here on Saturday evening through a chartered plane from Bengaluru.

Pakistan is currently in fifth position in the ICC World Cup 2023 standings with four points in three matches, with a net run rate of -0.456.

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Pakistan suffered a thumping 62-run loss to Australia, courtesy of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh’s dominating centuries, followed by a disciplined bowling performance.

Set to chase a daunting 368-run target, Pakistan could accumulate 305 in response, before being bundled out in the 46th over.

Pakistan got off to a solid start as their openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq also fired with both scoring half-centuries.

The pair took Pakistan to 134 unhurt in 21 before Marcus Stoinis struck on his very first delivery to break the shackles as he outclassed Abdullah with a short-pitched delivery.

Stoinis then struck again in his next over to remove Imam and posted a major dent to Pakistan’s pursuit by removing both set batters in quick succession.

Imam remained the top scorer for Pakistan with a 71-ball 70, hitting 10 boundaries.

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Out-of-form Adam Zampa soon strengthened Australia’s command by claiming the prized scalp of Pakistan captain Babar Azam (18), causing the green shirts to slip to 175/3 in 26.2 overs.

Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan then put together an anchoring 57-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Pat Cummins got rid of Saud,.

Rizwan was then joined by Iftikhar Ahmed in the middle and he charged at the Australian bowlers before Zampa removed him in the 39th over.

Zampa then struck again in his next over and got rid of Pakistan’s mainstay Mohammad Rizwan to put the five-time champions in complete control.

Australian bowlers then ran through their batting tail and soon booked Pakistan on 305 to taste their second consecutive victory, which lifted them to the fourth position in the ICC World Cup 2023.

Adam Zampa led the bowling attack for Australia with 4/53 in his 10, followed by two each from Stoinis and Pat Cummins while Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood struck out a batter apiece.

Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.

Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan

Pakistan’s remaining ICC World Cup 2023 fixtures

• October 23 – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
• October 27 – vs South Africa in Chennai
• October 31 – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
• November 4 – vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
• November 11 – vs England in Kolkata

The day matches will start at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures, starting at 01:30 pm (PST).

The Chennai chapter of Pakistan’s campaign in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 begins on Monday when they play spin-packed Afghanistan at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

After Afghanistan, Pakistan will stay in the city to play South Africa on 27 October for their second and last match of the tournament here.

Pakistan, after four games, are fifth on the points table with two wins and as many losses. After following the tournament with remarkable wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, which saw them make the record for the highest successful chase in the history of the tournament, Pakistan have had a few tough outings.

Pakistan are eager to leave Chennai 4-2 up and fast bowler Shaheen Afridi believes that learnings from the last two matches will help the side in the upcoming matches.

“We are aware of the expectations from the team and we are eager to fulfil them,” he told PCB Digital ahead of the match against Afghanistan.

“A loss is a loss and we need to accept it. But, learning from it would be better for the team. These two matches were very important for us, but we are very much alive in the tournament. We are here to make history [by winning the World Cup].”

Watch ICC World Cup 2023 Live on ARY ZAP

It will be Afghanistan’s second match on the trot here in Chennai. While the experience of playing New Zealand, albeit in a defeat, may help them, they are buoyed by a win over England.

Afghanistan, however, are yet to defeat Pakistan in ODIs but Shaheen did not want to emphasize the past record.

“There is no room for complacency in a tournament like the World Cup as any team can beat anyone, something that we have seen so far.

“Afghanistan have been playing good cricket and they have recently defeated England. We will have to show up with the best skills against them. They have world-class spinners, but, thanks to Almighty, our batting unit has also been doing well.”

For the unversed, Chennai’s conditions are said to be more spin-friendly but Shaheen was eager to find the reverse swing in the middle overs.

“There are many venues in India that favour spinners and Chennai is one such venue. As fast bowlers, our role is to make the most of the reverse swing on offer in the middle overs and in the latter stages of the game.”

READ: Imam-ul-Haq says Pakistan ‘will be a different team’ against Afghanistan

LONDON: Left-arm pacer Reece Topley has been ruled out of the ICC World Cup 2023 remainder, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed Sunday.

According to the ECB, Topley fractured his left index finger during England’s 229-run thrashing against South Africa on Saturday.

“England and Surrey seamer Reece Topley has been ruled out of the rest of the ICC Men’s World Cup after fracturing his left index finger during England’s defeat to South Africa on Saturday,” ECB stated.

Notably, Topley sustained a blow to the index finger of his bowling hand while attempting to stop the drive on his follow-through.

Initial reports suggested that the left-arm pacer may have cracked his finger. He was then taken for scans in Mumbai which revealed the full extent of his injury.

“Scans in Mumbai on Saturday, after the match at the Wankhede Stadium, revealed the full extent of the injury. Topley will return to the UK in the next 24 hours,” said ECB.

“He will work closely with the England and Surrey medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation,” the statement added.

It is pertinent to mention that the ECB is yet to announce Reece Topley’s replacement for the ICC World Cup 2023 but right-arm speedster Jofra Archer emerged as a strong contender, reports suggested.

England had a disappointing World Cup campaign thus far as the defending champions managed to win only one game out of four and currently sit ninth in the standings, trailing by Afghanistan, who upset them by 69 runs last week.

England’s squad for the World Cup 2023

Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.

READ: Imam-ul-Haq says Pakistan ‘will be a different team’ against Afghanistan

CHENNAI: Left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq asserted that the Pakistan cricket team has analyzed its situation and also that a “different team” will take on Afghanistan in Monday’s ICC World Cup 2023 fixture.

Imam-ul-Haq, while speaking at the pre-match conference here accepted the national team’s struggle to convert solid knocks into bigger ones.

“When you are chasing 367, you have to take risks. I agree we are not able to play big innings, I also agree that we haven’t played well in the last two matches,” said Imam.

“We have analysed our situation, you’ll see a different team tomorrow [against Afghanistan],” he added.

The left-handed opener also acknowledged that the consecutive defeats in the ICC World Cup 2023 had taken a toll on the team’s morale but expressed his confidence that they could be back on the winning track.

“Yes, losing matches back-to-back downs your morale but we back each other and the management is backing the players as well.

“We are confident that we can get back on track after winning against Afghanistan. We aren’t able to convert the 70s or 80s into a century, we have talked to our coach about it.

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In a query regarding the misfiring Pakistan bowling attack, Imam-ul-Haq claimed that every team’s bowlers are being taken for plenty before taking a leaf out of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s five-fer against Australia to back his remarks.

“Bowlers of all the teams are conceding runs, it’s not only happening with us. Shaheen bowled well against Australia,” Imam said.

For the unversed, Pakistan, after starting their ICC World Cup 2023 campaign with back-to-back wins are now on a two-match losing streak, succumbing against India and Australia.

The Babar Azam-led side now sit fifth in the World Cup standings with four points in as many matches.

READ: Afghanistan coach looks for more ‘passionate’ rivalry with Pakistan

DHARAMSALA: Virat Kohli’s gutsy 95-run knock in the run chase powered India to edge New Zealand by four wickets and climbed to the summit of the ICC World Cup 2023 standings on Sunday.

Set to chase 274, India completed the pursuit for the loss of six wickets and 12 balls remaining to stay unbeaten in the mega event.

Notably, this was India’s first victory over New Zealand after 20 years in an ICC tournament.

Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave the hosts a flying start as they notched up a 71-run opening stand before Lockie Ferguson stepped up for New Zealand, removing both openers in his successive overs.

Sharma fell just shy of his half-century, scoring a 40-ball 46, hitting four boundaries and as many sixes while Gill scored a cautious 26. His 31-ball knock included five boundaries.

Following back-to-back blows, Shreyas Iyer joined Virat Kohli and they put together an anchoring 52-run partnership before the former perished in the 22nd over.

He scored 33 in 29 balls, smashing six boundaries.

Kohli was then involved in another crucial partnership for India with KL Rahul, who scored a 35-ball 27 before the home side lost two more wickets as the wicketkeeper batter and Suryakumar Yadav (2) fell in the span of 11 deliveries.

The back-to-back dismissals fueled New Zealand with momentum and their bowlers piled pressure on the Indian batters but set batter Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja did not deter.

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The duo batted sensibly and put India in touching distance of a long-awaited victory over New Zealand with Virat sniffing his second century of the ICC World Cup 2023.

However, Matt Henry barred Kohli from equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most ODI centuries (49), dismissing the star batter on 95.

Virat Kohli hit eight boundaries and two sixes on his way to a 104-ball 95.

Meanwhile, Jadeja carried his bat all the way through with an unbeaten 39 and steered India to glory.

His 44-ball knock featured three boundaries and a six.

Lockie Ferguson bagged two wickets for New Zealand, while Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult made one scalp each.

India opted to field first after winning the toss and their bowlers justified the decision by dismissing both opening batters inside ten overs with a meagre 34 runs on board.

Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell then knitted a formidable third-wicket partnership to stabilize New Zealand innings.

Together they added 159 runs from 152 balls before Ravindra attempted to send Shami’s slower one to the stands but was caught by Shubman Gill on the boundary.

Ravindra’s 87-ball innings of 75 featured six boundaries and one six.

Mitchell then saw Kiwi skipper Tom Latham going back to the pavilion after getting lbw off Kuldeep Yadav.

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Glenn Phillips (23) then supported Mitchell to add 38 runs for the fifth wicket before ballooning up Kuldeep Yadav’s ball only to be caught by Rohit Sharma.

Indian bowlers did not let New Zealand recover and gave only 30 runs for the last five wickets, as none of the lower-order batters could reach double figures.

Mitchell stood firm on the other end and hit Shami for ten runs in the final over before being caught by Virat Kohli in an attempt to hit the third boundary of the over.

He recorded his highest ODI score 130 off 127 balls with the help of nine boundaries and five sixes.

Shami topped the Indian bowling charts with his five-fer while Kuldeep Yadav picked two wickets for 73 runs.

READ: Afghanistan coach looks for more ‘passionate’ rivalry with Pakistan

Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott said on Sunday that his team are looking forward to renewing a “passionate” rivalry with Pakistan in the ICC World Cup 2023 which has often reflected the stormy political relationship between the two neighbours.

Both sides will clash on Monday and are in desperate need of a win at the ICC World Cup 2023.

Pakistan have lost their last two games after a pair of opening wins. Afghanistan pulled off a shock victory over defending champions England but have also slumped to three defeats.

At the 2019 World Cup match in Leeds, which Pakistan won by three wickets, riots between the two sets of fans erupted outside the stadium.

Afghanistan fast bowler Fareed Malik and Pakistan batsman Asif Ali almost came to blows in a Twenty20 game at Sharjah last year.

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“I think for them (Afghanistan players) it’s a rivalry that excites them,” said Trott on Sunday.

“I think it’s a rivalry that sometimes in the past has been very passionate.

“We’ve had very close games as well. Hopefully, tomorrow isn’t very exciting and we win by a lot. It’s just the nature of the rivalry, I should say.”

He added: “Both teams, I think, respect each other, but are very desperate to win.”

Trott said he wasn’t aware that Pakistan had unsuccessfully demanded the International Cricket Council switch Sunday’s game to another venue.

Reports claimed that Pakistan were keen to dent the threat posed by Afghanistan’s world-class spin attack.

“I didn’t know about them wanting to (change the venue), but I think Pakistan have got good spinners themselves and the thing with spinners, there are only two or three of them playing a game,” said Trott.

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Afghanistan’s spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi will pose a threat to Pakistan as they did against England, sharing eight wickets in an upset 69-run win.

That game, however, took place in New Delhi.

“It’s everybody’s job, not just the spinners, to win games. There’s batsmen who’ve got to put runs on the board or batsmen who’ve got to chase down a total,” added former England batsman Trott.

“Chennai is normally a good wicket. So, with regards to the mindset, it’s important, as I said, the mindset we have there is that it’s a team game. It’s not just a spinners game.”

Afghanistan have lost all seven ODIs against Pakistan but can take a degree of satisfaction from knowing that they clinched three of the teams’ last four Twenty20 meetings.

“We always look to put the opposition under pressure straight away so we’ll be looking to do that tomorrow obviously, and I don’t think there’s any thoughts with regards to previous matches,” said Trott.

READ: Melbourne Stars routed for record-low 29 in WBBL

DHARAMSALA: India have won the toss and elected to field first against New Zealand in the 21st match of the ICC World Cup 2023 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association [HPCA] Stadium.

New Zealand

Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

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India

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD:

Overall ODIs: Matches 116, India 58, New Zealand 50, NR 7, Tied 1

ODI World Cup: Matches 9, India 3, New Zealand 5, NR 1

READ: Sri Lanka edge Netherlands to claim first win in ICC World Cup 2023

MUMBAI: Heinrich Klaasen’s 61-ball century, followed by a combined bowling effort led South Africa to a thumping 229-run victory over defending champions England in the 20th match of the ICC World Cup 2023.

Set to chase 400, England could only raise 170 before bundling out in 22 overs and thus succumbed to one of the biggest defeats in the history of the World Cups.

The defending champions, after having a dismal start, lost wickets at an alarming rate and were reduced to 84/7 in 15.1 overs.

England further slipped to 100/8 in the next over when bowling all-rounder David Willey fell for a run-a-ball 12.

When it seemed all over for England, their tailenders Mark Wood and Gut Atkinson retaliated with a sensational 70-run partnership before Keshav Maharaj castled the latter to register South Africa’s dominating victory.

Atkinson scored 35 in 21 deliveries with the help of seven boundaries while Mark Wood remained unbeaten with a quickfire 43. His 17-ball knock featured two boundaries and five sixes.

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Put into bat first, the South African batters made England Jos Buttler pay as they registered a daunting total on the board with Heinrich Klaasen leading the charge courtesy of a quickfire century at the backend.

The Proteas, however, had a contrasting start as their in-form Quinton de Kock (4) fell on the second delivery of the innings.

Opening batter Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen both scored half-centuries after an early blow as they racked up 121 runs at a brisk pace for the second wicket.

The duo put South Africa in command before both fell victim to Adil Rashid in quick succession as the Proteas slipped to 164/2 in 25.2 overs.

Rassie van der Dussen scored 60 in 61 deliveries, hitting eight boundaries while Hendricks fell shy of his second ODI century, scoring a 75-ball 85, laced up with nine boundaries and three sixes.

Coming out to bat at number five, Heinrich Klaasen joined skipper Aiden Markram and stitched an important 69-run partnership before the latter fell.

South Africa then sustained another blow to their innings as David Miller (5) fell cheaply, causing the side to slip to 243/5 in 36.3 overs.

Following the slump, Heinrich Klaasen launched a counterattack on the English bowlers with a quickfire century and was brilliantly supported by Marco Jansen.

The pair went hard at the bowlers to register a match-defining 151-run partnership off just 76 deliveries before Klaasen finally perished in the final over.

Heinrich Klaasen top-scored with a berserk 109 in 67 balls, smashing 12 boundaries and four sixes.

Meanwhile, Jansen carried his bat all the way through to score an unbeaten 75, conceding just 42 deliveries and smashed three boundaries and six sixes.

Reece Topley picked up three wickets for England while Gut Atkinson and Adil Rashid bagged two each.

READ: Sri Lanka edge Netherlands to claim first win in ICC World Cup 2023