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Champions Trophy: Harbhajan Singh issues bold statement about Pakistan-India clash

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has made a bold statement about the result of his country’s upcoming match against Pakistan in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.

The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will kick off on 19 February with host and defending champions Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the curtain-raiser in Karachi.

Meanwhile, the high-octane clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 23.

Harbhajan Singh predicted India to win single-handedly while calling it an ‘overhyped’ match. The former spinner asserted that India is a much stronger team.

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“India and Pakistan. You heard it right, this is an overhyped match. Because there is nothing in it,” he said. “India is a very strong team, while Pakistan is an inconsistent team as they recently lost to New Zealand at home.”

“Pakistan’s team seems to be a little weak. Because apart from Babar and Rizwan, there is no other batsman in that team. If you look at their team in bowling they are not in form.”

Harbhajan also expressed confidence in India’s squad, while predicting that this team can win the Champions Trophy 2025.

“In the match between India and Pakistan, Pakistan is far behind, and India looks like a team that can win this Champions Trophy,” he stated.

Squads for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

READ: Mohammad Amir casts doubts over Haris Rauf’s Champions Trophy participation

Gautam Gambhir opens up on hype around India-Pakistan clash at Champions Trophy

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has downplayed the hype around the high-octane clash against arch-rivals Pakistan during the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The neighbouring countries will square off on Sunday, February 23 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Gautam Gambhir discussed the emotional significance of the India-Pakistan match while emphasizing that it is still just another game as their primary objective is to win the Champions Trophy.

“Look, we don’t go to the Champions Trophy [2025] thinking that the 23rd is the most important game for us. I think five games, all the games are important,” Gautam Gambhir said during the annual BCCI awards.

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“The mission to go to Dubai is to win the Champions Trophy, not only win one particular game. But yes, if that is one game in the middle of winning the title, we’re going to try and take it as seriously as possible.”

“And more importantly, I think when two countries, India and Pakistan, play against each other, obviously the emotions are really high, but ultimately the contest remains the same.”

Gambhir emphasized the fierce competition in the eight-team tournament, stating that the format leaves little margin for error, making every match crucial for a title challenge.

“Champions Trophy is a completely different challenge as compared to the 50-over World Cup because literally every game is a make-or-break, so you can’t stop anywhere in this tournament,” Gambhir noted.

READ: Wasim Akram questions Faheem Ashraf’s selection in Pakistan squad

Shane Watson voices disappointment over India’s refusal to tour Pakistan

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has voiced his deep disappointment over India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The eight-team tournament was originally set to be hosted exclusively by Pakistan. However, the Indian government decided not to send its team to the neighbouring country due to ongoing political issues between the two nations.

Consequently, the International Cricket Council (ICC) adopted a hybrid model for the Champions Trophy, with Team India playing all their matches in Dubai.

Watson expressed that it was “unfortunate” for the fans in Pakistan that they would not be able to witness India playing live on their home soil.

“It’s unfortunate things have turned out this way, but everyone loves watching India-Pakistan games,” he said during the ICC Champions Trophy Tour in Sydney.

The former all-rounder shared his experience of playing in Pakistan, stating that it was ‘incredible.’

“I got a small opportunity to play in the PSL in 2019, the first time after playing there in 2005. It was one of the highlights of my career,” he added.

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“To go to Pakistan after a long time and see the love and joy they have for cricket was incredible. They were starved of world-class live cricket.”

Shane Watson acknowledged the importance of hosting such a prestigious event, recognizing how it resonates with the passionate cricket fans in Pakistan.

“It’s going to be huge for Pakistan cricket fans to watch world-class players in their country,” he said.

“This tournament will light up Pakistan. It’s going to be a special event for the country and its cricket fans.”

It’s worth noting that the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will kick off on 19 February with host and defending champions Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the curtain-raiser in Karachi.

Meanwhile, the season finale is scheduled on 9 March in Lahore, unless India qualify, in which case it will be played in Dubai.

READ: Najmul Hossain Shanto steps down as Bangladesh T20I captain

India edge past Pakistan to register first win in Women’s T20 World Cup

DUBAI: Arundhati Reddy’s three wickets followed by a combined batting effort steered India to a dominant six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the seventh match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 here on Sunday.

While chasing a modest 106, India successfully achieved the target in 18.5 overs with Sajeevan Sajana hitting Nida Dar for a boundary.

India lost Smriti Mandhana (7) early on with 17 runs on the board, however, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues stitched a 43-run stand for the second wicket to keep the team in the hunt.

Shafali Verma top-scored with 32 runs from 35 balls before falling prey to Omaima Sohail.

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana then struck twice to force her side’s comeback as she removed Jemimah Rodrigues (23) and Richa Ghosh on back-to-back deliveries.

But Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur played a 24-ball knock of 29 runs to tilt the game completely in her side’s favour before she retired hurt in the 19th over.

Deepti Sharma and Sajeevan Sajana remained unbeaten at 7 and 4 respectively as India comfortably chased the target.

Fatima Sana took two wickets, while Sadia and Omaima picked one each for Pakistan.

Pakistan opted to bat first, however, the decision backfired as Renuka Singh castled opening batter Gull Feroza (0) on the last ball of the first over.

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India soon got another success as Deepti Sharma bowled Sidra Amin (8) with 25 runs on the board.

Muneeba Ali scored a scratchy 17 from 26 balls with two boundaries before falling prey to Shreyanka Patil, leaving Pakistan reeling at 41-4.

Nida Dar held on to one end, however, wickets kept falling at the other end. Captain Fatima Sana added a valuable 13 runs from eight balls but her quick knock was ended courtesy of a brilliant catch by wicketkeeper Richa Gosh.

Pakistan were struggling at 71-7 when Syeda Aroob Shah joined Nida Dar and together they added 28 runs for the eighth wicket.

Nida Dar was bowled in the last over after scoring 28 runs from 34 balls. Nashra Sandhu faced the last two balls of the innings and struck a six to push the team’s total to 105-8.

Syeda Aroob Shah remained unbeaten at 14 runs from 17 balls which included one boundary.

For India, Arundhati Reddy returned with bowling figures of 3-19, while Shreyanka Patil claimed 2-12. Renuka Singh, Deepti Sharma and Asha Sobhana managed one wicket each.

It’s worth noting that Pakistan started their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with a victory over Sri Lanka, while India suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of New Zealand.

Playing XIs:

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, and Sajana Sajeevan.

Pakistan: Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, and Tuba Hassan.

READ: Shan Masood aims to end Pakistan’s losing streak in first England Test

Here’s why Shastri picks India-Pakistan clash as his favourite World Cup moment

Former India cricketer and renowned commentator Ravi Shastri picked the blockbuster clash between fierce rivals Pakistan and India as one of his favourite moments from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Inaugural champions India came from behind in the nail-biting final of this year’s mega event against South Africa to end their 11-year-long ICC title drought.

The former champions remained unbeaten in the entirety of the tournament but were tested massively on two occasions — against arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stage and in the final against South Africa.

Pakistan, while chasing 120, were 80/3 with set batter Mohammad Rizwan at the crease. But Jasprit Bumrah, the eventual Player of the Tournament, cleaned up the wicketkeeper batter to force an astounding comeback of the Men in Blue.

Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri, in the latest episode of the ICC Review podcast, termed Rizwan’s dismissal as his favourite moment being an Indian supporter as it eventually set their tone going forward in the T20 World Cup 2024.

“I think India-Pakistan because India were made to fight there and realise what the right combination should be going forward in the tournament. That and then of course the final, those final five overs [from the T20 World Cup final],” Shastri said.

“I’d say one was Jasprit [Bumrah] getting Mohammad Rizwan. Extremely crucial, because that could have tilted the balance of the game. And it happened on the first ball of a new spell,” he added.

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Ravi Shastri then picked Jasprit Bumrah’s death over bowling in the final against South Africa as his other favourite moment.

“Brought back into the attack and then getting it to reverse and sneak through bat and pad [of Marco Jansen], I thought that was a very, very important wicket at that time,” Shastri recalled.

“Hardik [Pandya] had done the main damage by taking Klaasen [in the previous over] but I thought back-to-back, that over and that wicket was extremely important.”

“He just showed the world what it takes and you know, it’s not often in your career when you have a ball in your hand and you say, do this and the ball does that,” Shastri said of Bumrah.

Lauding Bumrah, Ravi Shastri went on to compare the lanky pacer with all-time greats like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

“Very few have done it, I thought Wasim [Akram] and Waqar [Younis] had it in their prime when they played white-ball cricket. Shane Warne had it where he could literally tell the ball, go there, pitch there, hit leg stump,” Shastri said.

“People who are on top of the game have that ability. I think Bumrah had that in this World Cup.”

READ: Asalanka’s twin strike lifts Sri Lanka to force tie against India

Sourav Ganguly warns India of Pakistan threat in T20 World Cup 2024

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly warned India ahead of their upcoming blockbuster clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to run from June 1 to 29.

Ganguly mentioned India’s superior record against Pakistan in the World Cups but acknowledged the Green Shirts as more dangerous in the shortest format.

“Our record against Pakistan has been very, very good over a long period of time. In the T20 format, probably Pakistan is more dangerous compared to 50- overs (format). We beat them in Ahmedabad when they came to India and we beat them easily,” stated Ganguly.

“India is superior and if they play well, if they play freely and I keep saying the word ‘freely’ all the time because (in) the last World Cup in Australia, I don’t think we played freely.

“Just put all the cobwebs behind. Don’t worry about winning or losing. Don’t think about winning the World Cup. Just go and play every game.”

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Sourav Ganguly further claimed that the inaugural champions “have very good chances” in the forthcoming mega event, highlighting their immense talent.

“India have very good chances in the World Cup. India will have to play like a T20 team. There is enormous talent,” he said.

“Play without fear and just keep hitting. There is enormous talent, (this is) a team which has (Virat) Kohli, Rohit (Sharma), Surya (Suryakumar Yadav), (Rishabh) Pant, (Shivam) Dubey, (Hardik) Pandya, (Ravindra) Jadeja, Axar (Patel), (Jasprit) Bumrah, Sanju (Samson),” he said when asked about India’s chances.

“That’s why I say everyone is capable of winning it for India and the only way they will do it is (if they) just play with freedom.

“Play with that extra batsman and hit from the first ball, hit till you have to defend (and) play like the last ball,” he added.

Notably, India, alongside Pakistan, Canada, Ireland and the co-host United States of America (USA) are placed in Group A.

They will start their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on June 5 before taking on Pakistan on June 9 in New York.

India Squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj.

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.

READ: Rashid Latif has an advice for Babar Azam ahead of T20 World Cup 2024

India and Pakistan drive US ticket demand for T20 World Cup

Organizers of June’s T20 Cricket World Cup games in the United States say that early ticket sales have shown there is a huge demand for the sport among cricket lovers in the country.

The highly anticipated clash in New York between cricket rivals Pakistan and India was over-subscribed by 200 times in the public ballot for tickets, the International Cricket Council said.

The 34,000-seat temporary venue, Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Long Island, has yet to be completed but is already assured of a sell out crowd for the June 9 encounter.

The tournament is being co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States.

While big crowds are expected in the traditional cricket countries in the Caribbean, this will be the first time that an international tournament is held in the United States with the 16 games in the country also including matches in Lauderhill, South Florida and Grand Prairie Stadium, near Dallas.

“We had amazing ticket interest. The ballot process showed there’s a really big demand,” T20 World Cup USA, Inc. chief executive Brett Jones told AFP on Friday.

“India-Pakistan is obviously a game that at every World Cup carries great interest. I think it’s really pleasing to see those two countries come to the USA,” he added.

Powerhouses India and Pakistan will play all their group games in the USA and are sure to attract packed crowds from the diaspora living in the country.

While organizers hope that they can “convert” some Americans to the game, they are well aware that there is already huge interest among immigrant populations and their focus is on serving those fans.

“I think, number one, we want to celebrate those that are already fanatical lovers of cricket. They deserve to see the best players in the world come into their backyard and have that chance,” said Jones.

“So, number one, we want to make sure that happens and they get to feel like they’re close to a game they love. Number two, I think it’s about spiking curiosity in the game,” he said.

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Americans have never fallen for the charms of cricket, preferring baseball for their bat and ball action, but the sport is set to get an unprecedented platform in the country with the T20 format, including in the Los Angeles Olympics in four year’s time.

“Obviously there’s a great runway to the Olympics in LA in 28 and then on into Brisbane in 2032 for cricket, which again will keep it in the global view and the consciousness of a big country like the US. I think we’ve got those two things working for us,” said Jones.

“We’re saying we want to reward our cricket fans and lovers of cricket in the US, which is a huge market.

“Then we want to spike curiosity and really hopefully start a bigger conversation about the game and its benefits at the community level,” he added.

Ireland, Sri Lanka, South Africa, the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Canada will also play in the USA along with the host nation themselves.

While there is no lack of interest, organizers still have plenty to do to create the facilities and infrastructure needed for a global tournament.

Lauderhill, just outside Fort Lauderdale, has already played home to international cricket matches but is undergoing significant upgrades.

Grand Prairie opened last year as the venue for the new domestic tournament, Major League Cricket, but is also being enhanced for the T20 World Cup.

“We’re still going to have a lot of work to do to make sure we can provide access to our cricket fans,” Jones said.

“We want to show people that in a sports-mad country that demands entertainment, cricket is a great entertainment product,” he added.

The tournament will start on June 1 with the USA facing Canada in Texas.

USA vice-captain Aaron Jones says he hopes the team’s performances will offer inspiration to youngsters starting out in the sport.

“We want to show everybody in the world that the USA can be a cricketing country as well and be a role model for kids coming up,” he said.

READ: England’s Shoaib Bashir rattle India after Joe Root’s unbeaten 122

Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan win toss, elect to bowl first against India

COLOMBO: Pakistan have won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the ninth match of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023.

PLAYING XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD:

Overall ODIs: Matches 133, India 55, Pakistan 73, NR 5

Asia Cup ODI: Matches 14, India 7, Pakistan 5, NR 2

READ: Pakistan, India set for rematch but rain threat persists despite reserve day

Pakistan, India set for rematch but rain threat persists despite reserve day

Fierce cricketing rivals Pakistan and India are all set for their Asia Cup 2023 rematch on Sunday with a reserve day on Monday but the Sri Lankan rain refused to relent and still threatens the much-anticipated PAK vs IND clash.

The cricketing fever has reached its zenith as the two Asian giants are going face to face once again in the span of one week at the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2023; to ensure a complete match amid rain predictions in Colombo on September 10, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) yesterday announced a reserve day for the high-octane clash.

This decision came after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) echoed reservations about the scheduling of the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s stage in Colombo where heavy rainfall is forecast until the end of the tournament.

Consequently, if PAK vs IND clash gets washed out on September 10 then the action will resume on September 11 from the stage it was halted.

The arch-rivals came face to face in the group stage of the Asia Cup 2023 on September 2, however, the rain played spoilsport and deprived fans of the conclusion of PAK vs IND.

Pakistani pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah made India regret their decision to bat first under heavy clouds as they booked India on 266, despite Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya’s half-centuries.

However, the persistent downpour washed out the game without a single ball being bowled in the second innings of the blockbuster clash and the two sides settled for a point each.

Pakistan’s pace trio have stood out with 23 wickets between them and played a key role in the team’s performance so far in the Asia Cup 2023.

Indian batters struggled against Pakistan’s pace battery in the previous encounter and will be eyeing to bounce back, with KL Rahul also expecting to make a comeback in tomorrow’s game, which will help bolster their batting power.

The 31-year-old Rahul has not played any competitive cricket since getting injured during the Indian Premier League in April-May. He has developed an injury niggle unrelated to the original thigh problem.

However, adjusting Rahul in the batting order will be a challenge for Indian management as his replacement Ishan Kishan has scored four half-centuries in his last four innings, including the last PAK vs IND clash.

Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah is also back after missing out on the match against Nepal due to personal reasons.

He made his comeback from injury in the T20I series against Ireland last month and made an immediate impact with a man-of-the-match performance in the first game.

However, he couldn’t bowl against Pakistan in the last match due to persistent rain in the second innings, so his match fitness for the ODI match will be tested in Sri Lankan conditions.

Pakistan on the other hand has already announced the Playing XI for the anticipated Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s clash, with Faheem Ashraf replacing Mohammad Nawaz from the lineup that faced India last week.

Faheem Ashraf made his return to the ODI side in Pakistan’s first Super 4 stage match against Bangladesh, after a long hiatus of two years. His last outing in the ODI format before then was during Pakistan’s three-match away series against England in July 2021.

Faheem Ashraf picked the prized scalp of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and will be Pakistan’s trump card in the middle overs, as Indian batters played fluently in that phase.
[totalpoll id=”253612″]

Meanwhile, the spearhead of Pakistan pace attack Shaheen Afridi, ahead of PAK vs IND tomorrow, has warned that his devastating spell against arch-rivals India was just the start and the best is yet to come.

“Every match against India is special and people watch this a lot,” Shaheen Afridi said on Friday. “I used to wait for this match as a fan before I played under-16 cricket.”

“I can’t say this has been my best spell so far. This is just the start and there will be many more, so the best is yet to come.”

The left-arm fast bowler rattled the Indian top-order in their Group A clash last week, returning magnificent figures of 4/35 which included the wickets of star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

With all the noise around Pakistan’s bowling against India’s batting, it is yet to be seen, how Pakistani batters tackle the Indian bowling lineup. It would be interesting to see, only if the weather allows this time around.

FORM GUIDE:

PAKISTAN W, W, W, W, W (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)

INDIA W, W, L, W, L

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD:

Overall ODIs: Matches 133, India 55, Pakistan 73, NR 5

Asia Cup ODI: Matches 14, India 7, Pakistan 5, NR 2

READ More from Asia Cup 2023: Babar Azam believes Pakistan has an ‘edge’ over India

Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan name Playing XI for blockbuster India clash

COLOMBO: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday, announced Pakistan’s Playing XI for the anticipated Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s clash against arch-rivals India.

Pakistan will field an unchanged lineup which handed a seven-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the first Super 4s match of the Asia Cup 2023.

Our playing XI for the #PAKvIND match 🇵🇰#AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/K25PXbLnYe

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 9, 2023

The lineup features Pakistan captain Babar Azam, his deputy Shadab Khan, Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.

Faheem, who replaced Mohammad Nawaz in Pakistan’s Playing XI for the Bangladesh fixture, justified his inclusion with brilliant bowling, giving away only 27 runs in his seven overs and taking the prized wicket of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan.

The Asia Cup 2023 group-stage PAK vs IND clash marked the two teams’ first faceoff in the ODI format since the 2019 World Cup.

The two fierce rivals came face to face on September 2 but the rain played spoilsport after Pakistan’s pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah booked India on 266.

The second innings of the blockbuster clash could not be possible and the two sides settled for a point each.

Meanwhile, with Faheem in the Playing XI, Pakistan’s bowling attack looked more lethal which decimated India’s strong batting order.

The two fierce rivals are now set for their rematch in the Super 4s on Sunday, which will have a reserve day.

But the rain has refused to ease out and is forecast till the end of the tournament.

It is pertinent to mention that a victory in the blockbuster PAK vs IND clash, would propel Pakistan into the final of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 but in case of a washout, Pakistan would need at least a draw against Sri Lanka to advance into the tournament.

READ: Asia Cup 2023: Samarawickrama’s blitz powers Sri Lanka to 257 against Bangladesh