ICC Twenty20 World Cup: West Indies aim for solid start against Papua New Guinea; USA to face Canada

ICC Twenty20 World Cup: West Indies aim for solid start against Papua New Guinea; USA to face Canada

More than eight years after Carlos Brathwaite’s four sixes at Eden Gardens gave them their second T20 world title, a wounded West Indies will look to redeem themselves at home when they begin their campaign in the event’s ninth edition by taking on Papua New Guinea, in Georgetown on June 2. Brathwaite had slammed Ben Stokes for four successive sixes in the final over to pull off one of the most astonishing chases that made the West Indies the first team to win the T20 World Cup twice. Their maiden triumph was in 2012. But what followed was years of agony as the team found itself lost in transition. In 2021, they endured four defeats in five games to make a Super 12 exit. Worse was in store in the 2022 edition in Australia when they failed to qualify for the main round after shock defeats to minnows Scotland and Ireland. It’s been 2982 days since the memorable night at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, something they would be desperate to reclaim especially when the tournament is at home. Darren Sammy as coach Their two-time T20 World Cup winning skipper Darren Sammy is back as a coach and the Rovman Powell-led side already made its intention clear with a ruthless win over Australia in a warmup match. But that Australia was a depleted side as only nine players from their squad were available for the match. Nicolas Pooran will play a pivotal role in the middle-order, but West Indies boast additional firepower with Powell, Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, and Romario Shepherd, making them one of the most formidable batting line-ups in the tournament. Russell has been in exceptional form, both with bat and ball, after aiding Kolkata Knight Riders in clinching their third IPL title recently. West Indies will also be looking to become the first team to win a T20 World Cup at home. They have replaced the experienced but injured Jason Holder with left-arm fast bowler Obed McCoy. McCoy was the leading wicket-taker during the West Indies A’s recent tour to Nepal, grabbing eight wickets in five matches. Papua New Guinea loaded with all-rounders Assadollah Vala-led PNG will make their second appearance after 2021 after sealing their spot via the East Asia-Pacific regional final in July 2023. Vala is one of 10 players from their 2021 campaign, with that edition’s reserve member Jack Gardner picked in the 15-player group this time. Leg-spinning all-rounder CJ Amini will be his deputy. The side boasts no fewer than eight recognised all-rounders, with both right and left-arm bowling options. Left-arm quick Sema Kamea and Kabua Vagi Morea both enjoyed qualifying action, with the latter taking a hat-trick in the game against the Philippines. Teams (from) West Indies: Rovman Powell (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd. Papua New Guinea: Assadollah Vala (c), Alei Nao, Chad Soper, CJ Amini, Hila Vare, Hiri Hiri, Jack Gardner, John Kariko, Kabua Vagi Morea, Kipling Doriga, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Sema Kamea, Sese Bau and Tony Ura. Match starts: 8 pm IST. USA favourites vs Canada A team full of expatriates, tournament co-hosts USA, coached by former Australian batter Stuart Law, will promise some surprises when it kicks off the T20 World Cup taking on qualifiers Canada in a battle of debutants. Members of the USA team. They start favourites during their opening game in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2024 against Canada on June 2, 2024. | Photo Credit: Getty Images The USA have proved that they will be no pushovers, having beaten the full-member side Bangladesh 2-1 in the build up to the tournament. They will also have the edge having beaten Canada 4-0 recently. 2015 WC finalist Corey Anderson in USA squad The side will be boosted by former New Zealand player and 2015 World Cup finalist Corey Anderson. The hosts will be led by wicket-keeper batter Monank Patel. Born in Anand, Monank played for his home state at age-group level before making the US his home in 2016. He was the top-scorer in the World T20 Americas qualifier 2018 with 208 runs from six innings and made his T20I debut against UAE in 2019. The team will also feature some familiar names in former Mumbai and Rajasthan Royals left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh and ex-Delhi and Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Milind Kumar. They also have Saurabh Netravalkar, the most capped USA player, Aaron Jones, and opener Steven Taylor, their highest run-scorer in international cricket. Tearaway quick Ali Khan is also fit for the tournament, shaking off a hamstring injury which kept him out of the Canada series. Batting all-rounder Nitish Kumar, who played 18 T20Is for Canada from 2012 to 2019, has now switched sides and will be seen in the USA jersey. He made his T20I debut for the USA against Canada in April this year. Left-arm orthodox spinner Saad Bin Zafar brings a wealth of experience to the Canada team, with top-order batter Aaron Johnson and left-arm seamer Kaleem Sana also expected to feature heavily in a side with just four players under the age of 30. Teams (from) USA: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones (vc), Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Nethralvakar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor and Shayan Jahangir. Canada: Saad Bin Zafar (c), Aaron Johnson, Ravinderpal Singh, Navneet Dhaliwal, Kaleem Sana, Dilon Heyliger, Jeremy Gordon, Nikhil Dutta, Pargat Singh, Nicholas Kirton, Rayyankhan Pathan, Junaid Siddiqui, Dilpreet Bajwa, Shreyas Movva and Rishiv Joshi. Match starts: 6 am IST (June 2).

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Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan 1st T20 Match Prediction, Betting Tips & Odds

Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan 1st T20 Match Prediction, Betting Tips & Odds

Get to Know Who will win SL vs AFG 1st T20 match and toss Prediction with Head to Head stats, Playing 11, CBTFJSK Tips, Betting Rates, Live score & winning percentage. MATCH: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan DATE: Feb 17, 2024TIME: 19:00 IST / 13:30 GMTVENUE: Rangiri Dambulla – Dambulla, Sri LankaΒ TOURNAMENT: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan 1st T20 2024 Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Betting Tips Pathum Nissanka had a great ODI series and scored a magnificent double century. He ended the series with over 350 runs. Back him as top batter. Wanindu Hasaranga is one of the best spinners going around and can be backed as top bowler.Rahmanullah Gurbaz is the team’s best batter. He has been out of form but we feel he is due for a big one. Back him as Afghanistan’s top batter. In the absence of Rashid, Noor Ahmed is the team’s lead spinner and will have to play a big role if Afghanistan have to win. Back him as top bowler.The wicket should be flat and runs easy to come by. We back total runs in the match to be more than 340. Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. SL vs AFG 1st T20 Match Prediction & Betting Tips Sri Lanka will play a three match T20I series vs Afghanistan. The first match will be played at the Dambulla International Stadium and will start at 7:00Pm IST on February 17. Sri Lanka will be brimming with confidence after beating Afghanistan in the One-off Test and the ODI series.  Sri Lanka will be missing the services of Dushmantha Chameera who has been ruled out of the series due to an injury. Binura Fernando has been named as his replacement. Meanwhile, Ibrahim Zadran will continue to lead in the T20I series. Afghanistan are likely to be a bit more competitive in the T20I series. Afghanistan have suffered a huge blow as Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman have been ruled out of the series. Wafadar Momand is all set to make a comeback after his lone appearance in 2023. SL vs AFG Match Toss PredictionThis is a high scoring ground and chasing has been preferred here by captains. Once again, captain winning the toss will bowl. SL vs AFG Pitch ReportThe pitch is tailor made for high scoring games. There is not much help for the fast bowlers or the spinners and bowling in right areas will help. A high scoring game is expected. Dambulla Weather ReportThe temperature will range between 30 and 22 degrees while the humidity will be 71 per cent. There will be some clouds around but rain is not a factor. Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds, and match prediction for Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan 1st T20 2024

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IPL-17: GT vs CSK | Gill, Sudharshan centuries take Gujarat Titans to huge total against Chennai Super Kings

IPL-17: GT vs CSK | Gill, Sudharshan centuries take Gujarat Titans to huge total against Chennai Super Kings

Gujarat Titans openers Shubhman Gill and Sai Sudarshan scored brilliant centuries during the Indian Premier League 2024 match against Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad on May 10, 2024. | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji Put into bat, Gujarat Titans openers Shubhman Gill (104) and Sai Sudarshan (103) take their team to a gigantic total of 231 for 3 against Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad on May 10. THe openers added 210 runs in 17.2 overs. It is the first time that a team has scored more than 200 runs as the opening partnership against Chennai Super Kings. None of the CSK bowlers made an impact against the rampaging Gill and Sudarshan. Dropping of catches and misfields from Chennai Super Kings fielders added salt to the injury. During his course of century knock, Sai Sudarshan completed fastest 1000 IPL runs Interestingly, Gill and Sudarshan scored 100th and 101st centuries in the Indian Premier League. Sudarshan and Gill were dismissed with the score at 213 runs on the board. Of the CSK bowlers, only Shardul Thakur (0 for 25) was the pick of the bowlers. Tushar Deshpande (2 for 33) was the wicket-taker. All the other bowlers went for runs. Earlier, Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and decided to bowl against Gujarat Titans in the 59th match. Currently, CSK are at the fourth place in the table with 12 points. GT has lost seven matches after playing 11 matches. They are at the 10th place in the table. Speaking at the toss, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad confirmed that Rachin Ravindra has replaced Richard Gleeson in the playing eleven. β€œWe will bowl first. Looks a good wicket, to be honest. It’s been a chasing ground, so we will look to chase. Pretty much similar to Chennai. We didn’t like a red solid wicket much. Pretty relaxed. You tend to lose many games in IPL, you have to back everyone and make sure everyone is in a good head space. We had injuries in between, but happy. Rachin comes in for Gleeson,” Gaikwad said. GT captain Shubman Gill said Kartik Tyagi came in the first eleven in place of Joshua Little. β€œWould have bowled first as well, looks a good wicket. There’s a 1% chance of qualifying, so we are going to try hard for that. The mood is like any other match, we as a team believe in doing the best we can. Will be a good surface to bat on. Will score runs and try to restrict them. Wade comes in for Saha who has a niggle. In order to balance the team combination Kartik Tyagi comes in for Jos Little,” Gill said. Teams Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (Wk), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh. Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, David Miller, Matthew Wade (Wk), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Kartik Tyagi. (With inputs from ANI)

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Sri Lanka vs Netherlands Match Prediction, Betting Tips & Odds - T20 World Cup 2024

Sri Lanka vs Netherlands Match Prediction, Betting Tips & Odds – T20 World Cup 2024

Get to Know Who will win SL vs NED T20 World Cup 2024 match and toss Prediction with Head to Head stats, CBTFJSK Tips, CBTFJSK Tips, Betting Rates, Live score & winning percentage. πŒπ€π“π‚π‡ : Sri Lanka vs Netherlands𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 :Β Jun 17, 2024 π“πˆπŒπ„ :Β 06:00 IST / 0:30 GMT𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 :Β Darren Sammy Stadium – Gros Islet, Saint Luciaπ“πŽπ”π‘ππ€πŒπ„ππ“ :Β T20 World Cup 2024 Sri Lanka vs Netherlands Betting Tips Pathum Nissanka looked like an excellent T20 player in the last game and the opener is our tip for Sri Lanka’s highest run scorer against Netherlands. Nuwan Thushara took 4/18 last time out and we are backing him to be Sri Lanka’s top wicket taker in this match.Sybrand Engelbrecht hit three fours and a six in his 33 runs from 22 balls against Bangladesh. He is a strong choice for Netherlands’ highest run scorer. Spinner Aryan Dutt took 2/17 on Thursday and he is our pick for Netherlands’ top wicket taker on Sunday evening.Nuwan Thushara is a regular wicket taker and we are recommending him to take over 1.5 wickets across this match. Sri Lanka vs Netherlands TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. Sri Lanka vs Netherlands Match Prediction & Betting Tips, T20 World Cup 2024 Sri Lanka and Netherlands go head to head at Gros Islet on Sunday evening in Match 38 of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Both teams are currently going out of the tournament although Netherlands do at least still have a chance of progressing. Sri Lanka have lost two of three games with Netherlands winning one from three. Read on as we preview this game which begins at 20:30 local time at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium on 16th June. Sri Lanka have always been a stronger side than Netherlands across all formats and it would be a surprise if they did not add another win to their tally in this match. They have more experience and a stronger batting line-up than their opponents in this game.  Netherlands pushed Bangladesh all the way in their last game and it will be interesting to see if they can keep up that level of performance against Sri Lanka. With a place in the Super Eights potentially up for grabs, we expect Netherlands to be competitive. Sri Lanka vs Netherlands Match Toss PredictionTeams batting first have a much stronger record in T20I cricket at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium than those chasing. Our prediction is that both skippers will want to bat first in this match. Sri Lanka vs Netherlands Pitch ReportOn this pitch, the ball will be a lot harder to time to the boundary after the powerplay is over as the ball will not come onto the bat with as much pace. A par total at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium is likely to be no higher than 170. St Lucia Weather ReportWe can expect another warm evening for this game in Gros Islet. Humidity will be high and there is some chance of rain arriving in the first half of the game. Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds, and match prediction for Sri Lanka vs Netherlands, T20 World Cup 2024

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Dharamsala Pitch Report for PBKS vs CSK IPL 2024 clash – India TV

Dharamsala Pitch Report for PBKS vs CSK IPL 2024 clash – India TV

Image Source : BCCI/IPL Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings. After losing five consecutive games to Punjab Kings (PBKS), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have the opportunity to break the curse as they meet the former in the 53rd fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday, May 5 at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala. CSK are desperate for a win as they have slipped out of the top four on the points table. The defending champions are not able to string a cluster of wins together and it is affecting their chances of sealing a spot in the playoffs. The seven-wicket loss to Punjab Kings in their previous clash came to haunt them as the Sam Curran-led side was able to breach the fortress Chepauk. The loss to Punjab was the second defeat for CSK at the venue this season. They also lost to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by six wickets earlier in the season. Their playing combination might be adversely impacted by the void that Mustafizur Rahman’s exit has created. Rahman has been the most successful bowler for CSK this season with 14 wickets to his credit but has flown back to Bangladesh to be available for the T20I series against Zimbabwe. On the other hand, Punjab have suddenly found a two-match winning momentum after victories over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai. Sam Curran has been leading Punjab really well in the absence of their regular captain Shikhar Dhawan. They are seventh on the ladder with four wins in 10 games and would like to push for a place in the playoffs with yet another win. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium Pitch Report The HPCA Stadium is one of the few venues in India that provide ample assistance to pacers. Both teams are unaware of what’s in store for them and therefore they might as well adopt the conservative approach at the start of their innings. The average first innings score in T20Is played at the venue is 137. HPCA Stadium T20I Record and Stats Total T20I Matches: 11 Matches won batting first: 4 Matches won bowling first: 6 Average first innings score: 137 Average second innings score: 128 Highest total scored: 200/3 by South Africa vs India Highest score chased: 200/3 by South Africa vs India Lowest total defended: 59/5 by Netherlands vs Ireland

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India vs UAE Women Today Match Prediction & Live Odds - Asia Cup 2024

India vs UAE Women Today Match Prediction & Live Odds – Asia Cup 2024

Get to Know Who will win INDW vs UAEW Women’s Asia Cup 2024 Match and toss Prediction with Head to Head stats, Playing 11, CBTFJSK Tips, Live score & winning percentage. πŒπ€π“π‚π‡ : India vs UAE Women𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : Jul 21, 2024π“πˆπŒπ„ : 14:00 IST / 8:30 GMT𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : Rangiri Dambulla Stadium – Dambulla, Sri Lankaπ“πŽπ”π‘ππ€πŒπ„ππ“ : Asia Cup 2024 India vs UAE Women Betting Tips India vs UAE Women TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. India vs UAE Women Match Prediction & Betting Tips – Women’s Asia Cup 2024 India Women will take on UAE Women at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Match 5 of the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup. This game gets underway at 13:30 local time on Sunday 21st July 2024. INDW vs UAEW, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla Pitch Report The opening two games on this pitch in Dambulla have seen the surface flatten out as the game progresses. Batting first, the team will want to post 140+ to be competitive.

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Delhi Capitals Women vs Gujarat Giants Women, WPLT20, Today Match Prediction

Delhi Capitals Women vs Gujarat Giants Women, WPLT20, Today Match Prediction

πŒπ€π“π‚π‡ :​ ​​Delhi Capitals Women vs Gujarat Giants Women 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : February 25, Tuesdayπ“πˆπŒπ„ : 19:30 PM IST​​𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India π“πŽπ”π‘ππ€πŒπ„ππ“ : Womens Premier League, 2025 Must-win game for Gujarat Giants to reach playoffs Delhi Capitals Women vs Gujarat Giants Women TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. DCW vs GGW Match Prediction & Analysis The competition has heated up in the Women’s Premier League 2025, and all five teams are fighting to improve their position on the points table. In this context, the 10th game between the Delhi Capitals Women and the Gujarat Giants Women will be important for both teams. Delhi Capitals went down against the UP Warriorz Women in the last game. The Gujarat Giants Women went down against the Mumbai Indians Women in their last game.   The Delhi Capitals Women have won three out of four games against the Gujarat Giants in the last two seasons. It will make the team confident and look to extend their record. The Gujarat Giants have won only once in the season and struggled with their form. It is a must-win game for both teams, and it will be interesting to see which teams emerge as the winners. TEAMS PREVIEW Delhi Capitals Preview Meg Lanning and her team have been on and off with its form. In the last game, the side suffered a 33-run loss against the UP Warriorz. A poor show from their batters and bowlers led the team to this loss. Lanning has much experience, and the team will expect a strong show from her players in this crucial game.   Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma are aggressive players, and the team expects a strong show from the pair at the top. Jemimah Rodrigues has batted well and will look to build partnerships in the middle order with Annabel Sutherland and Marizanne Kapp. The team expects a strong show from Jess Jonassen and Sarah Bryce in this game.   Gujarat Giants Preview Ashleigh Gardner, and her players will be under pressure in this game. They went down against the Mumbai Indians Women in the last game by 5 wickets. It is a must-win game for the team to keep hopes alive for the playoffs. Gardner must lead from the front, and she expects senior players on the team to do well.   Beth Mooney and Laura Wolvaardt have struggled with consistency, and the team expects them to gain form. Dayalan Hemalatha must anchor the innings at No. 3 and add runs in the middle order with Ashleigh Gardner and Harleen Deol. Deandra Dottin is a good finisher and will look to add quick runs with Kashvee Gautam.   The bowling attack must execute its plans flawlessly in this game for the team to win. Ashleigh Gardner and Tanuja Kanwar will look to deliver early wickets and put the team in a strong position. The side would also like to see a good show in the middle overs from Deandra Dottin and Priya Mishra. Kashvee Gautam and Simran Shaikh must do well in the supporting role. Weather Conditions We expect a warm evening in Bengaluru. The flat wicket makes it easy for batters to play their strokes. Bowlers must mix their length to trouble batters on this surface. The side batting first will be happy to have 170 runs on this track as the average first-innings total is slightly above 150. DCW vs GGW Pitch Report M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, has always been a good hunting ground for the batters as a fast outfield and shorter boundaries have aided them. Fast bowlers do well with the new ball. Smaller boundaries make it easy for the batsmen to hit the ball in the air. Spinners have always had it tough at this venue. Toss: To Bowl The side chasing the score has won five out of the last seven games. The surface tends to be slower initially, and teams have struggled to get big scores at this venue. Teams chasing the total have an edge, and the side winning the toss won’t hesitate to bowl first in this game.

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Sri Lanka vs India, SL vs IND 2024, Today Match Prediction

Sri Lanka vs India, SL vs IND 2024, Today Match Prediction

πŒπ€π“π‚π‡ :Β Sri Lanka vs India 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : Aug 02, 2024π“πˆπŒπ„ : 02:30 PM IST𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka π“πŽπ”π‘ππ€πŒπ„ππ“ : 1st ODI 2024 India have maintained an unbeaten streak against Sri Lanka in their last six ODIs. Sri Lanka vs India TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. SL vs IND Match Prediction & Analysis The stage is set for another India versus Sri Lanka ODI spectacle, with the three-match series kicking off on Friday at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium. Fresh from a clean sweep of the T20I series, India are strong favorites for the ODIs.Β The return of star players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma further bolsters their chances against the hosts. India have recently dominated Sri Lanka in ODIs, and the trend is expected to continue in this series. Sri Lanka Preview Sri Lanka have a massive challenge on their hands as they take on a very strong Indian side at home. They have been able to beat India only once across 12 ODIs and will need to punch above their weights to have any chance in this series.  India Preview The Indian ODI squad boasts the return of several high-profile players absent from the T20I series, including captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Kuldeep Yadav. Additionally, the series marks the ODI debut for Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, and Harshit Rana.

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T20 World Cup: India wait on Shivam Dube to deliver on big stage | Cricket News

T20 World Cup: India wait on Shivam Dube to deliver on big stage | Cricket News

Big-hitter has struggled to get going so farNEW YORK: There aren’t too many areas that may concern India as they go into their game against the United States, the form of Shivam Dube being an exception. T20 WORLD CUP: SCHEDULE | POINTS TABLEBut then, the pitch at the Nassau County Ground hasn’t been batter-friendly and the big Chennai Super Kings basher hasn’t exactly been brought into this World Cup to play sheet anchor.But what should be a real worry for the team management was the sitter that Dube dropped off Mohammed Rizwan on Sunday at fine-leg, a spill that came close to taking the game away from India.It smacked of self-doubt. Is there a lack of confidence that is hurting the 30-year-old, who has struck a bit of a lean patch since his name was announced for the T20 World Cup? He struggled in the back-end of the IPL and now with the World Cup moving into higher gear, the man with long levers has to step up.What exactly is prompting captain Rohit Sharma to persist with the Mumbai cricketer? From the few interactions that he had with the media in New York, it seems quite evident that the skipper, after the disappointment of the ODI World Cup final, has come here with some set plans.Prime on his agenda is “flexibility in the batting lineup”, whereby no one else other than Virat Kohli and Rohit himself, has a fixed slot. “I have told them that it will be a case of horses for courses. Barring the opening slot, anyone can come anywhere,” Rohit said.He walked the talk in the Pakistan game, when Axar Patel was sent ahead of Dube, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. The move did pay dividends, to an extent.The two players who can replace Dube in the XI – Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson – are primarily top three batters and Rohit, probably, is a little reluctant to curtail his flexibility.The second important factor, which Rohit prefers to keep a secret, is his plan for the West Indies, where India will play from the Super-8s. As per the skipper’s calculations, the spinners will call the shots in some of the Caribbean venues and that’s where a batter like Dube might be the most dangerous.His monstrous hitting against slower bowlers was one of the talking points of the first phase of the IPL and Rohit, one feels, is trying his best to build Dube’s confidence.In India’s nets sessions at Cantiague Park, another important aspect is the amount of bowling that Dube has done. Owing to the ‘impact sub’ rule, he didn’t get too many chances to bowl his medium-pace in the IPL, but the team management wants to keep him ready as a back-up option for Hardik.“Four allrounders (Hardik, Axar and Jadeja being the three others) allows the team to have a lot of flexibility. I have a lot more options to choose from, which is very important in today’s T20 cricket,” Rohit had said.It’s this template that the skipper has set in his desperation for the elusive ICC silverware that is helping Dube’s cause for the time being.One feels he will get a little more time – specifically the games against USA and Canada – to hit some form so that India can stick to the plans and push for ultimate glory.

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'Iconic moment': Arshdeep Singh's celebrappeal leaves internet buzzing. Watch | Cricket News

‘Iconic moment’: Arshdeep Singh’s celebrappeal leaves internet buzzing. Watch | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: India pacer Arshdeep Singh knew he had opener Shayan Jahangir trapped right in front of the first-ball as he didn’t even bother to appeal in the T20 World Cup the clash against USA in New York on Wednesday.Producing a peach of a delivery, Arshdeep straightaway went into celebrappeal mode after his near-perfect in-swinger hit Jahangir’s front pad.The nip-backer from the left-arm pacer, came back in sharply and caught Jahangir at the crease as the ball struck him on the knee-roll.Knowing the obvious result, a confident Arshdeep straightaway went into celebration mode, running straight to the β€˜keeper and teammates with his hands up. What is celebrappeal? A celebrappeal is an overenthusiastic appeal in the form of a celebration, without waiting for the umpire to give the batter out.With the early strike, Arshdeep created history, becoming the first India bowler to grab a wicket first-ball in a T20 World Cup game.The 25-year-old then went on to pick up his second wicket in the same over, dismissing Andries Gous for 2 on the final ball.Earlier, India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first against co-hosts United States in their third Group A game.Both teams have a perfect four points from two wins. Another victory for either side on the tricky Nassau Stadium pitch will secure a place in the second round Super 8s.India went in unchanged from the team which successfully defended just 119 to defeat old rivals Pakistan by six runs at the same venue on Sunday.The United States, who stunned Pakistan with a Super Over triumph last time out, made two changes from that shock victory. Skipper Monank Patel is injured while Nosthush Kenjige also misses out. They were replaced by Shayan Jahangir and Shadley van Schalkwyk.USA: Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir, Andries Gous (wkt), Nitish Kumar, Aaron Jones (capt), Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Jasdeep Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali KhanIndia: Rohit Sharma (capt), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wkt), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

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