April 3, 2025
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India maintain top spot in ICC Rankings going into T20 World Cup | Cricket News

India maintain top spot in ICC Rankings going into T20 World Cup | Cricket News

Danijones04 mins

NEW DELHI: India, the winners of the inaugural T20 World Cup, currently hold the top spot in the men’s T20I team rankings ahead of the upcoming edition of the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA from June 1-29.India have accrued 264 rating points.The West Indies, two-time champions, have climbed to fourth position, with their players displaying excellent form ahead of the T20 showcase.Having secured victories in the 2012 and 2016 editions, the West Indies are now ahead of New Zealand and South Africa. Their recent 3-0 series win over South Africa pushed the latter down to seventh position in the rankings led by India.Australia, the 2021 champions, are second with 257 points, while defending champions England hold third place with 254 points. The West Indies trail closely behind with 252 points.New Zealand stand at 250 points, while Pakistan and South Africa each have 244 points, with Pakistan marginally ahead on decimal points.The West Indies players have benefitted from their excellent performances in a recent home series, boosting their confidence before their tournament opener against Papua New Guinea in Guyana on June 2.Opening batter Brandon King has climbed five places to eighth position after leading the series with a total of 159 runs. Johnson Charles, who was named Player of the Match in the third T20I for his explosive 69 off 26 balls, has surged 17 places to 20th.Kyle Mayers has also made significant strides, moving up 12 places to 31st position with an aggregate of 102 runs, while left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie has soared an impressive 84 places to 27th after taking eight wickets in the series.In the latest weekly update, which also includes performances from the final two matches of the Bangladesh-USA series and the ongoing series between England and Pakistan, several players have made notable gains. England captain Jos Buttler has moved up to seventh position, Jonny Bairstow has risen eight places to 36th, and Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has advanced from 57th to 51st.In the bowling rankings, Shaheen Afridi has ascended three places to 11th, while fellow Pakistani Imad Wasim has climbed 14 places to 38th.For the USA, Steven Taylor has made significant progress, advancing 28 places to 109th in the batting rankings. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Rishad Hussain has moved up 38 places to 52nd in the bowling rankings.(With PTI inputs)

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Pakistan targets right T20 combination against understrength New Zealand | Cricket

Canada stun Ireland for first T20 World Cup win

Danijones05 mins

Canada won their first-ever Twenty20 World Cup match with a stunning 12-run victory against Ireland in New York on Friday. Canada stun Ireland for first T20 World Cup win Defending a target of just 138, the non-Test nation bowled and fielded expertly to hold Ireland to 125-7 from their full 20 overs. 3.6 Crore Indians visited in a single day choosing us as India’s undisputed platform for General Election Results. Explore the latest updates here! From 26-0, Ireland lost six wickets for 33 runs as they slumped to 59-6, with Andrew Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker the only top-order batsmen to reach double figures. George Dockrell and Mark Adair revived Irish hopes during a partnership of 62 in seven overs. The seventh-wicket duo reduced the target to 17 off the last six balls. But Canada paceman Jeremy Gordon held his nerve superbly, conceding just three runs and dismissing Adair with the second ball of the 20th over off a skyed caught and bowled chance. The 37-year-old Guyana-born Gordon finished with fine figures of 2-16 from his maximum four overs as Canada, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, enjoyed their best day in international cricket since defeating Bangladesh at the 2003 50-over World Cup. Victory meant Canada bounced back from an opening defeat by fellow non-Test nation the United States, with the co-hosts then blowing Group A wide open thanks to a superb Super Over win against Pakistan in Dallas on Thursday. But Ireland’s second successive loss at the tournament, following an eight-wicket defeat by India, left them facing an early exit. Canada themselves slumped to 53-4 on Friday after losing the toss before a key stand of 75 in 10 overs between Barbados-born left-hander Nicholas Kirton and Shreyas Movva helped take them to a total of 137-7. Pitches at the specially built ground in Long Island have been criticised for their uneven bounce but Friday’s strip was notably more placid. The biggest issue for batsmen was a slow outfield that denied them full value for their shots still a worry ahead of Sunday’s showpiece match at the venue between arch-rivals India and Pakistan. – ‘Strength to strength’ – Kirton, however, still hit 16 off one Craig Young over, a return helped by two straight sixes, before his 35-ball innings ended when he gloved Barry McCarthy to short fine leg. “It wasn’t so bad, bar the middle of the wicket, a pretty good wicket to bat on to be honest,” said Kirton, the player of the match. The 26-year-old added: “The partnership was very important, it got us over the line. “It’s very good to get our first win in the World Cup, hopefully we can continue from strength to strength. Out next focus is Pakistan, have a rest day tomorrow and get back in the nets.” For an Ireland side more used to causing shocks at International Cricket Council events than being on the receiving end, it was a bitter reversal of fortune. “We were off in all three facets today and that wasn’t good enough,” said Ireland captain Paul Stirling. “Hopefully we can show a better game when we go to Miami next week .” bur-jdg/ea This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

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Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings Today Match Prediction & Live Odds - Final Super Smash 2024

Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings Today Match Prediction & Live Odds – Final Super Smash 2024

Vann Hiso05 mins

Get to Know Who will win AA vs CTB, Super Smash 2024 Match and toss Prediction with Head to Head stats, Playing 11, CBTFJSK Tips, Live score & winning percentage. MATCH: Auckland Aces vs Canterbury KingsDATE: Jan 28, 2024TIME: 09:00 IST / 3:30 GMTVENUE: Eden Park – Auckland, New Zealand TOURNAMENT: Final Super Smash 2024 Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings Betting Tips Finn Allen had a great series v Pakistan and scored 275 runs in five games, including a century. Back him as Aces top batter. Danru Ferns has taken 18 wickets in the match so he can be backed as top bowler.Henry Nicholls has scored 275 runs in 10 matches, including three half-centuries for the Kings. He can be backed as top batter for the Kings. Matt Henry is a quality bowler and is a good choice for top bowler.Tom Latham and Chad Bowes form a stable opening pair. We feel that Canterbury Kings have a good chance of stitching a better opening partnership. Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings 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. AA vs CTB T20 Match Prediction & Betting Tips, Final Super Smash 2024 Auckland Aces will be up against the Canterbury Kings in final of the Super Smash 2023-2024. The match will be played at Eden park, Auckland and will start at 9:00 AM IST on January 28. Auckland Aces had a great tournament as they managed to win six out of 10 games and ended the league stage as the table toppers which allowed them to directly qualify for the final. Auckland started slowly but picked up great form heading into the business end, winning five out of the last six matches. Meanwhile, Canterbury played Wellington in the Eliminator where they emerged victorious by four wickets. Canterbury restricted Wellington to 173-7 and chased the target on the last ball of the match, with four wickets to spare. AA vs CTB Match Toss PredictionThe captains will be keen to bowl first as teams have preferred chasing in the tournament. Also, conditions will be good for bowling. AA vs CTB Pitch ReportThe pitch will offer some movement to the pacers early on as the conditions will be overcast and bowlers will get a lot of moment with the new ball. Auckland Weather ReportThere weather could play spoilsport in the final as there are over 75 per cent chance of rain. A lot of matches have already been washed out due to rain in Auckland but fans will hope that rain stays away from the summit clash. Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds, and match prediction for Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings, Final Super Smash 2024

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Matheesha Pathirana stars with ball to help CSK beat MI despite Rohit Sharma's second IPL century – India TV

Matheesha Pathirana stars with ball to help CSK beat MI despite Rohit Sharma’s second IPL century – India TV

Danijones02 mins

Image Source : BCCI/IPL Chennai Super Kings kept their calm with the ball in the end to defend a score at Wankhede Stadium against the Mumbai Indians Chennai Super Kings (CSK), irrespective of the venue, the conditions, the long batting line-up of the Mumbai Indians, pulled off what is rare at the Wankhede Stadium, defending a total, especially in the night games as the Men in Yellow won by 20 runs on Sunday, April 14. Former Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma smashed his second IPL century but no other batter supported him from the other end. Matheesha Pathirana was the difference between the two sides in the end as he took four wickets to break the back of the chase for the home team. At 130/2 in the 14th over, Mumbai Indians were on course to chase down 207 runs with two set batters in, however, the wicket of Tilak Varma proved to be the turning point as the strike dried up for Rohit and the incoming batters kept hitting out to the fielders on the boundary and eventually the Mumbai Indians fell short. Captain Hardik Pandya struggled to get going, Tim David hit a couple of big sixes but he too got out as the pressure kept mounting on Rohgit and the required run rate kept rising to 14, 15 and 17. Rohit did get a few boundaries at the end but it just wasn’t enough and the Mumbai Indians will be disappointed at how the chase panned out ultimately.  More to follow…

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Eight IPL players named in Afghanistan T20 World Cup squad

Eight IPL players named in Afghanistan T20 World Cup squad

Danijones03 mins

Gujarat Titans Rashid Khan trying to catch a ball during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty-20 cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR Eight players featuring in the ongoing Indian Premier League have been named in the 15-member Afghanistan T20 World Cup squad to be led by star all-rounder Rashid Khan. Hashmatullah Shahidi, who captained Afghanistan at the 2023 ODI World Cup, has been left out of the squad named by the Afghanistan Cricket Board. Left-handed opener Hazratullah Zazai, Sediqullah Atal and Mohammad Saleem Safi have been named as travelling reserves for the marquee event to be played in the USA and the Caribbean from June 2. Rashid, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen Ul Haq, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Gulbadin Naib are the Afghan players currently playing in the IPL. The squad has only four batters in wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran and back-up keeper Mohammad Ishaq. But, six all-rounders have been named to make up for the lesser number of specialist batters. Apart from Rashid, the other all-rounders are Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat and Nangeyalia Kharote. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Noor are the other spinners along with Rashid, Nabi, Kharote. Right-arm fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, left-armers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad will man the pace department, along with the all-rounders. Janat, Ishaq and Noor have been after missing the 2022 T20 World Cup. Afghanistan are in Group C in the 20-team tournament, along with New Zealand, co-hosts West Indies, Uganda and Papua New Guinea. They play their first match against Uganda on June 3 at Providence. The squad: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik. Reserves: Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Saleem Safi.

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South Africa vs England, ENG-W vs SA-W 2024, Today Match Prediction

South Africa vs England, ENG-W vs SA-W 2024, Today Match Prediction

Vann Hiso07 mins

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 : South Africa Women vs England Women𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : December 15 ,​Sunday​​𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 :​ 13:30 PM IST​​​​​𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein, South Africa𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 :​​ 1st Test 2024 South Africa Women to fight against England Women in one off Test at home South Africa Women vs England 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. RSAW vs ENGW Match Prediction & Analysis South Africa Women will take on England Women in the Only Test of England Women’s tour of South Africa at Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein, on 15 December. The last time these two teams faced each other was back in 2022. That Test resulted in a draw. South Africa and England Women’s team are set for a rare encounter in Test Cricket. While South African Women are playing at home, England Women are yet to lose to South African Women home or away. Can England Women continue the unbeaten record against South African Women away from home? TEAMS PREVIEW South Africa Preview When it comes to Women’s cricket, Test cricket is a very rare occurrence. Rarer so for South Africa Women as they have played just 5 Tests since 2007 when they defeated Netherlands Women. In the four Tests after that win, South Africa Women have lost three and drew one Test, that too against England Women. South Africa Women’s previous match against England Women ended in a draw. It was played back in 2022 when South of England Women won the toss and asked South Africa to bat first. Marizanne Kapp scored a memorable 150-run innings, helping South Africa Women reach 284 in the first innings. The rest of the batters could not score much. As many as five South African batters were dismissed on single digit. After England Women amassed 417 for 8 declared in 120 overs, South Africa Women managed 181 for 5 in their second innings, thus drawing the Test. England Preview England Women are a tough team to beat. They have drawn 5 and won 1 game in their last 10 matches. However, their last win came more than 10 years ago against Australia at Wackau. They defeated the Australian Women team by 61 runs. Having said that, they have a dominating record against South Africa winning 1 of the 3 Tests in 21st century while drawing the other two.  Although the previous Test against South Africa Women ended in a draw, England Women were always in the dominating position. Responding to 284 made by South Africa Women in the first innings, England Women scored 417 for 8 declared. They had about 70 hours to get South Africa all out and win the game by an innings but they could not do that. Kate Cross took four wickets for them in the first innings while in the second innings Anneke Bosch took 3 wickets.  Weather Conditions It is expected to be very hot. The temperature would range between 34°C to 17°C. While the day will start as sunny, there is some chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. We might lose some game time to thunderstorms, but it should not be a washout. RSAW vs ENGW Pitch Report The venue of the match is Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein. It is one of the prominent venues in South Africa. It was established in 1989 and has been home to many Test matches, ODI, and T20 matches. It was also one of the venues for the 2003 Cricket World Cup. The venue has a seating capacity of around 20,000 spectators. Toss: To Bat A total of 5 Tests have happened at Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein and all ended in outright result. The teams batting first won 3 matches whereas the teams batting second have won 2. The team winning the toss should bat first here.

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England Overwhelm Pakistan In Final T20I Match Before World Cup Defence

England Overwhelm Pakistan In Final T20I Match Before World Cup Defence

Danijones05 mins

Reigning champions England produced a fine all-round display as they beat Pakistan by seven wickets at The Oval on Thursday in their last competitive match before they begin the defence of their Twenty20 World Cup title. England restricted Pakistan to a modest 157 after winning the toss, with leg-spinner Adil Rashid, the player-of-the-match taking 2-27 from his maximum four overs. They then made a rapid start to their chase as Phil Salt (45) and skipper Jos Buttler (39) shared a blistering opening stand of 82 inside seven overs. Harry Brook ended the game with a six off paceman Haris Rauf, the pick of the Pakistan attack with 3-38, as England finished on 158-6 to win with more than three overs to spare. Victory gave England a 2-0 triumph in a four-match T20 series where games at Headingley and Cardiff were both washed out without a ball bowled. “We have worked hard in training and there is a good feeling around the squad,” Buttler told Sky Sports. Buttler was leading England after his wife gave birth to the couple’s third child following his dashing 84 in the hosts’ 23-run win in the second T20 at Edgbaston. “It would have been nice to get two more games in to expose a few guys to different situations,” Buttler added. “But we have really good experience in the group and a lot of guys have been playing in the IPL (Indian Premier League), so we are not short of cricket.” Both England openers launched Naseem Shah for huge sixes before Salt holed out off Rauf for a quickfire 45. Earlier, Pakistan had been well-placed at 59-0 after losing the toss at an overcast Oval. But they slumped to 86-5, the collapse starting when captain Babar Azam was caught at slip for a brisk 36 off fast bowler Jofra Archer. “It went well for five or six overs but then I got out,” said Azam. “The middle order needs to step up.  “We need to sort out those things for the World Cup. We have a few injuries but there are a lot of positives. Our play is good in patches.” Pakistan were also undone by a disciplined England attack, with Rashid telling reporters: “As a unit I thought we bowled exceptionally well. I know they (Pakistan) got off to a great start, but that’s T20 cricket.” Rashid was also enthused by the sight of injury-prone quicks Archer and Mark Wood, who took wickets with sharp bouncers, bowling in tandem.  “Jof and Woody, when you watch them bowl it is exciting,” he said.  “Seeing the ball zip off the pitch, the keeper taking it really high and it’s exciting to have two quality, world-class bowlers in our squad.” England launch their T20 World Cup campaign against Scotland in Barbados on June 4, with 2009 champions Pakistan in action two days later against co-hosts the United States in Dallas. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

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Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Giants Women Today Match Prediction & Live Odds - WPL 2024

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Giants Women Today Match Prediction & Live Odds – WPL 2024

Vann Hiso05 mins

Get to Know Who will win RCB-W vs GG-W, Womens Premier League 2024 Match and toss Prediction with Head to Head stats, Playing 11,CBTFJSK Tips, Live score & winning percentage. MATCH: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Giants WomenDATE: Feb 27, 2024TIME:19:30 IST / 14:00 GMTVENUE: M Chinnaswamy Stadium – Bengaluru, India TOURNAMENT: WPL 2024 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Giants Women Betting Tips Richa Ghosh top scored for RCB Women in their last game and the keeper-batter is our pick for their highest run scorer against Gujarat Giants Women. Asha Sobhana took 5/22 in Match 2 and the leg-spinner is well worth backing as RCB Women’s top wicket taker in this match.Skipper Beth Mooney was the only one of Gujarat Giants Women’s top five to reach double figures on Sunday and the opener is a strong choice for their highest run scorer against RCB Women. Tanuja Kanwar took 2/21 against Mumbai Indians Women and we expect her to be Gujarat Giants Women’s top wicket taker in this clash.Asha Sobhana has an excellent record in the WPL and she is our tip to take over 1.5 wickets int his fixture. Royal Challengers Bangalore 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. BAN-W vs GUJ-W T20 Match Prediction & Betting Tips, WPL 2024 Royal Challengers Bangalore Women and Gujarat Giants Women go head to head on Tuesday 27th February in Match 5 of the 2024 Women’s Premier League. RCB Women won their opener against UP Warriorz with Gujarat Giants Women losing to Mumbai Indians Women in their first match. Read on as we preview this game. The fixture gets underway at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru at 19:30 local time. Although RCB Women got off to a winning start against UP Warriorz Women, it was a very tight game with the victory margin only 2 runs! However, just getting over the winning line shows the strength of RCB Women and we expect them to pick up another win in this match. Gujarat Giants Women fought hard and bowled accurately in their opening game against Mumbai Indians Women but the truth is that their batters did not deliver enough runs! They will need to be far better in this match if they are to be competitive. BAN-W vs GUJ-W Match Toss PredictionTwo of the first three games were won by the team fielding first so we predict that both captains will choose to bowl first ahead of this match. BAN-W vs GUJ-W Pitch ReportThe pitch seems to have lost some pace since the first game of the tournament and any score over 150 could be competitive in this game. Bengaluru Weather ReportAccording to the forecast, the temperature will drop from 27 degrees to 24 degrees across this game. Clear skies throughout with no danger of any rain interruptions. Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds, and match prediction for Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Giants Women, WPL 2024

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Harshit Rana 'taunts BCCI' with unmissable act in LSG vs KKR match after one-match suspension

Harshit Rana ‘taunts BCCI’ with unmissable act in LSG vs KKR match after one-match suspension

Danijones04 mins

Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Harshit has twice been severely punished by the BCCI for his on-field celebrations during the ongoing IPL 2024. He was fined 60 per cent of his match fees for a flying-kiss send-off to Mayank Agarwal during a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad before being handed a 100 per cent fine on his match fee along with a one-match suspension for breach of the IPL Code of Conduct. However, in the match against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday at the Ekana Stadium, Harshit chose not to pull off the same act, but rather “taunted” BCCI with a different gesture. Kolkata Knight Riders bowler Harshit Rana celebrates the wicket of Lucknow Super Giants batter Kurnal Pandya during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 T20 cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders(PTI) Harshit was among the pick of the bowlers for KKR in the match against LSG as he picked three crucial wickets to help the visitors bundle the home team for just 137 in the chase of 236 with 23 balls to spare. During one of his wicket celebrations on Sunday, Harshit celebrated with a finger-on-the-lips gesture. KKR later posted it on social media, which left fans thinking if it was a message directed at the BCCI. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! It is yet not known whether BCCI will take action against Harshit for his new celebration. Earlier on Sunday, before the match against LSG, KKR player Nitish Rana teased Harshit by asking whether he was going to give another ‘flying kiss’ during the tournament. The right-armer smiled sheepishly and then burst into laughter saying that he would not do that again. Harshit faced a stringent punishment from BCCI earlier last week for his animated send-off gesture towards Delhi Capitals batter Abhishek Porel after he dismissed him. While he did stop himself from another flying-kiss act, he gestured with his hand showing the batter the way back to the pavilion. “Rana committed a Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct. He admitted to the offence and accepted the Match Referee’s sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding. The player was earlier penalised under the same level and article of the IPL Code of Conduct,” the IPL said in a statement. News / Cricket News / Harshit Rana ‘taunts BCCI’ with unmissable act in LSG vs KKR match after one-match suspension

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Sri Lanka vs West Indies, SL vs WI 2024, Today Match Prediction

Sri Lanka vs West Indies, SL vs WI 2024, Today Match Prediction

Vann Hiso06 mins

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 :Sri Lanka vs West Indies𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : Oct 15, Tuesday𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 : 19:00 PM IST​​𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium, Dambulla, Sri Lanka𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 :​​ 2nd T20I 2024 Can Sri Lanka bounce back with a win and push the series into a decider? Will West Indies beat Sri Lanka and win another bilateral series win to cap off an excellent year in the shortest format? Sri Lanka vs West Indies 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 WI Match Prediction & Analysis West Indies and Sri Lanka will face off in the second match of the series at Dambulla on Tuesday night. There’s a lot of similarity between these two Island nations. A new coach has taken charge of each side. Both sides had a very ordinary T20 world cup. They showed a lot of promise in white ball cricket at home of late though, with West Indies winning the series against South Africa and India, and Sri Lanka dominating Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. TEAMS PREVIEW Sri Lanka Preview Sri Lanka, put into bat, got their innings underway smoothly. Boundaries were hard come by initially, but the openers still kept the scoreboard ticking along nicely to get to 17/0 off the first couple of overs. Pathum Nissanka perished flashing at a wide one in the third, and Kusal Perera followed him to the hut pretty soon after losing his pole to a brilliant ball from Shamar Joseph. West Indies Preview West Indies openers Brandon King and Evin Lewis brought out a complete onslaught, making vital fifties to steer their chase towards the target. They tore into the hosts attack and were determined to go after the bowlers in the powerplay throwing caution to the wind. They shaved 74 runs off the target inside the powerplay, but kept going after the Sri Lankan bowlers without relenting. Weather Conditions Batters make merry on the strip here in Dambulla. If you look at the statistics from Men’s and Women’s T20I cricket here, the surfaces here have generally suited batters more. And if the bighitters find their range and get going fair too quickly, it’s going to be hard stopping them. The conditions for the first game were wasn’t ideal with a bit of drizzle around at different instances during the game, and the forecast suggests we are in for similar conditions for this fixture. SL vs WI Pitch Report The match is being played at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium. West Indies will take heart from their dominating performance from the first game, while Sri Lanka will have to look to quickly reorganize and come back hard. Toss: To Bowl In this year so far, West Indies have gone on to win 8 out of 11 matches fielding first. With an impressive win record like that, they’re not going to back off from chasing a score if they win the toss. Sri Lanka’s two wins against West Indies in recent matches have come whenever they have defended a total. They were poor in defence of 180 in the first match and wouldn’t mind pushing West Indies out of their comfort zone, which is chasing totals.

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