Livecricket.is

A bowling lineup stacked with spinners has been India’s go-to strategy for Asia Cup games so far, just as it had been during the Champions Trophy earlier this year at the same venue, UAE, where they played all their games. Regardless of formats, India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav has found that the strategy has worked brilliantly for them, and a win against Pakistan has further cemented that belief. India managed to beat Pakistan, thanks in large part to their spinners, who halted their archrivals for a paltry 127-run total. Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy shared six wickets between them…

India-Pakistan clashes have always carried a bigger picture in the backdrop. Politics has fuelled this rivalry from the start, but none of the recent games has carried a more complex subplot than this one. The recent escalation between the two countries following the Pahalgam attack has reignited the tensions, which has led to several quarters in India calling for the boycott of the contest. But the game, now a few hours away, has survived every objection so far. Pakistan and India will meet in Dubai, the same venue where Pakistan beat India for the first time in an ICC event…

Asia Cup moves on to bigger guns now. So far, the games have seen uneven competition between seasoned campaigners and not-so-well-established teams. This weekend brings two marquee games, one of which is the Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka clash. While this is nowhere near the stature of Pakistan vs India clash, you can always count on the two teams to bring the game down to the wire. Whoever wins tonight, makes the survival in the group of death easier for themselves. Whoever loses, would need to keep up with the numbers and scenarios. Bangladesh have won the last three of their…

India vs Pakistan games are always a big deal. This year, even more so, with the two teams meeting for the first time since their recent escalation following the Pahalgam Attack in April. The best way to deal with the pressure in the lead up to such a huge game, according to India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, is to channel all attention toward the match itself. “For the players and for us,” Kotak said ahead of the team’s training session on Friday, “once the BCCI says and they are aligned with the government, we are here to prepare and we…

Bangladesh chased the 145-run target in their Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong in 17.4 overs. While Bangladesh remained ahead in much of the contest, many felt that, had they batted with more intent, they could have finished the game earlier than they did. However, their top-order batter Towhid Hridoy disagreed, saying the side chose caution deliberately, not out of hesitation, but because the situation demanded it. Talking to the media after Bangladesh wrapped the chase with 7 wickets to spare, Hridoy said they played keeping the game situation front of mind. “We wanted to ensure that the match doesn’t…

Pakistan are set to face India on Sunday, which will be their first encounter with a high-ranked team since losing 4-1 to New Zealand in April. Head coach Mike Hesson is well aware of the challenge that lies ahead of him, and one that is approaching nearer by the minute. Pakistan still have a few questions that need answering, and a few of those were thrown Hesson’s way during the press conference ahead of Pakistan’s Asia Cup opener against Oman. When asked what he thinks of the volatility in the batting lineup, especially with youngsters being somewhat inconsistent, Pakistan’s head…

Oman played their first mega-event as part of the 2024 T20 World Cup last year. And while they couldn’t grab a single win against teams of a stature several times higher than them, they deserved every minute of being treated as equals amongst the twenty teams. The core of Oman’s team that played the World Cup as well as managed a second-place finish in the Asia Cup qualifiers isn’t around. Oman Cricket (OC) stripped them of central contracts as a reprimand for speaking against payment delays, forcing them to leave the country. This has left the side with new players,…

Pakistan will host Sri Lanka for a three-game ODI series, beginning on November 11 in Rawalpindi. The series comes as part of the schedule adjustment to include as many T20Is as possible ahead of the World Cup next year in India and Sri Lanka. Originally, Pakistan were supposed to play three ODIs and three T20Is in a bilateral contest against Sri Lanka, but the T20I leg has been converted into a tri-series involving the two teams and Afghanistan. The T20I tri-series, where each team will play the other twice, will begin on November 17 in Rawalpindi, where one more game…

Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka, along with his team, played two back-to-back T20I matches against Zimbabwe on September 6 and 7 before boarding a long-haul flight to Dubai via South Africa from Harare. Whatever plans he had of resting after landing were quashed by a pre-tournament photoshoot and a captains’ press conference, where he didn’t attempt to hide exhaustion. “I should answer this question tomorrow, I think,” Asalanka said with a laugh on Tuesday. “It’s really hard to play back-to-back games and then travel straightaway. I think we actually need a couple of days off. I hope the coach will…

India haven’t played a T20I since February, when they faced England at home. This match would have been a home game as well, but the Asia Cup shifted out of India to make UAE the host team. Though that doesn’t make it a cakewalk for UAE either. They have to face India, the reigning T20 World Cup champions, in their opening game. One could argue that it doesn’t exactly resemble the team that lifted the trophy, but it isn’t too far off either. Tightening just a few loose screws could make things fall into place for them, and the opening…