Latest Updates on World Cricket

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Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the ICC after the game between India and Canada in the ongoing T20 World Cup was called off without a ball being bowled.

The game was scheduled to be played at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, in Florida. Although there was not a lot of rain in the region on the match day, the game had to be called due to the wet outfield. The outfield was left in unplayable condition due to the rain received by the region earlier this week including on Friday (June 14).

Even though the rain stayed away on Saturday, no action was possible between India and Canada as the outfield was deemed unplayable by the umpires. This is Lauderhill's third abandoned match in as many games in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Earlier this week, the Sri Lanka vs Nepal and USA vs Ireland games were abandoned as well.

The washout proved very costly for Sri Lanka as they were knocked out of the T20 World Cup. On the other hand, the second washout knocked Pakistani out of the T20 World Cup while the USA booked their spot in the Super 8s. With all three games in Florida abandoned due to unplayable conditions, Sunil Gavaskar has vented his frustration.

The former cricketer-turned-commentator said that the ICC should not conduct games at a venue that does not have covers for the entire ground.

"ICC should not host the matches where there are no covers to cover the entire ground. You just can't cover the pitch and let the other parts of the ground get wet," said Gavaskar after the India vs Canada game was abandoned.

India and USA qualify from Group A:

From Group A, India and the USA have qualified for the Super 8s while Pakistan, Ireland, and Canada have been knocked out. India finished their campaign in the group stage with 7 points while the USA collected 5. Canada, on the other hand, bowed out of the competition with 3 points while Pakistan and Ireland have 2 and 1 point so far respectively. Ireland and Pakistan are set to lock horns against each other in their last group-stage game.

 

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Babar Azam's chances of becoming the Test captain have been dealt a huge blow after Pakistan's disastrous performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

The right-handed batsman was Pakistan's captain in all the formats till last year before stepping down from the post after the Men in Green's disastrous display in the ODI World Cup. He was later replaced by Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi as the Test and T20I captains respectively.

However, he replaced Afridi as the T20I captain in April this year. Afridi led Pakistan in just one series before being sacked. Speculations were rife that Babar would be reappointed the Test captain as well but it is now looking highly unlikely after Pakistan's display in the T20 World Cup.

The Men in Green have been knocked out of the tournament at the group stage after suffering losses against the USA and India. Before the T20 World Cup, Pakistan struggled in the bilateral assignments as well. In April, they could only draw the five-match series at home against a second-string New Zealand side.

Last month, they lost a T20I against Ireland before being thrashed 2-0 by England. Babar Azam's poor display with the bat has only made things worse for him. He has faced severe criticism for his poor batting display and there have been calls from several quarters to sack him as the T20I skipper as well.

Shan Masood to continue as Test captain:

According to a report in Geo News, Shan Masood is likely to retain his position as Pakistan's Test captain for the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh. The report stated that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PBC) is disappointed in Babar's ability to lead.

Under Masood's captaincy, Pakistan suffered a whitewash in the three-Test series in Australia but the left-handed batsman is likely to get at least one more series to prove his captaincy skills.

Meanwhile, Pakistan would be looking to end their campaign in the T20 World Cup on a winning note. The Men in Green will be taking on Ireland in their last group game on Sunday (June 16).

 

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Former Pakistan cricketer Tanvir Ahmed came out in support of skipper Babar Azam amid all the criticism during the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. He said that the right-hander should resign as T20I captain of the team after the tournament ends.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam is the biggest talking point in the Pakistan Cricket. The opening batter has received a lot of skewering for his poor leadership in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, because of which the team suffered an early exit from the tournament.

Babar Azam also failed to lead from the front as he couldn't score big for the team, scoring 91 runs with the bat in 3 games. Under his leadership, the team has suffered losses against the United States of America and India, which almost eliminated them before the washout in the USA vs IRE game confirmed their elimination.

Following Pakistan's exit from the T20 World Cup 2024, Babar Azam's position as the captain of the team has come under serious scanner. There have been calls to remove him as the leader of the team as his performances weren't up to the mark in the tournament.

Tanvir Ahmed admitted that Babar Azam isn't a good captain but it was PCB selectors who came up to him and reappointed him as the skipper again. He also revealed that he told Babar before as well to not take the leadership again because if he failed, people would question him. Speaking on a TV show the video of which shared on his X account, he explained:

"I agree with you. I say that Babar is not a good captain. So don't make him a captain. Babar is not becoming a captain of his own will. He left the captaincy. This cricket board came to him and offered the captaincy. Wahab Riaz and Razaq said that Babar Azam should be the captain. So Babar Azam is not the captain himself. So don't make him a captain. You understand that he is not a good captain.

"He doesn't do the batting well. He should come down. So what will happen? Will he leave the team and run away? No, he won't. I had told Babar before sitting in front of the TV channel, that you are being given the captaincy. Don't take it. You will be told again that you doesn't know how to be a captain. Let it go. I am suggesting Babar Azam. Resign in the first opportunity from T20Is. If he wants to keep Tests or ODIs, it's his wish. He should resign in the first opportunity of T20."

Everyone is saying that Rizwan should be the captain but he too will fail - Tanvir Ahmed

Tanvir Ahmed further stated that people are also behind Babar Azam's batting in the T20Is but claimed that the team will be in the same situation even if Mohammad Rizwan becomes the skipper. He added:

"Because people are after his batting. He plays very slowly. After that, if you want to take some rest from T20, you can take it. It's up to you. Then I will see how many people are after him.

"Then I will ask all of them, who is the best captain of domestic cricket in Pakistan? Everyone is saying that Rizwan should be the captain. Write this down, team in this condition under him too because you don't have players," he concluded.

Meri Babar Azam say request ha T20 say as a captain resign kardain pic.twitter.com/5chD98shNA

— Tanveer Says (@ImTanveerA) June 15, 2024

 

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Pakistan allrounder Imad Wasim has admitted that he let his team down during the game against India in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

The veteran allrounder had missed Pakistan's first game of the competition against the USA due to a rib injury. In his absence, Pakistan had suffered a shock loss against the co-hosts. Imad Wasim was given the green light to play against India and he returned to the playing eleven straightaway.

He did well with the ball as Pakistan restricted India to a modest total of 119 runs. Imad Wasim could not take any wickets but bowled an economical spell, conceding only 17 runs in his three overs. Pakistan were the favorites to win the game after restricting India to less than 120 runs and they were in a good position during the chase too.

At the end of the 12th over, they were 72 for 2 and needed 48 runs in as many balls with eight wickets in hand. However, they suffered a collapse and found themselves reeling at 88 for 5 and eventually ended their innings on 113 runs to lose the game by six runs.

After the loss, Imad Wasim faced criticism from all around for not showing any intent with the bat. The allrounder managed to score only 15 runs off 23 balls and lost his wicket in the final over when his team needed 18 runs.

Imad Wasim on loss against India:

Speaking ahead of Pakistan's last group game of the ongoing T20 World Cup, Imad Wasim stated that his team wanted to take the chase deep as the pitch was not easy to bat on. He further admitted that he let the team down by not taking them over the finishing line and also said that he was very hurt by the failure.

"Our game plan (against India) was to take the chase deep. The wicket was tough to bat on. I let the team down because usually when I go in these situations, I stay very calm and finish the job," said Imad Wasim.

"Finishing this chase was my job which I couldn't do, and I am very hurt by that. But this is life, sometimes you make mistakes. I believe my planning was right but the execution wasn't good," he added.

Pakistan have been knocked out of the T20 World Cup and will be looking to end their campaign with a win over Ireland in their last group game. The game is scheduled to be played on Sunday (June 16) in Lauderhill.

 

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As soon as Pakistan were knocked out of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024, their former bowler Shoaib Akhtar said that the Men in Green would have to play the Qualifiers to seal their spot in the next edition of the T20 World Cup.

Akhtar was definitely not the only one to say that Pakistan would have to play the qualifiers but definitely one of the most prominent figures to say that. The top eight teams of the ongoing T20 World Cup or the teams that would qualify for the Super 8s would gain automatic qualification in the next T20 World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026.

Unsurprisingly, many including some former Pakistan cricketers believed that Pakistan would have to play the qualifiers for a place in the next World Cup. However, the Men in Green look set to book their place without taking the qualifier route.

Here's how Pakistan can directly qualify for T20 World Cup 2026:

As per the rules, 12 of the 20 teams will gain automatic qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup while the remaining 8 teams will be decided through qualifiers, reported Cricbuzz. Two of those 12 teams are India and Sri Lanka who will be qualifying as the co-hosts.

Additionally, India have also made it to the Super 8s while Sri Lanka have not. As a result, seven more teams will be making it to the next T20 World Cup on the basis of their performance in the ongoing tournament.

It takes the total number of teams to 9. The remaining 3 teams will be selected on the basis of ICC T20Is rankings. The three highest-ranked teams as per the ICC Men's T20I rankings table on 30th June 2024 will also gain automatic qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

At present, Pakistan are in the seventh spot and look set to make it to the next World Cup without playing the qualifier. New Zealand, who missed out on the Super 8s as well, are also looking set to gain an automatic qualification as they are at the sixth spot in the ICC rankings.

They are well ahead of the other teams in contention such as Bangladesh (9th with 226 points), Ireland (11th with 195 points), Scotland (12th with 192 points), Zimbabwe (13th with 192 points), Namibia (14th with 189 points), Netherlands (15th with 185 points), UAE (16th with 176 points), Nepal (18th with 170 points), Oman (19th with 163 points), PNG (20th with 145 points), Uganda (21st with 135 points), Hong Kong (22nd with 135 points) and Canada (23rd with 129 points).

 

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Former Pakistan cricketer Azhar Ali came out in support of Babar Azam as he targeted Ahmed Shehzad for unnecessarily criticizing the skipper of the current team. He said that ex-cricketers are talking nonsense and are taking out their grudges on live TV shows.

Babar Azam has been under the radar ever since the Pakistan National Cricket Team were eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2024. The Men in Green faced an early exit as India along with the United States of America (USA) went on to qualify for the Super 8 stage of the tournament.

Pakistan under Babar Azam has looked clueless in the tournament. They first faced a disappointing loss to the United States of America (USA) and it saw them getting a lot of criticism. They lost in the super over as they looked torrid with the bat and ball.

Pakistan then came up with a better performance against India but the joy turned into agony for them as they went on to lose the game from the winning position. They lost the game by 6 runs before the washout between the United States of America and Ireland eliminated Pakistan from the tournament.

Amid the poor performances, skipper Babar Azam has become a soft target. Many fans and experts have criticized him for his poor leadership and batting. The skipper so far has scored just 91 runs in the 3 games at a strike rate of around 104, failing to lead from the front.

One of the biggest critics of Babar Azam has been Ahmed Shehzad. The former Pakistan cricketer hasn't gone easy on the batter as he called him the social media king and pointed out that he has the most runs in the losing cause for the team. He had stated:

“You say you are the biggest player in the world. Tell me, you have 1,400 runs in your losing stat. Which king is he? You have highlighted your small things on social media and made it so big that you fooled the people of Pakistan."

Azhar Ali fires shots at Ahmed Shehzad for his criticism of Babar Azam

After Ahmed Shehzad didn't go easy on Babar Azam, Azhar Ali came out in support of the captain. He lashed out at the former Pakistan opener, saying that people are sitting in front of the TV and taking out their grudges. He slammed Shehzad, saying he should look at what he has done in his career.

Azhar Ali mentioned that criticism shouldn't be personal and stated that if Babar Azam didn't reply to any player it wouldn't mean they would speak rubbish about him. As quoted by Cricwick, former Pakistan cricketer stated:

"Some recently retired players are now sitting on TV, talking nonsense and taking out their grudges. Look at what you have achieved in your career. Sitting on TV and criticizing Babar on any other player is easy, but criticism should not be personal. Just because Babar cannot reply to you doesn’t mean you can say any rubbish you want."

 

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Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan compared the role of Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2024. He said that the Delhi Capitals all-rounder has given more stability to the team than Jadeja.

Axar Patel so far has proved to be a vital cog in the wheel for the Indian team in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Not only with the ball, but the all-rounder has been extremely good for India with the bat in the tournament, helping the team reach the Super 8 stage of the tournament.

Axar Patel has chipped with wickets at crucial junctures of the game. The all-rounder has picked three wickets from as many games at an average of 13 and an economy of 6.50. He has been extremely economical and also bowled a sensational 16th over against Pakistan, tilting the game in his team's favour

Axar Patel has got just one opportunity with the bat but he played a decent role. The all-rounder was promoted up the order and played a vital innings, scoring 20 runs off 18 balls. He steadied the innings after the team lost two early wickets and played some crisp shots.

On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja hardly has played any role with the bat and ball in the tournament so far. He got out for a golden duck against Pakistan and has bowled just three overs in as many matches without any wickets at an economy rate of 6.50. He also didn't get a single over against the USA.

Comparing Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, Irfan Pathan stated that the latter has more range and the team has got more liberty with him. He also believes that Patel has provided more stability than Jadeja. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained:

"If you compare Jadeja to Patel, as far as the batting ability is concerned Axar Patel has more range. India needs to take that advantage, since he’s come in that liberty has been given to the Indian team that we have Axar Patel that okay we have Axar Patel in the batting department who can bat at number eight and he can even bat at number four if the team requires as well. So the stability given by Axar Patel has been given to team India a lot more than Ravindra Jadeja."

Axar Patel has been their go-to spin all-rounder - Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar, who was also present during the discussion, noted that India hasn't used Ravindra Jadeja much with the ball as Axar Patel has been their go-to man. He pointed out that Patel has got more backing than Jadeja by the management. He explained:

"Jadeja interestingly, India haven’t actually bowled him a lot. Axar Patel has been their go-to spin all-rounder, even when they needed to promote somebody to number four against Pakistan they chose Axar Patel. It’s interesting how the handling of all-rounders shows that this team management is backing Axar Patel the bowling all-rounder more than Jadeja," he concluded.

 

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Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar talked about the current situation of the Pakistan team after their exit from the T20 World Cup 2024. He said that removing Babar Azam as the captain of the team or changing players in the team won't solve the problem.

Pakistan have been eliminated from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. They have displayed a torrid performance in the ongoing tournament which has led to their early exit from the tournament. This was the third time when they got eliminated from the league stage of the tournament.

Pakistan started off the tournament with a horrible loss against the United States of America. The Babar Azam-led side looked clueless with the bat and ball in the game against the associate nation and went on to lose the game in the super over as they failed to score 18 runs.

After that, Pakistan were involved in a clash with arch-rivals India. They looked favourites to win the game as they dominated the game for most of the match but couldn't finish the game as India held their nerves and won the game by 6 runs to hand Babar Azam-led side their second loss.

Two losses in the two games dented Pakistan's chances to qualify for the Super 8 stage of the tournament. They were dependent on Ireland to beat the United States of America but the washout in that game meant curtains for the Babar Azam-led side in the tournament as they fell short of points.

Sanjay Manjrekar feels that the problem of Pakistan Cricket is deep-rooted. He believes that they don't have good-quality players adding that a change in leadership won't change anything. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained:

"It's not a problem that can be solved by a change of leadership or player selection, drop a few players, get a new one and suddenly Pakistan is back at the top. The problem is deep-rooted. I don't think they're getting players of exceptional quality or ability and in the end, it has to be about ability, isn't it? You can't say that they played badly and yes, the exhibition wasn't great."

It wasn't one of the stronger teams - Sanjay Manjrekar on Pakistan

Sanjay Manjrekar claimed that many didn't back Pakistan to be the top-four team in the tournament because they didn't have quality players. He added that with the way they played in the league stage, they didn't deserve to play the Super 8. He elaborated:

"Were we expecting Pakistan to reach the final four? No. It wasn't one of the stronger teams, so from that standpoint, not making a Super 8 is a bit of a shocker and they, I mean, that happened because they lost to the USA. The way they played they didn't deserve to get in the Super 8 after that performance."

Pakistan will be taking on Ireland in their last game of the tournament. The match will be played on Sunday (16th June) in Florida.

 

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England vs Namibia Live Score: England will be taking on Namibia in the 34th match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua

England vs Namibia Match Details:

• Date: June 15, 2024
• Venue: Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill Florida
• Time: 8:00 PM IST

England vs Namibia Live Score Updates: ICC T20 World Cup, Match 34

England vs Namibia will clash in the highly anticipated 34th match of the T20 World Cup 2024 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua on Saturday, June 15.

England (Team News)

England will be confident with a record win against Oman has. As long as group toppers Australia can manage to stay unbeaten, for their own good, England's massive NRR jump - from -1.8 before the match to +3.08 - has ensured they also only need a win against an already-eliminated Namibia to make it through to Super 8s.

The defending champions were tested thoroughly in their rained-out tournament opener against Scotland, before allowing Australia to plunder this World Cup's only 200 score thus far. After that wobbly start to their campaign, England put on a clinical all-round show against Oman to bundle them out for a lowly 47 and then chase it down in under 20 balls.

Namibia (Team News)

In contrast, Namibia, their opponents on Sunday, picked up a Super Over win against Oman but lost steam against tougher competition. However, with their own fate on the line, England will know better than to take Gerhard Erasmus's side lightly.

England's NRR currently is well above second-placed Scotland's 2.16, and they seek only a win to progress unless, the following day, the neighbours can conjure up some magic to add another chapter to this World Cup of early upsets.

England vs Namibia Head-to-Head Records (overall):

This will be the first occasion when the two teams face each other.

Total matches – 0

England – 0

Namibia– 0

Tie - 0

England vs Namibia Squads

England Squad: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w/c), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley, Chris Jordan, Ben Duckett, Sam Curran, Tom Hartley

Namibia Squad: Michael van Lingen, Nikolaas Davin, Jan Frylinck, Gerhard Erasmus(c), JJ Smit, Zane Green(w), David Wiese, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, JP Kotze, Malan Kruger, Tangeni Lungameni, Dylan Leicher, Peter-Daniel Blignaut

England vs Namibia Probable Playing XIs

Probable Playing XI England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran/Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley

Probable Playing XI Namibia: Nikolaas Davin, Michael van Lingen, Jan Frylinck, Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), David Wiese, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Jack Brassell/Ben Shikongo, Tangeni Lungmeni

Pitch Report: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua

The wicket in Antigua this World Cup has been kinder to pacers (21 wickets) than spinners (11 wickets). All three games here have been won by chasing sides. Add to that a slight chance of rainfall before the official start-time, and the captain winning the toss should have no hesitation in opting to field first to make the most of the conditions.

 

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Kingstown St Vincent is all set to host the Bangladesh vs Nepal T20 World Cup 2024 match. The match starts at 5 am IST on Monday, June 17. Bangladesh will secure a Super 8 qualification berth if they win this match against Nepal.

Bangladesh won their matches against Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. They lost a close one against South Africa and look good to win against Nepal. Nepal. fought hard against South Africa and needs to show the same fighting spirit against Bangladesh as well.

Nepal are yet to win a match in this World Cup. They lost to the Netherlands, their match against Sri Lanka was abandoned and they lost to South Africa by just one run when they could have pulled off an upset. They still have a chance to pull off an upset if they beat Bangladesh.

Also Read: Watch: 'Rohit Sharma doesn't care about...' - Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant and others share bold views on India captain

So far India and USA have qualified from Group A. Australia have qualified from Group B and South Africa so far from Group D. West Indies and Afghanistan have qualified for the Super 8s from Group C. England and Bangladesh are likely to join the rest of the teams in Super 8 stage of the World Cup.

Bangladesh vs Nepal Weather Report And Pitch Report Of St Vincent Stadium– ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Match 37

Bangladesh vs Nepal Weather Report Of Kingstown, St Vincent

The match starts at 7.30 pm IST at Kingstown, St Vincent on Monday, June 17. The weather forecast in the morning has predictable thunderstorms. By the evening, the conditions will be partly cloudy and warm with temperatures around 27 degrees.

Humidity levels will be around 80 percent with a 25 percent chance of rain predicted. Thus rain threat remains in this crucial game for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh vs Nepal Pitch Analysis

After the first two games, now seven T20I matches have been played at the venue. Three matches were won by the team batting first and three games chasing. The average first innings score is around 120.

However, Bangladesh posted 159 against the Netherlands in their match. 158 is the highest score chased at this venue as well. Generally, the pitches in the Caribbean have been low and slow wickets with 160 a par score batting first, keeping the spinners in the game.

Weather Impact on Bangladesh vs Nepal, T20 World Cup 2024, Match 30

There is a 25 percent chance of rain in the evening. Humidity levels will also be high as high as 80 percent. Many matches in this World Cup have been affected by rain, a few have been abandoned as well.

Conditions in the evening will be partly cloudy and warm and rain is on the horizon as well. Florida has seen a lot of rain over the week. Certain places in the Caribbean have also seen a lot of rain.

Conclusion

A win should see Bangladesh through to the Super 8s for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Meanwhile, Nepal will try from all possible angles to stage an upset against the Tigers. They were so close to pulling one off against South Africa.

Also Read: Watch: 'Hamara neta kaisa ho, Virat Kohli jaisa ho' - India great's reaction to fans' chant goes viral