Page 19 - Asia Cup

Asia Cup, IND vs PAK preview: It's Rohit, Gill & Kohli vs Pak's pace trio

Virat Kohli won't mind an encore of that magical moment against Haris Rauf while Rohit Sharma would be ready with his answers for Shaheen Shah Afridi's banana inswingers in India's 'battle royale' against Pakistan, which will be more than just a World Cup dress rehearsal. The Asia Cup has returned to the 50-over format to facilitate an ideal match preparation for five of the six participating teams but for organisers and the fans India versus Pakistan is not just another game, it is 'The Match'. Kohli's lofted check-drive off Rauf under Melbourne skyline last year during the T20 World Cup became a part of Indian cricket fans' muscle memory while Pakistanis rejoiced when Rohit failed to negotiated a lethal tailing-in delivery from Shaheen and was caught plumb. Such performances help players grow into legends and Saturday's Asia Cup game will be another opportunity for cricketers from both the sides to emerge as heroes. However with steady rain predicted in the hilly Kandy region on

Asia Cup 2023 SL vs BAN: Pathirana, Sadeera help Lanka scrape to victory

Playing their opening match of the tournament, both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh struggled on a slow Pallekele wicket. But Sri Lanka managed to scrape through to a win by five wickets

Asia Cup, IND vs PAK: Kohli says facing Pakistan pacers demands your best

The great Virat Kohli feels one has to be at his absolute best to face a high quality bowling attack like Pakistan's. The Indians have won their last three ODIs against Pakistan but the last one was played during the 2019 World Cup. I feel bowling is their strength. And they've got some really impactful bowlers that can change the course of the game anytime based on their skill set. So, you have to be at your absolute best to face them, he told Star Sports. Kohli has been in decent form in ODIs lately, having scripted 554 runs in 13 matches in the format since last December at a commendable average of 50.36. Talking about his approach lately, Kohli said, I only try to understand how I can better my game. Every day, every practice session, every year, every season, this is what has helped me play this well for so long and to perform for my team. "I don't think you can perform consistently without that mindset because if your performance is your only goal, then you can be satisfied

Asia Cup, IND vs PAK: Shadab says meticulous planning must to bowl to Kohli

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has termed Virat Kohli as a world-class player and very well knows the kind of planning it requires to bowl to the master batter. India and Pakistan will square off in the ongoing Asia Cup here on Saturday. And ahead of the marque clash, Pakistani bowlers are working tirelessly to prepare and counter Kohli's threat. "He (Kohli) is a world-class player, definitely. You have to plan a lot to face him," Shadab told Star Sports on the sidelines of the tournament. Kohli slammed an unbeaten 53-ball 82-run knock against Pakistan in a group match of the ICC T20 World Cup at Melbourne last year to guide India to a convincing four-wicket win over their arch-rivals. Recalling that knock, Shadab said, "The kind of batsman that Virat Kohli is, the way he has performed against us, even in the last match at the (2022 T20) World Cup, I don't think that if any other batsman in the world was in that situation, could have done that to our bowling line-up. "And, the

Asia Cup: Pathirana's coach cliams he didn't copy action from Malinga

Matheesha Pathirana's sling-shot action immediately brings Lasith Malinga to mind but the young Sri Lankan did not deliberately copy his illustrious senior, his childhood coach Bilal Fassy said on Thursday, insisting that the much talked-about bowling style came naturally to the pacer. His Malinga-like action has also earned Pathirana sobriquets like Podi (Little) Malinga in Sri Lanka and Baby Malinga among Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans. Pathirana had a breakout season for IPL champions CSK. He snared 19 wickets from 12 matches and was Mahendra Singh Dhoni's go-to bowler in crunch situations. While Dhoni is grooming the 20-year-old as CSK's designated death overs specialist, the Sri Lankan cricket establishment should handle him with utmost care, feels Fassy. "Seeing his action, a lot of people think that he has modelled it after seeing Malinga. Pathirana also trained under Malinga. But he came to me with this action from day one, and we just worked on it a bit, considering it can

Asia Cup 2023 IND vs PAK: 'Bumrah makes Indian bowling line-up very strong'

Jasprit Bumrah will be playing for the first time with India's best squad since his long lay-off due to injury. Mohammed Shami said that Bumrah's presence will be a big boost for the Pakistan game

Asia Cup, IND vs PAK: Rahul unavailable, eyes on Kishan's batting position

Ishan Kishan is set to play the wicketkeeper-batter role in the absence of K L Rahul but question remains over the left-hander's batting slot going into the Asia Cup opener against Pakistan on September 2. The temptation will be to hand Kishan the opening position with Rahul not available for the first two games of the continental event. He had opened the innings in India's last ODI series against the West Indies along with Shubman Gill, and made a good impression. Kishan made 184 runs in that series from three matches, averaging 61.33 and his scores read 52, 55 and 77. But it was a rather straightforward move as Rohit Sharma was given a rest during the ODIs against the West Indies. Now that Rohit has returned to the side and will occupy one opening slot, the Indian think-tank will have to put in a thought as to where to accommodate Kishan. Opening is also Kishan's most successful slot in the batting order as he had made double hundred there against Bangladesh last year. Former

Asia Cup 2023: Sri Lanka dismiss Bangladesh for 164 despite Shanto's 89

Najmul Shanto's resilient fifty notwithstanding, Sri Lankan bowlers produced a fine bowling effort to restrict Bangladesh to 164 in their Asia Cup 2023 opener here on Thursday. Shanto made 89 off 122 balls but hardly received consistent support from the other end as pacer Matheesha Pathirana (4/32) and spinner Maheesh Theekshana (2/19) combined to strike at regular intervals after Bangladesh opted to bat first. The Pallekele International Cricket Stadium pitch had a bit of carry and bounce in it, and Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka brought Theekshana into the attack in the second over itself. Theekshana, the highest wicket-taker for Sri Lanka in ODIs this year, fetched immediate results as he trapped Tanzid Hasan plumb in front with a lovely delivery. The ball pitched around the leg-stump and spun across to hit Hasan's back pad and the Bangladesh opener had to walk back with a duck on his debut. Pathirana soon jettisoned skipper Shakib Al Hasan. The left-hander could not negotiate the

Asia Cup 2023 IND vs PAK: No guarantee Rahul could be fit later says Kaif

Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has cast doubts over KL Rahul's fitness for the entire Asia Cup

Asia Cup 2023: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Playing 11, toss result, streaming

At the toss, Shakib said that they have selected three pacers and as many seamers in Bangladesh Playing 11. Shanaka confirmed during the toss that Pathirana and Dunith Wellalage are playing

Asia Cup 2023: Babar Azam says big win against Nepal boost for India match

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Wednesday said the massive 238-run win over Nepal in the Asia Cup opener will give his side confidence ahead of their blockbuster clash against arch-rivals India on Saturday. Pakistan crushed minnows Nepal by a huge margin of 238 runs here in a Group A match to make a winning start to the Asia Cup. Pakistan will now travel to Sri Lanka for the much-anticipated match against India to be played in Pallekele. "This game was good preparation for the India game because it gave us confidence. We want to give 100 per cent every match, hope to do that there as well," Babar said after the end of the match. Babar smashed 151, his 19th ODI century while Iftikhar Ahmed (109 not out) hit his maiden ODI ton to power Pakistan to an imposing 342 for six after opting to bat. Babar was involved in two crucial partnerships after a sedate start -- first stitching 86 runs with Mohammad Rizwan (44 off 50) and then sharing an whirlwind 214 runs for the fifth wicket with ..

Asia Cup 2023: Ind vs Pak is test of character and personality says Pandya

The multiple battles against Pakistan in Asia Cup will test the character and personality of the players in the Indian team, feels all-rounder Hardik Pandya. India gets their Asia Cup campaign underway against arch-rivals Pakistan in Pallekele on Sunday. Both teams can play each other as many as three times if they reach the final. Ahead of India's opening game, Pandya spoke about the intensity of an Indo-Pak clash. "It's an event which I've seen how it checks your character and personality, and at the same point in time, you can see in how deep waters you can swim. So, for me, all these factors excite me a lot, he told Star Sports. A lot of emotions are attached by fans. For us, it is about playing a good team, playing a match against a very good side who has done very well in the recent past." Pandya also mentioned that fixtures against teams like Pakistan involve making calculated decisions and not getting carried away by emotions. "We try to keep the outside noise outside and

Asia Cup 2023: Dasun Shanaka confident his young players would prove enough

Sri Lanka have been hit hard by injuries to key players in the run up to the ongoing Asia Cup, and captain Dasun Shanaka on Wednesday said they can't have control over such crisis but are confident of others standing up for the absentees in the continental tournament. Six-time champions Sri Lanka will open their Asia Cup campaign against Bangladesh here on Thursday, but they will be without four main players in Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madhushanka. "We can't have control over injuries. You know the players who unfortunately missed out -- Hasaranga, Chameerathey are big players, experienced players. "But we have a young side and this will be a good experience for them and we are looking forward to the tournament," said Shanaka here during the pre-match press meet. Shanaka said they have enough quality players in the side to make an impression in the Asia Cup. "Last time (in the 2022 Asia Cup) also we went in as underdogs and lost our first g

IND vs PAK, Asia Cup 2023: Babar Azam's 151 rings the danger bell for India

Babar Azam hit 151 against Nepal in the opening match of Asia Cup 2023. It rang the danger bells for Team India. The two arch-rivals clash on Saturday, September 02, in Babar's next game

Asia Cup today's match: PAK vs NEP playing 11, toss result, live streaming

Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq are the two openers in Pakistan Playing 11 vs Nepal in Match 1 of Asia Cup 2023.

Asia Cup 2023 PAK vs NEP Highlights: Babar's team thrash Nepal by 238 runs

Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan vs Nepal 2023 Highlights: Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed hit centuries to take Pakistan to 342 in 50 overs. Shadab Khan led bowlers to bowl Nepal out for 104 to win by 238 runs

Asia Cup 2023: Bangladesh skipper Shakib rues the absence of big players

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan on Wednesday rued the absence of experienced players like Liton Das, but said they have enough quality in their ranks to paper over their unavailability in the Asia Cup. Bangladesh will face six-time and defending champion Sri Lanka here on Thursday. But they will be without veterans like Das, Tamim Iqbal and Ebadot Hosain, all ruled out due to different reasons. While Das could not recover in time from viral fever, Iqbal and Hosain are injured. "Of course, it (absence of veteran players) is a big miss. If you talk about Liton, he has been part of the team for the last four or five years, and he was doing consistently well for Bangladesh. But having said that this will give an opportunity to someone else and I hope they make full use of this opportunity, Shakib said here during the pre-match press conference. Shakib hoped that young players like Towhit Hridoy, who was a part of Bangladesh's U-19 World Cup winning side in 2020, will put their hand

Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan are team to beat in the tournament believes Ashwin

Premier India spinner R Ashwin feels Pakistan will be the side to beat in Asia Cup and consistent performances from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will make them even more dangerous in the continental event. Terming both Pakistan and India as a favourites for the Asian title, Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, "If Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan consistently dish out performances with the bat, Pakistan will be one hell of a team heading into this Asia Cup and the World Cup. "It will take some beating since Pakistan is an extraordinary team." Pakistan face Nepal in the tournament opener on Wednesday before taking on India in the much awaited clash on September 2. The Men in Blue have won the last three meetings against Pakistan in ODIs. Ashwin feels the depth in Pakistan squad makes them serious contenders for Asia Cup and subsequent World Cup. "It is all down to their (Pakistan's) squad depth. Pakistan has invariably developed exceptional cricketers. "Thanks to its tape-ball cri

Asia Cup SL vs BAN Preview: Missing key players, teams eye winning start

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will be eager to shake off modest ODI form and spate of injuries to key players as they seek to start their Asia Cup campaign on a winning note when they face each other here on Thursday. Sri Lanka, who won the Asia Cup in 2022 in its T20 avatar, could not even announce their squad for this edition till Tuesday, courtesy niggles and COVID-19 infection to a couple of players. The Lankans lost Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madhushanka to various injuries, while Kusal Perera, who last played an ODI in 2021, is yet to make full recovery from COVID-19 infection. But even before these setbacks, Sri Lanka's run in the ODIs this year has been sub-par. They started the year with a 0-3 drubbing at the hands of India, and then lost to New Zealand 0-2. The Islanders managed to beat Afghanistan at home before mounting a good run in the ICC Qualifiers in Harare, but the inability to lift their game against top opponents will worry ...

Asia Cup 2023: Bangladesh jolted, Litton Das ruled out due to illness

Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das was on Wednesday ruled out of the entire duration of Asia Cup cricket tournament due to illness, dealing a blow to the side ahead of their campaign opener against hosts Sri Lanka in Pallekele. Das could not recover from a viral fever, and he did not travel to Sri Lanka whom Bangladesh face in their opening match on Thursday. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has named 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Anamul Haque Bijoy as Das' replacement. Bijoy will join the squad in Sri Lanka later on Wednesday. "Bangladesh opening batsman Litton Kumer Das, who could not travel to Sri Lanka with the Asia Cup squad due to viral fever, has been ruled out of the tournament as he has not recovered from the illness," the BCB said in a statement. "The National Selection Panel of BCB has named 30-year-old fellow right-hander Anamul Haque Bijoy as Litton's replacement." Anamul Haque has played 44 ODIs and has scored 1254 runs which include three hundreds. His l