Page 54 - Latest Updates on ICC T20 World Cup

Broad terms Stokes call to miss T20 World Cup right, Jofra Archer a concern

Former England pacer Stuart Board has backed talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes' decision to opt out of this year's T20 World Cup due to fitness reasons but expressed concerns about fast bowler Jofra Archer's never-ending injury woes. Supporting Stokes' pullout from the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA, Board said the defending champions will miss his aura but have enough resources to replace him as a player. "Whatever Ben decides to do for the well-being of himself is the right decision. Ben Stokes has made some incredible decisions in his career that have paid off for him," Broad, a member of the Star Sports Incredible Star Cast, told PTI in an exclusive interaction at their studio here. "He wants to get back to (being) the all-rounder that he was and he feels like getting some workload through the knee in a controlled environment, without the help of a scale to pressurise the nature of a T20 World Cup, is the best choice," he said. While Archer has found it ...

IPL 2024: Rabada hopeful of Mayank Yadav playing T20 World cup for India

Immensely impressed by Mayank Yadav's raw speed and accuracy, South Africa and Punjab Kings pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada sees the fast bowling sensation as a "potential pick" in India's squad for the T20 World Cup. The 21-year-old from Delhi has been pushing the speed barrier with every game and on Tuesday night, bowled a 156.7 kmph thunderbolt against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. It was his second straight man of the match performance in his debut season, leading Lucknow Super Giants to a convincing win. Rabada's team Punjab Kings was at the receiving end of Mayank's barrage of short-pitched deliveries last week when the debutant struck thrice with his rattling pace. One of the best pacers in the game, the South African also spoke about Mayank's remarkable accuracy. "He has got something that you cannot buy and that is raw pace. That is what exactly he is exploiting and exploiting it extremely well," Rabada told PTI in an interview. "The lengths that he hits, his plan is clear and

Archer bowling at 'exceptional pace', trying to get him ready for T20 WC

Jofra Archer is once again cranking up "exceptional pace" following a series of injury setbacks since 2019 and is on England selectors' radar for the T20 World Cup this year. Archer's county side Sussex's coach Paul Farbrace said that the 29-year-old is bowling with the likes of England's Ollie Robinson and the West Indies' Jayden Seales in training and the plan is to make him ready for the showpiece event. "Last week in practice there was a spell where Oliver (Robinson) had bowled, Jayden bowled and then Jofra came into the middle and bowled -- and he came marching out and bowled exceptionally quick," Farbrace was quoted as saying by The Telegraph on Tuesday. Farbrace added he was mighty pleased to see Archer uprooting the stumps of Oli Carter a couple of times in the last few outings. "At the moment the plan is very clear from (James) Keysy (Sussex's bowling coach) that they're getting him ready for the T20 World Cup. All I can say is what I have seen, he came with us to India an

T20 WC 2024: Additional tickets for 2 India games to go on sale on April 4

Additional tickets for six T20 World Cup matches in New York, including India's fixtures against Ireland and USA, will go on sale from Thursday. India, who will play all their group matches in the USA, will kick off their campaign against Ireland on June 5 before facing the hosts on June 12. "Fans can now book their place at the World Cup, by accessing additional limited tickets for six matches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, which includes India versus Ireland on 5 June and USA against India on 12 June," ICC said in a release on Tuesday. "Limited tickets will also be available for all four matches at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Texas, including the opening World Cup match featuring the USA and Canada on 1 June." A second timelapse video was also released to celebrate 60 days to go for the mega event, showcasing the progress made in the construction of the 34,000-seat modular Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. The venue will host

'Sacrifice to remain an all-rounder': Stokes pulls out of T20 World Cup

England's star player Ben Stokes on Tuesday pulled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup, saying the "sacrifice" will help him focus on regaining his fitness to bowl full throttle and be the "all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future". The country's Test captain has informed the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) about his decision, two months ahead of the showpiece that will be held in the USA and West Indies. "I'm working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfil a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket. "Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future," Stokes said in a statement issued by the ECB. Stokes, 32, was in-charge of the the team that suffered a 1-4 Test series loss to India earlier this year and said the tour made him realise that he isn't quite up for it when it comes to bowling. "The recent Test tour of India highlighted

T20 World Cup 2024: Babar Azam reappointed as Pakistan's white-ball skipper

Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was on Sunday reappointed as the white-ball captain, two months ahead of the T20 World Cup. The decision was taken after a unanimous recommendation from the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) selection committee. "Following unanimous recommendation from the PCB's selection committee, Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has appointed Babar Azam as white-ball (ODI and T20I) captain of the Pakistan men's cricket team," the PCB said in a media release. Babar had stepped down as captain from all three formats for Pakistan after a disappointing outing at the ODI World Cup in India in November last year. Babar had relinquished his role after the then PCB chief Zaka Ashraf told him he would no longer be captain in white-ball formats and would only lead the Test team. Babar replaces fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20 captain, who led Pakistan in the 1-4 series loss against New Zealand in January. The T20 World Cup will begin from June 1 in the USA and the West

IPL 2024: SRH's Hasaranga ruled out with heel injury, confirms SLC CEO

It was a left heel injury that Hasaranga picked up during Sri Lanka's tour of Bangladesh earlier this month

T20 World Cup: Shaheen Afridi contemplates quitting as Pakistan captain

Disappointed that he was not involved in discussions concerning Pakistan cricket and his future as T20 skipper, fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi is contemplating stepping down as captain. A well-informed source close to Shaheen said that the bowler was upset that not even once the PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi or the national selectors have spoken to him about their future plans as far as the captaincy or appointment of coaches is concerned. "Shaheen is rightly upset as being the national T20 captain he expected that even if the board/selectors wanted to remove him they have the decency to also inform him for the reasons behind this and keep him in the loop about everything," the source said. The source said Shaheen was disappointed that he was not kept in loop as PCB chief held discussions with the national selectors and Babar Azam this week to discuss the T20 World Cup, appointment of coaches and captaincy. "Shaheen believes that if the Board wants to remove him they should have infor

T20 World Cup 2024: Flintoff projected next head coach, joins England team

Andrew Flintoff has been added to England's backroom staff for the upcoming T20 World Cup, and ECB managing director Rob Key viewed it as a portend to the former all-rounder's potential candidacy to the team's head coach role. Flintoff will coach Northern Superchargers in the Hundred this season and will also be involved with the England team during its four-match T20I series against Pakistan ahead of the ICC showpiece.. Without question, I think he would be an excellent head coach. He will be a worthy candidate going forward. When that time comes and whoever is in this job, and it might be outside of my time, they would be stupid not to look at him, Key told Telegraph. England's Test side is managed by Brendon McCullum while Matthew Mott is its coach in white ball formats. Key also drew parallel with current England captain Ben Stokes and said the Lancastrian can easily relate to players in the dressing room. Flintoff is a leader like (Ben) Stokes. Just having someone who knows w

T20 World Cup: Why Dale Steyn wants Virat Kohli to score big in IPL 2024?

Kohli, 35, did not participate in the India vs England 5-match Test series for personal reasons but is touted to play in the IPL

Marsh captaincy record in T20s: Will Marsh replicate Cummins' success?

McDonald said that Marsh is the natural choice of the Australian senior men's cricket team's panel of selectors which combines him, chairman George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide

Will fit-again Pant find a place in India's squad for T20 World Cup 2024?

With Rishabh Pant declared fit as a wicketkeeper batter, his chances of making the India squad for T20 World Cup 2024 increase. If he performs well during IPL 2024, Pant could be wicketkeeper-batter

ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Why India vs Pakistan ticket prices skyrocketed?

India vs Pakistan match has been listed as Sold Out on the official ticketing website of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the T20 World Cup 2024

T20 World Cup 2024: Pakistan set to host NZ in April as preparation for WC

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to host a five-match T20 international series against New Zealand in April this year. A PCB official confirmed that talks were underway with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to finalise the dates and venues for the rubber but the window would be from April 13 to 24. The official said that the series, being held in preparation for the T20 World Cup this year, would be probably staged in Lahore and Rawalpindi as Karachi would be hosting a series between the Pakistan and West Indies women's teams around the same time. Pakistan last month played a five-match T20 series, which New Zealand won 4-1. The Pakistan team, after the Pakistan Super League, will be involved in a series of T20 matches against Afghanistan, New Zealand and England ahead of the World Cup in June in the USA and the West Indies. Pakistan in the last two years has been able to host a number of international teams, including top ranked sides like Australia, England and New Zealand.

Rahul Dravid to remain India's head coach till T20 World Cup: Jay Shah

Rahul Dravid will continue to remain in the position of India's head coach till the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 in June this year, confirmed BCCI secretary Jay Shah. Dravid's contract ended after the ODI World Cup final last year, but he was asked to continue in his role along with other support staff for the December-January tour to South Africa without finalising the tenure. But Shah said he held an initial talk with Dravid here before arriving at the decision to retain the former captain's services till the ICC showpiece to be held in the West Indies and the USA. After the (2023) World Cup, Rahul bhai had to leave for the South Africa tour immediately. We did not get to meet in between which finally happened today, Shah said here on the sidelines of the renaming function of the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday night. Why are you worried about a contract for such a senior person like Rahul Dravid? Rahul bhai will remain the coach in the T20 World Cup, Shah ...

Confirmed! Rohit Sharma to lead India in ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in US & WI

India will be playing the T20 World Cup 2024, to be organised in the Caribbean and the USA, under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, said BCCI secretary Jay Shah at an event here on Wednesday. India have had Hardik Pandya as their full-time skipper in the shortest format but the heartbreaking loss in the final of the 2023 World Cup to Australia have reignited the murmurs of senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit returning for the T20 showpiece in June. "In 2023 (final) at Ahmedabad, even though we did not win the World Cup after 10 straight wins, we won hearts. I want to promise you that in 2024 (T20 World Cup) in Barbados (venue for the final), under Rohit Sharma's captaincy, ham Bharat ka jhanda gaadenge (we will hoist the Indian flag)," Shah said at the end of his speech. Shah was present at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Khanderi, which was renamed after veteran cricket administrator Niranjan Shah, as the chief guest. Shah made a speech in front of a gathering of sever

Spinners will play key role in ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Keshav Maharaj

South Africa's premier left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj is confident that slow bowlers will play a vital role on flat decks expected to be on offer during the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the Americas in June. The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by the West Indies and USA from June 1 to 29 this year. "Spinners will play a crucial role in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Wickets are getting better and boundaries are getting shorter. There is much need for a spinner in the team to provide control and variety," told PTI in an exclusive interview. "Hopefully, these T20 platforms can give spinners even bigger role to players coming to the international stage," he added. The ace left-arm orthodox spinner, who picked up 14 wickets in nine matches at an impressive economy rate of 4.37 with a four-wicket haul against New Zealand in last year's ODI World Cup in India, is a vital cog in South African team. The 34-year-old feels that key recipe of his success is being a .

I made a terrible mistake, shared false info on Virat Kohli: AB de Villiers

Former South Africa captain A B de Villiers has said that he "made a terrible mistake" by sharing "false information" about the personal reasons that have forced star India batter Virat Kohli to take a break from international cricket, insisting that he has no idea "what's happening there". On his Youtube channel a few days ago, de Villiers had claimed that Kohli opted out of the first two Tests of the ongoing home series against England due to the impending arrival of his second child with actor wife Anushka Sharma. On Thursday night, he back-tracked on that statement in an interaction with select media on the sidelines of the ongoing SA T20 here. "Family comes first, it's priority as I said on my Youtube channel. I also made a terrible mistake at the same time, sharing false information that was not true at all," de Villiers, who is the brand ambassador of the event, said. "I just think that whatever is best for Virat and his family comes first, no one knows what's happening ther

Jasprit Bumrah will be best pacer of ICC T20 World Cup: Vernon Philander

His ability to hold a line, bowl wicket-taking deliveries without leaking runs along with those lethal yorkers make Jasprit Bumrah the most complete bowler in international cricket, says former South African seamer Vernon Philander, who foresees the Indian outperforming all his contemporaries in this year's T20 World Cup in the Americas. Bumrah on Wednesday became the first Indian pacer to be crowned number one in ICC Test rankings. This was after his magical performance in the second Test against England that yielded nine wickets on a sporting track at Visakhapatnam. Philander, who has played 64 Tests for South Africa with 225 wickets against his name, said Bumrah doesn't seem to have any chinks in his armour. "Bumrah is the (most) complete bowler at the moment. He has got magnificent skills and he has also learnt the trade of holding a line and length and that is the reason behind his success at the Test level," Philander told 'PTI Bhasha' in an interview on the sidelines of the S

IPL 2024 performance gains significance for T20 World Cup selection: Moody

Veteran coach Tom Moody on Thursday felt the players' performance in highly-competitive leagues like IPL and ILT20 will have an added heft this time because of the impact it can have on the team selection ahead of the T20 World Cup. This edition of the marquee ICC event is scheduled to be held jointly in the West Indies and the USA in June and most of the teams, including India, have already finished their T20I assignments. The IPL (set to be played between March-May), along with any other T20 tournament, like the ILT20, is important for any player to be performing because every home team is looking at the performances of all their players in these tournaments because of the high-quality cricket in these (leagues), Moody said during a virtual media interaction facilitated by the Desert Vipers team of the ILT20. Moody then described how these outings could help players to secure a berth in the World Cup-bound squads. If you are scoring runs, taking wickets and showing consistency, i