Page 55 - Latest Updates on ICC T20 World Cup

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

Winning World Cup is within India's reach, says former coach Gary Kirsten

Former India coach Gary Kirsten, who was at the helm when the team last won a World Cup back in 2011, believes that the current side has what it takes to bring home another trophy very soon. The South African and the then India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the toast of the nation in 2011 when the side claimed its second ODI World Cup after 1983. But the title, across formats, has eluded India for over a decade now. The latest heartbreak came in last year's 50-over showpiece in which Rohit Sharma's men were outwitted in the final in Ahmedabad by six-time champions Australia. "I don't think it is easy to win a World Cup, it is really tough. Probably Australia mastered that better than any other country but India has the potential to compete at the highest level for World Cup success and glory due to depth in its cricket," Kirsten, who was India's coach from 2008 to 2011, told PTI-Bhasha in an interview. "I wouldn't be surprised if they secure a few victories soon," he added.

T20 World Cup 2024: Fully fit Deepak Chahar sets sights on India re-entry

A challenging phase on personal front behind him, which sidelined him for a few assignments, India seamer Deepak Chahar is ready for a comeback and has set his sights on the T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by the United States and West Indies later this year. Chahar had to miss India's tour of South Africa in December followed by the home T20Is against Afghanistan after his father suffered a brain stroke, from which he has recovered now. "For me, my father comes first. I am here only because of him. Whatever I have achieved is because of my father. If I am not there for him in those situations, then obviously, what kind of son I am?," Chahar told PTI in an exclusive interview. "If the series was in India, then I would have surely tried to play. You can come to the hospital if you need within 4-5 hours. But obviously, (from) South Africa it takes 2-3 days to come back. "It was an easy decision to be with my father -- any son would do that," he added. Chahar said while he did no

T20 World Cup: Hardik Pandya begins bowling full tilt after rehabilitation

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has begun bowling full tilt after rehabilitation from his ankle injury, clearly indicating that he is on course for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League where he will captain Mumbai Indians. Pandya, who sustained an ankle injury during World Cup last year, was seen bowling here in a video footage shared on his Instagram. "I feel good to be back. My journey started 17 years back at this same ground," said Pandya, who was seen sending down a few deliveries while also doing some running drills and exercises. "I am giving it all I got, every single day." Pandya, who was named Mumbai Indians captain in place of highly-successful Rohit Sharma on December 15 following a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans, has been out of action after sustaining the injury in November during World Cup clash against Bangladesh. He missed the home T20I series against Afghanistan earlier this month.

T20 World Cup squad not final but...: Rohit Sharma after IND vs AFG series

The squad is not yet finalised but in his mind, India captain Rohit Sharma says he knows about 10 players who will be part of the side in the ICC T20 World Cup to be held this June in the Americas. The series against Afghanistan was India's last T20 engagement before the World Cup. It also marked Rohit and Virat Kohli's comeback to the format after 14 months. Fringe players like Shivam Dube also got an opportunity to prove themselves in the series that India won 3-0. Speaking to Jio Cinema, Rohit said some of the promising players will be left out for the event in Americas but that is the nature of professional sport. "Like when we were playing the ODI World Cup, we tried out many boys in T20s. They perform but when the main squad is announced, some boys have to be left out. So, it is disappointing for them. But our job is to bring clarity to the team. "So, in the pool of 25-30 players we have, they know what is expected of each player. We have still not finalised the squad for the

Nice to see we have some options ahead ICC T20 World Cup: Rahul Dravid

India head coach Rahul Dravid was a pleased man after the 3-0 series win over Afghanistan as few fringe players performed well to give the team more options for the T20 World Cup in June. India played 11 T20s after the ODI World Cup last year and the thinktank was able to have a closer look at some contenders such as Jitesh Sharma and Shivam Dube after frontline players were given a rest. Dravid was quite chuffed at their efforts. We've had different people play after the last ODI World Cup for a variety of reasons. But I think it's just nice to see that there are some options (ahead of World Cup) who have put their hand up, and certainly shown that they've got skills to address. "Some areas we might need some addressing in, and we were thinking about it, Dravid said in his post-match press conference. The only concern for Dravid was the lack of team-time ahead of the showpiece to be held in the West Indies and the USA. The three-match series against Afghanistan, which India won

IND vs AFG T20: Parthiv advises slower wicket for T20 World Cup practice

Former India player Partyiv Patel advised the Indian team to plate on a slower wicket to have practice for the T20 World Cup 2024

England hoping for Jofra Archer's availability for ICC T20 World Cup

England are hoping to have a fully-fit Jofra Archer available for the T20 World Cup later this year despite the ace fast bowler undergoing rehabilitation following the recurrence of his long-standing elbow injury. Archer, who played a key role in England's World Cup win in 2019, has not played any professional cricket since May last year. He did train with the England white-ball team on their tour of the Caribbean in December. "Our plan is the T20 World Cup, building him up slowly," England's director of cricket Rob Key was quoted as saying on the BBC's 'Tailenders Podcast'. The ace right-arm pacer has been plagued by injuries for the last three years. He made a comeback in white-ball cricket, playing three T20Is and four ODIs in the first quarter of 2023. But, he suffered the recurrence of his right-arm elbow injury during IPL last year, which ruled him out of action once again. When England were playing West Indies in Archer's native Barbados at the end of last year, he did play

IND vs AFG: Arshdeep Singh banks on new-ball experience to ace T20 test

Arshdeep Singh's chaotic journey in T20Is will reach its culmination point at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the third match against Afghanistan on Wednesday, and he is banking on the recent experience of bowling with new-ball to ace the latest test of his skills. Arshdeep took four wickets from as many matches against the Aussies last year, but in each of those matches he conceded 41, 46, 44 and 40 runs in four overs. But against South Africa and Afghanistan, the left-arm pacer had relatively better outings four wickets across four matches at an acceptable overall economy of eight. Those performances offered a microcosm of Arshdeep's efforts from January 5, 2023 to January 14, 2024 as his economy oscillated between 7.5 and above 10. The Punjab man accepted that his journey was a mixed bag during the above-mentioned period. "The last 12 months have been a mixed bag (of experience). There were a few good performances and I got to learn something new. There were a few ups and downs

IND vs AFG: Players walking the talk, India ticking all boxes, feels Rohit

With the series against Afghanistan in bag, India skipper Rohit Sharma on Sunday said he is happy that the players are actually walking the talk as the team ticks all the boxes ahead of the T20 World Cup. India beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the second T20I to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-game series, which is the last before the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies. "We have been clear with what we wanted to do, very clear message to everyone and when you see a performance like that, you can be really proud," Rohit said during the post-match presentation. "One thing is talking about it, but to actually go there and play that way is a proud feeling. The last two games, we've ticked a lot of boxes." Yashasvi Jaiswal (68) and Shivam Dube (63) smashed brutal fifties to chase down a target of 173 with ease. "They've had a great couple of years, Jaiswal has played Test cricket now and even T20I. He has shown what he is capable of. He has the talent and has a great

IND vs AFG T20s: How Team India fared with and without Rohit, Virat Kohli

When Rohit & Kohli represented India in T20s together, the overall win percentage of the team was 68.08, which is almost equal to what Men In Blue achieved during the absence of two batting mainstays

IND vs AFG: Coach Dravid asks players to flexible for T20 World Cup prep

Head coach Rahul Dravid on Wednesday admitted that Indian players will not get too many chances to play as a group ahead of the T20I World Cup, and said they needed to remain mentally flexible ahead of the marquee event in June. The three-match series against Afghanistan beginning here on Thursday will be India's final T20 International assignment ahead of the global showpiece. In that context, Dravid said the management will also have to depend a bit on the IPL 2024 for the team selection. After the last T20I World Cup (2022) we prioritised the ODI World Cup. But we don't have that many T20I games after that (ODI WC), said Dravid in his pre-match conference. "So, this T20I WC is slightly different in the sense that (there's) not a lot of time to prepare for that. We have to rely on the cricket that we have and also a little bit on the IPL." Dravid emphasised the need for players to remain adaptive in situations where they may not collectively get game time. We might not get too

T20 World Cup 2024: Will selectors' safe approach cost India another WC?

The selectors have clearly gone for the status quo rather than addressing the elephant in the room by picking Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for their first T20 series in 14 months. Will it have a bearing on India's chances in another T20 World Cup? Only time can tell. Having endured a heartbreak in the previous two editions of the T20 World Cup, the two greats of the game can't be faulted for wanting a final shot at glory in the format. But the same can't be said about the selectors, who picked a fresh bunch of players to take the team forward since the crushing semifinal loss to England in November 2022. Now that Rohit and Kohli have been picked for the home series against Afghanistan beginning on January 11, it is a given that the famed duo will be a part of India's squad for the ICC showpiece in the US and Caribbean in June. It also means that India, who have been guilty of playing conservative cricket at the top of the order, are also back to square one as far as their planning

SA 20: Faf du Plessis keeping SA options open in T20 World Cup year

As much as Faf du Plessis finds MS Dhoni's leadership inspirational but when he leads Johannesburg Super Kings in the upcoming SA20, he will go about the job in his own way, with an eye on wearing the Proteas jersey in the T20 World Cup in June . While he now leads RCB in the IPL, Du Plessis remains a sentimental favourite with the Yellow Shirt fans and watching him wear the "JSK" uniform does invoke a sense of happiness in them. So will SA20 act as a vehicle for one last shot at the global trophy? "Final crack... it is first about getting back from injury, looking forward to playing cricket again," he put things in perspective during the captains' press interaction on Monday. "Obviously, the tournament is the most important thing, I just want to make sure I play good cricket. It is a great time for us to be still involved in the game. Then we'll see what happens after that." About leading a franchise forever synonymous with MSD, Du Plessis is always ready to pick brains of senior

T20 World Cup: Netherlands, Namibia to play warm-up games versus SA20 teams

The Netherlands and Namibia will play a series of warm-up matches against SA20 teams as part of their preparations for the T20 World Cup in June. The Dutch and Namibian players will have a chance to face some of the top cricketers in the world taking part in the SA20 League Season 2, which kicks off on Wednesday. The Netherlands will face Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Paarl Royals and MI Cape Town, while Namibia will play against Joburg Super Kings in warm-up matches. Namibia head coach Pierre de Bruyn said the quality of the opposition and facilities in the SA20 will give his squad the ideal preparation for the global event taking place in the USA and the West Indies. It's a fantastic opportunity for us to play against a top franchise like the Joburg Super Kings in these matches. For the Namibian players, it is another opportunity to use it as a measuring tool against a variety of top international players," he said. "Secondly, playing at a world-class stadium is very similar to what y

T20 World Cup 2024: Check India's full schedule, IND vs PAK dates, venues

The T20 World Cup 2024 will begin on June 1, 2024, with the first match between USA and Canada. India will face Pakistan on June 9 in New York

India squad for Afg T20s: Will Rohit, Virat be back for shortest format?

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have not played any T20 international since India's humiliating loss to eventual champions England in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

T20 World Cup 2024: Suryakumar is a freak in T20 cricket - Nasser Hussain

Suryakumar Yadav is a bit clueless in 50-overs cricket but the swashbuckling batter "is a freak" who is absolutely in command in the shortest format and will be the one to look out for at the T20 World Cup later this year, feels former England skipper Nasser Hussain. Since beginning his T20I journey for India in 2021, Suryakumar has quickly established himself as one of the best batters in the shortest format of the game, scoring four centuries and 17 fifties from 60 T20Is. His impressive run got him the No.1 spot in the ICC Rankings for T20I batters in 2022, which he has held on to since. However, the big-hitting batter has struggled to make a similar impact in ODIs. "The person for the world to watch out for at the moment in T20 is Suryakumar Yadav," Hussain was quoted as saying by the ICC. "I mean, the bloke is a freak. The cliche of Mr. 360, but some of the shots he plays... and he is a bit of a freak because in fifty-overs cricket, he doesn't quite know when to go, when not to

Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott's contract extended for a year

Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott's contract has been extended for a year, the country's cricket board announced, rewarding him for making significant contributions to the team's progress and development. Having taken over as head coach in July 2022, the former England batter's 18-month tenure came to an end in 2023. Under his guidance, Afghanistan achieved remarkable success and secured several victories. This included the team's impressive performance at the T20 Asia Cup 2022, its maiden international win, a T20I series victory against Pakistan and their first-ever ODI series win over Bangladesh. Afghanistan also enjoyed a successful campaign at the last year's ODI World Cup where they beat Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. Afghanistan are currently in the United Arab Emirates for a three-match T20I series against the host team. Following this, they are scheduled to travel to India, for a three-match T20I series from January 11-17. The team has a packed yea

Indian cricket team schedule in 2024: T20 World Cup to Downunder Test tour

Like many yeasts since the introduction of the Indian Premier League in 2008, the Indian cricket team will remain busy throughout the year in 2024 as well. Here's why and how