Cricket news
Rashid Khan steps down as Afghanistan captain over team selection, all-rounder Mohd Nabi likely to lead T20 World team
After 22 minutes of the ACB’s team announcement, Khan took to Twitter and said he is no longer the captain of the Afghanistan Cricket Team. He took this decision because his consent was not considered during the selection of the team.
Less than half an hour after Afghanistan announced its squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, Rashid Khan has stepped down as captain of the Afghanistan Cricket Team.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board has put out a list of 18 players to participate in the T20 World Cup which is scheduled to take place in four venues of the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring Oman.
Within half an hour of the ACB team announcement, Khan tweeted that he is no longer the captain of the Afghanistan Cricket Team. He took this decision because his consent was not considered for the selection of the team. Rashid said he will continue to play for Afghanistan and said it is a matter of pride for him to play for Afghanistan.
In the 18-member squad, senior players, wicketkeeper-batsman Mohd Shahzad, fast bowlers Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran, have found their way back into the team.
Following Rashid Khan’s resignation, all-rounder Mohd Nabi is likely to lead the team in the T20 World Cup. Nabi had previously already captained the side in 12 T20Is from 2013-14.
The official announcement from Afghanistan Cricket Board is awaited on who will lead the team in T20 World Cup. Rashid and Nabi are part of IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad.
When Taliban was capturing Afghanistan, Rashid was one of the very few prominent personalities from the war-ravaged nation to keep asking for help from world leaders to save his country.
Now, other cricket boards are refusing to play Afghanistan in the near future because the now-ruling Taliban are likely to proscribe women from playing cricket.
Recently, Cricket Australia threatened the ACB that it would cancel the Hobart Test match which will be played on November 27, if the Taliban bans women from playing cricket.
Read Also: India Vs England: Sourav Ganguly not sure if 5th Test will be played
The Taliban are said to be okay with cricket since many of them grew up in cricket-crazy Pakistan when the Soviet-supported regime ruled in Kabul. But women’s cricket maybe a different cup of tea.
Afghanistan squad: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmatullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Shahzad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Naveen Ul Haq, Hamid Hassan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Qais Ahmad.
Reserve: Afsar Zazai, Farid Ahmad Malik
In other India News, The first look of the film Annaatthe featuring superstar Rajnikanth has been finally unveiled on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi today.
Cricket news
India Vs Australia 2023 Schedule updates: Check Team India full fixtures and match venues for ODI series
All rounder Washinton Sundar and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also been picked for the three match one day international series. All rounder Axar Patel who had a hamstring injury will be available for the third match in the series.
Expectations are high as India take on Australia in the three match one day international series. Two teams have been announced by India for the crucial ODI series against the mighty Australian side. Captain Rohit Sharma, vice captain Hardik Pandya, batting superstar Virat Kohli and in form spinner Kuldeep Yadav will be unavailable in the first two matches of the ODI series against Australia.
All rounder Washinton Sundar and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also been picked for the three match one day international series. All rounder Axar Patel who had a hamstring injury will be available for the third match in the series.
Match Date Venue
India Vs Australia, 1st ODI 22nd September (Friday) Mohali
India Vs Australia, 2nd ODI 24th September (Sunday) Indore
India Vs Australia, 3rd ODI 27th September (Wednesday) Rajkot
All three matches of the India Vs Australia Series can be seen on live stream in India on Jio Cinema. The matches will start at 1:30pm onwards.
After making a remarkable comeback to international cricket in the Asia Cup Wicket Keeper- Batsman KL Rahul will captain the Indian team in the first two games of the ODI series against Australia. Indian Middle order batsman Shreyas Iyer will play the whole series. Iyer missed crucial matches in the Asia Cup due to back spasms. SuryaKumar who did not get a chance to play in the Asia Cup will make a comeback in the series against Australia.
Indian Team for first two matches:
KL Rahul(c), Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Suya Kumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna and Tilak Verma
Indian Team for final ODI:
Rohit Sharma (c),KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, SuryaKumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Axar Patel,Kuldeep Yadav, Virat Kohli,Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur
Cricket news
Watch: India’s jersey for ICC World Cup 2023 unvieled
Adidas India’s kit partners also released an anthem of their own for the Indian Cricket Team. The anthem is 2 minute 21 second long. The anthem is called Impossible Nahi Yeh Sapna, 3 Ka Dream hai Apna.
There is a major change to the jersey that India wore in the the recent Asia Cup 2023. The white stripes have been replaced by India’s tri colour. The jerseys worn by Kohli, Rohit and others in the video has orange, white and green stripes on the shoulder. Social media users hailed the change from Adidas. Netizens said it is a master stroke and the tri colours has taken India’s World Cup jersey to a whole new level.
There will be no Dream 11 logo during the World Cup as according to ICC norms only the team’s name should be visible in the centre of the jersey. India has not won an ICC title since the Champion’s trophy in 2013. India is seen as one of the favourites to win the World Cup.
ICC launched the anthem of the ICC World cup 2023 on Wednesday. The anthem has Dil Jashn Bole has got mixed reviews on social media. Adidas India’s kit partners also released an anthem of their own for the Indian Cricket Team. The anthem is 2 minute 21 second long. The anthem is called Impossible Nahi Yeh Sapna, 3 Ka Dream hai Apna.
The Adidas Anthem has India Captain Rohit Sharma, Superstar Virat Kohli, vice-captain Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, pacers Shardul Thakur, Spinner Kuldeep Yadav and all rounder Ravindra Jadeja. The videos has a catchy rap which gives the message to put an end to India’s long wait to win an ICC trophy. The video also gives a sneak peak into India’s World Cup jersey
The main reason due to the favourable home conditions, recent form and a strong team. India has warmed up nicely by becoming the Asia Cup Champions eighth time in a row. India will start their World Cup journey against Australia on October 8 in Chennai. The first match of the World Cup will start with England Vs New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
Cricket news
Delhi Police praises Mohammed Siraj’s excellent performance in Asia Cup Finals on social media
Siraj performance with the ball was top notch as he dismantled the Sri Lankan batting lineup. He took six wickets in the match bringing the Indian team in a dominant position.
Indian pace bowler Mohammed Siraj’s exceptional bowling performance against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final not only recieved praise from fans all over the world but the Delhi Police social media team as well. They tweeted there would be no speed challans for Siraj today. This implied his fast paced bowling was not only permissible but highly appreciated as well.
Siraj performance with the ball was top notch as he dismantled the Sri Lankan batting lineup. He took six wickets in the match bringing the Indian team in a dominant position. Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah supported Siraj by taking three wickets and one wicket respectively. The Indian bowlers bowled out the Sri Lankan team for 50 runs only. This set the stage for the victory of the Indian team in the Asia Cup.
The highlight of the match was Siraj’s outstanding performance with the ball. He took his first five wickets in just 16 balls. This is the fastest five wicket haul by a bowler in one day international history. He took the wickets of Dhananjaya De Silva, Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samaraiwickrama and Pathum NIssanka and demolished the Sri Lankan batting lineup.
The match did not start on a smooth note rain caused weather delay in the match. The Sri Lankan Captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and chose to bat first against India. The match turned out to be memorable for Mohammed Siraj. He became the fourth bowler in ODI history to take four wickets in an over.
Anand Mahindra appreciated Mohammed Siraj in a post on X as the Indian cricketer decided to donate the player of the match cash prize to Colombo Ground staff. Anand Mahindra wrote on X he had just one word for Mohammed Siraj Class which comes from within. After he received the player of the match award, he decided to give away the cash to ground staff in Colombo.
