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ASIA CUP, 2025 Full-strength India will start as favourites. © AFP It feels a touch ironic that India, the designated hosts of the Asia Cup 2025, should be “hosting” UAE in Dubai. But given the cloud of uncertainty that lingered over the tournament in the months leading up, the idea of having not one but two kinds of hosts – and of the event happening at all – already feels like a small victory. This is only the second time India and UAE will meet in T20Is. The first was back in the 2016 Asia Cup, when the UAE crawled…
Test captain sets a loose target for his own return and insists Australia has the fast bowling stocks to cover any injuries Pat Cummins is adamant there are no depth issues around Australia’s bowling ahead of the Ashes, at a time when England are building back towards full strength. The Test skipper insists Australia have enough depth to cover any injuries to their pace cartel this summer as the struck-down quick set a loose target for his own bowling return. Cummins has felt a lingering soreness in his back since Australia’s Test series win in the West Indies almost two…
SA20 AUCTIONS Dewald Brevis became the most expensive signing in the history of SA20 © Getty Dewald Brevis, the 22-year-old batter, became the most expensive signing ever at the SA20 after being bought by the Pretoria Capitals for a whopping R16.5 million. Capitals entered the auction with R32.5 million and spent over 50% of their purse on Brevis alone. Joburg Super Kings and Paarl Royals sparked the initial bidding for the young South African and the price had already soared past R10 million before the Capitals jumped in. The Super Kings remained interested up until the Capitals’ winning bid. Aiden…
Stokes’ county coach says allrounder’s batting is progressing well in nets but questions if featuring in all five Ashes Tests is beyond him England have been given a major fillip with the Ashes on the horizon after skipper Ben Stokes and Mark Wood took the next steps in their recoveries. England Test captain Ben Stokes has resumed training and fast bowler Mark Wood is in line to return to action next week in a major boost to England’s preparations for the Ashes. Stokes missed the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval having hurt his shoulder in the…
ASIA CUP 2025 Afghanistan picked up four wickets in the powerplay to send their opponents spiralling © AFP Afghanistan kickstarted their Asia Cup campaign with an emphatic 94-run win. Even as the stage was set by contrasting half-centuries by Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai, it was Hong Kong’s top-order failure that turned it into a one-sided affair in Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday. It was the third biggest margin in the history of the Men’s Asia Cup. Where was the match won? Hong Kong were pegged back in the powerplay itself, a point from where they found themselves in no position…
Azmatullah Omarzai hammered a 20-ball fifty as Afghanistan thrashed Hong Kong by 94 runs in the opening match of the men’s T20 Asia Cup on Tuesday. The 17th edition of the Asia Cup kicked off with the Group ‘B’ match between the two teams which have six-time Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as the other teams in their group Afghanistan elected to bat first in Abu Dhabi and posted 188-6 with opener Sediqullah Atal playing the anchor role with an unbeaten 73. His fifth-wicket partnership of 82 with Omarzai, who hit 53 off 21 balls, including two fours…
SOUTH AFRICA TOUR OF ENGLAND 2025 After losing the ODI series 2-1, England now face South Africa in a three-match T20I series © Getty England have won three of their last five bilateral men’s T20I series. South Africa? Only one of their last 10. But the last time these teams met, in England in July 2022, South Africa prevailed 2-1. The latter means little, because things have changed so much. Only five of England’s squad of 14 from then are involved this time, and just six of South Africa’s 17. The home side were captained by Jos Buttler, the visitors…
Even when the questions became more pointed, Suryakumar stayed loyal to his sense of humour. ©Asian Cricket Council A lot had gone on behind the scenes before eight captains, including those of India and Pakistan, sat huddled close together on a dais in Dubai. At the captains’ press conference, the expectation was the usual talk of geopolitics and “archrivalry” that so often frames India-Pakistan contests, or even tournaments featuring the two. Instead, it was humour that did the heavy lifting, cutting through the uncertainty that had hovered over this Asia Cup. And it was Suryakumar Yadav who set the tone.…
JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL The glittering trophy of the Asia Cup 2025 was officially unveiled in Dubai on Tuesday, with Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi and the captains of all eight participating nations in attendance. Skippers from Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE, Hong Kong, and Oman joined the ceremony, posing for photographs with the trophy and sharing their excitement ahead of the tournament. Naqvi greeted and shook hands with each captain before the formal unveiling. The event also saw the players interact with the media, where they fielded questions and vowed to give their best in…
JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL England Test captain Ben Stokes has resumed training and fast bowler Mark Wood is in line to return to action next week in a major boost to England’s preparations for the Ashes series in Australia later this year. Stokes missed the fifth and final Test against India at the Oval having hurt his shoulder in the previous match at Old Trafford in July. Durham head coach Ryan Campbell said the 34-year-old had started batting in the nets and that he had no doubts about the all-rounder’s availability for the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Nov.…