Page 7 - Asia Cup

IND vs PAK, Kandy weather: Skies clear in Pallekele; toss expected on time

A local fan at Kandy's Pallekele said that the weather is clear ahead of the India vs Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2023

Asia Cup: What happens if India vs Pakistan match is washed out due to rain

If the India vs Pakistan match is washed out, a lot of doors will be opened for Nepal and Pakistan will qualify for the Super Four

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan: Kandy weather forecast today (Sept 2)

The rainfall is expected to play a spoilsport, given there are more than 60 per cent chances of precipitation today (September 2) in Kandy during the IND vs PAK match.

Asia Cup, IND vs PAK: Babar backs team's experience in Lanka to do well

Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Friday played down the talks of pressure on his side and said they were banking on their experience in Sri Lankan conditions to do well against India in their Asia Cup match. Pakistan had played a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka in July and then several players, including Babar, stayed back for the Lanka Premier League (LPL). After the LPL, Pakistan took on Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series, which they won 3-0. Babar said the whole trip would stand the side in good stead. "We have been here since July. We have played Test matches, some league (LPL) matches and then the ODIs (against Afghanistan). We are hoping that this will help us to do well against India tomorrow," said Babar during the pre-match press-conference. Babar shot down talks of pressure surrounding an Indo-Pak match, and said they were just concentrating on the game and not on outside noises. "There is no extra pressure. Yes, the India vs Pakistan match is always one of high ..

Asia Cup, IND vs PAK: Our experience will tackle Pakistan pace says Rohit

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Friday said his batters will have to rely on their rich experience to counter Pakistan's potent pace trio in the much awaited Asia Cup clash here on Saturday. A mouth watering contest awaits when the likes of Rohit and Virat Kohli face the highly skilled Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. We don't have Shaheen, Naseem and Rauf in our nets. We practice with the bowlers we have. They are all quality bowlers. We just have to use our experience to play them tomorrow," Rohit said on the eve of the game when asked about his team's plans against the highly skilled pace attack. Tournament is not a fitness test =================== With a few key players entering the Asia Cup after their recent recovery from injuries, Rohit asserted that the tournament is not a fitness test and the team will have to put its game face on. India's Group A match against Pakistan will see pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishn

Asia Cup, IND vs PAK: Shaheen Afridi says prepared enough to win the trophy

Shaheen Afridi talks about team spirit, preparations to win the Asia Cup and the Pakistan pace trio that includes him, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah

Asia Cup, IND vs PAK: Bangar decodes Kohli's plan for Pakistani bowlers

Sanjay Bangar, former India batting coach feels Virat Kohli has a special plan against all five main bowlers of Pakistan

Asia Cup IND vs PAK: Hayden's advice for Virat and Rohit vs Pakistan pacers

Calling it one of the spiciest competitions on the planet, Hayden said that all three pacers in the Pakistan trio are unique and require a unique counterplan to tackle them

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