Asia Cup – The News Desk

Recent Match Report – Sri Lanka vs India Final 2023

17Sep

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Recent Match Report – Sri Lanka vs India Final 2023

India 51 for 0 (Gill 27*, Kishan 23*) beat Sri Lanka 50 (Siraj 6-21, Pandya 3-3) by 10 wicketsAfter a couple of tight games, it seemed like the 2023 Asia Cup was heading towards an exciting finale but the title bout turned out to be an anti-climax as Mohammed Siraj singlehandedly demolished Sri Lanka in the blink of an eye. It was India's seventh 50-over Asia Cup title, to go with one in the T20 format in 2016.In overcast conditions, Siraj got the new ball to move around and picked up 6 for 21, the fourth-best ODI figures for India. He took just 16 balls for his first five wickets - the joint-fastest five-for in ODIs (where ESPNcricinfo has the data recorded) alongside Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas and USA's Ali Khan.As a result, Sri Lanka were all out for 50 - their second-lowest ODI total -...

Recent Match Report – Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 11th Match, Super Four 2023

15Sep

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Recent Match Report – Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 11th Match, Super Four 2023

Sri Lanka 252 for 8 (Mendis 91, Asalanka 49*, Ifthikar 3-50) beat Pakistan 252 for 7 (Rizwan 86*, Shafique 52, Pathirana 3-65) by two wickets via DLS methodIn a game of multiple compelling storylines, it was Charith Asalanka who stood tall in the end as Sri Lanka edged Pakistan out by two wickets in a final-ball thriller in Colombo. With it, Sri Lanka made it to their 11th Asia Cup final (for ODIs), where they will face India on Sunday.Asalanka remained unbeaten on 49 off 47 balls to see home a nervy chase, but it was a win built on Kusal Mendis' 91 from 87 deliveries and Sadeera Samarawickrama's 48 off 51. Pakistan will look back at what might've been, as their injury-hit attack fought tooth and nail, and almost secured an unlikely come-from-behind win.Set a DLS-adjusted target of 252 in...

Recent Match Report – India vs Sri Lanka 10th Match, Super Four 2023

12Sep

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Recent Match Report – India vs Sri Lanka 10th Match, Super Four 2023

India 213 (Rohit 53, Rahul 39, Wellalage 5-40, Asalanka 4-18) beat Sri Lanka 172 (Wellalage 42*, de Silva 41, Kuldeep 4-43, Bumrah 2-30, Jadeja 2-33) by 41 runsOn a surface where India picked three frontline spinners and lost all ten of their wickets to spin for the first time in ODIs, it was the quality of their fast bowlers that made the telling difference. Defending 214, India had Sri Lanka three down before bowling a single ball of spin, and that had repercussions that rippled through the rest of the game.Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage brought Sri Lanka's equation down to 52 from 82 balls with a partnership of brisk partnership of 63 but crucially in the context of this game the stand came with very little batting to follow. Even as their spinners struggled to exert control ...

Match Preview – Sri Lanka vs India, Asia Cup 2023, 10th Match, Super Four

12Sep

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Match Preview – Sri Lanka vs India, Asia Cup 2023, 10th Match, Super Four

Big picture - India might rotate playersTwo weeks ago in Bengaluru, India's Asia Cup-bound squad had exhaustive fitness tests to check their levels of preparedness for the cricket coming up over the next three months.On Tuesday, those fitness levels will be put to test as India return to the R Premadasa Stadium a little over 12 hours after beating Pakistan in a game that was played over two days because of rain. When they won, they won by a record 228 runs, which has vaulted their net run-rate into orbit, and another win will take them through to Sunday's final.Coming into the tournament, India had several questions to answer.Can Ishan Kishan bat in the middle order if required? He answered it quite emphatically, hitting an 82-ball 81 against Pakistan in Pallekele to open the tournament.S...

Match Preview – India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023, 9th Match, Super Four

9Sep

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Match Preview – India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023, 9th Match, Super Four

Big picture: Rain threat in ColomboThe tournament has moved to Colombo, with India and Pakistan looking to resume their rivalry after rain had held sway in Pallekele. The weather, however, continues to be a threat. It could be another wet day on September 10, with chances of precipitation up to 90%. The is a reserve day now for this game - the only match apart from the final to have that luxury - but the forecast once again is similarly bleak.India's match against Nepal too was affected by rain. If the weather clears up in Colombo, India will test out the readiness of KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah for the ODI World Cup.Rahul hasn't played in an ODI since March while Bumrah hasn't bowled in one since July. And in order to accommodate Rahul in the XI, India's team management might have to ben...

Recent Match Report – Nepal vs India 5th Match, Group A 2023

4Sep

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Recent Match Report – Nepal vs India 5th Match, Group A 2023

India 147 for 0 (Rohit 74*, Gill 67*) beat Nepal 230 (Aasif 58, Kami 48, Jadeja 3-40, Siraj 3-61) by ten wickets via DLS methodTwo days after the Pakistan-India game was washed out in Pallekele on Saturday, a similar rain threat hung over India's first meeting against Nepal in international cricket at the same venue. But the rain wasn't as persistent on Monday and relented by 9.30pm to cut India's target to 145 in 23 overs. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill then sparkled with an unbroken 147-run opening partnership to crash Nepal's party and put India in the Super Fours round. Pakistan have already qualified for the next stage from this group.Nepal's fans, though, had plenty to cheer about in the afternoon, especially when Aasif Sheikh made a solid half-century. Aasif's innings was bookended ...

Match Preview – India vs Nepal, Asia Cup 2023, 5th Match, Group A

4Sep

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Match Preview – India vs Nepal, Asia Cup 2023, 5th Match, Group A

Big picture: Rain in the air once againRain ruined the India-Pakistan game, the first in ODI cricket between the two teams since the 2019 World Cup, on Saturday in Pallekele. A similar rain threat hangs over the India-Nepal game at the same venue on Monday, with chances of precipitation up to 80%. If Monday's fixture in Pallekele is also washed out, India will join their arch-rivals Pakistan in the Super Fours from Group A.Nepal will not want to return home without testing themselves against India's superstars. If the weather clears up, this could be their biggest match yet, with millions tuning into it. Just two months back, in Colombo, a Rohit Paudel-led Nepal team came up against an India A team filled with IPL players, and suffered a drubbing.Nepal suffered a similar drubbing at the h...

Recent Match Report – India vs Pakistan 3rd Match, Group A 2023

2Sep

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Recent Match Report – India vs Pakistan 3rd Match, Group A 2023

Despite overcast skies and the threat of rain, India won the toss and decided to bat against arch rivals Pakistan. Babar Azam said Pakistan would also have batted first had they won the toss.India went for the option of a seam bowler who can bat at No. 8, which meant Shardul Thakur pipped Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Shami to a spot in the XI. Ishan Kishan, getting a couple of more opportunities as KL Rahul recovers from a niggle, was slated to bat at No. 3 in the team list shared by the BCCI with Virat Kohli moving down to No. 4. Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer made their much-awaited ODI comebacks after recovering from back surgeries.After a huge win against Nepal in the tournament opener, Pakistan had announced an unchanged XI a day before the match.This was the first ODI between the t...

Match Preview – India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023, 3rd Match, Group A

1Sep

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Match Preview – India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023, 3rd Match, Group A

Big picture: Face-to-face in ODIs after four yearsIf someone tells you there are bigger rivalries than India vs Pakistan at the 2023 Asia Cup, do not trust them.Of late, the Afghanistan vs Pakistan and Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh games might have been spicier on the field, and nastier off it, but the history - both cricketing and otherwise - and the quality of the players make India vs Pakistan arguably the biggest rivalry in world cricket. That they rarely face each other these days makes every match a highly anticipated one.And that is also one of the reasons why it's not easy to say who the favourites are for Saturday's game in Pallekele.The Asia Cup was supposed to mark the return of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. While Iyer has been declared fit, Rahul is yet to attain full fitness, and that...

Recent Match Report – Pakistan vs Nepal 1st Match, Group A 2023

30Aug

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Recent Match Report – Pakistan vs Nepal 1st Match, Group A 2023

Pakistan 342 for 6 (Babar 151, Iftikhar 109*, Kami 2-85) beat Nepal 104 (Kami 28, Shadab 4-27, Rauf 2-16, Shaheen 2-27) by 238 runsBabar Azam put up a masterclass in ODI batting, scoring 151 off 131 balls, to help Pakistan thump Nepal by 238 runs in the opening match of the 2023 Asia Cup.On a tricky pitch in Multan, Nepal had made early breakthroughs to leave Pakistan in a precarious position. Babar consolidated the innings during that period, taking 72 balls to reach his fifty. Gradually, he increased the tempo and moved from 51 to 100 in 37 balls. Once he reached his hundred, he went into the T20 mode and smashed 51 off the next 22 balls.Suryakumar Yadav, on Monday, said that ODIs force one to bat like all three formats. On Wednesday, Babar showed how to do it.Babar and Iftikhar Ahmed, ...