ICC Cricket World Cup Final: England vs New ZealandUpdate – 14th July, 2019

12:00 Midnight Update: ENGLAND WON THE WORLD CUP 2019. SENSATIONAL!!! SCORES WERE TIED IN SUPER OVER TOO, BUT ENGLAND WON BY VIRTUE OF SCORING MORE BOUNDARIES (26-17). New Zealand Made 15 and while taking winning 16th run, Martin Guptill was ran out by Buttler on Jason Ray throw.
12:25 AM Update: For his 84* off 98, 5×4, 2×6 and 8* off 3 in super over, Ben Stokes was declared Player of the Final.
For scoring 578 runs in the tournament and captaining New Zealand to take it till the final, Kane Williamson was declared Player of the Tournament.
Mitchell Starc (27 wickets) was the leading wicket taker of the tournament. Rohit Sharma (648 runs) was the leading run scorer of the World Cup. Tim Latham (21 catches) was the leading wicket keeper of the tournament with maximum dismissals behind the stumps. Joe Root (13 catches) was the player with most catches in the tournament as a non-keeper.

11:51 PM Update: Martin Guptill and James Neesham are going to bat for New Zealand.

11:45 PM Update: England made 15 in super over. Stokes scored 8* off 3 while Buttler scored 7* off 3. Both the players hit one boundary. Joffra Archer to bowl super over for England.

11:40 PM Update: Trent Boult to bowl super over for New Zealand. England bats first.

11:26 PM Update: What an incredible final over!!! 15 needed of 6 balls from the World No. 2 ODI bowler Trent Boult. First two balls went as dot balls. Ben Stokes hit 3rd ball over the rope. On 4th ball, Ben Stokes hit for a couple of runs, but the throw was deflected by Stokes’bat inadvertantly and ball travelled to the boundary, resulting into 6 runs. Three needed of the final two balls. Two run-outs in final two balls and the scores are tied. Ben Stokes (84* off 98, 5×4, 2×6) remained undefeated. For New Zealand, James Neesham took 3/43 and Lockie Ferguson took 3/50. Grandhomme and Matt Henry took one wicket each. England bowled out at 241 and the final is tied. Match goes to SUPER OVER.

11:21 PM Update: Jofra Archer was bowled by Neesham. England need 15 off 6 balls to lift the World Cup. Ben Stokes is still there at the crease. Trent Boult to bowl the final over.

11:17 PM Update: Plunkett caught by Boult off Neesham. England need 22 off 9.

11:15 PM Update: England need 24 off 12 balls to lift the World Cup. Ben Stokes and Plunkett is there at the crease.

11:03 PM Update: Lockie Ferguson got wicket #21 of the tournament as keeper Tim Latham got catch #21 of the tournament to equal Adam Gilchirist’s record of most dismissals behind the stumps in single edition of World Cup. England need 39 off 23 balls with 5 wickets in hand and Ben Stokes is still there at the crease.

10:15 PM Update: After 36 overs, England were at 143/4 with Buttler (26* off 33) and Ben Stokes (31* off 35) were at teh crease. The two have added 57 runs for the 5th wicket so far. England need 99 runs off 14 overs to lift the World Cup.

7:30 PM Update: New Zealand scored 241/8 in 50 overs. Henry Nicholls (55 off 77, 4×4) and keeper-batsman Tim Latham (47 off 56, 2×4, 1×6) were the main contributors. Kane Williamson (30 off 53, 2×4) could not play a big inning, still he became the captain with maximum runs in a single edition of world cup (578 runs). For England, Chris Woakes finished with 3/37 whereas Liam Plunkett finished with 3/42. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood took one wicket each. 242 is a modest target, and England should achieve it without much difficulty. But New Zealand had successfully defended similar target in semifinal. Lets see what unfolds in the second half.

2:45 PM Update: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and as expected, elected to bat first. Both the teams are unchanged.

Match Preview: After 47 matches, spread across 45 days, we are now in to the endgame, where a new World Champion will emerge. 3 times runners-up and hosts England will be facing New Zealand at the mecca of cricket – Lords – on July 14. After 1996 world cup, it will be the first time that a new champion will emerge. England openers Jason Roy (426 runs in 7 matches) and Jonny Bairstow (496 runs) has been outstanding. During England’s campaign to the final, the openers were involved in 4 100+ and one 95 runs partnerships and has been instrumental every time England scored big. Then there is Joe Root (549 runs) who is among the leading run-scorers of the tournament. As if runs alone were not adequate, Joe Root has taken 12 catches so far in this World Cup, which is an all-time record of most number of catches by a non-wicket-keeper fielder in a World Cup tournament. Ben Stokes (381 runs), captain Eoin Morgan (362 runs) and Buttler (253 runs) has been good with bat. At bowling front, Jofra Archer (19 wickets) and Mark Wood (17 wickets) has been excellent, whereas Chris Woakes (13 wickets), Adil Rashid (11 wickets), Plunkett (8 wickets) and Stokes (7 wickets) provides plenty of effective options. There has been some outstanding catches taken by the players of this English team. And the home ground advantage would also work in England’s favour. However, despite being favorites, the team is aware of the challenges. Captain Eoin Morgan said in pre-match press conference – “I haven’t allowed myself to think about lifting the World Cup trophy. It means a huge amount to me and everyone in the dressing room. It’s a combination of four years of hard work, dedication and it presents a huge opportunity to win the World Cup. We have had huge backing throughout the tournament.”
On the other hand, playing in its second consecutive World Cup final, New Zealand is ready to shed the tag of underdogs. Captain Kane Williamson said – “England rightly deserve to be favorites, but whatever dog we are, it’s just important that we focus on the cricket that we play, any team can beat any team, regardless of the breed of dog”. Although the team batting has largely centered around the brilliance of Kane Williamson (548 runs), it has received useful contributions from Ross Taylor (355 runs) and James Neesham (213 runs). In bowling department, Lockie Ferguson (18 wickets), Trent Boult (17 wickets) and Matt Henry (13 wickets) has been lethal. Neesham (12 wickets) has been good too. In the semifinal against India, spinner Mitchell Santner‘s spell of 6-2-7-2 played a key role in destruction of famed Indian batting lineup. Keeper Tim Latham has been excellent behind the stumps with 18 catches – only 3 shy of Adam Gilchirst‘s all time record of most dismissals behind the stumps in a World Cup. The team’s fielding too, has been up to mark.
Pitch is new and fairly green, which mean the seamers would love to bowl at the beginning. However, once the pitch gets harder, it will be full of runs. Team winning toss would likely to opt for bat first. The biggest match of cricket’s biggest tournament is ready to offer a new World Champion.

ICC Cricket World Cup Semifinal 2: Australia vs EnglandUpdate – 11th July, 2019

9:45 PM Update: England won by 8 wickets and reached the final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.  Chasing the target England made 226/2 in 32.1 overs. Jason Roy (85 off 65, 9×4, 5×6) was the top scorer for England. With Jonny Bairstow  (34 off 43, 5×4), Roy added 124 runs for the opening wicket in only 17.2 overs. Joe Root (49* off 46, 8×4) and captain Eoin Morgan (45* off 39, 8×4) – who scored the winning boundary – remained not out till the end. For his lethal bowling figures of 8-0-20-3, Chris Woakes was declared Player of the Match. Birmingham is witness that Australia is no longer the World Champions. 

8:45 PM Update: Mitchell Starc trapped Jonny Bairstow  (34 off 43, 5×4) leg before and claimed his 27th wicket of the tournament. Starc broke his compatriot Glenn McGrath‘s record of maximum wickets in a single edition of World Cup. Meanwhile, England is cruising towards victory and are at 141/1 after only 19 overs.

6:45 PM Update: England bowlers bowled out Australia on 223 in 49 overs. Steven Smith (85 off 119, 6×4) and Alex Carey (46 off 70) provided some resistence and added 103 runs for the 4th wicket. Smith tried till the end, but was run out by Butler‘s brilliant piece of fielding. For England, Chris Woakes was the destroyer-in-chief with 3/20 off his 8 overs. Adil Rashid also took 3 wickets for 54 runs whereas Jofra Archer finished with 2/32 off his 10 overs. Not a big target for England, but don’t forget that only yesterday, India failed to achieve a similar target. Let’s see how this chase unfolds.

3:35 PM Update: Some lethal bowling by Chris Woakes (2 wickets) and Jofra Archer (1 wicket) and Australia struggling to survive at 14/3 after 6.1 overs. Both the openers – David Warner (9) and Aaron Finch (0) – as well as Peter Handscomb (4) are back to pavilion.

3:00 PM Update: Australia captain Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to bat. As expected, Peter Handscomb is included in the team in place of injured Usman Khawaja. Similarly, as expected, England team is unchanged.

Match Preview: Hosts England and its arch-rivals – five times world champions as well as defending champions – Australia will be facing each other in the second semifinal at Birmingham on July 11.

Australia has never lost a World Cup semifinal and would like to maintain the record. David Warner (638 runs) is only 10 runs shy of becoming the leading run-scorer of the tournament. Warner will be looking forward to overhaul Sachin Tendulkar‘s all time World Cup record of most runs in a single edition of World cup (673 runs in 2003 World Cup). Australian captain and Warner‘s opening partner Aaron Finch (507 runs) is also there among the leading run scorers of the tournament. Keeper-batsman Alex Carey has raised his game and scoring runs on continuous basis with impressive strike rate. Then the team has Steven Smith too. Addition of Peter Handscomb in place of injured Usman Khawaja would certainly add the strength and depth in the batting line. On bowling front, Mitchell Starc (26 wickets) has already eclipsed records and is the leading wicket taker of the tournament. He was the leading wicket taker in the previous edition as well (22 wickets). He has got good support from Pat Cummins (13 wickets) and Behrendorff (9 wickets in 4 matches).

England has been quite impressive after its last defeat against Australia in the group match. Return of Jason Roy (341 runs) – who missed Australia match due to injury – has once against strengthened arguably the best batting lineup in the world. With Jonny Bairstow (462 runs) Roy was involved in 3 century partnership in this tournament and has always provided the solid start. Joe Root (500 runs) is also there among the leading run scorers of the tournament. Butler is also capable of adding quick runs. All-rounder Ben Stokes (381 runs, 7 wickets) has been good with bat and ball. Everyone knows that on his day, Eoin Morgan (317 runs) can destroy any attack. On bowling front, the pacer-duo of Jofra Archer (17 wickets), Mark Wood (16 wickets) are among hte leading wicket takers of the tournament. They are ably supported with Chris Woakes (10 wickets) and Liam Plunkett (8 wickets). England is likely to retain the same eleven which made the team victorious in last two matches.

Pitch has shorter grass, spinners will get little support. Weather forecast has predicted rain. Like the first semifinal between India and New Zealand, this semifinal is also expected to be one of the most interesting matches of the tournament.

ICC Cricket World Cup Semifinal 1: India vs New ZealandUpdate – 9th July, 2019

7:35 PM Update: India bowled out at 221 in 49.3 overs and New Zealand won the match by 18 runs. Ravindra Jadeja (77 off 59, 4×4, 4×6) and MS Dhoni (50 off 72, 1×4, 1×6) tried hard, but could not succeed in the end. For his lethal bowling, Matt Henry (3/37) was declared Player of the Match. New Zealand reached World Cup final for the second time in a row.

5:20 PM Update: Rishabh Pant (32 off 56, 4×4) caught by Grandhomme off Santner. India 71/5 after 23 overs. 

5:00 PM Update: After 19 overs, India 62/4. Rishabh Pant (27*) and Hardik Pandya (19*) are at the crease. Still a long way to go.

July 10, 4:20 PM Update: India lost one more wicket – Dinesh Karthik (6) was caught single handedly by James Neesham of Matt Henry. India gasps at 24/4 in 10 overs.

July 10, 3:51 PM Update: KL Rahul (1) also departs, caught behind off Matt Henry. 5/3 on scoreboard and India in deep trouble.

July 10, 3:47 PM Update: India lost its second wicket – the most dependable one, Virat Kohli (1) – trapped leg before by Trent Boult. India struggling at 5/2 on the board after 3 overs.

July 10, 3:40 PM Update: Chasing target of 240, India lost its first wicket – big wicket – of Rohit Sharma (1) in the second over. Sharma was caught behind by Tim Latham off Matt Henry. After 2 overs, India at 5/1.

July 10, 3:25 PM Update: New Zealand finished at 239/8 in 50 overs. New Zealand could only add 28 runs in remaining 23 balls. It took Ravindra Jadeja‘s brilliance in the field to get two wickets of both the set batsmen – Taylor and Latham – in the span of two balls. A direct hit from Jadeja at midwicket saw New Zealand’s topscorer Ross Taylor (74 off 90, 3×4, 1×6) walking towards pavilion. A sensational catch at boundary by Jadeja forced Tim Latham (10 off 11) to walk towards pavilion on the very next delivery of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. For India, Bhuvneshwar Kuamr was the pick of the bowlers who finished with figures 10-1-43-3. Jasprit Bumrah finished with 1/43 whereas Jadeja with 1/34. Chahal and Pandya also took a wicket each.

10:50 PM: Rain interruptions continue and consequently, the match is suspended for the day. Play will resume tomorrow – on July 10, the reserve day – from the same point where it got interrupted, which means New Zealand will be playing remaining 23 deliveries and thereafter India will start the chase. Of course, only if rain will be kind enough tomorrow and will allow play to happen. Weather forecast for tomorrow is not so encouraging though. Still we hope for the match to resume tomorrow.

6:35 PM Update: When rain stopped play, New Zealand was at 211/5 in 46.1 overs. Ross Taylor (67* off 85, 3×4, 1×6) is still there at the crease.  Kane Williamson (67 off 95, 6×4) was caught by Ravindra Jadeja off Yuzvendra Chahal. Its not raining heavily, but may last for some more time. There won’t be any curtailment in overs if the time lost due to rain is limited upto two hours. However, beyond two hours, DLS will come into play. If time left for the day does not permit play beyond 20 overs, the match will be continued tomorrow, there won’t be any replay of the match.

5:10 PM Update: After 30 overs, New Zealand were at 113/2. Kane Williamson scored another half century (50* off 79, 4×4). Bumrah and Jadeja have claimed one wicket each.

2:35 PM Update: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and as speculated earlier, elected to bat first. The team has made one change – recovered from injury Lockie Ferguson replaced Tim Southee. Indian team too has made one change – Yuzvendra Chahal replaced Kuldeep Yadav, which means Ravindra Jadeja stays with the playing eleven. However, the problem of 6th bowler remains unaddressed by the Indian team.

Match Preview: Tournament favorites and group toppers India will face-off with New Zealand in first Semifinal of the World Cup on July 9 at Old Trafford, Manchester. The ground has been India’s favorite where India has not lost a World Cup match in 40 years. The team is brimming with confidence. The top oder – Rohit Sharma (647 runs, 5X100, Leading run-scorer of the tournament), KL Rahul (360 runs) and Virat Kohli (442 runs) – each of them doing his best. Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant have the abilities to add quick runs whereas MS Dhoni provides the stability down the order. India has one of the best attacks in the World having mix variety. The wrist spinners may prove lethal on any pitch. Kedar Jadhav is likely to be included in the playing eleven to have the 6th bowler option. The crowd support – the sea of blue – and the wonderful atmosphere it creates, will add the extra pressure on opponents.

After starting with six matches without a loss, New Zealand has been erratic in its last three matches. Team heavily depends on captain Kane Williamson (481 runs) and he has done really good in the tournament with an incredible average of 96. Bowlers like Lockie Ferguson (17 wickets), Trent Boult (15 wickets), James Neesham (11 wickets) and Matt Henry (10 wickets) have been troubling batsmen continuously in the tournament and here at Old Trafford, pace plays important role. The low expectation would allow players to perform better.

Pitch is ideal for bat first, so toss may be crucial. Although pacers get more support from the pitch, 300+ score is expected. No team would be leaving the field without putting all the efforts to win. This semifinal is going to be a close contest.

Today’s Matches: IND vs SRL and AUS vs SAUpdate – 6th July, 2019

Match 1 at 3:00 PM: India vs Sri Lanka

Match 2 at 6:00 PM: AUS vs SA

2:15 AM Update: In another South Africa – Asutralia thriller, Australia bowled out on 315 and South Africa won the match by 10 runs. David Warner (122 off 117, 15×4, 2×6) scored his 17th ODI century – his 3rd of the tournament. Warner (638 runs) grabbed second position in the list of maximum runs – only 9 runs less than Rohit Sharma (647). Warner was involved in 108 runs 5th wicket partnership with Alex Carey (89 off 65, 11×4, 1×6) – Carey‘s highest ODI score. But once Carey was out, Asutralia’s chances were diminished despite some late efforts by Starc. For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada took 3/56 whereas Pretoreus and Phehlukwayo took 2 eickets each. For his brilliant century, Faf du Plessis was declared Player of the Match. Australia’s defeat in this final match means Australia will face hosts England at Edgbaston, Birmingham in second Semi-final on July 11.

9:40 PM Update: South Africa scored 325/6 in 50 overs. Captain Faf du Plessis (100 off 94, 7×4, 2×6) was the top scorer who completed his 12th ODI century. With HE van der Dussen (95 off 97, 4×4, 4×6), du Plessis involved in 151 runs partnership for 3rd wicket. For Australia, Mitchell Starc took 2 wickets and his tally of wickets in this World Cup reached to 26 wickets. Nathan Lyon too took 2 wickets whereas Pat Cummins and Jason Behrendorff took 1 wicket each.

5:50 PM Update: South Africa captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to bat. Hashim Amla is nursing a knee-injury and is replaced by Tabraiz Shamsi. Australia team is unchanged.

Match Preview: Defending champions Australia will face South Africa at Manchester on July 6 in the final league match of the tournament. Whenever these two teams meet, the memories of 1999 World Cup semifinal tie match at Birmingham and the memories of successful chase of 435 at Johannesburg come to mind immediately. The teams rivalry has produced some of the finest matches in ODI history. Australia will be thinking of nothing except win, to remain there at the top of the points table and to avoid England in Semifinal. Openers David Warner (516 runs) and captain Aaron Finch (504 runs) are among the leading run-scorers of the tournament whereas Steven Smith (287 runs) has also been consistent with the bat. Other batsmen has done little. A broken wrist has forced Shaun Marsh out of the tournament and Glenn Maxwell too has reportedly got injured. Replacement Peter Handscomb may get a chance here. In bowling, Mitchell Starc (24 wickets) is already became the leading wicket taker of the tournament and is ably supported by Pat Cummins (12 wickets) and Behrendorff (8 wickets in 3 matches). Inclusion of experienced spinner Nathan Lyon in the playing eleven has strengthened as well as diversified the attack.

After losing important matches initially, South Africa has regrouped to perform well. Against Sri Lnakam they were at their best in the tournament and won the match by 9 wickets. South Africa will certainly like to finish the world cup on a winning note. They are likely to field an unchanged side. It is going to be probably the final World Cup match for Imran Tahir and Hashim Amla.

Pitch is likely to offer a bit to everyone. Once again an interesting contest is there on the cards.

Today’s Match: Pakistan vs BangladeshUpdate – 5th July, 2019

10:40 PM Update: Bangladesh restricted on 221 in 44.1 overs and won the match by 94 runs. Teenager Shaheen Shah Afridi secured his name in Lords Honor Board for claiming a 5-for. Shaheen Shah Afridi figures of 9.1-0-35-6 is best bowling performance in this World Cup so far. At the age of 19 years 90 days, Shaheen Shah Afridi became the youngest bowler to claim a 5-for at World Cup. Shadab Khan took 2 wickets whereas Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz took one wicket each. For Bangladesh, once again Shakib Al Hasan was the leading run scorer (64 off 77, 6×4) but he could not get support from other batsmen and he was out, it was all over for Bangladesh. During his innings, Shakib Al Hasan became first batsman to complete 600 runs in this World Cup (606 runs).  For his brilliant bowling, Shaheen Shah Afridi was declared Player of the Match. With this win, Pakistan grabbed 5th position in the points tally, having equal points with semi-finalist New Zealand, but eliminated due to poorer Net Run Rate.

7:00 PM Update: Pakistan finished at 315/9 in 50 overs. Opener Imam-ul-Haq scored his 7th ODI century (100 off 100, 7×4). With Babar Azam (96 off 98, 11×4) Imam-ul-Haq added 157 runs for the second wicket. However, apart from Imad Wasim (43 off 26, 6×4, 1×6), rest of the batsmen could not capitalized completely after the solid partnership was broken. Speedster Mustafizur Rahman was pick of the bowlers with 5/75. Mustafizur Rahman also became fifth fastest bowler to claim 100 ODI wickets in terms of matches played – he took 54 matches to reach the milestone. Mustafizur Rahman finished the World Cup with 20 wickets – only second to Mitchell Starc (24 wickets). Mohammad Saifuddin took 3/77 whereas Mehidy Hasan finished with figures of 10-0-30-1. 316 is a tough target, but Bangladesh has achieved a similar target in this World Cup against West Indies. Lets see how the second half unfolds.

3:00 PM Update: Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed won the toss and elected to bat. Pakistan has fileded unchanged side. Bangladesh has made two changes – a fit Mahmudullah and Mehidy Hasan are back in places of Shabbir and Rubel respectively.

Match Preview: Pakistan meets Bangladesh at Lords on July 5 and it has an unrealistic chance to reach the semifinals. The only probability Pakistan has – batting first and score in access of 400+ and then bowl out Bangladesh quickly to have 316+ runs margin of win – a victory margin never achieved in the history of one-day cricket. However, if Bangladesh bats first, then Pakistan is eliminated straight away.
Morever, Bangladesh are no longer pushovers at ODIs. Despite elimination, Bangladesh has played well against all the oppositions and never surrendered. In fact, they are the only team which have chased a target of 250+ in this World Cup. The team has World No. 1 ODI all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan at his prime. He is the first Bangla player to complete 1000 runs and first to take 30 wickets in World Cups. He is also the first all-rounder to complete the double. Saifuddin has been good with bat also as evident from India match. Reports indicate that Mahmudullah has recovered from the injury and likely to play. Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das has been good with bat.

Pitch will be the same one which was used in Pakistan-South Africa match. Pakistan may loose motivation due to unrealistic chance, but Bangladesh having a better World Cup, would certainly like to finish the campaign on a high note. The two south asian countries promise a good contest.

Today’s Match: Afghanistan vs West IndiesUpdate – 4th July, 2019

10:59 PM Update: Chasing a tough target of 312, Afghanistan displayed patience and intent to chase, but it was too big a target for them. Disciplined bowling and good fielding by West Indies did not give much opportunity and Afghanistan was bowled out at 288 in exactly 50 overs – the team’s highest ever score in World Cup. 18 years old Keeper-batsman Ikram Alikhil (86 off 93, 8×4) was the top scorer for Afghanistan. Alikhil involved in a 133 runs partnership for the 2nd wicket with Rahmat Shah (62 off 78, 10×4) and another 51 runs partnership for the 3rd wicket with Najibullah Zadran (31 off 38, 1×4, 1×6). Asghar Afghan (40 off 32, 4×4, 1×6) too tried hard in the later half, but it was too little, too late. West Indies won the match by 23 runs. For West Indies Carlos Brathwaite took 4/63 whereas Kemar Roach finished with figures of 10-2-37-3. Two times champion West Indies finished at 8th position with 5 points whereas Afghanistan finished at the bottom with zero points. For his innings of 77, Shai Hope was declared Player of the Match.

6:40 PM Update: Sensational final over of West Indies Innings saw 14 runs and 2 wickets. West Indies scored 311/6 in 50 overs. Shai Hope (77 off 92, 6×4, 2×6) was the top scorer for West Indies. Evin Lewis (58 off 78, 6×4, 2×6), Nicholas Pooran (58 off 43, 6×4, 1×6) and Jason Holder (45 off 34, 1×4, 4×6) were the other contributor. For Afghanistan, Dawlat Zadran took 2 wickets but leaked 73 runs of his 9 overs. Sayed Shirzad, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan took 1 wicket each. Considering the past performance, it will not be easy for Afghanistan to achieve the target.

3:00 PM Update: West Indies captain Jason Holder won the toss and elected to bat. West Indies has made two changes – Kemar Roach and Evin Lewis replaced Shanon Gabriel and Sunil Ambris. Afghanistan too has made two changes – Sayed Shirzad and Dawlar Zadran are playing in places of Hamid Hasan and Hashmatullah Shahidi.

Match Preview: Afghanistan and West Indies – the two bottom placed teams will be facing each other at Leeds for their final World Cup match on July 4. There two teams are the teams who had to play qualifying tournament to reach at the World Cup stage, but the two teams failed to make any big impression.
During the previous 4 meetings, Afghanistan had defeated West Indies on three occasions, including the World Cup Qualifying Tournament final. However, during this World Cup, barring matches against India and Pakistan, Afghanistan has failed miserably against other opponents and has lost all of its matches. Despite of all these, the team would like to finish on a win. Once again the team will be depending on its spin trio – Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi. It is the batting where the team is worried as except in fractions, the batsmen has failed to impress. Medium pacer Sayed Shirzad is likely to get a chance. It will be the final match for Phil Simmons as Afghanistan coach, so the team will certainly try to say goodbye to its coach with a victory.
On the other hand, West Indies too, has failed to register a win after its first match against Pakistan. Still the team had shown promise and the young players like Shai Hope, Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran in batting and Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas and Shanon Gabriel are good prospects for future. The team started with a win and would certainly like to finish with a win.
Surface is likely to support batting. Forecast prediction of rain in the evening makes toss tricky. Independent from World Cup, this match too is going to be an interesting contest between the two bottom placed teams.

Today’s Match: England vs New ZealandUpdate – 3rd July, 2019

10:50 PM Update: England defeated New Zealand by 119 runs and reached the semifinal of the World Cup – after a gap of 27 years. New Zealand batsmen could not survive the pressure of high score, surrendered before the disciplined bowling by England and were bowled out on 186 in 45 overs. Only Tim Latham (57 off 65, 5×4) resisted a little. For England, Mark Wood took 3/34, whereas Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid and Ben Stokes took one wicket each. For his second consecutive hundred, Jonny Bairstow was declared Player of the Match. New Zealand still has a fair chance of reaching the semifinals, unless Pakistan defeats bangladesh by at least 316 runs in its last match at the Lords on Friday.

7:00 PM Update: England scored 305/8 in stipulated 50 overs. Jonny Bairstow (106 off 99, 15×4, 1×6) was once again the topscorer for the team. With Jason Roy (60 off 61, 8×4) he involved in 123 runs partnership for the first wicket – the pair’s 3rd century partnership in the World Cup. However, except captain Eoin Morgan (42 off 40, 5×4), rest of the batsmen could not capitalize on the strong foundation by their openers. In last 20 overs, England lost 7 wickets and could manage to score only 111 runs. For New Zealand, James Neesham was pick of the bowlers with figures of 10-1-41-2. Trent Boult and Matt Henry also finished with 2 wickets each whereas Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee took one wicket each.

5:25 PM Update: Jonny Bairstow completed his 9th ODI century off 95 ball, with 14 fours and a six. England 200/2 after 31 overs.

3:00 PM Update: England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bat. England team is unchanged. New Zealand has brought Tim Southee in place of Lockie Ferguson – who got hamstring injury. Ish Sodhi is replaced by Matt Henry.

Match Preview: England and New Zealand face each other at Chester-le-Street on July 3 in a match which has turned into a virtual quarter-final. Only difference is – winning team will certainly go straight into the semifinals whereas the losing team too may have a chance to reach semifinal, depending on other results. If England wins this match, England will be through to the semi-final whereas New Zealand will have a chance to qualify on the basis of better run-rate than Pakistan. However, if New Zealand wins here, then England’s chances will depend on the outcome of Pakistan-Bangladesh match scheduled on July 5 and in case of Pakistan win, England will be eliminated, else England will reach semi-final.

Despite losing to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia, England regained the form and bounced back against India – the undefeated team till then. Return of Jason Roy has once again strengthened the top order and his partnership with Jonny Bairstow was fantastic. Apart from Joe Root, who is among the leading run scorers of the tournament (476 runs), the team has Jose Butler and all-rounder Ben Stokes, all of then are in great touch. Although Eoin Morgan has been inconsistent after his record smashing century against Afghanistan, he is among the most destructive batsmen in world cricket and on this day, he is capable of destroying any attack. On bowling front, the team has Jofra Archer – one of the leading wicket takers on the tournament (16 wickets), ably supported by Mark Wood (13 wickets), Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett. England fielding has been electrifying with some outstanding catches of the tournament.

After a great start and remaining undefeated till their 6th match, New Zealand seems lost momentum and lost two matches in a row – against Pakistan and Australia. The team will be looking forward to regain the form in this make or break encounter. Captain Kane Williamson is one of the leading run-scorers of the tournament (454 runs). But apart from him and Ross Taylor, none of the Kiwi batsmen has performed consistently, which creates great concerns. As they call New Zealand “one and a half man show”. New Zealand bowling is spearheaded by Lockie Ferguson, who is second most successful bowler of this World Cup (17 wickets). He has a great partner in Trent Boult (13 wickets). James Neesham has been contributing equally good with bat and ball. But unless others perform, it will be tough for New Zealand to beat England.

Pitch is expected to be full of runs, so another high-scoring contest is promised.

Today’s Match: India vs BangladeshUpdate – 2nd July, 2019

11:00 PM Update: Jasprit Bumrah spearheaded Indian attack with 4/55 as India defeated Bangladesh by 28 runs to reach semifinal of the World Cup. Hardik Pandya took 3 wickets whereas Mohammed Shami, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal took one wicket each as Bangladesh was bowled out at 286 in 48 overs. For Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasaan was once again the top scorer (66 off 74, 6×4) whereas Mohammad Saifuddin (51* off 38, 9×4) tried hard in the end but could not find support from others. With this loss, Bangladesh is eliminated from the World Cup, while they still have to play their final match against Pakistan. Shakib Al Hasan (542 runs, 11 wickets) became first player to complete the double of 500 runs and 10 wickets in a World Cup. Rohit Sharma (544 runs, 4×100) became the leading run-scorer of the World Cup after this match. For his 5th century in World Cup matches,Rohit Sharma was declared Player of the Match.

7:00 PM Update: India failed to capitalize on the solid start given by Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul and ended up on 314/9 in 50 overs. It can’t be poorer finish than this as India lost 3 wickets in final over and scored just 3 runs. Apart from Rohit Sharma (104 off 92. 7×4, 5×6) who scored his 4th century of the tournament and 26th overall, KL Rahul (77 off 92, 6×4, 1×6), Rishabh Pant (48 off 41, 6×4, 1×6) and MS Dhoni (35 off 33, 4×4) were the main contributors. For Bangladesh, speedster Mustafizur Rahman finished with 5/59 whereas Shakib Al Hasan, Rubel Hossain and Soumya Sarkar took one wicket each. Although India could not score big, still 315 is a target that can be defended on this pitch which started showing signs of wear and tear.

5:05 PM Update: Rohit Sharma scored another hundred – his 26th ODI hundred and 4th century in this edition of World Cup. He emulated Kumar Sangakkara‘s record of maximum hundreds in one edition of World Cup – 4. Sharma completed his century in 90 balls with 6 shots to the boundary and five shots over the ropes. Once again Soumya Sarkar came to the rescue he got Rahit Sharma‘s wicket soon after his hundred. Rohit Sharma (104 off 92. 7×4, 5×6) was caught by Liton Das off Soumya Sarkar. With KL Rahul, Rohit added 180 runs for the opening wicket in 29.2 overs.

3:00 PM Update: Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat. India has made two changes – Bhuvaneshwar Kumar replaced Kuldeep Yadav whereas Dinesh Karthik replaced Kedar Jadhav. Bangladesh too has made two changes – Rubel Hossain replaced Mehidy Hasan whereas Shabbir Rahman replaced Mahmudullah who is unfit due to calf injury.

Match Preview: India and Bangladesh – the teams having fair chances of qualifying for the semifinals – faces each other at Birmingham on July 2. There is much at stake for Bangladesh, if the team fail to win today, it will be elimination for them. They have 7 points from 7 matches and they must secure two wins in remaining 2 matches if they want to reach semifinals. The team has registered victories against South Africa and West Indies and has been impressive even in defeats. World No. 1 ODI all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been consistently performing with bat and ball – 476 runs averaging 95+ with 2 centuries and 10 wickets averaging 30 with one 5-for. Opener Tamim Iqbal – who has always been a performer against India – has regained his form. Addition of Liton Das has strengthened the batting which has Mushfiqur Rahim. In Bowling department, although captain Mashrafe Mortaza has been below par, the other bowlers like Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman have done well. Shakib, Mehidy Hasan and Mosaddek Hossain have been good with their spin.

Despite been consistently performing good in the tournament, India’s winning streak was broken by the hosts England a couple of days ago at this ground. Whenever India plays Bangladesh, memories of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad (2007 World Cup) comes alive, in which Bangladesh handed over India 5 wicket’s defeat and consequently caused India’s early exit from the tournament. However, since then, India has been extra cautious against their neighbors. World No. 1 and No. 2 batsmen – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – have been consistently performing in this world cup. Similarly, World No. 1 bowler – Jasprit Bumrah – has been performing well. Mohammad Shami has taken 13 wickets in only 3 matches. Although MS Dhoni’s tactics in the England match was heavily criticized, but he sensibly ensured that India’s Net Run Rate would not suffer. India’s bowlers, specially spinners were ineffective in previous match, so there may be a change or two in the playing eleven. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and/or Ravindra Jadeja may get a chance in today’s match. After Shikhar Dhawan, now Vijay Shankar also made an exit from the World Cup due to injury and his replacement – opener Mayank Aggarwal – has not played a single ODI; though this match will not see Mayank‘s presence.

Same Edgbaston pitch – that was used in India-England match a couple of days ago – is scheduled for play, so another high-scoring, closely-fought contest is promised.

Today’s Match: Sri Lanka vs West IndiesUpdate – 1st July, 2019

11:35 PM Update: One of the leading wicket takers in the World Cup history – Lasith Malinga – once again led the Sri Lankan bowling and finished with 3 wickets for 55 runs, as West Indies finished at 315/9 in stipulated 50 overs. Sri Lanka won the match by 23 runs. For West Indies, Nicholas Pooran was the top scorer (118 off 103, 11×4, 4×6). For his hundred, Avishka Fernando was declared Player of the Match. However, despite this victory, Sri Lanka is eliminated from the World Cup.

11:00 PM Update: 23 year old Nicholas Pooran completed his maiden ODI century (101* off 92, 9×4, 3×6). West Indies continue to fight back. Fabian Allen (51 off 32, 7×4, 1×6) involved in 83 runs partnership with Pooran for the 7th wicket, before Allen was run out. Singer Rihanna is still there in the stands cheering West Indies.

10:45 PM Update: Chasing a tough target, West Indies lost 4 wickets at 84. But the team fought back. West Indies has found a celebrity supporter in the stands – famous singer Rihanna.

7:00 PM Update: Avishka Fernando century powered Sri Lanka to reach a total of 338/6 in stipulated 50 overs. 21-year old Avishka Fernando (104 off 103, 9×4, 2×6) scored his maiden ODI hundred. Kusal Parera (64 off 51, 8×4) and Karunaratne (32 off 48, 4×4) started well and were involved in 93 runs partnership for the opening wicket. Late strikes by Thirimanne (45 off 33, 4×4) helped his team reach a big total. For West Indies, Jason Holder took 2 wickets whereas Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas and Fabian Allen took one wicket each.

3:00 PM Update: West Indies captain Jason Holder won the toss and elected to field. Sri Lanka included Kasun Ranjitha and Jeffrey Vandersay in the playing eleven.

Match Preview: While fans still fancying a faint chance of qualification, 1996 World Cup champions and two times runners up Sri Lanka will play for pride against twice champions West Indies at Chester-le-Street on July 1. Lasith Malinga – one of the leading wicket takers in the history of World Cup (52 wickets) – is spearheading Sri Lankan attack. However, absence of Nuwan Pradeep due to chicken pox, has adversely impacted the teams attack. Medium pacer Kasun Ranjitha is likely to get a chance in place of Suranga Lakmal. left arm orthodox spinner Milinda Siriwardana my also get a chance in place of Jeevan Mendis.

West Indies were mediocre while chasing against India. After losing five matches on trot, West Indies team is left with no motivation apart from looking beyond the World Cup. With the view on future, the team may try a couple of new players. Sheldon Cottrell (11 wickets) has been leading wicket taker for West Indies and his celebration “Sheldon Salute” has been talk of the town. Unlike his other team mates, Cottrell fielding has been world class. The team will have to work hard on all the departments, to match their counterparts.

Today’s Match: IND vs ENGUpdate – 30th June, 2019

11:30 PM Update: Rohit Sharma (102 off 109, 15×4) made his 25th ODI century – 3rd century in this edition of World Cup. Sharma and Virat Kohli (66 off 76, 7×4) involved in 138 runs partnership for second wicket. Rishabh Pant (32 off 29, 4×4) Hardik Pandya (45 off 33, 4×4) and MS Dhoni (42* off 31, 4×4, 1×6) tried to beat the target, but their efforts were not adequate. England team bowled tightly, fielded superbly and put continuous pressure that in the final overs, Indian team apparently gave up, surrendered and did not go for the chase. India could score only 306/5 in 50 overs. Consequently, India’s unbeaten streak was broken. For England, Liam Plunkett (3/55) and Chris Woakes (2/58) were successful bowlers. England won the match by 31 runs. For his brilliant hundred, Jonny Bairstow was declared Player of the Match.

7:00 PM Update: England scored 337/7 in stipulated 50 overs. Jason Roy (66 off 57, 7×4, 2×6) and Jonny Bairstow (111 of 109, 10×4, 6×6) – who scored his 8th ODI century, added 160 runs opening wicket partnership in just 22 overs. Late strike by Ben Stokes (79 of 54, 6×4, 3×6) ensured England a huge total. Mohammad Shami was pick of the bowlers with 5/69. Jasprit Bumrah conceded just 44 off his 10 overs and took important wicket of Ben Stokes in final over, while conceded only 2 runs. Kuldeep Yadav took a wicket while conceded 72 runs while Yuzvendra Chahal leaked 88 runs in his 10 overs.

3:00 PM Update: England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bat.
Match Preview: At the beginning of this World Cup, hosts England was everyone’s favorite as they were World No. 1 ODI team. Exactly one month in the tournament and the team has lost its No. 1 status, tasted defeats by the hands of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and arch-rivals Australia. Now the threat of early exit is looming large. When England will take the grounds of Birmingham on June 30 against India – the only team left in the tournament without any loss – their minds will be thinking of no less than a victory. However, Eoin Morgan and his team know that this is not going to be a cakewalk and they will have to fight with all their might. A fit Jason Roy will certainly boost their batting. The fact that they have batsmen till number 10 who can hit big shots, makes them one of the strongest batting line in the world. Joe Root has been very good, captain Morgan has rewritten records against Afghanistan. Bowling has been good as well. All-rounders like Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes can turn nay match in their favour.
However, England is up against India – the team who replaced them as World No. 1 ODI team. Presence of world No. 1 and No. 2 ODI batsmen – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – makes the the batting line too hot to handle. Although Virat Kohli hasn’t scored a hundred in this World Cup yet, he has scored 4 consecutive fifties which shows that he is in-form. Rohit Sharma has already hit 2 centuries in this World Cup. Together, the two batsmen have 65 ODI hundreds – more than the entire England team has. Then the team has world’s best finisher in MS Dhoni. Apart from World No. 1 ODI bowler Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal also rank among top-10 ODI bowlers. So far, Indian team has performed well in every department of the game. And they have been unbeaten in the tournament. This is going to be the hottest of the contests for sure.

Today’s Matches: PAK vs AFG and AUS vs NZUpdate – 29th June, 2019

Match 1 at 3:00 PM: Pakistan vs Afghanistan

10:30 PM: Imad Wasim played with responsibility (49* off 54, 5×4) stayed till the end and made sure that Pakistan win this intense encounter by 3 wickets with just 2 balls to spare. Babar Azam (45 off 51) was the other useful contributor. Afghanistan were so near to the win, yet they could not close out. When captain Sarfaraz Ahmed got run out, Pakistan was at 156/6 and were needed 82 off 11 overs with only 4 wickets remaining. The turning point was Gulbadin Naib‘s expensive over which leaked 18 runs. Although Afghan spinners were too good. Mohammad Nabi spent just 23 runs off this 10 overs and claimed 2 wickets. Mujeeb Ur Rahman figures were 10-1-32-2. Rashid Khan was a little expensive but he claimed the important wicket of Haris Sohail. For his match winning 49 runs and 2 wickets, Imad Wasim was declared Player of the Match.

7:00 PM Update: Before the disciplined Pakistan bowling, Afghanistan could manage to score 227/9 in the stipulated 50 overs. Asghar Afghan and Najibullah Zadran both made 42 runs each whereas opener Rahmat Shah scored 35. For Pakistan, once again teenager speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi was the pick of the bowlers who finished with 47/4. Imad Wasim and Wahab Riaz took 2 wickets each.

3:00 PM Update:Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib won the toss and elected to bat first. Afghanistan has included old horse Hamid Hassan in palce of Dawlat Zadran. Pakistan is fielding the same team which registered victory against New Zealand the other day.

Match Preview: At Leeds, rejuvenated Pakistan will face its neighbor and bottom placed Afghanistan in a crucial encounter. Pakistan team morale is high after defeating New Zealand – who were unbeaten till then. The comparison with 1992 World cup campaign has also rekindled the enthusiasm of the team which was at its nadir after loss against India. Inclusion of Haris Sohail has boosted the batting strength to a great extent. Babar Azam has also regained his prime touch. Teenager speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi whose lethal bowling was instrumental in defeating New Zealand has added the power to fellow pacer and main wicket taker of Pakistan in this campaign – Mohammad Amir. Shadab Khan has also been good with the ball.

Afghanistan on the other hand is already eliminated from the tournament and placed at the bottom with zero points. The only motivation left for the Afghanistan players is to register its first win and don’t end up with zero points. However, Afghanistan is yet to register a win against its neighbor in ODIs. Over dependency in its main bowlers – Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman and lack of batting strength have costed the team heavily. Performances in pieces from Mohammad Nabi and Hashmatullah Shahidi has been proved insufficient. At times it appears that the team is merely passing the time with no intent to win. Except in the match against India, the team has failed to impress. It is high time they perform as a team and show others that they are not there at this prime tournament by fluke. And if they succeed, this trans-Durand battle will be a treat to watch. Pitch is expected to be slow, with initial help to the bowlers.

Match 2 at 6:00 PM: Australia vs New Zealand

1:00 AM update: A modest target proved too big for Kiwis, thanks to the superb bowling by Ausies. Once again Michell Starc was the pick of the bowlers who finished with figures of 9.4-1-26-5. Starc now has 24 wickets in this World Cup. Behrendorff took 2 wickets and New Zealand were bundled out on 157 in 43.4 overs. Australia won the match by 86 runs. For New Zealand, once again captain Kane Williamson (40) was the lone batsman who could resist a little. This is New Zealand’s second defeat in a row. New Zealand still have chance to qualify.

9:40 PM Update: Despite losing 3 important wicket on 46 runs, Australian batsment built the innings and reached a total of 243/9 in 50 overs. Usman Khawaja (88) was the top scorer. He was involved in a 107 runs partnership with Alex Carey (71 off 72, 11×4). Trent Boult (4/51) was pick of the bowlers. In the process Trent Boult became the first New Zealand bowler to claim a hat-trick at World Cup, when he claimed wickets of Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Starc and Jason Behrendorff in the final over of Australian innings. Lockie Ferguson and Neesham claimed 2 wickets each.

7:10 PM Update: At drinks, Australia has lost its leading runscorers in the tournament – David Warner, Aaron Finch and Steven Smith. After 16 overs, Australia was at 68/3. Lockie Ferguson has taken 2 wickets.
6:10 PM Update: Australia captain Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to bat. Australia has unchanged team, whereas after having same eleven in six matches, loss against Pakistan forced New Zealand to make two changes – Ish Sodhi in place of Matt Henry and Henry Nicholls in place of Colin Munro.

Match Preview: 170 miles away from where the trans-Durand battle will be going on, another battle is slotted on June 29 at Lords between trans-Tasman nations – Australia and New Zealand. The 2015 finalist team has been arch-rivals. While defensing champion Australia has already booked its place in Semi-finals, New Zealand will be looking forward to win here and secure its place too in the semi-finals. Australia has been dominating in all of its matches except the only loss it suffered against India. David Warner (500 runs) is the leading run-scorer of the tournament whereas captain Aaron Finch (496 runs) is at second place. Steven Smith (282 runs) has also played some good knocks. Among bowlers, Mitchell Starc (19 wickets) is the leading wicket taker of the tournament. He is ably supported by Pat Cummins (11 wockets). Stoinis too has been a good support. With his 5-for against England, Jason Behrendorff has added the X-factor to the team.

New Zealand has been good throughout the tournament, before Pakistan derailed its undefeated campaign in the last match. The team is resolute to bounce back after that defeat. Kane Williamson (414 runs) too is there among the leading run-scorers. However, except Williamson, Ross Taylor and Neesham, rest of the batsmen have been below par. Bowling has been the strong point for Kiwis. Lockie Ferguson (15 wickets) has been excellent with the ball and is there among the leading wicket takers of the tournament. Trent Boult, Matt Henry and James Neesham are providing good support in bowling. Ish Sodhi or Tim Southee is likely to be included in the squad. Pitch will be the same as the one used in Australia – England match. An interesting contest is promised.

Today’s Match at 3:00 PM: Sri Lanka vs South AfricaUpdate – 28th June, 2019

11:15 PM Update: South Africa easily achieved the target and made 206/1 in 37.2 overs and won the match by 9 wickets. Sri Lankan bowlers could not create much trouble. South African captain Faf du Plessis (96* off 103, 10×4, 1×6) and Hashim Amla (80* off 105, 5×4) involved in an unbeaten partnership of 175 runs for the second wicket. The lone wicket of de Kock went to Lasith Malinga‘s credit. For his deadly bowling figures of 10-2-25-3, Dwaine Pretorius was declared Player of the Match.

7:00 PM Update: Sri Lanka was bowled out on 203 in 49.3 overs. Dwaine Pretorius and Chris Morris took 3 wickets each whereas Kagiso Rabada took 2 wickets. For Sri Lanka, Kusal Parera and Avishka Fernando made 30 runs each. 

3:00 PM Update: South Africa captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to field. South Africa has included JP Duniny and Dwaine Pretorius in place of David Miller and Lungi Ngidi. Sri Lanka has included Saranga Lakmal in place of Nuwan Pradeep, who has got chicken pox.

Match Preview: Chester-le-Street ground makes its World Cup debut on June 28 with the match between 1996 champions Sri Lanka and South Africa. Although Sri Lanka is no longer the giant killer, as it used to be once, the victory against hosts England has rekindled the desire among the fans once again. With a thin chance of qualifying for the semi-finals, Sri Lanka team would leave no tricks unused against South Africa. Lasith Malinga was lethal against England and would like to continue the good show. Sri Lanka has failed to register a World Cup win after its lone win in 1992 – which was South Africa’s debut in the prime tournament. In recent series, South Africa whitewashed Sri Lanka with 5-0 in ODIs and 3-0 in T20Is.

However, South Africa has been below par in terms of performance in this edition of World Cup. Already out of the semifinal race, South Africa will be playing to save the pride. Rassi Van der Dussein has raised his reputation as a dependable batsman. Rest of the team has not been regular. Same story goes with bowlers – except Imran Tahir, there has been forgettable performances by the others. A better show is expected this time.

Today’s Match at 3:00 PM: India vs West IndiesUpdate – 27th June, 2019

10:30 PM Update: India celebrated its new World no. 1 ODI team ranking with all round show.West Indian batsment found Indian bowlers too hot to handle. India bowled out West Indies on 143 in 34.2 overs. Mohammed Shami was pick of the bowlers who finished with figures 6.2-0-16-4. Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal took 2 wickets each. India won the match by 125 runs. For his 72 runs Virat Kohli was declared Player of the Match.

8:30 PM Update: Last match hat-trick man Mohammed Shami removed Chris Gayle (6) and Shai Hope (5) cheaply within a span of three overs. After 14 overs, West Indies were 45/2.

7:00 PM Update: India managed a total of 268/7 in stipulated 50 overs. Virat Kohli (72 off 82, 8X4) scored another fifty. He as involved in a 69 runs partnership with KL Rahul (48) for the 2nd wicket. Later MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya (46 off 38, 5X4) involved in 70 runs partnership for the 6th wicket in only 60 balls. MS Dhoni played sensibly and remaind undefeated (56* off 61 balls, 3X4, 2X6).
For West Indies Kemar Roach took 3 wickets whereas Jason Holder and Sheldon Cottrell took 2 wickets each.

5:50 PM Update: After 36 overs, India is at 171/4 with Kohli (66*) and Dhoni (14*) on the crease. For West Indies, Kemar Roach finished his quote of overs with a figures of 10-0-36-3.

4:15 PM Update: India at 72/1 after 16 overs at drinks break. Rohit Sharma (18) was caught behind off Kemar Roach when score was 29 after 6 overs.

2:45 PM Update: Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat. Indian team is unchanged. West Indies has included Sunil Ambris and Fabian Allen in the playing eleven in place of Ashley Nurse and Evin Lewis.

Match Preview: On June 27, 36 years after the epic ’83 World Cup final, the two finalist teams will be facing each other at Old Trafford, Manchester – India and West Indies. Each of the teams had won the World Cup twice – West Indies in 1975 and 1979 whereas India in 1983 and 2011.

After a dismal show against bottom placed Afghanistan, where it won the match marginally, India will be looking forward once again to dominate the things. Although Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – World No. 2 and No. 1 batsman respectively – are performing good, the middle order has not shown consistency. It failed to build up on solid starts. The shortcomings were exposed further by Afghan spinners. We can expect Indian batting will overcome the shortcomings. Bowlers are doing good. Bhuvaneshwar Kuamr is still not match fit. Bumrah and Shami will spearhead the attack whereas Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will command the ball to spin. Presence of all-rounder Hardik Pandya strengthen all the departments.

After losing narrowly against New Zealand by 5 runs. it will be tough for West Indies to raise their game further. Their poor fielding has been a major concern. Andre Russell is out of the tournament due to injury. Still the team is capable to dominate the field. On their day, West Indies can defeat any team with the explosive batting by veteran Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope, Hetmyer etc. Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas are goof with new ball. All-rounders like captain Jason Holder, Carlos Brathwaite adds depth to both the departments – batting and bowling.

Old Trafford pitch is likely to help batsmen. Generally spinners get less wickets than seamers at Old Trafford. Rains are unlikely so an exciting contest is promised.

Today’s Match at 3:00 PM: Pakistan vs New ZealandUpdate – 26th June, 2019

11:55 PM Update: Riding on Babar Azam‘s 10th ODI century (101* off 127, 11X4), Pakistan chased and achieved the target with 5 balls to spare. Pakistan won the match by 6 wickets. Babar Azam got support from Haris Sohail who scored his second fifty (68 off 76, 5X4, 2X6). Although the New Zealand bowlers tried their best, they were outplayed by Pakistan batsmen. With this win, Pakistan has returned to the main contest and now levelled with Bangladesh with 7 points. For his calm and composed innings and unbeaten hundred, Babar Azam was declared Player of the Match. Although teenager Shaheen Afridi too played a key role with his 3 wickets that destroyed New Zealand batting.

7:50 PM Update: Neesham–Grandhomme involved in 132 runs 6th wicket partnership and made sure that New Zealand reach to a decent total, after Pak bowlers reduced New Zealand to 84/5 in 27 overs. New Zealand finally managed a total of 237/6 in 50 overs. James Neesham was the top scorer for New Zealand with his career best 97* (off 112, 5X4, 3X6). Colin de Grandhomme scored 64 (off 71, 6X4, 1X6). For Pakistan, teenager Shaheen Afridi was the pick of the bowlers who finished with a blowing figure of 10-3-28-3. New Zealand bowlers will find it a little difficult to defend such a small target.

7:00 PM Update: After 40 overs, New Zealand is at 152/5. James Neesham has completed his fifty – his 6th ODI fifty. With Colin de Grandhomme, Neesham is building a good partnership.

6:05 PM Update: Shadab Khan got big wicket. New Zealand skipper and in-form batsman Kane Williamson is caught behind. New Zealand is in deep trouble at 84/5 after 27 overs.

5:55 PM Update: New Zealand is struggling at 79/4 at halfway stage. Kane Williamson is still there at 40*. Teenage speedster Shaheen Afridi has been brilliant with ball and has a bowling figures of 7-3-11-3.

4:05 PM Update: Mohammad Amir struck early with this first ball, Martin Guptill played into the stumps. New Zealand 5/1 after 1.1 overs. In-form Kane Williamson is at the crease.

4:00 PM Update: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bat first. both the teams are unchanged.

3:00 PM Update: Due to morning drizzles, the match is delayed by half an hour. No overs lost though.

Match Preview: Still undefeated in the tournament, New Zealand will be meeting Pakistan at Birmingham on June 26. This will be the 7th match for both the teams. New Zealand has defeated Pakistan in 12 out of 13 ODIs preceding to this one. Kane Williamson appears to enjoying perhaps his best batting form. Ross Taylor is also playing good, but the openers – Guptill and Munro are yet to play bog innings. New Zealand bowling has been quite impressive. Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult are bowling with near perfect line and length. All-rounders like Neesham, Santner are assets to the team who can turn any match with their performance.

Pakistan has only 5 points and can not afford another loss. In their last match, the players had performed in all the departments. Mohammad Amir is among the leading wicket takers of the tournament. He got good support from Wahab Riaz and teenager speedster Shaheen Afridi. Spinner Shadab Khan is equally good. Inclusion of Haris Sohail has strengthened the batting line which already has players like Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez. Captain-keeper Sarfaraz Khan and his team will be feeling immense pressure of not losing any match, but defeating in-form New Zealand team would not be a cakewalk for sure.

Today’s Match at 3:00 PM: England vs AustraliaUpdate – 25th June, 2019

10:45 PM Update: Chasing a challenging target, England batsmen tumbled and were bowled out on 221 in 44.5 overs. Ben Stokes (89 off 115, 8X4, 2X6) was the only resistance from England. For Australia, Jason Behrendorff (44/5) and Mitchell Starc (43/4) shared 9 wickets between them. For his hundred, Aaron Finch was declared Palyer of the Match. With this victory of 64 runs, defending champions Australia became the first team to reach semi-fnial of this World Cup – 8th time in the history of World Cup. At this stage, Australian players are dominating the World Cup – David Warner (500 runs) and Aaron Finch (496 runs) are the leading run scorers whereas Mitchell Starc (19 wickets) is the leading wicket taker.

 6:35 PM: Australia ended up scoring 285/7 in 50 overs. Aaron Finch (100) and David Warner (53) started well with a century partnership, but rest of the batsmen could not carry the momentum later. For England, Chris Woakes took 2 wickets whereas Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood and Moeen Ali took 1 wicket each. 286 looks like a challenging target.

5:35 PM: Australian captain Aaron Finch (100 off 116, 11X4, 2X6) completed his 15th ODI century – his 2nd of this World Cup, and departed on the next ball. He was caught at fine leg by Woakes off Jofra Archer. After 37 overs, Australia at 200/3.

4:35 PM: Soon after completing 500 runs in this edition of World Cup, David Warner (53 off 61, 6X4) was caught at backward point by Joe Root. Moeen Ali provided the breakthrough for England. After 23 overs, Australia at 125/1.

4:25 PM: After a cautious start, Australian openers have started playing shots. After 18 overs, Australia was at 100 without loss. David Warner and Aaron Finch, both the openers are approaching their respective half-centuries.

3:00 PM Update: England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and asked Australia to bat. Australia has included spinner Nathan Lyon and pacer Jason Behrendorff in the squad.  England unchanged.

Match Preview: Exactly 36 years ago, on this date and at the same ground, India defeated West Indies to lift the 3rd Prudential World Cup. On the same ground and on the same day, another match is scheduled between hosts England and defending champions Australia. Although it is not a final, it will be treated no less than a final by the fans. England – Australia rivalry goes back to 1877 – when the first ever test match was held between the two countries. 1987 Reliance World Cup Final was played between these two teams.

Around 12 months ago, England hammered highest ever ODI total by any team (481/6) against their arch-rivals at Nottingham. England is carrying more or less the same team. However, recent loss against Sri Lanka, where the team failed to achieve a modest target of 233, must have dented teams confidence. Losses against Pakistan and Sri Lanka have put questions on England’s No. 1 ODI rank. Considering the challenges ahead, the team would go for nothing less than a win. However, England team has failed to win against its arch-rival at World Cup since 1996. Although opener Jason Roy is still doubtful due to hamstring injury and likely to sit out, rest of the team is doing good. Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan and Jos Butler are doing good with bat. Jofra Archer is among the leading wicket takers of the tournament at the moment with 15 wickets in 6 matches.

Australia has been consistent and except the loss against India, they have performed like a defending champion is expected to perform. David Warner is among the leading run scorers of the tournament (447 runs, 2X100, 3X50) with an average nearing 90. Aaron Finch and Steven Smith are also scoring heavily. Mitchcell Starc too is among the leading wicket takers with 15 wickets. He is ably supported by Pat Cummins. Nathan Lyon may get a chance as spinner Adam Zampa is not doing very good with the ball.

Pitch is likely to offer something for all, as evident from the recent Pakistan – South Africa match. Weather forecast is warm with scattered showers. An interesting contest between the arch-rivals is highly expected at the Mecca of Cricket.

Today’s Match at 3:00 PM: Afghanistan vs BangladeshUpdate – 24th June, 2019

10:45 PM Update: Shakib Al Hasan (10-1-29-5) ripped through Afghanistan batting and in the process became first ever Bangladesh bowler to claim 5 wickets in a World Cup match. After Yuvraj Singh (in 2011 World Cup against Ireland), Shakib Al Hasan became only second player in World Cup history to claim 5 wickets and scored 50+ runs in a match. World number 1 ODI all-rounder also became first player to score 1000+ runs and clcaim 30 wickets in World Cup matches. For Afghanistan, opener and captain Gulbadin Naib (47) and Shamiullah Shinwari (49* off 51, 3X4, 1X6) provided some resistance. Mustafizur Rahman took 2 wickets for Bangladesh. Afghanistan was bowled out on 200. Bangladesh won the match by 62 runs. For his all round show, Shakib Al Hasan (55, 29/5) was declared Player of the Match.

6:50 PM Update: Bangladesh scored 262/7 in stipulated 50 overs. Keeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim was the top scorer (83 off 87, 4X4, 1X6). Shakib Al Hasan (51) once again played sensibly on a surface where runs are not coming easily. Shakib was involved in two half-century partnerships – 59 runs partnership for 2nd wicket with Tamim Iqbal and 61 runs partnership for 3rd wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim. Rahim too was involved in two more useful partnerships – 56 runs for 5th wicket with Mahmudullah and 44 runs for 6th wicket with Mosaddek Hossain. For Afghanistan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers who took 3 wickets while conceding only 39 runs in his 10 overs. Captain Gulbadin Naib took 2 wickets. 263 is a decent target on this pitch. Lets see how Afghanistan batting is going to counter to the challenge.

3:00 PM Update: Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib won the toss and elected to field. Speedster Dawlat Zadran and spin all-rounder Samiullah Shinwari are included in Afghanistan side. Bangladesh has included spinner Mosaddek Hossain and speedster Mohammad Saifuddin.

Match Preview: After a superb performance against India, Afghanistan will be facing Bangladesh at Southampton in search of its maiden victory in the tournament. Spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi will try their best to explore the spin friendly pitch. Batting will still be a concern for Afghan players. Although Mohammad Nabi and Hashmatullah Shahidi have shown the way, but other batsmen are yet to raise their game.

Bangladesh has been playing superbly. The record win against West Indies must and a spirited fight against Australia are clear indication that the team is up against odds to make an impact at this World Cup. Shakib Al Hasan is among the leading run scorers of the tournament. Keepar Mushfiqur Rahim is also doing good with bat and inclusion of Liton Das has added the strength further. Captain Mashrafe Mortaza will spearhead the attack which include Mohammad Saifuddin – the highest wicket taker for Bangladesh in this tournament. However, the focus in this match will be on spinners – Shakib Al Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain and Mehidy Hasan.

Although pitch is spin friendly, at times it will help speedsters too. An interesting contest is due, if rain would not interrupt.

Today’s Match at 3:00 PM: Pakistan vs South AfricaUpdate – 23rd June, 2019

11:30 PM Update: Despite useful contributions from Faf du Plessis (63), Quinton de Kock (47) and Phehlukwayo (46* off 32), South Africa could not rise to the challenge. South Africa could manage to score 259/9 in 50 overs. Pakistan won the match by 49 runs. For Pakistan, Wahab Riaz and Shadab Khan took 3 wickets each whereas speedster and Pakistan’s most successful bowler in this World Cup – Mohammad Amir – took 2 wickets of Hashim Amla and du Plessis. For his strokeful innings of 89, Haris Sohail was declared Player of the Match.

7:00 PM Update: Inclusion of Haris Sohail proved fruitful as he was the top scorer for Pakistan (89 off 59, 9X4, 3X6). Babar Azam (69), openers – Imam-ul-Haq (44) and Fakhar Zaman (44) contributed handsomely. Pakistan scored 308/7 in stipulated 50 overs. For South Africa, Lungi Ngidi took 3 wickets whereas Imran Tahir once again bowled sensibly and took 2 wickets while conceding only 41 runs off his 10 overs.

3:00 PM Update: Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed won the toss and elected to bat. Pakistan included Haris Sohail in playing eleven.

Match Preview: Lords – ‘Mecca of Cricket‘ – where the World Cup final is scheduled on July 14, is all set to host its first match of this World Cup on June 23, when South Africa and Pakistan will be facing each other. South Africa has won only 1 out of 6 matches it has played. Pakistan too, has won just one match out of five matches it has played. Currently placed at 8th and 9th position in the points tally, both the team are are nursing faint chances of a Semi-final spot. Even ‘must-win’ could not guarantee the progress, but that is the only hope the teams has left with.
In world cups, South Africa has won 3 out of 4 contests between the countries. However, Pakistan was the victorious team in their last meeting at 2015 World Cup.
South Africa had a much improved performance against New Zealand. South Africa would likely to field unchanged playing eleven. Pakistan may include Haris Sohail and Mohammad Hasnain.
Lords pitch is expected to be a flat track, full of runs. Another close contest in the offing.

Today’s Match at 3:00 PM: India vs AfghanistanUpdate – 22nd June, 2019

11:00 PM Update: Mohammed Shami hat-trick in the final over on last 3 deliveies enabled lndia register its 50th victory in World Cup history. India won by 11 runs. Mohammad Shami became second Indian bowler to claim a hat-trick at World Cup. Chetan Sharma was the first bowler to claim hat-trick in 1987 edition of World Cup against New Zealand. Mohammad Shami finished with 4/40 whereas Jasprit Bumrah finished with 2/39 – both the wickets came in single over, which was the turning point of the match and thus Bumrah was declared Player of the Match. Yuzvendra Chahal and Hardik Pandya both took 2 wickets each. For Afghanistan, Mohammad Nabi was the leading run scorer (52 off 55, 4X4, 1X6) but eventually got out off Shami in the final over. India remains unbeaten in the tournament.

6:30 PM Update: India could score only 224/8 in the stipulated 50 overs. Virat Kohli (67 off 63, 5X4) was the top scorer for the team whereas Kedar Jadhav made 52 (67 balls). Rest of the Indian batsmen were unimpressive and they had no clue of Afghan spin attack. For Afghanistan, Mohammad Nabi took 2 wickets for 33 runs whereas captain Gulbadin Naib took 2 wickets for 51 runs. Teenager spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman conceded only 26 runs off his 10 overs and took important wicket of in-form Rohit Sharma. Rahid Khan too was economical and conceded 38 off his 10 overs and got MS Dhoni out. It will be tough for Indian bowlers to defend such a poor score.

4:55 PM Update: After 38 overs, India is at 163/4. Virat Kohli (67) was Mohammad Nabi’s second scalp.

3:55 PM Update: KL Rahul (30) departed after playing an unnecessary reverse sweep and mistimed shot landed into safe hands of short third man Hazaratullah Zazai off Mohammad Nabi.  After 15 overs, India is at 66/2.

3:15 PM Update: India lost in-form opener Rohit Sharma (1) early on teenager spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman‘s carrom ball.

3:00 PM Update: India won the toss and elected to bat first. Mohammed Shami comes in in place of injured Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.

Match Preview: Apart from New Zealand, the only team yet to face a defeat – India – will be facing bottom placed Afghanistan at Southampton on June 22. Shikhar Dhawan is out of the tournament due to hairline fracture in thumb. Speedster Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is also out for at least two games due to hamstring strain. Adding to the injury scare, reportedly, all-rounder Vijay Shankar is also nursing an injury he picked during net session. Rishabh Pant has been included in the Indian squad in place of Shikhar Dhawan, but it is not clear whether he will be included in playing eleven or not. Mohammed Shami is certain to get a chance in the playing eleven. Since the match is against bottom placed team, India may go for experiments and try its bench strength and combinations before bigger battles ahead. Indian team has been performing well in all the three departments and living up to the high expectations. Team is expected to continue its good run in the tournament.
Afghanistan is placed at the bottom in the points table. With no hopes for knock-out qualification, the team will be playing for pride and to prove a point or two. However, the team’s performance has been below par. Although Hashmatullah Shahidi had done good against England, none of their players has succeeded to create any threat to the opposition. Ruthless thrashing of its star bowler – Rashid Khan – by the English batsmen must have created a big dent to the confidence of the spinner. It will be interesting to see how Afghanistan team as well as Rashid Khan overcome the traumatic treatment received in previous match.

Today’s Match at 6:00 PM: New Zealand vs West IndiesUpdate – 22nd June, 2019

1:30 AM Update: Chasing a target of 292, after 27 overs, West Indies was struggling at 167 after losing 7 wickets. And then we witnessed an inning arguably the greatest of this World Cup by Carlos Brathwaite. Brathwaite added 47 runs for 8th wicket with Kemar Roach and 34 runs for 9th wicket with Sheldon Cottrell. When Cottrell got out, West Indies needed 47 runs off 30 balls and with Brathwaite, No.11 Oshane Thomas was at crease. From this point, Braithwaite took complete control and did all the scoring. In the end, West Indies was left only 5 runs short with 6 balls to spare. Brathwaite scored his first ODI hundred but unfortunately he was caught on long on by Trent Boult off Neesham. Brathwaite (101 off 82, 9X4,5X6) had almost won the match single handedly for West Indies, but it was inches, or say sentimeters short.
Earlier, Chris Gayle (87 off 84, 5X4, 6X6) and Hetmyer (54 off 45, 8X4, 1X6) prepared the base for Brathwaite fight. Unfortunately, other batsmen could not contribute.
For New Zealand, Trent Boult took 4 wickets (and that final catch of Brathwaite) while Lockie Ferguson took 3 wickets. For his brilliant 148, Kane Williamson was declared Player of the Match. With this win, New Zealand maintained its streak of no loss and regained the top spot in the points tally.

9:30 PM Update: 13th ODI century by captain Kane Williamson (148 off 154, 14×4, 1X6) enabled New Zealand score 291/8 in stipulated 50 overs. Williamson got support form Ross Taylor (69). The two players added 160 runs for the 3rd Wicket. For West Indies, Sheldon Cottrell took 4 wicket.

5:40 PM Update: West Indies captain Jason Holder won the toss and elected to field. West Indies included Ahsley Nurse, Carlos Brathwaite and Kemar Roach. New Zealand team is unchanged.

Match Preview: New Zealand is yet to taste a defeat at this World Cup and while facing West Indies at Manchester on June 22, the team will certainly like to maintain the distinction. New Zealand is unlikely to make any changes in playing eleven, despite the cliffhanger it went through in the last match. Kane Williamson is leading from the front and rest of the batsment too are doing good. Martin Guptil, who scored record 237 against this side at previous World Cup, has been comparatively silent in this edition. New Zealand attack of Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry and James Neesham have been consistent with the ball, giving little space to the opponents.
West Indies have been erratic in the tournament and could register only one win out of five matches it has played. Their fielding has been far below the international standards. It appears that their players are still playing with T20 mindset, which failed them in longer format. After the big loss against Bangladesh, it will be a tough task for Jason Holder and his team to regroup and perform with positive intent. Adding to the problems, all-rounder Andre Russell is reportedly unavailable due to injured knee.
However, chances of twice champions West Indies can not be discarded outrightedly. Only 3 weeks ago, in a warm-up game against at Bristol, Windies showed everyone what can they do on their day – they amassed 421 runs and won the match by 91 runs. Opponent team was – New Zealand.
Pitch and conditions are likely to favour batsmen so a high scoring contest is promised.

Today’s Match: England vs Sri LankaUpdate – 21st June, 2019

ENG vs SRL

11:00 PM Update: Although the target was looking easy, it proved otherwise. England were bowled out by disciplined Sri Lanka bowling on 212. Lasith Malinga was on target and took 4 wickets for only 43 runs. Isuru Udana took 2 wickets whereas Dhananjaya de Silva took 3 wickets. Although Joe Root made 57 and Ben Stokes made 82*, these contributions were not sufficient. Sri Lanka stunned England and won this match by 20 runs. For his splendid bowling Lasith Malinga was declared Palyer of the Match. With this victory, Sri Lanka has revived his chances of breaking into semi-finals.

6:30 PM Update: Sri Lanka managed to score 232/9 in the stipulated 50 overs. Avishka Fernando (49 off 39, 6X4, 2X6) inning was a breeze after Sri Lanka lost 2 wickets while only 3 runs on the board. Kusal Mendis (46) and Angelo Mathews (85*) ensured that their team play all the overs. Still target of 233 might not be a tough challenge to the deep batting line-up of England. For England, Jofra Archer was once again on target. He and Mark Wood took 3 wickets each, whereas spinner Adil Rashid took 2 wickets.

3:00 PM Update: Sri Lanka captain Karunaratne won the toss and elected to bat first. Sri Lanka has included Avishka Fernando and Jeevan Mendis.

Match Preview: Hosts and tournament favorites England will be facing Sri Lanka at Headingley, Leeds on June 21. Since Jason Roy is still recovering from hamstring injury, James Vince will continue to open the innings with Jonny Bairstow. Although Liam Plunkett has recovered form stomach ailment, chances are slim that he be included in today’s match. England is likely to maintain the same playing XI as it was there against Afghanistan. After rewriting records in Afghanistan match, Eoin Morgan and company will be looking forward to another big score. England batsmen will have to counter the spin challenge posed by their opponent. Moeen Ali will be playing his 100th ODI.

Sri Lanka on the other hand, will be facing a superior opponent. Sri Lanka bowlers shall have to put extra efforts to restrict flamboyant English batsmen, though their bowling has not been up to mark in this tournament till now. The likes of Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep, Thisara Parera and spinner Dhananjaya de Silva have to put their best against England. Sri Lanka batting has been good in parts, but overall there is not any lasting impression. The team will have to put collective effort while facing England challenge.

Headingley generally favours seemers and there is a hint of grass on surface. However, recently the pitch and fast outfield has resulted in huge scores. So we can expect big score in this match too.

Today’s Match at 3:00pm: Australia vs BangladeshUpdate – 20th June, 2019

AUS vs BAN

11:40 PM Update: Chasing an uphill task, Bangladesh did not give up easily and fought till the end. Opener Tamim Iqbal (62), in-form Shakib Al Hasan (41), Mahmudullah (69 off 50, 5X4, 3X6) and keeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim (102* off 97, 9X4, 1X6) – who scored his 7th ODI hundred. The Bangla batsmen showed that they are not intimidated by the huge target. During their chase, Bangladesh also registered its highest ever ODI total – 333/8. However, all there efforts proved insufficient. In the end, Australia won the match by 48 runs and regained the top position in the points tally. For Australia, Mitchell Starc and Coulter-Nile and Stoinis claimed 2 wickets each. For his explosive 166, David Warner was declared Player of the Match.

7:10 PM Update: Rain interrupted play for 24 minutes, but no overs lost. Australia scored 381/5. David Warner top scored with 166, whereas Usman Khawaja scored 89 (of 72 balls). The two players added 192 runs for the second wicket. For Bangladesh, Soumya Sarkar was the pick of the bowlers who took 3 wickets for 58 runs. The target seems out of reach, unless Bangladesh batsmen play some extraordinary cricket.

6:09 PM Update: Soumya Sarkar does it again for Bangladesh. Like Aaron Finch, David Warner (166 off 147, 14X4, 5X6) is also caught at short third man by Rubel Hossain.

6:00 PM Update: David Warner completed 150 runs – his 6th 150+ score in ODIs. Only Rohit Sharma has more 150+ scores in ODIs – 7.

5:20 PM Update: David Warner completed his 16th ODI century. His second hundred of the tournament.

4:30 PM Update: Openers Aaron Finch and David Warner added 121 runs for the first wicket before Aaron Finch (53 off 51, 5X4, 2X6) was caught at short third man by Rubel Hossain. Soumya Sarkar provided the much needed break through to Bangladesh.

3:00 PM Update: Australian captain Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to bat first.

Match Preview: Defending champions Australia will face Bangladesh at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on June 20. After winning 4 out of its 5 matches, Australia is placed third in the points tally. Both the openers – captain Aaron Finch and David Warner – are doing good with the bat and are there among top-10 leading run scorers of the tournament. Another player present in that top-10 bracket is Steve Smith. On the other hand, Australian bowlers – Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are among the leading wicket takers of the tournament and Richardson is adding to the strength of Kangaroo attack.

On the other hand, Bangladesh – who has won just one out of 20 matches against Australia – will have to make some extra efforts to beat Australia. After beating South Africa and West Indies, Bangla tigers are fancying the chances of breaking into top 4. But for that, they need to defeat one of the teams who are almost certain for top 4 – Australia is one of them. They have World No. 1 ODI all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan in their side. Shakib is performing his best with bat and his useful spin bowling. Addition of Liton Das has solidified the teams batting. Bowling is a concern for sure. ALthough captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Mohammad Saifuddin are doing good with the ball, rest of the bowlers have been below par.

Weather forecast is cool and cloudy with scattered showers, which may help seamers in this otherwise batting friendly track.

Today’s Match: New Zealand vs South AfricaUpdate – 19th June, 2019

12:25 AM Update: 242 is no longer a big target in ODIs. However, making runs is not as easy a task as it appears elsewhere in this Word Cup. New Zealand batsmen too had to struggle. Disciplined bowling by South African bowlers stretched the game to the final over. At one time. New Zealand was struggling at 80/4. However, Kane Williamson played calm and composed captain’s knock of 106* off 138 (9X4, 1X6). He made 60 runs partnership for the 2nd wicket with Martin Guptill (35), 57 runs partnership for the 5th wicket with Neesham (23) and 91 runs 6th wicket partnership with Grandhomme (60 off 47, 5X4, 2X6). New Zealand achieved the target in 48.3 overs and won the match by 4 wickets. Chris Morris took 3 wickets for South Africa. For his match winning 12th ODI hundred, Kane Williamson was declared Player of the Match. New Zealand maintained its updefeated run in the tournament.

7:45 PM Update: South Africa scored 241/6 in stipulated 49 overs. van der Dussen was topscorer for South Africa with unbeaten 67* off 64 balls. Hashim Amla scored patient 55. For New Zealand, Lockie Ferguson took 3 wickets.

4:05 PM Update: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field. New Zealand team in unchanged, whereas South Africa has included speedster Lungi Ngidi. It will be a 49-overs per side contest due to late start.

Match Preview: One of the two teams yet to face a defeat in the tournament – New Zealand – will be facing South Africa at Edgbaston, Birmingham on June 19. The two teams met each other in the Quarter-Final of 2011 World Cup at Mirpur and in the Semi-Final of 2015 World Cup at Auckland. On both the occasions, New Zealand defeated South Africa and ended its campaign in the respective World Cups. History will haunt the Proteas again, as they are once again facing ouster from the tournament, as one more loss may close the doors for them.
A fit Lungi Ngidi will certainly add to the depleted attack for South Africa and Kagiso Rabada will be a bit relaxed. Oldest player of the tournament – Imran Tahir is doing good with the ball and was declared Player of the Match in team’s lone victory in the tournament till now against Afghanistan. Batting is a bit worrisome. Although Quinton de Kock is doing good, a big inning from the experienced Hashim Amla is due for long. Apart from de Kock and captain du Plessis, rest of the batsmen are yet to perform their best.
New Zealand on the other hand, are performing consistently in all departments of the game. Its bowlers – Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, James Neesham – all are doing food. Top order is doing great with the bat – Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson – all are doing good. But their middle and lower order is not tested yet. If South Africa could succeed to take early wickets, then it would be an interesting contest.
Pitch might be helpful to batsmen and full of runs. However, slow track may also help spinners and Imran Tahir would love it, if it does. Rain forecast is predicted for short intervals.

Today’s Match: Afghanistan vs EnglandUpdate – 18th June, 2019

ENG vs AFG

11:30 PM Update: Afghanistan could not pose any challenge to the mighty target set by England. Hashmatullah Shahidi (76 off 100, 5X4, 2X6) involved in two partnerships – 52 with Rahmat Shah (46) for 3rd wicket and 94 with Asghar Afghan (44) for 4th wicket. Rest of the batsmen could not stand the test. After 50 overs Afghanistan could manage only 247/8. For England, leg spinner Adil Rashid and pacer Jofra Archer took 3 wickets each. England won the match by a whopping margin of 150 runs. For his whirlwind century and record sixes, Eoin Morganwas declared Player of the Match. With this win, England reached top of the table with 8 points in 5 matches. Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the table and yet to claim a point after as many matches.

6:35 PM Update: England posted its highest ever World Cup score – 397/6. Captain Eoin Morgan (148 off 71, 4X4, 17X6) scored fourth fastest World Cup century with a new ODI record of maximum sixes (17). Ably supported by Bairstow (90), Joe Root (88) and Moeen Ali (31* off 9, 1X4, 4X6). In all, England team scored 25 sixes – most in an inning by any team in ODIs. Captain Gulbadin Naib (3/68) and Dawlat Zadran (3/85) were the wicket takers for Afghanistan.

6:25 PM Update: Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan spent 110 runs of his 9 overs – the most expensive bowling figures ever in a World Cup match. He was sent 11 times over the ropes – a new record of conceding most sixes in an inning. Rashid Khan is the same bowler who holds the record of fastest bowler (in terms of matches) to reach 100 ODI wickets. Today he failed to get a single wicket despite conceding 110 runs.

6:15 PM Update: Eoin Morgan rewrote record of most sixes in an ODI inning by hitting his 17th shot over the ropes. He was held by Rahmat Shah at long-off of Gulbadin Naib‘s delivery while trying to send another one over the ropes. Morgan made 148 off 71 balls with 4 fours and 17 sixes. 102 runs scored by only sixes. Brute force attack.

6:10 PM Update: Eoin Morgan equals Chris Gayle‘s record of most number of sixes in a World Cup inning – 16. Morgan is playing on 142 off 69 balls.

6:00 PM Update: Studded with 11 sixes, England captain Eoin Morgan scored fourth fastest World Cup century off 57 balls. Seems Morgan is now after Chris Gayle‘s record of 16 sixes in a World Cup inning.

5:00 PM Update: Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib ended the strong 120 runs partnership for the second wicket between Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow by taking a diving catch of Bairstow (90 off 99, 8X4, 3X6) on his own bowling.

3:00PM Update: England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bat first. Opener James Vince and spin all-rounder Moeen Ali are included in the playing eleven. Afghanistan has included teenage spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman and speedster Dawlat Zadran in the playing eleven.

Match Preview: Host and World number 1 ODI team – England – will face World No. 10 ODI team and the bottom placed team in the present tournament – Afghanistan – at Manchester on June 18. England is suffering with injury concerns – Jason Roy is out due to Hamstring injury whereas captain Eoin Morgan is doubtful due to back spasm. Still the team is very powerful and considering the present dismal performances that Afghanistan has shown in recent matches, it is going to be a ‘David vs Goliath’ contest. Afghanistan will be looking to its spin attack – Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi – to try all the tricks so that the team could pose a challenge. It will be interesting to see how Joe Root, Bairstow, Buttler and company are prepared to face the Afghan spin challenge on a pitch where Kuldeep Yadav’s “ball of the century” had created ripples only a couple of days ago.

Update on Yesterday’s Match – Bangladesh vs West IndiesUpdate – 18th June, 2019

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and asked West Indies to bat first. It looked as if the decision worked as destructive batsman Chris Gayle got out on duck. But the rest of the Windies batsmen played sensibly and negated the initial advantage Bangla bowlers had. Shai Hope (96) involved in a century partnership with Evin Lewis (70) for the second wicket. Late strikes by Shimron Hetmyer (50 off 26, 4X4, 3X6) – who scored the fastest fifty of the tournament, captain Jason Holder (33 off 15, 4X4, 2X6) and Darren Bravo (19 off 15, 2X6) ensured Windeis reach a safe score of 321/8 in 50 overs. Mohammad Saifuddin and Mustafizur Rahman took three wickets each whereas Shakib Al Hasan took two wickets.

Chasing a huge target, Bangladesh started with clear intent to counter attack. Soumya Sarkar (29) and Tamim Iqbal added 52 in just 8 overs for the first wicket. After Sarkar got out, Shakib joined Tamim and the two added 69 in just 9 overs. For the first time in tournament, Tamim was looking in touch, but was smartly ran out by Sheldon Cottrell after brilliant fielding in his follow through. When keeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim got out in the next over, it appears that Bangladesh has started losing the plot. But the next batsman, Liton Das – who got his first chance to play in this World Cup today – showed rock solid intent to prove something. Shalib Al Hasan and Liton Das played some exquisite strokes and exposed the limitations of Windies attack. Apart from lackluster bowling, Windies fielding was substandard and this was exploited by the two Bangla batsmen to the maximum extent possible. Shakib scored another hundred – 2nd in this World Cup and 4th successive 50+ inning (124* off 99, 16X4) and Liton Das (94* off 69, 8X4, 4X6) involved in 189 runs unbroken partnership for the 4th wicket and made a mockery of the contest. Bangladesh won by 7 wickets when 8 and a half overs were still left. For his all-round show, Shakib Al Hasan was declared Player of the Match.

Today’s Match: BDESH vs WIUpdate – 17th June, 2019

WI vs BAN

At Taunton, West Indies will be facing Bangladesh at Taunton on June 17. Despite of winning their opening games, both the teams has won only 1 out of 4 matches played and have 3 points each till now. So this is going to be a crucial match for each of the two teams.

West Indies pacers were out of rhythm against Australia, but will be looking to regain their rhythm. Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas will spearhead the attack and will get support from Jason Holder and Brathwaite. Gayle, Hetmyer, Pooran and company will try to do their best in batting. Andre Russell is apparently not able to give his 100%.

On the other hand, Bangladesh too is struggling with a series of problems. Besides Shakib al Hasan, none of the other team members are consistent in their performances. Tamim Iqbal and Saumya Sarkar are performing far below their standards. In bowling also, Bangla players fail to make good impact. May be its time to give Rubel Hossain another chance again.

Update on Yesterday’s Match: IND vs PAK Update – 17th June, 2019

Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmad won the toss and asked India to bat first. In absence of Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul joined Rohit Sharma to open innings. Started cautiously, the two openers made 136 runs opening wicket partnership. Ro’HIT’ Sharma notched his 24th ODI hundred and 2nd in this World Cup (140 off 113, 14X4, 3X6). KL Rahul (57) and Virat Kohli (77 off 65) helped India score 336/5. During his innings, Virat Kohli became the fastest player to reach 11,000 ODI runs milestone. Pakistan tried as much as seven bowlers but only Mohammad Amir could bowl sensibly and took 3 wickets for 47 runs.

In response, Fakhar Zaman (62) and Babar Azam (48) involved 104 runs partnership for the second wicket. However, once Kuldeep Yadav bowled Babar Azam with beauty of a spinning ball, Pak team started tumbling. Pak team reduced from 117/1 to 129/5 in three and a half overs. When rain stopped play after 35 overs, Pakistan found itself struggling at 166/6. When play resumed, overs were reduced to 40 and with Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, the target was revised as 302. Thus Pak team has an near impossible target of 136 runs in only 5 overs. In the end, Pak team could manage to reach 212/6 and lost the match by 89 runs. For his 140, Ro’HIT’ Sharma was declared Player of the Match. In World Cup India – Pak rivalry, scoreboard now reads 7-0.

Today’s Match:IND vs PAKUpdate – 16th June, 2019

India vs Pakistan Match

Whenever India and Pakistan face each other in a cricket match, it is always special. The legacy and rivalry is age old. it becomes more special when the teams face each other at a world cup match. The teams played against each other in fifth world cup – 1992 – for the first time. Since then, both the teams have met 6 times and India has been victorious on all six occasions and Sachin Tendulkar grabbed Player of the Match on three occasions. It will be the seventh contest between the teams at World Cup history at Manchester on June 16. And whenever these two teams play against each other, it always turns into more than a game, for the players and for the respective countrymen alike.

Riding on the good show against defending champions Australia, India will be poised to do well against its arch-rival. Although the team will be missing opener Shikhar Dhawan who got a hairline fracture during his match winning knock against Kangaroos. However, promoted opener K L Rahul is also carrying great form since IPL days. Rohit Sharma is also in great touch. Like Tendulkar, captain Virat Kolhi and MS Dhoni always use to do well against Pakistan. Indian bowling attack is among the world’s best with the presence of Jasprit Bumrah, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Although the tip of balance is apparently inclined in India’s favour, yet the team dare not do the mistake of taking Pak lightly, as this is the team who had recently derailed host England’s march. Considering the overcast conditions, inclusion o a third seamer in playing eleven might be considered.

Pak team is little inexperienced but they have promising talents like Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haque, Fakhar Zaman, captain and keeper batsman Sarfaraz Ahmad and veteran Shoaib Malik – who has always performed well against India. The pacers – Mohammad Amir, in particular – have exploiting the conditions well. Wabah Riaz and teenager Shaheen Afridi provides valuable support to Amir. The mother of all contests – India-Pakistan World Cup match – promises a cracker of the contest.

Update on Yesterday’s Match: Sri Lanka vs Australia (Match 1)Update – 16th June, 2019

Riding on the big hundred by captain Aaron Finch (153 off 132, 15X4, 5X6) and useful innings of Steven Smith (73 off 59, 7X4, 1X6) and Maxwell (46* off 25, 5X4, 1X6) Australia amassed 334/7 in 50 overs. Making a comeback after missing last match due to injury, Nuwan Pradeep was ineffective and bled 88 runs of his 10 overs. Apart from getting Smith out, Lasith Malinga too, could not do any good.

Chasing a tough target, Sri Lanka started well by scoring 100 off only 12.4 overs. However, once Starc bowled opener Kusal Parera, the Sri Lankan started losing the plot. Although captain Karunaratne (97 off 108) tried his best to pose a challenge, but could not find another good support from other batsmen. Sri Lanka was bowled out on 247. Once again Mitchell Starc (4 wickets) was pick of the bowlers whereas Kane Richardson took 3 wickets and Pat Cummins took 2 wickets. For his big hundred Aaron Finch was declared Player of the Match.

Update on Yesterday’s Match: Afghanistan vs South Africa (Match 2)Update – 16th June, 2019

Afghanistan once again failed to make any impact. After losing the toss and forced to bat first, Afghanistan started cautiously but could not generate the momentum and the team was bowled out on paltry score of 125 in 34.1 overs. Number 9 batsman Rashid Khan was the top scorer (35 off 25 balls). For South Africa, the destroyer-in-chief was Imran Tahir with 4 wickets while conceding only 29 runs. Chris Morris took 3 wickets for 13 runs.

Due to rain interruption, the target was revised to 127 by Duckworth-Lewis formula. South Africa achieved the small target in 28.4 overs after losing only wicket of de Kock (68). Hashim Amla remained unbeaten on 41. For his lethal bowling, Imran Tahir was declared Player of the Match. South Africa finally registered its first victory in this World Cup.

Today’s Match: SRL vs AUS (Match 1) Update – 15th June, 2019

Defending champions Australia will be facing Sri Lanka at Oval on June 15. After winning its match against Pakistan at Taunton, Australia team again appears to be back at what it is known for – winning matches. In-form David Warner would continue to pose challenges to the opposite bowlers. Middle order batting is slight worrisome, but the presence of Steve Smith and all rounders like Counlter-Nile, they make up always. Pacers – Cummins, Starc, Richardson all are doing good with the ball.

Sri Lanka on the other hand, has been struggling to finf the peak of their players form. Malinga – one of the most successful bowlers in World Cup history – has been largely ineffective till now. Inexperience of players is also affecting the performance at the top level. So the team will have to put collective effort to overcome the shortcomings it has till now, else they will find difficulty to beat Kangaroos.

Today’s Match: SA vs AFG (Match 2) Update – 15th June, 2019

South Africa and Afghanistan – the only two teams of the tournament yet to taste win – will be facing each other at Cardiff. Multiple Injuries has depleted the South Africa attack, which was once dreaded as the deadliest attack of the World. Afghanistan is finding it hard to match the international level and is yet to pose a challenge to other teams. Marred by Mohammad Shahzad’s exit controversy, it looks something is very wrong with the team. More than fighting with the opponents, the teams are poised to fight against its own shortcomings to match the competitive level of World Cup.

Update on Yesterday’s Match: ENG vs WIUpdate – 15th June, 2019

England speedsters responded well after their captain Morgan won the toss and asked West Indies to bat first. Jofra Archer spearheaded the attack against his former country. Archer took 3 wickets for 30 runs whereas Mark wood also took 3 wickets while conceding just 18 runs. Joe Root with his useful spin took 2 wickets and West Indies were bowled out for a below decent score of 212 in 44.4 overs.

Although there were not much runs, England team has injury scares as captain Eoin Morgan was suffering with back spasm whereas opener and in-form Jason Roy was suffering with hamstring injury. Opening the batting, Joe Root grabbed the opportunity with both hands and shown his masterclass by scoring his 16th ODI century (100* off 94) and made sure that England wing the match by 8 wickets with one-third of overs were still left to be bowled. This big win has given some major thrust to Net Run Rate as well as crucial points England was looking for. Now England is placed second in the tally with 6 points in 4 matches. For his all-round show, Joe Root was declared Player of the Match.

Today’s Match: Eng vs WIUpdate – 14th June, 2019

Hosts and tournament favourites England will be facing twice World Champions and rejuvenated West Indies at the Rose Bowl, Southampton on June 14. India-New Zealand washout match has increased the problems for other teams. The team that loses at Southampton, will find a tough road ahead. Both the teams have hard-hitters and depth in their batting line-ups. Likewise, both the teams have some of the fastest bowlers in their respective attack. So an interesting contest is promised.

The pitch has been a batting paradise. However, once again weather might play spoilsport. In any case, the outfield might not be that fast, as it was there during Pakistan-England match.

England pacer Jofra Archer would be the center of attraction, playing against his original country – West Indies – for the first time. England openers – Jason Ray and Jonny Bairstow are doing quite good with the bat and ably supported by Joe Root. Then there are finishers like Jos Butler, captain Eoin Morgan, and Ben Stokes.

West Indies batsmen have been brutal in their approach. Veteran Chris Gayle finding his shots accurately, Shai Hope and Hetmayer are also doing good with the bat. Though not liked by many for his ‘Sheldon Salute’ celebrations, Sheldon Cottrell has always been there to provide an important breakthrough with his pace. He is ably supported by Oshane Thomas. All-rounders like captain Jason Holder and Andre Russell are capable to turn any match. This match is certainly a ‘not to be missed’ match.

Update on Yesterday’s Match: IND vs NZUpdate – 14th June, 2019

Another washout without a single ball bowled. The teams forced to share the points. India and New Zealand remain undefeated in the tournament.

Today’s Match: IND vs NZUpdate – 13th June, 2019

The two teams still unbeaten in the tournament – India and New Zealand – will be facing each other at Southampton on June 13. Indian team has suffered a big setback with the unavailability of its regular opener and last player of the match against Australia – Shikhar Dhawan – due to hairline fracture. The situation forces team to promote KL Rahul to open innings with in-form World No. 2 ODI batsman – Rohit Sharma. The replacement in the playing eleven could be any of the three – Ravindra Jadeja, Vijay Shankar or Dinesh Kartik. Considering the overcast conditions, chances of Vijay Shankar inclusion is higher. All the batsmen are in-form and ready to accept the challenge of Kiwi seamers. Speedster duo – Bhuvi-Bumrah – are giving their best whereas Chahal too weaves magic with his spin. Kuldeep Yadav is the only concern, but it is only a matter of time when he’ll pick up with his fellow bowlers.

New Zealand on the other hand, has been consistent in its performance in all the departments of the game. Their speedsters – Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult and James Neesham all are accurate and the overcast conditions would certainly add to their firepower. New Zealand batting lead by the captain Kane Williamson is also doing good and together, they too always looking to dominate the game. It will be interesting to see how the two teams handle the tough challenge of each other, only if the rain forecast proves wrong and allows proper play.

Update on Yesterday’s Match: AUS vs PAKUpdate – 13th June, 2019

Riding on David Warner‘s 15th ODI hundred (107 off 111) and able support of fellow opener and captain Aaron Finch (82), Australia managed to score 307. Though with the help of some brilliant bowling by Mohammad Amir (10-2-30-5) and teenager Shaheen Afridi (2 wickets of Warner and Maxwell), Pakistan was able to bowl out Kangaroos.

However, chasing the tough target, at a time, Pakistan was struggling at 200/7, when captain Sarfaraz Ahmed (40) and Wahab Riaz (45 off 39, 3X6) tried to recover Pakistan, but it proved too little, too late. Pakistan were bowled out at 266 when 26 balls were still left. Pat Cummins took 3 wickets whereas Starc and Richardson took 2 wickets each. For his composed hundred, David Warner was declared Player of the Match.

Today’s Match: AUS vs PAKUpdate – 12th June, 2019

Defending champions Australia will be facing Pakistan at Taunton on June 12. Allrounder Marcus Stoinis, who has claimed important wickets of Kohli and Dhoni against India, is out of the match due to side strain and at the risk of missing the whole tournament. David Warner and Steven Smith are performing continuously ever since their return to international cricket. But they are not getting ample support from rest of the batting order. Stoinis’ absence will put extra pressure on the team. Still, after losing last match against India, Australia team would do everything to bounce back.

On the other hand, Pakistan team morale has been high ever since they defeated hosts and tournament favorites England at Nottingham. Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Imam-ul-Haque, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam – each of the batsmen are performing. Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir and Shadab Khan are doing good with the ball. Still the team would be more cautious against the Kangaroos.

Update on Yesterday’s Match: B’DESH vs SRLUpdate – 12th June, 2019

Match abandoned without a single ball being bowled. Consequently, the teams shared one point each. After 4 matches, Sri Lanka has 4 points now. Bangladesh has only 3 points after 4 matches.

Today’s Match: B’DESH vs SRLUpdate – 11th June, 2019

Bangladesh will be facing Sri Lanka at Bristol on June 11. Bangladesh star performer in this World Cup – allrounder Shakib Al Hasan is suffering from quadriceps injury during the last game against England, in which he scored a hundred. There is doubt whether he will play in today’s match. If Shakib does not play today, it will be a little difficult road for the Bangla tigers. Opener Tamim Iqbal hasn’t performed up to his stature.

Similarly, Sri Lanka’s star performer and Player of the Match against Afghanistan – Nuwan Pradeep – is reportedly unavailable for the match due to hand injury. Bowling allrounder Jeevan Mendis might find a place in the team in Pradeep‘s absence. Rains are expected during the match and considering the conditions, bowling first would be the preference of the captain who wins the toss.

Update on Yesterday’s West Indies – South Africa MatchUpdate – 11th June, 2019

At Southampton, West Indies won the toss and as expected, asked South Africa to bat first. The decision proved right when Sheldon Cottell got Hashim Amla (6) and Markram (5) out cheaply. However, after 7.3 overs, when South Africa was struggling at 29/2, rain stopped the play. The play could not start again and the teams were forced to share a point each. Thus in its fourth match, South Africa got its first point and survived to fight another day.

Today’s Match: SA vs WIUpdate – 10th June, 2019

After three successive losses, South Africa is facing must win situation when they face spirited West Indies side at Southampton on June 10. Absence of key bowlers, specially Dale Steyn has severally impacted the performance and morale of the team. Charismatic batsmen AB de Villiers’ request to include him in the team is declined by the South Africa Board. Player like AB generate great impact with his presence only. However, the team will have to accept and live with this bitter truth and will have to perform on whatever is there in their arsenal. It will another tough outing for Faf du Plesis and his team.

West Indies on the other hand, has shown intent. Though they lost their crucial match against defending champions Australia, they fought well and never gave up. Some bad umpiring decisions went against them. But Jason Holder and his team is willing to perform their best. Another interesting contest is promised.

Yesterday’s Match Update: IND vs AUSUpdate – 10th June, 2019

After a cautious start, Indian openers – Shikhar Dhawan “Gabbar” and Rohit Sharma “Hitman” scored their 16th ODI century partnership and provided a platform set to go for big score. Rest of the batting responded affirmative. With the help of Shikhar Dhawan hundred (117 off 109), Rohit Sharma (57), captain Virat Kohli (82) and some fireworks in the end by Hardik Pandya (48 off27), MS Dhoni (27 off 14) and KL Rahul (11 off 3) helped India score 352/5 – Highest ever score against Australia in World Cup History.

No team has ever chased this big score in World Cup history. Still it needed disciplined bowling from Indian bowlers to restrict Kangaroos to overhaul the historic score. Warner (56) Smith (69) and Carey (55) did try their best but Indian bowlers bowled Australia out on 316 and won the match by 36 runs. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets each whereas Chahal took 2. For his hundred Shikhar Dhawan was declared Player of the Match.

Today’s Match: IND vs AUSUpdate – 9th June, 2019

Two times champion India will be facing five times champion and defending champion Australia at the Oval. An exciting contest is guaranteed whenever these two teams face each other. Australia hasn’t lost an ODI since its lost in 2nd ODI in India three months ago, though Australia won that ODI series eventually. However, it was India who defeated Australia in their own backyard this five months ago. Kangaroos batting is strengthen by the return of David Warner and Steven Smith. First bowler to take 5 wicket haul in this World Cup – Mitchell Starc – wil be supported by Pat Cummins, Stoinis and Zampa. Coulter-Nile with his whirlwind innings in last match has forced opponent to reconsider their plans.

After defeating South Africa with clinical touch in its opening match, India will be looking forward to continue its campaign with another win. Rohit Sharma and Yujvendra Chahal were the star performers in previous match. World number 1 ODI batsman – captain Virat Kohli and World number 1 ODI bowler – Jasprit Bumrah will be eager to perform at par with their stature. Presence of MS Dhoni could be the decisive factor.

Today’s Matches: England vs Bangladesh and Afghanistan vs New ZealandUpdate – 8th June, 2019

Match 1: ENG vs BDESH

Hosts England will face their nemesis of 2015 World Cup – Bangladesh at Cardiff. When they met four years ago, Bangladesh knocked out England and they could not reach even quarter-final. Since then, England team has transformed into World Number 1 ODI side. After losing to Pakistan in the previous match, England team would be feeling tremendous pressure to perform well when they face Bangladesh. Batting prowess of Jason Roy, Joe Root, Bairstow, Butler and captain Morgan will be tested again. After a good show at the opening match, both Jofra Archer as well as Ben Stokes disappointed against Pakistan. This time a better performance is expected from these two players.

On the other hand, the heroes of 2015 world cup match – Mahmudullah, all rounder Shakib Al Hasan, keeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, speedster Rubel Hossain and Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza will be poised to repeat what they did four years ago.

Match 2: AFG vs NZL

ODI returns to Taunton after twenty years, where Table topper New Zealand will be facing bottom placed Afghanistan on June 8 in a day-night fixture. New Zealand has a strong bowling attack – Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner and James Neesham. The batting too is no less strong – Guptill, Williamson, Ross Taylor, Munro, Latham are there. However, this time they will be tested by the spin dominated attack of Afghanistan.

After losing both of its matches, Afghanistan team should seriously reconsider its approach, specially in batting. English conditions does not favours carefree strokeplay. Bowling depends too much on Rashid Khan, whereas others other bowlers are yet to perform their best. It will be interesting to see whether Afghanistan rises to face the tough Kiwi challenge.

Yesterday’s Match Update

Rain wiped out the match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Bristol and the match was abandoned without a ball bowled. As a result, both the teams share points and now have three points each from as many matches.

Today’s Match: PAK vs SRLUpdate – 7th June, 2019

After registering a morale booster victory against hosts and cup favorites England, Pakistan is looking to maintain the momentum against the crucial tie at Bristol against Sri Lanka. “Stay Ruthless” is the message of coach Mickey Arthur to the Pak players.

Sri Lanka too has registered a win against Afghanistan. Their bowlers has started performing. Nuwan Pradeep and Lasith Malinga will likely to continue their form. An interesting contest is promised between the two South Asian countries.

Yesterday’s Match Update

Australia registered its 10th consecutive ODI victory with superb team efforts. Calm and composed Steve Smith (73 0ff 103) helped Kangaroos to recover from 38/4 and overcome deadly Windies pace attack. Late explodes by Coulter-Nile (92 off 60, 8X4, 4X6) helped Australia score a respectable total of 288, though they could not finish the overs and were bowled out by West Indies in 49 overs. Pacer Carlos Brathwaite took 3 wickets whereas his fellow pacemen – Oshane Thomas, Sheldon Cottrell and Andre Russell took two wickets each.

While chasing, patient Shai Hope (68), Nicholas Pooran (40) and captain Jason Holder (51) tried hard to reach the target, but were outplayed in the end by Kangaroos by 15 runs. For Australia, Mitchell Starc was lethal, who finished his day with 5 wickets while conceding only 46 runs. He was ably supported by Pat Cummins who gave only 41 runs in his 10 overs and took two important wickets. For his explosive, match-turning innings, Nathan Coulter-Nile was declared Player of the Match.

Today’s Match: AUS vs WIUpdate – 6th June, 2019

At Nottingham defending champions Australia will face West Indies. Both the teams has registered comfortable victories in their respective opening World Cup matches. Australia had defeated West Indies comfortably by 7 wickets in the warm-up game a few days ago. Return of David Warner and Steve Smith has solidified the batting line-up. West Indies is known these days for its short ball tactics. Since Australian batsmen are used to bouncy pitches at their home grounds, this should not be a cause of concern for them.

However, explosive and fearless West Indies batsmen are the real cause of concern for the Kangaroos – from Chris Gayle to Andre Russell they have plenty of them. Pat Cummins, Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa will be required to bowl intelligently to restrict Windies batsmen.

Yesterday’s Match Update

India defeated South Africa and NewZealand defeated Bangladesh in the world cup matches on June 5 2019. South Africa have now lost all their first three matches of this world cup and are now on the risk of elimination. NewZealand have won both their matches whereas Bangladesh has lost one and won one. India was the last team to make their debut in the world cup and they made a winning start to their campaign. Rohit Sharma was the star of the show with a superb unbeaten hundred. Chahal picked up four wickets to bundle South Africa for a score of 227 after Du Plessis won the toss and decided to bat first.

Today’s Match: IND vs SAUpdate – 5th June, 2019

India – the only team yet to play a match at this World Cup – is starting its campaign against South Africa at Southampton on June 5. South Africa is suffering with injury blow – Dale Steyn is half fit, Lungi Ngidi has caught hamstring injury whereas their reserve Anrich Nortje – capable of bowling at a speed of 145+, is also got injured. And the team has lost both of its match – against England as well as against Bangladesh. So there would be tremendous pressure on depleted South Africa team to perform beyond its limits.

Twice champions and one of the favorites – India – on the other hand, has players a little tired from recently concluded extensive IPL schedule and a few of them are nursing their injuries like Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan could not do well in the warm up games. Number four slot, which has been a cause of concern for long, is apparently addressed with the inclusion of in-form Lokesh Rahul. With World No.1 ODI bowler – Jaspreet Bumrah – and World No. 1 ODI batsman – Virat Kohli – in the team. MS – Dhoni – the finisher and match winner is there in his sublime form. Spin trio of Yujvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja will provide much needed variety in the attack. Speedsters Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Sami will be there to exploit the conditions.

Southampton pitch has little grass, and looks flat, which suits Indian batting. Weather will play its part as scattered showers are expected.

BDESH vs NZ:

At Kennington Oval, Bangladesh will be facing New Zealand. After defeating South Africa in its opening match, Bangladesh will be looking forward to continue with its performances with bat and ball. Bangla batting will depend largely on Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar and Shakib Al Hasan, whereas their bowling will depend on Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Robel Hossain.

New Zealand will depend on Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, captain Williamson, Ross Taylor and Keeper Latham for scoring runs whereas on Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Ferguson, Santner and Neesham for bowling. Kiwis are apparently the stronger of the two teams.

Update on Yestereday’s Match: AFG vs SRL

Afghanistan won the toss and asked Sri Lanka to bat. Although Sri Lanka made a good start but they loose the momentum and slipped from 1/144 in 21 overs to 182/8 in 33 overs, when rain interrupted the game. After game resumed, Sri Lanka was bowled out on 201 in 36.5 overs. Keeper-opener Kusal Perera (78 off 81) was the top scorer for Sri Lanka. For Afghanistan Mohammad Nabi took 4 wickets while conceding just 30 runs. Dawlat Zadran and Rashid Khan took 2 wickets each.

Duckworth-Lewis formula came into play due to time lost during rain and Afghanistan were given a target of 187 in 41 overs. However, lack of patience, obsession for big shots and inexperience caused collapse and Afghanistan was bowled out at 152. For Sri Lanka, player of the match speedster Nuwan Pradeep took 4/31 whereas Lasith Malinga took 3/39.

Today’s Match: AFG vs SRLUpdate – 4th June, 2019

When the two teams will meet at Cardiff, only victory will be in their players’ minds as both Sri Lanka as well as Afghanistan had lost their opening matches. Sri Lankan skipper Karunaratne, with his unbeaten 52 against New Zealand, might have inspired fellow teammates. Although Sri Lankan attack is experienced and has bowlers like Lasith Malinga, they are yet to make an impact. If Sri Lanka wants to stay alive in the tournament, they will have to start winning matches and comparatively inexperienced Afghanistan might be the right team to start with.

Although Afghanistan also lost its opening match, their players had shown some fight during the middle overs against the defending champions Australia. However, the Afghan players shall have to raise their performance, if the team wants to make an impact in the tournament. With his mystery spin, Rashid Khan will be the centre of attraction and will receive support from fellow spinners like Mujeeb ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi. The overcast conditions at Cardiff might help speedster Hamid Hassan. It is the top order batting where Afghan team has a concern, as it failed to deliver against Australia.

Yesterday’s Match: ENG vs PAKUpdate – 4th June, 2019

After 12 match drought, Pakistan team has given a pre-Eid gift to their countrymen and has doubled the Eid celebration for the country by defeating World No. 1 ODI team, hosts and tournament favorite – England.

Chasing a challenging target of 349, England started miserably when opener Jason Roy fell on 8 followed by captain Eoin Morgan on 9. However, Joe Root with his 15th ODI hundred (107 off 104) and Jos Butler with fifth fastest hundred in World Cup history (103 off 76) fought back strongly, but in the end their valuable innings proved insufficient. Pak with some disciplined bowling, finally managed a 14 run victory. Wahab Riaz was pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets whereas Shadab Khan and Mohammad Amir took 2 wickets apiece.

At Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England won the toss and put Pakistan to bat. However, the decision backfired as Pak openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq gave solid start of 84 runs in 14.1 overs. Rest of the Pak batsmen build the innings over this solid start. With the help of explosive innings by Mohammad Hafeez (84 off 62) and captain Sarfaraz Ahmed (55 off 44), Pak team scored 348/8 in 50 overs.

Today’s Match: ENG vs PAKUpdate – 3rd June, 2019

After a flying start to its World Cup campaign by crushing South Africa, England would be looking to register its second win against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on June 3. All-rounder Ben Stokes has been the hero against South Africa, but as the team has depth in batting and variety in bowling, it appears that it is going to be another easy outing for the England team.

Pakistan found it really tough to score against West Indies in its first match by scoring its second lowest score at World Cup – 105. Although the team could take inspiration by the fact that when it scored its lowest – 74 all out in 1992 – it eventually went on to win the World Cup. But the team will have to work real hard to overcome its shortcomings and break the long loosing streak.

Match Update: BANGLADESH vs SOUTH AFRICAUpdate – 3rd June, 2019

Once World No. 1 all-rounder and now the fastest ever to reach double of 5000 runs and 250 wickets in ODIs, Shakib Al Hasan with his all-round show (75 runs, 1/50 off 10 Overs and 1 catch) helped his team Bangladesh to register not only its highest ever ODI as well as World Cup score – 330/6, but also a sensational victory against South Africa (309/8) at the Oval. With keeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim (78), Shakib made a partnership of 142 runs (off 135 balls) for 3rd wicket. Although South Africa captain Faf du Plessis (62 off 53) and other batsmen tried hard to challenge the target, but some disciplined blowing by Bangla bowlers led by Mustafizur Rahman (3 wickets) ensured Bangladesh’s victory.

 

BDESH vs SA

Fresh from winning its first ever multi-team tournament a few days ago after defeating Ireland and West Indies, Bangladesh has raised the expectations of fans multifolded. Led by experienced pacer Mashrafe Mortaza, the team has many an experienced players like keeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, spin all-rounders – Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah, dashing opener Tamim Iqbal as well as young guns like keeper-batsman Liton Das, batsman Soumya Sarkar and speedster Mustafizur Rahman. Four of the Bangla players were part of the team when it defeated Proteas emphatically in 2007 World Cup.

On the other hand, crushing defeat in the hands of hosts England might have dampened the spirits of South Africa team but Faf du Plessis’ team will be eager to make amends and register a win at The Oval. The windy and overcast conditions likely to assist seamers and that is where South Africa has an edge with the presence of seamers Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Phehlukwayo. Batting is a concern for the team. Quinton de Kock is in prime form and if Hashim Amla could also manage to do things right, then South Africa will be in commanding position.

 

Update – 2nd June, 2019

At Cardiff, New Zealand pace attack proved too hot to handle for Sri Lanka batsmen, except Karunaratne (52*) who carried the bat. Player of the Match Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson were the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand with 3 wickets each. Sri Lanka’s 136 could not pose any challenge for the Kiwis as openers Guptill (73*) and Munro (58*) overhauled the target in just 16.1 overs.

In the second match at Bristol, despite some resistance from Najibullah Zadran (51), Rahmat Shah (43) and late fireworks from Rashid Khan (27 off 11, 3X6) Afghanistan was bold out on 207 in 38.2 overs. Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa took 3 wickets each. Making a comeback in ODI, opener David Warner (89*) made sure that his team registers an emphatic win to start the title-defending campaign with 7 wickets and 15 overs in hand. For his match-winning knock, David Warner was declared Player of the Match.

 

Today’s Match – New Zealand vs Sri LankaUpdate – 1st June, 2019

2015 Runners-up New Zealand is starting its World Cup campaign at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on June 1. Led by Kane Williamson, the Kiwis have retained the core more or less the same as it was there four years ago. Batting depends on Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, captain Williamson, Colin Munroe and keeper Tom Latham whereas attack depends largely on Trent Boult, and Tim Southee. Presence of all rounders like Grandhomme, James Neesham and Mitchell Santner provides ample flexibility to the team.

1996 World Cup champion and twice runners-up Sri Lanka is merely a weak shadow of its glorious past. Placed 8th in ODI ranking the team is led by opener Karunaratne who has played only 18 ODIs. Although the team has some highly experienced bowlers like Lasith Malinga, Thisara Perera, Angelo Mathews and Lakmal, the batting line-up lacks depth and experience and a lot is desired from the likes of Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis.

Australia vs Afghanistan

Defending champions and five times World Cup winners, Australia will be starting its title defense campaign against Afghanistan in a day/night match at Bristol on June 1. After a tumultuous phase last year, Australian team is back to what it does best – winning matches. Recent series victories in India and in UAE suggest that the team is ready to defend the title. Return of David Warner and Steve Smith has boosted the solid batting line consisting of Usman Khawaja, captain Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh and Marcus Stoinis. Speedsters likes Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Counter-Nile and spinners like Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa provides strong attack. all rounder like Glenn Maxwell can turn any match.

Afghanistan’s cricket team’s journey from refugee camps to test status within a span of ten years is no less than a fairy-tale. The progress is remarkable. Although most of its ODI victories are either against non test-playing countries or against weaker teams like Ireland and Zimbabwe, its 91 runs win against Sri Lanka and sensational tie against India in 2018 Asia Cup are signs that the team is gearing up to challange top teams. World No.1 T20 bowler and fastest ever to claim 100 ODI wickets, Rashid Khan is the star performer of the team. With support from Muhammad Nabi and Mujeeb ur Rahman, Rashid Khan use to weave magic with mystery spin. Pacers Dawlat Zadran and old horse Hamid Hassan will try to exploit the conditions. Team has its own MS – Keeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad – capable of scoring against any attack. Batting line consists of young ones like Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai as well as experienced ones like Samiullah Shinwari and Asghar Afghan. Still newly appointed captain Gulbadin Naib has tough job in hand.

Yesterday’s Match Update

West Indies washed off Pakistan challenge by bowling them all out for 105. This was Pakistan’s second ever lowest score in the World Cup history, who didn’t stand a chance in front of West Indies’ pace attack. Chasing the score proved to be a child’s play for West Indies, who easily achieved the target in under 14 overs.

Today’s Match – West Indies vs Pakistan at Trent BridgeUpdate – 31st May 2019

Two times World Cup champions West Indies and One-time World Cup champion Pakistan, both the teams are starting their World Cup campaigns against each other at Trent Bridge on May 31. It has been 40 years since West Indies won its last World Cup whereas it has been 27 years since Pakistan won its only World Cup. Under the able leadership of captain Jason Holder, West Indies team has some of the most destructive batsmen of the world like Chris Gayle and Andre Russell, capable of destroying any bowling attack on their day. Pakistan has a balanced and fit side with bowlers like Mohammad Amir, teenager pacer Shaheen Afridi and batsmen like Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman. Although the recent whitewash in the hands of England would be there in players mind, but this is a different tournament and the players will be eager to start afresh. Overcast situation is predicted which will help swing bowlers. Team winning the toss is likely to opt for bowling first. Meanwhile, England beat South Africa by 104 runs in the opening match of the tournament on May 30. Ben Stoke’s 89 off 79 balls helped England reach a score of 311/8. While South Africa folded up for 207, helpless to face the bowling attack of Joffra Archer, Liam Plunkett and Stokes. Ben Stokes became only the second all rounder after Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka) to score 75+ runs, take two catches and additional two wickets in the same match in the World Cup tournaments.

Inaugural Match Today – ENG vs SAUpdate – 30th May 2019

World No. 1 ODI side and tournament favourite England starts its quest for the illusive world cup today against underdogs South Africa. England captain Eoin Morgan has assured that the team will live up to the high expectations. South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has said that the pressure on his team will be less as compared to England and this can help his team in a way. The Oval pitch looks green and lively and is likely to help seam bowlers in the beginning but will turn into good batting track as the game will progress. South African attack is depleted by the absence of Dale Steyn due to an injury he picked during IPL. South Africa team coach Ottis Gibson said that there is no need to press the issue right now as the tournament is six-week long. Team management expects Steyn to be fit in time to play against India match scheduled on June 5.

2019 ICC World Cup Begins TomorrowUpdate – 29th May 2019

The 12th edition of 2019 ICC World Cup is about to commence tomorrow i.e. May 30. The first match is going to take place between England and South Africa at The Oval, Kennington, London at England’s homeland. The ODI (One Day International) will begin around 15:00 IST and will be live streamed on televisions as per the time of a particular nation respectively.