Cricket News: Body feels the freshest it has for two years – Pat Cummins | Pat Cummins feeling fresh & ready to go as World Cup nears
Eyeing the T20 World Cup at home next month, Australian pacer Pat Cummins has expressed that his body feels fresher than it has in the last two years.
The Test skipper has been on a two-month long break as he hasn’t turned up for the national team ever since the red-ball series vs Sri Lanka concluded in July.
Australia to kick off World Cup preparation in India
The Australian side is in India currently and the two sides will kick off their T20I series in Mohali on Tuesday.
Overall, the defending champions will play nine T20 games before they kick off their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Sydney on 22nd October.
Cummins has reassured that he will look to play as many of those matches as possible as he is gearing to get back on the field.
“I feel probably the best I have for a year or two, my body feels fresh, it feels like I’ve been able to have a mini pre-season,” the 29-year-old was quoted in a report by Cricket Australia.
He added, “In terms of mindset, I feel really fresh and ready to get stuck in, so it was a great break, a couple of the niggles are fine.”
“There will be ongoing management, some of those things just compound if you don’t get that little window, so they are all as good as they have been for a while,” Cummins further opened up on the issue.
However, he explained that the players need to ensure that there is sufficient balance between players being ready for the World Cup whilst not being overcooked for the tournament simultaneously.
Cummins excited to see Tim David in Australian colours
Meanwhile, Cummins also reflected on Tim David’s introduction into the Australian squad in the build-up to the T20 World Cup. He hailed the swashbuckler as one of the premier middle-order batsmen in the shortest format of the game and backed him to deliver well in national colours.
“He’s been right up there with the best in the world batting in that middle-order,” Cummins said. It’s a really tough spot (to bat), you see most of the run-scorers open the batting or in the top-order,” Cummins spoke about David.
The Test skipper acknowledged that it’s difficult to be consistent in T20s, especially towards the backend of the innings and that is where David’s strength rests. Whether a reinvigorated Australia boosted by the return of Cummins and roping in of David puts up a firm challenge against the home side remains to be seen.
Why have England struggled in T20Is in 2022? | A look at why England have struggled in T20Is so far in 2022
England will be touring Pakistan for the first time in 17 years for a marathon seven-match T20I series starting from 20th September. Widely considered to be one of the great white-ball teams of all time, the Three Lions have arguably underperformed in T20Is lately, with poor performances in the powerplay underpinning their struggles.
After bowing out in the Semi Finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup, England have lost consecutive T20I series against West Indies, India and South Africa. Crucially, Jos Buttler’s men will be playing 10 games against Pakistan and Australia, which serves as an opportunity to get things right ahead of their T20 World Cup opener against Afghanistan on 22nd October.
A closer look at why England have struggled in T20Is in 2022
Accordingly, the side has enough matches in hand to rectify the errors that have hampered their results recently. England has lost seven of the 11 T20Is they have played in 2022. But the more glaring fact is the nature of their defeats so far. Four out of these seven losses have been with a margin exceeding 50 runs. The team has been totally outclassed by the opponents and the character of these defeats is not fitting for a side beaming with such incredible talent.
Batting powerplay worries
Firstly, the squad has been plagued with a host of injury concerns. Top batsmen like Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone battled with respective injuries and Jos Buttler is set to miss at least a couple of matches of the Pakistan series. However, at the core of England’s issues is how they are left playing catch up after a poor powerplay, with a run rate of just 7.53 between overs 1-6 in 2022 compared to 8.60 in 2021.
Also, they have lost 2.18 wickets on average in the powerplay this year compared to just 1.31 last year. Roy averages 18.73 at a strike rate of 104.04 in 11 T20Is in 2022. Buttler has garnered only 89 runs in six T20Is in this calendar year. The duo’s form means that England has ended up starting the innings on the backfoot more often than not. In the meanwhile, rookies like Tom Banton and Phil Salt have put up spirited performances occasionally.
Consistency in team selection was one of the defining characteristics of England’s success in the One Day International (ODI) World Cup in 2019.
However, bench strength waiting to explode has put extreme scanner on the playing XI. Roy, one of the pillars of England’s turnarounds in limited-overs cricket, has missed selection, with Alex Hales taking his place. Eoin Morgan’s retirement was a consequence of a similar trend. Moreover, the bowling attack has appeared to be quite feeble in the want of the first-choice pacers.
An already debilitated pace attack means that England cannot really afford a misfiring top-order. The team will be compelled to make certain key changes in the playing XI in the next 10 games due to the aforementioned injury issues. However, their willingness to sustain those altered combinations will be put to test during the World Cup.
Lack of wickets upfront down to injuries to key pace bowlers
The pace department is handicapped by the absences of Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Saqib Mahmood. The side will benefit immensely if they are able to zero in on a consistent playing XI in the coming games. Of course, a few injuries will prevent it from happening optimally.
However, the larger framework of the side should remain stable so that the key players fit in seamlessly once they are available. Yet, the prevalent situation has unfolded in such a way that most of their frontline pacers are going to be unavailable for the foreseeable future. Will Jacks and Tom Curran are expected to get a run of games in Pakistan but that’s a far from ideal situation for a team hoping to lift the T20 World Cup.
The trio of David Wiley, Reece Topley and Sam Curran cannot really be the frontrunners to lead the charge with the ball for the Englishmen. The attack appears a tad bit one-dimensional and unsuitable to exploit diverse conditions. It requires some hard-length hitting bowlers coupled with a death-overs specialist. It is not as if England don’t have the necessary players in the ranks for those roles. But none of them seem to be fit enough to feature in the playing XI as of now.
Maybe the answer for England’s possible success rests right there. They have a pool of players all waiting to explode at some stage. They have a coterie of experienced stars who deserve to hold on to their place in the XI. The management will have to eventually work around a solution that helps them put across their best XI on the field amidst the prevalent injuries-related chaos.
The dexterity that Buttler employs whilst fielding his most ideal side in the World Cup will go a long way in determining England’s success in the competition. As of now, they can only bide their time and try and put together their jigsaw puzzle in this crucial phase prior to the T20 World Cup.
Cricket News: List of T20 World Cup 2022 squads | Squads for all the teams for the 2022 men’s T20 World Cup
The 2022 T20 World Cup will commence in October in Australia. Most of the major sides have come out with their squads for the mega-tournament. The competition will begin from 16th October with the final slated to be played in the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on 13th November. In this article, Cricblog compiles and provides a brief overview of all the squads declared for the World Cup so far.
Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Divan la Cock, Stephan Baard, Nicol Loftie Eaton, Jan Frylinck, David Wiese, Ruben Trumpelmann, Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Tangeni, Lungameni, Michael van Lingen, Ben Shikongo, Karl Birkenstock, Lohan Louwrens, Helao Ya France.
Namibia had made history by qualifying for the Super 12 stage of the previous T20 World Cup. They will be hoping to replicate and even better their performances from the previous edition this time around Down Under. Led by the dynamic Gerhard Erasmus, the Namibians will have a fair idea of the challenge that their more prolific opponents will offer during the course of the competition. It is integral for associates to assess, learn and improve upon their errors in order to grow consistently whilst battling it out with the big boys. This squad certainly has the potential to do so.
T20 World Cup 2022 squads: Namibia performed well in 2021.
Netherlands:Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek, Tom Cooper, Brandon Glover, Timm van der Gugten, Fred Klaassen, Bas de Leede, Paul van Meekeren, Roelof van der Merwe, Stephan Myburgh, Teja Nidamanuru, Max O’Dowd, Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh.
The Dutch squad led by Scott Edwards is primarily headlined by the return of veteran stars like Colin Ackermann and Roelof van der Merwe to the setup. Their pace quartet of Brandon Glover, Timm van der Gugten, Logan van Beek and Paul van Meekeren will be critical for the team’s chances especially in the fast and bouncy tracks of Australia.
Overall, the squad seems to have attained a fine balance between experienced heads and youthful exuberance. They had lost the finals of the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Bulawayo to Zimbabwe. However, finishing in the top two paved their way to appear in the main tournament this year.
Sri Lanka will go into the World Cup full of confidence fresh off a superb triumph in the 2022 Asia Cup. Pacers Dushmantha Chameera (ankle/calf) and Lahiru Kumara (hamstring) have been included, but their participation is subject to their fitness after recent injuries. However, as the Asia Cup showed, the Lions have pacers ready to go in Dilshan Madushanka and Pramod Madushan.
T20 World Cup 2022 squads: Sri Lanka recently lifted the Asia Cup
United Arab Emirates: CP Rizwaan (c), Vriitya Aravind, Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, Basil Hameed, Aryan Lakra, Zawar Farid, Kashif Daud, Karthik Meiyappan, Ahmed Raza, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Sabir Ali, Alishan Sharafu, Aayan Khan. Standby Players: Sultan Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Vishnu Sukumaran, Adithya Shetty, Sanchit Sharma.
Chundangapoyil Puthiyapurayil Rizwan has replaced Ahmed Raza as captain, and will lead a UAE outfit looking to make a mark in Australia. UAE featured in the 50-over World Cup down under in 2015, where they put in spirited performances against Zimbabwe and Ireland.
First Round Group B
Ireland: Yet to be announced
Scotland: Yet to be announced
West Indies: Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Powell, Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed Mccoy, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith.
West Indies are clearly looking to move ahead from the days of the past as senior stars like Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo are not a part of the squad. Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell are the captain and the vice-captain respectively. Jason Holder and Odean Smith will fill in as the all-rounders whereas the likes of Alzarri Josep and Sheldon Cottrell will be handling the pace-bowling duties.
The likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Pooran and Powell will have to step up with the bat if the men from Caribbean hope to lift the T20 World Cup for the third time.
Zimbabwe: Craig Ervine (c), Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Bradley Evans, Luke Jongwe, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Sean Williams.
Zimbabwe has been competing against superior opponents in recent times and that experience will hold them in good stead for the World Cup. Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza and skipper Craig Ervine’s performances will be vital for the overall outcome that the side manages to put out. Blessing Muzarabani will be leading the pace attack whereas the likes of Regis Chakabva and Wessley Madhevere will have to don instrumental responsibilities for the Zimbabweans.
Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (c), Najibullah Zadran (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Darwish Rasooli, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Naveen ul Haq, Qais Ahmad, Rashid Khan, Salim Safi, Usman Ghani.
Afghanistan has always had a gifted spin attack but their recent improvements on the batting and pace-bowling fronts have provided a better, all-round shape to their squad. Their top-order’s adaptability to the Australian conditions will have to be seamless and the spinners will need to adjust to the slightly unfriendly decks Down Under. Fazal Haq Farooqui and Naveen ul Haq will have to be at the top of their game for the Afghans to spring a surprise in the T20 World Cup.
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
T20 World Cup 2022 squads: Will Australia go back to back?
England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Alex Hales.
The English limited-overs setup has come under scanner for their recent indifferent performances. However, the sheer talent that flows through their ranks is simply difficult to ignore. Alex Hales returns to the squad after a three-year-long hiatus whereas Phil Salt and Harry Brook come in amidst the absence of Jason Roy. The rest of the squad has a very familiar look but whether or not they regain their mojo in time for the tournament remains to be seen.
New Zealand: Yet to be announced
Super 12 Group B
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (C), Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Afif Hossain, Mossadek Hossain, Litton Das, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Najmul Hossain, Nasum Ahmed
Much like West Indies, the Bangladeshi squad is missing veteran stars like Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmadullah. The side was ousted from the Asia Cup without recording a single victory and that must have definitely laid a major blow to their confidence. Their fate in the World Cup rests in the hands of the younger lot like Sabbir Rahman, Litton Das and Mustafizur Rahman, whose deliverables have at best been inconsistent over a significant period of time.
The Indian squad has a major absentee in Ravindra Jadeja whose knee injury has paved the way for Axar Patel to be a part of the final 15. Harshal Patel and Jasprit Bumrah have returned from their respective injury layoffs whereas Ravichandran Ashwin trumps Ravi Bishnoi to make it to the squad. The rest of the squad is quite as expected though some surprises might emerge when Rohit Sharma fields his XI for India’s first game of the tournament against Pakistan on 23rd October.
T20 World Cup 2022 squads: Virat Kohli scored his 71st international century in the Asia Cup
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Usman Qadir
Pakistan have some questions to answer especially with regards to their batting post the Asia Cup. However, it is a bit too late for the introduction of any fresh faces in the middle-order. That puts additional responsibility on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to score big at a desirable strike rate throughout the World Cup. The bowling will be bolstered by Shaheen Shah Afridi’s comeback and the emergence of Naseem Shah.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Reeza Hendricks, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rillee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs
South Africa head into the World Cup as arguably one of the favourites. The batting has flamboyance and dynamism due to the likes of Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram and David Miller. The bowling, powered by Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, will thrive in the pitches Down Under. Tristan Stubbs adds an element of the unknown to the XI whereas Dwaine Pretorious brings balance to the XI. Will South Africa manage to shed their inhibitions to finally come onto their own in this World Cup? Can Temba Bavuma contribute effectively with the bat? Only time will tell.
Cricket News: Will Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah continue for another term in the BCCI? | Details on whether Ganguly and Shah will continue in the BCCI
A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC) of India has relaxed the cooling-off period of the constitution of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This has paved the way for incumbent administrators including president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah to stand for re-election this month.
Now onwards, an individual will be eligible to hold office for two terms at one place, i.e. the state association or the BCCI. The clause that required an office-bearer to go on a cooling-off period after serving consecutive terms in either of these associations has been removed.
Ganguly and Shah stand for re-election under new rules
Both Ganguly and Shah would have been disqualified under the earlier rules. However, they now have the nod to acquire an additional term at the BCCI as per the latest judgment, the details of which haven’t been published yet.
The BCCI had moved to the SC against the re-drafted constitution by arguing that the cooling-off period was acting as a major blow in selecting talented and experienced hands for the job. The board wanted the cooling-off period to come into effect at the end of two terms for the top two posts. On the other hand, they have demanded for the three-year break to be applied at the end of three consecutive terms for the remaining three office-bearers, i.e. treasurer, vice-president and joint-secretary.
“Existing position is by using the word combination, even if you have done one term in state and one term in BCCI then you are out. But what we are proposing is that if you have done six years at the state level then you are subject to a three-year cooling-off period (at state). If you have not done six years at the same level then you are not subject to a cooling-off period,” Justice DY Chandrachud’s comments during the hearing was quoted in a reportby ESPNCricinfo.
He added, “Second, we are giving a more liberal thing: you can do six in the state, you can then immediately do six in the BCCI because they are two different levels. But after completing two consecutive terms at two different levels then take a break of three years.”
The court explained that the cooling-off clause was intended to do away with the formation of any clique that gave rise to undesirable elements for undesirable purposes. SC said that it was regulating affairs as an autonomous body and hence it was necessary to give the BCCI sufficient freedom as long as they were not defeating the purpose of the judgment.
The official judgment on this matter has not been made public yet but it could result in sweeping changes to the recommendations of the Justice RM Lodha Committee that were reflected in the redrafted constitution of the BCCI in 2018. The board was initially supposed to hold fresh elections later this month but they ended up delaying the timeline in order to wait for the SC judgment on their aforementioned plea.
Cricket News: Details about Mumbai Indians coaching & personnel changes | Mahela Jayawardene promoted to global head of performance
Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene has been promoted as the franchise’s global head of performance. The former Sri Lankan skipper will now be in charge of the scouting and coaching for the franchise’s three sides, i.e. MI in the IPL, MI Emirates in the ILT20 and MI Cape Town in SA20. Former MI Director of Cricket Operations Zaheer Khan will now be the global head of cricket development for the aforementioned three teams.
Jayawardene had taken over the role of the MI head coach back in 2017. The franchise won three IPL titles under his watch and the management will soon announce his replacement. The think-tank has elevated Jayawardene and Zaheer’s roles in order to have a central team in-charge of affairs to fuel the company’s expansion.
As per the official statement, Jayawardene’s responsibilities include the overall strategic planning and the creation of an integrated global high-performance ecosystem. He will hold responsibility for the coaching and support structures of each team. The 45-year-old will work with the team head coaches to ensure synergies along with a consistent brand of cricket and the execution of the best practices set forward by the franchise.
Jayawardene has begun work in his new role and he was a part of the discussions that led to Mark Boucher’s recent resignation as the head coach of the South African setup. Boucher is set to take over the coaching duties of the MI Cape Town in SA20. In fact, Jayawardene was actively involved in finalizing five direct acquisitions made by the franchise so far. He will also be on the table with Boucher during the player auctions for the inaugural season of the tournament on 19th September.
On the other hand, Zaheer will be taking care of player development, building on the franchise’s ‘robust’ program regarding talent identification. They recognize these traits to be at the core of the franchise’s philosophy and success and are thus looking to replicate the same across different geographies.
“MI has been home for me as a player and as a coaching team member, and now as we embark on a new journey, I look ahead to working closely with all the stakeholders in the global network to unearth new potential that can join the family,” Zaheer was quoted in a report by ESPN Cricinfo.
Mumbai Indians coaching changes: SA20 and ILT20 to start early next year
Both the SA20 and ILT20 will be starting off early on next year. This ensured that there needed to be one person in charge of the coaching responsibilities globally. Jayawardene was deemed to be the best suited for this role given his extensive responsibilities as a player and coach in both international and franchise cricket.
“I’m happy to have Mahela and Zak as part of our global core team. Both have been an integral part of the MI family and embody the spirit of the cricket MI stands for. I’m confident that they would be able to ensure the same flows through all our teams globally and make a difference in the cricketing ecosystems across the globe,” Reliance Jio Infocomm chairman Akash Ambani spoke about these recent developments.
Cricket News: Supreme Court begins hearing on BCCI plea to amend its constitution | BCCI pleads to court to review mandatory cooling off period
The Supreme Court (SC) of India has initiated the hearing on the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) plea to make multiple amendments in its constitution. It could potentially nullify many reforms brought about by the RM Lodha Committee that the apex court gave its nod to in 2018.
The BCCI had originally filed this plea in December 2019 and then submitted a fresh petition in April 2020. The board has been insisting on the court to hear the matter in recent times given that its verdict can have a major influence in its elections slated to be held late September.
BCCI pleads to Supreme Court to assess the mandatory cooling off period
The BCCI has pleaded before the court to assess the mandatory cooling off period for its office-bearers. It includes disqualifying the criteria for holding office and also reportedly provides unrivaled powers to the board secretary. Another request includes prohibiting the court from interfering provided that the BCCI alters its constitution in the future.
The re-drafted constitution of the BCCI requires an administrator to undergo a three-year cooling-off period after completing two consecutive terms (six years) either at the state association or the BCCI or a combination of both. Accordingly, the individual becomes ineligible to contest or hold any position in either the state association or the BCCI.
The new administration of the BCCI that came into power in September 2019 has contested this clause by demanding that the cooling off period must come into effect after an administrator has served consecutive terms (six years) at one place, i.e. either the state association or the BCCI and not a combination of both.
As of now, the five BCCI office-bearers, including president Sourav Ganguly, vice-president Rajiv Shukla, secretary Jay Shah, treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal and joint secretary Jayesh George have finished six consecutive years in some office at least. Shukla is also ineligible to serve as an office-bearer given that he is a Member of Parliament (MP) already.
A two-judge bench of the SC including Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli will resume the hearing on this issue on Wednesday afternoon. It is unclear if they will pass a judgment on the same then and there itself. Interestingly, Justice Chandrachud had passed the 2018 court judgment that the BCCI is seeking to amend now.
“Allowing an individual to act as an office bearer for six years in continuation is a sufficiently long period for experience and knowledge gained to be deployed in the interest of the game without at the same time resulting in a monopoly of power,” the SC judge had stated back then, as reported by ESPN Cricinfo.
Regarding the cooling-off period, he had written, “Cooling off must be accepted as a means to prevent a few individuals from regarding the administration of cricket as a personal turf. The game will be better off without cricketing oligopolies.” The fate of the incumbent BCCI administration rests in the hand of his bench, yet again.
Cricket News: 3 reasons why Sri Lanka won the 2022 Asia Cup | A look at how Sri Lanka defied the odds and won the 2022 Asia Cup
When predictions for Asia Cup 2022 were made, nobody thought that Sri Lanka would emerge as champions. India were most people’s clear favourites, followed by Pakistan. But a gritty and determined young Sri Lankan team proved everyone wrong.
Sri Lanka remained unbeaten throughout the Super 4 stage and carried the form into the Final to win the Asia Cup title. It was a dream run for the Chris Silverwood-coached side as they were not considered to be contenders, especially after their horror display first up against Afghanistan. Also, the team has not even sealed automatic qualification for the T20 World Cup, starting October 10 in Australia.
Written off by many cricket pundits prior to the tournament, Sri Lanka emerged as a force to reckoned with and outplayed their rivals in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. In this article, we look at the three major reasons why Sri Lanka won their sixth Asia Cup title.
Sri Lanka suffered a huge blow when Dushmantha Chameera was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. It was one of the reasons many counted Sri Lanka out as Chameera has been leading the pace battery for a few years.
Chameera’s absence opened up a spot in the team. Dilshan Madushanka filled that void in brilliant fashion. The left-arm pacer was the biggest positive for the islanders from the tournament. With six dismissals, he was Sri Lanka’s highest wicket-taker alongside player of the tournament Wanindu Hasaranga.
Madushanka was a great asset for the Lankan Lions with the new ball and in the slog overs as well. He is quick and can move the ball either way. To his credit, he got the wicket of Virat Kohli, troubled Babar Azam in both the Super Four and the Final, and won the admiration of Wasim Akram, who likened him to a Sri Lankan legend Chaminda Vaas.
Batsmen delivered under pressure
After struggling in the group stage, Sri Lanka’s newly formed opening pair of Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis proved their mettle in the all-important Super Four stage of the tournament. Both openers provided solidity at the top and were the main reasons behind Sri Lanka’s big run chases against Afghanistan and India.
Then, it was the lower order which came into force to help the side recover from tricky positions. Captain Dasun Shanaka and hard-hitting batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa in particular were the stars of Sri Lanka’s successful campaign. While both had a strike rate around 140s, the pair brought fearlessness to the fore and belted some valuable runs for their side.
In the last game, their lower-order showed fight as Hasaranga and Karunaratne supported Rajapaksa to recover from a tricky position and post a challenging total on the board.
The exemplary leadership of Dasun Shanaka
It took some time but the Lankan Lions finally look like a side that can win major multinational tournaments. A huge share of credit for that goes to Dasun Shanaka for understanding the ability of a player and back the strength of each and every individual.
Since taking over as captain in white ball cricket, Shanaka has shown traits of an inspiring leader and has already won series against Pakistan, India, and Australia.
In the recently concluded Asia Cup, Sri Lanka made a terrible start to their campaign when they lost the tournament opener to Afghanistan. In a must-win encounter against Bangladesh, they came back pretty strongly to qualify for the Super Four stage. After this win, Sri Lanka remained unbeaten for the remainder of the continental event.
The decisions Shanaka made on the field were more or less accurate which reflects on his team’s performance. One example is that despite being a vice-captain, dropping Charith Asalanka was a brave call and Shanaka took that at the right time and that’s what makes him a good leader.
One can only feel happy for Sri Lanka winning the Asia Cup, especially after what they have been going through back home in terms of the economic crisis. Now, they will embark on the Qualifying campaign next month ahead of the T20 World Cup main round. If they continue to perform the way they have, they should have no trouble in reaching the Super 12s stage, and could go on another run towards the Semi Finals.
A number of candidates are reportedly being considered, and whoever is named captain has big shoes to fill given Finch’s tactical nous and excellent leadership qualities.
Whoever is named as Australia ODI captain has big shoes to fill from a captaincy perspective. Tactically, Finch has been a very good captain. This was on show again in the last match.
5 leading candidates to replace Aaron Finch as Australia ODI captain
Alex Carey
Who will be the next Australia ODI captain? Alex Carey.
Alex Carey has been earmarked as an Australian captain for some time. The keeper-batsman has established himself as a regular in the Test and ODI lineups, with his ability to play spin a highlight of his game. Such an asset may prompt the think-tank to hand Carey the position, as he promises to be a key member in Australia’s quest to win the World Cup in subcontinent conditions in 2023.
Also, Carey’s availability could be a factor that sways management to pick him as the next leader. Apart from the Big Bash League, Carey does not often feature in T20 leagues around the world, and this consistency of game time might just be the continuity the selectors are after. He did lead Australia in West Indies last year, where the Aussies won the ODIs 2-1 in tricky conditions.
Steve Smith returned to the captaincy for the first time since Cape Town in the 2021 Ashes Test at Adelaide after Pat Cummins was forced to isolate as a close COVID-19 contact. It was a successful outing for Smith, who led his side to victory amid some of the more stern resistance by England in that series.
Now, there is a strong case to appoint Smith as ODI skipper. The addition of Tim David in the T20 squad puts Smith’s position in that team under threat, which may spare up some time to freshen up for the Test and ODI formats.
Given Australia head into an important 12 months in ODIs, they may be inclined to hand the captaincy to an experienced figure.
With a new captain to be named soon, Steve Smith led the way with a brilliant ton. Top knock of 105 on a slow pitch.
Given his importance to the team, Glenn Maxwell is considered a candidate to be named the Australia ODI captain. The star player has experience captaining Melbourne Stars in the BBL, and has also captained Punjab in the IPL. However, the Stars have not yet tasted success and the all-rounder is a better chance of being named vice-captain of the ODI side, as he can offer excellent insights whilst not worrying about captaining the side.
Pat Cummins
Aaron Finch said that if anyone can juggle roles, it’s Pat Cummins.
“If anyone could handle it, it’s Pat,” Finch said. “He’s an unbelievably resilient person and has shown brilliant leadership of the Test group and I’ve loved working with him while he has been in that role and vice-captain a few times. He takes everything in his stride.”
The pace bowler, who is the current captain of the Test team, has impressed as a leader so far and will make for a good ODI captain. However, he is on record of saying that another captaincy role could be too much. Also, given CA regularly manage his workload, he may not be available for every ODI that Australia plays.
David Warner
Following his retirement, Aaron Finch also endorsed David Warner for the role. Warner has enjoyed captaincy success in white-ball cricket, leading Sunrisers Hyderabad to the title in 2016, and has spoken about wanting to captain Australia again after receiving a lifetime captaincy ban following the ball tampering gate of 2018.
However, his full on schedule, plus the fact he is set to turn 36 in October, may prompt management to choose one of the other four candidates.
Cricket News: Twitter reactions after Sri Lanka win the 2022 Asia Cup | Reactions to Sri Lanka overcoming the odds and winning the 2022 Asia Cup
Sri Lanka lifted the Asia Cup after defeating Pakistan in the finale in the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s flamboyant 70-run knock helped the Lankans put up a challenging total of 170 runs in the first innings. He enabled the Dasun Shanaka-led side to recuperate from a position of bother as they were down at 57/5 at one point in time.
Wanindu Hasaranga and Dhananjaya de Silva played an able hand as they struck 36 and 28 respectively to take the team to a competitive score. Shanaka’s bowlers started off indifferently with Dilshan Madhushanka going wayward in the opening over. However, Pramod Madushan’s four-wicket haul helped them break the back of the Pakistani batting lineup.
Mohammed Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed stabilised their innings with scores of 55 and 32 respectively. However, their under-par strike rates of 112.24 and 103.34 left Pakistan with too much to chase down towards the back end of the innings. Hasaranga complemented his batting by taking three wickets with the ball whereas Chamika Karunaratne walked away with a couple of scalps to his name too.
Several celebrities and commoners took to Twitter to express their thoughts on Sunday’s finals. Cricblog takes a brief look at some of the top reactions observed in the social networking platform.
Absolutely thrilled to see this young team winning the Asia Cup 2022?? We’ve been waiting for this for 8 years since 2014 and it is safe to say that we’re finally back❤️ Great to see the fighting spirit of our team. Proud of you boys?#AsiaCup2022
Congratulations Sri Lanka ! deserved to win the Asia cup ,After loosing to Afghanistan in the first game showed true character as a unit to win the tournament ? #SLvsPAK#AsiaCup2022Final well done skipper @dasunshanaka1 ?
Well played Sri Lanka, deserving champions of #AsiaCup. Imagine, they haven't qualified for the T20 World Cup which is to be held next month. Wouldn't it be interesting if you lose to a team that hasn't qualified you too lose qualification. Tote ud jaate sab teams ke. #SLvsPAK
Congratulations to the Sri Lankan cricket team on winning the Asia Cup 2022. Well played Pakistan!
The second championship for today. Goes to show that, with dedication and determination we can overcome challenges as a nation. Onwards and upwards Sri Lanka!
My nation is in a mess and has gone through much turmoil in the last six months. This Asia Cup win will cheer up folks at home. Just imagine how good this team is going to be when Chameera and Avishka return from injury for World Cup.
The guys who weren’t old enough to witness 1996 World Cup, this Asia cup is a good highlight. Similar troubled domestic scenario, two teams refused to travel to SL to play their matches. Such ignominy, yet they won beating all odds.
What a story of Bhanuka Rajapaksha – Family problems, then announced his retirement, got IPL contract and perform well and then comeback in international cricket and now he has most runs scorer for Sri Lanka in this Asia Cup and scored 71*(45) in final match. Well done, Bhanuka. pic.twitter.com/7GmXWA4NIv
Sri Lanka had lost their opening game of the tournament against Afghanistan and that had led to many ruling them out of any contention to emerge victorious in the Asia Cup. However, the side displayed tremendous composure and character to win over multiple crunch moments thereafter.
Despite dealing with a host of injury concerns, they ensured that they rose up to the occasion to cross over the finishing line against all odds on more than one occasion. Several key stars like Dushmantha Chameera and Avishka Fernando are set to return to the setback from their respective layoffs. This victory has put the focus back on the Lankans and their performances will now be closely anticipated and monitored as they head into the T20 World Cup in Australia next month.
SL vs PAK Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report: Asia Cup 2022 Final | PAK vs SL Dream11 Prediction Today | Dubai Pitch Report
Two weeks ago, Sri Lanka were embarrassed on the opening night of the 2022 Asia Cup. They were rolled for 105 against Afghanistan in a batting performance deemed unacceptable by skipper Dasun Shanaka, and faced a do-or-die clash against Bangladesh a few days later. Fast forward to September 11, and the Lions now have the opportunity to lift the Asia Cup for the first time since 2014 courtesy of four successful run chases, including three over 170.
For Pakistan, it’s their chance to win their first Asia Cup crown since 2012. That night, they held their nerve to win a classic by two runs against Bangladesh in Dhaka, and one feels they will need similar composure against a Sri Lanka side playing with great confidence. Granted, the loss to the Lions a couple of nights ago shouldn’t hurt their confidence given nothing was at stake, but they can take some learnings from the defeat.
Ultimately, there will be a lot of attention on the toss. Chasing teams have dominated once again in the UAE, which puts onus on the team batting first to aim for the sky. However, a score of 185+ may be difficult to achieve if the Dubai surface is as tricky as it was a couple of nights ago, one of the various narratives that should make for a cracking battle.
Expect Pakistan to be at full strength after resting players in the Super 4 match against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan: 1. Babar Azam (c), 2. Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3. Fakhar Zaman, 4. Iftikhar Ahmed, 5. Khushdil Shah, 6. Shadab Khan, 7. Asif Ali, 8. Mohammad Nawaz, 9. Naseem Shah, 10. Haris Rauf, 11. Mohammad Hasnain
SL vs PAK Head-to-Head Stats & Key Players
Sri Lanka:
Wanindu Hasaranga was player of the match two nights ago (3/21). The legspinner now has an incredible 11 wickets in four matches against Pakistan at an average of 9.09 and economy of 6.25.
Kusal Mendis has the second-best strike rate of any player with at least 150 runs in this Asia Cup (158.16). Also, he strikes at over 140 as an opener in T20Is, with an average of 33.44.
Pathum Nissanka is Sri Lanka’s leading run scorer in the 2022 Asia Cup (165) at an average of 41.25 and strike rate of 118.70. The opener held his nerve to finish with a 48-ball 55* two nights ago against Pakistan.
Speaking of strike rates, Bhanuka Rajapaksa is a player who can take down Pakistan’s spinners who will predominantly turn the ball into him. The left-hander has scored 136 runs in four innings against Pakistan at an average of 34.00 and strike rate of 140.20.
Dilshan Madushanka is Sri Lanka’s equal-highest wicket-taker in this tournament (6). His battle against Babar Azam will be crucial given the struggles that Pakistan’s captain has had in this campaign.
Pakistan:
Speaking of Babar Azam, not only has he had a poor Asia Cup campaign (63 runs), but he has poor numbers against Sri Lanka: 7 inns, 109 runs, avg. 18.16, SR 89.34. Will his class shine through today?
Mohammad Rizwan has had another prolific T20 tournament. The keeper-batsman has the second-most runs in this Asia Cup (226) at an average of 56.50 and strike rate of 118.94.
Mohammad Nawaz has had a tournament to remember. Expect the all-rounder to be used a pinch hitter in this game as he has a strike rate of 158.69 in this campaign. Also, he has taken the second-most wickets of any bowler (8) at an economy of just 6.05.
Shadab Khan has never taken more than one wicket in a T20I vs Sri Lanka. Overall, he has figures of 4/164 in six matches against the Lions at an average of 41.00 and strike rate of 31.5. But, he is in good form and took four wickets in last year’s T20 World Cup knockout against Australia on this ground.
Naseem Shah can also influence this game. The seamer, who was rested for the last match, has taken six wickets in this tournament at an economy of 7.00. His confidence will be sky high after hitting two memorable sixes against Afghanistan.
Other Stats and Facts
Head-to-head: Matches 22, Pakistan 13, Sri Lanka 9.
Sri Lanka have won their past four T20Is against Pakistan.
Fakhar Zaman vs Sri Lanka in T20Is: 6 inns, 67 runs, avg. 11.16, SR 95.71.
Dubai International Stadium Pitch Report and Weather
The team batting first has won just two out of eight matches at Dubai in this Asia Cup. In the last two games, India scored 212 and then Pakistan caused Sri Lanka a hiccup in pursuit of 121. In the pressure of a Final, a score of 185+ gives the team batting first a better chance.
A warm night is forecast, as is always the case in Dubai at this time of year.
SL vs PAK Dream11 Prediction Today 11 September 2022
Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.
Option 1:
Asia Cup 2022 Final: SL vs PAK Dream11 Prediction
Option 2:
Asia Cup 2022 Final: SL vs PAK Dream11 Prediction
Fan2Play Prediction
Base Team:
Wicket-Keepers: Mohammad Rizwan
Batsmen: Pathum Nissanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa
All-Rounders: Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Wanindu Hasaranga
Bowlers: Naseem Shah, Dilshan Madushanka
Asia Cup 2022 Final SL vs PAK Match Prediction Who Will Win?
The chasing team is likely to win. Sri Lanka are playing with great confidence, but Pakistan can never be written off. Have a sneaky feeling Pakistan will win this.
