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India face heat for ‘chopping and changing’ after Asia Cup failure

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DUBAI: Rohit Sharma’s India have been slammed for “chopping and changing” as they failed to make the final of the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament with a game to go.

Pakistan’s win over Afghanistan on Wednesday knocked out India from the tournament, which was a warm-up for next month’s T20 World Cup.

India, who won the previous Asia Cup in 2018 and played in a 50-over format, came in as pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two Super Four matches to Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“I think there was too much chopping and changing done after just one defeat,” former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel told the website cricbuzz.

“We lost against Pakistan and made three-four changes.”

India’s tinkering was not confined to the latter stages: Dinesh Karthik had been the wicketkeeper for India’s opening win against Pakistan, but Rishabh Pant was brought back behind the stumps for the next match.

Karthik, a hard-hitting batsman who specialises as a finisher in the short format, missed both Super Four matches as the left-handed Pant was retained in the middle-order.

“The consistency and the clarity of thought is so important, especially when you play this T20 format,” said Patel.

“Dinesh Karthik came in and he was left (out). Rishabh Pant came in and would be thinking whether I am a permanent member of the team or not.”

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar blamed an inability to be flexible with onfield plans for India’s disappointing results.

“Too much theory … is not a very good thing. What happens on the field is completely different,” Gavaskar told India Today.

“You have to have a Plan A, B and C, which is where the Indian team in this particular tournament has not had alternate plans.

“They seem to have been stymied when things started to unravel for them.

“Cricket is a game that changes in seconds, particularly the T20 format, and you’ve got to be ready for it.”

Shami sidelined

India can start to put things right when they play Afghanistan in a dead rubber Super Four Asia Cup match in Dubai on Thursday.

They will have home series against Australia and South Africa to cement their team plans before the T20 World Cup begins on October 16 in Australia.

India’s lone T20 World Cup success came at the inaugural tournament in 2007, and Gavaskar implored the team to “please see the areas where you can improve and plug those gaps”.

India remain top of the T20 team rankings but have constantly faltered at global international tournaments with their last International Cricket Council title coming at the 2013 Champions Trophy.

India failed to make the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and in 2019 lost in the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup in England.

But captain Rohit played down his team’s Asia Cup failure after they lost a close match to Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

“In tournaments like the World Cup, Asia Cup, here the challenge is you face different teams with different plans,” said Rohit.

“But we should not think about it too much. Yes, pressure is there, and our work is to make the boys realise how to deliver in pressure situations.”

Former coach Ravi Shastri criticised the team choices and remained puzzled by the exclusion of veteran pace bowler Mohammed Shami.

“I am completely amazed to see how Mohammed Shami has been sidelined by the current Indian team management and the selectors,” Shastri said on Star Sports.

Injuries to pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel made India turn to Avesh Khan, who fell sick in Dubai and was unavailable for selection in the last two matches.

“The Indian bowling hasn’t looked that effective in this year’s Asia Cup,” said Shastri.

“And a veteran like Shami should have certainly made it to the squad.”

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Champions Trophy 2025 will remain in Pakistan, the CEO of the ICC has said.

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Dismissing any rumors that the Champions Trophy 2025 will be moved to a different nation, International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Geoff Allardice has stated that the tournament will take place in Pakistan as planned.

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is slated to take place in Pakistan in February and March. Nevertheless, India’s participation in the competition is up in the air since the BCCI is still awaiting government sanction to travel there.

Recall that there were rumors in Indian media, backed by the BCCI, that the Indian team would not be traveling to Pakistan for the forthcoming ICC match.

Additional reports stated that the board had formally suggested Sri Lanka and Dubai as possible locations for India’s match.

According to Geoff Allardice, who denied the reports, no team has expressed reluctance to play in the competition.

Allardice voiced her appreciation over Pakistan’s hosting of the Women’s T20 World Cup during a press conference in Dubai. He went on to emphasize that Pakistan is the ICC’s choice to host the Champions Trophy.

Remarkably, Pakistan is preparing three stadiums for the Champions Trophy in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.

The PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has revealed that the stadium modifications will be finished prior to the start of the Champions Trophy.

Gaddafi Stadium’s basement will be built by September 30. It will take three weeks to finish each floor. A steel framework would make up the front building. By December 31, the primary structure of Gaddafi Stadium will be finished, according to Naqvi.

“The seats will be erected in the stadium prior to the Champions Trophy; Indi Stadium will need to be fully destroyed and rebuilt.

“The Champions Trophy will take place before the renovations at Karachi’s [National Stadium] are finished,” he said.

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In the possible return of the Afro-Asian Cup, players from Pakistan and India might go together.

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Pakistan and India were among the best sub-continent nations that competed in the Afro-Asia Cup, which was contested in 2005 and 2007. The Africa XI was comprised of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. The Asia XI was comprised of two teams.

Due to problems with broadcasting and political hurdles, the event was canceled after only two editions, despite the fact that it received a great deal of attention and appreciation from cricket lovers all over the world.

The negotiations regarding the resuscitation of the Afro-Asia Cup sprang to life a few days after Jay Shah was appointed to the position of Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC!).

The competition was played in the format of a Twenty20 match, but the next edition of the tournament might be played in the format of a Twenty20 match.

Samod Damodar, the chairman of the African Cricket Association (ACA), presented conjecture over the possibility that the idea will actually be adopted. In addition, he provided an update on the situation.

The fact that the Afro-Asia Cup did not take place is something that has left me feeling extremely upset. Despite the fact that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) did not receive sufficient momentum, it is currently being reconsidered. To a large extent, I believe that it was a lack of comprehension and a refusal to support the idea. It is something that our members deeply lament. It was necessary for Africa to be the driving force behind it,” Damodar was quoted as saying in a story published by Forbes.

With the belief that the Afro-Asia Cup has the potential to alleviate political tensions, Damodar has great hopes for the competition.

It is possible that these matches will break down political boundaries that are currently in place. Instead than driving a wedge between people, cricket can help establish bridges between them. In my opinion, I do not feel that players are hostile toward one another; therefore, I am confident that they would be willing to participate in this activity. The fact that Mahinda is now a member of the International Cricket Council board and Jay Shah is the current president of the ICC may give this cause a little bit more traction. When it comes to making this happen, both of them have always been proactive in their efforts,” he went on to say.

Claims concerning the restoration of the Afro-Asia Cup also emerged in June 2022, claiming that the competition would make its return in the middle of 2023. For those who are unaware, these claims suggested that the tournament would return.

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Champions Trophy: Pakistan will be visited by an ICC delegation next week

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Pakistan, who are also the reigning champions, will host the 50-over competition in February and March of next year.

The heads and representatives of various ICC departments are part of the visiting delegation.

Along with these topics, the inspection team will talk about the tournament’s schedule, practice matches, locations, and ticketing.

The group will receive an update on the global premium tournament’s upgraded venues from PCB executives.

Within two days, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will receive the schedule from the ICC, according to sources.

During its inspection, the ICC will visit all three of the tournament’s locations in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi and examine the arrangements for the next events.

The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, National Stadium in Karachi, and Rawalpindi International Cricket Stadium are the three sites that will stage the enormous show. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) allotted Rs 12.80 billion earlier this year for their renovations.

In the upcoming year, the ICC Champions Trophy will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and the National Stadium in Karachi, from February 19 to March 9.

The countries that make up Group B are Australia, England, Afghanistan, South Africa, and Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh.

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