Cricket World Cup 2019: Key players to watch out in Afghanistan-Bangladesh clash

Agencies
June 24, 2019

Southampton, Jun 24: After giving a tough fight to India in the last match, Afghanistan will look to register their maiden victory when they lock horns with Bangladesh on Monday at Hampshire Bowl in Southampton.

On June 22, Afghanistan lost to India by 11 runs after they nearly pulled off a stunning upset against the Men in Blue.

The team is yet to win any game and are languishing at the bottom of the points table.

On the other hand, Bangladesh have had a decent start to their World Cup campaign, winning two games so far but lost three.

Their match against Sri Lanka was abandoned due to rain. They currently hold the sixth position in the tournament standings.

The Bangla Tigers displayed a spirited performance in their last match against Australia while chasing a huge target of 382. Although they lost by 48 runs, their batting performance was lauded.

Here are the key players to watch out during the Afghanistan-Bangladesh clash:

Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib moved to the top in the ICC ODI rankings for all-rounders last month. The 32-year-old has been in sensational form in this World Cup as he is the second highest run-scorer in the tournament so far. The left-hander has scored 425 runs in the World Cup till now.

Shakib's innings in the current World Cup are -- 41, 124, 121, 64 and 75. Apart from his batting, he also bagged five wickets.

Rashid Khan

The 20-year-old Rashid leads Afghanistan's spin bowling attack. He entered the World Cup at the back of 17 wickets in this year's IPL tournament.

Rashid returned with the figures of 2-17 against Sri Lanka.

Soumya Sarkar

Of late, the left-handed batsman has been in exceptional form for Bangladesh. The opener has provided quickfire start to the team. He along with Tamim Iqbal has provided the team with a solid foundation.

Sarkar scored 42 runs off just 30 balls in Bangladesh's first match in the World Cup against South Africa. The 26-year-old has become a lynchpin of the team and the side's hopes will rely on him in the match against Afghanistan too.

Mohammad Nabi

Nabi strengthens Afghanistan's bowling attack as the 34-year-old provides experience to the squad. He bagged four wickets against Sri Lanka.

The Afghan all-rounder can also add some runs with a bat when required by the team. He nearly helped his side to chase India's score of 225.

Nabi has scalped six wickets so far in the tournament.

Gulbadin Naib

The Afghan skipper possesses dual ability of bowling as well as batting and is a vital member of the squad. He can bat in the lower order and is also a regular bowler of the team.

Naib returned with the figure of 2-51 against India. He has seven wickets to his name in the ongoing World Cup.

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News Network
March 25,2020

New Delhi, Mar 25: Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen appealed to Indian citizens to stay home during the 21-day lockdown, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contain coronavirus.

"Namaste India! I have heard that your situation is like ours, PM Modi has announced a nation-wide lockdown for 21 days. I request you to follow this instruction. We will fight coronavirus together and come out to this situation. Please stay at your home and stay safe, " he tweeted in Hindi.
At the end of the message, Pietersen gave credit to his "Hindi teacher" Shreevats Goswami, who is an Indian domestic cricketer.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the nationwide total lockdown will be in place for three weeks to combat the coronavirus menace.

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News Network
February 24,2020

Feb 24: India captain Virat Kohli had no qualms in admitting that his team was outplayed by New Zealand in the opening Test but said they "can't help" if a few want to make a "big deal" out of the 10-wicket defeat. Hosts New Zealand thrashed India by 10 wickets at the Basin Reverse on Monday to go 1-0 ahead in the two-match series. This was India's first defeat in the World Test Championship, coming after two inept batting efforts. "We know we haven't played well but if people want to make a big deal out of it, make a mountain out of it, we can't help it as we don't think like that," the skipper said at the post-match media interaction.

Kohli said he fails to comprehend why one Test match defeat should be made to look like the end of the world for his team.

"For some people, it might be the end of the world but it's not. For us, it's a game of cricket that we lost and we move on and keep our heads high," Kohli said.

It is the acceptance of defeat that defines the character of a side, the world's premier batsman said.

"We understand that we need to play well to win, also at home. There's no cakewalk at international level as teams will come and beat you. You accept it and that defines our character as a side."

It is the acceptance of defeat that defines the character of a side, the world's premier batsman said. "We understand that we need to play well to win, also at home. There's no cakewalk at international level as teams will come and beat you. You accept it and that defines our character as a side."

If he had given credence to the "outside chatter", he said the team wouldn't have been where it is now.

"That's why we have been able to play this kind of cricket. If we would have paid attention to the outside chatter, we would again be at No. 7 or 8 in the rankings. We don't really bother about what people are saying on the outside," the skipper said.

One defeat can't make a team, which has been winning games of Test cricket, "bad overnight".

"If we have lost then we have no shame in accepting that. It means we didn't play this game well. It doesn't mean that we have become a bad team overnight. People might want to change our thoughts, but it doesn't work like that."

The self-belief is intact and Kohli was confident the team would come back stronger in the second Test, to be held in Christchurch in four days time.

"We will work hard, and after four days play just like we have played all these years. Just because we have lost one match in between all wins, doesn't mean that the belief is gone. The dressing room thinks differently and team atmosphere is different."

Kohli felt that there is a very thin line between being ultra-defensive and over-attacking, something that his team didn't get it right in this Test match.

"New Zealand got into the mind of the batsmen and make the batsmen do something that they don't want to. think that's a very thin line and a very delicate balance of when to attack and when to put bowlers under pressure which we failed to do in this match and there is no harm in accepting that."

According to Kohli, it was a combination of both good bowling from the Kiwis and Indian batsmen not putting the pressure back on bowlers, which led to the drubbing.

"That has got to do with partly good bowling from New Zealand and partly us not pressing that momentum on to them when required. "It was perfect for them because they bowled well and we allowed them to bowl well for longer periods rather than doing something about it in a partnership."

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News Network
January 2,2020

New Delhi, Jan 2: On the first day of the New Year 2020, Hardik Pandya announced his engagement with Serbian actor Natasa Stankovic.

The cricketer took to Instagram to share a photo with the actor and captioned the post: "Mai tera, Tu meri jaane, saara Hindustan. 01.01.2020 #engaged".

The 26-year-old shared three pictures and a short clip on the social media platform. In one photo, Stankovic can be seen flaunting her ring.

The couple got engaged in Dubai and were seen taking a ferry ride along with close friends.

On work front, Stankovic was last seen in a song from Bollywood movie The Body starring Emraan Hashmi and Rishi Kapoor. She had also made it to the finals of the TV show Nach Baliye with her ex-boyfriend Aly Goni.

Stankovic first became a household name after appearing as a contestant on famous reality show 'Bigg Boss 8'.

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