The Asia Cup 2023 clash between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka turned out to be a thriller in which Afghanistan nearly pulled off a memorable victory to keep themselves in the race for a spot in the Super-4. However, the players weren't aware of the Net Run Rate Permutations which caused their elimination from the match. Afghanistan failed to chase the target of 292 runs in 37.1 overs, with Rashid Khan down to his knees in disappointment.

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At the end of the 37th over, Afghanistan were on 289/8 and still in the game. But Mujeeb ur Rahman was caught at long-on, and the non-striker Rashid Khan sank to his knees. He was heartbroken to know that his team had been eliminated from the Asia Cup 2023.

Asia Cup 2023: The NRR Drama -

But, he didn't know that the actual case was different. Afghanistan could have finished above Sri Lanka's Net Run Rate if they reached 293 after 37.2 overs, 294 after 37.3, 295 after 37.5 overs, 296 after 38 overs, or 297 after 38.1 overs. Simply giving the strike to Rashid could have helped them finish the game easily.

Fazalhaq blocked the next two balls before he was trapped lbw. Afghanistan were bowled out for 289 in 37.4 overs and lost by two runs. Rashid Khan has proved himself time to time. He did that again by being there till the end. Afghanistan walked out of the tournament without any win in their two group-stage games.

After the match, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott said that his team was unaware of the NRR requirements. "We have never communicated those calculations. All we were communicated was we needed to win in 37.1 overs. We were not told what the overs in which we could get 295 or 297, That we could win in 38.1 overs was never communicated to us," said Trott to ESPNCricinfo.

Afghanistan's star all-rounder Mohammad Nabi will retire from ODI cricket after the Champions Trophy 2025 to be held in Pakistan. Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Naseeb Khan gave this information on Friday.

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"Yes, Nabi is retiring from ODIs after the Champions Trophy and he informed the board about his desire," Naseeb told Cricbuzz. "He told me few months back that he wants to end his ODI career after the Champions Trophy and we welcome his decision. After the Champions Trophy, what I understand is that, he is expected to continue his T20 career, and that is the plan until now," he added.

However, after the Champions Trophy 2025, Nabi will continue to play for Afghanistan in T20 cricket. Mohammad Nabi is currently a part of the Afghanistan team, where he is playing the ODI series against Bangladesh in Sharjah. Afghanistan team won the first ODI by 92 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Nabi had taken 84 runs and one wicket in 79 balls in the first ODI. Now the second and third ODI matches are to be played on November 9 and November 11 respectively.

Nabi's ODI career

Nabi is one of the most experienced players of Afghanistan's ODI team. He made an impact by scoring a half-century in his first ODI against Scotland in 2009. Nabi has so far scored 3,549 runs in 165 ODI matches and has also taken 171 wickets with one 5-wicket haul to his name.

Recently, in the first match of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, Nabi scored a brilliant 82 runs. Due to which his team was able to score a strong score and then defended it with the help of Allah Ghazanfar's six wickets.

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Took retirement from Test in 2019

Senior all-rounder Nabi had announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2019. While playing only 3 matches in Test, he has taken 33 runs with the bat and 8 wickets with the ball. Apart from this, he has also shown his talent in 24 matches of IPL. Nabi has scored 215 runs in this league at a fast strike rate of 143.33 and has also taken 15 wickets in bowling. Nabi has led the Afghanistan cricket team to victory on many occasions with his experience and all-round play.

The Champions Trophy 2025 is slated to begin on February 19, 2025, with Pakistan facing New Zealand in Karachi.

The 2024 Abu Dhabi T10 is back with more excitement and star-studded line-ups to entertain the fans. Famous power-hitting stars like Dinesh Karthik, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, and Marcus Stoinis are joining in. Rashid Khan and Lockie Ferguson are also there to bring the heat in.

Two New Teams Join the Fight

Earlier, the tournament played 8 teams, which got increased to 10 this year. This season sees two new teams: Bolts Ajman and UP Nawabs. More teams mean more action. The tournament is ready for high energy.

Defending Champs and Returning Teams

The defending champion New York Strikers will be back to protect their title. Apart from the Deccan Gladiators, others like the Northern Warriors and Delhi Bulls will be back in full strength. The Bengal Tigers and Team Abu Dhabi are also ready. Morrisville Samp Army will compete as well. The Chennai Brave Jaguars have a new name. They were formerly called The Chennai Braves.

Player Draft to Finalize Squads

Teams are doing their preparations after being done with their retentions and signings. The big Players Draft happens soon. It’s on October 17 at 6 pm UAE time. Over 400 players are up for grabs. Teams will finalize their lineups after this.

Disney Star will cover the event, airing in English and other languages. The tournament will be played from November 21 to December 2. The final will be played on UAE’s 53rd National Day at Zayed Cricket Stadium. The stadium will host until 2028. 

Team Retentions and signings

New York Strikers
New Signings: Matheesha Pathirana, Donovan Ferreira
Retentions: Kieron Pollard, Mohammad Amir, Sunil Narine, Akeal Hossain, Muhammad Waseem, Muhammad Jawadulla

Deccan Gladiators
New Signings: Jos Buttler, Anrich Nortje, Marcus Stoinis
Retentions: Maheesh Theekshana, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Tom Koher-Cadmore, Zahoor Khan

Delhi Bulls
New Signings: Wanindu Hasaranga, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Wade
Retentions: Rovman Powell, Muhammad Rohid, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazlahaq Farooqi, James Vince

Team Abu Dhabi
New Signings: Jonny Bairstow, Lockie Ferguson, Shimron Hetmyer, AM Ghazanfar
Retentions: Phil Salt, Noor Ahmad, and Kyle Mayers

Northern Warriors
New Signings: Trent Boult, Finn Allen, Johnson Charles, Sherfane Rutherford, Saqib Mahmood
Retentions: Colin Munro, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ankur Sangwan

Morrisville Samp Army
New Signings: David Willey, Imad Wasim
Retentions: Faf du Plessis, Qais Ahmad, Andries Gous

Bangla Tigers
New Signings: Shakib Al Hasan, Rashid Khan, Liam Livingstone, Iftikhar Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik
Retentions: Hazratullah Zazai, Dasun Shanaka, Joshua Little

Chennai Brave Jaguars
New Signings: Chris Lynn, Nuwan Thushara, Thisara Perera, Dan Lawrence, and Rassie van der Dussen
Retentions: Aayan Khan, George Munsey, Bhanuka Rajapaksa

UP Nawabs
New Signings: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, and André Fletcher

Bolts Ajman
New Signings: James Neesham, Mujheeb Ur Rahman, Lungi Ngidi, Gulbadin Naib, Haider Ali

Smriti Mandhana has been the premier batter for the Indian cricket team. However, her journey in the ICC 2024 T20I World Cup has been bittersweet unless she got back her form against Sri Lanka in the group A match.

She scored a blistering half century off 36 balls, against Sri Lanka. With that, she sarpassed 500 runs in Women's T20 World Cup history. With that, she came third Indian, having the former captain Mithali Raj (726 runs) at the top and the present skipper Harmanpreet Kaur at the second with 620 runs.

She has played five editions of T20 World Cup earlier, accumulating 449 runs in 21 innings before stepping ito the 2024 version.

Key attributes of Mandhana in T20 Women's World Cup

1. Mandhana has her highest score 87 against Ireland in 2023 World Cup
2. Best performance in the 2018 T20 World Cup, accumulating 178 runs, at an average of 35.60.
3. Scored a much needed 83 against Australia in 2023 

Smriti Mandhana in T20I

Mandhana is known for her graceful strokes and explosive power and is a consistent performer on the world stage. 

Mandhana impressed with her elegant strokeplay, especially through the offside. Her power-hitting capabilities came in public during the 2017 World Cup, rising benchmarks of modern-day cricket.

Later, she added more aggressive shots to her repertoire, without sacrificing her trademark timing and finesse, making her one of the most feared openers in women’s T20I cricket today.

Mandhana's stats in WT20I

Mandhana has played 142 WT20I matches, accumulating 3,505 runs with an average of 28.72. Her highest score is 87 that came against Ireland in 2023 World Cup.

She has scored 1,025 runs at home (average 26.97), 1,388 runs in away matches (average 30.17), and b

She has her highest runs against Australia (731 runs), while she has her second highest runs against England (724 runs).

India has faced an unlucky exit from the T-20 Women's World Cup. Even after a strong display of performance against the Sri Lanka Women's Team, India failed to win a much-needed match against Australia. 

Their hopes had already been severely damaged in the first stage by a crushing defeat to New Zealand. But New Zealand has once again defeated Pakistan handily, providing India with an escape route.

India had never taken home the trophy before. However, many believed that this team had a chance to win the championship for the first time. Limiting to the semi-final stage seemed like the only aim for the team, but this time the team had high hopes. Names like Smriti Mandhana and Captain Harmanpreet Kaur were supposed to carry the major burden, in major rather than most important occasions!

The team coached by Amol Majumdar, and led by Harmanpreet Kaur, failed again, making their 4th Group stage exit. 

At points, when the fans may point fingers at the Pakistan Cricket team for their poor fielding, it is Team India's discredit to wait for some other team to qualify.

Performance Chart

To be honest, one shouldn't mind much if they get the "chockers" title! India finished in the top four position five times in 9 editions of the tournament. 2020 has to be their best run, as they had a podium finish. But that's all. A trophy is yet a dream, with no predictions of a good fortune.

However, here is a summary of India's overall performance in the World Cup.

2009: A Promising Start Ends in Heartbreak

The ICC Women's T20 World Cup started just two years after the men's one, in 2009. 

Led by the bowling queen Jhulan Goswami, India made a good impression in the tournament. Placed in Group B alongside England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, India won two of their three group matches but was defeated by England. India finished third in the Super Six.

They got the semi-final spot but were defeated by New Zealand, thus missing the finals abruptly. India’s campaign in 2009 highlighted the emergence of players like Mithali Raj and Anjum Chopra.

Key stats of India Women at the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup

• 234/5 against Australia was the highest team total.
• 247 runs scored by Mithali Raj was the most number of runs scored by a player.
• 76 by Anjum Chopra against Australia was the highest individual score by a player.
• 5 half-centuries were by a player.
• 5 half-centuries were scored by Indian players.
• 12 wickets taken by Priyanka Roy was the most number of wickets taken by a player.
• 4/14 by Priyanka Roy against the West Indies was the best bowling performance by a player.
• 6 dismissals by Anagha Deshpande was the most number of dismissals by a wicketkeeper.
• 4 dismissals by Sulakshana Naik against the West Indies was the most number of dismissals by a wicketkeeper in an innings.
• 5 catches by Jhulan Goswami and Amita Sharma each was the most number of catches taken by a player.

2010: Consecutive Semi-Final Heartbreak

The 2010 edition was held in the West Indies, and India once again showed early signs of excitement. They made their way to the semifinals, but luck didn't favor them. 

They were outclassed by Australia, who went on to win the tournament. India was consistent throughout, but the defeat added another bitter experience to their diary.

2012: Group Stage Exit

An unexpected exit from the tournament, after playing two semis, had brought the team to its rock bottom.

In the 2012 Women’s T20 World Cup, hosted in Sri Lanka, India was placed in Group A. The tournament exposed several gaps in India’s team composition and strategy.

This early exit worked as a wake-up call for Indian women’s cricket. This emphasized the need for better preparation and a more aggressive approach to intense matches. Most importantly, India should be strong enough to face teams like England and Australia.

2014: Struggles Continue at Home

In 2014, India failed to channel Asian conditions advantage and repeated the 2012 results.  Despite promising talent in the squad, India couldn’t convert their potential into results. 

2016: Another Early Exit

India accompanied teams like West Indies and Pakistan in Group B. But their run ended in the group stage again.

The third consecutive group-stage exit for India raised questions about the team’s preparation and mindset in crucial matches.

2018: A comeback that ended in the semifinals

Led by the dynamic Harmanpreet Kaur, the 2018 edition saw India bounce back with a much stronger performance. 

India stood unbeaten in the group stages. It included a dominant win against the infamous Australia. They looked like it would get its first title. But alas! A four-run defeat to England shattered their dream of the semifinals in the West Indies.

Harmanpreet’s leadership, combined with rising stars like Smriti Mandhana, gave India hope for the future. The semi-final exit might look painful, but that laid the foundation for a better future.

2020: Trophy so close, yet so far

Australia, which has always been a foe to India, witnessed India's most successful World Cup campaign so far. India won all the matches in the group stage, including once against Australia.

The ICC Women's 2020 World Cup was remarkable in many ways. Australia seeing a dominating India, and rain coming in aid to the team, which is not so normal for the Indians!

Rain God blessed the Indians with an abandoned semifinal, leading to a direct qualification to the finals.

But the dream shattered in front of Australia's mammoth total of 185. India looked like a letdown to them, being bowled out within 99.

Hearts got broken. A dream that was knitted with love and care was demolished within a day!

India reached the podium as a runner-up, a consolation prize to wannabe winners!

2023: Used to with Semi-Final heart-aches

South Africa hosted the 2023 edition, and India choked again, in the country of the ultimate chockers!

A closely fought match ended in a 4-run defeat against the age-old evil Australia. India’s inability to overcome Australia in knockout games was becoming a recurring theme.

An Indian has to be sporting enough to admire the Aussies after the tons of heartbreaks this country has given!

However, India, leaving the mark by whiskers, became an irresistible habit. India’s journey in the Women’s T20 World Cup has been one of near-misses and heartbreaks, but their consistent presence in the semi-finals shows that they are perennial contenders, failing to channel their talents to the right stage.

2024: An unexpected group stage exit

The 2024 squad looked strong and had full potential to win the trophy. But an early defeat against New Zealand by 58 runs had dropped India into a tricky situation. India almost overcame it but lost to their age-old rival Australia by 9 runs.

This made India depend on New Zealand losing big to Pakistan. However, New Zealand won against Pakistan by 54 runs, crushing India's dream of reaching the semifinal.

Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya has been promoted to full-time head coach for the Sri Lanka men's cricket team till the 2026 T20 World Cup. He has got the contract till March 31st, 2026.

Earlier, he got the appointment as an interim coach for the men's team for the series against India, England, and New Zealand

Sri Lanka Cricket took to its social media to inform about the extension.

Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of Sanath Jayasuriya as the head coach of the national team.

The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket made this decision taking into consideration the team’s good performances in the recent tours against India, England,… pic.twitter.com/IkvAIJgqio

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) October 7, 2024

The Sri Lankan Cricket Board has announced that Jayasuriya's remarkable run as an interim coach has earned him the position of permanent coach. The board also mentioned that the appointment has been effective since October 1st, 2024.

Sri Lanka under Jayasuriya

Sri Lankan cricket has been a phoenix under the guidance of its former captain, Sanath Jayasuriya. 

Jayasuriya started his journey as a coach against India in the t20s and ODIs, where they defeated the Men in Blue in the 50-over format.

In the England tour that came next, the Lankan Lions scripted history by defeating the English at the Ovals in the thirst test. They then whitewashed New Zealand by 2-0 at home. 

Sri Lanka's overwhelming performances under Jayasuriya's short period had gained him the contract of permanent coach till the 2026 T20I World Cup.