Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana is not sure to start in the Asia Cup final against India because of a hamstring strain. The mystery spinner strained his right hamstring while fielding during Sri Lanka's two-wicket win over Pakistan on Thursday. Theekshana went off the field multiple times while Sri Lanka was bowling. Although he completed his nine-over spell in the 42-over-per-side contest before being helped off the field by some Sri Lanka dugout members in the 39th over.

Read Also: Asia Cup Stats: Most Finals played by any team in Asia Cup History

"Maheesh Theekshana has strained his right hamstring. The player will undergo a scan tomorrow to fully assess his condition," Sri Lanka Cricket posted on X on Thursday.

Theekshana's injury adds to Sri Lanka more problems. They are already without the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Madushanka and Lahiru Kumara. They will face India in the Asia Cup 2023 final on Sunday in Colombo.

Moments that come during a game define the sport. Cricket is no different. All it takes is a single moment to win a game, to clinch a World Cup, to become an unsung hero, and to break millions of hearts. 2023 was no different. Some created history, and some of them rewrote history. Some empires continued rising to the top, some fell on the floor within a moment. It was not an easy task to point out the exact top 10 moments of Cricket in 2023 so, in this article, we'll look at the 10 iconic moments of Indian Cricket in 2023.

Also Read: Most International Runs in 2023

Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries was not an easy one to break. Everyone thought it was impossible except the Master Blaster himself and the King of Cricket, Virat Kohli. The Delhi boy kept breaking records by scoring runs, smashing centuries, and winning plenty of matches for India. The day finally arrived when he broke the 49 ODI Centuries record by scoring the 50th ODI Century.

On November 15, during the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final at Wankhede against New Zealand, Virat became the first player to smash 50 ODI centuries, achieving this feat in front of his idol, who was clapping for him in joy and pride in the audience.

Virat did not forget that he was a kid growing up on Sachin's heroics on the field, acknowledging the Master Blaster's claps with a bow which is not just an iconic moment of 2023 but surely go down as one of the top iconic moments in the history of Cricket.

ICT Fans enjoy the moment 😍 pic.twitter.com/iWUqnk4XMd

— 𝕂𝕠𝕙𝕝𝕚𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕟 🇮🇳 (@bholistan) November 15, 2023

The Final of the Asia Cup 2023 was played between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo on September 17. The pacer's spell of 6/21 in seven overs destroyed the Lankan team completely and bundled them out for just 50 in 15.2 overs. Siraj took the whole match away from Sri Lanka during the powerplay, reducing them to 12/6 at one point. India then went on to win the match by 10 wickets and claimed their eighth Asia Cup title.

Team India broke the record for the biggest victory (by runs) in ODIs as they defeated Sri Lanka by 317 runs in the third and final match of the ODI series in Thiruvananthapuram. India broke New Zealand's record (by 290 runs) to script history at the Greenfield Stadium. After batting first, India scored a mammoth total of 390/5 in fifty overs and then bowled out Sri Lanka in only 22 overs, at a total of 73.

Virat Kohli played an unbeaten knock of 166 off just 110 deliveries, hitting 13 fours and eight sixes. The 24-year-old Shubman Gill had also smashed a brilliant 116 off just 97 deliveries.

Shubman Gill had his breakthrough year in international cricket where he scored 2,154 runs in 48 matches with an average of 46.82 and finishes the calendar year with the most international runs in 2023 across all formats.

Gill's best knock came during India's ODI match against New Zealand in Hyderabad on January 18, when he scored 208 runs from 149 balls. He became the youngest batter to score a double century in ODIs.

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc and KKR created history on December 19, 2023, during the IPL 2024 auction. He became the most expensive player in the tournament's history after being signed for Rs 24.75 crore by the Kolkata Knight Riders. It could have been the 2024 auction but is included in the list because the auction was held in 2023.

The IPL 2023 had a fairytale ending as he hit the 10 runs required in the final two balls to win Chennai Super Kings (CSK) its fifth title. Jadeja struck a four in the last delivery to seal a five-wicket victory for Chennai in the final.

Among the ones who rushed to Jadeja following this win was Dhoni, who could not even score a run in the final. With tears in his eyes, Dhoni lifted Jadeja in the air which is surely one of the most iconic moments of Indian Cricket in 2023.

Yashasvi Jaiswal made his Test debut for India against the West Indies in Roseau on July 12, and in his first inning, the 22-year-old scored 171 runs. He became the 17th Indian batter to score a century on debut. He also became the fifth youngest batter to score a 150 on Test debut at 21 years and 196 days of age at the beginning of the Test.

Rinku Singh produced a sensational performance for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the side's 2023 Indian Premier League game against Gujarat Titans. He smashed five successive sixes when the side needed 28 to win off the last five balls. Yash Dayal was at the receiving end as Kolkata Knight Riders registered an unbelievable three-wicket victory over the defending Champions in Ahmedabad.

In a thrilling final, MI, the most successful IPL franchise in men's cricket, secured its first-ever WPL title beating Delhi Capitals by seven wickets. Harmanpreet Kaur led her side to the inaugural WPL title. MI clinched winning streaks of five matches and then three, with two losses in the middle, to claim the title. They were the favourites and ultimately, delivered in the right moment.

Australia played out a draw in the final Test in Ahmedabad but India took the series 2-1 and won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth successive time. India qualified for the World Test Championship final where they faced Australia at The Oval but unfortunately, India lost the final.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan is out of the ODI World Cup 2023 due to fracture in his left index finger. He suffered the injury while batting against Sri Lanka in New Delhi on Monday.

Also Read: ODI World Cup 2023: Angelo Mathews makes history as the inaugural batter to be TIMED OUT in International Cricket

According to reports, Shakib Al Hasan has been out of the team and will not be able to play further matches. Shakib's finger is injured and after X-ray it is found that he has a fracture in his thumb. Now the Bangladeshi skipper will not be able to play Bangladesh's last ODI World Cup 2023 match against Australia on 11 November.

Bangladesh team physio Bayjedul Islam Kha has given information about his injury, he said, "Shakib was struck on his left index finger early in his innings but continued to bat with supportive taping and painkillers. He underwent an emergency X-ray in Delhi after the game which confirmed the fracture on the left PIP joint. Recovery is estimated at three to four weeks. He will leave for Bangladesh today to begin his rehab."

Earlier, Shakib As Hasan batted brilliantly in the ODI World Cup 2023 match against Sri Lanka. He scored 82 runs facing 65 balls and led Bangladesh to victory. At the same time, Shakib also took 2 wickets while bowling.

Captain Shakib Al Hasan had appealed to give time out to Sri Lankan team all-rounder Angelo Matthews. After that, his match-winning performance was overshadowed. Matthews took 1 minute to reach the crease, after which the umpires called him time out.

Also Read: International Cricket Council reveals the latest players shortlisted for the ICC Player of the Month

After that, Mathews became the first batsman to be timed out in international cricket. Something happened that when Angelo was coming to the crease as the new batsman after Sadeera's dismissal, while putting on the helmet, his strap broke and he politely signaled to bring another helmet, but it took more than two minutes. Meanwhile, Shakib took advantage and appealed for time out and the umpire declared him out.

Matthews did get his sweep revenge after he dismissed Shakib in the second innings. However, by then the Bangladesh skipper had gone on to hit a 65-ball 82, put up a 169-run fourth-wicket partnership with Najmal Hossain Shanto, and taken the match away from the Lankans.

Also Read: Seven father-son duo who played cricket World Cups

Sri Lanka have been fined 10 percent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against South Africa in the Match 4 of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup on Saturday, 7 October 2023. Javagal Srinath of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after Dasun Shanaka's side was ruled to be 2 over(s) short of the target after time allowances were considered.

In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 5 percent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

Dasun Shanaka pleaded guilty to the offense and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Shahid Saikat, third umpire Michael Gough and fourth umpire Alex Wharf leveled the charge.

The biggest extravaganza of Cricket will start on the 5th of October at the Narendra Modi Stadium with defending champions England taking on New Zealand. Ten teams have announced their best squads to go for the glory at the biggest stage of One-Day cricket. 28th September was the last day to announce the squad for the ICC World Cup 2023 as teams made last-minute changes to their primarily announced squads. Ravi Ashwin replaced injured Axar Patel for India while Marnus Labuschange replaced injured Aston Agar for Australia.

ICC World Cup 2023: Squads of every team

India:

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.

England:

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.

Also Read: "Is Team India favourite because the World Cup is held in India?" Sourav Ganguly ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023

Afghanistan:

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq.

Bangladesh: 

Shakib Al Hasan (C), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzid Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Mahmudullah.

Netherlands: 

Scott Edwards (c), Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.

New Zealand: 

Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young

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Pakistan: 

Babar Azam (C), Shadab Khan (VC), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hassan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr.

South Africa: 

Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.

Read Also: ICC World Cup 2023: Kagiso Rabada feels South Africa is ready to create history

Sri Lanka: 

Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis (vc), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka.

Australia:

Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has re-grabbed the number one position among bowlers in the MRF Tyres ICC Men's ODI Bowling Rankings after his sensational haul of six for 21 against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final in Colombo.

Also Read: Asia Cup 2023 Final: Mohammed Siraj takes 4 wickets in a single over to put India on top | Ball by ball detail of that insane over from Siraj

Siraj, who first grabbed the top position in January this year in ODI Bowling Rankings and was displaced by Josh Hazlewood in March, has surged eight spots after his memorable performance that helped dismiss the hosts for just 50 runs and enabled India to complete a 10-wicket victory.

Meanwhile, South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj is another big mover in the latest weekly update that comes just over a fortnight ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and considers performances in the last two matches of the South Africa versus Australia series and the England versus New Zealand series apart from the Asia Cup.

Maharaj, who helped South Africa become just the fifth team to win a five-match ODI series after losing the first two matches, had figures of four for 33 in the final match that helped him finish with eight wickets in the series and reach 15^th position, 10 places above his previous career best.

At the same time, other bowlers to move up the rankings include Afghanistan spinners Mujeeb-ur Rahman (up two places to fourth) and Rashid Khan (up three places to fifth). England all-rounder Chris Woakes is up to 11^th place while South Africa's Lungi Ngidi is in 21^st position.

South Africa's Heinrich Klaasen and England's Dawid Malan are big movers in the batting charts. Klaasen's cracking 174 against Australia in Centurion has lifted him into the top 10 for the first time. While Malan is at a career-best 13^th position. He scored 277 runs in the three matches he played in the series.

Also Read: Lowest ODI totals against India

Ben Stokes has gained 13 spots and moved into 36^th position with the bat. He recorded England's highest-ever score of 182 at The Oval.

South Africa's David Miller (up four places to 17^th), Sri Lanka's Charith Asalanka (up two places to 28^th), Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hassan (up five places to joint-29^th), and Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey (up three places to joint-29^th) are among the others to move up the batting rankings.