Cricket

2254 days ago

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Top 5 Fastest Centuries In ODI World Cup History

England captain Eoin Morgan slammed a 57-ball hundred against Afghanistan in match number 24 of World Cup 2019 at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester on Tuesday (June 18). This is the 4th fastest hundred in World Cup history. His innings was cut short by Gulbadin Naib after hammering 148 off just 71 balls.## Here is the list of TOP 5 fastest centuries in World Cup ## 1. Kevin O'Brien (IRE, 50 balls) - Ireland's all-rounder Kevin O'Brien has a record for the fastest century in World Cup. In 2011 against England, O'Brien smashed a 50-ball century and helped Ireland to chase down 328 with 5 balls to spare. He smashed 113 off 63 balls including 13 fours and 6 sixes against the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Graeme Swann.## 2. Glenn Maxwell (AUS, 51 balls) - Australian hard hitter Glenn Maxwell took Sri Lankan bowlers apart in Sydney in 2015. Australia scored 376 batting first and beat Sri Lanka convincingly at the end by 64 runs. But it was Maxwell who was the architect of his side's big win. He got out after smashing 102 off 53 balls including 10 fours and 4 sixes.## 3. AB de Villiers (SA, 52 balls) - South African star and one of the greats of the game, AB de Villiers pummeled West Indies in a group match in 2015 when he blasted 162 off just 66 balls including 17 fours and 8 gigantic sixes in Sydney. Windies bowlers had no idea what was happening to them. South Africa scored a huge total of 408 in 50 overs and West Indies could only manage 151 in 33.1 overs and suffered a massive 257-runs defeat.## 4. Eoin Morgan (ENG, 57 balls) - It was England's skipper Eoin Morgan's day at Old Trafford, Manchester. He created a new world record for maximum sixes in an ODI inning as he hit 17 sixes en route to his breathtaking 148 off just 71 balls against hapless Afghanistan. It was another example of England's aggressive brand of cricket that make them favourites to win this year's World Cup. Hot favourites and hosts England eventually piled up 397/6 in 50 overs after opting to bat first and Afghanistan started their innings with a lot of pressure of huge total and hence, they could never recover from that and lost by 150-runs.## 5. Matthew Hayden (AUS, 66 balls) - Australian legend Matthew Hayden slammed a 66-balls hundred against South Africa in 2007. It was the fastest hundred at that time in the World Cup history. Australia piled 377 on after opting to bat first. Hayden scored 101 off 68 balls including 14 fours and 4 sixes. South Africa started their chase with a bang as Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers added 160 for the first wicket in just 21 overs. But once AB got out, Africa lost the momentum and bundled out on 294 in 48 overs and lost by 83-runs.## Follow for more...

Cricket

2273 days ago

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World Cup 2019 Stats and Records: World Cup's First

Here are the first things happened in World Cup 2019. Who faced the first ball in World Cup 2019? Who took the first wicket in World Cup 2019? Who took the first hat trick in World Cup 2019? Who bowled the first maiden in World Cup 2019? Who faced the first free hit in World Cup 2019? Who bagged the first Golden Duck in World Cup 2019? Who hit first six in World Cup 2019? Who hit first four in World Cup 2019? ## Here is everything about that occurred very first in World Cup 2019! ## First Match – England vs South Africa (May 30) ## First Venue – Kennington Oval, London ## First Toss won – South Africa ## First Match won - England (By 104 runs vs South Africa) ## Batting in World Cup 2019 ## First Run – Jason Roy off the 1st ball in World Cup 2019 ## First Four – Joe Root off Lungi Ngidi ## First Six – Eoin Morgan off Lungi Ngidi ## First Batsman Dismissed – Jonny Bairstow off Imran Tahir ## First Duck – Jonny Bairstow ## First Golden Duck – Jonny Bairstow (ENG vs SA) ## First Free hit faced – Wahab Riaz (PAK) vs WI ## First Batsman Caught – Jonny Bairstow by Quinton de Kock ## First Batsman Bowled – Jos Buttler off Lungi Ngidi ## First Batsman Run Out – Dwaine Pretorius by Stokes/Morgan ## First Batsman LBW – Shadab Khan (PAK) vs WI ## First Batsman Stumped – Hashmatullah Shahidi (AFG) vs AUS ## First 50 – Jason Roy (ENG, 54) vs SA ## First 100 – Joe Root (ENG, 107) vs PAK## First 150 – Jason Roy (ENG, 153) vs BAN## Bowing in World Cup 2019 ## First Delivery – Imran Tahir to Jason Roy ## First Wicket – Imran Tahir, dismissed Jonny Bairstow ## First Maiden – Jofra Archer ## First 3 wicket haul – Lungi Ngidi (SA, 3/66) vs ENG ## First 4 wicket haul – Oshane Thomas (WI, 4/27) vs PAK ## First 5 wicket haul – Mitchell Starc (AUS, 5/46) vs WI ## First Hat Trick – Mohammed Shami (IND, 4/40) vs AFG## Extras in World Cup 2019 ## First Extra – Wide by Lungi Ngidi ## First Wide – Lungi Ngidi ## First No Ball – Oshane Thomas ## Partnerships in World Cup 2019 ## First, 50 runs Partnership in World Cup 2019 – Quinton de Kock & Rassie van der Dussen (SA, 85) vs ENG ## First, 100 runs Partnership in World Cup 2019 – Jason Roy & Joe Root (ENG, 106) vs SA ## First, 150 runs Partnership in World Cup 2019 – Aaron Finch & Steve Smith (AUS, 173) vs SL## First 200 runs Partnership in World Cup 2019 – None ## Teams in World Cup 2019 ## The first team to score 300 runs in a match – England (311/8) vs South Africa ## The first team to score over 300 runs while chasing – South Africa (309/8) vs Bangladesh ## The first team to chase a target of 300 or more – BAN (322/3) vs WI (321/8)## Matches in World Cup 2019 ## The first match to be tied – Final (ENG vs NZ)## The first match won by 1 run – None## The first match won by 1 wicket – None## The first match won by 2 wickets – NZ vs BAN ## The first match won by 10 wickets – NZ vs SL ## The first match won by a team at the last ball while chasing – None## Fielding in World Cup 2019 ## First Catch – Quinton de Kock ## First Run Out – Stokes/Morgan to dismiss Dwaine Pretorius ## First fielder to take 3 Catches in a match – Faf du Plessis vs ENG ## First fielder to take 4 Catches in a match – Shai Hope (WI) vs PAK ## Awards in World Cup 2019 ## First Man of the Match – Ben Stokes ## DRS in World Cup 2019 ## First successful DRS - WI vs PAK ## First unsuccessful DRS - AFG vs AUS ## For more and the latest news about World Cup 2019, stay tuned to us.

Cricket

2315 days ago

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Kohli Recalls Time When Dhoni Backed Him

The Kolhi we all know and the Kohli who was 10 years back, there have a lot been changed. Every youngster needs support and Kohli was lucky enough to have MS Dhoni when he started his international career. However, the ranked 1 batsman didn't take much time to show his class at the big stage but it was crucial for him that someone like Dhoni has always his back.## The current India captain in an interview given to 'India Today', expressed his gratitude towards the former captain MS Dhoni for his support in the difficult time and now, as the role has reversed, he is not going to back down from supporting veteran despite the recent criticism Dhoni has faced.## "It's unfortunate to see so many people going after him. For me, loyalty matters the most," Kohli's words showed his reverence for his first international captain. When I walked into the team he had the option of trying someone else after a few games, although I grabbed my chances for me to get that kind of backing, it was very crucial for me. Also, he gave me an opportunity to bat at No 3 because not many youngsters get to play at No 3," the skipper recalled his formative days in international cricket", Kohli said.## Even when Kohli is the captain of the ship, he has never hesitated to talk to Dhoni in crunch match situations and that where Kohli believes that they have a lot of respect for each other.## "It's just about the field placements and bowling changes and we say you know the angles, you know the pace of the pitch and that's why there is so much of trust and respect between the two of us. He is one person, who literally knows the game inside out. He understands the game from 'Ball 1 to Ball 300 (50 overs) on the field. I won't say it a luxury to have him but I am fortunate to have a mind like that from behind the stumps," Kohli said.## While the World Cup squad of India has announced, Virat Kohli feels that this is the most balanced team they could have picked. "We are very happy with 15 that we have. This is the most balanced side we could have thought of because everyone is in a good space".## The skipper said that the atmosphere in the dressing room is pretty chilled and relaxed. He himself along with MS Dhoni and vice-captain Rohit Sharma has made sure that the dressing room is in good shape.## "I think the whole management group, the way they have handled the entire group, it creates a good environment where everyone is relaxed. Our change room is like a living room, chilled out with everyone relaxed. "Indian team has to be paramount and everyone and players responded in a very positive manner right from the management, myself, Mahi bhai being the senior most guy and everyone. There is one goal and everyone is in sync with that goal." While the World Cup now occupies his mind space, he said that he doesn't need to switch buttons as the intensity always remains the same," He said.## Talking about the pressure of the World Cup Kohli said, "In 2011, I was not involved in a lot of things, was not involved in a lot of meetings, the pressures that come along. At this point in time, it's going to be different. Even in 2015, I wasn't involved to an extent where I had to be part of everything that is going on.## "To understand the magnitude of a tournament like this from a captain's point of view is a different ball game. I won't say that I will look to do something different just because its a World Cup. Fortunately, I am in the mindset, I don't have to pick myself up for a series, because I always have the same intensity and drive to take the team over the line".## Follow for more...

Cricket

2317 days ago

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There Have Been Some Outstanding Changes In My Life - Mohammed Shami

Not long ago Mohammed Shami was not even part of India's ODI set-up and was nowhere close to the World Cup squad. But as it is said, "You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming", Mohammed Shami's journey perfectly fit in this who will now be the part of India's World Cup squad and likely to lead the pace attack along with Jasprit Bumrah.## However, the path hasn't been easy for Shami whose career has been affected by injuries. Hence, he has been in and out from ODIs. But his recent form in white ball cricket has forced the selectors to get him in the 15-member squad. Since October 2018, Shami has picked up 22 wickets in 13 ODIs, the joint-most for an Indian fast bowler along with Bhuvneshwar.## "If you have seen in the last 18 months, I have continuously worked on my fitness and have been constantly trying to improve my game, on what will be better for my team. Yes, I was a bit heavy after my injury and didn't play ODIs for an extended time. But I have played ODIs recently, especially in the last six months there have been some outstanding changes in my life," Shami said on Monday (April 15) during a press conference ahead of Kings XI Punjab's match against Rajasthan Royals.## World cup in England & Wales will be Shami's second after the World cup 2015 in Australia & New Zealand as a player. In the previous edition, he was the second highest wicket-taker for India after Umesh Yadav (18) and 4th overall with 17 wickets in 7 matches. But injuries ruled him out from the ODIs after the tournament. Now, he is fully fit and running hard.## "I am happy with whatever I have achieved. I lost so much of weight, my body has that flow now and the rhythm, I feel, is similar to when I started (my career). I will try to maintain the same rhythm in the future for the World Cup. Like you've seen, there's a lot of difference (with my bowling) when compared to before, say three years back. I have done a lot of hard work, I've worked with the coaches and the confidence that I got with the Indian team, backing me when I was trying to improve my fitness levels, the management, the NCA, they all backed mine with all their heart. I was also dedicated to taking on the fitness challenge in front of me, I accepted that and the result is now in front of you," he added. ## Shami believes that his confidence has only increased after the successful World Cup 2015 for him. "I'm very happy that I have got a second chance in a World Cup. As far as performance is concerned, the way I had performed in 2015, how I approached it with confidence, I am hoping that there's increased confidence in me. And whatever confidence that I have, in terms of my performance in the last seven-eight months, I want to carry that confidence and put my best foot forward for my team."## All the Indian players including Shami who get selected in World Cup squad are playing in Indian Premier League. Shami who is leading the Kings XI Punjab is the leading wicket-taker for his side. He believes that IPL is good for the World Cup preparations. "Playing these matches (in the IPL) help in terms of fitness and mental preparation. It's a challenging tournament before the World Cup and the IPL is very helpful in the preparation, mentally and physically."## Follow for more...

Cricket

2319 days ago

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BCCI Announced Team India Squad For The World Cup 2019

Ambati Rayudu who was India's number 4 before the start of the Indian Premier League 2019 has been dropped from the World Cup 2019 squad as the BCCI has announced the 15-member squad on Monday (April 15). ## KL Rahul who was dropped from the ODI set up after the controversial talk show incident has been included in the 15-member squad as a backup opener for Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. Ravindra Jadeja also rewarded for his brilliant all-round form in IPL 2019. Dinesh Karthik will be as a backup wicketkeeper for MS Dhoni. Rishabh Pant also was discussed in the meeting but selectors go with the experience of Dinesh Karthik.## "Definitely a case where we debated in length. We all were in unison that either pant or DK will come in only when Mahi is injured. In an important game, wicket keeping is also important. That’s the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik" - MSK Prasad said## Ambati Rayudu who was the first choice at number 4 but his recent form including IPL has been really poor and that cost him his spot. Vijay Shankar or Dinesh Karthik likely to bat at number 4. ## "We did give a few more chances to Rayudu but Vijay Shankar gives three dimensions. He can bat, if the conditions are overcast he can bowl, plus he is a [good] fielder," MSK Prasad said added.## The selectors have included three genuine pacers along with Hardik Pandya. Mohammed Shami who has shown brilliantly form in white ball cricket in recent time has given a chance into the World Cup squad. The other two pacers are Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will be two guanine spinners. Both have been brilliant for India in the last one and a half year.## India’s squad: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami## India will start their World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5.## Follow for more...

Cricket

2326 days ago

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World Cup 2019: Teams' Squad And Schedule

With the World Cup, 2019 is just one and a half months away from taking place in England and Wales, all the teams are looking for the best combination for the mega event. After West Indies announced their squad on Wednesday (April 24), all ten teams have named their squad for the mega event. The deadline for submitting the team squad was 30th April. A few days ago New Zealand became the first to announce their team for the 12th edition of ICC's biggest tournament.## This time, the tournament will be played as Round-robin league where all ten teams will play against each other at least once. The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals which are scheduled to play on 9th and 11th of July whereas final will be played on 14th July.## Here Is The Complete Schedule Of The World Cup 2019 Match No.Date & TimeTeamsVenue 1st May 30, Thu, 3:00 PM England vs South Africa Kennington Oval, London 2nd May 31, Fri, 3:00 PM Windies vs Pakistan Trent Bridge, Nottingham 3rd Jun 01, Sat, 3:00 PM New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Sophia Gardens, Cardiff 4th Jun 01, Sat, 6:00 PM Afghanistan vs Australia County Ground, Bristol 5th Jun 02, Sun, 3:00 PM South Africa vs Bangladesh Kennington Oval, London 6th Jun 03, Mon, 3:00 PM England vs Pakistan Trent Bridge, Nottingham 7th Jun 04, Tue, 3:00 PM Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Sophia Gardens, Cardiff 8th Jun 05, Wed, 3:00 PM South Africa vs India The Rose Bowl, Southampton 9th Jun 05, Wed, 6:00 PM Bangladesh vs New Zealand Kennington Oval, London 10th Jun 06, Thu, 3:00 PM Australia vs Windies Trent Bridge, Nottingham 11th Jun 07, Fri, 3:00 PM Pakistan vs Sri Lanka County Ground, Bristol 12th Jun 08, Sat, 3:00 PM England vs Bangladesh Sophia Gardens, Cardiff 13th Jun 08, Sat, 6:00 PM Afghanistan vs New Zealand The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton 14th Jun 09, Sun, 3:00 PM India vs Australia Kennington Oval, London 15th Jun 10, Mon, 3:00 PM South Africa vs Windies The Rose Bowl, Southampton 16th Jun 11, Tue, 3:00 PM Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka County Ground, Bristol 17th Jun 12, Wed, 3:00 PM Australia vs Pakistan The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton 18th Jun 13, Thu, 3:00 PM India vs New Zealand Trent Bridge, Nottingham 19th Jun 14, Fri, 3:00 PM England vs Windies The Rose Bowl, Southampton 20th Jun 15, Sat, 3:00 PM Sri Lanka vs Australia Kennington Oval, London 21st Jun 15, Sat, 6:00 PM South Africa vs Afghanistan Sophia Gardens, Cardiff 22nd Jun 16, Sun, 3:00 PM India vs Pakistan Old Trafford, Manchester 23rd Jun 17, Mon, 3:00 PM Windies vs Bangladesh The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton 24th Jun 18, Tue, 3:00 PM England vs Afghanistan Old Trafford, Manchester 25th Jun 19, Wed, 3:00 PM New Zealand vs South Africa Edgbaston, Birmingham 26th Jun 20, Thu, 3:00 PM Australia vs Bangladesh Trent Bridge, Nottingham 27th Jun 21, Fri, 3:00 PM England vs Sri Lanka Headingley, Leeds 28th Jun 22, Sat, 3:00 PM India vs Afghanistan The Rose Bowl, Southampton 29th Jun 22, Sat, 6:00 PM Windies vs New Zealand Old Trafford, Manchester 30th Jun 23, Sun, 3:00 PM Pakistan vs South Africa Lord's, London 31st Jun 24, Mon, 3:00 PM Bangladesh vs Afghanistan The Rose Bowl, Southampton 32nd Jun 25, Tue, 3:00 PM England vs Australia Lord's, London 33rd Jun 26, Wed, 3:00 PM New Zealand vs Pakistan Edgbaston, Birmingham 34th Jun 27, Thu, 3:00 PM Windies vs India Old Trafford, Manchester 35th Jun 28, Fri, 3:00 PM Sri Lanka vs South Africa Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street 36th Jun 29, Sat, 3:00 PM Pakistan vs Afghanistan Headingley, Leeds 37th Jun 29, Sat, 6:00 PM New Zealand vs Australia Lord's, London 38th Jun 30, Sun, 3:00 PM England vs India Edgbaston, Birmingham 39th Jul 1, Mon, 3:00 PM Sri Lanka vs Windies Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street 40th Jul 2, Tue, 3:00 PM Bangladesh vs India Edgbaston, Birmingham 41st Jul 3, Wed, 3:00 PM England vs New Zealand Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street 42nd Jul 4, Thu, 3:00 PM Afghanistan vs Windies Headingley, Leeds 43rd Jul 5, Fri, 3:00 PM Pakistan vs Bangladesh Lord's, London 44th Jul 6, Sat, 3:00 PM Sri Lanka vs India Headingley, Leeds 45th Jul 6, Sat, 6:00 PM Australia vs South Africa Old Trafford, Manchester 1st Semi-Final Jul 09, Tue, 3:00 PM TBC vs TBC (1 v 4) Old Trafford, Manchester 2nd Semi-Final Jul 11, Thu, 3:00 PM TBC vs TBC (2 v 3) Edgbaston, Birmingham Final Jul 14, Sun, 3:00 PM TBC vs TBC Lord's, London ## Here Are The Teams' Squad For The World Cup:## New Zealand squad - Kane Williamson (C), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (WK), Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor## Australia squad - Aaron Finch (C), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (WK), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa## India squad - Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (WK), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami## Bangladesh squad - Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Shakib Al Hasan (VC), Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Mithun, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mosaddek Hossain, Abu Jayed## England squad - Eoin Morgan (c), Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, James Vince, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood## Sri Lanka squad - Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Avishka Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera (wk), Kusal Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Malinda Siriwardana, Angelo Mathews, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Pradeep## South Africa squad -Faf du Plessis (C), JP Duminy, David Miller, Dale Steyn, Andile Phehlukwayo, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius, Quinton de Kock, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Hashim Amla, Tabraiz Shamsi.## Pakistan Squad - Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hasnain## Afghansistan Squad - Gulbadin Naib (C), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman## West Indies Squad - Jason Holder (c), Andre Russell, Ashley Nurse, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo, Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Kemar Roach, Nicholas Pooran, Oshane Thomas, Shai Hope, Shannon Gabriel, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer## Follow for more...

Cricket

2349 days ago

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Ponting And De Villiers Picked Their World Cup Semi-Finalists

With world cup just two and a half months away, all the teams are looking all set for the biggest tournament. However, as of now, India and England are looking firm favorites to lift the cup at the iconic Lords stadium, Australia, the five-time world champion is picking at the right time and the inclusion of Steve Smith and David Warner will boost their chances.## Australia's former captain Ricky Ponting and South African great AB de Villiers have picked their four semi-finalists but fell that it is India that is more likely to lift the cup. Ricky Ponting who is all set for his new assignment as a coach of Delhi Capitals told TOI that "England, India, Australia and maybe New Zealand. Of course, you never know what Pakistan and West Indies are gonna do! when he was asked about his four world cup semi-finalists.## On the other hand, AB de Villiers feels that South Africa can win the world cup but he was honest in saying that they are not the favorite for the title. "I do believe South Africa have a chance, as we did at any other World Cup because we are a world-class team with plenty of match-winners. The Proteas are certainly in the running, but I won’t say they are the favorites to be honest with you.## "India and England are looking strong, Australia has won five World Cups in the past and Pakistan claimed the Champions Trophy in the UK two years ago. Those four teams are probably the favorites," De Villiers told Sport24.## De Villiers who will be seeing playing IPL starting from March 23 for RCB along with Virat Kohli. The duo has been one of the most successful pairs in the history of the Indian Premier League and hence, they know each other more than anyone else. Keeping the world cup in mind, de Villiers feels that Virat Kohli's purple patch will give India an edge which has propelled him to No.1 in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Rankings for batsmen, aren't going to stop any time soon.## "Virat’s performances over the last while have been incredible and I can’t see it stopping very soon," de Villiers said. "I have played with him for eight years now in the IPL and you can never take the class out of the guy. I see lots of similarities between myself and Virat. We are both fighters and don’t enjoy losing, we love batting together and taking the game away from teams."## While the other former players and legends of the game are still arguing for the best ODI batsman of all time between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, both de Villiers and Ponting feel that Virat Kohli is the greatest batsman of all time in ODIs.## "If Virat has a good World Cup, India will win. His numbers show that he is the best. How old is he? Maybe 30, and he is going to play another 200 games. I don't think there will be many people who are going to argue against him being the best," Ponting told TOI.## Follow for more...

Cricket

2388 days ago

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Tendulkar Backs India To Win The World Cup 2019

What needs to be the favorite to win the biggest tournament? a perfectly balanced side that can compete in every condition in every part of the world, well, India is certainly that side and master blaster and legendary Sachin Tendulkar thinks the same as well.## After demolishing New Zealand by 4-1 in their own backyard, the batting maestro did not hesitate calling India as favorites to win the tournament for the third time in England and Wales this year.## "I have gone on record saying that we have a perfect balance in the team where we will be competitive in any part of the world or on any surface. As far as our chances are concerned, I will not hesitate in saying that we are the favorites," Tendulkar told PTI.## India's overseas form in last one year especially in limited overs cricket has been quite phenomenal. They beat South Africa in both ODIs and T20Is, beat England in T20Is, beat Australia in all three formats, and now the outplayed New Zealand in recently concluded 5-match series.## Just like New Zealand was outplayed in their own conditions, England too faced one of their biggest defeats in the Test series against a number 8 side (West Indies) in West Indies. However, despite England's poor showing, the master blaster certainly believes that England will be the toughest competition while New Zealand will be the dark horses.## "It’s all about getting the early momentum. My judgment on the toughest contenders would be England, while New Zealand would be the dark horse," he said. "I know New Zealand have struggled in this series but it’s a good unit, one needs to be on their toes."## Sachin Tendulkar also thinks that the inclusion of Steve Smith and David Warner will make Australia a formidable side. "I think Australia at full strength will be a formidable side. With Smith and David Warner back in the team and their other bowlers coming back into the ODI squad, it will be a competitive side," Tendulkar said.## The World Cup 2019 will kick start from May 30 with the host England and South Africa fixture at The Oval, London. The final of the tournament will be played on 14 July at the iconic Lord's cricket ground, London.## Follow for more...

Cricket

2497 days ago

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World Cup Is My Biggest Goal: Hardik Pandya

With World Cup around the corner (almost 6 months from now), India will be eying their 3rd title. To which, Hardik Pandya can play a big role who is focusing on his fitness and mental strength. India last won the ICC World Cup in 2011 at home where Yuvraj Singh played a crucial role as an all-rounder. Eventually, he later went on to win the man of the tournament. Hardik Pandya will have to play the same role if India wants to win the title in England and Wales in 2019.## Hardik Pandya who is recovering from an injury has been playing all three format. However, he hasn't been consistent with his performance and therefore, he has faced criticism from some of the greats of the game. In an interview given to TOI, he talked about his role in the team, how Virat Kohli has been a constant support to him, his favorite all-rounder and many more.## Here are some Excerpts from the interview:## When can we see you back on the field?## My recovery is on track. I've been busy with my fitness sessions and physiotherapy. I don't know when (I'll return to action), but right now I'm only focusing on getting fully fit.## It must've been heartbreaking to go down injured against Pakistan?## It wasn't about Pakistan. It was disappointing to get injured like that. You can't control these things. Now I've got the time to get fitter and stronger. I always take things positively. This injury was a blessing in disguise. I got time off from cricket. After this, I won't get much time off.## Changing hairstyles, hair colors, tattoos, earrings, hats, fashionable clothes, there's a perception that Hardik Pandya is more bothered about his style than cricket. Your comments.## In India, you enjoy the freedom of speech. People can say what they want to. I like to carry myself in a stylish manner. And if you can look good, why not? But nothing can come between me and my cricket.## The World Cup obviously is the big goal for you.## My individual, and the team goal, right now is getting the World Cup back. It's my biggest goal. I want to give more than 100% to make sure that we win the World Cup. That's why right now, I'm focusing on improving my skills, fitness, mentally I want to get stronger. Because that 10-15% (extra) would be very critical. I'll give 100%, but if I can give 10-15% more to my game, then it would give me great comfort, and I'd be able to do a lot of things which I'm not able to do now.## You scored a half-century and picked 5-28 to help India win the third Test against England at Nottingham, but do you feel you could've done more in England?## There's always scope for improvement in everything that you do in life. No one is perfect in life. I still remember Sachin (Tendulkar) sir said many times that he was improving and learning cricket. Even if I would've scored 1,000 runs, there would've still been scope for scoring more runs. So, I take it that way. Obviously, I could've done more.## In the first Test in England, we were chasing 194 in the fourth innings. You were the last batsman out for 31, and we lost by 31 runs. Do you think that if you'd taken India home, people would've have spoken positively about your ability?## I don't regret it, but there's still a lot of things where one can say after something happens: 'yeh hot toh maza aata (wish this would've happened). I don't live in an imaginary world. I live in reality. The team and I didn't do it. I'm still there. Nothing has changed. And, as you said, people love to talk. Let them talk, enjoy. They like it. The good thing is that I don't read it.## But does it hurt when greats like Michael Holding and Sunil Gavaskar say that they don't consider you as a Test all-rounder?## No sir. Why would it hurt? They've played so much cricket. Let them say it. It's OK. I've heard them so much. I respect that. I'm worthy enough that they're talking about me. If I wasn't, they wouldn't have said anything about me! I take it in a positive way.## There's a theory doing the rounds that you may be rested from the Tests to keep you fresh for the World Cup. Have you had a word with the team management or the selectors about it?## Not yet (spoken to the team management or the selectors). I'm not thinking about anything. It's completely the (team) management's call. That's how I've played my cricket till now. I do whatever they (captain and the coach) and my team require me to do. If they want me to play any particular format, I'm OK. If they want me to play all three (formats), I'm completely fine.## Post the tours of South Africa and England, do you still enjoy the same kind of faith from the team management and the selectors?## Nothing changes for me. I still have faith in myself, in the team, and they're happy with me.## Do you think that if you improve your batting, it strengthens your case as an all-rounder?## Not only my batting, but I also've to improve my whole game. I want to be 100% in everything. There's nothing called 50% in batting, 100% in bowling or vice versa. So, I want to improve my overall game. Even if I do or don't do well, it doesn't matter. There's always a scope for improvement, and I always look to improve.## Would you like to bowl more in Tests? You were perhaps a bit under-bowled in England.## If my team wants me to bowl more, I'll do it.## How has skipper Virat Kohli's influence been on you?## He's been a great support. He's helped me improve my game, which is a fantastic quality in him. Till now, I've grown with him. My career started under MS, then Virat took over. I've improved under both of them.## Who's the all-rounder you look to emulate?## I love Jacques Kallis. The way he managed his workload, the number of games. He played in all the formats of the game and was still fit. My goal is to be as fit as him.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.