India continued their winning momentum in the ongoing T20 World Cup as they defeated Bangladesh in a Super 8 match on Saturday. Asked to bat first, India posted a whopping total of 196/5 with vice-captain Hardik Pandya smashing a half-century. Later, Kuldeep Yadav‘s three-wicket haul and the contributions from other bowlers helped Rohit Sharma and Co restrict Bangladesh to 146/8 and claim a win by 50 runs. As India put up a dominating show, skipper Rohit Sharma looked a bit stress-free during Bangladesh’s chase and ended up giving a hilarious moment to his fans.

During the 14th over, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan smashed a six off Kuldeep Yadav’s delivery and got dismissed on the very next ball. Mahmudullah was the next batter in and Kuldeep troubled him from the very first delivery with his special googly.

Seeing this, Kuldeep asked for a change in the fielding placement. Rohit, who is widely popular for his hilarious on-field comments, came forward and said, “Kya hai, khelne de na yaar, abhi abhi aya hai aada maarne de na, ek out hua hai aada maarne de” (What’s it, let him play across the line, he has just come to the crease after a dismissal, let him play across the line).

@Ro45Kuljot pic.twitter.com/dRpcSovg1R

— Don’t embed without permission (@RohitEra_) June 22, 2024

This incident went viral on social media and left the fans is splits. The India skipper never fails to show his witty side as earlier also he entertained the fans with his “Garden mein jo ghoomega” comment during the Test series against England.

“I have been talking about this for a long time now. It’s about going there and putting that into work. Considering everything we played really well, adapted to the conditions. There’s a little bit of wind factor here, overall we are very smart, overall we were good with bat and ball. All eight batters need to play their role, whatever it is,” said Rohit after India’s victory.

“We saw one guy get 50 and we got 197, in T20 I don’t believe we need to get fifties and hundreds, what matters is the pressure you put on the bowlers. All the batters from the word go played like that and that’s how we want to play as well. There is a lot of experience in the squad and we back them,” he added.

Team India will now be squaring off against Australia in their next T20 World Cup 2024, Super 8 match on Monday.

Australia speedster Pat Cummins said that he had no idea he had accomplished the feat of becoming the second Australian bowler to score a hat-trick in T20 World Cups before it came on the screen. David Warner’s 34-ball fifty and Cummins’ hat-trick headlined Australia’s breezy 28-run victory over Bangladesh via DLS method in the rain-curtailed clash in the Super 8 match of the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Thursday (local time). The 31-year-old speedster scripted history in Antigua when he became the second Australian player and seventh overall to claim a hat-trick in an ICC T20 World Cup match.

The pacer, who returned to the team after a rest, now joins compatriot Brett Lee as the only Australian bowler to have taken a hat-trick in a Men’s T20 World Cup, after the legendary right-armer achieved the feat in 2007 — also coincidentally against Bangladesh.

The veteran pacer expressed his satisfaction at the post-match presentation for taking Hridoy’s wicket and limiting Bangladesh’s total to 140 runs.

“I had no idea, then saw when it came up on the screen. Set batter in, playing the innings, you never know how it’ll go about, so that was a big wicket (on Hridoy’s wicket) and happy to have restricted them,” Cummins said in a post-match presentation.

Cummins collected two quick scalps to end Australia’s 18th over and then removed Hridoy upon return to start over 20, completing the tournament’s first hat-trick. It capped off a strong fightback for Cummins with the ball, finishing with figures of 29/3 off his four overs.

The fast bowler spoke openly about the team’s bench strength, which comprises pacer Nathan Ellis and spinner Ashton Agar.

“Few hat-tricks in juniors, never for Australia. Ashton Agar and Nathan Ellis, on the bench, have hat-tricks and joined their club. It’s pretty awesome to tick that off. Good club to be part of,” he added.

The pacer stated that the team’s performance against Bangladesh was fairly polished, and their primary goal was to win.

“Fairly polished performance, the goal was to win and we did well with the run-rate, we’ll need to continue with the momentum going ahead in the Super 8s,” Cummins said.

The win propelled Australia to the top of Group 1 surpassing India on net run rate, and now the Aussies will meet Afghanistan on June 22.

Bangladesh vs Nepal, T20 World Cup 2024 LIVE Updates: Bangladesh Will Seal Super 8 Spot With Win© X (Twitter)

Dubai :

Former ICC Men’s T20 World Cup champions Sri Lanka find themselves in Group D alongside South Africa, Bangladesh, Netherlands and Nepal for the upcoming tournament. This group promises thrilling matches with rivals Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, South Africa and Netherlands pitted against one another. While Nepal gears up for their second appearance in the marquee event, the group boasts no clear-cut favourite with history bearing witness that each team carries the potential to beat the other. Let’s run through the teams in this group and what we can expect from them.

Bangladesh:

Bangladesh enters the T20 World Cup with a bit of uncertainty as they continue to look for their strongest XI. Experienced opener Litton Das has been out of form of late with an average of 13.16 this year in six matches. Although teammate Tawhid Hridoy is confident that Das will make a strong comeback in the tournament.

Another concern is the injury to vice-captain Taskin Ahmed and his fitness will be monitored prior to Bangladesh’s first contest against Sri Lanka on 7 June after he suffered a side strain before the final match of the recent series against Zimbabwe.

The Tigers have backed experience. Other than Das, they have former Bangladesh skippers Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan who can provide Najmul Hossain Shanto much-needed support as he undertakes his first ICC tournament as the new captain.

Squad:

Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Taskin Ahmed (Vice Captain), Litton Kumer Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmud Ullah Riyad, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanvir Islam, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib. Travelling reserves: Afif Hossain, Hasan Mahmud

Fixtures:

7 June: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, Dallas

10 June: South Africa vs Bangladesh, New York

13 June: Bangladesh vs Netherlands, St. Vincent

16 June: Bangladesh vs Nepal, St. Vincent

Players to watch out for:

In conditions that are expected to be slow with some assistance from spinners, Mustafizur Rahman’s skill set including deceptive off-cutters can turn out to be useful.

Mustafizur has time and again proven to be a match-winner for Bangladesh. His control in the middle overs and effectiveness in the final overs with a recovering Taskin Ahmed make him a priceless inclusion.

Nepal:

Nepal will feature a young side at the T20 World Cup, with 21-year-old Rohit Paudel leading the team as captain. Paudel’s recent form against West Indies A in the lead up to the tournament is a big positive with scores of 112, 71*, and 82 in the series.

Gulshan Jha, who appeared at the U19 World Cup earlier in the year, along with 19-year-old Pratis GC are the other young stars expected to bring fireworks.

Sompal Kami, the fast bowling all-rounder, is the sole player from Nepal’s inaugural 2014 squad to feature in the 2024 edition, with veteran Karan KC joining him as the team’s senior member.

This will mark Nepal’s second appearance in the tournament making them the least experienced side in the group.

Squad:

Rohit Paudel (c), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee

Fixtures:

4 June: Netherlands vs Nepal, Dallas

11 June: Sri Lanka vs Nepal, Florida

14 June: South Africa vs Nepal, St. Vincent

16 June: Bangladesh vs Nepal, St. Vincent

Players to watch out for:

The latest entrant in the six sixes club, Dipendra Singh Airee, comes in with a hard-hitting reputation. Dipendra bludgeoned six sixes in the ACC Men’s T20I Premier Cup clash against Qatar becoming only the third men’s player to do so in T20Is after Yuvraj Singh (2007) and Keiron Pollard (2021).

He also is the current record holder of the fastest T20I fifty. The right-handed batter achieved this feat in nine balls, breaking Yuvraj’s record of 12 deliveries.

The 24-year-old’s contribution in the middle overs can help Nepal put up a strong challenge in the group.

Netherlands:

The Netherlands have often brought the element of surprise in an ICC tournament. They have the edge over Proteas, beating them in the last two ICC Men’s tournaments – in the 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

They will face South Africa again on 8 June in New York with the aim to complete a hat-trick of wins. 20-year-old Michael Levitt has found a place in the absence of Colin Ackermann after an impressive hundred against Namibia earlier this year.

The Dutch have restored their core players for this edition with captain Scott Edwards, Bas de Leede, Logan van Beek, Max O’Dowd, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Vikram Singh and Wesley Barresi bringing the experience.

Squad:

Scott Edwards (c), Aryan Dutt, Bas de Leede, Daniel Doram, Fred Klaassen, Logan van Beek, Max O’Dowd, Michael Levitt, Paul van Meekeren, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Teja Nidamanuru, Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh, Viv Kingma, Wesley Barresi. Reserve: Kyle Klein

Fixtures:

4 June: Netherlands vs Nepal, Dallas

8 June: Netherlands vs South Africa, New York

13 June: Bangladesh vs Netherlands, St. Vincent

16 June: Sri Lanka vs Netherlands, St. Lucia

Players to watch out for:

Bas de Leede has been instrumental for the Netherlands with both bat and ball. For his impressive performance last year, de Leede was awarded with the ICC Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Year.

However, the 24-year-old all-rounder has played little T20I cricket of late, with his recent appearances in the tri-series with Scotland and Ireland being his first matches in the shortest format since 2022 at the most recent edition of the T20 World Cup. De Leede was one of the Netherlands’ best at the event where he finished as their leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps.

South Africa:

Perhaps the strongest side in this group and the tournament, South Africa have put together a strong squad.

The batting line-up consists of experienced Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Reeza Hendricks who can bludgeon bowling attacks with Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs promising to bring the spark of youth.

The fast-bowling department displays assurance with Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Marco Jansen and Ottniel Baartman. Meanwhile, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin complete the spin department.

However, the Proteas miss a genuine all-rounder in their line-up. Jansen has proven to be handy with the bat but primarily serves as their opening bowler.

The pressure will be on as Proteas hope to make their first appearance in a final of the Men’s T20 World Cup.

Squad:

Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs

Fixtures:

3 June: Sri Lanka vs South Africa, New York

8 June: Netherlands vs South Africa, New York

10 June: South Africa vs Bangladesh, New York

14 June: South Africa vs Nepal, St. Vincent

Players to watch out for:

The dangerous Heinrich Klaasen has been in top form since the start of this year. Across all T20 competitions, Klaasen has smashed 69 maximums in 25 matches from 25 matches.

Klaasen brings versatility. Not only can he keep wickets, but he also brings the ability to attack spin bowling with a strike rate of 159.09 against them in T20s. His performance in this year’s SA20 and the IPL has confirmed that he can play the explosive middle-order batter role to perfection.

Sri Lanka:

Wanindu Hasaranga will undertake his first major assignment as the newly appointed Sri Lanka. The Lions have struck a balance with a unit that checks most boxes.

Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, and Dhananjaya De Silva compose a firm batting group. Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka bring experience as seam-bowling all-rounders with captain Hasaranga and Dunith Wellalage as the spin-bowling all-rounders.

Maheesh Theekshana is expected to share spin duties with Hasaranga equally. Dilshan Madushanka’s bowling prowess in the Powerplay will be lethal to deal with Matheesha Pathirana to take care of the final overs with Dushmantha Chameera, and Nuwan Thushara completing the pace attack.

Squad:

Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka. Traveling Reserves: Asitha Fernando, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Janith Liyanage

Fixtures:

3 June: Sri Lanka vs South Africa, New York

7 June: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, Dallas

11 June: Sri Lanka vs Nepal, Florida

16 June: Sri Lanka vs Netherlands, St. Lucia

Players to watch out for:

A bowler who can deliver every ball at over 145 kmph with a lethal yorker in his arsenal – Matheesha Pathirana will be a headache for most batters, especially in the death overs.

Pathirana’s recent exploits at the Indian Premier League (IPL) have added to his reputation as a dangerous pacer despite only having played six T20Is. In only six games for Chennai in IPL 2024, the death-specialist 13 wickets with an economy rate of 7.68.

Although he returned midway through the IPL season with a hamstring injury, Pathirana has been named in the squad and is expected to be fit in time.

A Bangladesh fan was seen beating himself up with a shoe at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.© X (Twitter)