Cricket Live Line

The main tournament will happen in England and Wales in June and July. It will include ten teams competing for four places in the actual World Cup. So far, only five teams have been confirmed to take part in the qualifier. Thailand and Nepal qualified through the Asia qualifiers. The USA came through the Americas qualifiers. Bangladesh and Ireland have already been confirmed for the qualifier after taking part in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Two teams each from Africa and Europe and one team from the East Asia-Pacific region will fill the remaining five spots. There will be additional regional qualifiers to choose these teams. There will be two groups of five from the ten teams. The top six teams from each group will move on to the Super Six round, which is before the final match. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, ten teams took part. In 2026, twelve teams will compete for the first time. New Zealand is the defending champion after defeating South Africa in last year’s final.

Bumrah, who has been one of the standout performers in the series so far, will be rested for the concluding Test at Old Trafford. The Indian team management, in consultation with medical and support staff, has chosen to prioritize his long-term fitness with major tournaments such as the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and upcoming international tours on the horizon. A Strategic Call Sources close to the Indian team suggest that Bumrah’s absence is not due to any injury but rather a well-planned workload management strategy. With the pacer already having bowled extensive spells in the earlier tests and having featured consistently in all formats since his return from injury last year, this rest is seen as a preventive step. “Bumrah has been in top form, but keeping the long season ahead in mind, the medical team advised rest to avoid overexertion,” a BCCI official stated. Impact on Team India Bumrah’s absence will certainly be felt by the Indian team. His ability to extract movement, gen...

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has downplayed any long-term prospects of his current role as an opener in the national side, stating that he is merely “warming Travis Head’s seat” while the regular opener recovers. Maxwell opened the innings in Australia’s recent T20 series, performing admirably, but insists that his stint at the top of the order is a short-term arrangement. Maxwell's comments came after his recent performances in the T20I format, where he showcased explosive batting at the top. While fans and pundits speculated whether the veteran could cement his place as an opener ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, Maxwell was quick to clarify his position. "It’s not a permanent spot. I’m just holding it for Heady [Travis Head] until he’s back,” Maxwell said. “We all know how well he’s been playing over the last year, and there’s no doubt he walks straight back into this side.” Maxwell's humility and team-first approach reflect the depth and versatility of Aus...

Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), announced the tournament dates earlier this week. He shared the details during the ACC’s annual general meeting in Dhaka on Thursday. The tournament will be played in the T20I format, similar to the T20 World Cup, and will include eight teams, which is two more than the previous edition. Group A includes the host nation, the United Arab Emirates, along with India, Pakistan, and Oman. Group B will feature Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, while Group C will consist of Afghanistan and Hong Kong. In the second stage of the tournament, the top two teams from each group will move on to a new four-team group, and the top two teams from that group will compete in the final on September 28. The Asia Cup was a major topic at the ACC’s annual general meeting in Dhaka. After a military clash between India and Pakistan in May, there were concerns about the tournament’s future. However, Naqvi discussed the d...

Bracewell is currently in Zimbabwe as a member of the T20I team, but he was initially unable to play in the two-Test series because of his obligations with the Southern Brave in The Hundred. He was an obvious choice to cover Phillips’s void, according to Rob Walter, the head coach of New Zealand. According to Walter, Michael is the closest like-for-like substitute for Glenn, whose injury created a void in the Test squad. We will be able to maintain the same squad balance thanks to Michael’s experience and skill set. We’re taking advantage of the fact that he’s here with the T20 team and that his availability coincides with the first Test. We’ll decide whether to replace him for the second test when we pass the first one. In order to participate in The Hundred, Bracewell will return to the Southern Brave following the first Test.

On the opening day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Rishabh Pant suffered a serious foot injury that forced him to withdraw injured and get scans, leaving India hoping for a miracle. Rishabh Pant inside-edged an attempted reverse sweep off Chris Woakes onto his right (front) foot, causing his foot to swell and giving him a pained appearance. His immediate swelling and incapacity to bear any weight on the foot were concerning signs for India, but he survived the LBW shout and the review that followed. India's vice-captain and wicketkeeper, Pant, needs a golf-style cart to help him leave the field after receiving on-field medical care. Captain Shubman Gill visited him at the ground medical center after he was transferred there, and he later had scans at a hospital. Although England spinner Liam Dawson expressed his best wishes for Pant, he "can't see him playing much more part in this game." The pain his partner was in was explained by B. Sai Sudharsan, who was...

Shubman Gill said that when England captain Ben Stokes took his fourth consecutive win and put India in to bat, the combination of a good batting pitch and poor overhead conditions made it a "good toss to lose" in Manchester. No team has ever won a Test match after choosing to bowl at Old Trafford, but Stokes believes his team can break that record. "There are pretty decent overhead conditions for bowling," he stated at the toss. A typical Manchester pitch has some grass cover and is quite firm. He hopes they can use it well this morning. India made three changes, two of them were forced, and gave Anshul Kamboj, a seamer for the Chennai Super Kings and Haryana, his Test debut. After failing to score 40 in the first three tests, Karun Nair is replaced at No. 3 by Sai Sudharsan, while Shardul Thakur and Kamboj take the place of Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who are injured. As India lost their 14th straight toss in all men's internationals, Gill sai...