Sport
Excitement grows over possible India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup final
The prospect of a mouth-watering final between India and Pakistan at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has everyone excited.
India and Pakistan successfully navigated different paths to the final four on a highly-fluctuating final day of Super 12 action on Sunday and now could be on track to meet in the T20 World Cup final if they each win their difficult semi-final match-ups.
Rohit Sharma’s side takes on England in Adelaide on Thursday in a battle between the top two teams on the T20I Team Rankings, while Pakistan will have to conquer in-form New Zealand at the SCG on Wednesday if they are to reach the title decider.
Pakistan’s chances of even reaching the semi-finals looked forlorn at the start of the day on Sunday, but the Netherlands’ upset victory over South Africa provided Babar Azam’s side the opportunity to clinch an unlikely semi-final berth.
A hard-fought five-wicket victory over Bangladesh helped Pakistan clinch the last spot in the semis and Watson believes the chances of a rematch of their meeting at the MCG at the start of the tournament and a dream final between the two biggest rivals in cricket now looms as a strong possibility.
“Everyone would love to see Pakistan and India in the final,” an excited Watson said at the SCG on Monday.
“I unfortunately missed that first (Super 12) game at the MCG, as I commentated the game previously between Australia and New Zealand.
“But from all reports, all the people that went along to that game said it was something very special and the game was obviously an amazing game to watch on TV as well.
“They played in the T20 World Cup final in 2007 and everyone would love to see it again.”
Afghan cricket fans can tune in to all the excitement as matches are being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
For the broadcast schedule CLICK HERE
Afghanistan A was defeated by Sri Lanka A with a margin of four wickets in the ongoing 50-over tri-nation cricket series.
The match was held on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Afghanistan had previously lost one match against Ireland and another against Sri Lanka in this series.
Batting first, the Afghan team set a target of 229 runs after losing eight wickets.
In response, Sri Lanka A chased down the target, losing six wickets.
Afghanistan’s U19 cricket team has officially qualified for the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2026, following the final day washout in the Asia Qualifiers.
After securing three big wins in their first three games, today’s match against Nepal U19s was washed out. Thanks to their superior Net Run Rate, Afghanistan U19s topped the table and book their berth in the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2026, which will take place early next year in Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Afghanistan’s national under-19 cricket team defeated the United Arab Emirates by 180 runs on Wednesday, maintaining their unbeaten streak in the group stage at the ICC Men’s U19 CWC Asia Qualifiers.
In this match, Afghanistan scored 359 runs for the loss of only 4 wickets at the end of 50 overs.
This marks Afghanistan’s third consecutive victory in the regional group stage.
Previously, they had defeated Hong Kong and Oman by 8 wickets each.
Afghanistan is set to face the host nation, Nepal, on Saturday (April 19) in what will be their final group-stage match.
The winner of that game is likely to secure a spot in the 2026 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup.
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