Pace bowler Mitchell Starc and allrounders Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis withdrew Wednesday from Australia’s tour to India because of injuries and will instead prepare at home for the Twenty20 World Cup title defense. Starc played a leading role in Australia’s one-day international series wins over Zimbabwe and top-ranked New Zealand in north Queensland state over the last month but has complained of a knee problem. Stoinis withdrew from the last ODI against New Zealand because of a side strain and Marsh missed the series because of an injured ankle. Read: Bangladesh’s new target is 2024 T20 World Cup, says Nazmul They will be replaced in the squad by Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams and Sean Abbott for the three T20 internationals on Sept. 20, 23 and 25. “Selectors felt with three games in six days across three cities, including travel to India and internally, Marsh, Stoinis and Starc are best served remaining in Australia to prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” Cricket Australia said in a statement. Opening batter David Warner had already been rested from the tour. Aaron Finch retired from one-day cricket after last Sunday’s win over New Zealand but will continue to lead the Australian T20 squad for the India series and the World Cup, which starts with first-round matches on Oct. 16. Read: 6 must watch T20I series before ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2022 “He’ll certainly enjoy having these games in India, he enjoys batting there,” allrounder Glenn Maxwell said Wednesday. “He was brilliant with the strategy side of things — it’s a very underrated thing in T20. “Don’t discount his value as captain.” India is ranked No. 1 in T20 cricket and Australia has slipped to sixth, despite winning the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last year. Australia will start its title defense in a final rematch against New Zealand on Oct. 22 in Sydney. India will open the World Cup against arch-rival Pakistan on Oct. 23.

The seventh edition of the T20 World Cup was postponed for a year due to the coronavirus. India was slated to host the event, but because of a massive outbreak of covid-19 in India, it will now be hosted by the UAE and Oman. The ICC has already announced the fixtures of the tournament. Interestingly, India and Pakistan are both placed in the same group of Super 12 round. The arch-rivals will go head-to-head in their Opening Encounter in Dubai on 24th October. The possibilities of India and Pakistan winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 have been discussed in this article. What are the chances of India winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2021? India are one of the favorite teams to win the seventh edition of the Twenty20 World Cup, which will begin in mid-October. India now have some good Twenty20 players by virtue of the IPL (franchise based T20 league). So, we should expect a well-balanced squad from India for the next mega event. India have one of the finest batting lineups in the world. Led by flamboyant skipper Virat Kohli, India have power hitters Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishab Pant, and Hardik Pandya in their lineup. They are capable of scoring swiftly against any opponent in the world. So, India will have no problem scoring runs in this tournament. Read Mushfiqur, Liton return as Bangladesh announce squad for NZ T20Is India have a diverse bowling attack that can unsettle any batting lineup in the world. Bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yuzvendra Chahal are all good in the T20 format. You may expect them to flourish for India in the competition. India would be a difficult team to beat if they can establish their groove early in the tournament. India have failed to reach the final of any ICC limited-overs event since 2011. Can India win a limited-overs World Cup for the first time in ten years? Five important players of India Virat Kohli (batsman), Rohit Sharma (batsman), Hardik Pandya (All-rounder), Yuzvendra Chahal (Spinner), Jasprit Bumrah (medium-pacer) Probable Squad of India Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-Keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (Wicket-Keeper), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah  Read ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021: Who Are Favourites? What are the chances of Pakistan winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2021? Pakistan are one of the world's best limited-overs national teams. They have some talented players in the Twenty20 format. We should expect them to go all out for the big tournament. Pakistan may be one of the top contenders to win the ICC T20 World Cup this year if they can maintain consistency throughout the tournament. Pakistan's premier batsman Captain Babar Azam is ranked among the best batters in the ICC rankings across all formats. Pakistan's batting lineup also includes Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafiz, and Shoaib Malik. These players have a lot of experience on the international stage and they know how to win big trophies. Read BAN vs. NZ 2021: Notable T20I Records Between Bangladesh and New Zealand Pakistan have always produced great fast bowlers, and the current side has a few dangerous pacers as well. Shaheen Shah Afridi has established himself as Pakistan's premier strike bowler over the last two years. Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Nawaz are all capable of upsetting the batting lineups of the opponent. Pakistan will be a deadly side in the upcoming tournament if they can find their best form. Pakistan's lone T20 World Cup triumph came in 2009. Will Pakistan win its second Twenty20 World Cup in November? Five important players of Pakistan Babar Azam (batsman), Mohammad Rizwan (Wicket-keeper & batsman), Mohammad Hafeez (all-rounder), Shoaib Malik (all-rounder), Hasan Ali(medium-pacer) Read ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021: Bangladesh Cricket Team’s Full Schedule Probable Squad of Pakistan Babar Azam (Captain), Mohammad Rizwan (Wicket-Keeper), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sharjeel Khan, Haider Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Qadir, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal Verdict After assessing both sides' squad depths, it is clear that India and Pakistan are the two strong contenders for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. The two teams will meet in the Super 12 stage's opening match of Group 2 on October 24. In that match, we will be able to see how competitive they are with one another. Whoever win their first match will have a greater belief in their own capabilities. Both India and Pakistan's players are expected to give it their all in this blockbuster contest. Read T20 World Cup: Bangladesh to take on Scotland on opening day

Abahani Limited won the title of the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Divison Twenty20 Cricket League beating Prime Bank Cricket Club by eight runs on Saturday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. It was Abahani’s record 21st title of Dhaka’s top-flight cricket event, and three in a row.  Ahead of this game, both Abahani and Prime Bank had equal points, and thus, their last match on the Super League stage became a final. Abahani won the toss and opted to bat first. They posted a challenging total of 150 runs for seven in 20 overs. In later, wrapped up Prime Bank for 142 for nine in 20 overs, and won the game by eight runs.  Mohammad Saifuddin, the right-handed pacer and left-handed batsman, starred in this match scoring 21 off 13 balls and taking four wickets conceding 36 runs in four overs.  Also read: Abahani seal top spot beating Prime Doleshwar Prime Bank’s Alok Kapali remained unbeaten for 34 off 17 deliveries, but his effort went in vain as Shahidul Islam defended 16 runs off the last over.  Prime Bank needed 55 runs in the last 30 balls to lift the title against, but they only could manage 46 runs.  In the last two overs, Prime Bank needed 32 runs. Alok hit Saifuddin for a six and four to score 16 runs, and they needed 16 off the last over.  The first ball was as high as his shoulder, but the leg-umpire refused to call it a no-ball. Alok looked unhappy, and off the last five balls, he only managed seven runs.  Rubel Mia was the highest runs getter for Prime Bank scoring 41, but he faced as many as 43 balls. His slow batting eventually led Prime Bank to the dire need to score quickly at the late of the order.  Saifuddin was tremendous with the ball. Despite conceding nine runs per over, he picked up wickets in crucial times. Mehedi Hasan Rana also did well with the ball taking two wickets. Also read: Abahani, Prime Bank, Prime Doleshwar in Pole Position to Win DPL T20 2021 Earlier, Abahani lost their first wickets before adding any run on the board. Inside the first two overs, they lost both their openers— Mohammad Naim and Munim Shahriar— for 0 and 3 respectively.  Liton Das, one of the mainstays of Abahani, in the absence of Mushfiqur Rahim, also failed to do well as he fell for 19. But in the fourth-wicket stand, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mosaddek Hossain added 70 runs. Shanto scored 45 off 40 while Mosaddek added 40 off 39 balls.  Coming into bat at seven, Saifuddin posted 21 off 13 balls with two sixes. He helped Abahani touched the 150-run mark.  For this all-round performance, Saifuddin won the player of the match award.  Saifuddin ended up Dhaka League scalping 26 wickets in 16 matches with the best of taking four wickets conceding 18 runs. He also did well with the bat scoring 94 runs at the strike rate of 138.26. He batted at the late order in most of the matches. 

Shykat Ali and Nurul Hasan Sohan played remarkably well with the bat to guide Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club to the first win of the Super League match in Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Twenty20 Cricket League on Sunday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Sheikh Jamal won the toss and sent Prime Bank Cricket Club to bat first, who posted 164 for three in 20 overs. In reply, Sheikh Jamal scored 165 for three in 18.1 overs and won the game by seven wickets at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Despite losing the opener Mohammad Ashraful for only five, Shykat led the charge hitting 60 off 36 balls with six fours and three sixes. Also read: Who is the favorite to win DPL T20 Cricket League? In the second-wicket stand, Shykat and Imrul Kayes added 100 runs, with Imrul scoring 44 off 40 balls with two fours and as many as sixes. Along the way, Shykhat hit his fifty off 28 balls with a six, which eventually earned him the player of the match award. In the last 30 balls, Sheikh Jamal needed 48 runs. Also read: DPL Super League: First day's play washed out Sohan hit 44 off 17 balls with four sixes and two fours to end the remaining job for his team. Sheikh Jamal eventually ended up the game with 11 balls to play, with Sohan and Tanbir Hyder remained unbeaten for 44 and seven respectively. Earlier, Mohammad Mithun scored 67 off 42 balls with seven fours and two sixes. Raqibul Hasan was the second-highest runs-getter for Prime Bank. The first match of the Super League— between Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club and Gazi Group Cricketers— which was scheduled to take place on Sunday morning, was washed out due to the rain. This match is now set to take place on June 22 at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

The Super League phase of the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Twenty20 Cricket League is all set to begin Saturday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium without the two most senior national team players – Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal. Shakib left Dhaka for the US early Friday to spend time with his family; Tamim has suffered a leg injury throughout the league. Both Shakib and Tamim's teams – Mohammedan Sporting Club, and Prime Bank Cricketers – have qualified for the Super League. Masuduzzaman, the chair of the cricket committee of Mohammedan, said: "Shakib asked for permission to skip the Super League to spend time with his family in the US. Respecting his decision, we approved his leave." Also read: Shakib banned for three matches, fined Tk 5 lakh Tamim said: "I have been suffering from a leg injury and discussed my condition with the medical team of the board. They told me to rest for a while. Since we have a long series in Zimbabwe, I think I have to be better prepared than I'm right now. So I think I should skip the Super League." Super League lineup Prime Bank Cricket Club topped the points table with the most wins in the initial phase of the league, which consists of 11 rounds. The table-toppers won nine matches and the number two team Abahani eight. Prime Doleshwar, Gazi Group Cricketers, Mohammedan Sporting Club and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club are the other teams of the Super League. On Saturday, three matches will take place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium where Doleshwar will face Gazi Group at 9am. In the second match, Prime Bank will play against Sheikh Jamal at 2pm while Abhani will take on Mohammedan at 6:30pm. All the matches will be telecast live on GTV and T Sports. Also read: Tamim fined for breaching ICC Code of Conduct against Sri Lanka The second, third, fourth and fifth rounds of the Super League will be played on June 20, 22, 23 and 25 at the same venue. Three teams – Legends of Rupganj, Old DOHS Sports Club and Partex Sporting Club – who hit the rock bottom in the points table – will take on each other once in the relegation round, which will also begin on June 19 at BKSP. The toppers of the relegation league will get the chance to play the next Dhaka League directly, but the other two teams will be relegated to the first division, and they will need to end it as the champions or runners-up to play the next edition of Dhaka League.