T20 Series

India's clean slate of wins over Pakistan in T20 World Cups was shattered when Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan chased down 151/7 comfortably, after left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi's burst through the Indian top-order in 2021.

Lee said almost a year back, Australia were the underdogs, bereft of "form" and "struggling", but they won their maiden T20 World Cup title in the UAE in 2021, adding that with every player a match-winner, they could once again do it in front of the home crowd.

England are strong contenders for the T20 World Cup after their campaign was halted abruptly in the semifinal of the 2021 edition in the UAE by New Zealand. "England's strongest player is their captain, Jos Buttler, and he has a terrible record against Rashid Khan. If he turns over Jos (Buttler) early in the game, I think it's going to cause a big headache for England," Morgan was quoted as saying by ICC.

A clash between the two giant Asian cricket-playing countries at a World Cup venue arouses passion, not only on the field but also off it. Cricket fever engulfs the huge following of both the nations and winning is all that matters finally. The rivalry between players is only on the field as cricketers respect each other immensely. However, the match has that oomph factor in which mental strength plays an important factor for all the players involved.

In the lead-up to the India-Pakistan marquee clash in the ICC T20 World Cup at Melbourne on Sunday, we look at the battle between India batting great Sunil Gavaskar and Pakistan's inspirational all-rounder Imran Khan, which upped the excitement factor among the cricket fans.

Smith was a member of the squad that won the T20 World Cup last year but has struggled for form since then, losing out his spot to the likes of Cameron Green. He has struggled for runs in the three-match series in India and at home against England.

However, former India opener Aakash Chopra believes PCB may not stand firm on its announcement and will definitely send their team to India for the 50-over World Cup. He said he can 'give in writing' that India won't travel to Pakistan for next year's Asia Cup and also Pakistan will definitely come to India to play in the ODI World Cup.

As per PCB, the decision was taken with the view to get more preparation for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, which is set to be played in the West Indies and the USA in 2024. "The Pakistan Cricket Board and Cricket West Indies have agreed to postpone the three-match T20I series, which was due to take place in January 2023 in Pakistan, to the first quarter of 2024," the PCB said in a statement.

Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday endorsed the 29-year-old Cummins, who guided Australia to a 4-0 Ashes triumph earlier this year, to become the country's 27th ODI captain.

Mohammed Shami, bowling for the first time since July and after missing out on bilateral T20Is against Australia and South Africa, took three wickets in an over where Australia lost last four scalps as India won the match narrowly by six runs. What would please India more was Shami bowling to pin-point yorkers on the last two balls to castle Josh Inglis and Kane Richardson.