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Asian Games 2023 Men’s Hockey: When & Where to watch Blockbuster clash between India & Pakistan

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan are all set to square-off at the Asian Games 2023 men’s hockey tournament at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China on Saturday.

Clubbed in the same group, India, world No. 3, currently leads the Pool A standings ahead of Pakistan, the 15th-ranked team globally. Both the sides have three wins from three games however, the Men In Blue lead the charts on goal difference.

The Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian team kicked-off their campaign in a dominating fashion as they outclassed Uzbekistan 16-0 and followed it up with a 16-1 thrashing of Singapore. Later on Thursday, India underwent a tough test at the showpiece event against the 2018 Asian Games gold medallists Japan but came out with a 4-2 victory to keep their winning streak alive.

On Saturday, another thrilling contest is on cards when the two arch-rivals lock horns in a neutral venue.

The two sides last met at the Asian Champions Trophy in August, where India thrashed their neighbours Pakistan 4-0.

Since 2013, both the sides have faced each other in 24 matches, of which India have won a whopping 16 while Pakistan have managed to win in just five occassions while three games ended in a draw.

Speaking ahead the much-awaited clash against Pakistan, India captain Harmanpreet Singh said that his team has learned valuable lessons from their matches so far in the tournament, which will help them against their neighbours.

“It has been a good start for us in the tournament so far, but the most important aspect so far is that with each opponent, we have learnt new things about our gameplay and about how we can improve our game. We have remained unbeaten, which gives us confidence going into our game against Pakistan that we are in good shape and rhythm, and now it is just about maintaining the momentum and implementing the lessons that we are learning every day,” Harmanpreet said.

Harmanpreet also spoke about the mood in the dressing room ahead of the much-awaited clash and said the team is looking to maintain its winning run in Hangzhou.

“There is always excitement in the dressing room whenever there is a match against Pakistan. The fans are always the loudest and make their voices heard. Pakistan have a solid team that has been doing really well, so we know we also have to be at our best against them to get a win. We are motivated by the results so far and we are eager to maintain our winning streak in the tournament,” he said.

Here are all the details of the blockbuster clash between India & Pakistan in men’s hockey Pool A match:

When will the India vs Pakistan men’s hockey match be played at the Asian Games 2023?

The India vs Pakistan match will be played at 6:15pm IST on September 30, 2023.

Where will the India vs Pakistan match be played at the Asian Games 2023?

The India vs Pakistan match will be played at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium in Hangzhou, China.

Where to watch the IND vs PAK match on TV?

The match will be broadcast on the Sony Sports Network.
Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 1 HD, Sony Sports Ten 2, Sony Sports Ten 2 HD, Sony Sports Ten 3, Sony Sports Ten 3 HD, Sony Sports Ten 4, Sony Sports Ten 4 HD, Sony Sports Ten 5, and Sony Sports Ten 5 HD TV are the channels to live telecast the clash.

Where can we live stream the match?

The match will be live streamed on the SonyLiv app and website.

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ICC announces star-studded commentary panel for 2023 ODI World Cup

With just few days left for the much-awaited Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 to begin, the ICC on Friday announced a star-studded panel of commentators for the marquee event, set to be played in India from October 5.

As per the global body, some of the most recognisable voices in the game will bring the World Cup 2023 to life by gracing ICC.tv’s coverage of the event, giving the fans an unforgettable experience. The coverage of the matches in the showpiece event will include a pre-match show, an innings interval programme and a post-match wrap-up.

As per the ICC, Australia World Cup-winning captain Ricky Ponting and former England skipper Eoin Morgan will join the coverage anf will be supported by other World Cup winners like Shane Watson, Lisa Sthalekar, Ramiz Raja, Ravi Shastri, Aaron Finch, Sunil Gavaskar and Matthew Hayden.

“The commentary box will mark the return of Nasser Hussain, Ian Smith and Ian Bishop, who called the memorable 2019 World Cup final between England and New Zealand,” the ICC stated.

Many other former international players and former captains like Waqar Younis, Shaun Pollock, Anjum Chopra and Michael Atherton will also be in action from the commentary box.

The panel will be rounded off some of the leading broadcasters in the world who have had their fair share of iconic calls, including Harsha Bhogle, Kass Naidoo, Mark Nicholas, Natalie Germanos, Mark Howard and Ian Ward.

The marquee event begin with a repeat of the 2019 World Cup final between New Zealand and England in Ahmedabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium while the title clash will also be played at the same venue on November 19. 

Notably, the tournament will be conducted in the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches.

The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held in at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai and the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 15 & 16 respectively.

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India vs England, ODI World Cup 2023 Warm-Up: All you need to know

After lifting the 2023 Asia Cup trophy and beating Australia in an home ODI home series, Team India is gearing up for their first warm-up match ahead of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The Men In Blue have been in sensational form in recent time and will aim to replicate the same in the marquee tournament to lift the ODI World Cup trophy for the third time in history.

Ahead of the main tournament, the warm-up matches will be of massive importance as these games will hand the opportunity to test every player in the squad before begining the campaign.

India will take on defending champions England in the first of the two warm-up matches on September 30 at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati at 2 PM IST. England team, which already landed in the North-Eastern Indian city of Guwahati on Friday, will be led by Jos Buttler.

The defending champions will be bossted by the return of ace all-rounder Ben Stokes, who recently reversed his ODI retirement to take part in the showpiece event.

Here’s all you need to know about the game:

Pitch Report:

The wicket at the Barsapara Stadium is known as a batting-friendly surface and it is expected to play the  same during the ODI World Cup warm-up game. The pitch will be providing a good bounce, making it easier for the batters to time their shots. Meanwhile, bowlers can make also pick wickets by hitting the right spots while the spinners will be effective in the latter half of each innings.

Weather:

The weather in Guwahati is expected to remain mostly overcast on Saturday and unfortunately, there is a 70 percent chance of rain in the evening due to which the contest can witness some interruptions. Meanwhile, the temperature is likley to hover around 26 degrees Celsius to 34 degrees Celsius while the humidity is anticipated to be around 76-92 percent.

The wind speed is expected to be around 5-10 km/h during the game.

What time will the India vs England ODI World Cup 2023 warm-up match begin?

The warm-up game will begin at 2:00 PM IST while the toss is scheduled for 1:30 PM.

Where to watch the India vs England ODI World Cup 2023 warm-up match on television in India?

The ODI World Cup 2023 warm-up match will be live-telecasted on the Star Sports Network.

Where to watch the online streaming of the warm-up match between India and England?

The warm-up affair can be streamed on the Disney+Hotstar app and website for free.

India Full Squad:

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav

England Full Squad:

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes

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Zaka Asraf delighted over Pakistan team’s ‘fantastic’ reception in India

Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf on Friday termed Pakistan’s cricket team reception in India ahead of World Cup 2023 as “fantastic”, and said that the warm welcome by Indian fans reflects the love people (Indian and Pakistani) have for “each other’s players”.

Issuing a statement, Ashraf said: “Whenever India and Pakistan step onto the cricket field, they emerge as traditional rivals but not as enemies.”

He further hoped that the Pakistan team “would receive the same warmth” throughout the marquee event and accentuated that the Men In Green have “always received a warm and cordial welcome” just as the Indian cricket teams visiting his nation were welcomed.

“Cricket is a sport that has always played a bridging role between the two nations, and cricketers from both countries have remained popular in and well-loved by fans in both India and Pakistan,” the PCB chief said.

Ashraf meanwhile, also stressed that cricket between the two nations is “more significant” and becomes the “centre of global attention” when compared to other contests in the sport.

Expressing his hope that the Indian team will visit Pakistan soon, Ashraf revealed his desire for the restoration of bilateral cricket between the two nations which will give millions of cricket fans from both nations to watch the contest live.

Notably, the Pakistan were greeted warmly by Indian fans at the Hyderabad airport on their arrival. The Pakistani contingent, comprising 18 players and 13-player support personnel, had landed at the Hyderabad airport on Wednesday around 8 pm.

Expressing his excitement upon arrival, ace Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi posted about the welcome saying: “Great welcome thus far!”

Pakistan’s schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:

October 6 — vs Netherlands in Hyderabad

October 10 — vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad

October 14 — vs India in Ahmedabad

October 20 — vs Australia in Bengaluru

October 23 — vs Afghanistan in Chennai

October 27 — vs South Africa in Chennai

October 31 — vs Bangladesh in Kolkata

November 4 — vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)

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Shakib Al Hasan sustains injury; misses warm-up games vs Sri Lanka

Bangladesh has suffered a massive blow ahead of the Men’s ODI World Cup in India as skipper Shakib Al Hasan has reportedly injured his foot.

The star all-rounder on Friday missed the warm-up game against Sri Lanka at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Before the game, Hasan didn’t came out for the toss as Mehidy Hasan Miraz took over the charge in the warm-up game.

As per a report of RevSportz, Shakib sustained an injury during the training session on Thursday and is expected to miss the next warm-up game too. He could also miss the team’s campaign opener against Afghanistan on October 7.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first in the warm-up match on Friday.
“We wouldn’t have batted first. We have prepared for a couple of months and it has been a good opportunity for the players playing the World Cup. We have a few changes today, lots of guys resting,” Mehidy Hasan said at the toss.

Recently, Shakib had revealed that he is planning to play for couple of more years before retiring from international cricket. He had said that he will walk away after the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

While his ODI and T20I retirements are still distant, Shakib may hang his boots from Test cricket anytime after the 2023 ODI World Cup.

“The 2025 Champions Trophy for ODIs and the 2024 T20 World Cup for T20Is. Tests may be sooner. Maybe (after ODI WC). I will retire all at once, but I will stop playing each format one by one. I will announce my retirement after the 2025 Champions Trophy,” Shakib was quoted as espn

Meanwhile, the 36-year-old had also suggested that he will step down as Bangladesh skipper after the 2023 ODI World Cup.

“Given the current reality, I am captain only till the World Cup. Not a day more. I resigned from the captaincy on the 17th (September). I informed Papon bhai (Nazmul Hassan) and emailed the CEO that I don’t want to be the captain,” he said.

Bangladesh World Cup Squad:

Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das(w), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Mahedi Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Hasan Mahmud, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam

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Bank of Baroda hosts All India Public Sector T20 Cricket Tournament 2023

Bank of Baroda (Bank), one of India’s leading public sector banks and the winner of the All India Public Sector Cricket Tournament 2022, is set to host the prestigious All India Public Sector Cricket Tournament for the fiscal year 2023-24 in collaboration with the All India Public Sector Sports Control Board (AIPSSCB).

Rajkumar Sharma, Dronacharya Awardee & childhood coach of Virat Kohli, graced the event with his presence. This highly anticipated cricket event is scheduled to take place from September 28 to October 4, 2023 featuring T20 matches. The tournament was inaugurated by Lalit Tyagi, Executive Director, Bank of Baroda.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Rakesh Sharma, General Manager, New Delhi Zone, Bank of Baroda said: “Bank of Baroda is privileged to host the prestigious All India Public Sector Cricket Tournament 2023-24 in collaboration with the All India Public Sector Sports Control Board. This event not only promises exhilarating cricket but also promotes a culture of sportsmanship and talent development within Public Sector Undertakings. Through this tournament, we endeavour to nurture emerging talent, strengthen inter-corporate bonds, and positively influence the corporate sports landscape in India thus embodying the spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie in a highly competitive business environment.”
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Bank of Baroda, the current defending champion will host this year’s event under the aegis of the AIPSSCB. A total of 32 matches will be played between 13 teams at the magnificent Eventeneurs Sports Ground in Gurugram. Fans will have the opportunity to watch the tournament at the venue or virtually through a live streaming via Sports Oodles.

The 13 teams participating this year are: Bank of Baroda, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), Coal India Limited (CIL), Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Food Corporation of India (FCI), Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd (NLC India Limited), Oriental Insurance Corporation Limited (OIC), Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Union Bank of India (UBI).

The All India Public Sector Sports Control Board (AIPSSCB) is the apex body for the promotion of sports activities among Public Sector Undertakings. AIPSSCB promotes sports activities among Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). The T20 Cricket Tournament is organised every year and is hosted by the winner of the previous year’s tournament.

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Williamson ruled out of New Zealand’s campaign opener against England

New Zealand will miss the services of their regular skipper and ace batter Kane Williamson when they kick-off their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign against defending champions England in Ahmedabad on October 5.

Notably, Williamson is yet to fully recover from the knee injury he suffered during this year’s IPL. The New Zealand team management are in no mood to risk the veteran batter for the rigours of international cricket.

Williamson, 33, hurt his knee while fielding during the IPL 2023 opener between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in April this year. Since that injury, the Kiwi skipper hasn’t featured in any competitive cricket.

However, Williamson is playing today’s warm-up game against Pakistan in Hyderabad but will only bat.

“Right from the start we’ve taken a long-term view on Kane’s return to play,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said on Friday.

“His recovery is tracking well and it’s now a matter of making sure he can cope with the rigours and intensity of international cricket. We’ll continue to take a day by day approach to Kane’s rehabilitation and certainly won’t be putting any pressure on him to return before he is ready,” he added.

Williamson was included in New Zealand’s 15-member squad despite his injury with the team management hopefull of him to attain full fit during the marquee event.

Before leaving for India for the 2023 World Cup, Williamson had said he’s feeling better than before.

“It’s just wanting to progress [with] what I am doing now – the running, the fielding, and also time in the middle with the bat. The load is going to keep increasing, so there is a little bit of an unknown. But it has felt pretty good really in the last few weeks, [I’m] hoping it continues to feel like that. But we’re definitely looking to touch on more stuff, [and] introducing myself into the game mode, which is something which we haven’t had the opportunity to do,” Williamson had said.

The BlackCaps, who finished as runners-up in 2019 edition of the ODI World Cup, will be up against defending champions England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the tournament opener on October 5.

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Ashwin replaces Axar in India’s 15-member squad

Ace India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has replaced Axar Patel in India’s final 15-man squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday.

Notably, Ashwin had impressed everyone on his return to ODI cricket in the recently concluded three-match series against Australia.

The veteran spinner was also a part of the 2011 and 2015 editions of the World Cup. In the  2015 ODI World Cup, held in Australia, Ashwin had scalped 13 wickets from eight matches, helping India to reach the semi-final.

Earlier, left-arm spinner Axar was part of the prelimary squad for the marquee tournament but will now miss out his second consecutive ODI World Cup after sustaining a left quadriceps strain during India’s Asia Cup Super Four game against Bangladesh.

During the recently concluded three-match home ODI series against Australia, Ashwin picked up four wickets in two games. Meanwhile, Axar was also named conditionally in the India squad for the third and final ODI in Rajkot subject to his fitness. He however, missed the match which the hosts lost by 66 runs.

Notably, the Rohit Sharma-led Men In Blue will begin their 2023 World Cup campaign against five-time Champions Australia in Chennai on October 7.

Prior to the main tournament, hosts India will play two warm-up games against England and the Netherlands on September 30 and October 3 respectively.

India World Cup squad:

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav

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Marnus Labuschagne returns as Australia announce 15-man squad

Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday alconfirmed its finalised 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup, scheduled to kick-off on October 5, with middle-order batter Marnus Labuschagne replacing Ashton Agar.

Labuschagne’s inclusion in place of Agar is the only change CA made to the preliminary squad announced it had announced earlier this month.

Earlier, Labuschagne wasn’t included in the preliminary squad of Australia for the marquee event, but some fine knocks in the ODIs against South Africa and India recently has handed the right-hander a late lifeline.

The exclusion of Agar means that Australia will play the 2023 World Cup with just one specialist spinner in their squad in Adam Zampa. Experienced all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is expected to support Adam Zampa in the spin-friendly Indian tracks.

Speaking on the development, Chair of Selectors George Bailey said: “There has been one change to the original preliminary squad of 15 announced a month ago with Marnus replacing Ashton. This was a tough call but unfortunately, we couldn’t carry both Travis and Ashton into the tournament with the injuries they have.”

“We have made the decision to carry Travis through the early stages with the aim of him being available around the mid part of the tournament. He has been a really important player in this ODI team and we are hopeful his return can provide a positive impetus as it gets to the business end of the tournament,” he added.

“Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell are progressing well through the rehabilitation of their respective injuries and it was pleasing to see them return to the playing eleven last night,” he further added.

Meanwhile, batter Matt Short and spinner Tanveer Sangha will remain with the Aussie squad in India until at least the the warm-up games.

Ben Oliver, Executive General Manager of the National Team, said: “We are enormously proud of these 15 players who will represent Australia in the World Cup over the six weeks of the tournament and wish the squad all the very best.”

“It has been a highly successful year for Pat and the squad with a home summer and an Indian Test tour leading into winning the World Test Championship, and then retention of the Ashes in England. We thank the players and the staff who have done an excellent job in maintaining their standards of preparation and performance over what has been a full 10 months and we’re looking forward to a highly competitive World Cup campaign,” he added.

Australia World Cup squad:

Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

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Will announce my retirement after t2025 Champions Trophy: Shakib

Bangladesh’ star all-rounder and ODI skipper Shakib Al Hasan has revealed to play for two more years before retiring from international cricket.

Shakib has said that he would hang his boots post the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

Although his ODI and T20I retirements are still far away, Shakib is likely to draw curtains on his Test career anytime after the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

“The 2025 Champions Trophy for ODIs and the 2024 T20 World Cup for T20Is. Tests may be sooner. Maybe (after ODI WC). I will retire all at once, but I will stop playing each format one by one. I will announce my retirement after the 2025 Champions Trophy,” Shakib was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

The 36-year-old said that he doesn’t plan to continue as Bangladesh skipper after the World Cup ends and in fact, didn’t want to take up the role for the ODI showpiece either.

“Given the current reality, I am captain only till the World Cup. Not a day more. I resigned from the captaincy on the 17th (September). I informed Papon bhai (Nazmul Hassan) and emailed the CEO that I don’t want to be the captain,” Shakib said.

“The reasons were the same when I didn’t want to captain ahead of the Asia Cup. I don’t think my captaincy is adding value at this stage of my career. I wanted to just bowl my ten overs, give my best in fielding, and do my batting,” he added.

Shakib further revealed that Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Chief Nazmul Hassan had discussions with him regarding the captaincy after which he decided to take up the responsibility.

“The easiest thing to do for me would have been not to take the captaincy. When he offered me the job, I immediately told him I don’t want to do it in this situation. At this age, I didn’t want to take this pressure. I want to smile, enjoy my game, perform for Bangladesh,” he said.

“(Papon) described the situation to me. A captain has to do the job on and off the field. When I learned that the BCB, coach and team management were unanimous in their decision about me, then I took the captaincy,” he added.