Skip to main content

T20 World Cup: India choose to bat first in South Africa final clash

India have chosen to bat first in their T20 World Cup final clash against South Africa amid bright sunshine at Kensington Oval on Saturday.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and said his squad would bat first.

The final concludes a nearly month-long tournament and features two teams who have been unbeaten throughout the competition.

The possibility of stormy weather over the weekend, with some rain forecast for Saturday, had raised concerns among organisers but as early arrivals began taking their seats there was no sign of precipitation.

The 28,000-capacity venue, regarded by many as the spiritual home of West Indies cricket, is expected to be sold out with many Indian fans travelling from afar for the match.

Even if some showers pass through, the expectation is that the reserve date of Sunday will not be necessary.

A tournament which has been a mixed bag in terms of quality, entertainment and attendance has certainly succeeded in setting up a final between the two best teams in the shortest format.

India crushed defending champions England by 68 runs in Guyana on Thursday, the day after South Africa thrashed Afghanistan by nine wickets in Trinidad to end a long and agonising wait for a title game.

Since entering World Cups in 1991, following the end of apartheid, South Africa had lost seven semi-finals in the two short formats.

This will be South Africa’s first senior men’s final since the inaugural Champions Trophy in Bangladesh in 1998 when the Proteas beat the West Indies in the title match.

India experienced double disappointment last year of defeat in the World Test Championship final and the 50-over World Cup — losing both to Australia.

The country, which more than any other popularised the shortest form with the hugely successful Indian Premier League, now stands on the brink of its second T20 World Cup title and first since the inaugural edition in 2007.



from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/VMqrJYx

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Republican primary race for president in 2024

The Republican primary race for president in 2024 is already shaping up to be a competitive one. There are a number of high-profile candidates who have already announced their intention to run, and more are expected to join the field in the coming months. The frontrunner for the nomination is former President Donald Trump. Trump has been teasing a 2024 run for months, and he has a large and loyal following among Republican voters. However, he is also a polarizing figure, and his candidacy could alienate some moderate Republicans. Another potential contender for the nomination is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis has been praised by many conservatives for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his opposition to vaccine mandates. He is also seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. Other potential candidates include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott. Pence is a more traditional Republican who could appeal to moderate vote...

Ministers rubbish notion that proposed retirement age extension to favour ‘one particular institution’

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday rubbished the notion that a proposed extension in the retirement age was to favour “one particular institution”, adding that the move would be implemented across the board if approved. The rebuttal comes in the wake of media reports claiming that the government was mulling changes to the Constitution to fix the tenure of the chief justice . Currently, judges of the Supreme Court, including the chief justice, retire after attaining the age of superannuation, i.e. 65 years, as stipulated in Article 179 of the Constitution. While giving his opinion recently on the reports of the constitutional amendment, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had said he “will not vehemently turn down the proposals related to the tenure of the chief justice”. Addressing the issue during a press conference in Islamabad today along since Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and the law minister, Attaullah said the extension in the retirement age was “a proposal to a...

Taylor Swift cheers on Travis Kelce at Kansas City Chiefs game as ‘Eras Tour’ movie opens in theaters.

  Taylor Swift took a break from promoting her new movie "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" to cheer on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs at their game against the Denver Broncos on October 12, 2023. Swift was seen in a luxury suite with Kelce's mom, Donna Kelce, wearing a red Chiefs jacket. This was Swift's third Chiefs game of the season, and she has been seen cheering on Kelce from the sidelines on several occasions. The two have been rumored to be dating since early 2023, and they have been spotted together at a number of events. The Chiefs won the game against the Broncos 19-8, and Swift was seen celebrating with Kelce and his teammates after the game. She also took some time to meet with some of the Chiefs fans who were waiting outside the stadium. It is clear that Swift is a big supporter of Kelce and the Chiefs, and her presence at the game was sure to thrill fans of both. It is also interesting to note that she took time away from promoting her new movie to ...