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Search resuls for: "ICC Cricket World"


21 mentions found


India ask NZ to bat first in a clash of unbeaten sides
  + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
Twice champions India left out an injured Hardik Pandya and fellow all-rounder Shardul Thakur bringing in batter Suryakumar Yadav and seamer Mohammed Shami. Rohit said India relished chasing on a track, where dew could make bowling difficult in the second innings. "In training yesterday we thought dew came in early," Rohit said. New Zealand, who are without regular skipper Kane Williamson, fielded the same team that beat Afghanistan in their previous match. "We would've bowled first as well due to the dew," stand-in skipper Tom Latham said.
Persons: Daryl Mitchell, Adnan Abidi, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Suryakumar Yadav, seamer Mohammed Shami, Rohit, India, Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit, Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Amlan Chakraborty, Sonali Paul Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, New Zealand, India, KL Rahul, Thomson Locations: India, New Zealand, Himachal, Dharamsala, Afghanistan, Jasprit Bumrah, Zealand, New Delhi
Rashid backs England to bounce back from Afghanistan loss
  + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +1 min
Afghanistan posted 284 after half-centuries from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ikram Alikhil, before bowling out England for 215 to claim just their second victory at a World Cup. We're not too concerned, it's just a game that we've lost," Rashid told reporters. "We know we've got tough competition coming up, but I'm confident we can play really well as a unit moving forward. "You are going to have games where players are out of form but I do believe we've got the squad, we've got the team and we've got the mentality to still be hungry." England, who face South Africa in Mumbai on Saturday, are fifth in the standings with one win from three matches.
Persons: Arun Jaitley, England's Adil Rashid, Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Andrew Boyers, Adil Rashid's, Rahmanullah, Ikram Alikhil, We're, it's, we've, Rashid, Aadi Nair, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Rashid Khan REUTERS, England, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: England, Afghanistan, New Delhi, India, Africa, Mumbai, Bengaluru
Win over England can kick-start Afghanistan cricket: Trott
  + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
Afghanistan posted 284 after half centuries from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ikram Alikhil, before bowling out England for 215 to claim just their second victory at a World Cup - eight years after their maiden win over Scotland in 2015. "This is significant, certainly in the manner and by the margin as well," Trott told reporters on Sunday. "What Afghanistan cricket can achieve, hopefully this will be the sort of kick-start." Women's sport in Afghanistan has also suffered since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. "It's not just cricket that the guys are playing for," Trott said.
Persons: Arun Jaitley, Ikram Alikhil, Rashid Khan, Mark Wood, Jonathan Trott, Rahmanullah, Trott, It's, " Trott, that's, Aadi Nair, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, REUTERS, England, Scotland, Thomson Locations: England, Afghanistan, New Delhi, India, Zealand, Chennai, Bengaluru
Buttler said the Afghanistan result was a "big setback". "We’ve got to show a lot of character, a lot of resilience within the team and most of all a lot of belief. Buttler conceded the England brain trust had misread the pitch and the conditions, retaining an extra seamer after seeing India beat Afghanistan at the same Arun Jaitley Stadium last week with a similar attack. "The conditions didn’t play quite as we thought they would ... The wicket didn’t play exactly how we thought it would play and the dew didn’t come in as much as we thought as well."
Persons: Arun Jaitley, Jos Buttler, Afghanistan's Naveen, Ul, Haq, Andrew Boyers, Buttler, We’ve, haven’t, Chris Woakes's, Woakes, Ian Ransom, Lincoln Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Haq REUTERS, New Zealand, England, South, Thomson Locations: England, Afghanistan, New Delhi, India, DELHI, Australia, South Africa, Melbourne
CNN —The pantheon of great sporting upsets gained another monument on Sunday as Afghanistan roundly defeated England by 69 runs at the ICC Cricket World Cup in Delhi, India. It was an upset of immense proportions – Afghanistan had only ever won one World Cup match in its entire history while England is the defending world champion, still basking in the glow of a golden era that has bestowed mythical status on much of its team. But England sputtered from the very start as some loose bowling allowed Afghanistan to build an impressive platform, putting on more than 100 runs without losing a wicket. Defeating England following the earthquake added another dimension to Afghanistan’s historic victory, one which captain Rashid Khan hoped will give Afghans a “little bit of smile on their faces,” he said, per ESPN Cricinfo. After already losing to New Zealand, this shock defeat leaves England in real danger of crashing out the World Cup in the group stages, giving Saturday’s game against South Africa even more importance.
Persons: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Ali Khil, Harry Brook’s, Afghanistan's, Alikhil, Money Sharma, Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan, Organizations: CNN, England, ICC Cricket, Getty, Sky Sports, ESPN, New, South, New Zealand Locations: Afghanistan, Delhi, India, England, Herat, New Zealand, South Africa
"He was asking me the secret behind my big sixes, and if it had anything to do with the bat I use," Rohit told Pandya. The elegant right-hander overtook West Indian Chris Gayle's record of 553 sixes in international cricket heading into the match against Pakistan. After Saturday's match, Rohit also became only the third batter - after Gayle and Pakistan's Shahid Afridi - to smash 300 sixes in one-day internationals. "I have been trying to bat like this in the last two years," Rohit said of his batting approach in the World Cup. His 11 sixes from three matches in the ongoing World Cup is second only to Sri Lankan Kusal Mendis' 14 from two matches.
Persons: Narendra Modi, India's Rohit Sharma, Pakistan's Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Francis Mascarenhas, Marais Erasmus, Rohit Sharma's, Hardik Pandya, Rohit, Erasmus, Pandya, Chris Gayle's, Gayle, Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, Mendis, Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, there's, Karthik, Amlan Chakraborty, Muralikumar Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Shaheen Afridi REUTERS, Rights, Pakistan, Narendra, West, Sri, Sky Sports, Thomson Locations: India, Pakistan, Ahmedabad, Rights AHMEDABAD, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan, Bangladesh, Pune
Afghanistan stun champions England at World Cup
  + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +1 min
[1/7] Cricket - ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 - England v Afghanistan - Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, India - October 15, 2023 Afghanistan's Ikram Alikhil celebrates after Rashid Khan bowls out England's Mark Wood to win the match REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Afghanistan beat defending champions England by 69 runs in a huge World Cup upset on Sunday, only their second ever win in the tournament. Afghanistan came into the match having lost 16 of their last 17 World Cup games, their only victory coming against Scotland in 2015. Put into bat, Afghanistan posted 284 after a blistering knock of 80 from opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz and a half-century from Ikram Alikhil. England crumbled to 215 all out in reply with Harry Brook the only batter to adapt to the conditions with a fighting 66 as spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan took three wickets each. Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons: Arun Jaitley, Ikram Alikhil, Rashid Khan, Mark Wood, Anushree, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Harry Brook, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rohith Nair, Ed Osmond Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, REUTERS, England, Scotland, Thomson Locations: England, Afghanistan, New Delhi, India, DELHI, Alikhil, Bengaluru
India then returned to lay bare Pakistan's bowling frailties and romped home with nearly 20 overs to spare in the lop-sided blockbuster. "I just think we were a little bit timid tonight with our overall performance," Arthur told reporters after the match. "Credit to India, I thought they bowled really well, but I just thought our performance was just a little bit timid." "I did think we could probably have taken on the Indian spinners just a little bit more...But again, they were building and building nicely. "I think we've got to realise that there are two ways to always skin a cat.
Persons: Narendra Modi, Shreyas Iyer, Adnan Abidi, Mickey Arthur, Arthur, Skipper Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, we've, Shaheen Afridi, Amlan Chakraborty, Muralikumar Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Rights, Pakistan, Team, India, Pace, Thomson Locations: India, Pakistan, Ahmedabad, Rights AHMEDABAD, Australia
Soured political relations between the Asian neighbours has further complicated the issue and the Pakistan Cricket Board has asked the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) to sort out visa delays for their fans and media travelling to India. "It didn't seem like an ICC event to be brutally honest," the former Australia coach said after Pakistan's seven-wicket loss. "I didn't hear 'Dil Dil Pakistan' coming through the microphones too often tonight," he said referring to the unofficial anthem for the country. Asked if it was right for a World Cup, Arthur said: "Look, I don't think I can comment on that just yet. Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in Ahmedabad; editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons: Narendra Modi, Pakistan's Saud Shakeel, India's Kuldeep Yadav, Amit Dave, Mickey Arthur, Arthur, I'm, Arthur said, Amlan Chakraborty, Toby Davis Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, DRS, Rights, Narendra, Pakistan Cricket Board, International Cricket Council, ICC, BCCI, Thomson Locations: India, Pakistan, Ahmedabad, Rights AHMEDABAD, Australia
Quite a few of the hospitals have seen a sudden influx of patients booked in for check-ups involving a night's stay to coincide with the most anticipated match of the World Cup. The Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association has discouraged its members from accommodating such fans. India and Pakistan head into the showdown having both won their opening two matches at the tournament. The city has been declared a 'no-drone zone' on Saturday, and 11,000 security personnel will be deployed for the high-profile match, Ahmedabad police commissioner GS Malik said. On their first tour of India since the 2016 T20 World Cup, Pakistan were accorded a warm welcome in Hyderabad, where they played their first two matches.
Persons: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi, Amit Dave, Tushar Patel, Bharat Gadhavi, Hemish Patel, Patel, Airfare, Narendra Modi, Donald Trump, Anthony Albanese, GS Malik, Shaheen Afridi, Jasprit, Liyakat Khan, Samiya, Hasan Ali, Khan, Amlan Chakraborty, Ken Ferris Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Pakistan cricket team, India, India REUTERS, Ahmedabad Medical Association, Reuters, Nursing Homes Association, THREE, Control, BCCI, Australia, Pakistan, Asia, Indian Express, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, DELHI, AHMEDABAD, Pakistan, Indian, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Sri Lanka, New Delhi
Trott said it was a brave decision to bat first but admitted they were well short on a "350-360 wicket". Trott said his players would have benefited from having the match at the same venue where they play defending champions England on Sunday. Afghanistan are playing at their third World Cup and have now lost 16 of their 17 matches, their only victory coming against Scotland in 2015. "Azmat played really well, stepping up to number five and showing the talent and the pedigree that he's got as an all-rounder," Trott said. "So those are the things we're looking to get right going forward and get ready for England."
Persons: Arun Jaitley, India's Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Anushree, Jonathan Trott, Rohit Sharma, Trott, " Trott, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Azmat, he's, Rohith Nair, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, REUTERS, England, Scotland, Thomson Locations: India, Afghanistan, New Delhi, DELHI, Delhi, Bangladesh, England, Bengaluru
Net run-rate could come into play later in the tournament, but Bumrah denied it was a factor in India's performance against Afghanistan. (Besides) we did not know that Rohit will give us such a headstart," Bumrah told reporters. Bumrah claimed figures of 4-39 to help restrict Afghanistan to 272-8. Just because I've taken four wickets that doesn't mean I'm very, very happy or I've done something extraordinary," he said. Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons: Arun Jaitley, Pandya, Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi, Jasprit Bumrah, Anushree, Rohit Sharma, Bumrah, Rohit, I'm, I've, Amlan Chakraborty, Ed Osmond Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Jasprit Bumrah REUTERS, Arun, Afghanistan, Thomson Locations: India, Afghanistan, New Delhi, DELHI, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ahmedabad
[1/9] Cricket - ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 - India v Afghanistan - Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, India - October 11, 2023 India's Rohit Sharma in action as he hits four runs REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - World Cup hosts India cantered to their second successive win of the tournament after captain Rohit Sharma's incendiary century set up their eight-wicket thrashing of Afghanistan on Wednesday. Electing to bat, Afghanistan were 63-3 in the 14th over before skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (80) and Azmatullah Omarzai (62) combined in a 121-run stand to frustrate India. Rohit became the first batter to smash five hundreds in a single World Cup in the tournament's previous edition in England and Wales four years ago. Rohit treated Rashid with disdain, hitting him for back-to-back fours and following it with a six, but the spinner eventually had his revenge. Rohit lost his stumps to Rashid attempting a slog-sweep but Kohli stayed put to guide India home.
Persons: Arun Jaitley, India's Rohit Sharma, Anushree, India cantered, Rohit, Virat Kohli, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Hashmatullah, Jasprit Bumrah, Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammed Siraj, Bumrah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Omarzai, Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid, Ishan Kishan, Kohli, Amlan Chakraborty, Christian Radnedge, Ed Osmond Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, India, Arun, India's, Wales, Thomson Locations: India, Afghanistan, New Delhi, DELHI, Saturday's, Pakistan, Ahmedabad, England
India back Iyer at four despite Chennai duck
  + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Amlan Chakraborty | ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
Iyer returned from a back injury recently to reclaim his number four position and scored a three-ball duck in Sunday's opener against Australia. Chasing 200 for victory, India were in trouble after both openers -- Ishan Kishan and skipper Rohit Sharma -- had fallen before they could open their account. Former India stalwart Yuvraj Singh was aghast at Iyer's casual drive that David Warner pouched at short cover. Number five Rahul made an unbeaten 97 to secure India's victory after forging a match-winning partnership with Virat Kohli in Chennai. He understands the moment, that was the reason he has been in the team," Rathour said.
Persons: India's Shreyas Iyer, Australia's Mitchell Starc, Mohammed Siraj REUTERS, Adnan Abidi, KL Rahul, Vikram Rathour, Iyer, Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, David Warner pouched, Yuvraj, India's, Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rathour, Shreyas, Shubman Gill, Amlan Chakraborty, Ed Osmond Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Chidambaram, KL, Afghanistan, Australia, Thomson Locations: India, Australia, Chennai, DELHI, New Delhi
Batters give S Africa belief, but bowlers need to back them up
  + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
Aiden Markram’s 49-ball hundred was the fastest at a World Cups as they put Sri Lanka to the sword on a placid wicket in Delhi. South Africa will challenge any bowling attack, but whether they have the armoury with the ball to match that will decide their fate in this tournament. At one stage Sri Lanka were on course to overhaul their total, before South Africa won by 102 runs. Jansen took two wickets against Sri Lanka, but also went for 92 in his 10 overs. South Africa also have wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi in their squad.
Persons: Arun Jaitley, Aiden Markram, Anushree, Aiden Markram’s, Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Rassie van, Markram, Keshav Maharaj, seamers Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Jansen, Bavuma, Tabraiz Shamsi, Nick Said, Toby Chopra Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Arun, Sri, Australia, South Africa, Thomson Locations: South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Delhi, India, Delhi, Markram, Africa, Kagiso
The cricket frenzy set to hit India as the International Cricket Council's World Cup begins in a nation of cricket-crazy fans is expected to give a short boost to the country's economy as consumers splurge to enjoy their favorite sport. "The World Cup has the potential to boost India’s GDP, more so because it coincides with the festive season," Sabnavis said. India last hosted the world cup in 2011, when 1.2 million people attended matches, according to data from brokerage house Jefferies. "On India match days, fares have shot up on average by150% for select hotels and 80% for select flights compared with the prior week," said Jefferies in a note this week. "We expect companies to run world-cup specific promotions on match days to tap this consumption boost."
Persons: Narendra Modi, Sachin Tendulkar, Amit Dave, Madan Sabnavis, Sabnavis, Jefferies, Rajesh Magow, Baroda's Sabnavis, Ira Dugal, Lincoln Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, New Zealand, Narendra, Rights, International Cricket, Bank of Baroda, Hospitality, Reuters Graphics Online, homestays, Baroda's, Thomson Locations: England, New, Ahmedabad, India, Rights MUMBAI, Western India, Pakistan
New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra achieved that difficult feat with his dream World Cup debut against England on Thursday. The 23-year-old made an unbeaten 123 off 96 balls against the defending champions to help secure New Zealand's nine-wicket rout at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Ravindra was thrust into the limelight when stand-in skipper Tom Latham introduced him to bowl the 17th over of England's innings. That would have been improbable had Kane Williamson, New Zealand's regular captain, recovered from a knee injury. "He is unfit so luckily enough, I got an opportunity," Ravindra said of his experience of batting at number three.
Persons: Narendra Modi, Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Andrew Boyers, Ravindra, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Tom Latham, Harry Brook, Brook, Kane Williamson, Tendulkar, Dravid, Amlan Chakraborty, Ed Osmond Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, New Zealand, Narendra, Devon Conway REUTERS, Rights, England, New, Zealand, Wellington, Thomson Locations: England, New, Ahmedabad, India, Rights AHMEDABAD, Zealand, New Zealand, Conway
Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra smashed rapid unbeaten centuries to set up New Zealand's successful pursuit of a 283-run victory target, which they reached with 13.4 overs to spare. Ravindra's unbeaten 123 off 96 balls, studded with 11 fours and five sixes, earned the 23-year-old player-of-the-match award on his World Cup debut. New Zealand lost Will Young for nought in the first over but Conway, who smashed a career-best 152 not out, and Ravindra turned the heat back on England with their free scoring. Ravindra, who shared unbroken 273-run partnership with Conway, took one delivery fewer to notch up his maiden ODI hundred. New Zealand rested Williamson (knee) and fast bowler Tim Southee (thumb) to give them more time to recover from surgery.
Persons: Narendra Modi, Rachin Ravindra, Andrew Boyers, Devon Conway, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Henry, Buttler, Will Young, Conway, Ravindra, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Rachin, Williamson, Tim Southee, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Amlan Chakraborty, Ken Ferris, Ed Osmond Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, New Zealand, Narendra, Rights, England, Zealand, nought, Thomson Locations: England, New, Ahmedabad, India, Rights AHMEDABAD, Rachin, Devon, Zealand
The company already owns digital streaming rights to the popular Indian Premier League Twenty-20 (IPL T20) tournament. Ambani snatched away the rights from the Disney Plus Hotstar streaming service in a $2.9 billion bid last year, and then streamed games for free. This prompted Disney subscribers to flee - out of 61 million users in October 2022, about 21 million had left by July this year. Last year, Disney renewed its media rights to show International Cricket Council's tournaments in India from 2024 to 2027 after winning a bid for $3 billion. It later licensed the TV broadcast rights to India's Zee Entertainment (ZEE.NS) and only regained the digital streaming rights, a source told Reuters.
Persons: Mukesh Ambani, Francis Mascarenhas, Mukesh Ambani's, Walt Disney, Viacom18, Ambani, Karan Taurani, Aditya Kalra, Nandan Mandayam, Biplob Kumar Das, Sonia Cheema Organizations: Reliance Industries, REUTERS, Walt, Control, Cricket, BCCI, Indian Premier League, Disney, Elara, Reuters, Asia Cup, ICC Cricket, India's Zee Entertainment, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, India's
Pakistan pacer Riaz announces international retirement
  + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +1 min
Cricket - ICC Cricket World Cup - Pakistan v Bangladesh - Lord's, London, Britain - July 5, 2019 Pakistan's Wahab Riaz looks dejected after being bowled out by Bangladesh's Mohammad Saifuddin Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 16 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Wahab Riaz has retired from international cricket, drawing the curtain on a 15-year career, the left-arm fast bowler announced on Wednesday. Wahab, who made his debut in 2008, has 83 wickets in 27 tests, 120 wickets in 91 one-day internationals and 34 wickets in 36 Twenty20s. The 38-year-old said he will continue to play franchise cricket. "It has been an honour and a privilege to represent Pakistan on the international stage. Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons: Pakistan's Wahab Riaz, Bangladesh's Mohammad, Paul Childs, Wahab, Riaz, Pearl Josephine Nazare, Muralikumar Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Pakistan, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Bangladesh, London, Britain, Bengaluru
Black Caps tweak 2021 squad for T20 World Cup
  + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
Martin Guptill will play in his seventh T20 World Cup and Devon Conway will keep wickets in addition to his batting duties at the tournament, which starts for the Black Caps with a re-run of last year's final against Australia in Sydney on Oct. 22. Seamer Adam Milne, who was an injury replacement for Lockie Ferguson at last year's tournament in the United Arab Emirates, was retained in the absence of Kyle Jamieson, who has a back problem. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterHard-hitting batsman Allen and all-rounder Bracewell are the numeric replacements for leg spinner Todd Astle and wicketkeeper Tim Seifert, who both missed out. "With the nucleus of that squad retained along with the exciting additions of Finn and Michael, we should go into the tournament with plenty of optimism." New Zealand also face Afghanistan, England and two as yet undetermined qualifiers from the opening stage of the tournament in Group 1 of the Super 12.
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