India vs Bangladesh Live Cricket Score, Champions Trophy 2017

India won the toss and chose to bowl in the second semi-final against Bangladesh in Edgbaston. This is the first encounter between these two sides in the tournament and Virat Kohli’s side are unchanged. Yuvraj Singh is playing his 300th ODI. The winner of this match will play Pakistan in the final. Catch live cricket score of India vs Bangladesh semi-final here.

18:20 hrs IST: Bangladesh end on 264/7 in 50 overs

18:16 hrs IST: Bhuvneshwar is down! He has hurt his leg in his follow through in the last over. Bangladesh, meanwhile, has crossed 260.

18:11 hrs IST: FOURS! Turning out to be a costly over for India as MOsrtaza goes after Bumrah. BAN 258/7 in 49 overs

18:10 hrs IST: FOUR! Lucky there! Tasking edges to Bhuvneshwar as the flies away to boundary. BAN 248/7 in 48 overs

18:04 hrs IST: FOUR AGAIN! Bumrah Yorker is edged by Mortaza and goes left of Dhoni to boundary. BAN 244/7 in 47 overs

18:01 hrs IST: FOUR! Mortaza gets some crucial runs as his mistimed pull gets the ball over Dhoni’s head towards four. BAN 231/7 in 46 overs

17:57 hrs IST: WICKET! Mahmudullah (21) out. BAN 229/7 (45)

Bumrah strikes again! He comes up with a gem of a yorker and rattles Mahmudullah stumps.

17:51 hrs IST: FOUR! Mashrafe Mortaza goes for the big one against Bhuvneshwar Kumar. BAN 226/6 in 44 overs

17:46 hrs IST: WICKET! Mosaddek Out, BAN 218/6 (42.3)

Bumrah gets his first wicket as Mosaddek mistimes pull is caught y the bowler himself.

17:42 hrs IST: FOUR! Now Mahmudullah reverse sweeps Ashwin for a boundary.

17:38 hrs IST: Bumrah is back in the attack and gets hit for a four by Mosaddek Hossain at mid-off. BAN 212/5 in 41 overs

17:35 hrs IST: Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain have handled the collapse pretty well. BAN 206/5 in 40 overs

17:30 hrs IST: DROPPED! Mahmudullah is let off by Ashwin at third man off Pandya. BAN 197/5 in 39 overs

17:26 hrs IST: Ravindra Jadeja now has 16 wickets . Most by any Indian bowlers in ICC Champions Trophy. BAN 191/5 in 38 overs

17:24 hrs IST: FOUR! Mosaddek cuts Jadeja to ease the pressure a bit. BAN 188/5 in 37 overs

17:19 hrs IST: WICKET!Rahim (61) out! BAN 179/5 in 35.2 overs

Bangladesh feels the heat as Jadhav gets his second. Rahim tries to take the spinner through mid-wicket but is caught by Kohli, who is excited and is not shy of expressing it. he makes a funny face and the crowd the love it.

17:13 hrs IST: WICKET! Shakib (15) departs! BAN 177/4 in 34.2 overs

Jadeja gets his first wicket as Shakib tries got for a cut against the spinner and is caught behind by Dhoni. A brilliant attempt.

17:10 hrs IST: FOUR! A boundary after a long time for Bangladesh. Shakib slashes Jadeja for a four. BAN 175/3 in 33 overs

17:07 hrs IST: Jadhav continues from the other end. He has essayed the role of the third spinner pretty well. But Bangladesh have a deep batting line-up. BAN 167/3 in 32 overs

17:04 hrs IST: Jadeja has been miserly so far. He has given 33 runs in seven overs so far. BAN 164/3 in 33 overs

17:00 hrs IST: The drying up of boundaries mounted the pressure on Bangladesh. Still, Tamim looked set but a wild drive did him in. Shakib Al Hasan is the new batsman at the crease. BAN 161/3 in 30 overs

16:57 hrs IST: WICKET! Tamim Iqbal (70) departs! BAN 154/3 in 28 overs

The set batsman goes a wild drive but misses Kedar Jadhav’s line. He tried to take him over mid-wicket but is bowled.

16:54 hrs IST: The Edgbaston is basking in sunlight after a long time. No boundary for Bangladesh in the last three overs.

16:50 hrs IST: Rahim scores 26th half-century as Bangladesh reach 150-run mark in 26.2 overs

16:46 hrs IST: Jadeja bowls his fourth over as Mushfiqur Rahim is just four runs short of his half-century. BAN 142/2 in 25 overs

16:42 hrs IST: Tamim and Rahim’s stand has now crossed 100 run mark. They have handled the spin duo Ashwin and Jadeja pretty well. BAN 137/2 in 24 overs

16:37 hrs IST: THREE STRAIGHT FOURS! Tamim is on fire! He goes after Ashwin. First the left-hander cuts four a boundary, then hits through the covers and then flicks towards leg. BAN 123/2 in 22 overs

16:34 hrs IST: HUGE APPEAL! Rahim goes for a slog sweep and misses the line of the delivery as Dhoni removes the bails. Replays show he was inside the line. BAN 110/2 in 21 overs

16:32 hrs IST: Ashwin gives away just one run! BAN 105/2 in 20 overs

16:31 hrs IST: FOUR! Tamim gets to his 38th half-century with a reverse sweep off Jadeja. BAN 104/2 in 19 overs

16:26 hrs IST: Raviundra Jadeja into the attack now.

16:24 hrs IST: Ashwin continues from the other end. This partnership is like a thorn for India. The earlier they get one of them out, the better for Kohli’s men. BAN 96/2 in 18 overs

16:20 hrs IST: It’s the drinks break. Both teams have something to take from the first hour of play. Bangladesh have shown the confidence and playing to a plan.

16:18 hrs IST: SIX! Tamim Iqbal takes Pandya over square leg. He has moved to his 40s. BAN 90/2 in 17 overs

16:16 hrs IST: FOUR! Tamim directs Ashwin delivery towards third man!. This is intelligent batting by Bangladesh’s most senior batsman. BAN 83/2 in 16 overs

16:12 hrs IST: Ashwin starts his second over on a poor note as he bowls a wide. He covers quickly and goves away just three more runs. BAN 66/2 in 14 overs

16:08 hrs IST: Meanwhile, India’s squad for West Indies limited overs series has been announced. Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant included in the squad while Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested.

16:04 hrs IST: Hardik Pandya gets an inside edge off Tamim, as the ball hits the stumps. No danger, however, as it’s called a no ball. Tough luck! BAN 62/2 in 13 overs

16:02 hrs IST: Hardik Pandya comes from the other end. His no ball gives Bangladesh a free-hit. Only two runs from it .  

16:00 hrs IST: First bowling change for India! R Ashwin comes in to bowl the 12th over and gives away two runs. BAN 49/2 in 12 overs.

15:58 hrs IST: Bhuvneshwar continues from the other end and gives away just one run. BAN 47/2 in 11 overs

15:57 hrs IST: Bumrah bowls another tight over. He is keeping up the pressure from one end. BAN 46/2 in 10 overs

15:48 hrs IST: RAHIM ON FIRE! The ex-skipper continues his attack as he gets straight fours. First he produces an elegant cover drive and then cuts through point. BAN 45/2 in 9 overs

15:47 hrs IST: THAT WILL HURT! Rahim goes for a wild heave against Bhuvneshwar, the ball gets an inside edge but misses the stumps and goes past Dhoni for a boundary.

15:41 hrs IST: Mushfiqur Rahim is the new batsman. This partnership will be crucial for Bangladesh. The duo is their most in-form batsmen. Bumrah gives away just one run in the eighth over. BAN 32/2 in 8 overs

15:39 hrs IST: WICKET!Sabbir (19) gone! BAN 31/2 in 6.5 overs

Bhuvneshwar strikes again! Sabbir goes for a cut against a wide delivery and is caught by Ravindra Jadeja at backward point.

15:35 hrs IST: A Maiden over after a long time. Bumrah’s over will give Kohli’s India breathing space after the mayhem by Sabbir. BAN 31/1 in 6 overs

15:33 hrs IST: Bangladesh have so far got boundaries in every over except the first one. Indian pacers need to find a quick answer to their onslaught.

15:31 hrs IST: FOUR! Bhuvneshwar gets a leading edge off Tamim. But the ball flies away from the fielder at second slip. Bangladesh fans are rejoicing. BAN 31/1 in 5 overs

15:27 hrs IST: FOUR AGAIN! Sabbir is ripping apart the Indian pacers. He is taking full advantage of the powerplay overs as there are no fielders in the outfield. This time he hits over long off against Bumrah. BAN 26/1 in 4 overs

15:22 hrs IST: MORE FOURS! Rahman is essaying his pinch-hitting role pretty well. First he lofts Bhuvneshwar over mid-off and then gets another boundary with a beautiful cover drive. BAN 21/1 in 3 overs

15:16 hrs IST: FOURS! Bangladesh makes a strong comeback Tamim and No.3 Sabbir Rahman goes after Jasprit Bumrah. First Tamim directs the ball towards square leg and then Rahman gets off the blocks with an elegant square drive and then BAN 11/1 in 2 overs

15:14 hrs IST: WICKET! Soumya Sarkar gone. BAN 1/1 in 1 over

Bhuvneshwar Kumar rattles Soumya stumps.

15:12 hrs IST: Bangladesh get off the mark as Tamim Iqbal takes a single off Bhuvneshwar. The Indian pacer is bowling a tight line!

15:11 hrs IST: Action starts!

15:03 Time for the national anthems. India and Banglesh, both anthems composed by Rabindranath Tagore. Huge moment for Bangladesh and their legions of fans.

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

Live Cricket Score of England vs Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy 2017

When the experts had settled down to try and figure out which would be the sides in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, two teams would not have been listed in their estimates. They would be anticipating hosts England, defending champions India, World No. 1 South Africa and the resurgent Australia as the last-four contestants. As it turns out, they are only half right. We have Pakistan and Bangladesh to thank for that. Pakistan began with a massive loss to India, and things began looking bleak immediately. As always, the Pakistani team and fans invested too much into the India match and were left struggling after that.

Live Cricket Updates between England and Pakistan

15:57 IST: Good comeback from the Pakistani leggie. He dragged the length back a little and was much more difficult to get away.

15:56 IST: Four!! Full and flighted for Shadab and Bairstow bludgeons it straight down the ground. That was hit with some power!

15:55 IST: Just two runs from the Imad Wasim over. England are 67/1 in 13 overs.

15:50 IST: Four!! Half-tracker from Shadab, Root hops on to the backfoot and smashes it to mid-wicket.

15:48 IST: Imad Wasim easily picked off for singles. England are 58/1 in 11 overs.

15:44 IST: Dropped!! Azhar Ali gets a hand to Bairstow's pull shot but fails to hold on to it. Good try nevertheless! It was a difficult chance.

15:41 IST: LBW shout from Imad, but going down the leg. He is causing Bairstow a few problems.

15:38 IST: Four!! Raees drifts on to the pads of Root, who flicks it to deep mid-wicket for his first boundary. England are 44/1 in 8 overs.

15:34 IST: Short and wide from Imad Wasim and Bairstow gets it past backward point for a double.

15:31 IST: Joe Root is the next batsman in for England.

15:28 IST: WICKET!!;Pakistan draw first blood as Hales departs for 13. England 34/1 in 5.5 overs

15:27 IST: Four!! Full and straight from Raees and Bairstow drives it beautifully. 

15:22 IST: Things going England's way early on. England are 29/0 in 5 overs.

15:19 IST: Big shout for LBW! And the umpire raises the finger. However, Hales has taken the review. Replays show that the ball is pitching outside the leg stump. Not out is the decision! Good review from England. 

15:14 IST: Four!! This time a little shorter but gets the same treatment. Back to back boundaries for Bairstow. England are 20/0 in 3 overs.

15:13 IST: Four!! Junaid drifts on to the pads of Bairstow and is picked off.

15:10 IST: Good start from Raees, concedes only two runs in his first over.

15:08 IST: Debutant Rumman Raees introduced into the attack. 

15:07 IST: At the end of the first over, England stand at five for no loss.

15:06 IST: Four! Full from Junaid and Hales punches the ball straight down the ground for the first boundary of the innings.

15:03 IST: Not Out! Bairstow survives an early scare as Pakistan loses their review in the first over of the match.

15:02 IST: Huge shout for leg before from Junaid Khan as Bairstow misses the ball. On-field umpire turns down the appeal. Sarfraz Ahmed goes for a review.

15:01 IST: First ball - Yorker from Khan and Bairstow negotiates it nicely. 

15:00 IST: Junaid Khan leading the bowling attack for Pakistan.

14:59 IST: Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow to open the batting line-up for England. 

14:55 IST: The national anthems of the two countries.

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed wins toss, elects to field.

Mohammad Amir is not playing due to back spasms." Morgan says they would have batted first anyway and they have replaced Jason Roy with Jonny Bairstow. 

England playing XI: Eoin Morgan (captain), Alex Hales, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root,  Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood, Jake Ball

Pakistan playing XI: Sarfraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper/captain), Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Rumman Raees, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan



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Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, Highlights, ICC Champions Trophy News

Pakistan got off to a great start in the run chase as Fakhar Zaman (50) came out all guns blazing and he along with Azhar Ali (34) added 74 runs for the first wicket. But the former World Champions lost wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs that got Sri Lanka right back in the match. Just when the match was swinging towards Sri Lanka, Sarfraz Ahmed (61*) played a captain's knock to help Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 3 wickets. Sri Lanka's fielding disintegrated in the last 45 minutes as they dropped a couple of chances and Pakistan rode on their luck to get home after being reduced to 162 for 7 at one stage. For Sri Lanka Nuwan Pradeep was the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 3 for 60 in his 10 overs. Earlier, Pakistan bundled out Sri Lanka for 236 with Junaid Khan and Hasan Ali picking up three wickets apiece.


Pakistan have little more than 36 hours before taking the field again in Cardiff for their Champions Trophy semi-final against England, but will find time to address concerns about their middle order despite the joy of overcoming Sri Lanka to progress to the knockout stage.

Fakhar Zaman's explosive entrance to the one-day side, with innings of 31 off 23 balls against South Africa followed by his 35-ball 50 against Sri Lanka, has helped overcome the sluggish starts which have plagued their batting, but there were a series of loose dismissals in the chase which left them needing a rescue mission of dramatic proportions from captain Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Amir in an unbroken stand of 75 in 15 overs.

"If you look at the game we started well but after Fakhar Zaman got out we lost the momentum and then most of our dismissals were soft which definitely is an area of concern for us," Sarfraz said. "We will sit tomorrow and talk about this and hopefully we will recover from this.

"After the way we started we could have finished this game with six or seven wickets in hand but those dismissals really dented us. We should have won by a good margin but a win is a win. Yes, we need to sit and talk about it and realise that if we a settled that we should take the game to the end rather than leaving it for the upcoming batsmen."

On his own innings, an unbeaten 61 off 79 balls, he admitted things went his way especially with the first dropped catch by Thisara Perera but was delighted to see the chase through. "I played the shot in the air, I just said, ooh...as a captain, it's very important innings for me. After this innings, I'm really boosted."

Before the tournament, Sarfraz spoke about how the team's No. 8 ODI ranking meant there were no expectations on them - which looked justified after the woeful performance against India, who they have a chance of meeting again in the final - but now they have a semi-final berth he sounded a little more bullish.

"Indeed it was very important for us as a team. Obviously nobody was rating us and they were writing us off, but once again I give all the credit to the team management for boosting us after the India game, especially our bowlers. The way Junaid [Khan] and Amir bowled was a turning point. I hope we can carry the momentum ahead and take a lot of confidence."

Sarfraz also promised his side would play "positive" cricket against England, the side they conceded the world record ODI total of 444 for 3 against at Trent Bridge last year. That one-day series ended in a 4-1 drubbing but the lone Pakistan victory did come in Cardiff as they chased down 303 in which Sarfraz made 90.

"We chased down 300-plus runs and that is a good memory," he said. "We have to play positive cricket as England have been playing positive cricket in the last two years. Obviously we have to play hard and we will try to replicate our last year performance to win them again in Cardiff. If you're playing a world class team you play more positive cricket. So will definitely do that against England."

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England vs Australia: As It Happened in Champions Trophy 2017

In the gloom of Edgbaston, with England nearly home, the rain about to come, and their million-dollar bowler clutching his hamstring, Glenn Maxwell dropped a catch that he misread so badly it almost hit him. Even when it didn't rain on Australia's chances, their cricket was underwhelming.

Australia has played only one completed match - and even that was incomplete. They were poor in their first match, and much better in the second. By the end of those two washouts, their tally of two points was exactly what they deserved. If you include their two warm-ups, they'd played in four games in England, and finished just this one.

Essentially Australia's only game of this entire tournament was a knockout game against the only unbeaten team, the favourites, the home team, and they came into it with no proper preparation. Most casual Australian cricket fans don't even know what the Champions Trophy is, what it means, or how often Australia has won it. Plus, it's footy season, and this is hardly the Ashes. Besides, the Australian players haven't had to face anything as hostile on the field as they have from their own board.

But even though Cricket Australia's executives might have played even more reckless shots than their top order, this Australian team never looked right from the moment it took the field in this tournament.

The problem started at No.4. Moises Henriques has never made more than 18 in an ODI. His top score for Australia is 81 not out in Tests. He averages 31 in List A cricket. He made two List A fifties in his first nine seasons of cricket. He's only ever made limited-overs hundreds in domestic cricket. He's 30. Ten Australian players have scored over 4000 runs in ODI cricket batting at No.4: Michael Clarke, Damien Martyn, Allan Border, Michael Bevan, Mike Hussey, Steve Waugh and Greg Chappell.

Henriques has good recent form in the IPL, Big Bash and one-day cup, but at No. 4, in an ICC tournament, it was two or three places too high.

It is not Henriques' fault he is batting at 4: he is there because of a hole in the centre of this team. Australia is a batsman short and a bowler short. And to elongate the batting and rush through the fifth bowler's overs quicker, Henriques has been brought in to fill this gap. The middle overs in this tournament are when bowling sides try and take wickets - England smashed through theirs with wrist spin and pace to make sure Australia had nothing left with which to strike at the death. But in the 13th to 15th of a must-win game, Australia was bowling Moises Henriques and Travis Head when they needed wickets with no catchers, no hope of a plan other than '"let's hope Ben Stokes does something idiotic".

Would Australia have won the game with Marcus Stoinis instead of Henriques, or even Chris Lynn for Henriques, with Head and Maxwell combining for ten overs? Probably not, because even though the chemistry was wrong, the performances weren't much better. Pat Cummins has taken two wickets in 25 overs in this tournament and served up 144 runs - 52 of which came in his first five overs against New Zealand. Today, Stokes took him for 43 runs from 28 balls.

David Warner came into this tournament having made a staggering 23.5% of Australia's runs since the last World Cup: here he failed in two of the three games. Steven Smith makes 16.5% of Australia's runs; he failed in two out of three as well. Starc looked underdone in the first match, bowled beautifully in the washout against Bangladesh, and clutched his hamstring for much of this game.

Australia's gameplan relies on one of their top three batting big, to make up for their shallowness below them. Instead, they lost regular wickets, and then 5 for 15 once the tail was exposed. Australia's gameplan relies on their fast bowlers taking regular wickets. Instead, they started brilliantly but couldn't keep striking. And that was the ballgame.

You could extrapolate this one game and talk about the Ashes, and a psychological dominance that England might feel they now have over Australia, but you probably shouldn't. The Australians might be embarrassed that a team lost to England with six or seven potential Test players, but you know, they played a better-prepared team with better form in a must-win game, and they lost. Their ODI team might need a stronger allrounder, but other than that, it's hard to answer any big questions from two washouts and a loss.

Plus there are bigger questions in Australia that need to be answered right now, what's Schapelle Corby up to, who's winning in the footy and what is the best kind of fusion to win with on a reality TV cooking show?

At 35 for 3, Hazlewood raps Stokes on the pad, the Australians are screaming, and one ball later they are coming off. Smith looks frustrated, but he has all day. He was angry when Henriques got out, he was angry when he got out, and he was angry when his team fielded poorly. The only time he wasn't angry was when the rain came for the last time, then it was a relief.

Australia caught rain, bowled England, 0.In the gloom of Edgbaston, with England nearly home, the rain about to come, and their million-dollar bowler clutching his hamstring, Glenn Maxwell dropped a catch that he misread so badly it almost hit him. Even when it didn't rain on Australia's chances, their cricket was underwhelming.

Australia has played only one completed match - and even that was incomplete. They were poor in their first match, and much better in the second. By the end of those two washouts, their tally of two points was exactly what they deserved. If you include their two warm-ups, they'd played in four games in England, and finished just this one.

Essentially Australia's only game of this entire tournament was a knockout game against the only unbeaten team, the favourites, the home team, and they came into it with no proper preparation. Most casual Australian cricket fans don't even know what the Champions Trophy is, what it means, or how often Australia has won it. Plus, it's footy season, and this is hardly the Ashes. Besides, the Australian players haven't had to face anything as hostile on the field as they have from their own board.

But even though Cricket Australia's executives might have played even more reckless shots than their top order, this Australian team never looked right from the moment it took the field in this tournament.

The problem started at No.4. Moises Henriques has never made more than 18 in an ODI. His top score for Australia is 81 not out in Tests. He averages 31 in List A cricket. He made two List A fifties in his first nine seasons of cricket. He's only ever made limited-overs hundreds in domestic cricket. He's 30. Ten Australian players have scored over 4000 runs in ODI cricket batting at No.4: Michael Clarke, Damien Martyn, Allan Border, Michael Bevan, Mike Hussey, Steve Waugh and Greg Chappell.

Henriques has good recent form in the IPL, Big Bash and one-day cup, but at No. 4, in an ICC tournament, it was two or three places too high.

It is not Henriques' fault he is batting at 4: he is there because of a hole in the centre of this team. Australia is a batsman short and a bowler short. And to elongate the batting and rush through the fifth bowler's overs quicker, Henriques has been brought in to fill this gap. The middle overs in this tournament are when bowling sides try and take wickets - England smashed through theirs with wrist spin and pace to make sure Australia had nothing left with which to strike at the death. But in the 13th to 15th of a must-win game, Australia was bowling Moises Henriques and Travis Head when they needed wickets with no catchers, no hope of a plan other than '"let's hope Ben Stokes does something idiotic".

Would Australia have won the game with Marcus Stoinis instead of Henriques, or even Chris Lynn for Henriques, with Head and Maxwell combining for ten overs? Probably not, because even though the chemistry was wrong, the performances weren't much better. Pat Cummins has taken two wickets in 25 overs in this tournament and served up 144 runs - 52 of which came in his first five overs against New Zealand. Today, Stokes took him for 43 runs from 28 balls.

David Warner came into this tournament having made a staggering 23.5% of Australia's runs since the last World Cup: here he failed in two of the three games. Steven Smith makes 16.5% of Australia's runs; he failed in two out of three as well. Starc looked underdone in the first match, bowled beautifully in the washout against Bangladesh, and clutched his hamstring for much of this game.

Australia's gameplan relies on one of their top three batting big, to make up for their shallowness below them. Instead, they lost regular wickets, and then 5 for 15 once the tail was exposed. Australia's gameplan relies on their fast bowlers taking regular wickets. Instead, they started brilliantly but couldn't keep striking. And that was the ballgame.

You could extrapolate this one game and talk about the Ashes, and a psychological dominance that England might feel they now have over Australia, but you probably shouldn't. The Australians might be embarrassed that a team lost to England with six or seven potential Test players, but you know, they played a better-prepared team with better form in a must-win game, and they lost. Their ODI team might need a stronger allrounder, but other than that, it's hard to answer any big questions from two washouts and a loss.

Plus there are bigger questions in Australia that need to be answered right now, what's Schapelle Corby up to, who's winning in the footy and what is the best kind of fusion to win with on a reality TV cooking show?

At 35 for 3, Hazlewood raps Stokes on the pad, the Australians are screaming, and one ball later they are coming off. Smith looks frustrated, but he has all day. He was angry when Henriques got out, he was angry when he got out, and he was angry when his team fielded poorly. The only time he wasn't angry was when the rain came for the last time, then it was a relief.

Australia caught rain, bowled England, 0.

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Advantage England as New Zealand face must-win match

It would be over-stating things a little to say there was a sigh of relief in the England camp after launching their tournament with victory over Bangladesh. In the end they coasted the run chase, but the day was not without its concerns. Chris Woakes' side strain has turned out to be tournament-ending; there was a lack of wicket-taking threat for a large chunk of Bangladesh's innings and Jason Roy's mind looked a little frazzled when he tried to scoop his way back into form.

However, it all came together fairly serenely after that with Alex Hales, Joe Root and Eoin Morgan making light work of a target that, two years ago, would have left England cowering in a corner. And it felt as if they could have chased substantially more if needed. They might have to as the tournament progresses. Victory here will put them in the semi-finals, although the match may have to dodge the showers.

New Zealand's over-riding emotion after their first match will have been frustration. Kane Williamson is too sanguine to let it show, but few would have forgiven him if he wanted to kick something inside the Edgbaston dressing-room as the rain closed in with his side on top against Australia. Such positions do not come easily, even if Australia were below their best.

The way they set up their innings had more than a hint of 2015 about it, as Luke Ronchi blazed away with a slightly-less convincing remake of Brendon McCullum's gung-ho approach. Then Williamson was serene, but they could not kick on. Ross Taylor couldn't quite find an extra gear and the rest of the order floundered. Neil Broom's 14 off 19 balls was particularly problematic to the momentum and consideration may need to be given to some flexible thinking over the order.

When these two sides last met in one-day cricket in 2015, the runs flowed in record-breaking fashion: at the time it was the highest-scoring five-match series as England, showing that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, took on New Zealand's one-day mindset (and took it to greater heights) as the sides hurtled along in each other's slipstream. Given fine weather - and fingers are crossed on that front - this could be a humdinger.

Form guide
(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLWWW
New Zealand LWWWL

In the spotlight
In football a vote of confidence often means a struggling manager is out of a job a few days later. But if we are to take Morgan on his word, it won't matter whether Jason Roy scores runs or not, he won't lose his place at the top of the order. At the moment, England are managing to carry him without too much fuss, but while Root and Hales have a prolific record together, it can't always be banked on: 20 for 2 in tournament cricket is a different kettle of fish to a bilateral series. After the South Africa series, Trevor Bayliss sounded a little less unequivocal over Roy than Morgan. Another failure could test England's faith.

It has been a tough tournament for bowlers so far but, albeit in a small sample size, Adam Milne caught the eye before rain intervened against Australia. He struck in each of his two overs, removing Aaron Finch and Moises Henriques, with a splice-jarring length which zipped off the surface. Pace can be a double-edged sword - the faster it comes, the faster it goes - but harnessed well it can be match-winning.

Team news

Steven Finn could come straight into the side to replace Chris Woakes and there may be other tinkering with the attack, too. However, Adil Rashid could find himself unwanted again; in England's two ODIs on this ground last year they played just one frontline spinner due to the short, straight boundaries. David Willey could come into contention to replace the struggling Jake Ball - he would also offer some extra batting to compensate for Woakes' absence.

England 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Liam Plunkett, 9 David Willey/Jake Ball, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Mark Wood

New Zealand are expected to name an unchanged XI with faith shown in Broom at No. 5 and Jeetan Patel likely to be kept out of the side.

New Zealand 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Luke Ronchi (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Neil Broom, 6 James Neesham 7 Corey Anderson, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

The pitch was covered throughout Monday as heavy rain fell but the forecast is a little better for match-day although showers, and strong winds, are forecast. Whoever wins the toss will surely bowl first. Cardiff has short straight boundaries, especially towards the River Taff, and long square ones which could tempt the quick bowlers to opt for a short-pitched approach.

Stats and trivia

In 50-over world tournaments (World Cup and Champions Trophy), New Zealand have won six of their last seven matches against England. However, their only defeat in that time came in the 2013 Champions Trophy, which was also in Cardiff, the venue for Tuesday's match.
Adil Rashid, who was left out against Bangladesh, is far and away England's most successful wicket-taker in the middle overs (11-40) among the current crop. Since the 2015 World Cup he has claimed 51 wickets at 35.35 and an economy of 5.61. His fellow spinner, Moeen Ali, has a far higher average of 57.43 in that same period but a significantly better economy of 5.08.
Since taking his career-best 7 for 33 against England in Wellington, Tim Southee's one-day returns have dipped. In his next 29 matches, he has taken 28 wickets. Since the World Cup, Southee's average of 48.45 is third-from-bottom among the 37 bowlers who have bowled 150+ overs since that tournament.
Quotes
"What looked like a reasonably good pitch yesterday, with an extra 24 hours under the hot, sweaty cover might change things in the morning. But we'll just have to wait and see how it turns up."
Eoin Morgan says that the wet conditions has left him pondering selection

"Their batting line-up is very long and if you get it wrong and don't get wickets, then you can chase a very high score. We know we'll have play well, as well as we did against Australia if not a little bit better."

Mike Hesson, New Zealand's coach, is braced for the challenge of taking on the tournament favourites.

Upul Tharanga suspended for two matches after four-hour innings

Sri Lanka's stand-in captain Upul Tharanga has been suspended for his team's next two matches in the Champions Trophy because of a "serious" over-rate offence in their first group B match against South Africa at The Oval.

Sri Lanka took more than four hours to bowl 50 overs, and match referee David Boon ruled they were short of the target by four overs, even after making time allowances. Tharanga had been filling in as captain for Angelo Mathews, who did not make it through a fitness test on the morning of the match, and received two suspension points for the slow over rate.

"Tharanga pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing," the ICC said. "As two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player, Tharanga has been suspended from his side's upcoming matches against India and Pakistan, while each of his players have received a fine of 60 per cent."

Tharanga admitted he had been warned on-field that Sri Lanka were falling well behind the over-rate. "I think we were too slow to change over between overs. The umpires had told us that we were lagging, after 10 overs that we were two overs behind. In the last few overs it's hard to catch up, because you need some time at the death. "

He was Sri Lanka's top scorer against South Africa, making 57 off 69 balls as they fell short by 96 runs in the chase of 300. His suspension now makes it even more imperative that Mathews is fit to face India at The Oval on June 8 as Sri Lanka aim to keep their tournament alive.

Speaking before the sanction against Tharanga was confirmed, Dinesh Chandimal, who would be the likely captain if Mathews wasn't fit, said he had been close to make the opening match.

"He just missed this game, but the thing is you can't risk playing the first game and making it worst," he said. "He's got four or five days before the next game to get ready."

Dinesh Karthik replaces injured Pandey in Champions Trophy squad

India has included Dinesh Karthik in their Champions Trophy squad for the replacement for Manish Pandey, who has been ruled out with a left side strain. Pandey sustained the injury during a Kolkata Knight Riders practice session ahead of their IPL Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Karthik has played 71 ODIs since his debut in 2004 - keeping wicket in 24 of them - scoring 1313 runs at 27.93. He was part of India's victorious 2013 Champions Trophy campaign and last played international cricket during the 2014 Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

In recalling Karthik, the selectors have rewarded his excellent domestic form across formats. He scored 704 runs in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy at 54.15, with one hundred and five fifties, and was a vital cog in Tamil Nadu's run to a 50-overs title double, scoring a combined 854 runs at 85.40 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Deodhar Trophy. In the IPL, Karthik was Gujarat Lions' second-highest run-getter with 361 at a strike rate of 139.38.


India squad for Champions Trophy 2017

Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (wk), Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik(wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.

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Indian Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2017

15-man India squad, for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, announced on Monday (May 8) - a day after the BCCI gave the all-clear to participate in the tournament.

Mohammed Shami, who hadn't played a One-Day International since the World Cup 2015 semifinal, was recalled to the 15-man Indian squad, for the Champions Trophy.

It was also the first time that standbys were named.

Rohit Sharma, the opening batsman, too, returns to the set-up after having been ruled out for four months in November last year due to a thigh injury. He has played all of Mumbai's games so far this season in the IPL after returning to competitive cricket in March.

While KL Rahul hasn't sufficiently recovered from his shoulder injury, Ravichandran Ashwin, the ace offspinner, who missed the ongoing IPL with a sports hernia injury, was named, along with Ravindra Jadeja, with the duo to share spin responsibilities.

Ashwin, who played a crucial role in helping India hoist the Champions Trophy in 2013, picking up eight scalps at an average of 22.62, was rested for the duration of the IPL - something that was confirmed by MSK Prasad. "Ashwin's selection was not a difficult decision. He's had rest, isn't out of form. We've been preparing him for the Champions Trophy" said MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors after the announcement.

One of the major talking points prior to the announcement was whether Ajinkya Rahane would retain his place in the set-up. The elegant batsman has been in average form in the ongoing IPL, evidenced by the fact that he has compiled just 248 runs at an average of 20.66. However, the Prasad-led selection panel showed their faith in the veteran batsman by naming him for England as the backup opener (Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan being the primary ones), along with Yuvraj Singh, whose one-day career was revived after being picked for the series against England in January.

Manish Pandey was also named in the 15-member squad. The enterprising batsman hasn't played for the national side in the 50-over format since the series against New Zealand in October last year despite being selected for the subsequent ODI series against England.

MS Dhoni was the lone wicketkeeper named in the squad. When asked about the decision and concerns with his form, Prasad didn't stop short of lavishing praise on the former Indian skipper saying that the experienced campaigner has been a fine performer for India under pressure situations in the abridged versions of the game, also commending his glovework.

"We all believe that MSD is still the best wicketkeeper in the world," said Prasad. "Focussing on his batting form, he is an invaluable asset to the team when it comes to crunch situations. His inputs... and he has got one of the best brains. He is the best person to guide Virat. Not many people realise that in the last 10-12 years that MS has played, he has never had a bad day as far his gloves are concerned. We always treat him as a batsman but the phenomenal stuff that he does behind the wickets, not many people appreciate."

Rishabh Pant, the dashing wicketkeeper-batsman, was also considered for selection but missed out. The 19-year-old had plundered 972 runs at an average of 81 to go with an astonishing strike rate of 107 in the 2016-17 Ranji season.

"We are completely impressed with Rishabh Pant. But he missed out because of squad combination. We will groom him for the future," noted Prasad. The former wicketkeeper-batsman also pointed out that the selectors had pondered over whether to select Kuldeep Yadav, the slow left-arm unorthodox bowler, who he said "missed out narrowly".

The chinaman bowler took a four-wicket haul on his Test debut against Australia in Dharamsala. He has also picked up nine wickets at an average of 31.22 in the IPL 2017.

In addition, apart from Pant and Kuldeep, the others who were considered and will be kept as stand-by options are Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina and Shardul Thakur, for who visas are being sorted out. They will, in the meantime, train at the NCA in Bangalore.

Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami will form a formidable pace attack. The team, as Prasad stressed, had been picked on the basis of "performances in the last year or so and not just the IPL".

The Indian selectors went in with a tried and tested side, banking on the right mix of experience and youth, playing it safe with no surprise inclusions. Virat Kohli will lead the side that will kickstart their title defence against Pakistan on June 4 in Edgbaston.


Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit, Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami.