As Rohit’s India travel 3,400 kilometers to miss the World Cup, Australia defeats Pakistan in a warm-up game

In a high-scoring World Cup warm-up on Tuesday, Australia upset Pakistan by 14 runs, while India traveled 3,400 kilometers across the nation before losing to pouring rain. Australia scored 351 runs from their 50 overs in Hyderabad, with Glenn Maxwell especially brutal on Pakistan’s bowlers.

Maxwell scored 77 from 71 balls, including six sixes and four boundaries. Josh Inglis also struck 48, David Warner hit three sixes in his 48, while Cameron Green was unbeaten on 50. The five-time World Cup champions’ late call-up Marnus Labuschagne made a 40-point contribution.

Usama Mir, a leg-spinner for Pakistan, made an impression by dismissing Warner and Mitchell Marsh for 2-31 runs after the openers had put 83 runs together for the first wicket.

Shadab Khan, the other leg-spinner alongside Mir, was pricey; one of his wickets cost 69 runs. In response, Pakistan was dismissed for 337 in the 48th over after losing to New Zealand in their first warm-up match by a margin of five wickets.

With Iftikhar Ahmed, who scored 83 off 85 deliveries and had a 144-run partnership with captain Babar Azam, the batsman struck a composed, unbeaten 90 off 59 balls with 11 boundaries and two sixes. Despite Mohammad Nawaz’s 50, Pakistan came up barely short.

Kusal Mendis produced an incredible 158 at Guwahati as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 294 by Afghanistan before losing by six wickets in a rain-delayed match.

Mendis scored his runs off only 87 balls while serving as the day’s captain since Dasun Shanaka sat out the last warm-up. As Afghanistan failed to put the breaks on, he smashed 19 fours and nine sixes, with only former captain Mohammad Nabi having consistent success with 4-44.

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When play was suspended due to rain, Afghanistan had a comfortable score of 118-1 in the 21st over of their reply. Then, with a revised goal of 257 off 42 overs, they easily completed the game with 23 balls remaining.

Rahmat Shah and Rahmanullah Gurbaz had a 212-run second wicket stand as the opener hammered 119 off 92 balls while hitting eight fours and nine sixes. Rahmat scored 93 from 82 balls, including 10 fours and 3 sixes.

India’s top cricketers traveled 3,400 kilometers (2,170 miles) across the nation to play a warm-up game, but the game was called off before a ball was thrown.

At the southernmost edge of India, at Thiruvananthapuram, India was scheduled to play host to the Netherlands, but they were left kicking their heels in the rain.

Their match against the reigning champions England in the northeastern city of Guwahati on Saturday was also postponed.

Three warm-up games were ultimately called off due to inclement weather, and four more were impacted by it, leaving teams and players disappointed before Thursday’s World Cup opener.

However, the hopeful weather prediction for the remainder of the week in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Dharamsala — locations for the first three days of the competition — shows sunshine rather than precipitation.

At the largest cricket stadium in the world in Ahmedabad, England will face New Zealand in the tournament’s first match on Thursday. On Friday, Pakistan will face the Netherlands in Hyderabad, while on Saturday, Afghanistan will play Bangladesh in Dharamsala.