Captain Babar Azam's half-century inspired Pakistan to their second win in the Twenty20 international tri-series in Christchurch on Saturday, coasting past New Zealand by six wickets.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said Monday that he hopes a seven-match series against England starting in Karachi this week will help him return to his best scoring form, after a lean Asia Cup earlier this month.

Pakistan coach Saqlain Mushtaq defended his team's Twenty20 playing style after losing Sunday's Asia Cup final, saying they were on the right track for next month's T20 World Cup.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa on Sunday said Sri Lanka's cricket has proved a point to the world with their sixth Asia Cup title after his unbeaten 71 set up a commanding 23-run win over Pakistan.

Sri Lanka exude confidence at the moment, having secured four back-to-back victories that begun with the win over Bangladesh. They geared for the final with a win in the dead-rubber Super Four stage game against Pakistan in what was a dress rehearsal for the final. Their plans have been like clockwork, especially with the bat.

Anew batter has scaled the peak of the MRF Tyres ICC Men's Player Rankings for T20Is after his exceptional performances in the Asia Cup.

Virat Kohli believes there is a healthy amount of respect between the India and Pakistan players, despite the fierce on-field rivalry between the two sides.

There is a certain camaraderie among the current generation of India and Pakistan players. Virat Kohli's gesture to Shaheen Afridi or Harris Rauf, and his remarks about Babar Azam all set a friendly tone. But beneath the surface, it is still an India-Pakistan clash and it still is arguably the biggest rivalry in world cricket despite the fact that the archnemesis only meet each other in multi-nation events. At the tip of that rivalry is the competitive wonders that are Kohli and Babar Azam.

Debutant pace bowler Naseem Shah stood out for Pakistan with figures of 2-27 but a foot injury in the last few overs had him limping as India took control with the right-left batting pair of Pandya and Jadeja. Pakistan skipper, the losing captain, during post-match did admit his side missed the services of pacer Shaheen Afridi, who was forced out of the six-nation tournament through injury.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam exuded confidence ahead of today's Asia Cup clash against arch-rivals India.

Virat Kohli is set to return to action in the Asia Cup T20 tournament in the much-anticipated match between India and Pakistan on Sunday after taking a month-long break. Kohli, who rested during the recent white-ball tour of West Indies and Zimbabwe, has seen an extended lean patch, having scored an international century in November 2019. His batting slump has also raised questions over his place in the current Indian setup. 

India skipper Rohit Sharma believes the match against Pakistan at the Asia Cup is 'just another game' and will not let past results dictate on how they approach their arch-rivals at the tournament.

The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is once again back in the spotlight, as the two arch-rivals are set to lock horns in a much-awaited clash at the Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday in Dubai.

India's Virat Kohli has the chance to find form before the World Cup while Babar Azam will look to keep Pakistan's psychological edge when the rival countries clash as the headline acts of the Asia Cup starting this weekend.

All eyes will be on former India captain Virat Kohli when India meet Pakistan in their Asia Cup opener in Dubai on August 28.

Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman made unbeaten half-centuries as Pakistan eased to a seven-wicket win over the Netherlands in the second one-day international in Rotterdam on Thursday to complete a series victory.

The batter, at 27, will become the youngest Pakistani to be conferred upon the award while national women’s team skipper Bismah Maroof will receive the Tamgha-e-Pakistan.

Babar Azam is in danger of losing his mantle as the best T20I batter in the world after emerging India star Suryakumar Yadav moved within striking distance of the Pakistan captain on the latest MRF Tyres ICC Men's Player Rankings.

Pakistan have dropped seamer Hasan Ali and replaced him with teenage fast bowler Naseem Shah in their Twenty20 squad for the Asia Cup, which begins in Dubai on August 27.

Babar Azam is one step closer in his quest of becoming the No.1 batter in all three formats of the game after the Pakistan captain inched closer to the top Test ranking on the latest MRF Tyres ICC Men's Player Rankings.