Pakistan opt to bat against South Africa

England batter Joe Root is banking on his team using the lessons they learnt in 2019 when they try to defend their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup title in India later this year.

Root was part of the victorious England side that lifted their inaugural World Cup trophy at home four years ago and they get the chance to become just the third team to claim back-to-back titles when they travel to the sub-continent for this year's 50-over showcase.

The memories of a thrilling Super Over clash in the World Cup Final at Lord's in 2019 are still fresh in Root's mind, and the star right-hander is hoping he will be able to emulate that victory in India in November.

"Having the experience of 2019 and how good that was and how much that meant to the group and for them to go out and get the opportunity to defend it is something we are relishing and really looking forward to," Root said.

"We are going to have to play some really good cricket, we are going to have to adapt to different conditions and have that consistency that you need so we will see how we go."

England are one of the teams that have already named a preliminary squad for the six-week tournament and the defending champions revealed a few surprises in their initial group by leaving out young batter Harry Brook and including uncapped pacer Gus Atkinson.

Root has confidence in the squad chosen to get the job done for England during the World Cup and knows his team must play their best cricket at the pointy end of the tournament.

"It is very exciting to play in a World Cup event is something that you always look forward to as a player," Root said.

"Big tournaments and big moments is where you want to go out and perform and impress and deliver for your country.

"You have to get to those last two games - the semi-final and the final - and it is about turning up and putting in the performance when it really counts."

And unsurprisingly Root nominated a pair of his teammates as the most likely players to be the leading run scorer and wicket-taker at the eagerly-awaited event that commences on October 5.

"I am going to go for Jonny Bairstow (to be the leading run scorer)," Root suggested.

"He is someone that always has a point to prove, he is a wonderful white-ball player and he has been so consistent for us at the top of the order."

Root expects conditions teams will face in India will suit the slower bowlers and believes Adil Rashid can thrive by being the leading wicket-taker.

"He (Rashid) has so many different skills and variations to call upon," Root added.

"We know how important it is to take wickets in the middle overs...he has done a wonderful job for us for a long time and I anticipate him being very difficult on these wickets."

Renowned Pakistani singer Atif Aslam is set to return to the capital. On November 29, he will take the stage at Bangladesh Army Stadium for the "Magical Night 2.0" concert. Earlier this year, he performed at the Bashundhara Sports Complex, and fans are now eagerly anticipating his upcoming show.

Organised by Triple Time Communication, "Magical Night 2.0" will feature artistes from both Bangladesh and Pakistan. The organisers teased the event on Facebook by posting Atif Aslam's hit song "Kuch Is Tarah," sparking excitement and speculation among fans about his appearance. The organisers later confirmed the news to local media.

In the comments, fans expressed their enthusiasm for Atif's return. When contacted, Triple Time Communication confirmed Atif's performance but declined to reveal the names of the other performers. Reports suggest that another Pakistani artist will join him, along with several Bangladeshi acts.

The concert is scheduled to begin at 5pm on November 29 at Bangladesh Army Stadium, with gates opening at 1pm. However, no information has been released yet regarding advance ticket sales.

Atif Aslam made his Dhaka debut in 2013 at the opening ceremony of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He returned in 2016 for "Rhythm for All".

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His most recent performance was last April at the "Let's Vibe Art and Music Festival," where he performed several of his popular songs, including "O Lamhe," "Tere Bin," "Pehli Nazar Mein," and "Tere Liye." He shared the stage with local talents like Ahmed Hasan Sunny, Kaaktaal, Firoze Jong, and Carnival.

Meanwhile, at the end of last month, Atif Aslam's former band, Jal, performed live in Dhaka.

South Africa captain Aiden Markram says his team are driven by an "extreme hunger" to win as they search for their first T20 World Cup title against India on Saturday.

Until Wednesday's victory over Afghanistan, the Proteas had suffered seven defeats in World Cup semifinals, in both T20 and 50-over formats, and will be playing in the title game for the first time.

Markram says that far from being consumed by past shortcomings, his team has shown throughout the tournament, where they have been unbeaten, a powerful desire.

"There's a really strong will to win, I don't think it's on the level of desperation though but it's an extreme hunger to win games of cricket," he told a press conference on Friday.

His team may not be conditioned by the defeats of the past but, says Markram, they are certainly motivated by them.

"We haven't achieved ideally on the world stage what we would have liked to and I think that gets the juices going a bit for the boys to finally achieve it and try to achieve it at least," he said.

As well as some convincing wins, South Africa have edged victories in close encounters with Bangladesh, Nepal and England and those performances, says Markram, showed his team's mental strength.

"I think you've seen it in the close results, we've probably not played some of our best cricket in certain games but that ultimately sort of drives you to go out and get the job done," he said.

"That's probably one thing that's really stood out for me in this group, you win those close games and take a lot of belief moving forward that sort of from any position you feel like you can still win the game," he said.

It has been a real team effort from South Africa with Quinton de Kock their top scorer with 204 runs at an average of 25.50 and David Miller adding 148 at 29.60.

The wickets have also been spread around with Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi all having double figures wicket tallies.

That hunger of the collective remains, says the Proteas skipper, despite the joy of ending the run of seven semifinal losses.

"We were obviously a happy bunch the other night after qualifying for the final but it's amazing, I'm sure all teams do it, but straight after that game in the changing room, you still reflect and you say, guys we've still got one more step to go," he said.

"It's not driven by coach or by captain, the whole unit sort of feels that and is driven by that. As a general rule, sportsmen are highly competitive people and nobody would want to lose in a situation of a final so I think there's no sense that the guys are satisfied regardless of the result. I think there's still a massive hunger for us to go out and win Saturday's game," he added.

Teenage fast bowler Kwena Maphaka and all-rounder Jason Smith have been called up to South Africa's Twenty20 squad for the first time for a three-match series in the West Indies, Cricket South Africa announced on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old Maphaka was named player of the tournament at this year's under-19 World Cup in South Africa and later landed a contract in the Indian Premier League while hard-hitting middle-order batter Smith impressed with both his batting and bowling in domestic T20 competition.

The 15-man South African side return to the Caribbean after finishing runners-up to India at the T20 World Cup in June but with a changed squad that is without several key players.

"Several players were not considered for this series due to either injury, being in a conditioning block that is related to workload management, or their participation in ongoing T20 leagues," said coach Rob Walter.

"This tour allows us to continue developing our player pool whilst maintaining the core of experienced players. It will also expose our emerging talent to quality international opposition, similar to the last time we played against the West Indies in May.

"Kwena has been identified as a player with significant potential, and this tour presents a great opportunity to include him in the Proteas environment and gain valuable international experience," he said in a statement.

There is a recall for Rassie van der Dussen, who was a surprise omission from the World Cup line-up.

The three matches will all be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago on Aug. 23, 25 and 27.

Squad: Aiden Markram (Titans, captain), Ottneil Baartman (Dolphins), Nandre Burger (Western Province), Donovan Ferreira (Titans), Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks (both Lions), Patrick Kruger (Warriors), Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder (both Lions), Lungi Ngidi (Titans), Ryan Rickelton (Lions), Jason Smith (Dolphins), Tristan Stubbs (Warriors), Rassie van der Dussen (Lions), Lizaad Williams (Titans).