T20 World Cup | Pakistan

India on Tuesday said it would be “a challenge” to face a “quality” Pakistan team in Colombo after Islamabad decided to play the blockbuster T20 World Cup clash. “It’s great that the game is back on, we kind of never changed the preparation,” said India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate. India will face a second Group A match against Namibia on Thursday in New Delhi before flying to Sri Lanka. It means a quick turnaround for Sunday’s match, the biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket. “It’s going to be a challenge going to Colombo where Pakistan have been for the last two weeks,” added Ten Doeschate. “We are delighted to have another chance to play against a quality side in the first phase of the tournament. “We are fully focused on just bringing our best game to that fixture.” Sri Lanka, who will host the match that generates multi-millions of dollars in advertising, broadcast rights, sponsorship and tourism, also praised the decision. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in a social med...

The government announced on Monday that Pakistan would play the T20 World Cup match against India, scheduled for February 15. The decision to play the match comes after a delegation from the ICC arrived in the country over the weekend and held meetings with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on the team’s participation in the match against India. It also came hours after Sri Lanka urged Pakistan to play India. In a post on X, the government said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was formally briefed by PCB Chairman Naqvi regarding the outcomes of high-level deliberations held between the PCB, representatives of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). “The government of Pakistan has reviewed the formal requests extended to the PCB by the BCB, as well as the supporting communications from Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, and other member nations. These correspondences sought Pakistan’s leadership in securing a viable solution to recent challenges,” i...

USA leg-spinner Mohammad Mohsin said on Monday that “the pressure will be on Pakistan” when the teams lock horns in the T20 World Cup again, two years after the Americans inflicted a shock defeat on the former champions. But Pakistan quick bowler Salman Mirza insisted the stunning super over defeat in Dallas in the 2024 T20 World Cup would be firmly “in the past” when the two clash in Colombo on Tuesday. The USA team gave tournament favourites India a big scare in their opening match in Mumbai, reducing them to 77-6 at one point, with Mohsin taking a wicket on his T20 World Cup debut, before losing by 29 runs. They are confident they can repeat their stunning upset of two years ago in the Group A encounter. “The pressure of losing the last game will be on Pakistan,” said Mohsin. Born and brought up playing cricket in Pakistan, Mohsin migrated to the US five years ago and warned that the USA was a better team now than two years ago. “I have played with most of the players in this Pakistan team, so I have given...

Sri Lanka’s 11th-hour call to draft in Kamindu Mendis proved a masterstroke as the all-rounder produced a match-turning cameo to set up a 20-run win over Ireland in their T20 World Cup opener at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday. Kamindu’s blistering 44 off 19 balls with four fours and two sixes gave Sri Lanka the late thrust they badly needed to post 163. The spin trio of Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga and Dunith Wellalage then ran through the Irish middle order, sharing seven wickets to seal a comfortable victory. “I just wanted to score a few boundaries and put a partnership with Kusal Mendis,” said Kamindu. “Kusal was outstanding today. He deserves a lot of credit. We wanted someone to bat through the innings. “They played well during the run chase until the 15th over. We had to keep our calm and we knew they had to take risks and we bowled well towards the end.” Hasaranga claimed three wickets to take his World Cup tally to 40, second only to Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, who has 50. There ...

England clung on to beat Nepal by four runs in a last-ball thriller in Mumbai on Sunday and avoid one of the biggest upsets in the history of the T20 World Cup. Chasing an imposing 185 to win, Nepal’s Lokesh Bam (39 not out) needed a six off the final delivery of the match bowled by Sam Curran but could only club the ball to deep cover for a single. It was an agonising end to a valiant run chase by the cricketing minnows, who put England’s premier bowlers Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid to the sword. Jacob Bethell (55) and Harry Brook (53) scored quick fifties for England but it was a late cameo by Will Jacks that took them to 184-7 in the Group C match, a total that proved just out of reach. Jacks smashed three spectacular sixes off the final over from Karan KC to finish 39 not out off 18 balls . Nepal fell just short at 180-6, despite being roared on by most of the spectators in a three-quarters full Wankhede stadium. They got off to a flying start in their chase, Kushal Bhurtel crunching 29 off 17 balls befor...

Opener Tim Seifert struck a blistering 65 off 42 balls to lead New Zealand’s highest-ever run in a T20 World Cup as they beat Afghanistan by five wickets on Sunday. After Afghanistan made 182-6, New Zealand were driven by Seifert’s 42-ball knock and 42 by Glenn Phillips to achieve their target with 13 balls to spare in Chennai. New Zealand’s previous best chase in the T20 World Cup was their 167 against England in the 2021 semi-final. Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman had New Zealand in early trouble when he struck on successive balls in the second over of the chase to dismiss Finn Allen, for one, and Rachin Ravindra, for a duck. The hat-trick was avoided by Phillips, who then got going with wicketkeeper Seifert in a partnership of 74 for the third wicket to thwart Afghanistan’s spin-heavy attack. Captain Rashid Khan let out a roar as he broke through to dismiss Phillips, who inside-edged onto his stumps. Leg-spinner Rashid dropped Seifert on 48 off his own bowling, and the batsman reached his fifty with a...

Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first against the Netherlands in the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground on Saturday, as overcast conditions and the threat of rain loomed large over the contest.

Sri Lanka’s cricket board on Thursday asked Pakistan to reconsider its decision to boycott their first-round encounter with arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup co-hosted by the island. Pakistan decided not to play India on February 15 in Colombo to express solidarity with Bangladesh, who were excluded from the tournament after refusing to play their matches in India. Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for more than a decade and meet only at global or regional tournament events. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) told the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that a boycott would result in a financial hit and also hurt the island’s tourism industry, which is still recovering from the 2022 economic meltdown. “Any non-participation will have wide-ranging implications, including substantial financial exposure for SLC and the potential loss of anticipated tourism inflows,” the board said. It recalled that Sri Lanka had toured Pakistan to express solidarity and revive international matches there when other nations ...

Commenting on the decision to boycott the match against India in the T20 World Cup, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that there “should be no politics in sports”. He made the remarks while addressing the federal cabinet in Islamabad. The remarks were televised. “We have taken a clear stand regarding the T20 World Cup that we will not play the match against India,” he said. “There should be no politics in sports,” he said. “We have taken this stand after deliberating on it carefully,” he said, calling it an “appropriate decision”. It should be noted that the government on Sunday gave the cricket team the nod to participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, but said the Green Shirts would not play their match with arch-rivals India, scheduled to be held on Feb 15 in Colombo. The development came after Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the tournament amid tensions with India, which is one of the co-hosts of the T20 World Cup. At the start of his address, PM Shehbaz began by talking about the attacks ...

The Pakistan cricket team on Monday arrived in Sri Lanka for the T20 World Cup, which is set to begin on February 7. In a post on X, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that a 15-player squad had arrived in the country. “The 15-player national squad includes Captain Salman Ali Agha, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Naeef, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan, and Usman Tariq,” the PCB said in an earlier post, the informed of the squad’s department for the global event’s venue. In the latest update about the aquad’s arrival in Colombo, the board said the team would rest on Monday and Tuesday. “The team will play a warm-up match against Ireland on Feb 4,” PCB added. The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is set to begin on Feb 7. On Sunday, the government gave the go-ahead for Pakistan’s participation in the tournament, but barred it from playing against arch-rival India...

After around a week of uncertainty, the government gave the nod on Sunday to the Pakistan cricket team for participation in the T20 World Cup but barred it from playing against India on February 15, when the Green Shirts are scheduled to play their only group-stage match against the arch-rivals. “The government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan cricket team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan cricket team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India,” a post of the government’s X account said. On Monday, Pakistan Cricket Board chief and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as the possibility of a boycott of the T20 World Cup loomed over Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the tournament. After the meeting, Naqvi had said he had briefed the PM on the “International Cricket Council (ICC) matter” and a “final decision would be taken either on Friday or next Monday”. The meeting took place...

Cricket’s governing body on Friday released a list of “iconic performances” at the T20 World Cup, with Shahid Afridi’s 2009 performance in the semi-final against South Africa included among the feats. “Between India winning both the inaugural ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007 and the most recent offering two years ago, there have been many iconic performances that have left their mark on T20’s biggest stage,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in its press release. On Afridi, the ICC noted that after being named the player of the tournament in 2007, he had come back “with the bit firmly between his teeth”. “In the semi-finals against South Africa, Afridi came to the fore in devastating fashion, starring with a crucial all-round performance that took Pakistan into a second successive final,” the ICC said. It added that Afridi scored 51 off 34 with the bat, before claiming the key wickets of Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers, finishing with 2-16. It is worth mentioning that Pakistan had won the tourna...

Amid uncertainty about Pakistan’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup, Iceland has quipped that its team is unavailable to replace the Green Shirts in the tournament. Pakistan is expected to make a final decision by next week, over the cricket team’s participation in next month’s Twenty20 World Cup, keeping open the possibility of a boycott over Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the tournament. Amid the uncertainty, Iceland Cricket had earlier quipped that it needed Pakistan to decide on its participation soon, saying they were “ready to take off”. It is worth mentioning that Iceland is not a member of the International Cricket Council. However, on Thursday, Iceland Cricket’s X account — known for its wisecracks — said: “It is with a heavy heart that we now announce our unavailability to replace Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup. “Regardless of whether they [Pakistan] now withdraw, the short timescales ensure it is impossible for our squad to prepare in the professional manner necessary to compete eff...

Sri Lanka will deploy elite armed units to protect teams at next month’s T20 World Cup, part of enhanced security measures with a special emphasis on matches between perennial rivals India and Pakistan, officials have told AFP. The island is co-hosting the biennial cricket tournament with India and will hold 20 games between February 7 and March 8. The Indian and Pakistani teams will play each other at least once, in their Group A clash in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on February 15. Cricket matches have long been a stage for expressing political tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, which fought a four-day conflict last year. Sri Lanka has given the “highest priority” to ensuring the tournament runs smoothly and is “paying special attention to the India-Pakistan matches”, sports minister Sunil Kumara Gamage told AFP late on Wednesday. Elite commando units, usually assigned to guard visiting heads of state, will be deployed to protect all participating teams, police and security officials said. “Fr...

The last year was supposed to be the one in which Pakistan were supposed to redefine their approach towards Twenty20 cricket. It didn’t come. Despite the promises of more aggression with the bat and the subsequent change in personnel, the team scored at just 127.47 – more than a run (1.37 to be precise) slower than the year before. There was a record for the most wins in a calendar year — 21 — but 18 of those had come against lower-ranked or weaker sides in Bangladesh, West Indies, Afghanistan, Oman, UAE, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. The attempted reinvention — that brought in new captain and head coach — focused towards ensuring Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign this year does not look similar to 2024, when they were knocked out in just the group stage following embarrassing defeats to the United States and India. There are some positives though. Pakistan look more settled as a team with the roles for each player well defined as the selectors and team management have persisted with the same core for the last 10 m...

EDINBURGH: With new head coach Owen Dawkins at the helm, and under the captaincy of Richie Berrington, Scotland have named their squad for their seventh appearance at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Scotland have replaced Bangladesh at the global showpiece being staged jointly by India and Sri Lanka from Feb 7 to March 8. Bangladesh refused to play their World Cup matches in India due to security concerns amid political tensions between New Delhi and Dhaka. The European side had also participated in the inaugural edition of the tournament staged in 2007 in South Africa. Zainullah Ihsan is a first-time call-up, with the Afghan-born fast bowler having recently qualified to play for Scotland. Also in contention is former New Zealand international Tom Bruce, who will boost up their batting line-up. The 34-year-old Bruce has featured in 17 T20 Internationals for the Black Caps before he changed his allegiance to Scotland. Squad: Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Oliver Davidson, C...

The absence of Bangladesh from next month’s T20 World Cup is a sad moment for the game and should serve as a call for stakeholders to work towards uniting the sport, not dividing it, the International Cricketers’ Association said on Sunday. Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 20-team showpiece on Saturday following their refusal to tour India over safety concerns in the wake of soured political relations between the Asian neighbours. The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected Bangladesh’s request to move their matches to tournament co-host Sri Lanka, saying it was not feasible to change the schedule so close to the February 7 start of the tournament. “The withdrawal of Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup, and resulting absence of a valued cricketing nation from cricket’s pinnacle international T20 event, is a sad moment for our sport, the Bangladesh players and fans, and one that requires deep reflection,” World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) Chief Executive Tom Moffat said in a statement...

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday announced that Scotland would replace Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in India next month. Bangladesh had announced on Jan 4 that it would not play its T20 World Cup matches in India after its player Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team amid growing tensions between the two countries. Subsequently, Bangladesh had “formally requested” the ICC to shift their games to Sri Lanka, which the council had rejected. However, Bangladesh had insisted it would not travel to India for the tournament. In the statement posted on its website on Saturday, the ICC stated that the decision was made in the absence of “any credible or verifiable security threat” to the Bangladesh national team in India. “Scotland has been called up to take Bangladesh’s place in Group C, joining England, Italy, Nepal and the West Indies,” the ICC announced. The ICC noted that Scotland, ranked the 14th-highest T20 team in the world, ...

Bangladesh will not travel to India to play in next month’s T20 World Cup, its cricket board said on Thursday, effectively ruling the country out of the tournament. According to ESPN Cricinfo, the decision was announced after a meeting in Dhaka between Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul, CEO Nizamuddin, Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul and several national team players. “Our only demand is to play the World Cup – but not in India,” the BCB president told reporters. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that it would not be making any changes to the World Cup schedule or groups, days after Bangladesh requested that its matches be moved to Sri Lanka after refusing to play in India. “We will go back to the ICC with our plan to play in Sri Lanka,” the BCB president said. “They did give us a 24-hour ultimatum but a global body can’t really do that. ICC will miss out on 200 million people watching the World Cup (if Bangladesh is axed). It will be their loss…” “Bangladesh is a cricket...

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced that it would not be making any changes to the Men’s T20 World Cup schedule or groups, days after Bangladesh requested that its matches be moved to Sri Lanka after refusing to play in India. Bangladesh announced on Jan 4 that it would not play its T20 World Cup matches in India after its player Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team amid growing tensions between the two countries. Subsequently, Bangladesh had “formally requested” the ICC to shift their games to Sri Lanka. The T20 World Cup begins on February 7 with Bangladesh in England’s Group C. The team is scheduled to play all of their group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ICC said the decision was reached after “considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any tournament venues in the cou...