Cricket

The International Cricket Council has described Pakistan’s stance of playing selected matches at the ICC T20 World Cup as “difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event”. Pakistan on Thursday said its team will not play against India on February 15 in Colombo but will participate in the ICC T20 World Cup. The ICC statement was issued hours after Pakistan made the announcement. “The tournament brings together all qualified teams who are expected to participate and compete on an

Pakistan cricket chief Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday that a decision will be held back for up to a week finalising whether the team would pull out of next month's Twenty20 World Cup, paving the way for a potential boycott over Bangladesh backing down. Naqvi was scheduled to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday to seek his advice but a call is expected before then with the cricket board boss posting on X: "The final decision will either be taken Friday or next

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice President Rajeev Shukla said India provided complete security to the Bangladesh and can't re-schedule the entire ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at last moment. The BCCI Vice President had said so after the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that Scotland replace Bangladesh in the upcoming T20 World Cup. The ICC decision, announced on Saturday, ends weeks of uncertainty about the future of BCB and the global governing body's relations. The withdrawal was precipitated by the Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will appeal to the country's military backed interim government in a final bid to try and have the team play next month's Twenty20 World Cup after their request for its matches on grounds that they may not be safe was rejected here on Wednesday. The International Cricket Council (ICC)'s executive board has thrown out Bangladesh's worries over the safety and security of its players and fans in India due to political problems between the South Asian neighbours. Bangladesh have been

Opener Abhishek Sharma hammered 84 off 35 balls to give India a thumping 48-run victory over New Zealand in the first of five T20 internationals on Wednesday. Abhishek's eight sixes set India on course for a strong start while hosts Rinku Singh contributed an unbeaten cameo of 44 to take the home side to 238-7 after they were invited to bat in Nagpur. Chasing 204 to win, New Zealand managed 190-7 in a losing effort as India's bowlers kept taking wickets for them to grab

Daryl Mitchell hit an unbeaten 131 off 117 balls to lead New Zealand to a seven-wicket win over India on Wednesday in the second one-day international and level the three-match series at 1-1. New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat in Rajkot, restricting hosts India to 284/7. The visitors overhauled that target with 15 deliveries to spare to set up a series decider. Mitchell, in good form in ODIs having scored 761 runs last year at an average of 54.35, walked out with New Zealand

Cricket fans in Saudi Arabia are in for a thrilling experience as the World Cricket Festival comes to Jeddah this January. Nestled in the heart of historic KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology), this four-day cricket extravaganza offers a celebration that fuses the magic of cricket with festival fun, action and enjoyment. So whether you're a cricket fanatic, or just looking to enjoy a great day out with friends and colleagues, there's something for everyone at this event. Event Overview Set against the stunning

Virat Kohli scored 93 to lead India’s thrilling four-wicket win over New Zealand after chasing down 301 in the first one-day international on Sunday. On-song Kohli notched up his 77th ODI half-century but failed to make a ton as India were reduced from 234-2 to 242-5 before they got past the finish line with six balls to spare in Vadodara. Skipper Shubman Gill hit a 56 in a stand of 118 for the second wicket with Kohli, who also combined impressively with Shreyas Iyer (49). Late

There was a new chapter in the DP World ILT20 when Desert Vipers were crowned champions of Season 4, securing their first-ever title with an impressive 46-run victory against MI Emirates at Dubai International Stadium. In addition to the trophy and Black Belt (belt for franchise owner), Vipers bagged a winners’ purse of USD 700,000, with runners-up MI Emirates winning USD 300,00. Once more, the DP World ILT20’s unique belts served as exclamation points to this depth of competition over the season, and a reminder

Sunday night at a packed Dubai International Stadium, the Desert Vipers won their first DP World ILT20 trophy, defeating MI Emirates by 46 runs. Oasis Vipers clinched USD 700,000 and the Black Belt while MI Emirates picked USD 300,000. Curran clobbered an unbeaten 74 from 51 balls, with eight boundaries and two sixes, to help take his team to the formidable score of 182/4. He was ably assisted by Max Holden (41 off 32) and Dan Lawrence’s (23 off 15) late surge. Naseem Shah (3/18), Usman Tariq

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders remained in the running for the DP World ILT20 Season 4 title when it outplayed Dubai Capitals by 50 runs in the Eliminator at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. Sparks had flown from both bat and ball right since the start of this maiden game at The Boland Park, and although Michael Pepper (0) contributed somewhat to his own downfall - caught off a leading edge two balls in to get Pretorius off the mark in T20 cricket

Harmanpreet fires as India complete 5-0 sweep. India were extended further than they have done at any stage this series but still completed a 5-0 series win over Sri Lanka with victory in the final T20I at Trivandrum - the first time they have achieved a sweep of this length in a bilateral T20I series at home. Other than a better showing with the bat from their opposition, there were stiffer tests that came their way - occasional inabilities at the top of the order,

Dubai: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has gone ahead and unveiled a franchise-based T20 league, the Afghanistan Premier League (APL). The first season of the tournament’s newly rebirthed format is expected to consist of five teams and will likely be held in the UAE in October 2026. The APL was launched has been previously introduced by the ACB back in 2018 as a season. That version pulled in the planet’s biggest names – Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Shahid Afridi for starters. But then the league was dissolved

Desert Vipers maintained their fine run in DP World ILT20 Season 4 with a comfortable four-wicket win over Sharjah Warriorz at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday (December 20). The victory secured Vipers’ place at the top of the standings after eight matches, with 14 points and very little doubt they will finish in the top two. A well-disciplined bowling display saw David Payne dismissive of the home side as they were bowled out for just 90. No other batsman could quite cut it for

The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders kept their cool and clinched a hard-fought four-wicket victory over the Gulf Giants at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Thursday. Openers Alex Hales (46 off 39) and Phil Salt (35 off 24) dispatched the 167-run chase to all corners, chased down with four balls to spare as they climbed two spots up the points table from sixth position, going past Nottinghamshire into fourth place. Requiring 166 to win, Salt and Hales combined to put on 61 off 44 balls. They were

ILT20: MI Emirates outplay Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. MI Emirates got back to winning ways with a seven-wicket win against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Thursday. The victory lifted the side to third in the points table with four points following their second win from four one games at DP World ILT20 Season 4. It was an all-round performance by the MI Emirates, who banked on Fazalhaq Farooqi’s 4 for 14 and Kamindu Mendis’ three wickets in the first essay to

ILT20: UAE spinner Aayan dazzles as Giants beat Warriorz. There was also no chance for Gulf Giants’ Aayan Afzal Khan, a young spinner who has no fears over bowling with the new ball, to open up against Sharjah Warriorz on Wednesday. But the 20-year-old landed critical blows to allow the Giants back in after the Warriorz had put themselves in a strong position. The UAE left-arm spinner had figures of 4-0-17-3, to set the platform for Giants’ six-wicket win in the ILT20 at Dubai International Stadium.

How often does the storyteller become the story? It’s as rare as sighting a globetrotting Formula One journalist from a cricket mad South Asian country in the giant media centre of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. And if the journalist is a woman, all the better to feed some mystique. It was love at first sight for Niharika Ghorpade and motorsport when she, a Formula One enthusiast’s daughter, was taken by her father to a karting track several moons ago. Although he hails from a family of

Naseem comes to Pakistan s rescue in super over thriller Dubai: Speedster Naseem Shah starred with the ball and defended 13 runs with a Super Over masterclass as Desert Vipers completed their third straight win of season four of the ILT20, at Dubai International Stadium on Monday. After 40 overs of a gripping tussle between two sides who were inseparable at the end, the Vipers had matched the Giants’ 179 for five in chasing down their score but closed level, albeit nine wickets down. Then,

Australia, at the break before a bumper Gabba crowd cheering them on in Brisbane, were 228-3 after the visitors collapsed to be all out for 334 in their first innings following Joe Root’s epic unbeaten 138. Steve Smith was not out 24 and Cameron Green unbeaten on 22 as Australia battled their way through a tough twilight session, losing two wickets after England's bowlers found their rhythm. Weatherald, playing just his second test, hammered 12 boundaries and a six in an aggressive knock before he was