Cricket

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohsin Naqvi (Agency Image) Shoaib Akhtar made headlines again this week after appearing to backtrack on his scathing remarks about Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi. The former pacer, who had called Naqvi “incompetent and illiterate” during an appearance on an Indian news channel, attempted a delicate retraction less than 24…

NEW DELHI: Australia’s players will be firmly in Ireland’s corner on Tuesday as the Lorcan Tucker-led side face Zimbabwe in their Group B clash at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.It has been a disastrous campaign for Australia in this marquee tournament, and their qualification hopes now hang by a thread. They must register a thumping…

Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan (AP photo) AHMEDABAD: In a massive development, 14 legendary captains from five countries -including Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev and Australian great Greg Chappell, appealed to the Pakistan government on Tuesday about ensuring proper treatment for Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan, who has been in jail for more…

Tilak Varma, right, and Suryakumar Yadav celebrate the wicket of Pakistan’s Shadab Khan. (AP Photo) NEW DELHI: The ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is at the fag end of the group stage matches. Till Monday (February 16), 30 out of 40 group stage matches have been completed in the tournament, co-hosted by India…

Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka, right, and Kusal Mendis. (AP Photo) NEW DELHI: Co-hosts Sri Lanka have not just qualified for the Super 8s — they have marched in like champions in waiting. With three dominant wins on the trot and all their remaining matches scheduled at home, Sri Lanka’s growing aura has sparked a serious…

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Jacob Duffy, and Ish Sodhi. Canada: Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Singh, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal,…

Afghanistan’s team celebrate a wicket during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between Afghanistan and UAE at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. (PTI) TimesofIndia.com in New Delhi: After the heartbreaking defeat against South Africa, the Afghanistan team converged in the manager’s room for dinner. The team sat down, just hours after…

Steve Smith (Getty Images) NEW DELHI: Steve Smith has been drafted into Australia’s T20 World Cup squad to replace the spot left vacant by Josh Hazlewood and is likely to feature in their must-win clash against Sri Lanka on Monday. Smith reached Sri Lanka last week and became eligible for selection after the International Cricket…

Mohammed Shami (PTI Photo) Mohammed Shami struck with two incisive spells on Monday to claim three wickets, but Jammu and Kashmir battled their way to 198 for 5 against Bengal on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy semi-final. The contest remains evenly poised heading into the third day.Bengal were bowled out for 328 after resuming…

Suryakumar Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav (Image credit: PTI) NEW DELHI: India’s march in the T20 World Cup 2026 gathered further momentum in Colombo as they outclassed Pakistan by 61 runs, reinforcing their dominance in the tournament’s most intense rivalry. It was India’s eighth win in nine T20 World Cup meetings against their neighbours, and the…