In the Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 against Sri Lanka, New Zealand emerged victorious by 61 runs at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. In an attempt to chase a target of 169 runs, Sri Lanka managed to reach 107 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs. Opening the innings, Pathum Nissanka was dismissed on a one-ball duck. Wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Mendis scored 11 runs in 22 balls, including a boundary. Charith Asalanka scored five runs in nine balls, including a boundary. Pavan Rathnayake departed after scoring 10 runs in 18 balls. Kamindu Mendis accumulated 31 runs in 23 balls, laced with four boundaries. Skipper Dasun Shanaka scored three runs in five balls. Dushan Hemantha also scored three runs in six balls. Dunith Wellalage smashed 29 runs off 23 deliveries, including two boundaries and a maximum. Dushmantha Chameera and Maheesh Theekshana stayed unbeaten on seven and one runs, respectively. Chameera's innings included 12 balls, whereas Theekshana faced just one ball. New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra returned with the figures of four wickets for 27 runs in four overs. Matt Henry bagged two wickets by conceding three runs in two overs. Skipper Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips claimed one wicket each. Cole McConchie, Lockie Ferguson, and Ish Sodhi went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Sri Lanka. Earlier, having put to bat first, New Zealand's wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert scored eight runs in nine balls, including a boundary. Fellow opening batsman Finn Allen accumulated 23 runs in just 13 balls, with the help of three boundaries and a maximum. Facing 22 deliveries, Rachin Ravindra played a knock of 32 runs, which was laced with three boundaries and a maximum. Glenn Phillips departed after scoring 18 runs in 18 balls. His knock also included a boundary. Daryl Mitchell scored just three runs in seven balls. Mark Chapman was dismissed on a two-ball duck. Later, skipper Mitchell Santner delivered a stunning knock of 47 runs off just 26 deliveries, which was laced with two boundaries and four maximums. Shouldering him was Cole McConchie stayed unbeaten on the score of 31 runs. Facing 23 balls, he smashed three boundaries and two maximums. With this, the "Black Caps" posted a total of 168 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana claimed three wickets for just 30 runs in his spell of four overs. Dushmantha Chameera also bagged three wickets by conceding 38 runs in four overs. Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha, and Charith Asalanka went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against New Zealand.
25 February,2026 11:23 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTeam India is set to take on Zimbabwe in the Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026. The match will be played on February 26 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Ahead of the match, Team India will need to secure a win by a huge margin of runs to improve their net run rate in the ongoing marquee event. But former Team India cricketer Irfan Pathan feels that the "Men in Blue" should prioritise winning the clash. "I really hope that approach of playing for net run-rate does not come into play at the start of the game. The priority should be winning the game first. So, perform well and try to win. Only then should you think about the run-rate," he said. "If you start thinking about chasing the net run-rate of, say, the West Indies, that is almost impossible. That would mean beating teams like Zimbabwe and the West Indies by a margin of 100 runs, which is not easy in T20 cricket. So, I sincerely hope that when the Indian team plays these next two matches, the main focus is simply on winning first," added Pathan. He also feels that Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav should come to bat at number three and also explained the reason behind it. "I think Surya can bat at number three. If you look at it from the team's point of view, I completely understand the conservative approach from Surya, especially because Abhishek has been getting out early. In the last game, Ishan Kishan got out in the first over. You do not want to expose Suryakumar Yadav at number three when he is so effective in the middle overs, striking at 160. If something goes wrong with the new ball, just one good delivery can get him out. So, I understand the thinking. However, they still need to consider batting Suryakumar Yadav at number three to break the monotony of having three left-handers at the top," said the 41-year-old former cricketer. T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8: India vs Zimbabwe- Full squads India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rinku Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma. Zimbabwe: Graeme Cremer, Sikandar Raza (C), Ryan Burl, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Dion Myers, Blessing Muzarabani, Tony Munyonga, Brad Evans, Ben Curran, Tadiwanashe Marumani (WK), Tashinga Musekiwa, Clive Madande (WK), Brian Bennett, Tinotenda Maposa. (With ANI Inputs)
25 February,2026 09:23 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTeam India will face Zimbabwe in their upcoming fixture of the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. The match is scheduled to be played on February 26 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Ahead of the match, the cricket fans will expect a big knock from Team India's swashbuckling batsman Abhishek Sharma. The left-handed batsman is struggling to find himself among the runs in the ongoing global showpiece. In Team India's previous clash against South Africa, he scored 15 runs in 12 balls, including two boundaries and a maximum. The knock came after registering three consecutive ducks in the tournament. Speaking about him, Team India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said that the management's job is to keep him in a good frame of mind. "We lost one game only, it was a good game for them, we did not bat well. Abhishek looked good in the last game; overthinking about one individual does not make sense. It puts too much pressure on them. Our job is to keep him in a good frame of mind," he said. The coach then said that no player can guarantee a performance in the next clash. He also expressed confidence in the left-handed batsman by saying that he is not far from delivering a big knock. "When he was scoring 80, 70, 90 in 30 balls, 100 in 40, 50 balls, that time nobody was discussing his game. Once he starts hitting the ball again, you will see the same Abhishek again. There is no doubt. Now, in this game, nobody can give a guarantee that he will do it in the next match. But I think he is not far (from a big score)," said Kotak. T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8: India vs Zimbabwe- Full squads India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rinku Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma. Zimbabwe: Graeme Cremer, Sikandar Raza (C), Ryan Burl, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Dion Myers, Blessing Muzarabani, Tony Munyonga, Brad Evans, Ben Curran, Tadiwanashe Marumani (WK), Tashinga Musekiwa, Clive Madande (WK), Brian Bennett, Tinotenda Maposa. (With ANI Inputs)
25 February,2026 06:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTeam India is set to lock horns with Zimbabwe in the Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026. The clash is scheduled to be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. When asked if Team India's management would field wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav against Zimbabwe, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said that with seven batsmen, the side would be looking to include a spin all-rounder. "I personally think it is difficult because in a T20 game, you want batting till number eight. So, if number 8, if you are thinking about the spinner, then you will obviously think about an all-rounder. So with seven betters, I think any team would normally prefer a number eight as an all-rounder or a person who can score 30-40 runs if required," he said. The coach stated that a team can include only 11 players, and the management will be looking to keep a balance and pick the best playing XI. "Because so many times on these wickets, yes, if you are chasing 200-220 and if you won 150-6, you would think that the all-rounder can get those 20 runs and create a partnership and win you the game. It is not difficult to play two wrist spinners. Same situation with (Mohammed) Siraj also. He also bowled well. But at the end of the day, only 11 can play. So you try to keep that balance of what the team requires and pick the best 11," added Kotak. Kuldeep Yadav is an extremely prolific wrist spinner, having snapped 95 wickets in 54 matches at an average of 13.74, with an economy rate of 6.95, including three four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls and best figures of five wickets for 17 runs. T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8: India vs Zimbabwe- Full squads India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rinku Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma. Zimbabwe: Graeme Cremer, Sikandar Raza (C), Ryan Burl, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Dion Myers, Blessing Muzarabani, Tony Munyonga, Brad Evans, Ben Curran, Tadiwanashe Marumani (WK), Tashinga Musekiwa, Clive Madande (WK), Brian Bennett, Tinotenda Maposa. (With ANI Inputs)
25 February,2026 06:28 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 against England, Pakistan suffered a loss by two wickets at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Following the loss, legendary Pakistan pacer Waqar Younis said that the "Green Shirts" did not score enough runs in the first essay of the match and fell short by 15-20 runs. "In the first innings, Pakistan didn't score enough. On this pitch, they needed another 15-20 runs. A total of 175-180 would have been par," he said. Later, England skipper Harry Brook smashed 100 runs off just 51 deliveries, laced with 10 boundaries and four maximums. The former Pakistan cricketer heaped praise on the English skipper by saying that he single-handedly took away the game from the "Green Shirts". "Then Brook came in at number three and took complete control. It was chanceless batting; he was superb. He single-handedly took the game away from Pakistan. Pakistan bowled well in phases. Shaheen was outstanding, but the middle overs were where they lost the plot. The spinners couldn't create impact and conceded too many twos. Full credit to England. Their skipper led from the front, and they thoroughly deserve their semi-final spot," he said. Lead pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi bagged four wickets by conceding 30 runs in his spell of four overs. But his efforts went into vain as the "Three Lions" chased the target in 19.1 overs. The win also helped Harry Brook-led England seal their spot in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026. With England having sealed their semifinal spot with four points, the race is mostly down to New Zealand and Sri Lanka, who have two fixtures left to play. On the other hand, with just one point in two games after their first match against New Zealand ended in a washout, a win in their final game against Sri Lanka will give Pakistan a maximum of three points. They are left at the mercy of the results of other teams and rain for a miraculous entry in the semifinals. The clash against Sri Lanka is scheduled to be played on February 28 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. (With ANI Inputs)
25 February,2026 05:09 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentVaibhav Sooryavanshi, 14, received a new car on Monday — his award for winning the Super Striker of the Season in IPL 2025. In a video posted on social media by the car manufacturer, Sooryavanshi and his family were seen receiving the white SUV in Patna. The award is given to the player with the highest strike-rate in a season (minimum 100 balls faced). Sooryavanshi scored 252 runs at a strike rate of 206.6 for Rajasthan Royals.Sooryavanshi is one of the finest strikers of the cricket ball among young batters in world cricket.
25 February,2026 09:10 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentFormer India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan criticised the circulation of a false statement attributed to him, which claims he said that his ex-wife Ayesh Mukherjee had told him that no one would marry him after she left; the couple divorced in 2023. Hitting back at the fake story, Dhawan said, “I strongly urge people not to trade on my name with insensitive, and false statements on social media.”
25 February,2026 09:09 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentAustralia outplayed reigning world champions India in all departments to pick up a comfortable six-wicket win in the first Women's ODI here on Tuesday. India put up an ordinary performance with the bat to be bowled out for 214 despite solid fifties from Smriti Mandhana (58 off 68) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (53 off 84). Australia chased down the modest target with little difficulty following fifties from skipper Alyssa Healy (50 off 70), who is in the middle of her farewell series, and Beth Mooney (76 off 79). Spinner Ashleigh Gardner was the standout bowler for the home team, returning figures of three for 33 in seven overs. The multi-format series is now locked at 2-2 with India winning the preceding T20 series 2-1. Following the three-match ODI series, a one off Test will be played in Perth at the end of which Healy will call time on her career. Despite a drought-ending ICC title in November, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side still remains a work in progress and doesn't have the aura of the all-conquering Australian side. "We started with the bat with two wickets down which is never easy. We did really well in terms of coming back. Wicket didn't play the way we thought it would. We've been playing good cricket so it's not like we'll change much after one loss," said Mandhana, acknowledging the overall batting failure in the game. "We have to come together as a batting unit and post a good total. But we won't think about it a lot. We have two days, we will reflect on it and come back stronger," she asserted. The positive for India with the ball was the performance of left-arm spinner Shree Charani, who was rewarded with wickets of Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll in successive balls in the 11th over. India had won the toss and opted to bat at the Allan Border Field. With Kim Garth and Ellyse Perry out of the three-match series due to injuries, pacers Megan Schutt and Lucy Hamilton were called up to the Australian side at the 11th hour. Megan took just two balls to strike, trapping Pratika Rawal in front with a sharp inswinger in the first over of the match. It was Rawal's national comeback from the ankle injury she suffered during India's triumphant campaign at the ODI World Cup at home last year. Batting at number three for the first time, Shafali Verma did not get any rhythm in her short stay in the middle. She eventually offered a straight catch back to Darcie Brown. Mandhana began with a string of streaky boundaries past the slip cordon before producing a series of exquisite drives off the pace bowlers. The Australian spinners, however, maintained the pressure in the middle overs as Gardner had Jemimah Rodrigues caught behind with a full ball that straightened a fraction to take the outside edge. After Mandhana and Deepti Sharma fell to the sweep shot, Harmanpreet took time to stabilise the innings. She too, however, fell to the sweep shot in the deep off Gardner. Kashvee Gautam (43 off 44) took the total past 200 and impressed with her six-hitting ability in an otherwise disappointing batting performance from the visitors. She hit three sixes in total, including a straight one over long-on off Megan. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 February,2026 08:41 AM IST | Brisbane | PTIA masterful unbeaten century from Shubham Pundir and a tenacious 88 from young Yawer Hassan saw Jammu & Kashmir seize control of the Ranji Trophy final, ending the opening day at a solid 284 for two and leaving Karnataka's bowlers searching for answers here on Tuesday. Pundir, the 27-year-old left-handed batter, was 117 not out at stumps and giving him company was Abdul Samad on 52, the duo having added 105 runs for the third wicket after skipper Paras Dogra retired hurt. This was after Pundir and Yawer stitched together a stand of 139 runs to lay the foundation for a big total against the eight-time champions, whose batters have a great record at this venue. Pundir reached his hundred in style, smashing Shikhar Shetty for a six over deep mid-wicket. He marked reaching the landmark by removing his helmet and raising his arms in the direction of the dressing room. Earlier, on a pitch that is likely to break up as the game progresses, Jammu and Kashmir won a good toss, and Dogra's decision to bat first was on expected lines. Playing in their maiden Ranji final after an inspired run that saw them claim away victories against established teams such as Madhya Pradesh and Bengal in the knockouts, J&K lost Qamran Iqbal (6) early. The opener poked at a Prasidh Krishna delivery that straightened a bit to induce an outside edge for KL Rahul to complete a comfortable catch in the slip cordon. The lack of foot movement from Qamran played a part in the day's first wicket, but J&K's decision to bat first was vindicated by Yawer and Pundir, the duo carrying the team to 104 for one at lunch. Yawer was unbeaten on 57 at the lunch break, and Pundir was on 38 as the duo batted with confidence to keep the experienced Karnataka bowling attack at bay. It was not easy out there in the middle and there were numerous plays and misses, and a few streaky edges too, but both Yawer and Pundir saw off the difficult period against the new ball. Yawer and Pundir may not have looked the most fluent, but they were effective nonetheless, stitching together a big partnership for the second wicket while keeping the scoreboard ticking at around three runs an over. The Karnataka bowlers -- the three pacers and leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal -- were disciplined with their line and length but didn't get any reward for their perseverance. Shreyas, the season's leading wicket-taker with 55 scalps heading into the title clash, too beat the bat on a few occasions but did not taste success, even as Yawer and Pundir looked to go after him with a determination to not allow him to settle into a nice rhythm. The 22-year-old Yawer, who made his First Class debut in former India captain Rohit Sharma's last red-ball game in 2025 and had gone nine games without a fifty, chose the big occasion to show his wares and found the fence 13 times. However, having done all the hard work in the company of Pundir while approaching his maiden hundred, Yawer fell to Prasidh, prodding at a delivery outside the off-stump to give a catch to Rahul at first slip. Both dismissals for the day were similar in nature. Before making the breakthrough, Prasidh had tested Yawer with a bouncer that hit the batter on the body and required medical attention. Captain Dogra was hit on his neck by a sharp bouncer from Prasidh, after which the seamer appealed for a catch at forward short-leg thinking that the ball may have grazed the glove, but replays showed that it did not and the batter was safe. However, Dogra, while attempting to fend off the bouncer, did get hurt and the physio was called in to apply ice pack. The J&K physio was summoned again after some time with the ice pack to tend to Dogra, who had by then taken a few blows, and this time the skipper was on his way back to the dressing room after receiving a signal from coach Ajay Sharma, paving the way for Samad's entry into the middle. Pundir and Samad then batted with ease to accumulate runs and consolidate J&K's position with their unbroken century partnership. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 February,2026 08:39 AM IST | Hubballi | PTIWest Indies’s Shimron Hetmyer was known as a finisher until a recent promotion to No. 3 in their T20I series against Afghanistan in January, which has helped him as well as the Caribbean team immensely. After WI’s 107-run win over Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup Super Eights game at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, WI captain Shai Hope admitted that the attacking batter was being ‘wasted’ down the order earlier. Shai Hope Batting at No. 3, Hetmyer’s 34-ball 85, laced with seven fours and as many sixes, helped WI post a mammoth 254-6. The left-hander was lucky to be dropped on nine and 70, but his intent and power-hitting was enough to disturb Zimbabwe’s bowling attack. “The way he [Hetmyer] is batting, I think he was kind of wasted down the bottom. He’s such a good player, he can bat in all situations, [versus] spin and pace. To utilise him in that phase [top-order], he comes out and plays freedom. He’s been an asset for us, especially in this tournament,” Hope said at the post-match press conference on Monday. Hope also lavished praise on his two left-arm spinners Gudakesh Motie (4-28) and Akeal Hosein (3-28), who played a key role in bowling out Zimbabwe for 147 and believes the team’s all-round performance will serve as a morale booster ahead of their next Super Eights games against South Africa and India. “The way we’ve been playing, it certainly gives us a lot of confidence. We’ve got to look ahead now. We’ve got South Africa [on February 26] next, and then India [on March 1],” Hope said. 219No. of runs scored by Shimron Hetmyer in this T20 World Cup; he’s the second highest run getter in the tournament
25 February,2026 08:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureThe MA Chidambaram Stadium has thrown up numerous unforgettable cricketing memories, none more indelible than the second tie in Test history, between India and Australia in Sept 1986. It’s also the scene of many a stirring Indian victory, including the two-wicket win in the decider of an epic three-Test series vs Australia in 2001. Come Thursday, India will hope to invoke the spirit of that triumph orchestrated by VVS Laxman after having played themselves into a point of no return at this World Cup. To keep their campaign afloat, they must put the embarrassing meltdown against South Africa behind and focus on Zimbabwe. Plenty has been said of the ‘tactical blunders’ that came back to bite Suryakumar Yadav’s men in Ahmedabad. The reality is that India had one bad day at the office; they can’t afford another, so it’s important that they imbibe lessons from the 76-run lashing. The left-handedness that dominates the Indian batting has been a talking point, with the clamour to bring back Sanju Samson gathering pace. Forgotten is the fact that Samson played himself out of the XI with a string of low scores. Though Abhishek Sharma is low on confidence, India will be better off trying to get him in the right headspace because when he’s flowing, he’s unstoppable. He should thus get at least one more opportunity to play himself back to form. If India needs relief from a plethora of lefties at the top, it won’t be the worst idea for Tilak Varma and Suryakumar to swap places. Having harped on flexibility, India have been stubborn in their game plans. Suryakumar at No. 3, where he has had great success, will break the tedium of a left-heavy top three. Of equal necessity is a good start — India’s highest opening stand in five ties, which have yielded four first-over wickets, is just 25! 32.00Suryakumar’s average at No. 3 across 32 innings
25 February,2026 08:31 AM IST | Chennai | R KaushikADVERTISEMENT
