A record opening stand between Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney paved the way for Australia to level a three-match T20I series with a 19-run victory against India in the second match here on Thursday. Voll and Mooney added 128 runs for the first wicket to register Australia's highest opening stand against India in T20Is, with the hosts posting 163 for 5. India, despite making a sparkling start to the chase, crumbled in the end to finish at 144 for nine. Ashleigh Gardner claimed 3/22, while Kim Garth, Annabel Sutherland and Australia captain Sophie Molineux took two wickets each. The series-deciding third T20I will be played at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday. India were 65/1 in the ninth over when their slide began as the visitors lost six wickets for seven runs towards the end. India were off the blocks quickly as Shafali Verma's early fireworks was followed by Smriti Mandhana opening up. The two Indian openers put on 54 in the powerplay to put the team on track of the chase. But Molineux applied the brakes when she pinned Shafali leg-before for a 23-ball 29 (5 fours) and Gardner got the key wicket of Jemimah Rodrigues (4). India's run-rate slowed down with the two consecutive wickets and a third followed soon when Mandhana was caught sharply down the leg by Mooney off Garth. With India struggling at 71 for three, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (30) and Richa Ghosh (19) joined forces and did well to add 55 runs for the fourth wicket. However, the asking rate kept moving up which in turn forced the Indians to take unwanted risks. Harmanpreet was caught by her counterpart Molineux off Garth on the penultimate ball of the 17th over at extra cover, and three balls later, Ghosh was stumped off Gardner. India's hopes suffered another big blow when Gardner had Deepti Sharma (0) caught by Sutherland in the 18th over, with India slipping to 128 for six. Earlier, Voll (88) and Mooney (46) recorded the best-ever opening partnership for Australia of 128 runs against India as the hosts posted 163 for five. Arundhati Reddy, who saw a catch being dropped off her final ball in the innings off Ashleigh Gardner (10 not out), once again delivered the goods dismissing both the Australian openers to return 4-0-30-2. Voll and Mooney bettered the first-wicket stand in women's T20Is for Australia against India, which was of 115 runs set by the pair of Alyssa Healy and Mooney in March 2020 at Melbourne. With the right-handed Voll taking charge of the scoring from the word go, the senior pro Mooney played a perfect second fiddle but missed her milestone by a narrow margin. Voll made the most of some wayward bowling from Indians to strike 11 fours and one six, scoring 88 off only 57 balls. She picked gaps with precision and displayed an array of strokes on either side of the wickets to get her runs. Mooney was caught at mid-on by Shafali Verma off Arundhati on the penultimate ball of the 15th over. The left-handed opening batter struck four fours during her 39-ball knock for 46 runs. Brief Scores: Australia Women 163 for 5 in 20 overs (Georgia Voll 88, Beth Mooney 46; Arundhati Reddy 2/30) beat India Women 144/9 Harmanpreet Kaur 36; Ashleigh Gardner 3/22) by 19 runs. 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
20 February,2026 10:03 AM IST | Canberra | PTIAjit Agarkar (5 ducks) During the 1999-2000 Test series in Australia, Agarkar registered a rare ‘pair’ in two consecutive matches, apart from another golden duck (a first-ball dismissal), recording five consecutive dismissals for zero. Four of these were golden ducks. The Mumbai fast-bowling all-rounder was nicknamed ‘Bombay duck’ after his seven consecutive ducks against Australia in Tests (across two series) at Wankhede. India went on to lose the three-match series Down Under 0-3. Pankaj Roy (4 ducks) India opener Pankaj Roy faced a rare slump in form early in his career during the 1952 tour of England. He was dismissed for four consecutive ducks in the Test series, including a pair as he struggled against the pace of Fred Trueman in seaming English conditions. Trueman dismissed Roy on three of those occasions as England won the four-match series 3-0. Ramakant Desai (4 ducks) Fast bowler Ramakant Desai, nicknamed Tiny, for his five-feet-four frame, registered four consecutive ducks in Tests in 1959 and 1960 against England and Australia respectively. He got the first duck in the second innings of the fifth Test against England (India lost the series 0-5), followed by three (two in the first Test and one in the fourth) against Australia (India lost the series 1-2). Jasprit Bumrah (4 ducks) Jasprit Bumrah, one of the world’s premier fast bowlers known for unsettling batters with his yorkers, endured four consecutive ducks across two Test series, in Australia and England last year. His first duck came in the second innings of the fifth Test against Australia (India lost the series 1-3). His next three ducks came against England (in both innings of the first Test and one in the first innings of the third Test) as the series ended 2-2.
20 February,2026 09:55 AM IST | Mumbai | Rohan KoliFormer India opener Shikhar Dhawan surprised fans on Thursday with pictures of his Sangeet ceremony with partner Sophie Shine on Instagram. Dhawan, 40, shared a couple of photos featuring the pair decked up in sparkling attire — Dhawan is seen wearing a white Indo-western suit, while Sophie is sporting a shimmering golden lehenga. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shikhar Dhawan (@shikhardofficial) Dhawan accompanied the post, which received over two lakh ‘likes,’ with the caption: “Sangeet night. Almost the Dhawans,” hinting at their impending marriage. The pair got engaged in early January after they had made their relationship public in June 2025. Sophie, an Irishwoman, is one of the vice presidents at the Northern Trust Corporation in Abu Dhabi. She also serves as the chief operating officer of Dhawan’s sports education initiative, Da One Sports, focussing on grassroot-level training.
20 February,2026 09:51 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentIndia's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya posted a short and sweet message to girlfriend Mahieka Sharma, wishing her a happy birthday on Thursday. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya93) “Happy Birthday my princess. Thank you for coming in this world 25 years ago. You are the most amazing person I know. I love you,” read the caption on the 32-year-old’s Instagram story, which also featured a picture of the couple sharing a loving embrace while in swimming pool overlooking the sea in Sri Lanka.
20 February,2026 09:50 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentAnjuman-I-Islam Allana English High School (Fort) clinched the Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) JBCN Super Cup U-16 inter-school cricket title, by securing a five-wicket win over Rest of Schools (RoS) in the final at Brabourne Stadium (Churchgate) on Thursday. After electing to field, Harris Shield champs Anjuman bowled out RoS for 188 in 37.1 overs, thanks to Yuvan Sharma (5-16) and Vedant Kadu (4-43). Shourya Patil top scored for RoS with a 57-ball 67. Anjuman’s chase of 189 was set up by opener Laxmanprasad Vishwakarma, who scored a 58-ball 66. Virat Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for RoS picking 3-42, but could not stop Anjuman from coasting to victory in 33.2 overs.
20 February,2026 08:27 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamFormer champions Australia are set to conduct a "forensic review" of their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign after the injury-ravaged team crashed out in the group stage of the ongoing event being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The 2021 champions exited after losing to Sri Lanka and minnows Zimbabwe. They still have one match remaining against Oman in Pallekele on Friday, but that would be inconsequential. Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka have progressed to the Super Eights as Australia failed to get past the group stage for the first time since 2009. Selector Tony Dodemaide said a full review of the performance would be done once the players are back home. "It's really disappointing the way the tournament has rolled out," Dodemaide was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. "But we will need some time, and take some time, once we finish our last commitment - it's important that we finish strongly on Friday against Oman - then we'll get back and analyse it fully." The team was without its front-line pace attack after injuries forced Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to skip the tournament, while Mitchell Starc announced his international retirement from the format. The team then lost captain Mitchell Marsh, also to injury, during the tournament, disturbing its balance to a great extent. An in-form Steve Smith was not picked and could only come in as cover once Hazlewood was declared ruled out just hours before their loss to Zimbabwe. Australia are the co-hosts of the 2028 T20 World Cup along with New Zealand. "We want to win every World Cup, no matter where it is. Clearly, the next one is at home. We'd love to do well at home. We've got a commitment within 48 hours or so against Oman and we want to finish off really well," Dodemaide said. "We will do the requisite planning to look at 2028; we've got 2027 50-over World Cup in the meantime. All these things will be mapped out when we get time and space, and we can cut out the emotion of it and look at it more forensically." 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
20 February,2026 08:22 AM IST | Melbourne | PTIThere was a time when the temptation to consider Shivam Dube as the poor man’s Hardik Pandya, no disrespect intended, was overwhelming. Not anymore. The Mumbaikar has grown into a genuine all-rounder in his own right, not a watered-down Pandya 2.0, but Shivam Dube 1.0, strong and mighty and powerful but also mature, self-confident and supremely game-aware. In a T20 World Cup where opponents with nothing to lose have made use of tacky, batter-challenging conditions to great effect, the 32-year-old has established himself as one for a crisis. A first-ball duck at his beloved Wankhede against United States in India’s opening game meant the worst out of the way at the first time of asking. Since then, Dube has been in his elements; 23 off 16 against Namibia and 27 off 17 in the grudge outing against Pakistan set him up nicely for the final Group A clash against the Netherlands, where Dube walked into another tricky situation and sealed the deal with a stunning career-best 66 that resurrected a stuttering innings. Dangerous prospect The Ahmedabad knock illustrated how far Dube has come on as a T20 batter; he is no longer just a slayer of spin but a more versatile, rounded and dangerous performer adept at playing the situation and who has shunned panic because he has immense faith in his formidable strength. India were 69-3 after nine overs when Dube walked out. He took his time getting used to the pace (or lack of it) of the pitch and the plans of the Dutch bowlers. Infuriating to many but sticking to a plan he had hatched in his head, he even patted down several of his first 11 deliveries, which yielded a mere six runs. But before one could say ‘What do you think you are doing?’, Dube switched gears, slamming 44 in his next 14 deliveries as he registered his maiden World Cup half-century. More strokes in arsenal Dube is an acknowledged destroyer of spin with his booming drives over the straight field, but he has now added the pull to the short ball and a blistering cover-drive to balls in his half against the faster bowlers to his repertoire. And because he has worked hard on his fitness, he is able to bowl quicker and with greater accuracy for longer periods. If he isn’t already there yet, he is well on his way to jostling for MVP status within the Indian setup. 178.46Shivam Dube’s strike-rate in the ongoing T20 World Cup — the second highest by an Indian (minimum 10 balls) after Ishan Kishan’s 202.29 66No. of runs scored by Dube on Wednesday — the highest individual score by an Indian batter at No. 5 or lower in T20 World Cups OneDube is the only Indian to score over 60 runs and take two wickets in a T20 World Cup match
20 February,2026 08:21 AM IST | Ahmedabad | R KaushikIn the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Canada, Afghanistan emerged victorious by 82 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. In an attempt to chase a target of 201 runs, Canada managed to reach 118 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs. Yuvraj Samra scored 17 runs in 14 balls, including three boundaries. Fellow opening batsman scored 13 runs in seven balls, with the help of two maximums. Navneet Dhaliwal was dismissed on a five-ball duck. Harsh Thaker played a knock of 30 runs off 24 deliveries, which was laced with three boundaries and a maximum. Nicholas Kirton registered 10 runs in 12 balls, including two boundaries. Wicketkeeper-batsman Shreyas Movva scored two runs in six balls. Facing 26 balls, Saad Bin Zafar accumulated 28 runs, with the help of three boundaries and a maximum. Dillon Heyliger was dismissed on three runs in eight balls. Jaskaran Singh and Ansh Patel stayed unbeaten. Facing 13 balls, Jaskaran scored seven runs, whereas Ansh's innings of two runs came in five balls. Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi bagged four wickets by conceding seven runs in four overs. Skipper Rashid Khan claimed two wickets for 19 runs in four overs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Azmatullah Omarzai also chipped in with one wicket each. Abdullah Ahmadzai and Ziaur Rahman went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Canada. Earlier having put to bat first, Afghanistan posted a total of 200 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 30 runs in 20 balls, including five boundaries. Fellow opening batsman Ibrahim Zadran delivered an unbeaten knock of 95 runs off just 56 deliveries, which was laced with seven boundaries and five maximums. Gulbadin Naib was dismissed on one run in two balls. Sediqullah Atal accumulated 44 runs after facing 32 balls. His knock also included two boundaries and two maximums. Azmatullah Omarzai scored 13 runs in seven balls, including a maximum. Darwish Abdul Rasooli stayed unbeaten on four runs in four balls. Canada's Jaskaran Singh claimed three wickets for 52 runs in four overs. Dillon Heyliger also picked up one wicket by conceding 41 runs in four overs. Kaleem Sana, skipper Dilpreeet Bajwa, Saad Bin Zafar, and Ansh Patel went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Afghanistan.
19 February,2026 11:13 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentWest Indies, who crushed debutants Italy at the Eden Gardens on Thursday for a clean sweep of their group matches, are consciously giving up flamboyance for efficiency as they chase success at this T20 World Cup — one game at a time. “It's more about the role that I've been given and about how we want to play as a team,” skipper Shai Hope said after the 42-run victory. “You would like to go out and strike at 250, 300 but on days the conditions may [compel us] to be a little more gritty,” he added after a 46-ball 75, pointing out that his role in the team is to hold one end up so that the others can play aggressor at the other end. “I too can hit the big sixes but, then, it’s more about doing what’s required for the team in that particular moment. That's how I pride myself as a cricketer. Effectiveness and efficiency are more important,” explained Hope. The influence of head coach Daren Sammy is big in the line-up. Sammy led the Windies to title triumphs in 2012 and 2016. The Caribbeans haven’t won an ICC trophy since. Clarity has been the password. “It was one of the biggest things that we focused on in preparation and making sure every single player, whether in the 11 or on the bench [knows it],” Hope said, adding that a big occasion like the World Cup had them grasping the importance of it better. Matthew Forde, who picked three wickets here, spoke of Sammy’s frequents chats with the team members to ensure everyone was on the same page at all times. “He has created history by winning two World Cups, but he keeps telling us to create our own history,” said the 23-year-old pacer who is on his first visit to India.
19 February,2026 08:56 PM IST | Kolkata | Arup ChatterjeeIn the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe emerged victorious by six wickets at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. During the match, Brian Bennett played an unbeaten knock of 63 runs off just 48 deliveries, and was laced with eight boundaries. Shouldering him was skipper Sikandar Raza, who was dismissed on 45 runs. Facing 26 balls, Raza also smashed two boundaries and four maximums. Speaking about his explosive knock, Raza admitted that he did not begin fluently and was trying to calculate the required runs. "After the first eight balls, I only had 4-5 runs, but I was seeing the ball well, and if I time it well, it can go the distance. Was trying to calculate. Needed a 20-run over," he said. "Ideally wanted to finish the game, but we took it. Kept on saying to Bennett that he batted through," added Raza. Raza then felt he had put extra pressure on his partner due to his slow start. "I told him I had let him down and to just hang in because I was starting to time it well. Credit to him, he keeps doing that every game and cannot wait to see him get better," said the skipper. Having qualified for the "Super 8" stage of the T20 World Cup 2026, Zimbabwe's skipper said that he has already started thinking about the next clash. "I am pretty excited with how we have gone about our business. We are unbeaten so far, but it is only the next game that comes into my head. Nice position to be in as a captain, but I will try to enjoy at least tonight," said the 39-year-old cricketer. T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8: Group 1 teams Zimbabwe is placed in Group 1 of the Super 8 stage along with teams India, South Africa, and the West Indies. They will play their first Super 8 match against the West Indies on February 23 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The title clash of the marquee event is scheduled to be played on March 8, with the venue yet to be decided. (With ANI Inputs)
19 February,2026 08:19 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe secured a stunning victory by six wickets at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. Having put to chase a target of 179 runs, Zimbabwe scored 182 runs for the loss of four wickets in 19.3 overs. Opening batsman Brian Bennett played an unbeaten knock of 63 runs off 48 deliveries, which was laced with eight boundaries. Fellow opening batsman Tadiwanashe Marumani scored 34 runs in 26 balls, with the help of five boundaries and a maximum. Ryan Burl returned to the pavilion after scoring 23 runs in 12 balls, including two boundaries and a maximum. Captain Sikandar Raza garnered 45 runs in 26 balls, and also smashed two boundaries and four maximums. Tashinga Musekiwa departed on one run in two balls. Tony Munyonga stayed unbeaten on eight runs in three balls, which also included a maximum. Dushan Hemantha returned with the figures of two wickets for 36 runs in four overs. Skipper Dasun Shanaka and Dunith Wellalage registered one wicket each to their names. Dilshan Madushanka, Pramod Madushan, and Maheesh Theekshana went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Zimbabwe. Earlier having opted to bat first, Sri Lanka posted a total of 178 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Opening batsman Pathum Nissanka scored 62 runs in 41 balls, with the help of eight boundaries. Kusal Perera scored 22 runs off 14 balls, including four boundaries. Wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Mendis managed to score 14 runs in 20 balls. Pavan Rathnayake smashed 44 runs off 25 deliveries, laced with three boundaries and two maximums. Kamindu Mendis and skipper Dasun Shanaka departed on seven and six runs. Kamindu smashed a boundary in his five-ball knock, and Shanaka's innings ended in seven balls. Dushan Hemantha was dismissed on a one-ball duck. Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana stayed unbeaten. Facing eight balls, Wellalage scored 15 runs, with the help of three boundaries, and Theekshana did not face any balls. Zimbabwe's Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, and Graeme Cremer bagged two wickets each. Ryan Burl also chipped in with one wicket. Captain Sikandar Raza and Wellington Masakadza went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Sri Lanka.
19 February,2026 07:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
