Afghanistan is all set to lock horns with South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026 match. The clash is scheduled to be played on February 11 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Ahead of the match, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan said that riding on his experience of playing alongside South African cricketers during the SA20 will help him share the insights with his teammates. "I think it helps you to share that information with the team. Like, personally I've been playing for long, played with each and every one (SA players) for a long time," he said. "I think it does help the youngsters who haven't played and give them the kind of idea of what's going to happen, what their mindset is, and I think it really helps. Spent one month there and I think that information you bring to the national team, it really helped the youngsters," added Rashid. So far, the 27-year-old cricketer has featured in all four editions of the SA20. He will line up for Afghanistan after spending a month in South Africa with the MI Cape Town squad. He also feels that the Afghans and the Proteas have equal advantage in playing in familiar conditions through the Indian Premier League (IPL). Rashid also feels that the responsibility of representing the country comes with additional pressure, and he also feels that no person can ever predict the nature of the pitch. "It definitely helps, but even if you have a good idea, still you don't know how the wicket will behave. If you play in the IPL, it's different, but when you play in the ICC event, it's different. There is a pressure when you play for your country. So, it's a different feeling," he said. "But to be honest, no one around the world will tell you how the wicket will behave before the game. I think they know the condition here as well. So, it's not just like me playing a lot and it's going to be favouring us, no, I think it's equal for everyone," said Rashid. Afghanistan's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Gulbadin Naib, Shahidullah, Rashid Khan (C), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ibrahim Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Abdul Rasooli, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ziaur Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediquallah Atal, Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai. (With PTI Inputs)
10 February,2026 05:13 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan withdrew its boycott of the India clash. Earlier, they had decided not to take the field against the arch-rivals, India. The decision was taken in support of Bangladesh, after they were pushed out of the tournament for their refusal to play matches in India. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, according to a statement by the Pakistan Government, briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the outcomes of high-level talks between the PCB, the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). The much-anticipated T20 World Cup 2026 between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. Ahead of the clash, former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly has backed his national team by saying it is not going to be easy for the "Green Shirts". "It will be a big World Cup match. The match is on 15th February, it is not going to be easy for Pakistan to defeat India. India is a very good team," he said. So far, both teams have managed to secure victories in their tournament-opening matches and will look to continue on the momentum. The former cricketer then named his favourite players from Team India and also stated that all the teams so far have displayed good game. "The tournament has started really well. So far, it doesn't look that any team is out of place be it Netherlands, Scotland or Nepal. In the Indian team, Abhishek Sharma, Bumrah, Surya, and Ishan Kishan are my favourites," said Ganguly. T20 World Cup 2026, IND vs PAK: 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. Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (C), Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan (WK), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Khawaja Nafay (WK), Usman Tariq. (With ANI Inputs)
10 February,2026 04:18 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentEngland wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler heaped praise on Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi by calling him the best player he has ever seen. His remarks came after the left-handed batsman's fiery knock of 175 runs off 80 deliveries in the final of the U-19 World Cup 2026 against England. Speaking on the 'Love for Cricket' podcast, Buttler also said that it is exciting to imagine what Sooryavanshi could do at 16, 18 or 20. "My statement is he's the best player I've ever seen, 'cause I'm like, who else was doing this at 14 years old? If he's doing that at 14, what's he gonna be doing at 16, 18, 20?," he said. Pacer Mark Wood then questioned Buttler, asking if he sees the 14-year-old cricketer becoming a superstar of the game. "That's a pretty big statement from you," said Wood. "Do you see him being an absolute superstar, or do you think there's any way he gets derailed?" questioned the pacer. Replying to Wood, Buttler said that Sooryavanshi already has a century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and he doesn't see any reason why he can't be a superstar of the game. "I don't see how he can't be, you know? To be playing the way he can at 14 years old, and if he hadn't played in the IPL, you'd say, 'Oh, he's only done it in an under-19 World Cup, and yes, it's amazing, but let's see when he steps up to senior cricket.' But he's already played... he's got a hundred in the IPL. He hit his first ball in the IPL for six," said the 35-year-old cricketer. In the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, England is set to face the West Indies on February 11 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Currently, the "Three Lions" are placed in third position of Group C of the marquee tournament. They have a net run rate (NRR) of +0.200 and two points. England's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Jos Buttler (WK), Jamie Overton, Ben Duckett, Jofra Archer, Luke Wood, Sam Curran, Phil Salt (WK), Josh Tongue, Harry Brook (C), Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Jacob Bethell, Rehan Ahmed. (With ANI Inputs)
10 February,2026 03:52 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentCaptain Mitchell Marsh backed his Australia players to "get the job done" as they launch their T20 World Cup title charge against Ireland on Wednesday following a torrid build-up. The 2021 champions were whitewashed 3-0 in Pakistan and are missing key players through injury, notably star pacemen Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Australian selectors also controversially overlooked Steve Smith, who is in form and one of their best batters against spin. In what are expected to be turning conditions at the R. Premadasa Stadium in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, Marsh's message to his batsmen was a clear one. "Look, I think we certainly want to be positive in the way we go about things," he told reporters on Tuesday's eve of their clash with Ireland, who are ranked 11 in the world to Australia's two. "I think in these conditions, it's just about being really clear on how you're going to go about it and playing what's in front of you. "The word adaptability has been thrown around in our team meetings so far and just adapt to whatever situation is put in front of us and get the job done." Marsh said that fast bowler Nathan Ellis is available after injury, but big-hitting Tim David won't make the Ireland game. Marsh said he had no concerns over what will be a fairly inexperienced pace attack also featuring Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis, who was a last-minute replacement for Cummins. "We've sort of built out a squad of maybe 18 to 20 people that have played over the last 12 months and we've got game time to all of them," he said. "They've all faced different situations in matches and whilst some of them haven't played a lot for Australia, they've played a lot of cricket and we've got great confidence that they're going to be able to do the job for us." 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.
10 February,2026 02:45 PM IST | Colombo, Sri Lanka | AFPNetherlands beat Namibia by seven wickets in their T20 World Cup match here on Tuesday. Asked to bat first, Namibia scored 156 for eight. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton made 42 off 38 balls and Jan Frylinck got 30 in 26 deliveries for Namibia. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus blazed away to a nine-ball 18 before JJ Smit scored 22 off 15 balls to prop up Namibia. Logan van Beek and Bas de Leede picked up two wickets each for the Netherlands. In reply, Netherlands chased down the target of 157 in 18 overs with Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann making 72 and 32 respectively, after opener Michael Levitt struck a 15-ball 28. Brief scores: Namibia: 156/8 in 20 overs (Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 42, Jan Frylinck 30; Logan van Beek 2/13, Bas de Leede 2/20). Netherlands: 159/3 in 18 overs (Bas de Leede not out 72, Colin Ackermann 32). 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.
10 February,2026 02:33 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIPakistan's government decided to withdraw its boycott call following persuasion from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, ending an impasse that cast a shadow on the ongoing tournament. The game against India is scheduled to be held in Colombo on February 15. "In view of the outcomes achieved in multilateral discussions, as well as the request of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field on February 15, 2026, for its scheduled fixture in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup," the Pakistan government stated in a press release. It was clear that the country would withdraw the call after Bangladesh Cricket Board chief Aminul Islam issued a statement urging Pakistan to take the field for the greater good of the game. "This decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the spirit of cricket, and to support the continuity of this global sport in all participating nations," the statement from Pakistan government added. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also received a call from Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who urged him to withdraw the boycott call."The Sri Lankan President requested the Prime Minister to accord serious consideration to amicably resolve the current impasse."
10 February,2026 11:47 AM IST | Islamabad/Dhaka | PTIAll-rounder Michael Leask starred with a late cameo and a four-wicket haul (22* & 4-17) after opener George Munsey’s attacking 84 as Scotland thrashed debutants Italy by 73 runs in their T20 World Cup Group C match here on Monday. Chasing Scotland’s 207-4, Italy were folded for 134-9 in 16.4 overs as captain Wayne Madsen did not bat after suffering a shoulder injury. In the second match, Zimbabwe beat Oman by eight wickets.
10 February,2026 11:01 AM IST | Kolkata | PTISri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for directing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to end the boycott of their T20 World Cup match against India here on February 15. The India-Pakistan match will go ahead as scheduled after Pakistan's government decided to withdraw its boycott call following persuasion from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, ending an impasse that cast a shadow on the ongoing tournament. "Delighted that the eagerly awaited India Pakistan match at the ongoing T20 cricket World Cup in Colombo will go ahead," Dissanayake said on X platform. Dissanayake had called Sharif Monday night to convince him to play the game following the Sri Lanka Cricket letter addressed to PCB to change its decision. Pakistan PM's office acknowledged Dissanayake's call in the government release which effectively ended the match boycott by his country. Pakistan had earlier said they would not play the India match, which was seen as a political protest linked to Bangladesh's removal from the tournament after the world body declined its request to shift matches from India to Sri Lanka on security grounds. 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.
10 February,2026 10:59 AM IST | Colombo | PTIDestiny has a funny way of throwing the best laid plans of men and mice out of kilter. Harshit Rana was just a couple of days away from making his (T20) World Cup debut and Mohammed Siraj was less than a week away from leaving for Spain to watch his beloved Real Madrid in action at the Santiago Bernabeu. Fate intervened. Rana injured his knee during a practice game against South Africa last Wednesday. It was a bitter blow to the Delhi quick, who was in good wicket-taking form too. But one man’s misfortune becomes another’s opportunity. Siraj would have preferred a better route to a T20I comeback, but this was beyond his control. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav sent an SOS to ‘miyan’ and Hyderabadi was almost immediately on a flight, arriving in Mumbai less than 30 hours before India’s opener against USA on Saturday. Siraj reintegrated with the T20I setup after more than 18 months. He was part of the squad that lifted the corresponding World Cup in June 2024 but lingered in T20I wilderness from the end of the tour of Sri Lanka — new head coach Gautam Gambhir’s first assignment — the following month. Siraj was not a regular in T20Is even before that. Since his T20I debut in November 2017, he had played only 16 games in six-and-a-half years. At the Wankhede Stadium over the weekend, Siraj registered his second-best T20I numbers, 3-29. His twin strikes in the Powerplay settled Indian nerves greatly after the captain’s heroics hauled them out of a deep hole. Siraj only played the game because Jasprit Bumrah was unwell. Now, he has lent an entirely new meaning to ‘a problem of plenty.’
10 February,2026 10:59 AM IST | New Delhi | R KaushikIt’s often that catches win matches. And this is exactly why 42-time Ranji Trophy champions made a premature exit from this season’s championship in the quarter-final stage. On Monday, the fourth day of the quarter-final against eight-time champions Karnataka at the MCA-BCK ground, Mumbai floored at least two catches besides a missed stumping. “Someone just told me that we have dropped the most number of catches this season. That’s an unwanted record. Dropping three chances of KL Rahul alone doesn’t help. A guy getting dropped thrice has scored a hundred. You should use your chances, but you should also convert half-chances. That’s when you win the championship,” a disappointed Thakur said after the day’s play. Shardul Thakur At the start of Day Four, Mumbai needed eight wickets, while Karnataka needed 212 more to win. Test batsman Rahul batted patiently, scoring his 24th first-class hundred (130), to stop Mumbai’s march as Karnataka defeated the hosts by four wickets. Mumbai’s best chance to polish off Karnataka’s line-up was when Rahul, on 75, edged Shardul Thakur to the slip cordon. With Yashasvi Jaiswal ready at first slip, Siddhesh Lad dived to his left from second slip to attempt a single-handed catch, but could not hold on. Karnataka were 142-3 then, needing 183 more. Lad dropping Rahul proved the turning point, as he and left-hander Ravichandran Smaran (83 not out) added 147 for the fourth wicket in just 169 balls to end Mumbai’s season. Karnataka’s Smaran credited Rahul for his support. “It’s always great to have Rahul at the other end. I look forward to playing many more such knocks alongside him,” said Smaran. Brief scoresMumbai 120 & 377 lost to karnataka 173 & 325-6 (KL Rahul 130, R Smaran 83*; S Thakur 2-55, T Deshpande 2-67, T Kotian 2-77) by four wickets
10 February,2026 09:35 AM IST | Mumbai | G KrishnanDefending champions Parag English School (Bhandup) booked their place in the final of the Manoramaben Apte inter-school cricket tournament with a 43-run win over Dnyandeep Seva Mandal (Nerul) at Jolly Gymkhana, Vidyavihar, on Monday. Electing to bat, Parag English posted 131-6 in their allotted 15 overs. The innings was built around Vedika Nikam’s 36 runs off 18 balls. She was well supported by Advaita Toraskar (30 off 19). Mudra Khedekar (27 off 33) played a steady innings. For Dnyandeep, Kanika Raj returned 4-70 in eight overs, while Manisha Chaudhary chipped in with 1-57 in seven overs. Chasing 132, Dnyandeep managed just 88-3. Jaishna Pillai scored 33 off 42, while Kimaya Kadam added 30 off 22. Tanisha Sharma claimed 2-22 runs in seven overs for Parag English, while Advaita returned 1-24 in 4 overs.
10 February,2026 09:15 AM IST | Mumbai | R KaushikADVERTISEMENT
