Cricket’s theatre is unforgiving and magical in equal measure. One day the spotlight finds your flaws; the next it crowns your triumph. Take the case of UAE’s medium fast bowler Junaid Siddique. On February 10, against New Zealand, he endured a harsh outing, conceding 47 runs in four overs. Three days later, the script flipped and his name was written in gold in his nation’s cricketing history. With a haul of 5-35, 33-year-old Siddique became the first player from UAE to take a five-wicket haul in a T20 World Cup. His spell was instrumental in restricting Canada to 150-7, a target which UAE chased with five wickets and two balls to spare. Overall, he is only the third player from his country to take a five-wicket haul in a T20I. At the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Siddique had a perfect start getting rid of Canada’s skipper Dilpreet Bajwa in his first over. In his second spell, just when Harsh Thaker, who scored 50, was trying to break-free, Siddique got the better of him. And when he took his fifth wicket, he kneeled down to thank the Almighty as the entire team rushed towards him. His journey is a testament to how perseverance and resilience can turn ambition into achievement. Born in Multan in Pakistan, Siddique migrated to the UAE at the age of 22 to find work. At that time, the cricketing dream seemed all but over. Today, his father who once dreamt of seeing his son play for Pakistan, can take pride in watching him carve out his own identity for the UAE on the grandest stages in a format dominated by batters.
13 February,2026 07:21 PM IST | New Delhi | Aditya BhushanAhead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Rajasthan Royals (RR) have named Riyan Parag as their new captain. The development came after the veteran batsman Sanju Samson's trade to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Samson was traded in exchange for two all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. In the previous edition of the cash-rich league, Samson missed out on eight matches due to injuries. In his absence, Parag was named as the stand-in captain and under his leadership, the team managed to secure two matches. The official social media handle of the Rajasthan-based franchise shared a post on its official social media handle, with a caption, "Royals fam, it’s time to get behind your new Captain! 💪💗". Royals fam, it’s time to get behind your new Captain! 💪💗 pic.twitter.com/OjodsT0fu5 — Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) February 13, 2026 So far, Parag has played all seven seasons for RR. The 2024 edition was his best in terms of his run tally as he slammed 573, which he made at an average of 52.09, while striking at 149.21. Overall, he has played 84 matches for RR, scoring 1566 runs and taking 7 wickets. In the previous season, Parag also became the youngest captain to lead RR and was the fifth-youngest in the history of the Indian Premier League. Steve Smith was 24 years old when he led the Royals for the first time. Samson is the most successful skipper for RR in terms of winning matches. He led RR in 67 matches, winning 33 and losing 32. In 2024, he went past Shane Warne's record of leading the Royals in the most matches. Samson was also the only Royals' captain to have led the team into two playoffs in the IPL. In IPL 2022, Sanju steered Rajasthan Royals to their first final since 2008. The team finished second in the table with nine wins out of 14, but fell short in the summit clash against the Gujarat Titans. The Royals reached the playoffs for the second time under Samson in IPL 2024, finishing third in the points table with 17 points. (With ANI Inputs)
13 February,2026 07:13 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Canada, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) emerged victorious by five wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Having put to chase a target of 151 runs, UAE posted 151 runs for the loss of five wickets in 19.4 overs. Opening batsman Aryansh Sharma smashed an unbeaten 74 runs off 53 deliveries. His knock also included six boundaries and three maximums. Skipper Muhammad Waseem managed to score four runs in eight balls. Alishan Sharafu also scored five runs in 13 balls. Mayank Kumar departed after scoring four runs in six balls, whereas Harshit Kaushik managed to score five runs in nine balls, with the help of a boundary. Sohain Khan also delivered a crucial knock of 51 runs, which came in 29 balls, laced with four boundaries and four maximums. Muhammad Arfan stayed unbeaten on one run in one ball. Canada's Saad Bin Zafar returned with the figures of three wickets for 14 runs in four overs. Kaleem Sana and Jaskaran Singh also chipped in with one wicket each. Dillon Heyliger, Ansh Patel and captain Dilpreet Bajwa went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the UAE. Earlier having opted to bat first, Canada posted a total of 150 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Opening the innings, Yuvraj Samra scored five runs in five balls, whereas skipper Dilpreet Bajwa scored 11 runs in 11 balls, including two boundaries. Navneet Dhaliwal played a knock of 34 runs off 28 balls, with the help of four boundaries. Nicholas Kirton scored four runs after facing six balls. Harsh Thaker smashed 50 runs off 41 deliveries, laced with two boundaries and three maximums. Wicketkeeper-batsman Shreyas Movva scored 21 runs off 21 balls, which also included two boundaries. Jaskaran Singh stayed unbeaten on four runs in four balls. Saad Bin Zafar accumulated five runs in three balls, including a boundary. Dillon Heyliger scored an unbeaten six runs, with the help of a maximum. UAE's Junaid Siddique claimed five wickets by conceding 35 runs in four overs. Muhammad Jawad Ullah bagged one wicket for 16 runs in four overs. Haider Ali, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, and Harshit Kaushik went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Canada.
13 February,2026 06:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTeam India is all set to lock horns with arch-rivals, Pakistan, in the T20 World Cup 2026 match on February 15 at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. Ahead of the match, legendary Team India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels that star spinner Kuldeep Yadav can come in place of pacer Arshdeep Singh for the high-octane clash against the "Green Shirts". In Team India's recent match against Namibia, Arshdeep bowled three overs and picked up one wicket by conceding 36 runs. Considering that the pacer didn't complete his quota of overs, Gavaskar feels that it is an indication of his not making an appearance in Colombo. "All our bowlers picked up wickets. Arshdeep did not complete his four overs, while Shivam Dube bowled two and Hardik completed his quota. This hints that Kuldeep Yadav could replace Arshdeep against Pakistan," he said. The former cricketer also feels Kuldeep should be picked in India's playing XI as the Sri Lankan pitches provide help to the spinners. "Sri Lanka pitches help spinners and India have history of playing three spinners. Expect Kuldeep in the XI against Pakistan in Colombo," said the 76-year-old former cricketer. He also heaped praise on mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy by saying he picks wickets whenever he comes in to bowl. "Hardik bowling the first over suggests Arshdeep may not play in the next match against Pakistan. Varun Chakaravarthy bowled only two overs and would have taken five or six wickets if he bowled his full four overs. The best part about Varun is that he gets wickets whenever he is asked to bowl. Axar Patel took two wickets in three overs, it's a good sign," said Gavaskar. 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 PTI Inputs)
13 February,2026 05:11 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, Team India's star wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan is enjoying a rich vein of form. So far, the "Men in Blue" have registered two victories in as many matches. They will now lock horns against arch-rivals, Pakistan, in their upcoming fixture. Speaking about the success in his batting, the left-handed batsman said that the entire team gained a lot of confidence and learned a lot from the series before the global showpiece. "100 per cent getting runs is always a good thing for batters, and we have been doing well from the previous series as well, when we were playing against New Zealand. So all these matches that we played, there was a lot of learning, a lot of confidence which we gained from those matches," he said. Speaking about the Pakistan clash, Kishan said that Team India will assess the pitch on the match day and will play according to the conditions. "Pakistan clash, obviously, it would be a special one for everyone. So we're not just thinking so much about the future game. But yeah, once we get there, we look at the wicket, and we have an idea of what sort of match is going to happen and what will be a good total, and we'll just play accordingly," said the 27-year-old cricketer. The T20 World Cup 2026 match between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. Currently, Team India is placed at the top spot in Group A with a net run rate (NRR) of +3.050 and four points. On the other hand, Pakistan is placed in the second position with a net run rate (NRR) of +0.932 and four points. 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)
13 February,2026 04:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentItaly batted, bowled and fielded brilliantly, outclassing Nepal in every department, to register their first-ever T20 World Cup win, a 10-wicket victory with 44 balls to spare at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. They first put Nepal in and dismissed them for just 123 in 19.3 overs, thanks mainly to leg-spinner Crishan Kalugamage (3-18) and off-spinner Ben Manenti (2-9). A couple of sharp throws from the Italians also resulted in two run outs. Harry Manenti Then, Italy’s opening pair, the Mosca brothers — Justin, 31, and Anthony, 34, — played vital roles in the chase, which was achieved with 44 balls to spare. Left-hander Justin (44-ball 60 not out) and right-hander Anthony (32-ball 62 not out) never looked in trouble as they rotated the strike well and also went for the big hits. Italy’s stand-in skipper Harry Manenti revealed that his team was always confident of doing well. “When we qualified, that was obviously a special moment, but our goal was always to compete at this level and compete in this top competition, and we showed that today. We showed the world what we’ve got,” said Manenti. Italy head coach John Davison, who represented Canada in 32 ODIs and five T20Is, said: “This will be front-page news in a lot of countries and a lot of publications in Italy. We’ll probably knock the Winter Olympics [currently on in Milano-Cortina, Italy] coverage to the back pages.” 124No. of runs put on by Justin Mosca and Anthony Mosca — the highest partnership for any wicket by a pair of brothers in a T20 World Cup Brief scoresNepal 123 all out in 19.3 overs (A Sheikh 27; C Kalugamage 3-18, B Manenti 2-9) lost to Italy 124-0 in 12.4 overs (A Mosca 62*, J Mosca 60*) by 10 wickets
13 February,2026 12:07 PM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureIndia women’s cricketers Jemimah Rodrigues, Shreyanka Patil and, Arundhati Reddy are busy soaking in the sights and sounds that Sydney has to offer, ahead of their all-format series against Australia which begins on February 15. The troika Instagrammed these pictures on Wednesday and Thursday from their visit to some of the Australian city’s most iconic landmarks, particularly the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The posts received nearly four lakh ‘likes’ combined.
13 February,2026 09:19 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentShardashram Vidyamandir International School (Dadar) outclassed defending champions Parag English School (Bhandup) by eight wickets to clinch the girls U-16 Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) Manoramaben Apte inter-school cricket title at the MCA-BKC ground on Thursday. Opting to bat, Parag English posted a competitive 173-3 in their allotted 22 overs, riding on two solid half-tons from Vedika Nikam (87 off 60 balls), and Tanisha Sharma (56 off 52). Shardashram’s bowlers worked hard to contain the flow of runs on a batting-friendly surface, with Vaidai Tanavade (1-46), and Kartika Poojary (1-52) picking a wicket each. In the face of a stiff target, Ria Thakur anchored the Dadar outfit’s innings with a composed 80 off 73, while Aashira Patil played the aggressor’s role with a fluent 53-ball 79. The duo stitched a 155-run partnership that helped the Dadar outfit seal the contest in 21.4 overs.
13 February,2026 09:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamWhile some of the minnow teams are normally known to spring surprises in big ticket events like World Cups, in the context of the ongoing T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, it’s the fans of a minnow team, who have stunned many with their presence in large numbers. Team Nepal’s fans took over the Wankhede Stadium once again on Thursday, during the match against Italy. Some 13,000-plus spectators filled up the Mumbai venue and almost all of them were Nepal supporters. In Nepal’s previous match against England last Sunday there were even bigger numbers, some 17,000-plus. And just like during the match against England, the stadium reverberated with “Nepal, Nepal,” during the team’s batting performance in the afternoon. However, though the excitement and celebrations in the stands continued in the second innings of that England match, which Nepal lost narrowly, this time the second innings witnessed a deathly silence among the fans as Nepal lost by an embarrassing 10-wicket margin. Interestingly however, though the fans were visibly upset with their team, they still waited back to watch Italy opener Anthony Mosca (62 not out) take the final winning single.
13 February,2026 08:51 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureSkipper Mitchell Marsh's fitness will be watched closely as an injury-hit Australia try to ward off a tricky Zimbabwe and move closer to the Super Eights in a Group B match of the T20 World Cup here on Friday. Marsh missed his side's big win over Ireland on Wednesday with an internal testicular bleeding and, according to Cricket Australia, the all-rounder will require a considerable period of rest before returning to action. Steve Smith has joined the squad as his cover, but the absence of Marsh did not feel in Australia's 67-run romp here as they produced an all-round effort against the Irish. Without any of the batters making a fifty, they posted a strong 180-plus total before pacer Nathan Ellis and leg-spinner Adam Zampa shared eight wickets among them to give their side two full points. But the Aussies would like to better that effort against Zimbabwe, with some heavy runs from opener Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell in the middle-over. It's a pre-requisite for the Aussies if Marsh indeed is going to be absent partially or even fully for the rest of this ICC showpiece. But Smith's T20 form of late will solace the Antipodeans. The former skipper, whose last T20I was in February 2024, was in roaring form for Sydney Sixers in the recent Big Bash League, plundering 299 runs in just six innings at an average of 59 and at a strike-rate of 167. The Aussies will require their big guns in fine fettle against Zimbabwe, who have the wherewithal to surprise fancied teams. Oman might not be a leading team, but the efficient manner in which the African outfit dismantled them was an eye-opener. They have pacers like Brad Evans, Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava who can test the strongest on their day. Sikandar Raza's mixed bag of off and leg breaks adds another dimension to their attack. Raza, a vastly experienced T20 player, will have to do his bit in batting as well along with Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, and the 40-year-old Brendan Taylor, though he is nursing a niggle from the last match. If he is not available then, they can ponder over bringing in Ryan Burl, who can also provide another handy spin option. Considering Australia's well-documented dislike against spin, they can also bring in another veteran Graeme Creamer, whose leg-spin could be handy here. 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
13 February,2026 08:36 AM IST | Colombo | PTIBangladesh Cricket Board chief Aminul Islam says he will be in Colombo to watch the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash on Sunday where he expects to break ice with the BCCI after tense exchanges over the past few weeks. Speaking to Bangladesh newspaper 'Pratham Alo', Islam said the invitation for the high-profile game has come from the ICC. "The ICC has taken a decision. The major stakeholders of the ICC are these five Asian countries and for the India-Pakistan World Cup match on the 15th, they want representatives of all five Asian countries to be present at the ground together, watch the match together and talk to one another," Islam said. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan form the Asian block in the world body. Asked if the meet could be an opportunity to end tensions with the BCCI, Islam said, "You can consider it as something like that." The BCCI-BCB strife started after the Indian Board ordered the release of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL contract with Kolkata Knight Riders for unspecified "developments all around." It was widely speculated that the move was triggered by political violence in Bangladesh in which Hindus have been targeted. Bangladesh responded by refusing to travel to India for their World Cup matches citing security worries. However, the ICC, led by former BCCI secretary Jay Shah, rejected their concerns, describing the threat perception as low to moderate after its own assessment. Bangladesh were eventually replaced by Scotland in the tournament after refusing to budge from their position despite lengthy discussions with the world body. Their omission led to the Pakistan government announcing a boycott of the game against India as an expression of solidarity with Bangladesh. But the impasse was resolved after the BCB and the Sri Lankan government persuaded Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to withdraw the call. Following another round of discussions, the ICC decided not to penalise BCB for its previous stance and also allotted one ICC event to Bangladesh in the 2028-2031 cycle. Islam said the board will prepare a Memorandum of Understanding to ensure that the assurances are cast in stone. "We will also enter into an agreement. The agreement will be line by line, an MoU-type document, so that there is no uncertainty," said Islam. "You know that earlier when we held the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Annual General Meeting in Dhaka, a similar issue arose. There as well, we prepared a MoU-type document so that no one could ever deviate from the contract in any way. "Similar discussions (regarding preparing the MoU) with the ICC are more or less finalised," he added. 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
13 February,2026 08:32 AM IST | Dhaka | PTIADVERTISEMENT
