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. 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 KaushikIndia batter Smriti Mandhana’s mother garnered a lot of online attention after reposting a meme about her daughter’s ex-fiance Palash Muchhal. RCB won their second WPL title recently, beating DC in the final, thanks to Mandhana’s 87. After the game, Mandhana’s mom Smita shared a now deleted meme on Muchhal, claiming Smriti was seeing his face while scoring against the DC bowlers. Smriti and Palash’s wedding to be held last November was cancelled due to health issues in both families.
10 February,2026 09:12 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesSenior superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were on expected lines downgraded to Grade B of the latest annual central contract awarded by the BCCI which also abolished the prevailing A+ category carrying a retainership fee of Rs 7 crore. The BCCI on Monday awarded central contracts to 30 men and 21 women cricketers classified in Grade A, B and C. However, the BCCI didn’t mention the quantum of retainership fees for the three categories. With A+ being done away, in the earlier seasons, Grade A was valued at Rs 5 crore, Grade B at Rs 3 crore annually, and Grade C at Rs 1 crore. 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 09:00 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesIn the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Canada, South Africa emerged victorious by 57 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In an attempt to chase a target of 214 runs, Canada managed to score 156 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs. Opening the innings, captain Dilpreet Bajwa was dismissed on a one-ball duck. Fellow opening batsman Yuvraj Samra scored 12 runs in eight balls, including three boundaries. Navneet Dhaliwal garnered 64 runs off 49 deliveries, which was laced with seven boundaries and a maximum. Nicholas Kirton scored four runs in three balls, including a boundary. Wicketkeeper-batsman Shreyas Movva scored nine runs in 11 balls, including two boundaries. Harsh Thaker accumulated 33 runs off 29 balls, with the help of two boundaries and the same number of maximums. Saad Bin Zafar scored 11 runs in 12 balls, including a boundary. Jaskaran Singh departed on a one-ball duck. Dillon Heyliger and Kaleem Sana stayed unbeaten on four and five runs, respectively. Heyliger played an innings of five balls, whereas Sana's innings of three balls included a boundary. South Africa's Lungi Ngidi returned with the figures of four wickets for 31 runs in four overs. Marco Jansen also bagged two wickets. Kagiso Rabada and Corbin Bosch claimed one wicket each. Earlier, having put South Africa to bat first, skipper Aiden Markram played a stunning knock of 59 runs off 32 deliveries. His knock was laced with 10 boundaries and a maximum. Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock scored 25 runs in 22 balls, with the help of two boundaries. Ryan Rickelton accumulated 33 in 21 balls, with the help of three boundaries and a maximum. Dewald Brevis departed early by scoring six runs in six balls, including a boundary. Later, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs stayed unbeaten. Facing 23 balls, Miller smashed 39 runs, including a boundary and three maximums, whereas Stubbs accumulated 34 runs in just 19 balls, with the help of two boundaries and the same number of maximums. With this, the Proteas posted a total of 213 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs. Canada skipper Dilpreet Bajwa bagged one wicket by conceding 40 runs in four overs. Ansh Patel returned with the figures of three wickets for 31 runs in four overs. Kaleem Sana, Dillon Heyliger, Saad Bin Zafar, and Jaskaran Singh went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against South Africa.
09 February,2026 11:11 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTeam India veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been downgraded to Grade B of the latest annual central contract by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The BCCI awarded central contracts to 30 men and 21 women cricketers classified in groups A, B and C. Shubman Gill, who has been leading Team India in two formats, Tests and ODIs, has been named in the Grade A contract by the board. Along with him, lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah and star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja are also named in the same grade. Grade B consists of players, Washington Sundar, Rohit, Kohli, KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shreyas Iyer. Axar Patel, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been named in Grade C of the annual contract. 🚨 News 🚨BCCI announces Annual Player Retainership for Team India Senior Men and Senior Women for the 2025-26 season#TeamIndia | Details 🔽https://t.co/Rd3pUCPRr9 pic.twitter.com/UNYRThs1kW — BCCI (@BCCI) February 9, 2026 Currently, Team India is busy featuring in the T20 World Cup 2026. So far, the "Men in Blue" under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav have secured a win over the United States of America (USA) by 29 runs. They will now lock horns with Namibia on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The high-voltage clash between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. Team India will conclude its group stage matches by playing a clash against the Netherlands on February 18 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The semi-final 1 and semi-final 2 of the marquee tournament are scheduled to be played on March 4 and 5, respectively. The title clash of the event will be played on March 8, with the venue yet to be decided. India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh. (With PTI Inputs)
09 February,2026 09:41 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentPakistan pacer Salman Mirza said that the team is preparing to play all the matches in the T20 World Cup 2026 and added the "Green Shirts" will only feature in the India clash, if the government allows them. "We are preparing for the entire T20 World Cup. We will play accordingly to the team we have to play. It will be the decision of the government. We will do whatever is told to us," he said. Pakistan will face the United States of America (USA) in their upcoming clash. In the previous edition of the global showpiece, the USA had defeated them. Speaking ahead of the clash, the pacer said that the side is focused on its upcoming match. "We are focused on the coming match and we are focusing on the match one-to-one, whichever is coming up. And about the match on the 15th (vs India), that is the decision of the government, whatever they decide we will play accordingly," said Mirza. When asked him about the loss against the USA in the previous edition of the tournament, he said that it often happens in the sport and the side can only learn from the mistakes. "This happens often in cricket. It is a past and we can only learn from it. Our focus is on the next match. The group is preparing well and we will be focused on that. All matches are important. I don't think any team is weak or strong in T20 cricket. The team that plays good cricket on the given day will be good. Pakistan always tries to play good cricket and we will try to do the same in all the matches," said the 32-year-old cricketer. The match between Pakistan and the USA is scheduled to be played on February 10 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka. Pakistan's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 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)
09 February,2026 07:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
