In the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Scotland, the West Indies emerged victorious by 35 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. In an attempt to chase a target of 183 runs, Scotland was bowled out for 147 runs in 18.5 overs. Opening batsman George Munsey departed after scoring 19 runs in 15 balls, which also included three boundaries. Fellow opening batsman Michael Jones was dismissed for just one run in five balls. Brandon McMullen registered 14 runs in 12 balls, with the help of a boundary and a maximum. Skipper Richie Berrington scored 42 runs off 24 balls, and also smashed three boundaries and two maximums. Facing 28 balls, Tom Bruce scored 35 runs, including a boundary and two maximums. Wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Cross scored 11 runs in 11 balls, including a boundary. Mark Watt also returned to the pavilion on 15 runs, which came in 12 balls, including two boundaries. Michael Leask and Oliver Davidson were dismissed for one-ball ducks each. Safyaan Sharif also departed on a two-ball duck. Bradley Currie stayed unbeaten on two runs in three balls. West Indies' Romario Shepherd registered a five-wicket haul by conceding 20 runs in three overs. Jason Holder also bagged three wickets for 30 runs in 3.5 overs. Shamar Joseph and Gudakesh Motie managed to pick up one wicket each. Earlier, having put to bat first, the West Indies posted a total of 182 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. Opening batsman Brandon King smashed 35 runs in 30 balls, including four boundaries and a maximum. Skipper Shai Hope scored 19 runs after facing 22 balls, and also registered two boundaries. Shimron Hetmyer played a terrific knock of 64 runs off just 36 balls, which was laced with two boundaries and six maximums. Rovman Powell garnered 24 runs in 14 balls, including a boundary and two maximums. Facing 13 balls, Sharfan Rutherford scored 26 runs, with the help of four boundaries and a maximum. Romario Shepherd and Matthew Forde stayed unbeaten on six and one runs, respectively. Scotland's Bradley Currie returned with the figures of two wickets for 23 runs in his spell of four overs. Safyaan Sharif, Oliver Davidson, and Michael Leask claimed one wicket each. Brandon McMullen and Mark Watt went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the Caribbean team. T20 World Cup 2026: Group C standings and West Indies' upcoming match The win also helped West Indies secure the top spot in their Group C with a net run rate (NRR) of +1.750. The side will clash against England in their upcoming fixture on February 11 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
07 February,2026 07:48 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the United States of America (USA), United States of America (USA) skipper Monank Patel won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After winning the toss, USA skipper Patel said, "We’ve decided to bowl first as the surface looks excellent and traditionally offers plenty of runs. Knowing the target at a high scoring venue like this helps us plan our chase more clearly. It’s a special feeling to be playing at the Wankhede, a ground with so much history. The World Cup is one of the biggest stages in global sport, and representing the USA here means a lot. There are expectations back home, and we carry that responsibility with pride. Our focus is simple—to give our absolute best throughout this tournament". On the other hand, Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav said, "We were actually keen to bat first, as the wicket looks in great shape for batting. I’ve played a lot of cricket at this venue, and with the wind around, dew shouldn’t be a major factor tonight. The conditions felt similar during our practice session here last evening. We’ve made a few changes, with Washington Sundar and Sanju Samson sitting this one out. Unfortunately, Jasprit Bumrah isn’t well enough to play. Mohammed Siraj comes into the side to strengthen our bowling attack". It will be interesting to see if the "Men in Blue" manage to defend their shortest format global showpiece title. As the match proceeds, the cricket fans will keep a tab on Team India's swashbuckling opening batsman Abhishek Sharma. The left-handed batsman has entertained the fans with his explosive batting style and will be expected to provide a strong start to Team India throughout the tournament. T20 World Cup 2026, IND vs USA: Confirmed Playing XI India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shiva, Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy. USA: Andries Gous (WK), Saitej Mukkamalla, Milind Kumar, Monank Patel (C), Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjanae, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar.
07 February,2026 07:46 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Afghanistan cricket team has travelled across the globe and achieved several feats, but one dream of the team remains unfulfilled, that is to play an international match at their home. The war-ravaged nation has never hosted a global fixture at Kabul, and the devastation has been so soul-shattering that they were forced to adopt cities abroad as home venues. In line with that, Greater Noida, Dehradun, Lucknow in India, while Sharjah and Abu Dhabi in the UAE became their home bases at various times. Speaking about it, skipper Rashid Khan wants people to know how welcoming the people of Afghanistan are and is also hopeful of playing an international cricket match on his soil. "Yes, that's bigger than the World Cup to be honest, for me and for the team and every individual. We play an international game in Afghanistan and then all these people will see how people back home in Afghanistan are, how they are welcoming players and how they are enjoying cricket and that's something which is more than a dream to be playing international cricket in your own country," he said. He then cited an example of how cricket fans in India express their love towards their players. He also added that during the Indian Premier League (IPL) and ODI World Cup 2023, the Afghanistan team received immense support and love from the Indian cricket fans. "When we play IPL here (in India), when we play an international game, we see how much their international stars are supported by the local fans and how much they give them love, like we get so much love, I am not saying we don't get love here," said the skipper. "Whenever we play here, we get lots of love and support, especially playing in IPL and also the World Cup we played (2023), we haven't felt like being away from Afghanistan. But when you play in your own country, it's a kind of different feeling and the world will see the country Afghanistan as well, how beautiful it is. But hopefully, one day we make that possible for an international team to come and they play cricket there," he added. T20 World Cup 2026, AFG vs NZ: Match date and venue In the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, Afghanistan is all set to lock horns against New Zealand on February 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. (With PTI Inputs)
07 February,2026 07:45 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe opening match of the T20 World Cup 2026 ended in Pakistan's favour. The "Green Shirts" defeated the Netherlands by three wickets at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka. Having put to bat first, the Netherlands was bowled out for 147 runs in 19.5 overs. Opening the innings, Michael Levitt scored 25 runs in 15 balls, with the help of three boundaries and a maximum. Fellow opening batsman Max O'Dowd smashed five runs in seven balls, including a boundary. Bas de Leede accumulated 30 runs off 25 deliveries, which was laced with four boundaries. Colin Ackermann registered 20 runs after facing 14 balls and also smashed four boundaries. Skipper Scott Edwards garnered 37 runs in his knock of 29 balls, which also included three boundaries and a maximum. Later, Aryan Dutt managed to score 13 runs off eight balls, including two boundaries. Pakistan's Salman Mirza claimed three wickets for 24 runs in 3.5 overs. Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub registered two wickets each to their names. Premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi managed to pick up one wicket. While chasing a target of 148 runs, Pakistan scored 148 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 19.3 overs. Opening batsman Sahibzada Farhan played a knock of 47 runs off 31 deliveries, including four boundaries and two maximums. On the other hand, Saim returned to the pavilion after scoring 24 runs in 13 balls, with the help of four boundaries and a maximum. Skipper Salman Ali Agha was dismissed for 12 runs. His eight-ball knock included three boundaries. Premier batsman Babar Azam departed after scoring 15 runs in 18 balls, including a boundary. Later, Faheem Ashraf delivered an unbeaten knock of 29 runs off 11 balls. His knock also included two boundaries and three maximums. Netherlands' Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren returned with two wickets each. Logan van Beek, Kyle Klein, and Roelof van der Merwe also bagged one wicket each. T20 World Cup 2026: Group A standings and Pakistan's upcoming clash With this, the "Green Shirts" are enjoying the top spot in their group A with a net run rate (NRR) of +0.240. They will now lock horns against the United States of America (USA) on February 10 at the same venue.
07 February,2026 07:45 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentSkipper Suryakumar Yadav on Friday said India will not hesitate from playing Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav together in the T20 World Cup 2026 if required, describing the selection conundrum surrounding the two spinners as a “very good headache”. “It is an added advantage that you have such good bowlers available. But at the same time, you also have to look at the combination, whom do you play against a certain opposition,” Suryakumar told the media on the eve of their T20 World Cup opener against the USA here. “If there is a need to play two spinners, [or] two wrist spinners, then we will definitely play [them]. But yes, it is always good to have options like Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, two [of the] best spinners in the world and it is a very good headache,” he added. The India skipper also admitted that pacer Harshit Rana was “not looking good” after suffering a knee injury during the warm-up game against South Africa. ”Harshit Rana has not been ruled out yet, the physios are assessing him, but he does not look good,” he said. 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
07 February,2026 10:43 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIFormer Pakistan skipper Asif Iqbal remains hopeful that the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match scheduled for February 15 in Colombo will be played. Pakistan recently said that they will boycott the Group A clash in Colombo. “I’m still hopeful that good sense will prevail and the India-Pakistan match will be played as scheduled,” Iqbal told mid-day. Iqbal was surprised at how the issue has escalated and blamed it on a “lack of communication”, adding that “any problem can be resolved if both parties engage in a dialogue.” Iqbal warned that the arch-rivals not facing each other would deal a blow to cricket’s popularity. “Not many nations play cricket and if India and Pakistan don’t play against each other, the popularity of the game will take a jolt,” he said. Tracing the controversy back to India’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistan during the Asia Cup in Dubai, Iqbal said, “We must go back to the roots,” adding that the ICC should have nipped the issue in the bud. “It all started when India refused to shake hands with Pakistan. The ICC should have nipped the controversy in the bud. How can India ignore a handshake? The ICC should have punished India. How can the ICC head [Jay Shah] support his own nation?” lamented Iqbal, who has played 58 Tests and 10 ODIs. “If the ICC had handled the handshake issue strictly, the situation would not have reached this far,” he said. However, Iqbal asserted that Pakistan cannot take an escape route. “Pakistan cannot take the escape route. Similarly, the ICC should behave in a neutral manner. Both parties should realise this controversy is bad publicity for the game,” he concluded.
07 February,2026 10:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Debasish DattaZainullah Ihsan missed the cutoff age for the Under-19 World Cup that ended on Friday, but the stars have now aligned nicely for the young fast bowler. “I was a little sad but, look, now I’m in the T20 World Cup!” gushed the Afghan pacer, who moved to Scotland four years ago. Scotland, having failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup, found a berth after Bangladesh refused to play in India. In the scramble to put together a team in a short period of time, Ihsan made the cut. “I was half hoping, half expecting, but when I actually got the news of my call-up from the [team] coach, I was in shock.” Despite being short on preparation, the Scots have arrived with bubbly confidence. “We’ve beaten them twice [2022 T20 World Cup and in an ODI in 2023] recently, so I don’t see why we can’t do it again,” reminded left-arm spinner Mark Watt on the eve of their opener against West Indies at the Eden Gardens. “They are dicey opponents,” concurred WI head coach Darren Sammy, who was the skipper in 2016 when they last won the T20 World Cup. Watt said they are “very sympathetic towards Bangladeshi players,” but also believe that they belong here. “We believe that we can beat teams higher ranked than us.”
07 February,2026 10:08 AM IST | Kolkata | Arup ChatterjeeRoyal Challengers Bengaluru captain Smriti Mandhana on Thursday said that three titles in three years was an amazing result for the franchise following the win in the Women’s Premier League final here. The RCB women ended the title drought for the franchise with a groundbreaking triumph in 2024 before the men finally found a way to win the IPL last year. On Thursday, the RCB women beat Delhi Capitals by six wickets to be crowned WPL champions for the second time. “Very pleased. RCB fans are the best in the world. We get support wherever we play. Three titles in three years for the franchise, it is amazing,” said Mandhana who overcame recent off-field setbacks to excel in the tournament. On chasing 204 in the final, she said: “We felt 203 is a good score, but it was a match-winning spell from Lauren Bell. 400 in the match and she goes for just 19 (off four overs). Also, what Voll (54-ball 79, 14x4s) did was special. Everyone going back home will say this is what we have contributed,” added Mandhana, who top scored for RCB with a 41-ball 87 (12x4s, 3x6s). 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
07 February,2026 10:05 AM IST | Vadodara | PTIShardashram Vidyamandir English Medium School (Dadar) registered a comfortable nine-wicket win over KEM High School (Kanjurmarg) in the girls U-16 quarter-final of the Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) Manoramaben Apte inter-school cricket tournament at the Police Gymkhana (Marine Lines) on Friday. After electing to bat, KEM were restricted to 43-5 in their quota of 10 overs against a disciplined Shardashram bowling attack led by Kartika Poojary (3-19), who was well supported by Madura Dyadke (1-9). Only Avani Vengurlekar managed to get into double digits (13 off 29 balls) for the Dadar outfit. In reply, Shardashram chased down the target in 6.4 overs, for the loss of just one wicket. Ria Thakur led the charge with an unbeaten 30 off 27 balls. Avani (1-20) picked up the lone wicket for the KEM girls.
07 February,2026 10:04 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamThe unavailability of Sarfaraz Khan because of viral fever has left a huge void in the Mumbai batting line-up in this Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Karnataka. With the early dismissal of Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Musheer Khan for five and one, respectively, to the impressive new-ball operators Vidwath Kaverappa and Vidyadhar Patil, it seemed Mumbai’s long tail started earlier than expected. Cashing in on the brittle Mumbai batting in fine bowler-friendly conditions, India quick Prasidh Krishna rocked the middle-order to leave Mumbai in the doldrums, bowled out for 120. Karnataka replied with 110-2 at stumps, just 10 behind. Krishna’s 3-21 — all his wickets coming in one spell of 5-2-9-3 post lunch in which he picked up the wickets of Suryansh Shedge, Akash Anand and Shams Mulani, the last two off successive deliveries — out-shadowed the impressive performances of Kaverappa (3-38) upfront and leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal (3-4), who polished off the tail. When you have an international bowler in your ranks, you’d expect him to open the bowling. But Krishna came first change in the 11th over. “I did bowl with the new ball last game. Coming in one change this game, it’s just the way the team wanted to go about,” the 29-year-old lanky pacer said at the end of the day’s play. “I think it was the first-day wicket. There was a bit in the pitch. We started off well. Credit goes to Vidya and Vidwath the way they started. That let me come in and get my time in to hold the line and length that we wanted to do.” Krishna was not surprised at Mumbai choosing to bat, saying “it was a good toss to lose” and credited his bowling partners Kaverappa, who completed 100 first-class wickets on the day when he dismissed Siddhesh Lad and Patil. Amidst the dominance by Karnataka bowlers, Mumbai’s 31-year-old opener Akhil Herwadkar nearly carried his bat through. He was beaten umpteen times early, had a life on 26, but stood like a rock amidst the dismal Mumbai batting before being the last man out for 60, trapped lbw by Gopal. Brief scoresMumbai 120 (A Herwadkar 60; S Gopal 3-4, P Krishna 3-21, V Kaverappa 3-38) K’taka 110-2 (M Agarwal 58 not out; K Rahul 28; S Shedge 1-16)
07 February,2026 10:00 AM IST | Mumbai | G KrishnanThe ICC T20 World Cup will spring to life on Saturday evening at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai ahead of India’s clash against USA, with a opening ceremony featuring Bollywood star Nora Fatehi and rapper Badshah. The event will commence at 6 pm with a musical medley from artists Rishab Sharma and Shivamani, before the trophy’s presentation. Thereafter rapper Badshah will deliver a high-energy live performance, before Nora will set the stage alight with some of her sizzling dance moves, alongside a large cast of supporting dancers. The two will then join forces for a grand finale performance. 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
07 February,2026 09:59 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
