Former Pakistan pacer Sarfraz Nawaz has admitted that India are favourites for the blockbuster T20 World Cup clash against the arch-rivals in Colombo on Sunday due to better team balance. “I will be happy if Pakistan wins, but cricket logic wise, India are favourites. Pakistan should concentrate on playing cricket only, nothing else. India have a balanced side. They have everything except the lack of strength in the batting tail. Pakistan’s bowling is better than their batters,” Nawaz, 77, who claimed 177 wickets in 55 Tests and 63 wickets in 45 ODIs, told Sunday mid-day on Saturday. Nawaz, who played from 1969-1984, is not happy with Pakistan’s team selection for the tournament. “It’s a mistake that they dropped Muhammad Rizwan, the only real fighter in the team. Why have they brought back Babar Azam again? He has failed on many occasions,” he remarked. However, the former right-arm pacer admitted that Pakistan will have an upper hand in terms of location. “Pakistan will have some advantages since they have reached Colombo earlier than India. But India have advantages in all other aspects,” Nawaz signed off. 2022The year Pakistan last beat India in a T20 match
15 February,2026 09:55 AM IST | Kolkata | Debasish DattaSkipper Salman Ali Agha on Saturday defended the unorthodox action of Usman Tariq and and termed the 'pause and sling' off-spinner as the "trump card" of Pakistan against India on a tacky Premadasa pitch in the T20 World Cup match here on Sunday. Tariq showed his prowess with a three-wicket haul against the United States of America, albeit at the neighbouring Sinhalese Sports Club, and the 27-year-old could be doubly dangerous on a slower RPICS track. "Usman is one among our 15 players, we treat him like that. You (media) people have made him big. He has been bowling very well," Agha initially tried to downplay the hype around Tariq in the pre-match press meet here on Saturday. But as the questions persisted on Tariq, Agha admitted that the off-spinner is indeed his side's primary weapon against the arch-rivals, whose batting line-up is filled with power-hitters. "He has been bowling very well for the past few months. And he has also bowled very well in the league cricket (Pakistan Super League) he was playing before playing for Pakistan. And yes, you can say that he is a trump card for us," Agha added. Questions have been raised about the unusual pause-and-deliver action of Tariq, but Agha did not read too much into those comments. "He doesn't care about these things. Since the time he has started cricket, these talks have been going on about him. He doesn't care about these things. The guy has been cleared twice and he has done whatever ICC said and whatever it requires to bowl in international cricket. "So I don't know why people are saying so many things about him, but the one thing I can assure you, he doesn't care about that. He is smart enough and mature enough to deal with all this," he noted. But Agha said Pakistan attack has more to it than just Tariq. "It is possible that the spinner dominates here, but I think the fast bowler will have roles here as well. Because fast bowling is such a skill that you cannot write off anywhere." The skipper thinks that Shaheen Shah Afridi will play a huge role due to the variations in his repertoire. "His (Shaheen Shah Afridi) role is always there. So I think he will have a role here as well. We have a lot of spinners, but we also have fast bowlers, who we can use if required," he said. Agha acknowledged that Pakistan do not have a great record against India in the ICC events, but the top-order batter refused to dwell on the past events. "Obviously, We don't have a good record against them in World Cups. But whenever you come to play a new match, it's a new day, a new match. And you have to play good cricket to win. So you can't change history. You can learn from it. We learned from it. And we'll try to do a good performance tomorrow and win the match," he said. Agha said the boycott saga initiated by the Pakistan government in solidarity with Bangladesh after the latter were ousted from the T20 World Cup was a thing of the past. For him, the team was prepared for the big match on Sunday. "This is a game whose magnitude has always been massive and will continue to do so. And even tomorrow, the game is going to be massive. We were prepared for everything; We were prepared whether we play or not. We were prepared for everything when we came here." The 32-year-old said they are not worried about any particular Indian player as his side prepared to tackle anything that the opposition comes up with. "We have not targeted a few people. We have to play against the 11 players and we have plans against all of them. It is routine work. Our bowling coach works with the fast bowler. It is basically death bowling work. I think we have been doing it for the last 6-7 months. It was not just for this specific game. We do it in every practice," 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
15 February,2026 09:53 AM IST | Colombo | PTIFrom Durban to Mirpur and Melbourne to New York, India and Pakistan have traversed the length and the breadth of the cricket world, squaring off against each other in eight T20 World Cup clashes. The ninth showdown has culminated in a Colombo stop, India seeking to make it 8-1 and Pakistan desperate to reduce the unflattering scoreline to 2-7 at the Premadasa Stadium on Sunday. Rain threat This match nearly didn’t happen; it still might not if the weather forecast takes an uglier turn and the chances of precipitation increase from between 33 and 51% from 6.30 pm to 11.30 pm to something more serious. That will be both a massive disappointment and a huge irony, given how many forces have been brought into play to convince Pakistan to overturn their February 1 decision to boycott this encounter in solidarity with an aggrieved Bangladesh. Players from both sides will vociferously claim otherwise, but it is impossible that they wouldn’t have been affected by the off-field developments. As if there weren’t enough subtexts to matches involving these teams is the significant question of whether India’s players will veer from their stance at the Asia Cup in September and offer to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts. And, if they do so, how Salman Agha and his men will react to that. On the face of it, this Group A contest doesn’t have too much riding from a qualification perspective. Both sides are sitting on two wins apiece; India have a game against the Netherlands to follow and Pakistan run into Namibia in their final group matches and barring the remarkably unforeseen, should advance unscathed to the Super Eights. But when has any India-Pakistan cricket match been short on context? India will deliberate long and hard on whether they should risk Abhishek Sharma, the No. 1 T20I batter in the world, who is just about recovering from a stomach infection, who had a reasonably long hit at the nets on Saturday evening. And how and how much they should rejig their combination in the conditions likely to confront them. Spin-friendly pitch The Premadasa has traditionally been slow, low and spin-friendly; Pakistan have five excellent spinners, including the old new turk, the 30-year-old Usman Tariq, whose action has attracted as much attention as his pause-and-deliver off-spin. Do India bring Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar into the mix, ahead of Arshdeep Singh and Rinku Singh/Sanju Samson in deference to the conditions? Or do they play their best XI, regardless? Welcome to the world of intrigue. 73.33India’s winning percentage at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo; India have won 11 out of 15 T20Is here 2015The year Pakistan last played a T20I at the R Premadasa Stadium. Overall, they’ve won five out of seven ties
15 February,2026 09:49 AM IST | Colombo | R KaushikPakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha kept the suspense about shaking hands with Indian players at the toss or after the T20 World Cup match here on Sunday, but said the game should be played in the spirit that it is meant to be. India and Pakistan players have stopped shaking hands with each other since last year's Asia Cup in Dubai, which was held in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre and the subsequent Operation Sindoor carried out by the Indian Armed Forces. "We will see about it tomorrow," Agha gave a cryptic response about the possibility of a handshake in the pre-match press conference here on Saturday. However, Agha was clear in his view that the 'Spirit of the Game' should be upheld under any circumstances. "Cricket should be played in (right) spirit. My personal opinion may not matter. But cricket should be played according to how it has always been meant to be played. It's up to them to decide what to do," Agha added. However, it has learned that general mood in the Indian camp ahead of Sunday's game at the Premadasa too has been more thoughtful than bullish, leaving the decision-making to the higher officials and go by their call. However when it comes to Indian team, there is general wariness about public sentiment on social media which could be extreme as the emotions in the aftermath of Pahalgam attack is still raw. 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
15 February,2026 09:31 AM IST | Colombo | PTISkipper Suryakumar Yadav accepted that India's batting has been a bit scratchy in the opening two matches of the ongoing T20 World Cup, but was confident of nullifying the sling-spin of Pakistan's Usman Tariq, whom he termed as an "out of syllabus question" during an exam. "See, sometimes there is a question in the exam as well which is out of syllabus. So, we can't leave that question. To tackle that, you have to adopt your own way. Yes, he is a different character when he comes to bowl," the Indian skipper said at the pre-match conference. "But at the same time, we can't just surrender. We practise with similar types of bowlers and similar actions. We will try to execute what we are practising in the net sessions," said Suryakumar. India were reduced to 77 for six by the USA and then Namibia grabbed five wickets for four runs in the death overs, exposing certain chinks in their batting. Now, set to play at the slow-burning Premadasa pitch here on Sunday, the Indian batters will be up against the Pakistan spin battery led by Tariq, whose quirky pause and deliver action has caused a debate about its legality in cricketing universe. "We had a scratchy start. You can't run away from the fact that it was not a proper T20 wicket. But I said earlier too that you can't actually brush everything under the carpet. There is no excuse," Suryakumar said on the eve of the match. "But we came back strongly. So, that's the beauty of T20 cricket. One or two batters I think taking that responsibility makes us cross the line," he added. But Surya knew that his side would be tested by Pakistan spinners here. The Mumbai man also said playing against Pakistan is all about taming big moments and keeping the nerves afar. "Yes, there will be pressure. As I said, you can't run away from the fact that there won't be any pressure. There will be nerves, butterflies in the stomach when we start the game tomorrow. But yeah, at the same time, if there's no pressure, no nerves, then there's no fun to play cricket. "And yeah, it's a big occasion. But yeah, I mean, every time I say the same thing, at the end of the day, it's just another game. You have to pack your skills, play some good cricket, focus on what you want to do better, and we'll see what happens," he said. Irrespective of the nature of the pitch, Surya said the team would stick to the familiar template of aggressive cricket. Surya knew that Pakistan had been stationed in Sri Lanka since the last fortnight, but remained unfazed, and banked on his team's experience to come up trumps. "They might have some edge. But as I said, we have come here before, we have played in these conditions, we know how the pitch plays, similar conditions to India. It's like the same situation for both the teams. See, it's definitely challenging when you come to Sri Lanka. "But then at the end of the day, you have to challenge yourself, somehow find a solution and come out good," he noted. 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
15 February,2026 09:26 AM IST | Colombo | PTIPakistan’s off-spinner Usman Tariq, 28, has played just four T20Is so far, but he has claimed 11 wickets thanks to his unique pause-and-release bowling action. Understandably, he has grabbed the limelight in the ongoing T20 World Cup, and more so since he may have a say in Pakistan’s upcoming clash with arch-rivals India in Colombo on Sunday. Former national selector and ex-India left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju reckoned any new bowler brings in the element of surprise. “When something is new, it’ll always be a mystery. People take time because they use video analysis to watch everything and then approach things differently. Also, when you’re playing [against Tariq] for the first time, how much ever you’ve seen him before, while facing him, it will be totally different,” Raju told mid-day over the phone from Hyderabad. Venkatapathy Raju, Nilesh Kulkarni and Narendra Hirwani Raju, 56, who represented India in 28 Tests and 53 ODIs, however, stressed that it’s not easy to do what Tariq does. “It’s not easy to pause and bowl. There were very few who could do it, like R Ashwin and maybe one or two bowlers, because bowling is all about rhythm. We should give credit to somebody who’s doing this,” added Raju about Tariq, who claimed 3-27 when Pakistan beat USA in Colombo on Tuesday. Former India left-arm spinner and ex-Mumbai captain Nilesh Kulkarni felt ICC should probe the bend in Tariq’s bowling arm. “The 15 degree bending of the arm, which is the ICC rule, can’t be judged with the naked eye, so it has to be scientifically verified. Otherwise, his bowling is legitimate and even the pause is allowed. Ashwin did it, as did Kedar Jadhav,” Kulkarni told mid-day on Thursday. Interestingly, Kulkarni felt that Suryakumar Yadav & Co will not struggle against Tariq as most of them have come through tennis-ball cricket, where such tactics are common. “We [India] have an advantage as most of our batters come from a good tennis-ball cricket structure where these tactics are used a lot. The Indian batters must use this to their advantage and prepare well [for Tariq]. And if you prepare well, he won’t be a threat,” added Kulkarni. Ex-national selector and leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani, 57, who played 17 Tests and 18 ODIs, however, felt Tariq will hold the edge initially. “When a bowler takes a pause, he gets that extra time to see any late movement or shuffle by the batter and can change his delivery at the last moment. So, Tariq will have that advantage. Also, he bowls with a stand-up action which means he has good power in his fingers and shoulders and can generate good speed,” Hirwani told mid-day over the phone from Indore. The former leggie, however, believes every bowler will eventually get found out, if a batter observes closely. “If he [Tariq] is taking time to bowl, you, as a batter, also take your time. Use the first few balls to watch him closely. I’m not saying block him, but take singles initially; you can always make up for that run-rate later. I believe all our batters are good enough to catch up with a bowler like Tariq by investing time in observing him first,” concluded Hirwani.
14 February,2026 01:57 PM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureSpin great R Ashwin has a simple suggestion for Indian batters as they gear up to deal with the unique side-arm action of Pakistan off-spinner Usman Tariq come Sunday — just move away when he pauses before delivering the ball. “If he stops before delivering the ball, the batsman has the right to move away. He can say that ‘I thought he is stopping’. That will be an interesting case and a huge headache for the umpire,” Ashwin said on his Youtube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’. “If I was there I would have done it. One should do everything to win a game within rules. I would simply say I don’t know when he will release the ball and I would step away. If I move away, it is the umpire’s responsibility,” 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
14 February,2026 09:39 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIndia all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s girlfriend Mahieka Sharma has made sure her partner gets all the love and support he deserves during the ongoing T20 World Cup campaign by presenting him a pre-Valentine’s Day gift along with an endearing message. Mahieka’s gift to boyfriend Hardik on Thursday. Pics/Instagram The 24-year-old model posted an Instagram story, gifting Hardik a large bouquet of roses, accompanied by the caption: “Made it to Delhi in time. [You’re] the man of the match of my life!!”
14 February,2026 09:36 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesBollywood actor Kabir Bedi was at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, celebrating Italy’s maiden win at the T20 World Cup — they beat Nepal by 10 wickets. Bedi, who rose to fame in Italy for his portrayal of the pirate Sandokan in the eponymous TV series in 1976, was a special guest, invited by Cricket Italy. “History was made! Italy’s first win in the T20 World Cup is an amazing achievement for a non-cricketing country that worships football,” Bedi wrote on Instagram.
14 February,2026 09:35 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesVarun Chakravarthy didn’t play his first senior match for Tamil Nadu until September 2018, when he was 27. His first outing for India came just before he turned 30 and a storied cricketing career seemed to have passed him by when, after taking a mere two wickets in his first six T20Is, he was relegated to the wilderness for nearly three years. A bushel of wickets, primarily alongside Sunil Narine for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, catalysed Chakravarthy’s India comeback in October 2024 and the architect from Tamil Nadu hasn’t looked back. In the last 15-and-a-half months, Varun has supplanted Jasprit Bumrah as the country’s most potent T20 weapon with a staggering 61 wickets in 30 innings, repeatedly reaffirming his class and quality. After a quiet start to his maiden T20 World Cup (1-24 vs USA), Chakravarthy bared his fangs on Thursday here. A wicket with his first delivery to pack off Louren Steenkamp was the appetiser; within 12 balls, he left Namibia’s chase of 210 in tatters, snaring 3-7 from two overs in his first spell. Chakravarthy will be expected to have an equal, if not greater, say over the next three weeks when the pitches get more tired, but when dew is also expected to be more pronounced. Consciously refusing to use a wet ball as an excuse, Chakravarthy referenced the experience of operating similarly in the IPL as he acknowledged that he and his spinning colleagues had plenty of practice at bowling with a wet ball. The reasons behind a bushel of IPL wickets that sparked an India comeback was the realisation that he had to keep adding new tricks. That meant instead of merely side-spin, he worked assiduously on over-spin while working out ways and means to be quicker through the air and get more zip off the surface. “I have been working on a few things, but that has been my process all along. I always have some delivery coming up,” he said, prolonging the suspense. “It’s up to me. If I am courageous enough, I will try it in the next match.” Wait and watch then, as they say.
14 February,2026 08:28 AM IST | New Delhi | R KaushikIndian batters are facing a fresh challenge of tackling unorthodox tactics of spin bowlers at this T20 World Cup. After facing difficulty in negotiating the off-spin of Gerhard Erasmus of Namibia here on Thursday night, India will run into another tricky off-spinner, Usman Tariq of Pakistan, in Colombo on Sunday. Given Indian batters have been found wanting against quality spin recently, be it in Test matches or white-ball cricket, Erasmus was a good test on a Kotla pitch that may be similar to the one in Colombo. Ishan Kishan Ishan Kishan, talking to the media after India defeated Namibia hands down, elaborated on the approach to tackle unorthodox spinners. “We [batters] have to trust our own strength. We have to be positive and not over-think. We have to play the ball on merit and not think about the bowler and his variations. We also need to use the crease [while batting] and irritate the bowlers and put them off-line,” said Kishan. Like Indian batters, the ICC and its umpires are also facing a challenge with these spinners. Tariq pauses in his bowling stride before delivering the ball, while Namibian captain Erasmus delivers a few balls well before reaching the crease. Currently, there is no definite rule which says that a bowler cannot pause in his stride, or can’t release the ball before reaching the bowling crease. However, with Tariq, there is the added issue of chucking and he’s on ICC’s radar to check if his elbow straightens more than the prescribed 15 degree when he delivers the ball. Clearly, the bowlers are innovating to confuse the batters, just like the latter have been doing to the bowlers with their switch hits, scoop shots, etc, and this only adds to the flavour of T20 cricket.
14 February,2026 08:28 AM IST | New Delhi | Santosh SuriADVERTISEMENT
