Suryakumar Yadav’s first World Cup outing as India’s captain was rapidly turning pear-shaped when the skipper decided to take things into his own hands on Saturday night. An extraordinary top-order collapse, resulting from disciplined bowling from United States, a tacky surface and injudicious shot-selection, had the hosts reeling at 77 for six on being put in. A packed gathering at the Wankhede Stadium went completely silent, fearing the worst. Suryakumar (84 not out off 49 balls) has grown up playing most of his cricket at this venue. Drawing on familiarity, showing great restraint and unwilling to get sucked into a battle of egos, he bided his time. Mohammed Siraj (centre) celebrates after taking the wicket of USA opener Andries Gous Shadley van Schalkwyk had done the bulk of the damage with three wickets in his first over, the last of the Powerplay, after Abhishek Sharma had fallen for a golden duck, and as the middle order caved in meekly, the 35-year-old realised that he had no option but to play through the innings. Crucial 41-run stand In an essay of two distinct halves, Suryakumar was content to rotate the strike for the first part, steadying the ship with Axar Patel during a seventh-wicket stand of 41. Put down by Shubham Ranjane on his follow-through when only 15, Suryakumar was 47 off 35 at Axar’s fall. Then came a series of audacious shots, several of which involved walking across his stumps, fetching the ball from well outside off and scooping it over or behind square on the on-side while finding himself on his backside at the completion of the stroke. Having reached his half-century off 36 balls, Suryakumar delivered a brutal final kick as the last five overs produced 67. As many as 21 of those came in the final over from Saurabh Netravalkar and Suryakumar walked off to a standing ovation, having hauled his side to 161-9. US lose quick wickets United States’s cause wasn’t helped by several dropped catches early on, and an untimely groin injury to Ali Khan, their death-overs specialist, who couldn’t bowl his last two overs. They needed to bat out of their skins even though India were without the unwell Jasprit Bumrah, but lost three wickets in the first four overs and were never in contention. Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krishnamurthi flourished briefly and Ranjane lashed out towards the end but US could only manage 132 for eight, leaving India victors by 29 runs. Not convincing, but points on the board and an early wake-up call. 1074No. of runs scored by Suryakumar Yadav as T20I skipper; the fourth Indian captain after MS Dhoni (1112), Virat Kohli (1570), and Rohit Sharma (1905) to go past the 1000-run mark 84*No. of runs scored by Suryakumar on Saturday — the second-highest score in debut innings as T20 World Cup captain after WI’s Chris Gayle’s 88 vs Australia in 2009 ThreeNo of golden ducks for Abhishek Sharma in his last five T20Is 0-65Pacer Saurabh Netravalkar’s figures against India — the most expensive ever in a T20 World Cup, surpassing SL’s Sanath Jayasuriya’s 0-64 against Pakistan in 2007. It is also the worst figures by a USA bowler in T20Is
08 February,2026 08:56 AM IST | Mumbai | R KaushikIt’s often said fast bowlers hunt in pairs. This was evident in the morning session of Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final at the MCA-BKC ground on Saturday when Mumbai pacers Mohit Avasthi (4-27) and Tushar Deshpande (4-33) restricted Karnataka to 173, a first innings lead of just 53. Karnataka opener Mayank Agarwal (92) did the bulk of the scoring for the visitors. Mumbai had folded for just 120 in their first innings the previous day. Avasthi and Deshpande made good use of the helpful morning conditions as moisture on the surface made scoring difficult. Deshpande picked up all four wickets in a spell of 6-1-20-4, including the prized scalp of Agarwal, edged to second slip Siddhesh Lad. Avasthi, fresh from a five-wicket haul against Delhi last week, polished off the opposition, dismissing Shikhar Shetty, clean bowled, before lunch. Tushar Deshpande Mumbai put up a better batting show in their second essay. Akash Anand (53 not out), promoted to No. 3, and Musheer Khan (49 not out) shared an unbroken 112-run partnership for the third wicket to take the hosts to 189-2 in their second innings, enjoying a lead of 136. “On Friday, when I came to bowl [46-1 in 8 overs], they already had a flying start. My role was to keep them quiet. On Saturday, when we had them three down in the morning, that was a chance for me to get through their batting line-up. It’s all about bowling in partnerships. Going from here, the game is open,” said Deshpande, 30, who was pleased to contain Karnataka’s lead to just 53. “We spoke in the huddle about belief. As the pitch was helping seam bowlers, it was important to bowl in the right areas and with the mindset of attacking the batters,” he said. Mumbai openers Akhil Herwadkar and Yashasvi Jaiswal failed to provide a big opening stand. After posting 77, both fell within six deliveries of each other. Herwadkar (33) was run out by Vidwat Kaverappa’s direct throw from fine leg while Jaiswal stepped out to leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal and was stumped for 36. Brief scoresMumbai 120 & 189-2 (A Anand 53*, M Khan 49*, Y Jaiswal 36, A Herwadkar 33) vs Karnataka 173 (M Agarwal 92; M Avasthi 4-27, T Deshpande 4-33)
08 February,2026 08:50 AM IST | Mumbai | G KrishnanThe ICC has sought an explanation from Pakistan on how the ‘Force Majeure’ clause can be invoked to justify the team’s refusal to play the T20 World Cup match against India after the PCB tried to wriggle out of the situation by putting the onus on its government. But there is a glimmer of hope now as PCB has approached the ICC for deliberations, as per an ICC Director, who feels that the marquee clash slated on February 15 will eventually take place. “The talks have started,” he said. The ICC has asked Pakistan Cricket Board to justify pulling out of one match while playing the remaining tournament on government instructions. Having received the world body’s formal communication, the PCB initiated further discussions. 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
08 February,2026 08:45 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIAll-rounder Faheem Ashraf admitted his heart rate was fluctuating during the fag end of Pakistan’s nervy yet successful run chase against the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup opener here on Saturday, but said he was confident he “could take down whatever runs in one over”. Ashraf emerged as Pakistan’s hero, hammering an unbeaten 29 off just 11 balls in a stunning late assault that sealed a dramatic three-wicket victory. Chasing 148, Pakistan were 90-2 at the halfway stage, but lost wickets in a heap as they were 114-7 in 16.1 overs. Needing 29 runs from the last two overs, Ashraf hit three sixes and one four off Logan van Beek and finished off the match with a four in the final over as Pakistan reached 148-7 in 19.3 overs. “We have been playing this brand of cricket for the past year. Heart rates go up and down, it’s happened so many times before, we’re used to it,” the 32-year-old bowling all-rounder said. “Shaheen [Afridi] and I were talking about saving wickets, knew we could take down whatever in one over,” he added. Brief scoresNetherlands 147 all out in 19.5 overs (S Edwards 37, B Leede 30; S Mirza 3-24, A Ahmed 2-23, M Nawaz 2-38) lost to Pakistan 148-7 in 19.3 overs (S Farhan 47, F Ashraf 29*, P Meekeren 2-20, A Dutt 2-33) by three wickets 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
08 February,2026 08:42 AM IST | Colombo | PTIIn the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the United States of America (USA), Team India emerged victorious by 29 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. While chasing a target of 162 runs, the USA managed to score 132 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs. Opening the innings, wicketkeeper-batsman Andries Gous scored six runs in nine balls, including a maximum. Fellow opening batsman Saiteja Mukkamalla also departed on two runs in seven balls. Skipper Monank Patel was dismissed on a two-ball duck. Milind Kumar accumulated 34 runs in 34 balls, with the help of three boundaries and a maximum. Sanjay Krishnamurthi garnered 37 runs off 31 balls, which was laced with a boundary and two maximums. Harmeet Singh departed on a one-ball duck. Mohammad Mohsin scored eight runs in nine balls, with the help of a boundary. Shubham Ranjane played a knock of 37 runs in 22 balls, including two boundaries and three maximums. Shadley van Schalkwyk stayed unbeaten on two runs after facing five balls. Team India's Mohammed Siraj returned with the figures of three wickets for 29 runs in four overs. Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel claimed two wickets each. Varun Chakaravarthy also chipped in with one wicket. Hardik Pandya went wicketless in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the USA. Earlier, having put to bat first, opening batsman Abhishek Sharma was dismissed on a one-ball duck. Fellow opening batsman Ishan Kishan scored 20 runs in 16 balls, including a boundary and two maximums. Tilak Varma managed to score 25 runs off 16 balls, with the help of three boundaries and a maximum. Axar Patel accumulated 14 runs in 11 balls, including two boundaries. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Suryakumar Yadav delivered a captain's knock. Facing just 49 deliveries, he played an unbeaten knock of 84 runs, which was laced with 10 boundaries and four maximums. With this, the "Men in Blue" posted a total of 161 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs. USA's Shadley van Schalkwyk returned with the figures of four wickets for 25 runs in four overs. Harmeet Singh also bagged two wickets by conceding 26 runs in his spell of four overs. Ali Khan and Mohammad Mohsin chipped in with one wicket each. T20 World Cup 2026: Group A standings and Team India's upcoming clash Following the victory, the "Men in Blue" are topping Group A with a net run rate (NRR) of +1.450. The side will face Namibia in their next clash, which is scheduled to be played on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
07 February,2026 11:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn 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 DattaADVERTISEMENT
