Spin-bowling all-rounder Dushan Hemantha has been named as replacement for an injured Wanindu Hasaranga in the Sri Lankan squad for the ongoing T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka's spin spearhead Hasaranga was ruled out due to a hamstring injury, which he sustained in their tournament-opener against Ireland. The 31-year-old Hemantha, who has played five ODIs and three T20Is, will replace him. The side's next match is on Thursday against Oman. "The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 has approved Dushan Hemantha as a replacement for Wanindu Hasaranga in the Sri Lanka squad," ICC said in a release. Hasaranga produced a brave effort against Ireland as he completed his four overs, taking 3 for 25 despite struggling with his hamstring. An MRI scan on Monday revealed a serious tear in his left hamstring. The ICC also approved a replacement for New Zealand's Michael Bracewell, who picked up a calf injury during warm-ups against Afghanistan on 8 Feb in Chennai.New Zealand, however, are yet to name a replacement. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee (ETC). The ETC of the T20 World Cup consists of ICC General Manager Wasim Khan, Gaurav Saxena, Hemang Amin and Shaun Pollock. 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
12 February,2026 10:10 AM IST | Colombo | PTINatasa Stankovic, the ex-wife of India’s superstar all-rounder Hardik Pandya, delighted her 4.5 million Instagram followers with her latest set of pictures, which have garnered nearly three lakh likes. The 33-year-old dancer, actress, and model, is seen posing in a swimsuit as she lazes around in a swimming pool in a jungle-like surrounding. An accompanying plate of fresh cut fruits, and a tantalising orange drink only add further colour to the image.
12 February,2026 09:49 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentFormer India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come out in support of Pakistan’s Usman Tariq after the latter’s bowling action came under scrutiny during the T20 World Cup 2026, saying “why are the restrictions only limited to the bowler?” Tariq impressed with figures of 3-27 in Pakistan’s Group A win over the USA on Tuesday. Even football doesn’t allow players to pause during a penalty run-up anymore. How is this ok? Action - all good. But pause ? That too while loading to deliver. This can’t be continued seriously ! #WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/gIgsjV7RlX — Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) February 10, 2026 Former India cricketer Shreevats Goswami criticised Tariq’s pause during his run-up. “Even football doesn’t allow players to pause during a penalty run-up anymore. How is this ok? Action — all good. But pause? That too while loading to deliver. This can’t be continued seriously!” Goswami wrote on X. “Agree football doesn’t allow it! While the batter can be allowed to switch-hit or reverse without informing the umpire or bowler after him/her commits to start batting on one side, why are the restrictions only limited to the bowler?” Ashwin responded. 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
12 February,2026 09:46 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSNow that the suspense is over, India batter Tilak Varma on Wednesday said the team is excited for the high-pressure game against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup on February 15. Pakistan took a U-turn on boycotting the marquee clash against India in Colombo after pressure from the International Cricket Council and other member nations. "To be honest, we are very excited to play. We got to know that the match is going to take place day before. We are ready to play. We are watching all the teams. We are watching the bowlers and the batsmen. "All the players and team members are ready to play. Now, we are in the match zone. The planning will start," said Tilak on the eve of the Namibia game here on Thursday. India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate had spoken about the advantage Pakistan have as they have been based in Sri Lanka for a while and would be playing all their games in that country. Talking more about the match, Tilak added: "We are going one by one in every match, so we will see, we have video analysis, we have the technology, so we will see how we are playing, how the wicket is behaving, we have already prepared, so everyone has different shots in their team, so the shots that we have to play in the wicket, the bowlers we have to target." 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
12 February,2026 09:27 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIGained two, lost one. That’s India’s scorecard heading into their second Group A fixture of the T20 World Cup. India’s build-up to their title defence has been anything but encouraging from an injury/illness perspective. Two days before the start of their campaign against United States, they lost promising paceman Harshit Rana for the entire tournament with a knee injury. They only had a complement of 13 — including Rana’s replacement, Mohammed Siraj — to choose from at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, with Jasprit Bumrah ill and Washington Sundar yet to join the team following a side injury. Having survived a mighty scare, India received a major boost ahead of their Thursday showdown against Namibia. Bumrah showed no signs of fatigue when he went full tilt at Tuesday’s full practice session, while Washington bowled and then batted to reiterate that he too was back at full fitness. On the flip side, though, India are set to miss explosive opener Abhishek Sharma, admitted to a Delhi hospital with a stomach infection before being discharged on Wednesday.On his World Cup debut, Abhishek was dismissed for a golden duck; any chance of hitting his straps against Gerhard Erasmus’s side ahead of the faceoff against Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday are minimal. Barring Suryakumar Yadav, India’s batters came a cropper against US and will try to make the best of what is expected to be a better batting surface to work their way back among the runs. Namibia, whose only previous T20I against India ended in a nine-wicket drubbing in Dubai at the 2021 World Cup, are coming off a seven-wicket loss to the Netherlands in their opener, also at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, though that was in a match which started at 11 am. Erasmus confirmed that his side, which doesn’t have lights to train under back home, couldn’t have even a single session under lights. By contrast, India practiced for two nights in a row and even Canada trained alongside the Indians on Wednesday night even though they have a 3 pm start against UAE on Friday. Bizarre much? OneNo. of times India and Namibia have faced each other in T20Is with the former winning the 2021 T20 World Cup game in Dubai by nine wickets FourNo. of T20Is India have played in New Delhi, winning two and losing two
12 February,2026 09:24 AM IST | New Delhi | R KaushikBatting has evolved in white-ball cricket big-time and so have the aspirations of the players and expectations of the fans, especially Indian fans. Every time the Indian batters enter the arena, the spectators expect fireworks from the onset, expecting India to break all batting records. And more often than not, the mercurial Indian batters have provided the thrills. But there is the odd aberration too, like we saw in India’s first match of the T20 World Cup against USA. Before the start of this tournament, there was a huge hype that India would break the 300-run barrier against minnows USA. But what transpired at the Wankhede Stadium left Indian fans shell-shocked initially before skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliance helped the spectators cope with that Saturday night fever. Now, as the Indian team gears up to face another minnow side, Namibia, at the Kotla here on Thursday, the Ab ki baar 300 paar hype has gained momentum again. India have never crossed this figure in T20Is, their highest total being against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in 2024. In fact, in T20 World Cup history, India have crossed the 200-run mark just thrice — 218-4 vs England in Durban in 2007, 210-2 vs Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi in 2021 and 205-5 vs Australia at Gros Islet in 2024. Though opener Abhishek Sharma is unlikely to take the field after being hospitalised with a stomach infection, there is no doubt that India have the talent and capability to cross 300, with batters like Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar, Hardik Pandya, and Shubham Dube in their ranks. And the day they fire on all cylinders, records are bound to be decimated. The fans are hoping for this against Namibia on Thursday. ThreeNo. of times Team India have gone past 270 runs in T20Is, all post the 2024 World Cup, with their highest being 297-6 against Bangladesh
12 February,2026 09:22 AM IST | New Delhi | Santosh SuriSouth Africa left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj revealed he was keen to bowl the first Super Over too, before getting the responsibility to bowl in the second tie-breaker against Afghanistan in what turned out to be one of the greatest T20 World Cup matches of all time here Wednesday. SA pipped Afghanistan after two Super Overs in a thrilling Group D match after posting 187-6. Afghanistan matched that total but failed to knock off the required 23 runs when the game went into the six-ball each shootout for the second time on a frenzied day. While pacer Lungi Ngidi, who bowled exceptionally well in regulation time to win the Player of the Match award, conceded 17 runs in the first Super Over, spinner Keshav Maharaj succeeded for SA the second time, picking up two wickets to seal the contest. “I asked to bowl the first Super Over but obviously Lungs [Lungi Ngidi] was on fire over there, so they went to Lungi,” he said. After the first Super Over ended in a tie, the left-arm spinner knew it would be his turn. “We [SA head coach Shukri Conrad, the coach and Maharaj] kind of locked eyes because I was waiting for him to turn at me and then was he’s like, ‘It’s you,’ and I was like, ‘perfect!’ I wanted the ball, wanted to change the rhythm of play,” he explained. Meanwhile, SA skipper Markram said: “Ultimately in Super Overs you’re picking your most confident guys. Lungi didn’t miss by much in the first over but they still got a good score. Same story with Kesh. Tough being a spinner. Still backed him.” OneNo. of double Super Overs in the history of the T20 World Cup ThreeTotal number of double Super Overs in men’s T20Is; two of them involve Afghanistan, once against India in 2024 ThreeNo. of Super Overs Afghanistan have been part of in T20Is; they have lost all three games, against Ireland, India and South Africa 84No. of runs scored by Rahmanullah Gurbaz on Wednesday, the highest individual score for Afghanistan in a T20 WC 737No. of runs scored by Quinton de Kock in T20 World Cups, the most by any South African, surpassing AB de Villiers (717) 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
12 February,2026 09:19 AM IST | Ahmedabad | AgenciesIn a clash between two-time champions England (2010 and 2022) and West Indies (2012 and 2016), Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten 42-ball 76 (2x4, 7x6), stood out at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. It eventually helped the Caribbeans to beat England with wrist-spinner Gudakesh Motie claiming 3-33. Put into bat, WI posted 196-6 in their allotted 20 overs. They were in a spot of bother at 8-2 in the second over. However, batting at No. 5, left-hander Rutherford smashed his fifth half-century off 29 balls. He first had Rovman Powell (14) for company, stitching a 51-run stand in 29 balls, and then put on 61 off just 32 balls alongside No. 7 Jason Holder (33).
12 February,2026 09:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureAustralia captain Mitchell Marsh was on Wednesday forced out of his team's opening T20 World Cup match against Ireland here owing to a groin injury, prompting the inclusion of veteran batter Steve Smith as cover. Travis Head is leading the side in Marsh's absence against Ireland and Matt Renshaw has been pencilled in for his maiden World Cup appearance. The 29-year-old Renshaw made his T20 international debut last month against Pakistan in Lahore. "Mitchell Marsh will miss the opening match of the ICC men's T20 World Cup after sustaining a direct blow to the groin during training earlier this week. He is experiencing ongoing pain and discomfort which is restricting his movement," a Cricket Australia statement said. "Scans have confirmed internal testicular bleeding, and he will require a period of rest and rehabilitation. His return to play will be guided by symptom resolution and medical advice," it further stated. Smith, who hasn't played a T20I since February last year but has been in good nick in the format in the domestic circuit, will travel to Sri Lanka as cover to acclimatise and prepare, should he be required. Marsh took the injury-causing hit from one of Australia's assistant coaches during a training session on Sunday. His injury is the latest setback to the depleted squad, which is already missing frontline pacers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. 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
12 February,2026 08:44 AM IST | Colombo | AgenciesEngland Test captain Ben Stokes has undergone a successful surgery on his injured right eye after being struck by a cricket ball earlier this month. The 34-year-old all-rounder shared the update on his Instagram story, posting an image of his bruised and swollen right eye and cheek. Picture Courtesy/Ben Stokes's Instagram account "May not look like it... but the surgery was a success," Stokes wrote in a message. Earlier this month, Stokes revealed that he had been hit in the face by a ball. Reports later revealed that he sustained the injury while coaching academy players at Durham's indoor cricket centre. England endured a disappointing Ashes tour, losing 1-4 in Australia under Stokes' captaincy. 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
12 February,2026 08:40 AM IST | London | PTIIn the T20 World Cup 2026 match against England, the West Indies emerged victorious by 30 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. In an attempt to chase a target of 197 runs, England was bowled out for 166 runs in 19 overs. Opening the innings, Phil Salt was dismissed for 30 runs. His knock came in 14 balls, which included four boundaries and two maximums. Fellow opening batsman Jos Buttler smashed 21 runs in 14 balls, including two boundaries and a maximum. Jacob Bethell smashed 33 runs after facing 23 balls, including four boundaries and a maximum. Tom Banton scored two runs in four balls. Skipper Harry Brook returned to the pavilion after scoring 17 runs in 14 balls, including a boundary. Sam Curran played an unbeaten knock of 43 runs off 30 deliveries, which was laced with three boundaries and two maximums. Will Jacks scored two runs in three balls. Jamie Overton scored five runs in six balls. Jofra Archer also scored six runs off four balls, including a boundary. Liam Dawson scored one run in one ball. Adil Rashid was also dismissed on a one-ball duck. West Indies' Gudakesh Motie returned with the figures of three wickets for 33 runs in four overs. Roston Chase also bagged two wickets for 29 runs in four overs. Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, and Shamar Joseph also chipped in with one wicket. Earlier, having put to bat first, West Indies' opening batsman Brandon King departed on one run in three balls. Skipper Shai Hope was dismissed on a three-ball duck. Shimron Hetmyer accumulated 23 runs in 12 balls, with the help of two boundaries and the same number of maximums. Roston Chase managed to score 34 runs in 29 deliveries, laced with six boundaries. Later, Sherfane Rutherford hammered an unbeaten 76 runs off just 42 deliveries, laced with two boundaries and seven maximums. Rovman Powell scored 14 runs off 13 balls, with the help of two boundaries. Jason Holder also garnered 33 runs off 17 deliveries, including a boundary and four maximums. Romario Shepherd stayed unbeaten on one run in one ball. With this, the West Indies posted a total of 196 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. England's Jamie Overton and Adil Rashid registered two wickets each to their names. Having completed four overs each, Overton was smashed for 33 runs, and Rashid conceded 16 runs. Jofra Archer and Sam Curran also bagged one wicket each. Archer leaked 48 runs in his spell of four overs, whereas Curran gave away 36 runs in three overs.
11 February,2026 11:32 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
