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Babar Azam: Pakistan captain Babar Azam said the team needs to sit down, assess their mistakes and decide on their best playing XI after England completed a 3-0 Test series sweep with an eight-wicket victory at Edgbaston on Saturday. Babar admitted Pakistan need to make key decisions about their personnel and approach if they are to make their Test cricket competitive again after a difficult series in England. I think we need to sit down and reflect on our mistakes, decide what type of playing e

Arun Jaitley Stadium: Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran said his team has devised specific tactical plans to counter returning fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and hopes to handle him effectively in Sunday's opening T20I game, to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Bumrah is set to return to international action following a layoff due to a left knee injury sustained while fielding in the second ODI against England in Cardiff in July. His return adds the much-needed cutting edge to the Indian bowli

Pakistan finally found some spark in the third Test against England at Edgbaston but it was too little, too late to avoid a 3-0 whitewash. Captain Joe Root led from the front on Saturday as England shrugged off the loss of two early wickets to win by eight wickets, following decisive victories at Headingley and Lord's. AFP Sport looks at three talking points after the end of a one-sided series. New Root era English cricket was at a low ebb just two months ago following a series loss to New Zeala

Punjab T20 League: Amritsar Soormas marched into the final of the inaugural Sher-E-Punjab T20 League after registering a commanding seven-wicket win over Mohali Kings at the I.S. Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Saturday. The Soormas produced a strong all-round performance, with their bowlers restricting Mohali Kings to 169/7 before Naman Dhir took charge with the bat. His aggressive knock helped Amritsar chase down the target comfortably and book their place in the title clash. Batting first, Mohali

World Test Championship: England moved further away from Sri Lanka, and a little closer to India in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table after beating Pakistan in the third Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, which saw them sweep Pakistan at home. Joe Root and Jordan Cox led the way with half centuries as the Three Lions chased down 130 to win by eight wickets and register their first home whitewash of Pakistan as they won the three-match series 3-0. Even though they are unlikely to play th

Arun Jaitley Stadium: India captain Shreyas Iyer said he hopes his strong working relationship with head coach Gautam Gambhir will drive clear communication and an aggressive approach in the shortest format in the coming times, starting with Sunday's T20I match against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Having previously won an Indian Premier League (IPL) title together as captain-mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024, Iyer highlighted the head coach's aggressive

Arun Jaitley Stadium: India skipper Shreyas Iyer said returning fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah's focus is entirely on match readiness and winning championships as he prepares to return to international action in Sunday's T20I opener against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Bumrahs return after missing England's third ODI and the Sri Lanka Test series delivers a crucial boost for India, whose T20I form has faltered since June via defeats to Ireland and England, before winning the series in Z

Joe Root: England overpowered the only fight from Pakistan's batters in the series after beating them in the third and final Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, to seal their first-ever whitewash of Pakistan at home. Joe Root (62) and Jordan (59) scored half centuries as England chased down the 130-run target after Mohammad Abbas' early strikes put the hosts under pressure. But the unscathed 128-run partnership from the No.3 and No.4 sealed the deal for the Three Lions for an eight-wicket win, which

A young Razaullah arrived in the northern Pakistani city of Mardan with his two elder brothers, dreaming to make it big in cricket with his thunderbolt deliveries and powerful hitting. His brother Samiullah did not want his sibling to be a truck loader like him, and instead made sure the tall and strapping fast bowler went to the town's cricket academy on his way to play for his country. Razaullah dismissed one of the world's best batters Joe Root with his fourth ball on his Test debut before sm

England overcame a major wobble to beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the third Test at Edgbaston on Saturday, sealing a 3-0 series sweep. The home team, chasing just 130 to win, were in deep trouble when openers Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay were dismissed in the first over, bowled by Mohammad Abbas. Joe Root, England's record runscorer, edged his first ball, bowled by Razaullah, through the slips for four in a nervy start but settled and scored quickly to take the sting out of the situation. The s

T20 World Cup: Afghanistan could deploy veteran off-spin bowling all-rounder Mohammad Nabi with the new ball in Sunday's opening T20I game to target India's heavy left-handed top order, warned former off-spinner and national selector Sarandeep Singh. A significant part of the build-up to the three-game series has been how the Indian batting line-up could counter the threat posed by Nabi, ace leg-spinner Rashid Khan and wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad, especially in the power play and middle overs. Bowl

Dubai International Stadium: Former India mens cricketer Vivek Razdan said that vice-captain Smriti Mandhana must anchor the innings and play to her natural strengths rather than trying to emulate the high-risk aggression of her partner Shafali Verma in the upcoming Women's Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka. Seven-time champions India enter Sunday's final to be played at the Dubai International Stadium as favourites to win the title, though they did lose to Sri Lanka in the 2024 edition final in

T20 World Cup: Returning to international cricket via the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan offers ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah a nice path to rebuilding his match fitness after recovering from left knee injury, believes former India pacer Vivek Razdan. Bumrah has picked 121 scalps in 95 T20Is and won the T20 World Cup twice, including being Player of the Tournament in the 2024 triumph and winning the Player of the Match award in the final against New Zealand earlier this year. Bumrah's

AFG vs IND 1st T20I,Approaching Milestones and Records :The much-awaited T20I series between Afghanistan and India is all set to kick off on Sunday, September 13, in Delhi. The Indian Cricket Team led by Shreyas Iyer will square off with the Afghanistan Cricket Team under Ibrahim Zadran. This match will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, starting at 7 PM IST. Shreyas has a chance to add a home series win under his belt as he is coming off a series win in Zimbabwe, after two poor outings in Irela

Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra: Ludhiana Lions' medium pacer Krish Bhagat paid an emotional tribute to his grandfather, Bhagat Chunni Lal, after powering his team into the semifinals of the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League. Bhagat picked two wickets as the Lions defeated Amritsar Soormas by five wickets in a crucial clash at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali. He later dedicated his wickets to his late grandfather Chunni Lal, who was also a former Punjab minister. Dadu passed

T20 Asia Cup: Indias bid for an eighth Womens T20 Asia Cup title will face a stern examination from Sri Lanka when the two unbeaten sides meet in Sundays final at the Dubai International Stadium. India's standout performers throughout the tournament have been Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma. Shafali has scored 168 runs and tops the rankings, with two fifties demonstrating her consistent performance at the top of the order. Her resilience in difficult batting conditions has been especially import

Blind Cricket Asia Cup: The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) on Saturday named India's probable squad of 24 players for the 2026 Asia Cup in Dhaka as the defending champions look to bag a second title. The Men's Asia Cup 2026 for the Blind is the second edition of the tournament and returns after a decade-long gap due to logistical constraints. India's probable team of 24 will be reduced to a final 17-member squad after a national coaching and selection camp, which will include

New Delhi: India's veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami reflected on his recent accomplishment of competing in 100 first-class matches during the Duleep Trophy 2026 final for East Zone. Shami, who has been out of the Indian team for quite some time now, called playing 100 matches always special and highlighted that his hunger remains the same as before. 100th match is always special, whether you score a hundred and raise your bat for the first time or you play in 100 matches, it is a very long jou

IND-W vs SL-W Final, Cricket Tips: For the seventh time in ten editions, India Women and Sri Lanka Women will be facing each other in the final of the Women's Asia Cup. India women won the first five finals between the two sides, but Sri Lanka won the last final in 2024 under Chamari Athapaththu. Can Sri Lanka repeat that glory and stop the Indian juggernaut? The final of the ongoing edition will kick off at 8 PM IST on Sunday at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai. Both teams have been undefea

AFG vs IND 1st T20I, Cricket Tips: The three-match T20I series between Afghanistan and India is all set to begin. These matches will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The first T20I will kick off at 7 PM IST on Sunday, September 13. Ibrahim Zadran will lead Afghanistan. Shreyas Iyer will be leading India for the first time in a home series. So, it is an important assignment for him. Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy are back after injuries, and they will be

T20 Asia Cup: An unbeaten campaign has taken India and Sri Lanka to the final of the 2026 Womens T20 Asia Cup, but the two sides arrive at Sundays summit clash with contrasting memories of their previous meeting in a title decider. India, the most successful team in the tournaments history with seven titles, will once again shoulder the weight of expectation. Yet Sri Lanka will take confidence from their eight-wicket victory over India in the 2024 final at Dambulla, a result that remains a remin

New Delhi: Devdutt Padikkal is looking forward to taking the next step in his leadership journey after being named captain of India A for the upcoming four-day matches against Australia A in Puducherry. Padikkal will make his India A captaincy debut after gaining valuable experience while leading Karnataka in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season. He took over as Karnataka captain late in the league stage and went on to make a strong impact with both bat and ball. The left-handed batter said his time

NAM vs SA 3rd ODI, Cricket Tips: Two matches and two dominating performances by South Africa in the ongoing ODI series against Namibia. The Proteas have won the ongoing series with one match left to play. The top order has done the bulk of scoring for South Africa so far. Jordan Hermann and Connor Esterhuizen scored centuries in either game. Tony de Zorzi scored 70+ in both innings. South Africa will look to make it 3-0. The third and final ODI between Namibia and South Africa will begin at 1 PM

Caribbean Premier League: India batter Harleen Deol has joined the Barbados Tridents for the remainder of the Womens Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), and becomes the fifth Indian cricketer to feature in the ongoing competition. Harleen links up with compatriots Pooja Vastrakar and Kiran Navgire in the Tridents squad for her first stint in a global franchise T20 tournament. I'm with the Barbados Tridents and it's only been two days for me. Like, it was very last minute. So, I'm very excited and i

Arun Jaitley Stadium: The Indian team's nets session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday night offered a small, telling picture. Under lights, after a drizzle pushed back its start, Jasprit Bumrah was running in off a longish, sometimes short, run-up and bowling properly. The atmosphere lightened when he got into a brief, absorbing scrap with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who had taken him for six off the first ball he faced from him in the IPL and appears not to have been told to respect bowlers sinc

New Delhi: For a player making his Test debut, Razaullah Mashwani could hardly have chosen a more dramatic way to introduce himself. The 21-year-old arrived in Pakistans XI at Edgbaston with little international experience behind him and found himself thrown into a difficult contest against England. By the time he walked out to bat, Pakistan were 312 for seven and still facing the possibility of an innings defeat. What followed turned an unfamiliar name into one of the talking points of the Test

But Harshita Samarawickrama: Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu believes the defending champions have the depth and composure to overcome any opponent in the Womens Asia Cup final after their four-wicket win over Pakistan, with the skipper particularly impressed by the way her young batting group responded to early pressure. Sri Lanka were pushed onto the back foot almost immediately in their chase of 131, losing Athapaththu, Sanjana Kavindi and Hasini Perera inside the first six overs. But H

Connor Esterhuizen chalked up his maiden international century with struck 119 as South Africa beat Namibia by 157 runs on Friday to take a winning 2-0 lead in a three-match one-day international series. It was a dramatic change for the 24-year-old opener in his second ODI as he was bowled for 10 in Windhoek on Wednesday when South Africa won a rain-shortened series opener by 99 runs. After Jordan Hermann (20) fell, Esterhuizen and Tony de Zorzi (79) formed a 183-run second-wicket partnership th

The Odisha T20 League: Former Indian cricketers Suresh Raina and Debashish Mohanty have been announced as the brand ambassadors of the Odisha T20 League 2026 CM Trophy, which is scheduled to be held from September 20 to 29 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. The appointment of the two former Indian cricketers will add further value to the tournament, which aims to provide a platform for young and emerging cricketers from Odisha to showcase their talent and gain valuable experience. Six teams, B

Dubai International Cricket Stadium: Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana played a valiant knock of unbeaten 47 off 36 deliveries to guide her team to a total of 130/5 against Sri Lanka in the second semifinal of the Womens Asia Cup, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Friday. Pakistan Women were in early trouble, reduced to 52/4 in the 10th over, but skipper Fatima Sana produced a valiant knock to steer her side through a difficult phase and provide the much-needed impetus in the mid

Dubai International Cricket Stadium: Sri Lanka women won the toss and elected to field against Pakistan women in the second semifinal of the Womens Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Friday. Sri Lanka, which recently beat Pakistan in both the ODI and T20I series, enter the contest as favourites after remaining unbeaten in the tournament. However, past results will count for little once the game begins, with the team that handles the pressure better likely to prevail.

ILT20 Development Tournament: With the ILT20 auction less than three weeks away, Adani Sportsline-owned Gulf Giants head coach Simon Helmot said he views the upcoming Development Tournament as an ideal platform to evaluate emerging talent and finalise squad strategies. The fourth edition of the ILT20 Development Tournament, scheduled to begin on September 14, comes shortly before the player auction happens on October 1. The Giants squad features returning core players including Haider Razzaq and

T20 World Cup: Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane believes the team management should stick with the T20 World Cup-winning top-three combination of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, while adding that teenaged batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will eventually get his opportunities. Samson, who was named the Player of the Tournament during India's successful 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, was dropped following a few low scores on the

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday said it is again inviting applications for the position of Head Sports Science and Medicine at its state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence (CoE) facility in Bengaluru. The BCCI had previously asked for applications to fill the top post in September 2025, but it didnt find a suitable candidate due to various reasons. The position has been vacant since Nitin Patel ended his successful stint of nearly three yea

European T20 Premier League: Hard-hitting Australian batter Tim David has expressed deep admiration for the local Dutch talent in his team, Amsterdam Flames, in the ongoing European T20 Premier League (ETPL), adding that he wishes to see the best of their performances as the inaugural tournament shifts to its Ireland leg. The ETPL is an ICC-sanctioned tournament, hosted via a joint venture between Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, and Cricket Netherlands (KNCB). David played pivotal match-winni

National Cybercrime Investigation Agency: Pakistan cricketers Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq appeared before Pakistan's National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Lahore over the alleged information leaks from the team's dressing room. The Pakistan Cricket Board had reportedly handed the two players' mobile phones to the relevant authorities in the aftermath of their removal, along with five other players from Pakistan's squad for the England Test series. As per a report in Pakistan-ba

Cricket Wellington General Manager High: Big Bash League (BBL) side Brisbane Heat have signed rising New Zealand top-order batter Tim Robinson for his maiden stint in the competition when the 16th season starts later this year. Robinson has represented New Zealand in 31 T20Is and three ODIs, and shot into the global limelight last season when he slammed a sensational 66-ball 106 not out after walking in at 3/6 against Australia at Mount Maunganui. Robinson, who also holds a career-best 139 off 6

DDCA President Rohan Jaitley: The Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) awarded a total prize money of Rs 1.43 crore to clubs and players for the 2025-26 season, with the association increasing the rewards by 10 per cent across all categories. The awards were presented at the annual prize distribution ceremony held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Thursday, recognising the champions, runners-up and top performers across various DDCA competitions. DDCA President Rohan Jaitley, Secretary

U19 T20 World Cup: Declaring her readiness to leave everything on the field without any regrets, uncapped South Africa fast bowler Caitlin Wyngaard said she is eyeing a memorable international debut in the historic five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, starting later on Friday. Caitlin, who has earned her maiden Proteas women call-up for the September 11-19 tour, insists her commitment to the game is absolute as she stands on the threshold of fulfilling a lifelong dream. Cricket is like every

Ageless Imran Tahir: After becoming the oldest bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in T20 history at the age of 47, veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir revealed that his young son remains the primary inspiration behind his refusal to hang up his boots. Tahir returned with figures of 5-17 in four overs to set up a comprehensive victory for Guyana Amazon Warriors over St Lucia Kings at the Providence Stadium. The spell was Tahir's career-best in the shortest format, coming in his 461st T20 appearance

Decision Review System: Fresh off leading East Zone to a memorable Duleep Trophy 2026/27 triumph, skipper Ishan Kishan engaged in a light-hearted banter with teenaged batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi over taking credit for successful Decision Review System (DRS) calls during the final against South Zone. Kishan, who was named Player of the Match after scoring over 350 runs across both innings of the final, including hitting 270 in the first innings, playfully said his deputy Sooryavanshi too

Salman Ali Agha: Despite Pakistans ongoing tour of England taking a turn for the worse, batting coach Michael Smith backed the youngsters within the side to come good with time, saying there are a lot of quality cricketers coming through from Pakistan, and getting the youngsters to get comfortable in the Test environment help them from a long-term point of view. Pakistan's poor run with the willow continued in the series as they they were 52/2 at stumps on Day 2 in their second innings and trail

MA Chidambaram Stadium: Mohammed Siraj believes an unusually long two-month break affected his bowling rhythm and contributed to his loss of pace during Indias recent Test series in Sri Lanka. Siraj returned to domestic action for the Duleep Trophy final after Indias Test assignment in Sri Lanka and initially struggled to find his usual pace and rhythm at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The pacer conceded 140 runs in 25 overs in the first innings after the East Zone chose to bat but produced a much

Dubai International Stadium: India spinner Deepti Sharma said the team will closely watch the second semifinal between Pakistan and Sri Lanka to strategise the Womens Asia Cup final, after her three-wicket haul helped women in blue beat Bangladesh by 40 runs. Deepti returned figures of 3-26 as India restricted Bangladesh to 109/7 after posting 149/6 in the first semifinal at the Dubai International Stadium. The victory sent the seven-time champions India into the final, where they will face eith

Belfast Wolves held their nerve when the game was at its most competitive, with David Miller producing the decisive late surge to secure a five-wicket victory over Amsterdam Flames in Match 20 of the ETPL at Malahide. Chasing 142, Belfast were pushed deep into the innings before Miller's unbeaten 42 from 26 balls, including four sixes, helped take the Wolves across the line with one over remaining. Amsterdam had plenty to celebrate with the bat after being asked to bat first. Bas de Leede provid

The Barbados Tridents boosted their play-off hopes with a four wicket win over the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at the Kensington Oval in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Chris Greens excellent spell leading the Tridents attack allowed his team to limit the Patriots to under 120. Despite an early wobble, Quinton de Kock extended his lead at the top of the run charts with a classy 44 unbeaten to guide his team to a comfortable win. The South Africans innings only totalled four boundaries, but it

Faf du Plessis set the tone with the bat and Rotterdam Dockers finished the job with the ball, beating Glasgow Cosmic by 31 runs in Match 19 of the ETPL at Malahide. In a contest of 19 overs per side, du Plessis' 71 from 42 balls gave Rotterdam the platform they needed before their bowlers kept Glasgow under control to secure a comfortable victory. Glasgow won the toss and chose to field, but their decision was immediately tested when du Plessis took charge of the Dockers' innings. Rassie van de

Sri Lanka will tour Pakistan for a bilateral T20 series followed by a trination ODI tournament that includes England next month, before two Tests against the hosts, its cricket board said on Thursday. Sri Lanka Cricket said the three-match T20 series will be played in Rawalpindi between October 9 and 13. The trination series will also begin in Rawalpindi, with Pakistan playing Sri Lanka on October 18 before the visitors face England four days later on October 22. The series will then shift to La

England moved inexorably towards a crushing series whitewash against Pakistan on Thursday with three days still remaining in a one-sided third Test at Edgbaston. Joe Root's men have totally dominated the three-match contest against the hapless tourists and did not relinquish their grip during a fast-paced second day in Birmingham. The home side raced to 453 at more than five runs an over in response to Pakistan's paltry first-innings total of 133 to make victory almost inevitable. But worse was

Opener Shafali Verma: Opener Shafali Verma slammed a fiery 64 off 40 balls while seasoned spinner Deepti Sharma claimed 3-26 as India surged to a comprehensive 40-run victory over Bangladesh in the first semifinal of the Women's Asia Cup at the Dubai International Stadium here on Thursday. Asked to bat first, seven-time Asia Cup winner India recovered from early setbacks with Shafali Verma slamming another half-century, hitting seven boundaries and three sixes in her 40-ball knock, to help India