Category: Sports

MELBOURNE: Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam etched his name alongside former England captain Jos Buttler in the record books after producing a decisive knock during the Big Bash League (BBL) 15 encounter at Docklands Stadium on Thursday.

Representing Sydney Sixers against Melbourne Renegades, Babar anchored the chase with a composed unbeaten 58 off 46 deliveries, an innings laced with four boundaries and a six.

The knock not only guided the Sixers to a six-wicket win but also marked Babar’s 97th half-century in T20 cricket.

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With that effort, the former Pakistan skipper drew level with Buttler for the joint third-most fifties in the history of the shortest format.

Notably, Babar reached the milestone in just his 333rd T20 appearance, scoring 11 centuries along the way, while Buttler took 476 matches to get the same tally, with eight hundreds.

The all-time record for most T20 half-centuries remains with Australian great David Warner, who has amassed 113 fifties, followed by India’s Virat Kohli with 105.

Most T20 fifties:

• David Warner – 113
• Virat Kohli – 105
• Babar Azam – 97
• Jos Buttler – 97
• Alex Hales – 92

Babar’s latest innings also took his overall tally of 50-plus scores in T20 cricket to 108, comprising 97 half-centuries and 11 hundreds.

He is currently fourth on the all-time list for most 50+ scores in the format, behind Warner (121), Kohli (114) and Chris Gayle (110).

Babar’s knock proved the difference as Sydney Sixers sealed their second win of the BBL 15 campaign, climbing to fifth on the points table.

Melbourne Renegades, meanwhile, remain seventh with just one victory, sitting above only Sydney Thunder.

READ: Why Enzo Maresca is facing growing pressure at Chelsea?

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is facing the possibility of an early exit following a dramatic deterioration in his relationship with the Premier League club, sources have told local media.

Chelsea are understood to be holding emergency internal discussions regarding Maresca’s position after weeks of growing uncertainty, both on and off the pitch.

A separation is now considered increasingly likely, with indications that Maresca may not be in charge for Sunday’s away fixture against Manchester City.

The pressure intensified after Chelsea were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw by Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, a result that extended their poor league run to just one win in seven matches.

Enzo Maresca was booed by sections of the home crowd, underlining the frustration among supporters amid the team’s continued struggles.

Sources suggest Maresca himself has grown disillusioned and may be open to leaving the club, although it remains unclear whether he would do so without a compensation package.

The former Leicester City manager is under contract until 2029, with an option for an additional year.

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Chelsea’s hierarchy is believed to be increasingly concerned not only by on-field results, including the team dropping 15 points from winning positions this season, but also by Maresca’s conduct away from matches.

Tensions reportedly escalated following cryptic comments made by the coach after a win over Everton on December 13, when he referred to experiencing his “worst 48 hours” at the club.

Those remarks reportedly left senior figures confused, especially as Maresca later declined to clarify his comments despite repeated questions.

Further eyebrows were raised after Enzo Maresca opted out of post-match media duties following the Bournemouth draw, with assistant coach Willy Caballero stepping in instead.

While the club attributed Maresca’s absence to illness, reports later suggested the coach had chosen not to speak publicly as he weighed his future amid dissatisfaction with aspects of the club’s long-term project.

Chelsea’s owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, are said to be cautious about making another mid-season managerial change, mindful of the turbulence that followed the dismissals of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter during their first year in charge.

However, should Maresca depart, Chelsea would be forced into appointing their fifth permanent manager since the takeover in 2022.

READ: Babar Azam guides Sixers past Rizwan’s Renegades in BBL clash

MELBOURNE: Pakistan star Babar Azam produced a composed unbeaten half-century to lead Sydney Sixers to a six-wicket victory over Melbourne Renegades in a Big Bash League (BBL) season 15 encounter at Docklands Stadium on Thursday.

In a much-anticipated Babar Azam versus Mohammad Rizwan contest, the Sixers opted to field first after winning the toss.

Renegades lost early momentum when Jack Edwards dismissed Tim Seifert for eight, leaving the hosts 10 for 1 inside the first two overs.

Rizwan then partnered with Josh Brown in a brief counter-attack, though the second-wicket stand was largely driven by Brown’s aggressive approach.

The right-hander smashed 43 off just 19 balls, including three fours and four sixes, before Hayden Kerr broke the 44-run partnership. Rizwan struggled for fluency and was dismissed soon after, scoring six from ten deliveries.

Jake Fraser-McGurk steadied the innings with a 29-ball 38, featuring four boundaries, before falling to Sean Abbott after pushing the Renegades past the 100-run mark.

Hassan Khan provided late resistance with a quick 39, hitting three sixes and a four, but his dismissal in the final over curtailed the Renegades’ momentum as they finished on 164 for 9.

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Abbott was the pick of the Sixers’ bowlers with three wickets, while Edwards, Ben Dwarshuis and Kerr claimed two apiece.

In reply, the Sixers made a solid start through Daniel Hughes and Babar, adding 46 for the opening wicket.

Gurinder Sandhu removed Hughes for 30 off 23 balls, but Babar anchored the chase calmly. Josh Philippe chipped in with 16, while captain Moises Henriques added a brisk 23 to keep the innings on track.

After the fall of the fourth wicket, Babar Azam found a reliable partner in Joel Davies. The duo stitched together an unbeaten 51-run stand to take the Sixers home in 19.1 overs.

Babar finished on 58 not out from 46 balls, striking four fours and a six, while Davies sealed the chase with an unbeaten 34 off 15, including three fours and two sixes.

For Renegades, Sandhu picked up two wickets, while Will Sutherland and Matthew Spoors claimed one each.

The win marked Sydney Sixers’ second victory of the season, lifting them to fifth on the BBL points table. Melbourne Renegades, meanwhile, remain seventh with just one win, sitting above only Sydney Thunder.

READ: BPL drops Chattogram as venue for remainder of 2025-26 season

DHAKA: The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) governing council has decided to remove Chattogram as a venue for the remainder of the 2025–26 season, following scheduling disruptions caused by a two-day suspension of the tournament earlier this week.

The BPL was paused after the death of former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia, forcing organisers to revise the tournament schedule.

As a result, Sylhet will continue to host matches until January 12, after which the action will shift to Dhaka for three match days, followed by the playoffs and the final, scheduled for January 23.

BPL member secretary Iftekhar Rahman said the decision was driven by logistical constraints and the need to safeguard Bangladesh players’ preparations ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which begins shortly after the league concludes.

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“There was no room to create gaps in our fixtures,” Iftekhar said. “Shifting from Sylhet to Chattogram would require at least two days, especially for moving broadcast equipment between the two cities. After losing two match days earlier in the week, that move was no longer feasible.”

He added that maintaining the original final date was a key consideration.

“We could not afford to push the final even by a day, as the national team needs time to prepare for the World Cup. Unfortunately, that meant Chattogram had to be dropped from the remaining schedule.”

Iftekhar acknowledged the disappointment of fans in Chattogram but noted that venue allocations often involve trade-offs.

Watch BPL 2026 matches LIVE Here!

“If we had started the tournament in Chattogram, Sylhet would have missed out. These decisions are never easy, but we had to weigh all factors,” he concluded.

The venue reshuffle is the latest challenge in what has been a turbulent BPL season.

The tournament began under a cloud after the Chattogram Royals’ owner withdrew from the franchise just a day before the opening match on December 26.

Since then, Noakhali Express coach Khaled Mahmud staged a walkout over inadequate practice facilities, while the league was also rocked by tragedy when Dhaka Capitals assistant coach Mahbub Ali Zaki passed away moments before their fixture against Rajshahi Warriors.

READ: Big names back as Australia name squad for T20 World Cup 2026

Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were, on Thursday, named in a spin-heavy provisional squad of Australia for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 after their Ashes campaign was ruined by injury.

Test skipper Cummins only played one of the five Ashes Tests against England, in Adelaide, as he slowly recovers from a lower back issue, while Hazlewood (Achilles) missed the entire series.

Cummins will have another scan on his back later this month to determine whether he will be fit for the tournament in India and Sri Lanka beginning on February 7.

Hazlewood and big-hitter Tim David (hamstring) are also on the comeback trail, but are expected to be ready.

“Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Tim David are tracking well, and we are confident they will be available for the World Cup,” chief selector George Bailey said.

“This is a preliminary squad, so should changes need to be made, they will be made ahead of the support period.”

Left-arm spinners Matt Kuhnemann and Cooper Connolly were additions to a largely settled 15-man squad, alongside chief tweaker Adam Zampa and part-timer Glenn Maxwell.

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Australia’s group-stage matches are all being played in Sri Lanka, with the expectation of spin-friendly surfaces.

In a surprise, Australia opted against a back-up wicketkeeper for Josh Inglis and no left-arm pace replacement for Mitchell Starc, who has retired from the 20-over game.

The fast-bowling attack is led by Cummins and Hazlewood, along with Nathan Ellis and Xavier Bartlett, plus all-rounders Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis. All are right-handers.

“The T20 side has enjoyed a long run of recent success, which enabled the panel to choose a balance of players across the variety of conditions Sri Lanka and India may present,” Bailey added.

Australia open their account on February 11 in Colombo against Ireland.

They will name a separate squad for a T20I series against Pakistan that precedes the World Cup 2026.

Australia squad for T20 World Cup 2026

Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

READ: Afghanistan announce squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has been discharged from the hospital, state officials said Wednesday, after surviving a car accident in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends.

Joshua was travelling on Monday with friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele on a busy highway linking Lagos and Ibadan in the southwest of the country when their SUV rammed into a stationary truck.

He suffered minor injuries, according to the Nigerian police.

Preliminary investigations showed the vehicle was moving at excessive speed and had burst a tyre before the crash, said the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) in Ogun state, where the accident occurred.

“Anthony Joshua was discharged from the hospital late this afternoon”, spokesmen for Lagos and Ogun state governments said in a joint statement late Wednesday night.

“Though heavy-hearted and full of emotion over the loss of his two close friends, he was deemed clinically fit to recuperate at home,” Lagos state’s spokesman, Gbenga Omotoso and his Ogun counterpart, Kayode Akinmade, said.

Both state governments have been overseeing the two-time heavyweight boxing world champion’s treatment since the crash on Monday.

After leaving the hospital, Joshua and his mother paid their respects at the funeral home where the bodies of his friends were “being prepared for repatriation”, the statement said.

Nigerian police said the two victims died at the scene.

Ghami was Joshua’s longtime strength and conditioning coach, while Ayodele was his personal trainer, according to British media.

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A Nigerian newspaper, The Guardian, cited a senior police officer who said the driver of the car had also been discharged from the hospital and was being questioned by police.

The newspaper added that the driver “could be prosecuted for reckless driving”, but gave no further details.

Anthony Joshua, 36, was admitted to Lagos’s Lagoon Hospital, the joint statement said, contradicting earlier information by a TRACE official who gave the name of a different hospital.

The boxer, a British national whose family hails from southwest Nigeria, is known to visit the area when he is in the country.

Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling economic capital, thronged with visitors from across the country and diaspora each December.

Photos released by the police showed the mangled wreckage of a black sports utility vehicle.

In December, Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a Netflix-backed bout in Miami.

The former Olympic champion Joshua has since been linked with a fight against compatriot and fellow former world champion Tyson Fury.

Joshua’s last fight before the match with Paul was a fifth-round knockout loss to fellow Briton Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

READ: Brazil great Roberto Carlos hospitalized

Brazil legend Roberto Carlos has been hospitalized after a heart attack, Spanish media reported on Wednesday.

The former Real Madrid star has undergone unexpected but successful heart surgery, and is now in recovery.

The 52-year-old former left back was on vacation in Brazil when he was rushed to a hospital in Sao Paulo for what was described as a routine medical check-up.

Later on, Doctors discovered a severe underlying issue: a blood clot that had significantly reduced his heart’s pumping capacity.

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According to Marca, sources close to the 2002 World Cup winner say he is currently recovering.

Roberto Carlos himself reportedly told AS: “I’m doing well now and I’m under close observation.”

After the three-hour operation, he is expected to remain under observation in the hospital for another two days.

For the unversed, Roberto Carlos enjoyed a joyous career with 127 caps for Brazil and was a crucial figure in their 2022 World Cup triumph, held in South Korea and Japan.

At the club level, he became a global icon during his time at Real Madrid, where he played 527 competitive matches between 1996 and 2007.

READ: Major Blow for Real Madrid as Kylian Mbappe suffers injury

Real Madrid on Wednesday said that Kylian Mbappe had suffered a knee sprain, delivering a blow to their bid to reel in LaLiga leaders Barcelona.

“After the tests carried out today on our player Kylian Mbappe by Real Madrid’s medical services, he was diagnosed with a sprain in his left knee. Awaiting evolution,” the club said in a statement.

Real Madrid did not indicate how long the 27-year-old striker would be out for, but a source close to the France superstar told AFP that he would be absent for at least three weeks.

Mbappe, the leading scorer in La Liga this season with 18 goals, is therefore a major doubt for Sunday’s league match at home to Real Betis, Los Merengues’ first after the winter break as they trail Barcelona by four points.

He could also miss the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against arch-rivals Atletico Madrid in Saudi Arabia on January 8, as well as a league fixture against Levante and a Champions League clash with former club Monaco.

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Real did not say when or how Mbappe was injured, however he had trained with the team on Tuesday.

He underwent an MRI scan on Wednesday.

Mbappe has enjoyed a stellar 2025, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record 59 goals in a calendar year, and has at times carried Real Madrid, relieving some pressure on under-fire coach Xabi Alonso.

He has scored 73 goals in 83 matches for Real since making a free transfer move to the Spanish giants from Paris Saint-Germain 18 months ago.

He finished top scorer in La Liga last season with 31 goals — four more than Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski — and is currently seven goals clear of the next best this season, Barca’s Ferran Torres.

His absence adds to those of Real defenders Daniel Carvajal, Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, midfielder Federico Valverde, and forward Brahim Diaz who is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco.

READ: Harbhajan picks Afghanistan among T20 World Cup semi-finalists

DUBAI: Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has included Afghanistan among the four teams to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Speaking during a press conference in Dubai ahead of the launch of the Legends 90s Season Four , Harbhajan tipped defending champions India as the favourites to lift the title.

“I think India has a very good chance to win the World Cup because they are a very strong team and they are playing at home,” he remarked.

“They know the conditions better than anybody else. But the World Cup pressure is something which they need to handle better than the others, which is the most important thin,” he added.

He also picked Australia and South Africa as teams to keep an eye on, highlighting their recent performances.

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“I think Australia have always been a very good team and top contenders to win any cup. South Africa are the other contenders for the title with their current form. They have been playing some outstanding cricket of late.

Harbhajan cited Afghanistan spinners and deemed the side that could challenge any opposition.

“Afghanistan are also very strong with their spinners. I think they can beat anyone in these conditions. So these are my four picks for the semis,” said Harbhajan.

For those unaware, the 10th edition of the mega event will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with the tournament slated to run from February 7 to March 8 next year.

The event will feature 20 teams, divided into four groups of five, with the top two from each group advancing to the Super Eight stage.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 opener will be played between Pakistan and the Netherlands, with hosts and the reigning champions India taking on the USA later in the day in Mumbai.

READ: A packed 2026 awaits Pakistan cricket

Pakistan’s men’s cricket team is set for a year that leaves little room to breathe, let alone rebuild quietly.

With global tournaments, marquee bilateral series, and a long-awaited home-heavy red-ball stretch, the calendar reflects both opportunity and pressure in equal measure.

The year begins almost immediately on the road.

January

Pakistan will open 2026 with a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, played away from home. With the T20 World Cup looming, these games are expected to be less about experimentation and more about finalising combinations.

Barely catching their breath, Pakistan then return home to host Australia for three T20Is later in January.

February–March:

The centrepiece of Pakistan’s year will be the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled across February and March.

March–May:

Almost seamlessly, attention will shift to the Pakistan Super League, running from March to May. With expansion set to reshape the competition.

May

In May, Pakistan are scheduled to host Zimbabwe for three ODIs and three T20Is.

June

Australia are expected back in Pakistan in June for a three-match ODI series, subject to final confirmation.

With the 2027 ODI World Cup cycle underway, these matches could prove crucial in shaping Pakistan’s long-term 50-over plans.

July–September:

The second half of the year shifts firmly towards Test cricket Pakistan will tour the West Indies in July–August for a two-Test series.

That will be followed by a three-Test tour of England from August to September.

November

Pakistan will end 2026 on home soil, hosting Sri Lanka for two Tests in November.

Notably, there is no official confirmation of a Pakistan tour of Bangladesh, leaving a small but unusual gap in an otherwise crowded calendar.

READ: Sikandar Raza faces personal tragedy as younger brother dies