Category: Sports

ISMAILIA: Pakistan’s men’s hockey team sealed a thrilling 5-4 win over China in their opening game of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers. 

The Green Shirts bagged crucial three points with captain Ammad Butt leading from the front and earning the Player of the Match award.

It was Pakistan who struck first, with Sufyan Khan scoring the first goal in the seventh minute of the game. The first half belonged to Pakistan.

However, China made a comeback in the second quarter as Shihao DU got one through the nets to level the score.

Soon after, Pakistan doubled the score line with back-to-back goals in the 19th and 20th minutes of the game. Rana Waheed Ashraf and Muhammad Ammad were the goal scorers.

The second half ended with the scoreline of 3-1.

Pakistan further consolidated their grip in the match as Abu Mahmood found the back of the net to give his side a 4-1 lead in the 34th minute of the match.

But China broke the deadlock with two goals, making a strong comeback as Shihao and Quyang Guan pulled their side back into contention.

However, the response was immediate. Just under a minute later, RanaWaleed restored the two-goal cushion with a decisive finish at 42:37, taking the score to 5-3.

China piled the pressure on Pakistan with an early fourth-quarter strike, but the Green Shirts held firm to clinch a thrilling victory despite conceding two late penalty corners.

For the unversed, Pakistan are slotted alongside China, Malaysia, and Austria in pool B of the Hockey World Cup qualifiers.

The top four teams from the overall tournament will earn qualification spots for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup, co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands.

READ: Holder, Powell lift West Indies to strong total

KOLKATA: Sanju Samson starred as India sealed a five-wicket win over West Indies to set up England semi-final in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

The defending champions chased down the challenging target of 197 with four balls to spare.

With this, the four semi-final teams have been locked in.

South Africa will face New Zealand in the first semi-final at Kolkata on March 4 while India will play England in the second semi-final on March 5 at Wankhede.

The hosts were jolted with early blows in the power play, with two of their key batters, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, back in the hutch. Both batters were caught after scoring 10 runs each.

After an early wobble, Samson and skipper Suryakumar Yadav held the innings together with a 58-run partnership that took the team’s total to 99 in 10.2 overs.

The stand culminated with Suryakumar’s wicket, who scored 18 from 16 with the aid of a six and a four.

Despite the wicket, Samson held one end together with Tilak Varma playing a brisk knock off 27 from 15 to put the hosts in the driving seat.

Samson was involved in a string of partnerships as he finally took his side home with a boundary on the second ball of the last over.

His unbeaten 97 from 50 included four sixes and 12 boundaries.

For West Indies, Shamar Joseph and Jason Holder scalped two wickets each.

Earlier, Jason Holder and Rovman Powell provided West Indies with a late impetus to help them post a strong total.

Put into bat first, West Indies racked up 195-4 in 20 overs on the back of a solid start from openers Shai Hope and Roston Chase.

The pair added 68 in 8.5 overs as Varun Chakravarthy managed to get one through the gate to get rid of skipper Shai Hope.

The right-hander’s 32 from 33 included a six and three fours.

Following the wicket, West Indies’ leading run scorer in the tournament, Shimron Hetmyer, came to the fore and slammed a brisk 27 from 12 balls to push the run rate. The left-hander hit two maximums and a four in his enterprising knock.

His onslaught took the scorecard to 102 in 11.3 overs before Jasprit Bumrah removed both of the set batters — Hetmyer and Chase (40 off 25 balls) in succession to put India in a strong position.

India managed to keep West Indies quiet, resulting in Sherfane Rutherford’s (14) wicket. As a result, West Indies were reduced to 119-4 in 14.1 overs.

However, Jason Holder and Rovman Powell provided their side a much-needed late impetus with an unbeaten 76* run stand off just 35 balls.

Holder struck three towering sixes and two fours on his way to 37* from 22, whereas Powell also chipped in with a handful of 34 not out off 19 balls, hitting two sixes and three boundaries.

For India, Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets.

AC Milan moved closer to Champions League football next season after two late strikes gave them a 2-0 win at Cremonese on Sunday.

Strahinja Pavlovic put Milan ahead in the 90th minute with his shoulder before Rafael Leao’s simple finish in stoppage time gave the away side a result which flattered a drab display in Cremona.

Milan, who have been without European football this season, have little realistic hope of winning the Serie A title as the seven-time European champions are 10 points behind league leaders Inter Milan.

Next weekend’s Milan derby has little more than local pride riding on it, with Inter speeding off into the distance with 11 games remaining in the league campaign.

Milan’s stated aim for the season, however, was qualification for the Champions League and Massimiliano Allegri’s team are on course for that objective.

“We have a huge goal to reach with teams behind us who continue collecting points,” said Allegri to DAZN.

“You have Como, Atalanta still have to play, Napoli won in the end and there are also Roma and Juventus. All we can do is take it one step at a time.”

Fifth-placed Como are nine points behind Milan, while Roma, seven points behind them in fourth, face Juventus in Sunday’s headline fixture.

Atalanta can move to within two points of the Champions League spots with a win at Sassuolo, following their thrilling 4-3 aggregate triumph over Borussia Dortmund, which made them the only Italian team in the last 16 of Europe’s top club competition.

Jamie Vardy’s Cremonese are sliding towards relegation to Serie B after a 13th straight match without a win, the promoted outfit sitting outside the drop zone on goal difference.

READ: Salman Ali Agha addresses captaincy future after T20 World Cup exit

South Africa survived a brilliant all-round show by Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza to record a five-wicket win Sunday that means they remained unbeaten at the T20 World Cup ahead of a semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday.

After Zimbabwe scored 153-7 in New Delhi, South Africa survived an early wobble.

Dewald Brevis hit 42 off 18 balls as the 2024 runners-up reached 154-5 in 17.5 overs.

“It’s exciting. Really exciting. A semi-final in Kolkata against New Zealand,” said South Africa captain Aiden Markram.

“The boys will be up for it. It’s still 40 overs of good cricket needed and we need to give it that respect.”

Raza, who was named player of the match, earlier hit 73 and then took 3-29 with his off-spin for Zimbabwe, who had stunned Australia and co-hosts Sri Lanka in the group stage to reach the Super Eights.

“My immediate reflection is that I shouldn’t be here. I’ve never got a man of the match for losing the game, but I can hold my head high,” said Raza.

“The way the boys have played the whole tournament, I know we took a bit of beating in the previous two games, but I think with each beating came a valuable lesson. I think we have improved with every game that we have played.”

Raza struck on the third ball of the South African chase to send back Quinton de Kock caught behind for a duck.

Raza bowled Markram for four in the next over.

Ryan Rickelton was hit on the helmet by a bouncer from Brad Evans and took five minutes to recover.

He then lifted Evans for two straight sixes in the next over before the bowler had him caught for 31.

Brevis and David Miller, who hit 22, put on 50 before two more quick strikes from Zimbabwe.

Blessing Muzarabani dismissed Miller, and Raza removed Brevis.

Tristan Stubbs (21) and George Linde (30) then put on an unbeaten 53 to steer their side to the target.

After choosing to bat, Zimbabwe lost the in-form opener Brian Bennett, who hit an unbeaten 97 in the defeat by India, for 15.

Raza reached his fifty off 29 balls before falling to left-armer Kwena Maphaka, caught by Miller off a leading edge.

Clive Madande boosted the total with 26 not out off 20 balls at the end.

Maphaka took 2-21 from his four overs and Corbin Bosch 2-40.

READ: Former Pakistan captain weighs options to replace Salman Ali Agha

KOLKATA: India have won the toss and decided to bowl first against West Indies in the last Super Eight fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 here at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. 

Playing XIs

ABU DHABI: Rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have forced the cancellation of the second 50-over match between the England Lions and Pakistan Shaheens, which was scheduled for Sunday at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium.

The decision has been taken following advice from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in view of the escalating situation in Abu Dhabi.

There will be no practice session as well, and the team has been advised to remain indoors.

The ECB confirmed that the decision comes after close consultation with UK government officials and security advisers, emphasising that the safety of players and support staff in the region remains the governing body’s top priority.

“The safety and security of our teams and staff is our top priority,” an ECB spokesperson said.

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“We are in contact with security experts and the Government in relation to current events in the Middle East, and are following official advice.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is also in regular contact with the ECB and continues to closely monitor the ever-changing situation.

As soon as the Middle East airspace reopens, the PCB will decide whether to bring the Shaheens squad back to Pakistan or continue with the series, considering the prevailing security scenario.

The decision comes in the wake of recent retaliatory strikes in the region, including areas near Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, heightening concerns for touring squads.

Despite these disruptions, the England Men’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has been cleared to travel to Mumbai for their semi-final fixture on Thursday.

READ: Former Pakistan captain weighs options to replace Salman Ali Agha

KANDY: Former Pakistan women’s captain Urooj Mumtaz has expressed serious reservations over men’s leadership options following the side’s exit from the T20 World Cup 2026, admitting she is “clueless” about a ready-made successor to current skipper Salman Ali Agha.

Pakistan’s campaign ended despite a spirited five-run win over Sri Lanka in their final Super Eight fixture.

The 2009 champions had entered the contest knowing that victory alone would not be enough; they required a commanding margin to surpass New Zealand’s superior net run rate (NRR) and qualify for the semi-finals.

Posting 212-8 in 20 overs, Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 or below. Although they clinched a narrow win, the bowlers failed to defend the required margin, sealing Pakistan’s fourth successive ICC tournament exit before the semi-final stage.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show, Urooj Mumtaz said Pakistan’s current pool of players does not offer an obvious long-term captaincy solution.

“I have a question mark,” she said when asked about the T20I leadership.

“I look down the list of 20 players that Pakistan has right now, and there’s nobody really there who screams ‘captain’ to me. Or someone you pen down and say, ‘right, he’s playing all games and fits in as player number one in all games, no matter what the conditions are.’”

While she acknowledged the impressive batting form of Sahibzada Farhan, she stopped short of endorsing him for the role.

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“Yes, Sahibzada Farhan, in his current form, is brilliant. I don’t think he is captain material just yet,” she added.

Mumtaz also pointed out that several senior players have already had their opportunities as the T20I captain of Pakistan, so they should not be considered again.

“Shadab [Khan] has been through that cycle, Shaheen Shah Afridi has been through that cycle, Babar Azam has been through that cycle. So I am very clueless right now,” she remarked.

On Shadab Khan, she noted that while he had previously shown interest in captaincy, his recent all-round returns against top opposition have not been convincing.

“I think he has a lot to prove in terms of his all-round cricketing ability. He is very short at this moment in terms of his batting and bowling against top-quality sides,” she said.

With Agha himself stating after the match that he will not make an immediate decision about stepping down, Urooj Mumtaz believes continuity might be the only practical route, at least for now.

“Unless you literally say ‘Sahibzada Farhan, two-year cycle, away you go’ or somebody like Saim Ayub, who I don’t think will be dropped for long and deserves a place in that XI — apart from that I don’t see any captain material,” she said.

“So, unless Pakistan has got a succession plan in place, probably continue with Salman Ali Agha till they find a replacement.”

READ: Kamran Akmal blames lack of T20 evolution for Pakistan’s World Cup exit

Bradley Barcola scored, and Desire Doue had a penalty saved as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) held on for a 1-0 win away to Le Havre on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table to four points.

PSG were looking to take advantage of another slip-up by title rivals Lens, who were held to a 1-1 draw away at Strasbourg on Friday to go two games without a win.

Luis Enrique’s side duly got the job done with Barcola heading in from a Lee Kang-in cross on 37 minutes for his ninth goal of the season.

It was not a full-strength PSG, with Ousmane Dembele again out injured along with Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves, while skipper Marquinhos was among the players rested.

Doue came off the bench in the second half and won a penalty with just over 10 minutes remaining, but his kick was kept out by Le Havre goalkeeper Mory Diaw diving to his right. PSG have converted only five of their 10 spot-kicks this season.

Diaw also produced a fine reaction save from Nuno Mendes while PSG goalkeeper Matfei Safonov made a key stop to deny Issa Soumare at the other end.

“There are no nice and easy games for PSG because every match is important. We need to get players back and improve because we have less confidence than usual at the moment,” said Luis Enrique.

The reigning European champions are gearing up for a Champions League last-16 tie against Chelsea and have now won nine out of 10 Ligue 1 games played since the start of December.

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“It is the first time we have had a four-point gap at the top, so this is a time for us to be happy. It was important to get the win here,” added the coach.

Elsewhere in France on Saturday, Rennes made it two wins out of two under new coach Franck Haise as they beat Toulouse 1-0 in Brittany thanks to Arnaud Nordin’s first-half goal.

Monaco got back on track after losing to PSG in their Champions League play-off tie as USA star Folarin Balogun and Simon Adingra scored in a 2-0 win over Angers.

Balogun, who is expected to be a key player for the United States at the World Cup, now has 12 goals this season in all competitions, including four in his last four games.

Marseille, in fourth play host to third-placed Lyon on Sunday in a key game in the fight for Champions League qualification.

Pablo Longoria left his position as Marseille president on Saturday evening, the Spaniard departing after five years to be replaced on an interim basis by Alban Juster.

Longoria’s departure comes amid a period of turbulence at the 1993 European champions, who saw coach Roberto De Zerbi leave just under three weeks ago in the wake of a 5-0 defeat away to PSG and their elimination from the Champions League.

De Zerbi has been replaced in the dugout by Habib Beye. Director of football Medhi Benatia recently announced he was stepping down, before it was confirmed he would stay on until the end of the season at the club owned by US tycoon Frank McCourt.

READ: Asian football postpones club knockouts after US, Israel strikes

KUALA LUMPUR: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) bosses postponed on Sunday the first-leg knockout matches of the continental club championship to be played in the Middle East this week, after the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

The decision to reschedule matches involved all three of the AFC’s main club competitions, including the Champions League Elite, the Malaysia-headquartered AFC said.

“In light of the developing situation in the Middle East… matches in the West Region, originally scheduled for March 2–3, 2026, will now be rescheduled,” it said in a statement in Kuala Lumpur.

“The AFC will continue to closely monitor this rapidly evolving situation and remains resolute in ensuring the safety and security of all players, teams, officials, and fans,” the body added.

Games included a scheduled match between Qatar’s Al-Duhail and Saudi powerhouse Al-Ahli, according to the AFC schedule.

Other Elite round-of-16 games like Dubai-based Shabab AlAhli hosting Iran’s Tractor, and Abu Dhabi club Al Wahda versus Al-Ittihad are also affected.

Matches played elsewhere in the Asian region will continue as scheduled, the AFC said.

READ: Kamran Akmal blames lack of T20 evolution for Pakistan’s World Cup exit

Former wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal has delivered a blunt verdict on Pakistan’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, arguing that the team’s inability to evolve with the modern game left them trailing behind the competition.

Pakistan’s shortcomings were laid bare during their lacklustre T20 World Cup campaign, which ended on Saturday when the team failed to reach the semi-finals.

From the captain Salman Agha, who was criticised for not being a T20 player, to slow batting rates and the use of all-rounders not up to the job, Pakistan were shown to be behind the times in the rapid-fire format.

Kamran Akmal believes there is a huge gulf in standard between Pakistan and the top sides such as India, West Indies, South Africa and England.

“Other teams have evolved to the demands of Twenty20 cricket, but neither our team nor our players meet those standards,” Akmal told AFP.

“It is like other teams are playing on the moon and we are on Earth. We only beat smaller teams but lose to top teams.”

Pakistan had high hopes for the T20 World Cup 2026 after sweeping Australia 3-0 in a pre-tournament series.

They boasted a quintet of spinners that should have been suited to the turning pitches in Sri Lanka, where they played all their matches.

But they received a rude awakening in their first match against the Netherlands when they squeezed home by three wickets in the final over, thanks to Faheem Ashraf’s 11-ball 29.

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Like most of his predecessors at World Cups, Agha blundered in the pressure-cooker match against India, which only went ahead after the Pakistan government U-turned on a boycott just days before the encounter.

Agha won the toss and asked India to bat. The decision backfired badly as Pakistan conceded 175 and were hammered by 61 runs.

Agha inexplicably held back his mystery spinner and chief weapon, Usman Tariq, to the 11th over, by which time opener Ishan Kishan had scored his match-shaping 77, and India were well on their way to a winning total.

“How on earth did you bowl at a venue which was suited to batting first?” questioned former Pakistan player Basit Ali. “After India scored 175, our batters failed to handle the pressure of a chase.”

Agha also held back Tariq’s second over against England, after he took a wicket in his first, allowing captain Harry Brook to build a sparkling match-winning century.

“It was weak captaincy from Agha,” said Kamran Akmal, who also took aim at the head coach Mike Hesson and the selectors.

“We were also not helped by head coach Mike Hesson, who has an obsession for bit-and-pieces all-rounders who were neither complete bowlers, nor good batters.”

Pakistan’s insistence on sticking with the out-of-sorts Babar Azam did nothing to help their shaky batting. The star batter’s slow scoring at number four interrupted the side’s rhythm.

He was dropped for the final match against Sri Lanka on Saturday, where Pakistan finally posted a total in excess of 200, but it proved too little too late as New Zealand progressed on net run rate.

READ: Sanath Jayasuriya to step down as Sri Lanka head coach after World Cup setback