Category: Top News

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.

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“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

Zimbabwe T20I captain Sikandar Raza is going through a difficult time after his younger brother Muhammad Mahdi tragically passed away at the age of 13, the Cricket Board confirmed on Wednesday.

The news was shared via Zimbabwe Cricket’s social handle, detailing Mahdi’s death.

“Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) extends its heartfelt condolences to Zimbabwe T20I Captain Sikandar Raza and his family following the untimely passing of his beloved younger brother, Muhammad Mahdi, who died on 29 December 2025 in Harare at the age of 13,” the statement wrote on X handle.

“Muhammad Mahdi was born with haemophilia and sadly lost his life due to recent health complications,” it added.

The board condoled the cricketer and said that it stood united with Sikandar Raza and his family during the difficult time.

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“He was laid to rest on 30 December 2025 at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare. The ZC Board, Management, Players, and Staff stand united in solidarity with Sikandar Raza and his family during this profoundly difficult time.

 

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May Allah grant them comfort and strength, and may Muhammad Mahdi’s soul rest in eternal peace,” it concluded.

Following the news, Sikandar Raza’s supporters rallied around him on social media, offering support during his challenging time.

For those unversed, Sikandar Raza has so far represented Zimbabwe in 127 T20Is, 22 Tests, and 153 ODIs. The ace all-rounder has become a prominent name in the T20 circuit in the past couple of years.

READ: Hasan Ali, Chris Lynn dazzle as Strikers break New Year jinx in BBL 15

ADELAIDE: Veteran batter Chris Lynn rolled back the clock with his sublime hitting, whereas Hasan Ali bowled a clinical spell, propelling Adelaide Strikers to a seven-wicket victory over Brisbane Heat in the 17th fixture of the Big Bash League (BBL) 15.

Set 122, Strikers romped to a victory in 14.1 overs with seven wickets in hand.

Chris Lynn and skipper Matthew Short made light work of the chase, adding 51 in 7.1 overs. Short perished after scoring 19 off 27.

Meanwhile, Lynn continued the charge and reached his record, extending a 32nd BBL half-century.

The second and third wickets fell in quick time with Mackenzie Harvey and Jerrssis Wadia dismissed for 11 and one respectively, reducing Adelaide Strikers to 95-3 in 12.1 overs.

However, Lynn’s sublime hitting continued, which kept Brisbane Heat bowlers at bay and propelled his side over the finishing line.

The right-hander remained unbeaten on 79 from 4, striking half a dozen fours and the same number of maximums. In doing so, he also became the first batter in the tournament’s history to reach the 4000-run mark.

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For Brisbane Heat, Xavier Bartlett, Oli Patterson, and Thomas Balkin picked up one wicket each.

With this, Adelaide Strikers recorded their first victory on New Year’s Eve since 2018.

Earlier, after opting to field first, the home side skittled Brisbane Heat for a mere 121 in 19.4 overs.

Strikers inflicted a miserable start on Heat as half of their side was sent back inside powerplay.

Colin Munro (4), Jack Wildermuth (5), Lachlan Hearne (2), Matt Renshaw (6), and Max Bryant (1) were sent back in a cheap manner, which left Brisbane Heat 21-5 at the end of the powerplay.

With an early hiccup, Hugh Weibgen and Jimmy Peirson tried to arrest the slide with a brief 26-run partnership. However, another two wickets in quick succession put them in a familiar state of recovery.

Peirson made 13 off 12 before Weibgen took the scorecard over the 100-run mark with a 36* run partnership alongside Matthew Kuhnemann, who remained the top scorer with 31 off 22 balls.

Eventually, the whole side was bundled out for a below-par score.

For Adelaide Strikers, Jamie Overton remained the pick of the bowlers alongside Liam Scott and Hasan Ali, who picked two scalps each.

READ: Pakistan Cricket in 2025: A Year Caught Between Transition and Promise

DUBAI: Ace Javelin thrower and Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem shared a ‘golden moment’ after meeting former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov on the sidelines of the World Sports Summit.

The two-day summit took place on December 29-30, bringing together over 1,500 athletes, sports leaders, and policymakers to discuss the future of the industry under the theme “Uniting the World Through Sport.”

Nadeem shared the update on his social media account. “Meeting Khabib at the World Sports Summit,” he wrote.

Earlier in the day, he also met FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who inquired about the distance of the record throw.

“It was a 92-metre throw, and now I want to break that record,” Nadeem told the football chief.

During the event, Arshad Nadeem was conferred with the ‘Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Sports Award’ in the Global Breakthrough Athlete category here at the World Sports Summit.

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Nadeem was honoured with the award on the back of his landmark triumph at the Paris Olympics, where he ended up with a gold medal after a record-breaking throw of 92.97 metres.

With that throw, Arshad broke Pakistan’s gold medal jinx at the Olympics, marking the country’s first in 40 years.

Following the accolade, Nadeem expressed pride in the achievement, noting that the award would encourage emerging athletes in nurturing the sport in Pakistan.

“Alhamdulillah. Honored to receive the Global Breakthrough Athlete Award at the World Sports Summit in Dubai. This prestigious award was presented by His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum,” Arhsad wrote on his Instagram handle.

“Sincere thanks to the Dubai Sports Council for the kind invitation and warm hospitality. Thankful for the unwavering support, prayers, and encouragement from everyone who stood by me throughout this journey,” Arshad added.

“Proud to represent Pakistan on the global stage,” he concluded with gratitude.

It is pertinent to mention that the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Sports Award recognises exceptional sporting achievements and contributions worldwide.

READ: Afghanistan announce squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026