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DHAKA: The Bangladesh cricket team has decided to pull out of its fixtures scheduled in India for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the country’s cricket board confirmed on Sunday.

Political relations between India and Bangladesh soured after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.

The decision came in the light of pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s abrupt exclusion from the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.

A day earlier, the left-arm pacer was excluded from the KKR’s squad on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), after an emergency meeting on Sunday, said it had “formally requested” the International Cricket Council (ICC) shift its games to Sri Lanka.

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“The Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions,” a BCB statement read.

The board linked the decision to players’ security and safety upon the government’s advice.

Earlier, Asif Nazrul, Youth and Sports Adviser in the interim government, said that Dhaka “will not accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances.”

For the unversed, the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled begin on 7 February in India and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh, who are slotted in Group C alongside England, West Indies, Italy, and Nepal, were scheduled to play the first three out of their four Super 8 fixtures in Kolkata.

Initially, the mega event was to be hosted solely by India, but strained relations with Pakistan — who will play their matches in Sri Lanka under the hybrid model — led to this decision.

READ: Rizwan, Brown end Renegades’ losing streak in Melbourne Derby

MELBOURNE: Josh Brown, Mohammad Rizwan, and skipper Will Sutherland helped Melbourne Renegades seal a nervy last-ball victory over Melbourne Stars in the 22nd fixture of the Big Bash League (BBL) 15.

Renegades chased down a stiff 174 at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday in front of a record crowd with one ball to spare, losing six wickets in the process.

After Tim Seifert departed for six in the second over, Mohammad Rizwan and Josh Brown made light work of the chase with a 103-run partnership.

The duo composed batting, particularly Brown, made the target look easy before a collapse left them reeling. The pair brought the total to 127 in 14.1 overs.

Brown was bowled by Mitchell Swepson for 84 off 48 with the help of nine fours and four maximums.

However, after Brown’s departure, the Renegades lost their way in the middle, losing 5 for 34 in less than 5 overs.

Rizwan followed him after the 16th over, making 41 off 38 with the help of four boundaries, while Peter Siddle and Haris Rauf combined to rock back with quick wickets, which slumped them to 148-5 in 17.5 overs.

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However, Sutherland held his nerve and launched Marcus Stoinis for two sixes in the final over to win it for his side.

For Melbourne Stars, Peter Siddle and Haris Rauf once again stood tall with the ball, picking up two wickets each.

With this, the Melbourne Renegades ended their three-match losing streak and secured their second win of the season. On the contrary, Stars have now lost two in a row after winning the first four games.

Earlier, put into bat Melbourne Stars managed to put 173-9 on the board at the end of their 20 overs.

Callum Stow and Gurinder Sandhu provided Melbourne Renegades with the start they wanted, keeping the Stars batters on their toes.

At one stage, Stars were reduced to 55-4 in 7.4 overs before a string of partnerships in the lower middle order lifted them out of trouble.

After a shambolic display from the top-order, Tom Curran (38 off 18) and Campbell Kellaway (33 off 27) provided them with respites, which helped them reach a competitive total at the end of their innings.

For the Renegades, Gurinder Sandhu remained the star bowler, who picked up a four-wicket haul.

READ: Bangladesh reveal squad for T20 World Cup 2026

DHAKA: Litton Das is set to lead the Bangladesh 15-member squad in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to begin in Sri Lanka and India on 7 February.

Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed made a return to the side after missing out on the previous series against Ireland. Meanwhile, top-order batter Saif Hassan is named as Das’ deputy.

Jaker Ali is among the notable absentees, who has been axed for the first time since March 2024 after playing all 45 T20Is for the Tigers during this timeframe.

Das, Tanzid Hasan, and Saif Hassan comprise a good top-order, whereas Parvez Hosain Emon could be utilized at the No.04 position.

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Overall, the Tigers, who have appeared in all previous editions, will look to rewrite history with improved performances.

The squad’s strength lies in its fast bowling, with seasoned pacers Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman alongside Tanzim Hasan, Shoriful Islam, and Mohammad Saifuddin.

Rishad Hossain will lead a potent spin attack that includes Nasum Ahmed and Mahedi Hasan.

Bangladesh’s first three fixtures in the Super 8s are scheduled in Kolkata; however, with strained ties with India, the Bangladesh Cricket Board is expected to formally write to the ICC requesting a venue change to Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh are placed in Group C with England, the West Indies, Nepal, and Italy.

Bangladesh T20 World Cup group fixtures:

v West Indies: February 7, Kolkata

v Italy: February 9, Kolkata

v England: February 14, Kolkata

v Nepal: February 17, Mumbai

Squad

Litton Das (C), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shaif Uddin, Shoriful Islam

READ: BPL: Rossington, bowlers take Chattogram Royals to top of table

SYLHET: A clinical bowling display backed by Adam Rossington’s and Mohammad Naim half-centuries powered Chattogram Royals to a nine wicket win over Sylhet Titans in the 11th match of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025-26 here at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Royals chased down a mere target of 127 with ease in 16 overs, losing only wicket in the process.

Mohammad Naim and Adam Rossington made the contest one sided affair with a monumental 115-run partnership for the opening wicket.

The pair took full advantage of fielding restrictions, managing to put 52 in first six overs.

But, it was the middle phase of the innings in which both batters took Sylhet Titans bowlers to the cleaners. After a solid powerplay, Rossington and Naim scored 78 in the middled phase of the innings.

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Naim who made 52 off 37, striking four boundaries and three sixes, perished on the fourth ball of the 13th over.

Meanwhile, Adam Rossington remained unbeaten on 73 off just 53 balls with the aid of eight fours and two sixes.

For Sylhet Titans, Rahatul Ferdous took one wicket.

Earlier, put in to bat first, Sylhet Titans could not get going and eventually ended their innings on 126 for 7 in 20 overs.

Chattogram Royals bowlers put pressure from the start as half of Sylhet side was sent back in first five overs.

As a result, they were reduced to 34-5 with Azmatullah Omarzai and Parvez Hossain Emon on the crease.

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The duo stablized the innings with 43-run partnership which provided them some respite.

Emon made 17 whereas Azmatullah Omarzai remained the top-scorer with 44 from 41 balls with the help of a maximum and four boundaries.

For Royals, Mirza Baig and Mahedi Hasan scalped two apiece. Aamer Jamal, Mukidul Islam and Shoriful Islam also took one each.

With this win, Chattogram Royals are now at top position, with three wins out of four games.

READ: Pakistan submit provisional squad to ICC for T20 World Cup: reports

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has submitted the provisional squad to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the Men’s T20 World Cup.

The final deadline to submit the squad is 31 January, with some teams already revealing theirs.

According to ICC regulations, participating teams are free to revise their preliminary squads without the apex body’s consent until the stipulated deadline; any alterations thereafter will require clearance from the cricketing apex body technical Committee.

According to reports, the squad features Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf.

The reports further indicate that the T20I series against Sri Lanka will be crucial for some players to secure places in the final squad.

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After the completion of the tour, the Green Shirts squad will be named for the T20I series against Australia and the T20 World Cup 2026.

The Pakistan team is scheduled to depart for Sri Lanka in phases on January 4 and 5.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka will contest a three-match T20 International series, with all fixtures to be played in Dambulla on January 7, 9, and 11.

For the unversed, the mega event will run from 7 February to March 8, with the opening match scheduled between Pakistan and the Netherlands.

Pakistan is slotted in Group A alongside India, the Netherlands, the USA, and Namibia

T20 World Cup Groups:

Group A: India, USA, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan
Group B: Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Oman
Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Italy, Nepal
Group D: South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE

Pakistan squad for T20I series vs Sri Lanka

Salman Agha (capt), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmad, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Usman Tariq

READ: BBL 15: Warner’s 130* in vain as Hurricanes consolidate top spot

Aston Villa beat struggling Nottingham Forest 3-1 at their home fortress on Saturday to ease the pain of their midweek mauling by Arsenal, leapfrogging Manchester City into second place in the Premier League.

Ollie Watkins’ strike on the cusp of half-time gave Unai Emery’s side a deserved lead and John McGinn grabbed a second early in the second period.

Morgan Gibbs-White pulled a goal back for the visitors but McGinn took advantage of a brain freeze by Forest goalkeeper John Victor to restore Villa’s two-goal lead.

Villa’s 11-game winning streak in all competitions was brought to a shuddering halt with a 4-1 defeat at the Emirates on Tuesday, raising doubts about their ability to maintain a title charge.

But their impressive record at Villa Park remains intact — they have now won 11 straight matches since a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in August.

Villa started brightly on a bitingly cold day in Birmingham and were denied an early opener when Victor saved a Watkins shot from point-blank range with his legs.

Sean Dyche’s Forest, who came into the match on a three-match losing run, struggled to gain a foothold but the home side failed to take advantage of their dominance in a tepid first half.

The away team came close to taking the lead with their first shot on target when Emi Martinez was forced to dive to his right to deny Omari Hutchinson.

But the in-form Watkins gave Villa a deserved lead in the closing moments of a half in which they enjoyed nearly 80 percent possession.

The England man received the ball outside of the area from Morgan Rogers and slammed home for his fourth goal in three games.

McGinn doubled Villa’s lead in the 49th minute, side-footing into the net after a Matty Cash cross.

Villa appeared to be cruising towards all three points but Forest were back in the game in the 61st minute courtesy of a fine finish from Gibbs-White, who chipped past the diving Martinez.

But Villa were gifted a third goal in the 73rd minute when Victor inexplicably vacated his goalmouth to try to reach a long ball from Youri Tielemans even though there were defenders nearby.

Scotland midfielder McGinn collected the ball and remained cool, sidestepping Victor and stroking the ball into the empty net with his left foot from well outside the area.

The win leaves Villa on 42 points, three behind leaders Arsenal, and one ahead of City.

The Gunners are away at Bournemouth later on Saturday while Pep Guardiola’s men host managerless Chelsea on Sunday.

Forest remain one place above the relegation zone, four points clear of West Ham, who face Wolves later on Saturday.

READ: Xabi Alonso opens up on Kylian Mbappe’s return

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso admitted Saturday that he does not know how long injured superstar Kylian Mbappe will be sidelined for.

The French striker was diagnosed with a knee strain on Wednesday, expected to keep him out for at least three weeks.

“We’ll try to make it happen quickly, it depends a lot on how he feels, but we’ll try to get him back as quickly as possible,” Alonso told a news conference.

“When is as soon as possible? That’s the question. I don’t know.”

The coach said he hopes Mbappe will be back to take part in the Spanish Super Cup, with Los Blancos facing rivals Atletico Madrid in the semi-final on January 8.

Mbappe, 27, is Madrid’s top goalscorer with 29 goals this season across all competitions in 24 appearances.

Alonso will be without the striker for Sunday’s La Liga clash against Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid trail leaders Barcelona by four points, with the Catalans visiting city rivals Espanyol on Saturday.

Alonso came under heavy pressure in December amid Madrid’s inconsistent form, with his future still on the line in the weeks ahead.

One bright spot was Brazilian forward Rodrygo Goes bursting into form towards the end of 2025, and Alonso wants him to continue in the same vein.

“He played some very good games at the end of the year… we need him, like everyone else,” said Alonso.

“To make up for Kylian’s absence we have different options, and Rodrygo is one of them.”

READ: BBL 15: Warner’s 130* in vain as Hurricanes consolidate top spot

SYDNEY: David Warner’s rollicking 130* from 65 balls went in vain as Tim Ward’s 90 propelled Hobart Hurricanes to a six-wicket win over Sydney Thunder here at the Sydney Showground Stadium on Saturday.

Set a daunting 206 in the 21st fixture of the Big Bash League (BBL) 15,  Hurricanes chased down the target with ease, losing only wickets in the process with 13 balls to spare.

Mitchell Owen and Tim Ward set the tone early with a 108-run partnership for the opening wicket in just 8.3 overs.

Owen hit an 18-ball 45 with the help of five sixes and a four before getting caught behind.

However, Thunder bowlers could not stem the flow of runs as incoming Rehan Ahmed added another 40 with Ward to take the score to 148 in 12.4 overs.

Rehan made 16, which followed Ward’s and Ben McDermott’s departure in quick succession, as Daniel Sams sparked Sydney Thunder’s comeback.

As a result, Hobart Hurricanes slumped to 166-4 from 148-1 in 14.5 overs.

Tim Ward remained the highest scorer with 90 off 49 balls with the help of three fours and 10 boundaries.

Eventually, it was Matthew Wade’s and Nikhil Chaudhary’s 41* run partnership that took them over the line. Wade scored 13 from five with three boundaries while Nikhil hit two sixes and three fours on his way to 29* off 14.

For the Sydney Thunder, Daniel Sams remained the top wicket-taker with three wickets to his name.

Earlier, Sydney Thunder put on a show with the bat after put into bat first.

The cornerstone of Sydney Thunder’s innings was David Warner’s sublime century, his first since 2019 and his overall ninth in T20 cricket.

Will Prestwidge inflicted a miserable start on Sydney Thunder as they lost two in two in the first two deliveries of the match. Matthew Gilkes and Sam Konstas were sent packing for ducks, leaving the home side 2-0.

However, Warner held the innings together with a string of partnerships. The Southpaw first crafted a 66-run partnership with Sam Billings, who made 20.

The third wicket stand of 95 runs between Warner and Nic Maddinson was the highlight of the innings, particularly the former, who remained the core aggressor.

The duo brought the score to 161 in 18 overs before Maddison retired hurt on 30. But David Warner, who accumulated 14 and 30 from the last over, propelled the score over the 200-run mark.

For his outstanding knock, Warner. was named the player of the match in a losing cause.

For Hobart Hurricanes, Will Prestwidge remained the pick of the bowlers with two wickets upfront.

Hobart Hurricanes are now leading the points table with five victories in seven matches and 10 points.

Meanwhile, Sydney Thunder are now languishing at the bottom with just one victory from six matches.

READ: Gill, Iyer back in India’s squad for New Zealand ODIs

MUMBAI: India have announced the squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, with skipper Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer returning after injury layoffs.

The ODI series between both sides will commence on 11 January.

Pacer Mohammad Siraj is also included in the side, whereas all-rounder Hardik Pandya is rested.

Shubman Gill suffered a neck spasm during the Test series against South Africa, subsequently ruling him out of the ODIs.

On the contrary, Iyer, who last played in October 2025, is making his return after sustaining an injury during the Australia tour.

The three changes from the squad that played against South Africa are Gill, Iyer and Siraj, who replace Tilak Varma, Dhruv Jurel and Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Meanwhile, the BCCI is managing Hardik Pandya’s workload ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to begin on 7 February.

India ODI squad for New Zealand series

Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt)*, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh and Yashasvi Jaiswal (*subject to fitness clearance).

READ: KKR release Bangladesh’s Mustafizur on BCCI instructions

Namibia have named a 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

All-rounder Gerhard Erasmus will lead the side in their fourth consecutive World Cup appearance.

The African nation squad is largely the same, with nine out of 15 players retained from the 2024 edition.

While Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Louren Steenkamp, JC Balt, WP Myburgh and Max Heingo add fresh depth and options as Namibia look to best their tournament record of reaching the Super 12’s in 2021.

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Namibia booked their spot in the mega event after a stellar display in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Africa Qualifier in Harare, remaining unbeaten in Group fixtures, which was followed by a commanding semi-final victory over Tanzania.

The T20 World Cup 2026 will begin on 7 February with the opening fixture to be played between Pakistan and the Netherlands.

They are placed in Group A alongside India, Pakistan, Netherlands and USA.

Namibia will open their campaign against the Netherlands on 10 February in Delhi.

Squad:

Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Malan Kruger, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, JC Balt, Dylan Leicher, WP Myburgh, Max Heingo. Travelling reserve: Alexander Volschenk.

Namibia’s group fixtures:

February 10: vs Netherlands, Delhi
February 12: vs India, Delhi
February 15: vs USA, Chennai
February 18: vs Pakistan, Colombo

READ: Cummins, Hazlewood likely to miss Pakistan T20I series