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RAWALPINDI: Aiden Markram guided South Africa to a convincing eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second Test, levelling the two-match series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

Skipper Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton began the 68-run chase aggressively, reaching the 50-run mark in just 10 overs.

Markram led from the front with a solid 42 runs off 45 balls, including eight boundaries, keeping his team within striking distance of victory.

However, Noman Ali dismissed Markram when South Africa needed only four runs to win.  In the same over, Noman struck again, removing new batter Tristan Stubbs for a duck.

Despite this, Rickelton ensured South Africa comfortably chased down the target without any further loss. He remained unbeaten on 25 runs off 29 balls, hitting two fours and a six, while Tony de Zorzi did not face a delivery.

Earlier, Simon Harmer claimed a career-best six-wicket haul to help South Africa dismantle Pakistan for just 138 in their second innings.

The devastating spell left the visitors needing only 68 runs to seal victory and draw level in the two-match series.

Pakistan, resuming on 94-4, were banking on former captain Babar Azam to steady the innings.

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He looked assured early on, bringing up his 30th Test fifty with trademark elegance. But just as Pakistan began to hope, Harmer struck, removing Babar for exactly 50 off 87 balls, an innings laced with seven boundaries.

From there, it was a familiar story of struggle and surrender. Mohammad Rizwan battled hard for his 18 off 64 but became Harmer’s fifth victim, leaving Pakistan’s middle order exposed once again.

The collapse continued as Noman Ali was trapped for a duck and Shaheen Shah Afridi was run out soon after, reducing the hosts to 105-8.

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Salman Ali Agha tried to counter with a brisk 28, but Keshav Maharaj removed him at a crucial stage before cleaning up Sajid Khan (13) to wrap up the innings.

Harmer’s relentless accuracy and variation earned him figures of 6-50 from 20 overs, his best in Test cricket, while Maharaj chipped in with two wickets, and Kagiso Rabada added one to his name.

READ: India adamant on not taking Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

Viktor Gyokeres says he is eager to respond to manager Mikel Arteta’s call to take his goal-scoring momentum into the Premier League, after Tuesday’s impressive performance against Atletico Madrid.

Attacker Gyokeres ended a run of seven games without a goal by scoring twice in Arsenal’s 4-0 rout of Atletico in the Champions League at the Emirates Stadium.

It took the 27-year-old’s tally for the Gunners to five goals following his £58 million ($77 million) transfer from Sporting Lisbon, where he scored 97 times in 102 appearances.

Gunners boss Arteta challenged Gyokeres to keep the goals coming, with Arsenal back in domestic action against London rivals Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Sunday.

“I’m more hungry now,” said Gyokeres. “You always want to contribute with work rate and other stuff, but when you score goals as well, it’s a bit special. So that’s something I always want to do.

“The group we have and the spirit is something different and something very special.

“When you win games and you do these performances, it builds confidence in the team. The belief has to always be there, but of course, this helps to boost it. We just want to keep going like this.”

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Arsenal have won their three games in Europe so far this season with as many clean sheets.

They have conceded just three goals this term, away to champions Liverpool and Newcastle and at home to Manchester City, with just one of those coming from open play, in their first 12 fixtures.

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, who has posted five consecutive shutouts, said: “I give clean sheets the same credit as goals.

“If we’re keeping clean sheets, it’s going to make games easier to win. It’s really, really important for the whole team, not giving away that many chances and being very, very solid.

“The depth of the squad is incredible. We have a lot of players who can play in two, three or four positions.

“(Mikel) Merino came on as a striker (against Atletico), but he can play as a number six, eight, or as a number 10, and that is the variety that the boss has and he is using it to our advantage.

“It gives us an extra level in training and in games, because if you are not at it, you can lose your spot, and everybody is on board with that.”

Premier League table-toppers Arsenal will head into this weekend’s round of fixtures with a three-point lead over second-placed Manchester City.

READ: SLC postpones LPL 2025 to focus on T20 World Cup preparations

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Wednesday announced the postponement of the sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in a bid to prepare for the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

The Premier League was initially scheduled to be played in the November-December window; however, the tournament has now been moved ahead.

This comes as Sri Lanka and India are set to host the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be played from February 7 to March 8.

The board cited better preparation for the following year’s mega event as the main reason behind the postponement of the tournament.

“Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wishes to announce that the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2025 will not be held this year as originally planned,” the board statement read.

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The decision was taken after careful consideration of the broader requirement of preparing well in advance for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India during February – March 2026,” it added.

The cricket board also emphasized venue upgradation and infrastructure ahead of the World Cup.

“SLC believes this decision will provide adequate time to work on enhancing and upgrading the ground infrastructure to conduct a successful tournament in the country.”

For the unversed, the 20-team tournament is likely to be played across five venues in India and two in Sri Lanka.

The 2026 tournament will retain the same format as the previous edition, with 20 teams divided into four groups of five. The top two from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage, followed by semi-finals and the final.

READ: India adamant on not taking Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

INDORE: Ashleigh Gardner’s sublime 104* and Annabel Sutherland’s 98* powered Australia to an easy win over arch-rivals England in the 23rd fixture of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 here at the Holkar Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

The victory marked Australia’s fifth consecutive victory in six matches, and they are now the only unbeaten side in the tournament.

Set 245, Australia hit the winning runs at ease, losing just four wickets in the process with 57 balls to spare.

The defending champions’ chase started on a shaky note as they lost the opener Phoebe Litchfield on the third ball of their innings. She was castled for one from two balls.

England had left Australia reeling with two more wickets in the next four overs. Georgia Voll and Ellyse Perry were the next batters to be dismissed. Both made six and 13 runs respectively.

Consequently, Australia were 24-3 in 5.2 overs before a 44-run partnership between Beth Mooney and Annabel Sutherland, bringing the total to 68 in 15.5 overs.

However, Sophie Ecclestone scalped the prize wicket of Mooney, further derailing the chase. She scored 20 from 44 balls with the help of a boundary.

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At this stage, England gained a foothold on the match, but it was Sutherland’s and Gardner’s monumental 180-run stand that took the game away from the Three Lions.

Both batters not only took the game away from England but also batted so briskly that the game ended in 40 overs.

Gardner’s knock was peppered with 16 fours, whereas Sutherland struck nine fours and six and ended up two runs shy of what could have been a magnificent hundred.

For England, Linsey Smith picked up two wickets in her eight overs.

Earlier, after being put into bat, England scored 244-9 in their 50 overs, courtesy of Tammy Beaumont’s composed knock.

Beaumont remained the cornerstone in England’s batting lineup and made 78 from 105 balls, studded with 10 fours and a six.

Alice Capsey was the second-highest scorer for her team, making 38 from 32 balls with the aid of five fours.

For Australia, Annabel Sutherland starred with the ball, picking up three vital wickets in her quota of 10 overs.

READ: Zimbabwe crush Afghanistan to seal rare innings win

Zimbabwe won a Test by an innings for only the third time when they defeated Afghanistan by an innings and 73 runs at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday, with two days to spare.

Afghanistan batted after Zimbabwe won the toss and were all out for 127. Zimbabwe made 359 in reply, with Ben Curran hitting a maiden century, giving the hosts a 232-run first innings lead.

Curran won the player of the match award for his 121 runs, which swung the one-off Test decisively in favour of the hosts on the second day.

The tourists’ batters struggled again in their second innings and were dismissed for 159, with only Ibrahim Zadran (42) and middle-order Bahir Shah (32) having some success.

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Brad Evans took five wickets in the first Afghan innings, and the second time round it was the turn of Richard Ngarava (5-37) to sparkle as the quick claimed his first Test five-for.

Zimbabwe beat Pakistan by an innings in 1995 in Harare and repeated the feat against Bangladesh six years later in Bulawayo.

It was the first Test victory by Zimbabwe in Harare since 2013, when they beat Pakistan by 24 runs in a thriller.

The sole positive for Afghanistan, who beat Zimbabwe 1-0 in a two-Test series last January, was the performance of debutant seamer Ziaur Rahman, who captured seven wickets.

READ: India adamant on not taking Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

The deadlock between India and Pakistan over the Asia Cup 2025 Trophy continued on Wednesday, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to accept the silverware from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi.

According to reports, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has written a letter to the ACC, requesting that the Trophy be handed over directly to India.

“If the trophy is not received, the matter will be raised with the ICC,” Saikia told reporters.

Meanwhile, ACC has offered BCCI to receive the trophy at a formal ceremony in Dubai on November 10.

For the unversed, the standoff for the trophy arose from India’s decision not to collect their winners’ medals and trophy following their triumph in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan on September 29 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

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The controversy reportedly began after members of the Indian team declined to accept the silverware from ACC President Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman.

Despite India’s stance, the ACC has maintained its position, with sources suggesting that President Naqvi is unwilling to make any exceptions or alter standard presentation protocols.

India had defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final, chasing down a 147-run target in 19.4 overs after bowling out the Men in Green for 146 runs in 19.1 overs.

The continental tournament was shrouded in controversy from the start, beginning with India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav’s decision not to shake hands with Pakistan in their first encounter.

On the contrary, Pakistan also threatened to boycott the tournament at one stage. The situation persisted and continued after the summit clash.

READ: Pakistan to face India on THIS date in ICC T20 World Cup 2026

The tentative date and venue for the clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India in next year’s ICC T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India,  has been revealed.

According to sources, both teams are slated to face off each other on February 8 in Colombo.

Moreover, the match could also mark the start of the mega event, which is expected to run from February 7 to March 8.

As per the reports, ICC T20 World Cup 2026 matches will be held across at least five venues in India and two in Sri Lanka.

The final will be held in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on Pakistan’s advancement through to the pinnacle clash— due to the hybrid model.

Meanwhile, the full lineup for the 2026 edition has been completed with 20 teams competing for the trophy.

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Alongside the two hosts, automatic qualification was granted to the top seven sides from the 2024 T20 World Cup: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States, and West Indies, as well as Pakistan, New Zealand, and Ireland, who progressed based on ICC rankings.

From the regional qualifiers, Canada secured the Americas spot, while the Netherlands and Italy emerged from Europe, the latter marking their maiden appearance at a T20 World Cup.

Namibia and Zimbabwe claimed the two available spots from Africa, while Nepal, Oman, and the UAE completed the Asian contingent.

The 2026 tournament will retain the same format as the previous edition, with 20 teams divided into four groups of five. The top two from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage, followed by semi-finals and the final.

READ: Fatima Naseem sets seventh Guinness World Record at age 12

Pakistan all-rounder Aamir Jamal has shared the heartbreaking news of the passing of his newborn baby daughter with his fans and the cricket fraternity.

The announcement, made through an emotional post on his official Instagram account, has left the sporting community in mourning.

The post featured a tender photo of Jamal holding his baby’s tiny hand, alongside a deeply moving caption that read:

“From Allah, to Allah. I couldn’t hold you longer, my lil angel. Baba & Mama will miss you. May you stay in higher ranks in Heaven.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Aamir Jamal (@aamir.jamal)

Within hours, the post went viral, drawing thousands of messages of love, prayers, and condolences from across Pakistan and beyond.

Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir was among those who expressed sympathy, praying for patience and strength for the grieving couple.

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Fans, too, flooded social media with heartfelt messages, calling the news “unimaginable” and “devastating.”

Aamir Jamal has represented Pakistan in eight Tests, three ODIs, and six T20Is, taking 21 wickets in the longest format and five across limited-overs cricket.

In domestic cricket, he continues to impress, claiming 99 wickets in 40 first-class matches, and is currently part of Lahore Region Whites in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26.

READ: Babar, Rizwan make gains in ICC Test Batting Rankings

DUBAI: Pakistan’s batters Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have made notable gains in the latest ICC Test Batting Rankings on Wednesday.

Rizwan, who recently lost Pakistan’s ODI captaincy, played a composed 75-run knock in the first innings of the opening Test last week, helping Pakistan seal a 93-run victory and take a 1-0 lead in the series.

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Although Mohammad Rizwan could only manage 14 in the second innings, his efforts were enough to earn him a four-place jump to 16th position with 684 rating points.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam also made an upward movement, rising two places to 22nd after scores of 23 and 42 in the same match.

Among other Pakistan batters, Salman Ali Agha registered a notable eight-spot surge, climbing to 30th position following consistent lower-order contributions.

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However, Saud Shakeel, the team’s highest-ranked Test batter, slipped one place to 13th with 727 rating points.

There was no change in the top ten, as England’s Joe Root continues to lead the batting rankings, followed by his compatriot Harry Brook in second place.

READ: Noman Ali climbs to career-best No.2 in ICC Test Bowling Rankings

DUBAI: Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Noman Ali has surged to second place in the latest ICC Test bowling rankings on Wednesday following his stellar performance against South Africa in the first Test of the ongoing two-match series.

Noman’s remarkable rise, jumping four spots to reach 853 rating points, has placed him within striking distance of the top-ranked Jasprit Bumrah of India.

The 39-year-old’s dominant showing in Lahore, where he picked up 6-112 and 4-79 in Pakistan’s 93-run victory, propelled him past several established names, including Kagiso Rabada, who slipped to fifth.

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With this achievement, Noman Ali becomes only the seventh Pakistani bowler ever to cross the 850-point mark, and the first since Yasir Shah reached the feat back in July 2016.

His previous best was fifth position earlier this year, during Pakistan’s home series against the West Indies, when he touched 806 points.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy sits third in the updated rankings.

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Among other Pakistani bowlers, Shaheen Afridi made notable progress, climbing three spots to 19th. Sajid Khan retained his 21st position, while Mohammad Abbas (27th) and Naseem Shah (34th) also held their places.

Further down the list, Hasan Ali (42nd) and Abrar Ahmed (48th) remained stable, though Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal slipped to 66th and 74th, respectively.

READ: Debutant Asif Afridi shatters 92-year-old record with five-wicket haul