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Aymeric Laporte has replaced injured Dean Huijsen in the Spain squad for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers due to a calf injury.

“Huijsen arrived with symptoms of muscular fatigue at the Spain national team camp on Monday night,” said the Spanish football federation in a statement.

“On Tuesday he did not train… and on Wednesday he had a medical test confirming a muscular injury, which Real Madrid have been informed of.”

Real Madrid said Huijsen has suffered a “calf muscle injury in his left leg”, without specifying an expected recovery date.

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Spanish media reported he is likely to return in 10-12 days, putting in doubt Huijsen being fit for Madrid’s La Liga game at Getafe on October 19.

The 20-year-old centre-back joined Real from Premier League club Bournemouth this summer and made his Spain debut in March in the Nations League.

Laporte, who recently rejoined Athletic Bilbao, was a key part of the Spain squad that won Euro 2024.

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal and Manchester City midfielder Rodri Hernandez had already withdrawn from the squad for the games against Georgia and Bulgaria on Saturday and October 14, respectively.

Spain tops Group E after beating Bulgaria and Turkey in their opening qualifiers for next summer’s tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

READ: Root hits back at critics, eyes Ashes glory down under

England ace batter Joe Root has shut down the noise ahead of the 2025  Ashes in Australia, stating that his side is ready to ‘bring the urn home’.

England’s ace batter Joe Root has shut down the noise ahead of the 2025 Ashes in Australia, stating that his side is ready to “bring the urn home.”

Root has 39 Test hundreds to his name; however, the batting maestro is yet to score a ton in Australia. He has nine fifties and has a decent average of 35.68 in 14 Tests.

The Three Lions have not won the Ashes since 2015, and their last Test series victory in Australia dates back to 2010-11.

Speaking on the much-anticipated series, Root admitted to the Ashes drought and sees this time around as a great opportunity.

“It does feel like a long time, and it’d be nice to put that right and bring the urn home. I just see it as a great opportunity for the group,” Root said.

“There’s no other way to look at it, really. It’s a beautiful country, it’s a great place to go and play cricket.

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Joe Root has been under the spotlight from former Australian cricketers, who have highlighted his record in Australia, including Matthew Hayden, who has issued a bold statement.

Hayden had stated that he would “walk nude” around the Melbourne Cricket Ground this summer if Root does not scratch his Australian century itch.

“Just soak it all in and expect a little bit of ‘abuse’ or ‘banter’. It could be six weeks that live long in the memory if we get it right.” “At the end of the day this tour is not about me,” Root continued.

“They are going to say what they want to say anyway, so why bother worrying about it?

“When we look back in five years’ time no-one is going to remember what Matthew Hayden said to me, or Greg Blewett, or Mark Waugh, whoever it is,” Root remarked.

“If I am scoring runs and scoring heavily it gives us a great opportunity to win a series out in Australia and that is the main focus,” he concluded.

READ: Cummins, Head knock back Rs 2.8 billion offers to quit international cricket

COLOMBO: Beth Mooney’s rescue act for the ages, followed by Kim Garth’s three-wicket haul, sealed a comfortable win for Australia against Pakistan in the ninth fixture of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 here at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Set 222, Pakistan were skittled for a mere 114 runs in 36.3 overs.

The loss marked Pakistan’s third consecutive defeat in the World Cup and their 17th overall against Australia in ODIs. Meanwhile, the defending champions are now at the top of the points table with three wins.

Pakistan started the chase on a shaky note as opener Sadaf Shamas was caught after scoring just five in the second over.

Muneeba Ali (3) also fell in the fifth over, whereas Sidra Nawaz (5) and Natalia Pervaiz only scored one run. Eyman Fatima player her first game of the tournament also went back without scoring while attempting a wild slog.

As a result, Pakistan slumped to 31-5 in 8.4 overs.

After early wickets, Australia never allowed Pakistan to make a comeback and took wickets in quick succession, which bundled them out for a mere score.

Sidra Amin remained the standout batter for Pakistan, making 35 from 52 balls with the aid of five fours.

For Australia, Kim Garth picked up three wickets, whereas Annabel Sutherland and Megan Schutt scalped two apiece.

Earlier, A dominant bowling display from Pakistan women had defending champions Australia women reeling, before Beth Mooney’s rearguard century lifted them to a respectable total.

Put into bat first, Australia managed to score 221-9 in their 50 overs

Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield added 30 runs for the opening wicket before both openers got dismissed in the span of three balls.

Healy made 20 from 23 balls with the aid of three fours, while Litchfield made 10 from 22 deliveries with the help of a boundary.

As a result, seven-time champions Australia were reduced to 30-2 in 7.3 overs.

Pakistan continued to chip away at Australia’s middle order with wickets at regular intervals; however, Beth Mooney held firm and ensured that Australia posted a respectable total.

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Ellyse Perry was stumped for five, Annabel Sutherland and Ashleigh Gardner were bowled for one run respectively. Tahlia McGrath could add only five to the total, whereas Georgia Wareham fell for nought.

Consequently, Australia were left reeling for 76-7 in 21.2 overs. Kim Garth provided Aussies some respite with a 39-run stand on the seventh wicket, however, Pakistan bowlers also removed her to take complete control of the game.

The architects of Australia’s middle over collapse were Nashra Sandhu and Rameen Shamim. Both combined to pick up five wickets with economical bowling spells.

However, Alana King and Beth Mooney forged a 106-run partnership for the eighth wicket. King scored 51 from 49 balls, striking three sixes and three fours.

Mooney, on the contrary, soaked up all the pressure and went on to score her fifth ODI century. She eventually departed after making 109 from 114 balls, studded with 11 fours.

For Pakistan, Nashra Sandhu was the standout bowler, picking up a three-wicket haul in her quota of ten overs.

READ: Imran Farhat appointed batting coach for South Africa Tests

SYDNEY: Australia’s ace duo Pat Cummins and Travis Head were reportedly offered nearly $10 million to forgo international cricket and play T20 franchise cricket full-time, according to a report in ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’.

According to the report, both players from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were offered a hefty sum by an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise.

However, Cummins and Head turned down the offers worth $10 million, approximately Rs 2.8 billion, and prioritized the Australian cricket team.

For context, several IPL teams have a foothold on the global T20 franchises spanning the USA, UAE, South Africa, and most recently The Hundred, where Indian investors have bought stakes in the teams.

Notably, Pat Cummins’ earnings are closer to $3 3million from playing international cricket, apart from the added money that comes with being Australia’s captain.

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Meanwhile, Travis Head has expressed his views on what it is like to play franchise cricket around the globe.

“I played MLC to get a taste of what it would be like to play franchise cricket,” Head told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I had IPL into a World Cup into MLC, so I wanted to see what it was like to basically play four months of franchise cricket.

“You want to have every option available to you, you want to experience things and understand how things operate,” he continued.

The left-hander also mentioned that his ultimate goal is to play for Australia.

“Whether I could do it, whether I liked it, whether I was good at it. I hadn’t played a lot of T20 cricket for a period of time, so get back into that. It was a perfect time in my life [to do that], then that time moves past.”

“Currently I’m playing for Australia, and I don’t see a timeline where I can play anything [else] really,” Head concluded.

READ: Imran Farhat appointed batting coach for South Africa Tests

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed Imran Farhat as batting coach of the national team for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, set to begin on October 12 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Former spinner Abdur Rehman has been appointed as the spin bowling coach, whereas Azhar Mehmood will serve as the red-ball coach.

The series will kick off the World Test Championship (WTC) for both teams, with the Proteas beginning their WTC title defence.

The first Test will be played at Gaddafi Stadium from October 12 to 16, followed by the second Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from October 20 to 24.

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Earlier, the first batch of South Africa arrived here in the wee hours. Meanwhile, the second batch is yet to come in Pakistan.

Team management:

Azhar Mehmood (head coach), Naveed Akram Cheema (team manager), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Abdul Rehman (spin bowling coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Talha Butt (performance analyst), Grant Luden (strength and conditioning coach), Syed Naeem Gillani (media manager), Irtaza Komail (team security manager), Dr Wajid Ali Rafai (team doctor) and Mohammad Ehsan (masseur)

Pakistan vs South Africa fixtures

Oct 12-16: 1st Test, Lahore
Oct 20-24: 2nd Test, Rawalpindi
Oct 28: 1st T20I, Rawalpindi
Oct 31: 2nd T20I, Lahore
Nov 1: 3rd T20I, Lahore
Nov 4: 1st ODI, Faisalabad
Nov 6: 2nd ODI, Faisalabad
Nov 8: 3rd OD, Faisalabad

READ: BCCI responds to call for scrapping India-Pakistan matches

COLOMBO: Pakistan women have won the toss and opted to bowl first against Australia women in the ninth fixture of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 here at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Playing XIs

Australia XI: Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Alana King, Megan Schutt

Pakistan XI: Muneeba Ali, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Eyman Fatima, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana (capt), Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal

Head to Head

Both teams have faced each other 16 times in Women’s ODI matches, with the Green Shirts remaining winless in all of these encounters.

Matches Played: 16  Australia, 16 Pakistan, 0

READ: BCCI responds to call for scrapping India-Pakistan matches

Novak Djokovic banished exhaustion and played through an ankle injury scare to make it to the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, beating Spain’s Jaume Munar 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

The hard-won victory keeps Djokovic on track as the favourite to take a record-extending fifth title in the Chinese financial hub, with other top seeds already withdrawn or knocked out.

The 38-year-old almost looked unable to continue when the match went to a decider, but he conjured up the energy to break his decade-younger opponent twice in the third set.

“Thank you, thank you everyone, I love you!” he shouted in Chinese to the adoring crowd before leaving court almost immediately after play finished.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had a good start despite the 84 percent humidity, breaking in the fourth game.

His problems began shortly afterwards when his left ankle slid out behind him as he rushed towards the net, and he had to take a medical timeout.

He grimaced in pain as he was attended to by an on-court physio, but managed to resume to hold the fifth game.

Djokovic received treatment again in the second set, and looked increasingly fatigued, crouching over frequently in between rallies and throwing up on court.

Serbian-flag-waving Chinese fans roared in support, but 41st-ranked Munar ultimately broke in the 12th game of the second set after an unforced error from his opponent.

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An agonised Djokovic dropped to the floor and remained splayed out on court with his chest heaving, as a medic rushed over.

But he picked himself up for an incredible third-set revival, breaking in the first and seventh games and sending the stadium into a frenzy.

Djokovic is now the oldest player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal, and the highest-ranking player left in the competition in Shanghai.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament to rest, and second, third and fourth-ranked Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz have all been eliminated.

The event in Shanghai has been beset by injuries, as players have battled the humidity coupled with temperatures over 30 Celsius.

Sinner was forced to retire on Sunday after being seized with extreme cramps.

World number 11 Holger Rune, who has also struggled with the conditions, called on Tuesday for tennis authorities to bring in a heat policy for events like Shanghai.

The Dane is through to the last eight after he took out France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3.

Djokovic will next face 44th-ranked Zizou Bergs.

The Belgian took Canada’s Gabriel Diallo down to the wire, prevailing in a prolonged third-set tiebreak 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10/8).

READ: BCCI responds to call for scrapping India-Pakistan matches

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has rejected the idea of not holding India-Pakistan fixtures in the future, following the Asia Cup 2025 fallout.

According to a report in the Indian news outlet ‘Dainik Jagran’, the BCCI highlighted the need for a clash between arch-rivals, taking into account the broadcasters and sponsors.

“It’s easy to talk about all this, but will sponsors and broadcasters agree to it? In today’s situation, if any major team, not just India, withdraws from a tournament, it will be difficult to attract sponsors,” the report quoted BCCI official.

The comments from the BCCI came after former England captain Michael Atherton and a notable voice in cricket commentary urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) not to have more matches between India and Pakistan.

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“If cricket was once the vehicle for diplomacy, it is now, clearly, a proxy for broader tensions and for propaganda.

There is little justification, in any case, for a serious sport to arrange tournament fixtures to suit its economic needs, and now that the rivalry is being exploited in other ways, there is even less justification for it,” Atherton wrote in his column for The Times.

“For the next broadcast rights cycle, the fixture draw before ICC events should be transparent, and if the two teams do not meet every time, so be it,” he further wrote.

For the unversed, India and Pakistan squared off against each other three times in the recently concluded Asia Cup. However, all matches were surrounded by controversy from the onset.

During the first fixture between the two teams — their first encounter since the May escalation, which had led both neighbours to the verge of full-fledged war — handshakes were avoided by both teams.

Furthermore, the final also saw a delayed presentation ceremony due to the Men in Blue’s refusal to take silverware from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

READ: Pakistan-Afghanistan AFC Asian Cup Qualifier clash in limbo

ISLAMABAD: The AFC Asian Cup qualifiers 2027 clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan, scheduled for October 9, is facing uncertainty as the Afghan National team has yet to receive its visas.

The match is scheduled to be played at the Jinnah Stadium of the Pakistan Sports Complex in the federal capital.

Sources privy to the matter have said that some players and officials are yet to receive their visas for the game.

Sources further informed that if visas are not issued, a visa-on-arrival option will be used, and due to the delay, the match schedule will be adjusted via a press conference.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has announced ticket details for the much-anticipated clash.

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The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has announced ticket details for Pakistan’s upcoming AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifier home fixture against Afghanistan.

The match, which will be broadcast live on A Sports, will begin at 2 pm, with stadium gates opening at 12 noon.

According to the press release, tickets will be available exclusively through Bookme.pk, with the following categories and prices: Premium Plus: Rs 4,000, Premium: Rs 1,500, and First Class: Rs 750.

Following the home leg, the Pakistan national team will travel to Kuwait for the away fixture against Afghanistan on October 14.

READ: Tickets for Pakistan, South Africa series to go on sale today

GUWAHATI: On a day when England needed somebody to stand tall, Heather Knight rose to the occasion with a gritty unbeaten 79* run that helped them overcome a spirited Bangladesh challenge in the eighth match of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 here at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

England eventually managed to chase down a partly 179-run target, huffing and puffing to victory by four wickets with 23 balls to spare.

The Three Lions started the chase on a shaky note as opener Amy Jones was trapped lbw after scoring one in the first over.

Bangladesh dealt the second blow in the form of Tammy Beaumont as Marufa Akter got her second wicket. As a result, England were 29-2 in 6.1 overs.

The tigers continued to mount pressure with tight bowling; however, Heather Knight stood in their way. She formed a string of vital partnerships that eventually saw them over the line.

First, she added a 40-run stand with Nat Sciver-Brunt, who scored 32 from 41 balls with the help of five fours.

Bangladesh had a hold of the match with a double strike in the 18th over. Brunt and Dunkley were removed for nought in quick succession. The slide continued as two more wickets fell in a short span of time.

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Consequently, England were reduced to 103-6 in 29.3. Yet they survived courtesy of Charlie Dean and the Knights’ match-winning partnership of 79* runs.

Dean remained unbeaten on 27 from 56, striking two boundaries, whereas Knight’s masterful knock included eight fours and a six.

For Bangladesh, Fahima Khatun picked up three wickets.

Earlier, England capitalized on the decision to bowl first and, courtesy of Sophie Ecclestone’s three-wicket haul and impressive bowling performance, bowled out Bangladesh for a modest total of 178.

Opener Rubya Haider was sent back on the last ball of the fourth over, whereas skipper Nigar Sultana also perished in the next over, which slumped them to 25-2.

England kept checking Bangladesh with economical bowling and regular wickets in the middle overs.

Sobhana Mostary remained the top-scorer for Bangladesh with 60 from 108 balls with the aid of eight fours. She was involved in a string of partnerships that provided some respite before Rabeya Khan’s brisk knock lifted them out of trouble.

She struck six fours and a maximum on her way to 43 from 27 balls.

For England, Sophie Ecclestone remained the standout bowler, picking up a three-wicket haul. Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, and Linsey Smith took two wickets each.

READ: Kane could extend Bayern stay as interest in Premier League cools