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COLOMBO: In a commendable display, Bangladesh outplayed Pakistan 2-0 to march into the SAFF U17 Championship final here at the Race Course Ground on Thursday.

Bangladesh took control of the match in the opening four minutes, with Nazmul Huda and Mohammad Rahman piercing the nets respectively to double the lead.

Pakistan was unable to make a comeback as Bangladesh remained dominant throughout the game.

 

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Despite their efforts to regain momentum, Pakistan were unable to turn the game around. Notably, Bangladesh had also beaten Pakistan in the final of the 2018 edition.

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The second semi-final will be played between India and Nepal.

Pakistan started strong in the championship with dominant victories against the Maldives and Bhutan. However, they faced a defeat at the hands of India 3-2 in a thrilling encounter.

India took a lead in the 31st minute of the game when Dallalmoun Gangte scored, courtesy of Dannny Singh Cutback.

However, Pakistan made a strong comeback with an equaliser just two minutes before half-time.

Yet, India emerged victorious in the last phase of the game and scored decisive goals to secure an emphatic victory.

READ: Ashwin Joins Shadab Khan at Sydney Thunder in BBL

Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is set to link up with Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan at Sydney Thunder after sealing a two-season deal with the Big Bash League (BBL) franchise.

The move makes Ashwin the first capped Indian men’s cricketer to feature in the competition, marking a breakthrough moment in league history.

While Indian players have been a regular feature in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), BCCI restrictions have long prevented active men’s internationals from playing overseas franchise cricket.

 

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Ashwin’s retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year cleared the path for overseas stints.

Several franchises pursued the veteran spinner for his maiden BBL stint. After discussions with Cricket Australia (CA) officials and multiple clubs, Ashwin chose Sydney Thunder, with general manager Trent Copeland leading the negotiations.

The Thunder, coached by Trevor Bayliss and captained by David Warner, finished as finalists last season.

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Ashwin’s addition strengthens their spin department at Engie Stadium, one of the most spin-friendly venues in the BBL.

He joins a squad that already includes overseas recruits Shadab Khan, Sam Billings, and Lockie Ferguson, alongside local spinners Chris Green, Tanveer Sangha, and Tom Andrews.

The off-spinner also secured a separate marketing agreement with Cricket Australia, ensuring his presence boosts both on-field competition and off-field promotion.

READ: Former captain urges recall of Babar, Rizwan Naseem to Pakistan T20I side

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has urged the selectors to recall senior players Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Naseem Shah, stressing that the national T20I side looks incomplete without them.

Speaking in an interview during the ongoing ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025, Hafeez said Pakistan’s mixed results in the tournament underline the need for experienced campaigners.

“I would still say today that this team definitely needs three players: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Naseem Shah,” Hafeez remarked.

“First, they should be properly consulted, and things should be explained to them in the right way. Babar definitely has a place in this team, I’ve said it before as well, that without him, this is an incomplete team.”

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Hafeez, who has also served as team director in the past, argued that proven performers cannot be sidelined if Pakistan are to compete with top teams.

“Babar must be in this team, Naseem Shah must also be in this team, and thirdly, since Haris has not yet been able to adjust at the international level, Rizwan should take his place,” he added.

The former all-rounder maintained that while team management is responsible for player utilization, the presence of experienced names provides the balance needed to perform under pressure.

“The way to get performances, the way to utilize players, that is for the management to decide. But if we include these three players in our team, we will have a better chance to perform in any given condition against any opposition,” Hafeez noted.

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This Asia Cup is Pakistan’s first major tournament without Babar and Rizwan, both of whom have been central figures in the T20I setup since the 2021 World Cup in the UAE

They were dropped after the South Africa series in December last year, as selectors looked to prioritize younger talent ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.

Naseem, meanwhile, has been sidelined after a dip in form. The right-arm quick has played 30 T20Is for Pakistan, taking 25 wickets at an economy of 8.01, but has been left out of the current campaign.

READ: Ronaldo calls on Carlo Ancelotti to pick Neymar for World Cup

Brazil great Ronaldo has called on the Selecao’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti to restore Neymar to the squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America.

Brazil’s record goalscorer with 79 goals from 128 matches, Neymar, has not pulled on the yellow jersey since October 2023, when he suffered a serious knee injury.

The 33-year-old has played regularly for the Sao Paulo side Santos since he returned to his first club in January following a fruitless spell in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal.

Even so, in his four matches in charge, Ancelotti has not called up Neymar.

“He is a decisive player for the Brazilian Selecao. We don’t have another player like Neymar,” Ronaldo, who twice won the World Cup with Brazil, said during a publicity event in Sao Paulo alongside his compatriot.

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“The people hope 100 percent that he will go to the World Cup because if he is there, we will definitely have better results than if he’s not there,” added Ronaldo, 49, who scored 62 goals in 99 Brazil games.

Neymar has been injury-plagued in the last few years and missed Brazil’s Copa America triumph on home soil in 2019.

He joined Al Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023 but after playing just five times and scoring one goal, he ruptured his cruciate knee ligament on international duty against Uruguay.

He was out of action for a year and would play only two more games for the Saudi side before leaving for Santos.

After leaving Neymar out of his squad for World Cup qualifiers in September, Ancelotti said that he “needs to get in better shape to help the national team and to give the best of himself at the World Cup.”

READ: New vice-captain named as India name squad for West Indies Tests

MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as vice-captain of the squad for the upcoming two-Test series against West Indies, beginning next month.

The 36-year-old will serve as Test vice-captain for the first time, though he has previously held the role in ODIs and T20Is.

Jadeja’s elevation comes in the absence of vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who has not recovered fully from the foot fracture he sustained during the fourth Test against England earlier this year.

Shubman Gill, who debuted as Test captain in England, will continue to lead the side. Pant, meanwhile, remains under rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Center of Excellence in Bengaluru.

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Dhruv Jurel and N Jagadeesan are the two designated wicketkeepers in the squad, with Jurel tipped to take the gloves in the first Test.

Several players from the expanded England touring party, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, and Shardul Thakur, have been left out of the squad, along with injured Pant.

India’s home assignment against West Indies marks their second series in the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship cycle, after the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England ended in a 2–2 draw.

The first Test will be played in Ahmedabad from October 2, followed by the second in Delhi from October 10.

India squad for Test series against West Indies

Shubman Gill (c), Ravindra Jadeja (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Narayan Jagadeesan (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav.

READ: Suryakumar Yadav under ICC scrutiny following PCB’s complaint

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has begun reviewing a formal complaint filed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) against India captain Suryakumar Yadav.

The PCB lodged an official complaint against Yadav’s comments following India’s victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 group stage match on September 14.

The PCB’s complaint accuses Yadav of politicizing cricket and breaching the ICC’s code of conduct on neutrality.

The matter stems from Yadav dedicating the win to “the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack,” which took place earlier this year in April, triggering renewed cross-border tensions.

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“Want to dedicate the win to all our armed forces who showed a lot of bravery,” Yadav said during the post-match presentation.

“Hope they continue to inspire us all, and we give them more reasons on the ground whenever we get an opportunity to make them smile.”

The ICC confirmed it has received the complaint and is examining the matter. A formal hearing could be convened, with Yadav given the option of accepting the charge or contesting it before match referee Richie Richardson, alongside representatives of both the BCCI and PCB.

The match itself had already made headlines for the now-infamous handshake controversy, as the two captains did not shake hands at the toss, and players refrained from greeting each other at the end of the game.

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Addressing the issue later, Suryakumar Yadav revealed that the decision not to engage in handshakes was taken on the advice of the BCCI and the Indian government.

“Some things are above sportsman spirit. Our government, BCCI, and we were aligned today… We came here to just play the game,” the Indian captain remarked at the post-match press conference.

The PCB has argued that Yadav’s comments crossed the line by using the cricketing stage for political messaging.

READ: BCCI lodges complaint against Haris Rauf, Sahibzada Farhan

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has lodged an official complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) against Pakistan cricketers Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan.

Reliable sources indicate that a complaint was filed via email on Wednesday regarding the on-field gestures of Pakistan players during the tense Asia Cup 2025 Super Four match in Dubai.

These incidents have since ignited widespread discussion on social media.

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The September 21 fixture, the second meeting between the arch-rivals in this year’s tournament, saw several heated moments between players on both sides.

Pakistan pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf exchanged words with India’s opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. However, the BCCI’s complaint specifically names Rauf and Farhan.

Rauf attracted attention while fielding near the boundary as he made gestures that depicted the action of bringing down a plane. This was interpreted as a mockery of India’s military action earlier this year.

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He performed these gestures in response to Indian fans chanting “Kohli, Kohli,” referring to Virat Kohli’s famous sixes off Rauf during the 2022 T20 World Cup in Melbourne.

Farhan, meanwhile, came under scrutiny for his unique half-century celebration, in which he mimicked firing a machine gun with his bat. The gesture was widely criticized as provocative.

If the two Pakistan players deny the allegations in writing, an ICC hearing may be convened to review the matter. The second match referee in the tournament, Richie Richardson, is expected to oversee proceedings.

READ: Younis Khan comments on India-Pakistan handshake controversy

Julian Alvarez scored a hat-trick to help Atletico Madrid snatch a thrilling 3-2 win over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Wednesday.

The Rojiblancos fell behind in the 78th minute, but Alvarez, who had opened the scoring, struck twice more in the final stages to claim three points for Diego Simeone’s side.

The Argentina international helped Atletico secure only their second win from six league matches during a shaky start to the campaign.

Atletico are ninth and trail league leaders Real Madrid by nine points ahead of Saturday’s derby clash against Xabi Alonso’s side.

“We needed to get three points to get confidence from winning, we’ve been playing well but because of small details we weren’t getting good results,” Alvarez told Movistar.

“We have to keep working and improve some things to get on a winning run.”

Alvarez, who missed a penalty in Atletico’s frustrating draw at Mallorca last weekend, opened the scoring at the Metropolitano stadium.

The 25-year-old, who joined from Manchester City in 2024, volleyed home from Marcos Llorente’s looping cross after 15 minutes to get the ball rolling.

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The striker should have netted a second before half-time but fired high over the crossbar from Nahuel Molina’s perfectly-judged ball.

Visitors Rayo made the hosts pay in first-half stoppage time when Pep Chavarria scored one of the goals of the season, a bullet from distance which ripped into the top corner past Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

Rayo substitute Alvaro Garcia sent his team ahead when he played in on goal, rounding Oblak before squeezing home from a tight angle.

It enraged Atletico, and they began pouring forward, quickly finding an equalizer.

Rayo goalkeeper Augusto Batalla kept out an effort from Simeone’s son Giuliano, but Alvarez was on hand to blast the rebound home from point-blank range.

Giuliano crashed a shot off the crossbar as Atletico pushed for a winner.

With Rayo rocking, Alvarez completed his treble in the 88th minute, producing a superb finish to beat Batalla from the edge of the box.

After grumbling about being substituted during the Mallorca game, Alvarez showed his coach against Rayo why he is best left on the pitch.

READ: Messi scores two as Inter Miami thump New York City FC in MLS

Lionel Messi scored two goals and assisted on another as Inter Miami thumped New York City FC 4-0 on Wednesday to clinch an MLS Cup playoff berth.

Another classic performance from Messi propelled the Argentine superstar to the solo lead on Major League Soccer’s scoring list, taking him to 24 goals in 23 matches played, two more than LAFC’s Denis Bouanga.

Luis Suarez converted a penalty for Inter as he returned from a three-game ban for spitting on a Seattle staff member after Inter’s loss to the Sounders in the Leagues Cup final.

Baltazar Rodriguez also scored for Miami as they secured a playoff spot in convincing style.

Inter were clinging to a 1-0 lead at rainy City Field, home of Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, when Messi delivered a vintage goal in the 74th minute.

Put through by Sergio Busquets, Messi powered into the box, eluding one defender and neatly chipping a shot over Matt Freese as the New York goalkeeper dived at his feet.

After Suarez made it 3-0 from the spot, Messi struck again in the 86th with a precise, angled shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner.

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Inter were being outplayed early on in the awkward confines of the converted baseball field, but they seized the lead in the 43rd minute through Rodriguez.

Bousqets fed Messi, whose crisp through ball found the charging Rodriguez. The 22-year-old Argentine raced into the box and confidently slotted a low ball past Freese.

Until then, the best chances belonged to New York. Thiago Martins forced a save from Oscar Ustari with a header in the 21st minute.

One minute later, NYCFC were denied again when Aiden O’Neill’s long-range shot was blocked, and in the 29th minute, Nicolas Fernandez hit the right post.

Ten minutes into the game, Freese denied Messi, but eventually, Miami made New York pay for their inability to finish.

Inter Miami are in third place in the Eastern Conference, five points behind East leaders Philadelphia with two games in hand and still in with a chance to claim the Supporters’ Shield awarded to the team with the best overall regular-season record.

Messi, who will play the MLS Cup Playoffs for the second time, has three consecutive matches with at least one goal and one assist and has stamped himself a candidate for the 2025 Most Valuable Player award.

READ: Younis Khan comments on India-Pakistan handshake controversy

KARACHI: Former captain Younis Khan shared his thoughts on the India-Pakistan handshake controversy that arose during their first encounter in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025.

The September 14 fixture was the first meeting between Pakistan and India since cross-border tensions resurfaced in May, and the unease was evident even before a ball was bowled.

Both captains skipped the customary handshake at the toss, something the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) alleged was instructed by match referee Andy Pycroft. According to the PCB, this move violated the spirit of cricket and the MCC’s code of conduct.

India’s seven-wicket win was quickly overshadowed by what came next. After sealing victory, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube walked straight off as the rest of the Indian players celebrated in their dugout, refusing to acknowledge Pakistan.

Speaking to the media at NIPA Sports Complex, Younis commented on the controversy surrounding players not shaking hands.

“Indian players not shaking hands is against sportsmanship. But they are following their government’s instructions. Still, if they don’t, Pakistan should win and extend your hand,” he advised.

The veteran emphasized the importance of professionalism, noting that Indian players benefit from fewer team changes and greater clarity about their roles.

“Neither India is weak nor Pakistan. Their plus point is that their is less changes in the team. That’s why they perform consistently,” Younis said.

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“Too many changes disrupt the combination. Avoid politics, play for the team and for Pakistan, not for yourself,” he added.

On the prospect of a Pakistan-India Asia Cup final, he said that it will be exciting to watch them in the summit clash.

“If it’s Pakistan versus India in the final, then what a contest that would be.”

Younis Khan also praised Shaheen Shah Afridi’s batting ability, saying he has the potential to develop into a genuine all-rounder.

“If Shaheen can bat, then why can’t others? He has the ability to become an all-rounder,” Younis remarked.

He also heaped praise on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, describing them as talented cricketers capable of delivering for Pakistan.

READ: Suryakumar reveals reason behind Dube’s promotion during Bangladesh clash