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Sri Lankan spinner Dunith Wellalage has shared a heartfelt message on social media following the passing of his father, Suranga Wellalage.

The former first-class cricketer passed away last week during Sri Lanka’s group-stage match against Afghanistan in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025.

The 22-year-old all-rounder took to Instagram and expressed his grief while extending gratitude to everyone who supported him through the tragedy.

“I want to take a moment to sincerely thank everyone who stood by me and my family during the most painful time of my life, after the passing of my beloved father,” Wellalage wrote.

“Losing him has left a void that can never be filled, but the love, strength, and support I received gave me the courage to keep moving forward.”

 

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He especially thanked Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), his sponsors, law enforcement authorities, medical staff, as well as his former schools and clubs for standing by his family.

“My heartfelt gratitude goes to the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, CDB Bank, Munchee, Moratuwa Police, Panadura Hospital, Colts Cricket Club, St. Sebastian College, St. Joseph’s College, and Prince of Wales’ College Old Boys’ Association for being there for me and my family,” he said.

He also acknowledged the guidance of former players, coaches, and national teammates, mentioning Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahinda Halangoda, and Charith Asalanka, among others.

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“A special thank you to Sanath Sir, Mahinda Halangoda Sir, and the entire national coaching staff, as well as Charith Aiya and my brothers in the Sri Lanka National Team. Your presence, kindness, and guidance meant more to me than words can ever express,” he added.

Above all, Wellalage reserved his deepest gratitude for the people of Sri Lanka. “Your prayers, messages, and unconditional support reminded me that I am never alone,” he added.

The young spinner vowed to continue chasing his cricketing dreams to fulfill his father’s wish. “My father’s dream was for me to continue this journey, and with all of you beside me, I will do everything I can to honor him,” he said.

After attending his father’s funeral, Dunith Wellalage rejoined the national squad for their Super Four fixture against Bangladesh, which Sri Lanka lost.

READ: Sahibzada Farhan reveals reason behind ‘unique celebration’ against India

Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati won the 2025 Women’s Ballon d’Or at an awards ceremony in Paris on Monday, the third consecutive year she has taken the prize.

Bonmati edged out Mariona Caldentey, her teammate in the Spain side beaten on penalties by England in the Women’s Euro 2025 final in July.

The 27-year-old midfielder also lost the Women’s Champions League final with her club last season, at the hands of Caldentey’s Arsenal.

Bonmati was named player of the tournament at the Euros, despite not starting either of Spain’s first two matches as she recovered from a bout of viral meningitis.

“I am very proud,” said Bonmati, who credited her teammates for their role in her personal triumph.

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“I think I am here for the third consecutive time because of the teams I play in, so all of this is because of them.”

Alessia Russo, one of the nominees from the triumphant England European Championship team, came in third place.

The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual prize in both men’s and women’s football, and Bonmati’s run of three in a row follows back-to-back victories for her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas.

Norway’s Ada Hegerberg and USA star Megan Rapinoe are the only other players to have won the Women’s Ballon d’Or since it was introduced in 2018.

The Ballon d’Or is voted for by a panel of journalists, one from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA world rankings for the men, and from the top 50 for the women.

READ: PSG star Ousmane Dembele wins 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or

France forward Ousmane Dembele won the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or on Monday, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), which secured the Champions League title last season.

Dembele, 28, pipped Barcelona and Spain teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to the prize at a ceremony in Paris and succeeds Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, who won the trophy in 2024.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona winger, who was part of the France team that won the World Cup in 2018, scored 35 goals in all competitions as PSG won a French league and cup double as well as the Champions League for the first time in their history.

“I really don’t have the words. It was an incredible season with PSG,” said an emotional Dembele, who said his club coach Luis Enrique had been “like a father”.

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“It is an individual trophy, but it was really the collective that won it,” added Dembele, who was one of nine members of the triumphant PSG team from last season nominated for the prize.

“The Ballon d’Or has not really been an objective for me in my career, but I worked hard for the team to win the Champions League.”

The 18-year-old Yamal, who was a teammate of Dembele’s at Barcelona when he first broke through in 2023, earlier won the Kopa Trophy for the best player aged under 21 – the second year running he has taken that award.

READ: Mohsin Naqvi urges Pakistan to play fearless cricket at Women’s World Cup

LAHORE: PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has urged the Pakistan women’s team to play fearless cricket at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, starting September 30 in India.

Mohsin Naqvi visited the Gaddafi Stadium following the conclusion of the Pakistan ODI series against South Africa.

Naqvi handed over the trophy to South Africa’s captain after the conclusion of the series and later met Pakistan women’s team players and coaches. He lauded the team’s performance and praised their fighting spirit.

The PCB chairman announced a cash prize of PKR 2 million for opener Sidra Amin in recognition of her back-to-back centuries during the series. In addition, all members of the women’s team will receive PKR 1 million each.

Wishing the team success ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup, Naqvi urged the players to play fearlessly and without pressure.

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“Fight till the last ball. Success is always the result of teamwork,” he remarked.

For context, Pakistan will depart for Sri Lanka tomorrow to play the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. The mega event is scheduled to take place from 30 September to 2 November.

Pakistan will begin its campaign against Bangladesh on October 2 and will play all its games at R. Premadasa ICS, Colombo, at 3pm local time.

Pakistan team fixtures in ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025

• 2 October – vs Bangladesh
• 5 October – vs India
• 8 October – vs Australia
• 15 October – vs England
• 18 October – vs New Zealand
• 21 October – vs South Africa
• 24 October – vs Sri Lanka

READ: Mohammad Wasim backs Pakistan to shine at Women’s World Cup 2025

LAHORE: Pakistan women team head coach Mohammad Wasim expressed confidence on his side ahead of the ICC World Cup 2025 co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India.

The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 is scheduled to take place from 30 September to 2 November.

Ahead of the marquee event, Wasim remained confident despite Pakistan’s 2-1 loss to South Africa in the three-match ODI series concluded today.

“We have full confidence in our batters, and after today’s performance, the bowlers will also take a lot of confidence heading into the World Cup,” he told reporters.

“In the first two matches, the wickets were spin-friendly, similar to conditions in Sri Lanka. Ideally, it would have been good to prepare accordingly, but the positive side is that we will play at one venue, which gave us a bit of a home advantage,” he added.

He said that the ODI format suits the Pakistan women’s team and emphasized the outcome of the series, highlighting key areas for improvement.

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“As I’ve said before, this format is best suited to our team, and you could see that in the qualifiers. Small margins make the difference.

That’s an area we need to improve—finishing close matches and holding our nerve in crunch situations. Hopefully, before the World Cup, we’ll get opportunities to sharpen that aspect, especially against varied opposition, ” Mohammad Wasim continued.

Mohammad Wasim talked about mental strength and praised Sidra Amin, who was outstanding with the bat against South Africa, scoring 293 runs in three matches with the help of two centuries and a half-century.

“We have batting, bowling, and fielding coaches, but mental strength is also very important. If needed, we will definitely consider bringing in experts to help players in that area.”

“Sidra Amin’s two centuries and a fifty show the kind of performances our players are capable of. We are heading in the right direction as a team,” he concluded.

For context, Pakistan will begin its campaign against Bangladesh on October 2, and will play all its games at R. Premadasa ICS, Colombo, at 3pm local time.

Pakistan team fixtures in ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025

• 2 October – vs Bangladesh
• 5 October – vs India
• 8 October – vs Australia
• 15 October – vs England
• 18 October – vs New Zealand
• 21 October – vs South Africa
• 24 October – vs Sri Lanka

READ: Six-star Sandhu seals consolatory win for Pakistan over South Africa

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca believes Cole Palmer will avoid groin surgery after the England forward was forced off during Saturday’s defeat against Manchester United.

Palmer has made just two Premier League starts this season and lasted only 21 minutes at Old Trafford before limping to the sidelines in a game Chelsea lost 2-1.

Asked whether the 23-year-old will need an operation on an injury that has been troubling him for a while, Maresca told reporters: “The medical staff, they didn’t mention to me about surgery.

“I don’t know if in the next days or the next weeks, but I don’t think so, to be honest.

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“He made a huge effort on Saturday to try to play the game. He did the test, he was OK but not 100 percent. But he wanted to be there to help his team-mates and to be there in that kind of game.

“Unfortunately, it was painful so we decided to change it. And it’s more day-by-day, week-by-week, game-by-game to see how it is and then decide what we do.”

Palmer is likely to miss Chelsea’s League Cup third-round tie at third-tier Lincoln on Tuesday, with Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile also ruled out.

Maresca is likely to select several youth academy players but the Italian conceded it was a risky strategy given the potential for a cup upset against a team flying high in League One.

“These are the games that worry me most, because you can slip up very easily,” he said. “Football is full of these kind of games and I am very worried about that.”

READ: Sahibzada Farhan reveals reason behind ‘unique celebration’ against India

DUBAI: Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan explained his gun-fire celebration against India during the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours clash on Sunday.

Farhan notched up his maiden half-century against arch-rivals India and celebrated it in a unique way by mimicking his bat “firing runs like bullets,” a gesture that thrilled fans.

He top-scored with 58 from 45 balls, which helped Pakistan set a record total against India in T20Is.

However, it was not enough as India chased down the target in the second last overs, losing just four wickets in the process.

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Speaking in the press conference ahead of the clash against Sri Lanka, Farhan spilled the beans on his celebration and stated that he does not care what people say about it.

“You’ll see more (sixes). It was just a moment thing. Normally, I don’t celebrate much even after scoring fifties, but suddenly I felt like doing it today. I don’t care what people make of it,” he said.

The right-hander also backed the team’s approach of playing an aggressive brand of cricket against all teams.

“And as for the rest, you know, cricket should be played aggressively against all teams, not just India. Today, we played that kind of aggressive cricket, ” he continued.

He also highlighted the missing link in Pakistan’s batting line-up and expressed confidence in correcting their mistakes.

“I think what we’ve been missing in recent matches is not making the most of the powerplay and losing early wickets. That puts pressure on the rest of the batting lineup.

Apart from Fakhar’s early dismissal, we didn’t lose wickets in the powerplay, and we scored around 90 runs in the first ten overs. That was excellent. Later in the middle overs, we collapsed a bit, but Inshallah we’ll fix that too,” Sahibzada Farhan concluded.

READ: Sahibzada Farhan breaks Abhishek Sharma’s six-hitting record

The Pakistan Junior Padel Team is set to participate in the FIP Junior World Cup in Reus, Spain, scheduled from September 26 to October 5.

The 10-member squad, led by Mir Saqib, will take part in three categories: U14, U16, and U18.

To bolster preparations, the Pakistan Padel Federation has appointed Spanish coach Javier Navas Mendez, who will join the team in Spain and later visit Pakistan in October for training camps.

Ahead of the main event, Pakistan will participate in the qualifying rounds, which will be played from September 26 to 28, where they are grouped with teams from Egypt, the UAE, Senegal, Qatar, Japan, Iran, and Lebanon.

 

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The top teams from each group will advance to the final, with the winner securing a spot in the main draw.

For context, the FIP Junior World Cup 2025 will feature teams from 36 countries, making it a record-breaking edition. The tournament will be held across three venues in Reus, Spain, with the final phase kicking off on September 29.

The event is being staged by the International Padel Federation in collaboration with Premier Padel Spain.

Pakistan Padel Team Players:

Under 14: Azhar Ahmed Allawala, Shakir Ullah, Muhammad Bin Haris, Rayyan Faizan

Under 16: Mueez Usman, Asher Usman Allawala

Under 18: Ayaan Saeed, Muhammad Omer Qamar, Mir Saqib (Captain), Samer Zaman

Reserves: Rayyan Ahmedani, Khowja Faiz

READ: Nashra Sandhu breaks Sana Mir’s long-standing record

LAHORE: Pakistan left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu broke former captain Sana Mir’s long-standing record against South Africa to register the second-best bowling figures in a Women’s One Day International (ODI).

Sandhu tormented the South Africa women’s batting lineup in the final ODI of the three-match series, claiming a six-wicket haul that bundled out the visitors for 115 runs in only 25.5 overs.

The record for best bowling figures in an innings is held by Sajida Shah, who took seven wickets for just four runs against Japan in 2003.

Best bowling figures in an innings for Pakistan in WODIS

Sajjida Shah 7/4 vs Japan Women  in 2003

Nashra Sandhu 6/26 vs South Africa Women in 2025*

Sana Mir – 5/32 vs Netherlands Women in 2010

Moreover, Nashra Sandhu also reached the milestone of reaching 100 wickets in ODIs for Pakistan. She became the third player to reach the landmark for Green Shirts.

Most Wickets for Pakistan in WODIS

Sana Mir 120 matches 151 wickets

Nida Dar 112 matches 108 wickets

Nashra Sandhu* 74 104 wickets

At the time of filing this story, Pakistan were 48-1 in 16.3 overs with Sidra Amin and Muneeba Ali at the crease.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan Women: Fatima Sana (c), Muneeba Ali, Eyman Fatima, Sidra Amin, Natalia Pervaiz, Syed Aroob Shah, Rameen Shamim, Nashra Sandhu, Diana Baig, Omaima Sohail, Sidra Nawaz

South Africa Women: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Karabo Meso, Sune Luus, Miane Smit, Anneke Bosch, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Nonkululeko Mlaba

READ: Nashra Sandhu’s six-fer skittles South Africa for 115

LAHORE: Left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu’s six-wicket haul, followed by a composed half-century from Sidra Amin, sealed a consolatory win for Pakistan women against South Africa women in the final ODI of the three-match series here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.

Despite a dominant win, South Africa clinched the series 2-1 ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, set to begin at the end of this month.

Pakistan chased down the 116-run target on the loss of four wickets with 114 balls remaining. The girls in Green cruised to victory without any major hiccups, with Sidra Amin continuing her rich vein of form.

After losing the opener Omaima Sohail for a nought in the second over, Sidra Amin and Muneeba Ali paired up for a 65-run stand, which steadied Pakistan in the chase.

The stand culminated in the 22nd over as Muneeba departed for a well-made 44 from 76 balls, laced with six boundaries. South Africa struck again on the third ball of the over, removing skipper Fatima Sana for a duck, which reduced Pakistan to 66-3.

Yet, Sidra held firm and kept the score ticking alongside Natalia Pervaiz, who made 14 from 10 balls.

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The home side eventually got to target with Sidra Amin hitting the winning runs with a boundary. Sidra top-scored with 50* off 94 deliveries, studded with eight fours, whereas Eyman Fatima remained not out on three.

For South Africa, Nonkululeko Mlaba and Nadine de Klerk picked up two wickets each.

Earlier, after opting to bat first, South Africa could not capitalize on the decision and were bundled out for 115 in just 25.5 overs.

The openers started firmly with a 38-run partnership. However, Diana Baig removed the skipper, Laura Wolvaardt, who top-scored with 28 off 23 balls.

Sune Luus and Karabo Meso were also sent back in successive overs, which reduced South Africa to 59-3 in 9.1 overs. The visitors were in further dire straits once Nashra Sandhu came in to bowl.

The 27-year-old tore through South Africa’s middle-order with outstanding bowling and took a fifer in no time. Due to her spell, South Africa were reeling on 94-8 at the end of the 21st over.

With a dominant display from Pakistan, it was only a matter of time before the Proteas were bowled out, with Syed Aroob Shah removing the last two batters.

Nashra Sandhu remained the standout bowler, picking up six wickets for 26 runs in nine overs.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan Women: Fatima Sana (c), Muneeba Ali (wk), Eyman Fatima, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Syed Aroob Shah, Rameen Shamim, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.

South Africa Women: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Karabo Meso, Sune Luus, Miane Smit, Anneke Bosch, Miane Smit, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Nonkululeko Mlaba

READ: Quinton de Kock reverses retirement, returns for Pakistan tour