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COLOMBO: Dominant Zimbabwe sealed a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Oman in the eighth fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 here at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground on Monday.

Set meagre 105, Zimbabwe hit the winning runs in 13.3 overs, losing only two wickets in the process.

Tadiwanashe Marumani and Brian Bennett added 30 for the opening wicket in 3.1 overs before Oman made a comeback with back-to-back wickets to put the Chevrons in trouble.

After a double blow, veteran batter Brendan Taylor and Brian Bennett steadied the innings with a 68 run parntership.

Taylor made 31 from 30 balls with the help of three fours. He left the crease after retiring hurt with Zimbabwe requiring 11 to win.

Sikandar Raza eventually finished the match with a boundary while Bennett, who top-scored, remained unbeaten on 48 from 36 balls, laced with seven boundaries.

For Oman, Sufyan Mehmood picked up two wickets.

Earlier, Zimbabwe’s quick bowling twin towers Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani shared six wickets as Oman, who were asked to bat first, were skittled for 103 in 19.5 overs.

The beanpole pace men extracted lively bounce with the new ball in the Group B encounter, reducing Oman to 27-5 with none of their top order managing to get into double figures.

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A face-saving 42-run stand for the sixth wicket between Sufyan Mehmood and Vinayak Shukla briefly stopped the rot and gave Oman a sniff of respectability.

But Ngarava returned for a second burst to snap the stand and put Zimbabwe firmly in charge.

Ngarava finished with 3-17 and Muzarabani 3-16.

Brad Evans provided the perfect first-change foil, hitting a nagging line and length to take 3-18 and ensure there was no way back for the associate side, who were bowled out in 19.5 overs.

Shukla top-scored for Oman with 28, and Mehmood got 25.

Playing XIs:

Oman: Jatinder Singh (c), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla(wk), Sufyan Mehmood, Nadeem Khan, Shah Faisal, and Shakeel Ahmed.

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, and Blessing Muzarabani.

READ: ICC, PCB officials meet to revive Pakistan-India T20 World Cup clash

The Pakistan Super League’s newest franchise, Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen, have officially unveiled their away jersey for the upcoming 11th edition of the PSL.

The franchise, one of two new teams alongside Sialkot Stallionz, revealed a striking maroon jersey with golden accents through a social media announcement.

“Different threads. Same fierceness. Crafted for battles away from home, this jersey stands for resilience, fearlessness, and the will to conquer anywhere the game takes us. Presenting the official away jersey of the Hyderabad Kingsmen,” the franchise wrote while unveiling the kit.

Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen secured their place in the PSL after being acquired by Fawad Sarwar’s Kingsmen Group, who won the franchise rights with a bid worth Rs1.75 billion (approximately $6.25 million).

On the field, the franchise has begun shaping a competitive squad.

They retained promising talents Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Maaz Sadaqat and Akif Javed, while also strengthening their lineup with the direct signing of Australian star batter Marnus Labuschagne for the upcoming season.

The team has also assembled an experienced coaching staff. Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie has been appointed head coach, with Grant Bradburn set to serve as fielding coach under his leadership.

The landmark PSL 11 season is scheduled to begin on March 26, while the much-anticipated player auction will take place on February 11.

READ: UAE send Mohammed Zohaib home from T20 World Cup 2026

United Arab Emirates (UAE) cricketer Mohammed Zohaib has been withdrawn from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and sent back home due to a breach of team discipline, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Monday.

In an official statement, the ECB said Zohaib was recalled to Dubai for violating team protocols, adding that further details regarding the matter would be shared at an appropriate time.

The decision comes just as the UAE prepare to begin their campaign in the 20-team tournament.

However, the player has contested the move, alleging that his removal was influenced by nationality.

Zohaib claimed that the team management consists entirely of individuals of Indian origin and insisted he was targeted because he is Pakistani.

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He has called on the ECB to launch a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding his dismissal.

The controversy has emerged at a crucial stage of the tournament, raising concerns about team dynamics and selection stability ahead of important fixtures.

Led by star batter Mohammad Waseem, the UAE are set to open their T20 World Cup campaign against New Zealand on Tuesday in Chennai.

The squad blends youth and experience, with key names including Alishan Sharafu, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique and Rohid Khan expected to play pivotal roles.

Following their opening clash, the team will travel to New Delhi for the remainder of their group-stage matches, where they are scheduled to face Canada, Afghanistan and South Africa on February 13, 16 and 18, respectively.

READ: Scotland thump Italy to register first win in T20 World Cup 2026

KOLKATA: Scotland registered their first victory of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a commanding 73-run triumph over tournament debutants Italy at Eden Gardens on Monday, courtesy of an all-round performance led by Michael Leask.

Defending a formidable total of 207, Scotland bundled Italy out for 134 in just 16.4 overs.

Leask starred with the ball, delivering a match-winning spell of 4 for 17 in his four overs, while Mark Watt chipped in with two wickets.

Brad Currie, Brad Wheal and Oliver Davidson also struck once each to keep Italy under constant pressure.

Italy showed brief resistance through Ben Manenti, who top-scored with a fighting 52 off 31 balls, striking five fours and a six.

Harry Manenti added a brisk 37 from 25 deliveries, including three sixes, while JJ Smuts contributed 22 off just 11 balls.

Anthony Mosca made 11, but the rest of the batting lineup faltered, and skipper Wayne Madsen did not bat after being ruled out mid-match due to a shoulder injury.

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Earlier, Scotland laid the foundation for their big total with a dominant opening stand between George Munsey and Michael Jones.

The pair kept the scoreboard ticking at a healthy rate, bringing up the team’s 50 inside seven overs and putting the Italian bowlers on the back foot.

Munsey led the charge with a fluent 84 off 54 deliveries, registering his 14th T20I half-century, while Jones provided solid support with 37 off 30 balls.

Their 126-run partnership was eventually broken by Grant Stewart, and Scotland lost another quick wicket when JJ Smuts dismissed Jones, leaving them at 136-2 in 14.5 overs.

Brandon McMullen and Richie Berrington then accelerated the innings with aggressive stroke play, adding 48 runs to push Scotland beyond the 150-run mark.

Berrington fell for 15, but McMullen continued the onslaught, finishing unbeaten on a blistering 41 off 18 balls, smashing four sixes.

Leask capped off Scotland’s innings in style with a fiery cameo of 22 from just five deliveries, including two fours and two sixes, ensuring Scotland crossed the 200-run mark.

READ: Hyderabad Kingsmen reveal official jersey ahead of PSL 11 debut

The Pakistan Super League’s newest franchise, Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen, have officially unveiled their playing jersey for the upcoming 11th edition of the PSL.

The franchise, one of two new teams alongside Sialkot Stallionz, revealed a striking black jersey with golden accents through a social media announcement.

“Designed for conquest. Threaded with legacy. Every stitch tells a story of pride, power, and purpose. Built for the battlefield and crafted for those who play like they own the field. Introducing the official home jersey of the Hyderabad Kingsmen,” the franchise wrote while unveiling the kit.

Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen secured their place in the PSL after being acquired by Fawad Sarwar’s Kingsmen Group, who won the franchise rights with a bid worth Rs1.75 billion (approximately $6.25 million).

On the field, the franchise has begun shaping a competitive squad.

They retained promising talents Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Maaz Sadaqat and Akif Javed, while also strengthening their lineup with the direct signing of Australian star batter Marnus Labuschagne for the upcoming season.

The team has also assembled an experienced coaching staff. Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie has been appointed head coach, with Grant Bradburn set to serve as fielding coach under his leadership.

The landmark PSL 11 season is scheduled to begin on March 26, while the much-anticipated player auction will take place on February 11.

READ: T20 World Cup 2026: Italy captain Madsen ruled out of Scotland clash

KOLKATA: Italy suffered a major setback in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Scotland as captain Wayne Madsen was forced out of the match after dislocating his shoulder at Eden Gardens on Monday.

The incident occurred during Italy’s historic first appearance at a T20 World Cup.

Fielding at midwicket in the fourth over of Scotland’s innings, Madsen dived in an attempt to stop a powerful pull shot from George Munsey but landed awkwardly on the practice pitches.

The experienced batter immediately signalled for medical assistance and was taken off the field with his left arm supported in a makeshift towel sling before being sent for X-rays at the venue.

At 42, Madsen remains Italy’s most seasoned campaigner and is featuring in his maiden T20 World Cup.

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Shoulder dislocations generally require a recovery period ranging from one to three weeks, although more serious cases can take several months, leaving uncertainty over his availability for the remainder of the tournament.

In Madsen’s absence, all-rounder Harry Manenti assumed captaincy duties for the rest of Scotland’s innings.

Scotland capitalised on the disruption and posted a formidable 207-4 after being put in to bat.

Italy now face a crucial phase in their campaign, with upcoming fixtures against Nepal in Mumbai on February 12, followed by matches against England on February 16 and West Indies on February 19, both in Kolkata.

READ: Dale Steyn offers help to spirited Nepal after near-upset against England

MUMBAI: Former South Africa fast-bowling great Dale Steyn has praised the Nepal cricket team’s fearless display and even offered his services to them after their dramatic performance against England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday.

Nepal pushed England to the brink in a thrilling contest but fell agonisingly short by just five runs, finishing on 180-6 while chasing a daunting 185-run target.

The spirited effort nearly produced one of the biggest upsets in tournament history and underlined Nepal’s growing reputation on the global stage.

Impressed by their fight, Steyn took to social media platform X and wrote: “Nepal, I offer my services to you if you ever need ’em! Up, up and UP.”

Nepal began the chase with intent as openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh stitched together a brisk 37-run stand.

Sheikh departed for 7, while Bhurtel continued the momentum with a lively 29 off 17 balls, including four boundaries and a six, before falling with the score at 42-2.

Captain Rohit Paudel then partnered Dipendra Singh Airee to revive the innings, adding a crucial 82-run stand in 54 balls.

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Airee led the charge with a fluent 44 off 29 deliveries, striking six fours and a six, before Sam Curran broke the partnership.

Paudel followed soon after for a composed 39 off 34 balls, leaving Nepal at 126-4 in the 16th over.

Nepal’s push suffered another setback when Aarif Sheikh fell for 10, but Lokesh Bam reignited hopes with a counter-attacking cameo.

With 24 needed from the final two overs, Mark Wood conceded 14 runs but removed Gulsan Jha, leaving Nepal requiring 10 off the last over.

Curran held his nerve brilliantly, conceding just five runs to seal a narrow victory for England.

Lokesh Bam remained unbeaten with 39 off just 20 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes, bringing Nepal within touching distance of a historic win.

READ: Paul Stirling joins Rohit Sharma in elite T20 World Cup list

Erling Haaland struck a stoppage-time penalty to earn Manchester City a dramatic 2-1 win at Liverpool on Sunday to reduce Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League back to six points.

City were heading for defeat at Anfield with six minutes to go before Bernardo Silva cancelled out Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick to spark an incredible finale.

Haaland put City in front from the spot before the visitors had another goal ruled out, and Szoboszlai was sent off in the same incident after a VAR review.

Victory was City’s first away to Liverpool in front of a crowd since 2003 and applies some pressure to Arsenal’s quest for a first title in 22 years.

“I feel the whole team knew before the game, if we lost it then the title race was probably over,” said Silva. “We felt like we needed to win.”

Defeat delivered another blow to Liverpool’s hopes of Champions League football next season.

The defending champions remain down in sixth and four points adrift of the top five.

These two clubs have combined to win the last eight Premier League titles, but both showed the flaws which have opened the door for Arsenal to potentially end their long wait to be crowned champions of England once again.

Haaland has scored just once from open play in his last 13 games, and an uncharacteristic lack of confidence from the Norwegian showed with the best chance of the first half inside the opening two minutes.

Silva’s clever pass split the Liverpool defence, but Haaland’s shot lacked conviction under pressure from Milos Kerkez, and Alisson Becker was able to save low to his left.

Second-half slumps have been a consistent feature of City’s season and the visitors again faded in the second period until a late flurry saved their title challenge.

“Second half we pressed really high and played good football,” said Liverpool boss Arne Slot. “We have improved so much, but we need to improve the results.”

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Marc Guehi was relentlessly booed after his proposed move to Liverpool from Crystal Palace broke down on transfer deadline day in September.

City took advantage to swoop in last month when they lost two key centre-backs to injury.

Guehi was fortunate to escape with just a yellow card when he dragged down Mo Salah just outside the box in a decision that infuriated Slot.

But it was City who were left fuming at the award of the free-kick, which led to the opener when Ryan Gravenberch went down under minimal contact.

Szoboszlai scored the only goal with an outrageous free-kick when Arsenal visited Anfield in August and produced another stunning strike which clipped the inside of the post before finding the net.

However, the Hungarian went from hero to villain when City levelled six minutes from time.

Szoboszlai played Silva onside as he slid in to volley home Haaland’s header for City’s first second-half goal in the Premier League this year.

Alisson then wiped out Matheus Nunes to concede a penalty, and Haaland kept his cool from the spot to put City in front.

Pep Guardiola’s men then needed a stunning save from Gianluigi Donnarumma to tip behind Alexis Mac Allister’s deflected shot.

With Alisson remaining forward from the resulting corner, the Liverpool goal was open when Rayan Cherki took aim from the halfway line to roll the ball into an empty net.

However, Haaland and Szoboszlai’s grappling as the ball trickled towards the goal saw the strike ruled out, with a free-kick awarded to City instead, and the Liverpool player given his marching orders.

READ: Real Madrid keep pressure on Barcelona with tight win at Valencia

Alvaro Carreras and Kylian Mbappe’s goals earned Real Madrid a battling 2-0 win at Valencia on Sunday to close the gap to La Liga leaders Barcelona to one point.

After the Spanish champions had beaten Mallorca on Saturday, Alvaro Arbeloa’s side eked out a tight victory at Mestalla to keep the pressure on their arch-rivals.

Missing suspended forward Vinicius Junior and injured midfielder Jude Bellingham, Los Blancos lacked sparkle but did just enough to claim three points on Spain’s east coast.

England international Trent Alexander-Arnold made his return after injury as a substitute in the second half of Madrid’s victory.

Arbeloa’s side had the better chances in the first half but failed to create danger on a consistent basis in a gritty encounter.

Arda Guler’s shot deflected narrowly wide, while Valencia stopper Stole Dimitrievski saved well with his legs from Mbappe’s fierce drive.

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Real Madrid right-back David Jimenez, from the club’s youth academy, came closest to scoring after French superstar Mbappe teed him up, but the Macedonian goalkeeper denied him, too.

Midway through the second half, Carreras conjured a goal out of nothing to give Madrid the lead.

Drifting inside from the left of the box, the defender used his weaker right foot to stroke the ball inside Dimitrievski’s near post.

Valencia might have levelled but Lucas Beltran’s effort on the stretch beat Thibaut Courtois and clipped the post.

Arbeloa brought on Alexander-Arnold for his first appearance since early December following a thigh injury, as Madrid looked to close out the game.

They eventually secured the three points in stoppage time as Brahim Diaz teed up La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe, who finished calmly for his 23rd goal in the competition this season.

Valencia’s fans, some of whom had waved white handkerchieves during the match in protest at the club’s situation, headed for the exits with Los Che 17th, one point above the drop zone.

READ: Confident Markram banks on Test success for T20 World Cup

South Africa skipper Aiden Markram on Sunday said his team enters the T20 World Cup with confidence and self-belief boosted by their World Test Championship triumph last year.

Runners-up in 2024, South Africa begin their campaign in the 20-team tournament against Canada at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday.

The Proteas in June 2025 beat Australia in the World Test Championship final to win their first major International Cricket Council trophy and shrug off their “chokers” tag.

Pace bowler Kagiso Rabada had recently spoken about the change in public perception about South Africa’s presence in global tournaments and Markram said he thinks the same.

“I think KG is a lot more involved in social media. I’m pretty useless on my phone,” Markram told reporters.

“But it does feel that way — the belief, confidence, monkey off the back and all those things play a role in the language and behaviour within the camp.

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“It definitely helps. But having said that, you don’t come here thinking it’s suddenly going to be easy. We still have to be at our best. The WTC trophy definitely gave us belief and confidence within the group.”

South Africa agonisingly lost the 2024 T20 World Cup final to India when needing 30 off the last 30 balls only to fall short by seven runs.

They are clubbed with New Zealand, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates and Canada in Group D.

Markram admits playing an associate nation could be tricky in a format where upsets are inevitable.

“The gap between Associate nations and the other countries has become much smaller,” said Markram.

“In this format, it just takes one or two players having a really good day for an upset to happen. Even at the start of this World Cup, we’ve seen some close games that could have gone either way.”

In Group A on the opening day, Pakistan survived a scare against the Netherlands and defending champions India were reduced to 77-6 before they triumphed over the United States.

READ: T20 World Cup: Theekshana, Hasaranga star as Sri Lanka beat Ireland