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Jacob Bethell underlined his importance to England’s T20 World Cup hopes as he spun them to a hard-fought 12-run win over Sri Lanka to complete a 3-0 clean sweep at Pallekele on Tuesday.

The series served as a dress rehearsal for the 20-nation showpiece that Sri Lanka is co-hosting with India.

The contest hung in the balance heading into the 18th over with Sri Lanka needing 21 runs off 18 balls with four wickets in hand, but the part-time spin of Bethel turned the game.

The left-armer snared three wickets in a dramatic over to flip the game on its head as the hosts were skittled for 116 with three balls to spare. Bethel finished with career-best figures of four for 11.

“It was one of the most fun games I have been part of,” said England captain Harry Brook.

“We showed we can adapt to challenging conditions. Today we bowled 16 overs of spin and to do that against a Sri Lankan side in their own conditions is really satisfying.”

England had mustered only 128 for nine but showcased their depth and nous, defending a total that looked well below par on a surface offering turn and bounce.

After just four overs from the quicks, the spinners took centre stage and wove a web around the Sri Lankan batters, much as they had throughout the tour.

The spinners had been pivotal in England’s ODI series triumph in Colombo last week and again proved the ace up their sleeve.

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England head to India to launch their World Cup campaign with momentum at their backs, while Sri Lanka have plenty of soul-searching to do with their frailties against spin brutally exposed.

Bethel found able allies in Will Jacks, who bagged three wickets, while fellow tweakers Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson chipped in with one apiece to keep the hosts on a tight leash.

Sam Curran, England’s hero in the opening game with a hat-trick, showed his all-round pedigree in the dead rubber, carving out a career-best 58 from 48 balls to rescue the side that had slipped to 60 for six.

Returning quick Dushmantha Chameera, back after a groin injury, was a rare bright spark for Sri Lanka, claiming his maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is. His five for 24 are the best figures in England-Sri Lanka contests and the third-best ever at Pallekele.

“Very disappointing. We need to address a few areas, especially the options we take against spin bowling,” said Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka.

“I thought we had addressed that issue in the last game but the old problems resurfaced again.”

Both sides begin their World Cup campaign next Sunday, with Sri Lanka hosting Ireland in Colombo, while England face Nepal in Mumbai.

READ: PSL 11: Haris, Fakhar released as Lahore Qalandars announce retentions

The defending champions of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Lahore Qalandars have released Haris Rauf and Fakhar Zaman ahead of the historic auction, which will be held on February 11.

The franchise revealed the retained players in an animated poster on social media.

Among the retained players are skipper Shaheen Afridi (Platinum), middle-order batter Abdullah Shafiqe (Diamond), all-rounder Sikandar Raza (Gold), and Mohammad Naeem (Silver).

 

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With the limitation to retain one player from each of the four categories, the Qalandars have let go of their ace duo of Zaman and Rauf, who were placed in the Platinum category alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi.

It is worth noting that PSL is set to move to an auction format, marking a shift from the traditional draft system that has been in place since its adoption.

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Under the new structure, each franchise is allowed to retain up to four players, with one player per category.

Moreover, this time around, teams could not retain up to eight players, along with additional provisions such as mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match (RTM) option.

The PCB has also abolished the mentor, brand ambassador, and RTM clauses altogether, streamlining the squad-building process ahead of the auction.

For the unversed, the PSL 11 will get underway on March 26, 2026, and will mark Faisalabad’s first-ever stint as a host city. The venue will join Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, expanding the league to five host cities.

READ: England defeat Australia to reach U19 World Cup final

BULAWAYO: Skipper Thomas Rew led from the front with a sublime century, ably backed by the bowlers, to power England to a 27-run victory over Australia in the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026 here at the Queens Sports Club.

Set stiff 278, Australia fell short and were bowled out for 250 in 47.3 overs despite their skipper Olivier Peake’s spirited batting effort.

Notably, this is the first time since 1998 that England U19 have qualified for the final.

Will Malajczuk and Nitesh Samuel added 32 for the opening wicket in 5.4 overs. Malajczuk was trapped lbw after scoring 15 from 12 balls.

The next wicket also fell in quick succession as Steven Hogan was caught after managing just three from 23 balls.

As a result, Australia were under pressure early in their innings with 47-2 in 12.3 overs.

But Oliver Peake and Nitesh Samuel launched a recovery with a 62-run partnership and put the chase back on track.

The scorecard read 109 in 24.3 overs when Ralphie Albert provided the much-needed breakthrough in the form of Samuel’s wicket. He was out stumped after scoring 47 from 83 balls with the aid of a six and three fours.

The wicket brought England back into the mix as Australia lost two more wickets in quick succession. Consequently, they were reduced to 134-5 in 31.4 overs with Peake standing firm at one end.

He stitched a vital 46-run stand with Aryan Sharma for the sixth wicket partnership that revived their chase.

But Aryan’s brisk knock was ended on the fourth ball of the 37th over as England sniffed an opening. He made 34 from 23 with the aid of six fours.

England chipped in with a couple of more wickets, and Australia were left tottering for 207-8 in 42.1 overs.

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Australia’s hopes were all on Peak, who was standing firm and with his side requiring an uphill task to climb — 54 required from 30 balls, he did something magical to put his team back in the game.

In the 46th over of the game, Peak took on Lumsden for a six and four consecutive boundaries to bring down the equation to 32 from 24 balls.

However, he ran out of partners at the other end despite reaching his century, and eventually was caught at covers as the Three Lions sealed a memorable win.

The left-hander top-scored for his side with 100 off 88 balls, including a six and 10 fours.

For England, Sebastian Morgan and James Minto remained the standout bowlers with two wickets to their name.

Earlier, after opting to bat first, England racked up 277-7 in 50 overs.

England were put in early trouble at 60-3 in 14 overs when their captain Thomas Rew was joined by Caleb Falconer. The pair forged a 135-run partnership that laid a foundation for a strong total.

The stand eventually culminated in the 35th over with Calob Falconer’s wicket. The all-rounder made 40 off 53 with the aid of four boundaries.

Despite his wicket, Rew continued on and went on to score a century. His knock ended in the 42nd over. He managed 110 from 107 balls, peppered with 14 fours and a six.

In Australia, Hayden Schiller and Naden Cooray took a brace. Meanwhile, Aryan Sharma and Hayden Schiller took one wicket each.

READ: Quetta Gladiators retentions revealed for PSL 11

Peshawar Zalmi has retained ace batter Babar Azam for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11, the franchise confirmed on Tuesday.

Zalmi shared the much-anticipated retention update in a social media post with an animated poster.

“Locked in and confirmed. Here’s the Yellow Storm shaping up for #HBLPSL11,” the caption of the post read.

Babar Azam (Platinum) has been retained, whereas the ace batter Saim Ayub was released as per the new framework of the auction system.

Saim Ayub joined the outfit in the 2022 season and played 33 matches, amassing 860 runs at a strike rate of 152.48.

 

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Besides Babar, Sufiyan Muqeem (Diamond), Abdul Samad (Gold), and Ali Raza (Emerging) also secured their spots in the team ahead of the auction.

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It is worth noting that PSL is set to move to an auction model, marking a shift from the traditional draft system.

Under the new structure, each franchise is allowed to retain up to four players, with one player per category.

Moreover, this time around, teams could not retain up to eight players, along with additional provisions such as mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match (RTM) option.

The PCB has also abolished the mentor, brand ambassador, and RTM clauses altogether, streamlining the squad-building process ahead of the auction.

For the unversed, the PSL 11 will get underway on March 26, 2026, and will mark Faisalabad’s first-ever stint as a host city. The venue will join Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, expanding the league to five host cities.

READ: Quetta Gladiators retentions revealed for PSL 11

Quetta Gladiators have announced their retentions for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11, which begins on 26 March.

The outfit announced the retentions on their social media handles.

Among those retained are Abrar Ahmed (platinum), Usman Tariq (Diamond), Hassan Nawaz (Gold), and Shamyl Hussain in the emerging category.

“Retained. Reloaded. Ready,” Quetta Gladiators social handle wrote in an animated reel.

The winners of the 2019 edition had earlier revealed their category renewals, which included Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Amir, and Abrar Ahmed in the Platinum category.

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The emerging category included Mohammad Zeeshan and Shamyl Hussain. While Khurram Shahzad, Haseebullah Khan, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Hassan Nawaz, and Danish Aziz were named in the Gold category.

The diamond category included Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Wasim Jr and Usman Tariq.

It is worth noting that PSL is set to move to an auction format, marking a shift from the traditional draft system.

Under the new structure, each franchise is allowed to retain up to four players, with one player per category.

Moreover, this time around, teams could not retain up to eight players, along with additional provisions such as mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match (RTM) option.

The PCB has also abolished the mentor, brand ambassador, and RTM clauses altogether, streamlining the squad-building process ahead of the auction.

For the unversed, the PSL 11 will get underway on March 26, 2026, and will mark Faisalabad’s first-ever stint as a host city. The venue will join Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, expanding the league to five host cities.

READ: Islamabad United retentions revealed ahead of PSL 11

Fast bowler Hasan Ali has been retained by the 2020 winners of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Karachi Kings ahead of the historic auction, scheduled to be held on February 11.

The Kings shared the retentions update in an animated poster on their social media accounts.

“Core secured. The KingsSquad starts strong as we present our top four retentions for HBL PSL 11,” the caption wrote.

 

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Hasan and Abbas Afridi are retained in the Platinum and Diamond categoryies respectively. All-rounder Khushdil Shah is retained in Gold, while Saad Baig is in the Emerging category.

The Kings have picked Khushdil Shah among the other players in Gold — Aamer Jamal, Irfan Khan Niazi, Mir Hamza, Zahid Mahmood, Omair bin Yousuf, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Arafat Minhas.

All-rounder Abbas Afridi was picked over Test skipper Shan Masood, whereas Saad emerged as a pick in the emerging category, which included Riazahullah, Fawad Ali, and Saad Baig.

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Under the new structure, each franchise may retain up to four players, with one player per category.

This time, teams are not allowed to retain up to eight players, and have other provisions, such as mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match (RTM) option, which has been in the rules since the inception of PSL.

For the upcoming season, the PCB has also abolished the mentor, brand ambassador, and RTM clauses altogether, streamlining the squad-building process ahead of the auction.

The PSL 11 will get underway on March 26, 2026, and will mark Faisalabad’s first-ever stint as a host city. The venue will join Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, expanding the league to five host cities.

READ: Islamabad United retentions revealed ahead of PSL 11

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United has announced its retentions ahead of the landmark auction, scheduled for February 11.

The three-time PSL winners, United, have announced their retentions via their social channels.

Among those retained are skipper Shadab Khan, Andries Gours, and Salman Irshad.

“More big news coming soon. @shadab0800 – Platinum @salman150kph – Gold
@gousie08 – Silver. These are the 3 retentions for #HBLPSL season 11,” the caption of the post read.

 

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In the Platinum category, Islamabad had named six players — Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, and Imad Wasim, the most among all franchises.

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In the Gold category, United have picked pacer Salman Irshad, a list which included Rumman Raees, Azam Khan, and Haider Ali. While they have decided to retain USA Andries Gous in the Silver category.

For the unversed, the PSL 11 will get underway on March 26, 2026, and will mark Faisalabad’s first-ever stint as a host city. The venue will join Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, expanding the league to five host cities.

It is worth noting that PSL is set to move to an auction format, marking a shift from the traditional draft system.

Under the new structure, each franchise are allowed to retain up to four players, with one player per category.

Moreover, this time around, teams could not retain up to eight players, along with additional provisions such as mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match (RTM) option.

For PSL 11, the PCB has also abolished the mentor, brand ambassador and RTM clauses altogether, streamlining the squad-building process ahead of the auction.

READ: Is Steve Smith joining Sialkot Stallionz for PSL 11?

The Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) newest franchise, Sialkot Stallionz, have reportedly secured the services of former Australia captain Steve Smith ahead of the 11th edition of the marquee league, sources told on Tuesday.

According to reliable sources, Smith has been directly signed by the Sialkot-based outfit before the PSL’s first-ever player auction, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 11.

The development comes just weeks after Sialkot Stallionz were officially introduced as one of the two new franchises in the PSL.

The team’s ownership rights were acquired by OZ Developers, owned by Hamza Majeed and Kamil Khan, during the historic PSL 2026 auction held at the Jinnah Convention Centre on January 8.

OZ Developers sealed the deal with a record bid of Rs 1.85 billion, making it the most expensive franchise purchase in PSL history.

The Stallionz had earlier appointed former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Tim Paine as their head coach, and sources suggest Smith will now play under his former international teammate in PSL 11.

Notably, Smith has never featured in the PSL before.

However, the veteran batter arrives with strong T20 form, having enjoyed a sensational outing in the recently concluded Big Bash League (BBL) season 15, where he represented Sydney Sixers.

Smith played six matches, scoring 299 runs at an average of 59.80 and a strike rate of 167.97, including a blistering 42-ball century.

Overall, Smith has played 272 T20 matches, scoring 6,242 runs at an average of 32.68 and a strike rate of 131.38, including five centuries and 30 half-centuries.

It is pertinent to note that under PSL 11 regulations, each franchise is allowed one direct signing of a foreign player who did not feature in PSL 10, a clause that appears to have been utilised by Sialkot Stallionz to land the Australian star.

READ: T20 World Cup: $500m at stake if Pakistan skips India clash

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal are “actively looking” for a replacement for the injured Mikel Merino in the closing hours of the transfer window.

Merino, who has been a valuable contributor in midfield and attack for the Gunners, could miss the rest of the season with a fractured right foot that requires surgery.

Arteta stressed how significant the Spain international’s absence as Arsenal compete to win four trophies.

The Arsenal boss hopes his club can come up with a new signing to fill the void before Monday’s 1900GMT deadline.

“We are actively looking at options and we will continue to do that,” Arteta told reporters on Monday.

“When you lose a big player like this with four months to go, and all the competitions to play for, you need to look and we need to do everything we possibly can to see if a player is available.”

The loss of Merino has been tempered by the return to fitness of Germany forward Kai Havertz.

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There was further good news for Arsenal as Arteta revealed an injury that kept England winger Bukayo Saka out of Saturday’s 4-0 win over Leeds is only minor.

“Today, he (Saka) was better. Let’s see how he responds. It doesn’t look like something too serious,” Arteta added ahead of Tuesday’s League Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea

“Whether he is available for tomorrow or the weekend, we will have to wait and see.”

Arsenal remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple.

Arteta’s side hold a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League, have progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League and face third-tier Wigan in the FA Cup fourth round.

But the Spaniard is focused on reaching the League Cup final as his side’s first opportunity to end a six-year trophy drought.

Arsenal hold a 3-2 lead over Chelsea ahead of the second leg on home soil at the Emirates Stadium.

“The next one is always the most important one. And it is the closest, at least, to reach a final,” said Arteta.

“We really need to create the atmosphere, the energy, the belief that we’re going to do it.”

READ: Barca coach Flick unhappy over Raphinha thigh strain

Barcelona will be without winger Raphinha for the Copa del Rey clash at second-tier Albacete on Tuesday because of a thigh strain, and coach Hansi Flick said something had to “change” regarding the Brazilian’s preparation.

Raphinha’s injury, sustained in the win over Elche on Saturday in La Liga, is expected to keep him out for only a week, but Flick was notably upset by the issue.

The winger missed two months with a hamstring injury earlier this season and is a key player for the Spanish champions.

“To be honest I’m not happy with this, really, because he’s a very important player,” Flick told a news conference Monday.

“We have to see what we have to change and also what he has to change. We’ll speak about that in the next days because it’s important.

“This is the important phase in the season, we need every player to be able to play and when he’s out, it’s not good.”

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Barcelona have not lost a match this season, which Raphinha has started.

Albacete defeated Real Madrid in the previous round of the competition, and Flick said he was not surprised.

“This is why we love (cup games), there are sometimes unexpected results,” said the coach.

“Of course it’s like that — they have nothing to lose, they have only to win.”

According to Spanish reports German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, on loan at Girona, has suffered a hamstring injury which could keep him out for two months.

“I didn’t speak with him but I’m very sorry for him, but we have to wait for the results and we’ll see what happened,” added Flick.

Ter Stegen has played two games for Girona after joining them in January until the end of the season.

READ: PSL 11: PCB finalises five bidders for Multan Sultans auction