Cricket - Icc
INDIA AND AUSTRALIA RETAIN TOP POSITIONS IN MEN’S AND WOMEN’S T20I
Dubai (Sports News): India and Australia have retained their positions at the top of the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings and the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, respectively, following the annual updates carried out on Tuesday.The latest rankings, which rate all matches played since May 2025 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent, see India’s lead over England trimmed from 14 to 13 points in the men’s table while Australia’s lead over England in the women’s rankings has reduced from 18 to 12 points.India, who retained their title in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup played in India and Sri Lanka this year, are on 275 points, still enjoying a comfortable lead over England (262) and Australia a close third with 258 points in the updated rankings, which see the top seven positions unchanged. New Zealand (247), South Africa (244), Pakistan (240) and the West Indies (233) are the other teams in the top 10 to have retained their positions.Sri Lanka have dropped six rating points and slipped below Bangladesh to ninth position and are now just one point ahead of Afghanistan while the USA have leapfrogged the Netherlands and Scotland to take 13th position. In other movements in the top 20, Nepal have overtaken the United Arab Emirates to 17th position while Oman have moved past Canada to 19th.In other notable changes, Italy have gained 11 points and moved from 26th to 23rd, Spain’s 12-point gain sees them advance from 30th to 26th, Cyprus have gained 10 points to progress from 64th to 53rd and Eswatini have gained 10 points to move from 74th to 65th.Mozambique are the biggest losers, dropping 15 places to 87th position after the latest update that sees a reduction in the number of ranked teams from 102 to 98 with Fiji, Gambia, Greece and Israel not making the cut as they did not play the requisite eight T20Is in the past three years.The Women’s T20I Rankings sees an unchanged top 16 teams with Australia No.1 with 287 points, England on 275 and India third with 264.New Zealand (253), South Africa (243) and the West Indies (238) complete the lineup from fourth to sixth with Sri Lanka (237) closing the gap to just one point while retaining seventh place. Similarly, Bangladesh are just one point behind ninth-placed Ireland after gaining five points.The USA have moved from 22nd to 20th and Germany from 35th to 29th after the latest update, that sees 78 teams ranked after having played at least eight T20Is over the past three yearsCambodia have dropped out of the rankings and need to play four more matches to regain their ranking while Peru are no longer rated as they have not played any match for three years.
Sahibzada Farhan declared ICC Player of Month in T20
Islamabad (Sports News):Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan has been named the ICC Player of the Month for his extra-ordinary performances in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 during February while India seam bowler Arundhati Reddy has won the women’s award after her fine performances in a T20I series in Australia.Sahibzada won the award ahead of many stalwarts as he broke Virat Kohli’s record runs in one edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and became the first to register two centuries in a single edition of the tournament - against Namibia and Sri Lanka.The dynamic opener amassed 383 runs in seven T20Is at an impressive average of 76.60, while maintaining a strike rate of 160.25. His performances stood out from the tournament for the monthly award as the final two Super Eight fixtures and the knockout stages took place in March and will be evaluated in the next cycle.Sahibzada Farhan: “It’s an incredible feeling to win this ICC award, especially for performances on the World Cup stage, where fans from all over the world are watching every moment. That makes it even more special.“It was truly a tournament I’ll always cherish, and I’m determined to carry this momentum forward in the series and competitions ahead. I’m deeply grateful to my teammates for their constant support and belief in me - this wouldn’t have been possible without them.”Reddy shone with her fine seam bowling Down Under, helping India win their T20I series against Australia by a 2-1 margin. Reddy was the leading wicket-taker in the series with hauls of four for 22, two for 30 and two 35 in the three matches, finishing with an average of 10.87 and an economy rate of 7.25.Arundhati Reddy: “It’s a real honour to be named ICC Player of the Month, and even more special knowing I was able to contribute to a T20I series win in Australia. Beating Australia on their home turf is never easy, which makes this award even more meaningful.“This series win has given our team a huge boost of confidence as we build towards the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales this summer. We’ve got a well-balanced squad, and I believe we’ll be a team to watch.”Sahibzada won the men’s award ahead of Will Jacks of England and Shadley van Schalwyk of the USA while Harshitha Samarawickrama of Sri Lanka and Fatima Sana of Pakistan were the shortlisted players Reddy edged out for the women’s award.
ODI Ranking: Salman Agha earns career-best, Mehidy returns to top 10
Abdullah AsjadISLAMABAD: Pakistani all-rounder, Salman Ali Agha has surged to a career-best ninth position in the ICC Men’s ODI batting rankings, while Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz has returned to the top 10 among bowlers in the latest weekly update on Wednesday.Salman’s fluent knocks of 64 and 106 in the second and third ODIs at Mirpur have powered his rise from 18th to joint-ninth with India’s K.L. Rahul. Mehidy’s hauls of three for 29 and two for 34 in the first two matches have helped him gallop nine places to seventh position.Salman and Mehidy have also progressed in the all-rounders’ list, Salman up to joint-10th from seventh and Mehidy jumping two slots to second in the list led by Azmatullah Omarzai of Afghanistan.Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Tanzid Hasan has also made a significant leap, jumping 31 places to 55th after registering his maiden ODI century in the series decider, as the hosts sealed a 2-1 victory. Towhid Hridoy (up two places to 32nd) and Litton Das (up 10 places to 82nd) are other Bangladesh batters to gain.Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed’s haul of four for 49 in the third match has lifted him from 40th to 28th position even as Mustafizur Rahman (up 13 places to 47th) and Nahid Rana (up 65 places to 98th) have also made notable progress.Pakistan fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf have inched up one slot each to 17th and 19th positions, respectively. Shaheen grabbed four wickets in three matches and Haris six in two. Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed is the only Pakistan bowler ahead of the pair, in 13th position.In the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner’s figures of 4-0-8-1 and 3-0-19-2 in the first two T20Is against South Africa have enabled him to move up from 24th to 13th in the bowling rankings.Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is another New Zealander to progress, his haul of three for 16 in the second match in Hamilton lifting him from 69th to 51st position while South Africa fast bowler Ottneil Baartman’s three wickets in two matches see him go from 96th to 73rd.New Zealand’s left-handed opener Devon Conway has moved up to 70th after his knock of 60 in the second match.
ICC PLAYER OF THE MONTH NOMINEES FOR FEBRUARY
Dubai (Sports News): Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan, England all-rounder Will Jacks and United States of America fast bowler Shadley van Schalkwyk have been shortlisted for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for February while Sri Lanka batter Harshitha Samarawickrama, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana and India seam bowler Arundhati Reddy complete the women’s shortlist.Sahibzada outshone other batters with a record aggregate in an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup while Will Jacks and Schalkwyk were other standout performers. All three were in the ICC Team of the Tournament announced at the end of the event, Schalkwyk named as the 12th player.Men’s shortlistSahibzada Farhan (Pakistan)The hard-hitting opener amassed 383 runs at an average of 76.60 and a strike-rate of 160.25 in seven T20Is during the tournament. He broke Virat Kohli’s record runs in one edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and became the first to register two centuries in a single edition - against Namibia and Sri Lanka.Will Jacks (England)Jacks had a superb run with both bat and ball. He scored 192 runs at a strike-rate of 173.21 and grabbed 11 wickets at an economy rate of 8.04 in nine T20Is as his team made the semifinals of the tournament. He won four Player of the Match awards.Shadley van Schalkwyk (USA)Van Schalkwyk finished with 13 wickets at an economy rate of 6.80 in four matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. He ended the initial group stage as the leading wicket-taker, grabbing four for 25 against both India and Pakistan and following up with a haul of three for 21 against the NetherlandsWomen’s shortlistHarshitha Samarawickrama helped win an ODI series in the West Indies with two half-centuries, Fatima Sana put up a fine-all-round effort in both ODIs and T20Is during the period while Arundhati Reddy was the leading wicket-taker in India’s T20I series win in Australia.Harshitha Samarawickrama (Sri Lanka)The left-hand batter scored 171 runs averaging 57.00 at a strike-rate of 60.85 in three ODIs that helped defeat the West Indies 2-1 in the Caribbean. She finished as the leading run-scorer in the series with knocks of 66, 35 and 70.Fatima Sana (Pakistan)Fatima scored 57 runs in two ODIs against South Africa at a strike-rate of 126.66 and also grabbed two wickets. She was the leading scorer in the T20Is in South Africa, striking 90 in the first match and an unbeaten 47 in the third. She also took two wickets.Arundhati Reddy (India)Reddy was the leading wicket-taker as India won their three-match T20I series in Australia by a 2-1 margin. She grabbed four for 22, two for 30 and two 35 in the three matches to finish with an average of 10.87 and an economy rate of 7.25.
MATCH OFFICIALS NAMED FOR ICC MEN’S T20 WORLD CUP 2026 FINAL
Islamabad (Sports News): English pair Richard Illingworth and Alex Wharf will be in the middle for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad.Illingworth will take charge of his second consecutive Men’s T20 World Cup Final, having stood alongside Chris Gaffaney in 2024.It continues Illingworth's impressive recent record of appointments, having also stood in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Final and the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 Final.He is joined by compatriot Wharf, who will oversee his first senior ICC World Cup Final.Wharf previously stood at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 events before he joined the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires last year.The pair, who were together in the middle for New Zealand’s semi-final victory over South Africa on Wednesday, are supported by third umpire Allahuddien Paleker and fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock, while the match referee is Andy Pycroft.South African Paleker was elevated to the Elite Panel of Umpires alongside Wharf in March 2025 and has stood in six matches during the tournament.ICC Match Officials:On-field Umpires: Richard Illingworth and Alex WharfThird Umpire: Allahuddien PalekerFourth Umpire: Adrian HoldstockMatch Referee: Andy Pycroft
OFFICIALS NAMED FOR ICC MEN’S T20 WORLD CUP 2026 SEMI-FINALS
Islamabad (Sports Desk):Richard Illingworth and Alex Wharf will be the on-field umpires for the first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand on Wednesday.Illingworth was in the middle for South Africa’s victory at this stage two years ago, when the Proteas dismissed Afghanistan for 56 and won by nine wickets, while Wharf oversaw New Zealand’s win over the same opposition in the group stage this time around.The pair will be joined in Kolkata by Nitin Menon as third umpire, with Rod Tucker in place as fourth umpire and Javagal Srinath appointed as match referee.The second semi-final between India and England, in Mumbai, will be overseen by on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Allahuddien Paleker.The two nations met at the same stage in 2024, a match India won by 68 runs, with Gaffaney also in place for that one. In this competition so far, he has been in the middle for India’s matches against South Africa and the West Indies.Paleker has taken control of two England matches, against the West Indies and Scotland, as well as India’s victory over the Netherlands.Adrian Holdstock will be the third umpire in Mumbai, with Paul Reiffel the fourth umpire. Andy Pycroft is the match referee.Semi-Final 1: Kolkata, Wednesday 4 March 2026South Africa v New ZealandOn-Field Umpires: Richard Illingworth & Alex WharfThird Umpire: Nitin MenonFourth Umpire: Rod TuckerMatch Referee: Javagal SrinathSemi-Final 2: Mumbai, Thursday 5 March 2026India v EnglandOn-Field Umpires: Chris Gaffaney & Allahuddien PalekerThird Umpire: Adrian HoldstockFourth Umpire: Paul ReiffelMatch Referee: Andy Pycroft
T20 World Cup: MATCH OFFICIALS NAMED FOR SUPER EIGHTS
Dubai (Sports News):Rodney Tucker and Paul Reiffel will be in the middle for the opening Super Eights match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.New Zealand take on Pakistan in Colombo on Saturday as Group 2 gets underway, with Allahudien Paleker in place as TV Umpire and Sam Nogajski taking on the role of Fourth Umpire.Tucker and Nogajski will be the on-field team on 28 February when Sri Lanka face Pakistan in Kandy, while Nogajski will also oversee England’s match with Pakistan at the same venue on 24 February alongside Nitin Menon.Adrian Holdstock is also part of the Sri Lankan-based officials’ team for the Super Eights stage and will be on-field alongside Ahsan Raza for England’s clashes with the co-hosts in Kandy on 22 February and New Zealand five days later.Paleker and Asif Yaqoob will be in the middle for Sri Lanka’s meeting with New Zealand in Colombo on 25 February.Group 1 begins with co-hosts India taking on South Africa on 22 February and the experienced duo of Richard Kettleborough and Chris Gaffaney will be taking charge, assisted by TV Umpire Alex Wharf and Fourth Umpire Chris Brown.Gaffaney and Wharf join forces for the final match of the Super Eight stage, India’s match with the West Indies in Kolkata on March 1, while Wharf and Kettleborough are the on-field duo for the co-hosts’ clash with Zimbabwe on 26 February.Zimbabwe are unbeaten after the group stage and will hope to take that momentum into their clash with the similarly in-form West Indies on 23 February, with Richard Illingworth and Jayaraman Madanagopal overseeing the action in Mumbai.Shahid Saikat and Kumar Dharmasena are the on-field team for the West Indies’ match against South Africa on 26 February, with Dharmasena back in place alongside Illingworth when the Proteas face Zimbabwe on 1 March.Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson, and Javagal Srinath share the match referee duties.
Afghanistan player Mohammad Nabi fined for breaching Level 1 ICC Code
Islamabad (Sports Report): Afghanistan player Mohammad Nabi has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Group D match against South Africa in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.The incident occurred at the start of the 14th over of Afghanistan’s innings, when Nabi engaged in a prolonged argument with the umpires over bowler Lungi Ngidi’s wrist band.Nabi admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by David Gilbert of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.On-field umpires Jayaraman Madanagopal and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, third umpire Nitin Menon and fourth umpire K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan levelled the charge.Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
Pakistan beat Netherlands by 3 wickets in ICC T20 World Cup 2026
Colombo (Sports News): Faheem Ashraf’s cameo of 11-ball 29 ensured Pakistan survived a late scare to achieve the 148-run target with three balls to spare against Netherlands in the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Saturday afternoon.With 29 required from the final two overs, Faheem clobbered three sixes and one four off the penultimate over which fetched 24 runs, before hitting one over covers in the final over to seal the win with three wickets in handEarlier, Pakistan opening batters provided their side with a brisk start as Saim Ayub departed after a quick-fire 24 off 13 balls aided by four fours and a six. Top-scorer Sahibzada Farhan fell three runs short of his ninth T20I fifty, scoring 47 off 31, hitting four fours and two sixes.Pakistan were 61-2 after the powerplay and cruising at 98-2 after 11 overs. However, the Green Shirts lost five wickets for the next 16 runs, slipping to 114-7 after 16.1 overs.For Netherlands, Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren bagged two wickets each.After being put in to bat, Netherlands were dismissed for 147 in 19.5 overs, with captain Scott Edwards top-scoring with a 29-ball 37 that included four boundaries.The Dutch got off to a decent start as they scored 31 in 4.1 overs, led by opener Michael Levitt’s quick-fire 24 off 15 balls (three fours,one six), while Bas de Leede contributed 30 off 25 with four fours.Mohammad Salman Mirza (3.5-0-24-3) provided Pakistan with the breakthrough, after which the spinners kept the scoring in check through the middle overs. With Netherlands on 127-4 in 15.5 overs, Abrar Ahmed (4-0-23-2) sparked a late collapse by removing Edwards.From there, Netherlands slumped to 147 all out, losing their last six wickets for 20 runs with Saim taking two wickets in his only over, while Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed one and Salman Mirza added two more to wrap up the innings.Scores in brief:Pakistan beat Netherlands by three wickets at Sinhalese Sports Club, ColomboNetherlands 147 all out, 19.5 overs (Scott Edwards 37, Bas de Leede 30, Michael Levitt 24, Colin Ackermann 20; Mohammad Salman Mirza 3-24, Saim Ayub 2-7, Abrar Ahmed 2-23, Mohammad Nawaz 2-38)Pakistan 148-7, 19.3 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 47, Faheem Ashraf 29 not out, Saim Ayub 24; Paul van Meekeren 2-20, Aryan Dutt 2-33)Player of the match – Faheem Ashraf (Pakistan)
U19 World Cup: India beat Afghanistan by 7 wickets to meet England in final
Islamabad (Sports News): A magnificent hundred from Aaron George saw India pull off a record chase and beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 semi-finals.Faisal Khan and Uzairullah Niazai had each reached three figures for Afghanistan as they made 310 for four from their 50 overs.That left India needing to pull off the biggest chase in the history of the competition to progress, and they did just that.George was the star of the show, scoring a sensational 115, having earlier played second fiddle to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and then Ayush Mhatre.Although he could not quite see India home, the job was effectively done as they sealed a date with England in Friday’s final with 8.5 overs to spare.George piles up the runs in brilliant batting displayAfter winning the toss, Afghanistan elected to bat, with Khalid Ahmadzai (31) and Osman Sadat (39) starting strongly as they put on 53 for the first wicket.Osman kicked on after being joined by Faisal Khan, with the pair adding a further 64.Faisal, who already has two fifties and a hundred to his name in the tournament, was in exquisite form, and he and Uzairullah Niazai timed their innings to perfection.Faisal hit 15 boundaries in his 110 and he and Uzairullah combined to take Afghanistan to 265 for three with their 148-run stand.Even before Deepesh Devendran removed Faisal, Uzairullah had started to up the ante, going after the Indian bowling.And he ramped it up and matched his batting partner in making it to three figures, only the second time in the tournament’s history that two batters had hit centuries in the same innings of a knockout clash.With Uzairullah finishing unbeaten on 101, Afghanistan completed their innings on 310 for four, leaving India with history to make to progress to the final.India’s chase needed a fast start and in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, they had just the man to send them on their way.The 14-year-old showed intent from the off and hammered four sixes in his 33 balls at the crease on his way to a blistering 68.He was given one life, when put down on 22, while opening partner Aaron George was on 20 when Wahid Zadran spilled a chance he had offered up.Sooryavanshi brought up his half-century in 25 deliveries and had brought the required rate down to a manageable level when he top-edged one to midwicket off Nooristani Omarzai.By that point, India had 90 on the board inside 10 overs, and the arrival of Ayush Mhatre did nothing to slow the chase.The skipper got off the mark with a six and took full advantage of good batting conditions as he and George put on 114 for the second wicket.Mhatre (62) fell to Nooristani (2/64) with 107 still required but Vihaan Malhotra quickly settled in alongside George.He got one life when he appeared to have been caught and bowled by Abdul Aziz, only to earn a reprieve thanks to a no-ball.George finally departed for 115 off 104 deliveries with 300 on the board, but Malhotra quickly wrapped things up on his way to 38 not out.Scores in brief: Afghanistan 310/4 in 50 overs (Faisal Khan 110, Uzairullah Niazai 101 not out; Kanishk Chouhan 2/55, Deepesh Devendran 2/64)India 311/3 in 41.1 overs (Aaron George 115, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 68, Ayush Mhatre 62; Nooristani Omarzai 2/64, Wahid Zadran 1/67)Result: India win by seven wickets
Most Popular
