Category: Sports

Pakistan’s T20I setup is bracing for a major overhaul ahead of the home series against Sri Lanka, with media reports suggesting that T20 captain Salman Ali Agha is set to lose the captaincy and his place in the squad.

According to the reports, Salman — who led Pakistan in 50 T20 internationals with 31 wins, including a run to the Asia Cup 2025 final — has already been left out of the Test side and may now feature only in the ODI squad. Star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is also reported to be out of the T20 plans, though he is expected to retain the ODI captaincy.

The reports add that Haris Rauf has also been dropped from the T20 setup, while Sahibzada Farhan and Shadab Khan are the leading candidates for the T20 captaincy. Farhan is currently leading Pakistan’s T20I side at the Asian Games in Japan, which is seen as strengthening his case. Babar Azam is expected to remain in both the T20I and ODI squads despite the leadership changes.

The Pakistan Cricket Board is expected to formally announce the squad and the new leadership structure within the next day or so. The three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka begins in Rawalpindi on October 9, with the remaining games on October 11 and 13.

Sri Lanka’s squad is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on October 4. After the T20Is, England will join the two sides for a seven-match ODI tri-series from October 18 to 31 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, followed by a two-Test series in November.

A dream final is on the cards at the Asian Games 2026 as Pakistan and India won their semi-finals in contrasting fashion to reach the men’s cricket gold-medal match on Saturday, October 3.

Defending champions India booked their place with a commanding 124-run victory over Sri Lanka at Korogi Sports Park. Batting first, India posted 169 for seven, led by an unbeaten 80 from Ishan Kishan off 46 balls, while teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi contributed 38 off 21.

India’s bowlers then ran riot. Jasprit Bumrah struck twice in the opening over, three run-outs piled on the pressure, and Sri Lanka collapsed to 45 all out in 9.5 overs. Abhishek Sharma picked up two wickets in five balls.

Earlier, Pakistan edged past Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-reduced 13-over semi-final, chasing 112 with seven balls to spare behind Abdul Samad’s unbeaten 30 and Sufyan Moqim’s three for 26.

The final will be the first meeting between the two nations in men’s cricket at the Asian Games and gives India the chance to defend the title won in 2023, while Pakistan are guaranteed at least silver — their best result at the Games. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will contest the bronze-medal match on the same day.

Pakistan’s men reached the Asian Games 2026 cricket final on Thursday, defeating Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-shortened semi-final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan.

A wet outfield delayed the start and reduced the contest to 13 overs per side. Bangladesh posted 111 for seven, with Towhid Hridoy top-scoring with 42 off 25 balls including four sixes. Left-arm spinner Sufyan Moqim was Pakistan’s best bowler with three for 26.

Chasing 112, Pakistan lost captain Sahibzada Farhan in the first over but recovered through a decisive 59-run stand between Hasan Nawaz and Abdul Samad. Samad plundered 23 runs in the 10th over to swing the game and finished 30 not out off 15 balls, while Nawaz ended 27 not out off 22 and sealed the win with a boundary in the 11.3 over.

It was Pakistan’s first match of the tournament — their quarter-final against Hong Kong was washed out — and the victory guarantees at least a silver medal, an improvement on the fourth-place finish at the previous edition.

Pakistan will face India in the gold-medal match on October 3, the first men’s cricket meeting between the two sides at the Asian Games. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will contest the bronze-medal match earlier that day.

The International Cricket Council has announced a significant update to international cricket’s playing conditions, applying to all series beginning on or after October 1, 2026. Series already under way will continue under the old rules until completion.

The headline change targets time-wasting by batters in men’s cricket. A batter not ready to face will receive a warning for the first offence and a final warning for the second; from the third offence onwards, the fielding side will be awarded five penalty runs, with the ICC Code of Conduct available for repeated breaches.

The ICC has also introduced separate size and weight specifications for balls used in men’s, women’s and junior cricket, replacing the previous shared classifications with distinct Size 1, Size 2 and Size 3 standards and tighter tolerances for women’s and junior balls.

Fielding rules have been clarified. An overthrow will now mean a deliberate attempt to direct the ball towards the stumps to stop runs or complete a run-out — a simple misfield will not qualify. Fielders must also have complete control of the ball when breaking the stumps for a run-out or stumping to be valid, and the leg-side wide experiment has been made permanent in ODIs and T20Is.

In Tests, teams may mutually agree before a match to trial the pink ball in daytime play to reduce stoppages for poor light, with no mid-match change permitted. The final over of a day’s play will also no longer end automatically when a wicket falls, provided the remaining deliveries can be bowled.

For limited-overs cricket, the T20 interval is now fixed at 15 minutes — reducible to a minimum of 10 minutes where time has been lost — while the head coach or a designated representative may enter the field during drinks breaks in ODIs and T20Is.