Sports
‘Funds will be unlocked for infra’: BCCI president Mithun Manhas on J&K cricket after historic Ranji run | Cricket News
New Delhi: Having served as the head of the ad-hoc committee to run the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) till last September, BCCI president Mithun Manhas said that the cricket infrastructure in the state will grow faster once the state association is approved by the government. “Everything is ready with forming the state association. They have gone to the government for approval. Once they get it done, BCCI funds will be unlocked to improve the infrastructure in the state. Right now, they play at the Harbux Stadium in Srinagar and the College Ground in Jammu. Work towards building a proper cricket stadium with proper facilities can start immediately,” Manhas told TOI on Wednesday.
Manhas recalled the process of setting up facilities to help J&K cricket rise since he took charge in 2021. “I must thank Jay Shah, who was the BCCI secretary then, for giving us a free hand and funds to organise the facilities even though we were an ad-hoc committee. We made red-soil pitches in two stadiums so that the team was ready to play on all kinds of pitches across India. We used to start our talent hunt programme from April every year and went to every district. The teams were sent to play off-season tournaments in different parts of the country. Now, the plan is to invite other state teams to play invitational tournaments in J&K,” Manhas said. While 41-year-old Paras Dogra, coming in as a guest player, led from the front as captain in the last two seasons, Manhas said that the endeavour was never to rely heavily on outstation professional players. “Dogra’s experience helped these young batters learn to bat for longer periods. But he is the only guest player in the team. We need to give time to the young players to groom into leadership roles,” the former Delhi captain claimed. Manhas also highlighted that there was a conscious effort to develop more qualified coaches in the region. “When I took charge, there was only one NCA Level 1 coach in the state. Now we have close to 40 Level 2 coaches. That has helped in grooming talent in pockets of the state,” he mentioned.
Feb 11, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1), forward Keldon Johnson (3), and guard De’Aaron Fox (4) celebrate as the clock expires against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns will have differing goals when they square off Thursday in Austin, Texas, in the teams’ return to action after the weeklong All-Star break.
San Antonio has a Western Conference title in its sights, while the Suns are looking to secure stronger playoff positioning.
The Spurs head to the final third of the season in second place in the West, three games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder with 28 games left. San Antonio has won six straight, which is the longest current streak in the league, including five in a row by double digits.
Victor Wembanyama leads San Antonio’s balanced attack in scoring (24.4 points per game) and rebounding (11.1), and seven teammates score in double digits.
San Antonio has already exceeded its win total from last year (34) and has thrived as it has adapted to the personality of coach Mitch Johnson.
Johnson is in his first full year at the helm after taking over from Gregg Popovich last season when the venerable Hall of Fame coach suffered a stroke and eventually retired.
“It’s my job to set my vision and expectations for the players,” Johnson said. “And it’s their job to bring that to life. When you go through things, you’re able to learn from them and take away all the good and the bad. You add it to your mental bank and Rolodex. Hopefully it helps you moving forward.”
One of Johnson’s strengths is finding the right combination of players to put on the court at crucial times in a game. The Spurs employ a freewheeling style on the offensive end but can also stifle opponents with Wembanyama always a presence in the lane. “He does a good job of putting us in the right spots to succeed,” guard Stephon Castle said about Johnson. “His main thing is defense, (but) offensively, he gives us a lot of freedom to … play free.”
The Suns have also been a surprise but have struggled of late. They dropped four of the past six games and return from the break on the heels of a 136-109 loss at home to shorthanded Oklahoma City.
With 32 wins, Phoenix has surpassed preseason projections and sits in seventh place in the West, 1 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the final guaranteed playoff spot.
“What we’re playing for the next 27 games, that’s exciting,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said. “Every night is going to feel like one of those playoff games when you start fighting for it, so that continues our growth. We’re right there, and these guys have put themselves in a position that makes these next handful of games meaningful.” The Suns’ success is even more impressive considering three top players have rarely been healthy at the same time. They have endured a mix of injuries to star guard Devin Booker and key cogs Grayson Allen and Jalen Green.
“We play our own style of basketball,” Ott said. “We’re building something that is going to hopefully lead to success down the road. That’s where it feels good. It feels good that we’re on the right path, but we know how quickly this thing can change.”
The Suns beat the Spurs twice at home in November and will conclude the season series March 19 in the Alamo City.
–Field Level Media
Eddie Hearn has hit back at Dana White’s most recent dig as the war of words between the two men continues.
Matchroom chief Hearn and UFC CEO White had been on good terms prior to White’s entry into boxing, but the pair have gone back and forth in recent weeks after Zuffa began staging their own events.
During a press conference on Sunday following his third fight night, White claimed the Matchroom chairman has no vision and was simply just working for his father, Barry Hearn, who started the company back in 1982.
Whilst speaking to The Stomping Ground, Eddie has now had his say, first responding to White’s suggestion that he lacks foresight.
“It’s very strange because I’ve got to be honest with you, I wouldn’t say up my ar**, but Dana has always been so complimentary about us a company and me as a promoter, but to say I don’t have any vision is really quite strange.
“Right now when you talk about Zuffa or whatever it’s called, when you talk about their vision, what’s their vision? Getting Max Kellerman to tell everyone that Callum Walsh is the next Roy Jones or putting Charles Martin on a headline show on a Sunday night in front of 126 people in your garage on a ring that looks like you’ve just got it out of a local club show. I mean, what sort of f**king vision is that?
“Or better still, here’s a belt and it’s Zuffa, look at the vision. That’s not vision, that’s control. The reality is, when he says we can’t compete, they can’t compete in this cut throat world of boxing because it’s a horrible world and they don’t want to compete. They want to create their own world.”
Hearn then compared his own events to that of Zuffa’s, delivering a damning verdict on what White has produced so far.
“At the moment, when you compare Matchroom shows to Zuffa show, quite frankly, Zuffa shows are absolute complete dogs**t. They’re going to get better and they’re going to sign some big fighters and spunk some money and waste some money.
“I’ve said it before, they’re clever people, but right now they’re trying to manipulate fight fans and they don’t understand how intelligent fight fans are when it comes to boxing. You can’t create these cards and tell everyone it’s the best vs the best because quite frankly it’s not.”
The British promoter, who promoted his first major card in 2011, finished by addressing the comments made by White earlier in the week about Eddie just working for his father, Barry.
“The reality is yes, I do work for my dad. But guess what? Dana White has worked for his daddy for a long time, the Fertitta Brothers. That’s who he worked for, and right now, Dana White has got a new daddy, and his name is Turki Alalshikh. He is Dana White’s papi.
“It took him a nanosecond to get personal, and that’s because right now he’s at the bottom of the pile in terms of quality as a boxing promoter but as I keep saying, they’re a good operation and they will get better.”
It certainly appears that any hopes of seeing the two men reconcile are quickly fading, and it shouldn’t take White long to respond to the latest comments from Hearn.
Jan 30, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after committing a turnover against the Detroit Pistons in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Former Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis could make his debut with the Golden State Warriors when they host Boston on Thursday night.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he’s hoping two-time MVP Stephen Curry will also be on the court. Curry, who leads Golden State with 27.2 points per game, has missed the last five games because of a sore knee.
Porzingis was acquired by the Warriors from Atlanta at the trade deadline but hasn’t played since Jan. 7 due to issues with his left Achilles tendon. He said at the time of the trade that Thursday’s game was his target date for returning to the court.
“I look forward to really having a surprisingly good post All-Star break,” he said.
Porzingis has played in 17 games this season (12 starts). He’s averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per contest.
Porzingis played for Boston last season, but was limited to 42 games with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. The Celtics traded him to the Hawks in July. He did not play against Boston while with Atlanta.
“He’s an easy fit,” Kerr said. “You don’t have to change a whole lot. The biggest difference I guess that he provides is post-ups. He’s a pretty good post-up player, especially against switches. You throw him the ball at the foul line, the elbows, even the low block, he can score in those spots. That was one of the things we did today, we worked on our spacing.”
Kerr said he wanted to watch Porzingis in a scrimmage Wednesday before deciding whether he will play Thursday night. “Kristaps has been here the last handful of days and practiced today with the team,” Kerr said. “Looked good. He’s feeling good. We won’t make a determination until after (Wednesday). When we practice (Wednesday) afternoon we’ll get up and down the floor and scrimmage, which we didn’t do (Tuesday). We did more skill work and went over some things.”
The Warriors, who lost four of their last six games before the All-Star break, occupy eighth place in the Western Conference standings. Boston will enter Thursday’s game as the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference, 5 1/2 games behind Detroit.
Speculation has ramped up regarding the possibility of injured forward Jayson Tatum suiting up for the Celtics in the second half of the season. Tatum, who is recovering from a torn Achilles, began practicing with some of his teammates this week. He had surgery in May.
“He looked like Jayson Tatum, I’ll say that much,” Ron Harper Jr. said. “We’re really excited for the potential of him coming back. We don’t know for sure if he’s going to come back. We’re just really excited to see him progress during his rehab.” Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and a career-high 6.0 assists per game in 2024-25. The six-time All-Star has averaged 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists during his 585-game NBA career.
Thursday night’s matchup will be the first of two for these teams this season and should feature plenty of perimeter scoring. The Warriors lead the NBA in made 3-point field goals (897), while Boston is third (831).
–Field Level Media
Sports
How cricket found Saad Bin Zafar: Left Pakistan for studies, became hero for Canada | Exclusive | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: In 2004, T20 cricket was still an idea waiting to happen. The shortest format, which today commands prime-time slots, billions in franchise cricket, biennial World Cup events, and the ICC’s most-reliable route to globalise the game, had not yet been played at the international level.That same year, a 17-year-old Saad Bin Zafar moved from Gujranwala in Pakistan to Canada. Cricket was not the reason for the move. Education was.“When we moved to Canada in the beginning, the sole reason was for me to get a good education,” Saad told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction. “My parents, especially my dad, used to tell me to focus on my studies, ‘play cricket but don’t let your studies affect you. That’s the sole reason we decided to move you to Canada.’ So, there was some pressure from my family.”
Two decades later, Saad is Canada’s most experienced campaigner in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 and their leading wicket-taker with four wickets.And as his team prepares to play Afghanistan in their final match of the tournament on Thursday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the 39-year-old has just one ambition: “To give our best and show our potential.”A late start to ‘serious’ cricketFor the 1989-born, cricket was a pastime in Pakistan, rather than a serious pursuit.“I didn’t play a lot of club cricket in Pakistan. I played school cricket. I didn’t have in mind that I would take up cricket as a career,” he said.After moving to Canada, he joined the University of Toronto and completed a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration there.
Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar, left, celebrates the wicket of New Zealand’s Tim Seifert (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Cricket initially fit around his studies. He would play club cricket in Toronto’s Super 9 league before making his debut for Canada in 2008.However, the early years were filled with inconsistency.“From 2008 to 2015, I was on and off in the team. I used to be picked and then dropped,” he added. “I was a youngster. I was new in the team. I was trying to make my place.”That changed in 2015. He gradually made his mark as a regular in the national side and became one of the team’s most trusted assets.A leader in the roomSaad played an integral part in leading Canada through the qualifiers into the T20 World Cup, later becoming the country’s first captain in the tournament’s history. Under his leadership, Canada regained ODI status in 2023.Although he doesn’t hold the captain’s armband anymore, the responsibilities have only got bigger.“I play my role as a bowling all-rounder, left-arm spinner, left-hand batsman, lower-middle order. I want to win matches for Canada through good performances. And I want to share my experience with the youngsters and groom them,” he said.
Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar, smiling, and Shreyas Movva celebrate the wicket of United Arab Emirates’ Mayank Kumar (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
He has also had experience of playing foreign franchise cricket, including the Caribbean Premier League for St Lucia Zouks.In November 2021, he recorded a rare feat in T20Is: becoming the first man to concede no runs in a four-over spell and finishing with figures of 4-4-0-2 against Panama.Cricket became full-time over timeFor most of his career, cricket was not a full-time profession in Canada. Saad worked as a procurement analyst in an insurance company while playing international cricket.“It was very difficult at the start. After all, cricket was not a full-time profession in Canada,” he revealed. “Even when you play for Canada, you have to work together.”He negotiated leave for tours and sometimes worked remotely while travelling. But employers were not always welcoming. “There was a point when they said that we can’t accommodate you that much. So, you have to either work or play cricket,” he recalled.“When a company would start bothering me, I used to find another job. But I didn’t leave cricket.”In 2018, after becoming Player of the Match in the GT20 final and receiving opportunities in other franchise leagues, he made the decision to quit his job and focus fully on cricket.‘My parents started believing that I am talented’Saad moved to Canada with his family as the eldest son. The move was primarily for his university education. After three years, his family returned to Pakistan while he stayed back to complete his studies. However, eventually, his other four siblings also moved to Canada. Also, his father’s stance changed.ALSO READ: From ice hockey to T20 World Cup 2026’s youngest talents: Ajayveer Hundal finds ‘great feeling’ in Delhi“Eventually, when I got a call-up in the national team and started playing for Canada, my parents started believing that I am talented enough to represent Canada. After that, my dad started supporting me,” he added with a smile.“He then stopped telling me to give up cricket and focus on my studies. They now feel proud.”
Teddy Atlas has delivered his verdict on Mario Barrios vs Ryan Garcia, insisting that the outcome should ultimately be determined by Garcia’s psychological state.
The pair will square off this Saturday at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, with Barrios gearing up for the third defence of his WBC world title.
His last two outings both resulted in a draw, against Abel Ramos and a 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao, though the 30-year-old is nonetheless considered a solid test for Garcia.
Entering his second world title challenge, Garcia has had just one outing at 147lbs, a unanimous decision defeat to Rolando Romero in May, since moving up from super-lightweight.
Prior to that, the American claimed a majority decision victory over Devin Haney in April 2024 which, due to him testing positive for banned substance ostarine, was later over-turned to a no-contest.
Not only that, but Garcia was also handed a year-long ban by the New York State Athletic Commission, during which time he has openly admitted to ‘drinking and partying’.
As a result of such antics, many have questioned the 27-year-old’s dedication to the sport, which appeared particularly problematic throughout the build-up to his showdown with Haney.
During that time, Garcia’s erratic behaviour led many to express concern over his psychological state in general, let alone any perceived lack of application to his craft.
And those same questions, it seems, are still lingering ahead of his clash with Barrios, though Hall of Fame trainer Atlas has opined on his YouTube channel that Garcia’s relative silence could be taken as an encouraging sign.
“At this point in Barrios’ career – Garcia being younger; Garcia being faster with his hands, a little more explosive – I think that you’d favour Garcia.
“But again… is he okay, mentally? Where is he at? You’ve got to take a gamble: Is he right, mentally?
“It’s been quiet on the western front [and], if it’s quiet on the western front with Garcia, that’s good news. If there’s no noise, then maybe things are good … And if I’m going to go with that, I’m gonna say I favour Garcia. Where you’ve got to favour Barrios is you know what you’re gonna get. With Garcia, you don’t know for sure what you’re gonna get.
“At the end of the day, I’ll guess that Garcia will be together.”
Many others would likely agree with Atlas’ assessment of the situation, believing that a mentally-focused Garcia has the beating of Barrios.
Feb 11, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts to his winning basket against the Houston Rockets in the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images While the All-Star Game infrastructure figures to be gone by the time the Los Angeles Clippers play host to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, much of the momentum is expected to remain.
Both teams will resume the post-break portion of their schedule when they meet at Inglewood, Calif., the site of last weekend’s All-Star festivities.
While the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray started for Team World, the Clippers’ hometown hero Kawhi Leonard stole some of the spotlight as a starter for USA Stripes.
Leonard scored 31 points against Team World during a 12-minute “game” that allowed USA Stripes to play for the title in the three-team tournament against USA Stars. In the title game, USA Stripes fizzled as a tired Leonard missed all four of his shots from the floor while scoring one point.
“I was happy for him, just to be in our arena, in our building and play the way he did. It was good,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said. “The crowd was really into it. They were going crazy. Even his teammates were going crazy about it. It was good to see.”
Leonard’s scoring burst looked similar to what he has shown while leading the Clippers to a revival since just before Christmas. Los Angeles started the season 6-21, but since Lue turned Leonard loose, they are 20-7.
The Clippers are 10th in the Western Conference and hold the last play-in spot with two months left in the regular season. However, they will proceed without James Harden, who was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the deadline for Darius Garland, whose toe injury has delayed his team debut.
So how can Los Angeles continue its surge?
“Just the same thing we have been doing, with the effort, staying competitive, wanting to compete every night, pushing the pace, rebounding,” Leonard said. “That has been what we have been doing the last couple of weeks.”
Jokic only saw five minutes of action in the All-Star Game and didn’t score a point. Murray shot 0-for-6 without scoring in one 12-minute game and had eight points in another.
Denver resumes play in third place in the Western Conference, 3 1/2 games behind the second-place San Antonio Spurs and 6 1/2 games behind the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Nuggets were just 2-4 heading into All-Star weekend in a stumble that started after a 122-109 home victory over the Clippers.
Jokic might not have much love for the All-Star Game, but he showed just how much the regular season matters to him with four consecutive triple-doubles before the break. He has 184 in his career, second most all-time behind former teammate Russell Westbrook.
Aaron Gordon (hamstring) has missed the last nine games, while Peyton Watson (hamstring) missed the past three. Denver still put together a 122-116 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies before the break started.
“I’m not concerned,” Nuggets head coach David Adelman said of the team’s recent form. “We had some guys that were exhausted.
“We wanted to get a win going into the break. And that’s what they did. The guys toughed it out. … All these guys need a break, not just from basketball but from each other (and) from me.”
–Field Level Media
To the list of famous trees in golf — the Eisenhower Tree, the Lone Cypress, the Ghost Tree — we can now add two more: the Hovland Trees.
A pair of sycamores, to be precise, now planted hard along the right side of Riviera’s 487-yard dogleg-right par-4 15th, a hole that ranks second-toughest on the scorecard and typically rates among the nastiest in the Genesis Invitational, too.
The trees weren’t added for aesthetics. They were installed as a defense against their namesake, Viktor Hovland, who in past Genesis starts has attacked the 15th unconventionally, launching his drive to the right, up the neighboring 17th fairway. It’s not the route Riviera’s designer, George Thomas, had in mind, but it opens up a wider landing area and a clean view of the 15th green. (Several other players have taken the same alternate route, but none has done so as frequently as Hovland).
Last year, of course, Riviera never got the chance to defend itself. Wildfires forced the Genesis to Torrey Pines. But in Hovland’s last appearance in the event at Riviera, he played the 15th in even par for the week — two pars, a birdie and a bogey. How much of an advantage that detour provided is impossible to say without having access to the alternate reality where he played the hole conventionally.
Regardless, this year, Riviera closed the loophole. In practice rounds, the trees appear to have served their purpose.
But if they’ve stymied Hovland, they haven’t silenced him. On Instagram, Hovland posted photos (above) of the new look with a caption that required no translation: SMH.
Hovland is hardly the first Tour pro to take a creative line in search of a competitive edge. At the Sony Open in Hawaii, Charley Hoffman has taken his drive on the par-5 18th down the 11th fairway. At the now-defunct Dell Technologies Championship, Justin Thomas and several others played the par-4 12th up the adjacent 13th.
Just as players get creative, so do courses and tournament committees, whether by planting trees or installing internal out-of-bounds. In 2023, Riviera tried a different kind of deterrent, positioning a tournament scoreboard in Hovland’s alternate line.
Hovland simply hit over it.
Good luck trying that this week.
Although qualification permutations are no longer in play with the Super Eights line-up already confirmed, there is still plenty at stake when Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe face off in Colombo. Both sides remain unbeaten in the group stage, and this fixture offers a timely dress rehearsal before the next phase of the tournament.For context, one of these teams failed to progress to the Super Eights in the 2024 edition, while the other did not even make it to that tournament. By that measure alone, this campaign marks clear progress for both outfits. However, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza made it clear after the washed-out clash against Ireland that merely reaching the Super Eights will not satisfy his team.Zimbabwe have already made headlines by knocking Australia out early and will aim to carry that momentum forward when they travel to India for the next round. With two strong victories built on collective performances across batting, bowling and fielding, another win — especially against the co-hosts — would significantly boost their confidence and potentially secure a top finish in Group B.Standing in their way is a Sri Lankan side brimming with form. They are coming off one of their most dominant T20 World Cup victories in recent memory. Pathum Nissanka delivered what many consider the innings of the tournament so far, Kusal Mendis has been in outstanding touch, and Pavan Rathnayake has emerged as an unexpected but effective presence at No. 4.Injuries, however, have tested Sri Lanka’s depth. Matheesha Pathirana has been ruled out of the competition, adding to the earlier loss of Wanindu Hasaranga. As co-hosts, they will be eager to avoid further setbacks while maintaining their rhythm heading into the Super Eights.
Today T20 World Cup matches – Thursday, 19 February
| Match | Teams | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | West Indies vs Italy | 11 AM IST | Kolkata, Eden Gardens |
| Match 2 | Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe | 3 PM IST | Colombo, R. Premadasa Stadium |
| Match 3 | Afghanistan vs Canada | 7 PM IST | Chennai, M.A. Chidambaram Stadium |
The men’s ice hockey is into the knockout rounds at the 2026 Winter Olympics, after Canada and the USA both topped their groups.
The past three winners of the gold medal have been Finland, Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) and Canada, in 2014. Four years before that, in 2010, Canada took home the gold once more, after beating the US in the final in Vancouver.
The USA has 11 medals in total for competition in ice hockey but has not taken home the gold medal since 1980, over 45 years ago. Their only other gold medal came in 1960.
But 2026 will mark the first time since 2014 where NHL players have participated in Olympic ice hockey. Historically the NHL and International Olympic Committee have failed to reach an agreement on allowing NHL players to participate. In both 2018 and 2022 this was the case, affecting the USA, Canada and many other countries.
With the inclusion of the NHL once more, Canada are the favourites for the gold medal in Milan. The USA are behind Canada as the second favourites but the USA are touted as the team to beat in the women’s ice hockey.
Men’s winter Olympics ice hockey schedule
Play-off round
February 17
Czech Republic 3-2 Denmark
Sweden 5-1 Latvia
Germany 5-1 France
Switzerland 3-0 Italy
Quarter-finals
February 18
Czech Republic 3-4 Canada
Sweden 1-2 USA
Germany 2-6 Slovakia
Switzerland 2-3 Finland
Semi-finals
February 20
Canada vs Finland
USA vs Slovakia
Final
February 22
TBD
Bronze medal match
February 21
TBD
USA Group C results
February 12: Latvia 1-5 USA
February 14: USA 6-3 Denmark
February 15: USA 5-1 Germany
Canada Group A results
February 12: Czech Republic 0-5 Canada
February 13: Switzerland 1-5 Canada
February 15: Canada 10-2 France
All games will either be played at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena or the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
Sports
‘Take a single? Unbelievable’: Irfan Pathan slams Sahibzada Farhan’s approach despite ton | Cricket News
Sahibzada Farhan etched his name into the record books with a maiden T20I century during Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 Group A clash against Namibia on Wednesday. However, while the milestone was significant, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was not entirely impressed with how the opener approached the closing moments of the innings. Farhan reached his hundred in the penultimate over but did so in a manner that raised eyebrows. On the second ball of the 20th over, he calmly pushed the delivery towards long-on for a single to bring up the landmark. In doing so, he became only the second Pakistan batter after Ahmed Shehzad to score a century in the T20 World Cup.
Pathan, though, questioned the timing and intent behind the approach, suggesting that the team’s total should have been the sole focus in the final over. “He definitely has scored a century, but taking a single? Unbelievable. Unbelievable. You would be happy that you have scored a century and that Pakistan have reached 199,” Irfan said on air. “But in the last over, you play a defensive shot, then you leave the last ball. Kamaal hai,” he added. Farhan also failed to capitalise on the final delivery of the innings, unable to reach a wide ball bowled by Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus. The last over wasn’t fully maximised, and had Shadab Khan not struck two crucial sixes, Pakistan may not have pushed their total to 199. The 29-year-old eventually finished unbeaten on 100 from 58 balls, an innings decorated with 11 fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 172.41. In the broader context of the match, Farhan’s century laid the foundation for Pakistan’s imposing 199/3 in Colombo. Captain Salman Ali Agha contributed 38, while Shadab remained unbeaten on 36 to provide a late flourish. In reply, Namibia were outclassed as Usman Tariq’s mystery spin (4/16) dismantled the middle order and Shadab claimed 3/19. Namibia were bowled out for 97 in 17.3 overs, handing Pakistan a commanding 102-run victory and confirming their place in the Super 8 stage.
RIPPLE XRP BEING USED BY SWIFT IS FACT. PRICE PREDICTION BY GROK $16,000 TO $165,000! IF 100% USED.
Safety gear, training, on avalanches key to outings in wilderness
Australia Records Most Fatal Shark Attacks in 2025, Says New Global Report
Smart energy pays enters the US market, targeting scalable financial infrastructure
Why Israel is blocking foreign journalists from entering
Software stocks enter bear market on AI disruption fear with ServiceNow plunging 10%
RIPPLE XRP BEING USED BY SWIFT IS FACT. PRICE PREDICTION BY GROK $16,000 TO $165,000! IF 100% USED.
Jio Finance share Analysis Prakash Gaba/Buy? jio financial services latest news,longterm target 2030
togi’s financial advice (this is not financial advice)
-
Video2 days agoBitcoin: We’re Entering The Most Dangerous Phase
-
Tech4 days agoLuxman Enters Its Second Century with the D-100 SACD Player and L-100 Integrated Amplifier
-
Sports2 days agoGB's semi-final hopes hang by thread after loss to Switzerland
-
Crypto World2 days agoCan XRP Price Successfully Register a 33% Breakout Past $2?
-
Video6 days agoThe Final Warning: XRP Is Entering The Chaos Zone
-
Tech2 days agoThe Music Industry Enters Its Less-Is-More Era
-
Business1 day agoInfosys Limited (INFY) Discusses Tech Transitions and the Unique Aspects of the AI Era Transcript
-
Entertainment14 hours agoKunal Nayyar’s Secret Acts Of Kindness Sparks Online Discussion
-
Video2 days agoFinancial Statement Analysis | Complete Chapter Revision in 10 Minutes | Class 12 Board exam 2026
-
Tech18 hours agoRetro Rover: LT6502 Laptop Packs 8-Bit Power On The Go
-
Crypto World5 days agoBhutan’s Bitcoin sales enter third straight week with $6.7M BTC offload
-
Video7 days agoPrepare: We Are Entering Phase 3 Of The Investing Cycle
-
Entertainment5 hours agoDolores Catania Blasts Rob Rausch For Turning On ‘Housewives’ On ‘Traitors’
-
NewsBeat3 days agoThe strange Cambridgeshire cemetery that forbade church rectors from entering
-
Business7 days agoBarbeques Galore Enters Voluntary Administration
-
Business20 hours agoTesla avoids California suspension after ending ‘autopilot’ marketing
-
Crypto World6 days agoKalshi enters $9B sports insurance market with new brokerage deal
-
Crypto World8 hours agoWLFI Crypto Surges Toward $0.12 as Whale Buys $2.75M Before Trump-Linked Forum
-
Crypto World6 days agoEthereum Price Struggles Below $2,000 Despite Entering Buy Zone
-
NewsBeat4 days agoMan dies after entering floodwater during police pursuit