Cup

After their shock defeat at the 2024 T20 World Cup, Pakistan exact revenge on USA with 32-run win at 2026 edition.

Opener Sahibzada Farhan hit a solid half-century while spinner Usman Tariq grabbed three wickets as Pakistan downed the United States by 32 runs in a T20 World Cup Group A game in Colombo.

The 29-year-old hit five sixes and six fours in his 41-ball 73 and was aided by a brilliant 32-ball 46 by Babar Azam (four fours, one six) to guide Pakistan to a strong 190-9 total on Tuesday at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground.

Their spinners then checked the inexperienced USA batting with Tariq taking 3-27 and Shadab Khan 2-26 to restrict their opponents to 158-8 in 20 overs.

The win avenged Pakistan’s shock defeat at the hands of the USA in the T20 World Cup two years ago and handed them a second win in as many games following their close three-wicket win over the Netherlands on Saturday.

For the USA, Shubham Ranjane top-scored with a valiant 30-ball 51, including three sixes and as many fours, before he fell to pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was playing his 100th T20 international.

Opener Shayan Jahangir muscled his way to an attractive 34-ball 49 studded with two sixes and five fours while Milind Kumar scored 29 before the United States were derailed from 123-3 to lose the match.

Earlier, Farhan and fellow opener Saim Ayub, who scored a 17-ball 19 with two sixes, put on 54 in five overs.

Pakistan then lost two wickets in the sixth over of their innings, bowled by Shadley van Schalkwyk.

Ayub was caught off a slower one while skipper Salman Agha holed out on the deep square-leg boundary for one.

Farhan and Azam took control with an 81-run third-wicket stand as Pakistan cut loose in the middle overs.

Farhan passed 1,000 T20 international runs in his 41st match before he was caught in the covers off spinner Harmeet Singh in the 16th over.

Shadab Khan launched an assault to score 30 off 12 balls before Pakistan lost five wickets for just 13 runs in the last two overs.

Schalkwyk was the best USA bowler with 4-25, following his four-wicket haul against India in the 29-run defeat on Saturday.

Pakistan’s decision to reverse its boycott of the match against India at the T20 World Cup has been welcomed by fans, players and coaches in both countries.

The highly anticipated confrontation between the archrivals was thrown into doubt for more than a week after Pakistan’s government ordered its team against taking the field for Sunday’s clash in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The reversal late on Monday brought relief to millions of fans on both sides of the countries’ shared border as well as tournament organisers and coaches.

The Indian camp said it would be “delighted” to play against a “quality side”.

“It’s great that the game is back on. We kind of never changed the preparation,” India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Tuesday.

India will play their second Group A match against Namibia on Thursday in New Delhi before flying to Colombo the following morning.

It means a quick turnaround for Sunday’s match, the biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket.

“It’s going to be a challenge going to Colombo, where Pakistan have been for the last two weeks,” ten Doeschate added.

“We are fully focused on just bringing our best game to that fixture.”

‘Good for cricket’

Pakistan’s decision to go ahead with the game was hailed as an outbreak of “good sense” and “good for cricket”.

A frantic weekend of negotiations saw the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Bangladesh Cricket Board chiefs fly to Lahore on Sunday for talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board.

The governments of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka both wrote to the Islamabad government on Monday, urging it to change its stance and allow the game to go ahead.

After “multilateral discussions, as well as the request of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field on February 15”, the Islamabad government said on its official X account late on Monday.

The decision had been taken with the aim of “protecting the spirit of cricket”, it added.

Former India cricketer Madan Lal told the AFP news agency that the resumption was “good for cricket”.

“We want strong teams to play so that the charm of the World Cup is not lost,” he added.

Sri Lanka, who will host the match – which generates multimillions of dollars in advertising, broadcast rights, sponsorships and tourism – also praised the decision.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in a social media post thanked Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for “ensuring the game we all love goes on”.

Veteran Indian journalist Pradeep Magazine said, “Good sense has prevailed on all sides.”

Financial considerations would have been taken into account, he added.

“Everyone realised that losing the revenue from an India-Pakistan match would have been a loss-loss situation for all ICC member nations.”

‘No greater happiness’

For fans, it’s another chance to watch the bitter rivals face off at a global tournament.

Kafeel Ahmed, a cricket fan from Karachi, said Pakistan vs India matches were unique.

“There is a different intensity to it. If Pakistan wins by 12 runs, there is no ⁠greater happiness than that,” Ahmed told the Reuters news agency. “This happiness is not just about a challenge against a rival; it is the feeling that comes after defeating your opponent.”

India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since 2012-2013 due to their longstanding political rift.

“The benefit is not only that the public is happy or that young people who play cricket are happy; it also increases business and public interest,” cricket ‌fan Rai Fayaz said.

Rajeev Shukla, vice president of the Board of ‌Control for Cricket in India, said on Tuesday that it was good that a solution had been found.

“All kudos to the ICC for taking this initiative, resolving the whole issue and bringing cricket back to the forefront. This is a big achievement as far as the ICC is concerned,” he said.

Bas de Leede starred with both bat and ball as the Netherlands opened their account in the T20 World Cup with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Namibia.

The Netherlands suffered a narrow defeat by Pakistan after giving their opponents a major scare in the opening game of the tournament in Colombo on Saturday but bounced back impressively in Delhi.

Chasing a target of 157, all-rounder De Leede, who had already picked up two key Namibia wickets, crafted an unbeaten 72 from 48 balls to guide them home with authority.

It is their biggest win in the tournament’s history while De Leede became the first Netherlands cricketer to score a half-century and take two wickets in the same match of a T20 World Cup.

Sent to bat in their first game of the tournament, Namibia made a decent start reaching 60-1 in nine overs before Logan van Beek dismissed Jan Frylinck, who scored 30 off 26 balls.

Namibia’s momentum was further halted by De Leede, who sent back their captain Gerhard Erasmus and JJ Smit for 18 and 22 respectively, while Nicol Loftie-Eaton fell to Van Beek after a 38-ball 42 as they posted 156-8.

The Netherlands lost opener Max O’Dowd early in the chase, but a 70-run third-wicket partnership between De Leede and Colin Ackerman steadied their innings before the latter departed for 32.

However, there was no stopping De Leede as he hit five fours and four sixes to seal the Netherlands win.

The Netherlands play the United States in their next match on Friday while Namibia will take on defending champions India on Thursday.

Even those who do not follow French football in its most granular detail will be aware of the plight that could have befallen Lyon this summer.

Spared from administrative relegation to Ligue 2 just five and a half weeks before the start of the season, the club’s future in the French top flight hinged on their capacity to fulfil financial promises.

A firesale of the side’s most valuable assets duly ensued, and with it, expectations of a third successive season of European football dwindled.

Constrained by their financial frailties, Les Gones, spearheaded by sporting director Matthieu Louis-Jean, had to work diligently, embarking on an agile recruitment drive.

Spotting talent from lesser-known European leagues became a central tenet of their philosophy.

“We worked on different markets,” outlined the former Nottingham Forest right-back in September.

Amid a flurry of moves, Pavel Sulc and Ruben Kluivert arrived on permanent deals from Viktoria Plzen and Casa Pia respectively, while Adam Karabec joined from Sparta Prague on loan.

Louis-Jean has cultivated a burgeoning reputation as a strategic operator, but his most innovative market manoeuvre would have to wait until the winter window.

Having deviated from their reactive tendencies of the past, Lyon were left without a central striker of note, preferring to secure the temporary services of Martin Satriano on loan.

“We took a decision on the final day of the transfer window to leave the position of a first-choice striker open,” said general director Michael Gerlinger.

Louis-Jean, and Lyon’s wider recruitment department, were convinced an opportunity would present itself in January. Their intuition soon morphed into prophecy.

Having amassed just 99 minutes of action for Real Madrid during the first half of the season, Brazil striker Endrick needed an escape. Lyon were more than happy to provide sanctuary for a player and talisman they desperately craved.

“We had been waiting for a number nine for so long,” said Louis-Jean upon the 19-year-old’s unveiling after joining on loan until the end of the season.

Bangladesh have requested that Pakistan end their planned boycott of their T20 World Cup match against India, opening the door for the fixture to be played on 15 February as scheduled.

The match, the biggest and most lucrative in cricket, has been in doubt since the Pakistan government advised its team not to take the field against their long-time rivals.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that initial decision was made to “support” Bangladesh, who had a request for their matches to be moved out of India rejected and subsequently pulled out of the tournament.

But, after talks between officials at the Pakistan Cricket Board, the International Cricket Council and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in Lahore on Sunday, BCB president Ameenul Islam requested the match go ahead “for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem”.

“We are deeply moved by Pakistan’s efforts to go above and beyond in supporting Bangladesh during this period. Long may our brotherhood flourish,” he added.

The match is scheduled to take place in the city of Colombo in Sri Lanka, the co-hosts for the tournament with India.

Pakistan will forfeit the points from the group-stage match should it not be played but the team’s absence from the tournament would also have longer-term consequences for cricket.

It could lead to disputes over the ICC’s current rights deals and continued uncertainty would likely impact future agreements, with the current TV deals set to run out after the 2027 World Cup.

Many of the smaller cricketing nations rely on the money distributed by the ICC, so any cut in revenue would likely hit such countries hardest.

“Following my short visit to Pakistan yesterday and given the forthcoming outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup game on 15 February against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem,” Islam said.

While stopping short of confirming the match will go ahead, the ICC released a statement on Monday evening confirming Bangladesh will not be sanctioned for their boycott.

It also said Bangladesh will host an ICC event between 2028 and the start of the 2031 World Cup.

“The ICC, PCB and BCB, along with other members, remain committed to continued dialogue, cooperation and constructive engagement in the best interests of the sport,” a statement said.

“All stakeholders acknowledge that the spirit of this understanding is to protect the integrity of the game and preserve unity within the cricket fraternity.”

There were no details on what event Bangladesh would host. All men’s events have been confirmed up until 2031, with Bangladesh already scheduled to co-host the 2031 World Cup with India.

The hosts of women’s tournaments have been chosen up to 2027, while the ICC also holds Under-19 World Cups.

The PCB has been contacted for comment.

The ‘proud of the effort’ mantra from Townsend is the biggest red rag to the biggest Scottish bull.

The scale of the failure was epic, not so much because they lost – because this was always going to be a tight game against a fine Italy team – but in the way they lost.

Their lack of aggression and intent from the start, their defensive disorganisation for Italy’s tries, the terrible weaknesses in their lineout (while Italy were nailing most of theirs), the self-harming bouts of indiscipline at critical times, their inability to problem-solve on the move.

Italy were missing some key players. Scotland were missing no-one.

When it came to coaching nous and player execution, Italy had a little too much of both.

They inflicted a soul-destroying defeat on Scotland, but, in many senses, Scotland did it to themselves. A recurring theme, that.

The feeling of fury in the aftermath is unprecedented since Andy Robinson’s team lost to Tonga in 2013 and Matt Williams’ team lost to, well, pretty much everybody in his slapstick years in charge.

A campaign over after just one game? Maybe premature, but you can’t fault anybody for thinking it.

England will expect an angry Scottish reaction on Saturday. Some of the visitors, hard-bitten by recent experience, will know that there’s fire and brimstone coming their way.

The home fans in vast numbers are now dead against Townsend remaining as coach, but come kick-off time in Edinburgh, you won’t know it. The place will be electrified.

Could you discount a Scotland upset? No. Would you bet on it? No, again.

At Murrayfield, the decision-makers are sitting in silence, apparently still confident that improvement will come if they just hold their nerve.

As a reminder, Townsend took over in 2017. He’s nearly 100 games in. This is his ninth Six Nations. Scotland have never contended.

His future is being talked about, but not by the people who might determine it. Not yet.

That might come later, depending on what happens in the weeks ahead – ‘might’ being the operative word – but for now there is a Calcutta Cup to deal with and a world of questions for Townsend to answer.

Captain Wayne Madsen dislocated his left shoulder in the fourth over of Italy’s debut match at the T20 World Cup.

The 42-year-old’s journey to leading Italy at their first World Cup has been one of the eye-catching stories in the build-up, having been a stalwart of county cricket with Derbyshire and a former South Africa hockey international.

But he was injured attempting a diving stop against Scotland in Kolkata and immediately left the field. The Scots posted 207-4 from their 20 overs.

He will be assessed again in 24 hours before any decision is made on his participation in the rest of the tournament.

“The physio managed to get it back in but he’ll have to go and get more scans to see how serious it is,” said Italy head coach John Davison.

“I think it’d be doubtful. I’m not going to say he’s out, but I think it’d be doubtful if you dislocate your shoulder.”

Italy play Nepal in Mumbai on Thursday before a game against England in Kolkata on 16 February.

Their final group match is against West Indies on 19 February, also in Kolkata.

Mumbai, India — For most of a warm and breezy Sunday afternoon in Mumbai, the Wankhede Stadium felt closer to Kathmandu than India’s southern metropolis as thousands of Nepalese fans sang, danced and dared to dream while their cricket team took on the mighty England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

A sea of red and blue replica shirts heaved in every nook and corner of the iconic 33,000-capacity venue, with supporters turning the famed Indian stadium into their adopted home.

A banner, saying “Feel the Thrill” stretched across stands and captured the mood perfectly as chants, drums and Nepali tunes echoed throughout the ground.

From children arriving with flags painted on their faces to elderly supporters proudly wearing the traditional Dhaka topi – a traditional Nepalese hat – fans of all ages turned up for what felt like a cricketing festival drenched in Nepali culture.

‘We almost won’

On the pitch, Nepal’s players delivered one of their most memorable performances in recent years, with the match ending in heartbreak as the team’s spirited chase fell agonisingly short on the final ball.

With the odds stacked heavily against them, Nepal walked out to face two-time champions England fully aware of the vast gulf in experience and pedigree compared to their opponents.

They hoped, though, that their hunger, intensity and fearless approach to the game could keep them firmly in the contest.

Chasing a challenging target of 185, the Rhinos proved why they are one of the most promising teams in associate cricket, as Lokesh Bam’s late heroics, coupled with Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee’s onslaughts, pushed the contest to the last ball.

“We almost won but couldn’t go through because the players lack experience,” Nepal fan Subodh Dhakal, who travelled from Kathmandu, told Al Jazeera. “Experience will come with time, but the team played well.”

Dhakal, a doctor and passionate Nepal supporter, planned a quick two-day trip to attend the match with his wife, after watching the Nepal Premier League – the domestic league whose growth has been central to the nation’s progress in the sport.

Like Dhakal, Satyam Pokhrel also made his way to Mumbai from the Nepalese capital. Joined by a group of friends, Pokhrel revealed his plans to stay for the remaining three Nepal games, all of which are scheduled at the same venue.

“Nepal had a really good chance [to win], but were unlucky,” he said. “The match was very close; I’m proud of the team. They showed great energy and are capable of winning the upcoming games.”

Sunday’s heroics against England were not the first time Nepal troubled stronger opponents. Five months before the World Cup, they beat the West Indies 2-1 in a three-match series — their first bilateral series victory over a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) — while in 2024 they came within a run of upsetting South Africa at the T20 World Cup.

Nepal’s debut at the tournament, in 2014, led to a famous win over a highly-rated Afghanistan team.

‘Don’t count us out’

For many in the stands, being part of the atmosphere required journeys just as memorable as the match itself.

Bhuvan Rawal travelled from Tikapur in far-western Nepal, spending three days on the road to reach Mumbai by bus.

“I wasn’t bothered by the time or money taken to come here. Watching Nepal play at a World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me,” said the 26-year-old.

“I’ve come with around 200 to 300 supporters from Nepal. We were aware of the match schedule since last year and were excited to be at Wankhede Stadium… Mumbai is our second home now!”

Rawal, who played cricket in his younger years and works as a gym trainer, believes lowly-ranked teams such as Nepal aren’t just here to make up the numbers at the expanded 20-team T20 World Cup.

“We may be a small country, but Nepal is very beautiful and can play wonderful cricket. I understand there’s a difference between full ICC members and associate teams, but don’t count us out.

“No team is too small to challenge the giants,” he said.

Zach Eckersley scored four tries and Jake Wardle three as the Warriors, last year’s Super League runners-up, easily despatched the Hornets.

Wakefield showed no mercy in their victory either, with Max Jowitt, Matthew Storton and Josh Rourke sharing seven tries between them against the Lions.

Batley were overwhelmed by Catalans, conceding within the first 17 seconds before the visitors ran in a further nine tries.

Elsewhere, Oldham easily defeated Dewsbury Rams 46-0 and Keighley Cougars edged a low-scoring encounter against Midlands Hurricanes 18-14.

The draw for the fourth round will take place on Monday, 9 February, with live coverage on BBC Radio Manchester from 18:40 GMT.

Lokesh Bam’s late heroics with the bat are not enough as Nepal are beaten by two-time champions in their Group C match in Mumbai.

Nepal were left heartbroken after they came agonisingly close to pulling off a massive T20 World Cup upset against England but fell short by four runs as the two-time champions won the Group C match in Mumbai.

Lokesh Bam’s heroics with the bat – 39 runs off 20 balls – were not enough to see Nepal over the line at the Wankhede Stadium, which was packed with Nepalese fans on Sunday.

Nepal finished on 180-6, handing England a nervy win to kick off their campaign in the controversy-hit cricket tournament.

When England’s captain Harry Brook (53) and teammate Jacob Bethell (55) hit fifties to power England to 184-7, they seemingly did enough to take the match out of Nepal’s reach.

But Rohit Paudel produced a captain’s innings of his own as he, alongside star all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee, put Nepal on course for a shock win.

The pair’s departure slowed down Nepal’s progress, but Lokesh resumed the big hitting against some wayward bowling by England’s seamers.

Needing 10 off the last over, the Rhinos were unable to get Sam Curran’s accurate bowling over the boundary and could only score six runs.

The Rhinos’ fans, hundreds of whom had travelled from across the border, were left disheartened.

Earlier, electing to bat at the Wankhede Stadium, England slumped to 57-3 in the seventh over to find themselves in a spot of bother.

Sher Malla struck with the first ball on his World Cup debut, dismissing Phil Salt for one, and the pressure mounted on England after Jos Buttler and Tom Banton fell in quick succession.

Bethell had no problem adjusting to the nature of the track, where other batters found shot-making difficult. He and Brook combined in a 71-run partnership during their 45-ball collaboration to rebuild their innings.

Airee (44) and skipper Paudel (39) kept Nepal in the hunt with a stand of 82 from 54 balls.

Curran brought relief to the English camp when he had Airee caught in the deep and Paudel also departed soon afterwards.

Bam hit Jofra Archer for back-to-back sixes to turn the match on its head.

With Nepal needing 10 runs off the last over from Curran, Bam needed to hit the last ball for a six, but he managed only one as England heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Cricket’s global governing body hopes to persuade Pakistan to reverse decision to boycott India T20 World Cup fixtures.

The International Cricket Council is in talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board to resolve the boycott of its T20 World Cup 2026 fixture against India on February 15.

Any clash between archrivals India and Pakistan is one of the most lucrative in cricket, worth millions of dollars in broadcast, sponsoring and advertising revenue.

But the fixture was thrown into doubt after Pakistan’s government ordered the team not to play the match in Colombo.

The Pakistan Cricket Board reached out to the ICC after a formal communication from the cricket world body, a source close to the developments has told the AFP news agency.

The ICC was seeking a resolution through dialogue and not confrontation, the source added.

The 20-team tournament has been overshadowed by an acrimonious political build-up after Bangladesh, which refused to play in India, citing security concerns, was replaced by Scotland.

As a protest, Pakistan refused to face co-hosts India in their Group A fixture.

Pakistan, which edged out the Netherlands in the tournament opener on Saturday, will lose two points if they forfeit the match and also suffer a significant blow to their net run rate.

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said this week that his team would travel to Colombo for the clash.

Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for more than a decade, and meet only in global or regional tournaments.

India recover from 77-6 as captain Suryakumar Yadav hits an unbeaten 84 in 29-run World Cup win against United States.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav led ‌by example as the tournament co-hosts began their Twenty20 World Cup title defence with a 29-run victory against the United States in a group A contest on Saturday.

India recovered from a dire 77-6 to post a decent 161-9 with Suryakumar hitting a scintillating 84 not out off 49 balls.

The US managed 132-8 in reply, putting up a decent fight but never really coming ⁠close to chasing down the target.

Earlier, the predominantly Indian fans at the Wankhede Stadium probably expected sixes and fours to rain down after US captain Monank Patel elected to field.

Instead, it was a long procession of India’s top-order batters returning to the pavilion after a spectacular meltdown of the world’s top-ranked T20 team.

Opener Abhishek Sharma, currently the world’s number one T20 batter, fell for a first-ball duck in perhaps an inkling of what was in ⁠store for the home side.

The real nightmare unfolded in the final Powerplay over when Shadley van Schalkwyk claimed three wickets in five deliveries to leave India reeling on 46-4.

Ishan Kishan (20) and Tilak Varma (25) could not convert their starts, while Shivam Dube departed with a golden duck against his name in that eventful over from van Schalkwyk.

It could easily have been worse, but bowler Shubham Ranjane could not hold onto a return catch from Suryakumar when the batter was on 15.

Wickets kept tumbling at the other end though.

Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya and ‌Axar Patel perished trying to swing their way out of trouble.

Suryakumar responded to the crisis with a captain’s knock as he raced to a 36-ball fifty before plundering 21 runs from the final over from Saurabh Netravalkar.

India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah missed ‌the match due to illness, and they were also forced into replacing Harshit Rana, who was ruled out of the tournament barely 24 hours before ‌their opening match with a thigh injury.

Mohammed Siraj (3-29) vindicated his last-minute ⁠inclusion as Rana’s replacement with a two-wicket burst, while Arshdeep Singh also tasted success as they reduced the US to 31-3 in the six Powerplay overs.

Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37) and Milind Kumar (34) defied India for a while with a 58-run stand, but once the partnership ‌ended, India were firmly in charge.

In Colombo, the Netherlands nearly pulled off a major upset before Faheem Ashraf’s breezy cameo secured Pakistan’s nervy three-wicket win with three balls to spare in another group A contest.

In a group C match in Kolkata, West Indies fast bowler Romario Shepherd claimed four wickets in five balls, including a hat-trick, as the twice champions thumped Scotland by 35 runs.

Who: England vs Nepal
What: 2026 ICC T20 World Cup
Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India
When: Sunday, February 8, at 3pm (09:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 06:30 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.

England are undoubtedly among the frontrunners to lift the T20 World Cup title, but, unlike years gone by, they do not start as one of the red-hot favourites.

Despite his undoubted ability with the bat, questions surround the captaincy of Harry Brook, while English cricket as a whole is licking its wounds following recent woes – including the Ashes humiliation in Australia.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at their open against Nepal.

What have England said about the pressure on Brooks?

All-rounder Will Jacks said on Friday that under-fire England T20 captain Harry Brook had “100 percent” support from the players after going through a “tough time”.

The 26-year-old Brook, in charge at a global tournament for the first time, has recently been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

He had to apologise last month for being involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer during England’s white ball tour of New Zealand last year, something that had been a “terrible mistake”.

Jacks has been close to Brook since they were roommates with England Under-19s.

“Obviously, it’s been a tough time, and that’s been well documented in the media,” Jacks told reporters before team training in Mumbai on the eve of the tournament.

“I wasn’t actually in New Zealand, so I didn’t know anything about it.

“He’s obviously made the wrong decision, but he’s accepted that. He’s obviously making amends on the pitch, and we all back him 100 percent.”

Brook, a richly gifted run-scorer, has an early chance to shift the focus back onto his batting in England’s opening match against Nepal in Mumbai on Sunday.

“He wants his cricket to do the talking,” said Jacks.

What is England and Brook’s T20 form before the World Cup?

England come into the World Cup in good form in T20, heartened by a 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka – one of the tournament co-hosts – this week.

In the preceding ODI series against the same opposition, the explosive Brook bludgeoned 136 off just 66 balls.

“It’s not so much we are taking momentum from that, but team unity, feeling strong within ourselves,” said Jacks.

“We have been performing well over the last 12 months, since Harry’s become captain, and we’re very happy with that.

“What we did in the last few weeks in Sri Lanka is another stepping stone.”

Who else is in England and Nepal’s group?

England are expected to make the Super Eight stage from a Group C that also features two-time winners West Indies, debutants Italy and Scotland.

“We come into here full of confidence and belief that we can go a long way in this tournament.

“But that doesn’t guarantee us anything. We know that there’s amazing teams in this World Cup.”

“India, on home soil, I think everyone knows who’s favourites.”

What is England’s T20 World Cup record?

England are the joint-record winners of the T20 World Cup with two trophy lifts to their name, alongside West Indies and holders India.

Paul Collingwood captained the English to the third edition of the competition, before Jos Buttler’s side sealed their second win in 2022.

What is Nepal’s T20 World Cup record?

Nepal made their debut at the 2014 edition of the competition, but had to wait until the West Indies and US co-hosted tournament in 2024 to make a second appearance.

On both occasions, the Nepalese were eliminated at the first stage, with 12th- and 17th-placed rankings.

Salt passed fit for England’s opener

Hard-hitting batsman Phil Salt was passed fit as England named their team on Saturday for their first match in the T20 World Cup.

He will open the batting alongside wicketkeeper Jos Buttler against Nepal at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday in Group C.

Salt missed Tuesday’s third T20 against Sri Lanka with a back spasm, but trained successfully on Friday and will take his place at the top of the order.

Tom Banton, fresh from a sparkling 54 off 33 balls against Sri Lanka five days ago, is preferred to Ben Duckett and will bat at number four.

Left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood gets the nod ahead of Jamie Overton and joins express man Jofra Archer and Sam Curran in the seam attack.

England have opted to have four spinners at their disposal, with spearheads Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson backed up by all-rounders Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks.

England’s starting lineup

Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood

England squad

Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt (captain), Josh Tongue, Luke Wood

Nepal squad

Rohit Paudel (captain), Aarif Sheikh, Aasif Sheikh (wicketkeeper), Dipendra Singh Airee, Basir Ahamad, Kushal Bhurtel, Sundeep Jora, Lokesh Bam, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Sher Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Nandan Yadav

The Netherlands made a positive start to their innings at the Sinhalese Sports Club after they were asked to bat first as opener Michael Levitt thumped 24 off 15 balls.

Bas de Leede continued the momentum with a composed 25-ball 30 and, at 105-3 with he and Edwards at the crease, the Netherlands looked set to post a competitive total.

But the Associate nation lost their last six wickets for 20 runs as Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub picked up two wickets apiece.

Sahibzada Farhan’s classy 47 off 31 balls guided Pakistan to 98-2 before he slapped Aryan Dutt to cover to start a Pakistan collapse as Roelof van der Merwe and Paul van Meekeren bowled tightly.

Ashraf spared their blushes, though, when he hammered three sixes and a four off the penultimate over from Logan van Beek, the Netherlands missing a chance to dismiss him on seven when Max O’Dowd shelled a catch at long-off.

With five runs needed from the final over, bowled by De Leede, Ashraf got himself on strike then thrashed through cover for four to prevent a shock.

Harshit Rana sustained the knee injury in a warm-up match against South Africa with Mohammed Siraj now taking his place.

India seam bowler Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the Twenty20 World Cup with a knee injury, India’s cricket board (BCCI) announced on Friday, with Mohammed Siraj named as a replacement.

Rana, who has also ⁠developed into a handy lower-order batter, sustained the injury during a warmup match against South Africa on Wednesday when he bowled just one over before leaving the field.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav had said that Rana’s injury did not look good, but that they had enough depth ⁠in the squad to deal with it.

Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh are likely to share the new-ball duty, while India also have seam-bowling all-rounders in Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube.

“It’s a big blow obviously because you make a squad of 15 players with a lot of combinations in mind,” Suryakumar said before ‌Saturday’s Group A contest against the United States.

“If he is not available for us going forward, then we will set other combinations. We have enough ‌players.”

The International Cricket Council said they had approved Siraj as a replacement for Rana.

India are ‌bidding to be the first team ⁠in the tournament’s history to successfully defend their title and also be the first host to win a T20 World Cup.

India’s revised squad

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju ‌Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj

Despite retaining Mateta, who is Palace’s top scorer with eight league goals this season, the Eagles paid a club record fee to sign striker Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves.

Palace were also on the verge of bringing in Everton winger Dwight McNeil until the deal fell through late on deadline day.

Glasner said he had “learned to accept situations” after Palace were also unsuccessful in finding a replacement for captain and centre-back Marc Guehi, who joined Manchester City earlier in the window.

“At the end of it, the club tried everything with huge offers and huge bids for a Marc Guehi replacement, but clubs said they don’t sell on deadline day,” Glasner said.

“Credit to the club that without getting any money for Mateta they still spent a big fee on Strand Larsen.

“On the other side, McNeil was the last one we thought we could finalise, but in the last minutes the terms of the deal changed again and the deal failed. I expected him and planned for him in the next day’s training.”

McNeil’s partner, Megan Sharpley, criticised Crystal Palace on social media for the way they handled the situation.

Everton boss David Moyes said the breakdown had “nothing to do” with his club and insists McNeil is “fine”.

“He’s in and he’s training as well, so Dwight’s OK,” Moyes said.

“We understand exactly where it went wrong, how it broke down. He knows everything about it and there’s no problems there.

“We had given permission for Dwight to go and have a medical and do all of the things required for it, so it was very hard to do much more than we have done.”

‘There should be no politics in sport,’ Sharif said while referencing to the recent India-Bangladesh cricket crisis.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has confirmed the decision to boycott the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup match by Pakistan against India, saying the move is a show of solidarity with Bangladesh.

“We have taken this stand after careful deliberation and [decided that] on this matter, we must stand with Bangladesh and support them,” Sharif told his cabinet on Wednesday.

On Sunday, the Pakistani government announced that its men’s cricket team will not take the field in the match against archrivals India on February 15, without stating the reason behind the decision at the time.

However, it was largely believed to be a mark of protest against Bangladesh’s ouster from the tournament for refusing to travel to India for their T20 World Cup fixtures.

Sharif’s statement, made in a televised address, rubber-stamped the motive and confirmed the boycott.

“We have taken a very clear stand that we will not play the match against India,” Sharif told the government officials. “Pakistan believes that this is sport, not politics, and there should be no politics in sport.”

While Sharif did not elaborate on his statement, it points towards the ongoing cricket crisis surrounding the tournament, which began after a Bangladeshi player was expelled from the Indian Premier League on the directives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last month.

Mustafizur Rahman’s removal was linked to political tensions between Bangladesh and India, as confirmed by BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, and led to a chain of events, including the boycott by Pakistan.

India and Pakistan are placed in the same group and were scheduled to meet in a marquee clash in Sri Lanka, which is cohosting the tournament along with India.

Following Pakistan’s announcement, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement that “selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions”.

“While the ICC respects the roles of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan,” it said, adding that it awaited official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of.”

While the boycott by Pakistan could see them forfeit two points, it remains unclear if the PCB will be hit by further sanctions or bans.

The T20 World Cup begins on Saturday.

“You buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play for a rule I don’t understand. Hopefully they can change it,” he added.

City’s other January signing, winger Antoine Semenyo, arrived at the club from Bournemouth four days prior to their trip to the north east for the first leg against Newcastle, in which he scored.

“Antoine arrived before the first [game] so could play. And now it’s the final. Why should he [Guehi] not play? Why not? We pay his salary, he is our player,” Guardiola added.

“I said to the club, they have to ask, definitely. I don’t understand the reason why he cannot play in the final in March, when I have been here for a long time.

“The rules to buy a player depends on Fifa, Uefa, the Premier League who say, OK the transfer window is open, when you buy a player you have to play, no? It’s logic. Of course we are going to try to ask [for] him to play. Pure logic.

Asked what he thought the answer will be from the EFL, City’s Spanish boss, added: “No. But we will try.”

City have already benefited from one rule change this season that allowed players to play for two teams in the same competition, instead of being cup tied.

That allowed Semenyo and Max Alleyne to feature in the semi-final matches, despite appearing for Bournemouth and Watford respectively in previous rounds.

The wait is over.

After nearly six years and four failed semi-finals, Arsenal‘s 4-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final has put them back into a major final.

It will be their first under Mikel Arteta since he guided them to FA Cup victory in 2020 – and just their second in his time at the club.

It was tight, it was tense and it was pretty dull at times but, as Kai Havertz rolled in an injury-time goal to confirm their place at Wembley, the euphoria from fans and players alike at Emirates left you in no doubt about the significance.

In a match that saw both sides only manage two shots on target each, the Gunners rarely looked troubled as they showed all the qualities that have made them so hard to beat.

The result means Arsenal will compete in a ninth EFL Cup final when they take on either Manchester City or Newcastle on Sunday, 22 March in the tournament’s showpiece match.

Should they face City, it will be a repeat of the 2018 final, won by the Manchester club, when Arteta was part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff.

However, aside from it being an opportunity for Arsenal to gain a measure of revenge for that loss and winning their first League Cup for 33 years, it would also be a step towards changing a few perceptions.

Arsenal manager Arteta said: “There was a special atmosphere inside our stadium. It makes such a difference. We’ve been waiting a few years to get into this position and we’re certainly going to enjoy it [the final].

“It’s the best vitamins that we can put in our bodies because we’re playing every three days. But the fact that you worked so hard to achieve those moments and to have these moments together is just magical.

“You can see the joy, the smile, the energy and everything that works at the club.”

Midfielder Declan Rice, added: “We deserve it. The last three or four years we’ve been at the top of the Premier League, competing and got really close but haven’t been good enough.

“That’s why this season we have that extra desire and fire in our bellies to go one step further in every competition. There’s a long way to go but to be in a cup final with this club is amazing.”

For the last few years, Arteta’s Arsenal reign has been a story of near-misses, both in cup competitions and in the Premier League.

Now, just one game away from ending their trophy drought, are the Premier League leaders about to silence accusations of being the ‘nearly men’ for good?

Ex-Arsenal defender Matt Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It has been a few years in the making and there has been a steady build-up to this point for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta has been laying the foundations, building the ethos, and togetherness of the team.”

The 10th edition of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup gets under way on February 7, with 20 teams competing for the prize.

Defending champions India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, who replaced Rohit Sharma as captain after he retired from the T20 format.

The cohosts, alongside England and the West Indies, will be aiming to become the first country to win three T20 World Cup trophies.

Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan will look to emulate their performance from 2024, while Pakistan will hope their journey does not stop at the group stage.

Here are the 20 teams and their squads for the T20 World Cup:

Afghanistan

Rashid Khan (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Ishaq (wicketkeeper), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai

Australia

Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, ‍Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Canada

Dilpreet Bajwa (captain), Navneet Dhaliwal, Shreyas Movva (wicketkeeper), Ravinderpal Singh, Yuvraj Samra, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Ajayveer Hundal, Nicholas Kirton, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Harsh Thaker, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Ansh Patel, Manjot Buttar

England

Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt (captain), Josh Tongue, Luke Wood

India

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar ‍Patel, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)

Ireland

Paul Stirling (captain), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wicketkeeper), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Ben White, Barry McCarthy, Craig Young

Italy

Wayne Madsen (captain), Harry Manenti, Jon-Jon Trevor Smuts, Grant Stewart, Ben Manenti, Ali Hasan, Marcus Campopiano, Thomas Draca, Jaspreet Singh, Crishan Kalugamage, Gian-Piero Meade, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Zain Ali

Namibia

Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Jan Balt, Zane Green (wicketkeeper), Malan Kruger, Dylan Leicher, Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Willem Myburgh, Johannes Jonathan Smit, Jack Brassell, Max Heingo, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Ruben Trumpelmann

Nepal

Rohit Paudel (captain), Aarif Sheikh, Aasif Sheikh (wicketkeeper), Dipendra Singh Airee, Basir Ahamad, Kushal Bhurtel, Sundeep Jora, Lokesh Bam, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Sher Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Nandan Yadav

Netherlands

Scott Edwards (captain, wicketkeeper), Noah Croes, Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Zach Lion-Cachet, Saqib Zulfiqar, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Logan van Beek, Tim van der Gugten, Paul van Meekeren

New Zealand

Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Ish Sodhi

Oman

Jatinder Singh (captain), Hammad Mirza (wicketkeeper), Vinayak Shukla (wicketkeeper), Jay Odedra, Mohammad Nadeem, Nadeem Khan, Karan Sonavale, Wasim Ali, Hassnain Shah, Jiten Ramanandi, Shafiq Jan, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmed, Sufyan Mehmood, Ashish Odedara

Pakistan

Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq

Scotland

Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross (wicketkeeper), Michael Jones, Finlay McCreath, George Munsey, Michael Leask, Brendon McCullen, Brad Currie, Chris Greaves, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Oliver Davidson, Zainullah Ihsan

South Africa

Aiden Markram (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Smith

Sri Lanka

Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper), Kusal Janith Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Eshan Malinga

USA

Monank Patel (captain), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous (wicketkeeper), Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane

Zimbabwe

Sikandar Raza (captain), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Brendan Taylor (wicketkeeper), Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande (wicketkeeper), Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava

Pakistan’s decision to boycott their T20 World Cup game against India has been termed a political move, with cricketers and politicians in both countries and around the world urging the International Cricket Council (ICC) to resolve the dispute.

The Pakistani government on Sunday issued a statement saying its men’s cricket team will participate in the global tournament but will not take the field in the match against archrivals India on February 15.

In a swift response, the ICC was critical of Pakistan’s move of “selective participation” and asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to consider the “significant and long-term implications” of its decision.

A decades-old political rift between the two nuclear-armed countries is blamed for their frosty sporting ties.

Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947, resulting in a bloody division of the subcontinent by the colonial British. Over the past 78 years, the nations have fought four wars, exchanged countless skirmishes and remained at odds primarily over the disputed Kashmir region that both claim in entirety but administer parts of.

The South Asian archrivals returned from the brink of an all-out war in May, when both countries clashed at their shared border before an internationally-brokered ceasefire.

An official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has supported the ICC’s statement asking Pakistan to reconsider the move.

“The ICC has issued a big statement, they have spoken about sportsmanship,” BCCI’s Vice President Rajeev Shukla told the ANI news agency in India.

“We completely agree with the ICC. BCCI won’t make any comments on it until we speak with the ICC.”

However, former cricketers and politicians have called upon the ICC to act as a mediator between both countries’ cricket boards.

“Cricket can open doors when politics closes them,” former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi wrote on X.

He urged the ICC to “lead and prove through decisions, not statements, that it is impartial, independent and fair to every member.”

‘Sport has been politicised’

Prominent Indian politician Shashi Tharoor was critical of the politicisation of cricket, and slammed the BCCI’s decision to expel Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League in January.

“It is pretty disgraceful that sport has been politicised in this way on both sides,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

“I don’t think that Mustafizur should have been denied his contract to play in Kolkata. It was most unfortunate. [An] intrusion of politics. I think the Bangladeshi reaction was an overreaction, but it is also a reflection of the same, and Pakistan is trying to show its solidarity with Bangladesh. ”

Tharoor, who is a member of India’s main opposition party, said the situation was “spiralling out of control”.

“Sports, especially a sport like cricket which means so much to all the people, should be a means of bringing us together at least on the playing field, rather than allowing this to go on like this,” he said.

The 69-year-old, who is also an author of several books on history and politics, called on the ICC to help mend the ties.

“This is now a wake-up call for all concerned to contact each other on an emergency basis. The ICC could be the platform for it. Just say, ‘Let’s call off this nonsense’. You can’t go on like this forever.”

Pakistan’s decision, which came six days before the start of the World Cup, has cast a shadow on the marquee fixture of the group stage.

India and Pakistan were scheduled to play in Colombo on February 15 in a game that attracts millions of viewers from across the world and is seen as a major revenue-generating fixture for the tournament’s organisers and sponsors.

Outspoken former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif said Pakistan could face sanctions from the ICC, but such a move would be hypocritical as teams have boycotted games at previous World Cups.

“Where was ICC when Australia and West Indies forfeited their matches in 1996; England refusing to travel to Harare and New Zealand to Nairobi in 2003,” he said on X.

Latif, who played 37 Tests and 166 one-day internationals (ODIs), feared that Pakistan may be sanctioned by the ICC.

“They [Pakistan] don’t seem to care about it,” he said.

‘Would Pakistan refuse to play the final?’

Should Pakistan keep their word and boycott the group game, they will forfeit two points, which could have an impact on their standings in Group A.

Pakistan and India could meet again in the tournament, in the final on March 8, but with the multiple stages of progress between the group game and the final, it is unclear how that match would pan out.

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen questioned whether Pakistan would boycott the tournament decider as well.

“Would Pakistan refuse to play the World Cup final?” he asked.

Cricketers from across the border condemned Pakistan’s boycott of the game.

“This isn’t about guts at all, this is about foolishness,” Madan Lal, a former Test cricketer and coach, told Indian media.

“Because Pakistan wants to show India down, that’s why they’re taking all these decisions. That’s the reason their growth isn’t happening, either. If you keep looking at others, what will you do for your own growth?”

Indian cricket writer and commentator Harsha Bhogle said the boycott could deal a financial blow to Pakistan cricket.

“If there is an inevitable reduction in the ICC’s revenue caused by Pakistan’s forfeit and future uncertainty, the least affected countries, given other strong sources of revenue, will be India, Australia and England,” he said in a social media post.

“The most affected will be those completely reliant on revenues from the ICC; not just the smaller and associate nations but also the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and…… Pakistan!”

Pakistan will open their T20 World Cup campaign on the opening day, February 7, against the Netherlands in Colombo.

The 2009 champions will play all their games, including any Super 8 fixtures and knockouts, in Sri Lanka.

This follows an ICC-brokered agreement between the PCB and the BCCI in December 2024 that allows both teams to play their games at a neutral venue when the neighbour hosts an ICC event.

Pakistan’s remaining Group A fixtures are against the United States on February 10 and against Namibia on February 18.