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Salman Agha celebrates along with his teammates after dismissing India’s Abhishek Sharma.”,”caption”:”Pakistan’s Salman Agha celebrates along with his teammates after dismissing India’s Abhishek Sharma.”,”credit score”:”{Photograph}: Lahiru Harshana/Reuters”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”abstract”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1771162384000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”13.33 GMT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1771163056000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”13.44 GMT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1771162477000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”13.34 GMT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”13.34″,”title”:”WICKET! Abhishek Sharma c Shaheen Shah Afridi b Salman Agha 0 (India 1-1)”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Solar 15 Feb 2026 14.07 GMT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First revealed on Solar 15 Feb 2026 12.40 GMT”},{“id”:”6991c3e88f0893c883d520cc”,”parts”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The R Premadasa stadium is indeed packed with fans from both sides and Sri Lankan fans who have turned out to see the spectacle.
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Pakistan captain Salman Agha calls the coin correctly and inserts India. India captain Suryakumar Yadav isn’t fussed – he says he would have batted first. The pitch will likely be tacky and quite slow, it’s the same one Zimbabwe beat Australia on. Teams incoming!
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So here we are. A cricket match will take place in Colombo today.
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Last month the Pakistan government announced that they had refused permission for their cricket team to play this T20I World Cup fixture against India in solidarity with Bangladesh. The latter were removed from the tournament after they themselves refused to travel to India because of security concerns. Scotland, who missed out on the final qualifying place to Italy last year were called up to take their place with just two weeks notice.
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In actuality, Bangladesh’s decision came amid worsening tensions between themselves and India, a geo-political dispute that has spilt over onto the cricket field.
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In January, Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the Indian Premier League (IPL) by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), a direct result of political pressure. Pakistan saw their opportunity to make a move, their decision no doubt influenced by India’s refusal to play in Pakistan when they themselves hosted another ICC event – the Champions Trophy, last year. Cricket was thus used as a political football. Depressingly, this is nothing new.
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At the Asia Cup held in Dubai in September of last year, India’s players refused to shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts. They also refused to accept the tournament trophy from the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Even more remarkably, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media after the match comparing the cricket team’s cricketing victory to ‘Operation Sindoor’ – the military conflict fought between the two countries in Kashmir in May 2025.
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The last two weeks have seen figures from the nations’ governments as well as the governing body of cricket scrabble to get a game on so as not to jeopardise the ICC’s £2.2bn ($3bn) broadcast deal.
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The whole situation is a sad reflection both of the fragility of world cricket’s eco-system as well as a cracked mirror reflecting the worsening relations between countries in a part of the world where the game means so much. Today’s game is now back on after all parties and the ICC reached an agreement, basically that it was too big to not happen.
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Writing in The Times, former England captain, journalist and broadcaster Michael Atherton has declared the match a miserable, toxic spectacle. “Once the fixture was one that journalists and broadcasters begged to attend, now it’s nothing more than a proxy for political point-scoring.”
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You feel for the players, although comments from some on both sides have hardly helped things either. They won’t shake hands today but they will play a game of cricket. Let’s hope it is a good one and that for a few brief hours the game itself can serve as distraction and balm.
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Play begins at 1.30pm GMT with the toss and teams half an hour before that.
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Key occasions
eighth over: India 82-1 (Ishan Kishan 72, Varma 10) Shadab Khan into the assault, Kishan sweeps into the deep and takes two. SIX! A monster sweep into the scoreboard at midwicket! Ishan Kishan is on one. Flatter sweep brings 4 extra, some double teapots can now be noticed amongst the Pakistan fielders. Two twos and single sees Kishan maintain strike after plundering 17 from the over.
“The Manhattan’s are climbing” says Matthew Hayden of the Indian run charge. This one is for the ‘Dos.
seventh over: India 65-1 (Ishan Kishan 55, Varma 10) Beautiful smooth arms from Kishan as he dabs a late minimize off Abrar for 4. 4 extra! Too full from the bowler and Kishan bunts again over the bowler’s head to deliver up his fifty! 4 extra with a lofted cowl drive! Abrar goes over the wicket and escapes from the over with two dots and a single from Kishan to complete. 13 runs off the over, Pakistan want wickets, pronto.
sixth over: India 52-1 (Ishan Kishan 42, Varma 10) Saim Ayub comes again for a second over, Kishan performs an actual hack into the leg facet and simply clears the person leaping at mid on. 4 runs the outcome. Lewk within the bewk. A thick outdoors edge sees the ball hint throughout the outfield quickly for 4 extra. Powerplay performed, honours about even.
fifth over: India 41-1 (Ishan Kishan 36, Varma 5) Extra spin with Abrar Ahmed. SIX! Kishan picks his first ball off leg stump and sweeps for SIX. Stress on the bowler now, Abrar responds effectively with two dots. Too brief with the following and Kishan slaps within the hole at cowl for 4. He appears to be like harmful, eleven runs off the over. Another within the Powerplay to go.
4th over: India 30-1 (Ishan Kishan 25, Varma 5) Saim Ayub does a job, Kishan will get him away for a leg facet 4 however its simply 5 off the over. A fast single off the final sees Shaheen hit the stumps with a throw from mid off however Ishan had dived and made his floor.
third over: India 25-1 (Ishan Kishan 20, Varma 5) Salman Agha provides himself a second over. Kishan swipes a size ball over vast mid-on for 4 however practically perishes to a unfastened sweep shot subsequent ball, it ploops over the fielder behind sq. and lands secure. 9 off the over, Salman has 1-10 off two overs. We’ll have extra spin too, Saim Ayub is coming onto bowl the following.
2nd over: India 16-1 (Ishan Kishan 12, Varma 4) Right here comes Shaheen Shah Afridi. Tempo very a lot again on. Bosh! His first ball is banged in and boshed away by Ishan for SIX over sq. leg. A spawny 4 off an inside edge follows and it’s a frenetic begin. Honest to say the gang are loving it. Two dots earlier than one other edge, this time from Varma, flies to the fence for 4. Fifteen runs off the over.
1st over: India 1-1 (Ishan Kishan 1, Varma 0) Tilak Varma in at first drop for India after Abishek hauls himself off the sector along with his second duck in as many matches. What a begin from Salman Agha and Pakistan.
WICKET! Abhishek Sharma c Shaheen Shah Afridi b Salman Agha 0 (India 1-1)
Gone! The gamble does certainly repay for Salman Agha and Pakistan. He spears a ball into the cheesy floor, Abishek tries to drag it away however doesn’t time it in any respect, serving solely to plink a catch to Shaheen at mid on!
A dot to start out from Salman, will this gamble repay? It’s solely the primary time he has opened the bowling in a T20I… a single follows as Ishan will get off the mark with a hack into the leg facet, the fielder within the deep effectively positioned. Three dots observe… and there’s a wicket!
Proper then, right here come the gamers. Abishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan stroll out to raucous noise. Pakistan are going with spin to start out, Salman Agha has opted to show his personal arm over for the opening stanza. Let’s play!
The gamers line up for the anthems. In case you didn’t know, India lead the head-to-head document in opposition to Pakistan in T20 World Cups by 7-1. Pakistan misplaced notably galling knockout matches to their rivals in Melbourne 2022 and in New York in 2024, they had been extraordinarily effectively positioned in each solely to return out on the dropping facet on each events.
Predictably, there was no handshake between the 2 captains.
We’d not see boundaries raining fairly so freely in Colombo this night, this wicket has been somewhat stodgy and has suited bowlers speaking the tempo off and bowling into the center of the floor.
Groups:
Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (capt), Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed
India XI: Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan are unchanged. For India Kuldeep Yadav replaces Arshdeep Singh and Abhishek Sharma is available in for Sanju Samson.
Pakistan win the toss and can bowl first
The R Premadasa stadium is certainly full of followers from either side and Sri Lankan followers who’ve turned out to see the spectacle.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha calls the coin accurately and inserts India. India captain Suryakumar Yadav isn’t fussed – he says he would have batted first. The pitch will possible be cheesy and fairly gradual, it’s the identical one Zimbabwe beat Australia on. Groups incoming!
Not that the billion or so individuals watching shall be considering alongside these line however the results of this match isn’t essential when it comes to either side development within the match. Each groups have gained their first two video games and might suck up a loss, not that they may wish to on this explicit match.
Preamble
James Wallace
So right here we’re. A cricket match will happen in Colombo right now.
Final month the Pakistan authorities introduced that they’d refused permission for his or her cricket crew to play this T20I World Cup fixture in opposition to India in solidarity with Bangladesh. The latter had been faraway from the match after they themselves refused to journey to India due to safety considerations. Scotland, who missed out on the ultimate qualifying place to Italy final yr had been known as as much as take their place with simply two weeks discover.
Essentially, Bangladesh’s resolution got here amid worsening tensions between themselves and India, a geo-political dispute that has spilt over onto the cricket discipline.
In January, Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman was faraway from the Indian Premier League (IPL) by the Board of Management for Cricket in India (BCCI), a direct results of political strain. Pakistan noticed their alternative to make a transfer, their resolution little question influenced by India’s refusal to play in Pakistan once they themselves hosted one other ICC occasion – the Champions Trophy, final yr. Cricket was thus used as a political soccer. Depressingly, that is nothing new.
On the Asia Cup held in Dubai in September of final yr, India’s gamers refused to shake arms with their Pakistan counterparts. Additionally they refused to simply accept the match trophy from the top of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Much more remarkably, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media after the match evaluating the cricket crew’s cricketing victory to ‘Operation Sindoor’ – the navy battle fought between the 2 nations in Kashmir in Could 2025.
The final two weeks have seen figures from the nations’ governments in addition to the governing physique of cricket scrabble to get a recreation on in order to not jeopardise the ICC’s £2.2bn ($3bn) broadcast deal.
The entire state of affairs is a tragic reflection each of the fragility of world cricket’s eco-system in addition to a cracked mirror reflecting the worsening relations between nations in part of the world the place the sport means a lot. In the present day’s recreation is now again on in spite of everything events and the ICC reached an settlement, principally that it was too large to not occur.
Writing in The Instances, former England captain, journalist and broadcaster Michael Atherton has declared the match a depressing, poisonous spectacle. “As soon as the fixture was one which journalists and broadcasters begged to attend, now it’s nothing greater than a proxy for political point-scoring.”
You are feeling for the gamers, though feedback from some on either side have hardly helped issues both. They gained’t shake arms right now however they may play a recreation of cricket. Let’s hope it’s a good one and that for just a few transient hours the sport itself can function distraction and balm.
Play begins at 1.30pm GMT with the toss and groups half an hour earlier than that.
