Yuvraj Singh and Marcus Stoinis (Agency Image)

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has heaped praise on former India star Yuvraj Singh, describing him more as a mentor than a teammate and saying he commands “nothing but absolute respect.” “I played with Yuvraj Singh in the IPL. Although I was playing with him, I describe him more as a mentor. I was quite young, and he was obviously very experienced,” Stoinis said in a recent video released by the ICC.

He went on to highlight Yuvraj’s supportive nature, calling him “very helpful” and a “nice guy.” “Super talented, elegant, powerful. Not the typical power that maybe is on highlight around the world today. It was a more relaxed, rhythmical power. Very nice guy, very helpful. I mean, to a young overseas player coming to the IPL, he was very good to me. Nothing but absolute respect,” Stoinis added. Turning to Australia’s current form, the team has struggled at the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and is already out of the tournament. After starting with a convincing 67-run win over Ireland in the 14th match at R Premadasa Stadium, the Aussies were stunned by Zimbabwe in their next game, failing to chase 170 and being bowled out for 146. The struggles continued against co-hosts Sri Lanka, with Australia losing by eight wickets as Sri Lanka chased down 182 in just 18 overs. Their qualification hopes then depended on Ireland defeating Zimbabwe, but the match was washed out, giving one point to each team and ending Australia’s campaign prematurely. Australia will now take on Oman in their final group-stage match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Friday, aiming to finish the tournament on a positive note.

Canada’s Indian-origin batter Yuvraj Samra created history by becoming the youngest player to score a century at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, blasting a career-best 110 off 65 balls against New Zealand cricket team in a Group D match, at 19 years and 141 days. The youngster, who was named after Indian swashbuckler Yuvraj Singh by his cricket fan father Baljit Samra, was playing in only his 19th T20 International since making his debut in March last year.

Samra struck 11 fours and 6 sixes to power Canada to 173, setting a new mark as the youngest centurion in the tournament and recording the highest individual score by a batter from an Associate nation.He is also the third Canadian to register a half-century in this edition.The record for the youngest hundred in the T20 World Cup was previously held by Pakistan’s Ahmed Shehzad, who was 22-year-old when he touched the milestone in 2014.After his record-breaking century, Yuvraj Samra said the moment was something he had long imagined and worked towards.“Honestly, I manifested this moment ever since we qualified for the World Cup. Every single day, I dreamed about scoring a hundred on this stage. To do it here, in my first appearance, and as the youngest player in this World Cup – it’s truly a dream come true.” he said. On being compared to Yuvraj Singh, Samra said: “It feels incredible. There are so many emotions right now, I can’t really put them into words. Yuvraj Singh is someone I’ve looked up to since I was a kid, so to even be mentioned in the same breath is special. I just wish my dad was here today watching me from back home – this one’s for him.” he added.Highest individual scores for Associate teams in T20 World Cups:

Samra smashed six sixes and 11 fours in his 65-ball knock, taking full advantage of a depleted New Zealand attack minus Lockie Ferguson (personal leave) and Mitchell Santner (indisposed).He set the tone early, taking on pace spearhead Matt Henry in the opening over with back to back fours.He then shifted gears in the final over of the powerplay, hammering James Neesham for 18 runs.After two dot balls, he unleashed a sequence of 4, 4, 4, 6 — pulling behind square, muscling one over mid-wicket, drilling a straight drive and finishing with a stunning upper-cut over point — to race to 29 off 17 balls.Samra brought up his fifty off just 36 balls and found solid support from skipper Dilpreet Bajwa as the duo stitched together a 116-run opening stand — the highest first-wicket partnership by an Associate team against a Full Member in men’s T20 World Cups.Bajwa was clearly overshadowed and got out for 36 off 39 balls.Samra also had luck on his side, dropped on 91 when Henry failed to hold on at deep extra cover and again on 107 off Neesham.However, New Zealand found some relief in the final three overs, conceding just 23 runs and picking up two wickets to deny Canada a 180-plus total.

Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi and teammate Usman Tariq leave the field after Pakistan lost their T20 World Cup game against India (AP Photo)

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi launched a scathing attack on the senior core of the Pakistan national cricket team after their crushing 61-run defeat to India national cricket team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at R Premadasa Stadium.Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India dominated the Group A clash on Sunday, handing Pakistan a heavy blow and leaving them in a must-win situation against Namibia to have any chance of reaching the Super 8s.

Afridi, speaking on Samaa TV, did not hold back and urged the team management to make bold calls ahead of the crucial fixture. He called for the exclusion of senior players including Babar Azam, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, stating that they had been given ample opportunities over the years without delivering consistent results. Notably, Shaheen is married to Afridi’s daughter Ansha.“Drop Shaheen, drop Shadab, and drop Babar. Try fresh faces against Namibia and give the new players a chance to build confidence. They’ve been playing for a long time. Whenever we expect them to perform, they don’t. If these senior players aren’t giving us the performances we desire, then play the juniors who are sitting on the bench. What is the difference?”, Afridi said during a Live show.Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted after the match that the spinners failed to deliver on a surface that offered assistance.“We were believing in our spinners, and they had an off day today. Execution was missing in some parts of the game. We were obviously going to always believe our spinners, because they’ve done really well in last six month. And with the batting I think we didn’t start well and in T20 games if we lose 3 or 4 wickets in powerplay, you are always chasing the game,” he said in the post-match presentation ceremony.Salman also criticised the batting unit for not adapting to the conditions.“I think, to be very honest, like in first inning it was a bit tacky. The ball was gripping as well. So, the execution was, I think, missing when it comes to bowling, but I think the pitch better played better in the second inning than first inning. But our bowlers like, we didn’t bowl according to the situation. And when it comes to batting, we didn’t apply ourselves and gave us a chance to go deep in the game,” he said.

England’s Will Jacks (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Will Jacks produced a blistering all-round display as England cricket team defeated Italy national cricket team by 24 runs to book their place in the Super Eights of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, in their Group C fixture at Eden Gardens on Monday.Asked to bat first, England surged past the 200-mark for the first time in this edition, finishing on 202 for 7. The charge was led by Jacks, whose explosive unbeaten 53 came off just 22 balls and included four sixes and three fours. His late assault rescued England after they had slipped to 105/5. Sam Curran added a valuable 25 from 19 balls as the pair combined for a rapid 54-run partnership off only 25 deliveries for the sixth wicket.

Earlier, Phil Salt had set the tempo with 28 off 15 balls, helping England cross 50 inside five overs. However, Jos Buttler’s lean run continued as he departed for three, dismissed by Grant Stewart. Salt later fell to Ali Hasan, while Jacob Bethell (23 off 20) and Harry Brook (14 off 9) also failed to convert starts. Tom Banton contributed a fluent 30 off 21 before holing out to Manenti.Italy’s chase began in dramatic fashion. Jofra Archer’s searing opening over at 146kph reduced them to 1/2, soon becoming 22/3. Anthony Mosca fell first ball, while JJ Smuts edged to first slip. Harry Manenti followed, leaving Italy reeling.Yet the debutants responded bravely. Ben Manenti launched a stunning counterattack, smashing 60 off 25 balls, including a 22-ball fifty — the joint-fifth fastest of the tournament and joint-second fastest by an Associate batter in its history. He hammered five sixes and four fours, taking 21 runs off one Jacks over. Justin Mosca supported well with 43 off 34 as the pair added 92 in 48 balls to revive hopes.Jacks broke the stand by dismissing Ben, caught by Banton, before Adil Rashid removed Justin. Grant Stewart then reignited the contest with 45 off 23, striking two sixes off Archer and three against Rashid.However, Curran halted the surge with two wickets in two balls on his way to 3/22, while Jamie Overton claimed 3/18. Italy were bowled out for 178 in 20 overs, and England advanced with their Super Eights spot secured.

South Africa’s captain Aiden Markram, left, and South Africa’s David Miller (AP Photo/ Ajit Solanki)

Aiden Markram’s blistering half-century powered South Africa to a convincing seven-wicket victory over New Zealand on Saturday, moving the Proteas closer to a Super 8s berth in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Markram led the charge in a high-stakes Group D clash, blasting a rapid 86 to dismantle the Kiwi bowling attack and complete the chase of 176 without any real hiccups. South Africa reached their target in just 17.1 overs, marking their third straight win and taking them to the top of the group with six points.

New Zealand had posted 175 for seven after electing to bat, thanks to a counter-attacking 74-run partnership between Mark Chapman (48) and Daryl Mitchell (32). However, their efforts were undone by South Africa’s incisive bowling and a relentless chase led by Markram. The Proteas began aggressively, with Quinton de Kock (20 off 14) and Ryan Rickelton (21 off 11) providing a brisk start before falling to Lockie Ferguson. Markram then combined with Rickelton for a crucial 40-run burst, pushing South Africa past 100 in just eight overs. Even after Rickelton and Dewald Brevis (21) fell in quick succession, Markram continued to dominate, reaching his half-century off just 28 balls. David Miller (24 not out) finished the job with a huge six over mid-wicket, sealing the win with 17 balls to spare. Earlier, New Zealand had begun strongly, with Tim Seifert and Finn Allen attacking Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi. But Jansen’s steep bounce removed Seifert and Rachin Ravindra, while Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada picked up key wickets to leave the Black Caps struggling at 64 for four inside seven overs. Chapman and Mitchell rebuilt with composure, but Jansen’s return to dismiss Chapman, followed by Mitchell and skipper Mitchell Santner’s cheap dismissal, curtailed the late surge. Jansen finished with 4 for 40, supported by Corbin Bosch (1/34) and Keshav Maharaj (1/24), while James Neesham’s unbeaten 23 went largely in vain.