Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed on Sunday confirmed his retirement from all forms of cricket, bringing an end to a long international career in which he led the side to memorable triumphs against arch-rivals India national cricket team in two major ICC tournament finals. The wicketkeeper-batter, who last represented the Pakistan national cricket team in a Test against the Australia national cricket team in Perth in December 2023, announced his decision through a statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). According to sources within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the formal announcement could now allow Sarfaraz to be appointed as the head coach of the national Test team on a long-term basis. The red-ball coaching role has remained unfilled since the board decided not to continue with Azhar Mahmood, who had been serving as the interim head coach of the Test team last year. Sarfaraz, who will turn 39 in May, has already been given several responsibilities within Pakistan’s cricket structure. Recently, he was named as a member of the national selection committee and also appointed mentor and manager for the Pakistan Under-19 and Shaheens squads. Despite nearing the end of his career, the Karachi-born cricketer had continued playing domestic cricket and featured in a first-class match as recently as October last year. However, in his statement, he said he now intends to dedicate his time to his administrative and mentoring duties. “I could never have dreamt of captaining Pakistan in all three formats and winning the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2006 and the 2017 Champions Trophy… they are unforgettable moments for me,” he said. Sarfaraz added that throughout his career he had aimed to encourage fearless cricket while also fostering strong unity within the team environment. During his international journey, the wicketkeeper-batter represented Pakistan in 54 Tests, 117 One-Day Internationals and 61 T20 Internationals. He also captained the national side in 100 matches across the three formats.

By JAMIE BULLEN, LIVE COVERAGE EDITOR

Updated: 07:45 EDT, 10 March 2026

Britain is poised to deploy an evacuation ship to the Mediterranean to potentially help people evacuate from the Middle East as thousands remain stranded in Dubai.

The Ministry of Defence announced RFA Lyme Bay, which can be deployed for humanitarian and disaster relief missions, is being readied for deployment. It would be the second ship to head towards the Middle East with HMS Dragon expected to set sail this week.

More than 170,000 people in the Middle East have registered their presence with the UK government and more than 37,000 British nationals have already been evacuated since the start of the Iran war, Defence Secretary John Healey announced yesterday.

Meanwhile Pakistan has deployed its navy to escort tankers through the Gulf amid increasing threats between the US and Iran surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Last night the military said warships would be escorting merchant vessels ‘to ensure the uninterrupted flow of national energy supplies’.

It comes as Donald Trump and Iran traded threats over the choked off Strait of Hormuz with the President declaring Tehran would be hit ‘TWENTY TIMES HARDER’ if it stopped oil exports.

While Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by insisting ‘not a single litre of oil’ would leave the Gulf while under attack from the US and Israel.

Follow the latest updates on the US-Israel war with Iran

UK to deploy ship to Mediterranean to help with evacuations

Landing ship RFA Lyme Bay is being prepared for potential deployment to the eastern Mediterranean, the Ministry of Defence said.

The vessel has aviation and medical facilities allowing it to be used in support of humanitarian and disaster relief missions.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘As part of prudent planning, we have taken the decision to bring RFA Lyme Bay to heightened readiness as a precaution, should she be needed to assist in maritime tasks in the eastern Mediterranean.’

Meanwhile, Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is due to be sent to the eastern Mediterranean to help protect Cyprus and the RAF bases there from further drone or missile attacks by Iran and its proxies.

On Monday, Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs the warship would sail from Portsmouth ‘in the next couple of days’.

Fire breaks out at Abu Dhabi refinery

A fire has broken out at an industrial complex in Abu Dhabi following a drone attack, authorities have confirmed.

The blaze broke out at one of the facilities within the Ruwais Industrial Complex, home to one of the biggest oil refineries in the Middle East.

In a statement, the Abu Dhabi media office said: ‘The competent authorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi are dealing with a fire that broke out in one of the facilities within the Ruwais Industrial Complex, resulting from a drone attack, with no injuries recorded so far.

‘The competent authorities have urged the public to obtain information from official sources only, and to avoid circulating rumors or unverified information.’

Gulf states face more attacks as Iran wages retaliation campaign

Iran’s neighbours in the Gulf have reported more attacks after Tehran launched missiles and drones in retaliation for US and Israeli airstrikes.

Here’s the latest situation unfolding in the Gulf:

Bahrain’s interior ministry said an Iranian attack on a residential area in the capital Manama killed one person and injured others. ‘Initial reports indicate one person died and others were injured in a blatant Iranian attack targeting a residential building in the capital,’ the ministry said.

The UAE’s ministry of defence has today confirmed it is dealing with missile and drone threats from Iran. Meanwhile the UAE’s consulate in Iraq’s Kurdish region was reportedly attacked by a drone. Abu Dhabi has confirmed a fire has broken out at an industrial complex in Ruwais as a result of a drone attack.

Qatar has said it has intercepted a missile attack today and the interior ministry has declared the security threat level has been elevated. It means residents are required to remain indoors and stay away from windows and exposed areas.

Watch: Ten days into war with Iran – every flashpoint from the conflict

Iran hits back at Trump’s ’empty threats’ over Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani has dismissed Donald Trump’s ’empty threats’ over the Strait of Hormuz.

It comes after Trump warned he will hit Iran ‘TWENTY TIMES HARDER’ if the flow of oil stops through the key waterway which transports a fifth of the world’s oil.

‘Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Take care of yourself not to be eliminated!’ said Larijani in a post on X.

170,000 in Middle East have registered presence with UK Foreign Office

More than 170,000 people in the Middle East have registered their presence with the UK government, Defence Secretary John Healey announced yesterday.

He added More than 37,000 British nationals have been evacuated since the start of the Iran war.

Three chartered flights have taken off from the Omani capital Muscat, with more to come this week.

Kremlin declines to say if US warned against Iran intel sharing

The Kremlin has declined to say whether the United States warned it against sharing intelligence with Iran.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that Moscow had passed sensitive intelligence to Tehran, including the locations of US warships and aircraft in the region.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Saturday he had ‘strongly’ communicated to Russia not to share targeting information with Tehran.

When asked by AFP about Witkoff’s statement, or whether US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had discussed this in a phone call on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: ‘All I can say is that Witkoff is in constant contact with his Russian counterparts, and that this channel of communication indeed allows us to hand each other signals about the most sensitive issues.’

New Ayatollah is ‘as bad as his father’, say terrified Iranians

by Natalie Lisbona

Terrified Iranians have warned that having the slain Ayatollah’s son as their new leader will change nothing as he is ‘as bad as his father’.

Mojtaba Khamenei was elected as Iran’s new Supreme Leader on Sunday following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a missile strike on the first day of the war.

Hardliner Mojtaba, 56, is one of the most influential figures in Iran’s clerical establishment and has for years been seen as one of the top candidates to succeed his father.

Israel vowed at the weekend to hunt down and kill whoever Iran’s Assembly of Experts decided to elect as its new leader.

It has emerged that Mojtaba was wounded in a bomb blast, but it is unclear whether it was the same one that killed his father.

Vladimir Putin has offered to mediate in Iran war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to help resolve the Iran war, the Kremlin has said.

Putin has put forward different options to mediate and ways to reduce tensions in the Middle East with his proposals still on the table, it was claimed

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Moscow is ready to provide any assistance it can.

He declined to provide more details on the specifics of the ‘considerations’ on Iran that Putin raised on a call with Donald Trump last night.

Trump revealed details of a ‘positive call with Putin, where the pair spoke about Ukraine and Iran.

Watch: Incredible moment UAE fighter jet chases and fires at Iranian Shahed drone

by Eliana Silver

This is the incredible moment a UAE F-16E fighter jet chases after an Iranian Shahed-136 attack drone over Al Mamzar Beach in Dubai.

Social media footage shows shocked beachgoers looking at the sky as the drone flies low over the water.

Within seconds, the F-16E enters the picture and fires what appears to be an AIM-9X Sidewinder, a heat-seeking air-to-air missile designed for close-range engagements, at the drone.

The attack drone is subsequently destroyed moments after impact.

The intercept came as the UAE defense ministry said on Sunday that a total of 117 drones were detected, with 113 intercepted and destroyed, while four fell within the country.

India warns of widespread restaurant closures amid fears over gas imports

India has ordered tighter controls over natural and cooking gas today amid warnings restaurants could face widespread closures.

The world’s most populous nation is the fourth largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) buyer, and second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), such as that used for cooking – much of which is sourced from the Middle East.

‘The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has resulted in the disruption of liquefied natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz,’ the Ministry of Petroleum said in an order issued on Tuesday.

It said the new rules would ‘ensure equitable distribution and continued availability for priority sectors’.

The ministry ordered that LNG supplies be prioritised to supply households, transport sectors and production of LPG.

Chaotic stand-off in Australia as protesters try to stop Iranian footballers from flying home

A tearful Iranian footballer appeared to be dragged onto a bus in chaotic scenes as protesters in Australia tried to stop the women’s team from being forced home by the cruel regime.

Protesters ‘rammed’ the bus and temporarily prevented the squad from leaving their hotel on the Gold Coast on Tuesday afternoon after five members were granted humanitarian visas following an intervention by Donald Trump.

Players were seen making what appeared to be an ‘SOS’ hand signal, a closed fist with the thumb underneath the fingers, on their team bus after their Asian Cup campaign ended on Sunday night.

A group of players then escaped from their hotel on Monday night in a desperate bid to avoid returning to their war-torn country, where they faced persecution over their refusal to sing the Iranian national anthem.

Extra police will reportedly be stationed at Gold Coast Airport ready to assist any other team members who wish to seek asylum.

Key Updates

• Fire breaks out at Abu Dhabi refinery

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• Gulf states face more attacks as Iran wages retaliation campaign

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• Iran hits back at Trump’s ’empty threats’ over Strait of Hormuz

  View post

• UK to deploy ship to Mediterranean to help with evacuations

  View post

• Trump claims 5,000 nuclear sites have been struck during Operation Epic Fury

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• Iran to allow countries that have expelled US, Israeli ambassadors to access Strait of Hormuz – report

  View post

• Trump thinking of taking over Strait of Hormuz

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• Trump says US and Israel are ‘crushing’ Iranian regime

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• Pakistan deploys navy to Gulf and Trump suggests war could end ‘very soon’: Everything you need to know this morning

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Former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed is on the verge of taking charge as the head coach of Pakistan’s Test side, with the role lying unoccupied for nearly five months. In the interim, Azhar Mahmood oversaw the team during the recent Test tour of South Africa.As reported by Geo News, Sarfaraz is expected to assume the position ahead of Pakistan’s upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh in May. He is currently with the Pakistan Shaheens in the UAE, where they are engaged in T20 and one-day fixtures against the England Lions. An official confirmation from the board is anticipated shortly.

Sarfaraz’s growing credentials as a coach were strengthened after he guided Pakistan’s Under-19 side to an Asia Cup title. During that campaign, several supporters reportedly approached PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, urging him to entrust the senior red-ball team to the former captain.Pakistan presently sit fifth in the World Test Championship standings, following their drawn home series against South Africa in October. Their next assignment in the cycle begins on May 8, when they host Bangladesh for a two-Test contest.In his playing days, Sarfaraz featured in 54 Tests, amassing 3,031 runs with four centuries and 21 half-centuries. He led Pakistan in 13 of those matches, securing four victories, including a famous win at Lord’s against England in 2018. His most recent Test appearance came against Australia in Perth in 2023.Across white-ball formats, he represented Pakistan in 117 ODIs, scoring 2,315 runs with two hundreds and 11 fifties, and played 61 T20Is, compiling 818 runs. As captain, he achieved notable success, most prominently steering Pakistan to the 2017 Champions Trophy title. He also led the side at the 2019 ODI World Cup, where Pakistan narrowly missed out on a semi-final berth despite winning five of their nine league matches. In T20 internationals, he maintained an impressive win rate of 78.37 per cent as skipper.

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohsin Naqvi (Agency Image)

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has indirectly questioned the leadership at the Pakistan Cricket Board after Pakistan crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2026 despite signing off their Super 8 campaign with a win over Sri Lanka.Pakistan’s victory in their final Group 2 fixture was not enough to overhaul New Zealand’s superior net run rate, which meant another semifinal miss at a global event. It marked Pakistan’s fourth straight failure at ICC tournaments, following early exits at the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Speaking on Tapmad, Akhtar did not mince words while criticising the team’s think tank. He labelled the management “clueless” and suggested that flawed selection calls over the past fortnight had cost Pakistan dearly.“Pakistan’s management looks completely clueless. Today’s team selection only confirmed that the XI picked over the last 15 days was wrong. There was one clear error — Saim Ayub should have played instead of Khawaja Nafay. Saim could have contributed with the ball as well,” Akhtar said.He pointed out that Pakistan’s strong showing against Sri Lanka highlighted what had been missing earlier in the tournament.“This selection showed that when you pick the right players for the right roles, they perform. Fakhar Zaman is a natural opener, yet he wasn’t played earlier. Today, Farhan, Fakhar and Abrar all delivered. That tells you everything.”Akhtar then shifted the spotlight towards PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, suggesting that while the chief may have good intentions, the structure around him is failing the team.“I have nothing against Mohsin Naqvi. From what I hear, he is a good person. He is one of the most powerful chairmen in Pakistan’s cricket history. He has influence, resources and authority. But if he cannot build a strong management structure, and the team has failed to qualify in four consecutive tournaments, then something is seriously wrong within the board.“I understand that he may not be a cricket expert and genuinely wants the team to do well. But is he seeking the right advice? It doesn’t appear so. This is a request to Naqvi: the people advising you are making you look bad. The selection committee is not doing you justice.“He may want success for Pakistan cricket, but the system around him is not helping. The real question is — who are these people? At this stage, Naqvi remains Pakistan cricket’s last hope, but he needs the right support structure to turn things around.”

At least six people were killed in clashes with police Sunday after hundreds of protesters stormed the US Consulate in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, authorities said.

The violence came after the United States and Israel attacked Iran and killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Police and officials at a hospital in Karachi said at least eight people were also wounded in the clashes.

Police in Karachi said the protesters were later dispersed and the situation was under control.

Karachi is the capital of southern Sindh province.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Openers Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan put Pakistan in control with a record opening stand against Sri Lanka in a must-win Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup at Pallekele International Stadium on Saturday.Batting first, Pakistan built a 176-run partnership for the opening wicket, their highest stand for any wicket in T20 World Cup history. It is also the third-highest partnership for Pakistan in all T20Is.Sri Lanka did not help their cause in the field. Dunith Wellalage dropped Farhan when he was on 75. Kamindu Mendis Liyanage appeared to have caught him on 76 but stepped on the boundary cushion.The breakthrough came through Dushmantha Chameera. He bowled wide outside off to Fakhar, who had been moving across the crease through the innings. This time, Fakhar got an inside edge that deflected onto the stumps.The opening stand of 176 is now a T20 World Cup record, going past the unbroken 175-run stand between Finn Allen and Tim Seifert against UAE earlier in the tournament.Highest partnerships in T20 World Cup (any wicket)176 – Sahibzada Farhan & Fakhar Zaman (PAK) vs SL, Pallekele, 2026*175* – Tim Seifert & Finn Allen (NZ) vs UAE, Chennai, 2026170* – Jos Buttler & Alex Hales (ENG) vs IND, Adelaide, 2022168 – Quinton de Kock & Rilee Rossouw (SA) vs BAN, Sydney, 2022166 – Mahela Jayawardene & Kumar Sangakkara (SL) vs WI, Barbados, 2010154 – Ibrahim Zadran & Rahmanullah Gurbaz (AFG) vs UGA, Providence, 2024

Pakistan post 212

Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman powered Pakistan to 212 in the first innings. Pakistan bowlers need to stop Sri Lanka at 147 or less to to go past New Zealand on net run rate and qualify for the semi-finals.Earlier, Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl in their final Super 8 match at Pallekele in Kandy.Pakistan made changes to their playing XI. Former captain Babar Azam was left out after a run of low scores. Saim Ayub was also not included.Pakistan entered the match after a narrow loss to two-time champions England on Tuesday. Sri Lanka were already out of the tournament following defeats to England and New Zealand in their first two Super 8 matches.

Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan created history in the must-win Super 8 clash against Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2026, going past Virat Kohli to register the highest number of runs in a single edition of the tournament on Saturday.Kohli had scored 319 runs in six innings during the 2014 T20 World Cup, a record that had stood for years.

Farhan, however, overtook that mark with another fluent knock at a crucial time for Pakistan, emphasising his dream run in this year’s competition.The big moment came in a high-pressure game. Farhan amassed 100 off 60 balls, having racked up nine 4s and five 6s. And thanks to this innings, he now holds 383 runs, 64 more runs than Kohli’s tally, in a single edition of a T20 World Cup.Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and chose to bowl first. While Sri Lanka were already out of the semifinal race, Pakistan still had a slim chance. To qualify, they needed not just a win but a massive 64-run victory to overtake New Zealand on net run rate.Pakistan made three changes to their playing XI, with Babar Azam, Saim Ayub and Salman Mirza missing out. Naseem Shah, Khawaja Nafay and Abrar Ahmed were drafted in. Sri Lanka also made two changes, bringing in Kamil Mishara and Janith Liyanage.Batting first, Pakistan got off to a blazing start. Farhan and Fakhar Zaman put together an unbeaten 150-run partnership in just 14 overs.Pakistan raced to 150 without losing a wicket, scoring at more than 10 runs per over. The powerplay itself yielded 64 runs, setting the tone for a strong total.With Farhan in record-breaking form and Pakistan off to a flying start, the team kept its semifinal hopes alive in style.

PAK vs SL Playing XIs

Pakistan: Salman Agha (c), Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq.Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara (wk), Charith Asalanka, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka.