Haris Rauf (Agency Photo)

Several Pakistani cricketers experienced a disappointing outcome around the 2026 Hundred auction across men and women’s categories, with fast bowler Haris Rauf going unsold and ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi withdrawing just before the bidding began. Teams were already expected to be cautious with their overseas slots, which limited opportunities for international players during the auction.Pakistan’s Afridi was originally listed in the Tier 1 fast bowlers category and had previously represented Welsh Fire in the tournament. However, he was among five overseas players who pulled out shortly before the auction. The ECB confirmed that Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, AM Ghazanfar, and Peter Siddle also withdrew.

The likely reasons included clashes with the Caribbean Premier League and other international commitments. Afridi’s withdrawal still left 13 Pakistani players available in the men’s auction pool.The withdrawals came at a time when there had been scrutiny about Pakistani participation in the tournament. In response, the ECB and the eight franchises released a joint clarification, stressing that all selections would be based on “performance, availability, and the needs of each team.”Meanwhile, the situation had already been difficult for Pakistan in the women’s auction held a day earlier. None of the Pakistani women’s players managed to secure a contract. Left-handed batter Muneeba Ali, fast bowler Diana Baig, left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal, and national captain Fatima Sana had all entered the auction with a base price of £15,000, but none received bids.With several withdrawals and unsold players, Pakistan’s presence in this year’s Hundred has been noticeably reduced, highlighting how scheduling conflicts and limited overseas spots can strongly influence franchise selections in the competition.

South Africa’s players (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Players from South Africa and West Indies have questioned the travel arrangements after their exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, claiming some teams were given priority flights home. While England national cricket team left Mumbai on a charter flight to London on Saturday after their semifinal loss, the South Africa national cricket team and West Indies national cricket team are still waiting in India due to flight disruptions linked to tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

South Africa were knocked out after losing to New Zealand national cricket team in the first semifinal in Kolkata, while West Indies exited following a five-wicket defeat to India national cricket team at Eden Gardens. Both teams are expected to travel together on a charter flight from Kolkata, although the exact departure time is still unclear.South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock publicly criticised the situation on social media. He wrote, “Funny @icc, we have heard nothing! Meanwhile, England are leaving before us somehow? @westindies and @proteasmencsa are just in the dark! Strange how different teams have more pull than others.”His teammate David Miller echoed the frustration, commenting, “Funny that England gets eliminated after WI & SA and gets on a charter back home tonight. While WI & SA still wait for answers in Kolkata.”West Indies head coach Daren Sammy supported the criticism, replying, “@davidmillersa12 a lil louder for those in the back to hear please sir.”Former England captain Michael Vaughan also questioned the situation, writing, “So England got knocked out on Thurs, get a charter home today .. West Indies go out last Sunday and are still in Kolkata .. SA in the same position .. That’s where the power is all wrong ..”He added, “All teams in this situation should be treated the same .. just because you are more powerful at the ICC table shouldn’t count .. #JustSaying.”The South Africa and West Indies squads are expected to fly to Johannesburg first, with the Caribbean team then continuing to Antigua. Meanwhile, the tournament final between India and New Zealand is set to take place at Narendra Modi Stadium.

South Africa’s Quinton de Kock (ANI Photo)

Quinton de Kock has criticised the International Cricket Council after reports suggested that England cricket team would return home before both South Africa national cricket team and the West Indies cricket team following their exits from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Travel plans for several teams have been affected due to international airspace restrictions linked to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. As a result, a number of sides have remained in India while waiting for charter flights arranged by the ICC. The West Indies were knocked out of the tournament on March 1 after a defeat to the India national cricket team in the Super 8 stage, while South Africa’s campaign ended with a semi final loss to the New Zealand national cricket team. Since then, both teams have remained in India awaiting travel arrangements. The Caribbean side has been in the country for about a week following their elimination, while the Proteas have been waiting for three days. In contrast, England were beaten by India in the second semi final on Thursday but are set to leave for home on Saturday, just two days after their exit. The situation prompted de Kock to question the apparent imbalance, suggesting that some teams might have greater influence within international cricket.

Quinton de kock’s insta story

“Funny @icc, we have heard nothing! Meanwhile, England are leaving before us somehow? @westindies and @proteasmencsa are just in the dark! Strange how different teams have more pull than others,” wrote Quinton de Kock on Instagram Stories. Earlier, former England captain Michael Vaughan also raised similar concerns about the travel situation. He questioned why England were able to leave earlier despite other teams being stuck in India for longer.

Michael Vaughan post

“So England got knocked out on Thurs, get a charter home today .. West Indies go out last Sunday and are still in Kolkata .. SA in the same position .. That’s where the power is all wrong .. All teams in this situation should be treated the same .. just because you are more powerful at the ICC table shouldn’t count .. #JustSaying,” he wrote on X. According to ESPNCricinfo, England are expected to depart on Saturday, while both South Africa and the West Indies are likely to leave on Sunday once charter flights organised by the ICC become available. England’s flight is scheduled to head directly to London. Meanwhile, South Africa and West Indies are set to travel first to Johannesburg, after which the Caribbean side will continue their journey to Antigua. However, neither team has officially confirmed the exact timing of their departures. Frustration within the West Indies camp has been visible. Head coach Daren Sammy posted “Day 6” on X on Friday, highlighting how long the team had been stranded in Kolkata since their match against India at the Eden Gardens. Earlier in the tournament, the Zimbabwe national cricket team also faced travel delays after playing their final match against South Africa on March 1 in New Delhi, before eventually departing India on March 4.

South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, second right, celebrates with teammate Marco Jansen (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

TimesofIndia.com in New Delhi: South Africa are the team to beat in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Except a nervous and edge-of-the-seat double Super Over against Afghanistan, they have highlighted their credentials with win versus title favourites and defending champions India. As a result, they’re on a six match winning run and the only undefeated team in the competition. Up next for them are the already-eliminated Zimbabwe in an all-Africa contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.With a semi-final against New Zealand in the offing, this would be the worst time to take the foot off the pedal. What is most impressive for the Proteas is the fact that there’s no single individual at the wheel to keep this juggernaut going all guns blazing. Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs have fired with the bat and Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch have done the job with the ball.

“From our point of view, we’ve been really sharp and what we want to ensure is that we maintain that discipline and intensity and that we don’t drop off as far as those are concerned,” said South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince on the eve of the dead rubber.Six wins in a row and two recent ones coming in convincing fashion, against India and West Indies by 76 runs and 9 wickets, respectively, South Africa have form and momentum on their side as they enter the knockouts. Their semi-final opponents, New Zealand, in comparison, scraped through as Pakistan failed to restrict Sri Lanka in their Super Eight clash. So, is there anything as “ideal lead-up”?“Obviously winning creates good momentum. However you win, sometimes you can have convincing wins. Other times you can have tight matches that really brings the group together, so however you’re able to get over the line I don’t think there’s an ideal way. If you look at England’s last game (vs New Zealand), you win the way that England did (by 4 wickets with 3 balls to spare) and their guys down at number seven and eight making telling contributions, that lifts them as well, gives their batting lineup a lot of confidence knowing that those guys can come to the party and take the team over the line,” explained Prince.“I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way of doing it or an ideal way – I think it’s nice not to have a lot of close games, but I think close games definitely helps in terms of team morale,” he continued.

Zimbabwe will be playing for pride on Sunday (AP Photo/Wonder Mashura)

If Zimbabwe’s last two games are an indication, the odds of it being a close encounter look slim. After becoming the darlings of the tournament with wins over Australia and Sri Lanka, the journey across the Palk Strait has brought with a rude awakening. The Sikandar Raza-led unit were walloped for 254 runs by West Indies (in Mumbai) and 256 runs by India (in Chennai) – both featuring in the top-3 highest totals in T20 World Cup history.“The conditions over here in India is different from what we had in Sri Lanka, different pitches, and all that. So it took a while for us to adapt. We didn’t adapt as quickly or as quickly as we wanted to. And it’s a different surface. So obviously, we didn’t go to plan in terms of our execution but I still think the guys put their hands up they did the best they could,” said Zimbabwe’s bowling consultant Courtney Walsh.“Hopefully we’ll have taken away a lot from these conditions here for future references And I think one of the things, the biggest takeaway is that how quickly you have to adapt in different conditions is one of the things that we will take away from this group,” he continued.In the group stage, Zimbabwe and Raza stressed on being taken seriously and being respected. After the two recent hammerings, the brutality of the sport means they’d have to go about chasing that all over again.

Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Veteran Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza stands on the brink of history as he closes in on a major personal milestone in T20I cricket. The Zimbabwe captain needs just 15 more runs to become the first player from his country to reach 3000 runs in the shortest international format.Raza is expected to target the landmark in Zimbabwe’s must-win Super Eight clash against defending champions India national cricket team at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

So far, Raza has accumulated 2985 runs in 131 matches and 126 innings, averaging 26.18. His record in T20Is includes 16 half-centuries and one century.If he achieves the feat, Raza will become the 14th batter overall to cross the 3000-run mark in T20Is, joining an elite list featuring Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler, Paul Stirling, Martin Guptill, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Waseem, David Warner, Suryakumar Yadav, Virandeep Singh, Aaron Finch and Quinton de Kock.Meanwhile, Zimbabwe all-rounder Ryan Burl underlined the importance of the upcoming fixture. Zimbabwe were heavily beaten by the West Indies cricket team in their first Super Eight match at the Wankhede Stadium, losing by 107 runs while chasing a daunting 255.With both Zimbabwe and India desperate to keep their semi-final hopes alive, Burl acknowledged the magnitude of the contest.“It is a must-win match for us; it’s also a must-win game for India. There’s obviously a lot at stake here, being a World Cup game, and if we are to progress to the semi-finals, we both want to look at winning tomorrow’s game. So I think we are both excited. Obviously, we don’t get to play India a lot, so it’s something that we really have been looking forward to, and we will grab the opportunity with both hands,” Burl said during the pre-match press conference.

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.