Shaheen Shah Afridi (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Pakistan Cricket Board has doubled down on ensuring the smooth conduct of the Pakistan Super League 2026, but a fresh controversy has emerged involving two senior Lahore Qalandars players. Amid ongoing concerns over a possible two-day lockdown due to a fuel shortage in the country, skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi and all-rounder Sikandar Raza have reportedly breached strict security protocols laid out for the tournament. The duo allegedly allowed four individuals to stay inside Raza’s hotel room for more than two hours, in violation of isolation and safety guidelines. The PSL is currently being conducted under heightened security arrangements, with more than 6,000 police personnel deployed alongside AI-based surveillance systems and drone monitoring. Due to security concerns and regional tensions, the tournament has been limited to two venues — Lahore and Karachi — and is being held behind closed doors without spectators. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had earlier stressed the importance of hosting the league despite the situation. “We don’t know how long the current situation will persist, but hosting the PSL is essential. It is an international brand, and foreign players are involved. Everyone is eager for the PSL to go ahead,” he said. Following the reported breach, Lahore’s Deputy Inspector General of Police Faisal Kamran has formally notified the PCB and PSL authorities through an official letter. The matter is now expected to be investigated, with disciplinary action likely. At the very least, a fine could be imposed, while a match ban remains a possibility. Concerns have also been raised that failure to act could set a poor precedent for other players. The letter further claims that the team’s liaison officer had initially sought permission from the PCB to allow the four visitors into the hotel room, but the request was denied. A similar request from franchise owner Sameen Rana was also rejected. Despite this, Raza allegedly went ahead and allowed the visitors, even after security personnel advised against it. Confirming awareness of the situation, Qalandars’ head of media Umar Farooq said, “We are aware of an incident involving two Lahore Qalandars players, and are in communication with the PSL over the matter.” With the tournament already being conducted under strict security measures, the incident has raised fresh questions around discipline and adherence to protocols within team environments.

Abhishek Sharma and Sahibzada Farhan (Agency Image)

Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan has edged closer to the summit of the ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings, tightening the race with India’s Abhishek Sharma after the latest weekly update released on Wednesday.

T20I Batting Rankings

Farhan climbed to second place following a historic outing at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The right-hander became the first cricketer to score two centuries in a single edition of the tournament, bringing up his second hundred against Sri Lanka in Pallekele during the final Super 8s fixture for both sides. The knock not only lifted him one spot in the rankings but also earned him a new career-best rating.

Abhishek Sharma continues to occupy the No. 1 position, maintaining a 26-point cushion over Farhan. The Pakistan batter now sits on 848 rating points after overtaking England’s Phil Salt, having piled up 383 runs during the World Cup to significantly narrow the gap at the top. The end of the Super 8s stage has triggered several other movements in the batting charts. India’s Ishan Kishan advanced to fourth place with 783 rating points, while Tilak Varma moved up to sixth with 749 points as both broke into the top 10. South Africa’s Dewald Brevis also gained a position to settle in eighth. Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett enjoyed one of the biggest jumps, soaring six places to 11th after collecting 292 runs in the competition. South African duo Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram also progressed, rising to 13th and 16th respectively.

T20I bowling rankings

In the T20I bowling rankings, India spinner Varun Chakravarthy remains at the top, though his lead has been trimmed to just 18 points as the tournament heads into the knockout rounds. Chakravarthy has taken 12 wickets so far, but Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed is closing in after moving up two spots to third overall. Among other bowlers, India’s Jasprit Bumrah climbed to seventh, while Arshdeep Singh made a six-place leap to 13th. England’s Liam Dawson surged nine positions to share 14th place, and South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi advanced six spots to 20th. The all-rounder rankings continue to be led by Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza. India’s Hardik Pandya is now his closest challenger after moving up one place to second, displacing Pakistan’s Saim Ayub. West Indies veteran Jason Holder was another major gainer, jumping eight positions to 11th following a strong World Cup showing with both bat and ball.

South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs and George Linde walk off the field, after winning the T20 World Cup cricket match between South Africa and Zimbabwe, as Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza wears the cap, in New Delhi, India, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)

TimesofIndia.com in New Delhi: “Even though there are bruises, we will look to win and earn respect,” said Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza before facing India in the T20 World Cup Super Eight. But then they were hammered for 256 runs, just days after being wacked around for 254 runs by West Indies. Despite going for 510 runs in two matches, on the eve of the contest against South Africa, Zimbabwe bowling consultant Courtney Walsh reiterated that their achievements – beating Sri Lanka and Australia in the group stage – cannot be ignored. “We wanted to make a statement here and I think the performance showed itself,” he said.A day later, Zimbabwe restored their pride and respect by pushing the Proteas at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi which witnessed nearly 20,000 spectators on a hot Sunday afternoon. Following their 5-wicket win, South Africa have maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament. They will now approach the semi-final against New Zealand, to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 4, with seven consecutive wins.

Raza, rather fittingly, led Zimbabwe’s effort in creating yet another upset in the competition. He scored 73 from 43 balls, laden with eight fours and four sixes, taking the side to 153/7, before chipping in with 3/29 from his four overs, including a first-over strike to dismiss Quinton de Kock and adding to South Africa’s troubles with wickets of Aiden Markram and Dewald Brevis.Even though South Africa lost four wickets in the first 10 overs, they remained ahead of the scoring curve, producing 93 runs at the halfway mark. With Brevis falling not long after, Zimbabwe possibly had reason to believe. Was another upset in the offing? Were Zimbabwe on the cusp of beating their ‘big brother’?Those faint hopes were dashed by Tristan Stubbs (unbeaten 21 off 24) and George Linde (unbeaten 30 from 21 balls), stitching an unbroken stand of 53 runs from 43 balls.Earlier, Raza’s sublime ball-striking stood out in an otherwise ordinary batting display by Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe captain Raza hammered 73 off 43 balls while the other batters struggled to find the same flow against high quality pace.The batters, barring Raza, tried to attack the likes of Kwena Maphaka, Anrich Nortje and the in-form Lungi Ngidi but were unsuccessful.Brief Scores:Zimbabwe: 153/7 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 73; Kwena Maphaka 2/21).South Africa: 154/5 in 17.5 overs (Ryan Rickelton 31, Dewald Brevis 42, George Linde ; Sikandar Raza 3/29)

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.

A file image of Zimbabwe’s Ryan Burl.
| Photo Credit: AP

West Indies players in Mumbai. (AP Photo)

MUMBAI: “The team is in a good space,” a confident West Indies coach Daren Sammy said on the eve of their Super Eights Group 1 match against Zimbabwe at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Sammy was in a happy mood on Sunday afternoon as his players trained in the nets for close to two-and-a-half hours. West Indies topped their group by winning all four matches, with different players contributing at key moments.

The Men-in-Maroon may have found the going tough in Tests and ODIs, but their calling is T20 cricket as their players are some of the hottest properties across major franchise leagues all over the world. They have won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016. But their form has dipped in the last two editions as they have managed to win only two matches in 2022 and 2024. Their build-up to the World Cup also included series defeats to New Zealand, Nepal,Afghanistan and South Africa.Back in India, where West Indies won their last title in 2016 with Sammy as captain, the team is in a happy space as their players are familiar with the conditions due to most of them playing in the IPL. The Windies have also shown the needed mental toughness to secure wins in a format where there is little to separate teams. The two-time champs have been content with the underdogs tag and have progressed smoothly through a tricky group in which every team has won at least one match.Their secret sauce has been different players putting in match-winning performances during the group stage. Shimron Hetmyer (64, 36b) and Romario Shepherd (5/20) helped them beat Scotland. Shepherd, who missed the last two games due to injury, was available for the Zimbabwe match. Sherfane Rutherford (76*, 42b) and a collective bowling effort led by Gudakesh Motie (3/33) helped them defeat England. Jason Holder (4/27) and Shai Hope (61*, 44b) starred in a win over Nepal, before Hope (74, 46b) and Shamar Joseph (4/30) helped them beat Italy.

Zimbabwe also enter the Super Eights in strong form after topping their group, including wins over Australia and Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. They missed qualification for the last edition but have arrived in India with confidence. Zimbabwe, along with the showing of the emerging nations, have been the flavour of the tournament with the neutrals warming up to their exploits. Led by inspirational captain Sikandar Raza, they have found matchwinners like the young Brian Bennett, who is yet to be dismissed in the tournament and played crucial innings in the wins over Australia and Sri Lanka. Zimbabwe’s bowling has been a key strength too, with Blessing Muzarabani leading with nine wickets so far, supported by Graeme Cremer and Brad Evans.West Indies and Zimbabwe last played against each other in the 2022 edition in Australia, with West Indies winning by 31 runs. Zimbabwe’s challenge though will be adapting quickly to conditions at the Wankhede, which has offered assistance to the bowlers.

Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza plays a shot during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 19, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza, center, with teammates leaves the ground after Sri Lanka’s inning during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo)

Captain Sikandar Raza said the strong group-stage run by the Zimbabwe at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has earned them respect, and he hopes the team can continue its run in the Super Eights against stronger opponents.Zimbabwe signalled their ability to challenge top teams by defeating Australia and Sri Lanka in Group B matches.“We keep our sights forward. If I keep our eyes on the present…I don’t think anyone gave us a chance. To win everyone’s hearts and respect, it is a good position to be in,” Raza said in the post-match presentation after his team’s win over SL.Zimbabwe now move into the Super Eights, where they will face reigning champions India, two-time champions West Indies cricket team, and 2024 finalists South Africa.But Raza said his side is not intimidated.Also read: Sikandar roars in Colombo: Zimbabwe stun Sri Lanka, fire warning shot at India
“We take one game at a time. We arrive on the 21st, and then train on the 22nd, and then it is show-time. Whatever happens, happens. If we can win two out of three games, who knows what can happen. Everyone loves an underdog story,” Raza added.Reflecting on the win over Sri Lanka, Raza said the hosts fell short of a defendable total.“When we lost the toss, all I said to the boys was if we are truly playing good cricket, why does the toss matter? I bowled, and said finger-spinners are not finding a lot of turn, so we can put them under pressure.“I came into the changing room and said they were 10 runs short (at the break). We have trained for every situation. We have the right personnel to send in at the right time. We have got all those roles clear and that is why you see the confidence in the changing room,” he said.For now, Raza said he wants to enjoy the team’s progress into the Super Eights.“We are unbeaten so far, but it is only the next game that comes into my head. Nice position to be in as a captain but I will try and enjoy at least tonight,” he said.