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SPORTS TUESDAY | FEB 17, 2026

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four points, level with Pakistan, but with a better net run rate. Now the USA must wait for the outcomes of the final group games and hope the result goes their way. Pakistan play Namibia in Colombo and India play the Netherlands in Ahmedabad, with both matches tomor row. Axar hails ‘sensational’ Ishan INDIA VICE-CAPTAIN Axar Patel cred ited Ishan Kishan for his side’s 61-run rout of Pakistan yesterday, saying the opening batsman’s performance on a tricky turning wicket in Colombo had

been “one of the gear knocks”. Ishan hit 10 fours and three sixes in his 40-ball 77, the mainstay of India’s 175-7 at the R. Premadasa stadium. “The way he batted was sensational,”Axar told reporters. “It is one of the great knocks as it wasn’t easy. The ball was spinning and some were going straight under the lights. It was a challenge. His form was sensational in domestic cricket and he carried that into the New Zealand series and then to the World Cup.” said Axar. “There’s a lot of confidence and obvi ously he has got skill too. He has not hit all his shots in one place as he can score all around the ground.”

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USA keep slim hopes alive THE United States kept their slim hopes of qualifying for the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup alive with a 31-run against Namibia in Group A. Replying to the USA’s 199-4, Namibia finished their 20 overs on 168-6. For the USA, Sanjay Krishnamurthi hit 68 not out and captain Monank Patel 52. Namibia’s top-scorer was Louren Steenkamp with 58. It leaves the USA in sec ond place on

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good shots. It gives us confidence going ahead in the tournament.” The match went ahead after Pakistan earlier reversed their decision to boycott the game in solidarity with Bangladesh, who refused to tour India over safety concerns and were replaced by Scotland. India were reinforced by the return of Abhishek Sharma, who missed the first two matches with a stomach infec tion, but the opener could not make it count. Salman sprang a surprise by opening the attack himself and trapped Abhishek lbw for a duck. Pakistan used three spinners in the powerplay to try to stem the boundary flow and India’s score of 52 1 after six overs suggested the ploy worked to an extent. Ishan could not be contained though and the southpaw tore into the Pakistan attack with his take-no-prisoners batting. The opener took only 27 balls to race to his second successive fifty of the tournament. Saim Ayub ended Ishan’s match-defining 40-ball blitz but India cruised to 92-2 at the halfway stage of their innings. Saim (3-25) dismissed Tilak Varma (25) and Hardik Pandya with successive deliver ies to turn the heat back on India. Suryakumar (32) and Shivam Dube (27) could not quite provide the late flourish but India still posted a total that proved well beyond Pakistan’s reach. Pakistan became the first team to employ six spinners in a T20 World Cup match but the joy of having restricted India to under 200 soon evapo rated as they slumped to 13-3 in two overs in their chase. Hardik removed Pakistan’s in-form opener Sahibzada Farhan for a duck and Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Saim and Salman in the same over to pin down Pakistan. Babar Azam (five) did not last long either and Pakistan were gasping at 38-4 after the six power play overs. Usman Khan (44) defied India for a while but Axar Patel lured him out to be stumped to effec tively snuff out Pakistan’s chances of an unlikely victory. – AFP Ishan thought outside the box and took responsibility in the powerplay.” Player of the match Ishan conceded it was not just another game for them given the ten sions between the nations. “India vs Pakistan is a special game for us and our country,” Ishan said. “It is a very impor tant game. They had good spinners and we tried to play good shots. It gives us confidence going ahead in the tournament.” Pakistan captain Salman felt his teammates should have done better despite the burden of expectation on their shoulders. “In these games the emotions are going to be high but we have played enough cricket,” Salman said. “We need to get ourselves together and look to the game in a few days’ time. “You have to see the big picture. We need to qualify for the Super Eight now.” Pakistan will need to beat Namibia in their final group game to qualify for the Super Eight where the arch-rivals may clash again. – Reuters

India sail into Super Eigh t Defending champions thump Pakistan in grudge match

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D EFENDING CHAMPIONS India steamrollered Pakistan by 61 runs in a grudge Group A match at the Twenty20 World Cup to swagger into the Super Eight stage of the tournament yesterday. The match between the bitter neighbours did not live up to the hype with India maintaining their unbeaten run with another dominant per formance. Opener Ishan Kishan’s breakneck 77 powered them to a commanding 175-7 at the R Premadasa Stadium against Pakistan’s six pronged spin attack, which bowled 18 of their 20 overs. India returned to bundle out Pakistan for 114 in 18 overs to register their third win in a row. “India vs Pakistan is a special game for us and our country. It is a very important game,” player of the match Ishan said. “They had good spinners and we tried to play INDIA CAPTAIN Suryakumar Yadav dedicated Sunday’s Twenty20 World Cup victory over Pakistan to fans across the country, while his opposite number Salman Agha urged per spective after a chastening defeat in a contest that never matched its blockbuster billing. The much-hyped showdown between the South Asian neighbours failed to ignite as India racked up 175-7 and then returned to bundle out Pakistan for 114 in 18 overs. Both Suryakumar and Salman looked grim when the coin was flipped and averted eye contact. The mood was completely different when the India captain spoke after the match at the R Premadasa Stadium. “This is for India. We played the same brand of cricket that we wanted to play,” the batter said, sporting a wide grin. Suryakumar heaped praise on opener Ishan Kishan whose rapid 77 fashioned their victory. “The way Ishan Kishan batted is the same as he did in our previous games and on the domestic circuit.

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Skipper dedicates win to nation

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