No practice games for Australia before next year's India Tests, revea…

Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald has revealed that his team will not play any practice matches before the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Team India next year.

"We feel as though we've got enough time to immerse ourselves in those conditions. We won't be taking on a practice game. It'll just be more around the location," he said on cricket.com.au. ipl-today.in

"We've got a couple of options there. We have gone to the UAE previously and we have also gone into India last time into Bangalore, so we're just working through what that would look like in terms of how we then manage the individuals," added the head coach.

He then feels that a preparatory camp can help his team adapt to the conditions in India.

"Ultimately, if you can have a dedicated venue that you're able to use and replicate as close to the conditions that you believe you may get in the first Test match or throughout a Test series, that's ideally what you want. You case those locations - you want a connection in terms of conditions and climate. We believe we'll get that right in terms of where we go, it just hasn't been confirmed yet," said McDonald.

Andrew McDonald calls for larger squads for ODI World Cup 2027

Earlier, the Australian head coach said that the International Cricket Council (ICC) should allow teams to carry more members in their squads with the increase in the number of matches for the ODI World Cup 2027.

"This is going to be a pinnacle event. I think there is an argument to say, great, you have put more games in front of us, give us larger squads, allow us to play the way that we need to play within those conditions, and then also you have got the ability to carry those potential stars of the game that are under injury clouds leading in because the cricket leading into the World Cup is demanding, so you are going to have some people that potentially are 50-50 at that point in time. So let us carry the best players in there. Give us larger squads to be able to navigate through the early part, and then hopefully the pinnacle event has the best players playing, rather than being ruled out early on due to injury and the attritional nature of a World Cup," he said.

(With Inputs from Agencies)

Carlos Alcaraz has officially withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open due to an ongoing wrist injury, raising concerns about his chances of successfully defending his US Open title. This absence not only jeopardizes his ranking points but also limits his preparation on hard courts. Having already missed two Grand Slam events this season, Alcaraz now finds himself at World Number three in the ATP rankings.

New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): Senior national record holder and reigning Asian champion Pooja Singh will lead India’s challenge at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 as a 36-member track and field contingent gears up to compete at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from August 5 to 9.

According to Olympics.com, the Indian squad comprises 23 men and 13 women and heads into the global showpiece on the back of a historic outing at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, China, where the country finished second behind China with a record haul of 19 medals, including 10 gold.

All eyes will be on the 19-year-old Pooja, who has emerged as one of India’s brightest athletics prospects this season. She clinched the women’s high jump title at the Asian U20 Championships with a clearance of 1.93m, setting a new senior national record and eclipsing the previous mark of 1.92m set by Sahana Kumari in 2012.

Her gold-winning effort also erased the championship record that had stood since 2006 and secured qualification for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where she went on to finish eighth in challenging rainy conditions.

Apart from Pooja, Asian U20 champions Nitin Gupta and Shahnavaz Khan will also spearhead India’s medal hopes in Oregon. Nitin claimed the men’s 5000m race walk title at the continental meet, while Shahnavaz struck gold in the men’s long jump.

More than 1,800 athletes representing 147 member federations are expected to compete in Eugene, making the 2026 edition the largest World Athletics U20 Championships in history and surpassing the previous participation record of 1,558 athletes set at Lima in 2024.

India will also look to improve on its performance from the previous edition in Lima, where a 43-member contingent returned with one medal after Aarti won bronze in the women’s 10,000m race walk.

The World Athletics U20 Championships have produced some of Indian athletics’ biggest stars over the years. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra became the country’s first world U20 champion after winning the men’s javelin throw title with a world U20 record of 86.48m at Bydgoszcz in 2016.

Two years later, Hima Das created history by becoming India’s first track world U20 champion with her gold medal in the women’s 400m at Tampere.

India’s squad for Oregon also features athletes across sprints, middle-distance events, jumps, throws, race walk and relay competitions, reflecting the country’s growing depth in junior athletics as it seeks another successful campaign on the world stage.

World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 schedule – All timings are in Indian Standard Time (IST)

Wednesday, August 5

100m hurdles heptathlon heats – 10:30 PM

Men’s javelin throw qualification A – 10:33 PM

4x400m mixed relay round 1 – 10:52 PM

Men’s hammer throw qualification A – 11:15 PM

High jump heptathlon – 11:20 PM

Women’s 100m round 1 – 11:24 PM

Men’s javelin throw qualification B – 11:50 PM

Thursday, August 6

Men’s 100m round 1 – 12:14 AM

Men’s hammer throw qualification B – 12:45 AM

Men’s 800m round 1 – 1:05 AM

Women’s long jump qualification – 1:10 AM

Men’s shot put qualification – 1:45 AM

Women’s 800m round 1 – 1:55 AM

Women’s pole vault qualification – 6:30 AM

Women’s discus throw qualification A – 6:30 AM

Women’s 100m semi-finals – 6:35 AM

Shot put heptathlon – 6:50 AM

Men’s 100m semi-finals – 6:58 AM

Women’s 3000m steeplechase round 1 – 7:30 AM

Women’s discus throw qualification B – 7:50 AM

200m heptathlon heats – 8:05 AM

Men’s shot put final – 8:20 AM

Women’s 5000m final – 8:25 AM

Men’s 5000m final – 8:52 AM

4x400m mixed relay final – 9:20 AM

Women’s shot put qualification – 10:30 PM

Women’s 400m hurdles round 1 – 10:32 PM

Long jump heptathlon – 10:55 PM

Men’s 400m hurdles round 1 – 11:15 PM

Men’s high jump qualification – 11:35 PM

Friday, August 7

4x100m mixed relay round 1 – 12:07 AM

Men’s triple jump qualification – 12:20 AM

Women’s 400m round 1 – 12:25 AM

Javelin throw heptathlon – 1:00 AM

Men’s 400m round 1 – 1:10 AM

Men’s 3000m steeplechase round 1 – 2:02 AM

Men’s pole vault qualification – 6:35 AM

Women’s discus throw final – 6:35 AM

800m heptathlon – 6:40 AM

Women’s 1500m round 1 – 7:00 AM

Women’s shot put final – 7:35 AM

Women’s 1500m round 1 – 7:38 AM

Women’s long jump final – 7:58 AM

Men’s 400m semi-finals – 8:12 AM

Women’s 400m semi-finals – 8:35 AM

Women’s 100m final – 9:05 AM

Men’s 100m final – 9:20 AM

Women’s javelin throw qualification A – 10:30 PM

Men’s 100m decathlon heats – 10:30 PM

Women’s hammer throw qualification A – 10:35 PM

Women’s 100m hurdles round 1 – 11:00 PM

Men’s long jump decathlon – 11:15 PM

Women’s high jump qualification – 11:35 PM

Men’s 110m hurdles round 1 – 11:50 PM

Saturday, August 8

Women’s hammer throw qualification B – 12:00 AM

Women’s javelin throw qualification B – 12:07 AM

Women’s 200m round 1 – 12:45 AM

Men’s long jump qualification – 1:13 AM

Men’s 200m round 1 – 1:40 AM

Men’s shot put decathlon – 1:50 AM

Men’s high jump decathlon – 5:30 AM

Men’s hammer throw final – 5:35 AM

Women’s 100m hurdles semi-finals – 7:45 AM

Men’s 110m hurdles semi-finals – 8:10 AM

Women’s 800m semi-finals – 8:35 AM

Men’s triple jump final – 8:55 AM

Men’s 800m semi-finals – 9:00 AM

Women’s 200m semi-finals – 9:25 AM

Men’s 200m semi-finals – 9:48 AM

Women’s 3000m steeplechase final – 10:10 AM

Men’s javelin throw final – 10:15 AM

Men’s 400m decathlon – 10:30 AM

Men’s 3000m final – 10:53 AM

Women’s 400m final – 11:15 AM

Men’s 400m final – 11:23 AM

Men’s 110m hurdles decathlon – 10:30 PM

Women’s triple jump qualification – 10:35 PM

Men’s 5000m race walk final – 10:55 PM

Men’s discus throw decathlon – 11:15 PM

Women’s 5000m race walk final – 11:30 PM

Sunday, August 9

4x400m relay round 1 – 12:10 AM

Discus throw decathlon – 12:25 AM

4x400m relay round 1 – 12:40 AM

Men’s pole vault decathlon – 12:55 AM

Women’s 4x100m relay round 1 – 1:10 AM

Men’s discus throw qualification A – 1:20 AM

Men’s 4x100m relay round 1 – 1:40 AM

Men’s pole vault decathlon – 1:45 AM

Men’s discus throw qualification B – 2:30 AM

Men’s javelin throw decathlon – 6:30 AM

4x100m mixed relay final – 6:35 AM

Men’s high jump final – 6:35 AM

Women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals – 6:45 AM

Women’s Pole vault final – 7:15 AM

Men’s 400m hurdles semi-finals – 7:11 AM

Men’s javelin throw decathlon – 7:35 AM

Men’s 800m final – 7:38 AM

Men’s long jump final – 7:40 AM

Women’s 800m final – 7:53 AM

Women’s 100m hurdles final – 8:05 AM

Men’s 110m hurdles final – 8:15 AM

Women’s 3000m final – 8:25 AM

Men’s 200m final – 8:50 AM

Men’s 1500m decathlon – 9:03 AM

Women’s 200m final – 9:20 AM

Women’s hammer throw final – 12:35 AM

Men’s discus throw final – 12:40 AM

Men’s pole vault final – 12:45 AM

Women’s high jump final – 1:00 AM

Women’s 4x100m relay final – 1:33 AM

Women’s triple jump final – 1:42 AM

Men’s 4x100m relay final – 1:45 AM

Women’s 400m hurdles final – 2:00 AM

Men’s 400m hurdles final – 2:10 AM

Women’s javelin throw final – 2:18 AM

Women’s 1500m final – 2:22 AM

Men’s 3000m steeplechase final – 2:34 AM

Men’s 1500m final – 2:55 AM

Women’s 4x400m relay final – 3:12 AM

Men’s 4x400m relay final – 3:25 AM

World Athletics U20 Championships 2026: India’s entry list

Men: Nitin Gupta (5000m race walk), K. Ambriesh (high jump), Uwin Anand Ananthan (800m), R.C. Jithin Arjunan (long jump), Mohammed Ashfaq (400m), Basant (high jump), T. Dharanidharan (javelin throw), Shahnavaz Khan (long jump), J. Krishna (4x100m relay), Amit Kumar (400m hurdles), Ranjith Kumar (4x400m relay), Nishchay (discus throw), Aditya Pisal (4x100m relay), Nakul Prabhu (4x400m relay), Dhanush Raj (triple jump), Piyush Raj (400m, 4x400m relay), Anshu Rajak (4x100m relay), P. Royshan (triple jump), Sayed Sabeer (4x400m relay), Neil Samraj (4x100m relay), Rudra Shinde (4x100m relay), Mogali Venkatram (800m), Ashish Yadav (javelin throw).

Women: Aarti (4x100m relay), Anshu (shot put), Thiya Arumugam (4x400m relay), G. Bhavana (4x100m relay), Rujula Amol Bhonsle (4x100m relay), Tanu Chaudhary (400m hurdles), Amanat Kamboj (discus throw), Tahura Khatun (4x400m relay), Bhoomika Nehate (4x400m relay), Pooja Singh (high jump), Poonam (javelin throw), Ananya Suresh (4x100m relay), Kajal Hirabhai Vaja (4x100m relay). (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Former India pacer and mentor of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise Zaheer Khan has found a new role and this time in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Zaheer has become co-owner of one of LPL’s most successful franchise – Jaffna Kings – Stockholm-based global sports ownership group Anchor Sports AB completed the acquisition. The Kings have won the LPL title a record four times so far.

Zaheer, who claimed 311 wickets in 92 Tests and 282 wickets in 200 ODIs for Team India, was part of the ODI World Cup 2011 title-winning team with Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar. He had also served as the team mentor of Sanjiv Goenka’s LSG team till IPL 2025 and also served as Head of Cricket Development with Mumbai Indians.

Following the acquisition, the franchise have officially been rebranded as ‘Anchor Jaffna Kings’, marking the beginning of a new chapter under their new ownership. Zaheer joins Anchor Sports owner Nagendra Siddoutam as co-owner as the group continues to expand their presence in global franchise cricket.

The acquisition adds another prominent cricketing name to the Lanka Premier League, with Zaheer bringing decades of international experience to a franchise that has set the benchmark in the competition. Jaffna have won four LPL titles in five completed seasons and are once again among the frontrunners this year, sitting in the top two of the points table with four wins from six matches under the captaincy of Bhanuka Rajapaksa.

Zaheer Khan enters cricket ownership!

The former India pacer is now a co-owner of the Jaffna franchise in the Lanka Premier League, with the team officially rebranded as Anchor Jaffna Kings under new ownership.

A new chapter begins for one of the LPL’s most successful… pic.twitter.com/UwgPy44sGP

— Third Man View (@3rdManView) August 5, 2026

Welcoming the new ownership, Anil Mohan Sankhdhar, Founder and CEO of Innovative Production Group (IPG), the official rights holder of the Lanka Premier League, said: “We welcome Anchor Sports on board and to the LPL family as they take over the iconic Jaffna franchise. Jaffna has been a legendary team in the six-year history of the league, winning four championship titles and setting the benchmark for excellence. We are confident that Anchors Sports will build on this remarkable legacy, bring fresh vision and energy to the franchise and continue to elevate the standard of the Lanka Premier League. We look forward to an exciting new chapter for Jaffna and wish the new ownership every success.”

Zaheer Khan, Co-owner of Anchor Jaffna Kings, said: “I’ve always admired the calibre, innovation and variety of bowling talent that comes out of Sri Lanka, it’s a country I’ve visited, competed in, and hold very fond memories of. To now be part of Sri Lankan cricket as an owner is something I’m genuinely thrilled about, and I can’t wait to get started with the Anchor Jaffna Kings.”

The acquisition further expands Anchor Sports’ international portfolio, which includes the Antwerp Anchors in the European T20 Premier League and the Vancouver Anchors men’s and women’s teams competing in Canada’s Super 60 League.

Samantha Dodanwela, Tournament Director of the Lanka Premier League, said: “Having an owner of Zaheer Khan’s calibre involved with the Anchor Jaffna Kings is a real boost for the league. The mentorship and direction he can offer our young Sri Lankan players will be enormous, and we’re excited to see that experience passed on both on and off the field.”

Exactly two years ago, in the very same month of August, Arshad Nadeem stunned the world. With two throws of over 90 metres in six attempts in Paris, he dethroned Neeraj Chopra and created a massive stir. While Neeraj had to settle for silver, Arshad won Olympic gold for Pakistan, in what was perhaps the greatest moment in the country’s sporting history.

Two years later, Arshad is struggling. He has been unable to produce anything of note and is clearly an athlete trying desperately to rediscover his touch. It is reflective of a deeper crisis in Pakistan sport – a crisis that now appears all-pervasive. Their men’s and women’s cricket teams are a pale shadow of what they once were. The hockey team, once a formidable force, has lost its sheen. Arshad is a pale shadow of the athlete we saw in Paris, and there is little else to celebrate.

On the day of the javelin qualifiers, a Pakistani journalist walked up to Arshad and, during an interview in the mixed zone, asked him to introduce himself to the viewers. Imagine an Indian journalist asking Neeraj to introduce himself before answering a question. Arshad is arguably Pakistan’s greatest-ever athlete – an Olympic gold medallist, for goodness’ sake. If he has to introduce himself while competing at the Commonwealth Games, there is something seriously wrong with the country’s sporting ecosystem.

I am conscious that I will be criticised for writing this piece and told off by some in Pakistan because I am an Indian. But I am not writing this as an Indian journalist. I am writing it as a sports analyst. The truth is that, in Paris, Arshad left us all in awe. It was one of the finest performances of the Games, and watching him throw beyond 93 metres was extraordinary. The subsequent decline has been equally striking.

What makes Neeraj the athlete he is, however, is his consistency and longevity. He has been at the top level for seven or eight years and, apart from the World Championships in 2025, has reached the podium every single time. That is what sustained excellence looks like, and it is where both Arshad and Pakistan are currently falling short.

If we look at cricket, Pakistan are no longer the team they once were. While we continue to build up the India-Pakistan contest, deep down we know that India would probably win 95 out of 100 matches – and win comfortably. It is no longer the rivalry it once was, and that is not a good sign for world cricket.

The women’s team is in an even more difficult position. Apart from Fatima Sana, who is world-class, and perhaps Muneeba Ali, there is little to suggest they can consistently challenge the leading sides. With Arshad on a downward trajectory, there is very little left to celebrate in Pakistan sport. The hockey team were comprehensively beaten by India in the Pro League, and that reality should not be lost on anyone. While Neeraj is on a comeback trail and once again finished on the podium in Glasgow, Arshad did not even make the top eight in the final.

Perhaps it is time for some genuine introspection and soul-searching. Otherwise, the same story is likely to play out at the Asian Games a month from now.

Follow Revsportz for latest sports news

The post Arshad Nadeem’s Struggles Mirror the Wider Decline of Pakistan Sport appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.