Pakistan captain Babar Azam down with fever ahead of third Test again…

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is down with a fever amid chaos around the shake-up within the men's team ahead of the third Test against England at Edgbaston.

Team manager Naveed Akram Cheema verified the news that while the star batter was feeling unwell, there is no need for alarm as he remains in good overall health and is expected to recover swiftly. wlop.pl

This update comes as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a massive squad overhaul leading up to the final Test at Edgbaston starting September 9, where Pakistan will seek to prevent a 3-0 series sweep.

Babar managed scores of only eight and six at Lord's as the visiting side slumped to a 194-run defeat. The Pakistan captain had missed the opening Test due to injury, leaving Salman Ali Agha to step in with the captaincy armband.

Selection chaos shakes up Pakistan cricket

Following back-to-back heavy losses against the Three Lions, the PCB opted to replace nearly half of their touring squad, while releasing head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul. White-ball coaches Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke have been called upon to join the Test setup.

Seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad, were released from the squad. In their place, five uncapped players, alongside Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, were drafted in.

Additionally, former captain Misbah-ul-Haq submitted his resignation from the selection panel following the PCB's abrupt decision to alter the squad and coaching staff mid-tour. The board has also asked selectors to submit a written explanation within 24 hours on the initial selection of Rizwan and Imam.

The defeat at Lord's marked Pakistan's 15th loss in their past 20 Test matches, taking them to the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship standings. The final Test at Edgbaston gives Pakistan one last chance to claim a consolation victory in the series.

Pakistan squad for Birmingham Test against England:

Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Ubaid Shah

(With inputs from ANI)

After the debatable dropping from the playing XI and the unexplained absence from the tour of Zimbabwe, Sanju Samson is back in the India squad that will take on Afghanistan later this month in a three-T20I series.

On Tuesday, the BCCI announced the 15-man squad that will face Afghanistan in Delhi, with Afghanistan being the designated hosts of this series. The IND vs AFG series will be hosted at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on September 13, 15, and 17.

The 15-man contingent saw the return of several India players who missed the tours to the UK and Zimbabwe, partially or wholly.

Of these, the biggest name, obviously, was that of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. But Bumrah’s name had an asterisk along with it, and so did those of Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana.

This is because the participation of Bumrah, Sundar, Reddy, and Harshit in the IND vs AFG T20I series is subject to them being fit and cleared by the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

Bumrah suffered a recurrence of a left knee injury during the ODI series in England, while Harshit and Washington both sustained hamstring injuries in England. Reddy has been out of action since the ODI series against Afghanistan at home in June owing to a quadriceps injury.

Mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy is declared fit – hence no asterisk to his name – and is set for a comeback to international cricket. Chakaravarthy also injured his hamstring in the T20Is in England and missed the Zimbabwe tour. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has also been named in the squad for the Afghanistan T20Is.

When will Hardik Pandya return?

It was expected that Pandya would play against Afghanistan, but he was not named in the squad, and his comeback has been extended. Hardik has not played any professional cricket since the conclusion of the IPL 2026 due to a reported leg strain.

Pandya is not part of the India squad for the Asian Games in Japan. That could also be the reason that his return has been delayed, giving him more time to attain full fitness. Pandya might return to international cricket with the ODI series against West Indies at home, which begins on September 27.

India had sent a second-string squad to Zimbabwe, from which the dropped players include Prabhsimran Singh, Rinku Singh, Ashok Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav, and Yash Thakur.

Meanwhile, Samson will once again be competing with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the opener’s spot. While Samson had a blockbuster hat-trick of matches towards the end of the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, Sooryavanshi forced himself into the national side through a sensational IPL 2026 season and bagged the Man of the Series award in Zimbabwe.

IND vs AFG: India Squad For Afghanistan T20I Series

Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (VC), Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Axar Patel, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ravi Bishnoi, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Jasprit Bumrah*, Harshit Rana*, Washington Sundar*

* Subject to fitness clearance

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Since surrendering his Australian citizenship to acquire Indian nationality last year, Ryan Williams has become one of the most talked-about figures in domestic football. The Bengaluru FC forward scored a memorable goal on his India debut in Kochi, instantly cementing his place in the hearts of Indian fans.
In an exclusive conversation with RevSportz, Williams reflects on settling into life in Bengaluru, BFC’s preparations for the upcoming Indian Super League season, and the surreal prospect of lining up for India against global powerhouses like Brazil and Uruguay.

Q: Since you became an Indian citizen, how are you settling into your life in Bengaluru? Have you managed to pick up any Hindi words along the way?

Ryan Williams: I knew you were going to ask about the Hindi! Actually, I made a deal with one of the boys whose English isn’t very strong. I told him that if he takes English lessons, I’ll take Hindi lessons. So, I’m just waiting for him to start his side of the bargain! To be honest, not much has changed day-to-day apart from my passport. I’ve been here for three years now. As each month passed, I became more settled, and Bengaluru started feeling like home. Getting the passport was a natural progression. Moving to India initially was one step, but now being able to represent the country and feel the immense passion and pride that comes with wearing the shirt is something truly special.

Q: What kind of role did Bengaluru FC and your teammates, like Sunil Chhetri, play in making this transition possible for you?

Ryan: I wouldn’t point to one specific player, though Arata Izumi was certainly an inspiration because he was the first to give up his foreign passport for an Indian one. He showed us that it was actually possible, and now I’m showing others the same path.
When I first brought it up, many people, including players, didn’t quite believe it would ever happen. At times, even I had my doubts. But I stuck with it, got the passport, and my life here is amazing. To represent India on the international stage and look forward to the kind of matches we have coming up, I just feel incredibly grateful to everyone who helped me along the way.

Q: Taking you back to that debut in Kochi, you scored early on in a memorable victory. What was the reaction back home from your family?

Ryan: It was incredible. Having my family in the stands to witness me singing the national anthem and pulling on the blue jersey was emotional enough, but to top it off with a goal so early in the match was a huge sense of pride, relief and joy. Even if I had written the script myself, I couldn’t have made it that good.My wife and son were in tears because they knew the intense effort behind the scenes to secure the passport. To cap it all off with a win in front of that Kochi crowd, it’s a memory money can’t buy.

Q: Looking at Bengaluru FC now, you are going into your fourth head coach in three years. How is the squad shaping up for the new season?

Ryan: Changing managers four times in three years usually points to results not being where they should be initially, but I feel I’ve grown into the club. I’ve earned the backing of the fans through hard work and leaving everything on the pitch.We are genuinely excited and quietly ambitious about this season. We finished the previous campaign strongly and want to carry that momentum forward. We have a great mix of quality foreign signings, promising youth coming through, and six to eight core players who feature regularly for the national team. For me personally, and for BFC as a club, it’s been a bit of a trophy drought recently. Making that right is our primary goal.

Q: Last season was truncated, but this year returns to a full-fledged calendar. Is the physical demand going to be a major challenge for the squad?

Ryan: I have complete faith in our physical department and technical staff. Communication across the club is solid, so I don’t see it being an issue.Coming from the English league system, I was used to playing a minimum of 50 matches a season, so 24 games is entirely manageable. In fact, I wish we had more. I’d love to see 16 or 18 teams in the ISL, extending the season to 10 or 11 months. More matches mean more opportunities for young Indian talent, established players and foreign recruits alike. As footballers, playing matches is what we live for.

Q: Who drives the locker-room culture at BFC? Who holds the title of the funniest or fittest player in the team?

Ryan: If you asked the other players, they’d probably say I’m the funniest because of all the practical jokes I pull! Fittest? I’d like to claim that title for myself too, though young Soham is right up there. In terms of pure unintentional humour, Monirul Molla takes it. He doesn’t try to be funny, which makes him hilarious. It’s a tight-knit squad of genuinely good human beings who happen to be very good at football.

Q: Wait, isn’t Sunil Chhetri still the undisputed fitness champion at BFC?

Ryan: Look, to be fair to Sunil, finding a 42-year-old as fit as him anywhere in world football is rare. If you adjust for age, sure, he’s at the top. But he’s had enough seasons being labelled the fittest; it’s about time he passed the torch to someone else!

Q: Turning to international football, India has lined up marquee friendlies against World Cup nations like Brazil, Panama and Uruguay, including a fixture right here at the Kanteerava. How excited are you?

Ryan: It’s a complete full-circle moment for me to play at the Kanteerava in front of the West Bloc Blues in an Indian shirt. When I first saw the news online about playing Brazil, I honestly thought it was a fake post! As an Arsenal fan, the chance to test myself on the pitch against players like Gabriel Magalhães and Bruno Guimarães brings out the kid in me. If our ultimate goal as a nation is to reach a World Cup, these are precisely the teams we must test ourselves against. Result aside, it’s a day of celebration for Indian football. It’s the first time Brazil’s senior set-up is visiting India. We should have no fear, put our best foot forward, and play with absolute pride and passion without any regrets.

Also Read: ‘The language of football is one’: Dermitzakis lays out his vision for Punjab FC

The post “When I first saw the news online about playing Brazil, I honestly thought it was a fake post” — Ryan Williams appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has invited sharp criticism from former players after sacking two coaches and sending back seven players in the middle of the Test series in England. Pakistan lost the first two Tests of the three-match series in an abject manner.

The visitors lost the series opener by an innings and 103 runs, while the second Test ended in a heavy 194-run defeat. The players sent back home included national T20 captain Salman Ali Agha, former captain Muhammad Rizwan and senior batter Imamul Haq.

Mostly youngsters and uncapped players have replaced the seven for the third Test, starting September 9 in Birmingham. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed. Pakistan's former foreign head coach Mickey Arthur described the decision as ridiculous.

"Absolutely ridiculous decision by the PCB. This is the reason they are in the mess they are because they constantly chop and change players, coaches and selectors and there is no stability! Planning, stability and structure lead to consistent performance," Arthur wrote on social media.

Former Pakistan captain and batting great, Javed Miandad said he was shocked by the decision and felt sorry for the players sent back home and even those sent to England. "The players sent back it is now a mental scar for them and a blot on their career while the players who are replacements will be under so much mental pressure in the one test remaining in the series," Miandad said on Tuesday.

He said he had witnessed some turbulent times in his career in Pakistan cricket including players' revolts, fixing allegations and bad defeats but never had any board reacted in such a manner. Former captain Rashid Latif said Babar Azam should have resigned as skipper when the Board decided to take such a decision.

"There is a difference between a captain and a leader and Babar has just stood by and left his players stranded," Latif said. Former captain Moin Khan said even if the board wanted to make radical changes in the team to stop the flow of defeats it should have waited until the end of the series in England.

He felt that the urgency with which the Board took the drastic decision to send back players and sack head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul indicates there was more to it than what meets the eye. Test opener, Mohsin Khan wondered what magic wand Mike Hesson had that he had been given charge of the Test squad with just one game remaining.

"I can only hope that Pakistan with some new players plays differently in the final Test but it is hard to see that with so much happening the players would not be disturbed," Khan said. Former captains Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik have also been critical about the PCB's decision and working.

Malik questioned the timing of the accountability process, arguing that responsibility should first be placed on those who contributed to the system's problems rather than players who have had limited opportunities. "The players dropped from the squad are still our national cricketers who have served Pakistan. Phrases like "sent on the first flight back" are disrespectful," Malik wrote on social media. Afridi said Sarfaraz Ahmed did not deserve such a harsh decision.

"How can you judge anyone after just five matches in charge? The amazing part is the selectors have sent T20 players for a test match to England," he added. He felt that the players should not have to endure such mental stress after every bad game or the fear of failure will settle in their minds permanently.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Bharath Ramraj, COE

Somewhere, a sportsperson touches his or her nirvana behind the scenes in a training workshop — when an athlete’s body is aching, and yet there is an urge to push for a while longer in order to attain peak fitness levels. With the Duleep Trophy semifinals being played behind closed doors at the Centre of Excellence, far away from the hub of Bengaluru city, Mohammed Shami might have felt as if he was still in his training arena. On Day 3 of the East Zone-Central Zone game, all that one could hear was a generator from a nearby place running at full speed. Even the crows, a quintessential part of stadiums in the subcontinent, were missing from the action.

For Shami, all that seemed to matter was his inner voice. When Shami charged to the crease, one could visualise his inner voice coaxing or asking the veteran bowler, ‘What extra have you got?’ The body certainly responded to the question posed by the reservoirs of his willpower. He ushered in a short ball to Arshad Khan that followed the left-hand batter with a bit of venom. He also got a few to whistle past the outside edges of both Harsh Dubey and Arshad. Simply put, this is the fastest that this writer has seen Shami bowl in spells in first-class cricket since his comeback from the ankle and heel injury.

At the fag end of Day 2, too, he had cajoled the ball to move this way or that way, snaking a few past the bat before delivering the knockout punch by tempting Aryan Juyal to edge one behind. Those deliveries didn’t just speak volumes about his control and fast-bowling mindset, but also told enough of how he hasn’t lost that little bit of nip. On Day 3, Shami also took a fine return catch to send Dubey back to the hut; an indicator that, at about 36, he is still fit to play cricket at a higher level.

The key essence of Shami’s bowling, though, was not much to do with pace or nifty movement. But it was about how a stalwart of Indian cricket is still grinding it out in domestic cricket. After representing the country for a decade, it could be tough for a sportsperson to continue playing at a lower level. He could have even hung up his spiked boots and reminisced about old memories on a rocking chair. Not so Shami.

Perhaps there is a hidden machine fitted in his bones that says to him, ‘Come on, don’t give up, you can regain your place in the Indian side.’ Realistically, the selectors, rightly or wrongly, perhaps have moved on from Shami. That doesn’t seem to bother Shami one bit. For him, it is all about, ‘I have a ball in hand and I will give every ounce of my energy on the field.’

In an imaginary sense, it felt like his unstinting belief on the field coruscated through the few clouds up above. And fittingly, in a few minutes, those few clouds gave way to intermittent sunshine. Shami would hope and believe that someone up there would also smile on his career.

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