In the grand tradition of Pakistan cricket administration – a body that has long treated dysfunction as a competitive advantage – the Pakistan Cricket Board has once again outdone itself. Reports emerging this weekend reveal that PCB officials in London have taken the mobile phones of several national team players into “custody.” The devices will remain locked away until the final ball is bowled in the third Test against England at Edgbaston, which begins on September 9. One

Imam-ul-Haq Pakistan cricket has once again found itself in the middle of a controversy. But beyond the latest changes in the squad, questions over injuries and the manner in which they are being handled raise a larger issue, one that concerns not just the Pakistan Cricket Board, but the players themselves. For, the spirit of cricket cannot survive on rules alone. It also depends on the integrity of those who play the game. International cricket has evolved into a highly regu

Mumbai: Mumbai girl Jiya Rai can’t speak, but when she dived into the waters of Manhattan last week, she had a loud message that the world listened to. Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Jiya, 18, has become the world’s first female para-swimmer to complete and bag the prestigious Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. With this she has conquered the English Channel, Catalina Channel and now the formidable 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan, a distance of 48 kms – al

India sit fifth in the 2025-27 World Test Championship standings with 68 points from 11 matches and a points percentage of 51.52. That figure places them behind Australia (80 per cent), South Africa (75), New Zealand (72.22) and Bangladesh (55.56). Only the top two teams at the end of the cycle will contest the 2027 final. With seven Tests remaining — two away to New Zealand in November and five at home against Australia from late January to early March — the path is narrow,

Bombay Gymkhana President Sanjiv Saran Mehra with past president Khalid Ansari during the unveiling of Bombay Gymkhana’s Coffee Table Book The Journey So Far at the book launch. Mumbai: Marking a monumental milestone in India's sporting history, the historic Bombay Gymkhana has unveiled a commemorative coffee table book titled "The Journey So Far." Launched at the club's Dining Hall, the 284-page publication chronicles the institution's remarkable 150-year legacy, celebrating

AI Generated Image The Pakistan Test team - that glorious institution where hope goes to die a slow, bureaucratic death, and every series feels like a carefully choreographed exercise in national disappointment. As of August 2026, they sit somewhere between seventh and eighth in the ICC Test rankings, clinging to respectability with the same grip a drowning man might apply to a brick. Their recent form has been less “proud cricket nation” and more “why do we even bother turni

Sarfaraz Khan has been recalled to India’s Test squad for the Sri Lanka series, replacing the injured Sai Sudharsan. In the grand tradition of Indian cricket, opportunity has arrived not through sustained brilliance or careful planning, but because someone’s toe decided it had better things to do. One man’s stress reaction is another man’s second chance. How very democratic. For those who have followed Sarfaraz’s career with the weary patience of a Mumbai local train passenge

For nearly a century, Indian hockey, or for that matter any team representing the country, has been synonymous with one colour, ok blue. It is the shade that witnessed eight Olympic gold medals, the artistry of Dhyan Chand, the revival under Harmanpreet Singh, ICC ODI and T20 World Cups, and countless moments when the tricolour rose above the podium. The jersey was never merely a piece of fabric; it became part of India’s sporting identity. Now, Hockey India’s decision to rep

The Commonwealth Games showed that India's sporting rise now extends far beyond its traditional medal-winning disciplines. The Commonwealth Games are more than a competition for medals; they reflect a country’s sporting culture, talent development, sports science, training ecosystem and long-term sports policy. Held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August, the Games concluded for India with notable achievements and encouraging prospects. The Indian contingent finished

Ajit Agarkar took charge as chairman of the BCCI’s senior men’s selection committee in mid-2023, stepping into one of Indian cricket’s most thankless jobs. Nearly three years later, his record is a study in contrasts: glittering white-ball success on one side, grinding Test struggles and recurring controversies on the other. Any honest assessment must hold both in view. The results in limited-overs cricket under Agarkar’s watch have been exceptional. India reached four ICC to

Remember Prithvi Shaw? Of course you do. The boy wonder. The U-19 World Cup-winning captain. The youngest Indian to smash a Test century on debut, a tidy 134 against West Indies at the tender age of 18 years and 319 days. Back in 2018, the cricket world collectively clutched its pearls and declared the next big thing had arrived. Fast forward to 2026, and that next big thing is currently the next big afterthought. How delightful. Let us start with the international CV, becaus

Mumbai: In an era when cricket increasingly celebrated swagger, sound bites and larger-than-life personalities, Ajinkya Rahane chose a different path. He let his bat whisper, his actions inspire and his character define him. As the curtains come down on his international career, Indian cricket bids farewell to one of its finest gentlemen, a cricketer whose greatest triumphs were built not on flamboyance, but on quiet resilience. There are players who dominate headlines and th

Ben Stokes has retired from international cricket, and English cricket feels suddenly smaller. The announcement came in the middle of a Test match against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in late June 2026, mid-spell, with the series still alive. No carefully staged farewell tour, no lingering goodbye. Just a private message to teammates that the well had run dry, followed by a public confirmation that his 15-year England career was ending. At 35, after 122 Tests, 114 ODIs and 43

Kolhapur: Former Asian Games gold medallist Rahi Sarnobat believes earning a place in the Indian shooting team remains one of the toughest challenges in the sport, as intense domestic competition continues to raise India’s international standards. Fresh from topping the women’s 25m sports pistol event in the T4 National Selection Trials, the seasoned shooter said consistency and composure under pressure would be crucial as she shifts her focus to the ISSF World Cup in China a

Cristiano Ronaldo’s relationship with the FIFA World Cup is one of football’s most compelling stories—a tale of extraordinary achievement, relentless ambition, and an unfulfilled dream. While his glittering career is decorated with league titles, UEFA Champions League triumphs, European Championship glory, and countless individual awards, the FIFA World Cup remained the one prize that always seemed just beyond his reach. Yet, it is perhaps this very incompleteness that makes

In the vast tapestry of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, few stories shine as brightly as that of Cape Verde, the Blue Sharks. A nation of just over half a million souls, scattered across ten volcanic islands in the Atlantic, this archipelago has etched its name into football immortality. Not as champions in the traditional sense, but as beacons of hope, resilience, and the unyielding power of belief. Their debut tournament was not merely participation—it was a masterclass in defying

When football’s new minnows dream big, India stands still. The ongoing FIFA World Cup has produced one of the most compelling stories in modern football. Nations once dismissed as outsiders are now sharing the world’s biggest stage with traditional powerhouses. Tiny Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan are making their World Cup debuts. DR Congo has returned after more than five decades, while countries such as Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Africa and New Zealand

In what can only be described as football’s version of a fever dream after too many questionable street tacos, Ecuador defeated Germany 2-1 in a Group Stage thriller at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Yes, you read that right. The team that once gave us the Wunderteam and precision engineering got outplayed by a squad whose tactical masterplan appeared to involve “run fast, celebrate harder, and maybe pray to the mountain gods.” The match, held in a sweltering stadium in the America

For 90 minutes at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Germany did what Germany does best: they turned football into a carefully designed industrial process. The assembly line started on time, the machines were well oiled, quality control was ruthless, and unfortunately for Curaçao, they were the unfortunate product being tested. The final score read Germany 7, Curaçao 1, though the numbers alone do not tell the full story. Somewhere in the stadium, a scoreboard operator probably checked

Every cricket lover carries a few scorecards in his heart. Mine, yellowed by time and perfumed by memory, invariably opens to one unforgettable page. It takes me back to September 1986, to the old Chepauk in Madras, where India and Australia produced a Test match that still glows like an oil lamp on a rainy evening. Not long ago, while watching another India-Australia series unfold, I found myself drifting backwards through the corridors of time. Memory, after all, is a curio