In a definitive move that reshapes Pakistan‘s top-order strategy just days before the T20 World Cup 2026, captain Salman Ali Agha has officially confirmed a permanent shift in the team’s batting order.

Pakistan’s captain Salman Ali Agha unveils who will bat at 3 in T20 World Cup 2026

Following a tactical success during the series opener against Australia on January 29, Salman has disclosed that he will permanently occupy the No. 3 position, signaling a major departure from the team’s traditional reliance on Babar Azam at that crucial one-down spot. Salman Agha’s decision to move up the order is a proactive measure designed to ‘fire with fire’ against the spin-heavy middle overs expected in Sri Lanka. Traditionally a middle-order finisher, the captain believes his aggressive style is better suited to dominating spinners during the back end of the Powerplay. Addressing the media on January 30, he solidified his new role:

“Yes, I’ll be batting at No. 3 in the future. We expect to face a lot of spin, and I believe I can dominate spin during the Powerplay. That’s why I moved up, and that is where I’ll stay.” Salman Agha said.

In the 1st T20I in Lahore against Australia, Salman immediately validated this shift by walking in at the fall of the second ball and smashing 39 off 27 deliveries, including four massive sixes. His strike rate at No. 3 has historically been phenomenal, often exceeding 160, compared to his career strike rate of roughly 118 lower down the order.

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The mid-innings stabilizer for Pakistan ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

The captain’s promotion has forced a significant reshuffle for former skipper Babar, who has officially been moved to No. 4. In the series opener against Australia, Babar managed a steady 24 off 20 balls, taking on a role focused on rotation and stabilization while the Powerplay aggressors took the early risks. This new configuration allows Pakistan to field an explosive opening pair of Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, with Fakhar Zaman providing additional firepower at No. 5.

In the game, Pakistan successfully defended a total of 168/8 at Gaddafi Stadium, leveraging an “outstanding” spin attack to secure a 22-run victory. The win was historic, marking Pakistan’s first T20I victory over Australia in 2,650 days. Saim Ayub was the star of the show, earning Player of the Match honors for his blistering 40 off 22 balls followed by two crucial wickets with the ball.

Pakistan’s potential top order for the T20 World Cup 2026

• No. 1 & 2: Saim Ayub & Sahibzada Farhan (Openers)
• No. 3: Salman Ali Agha (Captain & Spin Aggressor)
• No. 4: Babar Azam (Anchor/Stabilizer)
• No. 5: Fakhar Zaman (Aggressive Finisher)

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The United States has told India it can soon resume purchases of Venezuelan oil to reduce its reliance on Russian crude, Reuters reported. The move is part of a broader US effort to redirect India’s oil imports away from Russia while reshaping energy ties between the two countries. According to sources quoted by Reuters, India is now on track to cut Russian crude imports by several hundred thousand barrels per day in the coming months.The US decision to pitch Venezualan oil to India comes amid broader diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Caracas. Venezuela interim president Delcy Rodríguez on Friday said she had agreed with India on energy cooperation during a telephone call with PM Modi, a day after Venezuela opened its hydrocarbons sector to private companies. PM Modi also in a post on X said they “agreed to further deepen and expand our bilateral partnership in all areas, with a shared vision of taking India‑Venezuela relations to new heights in the years ahead.”Venezuela, which sits on the world’s largest proven oil reserves, recently reformed laws to open the sector to private investment, a major shift from decades of state control designed to attract foreign capital and revive its battered oil industry.

US sanctions and Venezuelan oil

President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs in March 2025 on countries buying Venezuelan oil, including India, as his administration intensified its campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. US forces captured Maduro on January 3, after which Washington began directing the Caracas government and announced plans to control Venezuela’s oil industry indefinitely.

India’s declining Russian oil imports

India became a major buyer of Russian oil after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered Western sanctions that pushed prices lower. However, growing US pressure and rising trade costs have driven India to diversify its crude supply. Oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri said last week that India is expanding its sources as Russian imports decline.Two sources said India is preparing to reduce Russian oil imports to below one million barrels per day soon. Imports were around 1.2 million bpd in January and are expected to fall to about 1 million bpd in February and around 800,000 bpd in March, one source said. Another source said imports could eventually decline to about 500,000–600,000 bpd, helping India clinch a trade deal with the United States.US tariffs on Indian goods reached 50% in August after Washington added an extra 25% levy over purchases of Russian oil. Operational challenges created by Western sanctions have also prompted Indian refiners to increase imports from other suppliers.Trade data showed India’s Russian oil imports fell to their lowest level in two years in December, lifting OPEC’s share of Indian imports to an 11-month high. Refiners have stepped up purchases from Middle Eastern, African and South American producers to offset reduced Russian supplies.Several refiners have already cut ties with Russian crude. State-run Hindustan Petroleum and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals, along with private refiner HPCL-Mittal Energy, have stopped buying Russian oil. Other state refiners, including Indian Oil Corp and Bharat Petroleum Corp, have slowed purchases, officials said at the India Energy Week conference this week. A private operator of the world’s largest refining complex plans to buy up to 150,000 bpd of Russian oil from February, a company source said.The effort to supply Venezuelan crude to India also aligns with Washington’s goal of cutting Russian oil revenues that are funding the war in Ukraine. Reuters sources did not say whether the Venezuelan oil would be sold through trading houses such as Vitol or Trafigura or directly by Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA.

Pakistan have suffered a major setback ahead of their mouth-watering Under-19 clash against India at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, a match that will decide the fourth semi-finalist of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe. Afghanistan and England joined Australia as the latest entrants into the semi-finals on Friday following impressive performances in their Super Six clashes, with an unbeaten England becoming the first team from Group 2 to reach the final four. Sunday’s marquee India-Pakistan encounter now shapes up as a virtual knockout.Pakistan’s preparations were dented after wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Shayan was ruled out due to injury, the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed.

“Pakistan U19 wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Shayan has been ruled out of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup after being struck on the nose by a ball while wicketkeeping to a fast bowler during a scenario-based practice match,” the PCB said in a statement. He was taken to hospital, where X-rays confirmed a fracture, with a replacement set to be named in due course.Australia had already progressed to the final four from Group 1, while Afghanistan grabbed the remaining spot following a commanding 191-run win over Ireland. England sealed qualification from Group 2 after defeating New Zealand by 65 runs, courtesy a five-wicket haul from Manny Lumsden. India currently enjoy an advantage heading into their clash with Pakistan, sitting on six points from three matches with a superior net run rate, while Pakistan have four points.In Harare, Afghanistan rode on a scintillating 163 from Faisal Khan to post 315/7 after electing to bat first. Faisal struck 18 fours and a six in his 142-ball knock, which stands as the highest individual score by an Afghan batter in tournament history. Afghanistan were in early trouble at 27/2 before a 75-run third-wicket partnership between Faisal and Uzairullah Niazai steadied the innings. The game swung decisively in Afghanistan’s favour during a 188-run fourth-wicket stand between Faisal and captain Mahboob Khan, who scored 89 off 79 balls with five fours and two sixes.Ireland’s Reuben Wilson and Olly Riley picked up three wickets apiece, but the Irish chase never took off. Ireland were bowled out for 124, with Marko Bates (34) and Wilson (31) adding 55 for the sixth wicket in a brief show of resistance. Abdul Aziz led Afghanistan’s bowling with 3/21, while leg-break bowler Aqil Khan wrapped up proceedings with three wickets for 36 runs.Earlier in Bulawayo, New Zealand, already out of semi-final contention, restricted England to 234/7 on a tricky surface. Ben Dawkins made a cautious 42, while Ben Mayes (53) and Caleb Faloner (47) chipped in with vital contributions. Mason Clarke was the pick of New Zealand’s bowlers with 2/38. However, Lumsden turned the game on its head with figures of 5/17 as New Zealand were bowled out for 169 in 38.5 overs, despite Senith Reddy’s 47 and a 58-run stand with Callum Samson.

President Donald Trump’s administration will add some 65,000 H-2B seasonal guest worker visas through September 30, a Federal Register notice said, stating the visas would be available to employers at risk of severe financial hardship due to a lack of US labour, Reuters reported.The move roughly doubled the 66,000 visas available each year to businesses such as construction, hospitality, landscaping and seafood processing, in a recognition that US employers in those industries could be struggling to find workers.A temporary rule making the additional H-2B visas available will be formally published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the notice said.Trump, a Republican, launched a wide-ranging immigration crackdown after returning to the White House in 2025, portraying immigrants without legal status as criminals and a drain on their communities. His administration also clamped down on forms of legal immigration, with broad travel bans and reviews of refugee and asylum cases.The number of available visas also was expanded under former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Trump during periods of his 2017-2021 presidency.Employers in the seasonal businesses, including hotels, clamoured for more visas. Some construction businesses complained of a lack of workers during Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.Groups that favour lower levels of immigration opposed the visas, saying they undercut wages for US workers.Trump made it harder for tech businesses to obtain workers through the H-1B programme, tacking on a $100,000 fee that triggered a legal challenge.

Panaji: Odisha FC players led by captain Carlos Delgado have asked the club to clear their pending salaries for last six months as some players have been forced to obtain loans to battle the financial crisis.Unlike other top tier clubs, Odisha gave the Super Cup competition a miss and have not yet assembled for this season. While all others have now started pre-season training ahead of next month’s Indian Super League (ISL), Odisha players are still waiting for definitive communication on when they can start training.This, of course, isn’t an ideal situation, but like players noted in the letter, they believe a “competitive team can be built”, even for a short season that has just 13 matches in a single-leg home and away format.“Salaries have been on hold for the past six months. During this prolonged period, many players have been facing significant financial difficulties, as football is their primary source of income for themselves and their families. In some cases, players have had to take out loans.“We fully understand the challenges the club has gone through; however, the lack of salary payments has placed the players in a very difficult economic situation. For this reason, we respectfully request the payment of the pending salaries, or at least a partial payment, to help alleviate the current hardship,” the players said.Odisha have been drawn to play Punjab FC in their opening ISL game on Feb 16 at home. Players said they would require “a minimum of two weeks of preparation to be ready to compete.” However, given that the club still does not have an understanding with the state govt on use of the stadium and training facilities, the former Super Cup champions could start training only a week prior to their first game.According to sources, the club formed a new WhatsApp group on Wednesday and told the players they are tentatively planning to start pre-season in Bhubaneswar from Feb 8-9, “subject to govt permissions.”Odisha have seen star forward Hugo Boumous move on loan to Selangor FC of Malaysia, while club president Raj Athwal has parted ways after five years at the helm. General manager Ravi Khedar has now become the primary point of contact for club matters and has been attending meetings.Spanish defender Delgado is the only foreign player in the team.Odisha confirmed their participation on Jan 13 “in alignment with the proposal put forward by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and in support of the govt of India’s objective to ensure continuity, stability, and long-term growth in Indian football.”