England is currently facing New Zealand in the Super 8 Group 2 clash at the R Premedasa Stadium, Colombo. The Three Lions have already qualified for the semi-final of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Ahead of the match, former England all-rounder Moeen Ali, alongside current spinner Adil Rashid, predicted the best combined XI.

It is a video that was shot in the middle of the 2026 T20 World Cup, as Adil Rashid is currently featuring for the Three Lions in the tournament. Moeen Ali and Rashid picked their openers in the form of former England captain Jos Buttler and reigning World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma. Then they picked former India captain Virat Kohli as their No.3 batter.

Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid pick five India players in clutch XI

In the middle order, they picked former India all-rounder and two-time World Cup Player of the Tournament award winner Yuvraj Singh. They chose South Africa’s explosive batter David Miller at number five, followed by England’s Test skipper and all-rounder Ben Stokes at six. They chose MS Dhoni, a multiple ICC trophy-winning captain, as the wicketkeeper-batter.

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At number eight, they picked West Indian all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo. Another West Indies international, this time Sunil Narine, was chosen as the team’s frontline spinner at No.9. Then, with two pace bowlers, picked by the English cricketers, Sri Lanka legend Lasith Malinga and star India pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid’s combined clutch XI (via Beard Before Wicket podcast) – Jos Buttler, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, David Miller, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah.

Adil Rashid has been brilliant for England

Adil Rashid is England’s joint highest wicket-taker so far with 11 wickets from seven games at an average of 14.80 and an economy rate of 8.19 with best figures of 3/36. He has used all his experience of bowling in India as he has varied his pace as per the conditions.

In the video, they also talked about South Africa’s strong performance in the tournament, and whether this time, Aiden Markram’s side would go on to win the T20 World Cup. As the Proteas are the only team unbeaten in the competition so far, having had a dominating win over the West Indies in their last game, and qualified for the semi-finals.

I was expecting South Africa to win- Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali said, “I think it was always going to be a tough one, especially because South Africa at the moment are playing good cricket in the form of the ball. It’s always going to be a challenge. Yeah, so one of those games. I think they’re playing so well, South Africa. I was expecting South Africa to win, to be honest. West Indies did really well to get that score.”

“Yeah, Shepherd and Holder played really, really well. Otherwise, they were gone. They were almost all out. But also, they still lost badly. So now the run rate is… No, I don’t think it makes a difference. No, I don’t think… But it’s simple now, I think, because obviously there’s a game going on right now, as we speak, I reckon.”

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Thane: Residents and motorists can expect smooth and pothole-free roads before the first spell of rain hits, as Thane district was kept on alert mode before and during the monsoon, officials said. The directives came from deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde following the recently concluded District Planning Committee meeting, where he instructed all agencies to treat pre-monsoon works as top priority.Officials present for the meeting said clear deadlines were set, including road repairs, pothole filling and asphalt patchwork, and instructions were issued that the works must be completed by the end of May.“The message is clear that any unfinished work will not be tolerated, and public inconvenience during the rains will not be excused. Departments were told to act now to prevent accidents, traffic snarls and waterlogged stretches once the monsoon arrives,” said an official.Shinde also emphasised tight coordination between the district collector’s office, municipal corporations, police and disaster management teams to ensure rapid response during heavy rainfall or emergencies. The aim is seamless action on the ground — from clearing flooded roads to managing traffic diversions — without bureaucratic delays.“Respective authorities of individual civic bodies were also asked to monitor structurally dangerous buildings, particularly those under cluster redevelopment, to prevent mishaps during intense showers. Health officials, meanwhile, were directed to stay vigilant against seasonal disease outbreaks, especially in rural belts, schools, anganwadis and primary health centres,” said officials. Beyond monsoon readiness, the administration is sharpening its focus on agriculture. Boosting farmers’ incomes through organic farming was identified as a priority, with steps ordered to ensure timely supply of organic manure, encourage pasture development and promote innovative farming practices. “The message is clear to fix the roads, plug every pothole, stay prepared for heavy rain, and ensure the district doesn’t stop and remains safe for residents through the monsoon,” said a senior bureaucrat present for the meeting.

Mumbai: Bombay HC on Friday set aside a 2024 refusal of maternity benefits to a doctor on contract at the civic-run KEM Hospital, directing the state to take note of the rise in the number of women in the workforce and to ensure a more reasonable approach going forward. It ordered that the doctor be given her maternity benefit dues in six weeks.“Fundamentally, [Maternity Benefit Act] clearly makes no distinction between a woman employee who is appointed under a contract/agreement and/or otherwise,” said a bench of Justices Riyaz Chagla and Advait Sethna. BMC argued that the doctor’s appointment “was merely a stop-gap arrangement pending the regular selection process”. HC said such submissions “fall foul of the clear mandate” of the Act. The anaesthesiologist engaged as an assistant professor on contract petitioned HC last year to challenge the hospital’s Oct 2024 refusal to grant her maternity benefits on the grounds of their unavailability to contractual employees. HC noted the rise in the number of women entering diverse workforces. “In this scenario, it is important to ensure that a woman striving for self-sufficiency and economic independence does not have to compromise on her role as a caregiver to her child.” The state is expected to be more sensitive to deserving persons, it said. “She ought not to be made to seek orders from this court, especially since the hospital in principle agreed to process payment of her maternity benefits,” said HC after hearing the doctor’s counsel, Subit Chakrabarti, and Chaitanya Chavan for BMC and the hospital. Chakrabarti said the doctor was appointed in Jan 2022 and her contract was subsequently extended till June 2025. He said she complied with the necessary service and provided evidence of birth. An agreement in 2024 said she was entitled to “holidays/vacation as available under the service rules applicable to permanent and regular employees of the corporation”. In Oct 2024, when she sought maternity leave, it was denied. She gave birth the next month.HC said the doctor was eligible for maternity benefits, having fulfilled the Act’s Section 5(2) of 80 days of work in the 12 months immediately preceding the date of her expected delivery, which was Nov 15, 2024. It said it found merit in the claim that BMC’s stand, coupled with its conduct, “does interfere with the fundamental right of the petitioner guaranteed under Article 21 (protection of life and liberty)”.