NEW DELHI: Gary Kirsten spent the Sunday afternoon watching Namibia batters practice range-hitting at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium. This is the venue where, in two days’ time, Gerhard Erasmus-led Namibia will open their T20 World Cup campaign against the Netherlands.The Feroz Shah Kotla ground is not new for Kirsten, who won the 2011 ODI World Cup with India. It was during that campaign at the same venue that India had locked horns with the Netherlands. Fifteen years later, he is back at the National capital with a new team, whom he joined as a consultant a couple of months ago, and the opponent will again be the Dutch.“He obviously knows the conditions well. He knows India well. He has so much knowledge about fields and pitches and the cities and everything,” Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus told TimesofIndia.com on the sidelines of his team’s practice session. Erasmus also pointed out how Kirsten’s presence has helped him as a skipper of the side, too. “I think what comes down for me as a leader and as a captain, with one foot in the management door and one foot in the players’ door, it’s always so important for me to have the connection between players and the management. As a captain, you have to facilitate that sometimes. When you have a senior member and a mentor like him, I think that resonates well with the players and brings the best out of the players,” the Namibia captain said. This is Namibia’s fourth straight T20 World Cup appearance, and buoyed by the presence of a World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten in their corner, they have hit the ground running in their first training session ahead of their opening match of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Kirsten kept a close eye throughout Namibia’s first practice session in Delhi and had one-on-one conversations with several players of the squad. The Namibia team reached the ground at around 1:30 pm, and had a full-throttle training session. Namibia batters, including captain Gerhard Erasmus, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton focused primarily on range-hitting, polishing their reverse sweeps and scoops. Meanwhile, bowlers were trying to zero in on their death bowling as they tried to sharpen their yorkers and other variations.Gary Kirsten kept providing his valuable inputs to the players throughout the session. “He’s (Kirsten) been helping with everything. There’s not one department that he doesn’t help. He’s a workaholic. He’s helping us the whole time. You know, I mean, for myself as a young coach, learning from someone like him, just unbelievable. So he helps in all departments (whether it’s) fielding, batting, bowling, red soil, black soil, conditions, climates, you know, anything,” Namibian men’s team head coach Craig Williams said after his team’s practice session.

Namibia had beaten Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2022 and got the better of their neighbour, South Africa, last year in the one-off T20 match. But having been placed with India, Pakistan, the USA, and the Netherlands in Group A, Namibia are not thinking “too far ahead” at the moment. “As soon as you think too far ahead, (it) creates a lot of anxiety in the group. So we’re 100% just breaking it down to one-to-one game at a time, one ball at a time. And I suppose at the end of that day you can focus on the next day and then, yeah, we’ll see how the results go,” Williams said ahead of their match against the Netherlands, who put Pakistan under pressure in the opening match of the tournament on Saturday. “We’re 100% thinking about the game against Holland (Netherlands) as our first fixture. And then yeah, there’s 240 balls in the match. If we can win most of those balls, then there’s a good chance for us in the game,” Williams said.Namibia sealed their place at the tournament after a commanding run at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Africa Qualifier in Harare, finishing as unbeaten Group A toppers and backing it up with a dominant semi-final victory over Tanzania.This is Namibia’s fourth appearance at the men’s T20 World Cup. They had also taken part in the editions in 2021 (Super 12s), 2022 (group stage), and 2024 (group stage).

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal sent a heartfelt message to American ski star Lindsey Vonn after she suffered a shocking and painful crash at the Winter Olympics. Nadal praised her courage and strength, writing, “Lindsey Vonn, you are a great inspiration and an example of perseverance. Stay strong and get well soon!”Vonn’s crash happened during the downhill event in Cortina d’Ampezzo, just seconds after she started her run. In bright sunny conditions, she lost control, twisted in mid-air, and slammed into the snow. The 41-year-old could be heard crying out in pain as medics rushed to help her. The crowd watching at the bottom of the slope fell completely silent as they saw the accident on big screens. She was later taken away on a stretcher and flown to hospital by helicopter.Despite the shocking incident, Vonn’s teammate Breezy Johnson went on to win the gold medal. However, her thoughts were with Vonn, saying, “My heart goes out to her. I hope it’s not as bad as it looked.” Vonn’s sister Karin Kildow also reacted emotionally, saying, “That definitely was the last thing we wanted to see.”Vonn’s Olympic comeback story had inspired many. She retired in 2019 but returned in 2024 after knee surgery and was hoping to win another Olympic medal, 16 years after her last gold. Her plans were complicated by a recent crash that left her with a ruptured ACL, but she still chose to compete.She had said, “This is not obviously what I had hoped for…. I know what my chances were before the crash and and I know my chances aren’t the same as it stands today,” and “But I know there’s still a chance, and as long as there’s a chance I will try.”

Nepal earned massive praise from former cricket stars after their thrilling four-run loss to England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Even though they didn’t win, many felt Nepal showed incredible fight and proved they are a rising team in world cricket.Yuvraj Singh praised their spirit, writing, “Huge respect to Nepal. Took on one of the best teams in the world, stayed in the fight till the very last ball and showed what belief and heart can do. This is how teams grow, and champions rise. The cricketing world is watching!”

Ravichandran Ashwin also applauded them, saying, “Incredible from Nepal. They are surely among the best of the emerging cricketing nations. Huge potential and upside.” Irfan Pathan added, “So the finishing touches were missing, but Nepal are clearly on the right path. Great to see them put England under the pump,” while Dale Steyn joked, “Nepal, I offer my services to you if you ever need ’em! Up, up and UP!”England won the match by just four runs after scoring 184 runs. Jacob Bethell and captain Harry Brook played key roles with half-centuries, while Jos Buttler reached a major T20 World Cup milestone. For Nepal, bowlers like Dipendra Singh Airee and Nandan Yadav picked important wickets to keep England in check.Chasing 185, Nepal started strongly but lost early wickets. Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee built a big partnership and kept Nepal in the game. However, both got out in quick succession, which hurt their chase. Lokesh Bam played a brilliant unbeaten knock at the end, but Nepal finished on 180/6, falling just four runs short.Despite the loss, Nepal’s performance impressed the cricket world and showed they are a team to watch in the future.

England captain Harry Brook admitted he was surprised by the way Nepal’s batters attacked senior leg-spinner Adil Rashid during their T20 World Cup opener on Sunday. The former champions were pushed to the limit before eventually sealing a narrow four-run victory after posting a challenging target of 185.

“It wasn’t easy at all, thankfully got over the line. They played extremely well and not many teams take Adil Rashid like they did. I thought we were in a very good position to defend that. I wish them all the best for the rest of the competition,” Brook said at the post-match presentation ceremony. England’s total of 184 for seven was built around aggressive half-centuries from Jacob Bethell and Brook, along with a late burst from Will Jacks, whose 39 came off just 18 balls. “Beth played outstanding, the way he was rocking back and hitting the spinners into the stands was great. I just said we put 2-3 wickets and it all changes. We have so many options. I don’t think Sam (Curran) bowled until a lot later. “Rashid got a tap there and it’s not often that he doesn’t bowl four overs. I am sure he will bounce back. He knew exactly what he was going to bowl,” Brook added. Nepal skipper Rohit Paudel said his side arrived at the tournament with the intention of competing strongly and challenging top teams, something reflected in their performance against England. “I think the boys gave it all. I am very proud of them. We had the belief when we came to this World Cup. We didn’t come here just to participate. The result didn’t go our way but effort wise we gave 100% in every department. Last over Sam Curran bowled really well. We will improve from there.” Rohit said. Discussing the chase, he added, “We were calculating. We wanted to wickets in hands with 10 runs per over in the last few overs. It wasn’t a plan to take on Adil Rashid and it just happened. We will not take any team lightly. “We as a team need to be at our 100%. They are very passionate. The whole of Kathmandu, Nepal came here to support us. I think all of Nepal will be proud of us.” Man of the Match Will Jacks also praised Nepal’s effort after they pushed England deep into the final stages of the contest. “I think full credit to Nepal. They were absolutely brilliant. We saw that this was tricky when we batted, but they played against us really very well and they really took us close there,” Jacks said. Speaking about his own batting, he added, “It’s nice to spend some time in the middle (on his batting). I’ve been a bit short over the last month or so and by keeping it simple, the guys in the middle have described to me what it’s like out there, so just let the ball come, nice and easy to do it.” On Nepal’s decision-making late in the innings, particularly around the final over that cost 21 runs, Jacks said, “I saw they were debating. I think the helmet ran out and then ran off, so obviously in hindsight they might have done that, but all in all they were tactically very good. “They’ve obviously pushed us right to the edge there. I think if the surfaces are going to continue to behave like that, then that’s going to be crucial going forward.” Jacks also stressed that teams will need to adjust quickly to pitch conditions in the upcoming matches, saying adaptability will play a crucial role as the tournament progresses.

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag praised Suryakumar Yadav for playing a match-winning innings against the USA in India’s opening game of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on February 7. India won the match by 29 runs, thanks largely to their captain’s calm and powerful batting under pressure.India had a shaky start while batting first and were struggling at 77 runs for 6 wickets. At that point, things could have gone badly, but Suryakumar held his nerve and played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 84 runs off 49 balls, hitting 10 fours and 4 sixes. His innings helped India reach a respectable total of 161/9 in 20 overs.

Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma also chipped in with quick runs, while USA bowlers Shadley van Schalkwyk and Harmeet Singh impressed with the ball.Sehwag called Suryakumar’s knock one of the best of his career, explaining how important it was in the match situation. He said, “Imagine if the Indian team had been all out for just 100, we wouldn’t have said that a weak team like the USA beat India. They have also qualified for the World Cup. That’s why I feel it was one of the best knocks of Suryakumar Yadav’s career. I always say, focus on the ball and not the bowler, because if it pitches in the right area, you have to respect it. If you go for your shots on a good ball, you might get out.”Sehwag also praised the USA bowlers for putting India under pressure, saying, “Take this USA team, we had heard very little about some of these bowlers, but they were able to reduce India to 77 for 6, which I don’t think any other team has managed in the last two to two-and-a-half years. So, hats off to Suryakumar Yadav, he played extremely well.”In reply, the USA scored 132/8, with Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, and Shubham Ranjane putting up a fight. Indian bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh took key wickets to seal the win.

Cricket fans across India and the world are talking about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the teenage batting sensation from Bihar who stunned everyone with his explosive performance in the Under-19 World Cup final. At just 14 years old, he smashed 175 runs off 80 balls against England, hitting huge sixes and playing like a seasoned superstar.

Naturally, many fans are asking: if he is this good, why isn’t he already playing for the senior Indian team?The simple answer is his age.Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was born on March 27, 2011. As of now, he is 14 years and 318 days old. He will turn 15 on March 27, 2026. Until that date, he is officially too young to play international cricket for India’s senior team.This is because of a rule set by the International Cricket Council (ICC). In 2020, the ICC introduced a minimum age rule that says a player must be at least 15 years old to play international cricket. The rule is meant to protect young players from mental pressure, physical stress, and burnout.Ironically, Vaibhav is in a strange situation. He is too young for the senior Indian team, but he is also done with Under-19 World Cups. The BCCI has a “one tournament only” rule for U19 World Cups, so players can’t play multiple editions. Since Vaibhav already played and dominated the 2026 tournament, he won’t be allowed to play the 2028 or 2030 editions, even though he would still be under 19.Despite his age, Vaibhav has already broken several records. He is the youngest player ever to score a List-A century, the youngest IPL centurion, and has set multiple records in youth cricket for fastest centuries and most sixes. His rise has been historic.Once he turns 15, the door to international cricket will officially open. Until then, fans will have to wait, but the future looks incredibly bright for India’s teenage cricket prodigy.

head of Afghanistan’s ICC T20 World Cup clash against New Zealand, captain Rashid Khan downplayed the significance of personal milestones, saying his focus remains on delivering for the team in challenging situations. Just four wickets short of the 700-mark in T20 cricket, Rashid also jokingly spoke about hoping to touch the 7,000-wicket milestone.

Afghanistan, who stunned the cricketing world in the previous T20 World Cup by beating heavyweights such as New Zealand and Australia to reach the semifinals, will look to recreate that magic — and possibly go a step further — when they open their campaign against New Zealand in Chennai on Sunday. Rashid currently boasts 696 wickets in 515 T20 matches at an average of 18.49, including 18 four-wicket hauls and four five-fors, making him the leading wicket-taker in the format. At just 27, time remains firmly on his side to scale even greater heights.

Addressing the milestone during the pre-match press conference, Rashid said, “I only played 9-10 years of international cricket overall and then to be someone leading wicket taker is something more than a dream for me, T20 cricket came I do not know around 2004-05, we had players playing and played a lot, but for me to achieve that (highest wickets in T20s) was something very special, but I never counted my wickets, I only knew it in the media, ok I have reached 400, 500, 600, but I really do not think about it much, I only try my best, every single day, I have to keep performing well for the team, I have to pick up wickets, I want to bowl in a tough situation where team needs and that made me focused, but what I achieved, I still sometimes thinking like 700 wickets is not something small, getting there it needs lots of time and lots of hard work, but I am blessed and I am so, so happy that reaching that milestone and hopefully we will make it to 7,000.”

Rashid also brushed aside discussions about Afghanistan shedding their underdog tag, insisting that labels mean little compared to on-field performances.

“Sometime you perform, you become number one, when you do not perform, you become number two or number three or number ten, it all depends on what you do in the middle, you get that names, what you do in the middle and for me, we are not much believing on these things, we can be like a team to upset people, things like that, I do not really trust these things, as long you are fully committed in the ground, giving 100 per cent, you will be the best team, does not matter you lose as well, but you will still – people will see you put the effort on and you had all the efforts there in the ground and I think that is more important, but the tags you get, it is just like a media stuff,” he added.

He further noted that expectations naturally rise as teams begin beating established sides, something Afghanistan has experienced after recent victories over New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“Twelve years ago, you would not have thought that Afghanistan would reach the semi-final and even for us, just participating in the World Cup was the biggest thing, but now it is not just about participating, you have enough skills to beat the team, but as long you are very strong mentally and physically, and you put the efforts in the ground,” Rashid concluded.

Manchester United’s revival under Michael Carrick continued in style on Saturday, as a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur sealed a fourth straight Premier League victory. A campaign that appeared to be drifting only weeks ago has suddenly found momentum, with Carrick’s flawless start in charge transforming both results and belief at Old Trafford.

Carrick’s perfect start gathers pace

The win against Spurs maintained Carrick’s 100 percent record since taking over as head coach and further strengthened his case to be considered for the role on a long-term basis. United captain Bruno Fernandes believes Carrick’s deep connection with the club has played a crucial role in the turnaround. Speaking to TNT Sports, Fernandes said Carrick understands what winning means for the fans and the club, and how much is required to succeed at Manchester United, adding that this knowledge brings something special to the team.

United back on the Champions League trail

It is the first time in two years that United have won four consecutive Premier League matches, and the latest victory has reignited hopes of a return to the Champions League after missing out for the past two seasons. Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring in the 38th minute at Old Trafford with a low finish from a corner, registering his 10th goal of his debut season at the club. Fernandes added the second late on to seal the result. Tottenham’s task was made harder when captain Cristian Romero was sent off in the 29th minute, leaving his side to battle with 10 men for most of the contest.

Carrick’s influence since taking charge

Carrick stepped in last month following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim and was initially handed a contract until the end of the season. Having previously enjoyed a brief interim spell in 2021, his immediate impact has now placed him firmly in contention as United’s hierarchy consider their long-term plans. Fernandes said Carrick arrived with the right ideas, giving players responsibility and communicating clearly. He added that he always believed Carrick could become a strong manager, and that belief is now being justified on the pitch. United are currently fourth in the table on 44 points, already surpassing last season’s total of 42 points for the entire campaign. While they have exited both domestic cup competitions, Champions League qualification would still represent a successful season.

A tale of two captains

Fernandes once again led from the front, scoring in the 81st minute with a controlled finish off his shin. The goal marked his 200th goal involvement for United since joining the club in 2020. Carrick praised his captain’s influence, describing him as a committed team player who consistently delivers in big moments. In contrast, Tottenham captain Romero endured a difficult afternoon. After previously calling it “disgraceful” that Spurs were reduced to 11 fit players during last week’s draw with Manchester City, Romero did little to help his side this time, seeing red for a dangerous challenge on Casemiro. According to Opta, it was Romero’s sixth sending off since joining Tottenham in 2021, more than any other Premier League player in that period.

Elsewhere in the Premier League

At the top of the table, Arsenal extended their lead to nine points after Viktor Gyokeres came off the bench to score twice in a 3-0 win over Sunderland. Second-placed Manchester City face Liverpool on Sunday, while third-placed Aston Villa slipped further behind following a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth. Chelsea also enjoyed a positive result, with Cole Palmer scoring a first-half hat-trick in a 3-1 victory away to bottom club Wolves.

Barcelona strengthened their grip on the La Liga title race with a commanding 3-0 victory over Mallorca on Saturday, opening up a four-point lead at the top of the table. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal played a central role, responding to an earlier miss with a stunning long-range finish that underlined his growing influence. Robert Lewandowski set Barça on their way in the first half before 18-year-old academy graduate Marc Bernal wrapped up the points late on with the first goal of his senior career. The result gives Barcelona breathing space at the summit, although second-placed Real Madrid have the chance to cut the deficit to a single point when they travel to Valencia on Sunday. Lewandowski broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, reacting quickest after Marcus Rashford’s initial effort down the left was blocked. The striker calmly brought the ball under control, shifted it away from a defender and finished with precision from close range. Rashford’s growing confidence was evident again just before the interval. His curling free kick in stoppage time forced an excellent save from Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Roman. The rebound dropped invitingly for Jules Koundé inside the area, but his mishit effort fell to Yamal, who surprisingly failed to convert from virtually on the goal line. Lewandowski, one of the game’s most prolific scorers with more than 650 club goals to his name, was quick to encourage the young winger after the miss. Yamal made amends in emphatic fashion in the 61st minute. Skipping past a defender on the edge of the box, he unleashed a fierce, dipping left-footed strike into the bottom corner, leaving Roman rooted to the spot. Both Yamal and Lewandowski were substituted later in the match and watched on approvingly as Bernal added the third in the 83rd minute. Barcelona cut through Mallorca’s midfield with a sharp passing move that released the teenager, who showed impressive composure to glide past a defender and slot the ball neatly inside the post. Elsewhere in La Liga, two fixtures were postponed. Rayo Vallecano’s home clash with Oviedo was called off due to safety concerns over the pitch at Vallecas Stadium, while Sevilla’s match against Girona was also postponed because of adverse weather. Oviedo said it understood the decision but criticised the late notice and confirmed it was considering legal action.