Pakistan’s captain Salman Ali Agha reacts in the field during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo)

Pakistan’s early exit from the ICC T20 World Cup has led to financial penalties for the players, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) deciding to impose fines after the team failed to reach the semifinals.Led by Salman Ali Agha, Pakistan were knocked out at the Super 8 stage of the tournament. They could not restrict Sri Lanka below 147 in a chase of 213, which meant they were unable to move ahead of New Zealand on net run rate and missed out on a semifinal spot. It was the fourth straight ICC tournament in which Pakistan did not reach the last four.Instead of announcing structural or administrative changes, the PCB has fined each player PKR 50 lakhs. According to a report in the Pakistan-based news outlet Express Tribune, the decision followed Pakistan’s exit from the tournament, though the move to impose fines was taken after their loss to India in the group stage match on February 15.The report, quoting sources, said the board has adopted a strict stance on financial incentives and that future monetary benefits will depend on performance. The team played the entire tournament in Sri Lanka, where conditions were considered suitable for them.“Officials have clearly told the players that enough pampering has been done — from now on, financial benefits will only come with performance,” th report says.There has been no official statement from the PCB on the matter.Pakistan reached the Super 8 stage after beating Namibia in the group phase. Their first Super 8 match against New Zealand was washed out. A defeat to England then left their semifinal hopes dependent on other results. England’s win over New Zealand kept Pakistan in contention, but their narrow victory against Sri Lanka did not improve their net run rate enough. New Zealand progressed to the semifinals, ending Pakistan’s campaign.Former captain Babar Azam, current skipper Salman Ali Agha, and senior players Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz have faced criticism. Agha is expected to step down as captain after returning home.

West Indies’ skipper Shai Hope plays a shot at Eden Gardens. (ANI Photo)

NEW DELHI: West Indies captain Shai Hope did not hide behind excuses after his side’s T20 World Cup campaign ended with a defeat to defending champions India at Eden Gardens. Instead, he stood up and took responsibility.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India chased down a challenging 196-run target to knock the former champions out in a must-win Super Eight clash on Sunday. But Hope admitted the total could have been far more imposing had he accelerated at the top.“Yes, I’ll take the blame. I should have batted a lot faster — if that’s what you want me to say,” Hope said candidly in the post-match media interaction. “When you’re leading, you want to put your hand up and set the tone at the top. It didn’t happen for me today. I just didn’t get going.”

Hope’s 32 off 33 balls — including 17 dot deliveries — stalled momentum in a high-scoring contest. Though he insisted he was not batting poorly, he conceded that the tempo hurt the team.“In situations like this, when you’re struggling, everyone struggles. But I don’t think I was batting badly,” he explained. “I hit a few fielders and they bowled well. As much as you’d love to hit every ball for six, it doesn’t happen.”West Indies were 45 without loss in the powerplay after targeting 65–70. “We had a platform. With the batting depth we have, I didn’t see it as a big issue at the time, but we didn’t execute as well as we wanted,” Hope admitted.Despite late acceleration from Roston Chase, Rovman Powell and Jason Holder lifting them to 195/4, the total proved 20 runs short on a dewy surface.“Here in Eden Gardens, chasing is usually better, especially with the dew. It always becomes a factor,” Hope said, also lamenting his poor run with the toss. “I don’t think I could win a toss… that always puts me on the back foot.”Calling it a “game of small margins,” Hope added, “One team has to win.”He reserved special praise for India’s match-winner Sanju Samson, whose unbeaten 97 sealed the chase. “He shot the ball very nicely from the beginning all the way through to the end… very smart and calculated. You must give him an A-plus. But we wish he didn’t have that innings today.”Even in defeat, Hope chose perspective. “There are a lot of positives. Our bowling was much better… the powerplay bowling especially stood up.”

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Suryakumar Yadav. (ANI Photo)

NEW DELHI: India head coach Gautam Gambhir has warned that nothing short of a “special effort” will be enough when the defending champions face England in a blockbuster T20 World Cup semi-final in Mumbai, even as he lavished praise on Sanju Samson for keeping their title defence alive.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Samson produced a sublime unbeaten 97 off just 50 balls to power India to a five-wicket win over the West Indies at a packed Eden Gardens, chasing down 196 in a winner-takes-all Super Eights clash. His knock, studded with 12 fours and four sixes, lifted India to 199/5 and into the last four.

“We all know how good a player Sanju is,” Gambhir said after the match. “It was all about backing him and when the team needed him the most. Obviously today was the day when he probably showed his full potential.”Samson had played just one group-stage match, scoring 22 against Namibia, as India preferred a left-hand opening pair. Recalled for the Super Eights to add a right-handed option at the top, he made 24 against Zimbabwe — enough for Gambhir to persist with him.“I have always said that he is a world-class player. He is a great talent and hopefully he can kick on from now and we can see a lot more innings like this,” Gambhir added.

But the focus now shifts to Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, where a formidable England side awaits on Thursday. Harry Brook’s men arrive unbeaten in the Super Eights and peaking at the right time.“Look, they’re a world-class team, they’re a quality team, they’ve got a lot of quality players as well,” Gambhir said in a post-match news conference.He acknowledged the new challenge posed by Wankhede’s conditions after Kolkata. “We all know that playing at the Wankhede is a tough game, but it’s another opportunity to do something special for the team and for the country.”India, he stressed, must be flawless.“Hopefully we play our best game, that is going to be very important and we can keep ticking all the boxes. Because we will need a special effort to beat a quality side like England,” Gambhir further added.

Pakistan’s captain Salman Agha (L), Usman Khan and coach Mike Hesson in Colombo. (PTI Photo)

When Pakistan look back at the 2026 T20 World Cup, they will remember it as one that got away. They had a lot running in their favour — staying put in Sri Lanka, playing matches on surfaces of their choice, winning important tosses — but they couldn’t deliver what was expected of them: consistency. As a result, Salman Ali Agha’s team is out of the competition before the semifinals, ensuring that the Sri Lanka leg of this World Cup ended on Saturday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!It’s true that, the India defeat apart, they weren’t exactly shambolic. The New Zealand wash-out and a Harry Brook classic played significant roles in them not making the semifinals, but then World Cups are decided by fine margins.

There were already talks about Agha’s resignation from captaincy, and the right-hander said at the post-match press conference on Saturday that “such decisions shouldn’t be emotional”. “We will go back and take some time and then make the required decision,” Agha said.But he can’t deny that there were some serious decision-making errors that hurt Pakistan in this World Cup. While, in the India game, their decision to win the toss and field at the Premadasa was suicidal, not bowling a second finger-spinner right after dismissing Abhishek Sharma in the first over was equally poor. But those decisions only cost Pakistan pride, because they managed to get into the Super 8s.But there were enough hints in the first four games that Babar Azam was looking a misfit at No 4. Still, the Pakistan team management decided to persist with him, and it was his slow batting in the England game that was one of the reasons behind the defeat. In that match, Babar managed a 24-ball 25 and couldn’t accelerate. Pakistan’s 164-9 was taken down by Brook’s century.Agha, though, tried to defend the senior batter, who was finally dropped in the Sri Lanka game. “Babar had a different role in this World Cup. He was a No. 4 and we needed a batter who could come in the middle-order and give us stability and save us from collapse,” the captain argued.It took the decision-makers — coach Mike Hesson and captain Agha — the entire tournament to figure out that Fakhar Zaman is best suited as an opener. The attacking left-hander was finally given a go against Sri Lanka at the top of the order, where he smashed a 42-ball 84 that gave the team some hope.“We make the playing XI based on conditions and situations. The captain and the coach make the 11 together. We had to win this game in 13 overs or win by 65 runs and play according to that. As for Fakhar, he didn’t come to the tournament with good form, but yes, right now, you can say that he should have played the first four matches,” Agha said.According to the captain, it’s the team’s inability to take correct decisions in crunch moments that have hurt them in ICC tournaments. “Whenever there is pressure, our decision-making is not as good as it should be. When you come to the World Cup or ICC events, there is always pressure,” Agha said, bluntly.It may well have been a dig at the way Shaheen Afridi, the premier pace bowler, often let his team down at crucial junctures, bowling the wrong length. It almost cost them Saturday’s game as well, when he conceded 22 trying to defend 28 off the last over.Amidst the doom and gloom, the performances of Farhan with the bat and mystery spinner Usman Tariq should come as a breath of fresh air.

REASONS FOR PAKISTAN’S EARLY OUSTER

Sanju Samson and skipper Suryakumar Yadav run between wickets. (ANI Photo)

NEW DELHI: A night of reckoning at the Eden Gardens turned into a night of redemption for Sanju Samson, and skipper Suryakumar Yadav could not have scripted it better.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!With India’s T20 World Cup Super Eight campaign hanging by a thread, Samson smashed an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls to power India to a five-wicket win over West Indies, sealing a semifinal berth. Under scrutiny after a lean run, Samson answered every question in style — and his captain made sure the world knew it.

“Obviously, it’s a great feeling. The way we played, it was a do-or-die, like a quarter-final game, and the way the boys showed character, I think it was a great thing,” Suryakumar said after the match.But it was his heartfelt words on Samson that stole the spotlight.“See, I always say, good things happen to good people who wait, who have a lot of patience. I said it just now as well when I met him. But then it’s all his hard work, what he’s been doing behind the doors when he was not playing, and he’s got the fruit of it at the perfect stage. And the way he batted, took the side completely to victory.”Chasing 196 after West Indies posted 195/4 — powered by late fireworks from Jason Holder and Rovman Powell — India stumbled early to 41/2 in the powerplay. But Samson stood tall, blending timing with audacity. Small partnerships, especially a crucial 42-run stand with Tilak Varma (27 off 15), kept the chase alive.Suryakumar revealed the clarity in the dressing room. “I feel everyone bowled according to plans. We knew 200 is always a good score to chase here with the dew and the ball coming on nicely. And the way the batters responded later on with small partnerships, that was the key.”The skipper also addressed the mounting pressure. “Expectations will always be there, but you should always know what you have to do on the field. I told the boys that there will be pressure… but in games like this, you have to be courageous and take positive options whenever under pressure. When there’s no pressure, there is no fun.”Samson’s 97* is now India’s second-highest individual score in T20 World Cups, behind only Suresh Raina’s 101, and marks the first time he has remained unbeaten in a T20I chase.“Very happy to be there,” Surya smiled about the semifinals. “The way we played in the first game, we deserve that spot.”India next face England in the semi-final at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.

India’s Sanju Samson (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)

Perpetually under scrutiny and often questioned about his place in the side, Sanju Samson described his match-winning night as the moment he had always dreamed of — a reward for years of belief through uncertainty and self-doubt.“It means the whole world actually to me. I think right from the day I started playing, started dreaming to play for the country, I think this is the day I was waiting for. And I’m very grateful, very thankful,” Sanju said after his defining knock.Reflecting on his journey, he acknowledged the inner battles that accompanied his rise.“And I’ve always had a very special journey with lots of ups and downs, but I’ve kept on doubting myself, kept on thinking, what if, what if, can I make it, can I make it? But I kept on believing and thanks to the Lord Almighty for actually blessing me today. So I’m very happy.”Sanju credited years of experience in the format — both playing and watching — for shaping his understanding of how to handle pressure situations.“Yeah, I think that’s why I have been playing this format for a very long time. I think playing IPL around 10 to 12 years and playing for the country from last 10 years, I have not been playing, but looking from the dugout, learning from the greats like Virat Kohli, from Rohit Sharma, like all the greats.”He stressed the importance of observation and learning, even during phases when he was not a regular in the playing XI.“I think it’s very important to observe and learn and see what they were doing. I think that really helped me to, I think with my experience, I have only played maybe 50, 60 games, but I’ve seen around 100 games and I’ve seen how the greatest people have finished the games and how do they change their game according to the game.”Explaining the contrast between different match situations, Sanju highlighted how adaptability is key in T20 cricket.“So I think the last game we were batting first, so it was all about setting a very high score. So that’s how I wanted to go big right from ball one. But this game was completely different. I think as soon as I wanted to go a bit higher, we were losing wickets. So I think I wanted to build a partnership, wanted to keep focusing on my process.”He insisted that he was not chasing milestones, but simply concentrating on his role.“And I never felt that I will do something special like this, but I was just focusing on my role and just keeping one ball at a time and very grateful. I think this is one of the greatest days of my life.”Sanju also admitted that even amid crowd support and momentum, doubt can creep in.“Yeah, definitely they do bring a lot of energy and they do bring a lot of support. But I think on the other end, there is always a question, what if not? So definitely that keeps on playing in your mind.”His solution, he explained, was to stay grounded in the present.“But when that thought kept on coming, I just brought myself into the present moment and just looked at the ball and trusted myself to react according to the ball in merit. So I think that worked out pretty well today.”

KOLKATA: It’s a straightforward knockout contest now and number crunching over net run-rate is no longer required. India just have to beat West Indies at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday to make the semifinals of the T20 World Cup. The West Indies are in the same position but punters would advise you to put your money on India. Yet, fingers will remain crossed.The statisticians might still be called upon for calculations in the unlikely scenario of Zimbabwe beating South Africa, but that will only be to decide the group toppers. South Africa are well ahead in that race too. India’s blip against South Africa was a timely reminder that Suryakumar Yadav and his men have to be on their toes all the time. South Africa in fact, also showed that the West Indies, in spite of their recent successes, continue to have a streak of inconsistency that makes them so unpredictable. This Caribbean tendency will also keep India on the alert. One false step can make a huge difference.

Abhishek Sharma’s return to form against Zimbabwe was good news for India, even though the opener wasn’t as free flowing as he normally is. The occasional caution during his half-century indicated that doubts might have crept into his mind following a string of poor scores. Even Tilak Varma would have overcome some uncertainties during his 16-ball 44 against the same opponents. Both will be aware that the West Indies will pose stiffer challenges.

Given Varma’s struggles against spin, facing the likes of Roston Chase, Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein can be tricky. India might continue with the leftright opening combination of Abhishek and Sanju Samson, even though the latter didn’t really utilise the opportunity against Zimbabwe to the full. This combination does help in throwing the rival bowlers off their line.Talking about bowlers, Jaspreet Bumrah will once again be the pacer to watch. As soon as he steps on the Eden turf, he will be reminded of his 5 for 27 in the South Africa Test here last Oct. Despite the dryness of the pitch, Bumrah’s spell could well be a deciding factor. Bumrah has been very economical in the tournament so far, giving away just 90 runs in five matches. His accuracy has been one of India’s biggest advantages.

Of course, the West Indies have batters who can prove to be troublesome for India. Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford would need a little time to settle and can turn out to be threats. Skipper Hope is quite uncharacteristic as a Caribbean batter. His shots are much more orthodox and his aggression is calculated. He is capable of molding his innings as per the situation, a quality that might be required at the Eden.They also have a long batting lineup, with Jason Holder and Romero Shephard producing brilliant innings against South Africa coming at No. 7 and 9. The West Indies are a cohesive lot this time around and their players have iterated they are enjoying the dressing room atmosphere. They have played two matches here during the tournament.