Bangladesh left Pakistan shell-shocked with a magnificent come-from-behind win during their Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 meeting in Southampton. It was Pakistan’s third defeat in as many games in the competition, and the result eliminated them from the tournament with two group-stage games remaining.

Bangladesh’s spinners made a contest out of the match despite Pakistan needing a mere 124 to win. Their middle-overs stranglehold turned what looked to be certain defeat into a memorable 23-run victory.

From 49 for 0 two balls into the eighth over, Pakistan lost 8 for 35 within the next ten overs. Nahida Akter and Sanjida Akter Meghla, whose inclusion was the sole change in Bangladesh’s line-up from their defeat to Australia, bagged three wickets each during that phase.

Earlier in the match, Bangladesh made a similar comeback with the bat with steady contributions from captain Nigar Sultana (36 off 38 balls) and Sobhana Mostary (22 off 19), and a blazing 22-ball 39 not out from Shorna Akter. Those knocks came after a brilliant opening burst from Pakistan captain Fatima Sana and Tasmia Rubab had left Bangladesh stuttering at 13 for 3 in the fifth over.

Bangladesh eventually put up 123, and victory helped them leapfrog South Africa and move to No. 3 in Group 1, although South Africa have a game in hand. Pakistan, meanwhile, continued to languish at No. 5, with Netherlands, the T20 World Cup debutants, the only team below them.

Sultana wanted Bangladesh’s top order to make the most of the batting-friendly conditions in Southampton, but her counterpart Sana made sure that was not the case with a double-strike in her first over. Sana accounted for Dilara Akter off the second ball of the second over as the batter top-edged one to mid-on while going for a wild hack across the line.

Three balls later, Sana produced a gem. She got the ball to jag back into Sharmin Akter from good length, beat her inside edge, and thud her onto the pads right in front of the stumps. Bangladesh could not score off her first ten balls. Her opening burst (3-1-9-2) left a severe dent in Bangladesh’s innings as they managed only 23 for 3 in the first six overs.

While the first Bangladesh wicket provided an early opening for Pakistan, it must have also come as a relief for them as a chance was safely held on to rather than being shelled as had mostly been the case with them over this tournament. Nashra Sandhu, who took the catch to dismiss Dilara, was in action again when she caught Juairiya Ferdous off Rubab to leave Bangladesh reeling at 13 for 3.

But the grab that must have provided the most respite to Pakistan’s fielding coach came right after the drinks interval when Aliya Riaz, who has been under the scanner for her hapless fielding, took Ritu Moni’s catch at long-on. While there were lapses in the ground fielding as a few regulation stops burst through the hands of the fielders, Pakistan overall looked a much improved fielding side from their defeats against India and South Africa.

When Sultana fell to Sadia Iqbal off a poor shot, Bangladesh were 92 for 6 two balls into the 18th over. But a late display of sensational shots from Shorna made sure the Bangladesh bowlers had a competitive total to work with. Shorna hit five boundaries and top-scored in the innings as Bangladesh smashed 43 runs off the last four overs. With the off-side packed, she often backed away to hit the ball over the fielders or scythe it through the gaps.

Pakistan were going smoothly at 49 for 0 in the eighth over before Gull Feroza cut Nahida’s half-tracker right into the hands of point. In Nahida’s next over, the tenth of the chase, Muneeba smashed what was another long hop to deep square leg. The two had laid the foundations astutely by seeing off Marufa Akter, who had taken two first-over wickets against Pakistan in the 2025 ODI World Cup match in Colombo.

But once the openers were dismissed, none of the Pakistan batters took responsibility. They lost six wickets from overs eight to 16. Meghla ran through Pakistan’s middle order with the wickets of Ayesha Zafar and Aliya Riaz in the 12th over, before removing Saira Jabeen for nought in her next.

It seemed Pakistan had solely pinned hopes on their captain to deliver yet another heroic innings. When Sana holed out to long-on at the start of the 18th over, Bangladesh erupted in celebration.

Scores:
Bangladesh Women 123 for 6 in 20 overs  (Nigar Sultana 36, Sobhana Mostary 22, Shorna Akter 39*; Sadia Iqbal 1-21,   Fatima Sana 2-18, Tasmia Rubab 1-40, Nashra Sandhu 1-14, Tuba Hassan 1-30) beat Pakistan Women 100 for 8 in 20 overs (Muneeba Ali 25, Gull Feroza 23, Fatima Sana 10; Nahida Akter 3-18, Sanjida Akter Meghla 3-21, Rabeya Khan 1-17, Ritu Moni 1-24) by 23 runs

[Cricinfo]

It is not another anonymously sourced report about a rift between the United States and Israel. This time, the administration of President Donald Trump appears genuinely frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war in Lebanon.

The opening of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran calls for the “permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”, but the Israelis are not stopping their attacks in the country.

The Israeli military is continuing its deadly strikes in Lebanon and trying to advance further with its invasion, vowing to keep hold of the territory it has conquered, amounting to nearly 20 percent of the country.

The Trump administration is making it clear that it is irked by Israel’s behaviour.

“The United States is committed to PEACE, and we encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold,” Trump wrote in a social media post on Thursday.

“The Markets are loving what is happening with Oil Prices way down, and Stocks way up. We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.”

For their part, the Iranians have said repeatedly that they will not finalise a ceasefire deal while Lebanon is under fire. This condition appeared to come into play on Friday when talks between the United States and Iran to discuss the technical terms of their ceasefire deal were postponed after overnight Israeli attacks on Lebanon killed dozens of people.

While US officials have said that yet another ceasefire was agreed in Lebanon after the spike in violence on Friday, Israel has continued its attacks.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that he received assurances from President Masoud Pezeshkian about safeguarding the rights of “the Iranian nation and the resistance front” in talks with the US.

The resistance front, also known as the axis of resistance, is a network of regional Iranian allies that includes Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said Tehran is “not joking” about its commitment to a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

“Lebanon has always been the greatest vulnerability to this deal because this is really crucial to the Iranians,” Parsi told Al Jazeera.

[Aljazeera]