During the f8rst T20I  against Sri Lanka on Friday, Pakistan demonstrated that 2026 is not quite like 2019. Back then, they had stumbled in pursuit of three Sri Lankan totals  in succession – two of them lower than the 182 they gunned down with relative ease two days back, while the third was exactly 182. With that series perhaps fresher in Sri Lanka’s mind than it needed to be, Kusal Mendis’ side opted, against conventional wisdom, to bat first after winning the toss in Rawalpindi this time, hoping to recreate the magic formula from seven years earlier.

There were a few things we learned from the first game, though. The Rawalpindi surface isn’t quite as partial to fingerspin as T20 pitches in the subcontinent have been, which induced the hosts into playing three frontline seamers. Pakistan, who were playing with at least five potential opening batters, appear to have rejigged their batting order by pushing the timeless Fakhar Zaman up top and sending Saim Ayub at No. 5.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, may have learned that while 32-year old Lahiru Udara hasn’t played much international cricket, his talent in this format is unmistakable, as is his temperament under pressure. Udara was the lone fighting hand for his side across much of the innings, though that shines more of a light on Sri Lanka’s batting order as a whole. With Dunith Wellalage, whose power-hitting abilities are limited, batting at No. 7, the visitors might want to beef up their batting order.

But there’s only so much that can be read into a lone T20I at the start of a long tour for Sri Lanka. Pakistan have an opportunity to wrap the series up by winning the second game, also in Rawalpindi, on Sunday, and will be favourites to do so after a dominant performance in the first. The worry for Sri Lanka is that their own indifferent showing comes on the back of three crushing defeats in England. On Sunday, they will try to show this is more of a temporary rut than a fair representation of their current T20I state.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced a new set of sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), this time targeting the entity itself, as opposed to the tribunal’s officials or groups that provide support.

The announcement on Friday represented a major escalation from the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has vowed an “all of government” approach to dismantling the court.

“We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling their ability to operate against us because our message is clear: the United States and the American people are not subject to the jurisdiction of this fake ICC,” Rubio said in a video posted on social media. “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.”

As justification for its actions, the administration has pointed to the court’s ongoing investigation into abuses committed in Afghanistan, which could ensnare US military and intelligence personnel, as well as the ICC’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes committed in Gaza.

Before Friday’s actions, the US had sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors, a UN special rapporteur focusing on the occupied Palestinian territories and Palestinian rights groups that have provided evidence to the court.

Several rights groups have challenged those sanctions in US federal court, saying restricting how US citizens interact with the court treads on their constitutional freedoms. Sanctioned ICC judges have also launched legal challenges in the US.

[Aljazeera]

United States President Donald Trump said that Russia has agreed to supply 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to global markets amid discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I have just concluded a highly successful discussion with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, wherein it was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

The president added that Russia would deliver an additional 3 million tonnes of fuel “within a short period of time”. He said that the country would supply 500,000 tonnes in November.

An envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kirill Dmitriev, praised cooperation between Russia and the United States on diesel and energy in a post on X shortly after.

“Russia-US cooperation on diesel and energy will benefit the world,” Dmitriev wrote on X.

Petrol price pressures

The deal comes despite Ukrainian air strikes, which have taken more than half of the country’s oil refining capacity offline, according to claims made by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence on Sunday.

The latest announcement comes a week after the G7 countries agreed to release 100 million barrels amid pressure from the White House.

Diesel prices have been elevated in recent months but have started to decline. The average price for a gallon is $6.27 ($1.66 per litre), according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), which tracks daily petrol prices. That’s down $0.10 from this time last week, but up $5.94 from this time one month ago.

[Aljazeera]