Sports
Masood, Shafique hundreds see Pakistan take control
Shan Masood’s first hundred as Pakistan Test captain set the tone for a vastly improved display from the hosts at the start of their series with England. Abdullah Shafique slipstreamed Masood to end a run of poor form with his fifth Test century as England’s inexperienced attack was made to toil on a day of high temperatures in Multan.
Things could have been worse for the touring side, who were staring down the barrel after Masood and Shafique assembled a near-chanceless double-century stand to see Pakistan to 261 for 1 during the evening session. But after Gus Atkinson conjured a breakthrough and Jack Leach saw off Masood for a sparkling 151, the late wicket of Babar Azam meant England could reflect on their efforts with some satisfaction.
There was no doubt about this being Pakistan’s day, however. Without a win in home Tests since 2021 and on a run of five consecutive defeats – including a 2-0 humbling against Bangladesh – since Masood took on the captaincy late last year, they were buoyed by a mammoth top-order partnership. In placid conditions, it quickly became clear that an England attack led by a 35-year-old Chris Woakes and featuring the debutant Brydon Carse among three bowlers who had never played a game in Pakistan before, was facing a steep learning curve.
The bulk of the contest was taken up by Pakistan’s second-wicket stand, eventually worth 253. England had arrived in the country amid talk of spicy pitches and a fragile home batting line-up, but Masood’s assertive innings – the second-fastest Test hundred by a Pakistan captain – and a more dogged effort from Shafique shut the door after England had bagged Saim Ayub cheaply in the fourth over.
That was to be their only success for two-and-a-bit sessions as Ollie Pope, again standing in for the injured Ben Stokes, shuffled through six bowlers as the temperature hovered in the high 30s C. On 16, Masood successfully overturned an lbw decision granted to Carse, who touched 90mph in his first spell in Test cricket before flagging in the heat; a cut off the same bowler landed fractionally short of Pope at point when he had made 133. In between, there was not much other than crisp strokeplay.
Masood’s first boundary came via an edge off Carse but he quickly kicked up the gears when Shoaib Bashir came on to bowl, as Pakistan seemingly looked to put pressure on England’s designated No. 1 spinner. After being hit on the pad by one that didn’t turn, Masood responded by thumping four of Bashir’s next eight balls to the rope, the pick a skip down the track and launch through cover as he sped towards a 43-ball half-century during the morning session.
After lunch, Pope tested him with the short-ball ploy, Masood perhaps a little fortunate when top-edging Atkinson all the way over fine leg for six. But a more authentic loft down the ground off Leach took Masood into the 90s, before he drilled the returning Woakes through cover point and then tickled his 102nd ball for a single to bring up a first Test century in four years and 27 innings, going back to Pakistan’s 2020 tour of England.
Shafique, searching for form after six single-figure scores in seven Test innings, overcame a watchful start when he was troubled on both edges by Woakes. The closest England came to breaking the stand came during the morning session when Pope missed the stumps at the non-striker’s end after Shafique chanced a non-existent run to mid-on.
Following Masood’s lead, Shafique pounced on Bashir with lunch approaching, doubling his number of boundaries with a volley of 4-4-6 – the last of which brought up his fifty, from 77 balls. He was the less fluent of the pair but, nevertheless, they were both largely untroubled as the stand pushed on past 200 deep into the afternoon, Pope taking his DRS record as captain to 11-0 when unsuccessfully reviewing for a catch at slip off Masood.
After some tough moments leading the side in Stokes’ absence during England’s 2-1 win over Sri Lanka last month, Pope again found his captaincy skills stretched to their limit. He could take some credit for conjuring a mini-oasis in the middle of a Multan desert, as two wickets fell in the space of 17 balls after tea – though the heat also played its part, with both batters suffering visibly from cramp.
Shafique, on 94 at the interval, had gone to his hundred soon after with another straight six but could only add a couple of runs to his score. Carse again missed out on a maiden Test wicket when a gloved pull just cleared leg slip, before England switched tactics, employing a ring field with Atkinson bowling dry in the channel: it only took four balls for Shafique to pop up a tired drive to cover.
With Leach bringing a semblance of control from the other end, he was rewarded during a spell of three consecutive maidens with the wicket of Masood, who misjudged the flight to skew a return catch to the bowler – giving Leach his first Test wicket since the tour of India in January.
Saud Shakeel swept and reverse-swept three boundaries in one Leach over as he and Babar put on a measured stand of 61. But England were given another lift with the shadows beginning to lengthen as Woakes – playing his first overseas Test since March 2022 – beat Babar’s inside edge with the second new ball to win an lbw decision that was upheld on review. It extended Babar’s run without a Test fifty that goes back to December 2022 and could prove a vital fillip for Woakes as he seeks to repay England’s faith in him despite an average north of 50 away from home.
England’s initial success in removing Ayub might have raised expectations but Masood’s decision to bat (Pope said he would have done the same) was soon backed up, despite an initial tinge of green to the surface. There was little movement on offer for England’s opening pair of Woakes and Atkinson, and it was something of a surprise when Ayub gloved an innocuous-looking short ball to the keeper.
The dismissal extended Shafique and Ayub’s miserable run as an opening pair, failing to reach double-figures for the seventh time in a row. Atkinson, having enjoyed a stunning debut during England’s home summer, had a wicket with his 10th ball on tour. Both he and his team-mates had to wait 56 overs before they had a second.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 328 for 4 in 86 overs (Shan Masood 151, Abdullah Shafique 102, Babar Azam 30, Saud Shakeel 35*; Gus Atkinson 2-70 ) vs England
[Cricinfo]
Aiden Markram, Laura Wolvaardt and Simon Harmer were the biggest winners at the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Awards 2026, picking up the highest individual honours after stellar seasons across formats. Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi and wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock also went home with multiple awards.
Harmer, 37, was named Test Player of the Year after spearheading South Africa’s red-ball attack during the awards cycle, between April 2025 and 2026. The offspinner enjoyed a prolific return in this period, where he took 30 wickets in four matches. After taking eight wickets in the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan to help draw the series, he led South Africa to a famous series sweep against India with match hauls of 8 for 51 and 9 for 101 in Kolkata and Guwahati respectively.
Wolvaardt, meanwhile, continued to set the benchmark in women’s cricket. South Africa’s captain was named the Women’s Player of the Year, SA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year and Women’s ODI Player of the Year, completing the awards sweep. Across the eligibility period, she piled up runs in all conditions and played a key role in South Africa’s run to the ODI World Cup final in 2025, finishing as the top scorer of the tournament with 571 runs at an average of 71.37, including centuries in the semi-final and final. Wolvaardt was South Africa’s leading run-scorer in the ODI series in New Zealand before dominating the home T20I series against India, where she scored 330 runs in five matches and was named Player of the Series.
The biggest winner among the men’s all-format awards was Markram, who claimed both the SA Men’s Player of the Year and SA Men’s Players’ Player of the Year awards, after a season in which he led South Africa to major success across formats, most noticeably in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia last year.
Ngidi, meanwhile, collected the Men’s T20 International Player of the Year award and the SA Fans’ Player of the Year prize. His dismissal of Jos Buttler during South Africa’s second ODI against England was also voted the Best Men’s Delivery of the year.
Matthew Breetzke’s breakthrough campaign earned him the Men’s ODI International Player of the Year award, while Dewald Brevis and Kayla Reyneke were recognised as the International Men’s and Women’s Newcomers of the Year, respectively.
The SA20 awards reflected the competition’s standout performers. De Kock, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, was named both SA20 Batter of the Season and Betway SA20 Player of the Season (MVP). Ottneil Baartman collected the SA20 Bowler of the Season award after finishing as the leading wicket-taker, while Jordan Hermann was named SA20 Rising Star of the Season.
Among the domestic awards, Kyle Simmonds and Mignon du Preez were named the men’s and women’s Most Valuable Players, while Robin Peterson, JP Triegaardt and Sandile Masengemi received the top coaching honours in their respective competitions.
CSA also recognised contributions beyond performances on the field. Arno Jacobs was named CSA Umpires’ Umpire of the Year, Lubabalo Gcuma received the CSA Umpire of the Year award, and Sinalo Jafta was presented with the Makhaya Ntini Power of Cricket Award.
[Cricinfo]
Argentina face the prospect of a Fifa fine after their players celebrated the World Cup semi-final win against England with a banner in support of their country’s claims to the Falkland Islands.
The defending world champions produced a dramatic late comeback in Atlanta, scoring twice to defeat Thomas Tuchel’s side 2-1 and book a showdown with Spain in Sunday’s final.
After the final whistle, Argentina players celebrated while holding a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates as “The Falklands are Argentine”.
The Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between Britain and Argentina.
The two nations went to war over the group of islands, situated 300 miles off Argentina’s east coast, from April to June 1982.
The 74-day conflict led to the deaths of 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen. Three people from the islands also died.
In 2014, Fifa fined the Argentine Football Association 20,000 pounds after its players held up a banner with the same message before a friendly against Slovenia.
World football’s governing body said the gesture had breached rules on political action and team misconduct.
[BBC]
Lautaro Martinez scored a 92nd-minute winner as Lionel Messi inspired World Cup holders Argentina to a stunning comeback to beat England 2-1 and set up a final with European football champions Spain.
England had been on course to reach their first FIFA World Cup final since 1966 after Anthony Gordon fired them into the lead 10 minutes into the second half of the semifinal in front of 68,239 fans in Atlanta on Wednesday.
The great rivalry between these nations has produced several memorable contests on the World Cup stage through the years, and this will be remembered as the stuff of legends in Argentina as the South Americans denied England with two late sucker punches.
Messi set up Enzo Fernandez to fire in an 85th-minute equaliser, and then, with extra time looming, crossed for substitute Lautaro Martinez to head in the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
It was maybe not quite up there with Diego Maradona’s legendary display in putting England to the sword in 1986, but the goals this time brought Argentina back from the dead and kept alive their hopes of winning back-to-back World Cups.
No team has retained the trophy since Brazil in 1962, and now, Messi will become just the second player after Brazilian great Cafu to appear in three World Cup finals. Italy are the only other side to defend a World Cup crown.
The 2026 final will take place at New York New Jersey Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, as the first 48-team World Cup boils down to a confrontation between the reigning champions of Europe and South America.
Messi had waited until the age of 39 to get the chance to play against England, and he will now face Spain for the first time in a competitive game.
His career appeared to be complete when he dragged Argentina to glory in 2022 in Qatar, but he is clearly not done yet.
England, though, will have huge regrets as they head to Miami to play France in Saturday’s third-place playoff, a game neither team will want to contest.
The prospect of a first World Cup final appearance since their sole triumph 60 years ago was a momentous one, and they were so close, but will live to regret sitting back after Gordon’s opener.
Given the deep-rooted rivalry between these nations, this was always likely to be a game with an edge, and there was a palpable sense of tension at Atlanta Stadium.
Argentina’s players were clearly fired up, partly by a determination to hold onto their World Cup crown but also by a sense of what this fixture means.
That translated into a niggly contest, pockmarked by fouls in the first half, including Elliot Anderson being booked for scything down Messi.
There were no real chances to speak of in the first half, but England struck in the 55th minute.
Kane was involved in the buildup as the ball eventually came to Morgan Rogers on the right, and he whipped in a low cross towards the back post where Gordon stole in front of Nahuel Molina to score.
But this was the stadium where Argentina produced a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to beat Egypt in the last 16, and they were not done.
They threw everything at their opponents, as Jordan Pickford made a great save from a Nico Gonzalez header, and Alexis Mac Allister was then denied by the post in the 76th minute.
Fernandez was denied from range by Pickford, but moments later, he equalised, controlling a Messi pass on the edge of the area and letting fly past the goalkeeper.
Argentina smelled blood, and Mac Allister again hit the post before England failed to clear, and Martinez headed in the winner from an exquisite Messi cross to spark chaotic scenes of celebration and leave England completely deflated.
[Aljazeera]
The key men for Thomas Tuchel’s side during this campaign have been Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane, yet they failed to deliver on this occasion, and England’s players slumped to the turf at full-time.
Venezuela earthquake: Number of known dead rises to nearly 5,000 victims
A few showers may occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle and Matara districts
Harmer, Markram and Wolvaardt win top honours at CSA awards
War of words erupts between Minister Chandrasekar and Archchuna in North
Cardinal seeks dismissal of Sallay’s petition
Money laundering case against Yoshitha, fixed for pre-trial conference
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Features5 days agoPrison riots and politics: NPP’s biggest challenge and Sri Lanka’s biggest opportunity
-
Editorial6 days agoWhat’s the world coming to?
-
Features2 days agoDirty Money
-
Editorial5 days agoMuch ado about crime: Fish or cut bait
-
Features5 days agoMore on Saudi Arabia: ARAMCO and beyond
-
Latest News3 days agoOil prices hit 1-month high as US-Iran attacks dim Strait of Hormuz outlook
-
Midweek Review2 days agoThe sordid tale of theft and tragedy at Finance Ministry
-
Features4 days agoDeepening Democracy – Constitutions and Constitutionalism