×
Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha considering break from T20 format to focus on 2027 ODI World Cup  Pakistan’s national T20 captain Salman Ali Agha is contemplating a break from the shortest format to focus on next year’s ODI World Cup and the ICC World Test Championship cycle.Salman said next year’s World Cup is the most significant event on the agenda, and if required, he would take a break from T20 cricket to prepare.The ODI World Cup is scheduled to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November, next year.“The World Cup is a long way to go, but yes, one has to think about managing one’s schedule and workload. If I feel it (break) can help me in preparing for the World Cup and Tests, I will do it,” Salman told reporters here.Salman has been the national T20 captain for a year now, but questions are being raised about his position due to his recent struggles in the format.ALSO READ | Canada vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 match in Chennai under ICC Anti-Corruption Unit scrutiny: ReportThe batting all-rounder batted at number three in the World Cup without much success. His team did not make the semifinal stage.However in last month’s ODI series in Bangladesh, he had scores of 106, 64 and 5.Salman also talked about the PSL and felt that while it was a good platform to identify new talent, he didn’t support picking young players directly from the league for international cricket.“I would rather like to see a process where we identify strong young talent in the PSL and send them to play in domestic cricket and then review their performances and decide if they are ready for international cricket,” he added.He said there were many examples in the past of some players being picked for international matches purely on PSL performances and not succeeding at the highest level.Published on Apr 17, 2026  #Pakistans #Salman #Ali #Agha #break #T20 #format #focus #ODI #World #Cup

Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha considering break from T20 format to focus on 2027 ODI World Cup

Pakistan’s national T20 captain Salman Ali Agha is contemplating a break from the shortest format to focus on next year’s ODI World Cup and the ICC World Test Championship cycle.

Salman said next year’s World Cup is the most significant event on the agenda, and if required, he would take a break from T20 cricket to prepare.

The ODI World Cup is scheduled to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November, next year.

“The World Cup is a long way to go, but yes, one has to think about managing one’s schedule and workload. If I feel it (break) can help me in preparing for the World Cup and Tests, I will do it,” Salman told reporters here.

Salman has been the national T20 captain for a year now, but questions are being raised about his position due to his recent struggles in the format.

ALSO READ | Canada vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 match in Chennai under ICC Anti-Corruption Unit scrutiny: Report

The batting all-rounder batted at number three in the World Cup without much success. His team did not make the semifinal stage.

However in last month’s ODI series in Bangladesh, he had scores of 106, 64 and 5.

Salman also talked about the PSL and felt that while it was a good platform to identify new talent, he didn’t support picking young players directly from the league for international cricket.

“I would rather like to see a process where we identify strong young talent in the PSL and send them to play in domestic cricket and then review their performances and decide if they are ready for international cricket,” he added.

He said there were many examples in the past of some players being picked for international matches purely on PSL performances and not succeeding at the highest level.

Published on Apr 17, 2026

#Pakistans #Salman #Ali #Agha #break #T20 #format #focus #ODI #World #Cup

Pakistan’s national T20 captain Salman Ali Agha is contemplating a break from the shortest format to focus on next year’s ODI World Cup and the ICC World Test Championship cycle.

Salman said next year’s World Cup is the most significant event on the agenda, and if required, he would take a break from T20 cricket to prepare.

The ODI World Cup is scheduled to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November, next year.

“The World Cup is a long way to go, but yes, one has to think about managing one’s schedule and workload. If I feel it (break) can help me in preparing for the World Cup and Tests, I will do it,” Salman told reporters here.

Salman has been the national T20 captain for a year now, but questions are being raised about his position due to his recent struggles in the format.

ALSO READ | Canada vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 match in Chennai under ICC Anti-Corruption Unit scrutiny: Report

The batting all-rounder batted at number three in the World Cup without much success. His team did not make the semifinal stage.

However in last month’s ODI series in Bangladesh, he had scores of 106, 64 and 5.

Salman also talked about the PSL and felt that while it was a good platform to identify new talent, he didn’t support picking young players directly from the league for international cricket.

“I would rather like to see a process where we identify strong young talent in the PSL and send them to play in domestic cricket and then review their performances and decide if they are ready for international cricket,” he added.

He said there were many examples in the past of some players being picked for international matches purely on PSL performances and not succeeding at the highest level.

Published on Apr 17, 2026

Source link
#Pakistans #Salman #Ali #Agha #break #T20 #format #focus #ODI #World #Cup

Previous post

Bitcoin’s Recovery Stalled at $76K: What Will Restart The Rally?

Next post

Deadspin | MLB roundup: Guardians’ Parker Messick loses no-hit bid in 9th vs. Orioles <div id=""><section id="0" class=" w-full"><div class="xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0"><img src="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28746473.jpg" srcset="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28746473.jpg" alt="MLB: Baltimore Orioles at Cleveland Guardians" class="w-full" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager"/><span class="text-0.8 leading-tight">Apr 16, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Parker Messick (77) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles cat Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images<!-- --> <!-- --> </span></div></section><section id="section-1"> <p>Guardians rookie Parker Messick carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning before Leody Taveras led off with a single to begin a two-run rally, but Cleveland held on for a 4-2 victory over the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.</p> </section><section id="section-2"> <p>Messick (3-0), making his 11th major league appearance, only permitted two baserunners in the first eight frames on walks to Taylor Ward in the first and Taveras in the sixth. The left-hander tied his career high with nine strikeouts and walked two.</p> </section><section id="section-3"> <p>Taveras hit a grounder to the left of second baseman Juan Brito, who dove but couldn’t keep the ball in the infield. Blaze Alexander followed with a single, chasing Messick after eight-plus innings. Cade Smith gave up two hits and allowed two inherited runners to score, but was credited with his fourth save.</p> </section><section id="section-4"> <p>Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer and George Valera and Steven Kwan had RBI hits for the Guardians, who snapped a two-game skid in the opener of the four-game series.</p> </section><section id="section-5"> <p>Tigers 10, Royals 9</p> </section><section id="section-6"> <p>Colt Keith’s single capped a three-run, ninth-inning rally, allowing Detroit to stretch their winning streak to six games with a wild victory over visiting Kansas City.</p> </section><section id="section-7"> <p>Riley Greene’s two-run, two-out double tied the contest for the Tigers. Greene then scored on Keith’s single to right off Lucas Erceg (0-1). Greene had three hits and scored two runs, and Dillon Dingler had a two-run homer.</p> </section><section id="section-8"> <p>The Royals erased a five-run deficit with a six-run seventh, and Vinnie Pasquantino’s solo homer made it 9-7 in the top of the ninth. Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer among four RBIs and Bobby Witt Jr. had three hits, scored three runs and drove in another.</p> </section><section id="section-9"> <p>Giants 3, Reds 0</p> </section><section id="section-10"> <p>Landen Roupp carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, Jung Hoo Lee had three hits with an RBI and San Francisco snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory over host Cincinnati.</p> </section><section id="section-11"> <p>P.J. Higgins’ sixth inning single off Roupp (3-1) proved to be the only hit of the game for Cincinnati. Erik Miller struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his first career save. San Francisco scored all of its runs in the seventh off hits from Matt Chapman, Lee and Casey Schmitt.</p> </section><section id="section-12"> <p>Cincinnati starter Chase Burns held the Giants to two hits over six shutout innings. Brock Burke (1-1) took the loss after allowing three unearned runs. Reds reliever Connor Phillips was ejected in the eighth inning for hitting Willy Adames in the thigh with a pitch. Benches cleared after a strikeout of Sal Stewart which ended the game got heated.</p> </section><section id="section-13"> <p>Angels 11, Yankees 4</p> </section><section id="section-14"> <p>Mike Trout homered for the fourth straight game to cap a monster series at Yankee Stadium and help Los Angeles pull away from New York.</p> </section><section id="section-15"> <p>Trout hit five homers in the four-game series, becoming the fourth player to hit five homers in a series against the Yankees. The others were Jimmie Foxx (1933), Darrell Evans (1985) and George Bell (1990). Jo Adell added his fourth career grand slam in the eighth and former Yankee Oswald Peraza homered in the first, giving the Angels an American League-leading 32 home runs.</p> </section><section id="section-16"> <p>Aaron Judge homered in the first inning and Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer to center in the third to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Ben Rice also homered, but the Yankees lost for the seventh time in nine games.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-17"> <p>Nationals 8, Pirates 7 (10 innings)</p> </section> <section id="section-18"> <p>James Wood had two hits, including a two-out go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning to lead Washington over host Pittsburgh.</p> </section><section id="section-19"> <p>Daylen Lile and Drew Millas also had two hits for the Nationals.</p> </section><section id="section-20"> <p>Jake Mangum led the Pirates with three of their 15 hits. Griffin, Oneil Cruz, Brandon Lowe and Nick Gonzales each had two hits and an RBI for the Pirates, who committed four errors.</p> </section><section id="section-21"> <p>Brewers 2, Blue Jays 1</p> </section><section id="section-22"> <p>A sacrifice bunt by Joey Ortiz scored Garrett Mitchell for the go-ahead run as host Milwaukee edged Toronto.</p> </section><section id="section-23"> <p>Milwaukee turned to small ball in the bottom of the seventh to claim the series win. Milwaukee used three straight bunts to take its first lead of the game. Mitchell led off the inning with a walk and a Greg Jones sacrifice bunt moved him to second base with one out.</p> </section><section id="section-24"> <p>David Hamilton laid down a bunt single and Milwaukee had runners on first and third. Ortiz’s bunt only dribbled a few feet in front of home plate, but it was enough to score Mitchell for a 2-1 lead.</p> </section><section id="section-25"> <p>Rays 5, White Sox 3</p> </section><section id="section-26"> <p>Hunter Feduccia and Taylor Walls drew bases-loaded walks in the ninth inning after Junior Caminero hit a game-tying solo home run, propelling streaking Tampa Bay past host Chicago.</p> </section><section id="section-27"> <p>The Rays stretched their winning streak to six games, regrouping after Chicago’s Everson Pereira smacked a solo shot in the eighth to give the White Sox the lead. Yandy Diaz, Richie Palacios, Nick Fortes and Caminero had two hits apiece for the Rays.</p> </section><section id="section-28"> <p>Chase Meidroth and Pereira both had two hits for the White Sox, who stranded seven runners compared to 14 for Tampa Bay.</p> </section><section id="section-29"> <p>Rangers 9, Athletics 6</p> </section><section id="section-30"> <p>Joc Pederson stroked the tiebreaking single in a four-run ninth inning as Texas notched a victory over the host Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.</p> </section><section id="section-31"> <p>Josh Jung smacked a two-run homer among his three hits and Ezequiel Duran had two hits and two RBIs as the Rangers earned a split of the four-game series with their American League West rivals.</p> </section><section id="section-32"> <p>Nick Kurtz’s three-run double in the bottom of the eighth gave the Athletics the lead. Jacob Wilson had a two-run single for the Athletics while Shea Langeliers reached base five times on two hits and three walks. Lawrence Butler, Carlos Cortes, Kurtz and Wilson also had two hits for the A’s.</p> </section><section id="section-33"> <p>–Field Level Media</p> </section></div> #Deadspin #MLB #roundup #Guardians #Parker #Messick #loses #nohit #bid #9th #Orioles

The Portland Fire’s roster doesn’t include many big-name WNBA players.

One of two expansion teams to join the league this season, their roster is headlined by strong role players like Bridget Carleton, Carle Leite, and Emily Engslter, players who have never been primary options in the WNBA, and fought tooth and nail to make it.

But on Tuesday night in Portland, as streamers inundated the stands, the roster’s relative name recognition didn’t matter.

Thanks to a Sarah Ashlee-Barker game-winning putback layup, the Fire defeated the New York Liberty 98-96, toppling a veteran squad that boasts stars like Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones.

Important disclaimer: the Liberty have not been healthy to begin the season; two of their most important players — Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally — are both sidelined. Still, few would have predicted that the Fire, who fell to the Chicago Sky on opening night, would come away with their first win of the season on Tuesday against.

Bridget Carleton did everything she could to ensure it would happen. The 28-year-old was selected No. 1 overall in the expansion draft, and subsequently signed a 3-year, $3.75 million maximum contract.

Some scoffed at the size of that deal — she’d never before averaged double-figures, and while she was a strong role player for the Minnesota Lynx, she appeared to be just that: a role player.

But, in Tuesday’s win, the Fire’s Carleton vision came to fruition. The Canadian sharpshooter tallied a career-high 26 points on 9-16 shooting, hitting 5 of 11 three-point attempts, while also racking up 4 steals. In her 33 minutes on the floor, the Fire outscored the Liberty by 12 points.

But the victory was far more than just Carleton’s doing.

The 22-year-old Carla Leite appears to be a rising star of her own. Leite showed flashes of potential in her rookie season on the Golden State Valkyries, but is already seeing more opportunities in Portland. She led the way with 21 points in the season opener, and followed that up with another 21-point performance on Tuesday, hitting 8 of 14 field goal attempts alongside 6 assists.

Leite’s most pivotal play came with just 27 seconds to spare, when she blew past Jonquel Jones for a clutch-time layup to tie up the ball game.

Then, it was Sarah Ashlee-Barker who quickly became a franchise hero; the second-year forward corralled Carleton’s missed three-point attempt, and beat the buzzer with the putback.

Immediately, Ashlee-Barker’s teammates piled on top of her in celebration, while the fans at Moda Center went berserk.

A Fire team that didn’t even have players just a few months ago had toppled one of the most talented squads in the WNBA.

And, the fire they played with on Tuesday night suggested it just might be the first of many big-time victories in their inaugural season.

#Portland #Fire #won #game #perfect">The Portland Fire just won their first game, and it was perfect  The Portland Fire’s roster doesn’t include many big-name WNBA players.One of two expansion teams to join the league this season, their roster is headlined by strong role players like Bridget Carleton, Carle Leite, and Emily Engslter, players who have never been primary options in the WNBA, and fought tooth and nail to make it.But on Tuesday night in Portland, as streamers inundated the stands, the roster’s relative name recognition didn’t matter.Thanks to a Sarah Ashlee-Barker game-winning putback layup, the Fire defeated the New York Liberty 98-96, toppling a veteran squad that boasts stars like Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones.Important disclaimer: the Liberty have not been healthy to begin the season; two of their most important players — Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally — are both sidelined. Still, few would have predicted that the Fire, who fell to the Chicago Sky on opening night, would come away with their first win of the season on Tuesday against.Bridget Carleton did everything she could to ensure it would happen. The 28-year-old was selected No. 1 overall in the expansion draft, and subsequently signed a 3-year, .75 million maximum contract.Some scoffed at the size of that deal — she’d never before averaged double-figures, and while she was a strong role player for the Minnesota Lynx, she appeared to be just that: a role player.But, in Tuesday’s win, the Fire’s Carleton vision came to fruition. The Canadian sharpshooter tallied a career-high 26 points on 9-16 shooting, hitting 5 of 11 three-point attempts, while also racking up 4 steals. In her 33 minutes on the floor, the Fire outscored the Liberty by 12 points.But the victory was far more than just Carleton’s doing.The 22-year-old Carla Leite appears to be a rising star of her own. Leite showed flashes of potential in her rookie season on the Golden State Valkyries, but is already seeing more opportunities in Portland. She led the way with 21 points in the season opener, and followed that up with another 21-point performance on Tuesday, hitting 8 of 14 field goal attempts alongside 6 assists.Leite’s most pivotal play came with just 27 seconds to spare, when she blew past Jonquel Jones for a clutch-time layup to tie up the ball game.Then, it was Sarah Ashlee-Barker who quickly became a franchise hero; the second-year forward corralled Carleton’s missed three-point attempt, and beat the buzzer with the putback.Immediately, Ashlee-Barker’s teammates piled on top of her in celebration, while the fans at Moda Center went berserk.A Fire team that didn’t even have players just a few months ago had toppled one of the most talented squads in the WNBA.And, the fire they played with on Tuesday night suggested it just might be the first of many big-time victories in their inaugural season.  #Portland #Fire #won #game #perfect

Post Comment