Sports
Sources: Denver to sign Oke for NWSL record fee
Denver Summit FC has agreed to a transfer with Mexico’s Pachuca for defender Ayo Oke for what would be the highest incoming transfer fee for an American player in NWSL history, sources told ESPN.
Denver, which begins play as a 2026 expansion team in a few months, will pay Liga MX club Pachuca a transfer fee close to $450,000 for Oke, a source confirmed. That figure would also make Oke among the most expensive known incoming transfer fees in NWSL history, although transfer fees are not always publicly confirmed by clubs.
There have been other more expensive intra-league transfers of Americans in recent months, including the $1.25 million more for USWNT playmaker Jaedyn Shaw from the North Carolina Courage to Gotham FC in September. Denver’s willingness to go get Oke, a U.S. youth international, from abroad is notable as the NWSL fights to change its salary rules to attract and retain top players, including Americans.
Oke has been with the USWNT’s U23 team in recent training camps. The 22-year-old Georgia native played in college for Cal and UCLA before signing her first professional contract in January of 2025 with Pachuca.
Pachuca won the 2025 Clausura playoff title in Oke’s first campaign at the club. Pachuca finished second in the 2025 Liga MX Apertura regular season, level on points with eventual playoff champions Tigres, who owned the tiebreaker.
Oke will join a Denver expansion roster that is still a work in progress. Among those currently signed and announced players are former NWSL champions Kaleigh Kurtz, Ally Watt and Carson Pickett.
Denver’s fee for Oke also represents the continued rapid development of the women’s soccer transfer market, which is growing for younger players alongside established veterans.
The record for an incoming NWSL transfer was set in August when the Orlando Pride paid $1.5 million to Tigres for Jacqui Ovalle, which set a world record at the time. That nearly doubled the world record that was set by Bay FC when the team acquired forward Racheal Kundananji in early 2024. Orlando paid a fee of $740,000 for forward Barbra Banda in early 2024.
In 2024, the Houston Dash acquired Brazilian defender Tarciane from Corinthians for a reported fee of around $485,000, according to Brazilian reports at the time. Tarciane was transferred to Lyons the next year for roughly double that fee.
Pakistan have elected to field first against India in the 27th match of the Men’s T20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday.
According to details surfaced on Sunday, the Green Shirts will look to continue the momentum, they got after thumping Netherlands and USA.
Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (capt), Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed
India XI: Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has criticised the defending champions over the recent “no-handshake” controversy involving Pakistan during the ACC Men’s Asia Cup, terming the gesture unnecessary and against the true spirit of the game.
The two Asian giants will face off in the T20 World Cup 2026 clash here on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium, with fans eagerly waiting to see whether the two captains shake hands.
Taking to the social media platform X, the former cricketer-turned-commentator expressed concern over what he termed an unbecoming trend that contradicts cricket’s long-standing traditions of sportsmanship.
“This ‘no shaking hands’ is such a silly thing that India has started. It’s unbecoming of a nation like ours. Either play properly within the spirit of the game or don’t play at all,” he wrote.
The absence of the customary post-match handshake has continued in recent encounters between the arch-rivals.
Players from both sides have avoided traditional interactions since their group-stage clash at the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup in Dubai last year.
The issue first drew widespread attention during that fixture when Suryakumar Yadav did not greet Agha Salman at the toss.
After India sealed victory, Suryakumar and teammate Shivam Dube walked back to the pavilion immediately after scoring the winning runs, further fuelling debate.
India and Pakistan faced each other twice more in the tournament — in the Super Four stage and the final — but handshakes were again notably absent on both occasions.
Moreover, after defeating Pakistan in the final, the Men in Blue refrained from receiving the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and President of the Asian Cricket Council.
The practice has not been limited to senior men’s cricket.
Similar scenes were witnessed during their meeting at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, as well as in age-group and emerging competitions, including the ACC Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship and the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup.
In the recently concluded ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026, India captain Ayush Mhatre and Pakistan skipper Farhan Yousaf also avoided shaking hands following their match, highlighting how the controversy has extended across different levels of international cricket.
The practice remained the same during the recently concluded match between Pakistan A and India A in the ACC Asia Cup Rising Stars Women’s 2026 on Sunday.
India A dominated Pakistan A in a one-sided contest at the Tardthai Cricket Ground, winning by eight wickets in the ACC Asia Cup Rising Stars Women’s 2026 on Sunday.
Chasing a modest target of 94 runs, India A overcame early jitters after losing opener Humaira Kazi on the very first delivery. Another opener, Dinesh Vrinda, was joined by Anushka Sharma, and the pair quickly stabilised the innings while maintaining an aggressive approach.
They added 79 runs for the second partnership.
Vrinda remained unbeaten on 55 off just 29 balls, smashing 12 boundaries, while Anushka contributed a crucial 24 runs before being removed.
For Pakistan, Waheeda Akhtar and Momina Riasat picked up a wicket each.
Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan A were bundled out for just 93 after having a disastrous start, losing four wickets for just 21 runs inside the powerplay. The Green Shirts never recovered, with wickets falling at regular intervals, leaving them all out for a meager total.
Shawaal Zulfiqar top-scored with 23 runs, while Gull Rukh added 21 and Anosha Nasir contributed 17. Apart from these three, no other batter managed to reach double figures.
India A’s bowlers dominated from start to finish. Saima Thakor, Radha Yadav, and Prema Rawat each claimed two wickets, effectively dismantling Pakistan A’s lineup.
Pakistan A and India A have been placed in Group A alongside Nepal and the United Arab Emirates, and are playing their second match of the tournament. Pakistan opened their campaign with a victory over Nepal, while India suffered a surprise defeat to the UAE in their first game.
T20 World Cup Pakistan Take the Field First After Toss Victory Over India – SUCH TV
Islamabad makes registration mandatory for street Iftar arrangements
Trump, Netanyahu ‘agreed’ US should press Iran to cut oil sales to China
-
Business5 days agoAye Finance IPO Day 2: GMP Remains Zero; Apply Or Not? Check Price, GMP, Financials, Recommendations
-
Tech1 week agoNew York Is the Latest State to Consider a Data Center Pause
-
Fashion5 days agoComment: Tariffs, capacity and timing reshape sourcing decisions
-
Tech5 days agoRemoving barriers to tech careers
-
Fashion5 days agoADB commits $30 mn to support MSMEs in Philippines
-
Entertainment5 days ago‘Harry Potter’ star David Thewlis doesn’t want you to ask him THIS question
-
Sports5 days agoWinter Olympics opening ceremony host sparks fury for misidentifying Mariah Carey, other blunders
-
Entertainment1 week agoPrince William worries on royal family's image: watch