KANDY: Pakistan’s shortcomings were laid bare during their lacklustre T20 World Cup campaign which ended Saturday when the team failed to reach the semi-finals.

From the captain Salman Agha, who was criticised for not being a T20 player, to slow batting rates and the use of all-rounders not up to the job, Pakistan were shown to be behind the times in the rapid-fire format.

Former wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal believes there is a huge gulf in standard between Pakistan and the top sides such as India, West Indies, South Africa and England.

“Other teams have evolved to the demands of Twenty20 cricket, but neither our team nor our players meet those standards,” Akmal told AFP.

“It is like other teams are playing on the moon and we are on earth. We only beat smaller teams but lose to top teams.”

Pakistan had high hopes for the T20 World Cup after sweeping Australia 3-0 in a pre-tournament series.

They boasted a quintet of spinners that should have been suited to the turning pitches in Sri Lanka where they played all their matches.

But they received a rude awakening in their first match against the Netherlands when only they squeezed home by three wickets in the final over thanks to Faheem Ashraf’s 11-ball 29.

‘Failed to handle pressure’

Like most of his predecessors at World Cups, Agha blundered in the pressure-cooker match against India, which only went ahead after the Pakistan government U-turned on a boycott just days before the encounter.

Agha won the toss and asked India to bat. The decision backfired badly as Pakistan conceded 175 and were hammered by 61 runs.

Agha inexplicably held back his mystery spinner and chief weapon Usman Tariq to the 11th over, by which time opener Ishan Kishan had scored his match-shaping 77 and India were well on their way to a winning total.

“How on earth did you bowl at a venue which was suited to batting first,” questioned former Pakistan player Basit Ali.

“After India scored 175 our batters failed to handle the pressure of a chase.”

Agha also held back Tariq’s second over against England, after he took a wicket in his first, allowing captain Harry Brook to build a sparkling match-winning century.

“It was weak captaincy from Agha,” said Akmal, who also took aim at the head coach Mike Hesson and the selectors.

“We were also not helped by head coach Mike Hesson, who has an obsession for bit-and-pieces all-rounders who were neither complete bowlers, nor good batters.”

Pakistan’s insistence in sticking with the out-of-sorts Babar Azam did nothing to help their shaky batting.

The star batsman’s slow scoring at number four interrupted the side’s rhythm.

He was dropped for the final match against Sri Lanka on Saturday where Pakistan finally posted a total in excess of 200, but it proved too little too late as New Zealand progressed on net run rate.

“We are all fans of Azam but he disappointed us by not adapting to the demands of T20 cricket,” said one Pakistan fan, Saud Baloch, who resigned from his job in the United Arab Emirates to go to the World Cup.

“The whole Pakistan fandom is not only disappointed but angry.

“But we know nothing will change and we will continue to mourn such defeats in future.”

Randy Orton and Rhea Ripley were the last ones standing in the men’s and women’s Elimination Chamber matches to earn the right to challenge for WWE titles at WrestleMania 42 in April.

Orton beat Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans and LA Knight, with some helpful interferences by WWE Undisputed champion Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins, who returned from injury. In the women’s Elimination Chamber match, Ripley was victorious over Tiffany Stratton, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Raquel Rodriguez and Kiana James. Ripley will now compete in her seventh consecutive WrestleMania. With the win, Orton will challenge the winner of Friday’s title match between McIntyre and Rhodes on “SmackDown,” while Ripley will go toe-to-toe with WWE women’s champion Jade Cargill.

Also on the card, CM Punk beat Finn Bálor — again — to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. And Punk’s wife, AJ Lee, will also leave Chicago’s United Center with a title in hand after submitting Becky Lynch in a match for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Here are the biggest takeaways from WWE Elimination Chamber in Chicago.

Ripley’s win was deserving, but not surprising

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Rhea Ripley books her ticket to WrestleMania by winning chamber match

Rhea Ripley wins the 2026 women’s Elimination Chamber match to earn a title match against Jade Cargill at WrestleMania.

A predictable Rhea Ripley win isn’t the worst outcome, but it didn’t help the match.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Ripley won the women’s Elimination Chamber. Seriously, was there any other choice? The outcome was made even more obvious when Ripley dropped the women’s tag titles on “SmackDown” the night before.

While predictable, this was the only way to go for Ripley. She’s arguably the biggest star on the entire roster, and not having her challenge for a world title at WrestleMania wouldn’t feel right. Still, it would have been nice if the WWE found a way to cast doubt on the outcome by building one of the other women as a viable option to win.

The end justified the means. Hopefully, WWE will make the outcome less obvious at next year’s Elimination Chamber. Chamber matches should provide an element of drama for fans rather than clearing a hurdle to the obvious.

Welcome back to the top of the hill, AJ Lee

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AJ Lee wins first title in WWE in 11 years

AJ Lee forces Becky Lynch to tap out to the “Black Widow” to win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Lee is now a champion, but can she help carry the women’s division?

Lee won her first singles match since ending her decade-long retirement last year. While it has been great to see Lee back in a WWE ring, taking part in a women’s division she helped push to new heights, she is now tasked with carrying a title that was held by an incredible in-ring performer in Lynch. The new car scent of Lee’s return from retirement is officially gone, and she’ll be judged by her work moving forward.

Lee’s match with Lynch was solid, but it was clear that she was knocking off some rust throughout the match. For her part, Lynch has been great in putting Lee over, and her ring generalship has been exceptional. But Lee will now be without Lynch heading into WrestleMania season. It will be interesting to see how WWE handles her next feud. She’s now 3-0 against Lynch in a mixed tag match, Survivor Series: WarGames and now singles competition. We’ll see who Lee faces in her first title defense and if she works with some of the younger talent on the roster.

Is Finn Bálor’s villain run coming to an end?

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CM Punk retains title, cements match against Roman Reigns at Mania

CM Punk defeats Finn Balor to retain the World Heavyweight Championship, cementing his matchup against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.

The Punk vs. Bálor match served two purposes. The obvious one was to get Punk a homecoming match in Chicago before he defends his championship against Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 42. Punk winning wasn’t a surprise, but it was great to see his nod to the Michael Jordan era Chicago Bulls starting lineup ceremony, complete with The Alan Parsons Project’s “Sirius” and announcer Ray Clay.

The match itself was a solid affair as Punk and Bálor battled to a stalemate until Punk hit his second GTS of the night to get the win and celebrate in the ring with his wife, AJ Lee, afterward.

The second purpose may have been to turn Bálor into a babyface and pull him out of Judgment Day. Bálor has been teasing a split from the group over the past few weeks and demanded that he win or lose his match with Punk completely on his own, without help from Dominik Mysterio or JD McDonagh. Bálor lost on his own, and in a move unfitting of a heel, he shook Punk’s hand afterward. This will almost certainly set up his split from the group and we could be heading to a new era of Finn Bálor in WWE.

The Randy Orton-Cody Rhodes saga may not be over

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Randy Orton wins the chamber, sets up match vs. Drew McIntyre at Mania

Randy Orton wins the Elimination Chamber match to seal a match against Drew McIntyre for the WWE championship at WrestleMania.

Orton is heading back to WrestleMania in a stunner.

Rhodes felt like an absolute shoo-in to win the men’s Elimination Chamber match and head back to the main event of WrestleMania against his rival, Drew McIntyre. Instead, McIntyre inserted himself into the match, attacking Rhodes when it was down to him and Randy Orton as the last two competitors. Apprearing to assist Rhodes, Orton hit McIntrye with an RKO. But just when Rhodes thought the coast was clear, following a successful Cross Rhodes on McIntryre, he ate an RKO from Orton. Three seconds later, and Orton is heading to WrestleMania in pursuit of his 15th world championship.

Who he’ll face is still up in the air because “SmackDown” general manager Nick Aldis — who is fed up with McIntyre’s constant interference in matches — announced that McIntyre will defend his Undisputed Championship this Friday against Rhodes.

Rhodes vs. Orton would be a fresh matchup for WrestleMania. It could get really interesting, given their history dating back to their time in the Legacy stable over a decade ago, where Orton served as Rhodes’ mentor. It’s the right move if they decide to have Rhodes beat McIntyre for the Undisputed Championship on Friday. But where would that leave McIntyre for WrestleMania?

Welcome back, Seth Rollins

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Seth Rollins revealed as masked man, helps eliminate Logan Paul in the chamber

Seth Rollins is revealed as the masked man after he helps to eliminate Logan Paul in the Elimination Chamber.

After weeks of teasers, it was finally revealed that the masked man is none other than Seth “Freaking” Rollins.

The former leader of The Vision got his revenge when he curb-stomped Logan Paul, after a little bait and switch with another masked man. Rollins’ interference seemingly cost Paul a win in the Elimination Chamber match. Rollins pulled the mask off to reveal himself, and now we have to figure out where this is going.

Unfortunately, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed have been sidelined by injuries, which certainly disrupted whatever the original plan was. Rollins and Paul faced off at WrestleMania 39, which Rollins won. A retread of that match three years later doesn’t seem like the way to go, but WWE doesn’t have many options for Rollins at this point.

Hopefully, this is the end of the overran masked men angles.

Danhausen is the newest WWE superstar

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Danhausen makes WWE debut coming out of mystery crate

The mystery crate is revealed to be the debut of Danhausen at Elimination Chamber.

Danhausen was revealed to be in the box that has been part of “Raw” and “SmackDown” storylines in recent weeks.

The reveal of the eccentric goth character was met with confusion from fans. On the surface, he doesn’t look very special with his small frame and unusual face paint. But you have to see Danhausen’s antics to comprehend why he became a fan favorite on the independent wrestling scene. His theatrical sense of humor is an acquired taste, and WWE will be tasked with connecting him with their fans. Nothing about Danhausen is straightforward, and everything is tongue-in-cheek. He’s called himself “Conan O’Brien possessed by a demon” in interviews, and that is a pretty accurate description of the wrestler who is known to break out the Pee-wee Herman dance in the middle of a match. You may not understand him now, but Danhausen is in the perfect place to accentuate his character. Give it time, people.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola called for more “respect” after a first-half stoppage allowing players observing Ramadan to break their fast was booed by sections of Leeds United supporters at Elland Road on Saturday.

Muslims around the world observing the holy month of Ramadan fast from sunrise to sunset with a number of City players taking part.

The boos could be heard in the 13th minute of the Premier League game, with that time coinciding with the sun setting in west Yorkshire, when the referee put a temporary halt to proceedings so City’s trio of Muslim players could break their fast.

Omar Marmoush, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rayan Cherki took on fluids with Abdukodir Khusanov, another Muslim player at City, on the bench.

Guardiola spoke of the incident after full-time, saying beliefs and diversity must be respected.

“It’s the modern world, right? Look at what happens in the world right now again today,” Guardiola said

“You have to respect religion and respect the diversity, that is the point. The Premier League said for the fasting you can [spend] one or two minutes doing that, so the players did it. It is what it is, unfortunately.”

Anti-discrimination group Kick It Out have since released a statement, labelling the pause itself an “agreed protocol for several years now.”

– Haaland left out of Man City’s squad for trip to Leeds with ‘little injury’
– Semenyo scores as only goal as Man City cut Arsenal’s PL lead

“It’s massively disappointing that some Leeds United fans booed when Manchester City’s players broke their fast during the first half of the match at Elland Road this evening,” the group said.

“This was compounded by the fact that an explanation was displayed on a big screen inside the stadium.

“Pausing the game to allow Muslim players to break their fast during Ramadan has been an agreed protocol for several years now. It’s an important and visible part of making the game welcoming for Muslim players and communities.

“But as tonight’s reaction shows, football still has a long way to go in terms of education and acceptance.”

Leeds assistant boss Edmund Riemer, filling in for Daniel Farke who was sent off after his frustrations towards the officials boiled over after full-time, told Sky Sports: “I’m focused on the game so I don’t really hear it, but disappointed with some supporters that that happened.”

City went on to win the game 1-0 with Antoine Semenyo scoring the only goal of the evening.