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Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to progress to Asia Cup Rising Stars final

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Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to progress to Asia Cup Rising Stars final


Pakistan Shaheens players celebrate a wicket during their semi-final against Sri Lanka A at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha on November 21, 2025. — ACC

Pakistan Shaheens defeated Sri Lanka A by five runs in the second semi-final at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha on Friday to book a place in the final of the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025.

The Green Shirts restricted Sri Lanka to 148/9 after posting 153/9 on the scoreboard, winning the game by a narrow five-run margin.

They will be locking horns with Bangladesh A, who have already qualified for the ultimate game, at the same venue on Sunday.

Set to chase 154, Sri Lanka A could amass 148/9 in their 20 overs despite Milan Rathnayake’s gutsy knock at the backend.

Sri Lanka A got off to a blazing start as they amassed 29 runs inside the first two overs, courtesy of Lasith Croospulle’s blistering cameo of 27 runs from just seven deliveries, comprising three sixes and two fours.

Shahid Aziz gave the Shaheens the much-needed breakthrough by dismissing the right-handed opener in the second over.

His opening partner, Vishen Halambage, then registered one-sided partnerships with Nishan Madushka (six) and Nuwanidu Fernando (five) until eventually falling victim to Sufiyan Muqeem in the eighth over.

Halambage scored 29 off 27 deliveries with the help of three sixes and two fours.

His dismissal sparked a collapse, which saw Sri Lanka lose four wickets in quick succession and consequently slip to 99/8 in 13.2 overs.

Rathnayake then took the reins of Sri Lanka A’s pursuit and kept them in the hunt with an anchoring knock, which culminated in the final over when eight runs were required off four deliveries.

The left-handed batter remained the top-scorer for Sri Lanka A with 40 off 32 deliveries, featuring five fours and a six.

For Shaheens, Sufiyan Muqeem and Saad Masood took three wickets each, while Ahmed Daniyal, Shahid Aziz and Ubaid Shah chipped in with one apiece.

Put into bat first, the Shaheens accumulated 153/9 in their allotted 20 overs.

The Green Shirts got off to a decent start to their innings as their opening pair of Mohammad Naeem and in-form Maaz Sadaqat put together a blistering 30-run stand.

Traveen Mathew broke the opening partnership in the fourth over by dismissing Naeem, who made 16 off 15 deliveries, laced with three fours.

Sadaqat followed suit in the next over, falling victim to Milan Rathnayake, after scoring 23 off 11 deliveries, comprising two sixes and as many fours.

His dismissal sparked a collapse, which saw Pakistan lose three more wickets at an alarming rate and were thus reduced to 62/5 in 7.3 overs.

Following the slump, Saad Masood and Ghori launched recovery and took the Shaheens’ total past the 100-run mark by knitting a 47-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Sri Lanka A captain, Dunith Wellalage, broke the anchoring partnership in the 16th over by dismissing Masood, who scored a cautious 22 off 25 deliveries.

Shaheens then suffered another setback to their batting expedition when Pramod Madushan sent back Shahid Aziz (seven) in the 18th over, bringing the total down to 127/7.

Ahmed Daniyal then gave a late push to the Shaheens’ total with a blistering 22-run cameo off just eight deliveries, which featured three sixes until he too fell prey to Madushan.

Meanwhile, Ghori remained unbeaten and walked back after top-scoring for Pakistan Shaheens with a 36-ball 39, comprising two fours and a six.

Madushan led Sri Lanka A’s bowling charge with a four-wicket haul, followed by Mathew with three, while Rathnayake and Wellalage chipped in with one scalp apiece.





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Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers enter offseason of uncertainty

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January 13, 2026

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After lopsided home playoff loss to the Texans, Pittsburgh’s quarterback and coach face questions about what’s next.



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Salman Ali Agha sets new record in third T20I against Sri Lanka – SUCH TV

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January 13, 2026

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Salman Ali Agha sets new record in third T20I against Sri Lanka – SUCH TV



Although the third T20I match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Dambulla proved to be a disappointment for the national team, captain Salman Ali Agha’s brilliant and aggressive batting won the hearts of cricket fans and also broke the record of former West Indies batsman Kieron Pollard.

Salman Ali Agha played an incredible innings of 45 runs in just 12 balls, which included 5 fours and 3 sixes.

His strike rate was 375.0, which is the highest strike rate by any captain in the history of T20Is (against full-member teams, with the condition of playing at least 10 balls).

With this feat, he broke the record of former West Indies batsman Kieron Pollard.

Previously, this honor was held by Kieron Pollard, who scored 38 runs off 11 balls against Sri Lanka in 2021 at a strike rate of 345.5.

The list also includes big names like Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma and Darren Sammy, but Salman Ali Agha left everyone behind.



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‘Swarm City’: Texans’ petty post at Steelers tops NFL wild-card trolls

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January 13, 2026

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‘Swarm City’: Texans’ petty post at Steelers tops NFL wild-card trolls


The NFL postseason brings elevated play on the field with the stakes higher — and one team even upped its pettiness.

The Houston Texans dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 to clinch the final divisional round spot. The Steelers’ 24-point loss is their worst in a home playoff game in franchise history and third worst in any playoff game, according to ESPN Research.

Houston’s defense allowed just 175 total yards and forced two turnovers — both of which were returned for scores. Pittsburgh forced three turnovers, but those resulted in only six points. The Steelers became the first team to score six or fewer points in a playoff game despite having at least three takeaways since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1999. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had 146 passing yards, while Texans signal-caller C.J. Stroud had 250 passing yards.

Houston made sure to poke fun at Pittsburgh after its victory. The Texans edited a “Welcome To Pittsburgh” sign by spray-painting the final score and “Swarm City” on it — a spin on Steel City. They also included the character from the Fallout video game series with the 713 Houston area code on the bottom.

Here are the top trolls from the NFL wild-card round.

The San Francisco 49ers upset the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles on the road. The 49ers closed as a 5.5-point underdog — according to DraftKings Sportsbook — their third-largest upset win in a postseason game in the Super Bowl era, according to ESPN Research.

With 43 seconds left, Philadelphia faced a fourth-and-11 at San Francisco’s 21-yard-line with a chance to take the lead. But Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts‘ pass was incomplete, clinching a 49ers win. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Hurts had 168 passing yards and a touchdown.

The 49ers followed their massive victory by trolling the Eagles. They poked fun at Philadelphia’s “Fly Eagles Fly” chant, including spelling out “Eagles.” San Francisco instead spelled out “Niners” in its caption. It also wouldn’t be a troll without referencing a Philly cheesesteak, which the 49ers posted to emphasize that they are “still hungry for more.”

The Buffalo Bills held off the Jacksonville Jaguars for their first playoff road win since the 1992 AFC Championship Game, according to ESPN Research.

The fourth quarter included touchdowns on each of Jacksonville’s and Buffalo’s first two drives — both teams had only one touchdown apiece before the final quarter. The Bills capped a nine-play, 66-yard drive with a 1-yard rushing score from quarterback Josh Allen. The Jaguars had a chance to answer with just over a minute left, but quarterback Trevor Lawrence‘s pass was picked off, sending Buffalo to the next round.

After Jacksonville clinched the AFC South in Week 18, teammate and cornerback Jarrian Jones gave Lawrence a grill in the locker room. The moment was inspired by an AI photo someone posted on social media of Lawrence wearing a grill and a giant chain around his neck.

The Bills’ postgame graphic included what resembles a grill — with “Bills Win” written on it — buried in the sand at a beach. They also shared a photo of Allen rocking shades and a chain from a July 2024 video and resurfaced a Jaguars’ post from Friday.

The Los Angeles Rams outlasted the Carolina Panthers in a wild opening playoff matchup.

Los Angeles and Carolina threw haymakers in the fourth, each scoring 14 points. There were four lead changes, tied for the most in a playoff game in NFL history. But the Rams had the go-ahead score when quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with tight end Colby Parkinson for a 19-yard touchdown with 38 seconds left. The Panthers turned it over on downs on their ensuing possession, clinching the Rams’ victory.

A huge win came with multiple clever trolls.

Los Angeles first posted a graphic of a hook with a string holding a football as a panther looked up with the caption referencing the sound commonly used to lure cats. The Rams then referenced a famous scene from the 1994 film “The Lion King,” when Rafiki presents a young Simba to the other animals as the future king. This time, Rafiki held the Panthers logo then tossed it.

ESPN Research contributed to this report.





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