Sports
PCB closes in on T20 World Cup 2026 squad as probables shortlisted
LAHORE: Final consultations on Pakistan’s squad for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and the upcoming home T20I series against Australia are expected later this week.
Sources said white-ball head coach Mike Hesson is set to arrive in Lahore after Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka concludes.
Once the consultation process is completed, the squad will be announced with the approval of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
The PCB has already submitted a preliminary list of players to the ICC for the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
However, it is understood that the PCB can make changes to the submitted list without ICC approval until January 31.
Members of the national T20I squad are returning home today after completing the series in Sri Lanka.
Head coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha are expected to hold final discussions with the selectors before the squad is finalised.
Sources say the probable players include captain Salman Ali Agha, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan and Abrar Ahmed.
Other players under consideration are Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Salman Mirza and Khawaja Nafay, while Abdul Samad, Mohammad Wasim Jr and Usman Tariq are likely to be named among the reserve players.
Meanwhile, the PCB has forwarded a proposed schedule for Australia’s T20 International tour of Pakistan to Cricket Australia. According to sources, two draft itineraries have been shared for a three-match T20I series.
The proposed plans suggest that the Australian team could arrive in Pakistan either on January 26 or 27, with departure scheduled for February 2 or 3.
The series is tentatively structured to include two back-to-back matches, followed by a one-day break before the third and final T20I.
It is understood that fixtures have been proposed for January 29 and 31, while the third and final match is expected to be played on February 1.
Pakistan, the 2009 champions, will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo.
They will face the USA on February 10, followed by clashes against arch-rivals India on February 15 and Namibia on February 18 in their final group-stage match.
It is pertinent to note that Pakistan will play all of their matches in Sri Lanka, starting with four Group A fixtures in Colombo, while Super Eight matches are scheduled to be held in Colombo and Kandy.
It’s common in sports for a player to provide a gift to a teammate in exchange for the rights to a certain jersey number upon moving to a new team. But what happens if the number a player desires is owned by a mascot?
The same thing, apparently.
Artemi Panarin was traded to the Los Angeles Kings just before the Olympic break, with the veteran winger looking to adopt the jersey number 72 that he wore when he entered the league with the Chicago Blackhawks.
There was just one problem: The Kings’ mascot, Bailey, also already wears the number. The reason? “Because it’s always 72 degrees in Los Angeles.”
So a number trade ensued.
Panarin will wear No. 72, and Bailey received a Rolex.
Our 72s 🖤 pic.twitter.com/mdthCYTJmm
— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 25, 2026
The “trade” actually proved to be a win-win for Bailey. Because the mascot won’t ever be on the ice at the same time as Panarin, it’ll keep wearing No. 72 in the stands.
Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano has confirmed he will use the friendly against Independiente del Valle on Thursday night as an opportunity to give all players some minutes on the field despite returning to Major League Soccer regular-season action just 72-hours later.
The Herons will play the rescheduled preseason friendly in Puerto Rico on Thursday night before traveling to Orlando on Sunday to face Orlando City.
“This game clearly gives us the opportunity to, first, give minutes to guys who have perhaps had fewer minutes in the preseason and in the last game we played. But yes, we’re going to try to give everyone playing time,” Mascherano said on Thursday morning.
“We need to give the whole squad some opportunities.
“Obviously, being careful because then, in 72 hours, we have a very important game, where beyond the loss against LAFC, those of us who have been here at Inter Miami for a while know that regardless of a loss or a win, the next game is always the most important, and the next game is always the one we have to win.”
Inter Miami was originally set to face Independiente del Valle on Feb. 13, before the club, in collaboration with the event promoter and government of Puerto Rico, opted to postpone the event after Lionel Messi suffered a hamstring strain.
“Hi everyone, I wanted to send this message to the people of Puerto Rico and all the people that will be going to the training session and game,” Messi said in a video.
“To be honest, during the last game in Ecuador I concluded with a muscle strain, which is why I left the field early. So, together with the people of the organization and Inter Miami it was decided to suspend this game. We hope it can be reprogrammed, and we can see each other.
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Visit you soon. Sending a hug to you all and thank you for all the love that you always give. I hope we can do it in the future, all the best.”
Messi has since returned to action, playing the full 90 minutes in the team’s MLS season opener against Los Angeles FC on Feb. 21.
Mascherano later emphasized that he’ll use the friendly in Puerto Rico to prepare the players for Orlando City at the weekend.
“We’re trying to use today’s match, beyond the fact that it’s a friendly, to see certain things, to see players we perhaps haven’t had the opportunity to see in terms of playing time, and use this game to prepare for the match on Sunday,” he said.
Mateo Silvetti, however, stands as the only player mentioned by Mascherano to be in doubt for the game after he suffered a strain over a week ago. The coach confirmed the team will evaluate his condition before deciding whether he features against Independiente del Valle.
Sports
Jontay Porter, who was given a lifetime ban by the NBA for gambling, makes pro basketball comeback in USBL
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Jontay Porter, whom the NBA banned for life for gambling in 2024, is making his return to the court.
Porter, 26, is going to the Seattle SuperHawks, a member of the re-created United States Basketball League. The SuperHawks announced Porter’s signing on Wednesday. The team begins its season on March 7.
Porter is currently awaiting sentencing after he pleaded guilty to a related federal charge. In July 2024, he pleaded guilty to a federal court in Brooklyn to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud, a sentence that carries up to 20 years in prison.
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Jontay Porter (34) of the Toronto Raptors warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center. The game was played in Portland, Oregon, on March 9, 2024. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
However, Porter is expected to get a sentencing of between 3 and 4 years. The former Toronto Raptors player was accused of manipulating his performance in coordination with gamblers to win prop bets during two games in the 2023-24 season.
Porter also won $22,000 by gambling on 13 NBA games that he didn’t play in, which is a violation of league rules, according to an NBA investigation.
Jontay Porter (34) of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball during a game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. The game was played in Detroit, Michigan, on March 13, 2024. (Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images)
Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York indicted dozens of others based on the investigation that began with Porter. Miami Heat guard Terry Roziers, former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chancey Billups and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones were all indicted as part of the expanded investigation into Porter.
Porter spent two seasons in the NBA. He signed with the Memphis Grizzlies as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri and played 11 games with them in the 2020-21 season. After spending two years out of the NBA, he played 26 games with the Raptors in the 2023-24 season.
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Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors fights for a rebound with Lindy Waters III of the Oklahoma City Thunder during a 2023–2024 NBA regular-season game between the Raptors and the Thunder in Toronto on March 22, 2024. (Zou Zheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
In 37 career NBA games, Porter averaged 3.7 points per game.
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