Pakistan Defend 120 to Begin Asia Cup Campaign with a Win Over Thailand

Pakistan began their Asia Cup campaign with a 35-run victory over Thailand in their first game of the tournament. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 119/9, setting Thailand a target of 120. In reply, Thailand struggled against Pakistan’s disciplined bowling attack and could only manage 84/8 in their 20 overs, handing Pakistan a convincing win. argolida.life

Here are some key takeaways from the match:

Muneeba Ali Smashes Match-winning Fifty

Pakistan found themselves in deep trouble at 23/3, with Thailand firmly in control after striking early and regularly. The Pakistani batters struggled to build momentum against Thailand’s disciplined bowling, which kept the pressure on and restricted the scoring. With wickets falling in quick succession, Pakistan needed someone to steady the innings, and Muneeba Ali stepped up.
She showed patience and composure to rebuild the innings, finding boundaries when opportunities came her way and bringing up a crucial half-century. Muneeba’s 54 off 52 balls, including four fours, provided Pakistan with some much-needed stability after the early collapse. However, Thailand continued to dominate, eventually dismissing Muneeba through a sharp stumping by Nannapat Koncharoenkai off Suleeporn Laomi at 90/6. With Pakistan six down, Thailand remained firmly in the driving seat.

Thailand Bowlers Keep Pakistan to 119/9

Thailand’s bowlers produced a disciplined effort to keep Pakistan to 119/9. Thipatcha Putthawong led the attack with an excellent 3/18, striking twice in the second over and later dismissing Nashra Sandhu. Laomi was equally impressive with 3/14, breaking Pakistan’s key partnerships and removing both Fatima Sana and Muneeba.
Phannita Maya chipped in with 2/34, while Sunida Chaturongrattana took one wicket. Thailand’s bowlers consistently varied their pace and kept Pakistan’s batters under pressure, making it difficult to score freely on the slow surface. Despite Muneeba’s fighting 54 and late runs from Umm-e-Hani and Tuba Hassan, Thailand’s disciplined bowling ensured Pakistan finished well short of a commanding total at 119/9.

Pakistan’s Bowlers Shut Down Thailand’s Chase

Thailand were under serious pressure with 60 runs needed from the final 27 balls, and Pakistan’s bowlers continued to keep the scoring rate under control. Captain Naruemol Chaiwai struggled to find momentum, scoring just 17 off 33 balls before she was dismissed by Tuba. Chanida Sutthiruang offered some resistance with a fighting 25, but Pakistan’s spinners kept striking at crucial moments to restrict Thailand to 84/8.

Sadia Iqbal was the standout performer, claiming 3/11, including a double-wicket maiden, while Tuba finished with an excellent 2/17 from four overs. Fatima and Sandhu also picked up a wicket each as Pakistan’s disciplined bowling attack ensured Thailand never recovered.

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After the debatable dropping from the playing XI and the unexplained absence from the tour of Zimbabwe, Sanju Samson is back in the India squad that will take on Afghanistan later this month in a three-T20I series.

On Tuesday, the BCCI announced the 15-man squad that will face Afghanistan in Delhi, with Afghanistan being the designated hosts of this series. The IND vs AFG series will be hosted at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on September 13, 15, and 17.

The 15-man contingent saw the return of several India players who missed the tours to the UK and Zimbabwe, partially or wholly.

Of these, the biggest name, obviously, was that of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. But Bumrah’s name had an asterisk along with it, and so did those of Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana.

This is because the participation of Bumrah, Sundar, Reddy, and Harshit in the IND vs AFG T20I series is subject to them being fit and cleared by the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

Bumrah suffered a recurrence of a left knee injury during the ODI series in England, while Harshit and Washington both sustained hamstring injuries in England. Reddy has been out of action since the ODI series against Afghanistan at home in June owing to a quadriceps injury.

Mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy is declared fit – hence no asterisk to his name – and is set for a comeback to international cricket. Chakaravarthy also injured his hamstring in the T20Is in England and missed the Zimbabwe tour. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has also been named in the squad for the Afghanistan T20Is.

When will Hardik Pandya return?

It was expected that Pandya would play against Afghanistan, but he was not named in the squad, and his comeback has been extended. Hardik has not played any professional cricket since the conclusion of the IPL 2026 due to a reported leg strain.

Pandya is not part of the India squad for the Asian Games in Japan. That could also be the reason that his return has been delayed, giving him more time to attain full fitness. Pandya might return to international cricket with the ODI series against West Indies at home, which begins on September 27.

India had sent a second-string squad to Zimbabwe, from which the dropped players include Prabhsimran Singh, Rinku Singh, Ashok Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav, and Yash Thakur.

Meanwhile, Samson will once again be competing with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the opener’s spot. While Samson had a blockbuster hat-trick of matches towards the end of the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, Sooryavanshi forced himself into the national side through a sensational IPL 2026 season and bagged the Man of the Series award in Zimbabwe.

IND vs AFG: India Squad For Afghanistan T20I Series

Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (VC), Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Axar Patel, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ravi Bishnoi, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Jasprit Bumrah*, Harshit Rana*, Washington Sundar*

* Subject to fitness clearance

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India A will play three four-day matches against New Zealand A in Christchurch from October 24, New Zealand Cricket announced on Tuesday. The series will be part of India's build-up to the two-Test series against New Zealand later in the tour, with the A side's matches preceding the senior team's red-ball assignment.

The fixtures were announced as part of New Zealand Cricket's domestic red-ball schedule for the Plunket Shield. "The domestic red ball summer will also get an injection of international class as New Zealand A host India A for three four-day matches in Christchurch starting October 24," NZC said on its website.

India are scheduled to tour New Zealand in October-November for five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests. The two-Test series will begin in Wellington from November 19-23, followed by the second Test in Christchurch from November 27-December 1.

India are currently ranked fifth in the World Test Championship points table, while New Zealand are third. New Zealand had made a historic 3-0 sweep in their tour of India during their previous Test series in 2024-25.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Bharath Ramraj, COE

Somewhere, a sportsperson touches his or her nirvana behind the scenes in a training workshop — when an athlete’s body is aching, and yet there is an urge to push for a while longer in order to attain peak fitness levels. With the Duleep Trophy semifinals being played behind closed doors at the Centre of Excellence, far away from the hub of Bengaluru city, Mohammed Shami might have felt as if he was still in his training arena. On Day 3 of the East Zone-Central Zone game, all that one could hear was a generator from a nearby place running at full speed. Even the crows, a quintessential part of stadiums in the subcontinent, were missing from the action.

For Shami, all that seemed to matter was his inner voice. When Shami charged to the crease, one could visualise his inner voice coaxing or asking the veteran bowler, ‘What extra have you got?’ The body certainly responded to the question posed by the reservoirs of his willpower. He ushered in a short ball to Arshad Khan that followed the left-hand batter with a bit of venom. He also got a few to whistle past the outside edges of both Harsh Dubey and Arshad. Simply put, this is the fastest that this writer has seen Shami bowl in spells in first-class cricket since his comeback from the ankle and heel injury.

At the fag end of Day 2, too, he had cajoled the ball to move this way or that way, snaking a few past the bat before delivering the knockout punch by tempting Aryan Juyal to edge one behind. Those deliveries didn’t just speak volumes about his control and fast-bowling mindset, but also told enough of how he hasn’t lost that little bit of nip. On Day 3, Shami also took a fine return catch to send Dubey back to the hut; an indicator that, at about 36, he is still fit to play cricket at a higher level.

The key essence of Shami’s bowling, though, was not much to do with pace or nifty movement. But it was about how a stalwart of Indian cricket is still grinding it out in domestic cricket. After representing the country for a decade, it could be tough for a sportsperson to continue playing at a lower level. He could have even hung up his spiked boots and reminisced about old memories on a rocking chair. Not so Shami.

Perhaps there is a hidden machine fitted in his bones that says to him, ‘Come on, don’t give up, you can regain your place in the Indian side.’ Realistically, the selectors, rightly or wrongly, perhaps have moved on from Shami. That doesn’t seem to bother Shami one bit. For him, it is all about, ‘I have a ball in hand and I will give every ounce of my energy on the field.’

In an imaginary sense, it felt like his unstinting belief on the field coruscated through the few clouds up above. And fittingly, in a few minutes, those few clouds gave way to intermittent sunshine. Shami would hope and believe that someone up there would also smile on his career.

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Arjun Rajput is enjoying a phase that every young cricketer dreams of. But while his recent performances are putting him in the spotlight, the story behind his rise is one of perseverance, family support and sacrifices made long before the runs and wickets started coming.

Playing for Ludhiana Lions in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League 2026, Rajput produced a memorable all-round performance against Bathinda Royals at the I.S. Bindra Stadium in Mohali. He first picked up 4/27 in four overs before smashing a match-winning 82 off 45 balls, helping Ludhiana chase down 166 with three wickets to spare.

The performance comes at an important stage of his career. Rajput has now been selected in the India U-19 squad for the upcoming one-day series against Australia U-19, having previously been part of the India U-19 side that faced Sri Lanka. It is another opportunity for the young cricketer to test himself at international level.

For Rajput, however, the journey started much closer to home.

His love for cricket came from his elder brother, who played the sport. Watching him gradually turned into a dream of his own.

“My elder brother used to play cricket. Looking at him, I decided that I want to play cricket,” Rajput told RevSportz in an exclusive interview.

Pursuing that dream meant understanding early that cricket demanded more than just ability. Fitness, discipline and lifestyle choices became part of his everyday routine.

“You have to work hard. You have to be fit. You have to be disciplined. You have to give up a lot of things,” he said. “You can’t do parties if you want to maintain a good level.”

There were also challenges beyond the choices he made as a young athlete. The academy where Rajput trained eventually shut down, leaving him and other youngsters without the facilities they had relied on.

“It was the main hub of Jalandhar. All the players started coming there. There were good facilities,” he recalled.

The closure made training difficult. “It was heartbreaking. We struggled a little. We didn’t get good practice. We couldn’t practise well,” he said. But instead of allowing that setback to end his progress, Rajput and his family found a way forward.

“But somehow we managed and made it.”

A major part of that support came from his father, Hoti Ram, who worked hard to keep the family going. Until around a year ago, he ran a chhole-kulche cart. He now operates a bakery, preparing and delivering kulchas.

There were financial difficulties, but Rajput says his father never allowed him to feel that he was missing out.

“My father never let me feel that I needed anything. He always provided everything on time.”

His India U-19 journey has already included a memorable outing against Sri Lanka, where he scored 76.

Now, Australia presents another opportunity.

His stint in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League has allowed him to play alongside experienced cricketers and learn from them. Rajput says sharing a dressing room with senior players like Salil Arora and Arshdeep Singh has been an important part of his development.

“To be honest, you will get to learn a lot by sharing the dressing room with such big names. I feel very proud.”

He has also benefited from conversations with Abhishek Sharma, having previously been part of his Green Knights team.

“He shares a lot of small technical things in cricket,” Rajput said.

The league has also helped him stay in touch with white-ball cricket ahead of the Australia assignment. “The experience I will get from here will be useful there as well,” he said.

There are bigger dreams beyond the immediate challenge. Rajput would like to share a dressing room with MS Dhoni, while he named Ricky Ponting as a player he would like to play against. The IPL, too, remains an ambition.

“If I get the opportunity, I will definitely play,” he said.

But when asked where he wants to be in the next decade, Rajput’s answer was simple: “Represent my country on a senior level.”

For now, Australia is the next challenge. The 82 and four wickets have shown his current form; the India U-19 selection offers another stage. For him, it is another opportunity to prove himself.

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