BLESSIN MUZARABANI HANDED TWO-YEAR PSL BAN AFTER PULLING OUT OF IPL

Blessing Muzarabani had been signed by Islamabad United for the upcoming PSL edition, but later opted out to take up an opportunity in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Muzarabani was signed by Islamabad United for the upcoming PSL season but later decided to pursue an opportunity with KKR in the IPL. (KKR)

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has banned Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for two years after he backed out of a contract for the 2026 season.

Muzarabani was signed by Islamabad United for the upcoming PSL season but later decided to pursue an opportunity in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 29-year-old joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman for IPL 2026, leading the PCB to take disciplinary action against the pacer.

The PCB released a statement highlighting the importance of honouring contracts in franchise cricket.

“After a thorough review, the PCB has declared that Zimbabwean cricketer Blessing Muzarabani is ineligible to participate in the next two editions of the HBL PSL, effective immediately. This decision results from his failure to honor agreed commitments, which undermines the league’s professional structure.

“The PCB believes that professional cricket depends on trust and the certainty of agreements. In this case, despite a clear offer and a definite acceptance of the essential terms, the player chose to ignore these obligations for another opportunity,” the statement said.

Muzarabani quickly made a mark for KKR in IPL 2026, taking 4/41 in his second match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The development comes at a time when T20 leagues are tightening rules around player withdrawals. The IPL introduced a regulation ahead of the 2025 season stating that any player who pulls out after being picked at the auction, without a valid reason, would face a two-season ban.

England’s Ben Duckett, who withdrew from the 2026 season despite being signed by Delhi Capitals, and Harry Brook, who had taken a similar call earlier, are among those impacted.

This season marks a rare overlap of the PSL and IPL, with both leagues running simultaneously, creating scheduling conflicts and forcing players to choose between commitments.

- Express News Service

ASIA CUP CONTROVERSY: MATCH REFEREE ANDY PYCROFT REMOVED

 ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman has directed the national team to go to the stadium after the demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft was accepted.

Following this decision, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman has directed the national team to go to the stadium. Andy Pycroft will not umpire in the Pakistan-UAE match.

The toss for the Pakistan-UAE match will be held at 8 pm, and the game will start at 8:30 pm. The demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft has been accepted.

Earlier, a PCB spokesperson told the media that the scheduled match between Pakistan and the UAE will start with an hour delay. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi is continuing to consult with the former PCB chairman.

Today’s match between Pakistan and the UAE is very important because the winner will face India on the 21st. Match referee Andy Pycroft had earlier stopped the Pakistani and Indian captains from shaking hands after the Indian captain made political remarks at the end of the match.

Both Pycroft and the Indian captain violated MCC regulations. Pakistan took a principled stand, demanding Pycroft be removed from the Asia Cup and Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav be punished for his political remarks.

- Daily Ausaf 

HERE'S WHY PAKISTAN CRICKET BOARD WAS ABSENT FROM THE AWARD CEREMONY OF CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2025 FINAL

Pakistan Cricket Board was noticeably absent from the award ceremony of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final.

India clinched their third Champions Trophy title by defeating New Zealand in the summit clash.

In a surprising turn of events, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was noticeably absent from the award ceremony of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final held in Dubai. Despite being the official hosts of the tournament, no PCB representative was present on stage during the presentation, sparking controversy and criticism from the cricket community.

No PCB official in the award ceremony

The Champions Trophy 2025 concluded with India claiming the title by defeating New Zealand. However, the post-match ceremony was marred by the absence of any PCB officials, which is unusual for the host nation. Typically, the host country’s cricket board is present during such ceremonies.

ICC Chairman Jay Shah handed over the Champions Trophy to India skipper Rohit Sharma. Having witnessed the heartbreak of the ODI World Cup 2023 closely as the BCCI Secretary, the delight on the face of Shah after India’s victory was evident.

Reasons for the absence of PCB officials

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi was unable to attend due to prior commitments as Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Interior, according to reports. However, PCB CEO Sumair Ahmed, who was also the tournament director, was present at the venue but was not invited to the stage during the final ceremony. Media reports suggest that a misunderstanding might have led to Ahmed’s exclusion.

Reaction of former Pakistan cricketers

The absence of PCB officials has been met with disappointment and criticism from former Pakistan cricketers like Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram. Akhtar expressed his dismay, stating that it was odd for no PCB representative to be present, especially since Pakistan was the host. The PCB is expected to address the matter with the ICC to clarify why its CEO was not included in the ceremony.

- Anirudh Singh

WORLD CUP TO BEGIN OCT. 5 | AHMEDABAD HOSTS FINAL

Reuters 

The Cricket World Cup will begin on Oct. 5 with England facing New Zealand in Ahmedabad and the same venue hosting the final on Nov. 19, organisers said on Tuesday, with the schedule for the showpiece in India also confirming Pakistan's participation.

The fixtures were revealed by the International Cricket Council during an event in Mumbai, less than four months before the start of the 50-overs tournament, with the delay partly due to sour political relations between India and Pakistan.

India's refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup in August-September triggered the latest dispute between the bitter neighbours, who play each other only in multi-team events.

Pakistan responded by threatening to boycott the World Cup if they were not allowed to stage at least some matches of the Asia Cup on home soil.

The stalemate was finally resolved this month when Pakistan agreed to split matches with Sri Lanka, where India will play their Asia Cup matches.

South Asia's arch-rivals meet in the tournament's most anticipated match on Oct. 15 in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium - the biggest cricket venue in the world by capacity.

However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) added a caveat saying they would still need government clearance for any tour to India, including World Cup match venues.

"We are liaising with our government for guidance," PCB Communications Director Sami Ul Hasan said in a statement.

"This position is consistent to what we had told the ICC a couple of weeks ago when they shared with us the draft schedule and sought our feedback."

India begin their campaign on Oct. 8 against five-times champions Australia in Chennai.

England's opener against New Zealand is a rematch of the 2019 final in which England prevailed via a now-scrapped boundary count rule.

Among other key fixtures, 1992 champions Pakistan meet Australia in Bengaluru on Oct. 20, while England take on South Africa the following day in Mumbai.

Australia captain Pat Cummins said he was looking forward to the atmosphere at the match with India in Chennai.

"You know there's going to be big crowds, but no bigger than playing India at home in a World Cup game, so that's going to be exciting for us," he said.

"It will be a huge challenge, they're a top-class team but if you want to win a World Cup you're going to have to be better than everyone else, so why not take on India straight up?"

The first semi-final will take place on Nov. 15 in Mumbai with Kolkata hosting the second the following day. Both games, as well as the final, will be day-night fixtures.

There will be a total of 10 venues for the 10-team tournament - Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Dharamsala, Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Apart from hosts India, the teams that have qualified include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.

Two more sides will join them following a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe, which will conclude on July 9.

Twice winners West Indies have appeared at every tournament since it was first staged in 1975 but defeat by the Netherlands in the qualifying event on Monday leaves their chances hanging by a thread.

- Reuters