Dubai, Aug 30: The start time for 18 out of the 19 matches in the upcoming Asia Cup has been pushed back by half an hour from the original schedule due to the extreme heat in the UAE, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Saturday.
As per the revised timings, the matches will begin at 6.30 PM local time (8 PM IST).The continental tournament, to be held in the T20 format this time, will run from September 9 to 28 across the two venues of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
“The start time for 18 out of the 19 DP World Asia Cup 2025 matches has been updated. These matches will now begin at 6:30pm local time (Gulf Standard Time),” the ECB said in a statement on its website.“The Monday, 15 September match between UAE and Oman will start at 4:00pm local time at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – the only day game of the tournament,” it added in the statement.In the initial schedule announced by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) earlier this month, the matches were scheduled to start at 6 PM local time.
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host the high-voltage India-Pakistan Group A match on September 14.India’s first match of the tournament against the hosts United Arab Emirates is scheduled to take place in Dubai on September 10, and the last group stage fixture against Oman will be played in Abu Dhabi on September 19.India, Pakistan, UAE, and Oman are in Group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong form Group B.
The rescheduling, though minor, is seen as a necessary step to ensure player welfare and better playing conditions in what is expected to be an intense and high-profile tournament.
With the mercury in the UAE still soaring in September, organisers hope the delayed start will provide some respite from the extreme heat, while also making the matches more convenient for prime-time television audiences across the subcontinent. All eyes will be on the marquee clash between India and Pakistan in Dubai on September 14, which is anticipated to draw massive crowds both at the venue and on broadcast. With eight teams vying for continental supremacy, the Asia Cup promises not only thrilling cricketing contests but also a vital platform for teams to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup next year, making every game in this revised schedule of significant importance. (PTI)

Bengaluru, Aug 30: India Test skipper and T20 vice-captain Shubman Gill reached the BCCI Centre of Excellence here for fitness assessment and preparations ahead of travelling to Dubai for the upcoming Asia Cup.
The Indian squad members are scheduled to assemble at Dubai on September 4 ahead of their tournament opener on September 9 against the hosts United Arab Emirates.
Senior batter Rohit Sharma and pacer Mohammed Siraj too have checked into CoE for pre-season fitness assessment.
The process might take place by Sunday, and it will be interesting to see how Rohit, who has retired from T20Is and Tests, approaches the new season.
The 38-year-old is likely to tour Down Under in October for an ODI series (19, 23, 25), but it remains to be seen whether Rohit will turn out for India A in three one-day matches against Australia A on September 30, October 3 and 5 at Kanpur.
In case of Gill, a bout of flu had forced him to skip the ongoing Duleep Trophy quarterfinal against East Zone, where he was named as the North Zone captain.
Gill was recovering from the illness at his Chandigarh home before flying out to Bengaluru. (PTI)

New Delhi, Aug 30: When Oman steps out for their maiden Asia Cup game against Pakistan in Dubai on September 12, experienced batter Jatinder Singh will carry not just the responsibility of leading the team, but also implement the lessons taken from interacting with young Indian left-handed batters Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma. During last year’s Emerging Men’s T20 Asia Cup in Muscat, Jatinder had the chance to spend a lot of time with Abhishek and Tilak, who were with the India ‘A’ team.
“The best thing about them was that they talked about not taking anything for granted when stepping on the field. Like Abhishek said, ‘For me, every day is a new day. I always challenge myself.” (IANS)

Melbourne, Aug 30: Cricket Australia has announced that the dedicated Indian fan zones at all eight venues for the upcoming white-ball series against India have been sold out, underlining the massive demand for the contest between the two cricketing heavyweights.
Public tickets for the Sydney and Canberra matches have also been fully booked well in advance, Cricket Australia added.
India will play three ODIs and five T20Is on the tour, beginning with the opening one-dayer in Perth on October 19.
“We are thrilled by the overwhelming response to the Indian fan zones selling out across all eight venues,” Joel Morrison, Executive General Manager Events & Operations Cricket Australia, said in a release. (PTI)

New Delhi, Aug 30: With the qualification process for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup underway, Bangladesh find themselves walking a tightrope.
The tournament, set to feature 14 teams, will grant 10 automatic berths. South Africa and Zimbabwe, as hosts, are assured of their places, while Namibia — the third co-host — does not qualify automatically since the privilege is reserved for ICC Full Member nations.
The remaining eight automatic slots will be decided by the ICC ODI rankings as of March 31, 2027. However, Zimbabwe’s position outside the current top eight complicates matters, as it pushes the qualification threshold higher. This leaves sides ranked 10th and below in real danger of missing out.
Bangladesh, with 77 rating points, currently sit at No.10, just behind West Indies (80) and England (88). For the Tigers, this is a precarious position, as any slip in form could force them into the unpredictable qualifying rounds.
England, meanwhile, will be the first among the bottom trio to return to action, with three ODIs against South Africa and another three against Ireland. Their results could have a direct bearing on Bangladesh’s fortunes. West Indies play New Zealand later in November, while Bangladesh themselves will resume their ODI campaign in October against Afghanistan following the Asia Cup.For England fans, the ICC’s ranking predictor offers some relief — the defending champions would only drop below West Indies if they lose all six of their upcoming matches, an unlikely scenario.
A clean sweep, in contrast, could catapult them into sixth place on 94 points, overtaking Afghanistan (91) and even pushing South Africa down to 93.
As things stand, Bangladesh’s hopes of direct qualification hang in the balance. Much will depend not just on their own results, but also on how rivals England and West Indies fare in the months ahead. The qualification race remains open, but the Tigers cannot afford to take a false step. (Agencies)

DULEEP TROPHY

Bengaluru, Aug 30: Central Zone had put one foot in the Duleep Trophy semi-final with a decisive first innings lead of 347 early during the day but by the end of it, the lead swelled to an unimaginable 678 runs, courtesy Shubham Sharma’s hundred, here Saturday.
Central Zone ended the third day at 331 for 7 in their second innings.
A patient batting effort from from MP Skipper Shubham’s (122, 215 balls) and quick half-centuries by skipper Rajat Patidar (66 off 72 balls) and Yash Rathod (78 off 83 balls) killed the contest as they rendered the final day to a mere formality.
In the morning session, North East started at 168 for 7 while replying to Central Zone’s massive 532/4 and folded for 185 as Deepak Chahar and Khaleel Ahmed polished off the tail in a jiffy.
The two India bowlers made up for an ordinary show on the second day.
The Central second innings was about the patience shown by domestic bulwark Shubham, who grounded the North East bowlers with lot of patience allowing a more flamboyant Patidar to be the aggressor.
Patidar looked good for a second hundred as he hit pacer Bishworjit Konthoujam for two sixes and also hammered leg-spinner Ankur Malik for a maximum but was out trying to force the pace.
He and Shubham added 122 for the fourth wicket. The centurion then joined left-handed Rathod to add another 131 runs.The lead swelled over 550 runs, and the North East bowlers had already given up hopes of a fightback.
On the final day, Central zone would obviously push for a win and all eyes would be on Kuldeep Yadav, who went wicketless in his 20 overs in the first innings.
Brief Scores: Central Zone 532/4 decl and 331/7 in 80.3 overs (Shubham Sharma 122, Yash Rathod 78, Rajat Patidar 66, Akash Choudhary 2/44).
North East Zone 1st Innings: 185 all out in 69.3 overs (Karnajit Yumnam 48, Ankur Malik 42, Aditya Thakare 3/23). (PTI)

BWF World Championships

India assured of World Championships medal

Paris, Aug 30: Star Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty assured India of a medal at the World Championships after defeating their nemesis, Malaysia’s two-time Olympic medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, in the men’s doubles quarterfinals here.
A year after the heartbreak in Paris, where they lost to the same pair and missed out on an Olympic medal, the world No. 3 duo produced a commanding 21-12, 21-19 win in 43 minutes to avenge that loss and storm into the semifinals late on Friday night.
It will be Satwik and Chirag’s second medal at the prestigious event after their 2022 bronze, extending India’s streak of podium finishes at every edition since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa’s breakthrough bronze in 2011.
The Asian Games champions will next face 11th seeds Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi of China.
Only hours earlier, PV Sindhu’s exit in the quarterfinals had denied India a medal in women’s singles. By the time Satwik and Chirag walked onto the court, the weight of expectations was unmistakable against opponents who had repeatedly broken Indian hearts.
Chia and Soh had beaten the Indians in Singapore and China this year after crushing their Olympic medal dream in Paris last year.
On Friday night, however, the world No. 9 Indians turned the script on its head with a dominating show.
Chirag opened with a drive-serve winner before a 59-shot rally, the longest of the match, and ended with his thundering mid-court smash to put India 4-2 ahead. Satwik’s booming serves and the pair’s seamless rotation saw them reel off six straight points to lead 9-3.
The top seeds went into the mid-game interval 11-5 ahead after Satwik conjured a deft cross-lift. Chia and Soh managed to take another marathon 49-shot rally, but the Indians quickly wrested back the momentum.
From 15-8, the Indians tightened the screws. Chirag’s sharp net play and Satwik’s clever serve helped India keep things in grip.
Chirag then earned nine game points with a deceptive return and they sealed it with another aggressive return.
After the change of ends, the Indians dished out blistering attack to carry their momentum from the opening game, racing to a 10-5 lead with Satwik’s sharp serves and Chirag’s booming backcourt smashes setting the tone.
The Indians had a four-point advantage after Soh sprayed into the net.
Satwik and Chirag’s ability to create those angled returns and vary the attack made life difficult for their rivals. Soh also struggled under pressure, leaking errors as India built a comfortable 17-12 cushion.
But the Malaysians, bronze-medallists in Tokyo, clawed back with a spectacular 41-shot exchange at 12-17. The Indians made it 18-14 with Chirag dazzling at the forecourt.
Then another long rally ensued at 15-19 that showcased their defensive grit as Chirag recovered after slipping to keep it going.
Aaron then controlled the pace and Soh finally found rhythm as a good return followed by Satwik’s smash into the net helped the Malaysians narrow the deficit to 18-19, sending jitters through the Indian camp.
The Malaysians soon drew parity on Aaron’s serve as Satwik miscued a return. They had won 8 of the last 10 points to make a comeback.
In the crunch, Chirag took charge at the net, killing a crucial exchange to grab a match point.
A quick drive serve from Satwik, and then it was over to Chirag at the backcourt, who sent down a couple of well-hit smashes.
The second one sailed wide from Aaron’s blade as India celebrated. (PTI)

FIH Asia Cup

Rajgir, Aug 30: Korea’s Asia Cup title defence received a massive jolt after being stunned 4-1 by Malaysia while Bangladesh crushed Chinese Taipei 8-3 in second round of Pool B matches of the hockey tournament here Saturday.
In the second match of the day, Five-time champions Korea surged ahead in the second minute through a reverse stick field goal by Geonhyo Jin.
But Malaysia made a brilliant comeback through Akhimullah Anuar’s (29th, 34th, 58th) hat-trick and a field strike from Ashran Hamsani to stun their opponents.
Even though just one rung separates Malaysia (12) and Korea (13) in world rankings, the title holders were considered as favourites in the contest.
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh completely dominated after the change of ends and pumped in as many as five goals in the last two quarters.
Md Abdullah (4th, 26th minutes), Rakibul Hasan (42nd, 43rd) and Ashraful Islam (45th, 58th) scored a brace each for Bangladesh while Sohanur Sobuj (36th) and Rezaul Babu (56th) found the net once.
For Chinese Taipei, Tsung-Yu Hsieh (10th, 18th) scored twice while Tsung-Jen Shih (60) converted a penalty corner at the stroke of final hooter.
In the opening Pool B matches on Friday, Bangladesh had lost 1-4 against Malaysia, while Korea thrashed Chinese Taipei 7-0.
Bangladesh will take on Korea in their final pool match on September 1, while Malaysia will be up against Chinese Taipei the same day. (PTI)

Rajgir (Bihar), Aug 30: Pakistan will travel to India later this year to compete in the FIH Junior World Cup, Hockey India secretary general Bholanath Singh confirmed on Saturday.
Pakistan opted out of the ongoing Asia Cup in Bihar following the military conflict between the two countries, citing security concerns.
It had raised doubts if the team from the neighbouring country will compete in the Junior World Cup to be held in Southern Indian cities of Chennai and Madurai in November-December.
“The Pakistan team is coming to India for the Junior World Cup. They confirmed to us last night. I asked them about their availability after they opted out of the ongoing Asia Cup,” Bholanath said.
He said the preparations for the tournament are at the “final stage”.
“Out of 24 countries, we have received the long list from 23 nations. Only Pakistan is left which are hoping to receive in a day or two.”
The Indian government recently formulated a policy that it would not have any bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan but won’t stop the Indian teams from competing against Pakistan in multinational events.
The policy was adopted in the wake of Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 civilians and the subsequent Operation Sindoor carried out by India.
“I am very clear that whatever Olympic Charter tells us, the government and Hockey India will abide by that and fulfil that. The Government of India is also clear that Pakistan can come and play against India in any international tournament,” Bholanath said.
“The government has even cleared their visas, but now why Pakistan didn’t come only they know.”
The top HI official also made it clear that FIH Pro League is an international tournament and India will play Pakistan if they are required to.
Pakistan have replaced New Zealand in the 2025-26 FIH Pro League.
“If they are in our pool in FIH Pro League, and if we have match against Pakistan, why won’t we play them? It is an international tournament,” Bholanath said.
“If Pakistan comes for Pro League, why won’t we play them. It is an international tournament.” (PTI)

Bengaluru, Aug 30: Skipper Salima Tete said the Indian women’s hockey team is determined to “secure a spot at next year’s World Cup” as the side departed for Hangzhou, China on Saturday to compete in the Women’s Asia Cup.
The 20-member team will have to win the tournament to secure India’s spot for the next year’s World Cup.
“This tournament is a really good opportunity for us to secure our spot for the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup next year, and we are focusing on that,” Salima said in a release.
“Our first priority at present is to top our Pool and reach the Super Fours. From there, we will take each game as it comes and make our way towards the trophy.”
India has been drawn in Pool B and is scheduled to face Japan, Thailand, and Singapore in the group stage. They will kick off their campaign against Thailand on September 5, followed by a clash against Japan on September 6, and will then play their final pool-stage match against Singapore on September 8.
India has won the Women’s Asia Cup twice, first in 2004 and again in 2017. In the last edition of the event, India finished third in the tournament.

Deepika to miss Asia Cup due to hamstring injury

Hockey India on Saturday announced that drag-flicker Deepika has not travelled with the national team to China for the Women’s Asia Cup due to a hamstring injury sustained during a training session.
Deepika, who will be in rehab for the next few weeks, has been replaced by Sakshi in the Indian squad for the tournament which will be held from September 5 to 14 in Hangzhou. (PTI)