Pakistan’s England tour fallout deepens, Sri Lanka reach Asia Cup final, Durham go up — cricket digest 12 Sep 2026
Rizwan and Imam questioned by cybercrimes agency as Pakistan’s post-Lord’s turmoil rolls on
Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq were questioned in Lahore by Pakistan’s National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency after being summoned in the wake of Pakistan’s disastrous Test tour of England. At least one of the pair was interviewed for several hours, and at least one has been given a questionnaire to complete and return next week; it remains unclear what the questioning relates to, and whether it links to the PCB’s internal disciplinary inquiry announced earlier this week.
Both players were among the seven dropped and sent home after Pakistan’s defeat at Lord’s, when head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed from the touring party. Rizwan’s returns on the tour were modest despite strong keeping, while Imam missed most of the match with a grade-1 calf tear that was publicly questioned by Aaqib Javed; separately, Rizwan and Imam have been barred from playing the President’s Trophy because they did not take mandatory fitness tests.
Sri Lanka hold nerve against Fatima Sana to set up Asia Cup final with India
Sri Lanka booked a second straight Women’s T20 Asia Cup final by beating Pakistan by four wickets in Dubai, overcoming a top-order wobble to chase down 131. Fatima Sana starred in defeat with 4 for 36 and 47, but Sri Lanka’s middle order, led by Harshitha Samarawickrama (36) and Kavisha Dilhari (33), got them home.
The win sets up Sunday’s final against India. Earlier at the toss, Sri Lanka had brought in Hasini Perera and Mithali Ayodhya, leaving out Vishmi Gunaratne and Chethana Vimukthi, while Pakistan named an unchanged XI.
Durham clinch Division Two title and promotion with Middlesex win
Durham wrapped up the County Championship Division Two title — and a return to Division One next season — after beating Middlesex by 93 runs with two rounds still to play. Brydon Carse and Callum Parkinson were central to the victory, with Carse taking 5 for 72 in Middlesex’s first innings and Parkinson 4 for 45 in the second.
Durham’s batting was built around Ben McKinney’s 184 in the second innings, after they had been bowled out for 252 first time around.
Harleen Deol signs for Barbados Tridents for rest of WCPL
India batter Harleen Deol has joined defending champions Barbados Tridents for the remainder of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League, becoming their fifth overseas player and taking the number of Indians in the tournament to five. Deol, not currently in the India or India A squads, will be available through to the end of the competition.
She adds to a Tridents overseas group that already includes Kiran Navgire and Pooja Vastrakar, while Shikha Pandey and Yastika Bhatia are with Trinbago Knight Riders. Tridents have played once so far, losing their opener to Knight Riders by 21 runs, and next face Jamaica Empress on Saturday and Guyana Amazon Warriors on Sunday.
Padikkal embraces India A captaincy ahead of Australia A four-dayers
Devdutt Padikkal says captaincy “just helps” his batting as he prepares to lead India A in the upcoming four-day matches against Australia A in Puducherry. Padikkal pointed to his recent domestic leadership with Karnataka, where he scored an unbeaten fourth-innings 120* in a successful chase against Punjab and later made a career-best 232 against Uttarakhand in the Ranji Trophy semi-final.
B Sai Sudharsan is fit again for the Australia A series and has been named Padikkal’s deputy. Padikkal also spoke about the domestic “grind” and his comfort playing spinners’ fuller lengths off the back foot, describing it as a natural part of his game rather than a risk.
In brief
- Pakistan’s fightback in the third Test at Edgbaston left England a chase of 130, after Shan Masood made 95 and Razaullah (81) and Mohammad Abbas put on an unlikely ninth-wicket stand as Pakistan posted 449.
- England’s Edgbaston Test was framed as an early “reality check” for their relaunch after Pakistan showed late resistance, with Razaullah’s stand-out display shifting the mood of the match.
- A feature reflected on how Razaullah’s and Mohammad Abbas’ 121-run ninth-wicket stand at Edgbaston briefly cut through the gloom around Pakistan cricket on a difficult England tour.
- Pakistan will switch from Dukes to Kookaburra balls for the 2026-27 first-class season, with the PCB aiming for a better balance between bat and ball across the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and President’s Trophy.
- Shaheen Shah Afridi reiterated that red-ball cricket remains his “first priority” as he prepares for the President’s Trophy, his first first-class match in Pakistan in seven years, while targeting a return to the Test side.
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s 4 for 23 and an unbeaten 42 from Shai Hope carried Guyana Amazon Warriors to a six-wicket win over Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL, confirming an eighth victory as TKR finished bottom.
- Imran Tahir said his son keeps him motivated after the 47-year-old became the oldest player to take a T20 five-for, with career-best figures of 5 for 17 for Guyana Amazon Warriors against St Lucia Kings.
- Olly Stone’s six-wicket match haul, including 6 for 28 in the second innings, helped Nottinghamshire beat Hampshire by 54 runs to keep their County Championship title defence on track.
- Sussex and Surrey played out a draw at Hove, with Tom Haines making 63 in Sussex’s second-innings declaration as Surrey put some distance between themselves and Leicestershire.
- Derbyshire beat Kent by 181 runs in Division Two, with Ben Aitchison’s five-for in the second innings denting Kent’s promotion push and leaving them third.
- James Langridge’s five-for sealed Gloucestershire’s 105-run win over Lancashire in a low-scoring Division Two match, despite Rocky Flintoff’s 65.
- The Blaze booked a place in the Metro Bank Women’s One-Day Cup final by beating Essex by nine wickets, with Sarah Bryce 70* and Kathryn Bryce 67* in the chase after Grace Scrivens’ 70 for Essex.
- Connor Esterhuizen’s maiden ODI hundred and a four-for from Duan Jansen helped South Africa take a 2-0 lead over Namibia, with Tony de Zorzi adding 79 in a total beyond 300.
- Anneke Bosch struck a career-best 83 as South Africa Women chased 117 to beat Zimbabwe Women by six wickets, after Zimbabwe were reduced to 12 for 4 early on.
- A profile traced 19-year-old Punjab allrounder Akshita Bhagat’s rise as a fast bowler — sparked by the WPL’s “Speed Queen” talent hunt — and her move into the India A set-up.
- Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming said the upcoming one-off T20I against India is a chance to build lasting momentum for cricket in Japan, with the Asian Games also in view.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo