England captain Harry Brook said on Saturday that it would be “a shame” if Pakistani players were shut out of England’s domestic white-ball Hundred competition by Indian-owned franchises.

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan on Friday urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to “act fast” on BBC reports that Pakistani players will be “overlooked” in the player auction next month.

Ahead of England’s opening Super Eights clash against Sri Lanka in Kandy on Sunday, Brook — who will play for Indian-owned Sunrisers Leeds in the Hundred this year — was asked about the issue.

“Our main focus now is what’s coming up in the T20 World Cup. It’s not really any of our business, to be honest,” said Brook.

“But what I would say is Pakistan have been a great cricket nation for many years.”

Long-standing political tensions between India and Pakistan have led to the border rivals only playing each other in international cricket events.

Their Colombo showdown at the ongoing T20 World Cup only went ahead after Pakistan called off a threatened boycott.

“I think there’s about 50, 60 players in the auction, and it would be a shame to not see some of them in there,” said Brook.

“There’s some amazing cricketers and, yeah, and they bring some great crowds as well.

“So it would be a shame to not see some of the Pakistan players in there and make the tournament and competition even better.”

The newly renamed Sunrisers Leeds is owned by Indian conglomerate Sun Group, one of the four of the eight Hundred franchises with connections to the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The others are Manchester Super Giants, Southern Brave and MI London.

It has been claimed that politics has also led to an effective ban on Pakistani players participating in the Indian Premier League since 2009.

The ECB has been unable to substantiate the BBC allegations, but former England captain Vaughan called for the governing body to investigate the issue thoroughly.

Vaughan referred to the ECB’s stated aim of cricket becoming the most inclusive sport in the country.

“The ECB need to act fast on this… they own the league and this should not be allowed to happen… the most inclusive sport in the country is not one that allows this to happen,” Vaughan posted on X.

An ECB spokesman said: “The Hundred welcomes men’s and women’s players from all over the world and we would expect the eight teams to reflect that.”

Only two Pakistan internationals — Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim — appeared in last year’s Hundred, the final edition before new investors became involved.

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India skipper Suryakumar Yadav on Saturday backed struggling opener Abhishek Sharma to play his attacking game with enough firepower in the rest of the line-up as they face South Africa in the T20 World Cup.

The two teams will clash in the Super Eights stage in Ahmedabad on Sunday in a rematch of the T20 World Cup final two years ago, won by India.

Both teams topped their group with perfect records.

But while Aiden Markram’s South Africa have looked strong in all departments, tournament favourites India have not enjoyed batting consistency, with Abhishek recording three consecutive ducks.

“People who are worried about Abhishek’s form, I worry for them,” a smiling Suryakumar told reporters.

“I think about those teams against whom he is going to fire as he has not been able to score till now. When he gets the runs, then you know how it is.”

Suryakumar said, “It is a team sport, it happens. Team requires him to play with his identity, so if he fires it’s okay, otherwise, we are there to cover for him. Last year he covered for us, now we will do it for him.”

The left-handed Abhishek, the world’s number one-ranked T20 batsman, has handed the team many explosive starts since his debut in July 2024.

Big totals were predicted at the start of the 20-team tournament with India pipped to cross 300 on home ground, but the reality has been different.

Ireland’s 235 against Oman in the group stage has been the highest total so far, with India reaching their best of 209 in a big win over minnows Namibia.

“We are trying to explode from the start because everyone knows their T20 template, but we don’t want to become a team that’s always blasting away,” said Suryakumar.

“There could arise a situation where two-three wickets fall early and we have to be a smart team to bat well between 12-15 overs and we have enough firepower that if the base is strong then we can smash 60-70 runs in last five overs.”

India boasts of a potent spin attack led by the world’s number one-ranked T20 bowler Varun Chakravarthy, who has claimed nine wickets in four matches.

South African spinners, including Keshav Maharaj, have also made their presence felt and Suryakumar said there will be no favourites in the Sunday game.

“The (Indian) spinners have done well against almost all oppositions, (but) I can’t say we will have an edge,” said Suryakumar.

“It’s a new game and we start from zero. But definitely some good plans. On the given day, plans and execution should be coming together, if that comes together we will definitely have an edge.”

India are on a 12-match unbeaten run at the T20 World Cup, stretching back to their defeat in the semi-final against eventual winners England in 2022.

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LIVIGNO: Wang Xindi took gold in freestyle skiing men’s aerials at the Winter Olympics on Friday to strengthen China’s dominance in the discipline.

The 30-year-old took over the crown from compatriot and five-time Olympian Qi Guangpu, who came sixth and last in the final.

It was Wang’s first podium after three Winter Games. At Beijing 2022, China won gold in men’s and women’s aerials and silver in the mixed team and in these Olympics, Xu Mengtao defended her women’s aerials title on Wednesday.

In Friday’s men’s aerials, current world champion Noe Roth of Switzerland won silver, while another Chinese freeskier, Olympic first-timer Li Tianma, got bronze.

Wang took top spot with a remarkable score of 132.60, out of a maximum of 150. Roth was close behind on 131.58, while Li got 123.93.

China’s four athletes all made it into the final, held in snowy, overcast conditions in the Alpine resort of Livigno.

They squared off against Roth and fellow Swiss Pirmin Werner. Chinese supremacy over aerials could be extended further on Satur­day, when a mixed teams final is due to take place on the penultimate day of the Milano Cortina Olympics.

In the men’s biathlon 15-km mass start, Johannes Dale-Skjevdal of Norway hit a perfect 20 for 20 on the shooting range to storm to victory and give made his country record-holders for most golds at a Winter Games.

Norway’s 17 gold medals so far at Milano-Cortina surpasses their own previous record for a single nation of 16 at Beijing 2022.

Dale-Skjevdal’s compatriot Sturla Holm Laegreid took the silver, 10.5 seconds behind, with Quentin Fillon Maillet of France storming past Germany’s Philipp Horn on the last lap to secure bronze.

Dale-Skjevdal was the only biathlete in the 30-man field not to miss a shot on the day, and it paved the way for gold for the hugely talented but often erratic 28-year-old.

“There’s a lot of feelings. Olympic champion. Damn, it’s sick, it’s a dream … I have no words,” Dale-Skjevdal told Norwegian TV.

Meanwhile on Friday, the paralympic committees of Ukraine and the Czech Rep­u­blic announced that they will boycott the opening ceremony at the Paralympic Gam­es over the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

The Ukrainian team, who­se country has been battling a Russian invasion since Feb­ruary 2022, anno­unced a boycott of the March 6 ceremony in Verona late on Thursday.

The protest follows the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) decision to allow Russian and Belar­usian athletes to compete under their national flags.

LIU DAZZLES

On Thursday, Alysa Liu delivered a dazzling performance to win the gold as she capped a remarkable comeback journey to snap a 20-year Olympic medal drought for Americans in the women’s figure skating event.

Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto took silver, finishing ahead of her 17-year-old team-mate Ami Nakai, who claimed bronze.

Skating with joyful confidence, Liu nailed jump after jump in her Donna Summer disco-themed free skate to bring the sold-out crowd to their feet.

“When I was skating, hearing the cheers, I felt so connected with the audience. I want to be out there again,” she said. “The way I felt out there was calm, happy and confident. I’ve been having fun. This experience is really cool.”

Liu stunned the skating world when she retired from the sport aged just 16 after the Beijing Games in 2022, citing burnout and the desire to pursue other interests.

The Californian returned two years later with a new perspective — and more creative control — taking charge of her music choices, programmes and costumes. That reset helped spark a resurgence that included a world title in Boston last year.

US SEAL HOCKEY GLORY

It was double delight for Americans as their women ice hockey team delivered another gold, pipping rivals Canada 2-1.

The US tasted revenge sweeter than maple syrup as they came from behind to win gold in an overtime thriller.

Megan Keller netted the winner to dethrone their arch rivals in an instant classic, sealing a spine-tingling affair and bringing a roar of Ame­rican joy that echoed throu­ghout Santagiulia Arena.

The US looked headed for more disappointment after losing to their hated foes four years ago, as they were kept off the scoreboard and trailing late in the third period.

But captain Hilary Knight played the hero one more time in her fifth and final Olympics, tying it to take the tight-checking Games deci­der to three-on-three sudden death hockey, where Keller went around defender Claire Thompson and slipped the puck past the Canadian goa­lie to clinch a third Olympic gold for the US women.

The game gave fans yet another classic chapter in the sport’s greatest rivalry, and the packed stands offered duelling chants of “Canada!” and “USA!” from puck drop.

“I was just trying to make a move, take a chance. I was trying to win, not play to not lose. That’s what we talked about in the locker room,” said Keller. “In my view, this is the best hockey team the world has ever seen.”

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2026

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