News
Ben Stokes: England all-rounder to come out of ODI retirement for Cricket World Cup
Ben Stokes’ return to the England one-day side for the defence of the World Cup will be confirmed on Wednesday.
Stokes, 32, will come out of retirement to be named in a 15-man squad for a four-match series against New Zealand in September.
Stokes was man of the match in the final when England won the World Cup for the first time in 2019.
The all-rounder retired from one-day internationals last summer, saying that playing three formats was unsustainable.
He continued to lead the England Test team and play in T20 internationals, starring in the final as England lifted the World Cup in the shortest format in Australia in November.
When asked in July if he would play in the 50-over World Cup, Stokes reiterated he was retired.
But in an interview with the Daily Mail, England white-ball coach Matthew Mott said captain Jos Buttler would approach Stokes over reversing that decision. A number of newspaper reports on Monday said Stokes was considering the request.
A quirk of the schedule means England have no Tests until they tour India for five matches between January and March next year.
Stokes had planned to use the gap to address a long-standing left-knee problem, which has severely limited his ability to bowl.
Therefore, his role at the World Cup could largely be as a specialist batter.
England will name their squad for the New Zealand ODIs, played between 8-15 September, at 10:00 BST on Wednesday. They will also name a strong 15-man party for four T20s against the Black Caps, beginning on 30 August.
Following the New Zealand series, England will play three ODIs against Ireland at the end of September. A separate squad for this will be named at a later date.
Because of that series’ close proximity to the beginning of the World Cup on 5 October, most of the first-choice players will be rested.
England begins their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in a repeat of the 2019 final.
Mott also said England might be willing to take a risk on the fitness of pace bowler Jofra Archer, who has been plagued by injuries since bowling the super over in the thrilling finale four years ago.
England’s World Cup squad will have a familiar feel, probably including nine of the squad that was successful on home soil in 2019.
බෙන් ස්ටෝක්ස්: එංගලන්ත තුන් ඉරියව් ක්රීඩකයා ක්රිකට් ලෝක කුසලානය සඳහා යළිත් එක්දින ක්රිකට් පිටියට
ලෝක කුසලානය සඳහා බෙන් ස්ටෝක්ස් එංගලන්ත එක්දින කණ්ඩායමට නැවත පැමිණීම බදාදා ස්ථිර වනු ඇත.
32 හැවිරිදි ස්ටෝක්ස් විශ්රාම ගැනීමෙන් පසු සැප්තැම්බර් මාසයේදී නවසීලන්තයට එරෙහිව පැවැත්වෙන තරග හතරකින් යුත් තරගාවලිය සඳහා 15 දෙනෙකුගෙන් යුත් සංචිතයකට නම් කරනු ඇත.
2019 වසරේ පළමු වරට එංගලන්තය ලෝක කුසලානය දිනූ විට අවසන් මහා තරගයේ වීරයා වූයේ ස්ටෝක්ස් ය.
තුන් ඉරියව් ක්රීඩකයා පසුගිය ගිම්හානයේදී එක්දින ජාත්යන්තර තරඟවලින් විශ්රාම ගියේ ආකෘති තුනක් ක්රීඩා කිරීම තිරසාර නොවන බව පවසමිනි.
ඔහු නොවැම්බරයේ ඕස්ට්රේලියාවේ පැවති විස්සයි විස්ස ආකෘතියෙන් එංගලන්තය ලෝක කුසලානය ඔසවද්දී අවසන් මහා තරගයට ක්රීඩා කල අතර ඔහු එංගලන්ත ටෙස්ට් කණ්ඩායමට නායකත්වය දෙමින් T20 ජාත්යන්තර තරගවලට ක්රීඩා කළේය.
ඔහු ඕවර 50 ලෝක කුසලානයට ක්රීඩා කරන්නේ දැයි ජූලි මාසයේදී ඇසූ විට, ස්ටෝක්ස් නැවත වරක් කියා සිටියේ තමා විශ්රාම ගත් බවයි.
නමුත් ඩේලි මේල් සමඟ සම්මුඛ සාකච්ඡාවකට එක්වෙමින් එංගලන්ත පුහුණුකරු මැතිව් මොට් පැවසුවේ නායක ජොස් බට්ලර් එම තීරණය වෙනස් කිරීම සඳහා ස්ටෝක්ස් වෙත පැමිණෙනු ඇති බවයි. සඳුදා පුවත්පත් වාර්තා ගණනාවක් පැවසුවේ ස්ටෝක්ස් ඉල්ලීම සලකා බලන බවයි.
ඔහුගේ පන්දු යැවීමේ හැකියාව දැඩි ලෙස සීමා කර ඇති දිගුකාලීන වම් දණහිසේ ගැටලුවක් නිසාවෙන් ලෝක කුසලානයේ ඔහුගේ භූමිකාව බොහෝ දුරට විශේෂඥ පිතිකරුවෙකු ලෙස විය හැකිය.
Cricket
KSCA Officials Resign Over Chinnaswamy Stampede; RCB Faces FIR in Tragic Victory Celebration Fallout
In a tragic turn of events following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) historic IPL 2025 title win, a deadly stampede at the celebratory event held at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and injured several others. The aftermath has sparked controversy and accountability issues, leading to major resignations and legal action.
Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam resigned on Friday, citing “moral responsibility” for the incident. Their resignations were submitted to KSCA president Raghuram Bhat, as questions mount over mismanagement and negligence at the overcrowded venue.
The Bengaluru Police have filed an FIR listing RCB, DNA Entertainment (event partner), and KSCA as accused parties. Police confirmed that the event had not been granted official permission. In a swift move, Nikhil Sosale, RCB’s head of marketing and revenue, was arrested—raising further scrutiny over organizational lapses.
KSCA has filed a writ petition calling the FIR a “knee-jerk” reaction under political pressure. They argued that crowd control and gate management were the responsibilities of RCB and the event organizers, not KSCA.
RCB has announced INR 10 lakh compensation for each victim and committed to covering all medical expenses of the injured. However, the franchise has yet to make a comprehensive public statement.
This incident raises serious concerns about sports event management and safety standards, casting a shadow over what was supposed to be a moment of celebration in Indian cricket
Football
Asia Leads the Charge as 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Begin to Take Shape
The road to the historic 2026 FIFA World Cup is gaining momentum, and Asia is already making its mark on football’s grandest stage. With an expanded format featuring 48 teams and co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, this edition promises to be the most inclusive and diverse yet — and Asia is stepping up early.
🇯🇵 Japan Sets the Benchmark for Asia
Japan was the first nation worldwide to book their ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, underscoring their dominance in Asian football. Unbeaten in their qualifying campaign with six wins and one draw, the Samurai Blue continue to be the standard-bearers for the continent.
🇮🇷 Iran Continues Consistent Form
Iran soon followed Japan, securing their seventh overall World Cup appearance and fourth consecutive berth. The team remained undefeated in their group, showcasing the experience and tactical depth that has made them a fixture on the world stage.
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan Makes Historic Debut
In one of the most emotional stories of the qualifiers so far, Uzbekistan qualified for their first-ever FIFA World Cup. A gritty 0-0 draw against the UAE was enough for the Central Asian side to clinch a spot, sparking nationwide celebrations. Their rise highlights the growing strength of second-tier Asian nations on the global stage.
Asia’s Presence Grows in 2026 Format
Asia is guaranteed eight slots in the 2026 World Cup — a significant jump from previous editions — allowing the region to showcase more talent, depth, and emerging football powerhouses. With teams like South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Australia still in the hunt, the continent could make a serious impact come 2026.
Global Context
The tournament’s expanded format and host countries in North America mark a new era for international football. With 104 matches, 16 host cities, and an increased number of participants, it will be a celebration of global diversity — and Asian nations are ready to shine.
Countries Qualified So Far
- Asia: 🇯🇵 Japan, 🇮🇷 Iran, 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
- Oceania: 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- South America: 🇦🇷 Argentina
(Additional qualifiers from other confederations are ongoing.)
As the countdown to 2026 begins, all eyes are on Asia’s rising stars — ready to challenge the world and redefine the future of football.
Cricket
Sachithra Senanayake Indicted in Landmark Match-Fixing Case Under Sri Lanka’s Anti-Corruption Law
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Sachithra Senanayake has been formally indicted before the Hambantota High Court, marking a historic first in Sri Lanka’s efforts to criminalize corruption in sports. The charges stem from an alleged match-fixing attempt during the 2020 Lanka Premier League (LPL), making Senanayake the first player to face prosecution under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act No. 24 of 2019.
Senanayake, currently out on bail, is accused of attempting to influence Colombo Kings player Tharindu Ratnayake to underperform during the tournament. The incident reportedly occurred via a WhatsApp message, which was later flagged by a local anti-corruption officer, prompting an official investigation in 2020.
The case falls under the landmark legislation introduced in 2019 by then Sports Minister Harin Fernando, which criminalizes match-fixing and related offenses in the country. If convicted, Senanayake could face a prison term of up to 10 years, a fine reaching Rs. 100 million, or both.
The indictment signals a serious shift in Sri Lanka’s approach to tackling corruption in sports. Authorities hope this high-profile case will serve as a strong deterrent against similar offenses in the future.
Senanayake, once a celebrated off-spinner and a member of Sri Lanka’s victorious 2014 ICC T20 World Cup squad, now faces the grim prospect of being remembered not for his achievements on the field, but for his role in one of Sri Lanka’s most significant match-fixing scandals.
As the case unfolds, it casts a spotlight on the broader issue of corruption in sports and reinforces the urgent need for integrity, vigilance, and transparent governance across all levels of competition in Sri Lanka
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