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Allen, Ferguson, Milne, Phillips, O’Rourke and Sears were all unavailable due to injury

Deivarayan Muthu19-Oct-2025Kane Williamson will return to action for New Zealand in the three-match ODI series against England, which kicks off at Bay Oval, his home ground, on October 26. Williamson, 35, is missing from the ongoing T20I series as he is recovering from an unspecified, ‘minor medical issue’ in the past month.Williamson is among a group of players who have a casual contract with New Zealand Cricket (NZC). He had earlier made himself unavailable for the three-match T20I series against Australia and missed the Zimbabwe tour to play county cricket and the Hundred as part of his deal with Middlesex. More recently, Williamson was appointed Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) strategic advisor in the IPL.Allrounder Nathan Smith also returned to the New Zealand squad after undergoing rehab for an abdominal injury sustained during the first Test against Zimbabwe in August in Bulawayo. Smith, 27, has not played any competitive cricket since.Related

• Williamson joins LSG as strategic advisor

New Zealand head coach Rob Walter welcomed Williamson and Smith back into the set-up. For Williamson, this will be his first appearance for New Zealand since the Champions Trophy final in Dubai in March earlier this year. Smith also played in that final, though as a last-minute replacement for Matt Henry, who was injured at the time.”Kane and Nathan have had to work hard to overcome their respective injuries and illness,” Walter said in a statement. “We all know what Kane means to the Blackcaps – to have his skill, experience and leadership back in the group is fantastic.”Nathan’s still relatively new to his international career, but he’s impressed with his all-round skills and ability in the field.”Having undergone rehab, Smith has declared himself fit and ready for the New Zealand summer.”Yeah, always exciting when you get the opportunity to play for New Zealand in any series,” Smith said. “The last period from that [Bulawayo] Test to now has looked like a bit of rest initially. And then after a couple of weeks, you can sort of start to get moving again and strengthen the ab back-ups. Since the start of September, I’ve been ripping into some rehab and building the bowling loads back up. It’s just been a really good period to get some strength in and build some training back up for a busy season.”Mitchell Santner also returned to take charge of the ODI team after leading them to the Champions Trophy final. Having recovered from an abdominal injury, he is currently in action in the T20I series against England.However, Finn Allen (foot), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin), and Ben Sears (hamstring) were all unavailable due to injury.Nathan Smith has recovered from an abdominal injury•AFP/Getty Images

Tom Latham will take the wicketkeeping gloves and will also make his first appearance for New Zealand since the Champions Trophy final. Latham had been sidelined from the two-match Test series in Zimbabwe with a shoulder injury. He hasn’t played any competitive cricket since his century for Birmingham Bears in the T20 Blast in July.Along with Smith, Canterbury seam-bowling allrounder Zak Foulkes has also been picked in the squad. Foulkes has played just two internationals so far and in September, he hit back-to-back fifties for New Zealand A in Benoni in the unofficial ODI series. Michael Bracewell and Rachin Ravindra are the other allrounders in the side.Henry, who is the highest wicket-taker among seamers in ODIs in 2025, with 24 strikes in nine innings at an average of 15.50, will lead the attack.This will be Walter’s first stint with the New Zealand ODI side as their head coach. “The ODI side has been very successful for a long period of time, as the current ICC ranking of number two suggests,” Walter said. “We have an experienced core of players and as a team, are very clear on how we want to play. This is very much the start of our journey to the ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2027 and I know the group are excited to get going in this series against a quality England side.”New Zealand’s ODI group will assemble in Tauranga on Friday ahead of Sunday’s opening game. The second ODI will be played in Hamilton on October 29, while England’s tour will conclude with the third ODI in Wellington on November 1.The ODI series will overlap with the men’s Ford Trophy, New Zealand’s premier domestic one-day tournament, which will start on October 25 across various venues. The Ford Trophy will kick off New Zealand’s domestic summer for a second year in a row. The Ford Trophy will start on October 25, followed by the women’s Hallyburton Johnstone Shield (HBJ) taking off on November 15.

New Zealand ODI squad

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Red Sox star rookie outfielder Roman Anthony left the fourth inning of Tuesday night's contest against the Guardians with a back injury.

Anthony, who was hitting .291 on the season entering Tuesday as a breakout star in Boston's lineup, swung hard and missed at a breaking ball from Cleveland pitcher Slade Cecconi. He immediately grabbed his lower back and did not return to the game.

The Red Sox said Anthony was dealing with "left oblique tightness." He will undergo an MRI on Wednesday to confirm the severity of the injury.

The Red Sox won the game 11–7, and now sit at 78–62 on the season. Boston entered Tuesday night tied with the Yankees just 2.5 games out of first place in a hotly contested American League East. Both clubs are chasing the Blue Jays, who have been one of the best teams in the American League since June.

Any long-term injury to Anthony would be impactful to the Red Sox, who hope to not only win the division but compete for the American League pennant.

One Manchester United star could now leave Old Trafford in 2026, according to Sky Sports, and it seems Ruben Amorim and INEOS are clashing behind the scenes.

Amorim calls out Man Utd midfielder at Carrington

A big talking point again so far this season at Old Trafford has been on Amorim’s system and finding a position for captain Bruno Fernandes.

The Portuguese star has dropped deeper to allow summer signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha to occupy the two number 10 roles in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system. There hasn’t been room for Manuel Ugarte, though, who has struggled for game time after previously starring under Amorim at Sporting CP.

It has now been revealed that the Man Utd manager wasn’t happy with Ugarte following the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham. In fact, Amorim criticised Ugarte in front of his Man Utd teammates during a Carrington meeting towards the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

Amorim felt that Ugarte ‘had let his work rate slide from their time together at Sporting’, adding that the midfielder ‘had gotten comfortable and said he did not recognise him as the same player from their first stint together’.

One midfielder who Amorim has been rating in 2025 is Casemiro, however, a worrying transfer update for the Man Utd boss has now emerged.

Casemiro leaving Man Utd for free a real possibility

According to Sky Sports, the prospect of Casemiro leaving Man Utd on a free transfer is a ‘real possibility’.

It is stated that the Red Devils hold an option to extend the Brazilian’s stay by an additional year, but that may not happen as United look ‘to free up space on the wage bill to strengthen the midfield area next season’.

Casemiro, who is Man Utd’s biggest earner on £350,000-a-week, has been a regular under Amorim and the manager ideally would want the midfielder to stay until 2027.

Reports have claimed that Amorim and the club’s executives are at odds over Casemiro’s future. The manager thinks he is still needed at Old Trafford, whereas executives are asking for a wage cut instead of triggering the extension option, something which Casemiro is unlikely to accept.

Since joining in 2022 from Real Madrid, the now 33-year-old has made 135 appearances for Man Utd, scoring 20 goals and registering 13 assists. A regular alongside Fernandes this season, Amorim has selected Casemiro ahead of Kobbie Mainoo and Ugarte, praising the Brazilian recently.

“I think he gives a lot of experience. He’s so important for us. Today he ran a lot. He had to press so high and then return, and he’s doing that. So, I’m really pleased with him. And the other guys need to look at Casemiro.”

However, in 2026, it looks as if Amorim could lose one of his important players, potentially putting a strain on his relationship with INEOS in the process.

Forget Sesko: Man Utd's "terrible" dud is now becoming INEOS' worst signing

Varun Chakravarthy also made the cut as India picked three spinners for their Asia Cup opener

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-20252:34

Bangar: Samson deserves a slot in the top three

India won their first toss in 16 attempts across formats, and chose to bowl first in their Asia Cup opener against UAE. Suryakumar Yadav, the India captain, felt there was a chance of dew later in the match on a humid evening in Dubai.Muhammad Waseem, the UAE captain, said he would have preferred to bowl first too, and expected a bit of early help for the seamers.India sprang a few surprises with their selection. They retained Sanju Samson as wicketkeeper, despite the return of Shubman Gill to the top of the order displacing him into a middle-order role more familiar to Jitesh Sharma. They also picked both their wristspinners in Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.This left the issue of whether they would prioritise depth in their batting or their seam attack. They went with the former, picking the allrounder Shivam Dube rather than a second frontline quick in Arshdeep Singh or Harshit Rana. Jasprit Bumrah starts as the only specialist quick, with Hardik Pandya expected to partner him with the new ball.Related

• Gill and Abhishek begin new chapter in old bromance

UAE made one change to the XI that played their last match, the four-wicket loss to Afghanistan in the recent home tri-series, bringing in the offspin-bowling allrounder Dhruv Parashar for the legspinner Muhammad FarooqIndia: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Jasprit BumrahUAE: 1 Muhammad Zohaib, 2 Muhammad Waseem (capt), 3 Asif Khan, 4 Alishan Sharafu, 5 Rahul Chopra (wk), 6 Dhruv Parashar, 7 Harshit Kaushik, 8 Haider Ali, 9 Muhammad Rohid, 10 Junaid Siddique, 11 Simranjeet Singh

USMNT star Gio Reyna is setting himself an "eight good months" target as he bids to form part of Mauricio Pochettino's plans at a home World Cup in 2026. Having endured his fair share of injury issues down the years, the talented playmaker now finds himself on the books of Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach – with the plan being to catch the eye there.

• Reyna puts club struggles aside to score for USMNT

  Game time has been in relatively short supply again for the 23-year-old this season, with Reyna failing to start a game at club level since suffering a 4-0 defeat to Werder Bremen on his Gladbach debut on September 14. He has taken in five substitute appearances since then.

  He was, however, drafted into the latest United States squad and opened the scoring early on in a 2-1 friendly victory over Paraguay. Reyna is reminding those in the international arena what he is capable of, with there only 26 World Cup spots up for grabs heading towards next summer.

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  Target set to make final squad

  Reyna is desperate to fill one of those, but accepts that he needs to deliver on a consistent basis in Germany in order to earn the right to grace a major tournament on American soil. He is determined to do just that, having endured a testing time at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

  Reyna told reporters after registering his first international goal since March 2024: "I knew it was an opportunity for me to show that I belong here. He [Pochettino] has been great with me all week, working with him, and yeah, just trying to give me the freedom and the confidence to sort of be myself. So I can't thank him enough, obviously, for the start and just for the relationship that we've really built this camp.

  "In the end, it’s performances like this that can help everybody here. I want to have, more importantly, seven or eight good months in the rest of the season with Gladbach, and then I believe if I keep performing like I did tonight, then I'll have a good chance to make the team and have an impact there too."

• Pochettino impressed by 'nightmare' Reyna

  Pochettino was pleased with what he saw from Reyna at Subaru Park against Paraguay, with the Argentine tactician saying: "So happy with him. He showed why he started. And he has confirmed that he's a player that needs to improve, because he needs to play more in his club, but we can see today that he was great. The capacity to read the game and find the free space in between the lines, I think that was a nightmare for Paraguay."

  Leeds playmaker Brenden Aaronson was another to be given an opportunity to impress in Pennsylvania, having endured selection issues of his own, and he was delighted to see Reyna take his chance.

  He said of Reyna remaining an important part of the USMNT as a so-called ‘Golden Generation’ looks to deliver on expectations: "He always shows up for the national team. Gio’s one of my best friends in football. We grew up playing against each other for a long time. I know the kind of player he is, and I'm just really happy for him. He deserves it. He’s been through a lot with injuries, with all this stuff, but whenever he plays for the national team, he's always there, and it's awesome to see."

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  What comes next for Reyna?

  Reyna made his senior international in 2020, the day before his 18th birthday, and has reached 33 senior caps. He would have expected to pass a half-century in that department by now, with frustrating fitness issues holding him back on a regular basis.

  There is no doubting his ability, with the USMNT requiring somebody to provide a creative spark in the final third, and patience has been shown with him by a number of coaches. A change of scenery at club level, having severed ties with Borussia Dortmund, could serve him well – with Reyna under contract at Gladbach through to the summer of 2028.

The commentator’s iconic five-word summation of the Brisbane Test captured the essence of India’s victory against all odds

Karthik Krishnaswamy13-Dec-2024What’s your favourite commentary moment? Is it a moment of great commentary, or is it simply a great moment commentated upon? Sometimes the moment is big enough that the words don’t need to say all that much. Ravi Shastri and Ian Smith weren’t telling you anything you didn’t know when they told you that Dhoni had finished it off in style, and that England had won by the barest of margins, but the weight of the moments they described transfigured their words, turning them iconic. You probably didn’t just read them now; you heard them, in those voices.You could argue that the voices count for more than the words themselves, and that, in a job where you’re merely the garnish to what viewers can see for themselves, there’s nothing quite as valuable as the ability to convey emotion. It’s why the stints of Shastri and Smith always seem to coincide with the big finishes.Sometimes, though, a commentator goes above and beyond, and unearths a line that plays with the possibilities of language while capturing a moment’s zeitgeist. Vivek Razdan did this on January 19, 2021, when Rishabh Pant drove Josh Hazlewood down the ground at the Gabba and completed one of Test cricket’s greatest turnarounds.Related

• 'When you leave cricket, you will realise what you have done': Inside India's 2021 Gabba miracle

• Rishabh Pant: 'One of the biggest things in my life right now'

• Stats – India breach the Gabba fortress

• India have created the greatest moment in their Test history

• The Gabba result has done justice to the game we love

If you were watching the Hindi feed, this is what you heard when the ball rolled into the boundary cushion at long-off: Gabba Seldom have five words said so much.No one had beaten Australia at the Gabba in 31 Tests over 32 years. In the closing stages of the previous Test match, in Sydney, Australia captain Tim Paine had shown his frustration at his team’s inability to turn 1-1 into 2-1 by reminding India’s match-saving sixth-wicket pair that they had to come to this fortress next. “See you at the Gabba, mate.”Poetry in emotion: Razdan’s years of study paid off with the perfect denouement is a weighty, richly textured Urdu-Hindi word whose meaning lies somewhere between – and somewhere outside, too – arrogance, conceit, condescension, disdain, pride and vanity. With that one bit of alliteration, Razdan took in both the gravitas of Australia’s Gabba record and the hubris of Paine’s taunt: the Gabba’s now lay shattered.Razdan says the words came to him spontaneously, in the release of all the emotion built up over the preceding weeks: 36 all out in Adelaide followed by the departure of India’s captain; the comeback in Melbourne; the draw in Sydney sealed by a pair battling a torn hamstring and a bad back; the decimation of India’s bowling attack by injury, and the improbable competitiveness of the ragtag unit that took the field in Brisbane.”Each and every day, each and every game, there were so many different people who were coming up and raising their hand and showing that sort of character, and what they were made of,” Razdan says. “So these emotions were building over time, over all those days and Test matches. By the time we got to the fifth day of that final Test match, needing more than 300 runs, with so many things said against that team, the emotions were so high.”The way everything transpired, it was as if we were living on a different planet. And this was a time when the entire world was going through the Covid pandemic, so those emotions were also somewhere inside that. People are suffering, you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. In that sort of environment, when somebody comes up like this and does what they did, it was unbelievable.”I am a big believer in destiny and I’m so grateful that I was doing that stint and I was there on the mic on that day, and luckily, with the blessing of the almighty, those particular words came to me. They weren’t words, they were a feeling and an emotion.”An unheralded Pant became the hero of India’s unlikely win•Patrick Hamilton/AFP/Getty ImagesMoments later, Razdan let himself go once more as the producers cut to shots of India’s players embracing the hero of their run chase. It’s hard to imagine, now, that Pant started the series out of India’s XI, with Wriddhiman Saha preferred in Adelaide. It’s even more unimaginable that it was a reasonable choice then, given the challenge of the pink ball under lights and how far ahead Saha was of Pant as a pure keeper. Pant faced severe scrutiny over his keeping once he came into the side, and for all the runs he scored, his methods came in for widespread criticism whenever he was dismissed, even when he made 97 in Sydney.As Pant soaked in the winning feeling, Razdan ventriloquised: “There are virtues within me, shortcomings too. Ask yourself, seeker, what is it you want from me?”Lines like this speak of the decades of work Razdan put in to carve a niche for himself in a career he fell into, in some ways. He speaks English with an easy fluency that betrays his education at Delhi’s St Columba’s School, which includes Rahul Gandhi and Shahrukh Khan among its alumni. Hindi commentary wasn’t necessarily the obvious career path after Razdan’s fast-bowling days were done.”I’m a Kashmiri Pandit, and Hindi is my mother tongue,” Razdan says. “And my mom comes from UP, she comes from Lucknow. As a child, there were certain lines she always used to throw at me, you know? ” – you are telling someone to do certain things in a certain way, and you yourself are not able to do it. So my mom used to throw these lines at me, and I was always fascinated.”When I grew up, I never knew I’ll get into this line [of work], so once I started commentary, and then Hindi commentary came in in a big way, I started trying to speak to my mom – ‘Tell me all these lines that you heard as a child growing up in Lucknow.’ And it got me more interested in it.Into the breach: after India’s 2021 triumph, West Indies tore down Fortress Gabba earlier this year•Chris Hyde/Cricket Australia/Getty Images”Then I started reading, reading a lot. The poets of repute during that time, Mirza Ghalib, [Allama] Iqbal, all of them. The other thing that excited me was, these are certain lines or certain phrases being used over the years for portraying different emotions. How can I relate it to my sport? That is where the challenge came. So then I had to really go deep, study it, make my own adjustments, make my own lines, make my own rhymes. And over a period of time I kept writing them, kept writing them.”And that day, you know, the situation was such that it just brought out the best, because once you start studying it, you start saying these lines, you keep remembering them. Then you know when is the apt moment to use which line.”Razdan’s most famous line has gone on to transcend its moment in unimaginable ways. It has even been voiced by Shamar Joseph, that other recent stormer of Australia’s citadel. The line also portended a downgrade in the status of Brisbane, which was for so long the intimidating first port of call for visiting teams; it is now no longer Australia’s preferred venue for the start of their home season.As another Gabba Test begins, then, one thing is certain. Whether Australia win or lose, the is gone.

Antonio Rudiger and Real Madrid have mutually agreed to pause contract extension talks until 2026 as the defender recovers from a significant muscle injury, according to reports in Spain. The 32-year-old’s priority is to stay, but he is not short of options, with a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia on the table and his former club Chelsea monitoring the situation.

• Rudiger's recovery stalls contract dialogue

  Rudiger and Madrid had opened preliminary discussions regarding a contract renewal, but talks are now on pause, according to a report from Spanish outlet .

  The 32-year-old's current deal at the Santiago Bernabeu expires at the end of the season and initial conversations between the club and the player's representatives reportedly began several months ago, with financial figures already on the table and a mutual desire to reach an agreement. However, these negotiations have been mutually postponed following the muscle injury the German international sustained in late September.

  The decision to halt negotiations was made by common accord, with both the player and the club feeling it was not the appropriate time to finalise figures while Rudiger focuses on his recovery.

  The 81-cap Germany international has been sidelined for months with a hamstring injury that required surgery, and his expected return date is not until mid-December 2025.

  The established roadmap, according to , is to resume the dialogue in the early part of 2026. This restart is contingent on Rudiger returning to first-team action and demonstrating that his physical level remains that of an "indisputable pillar" for Carlo Ancelotti's defence.

  The club initiated the talks months ago, signalling their intent to keep the former Chelsea man as an important part of their sporting project.

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  Defender's stance clear amid external interest

  The report adds that Rudiger's desire is unequivocally to continue at Real Madrid. He is said to be happy with the project, his role in the team and his life in the Spanish capital.

  This firm stance comes despite the defender not being short of suitors. Significant interest has reportedly emerged from Saudi Arabia, with clubs prepared to present an "economically potent" offer that would surpass the financial terms Madrid can table.

  Furthermore, his former club, Chelsea, has reportedly not closed the door on a potential return. The Premier League side, which Rudiger left on a free transfer in 2022, are said to maintain a cordial relationship with his entourage.

  Despite these lucrative and familiar options, Rudiger's priority remains clear: to continue wearing the white of Real Madrid.

• 'I would do it again': Rudiger on playing through pain

  Rudiger's current hamstring injury follows a gruelling two-year period where he played almost constantly for club and country. The report notes that the defender previously played through "a lot of pain" with a meniscus issue, highlighting his commitment.

  In a recent statement addressing his recovery, Rudiger was clear about his frustration and his focus.

  "There’s nothing I hate more than being injured. I’ll be back soon," he said. "I needed this time because the preseason after the Club World Cup was very short. I need a little more time. I’m really looking forward to returning soon. I needed this time to disconnect, both mentally and physically. I’m happy to be back."

  Reflecting on his decision to play through previous discomfort, Rudiger was defiant about his mentality.

  "What happened was crazy. But I would do it again if necessary," he stated. "I was in pain, but that's just me. I always want to help, and I could still sprint. That's why I said, 'Why not?' I would do it again."

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• Bernabeu hierarchy value leadership and mentorship

  Madrid's interest in retaining the 32-year-old extends beyond his on-pitch aggression and defensive attributes. The club's technical staff reportedly value him as a "current leader and a reference" for the squad's younger players.

  His impact is measured not only in successful tackles but also in his leadership and character. highlights that Rudiger is considered a natural mentor within the dressing room. He has forged a "big brother" relationship with emerging centre-back Dean Huijsen, actively helping the youngster integrate and understand the high demands of playing for Real Madrid.

  This off-pitch influence is complemented by his personal stability. Rudiger is described as being in a moment of "personal plenitude." He is reportedly happy in Madrid, residing in La Finca with his family, who are fully adapted to life in the city. He is a popular and respected figure in the dressing room, and the club views this contentment as a significant factor in their desire to secure his continuity.

India and Pakistan are in Group A with Oman and UAE; Group B has Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong

Danyal Rasool26-Jul-2025 • Updated on 02-Aug-2025India and Pakistan are pitted against each other in Group A at the 2025 men’s Asia Cup, set to be held in the UAE from September 9 to September 28. Their group-stage meeting will be on September 14 in Dubai*, with two more potential games between them should both reach the final. Dubai, where the final will also be played, will host 11 games while Abu Dhabi will host eight fixtures.Last week, the dates for the 17th edition of the tournament were announced by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Keeping in mind the T20 World Cup, the tournament will be played in the T20I format and, for the very first time, will feature eight teams, a bump of two from the previous edition.

Key group-stage matches

Ban v SL, Sept 13, Abu Dhabi
Ind v Pak, Sept 14, Dubai
Ban v Afg, Sept 16, Abu Dhabi
SL vs Afg, Sept 18, Abu Dhabi

Apart from India and Pakistan, Group A includes Oman and hosts UAE. Group B has Afghanistan and Hong Kong, who kickstart the tournament in Abu Dhabi on September 9, alongside Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.The top two teams from each group will move on to another four-team group for the second stage, with the top two teams of that group proceeding to the final on September 28.The venue and dates for the tournament were finalised at the ACC’s annual general meeting in Dhaka last Thursday, where the Asia Cup was one of the key points on the members’ agenda. The fate of the tournament had briefly been thrown into uncertainty following the India-Pakistan military skirmish in May. After the AGM in Dhaka, Naqvi had addressed a press conference about the imminent notification of the Asia Cup dates, though he had stopped short of confirming specific details at the time.The India-Pakistan fixture is, by far, the most financially lucrative fixture in the Asia Cup. The format of the tournament and the placement in the same group make at least two India-Pakistan matches likely, the second on September 21 – also in Dubai – if it happens. It also leaves open the possibility of a third meeting in the final in Dubai on September 28. There has, however, never been an India-Pakistan final in the Asia Cup.India are the official hosts of the tournament, but, after an agreement between the BCCI and the PCB earlier this year, tournaments held in India or Pakistan will see a neutral venue provided for the other side for a three-year period. The agreement came about ahead of the Champions Trophy held in Pakistan earlier this year. India played all their games, including the one against hosts Pakistan, in Dubai. The final, which India qualified for and won, was also held in Dubai.India are the defending champions, having beaten Sri Lanka in the final of the previous edition in 2023. Sri Lanka won the previous T20I edition, beating Pakistan in the final in 2022.*1700 GMT, Aug 2: The news story was updated after the ACC released the detailed schedule

The Houston Astros appear to be wasting little time after losing All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes to injury.

The Astros are acquiring third baseman Ramon Urias from the Baltimore Orioles, according to a Wednesday night report from Jon Heyman of the . Urias, 31, is slashing .248/.300/.388 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs this season.

Urias is primarily known for his defense; he's turned more double plays this year than any other American League third baseman. In 2022, he won a Gold Glove for his defensive work, registering 1.9 defensive bWAR for the first winning Orioles team in six years.

Houston outlets have reported Paredes may miss months with a hamstring injury after making his second All-Star team in his first year with the Astros. He has not played since July 19.

His squad, despite a raft of injuries this season, leads the Seattle Mariners by 4.5 games in the American League West division.