Sri Lanka to host Pakistan matches at World Cup
Sri Lanka will host matches at this year's Women's World Cup as part of ongoing arrangements surrounding fixtures involving India and Pakistan.India's refusal to travel to Pakistan for the men's Champions Trophy earlier this year prompted the International Cricket Council (ICC) to introduce neutral venues to tournaments hosted by either nation.As part of the plans, announced in December, neither country will travel to the other for an ICC event.The Sri Lankan city of Colombo will join Indian cities Bengaluru, Guwahati, Indore and Visakhapatnam in staging the Women's World Cup, which runs from 30 September until 2 November.Colombo will host Pakistan's seven group games, including against India and England. It will also host a semi-final and the final if Pakistan make it that far.
Bengaluru will stage the opening match, involving India, and the final if Pakistan are not involved. The full list of fixtures for the eight-team tournament is still to be announced.Australia are the defending World Cup champions, having beaten England in the final of the previous tournament in New Zealand, delayed until 2022 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.One potential problem with the logistical switch could be the weather, with October one of the wetter months of the year in Sri Lanka.India and Pakistan were not playing each other outside of major tournaments even before the conflict between the two nations last month.The cricketing tension between the two countries escalated over the Champions Trophy. Even though Pakistan travelled to India for the men's 50-over World Cup in 2023, India did not make a reciprocal journey earlier this year.As part of the ICC arrangements, India played their matches in Dubai, going on to win the trophy after playing every fixture at the same venue.In May, amid cross-border military strikes between the two nations, both the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League were suspended before resuming. The delayed IPL final will be played on Tuesday.It remains to be seen whether the government of either country will allow their team to take part in a fixture against the other.It has also been announced the opening game of next year's Women's T20 World Cup in England will be played at Edgbaston on 12 June.The semi-finals have been confirmed for The Oval. The final will take place at Lord's on 5 July 2026.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
5 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Same again for England as Jofra Archer misses training due to family emergency
The 30-year-old is expected to rejoin the squad on Tuesday in preparation for the second Test at Edgbaston as England look to strengthen their grip on the five-match series, but captain Ben Stokes will be leading an Archer-less side into battle. Archer was called up to England's squad after the side secured a thrilling five-wicket victory in the series opener at Headingley last week. Jofra Archer is 𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑲 🔥 Our squad to take on India in the second Test has just dropped 📋👇 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 26, 2025 Archer has not played Test cricket since February 2021 and played his first red-ball match after four years in Sussex's County Championship draw against Durham at Chester-le-Street last week. Whenever his Test return comes, fellow England bowler Chris Woakes is excited to have Archer back around the team and believes his best days are still ahead of him. He said: 'Brilliant for Jof, brilliant for us as a team. It is a big boost to have him back. 'When Jof is around he adds a lot to the group, not only as a player but as a person and as a character. He's obviously had a tough journey over the last few years with his injuries and it's credit to him the hard work he's put in to be back in this position to be able to hopefully play Test cricket again. 'More delighted for him than us really because I know how hard it is to go through long spells of injuries. We haven't had the lay offs he's had but even just a niggle here and there it can be hard mentally, so full credit to him and the opportunity to play for England again. 'His best is probably still ahead of him. I'm sure he's chomping at the bit to get back out there and show people what he has already done in the whites. 'We all know how good he can be but he's at an age where his best is still ahead of him, which is exiting for him and us. 'Hopefully when he does get back out there it will be great to have him back and great for the fans.' England will look to take a 2-0 series lead over India with victory this week but the side have had a mixed bag of results at the venue over the last five years. A defeat by New Zealand in 2021 along with a pair of Ashes losses in 2019 and 2023 show it could be tough work for England. But Woakes, who was born in Birmingham and plays his domestic cricket for Warwickshire, is excited to play in front of his home crowd. He added: 'Whenever I come here for an international it's got that extra buzz and a real good feeling turning up at your home crowd and being part of a big series, it's exciting. 'We get great support here. The Hollies (stand) will be rocking and there will be a lot of Indian fans here as well so it makes for a great atmosphere for both teams. I'm glad to be a part of it.' James Anderson and Stuart Broad's retirements mean Woakes is now a more senior figure in the England bowling attack and the 36-year-old is enjoying his role as one of the most experienced members of the group. 'I'm enjoying it and I played a lot of my England games with Jimmy and Broady so it is different not having them around but also it's a great opportunity for myself,' he said. 'I've enjoyed that role so far and it's good to pass on some knowledge to the younger guys that haven't played as much Test cricket. 'I'm still in that position where I'm trying to get better and improve every time I go out there. People like to talk about age a lot but it is just a number. If I feel like I'm performing well, I'll carry on.'
Rhyl Journal
5 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
‘Healthy competition' can drive England to Euro glory
Sarina Wiegman's side earned a convincing 7-0 victory over Jamaica in their final game before they aim to defend their European crown in Switzerland starting on Saturday against France. Toone got on the scoresheet in an England shirt for the first time since a 5-1 win over Italy in February 2024 as she netted both the opener and third goal from range. Send-off victory 🙌 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) June 30, 2025 There has been significant change in the England side since they reached the World Cup final two years ago but Toone is excited about the squad England have at their disposal for this year's tournament. She told the England website: 'It's nice to send ourselves off to the Euros in that style. 'I've waited a while for another goal in an England shirt and two came today, so obviously I'm really happy with that. But overall, the team performance was great and we're excited now going into the Euros. 'We've got a very talented squad, a very exciting group, and for us, we're going to take each game as it comes, we're going to step out and give our all as we always do, and hopefully we can make the nation proud. 'There's so much talent, there's players who have been to tournaments, players who are going to their first, and no matter what role I have in the tournament I'll make sure that I give my best for the team – we'll all be pushing each other and it's healthy competition.' Georgia Stanway was also on target at the King Power Stadium on Sunday alongside Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo, Aggie Beever-Jones and Beth Mead. The Bayern Munich midfielder missed some of the season through injury but insists she has bounced back stronger. She said: 'I didn't expect to be having surgery at the end of January, it's my first injury in about 10 years so I've had a good innings. Maybe it happened for a reason but I'm feeling good, I'm feeling fresh. 'It's a cliche but I do feel fitter, faster and sharper than I have in a long time. I've timed it perfectly. 'But I think today the main focus was just trying to enjoy it. We've worked hard in training and we wanted to get those actions into the game today.'
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
MSPs pile pressure on UK Government to make it law that all Scotland games are free to view
And in March, the Beeb struck a deal to televise all Scotland's men's international matches in the run-up to next year's World Cup CROWN JEWEL CALL MSPs pile pressure on UK Government to make it law that all Scotland games are free to view Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MSPS have joined forces to heap pressure on the UK Government to make it law that all Scotland's international matches are free-to-air on the BBC. The men's team's games were previously televised on the subscription service Viaplay, before the Swedish broadcaster withdrew from the UK market. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 A Holyrood committee has contacted the UK Government, the SFA and the Scottish Government over the prospect over televising Scotland national team matches for free Credit: Alamy 2 There are hopes that Scotland's Euro and World Cup qualifiers could become 'crown jewel' events Credit: Getty And in March, the Beeb struck a deal to televise all Scotland's men's international matches in the run-up to next year's World Cup. But a cross-party group of MSPs on the Scottish Parliament's Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee wants to see free coverage of the national team enshrined in law, and expanded to include Euro qualifiers. It has asked for the UK Government's position on categorising Scotland men's and women's national team games under Group A events, which requires full coverage to be offered to free-to-air broadcasters - like the World Cup finals, European Championships, Olympic Games, and Wimbledon. Fans' groups have rallied behind the proposals and called for more free-to-view fixtures. Andy Smith, chair of the Scottish Football Supporters Association, said: 'It's great if they're serious and are going to do something about it. 'We've been campaigning on this for two years. Scotland games should be free on TV and we found that there's nobody who disagrees. 'More kids and young people would like to watch Scotland. It's short-term thinking to try and squeeze money out of TV companies. 'The reason it might not happen is money but this could be great for the long-term success of the game. They're better off broadcasting it for the nation, instead of short-term TV deals. 'It's good that politicians are touching base with what the people want. Our position is that all Scottish football and rugby games should be free to view.' Hamish Husband, of the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, added: 'In an ideal world, all Scotland qualifying games would be free. This would be good news for fans of Scotland's men's and women's teams. Former Rangers owner Sir David Murray vows to save Dalzell steel mill with masterplan 'But the TV money that the SFA gets is pretty major. It must be ensured that the SFA, for the good of Scottish football, don't lose out financially.' In a letter to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy MP, SNP MSP Clare Adamson wrote: 'The Committee invites you to set out the current UK Government's position on potentially including expanding the specific Scottish events covered under the listed events regime, to include in Group A, not just the Scottish FA Cup final but also Scotland's World Cup and European Championship qualifiers.' The cross-party body also requested the views of SFA chief executive, Ian Maxwell, and the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson MSP. In the UK, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is in charge of the Group A list - dubbed "crown jewel" sporting events. These events are considered to be of national interest and are subject to specific broadcasting regulations to ensure wide availability. Steve Clarke's men will kick off their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Denmark on September 5. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The Scottish Government has long called for national sporting events like Scotland's men's and women's football qualifiers to be protected for free-to-air broadcast and we'll continue to make that case on behalf of fans across the country. "It is welcome news that all of Scotland men's international football matches will be broadcast live on the BBC in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup. 'We will consider the Committee's recommendations and respond in due course.' An SFA spokesperson said: 'Since 2014, television rights for men's international qualifying matches [European Qualifiers and Nations League] have been centralised by UEFA. "This has enabled the Scottish FA to support growth in all aspects of the game: from grassroots level, girls' and women's participation, investment in facilities, and improved provision across all men's and women's national teams. "We are in favour of ensuring as many supporters as possible can watch all national teams and, in that regard, we welcome BBC Scotland's recent acquisition of rights from UEFA. "Any discussion on extending Listed Events would need to consider UEFA's jurisdiction as well as the implications for other Home Nations under the centralisation umbrella. "The commercial implications to Scottish football would be significant, with potential revenue loss amounting to millions of pounds that would in turn significantly reduce investment in the aforementioned areas of the association's responsibility." A UK Government spokesperson said it has no current plans to review listed events but that it supports widespread accessibility of sport. They added that it is for the Scottish Government to evaluate whether there is a right balance between generating income for reinvesting in Scottish sport and providing access for audiences across the country.
