By Nawaz Gohar ; The International Cricket Council (ICC) has taken disciplinary action against Pakistani fast bowlers Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Abbas for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during a recent international match. Shahzad has been fined 15 percent of his match fee, while Abbas received an official warning.

According to an official ICC statement, both players were found guilty of committing a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct. Consequently, one demerit point has been added to each player’s disciplinary record.

Shahzad was penalized for an overly aggressive send-off following the dismissal of West Indies batter Shai Hope. Meanwhile, Abbas was issued an official reprimand for an inappropriate celebration after claiming the wicket of Jomel Warrican.

Both cricketers admitted to the offenses and accepted the sanctions proposed by Match Referee Jeff Crowe, eliminating the need for a formal hearing.

Under the ICC Code of Conduct, Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of a 50 percent match fee fine, and one or two demerit points. When a player reaches four demerit points within a 24-month period, those points convert into suspension points, leading to a ban.

Per ICC regulations, two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test match or two ODIs/T20Is, whichever comes first for the player’s team.

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By Nawaz Gohar ; Opening sensation Sahibzada Farhan and national women’s team captain Fatima Sana have been shortlisted for the ICC Player of the Month awards for February 2026.

Farhan’s nomination comes on the heels of a historic, record-breaking performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, while Fatima Sana’s all-round brilliance against South Africa has earned her a spot among the world’s elite.

Sahibzada Farhan has emerged as the standout nominee following a tournament that rewrote the history books. The hard-hitting opener amassed a staggering 383 runs at an average of 76.60 and a blistering strike rate of 160.25.

Most notably, Farhan eclipsed Virat Kohli’s long-standing record for the most runs in a single edition of the T20 World Cup. He also became the first player ever to smash two centuries in a single tournament, reaching three figures against both Namibia and Sri Lanka. Joining him on the shortlist are England’s Will Jacks and USA’s Shadley van Schalkwyk.

On the women’s side, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana continues to lead from the front. During the month of February, she displayed exceptional versatility in both ODIs and T20Is against South Africa.

Fatima was the leading light for Pakistan in the T20I series, hammering a brilliant 90 in the opening match followed by a resilient 47* in the third. Her ability to contribute with both bat and ball has made her a frontrunner for the award, alongside Sri Lanka’s Harshitha Samarawickrama and India’s Arundhati Reddy.

The winners will be decided by a combination of the ICC Voting Academy, which includes Pakistani legends Sana Mir and Saleem Khaliq, and a global fan vote.

The Academy’s vote carries a 90% weightage, while the remaining 10% is determined by the fans. Supporters in Pakistan and across the globe can cast their votes for their favorite stars at icc-cricket.com/awards. The winners will be officially announced in the second week of March.

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By Nawaz Gohar ;  The Cricket World Cup has always been a symbol of celebrating the sport, but on several occasions, political tensions and security concerns have prevented teams from taking the field.

Here are 6 key instances summarized in brief:

1️⃣ Bangladesh – T20 World Cup 2026 (India) Bangladesh refused to travel to India due to security concerns and expressed a desire to play their matches in Sri Lanka.

2️⃣ India – Champions Trophy 2025 (Pakistan) Due to political tensions, India refused to travel to Pakistan. The tournament was subsequently played under a “Hybrid Model” in the UAE.

3️⃣ Australia – Under-19 World Cup 2016 (Bangladesh) Australia withdrew from the entire tournament, citing security concerns.

4️⃣ Zimbabwe – T20 World Cup 2009 Following a breakdown in relations with the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe withdrew its name from the World Cup, and Scotland was included in their place.

5️⃣ England and New Zealand – ODI World Cup 2003 England refused to play their scheduled match in Zimbabwe, while New Zealand refused to play in Kenya.

6️⃣ Australia and West Indies – ODI World Cup 1996 (Sri Lanka) Following a bomb blast and the ongoing civil war in Sri Lanka, both teams refused to travel to Colombo for their matches.

In the world of cricket, politics and security have repeatedly altered the course of the game.

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By Nawaz Gohar ; The latest update regarding the ICC and BCCI is that consultations on a “Plan B” have begun behind the scenes, although a formal announcement is being avoided to prevent panic.

According to the current situation, the following key points have emerged:
ICC Emergency Review: The ICC medical team is in constant contact with officials from the Indian Ministry of Health. Reports indicate that the ICC has requested a “Health Safety Report” from the BCCI, specifically seeking details on the situation in cities (Kolkata and nearby areas) where Nipah virus cases have been detected.

Plan B”: Potential Alternative Venues: If the situation is not brought under control by the first week of February, the ICC is considering two major options:

Expanded Role for Sri Lanka: The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. If conditions in India deteriorate, the ICC may consider shifting the entire tournament to Sri Lanka, where there is currently no threat of the virus.

United Arab Emirates (UAE): Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah remain a secure “backup” as always. The ICC has previously moved a T20 World Cup from India to Dubai during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pressure from Western Boards: The cricket boards of Australia, England, and South Africa have expressed concerns regarding the safety of their players. Sources suggest that since the virus has already reached medical staff (doctors and nurses), foreign teams may demand “insurance clearance” before traveling to India, which could become a major hurdle for the event.

Current Status: As of now, the event remains scheduled to begin in India on February 7. However, an emergency ICC meeting is expected within the next 48 to 72 hours to make a final decision on whether to change specific venues or relocate the entire tournament.

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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Coaching Development Programme, in conjunction with the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) delivered a series of face-to-face Coach Development events in Barbados from March 25 to 27. The events were aimed to upskill, assess and accredit local coaches and coach developers from the CWI Level 1 to Level 3 coaching programmes to support the West Indies Cricket Pathway.

In its promise to lift coaching standards, over the past three years CWI has delivered 552 new coaching certificates across eight Caribbean countries – 93 at Level 2, 129 at Level 1, and 330 at the Foundation Level. 16 CWI Coach Developers have also been trained to deliver Level 1 Courses locally.

A total of 25 participants took part in the face-to-face components of the CWI Competition Coaching Course (Level 1) and the CWI Representative Coaching Programme (Level 2) which were held concurrently at Kensington Oval. Among the coaches who completed the courses were West Indies players Dwayne Smith, Kirk Edwards, Shane Dowrich, Shayne Moseley and Charlene Taitt with a total of five female coaches participating along with several current and former first-class players.

Both cohorts participated in separate online modules throughout March covering theoretical aspects of coaching in preparation for the face-to-face part of the programme which covered practical modules such as biomechanics, skill acquisition, applied coaching and game sense.

CWI Coach Development Manager, Chris Brabazon shared his thoughts on the events.

“Initiatives like this are part of the CWI strategy to make Coach Development opportunities more accessible and inclusive for anyone who would like to learn more about coaching and then use that training to actively grow the game in their communities. The BCA did a fantastic job in promoting the courses and assisting with the delivery. In particular Coach Developers Rohan Nurse, Robin Paris and Hendy Springer who are now able to present future Level 1 courses around Barbados as required. Also, the support from our UWI Coach Developers continues to be excellent in the development and delivery of our Level 2 and Level 3 coaching Programmes,” he said.

Dowrich said: “The course was very productive. I learnt a lot over the last couple of weeks, which included the online modules. It has been very interesting and opened my mind to a lot of things I haven’t been thinking about as a cricketer. It’s good to have the theory side and also looking at how to apply that to the practical side, which we did here at Kensington. The education in this programme is critical and will help to improve cricket in the Caribbean.”

Brabazon was also able to observe local coaches who are taking part in CWI’s first ever locally delivered Level 3 Coaching Programme. Jamal Smith and Corey Yearwood are taking part in the ongoing 12-month programme and were observed during their respective coaching sessions at Kensington Oval and Pickwick Cricket Club.

To find out more about CWI’s Coaching Development Programme and getting involved in coaching and to request a coaching development information pack from CWI, please email cwi@cricketwestindies.org

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JOHANNESBURG: The Wanderers Stadium pitch used for the third Test between South Africa and India last week has been rated “poor” by match referee Andy Pycroft.

The International Cricket Council announced on Tuesday that as a result of Pycroft´s rating, the Wanderers had received three demerit points.

If the stadium gets two more demerit points during the next five years, the ground will be suspended from staging any international cricket for 12 months.

Pycroft said in his report that the pitch “had excessively steep and unpredictable bounce and excessive seam movement”.

Pycroft noted that the pitch deteriorated rapidly, “which made batting extremely difficult and hazardous, resulting in the medical staff from both the sides having to come onto the field multiple times to treat their batsmen”.

The umpires, who were responsible for the safety of the players, halted the match shortly before the end of the third day when South African batsman Dean Elgar was struck on the grille of his helmet by a ball which lifted sharply.

“In the end the umpires made the decision to continue and the Test reached its natural conclusion on day four. However, there was still excessive variable bounce and seam movement,” said Pycroft.

The Wanderers is one of South Africa´s showpiece grounds, with the biggest spectator capacity in the country.

It staged the 2003 World Cup final and is due to host two more high profile matches this season – a one-day international against India on February 10, for which all the tickets have already been sold, and a Test match against Australia from March 30 to April 4.

All three Test venues against India failed to receive good ratings. The pitches for the first two Tests, in Cape Town and Centurion, were rated “average” by match referee Chris Broad.

The ICC has a sliding scale – very good, good, average, below average, poor and unfit.

Only one other Test pitch has been rated “poor” in the past year, the surface for Australia´s Test against England in Melbourne. But two of the other four venues were rated “very good” and two “good”.

Two of India´s pitches against Sri Lanka late last year were “good” and one “above average” while New Zealand´s pitches for two Tests against the West Indies were both rated “good”.

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