England recall Brydon Carse for final two ODIs against India after de…

Brydon Carse has rejoined England's ODI squad after recovering from his injuries. India ended England's long winning streak at Edgbaston with a six-wicket victory. Joe Root scored seventy-six runs, and Liam Dawson added sixty-eight for England. Shubman Gill made eighty runs, retiring hurt, while Axar Patel took four wickets. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar secured the win with an unbeaten partnership.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has landed itself in a new soup as Major League Cricket (MLC) franchises have accused the board of alleged extortion. As per reports, the PCB demands a whooping $25,000 fee to grant No Objection Certificates to the Pakistan players to take part in the league. Pakistan players, who take part in majority of the T20 leagues across the globe barring the Indian Premier League (IPL), are required to take NOCs from the PCB to participate in the tournaments, much akin to how other countries function as well.

PCB accused of extorting money from MLC franchises

As per Pak Passion, a source close to an MLC franchise owner accused the PCB of conveying to the franchises in the last-minute that a $25,000 fee was required to grant NOCs to Pakistan players. The source claimed that the PCB would stay silent for an entire year and ask for the fee just before the tournament when the franchises find themselves in a vulnerable position. The source went on to cite an incident from the second edition of the tournament where one MLC team had four Pakistan players and the PCB had told the franchise that they wouldn’t have to worry about the NOCs as long as the money reached their account. ipl-cricket.in

“There were four Pakistani players for one of the teams, but, the PCB forgot about the fourth player and asked for three payments of $25,000. They, then extorted another $25,000 for the fourth player for an NOC just a few hours before a match was to be played. That team was wiring the money to the PCB and asking for the NOC. The PCB stated don’t worry about the NOC, if your money comes and hits our bank account before the first ball is bowled, we’ll take care of the NOC for you,” the source claimed.

The source further claimed that when the matter was raised with PCB cheif Mohsin Naqvi, the response was that this was a means of revenue for the PCB and that they had every right to ask for the money. In MLC 2026, Haris Rauf is the sole Pakistan player in the tournament, playing for San Francisco Unicorns. As per the report, this extrotion technique deployed by the PCB is forcing the MLC franchises to not consider buying Pakistan players. The source also claimed that the fee was imposed only on the MLC franchises.

“With what’s been happening, most of the franchises have decided that they’re not going to sign Pakistani players anymore. The franchises who were signing Pakistani players were suffering financially and had to pay over their budget. Owners have had enough and have told the agents of Pakistani players, we don’t want their players because of the extortion,” the source added.

The post PCB accused of ‘extortion’ by MLC franchises: $25000 per Pakistan player for NOC appeared first on Inside Sport India.

Boria Majumdar, Birmingham

Shubman Gill played a stellar hand at Edgbaston and, with support from Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, ensured that India went 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series. While I have discussed his innings in an earlier piece, I believe this performance points to a larger issue currently affecting Indian cricket.

We have all spoken about India’s inability to deal with the short ball in challenging conditions and the limitations of a one-dimensional approach. At present, many of India’s T20 batters are playing an all-or-nothing game. They try to slog almost every ball and have been found wanting in Ireland and England.

That is where Gill comes in. He is a batter built on class and skill and is unlikely ever to thrive by playing an all-out power game. He could be India’s answer in difficult overseas conditions and may well force his way back into the T20 side over the next few months.

To be clear, I do not think Gill has a great deal to offer in Indian conditions. On pitches that offer little assistance to the bowlers, Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi or Sanju Samson are more than capable of doing the job. Overseas, however, it is a different story. Much like Virat Kohli’s match-winning innings in the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados, Gill is capable of producing a similar knock in testing conditions.

Some may argue that India already tried the Gill experiment and that it failed in 2025. They will point out that Gill was given a long run in the UAE but was unable to make the most of his opportunities. While that is true, conditions in Dubai and England are fundamentally different. Moreover, failing to score heavily in November 2025 does not automatically mean a player will still be out of form in July 2026.

Do I see Gill in India’s T20 side for the LA28 Olympics? My answer is yes. Gill has both the ability and the temperament to handle difficult situations and, unlike some of his team-mates, he does not rely solely on a high-risk, high-reward approach. Instead, he plays the ball on merit and rarely commits to premeditated shots.

For now, though, the focus shifts to Cardiff. Can Gill lead India to another bilateral series victory? Coming on the back of the T20 series defeat, such a result would carry significant weight. When Gill toured the UK in 2025, there were widespread doubts about whether he was ready to lead India. A year later, that debate has largely been settled. He is now firmly established as India’s Test and ODI captain.

Will this series further strengthen his authority in the ODI dressing room? With five former captains in the squad, it is in Gill’s interest to make the strongest possible start and carry the entire group with him. The best way to do that is to lead from the front and continue batting as he has in recent weeks.

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Youngest CWG para cyclist Lisha Das expressed disappointment over the absence of female support staff. She highlighted safety and security concerns for a minor athlete traveling overseas. Despite parental and coach representations, the issue remains unresolved between sports federations. This omission contradicts a Sports Authority of India circular mandating female coaches. The cycling and para cycling contingents are the only ones lacking female personnel.