Australia rest Cummins, Hazlewood, Maxwell for Pakistan T20 series

Australia's Josh Hazlewood (R) and teammate Pat Cummins during the ICC men's Twenty20 World Cup 2024 group B cricket match between Australia and England at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on June 8, 2024. (AFP/File)
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Updated 19 January 2026
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Australia rest Cummins, Hazlewood, Maxwell for Pakistan T20 series

  • Josh Hazlewood, Tim David and Nathan Ellis will also skip the series starting later this month
  • Australia will play Pakistan in Lahore on Jan. 29, 31 and Feb. 1, before traveling to Sri Lanka 

MELBOURNE: Australia will rest five top players, including Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell, for a three-match Twenty20 series in Pakistan ahead of the World Cup, selectors said Monday.

Josh Hazlewood, Tim David and Nathan Ellis will also skip the series starting later this month.

Their absence opened the door to fringe players Sean Abbott, Mahli Beardman, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mitch Owen, Josh Phillippe and Matt Renshaw, who come into the 17-man squad.

Chief selector George Bailey said the five were either returning from injury or having their loads managed ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka which begin on February 7.

“The series is a great opportunity for those on the brink of selection and some young players we rate highly for valuable experience,” he added.

“Some are already experienced international players, along with Mahli Beardman who has been with the group a number of times, and Jack Edwards who joined for the last one-day match against India in Sydney last year.”

Australia will play Pakistan in Lahore on January 29, 31 and February 1, before traveling to Sri Lanka where they are scheduled to open their World Cup campaign against Ireland in Colombo on February 11.

Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa


Norway’s Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Chess Championship

Updated 16 February 2026
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Norway’s Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Chess Championship

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen added ‌another crown to his collection on Sunday by becoming the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess world champion after ​a comeback win over Fabiano Caruana in Germany.
The chess master secured the title with a cautious draw in the fourth and final game, clinching a 2.5–1.5 match victory against his 33-year-old American opponent in Weissenhaus.
Sunday’s turning point came in the thrilling third game, in ‌which Carlsen, ‌35, pulled off a stunning ​win ‌from ⁠a ​seemingly lost ⁠position, swinging the entire contest in his favor.
The world number one only needed a draw in the decisive fourth game, and that’s exactly what he got in an equal endgame, with Caruana missing late opportunities to mount a ⁠comeback.
Carlsen has now won 21 world ‌titles in various formats.

 

The ‌World Championship marked a breakthrough ​collaboration between FIDE and ‌private organizer Freestyle Chess, staging the first ‌officially recognized title in this format.
Carlsen had previously failed to capture the FIDE Fischer Random World Championship, making this victory particularly sweet for the chess great.
In ‌the bronze medal match, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Germany’s Vincent Keymer, securing ⁠his spot ⁠by drawing from a winning position in the final game.
Both finalists and Abdusattorov have qualified for next year’s championship.
The tournament’s lower placings saw Hans Niemann of the United States take fifth with a 2-0 victory over India’s Arjun Erigaisi, while Armenia’s Levon Aronian won his Armageddon game against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov for seventh place.
In the women’s exhibition match, Kazakhstan’s ​Bibisara Assaubayeva prevailed over ​Switzerland’s Alexandra Kosteniuk after their final encounter ended in a draw.