East Bengal Signs Danish Striker Anton Søjberg as Sixth Foreign Player
East Benga FC has completed its sixth foreign signing just four days before the ISL begins. The club has officially signed Danish striker Anton Søjberg for the upcoming season. Søjberg is a 25-year-old talent who plays primarily as a centre-forward. He joined the Red & Gold Brigade from Monterey Bay FC in the American USL Championship. During his time in the USA, he played 26 matches and scored five goals. The signing formalities are already complete. The club has also initiated his visa application process. If all goes well, the Danish forward will arrive in Kolkata within a few days. Standing at 6’1″, Søjberg brings height and power to the attack. He is expected to partner with Youssef Ezzejjari upfront. Fans are excited to see this new European addition lead the line for the Red & Gold.
Mitchell Marsh Hopeful Even After The Big Three’s Absence
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh backed his side to deliver as they open their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on Wednesday, despite a difficult build-up to the tournament. The defending champions arrive in Colombo after a 3-0 series loss in Pakistan. They are also without several key players due to injury. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will miss the opener. Steve Smith has also been left out, despite his strong recent form and success against spin. With spin expected to dominate at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Marsh asked his batters to keep things simple and clear. “We certainly want to be positive in the way we go about things,” Marsh said on the eve of the match. “In these conditions, it’s about being really clear on how you’re going to play and responding to what’s in front of you.” “Adaptability has been a big word in our meetings,” he added. “We need to adapt to the situation and get the job done.” Marsh confirmed that Nathan Ellis has recovered from injury and is available for selection. Tim David, however, will miss the match against Ireland. Australia will field a relatively inexperienced pace attack. Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis are both in the mix, with Dwarshuis drafted in as a late replacement for Cummins. Despite the changes, Marsh expressed confidence in the squad. “We’ve built a group of 18 to 20 players over the last year,” he said. “They’ve all had game time and faced different situations. Even if some haven’t played much for Australia, they’ve played plenty of cricket. We trust them to do the job.”
PCB Chief Naqvi Opens Up on India Match Boycott U-Turn
Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi faced an uncomfortable moment on Monday when questioned about Pakistan’s decision to withdraw its boycott threat against the India match at the T20 World Cup. A reporter asked Naqvi whether Pakistan had managed to persuade the ICC to meet any of its demands in return for dropping the boycott. The question was posed during the auction of the Pakistan Super League franchise Multan. Naqvi avoided addressing the issue directly. Instead, he repeatedly stressed that the discussions were held in Bangladesh’s interest. “You must have seen Bangladesh’s statement,” Naqvi said. “Bangladesh has requested that Pakistan play the match. Clearly, their issues have been resolved; that is why they made this request.” The meeting took place in Lahore on Sunday. It involved ICC officials, Naqvi, and Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam Bulbul. According to Naqvi, the outcome was always meant to benefit Bangladesh. When pressed further on whether Pakistan had gained anything from the talks, the PCB chief again deflected. “We took a stand for Bangladesh,” he said. “It was their matter. We didn’t do anything for ourselves.” The exchange came just hours before the Pakistan government officially confirmed that the boycott threat had been withdrawn. The senior men’s team was given clearance to face India in their scheduled T20 World Cup clash on 15th February. However, sources told India Today that Pakistan had raised as many as five demands during the meeting with ICC officials. The aim was to resolve the week-long deadlock over the India game. According to the report, the ICC rejected three of those demands. One of them was Pakistan’s push to resume bilateral cricket with India. Despite the denials from the PCB chief, the standoff has ended. Pakistan will now play India as scheduled at the World Cup. With that issue settled, Pakistan stepped back. The government cited the “spirit of cricket” for its decision. It also pointed to appeals from friendly nations such as Sri Lanka and the UAE. Publicly, the language was about sportsmanship. Privately, the numbers told a different story. Industry estimates suggested cancelling the match would have cost around USD 250 million in a single day. The financial hit was simply too big. For the PCB, the situation was stark. The loss from one boycotted game would have been almost seven times its annual operating budget. That made the decision unavoidable. By agreeing to play, Pakistan avoids financial isolation. The ICC, in turn, protects the commercial core of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
