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  • FIFA World Cup qualifiers: Saudi Arabia defeats Pakistan by 4-0

    FIFA World Cup qualifiers: Saudi Arabia defeats Pakistan by 4-0

    In the first match of the World Cup Qualifiers Round 2 on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s football team beat Pakistan by 4-0.

    Saudi Arabia kept pressure on the Pakistan team from the beginning of the match and kept trying to score. The first goal for the host team was scored by Saleh Al Shahri in the sixth minute, Saudi Arabia leading 0-1 against Pakistan at the end of the first half.

    When the second half started, Saudi Arabia’s second goal was scored by Saleh Al Shahri in the 48th minute and Abdul Rahman scored the third goal in the 90th minute. The fourth goal was scored by Abdullah in the last stages of the match.

    Group G of the World Cup Football Qualifiers Round 2 includes Pakistan along with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Tajikistan. Pakistan’s next match in Qualifiers Round 2 will be against Tajikistan on November 21.

    Pakistan has qualified for Round 2 of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers AFC for the first time in history, after defeating Cambodia in round one.

  • Pakistan football team faces Saudi Arabia today

    Pakistan football team faces Saudi Arabia today

    Today is an important day in the history of Pakistan football, as the national team faces off against Saudi Arabia in FIFA World Cup Qualifier round two.

    Pakistan has reached the second round of FIFA World Cup Qualifier AFC for the first time in history. The first match of the national football team is against the 57th-ranked team in the world, Saudi Arabia. The match will start at 9:30 PM at Prince Abdullah Bin Jalavi Stadium in Al-Hassa.

    It should be noted that Pakistan defeated Cambodia in round one. The national team has practiced extensively in Saudi Arabia for about a week. The team includes seven players living in different countries, but captain Esa Suleman is not available for the match due to injury.

    The team’s foreign coach Stephen Constantine has said that the players are confident of a good performance.

  • Wahab Riaz likely to become chief selector of Pakistan Cricket Board

    Wahab Riaz likely to become chief selector of Pakistan Cricket Board

    Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, has given clearance to Sports Minister and former fast bowler Wahab Riaz to assume the post of Chief Selector of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    According to sources, Wahab Riaz will remain a part of the caretaker cabinet even after assuming the post of chief selector. PCB will soon issue a contract to appoint Wahab Riaz the Chief Selector.

    Former national cricketer Muhammad Hafeez has already been appointed as the Director of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). On the other hand, Naveed Akram Cheema, is likely to be made the manager of the Pakistan team.

    Naveed Akram Cheema has been the manager of the team in the past as well. Meanwhile, Muhammad Hafeez has started contacting domestic cricketers for coaching staff.

    The counseling process for the selection committee members is also going on.

  • Babar Azam considering legal action on leaked WhatsApp chat

    Babar Azam considering legal action on leaked WhatsApp chat

    Former national cricket team captain Babar Azam plans to file legal action over the leak of his WhatsApp messages to journalists, Geo has reported.

    Babar Azam reached the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) headquarters yesterday to meet the Chairman Management Committee, Zaka Ashraf. However, it has been reported that before going there, Babar took legal advice on the WhatsApp messages leak issue.

    Sources say that Babar Azam plans to file legal action.

    Azam’s WhatsApp chat was shown live on a private TV channel last month. Pakistan’s former wicketkeeper, Rashid Latif, claimed that PCB senior officials did not respond to Babar Azam’s messages. A personal chat with PCB’s CEO Arslan Naseer was then shown on screen during the live show on ARY News.

    The host of the program, Waseem Badami, later released a video statement on social media in which he said that we didn’t want to show the chat but when Zaka Ashraf said during the live show that you should show it, then he decided to display it on the screen.

  • ‘You are the captain of hearts’; Rizwan, fellow cricketers send love to Babar

    Pakistan batting ace Muhammad Rizwan, along with fellow cricketers, issued a message to Babar Azam after he resigned from the captaincy of the Pakistan cricket team.

    On Wednesday, the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, Babar Azam, resigned from the captaincy of all three formats, after which the _ (PCB) appointed Shan Masood as the captain of the Test team and Shaheen Afridi as the skipper of the T20 team.

    Pakistan cricket team players have expressed good wishes for Babar Azam on his resignation from the captaincy.

    Wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Rizwan stated on social media: “Babar you are the captain of hearts, you are one of the greatest batsmen of Pakistan.”

    Shaheen Afridi, the new captain of Pakistan T20, wrote ‘We saw the best teamwork and friendship under your exemplary leadership, your leadership and determination to unify the team and achieve collective success is admirable, I am waiting that you will break more records in batting, God willing.”

    Leg-spinner Shadab Khan expressed good wishes for Babar while also congratulating newly appointed captain Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi.

  • Babar Azam steps down as Pakistan cricket team captain

    Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam has announced that he is stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats.

    “It’s a difficult decision but I feel it is a right time for this call,” Babar said in a statement he posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday evening.

    Babar said that he will continue to represent Pakistan as a player in all three formats.

    “I am here to support the new captain and the team with my experience and dedication,” added Babar.

    Babar and the team have come under heavy criticism from fans, former players and analysts alike, after a disappointing World Cup campaign in which Pakistan failed to make it to the semi-finals while losing five of its nine group matches.

  • Harbhajan Singh slams Inzamam ul Haq for suggesting that he was converting to Islam

    Harbhajan Singh slams Inzamam ul Haq for suggesting that he was converting to Islam

    Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh took to social media to express his displeasure over the viral story shared by former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq during an interview.

    Haq claimed that Harbhajan Singh was infatuated with Maulana Tariq Jameel and even thought of converting to Islam.

    According to Inzamam, the incident took place when cricketers, including Harbhajan were participating in prayer meetings led by Maulana Tariq Jameel. Inzamam said that after witnessing the session, Harbhajan praised Maulana Tariq Jameel and expressed his desire to follow his teachings. Inzamam-ul-Haq said, “We had a room where prayers were offered.

    Maulana Tariq Jameel used to visit us in the evening and lead prayers. After a few days, Irfan Pathan, Mohammad Kaif and Zaheer Khan also started coming. Four other Indian cricketers were sitting and watching us.” He added that Harbhajan, who did not know about Tariq Jameel being a Maulana, said that he was inspired by the man and wanted to follow his words.

    However, Harbhajan denied the whole story in a social media post, saying that the story is false. Harbhajan asserted his identity as a “proud Sikh” and denied claims he was considering converting to Islam.

  • Babar Azam’s place is not in T20: Imad and Amir’s opinion

    Babar Azam’s place is not in T20: Imad and Amir’s opinion

    Cricketers Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir say that Babar Azam’s place is not in T20 team.

    Fast bowler Muhammad Amir Imad Wasim and former cricketer Abdul Razzaq participated in the Geo News program ‘Harna Muni Hai’, during which Abdul Razzaq while talking about Babar Azam’s captaincy, said that if I am given the option, I will make Babar Azam the Test captain only.

    Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir said Babar Azam’s place is not in T20. Imad Wasim said that there is no doubt that there is grouping in the team, changes will have to be made in the team for the Champions Trophy.

    It should be noted that Babar Azam’s captaincy has ended after the defeat in the ICC World Cup 2023 in India. Test, ODI, and T20 captain Babar Azam will now play as a player.

  • BCCI under fire for switching pitches in semi-final match

    BCCI under fire for switching pitches in semi-final match

    The first semi-final of the World Cup 2023 between India and New Zealand is to be played today, but news circulating on social media that India has changed the pitch surface for the semi-final game, has led to controversy even before the first ball has been bowled.

    According to Daily Mail sources, India has changed the pitch surface ahead of the semi-final game against New Zealand. A fresh pitch had to be used for the crucial match but now Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has changed the pitch surface to a slower pitch to make it easy for their spin trio, Kuldeep, Jadeja, and Ashwin, and make the match more difficult for the New Zealand seamers.

    Indian Express sources have said that Indian team officials asked BCCI curators to remove grass from the pitch and make it slow for the match against New Zealand without the permission of International Cricket Council (ICC).

    A WhatsApp message is circulating in (ICC) and BCCI officials group that Pitch number seven was to be used for the semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, which was not used earlier, but now the match has been shifted to pitch six, on which India bowled out the Sri Lankan team for just 55 runs.

    ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson said that when he asked BCCI who authorized these changes they said it was GCA (Gujrat Cricket Association). “But when I asked GCA, they said we are working under BCCI and these changes were directly asked by the Indian team management.”

    Andy Atkinson is frustrated that the pitch for India vs New Zealand semifinal was changed at the last moment.

    A leaked email from Atkinson speculated “This is the first ever ICC CWC final to have a pitch which has been specifically chosen and prepared at the request of the team management and/or the hierarchy of the home nation board.”

    “Or will it be selected or prepared without favoritism for either of the sides competing in the match in the usual manner, and unquestionably because it is the usual pitch for the occasion?”

    English former cricketer Michel Vaughan also wrote on X, “The World Cup semi-final should be played on a fresh pitch, its simple as that.”

  • Did not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiment’: Abdul Razzaq apologises to Aishwarya Rai for sexist comment

    Did not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiment’: Abdul Razzaq apologises to Aishwarya Rai for sexist comment

    Former cricketer Abdul Razzaq sparked outrage on Tuesday when a video of him passing degrading comments about Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai went viral. Former cricketers Shahid Afridi and Umer Gul were sitting with Razzaq at a panel where the current team’s performance was being discussed. They could be seen laughing at the misogynistic statement.

    Several X (formerly Twitter) users described their disgust by slamming the cricket player as sexist.

    Razzaq has now apologised for his comments, saying that he did not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiment.

    “Yesterday, we were talking about cricket coaching and intentions. I had a slip of tongue and mistakenly took Aishwarya Rai’s name while I was supposed to give another example. I apologise to her personally. I did not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiment,” Abdul responded.

    Shahid Afridi also apologised for laughing at Abdul’s sexist remark. Speaking to a private news channel, the former captain revealed he laughed because everyone was enjoying the moment.

    “I saw the clip when I went home and realised that Abdul Razzaq made a wrong statment. I knew he had a mike in his hand and will say something. He has a habit of getting beaten by shoes. I will just text him tio apologize for what he said as it was wrong.”