Category: Sports

Get the latest sports news, opinion, analysis, player rankings, scores and updates.

  • Shahid Afridi, Misbah-Ul-Haq, Younis Khan to represent Pakistan at Over-40s World Cup

    Shahid Afridi, Misbah-Ul-Haq, Younis Khan to represent Pakistan at Over-40s World Cup

    ‘Boom Boom’ Shahid Afridi will don the national colours once again along with multiple former superstars of cricket to represent Pakistan at the Over 40s World Cup, set to take place in September-October this year.

    The country’s veteran cricketers association has announced.

    Afridi, who represented Pakistan from 1996 to 2016, agreed to feature for the team after a meeting with Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association chairman Fawad Ijaz Khan and other officials on Thursday, said a PVCA press release.

    The former all-rounder currently runs a social welfare foundation in his own name which will be the “CSR Partner” for the tournament, according to the association.

    The Over 40s World Cup will see eight teams from Australia, West Indies, Canada, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the US vie for the honours at the National Bank Stadium here from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8.

    Along with Pakistan’s most famous cricket star Shahid Afridi, former captains Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan will be the part of the emerging tournament.

  • Renowned PCB official sacked, some in the line of fire

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee has seen immense changes after the arrival of Chairman Najam Sethi.

    Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Najeeb Soomro, has been sacked by the Board, and it is being said that he was unable to play his role in saving several players from injuries.

    Despite a power show of performance by the players in the New Zealand series, many players are playing without proper rest and recovery which caused problems for the management committee. Several players, including Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shahawaz Dahani, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, and Imam-ul-Haq have suffered injuries. Despite not being fully fit, some players were given the go ahead to play, which not only aggravated their injuries but also affected the team.
    Meanwhile, PCB has given an advertisement for the post of Director Sports Medicine.

    Senior General Manager Finance and Accounts, Ateeq Rashid, was also recently asked to hand in his resignation. Another official was sacked due to apparent irregularities regarding honorary match tickets.

    Another director is now also on the hit list. Board officials are not satisfied with his work. Sethi is currently in England, therefore a decision is expected after his return to Pakistan.

  • Despite fantastic win in Bangladesh, Pakistan’s U-19 coach still unhappy

    Pakistan U-19 team has scored a tremendous win in Bangladesh despite the team’s head coach Sabih Azhar saying that young players need a lot of improvement.

    Pakistan’s U-19 squad returned home from Bangladesh on Thursday after a memorable tour, winning in all three formats — one-off four-day match, One-Day series and a single T20 against their Bangladesh counterparts.

    LThrashing Bangladesh in their backyard is not a piece of cake, however Sabih feels like that there is still room for betterment.

    “It was not easy to beat Bangladesh in their own backyard. I am satisfied with the team’s achievement but this does not mean we relax. There are still some areas which the coaches have marked and there is still room for improvement in that,” Sabih said in a statement.

    “We are looking ahead now with a focus on finding the best winning combination that consistently performs,” the coach added.

    “Before coming into the [Bangladesh] series, we not only worked on the players physically, but we also looked after the mental aspect of the game to prepare them for performing [well] at crucial junctures. We are fully focused on doing well at the 2024 ICC U-19 World Cup, even though there is still time for the event.”

  • It’s all about self-love: 77-year-old Ohio woman marries herself

    It’s all about self-love: 77-year-old Ohio woman marries herself

    Dorothy Fedeli, or Dottie, of Ohio, has married herself over the weekend.

    Fedeli is an American woman who was living alone since divorce after nine years of marriage and was living a single life since the past 44 years.

    Fideli is a resident at the O’Bannon Terrace Retirement Home. The mother of three and grandmother was married once in 1965 in a quick courthouse ceremony.
    Over the weekend, the 77-year-old walked down the aisle to marry the love of her life, herself.

    “Because this is something I’ve always wanted. I wanted to get married and have a happy life but things didn’t work out that way and now I have a second chance in doing something that’ll make me happy,” Dottie said.

    Fedeli’s friends and family were also invited, including her daughter who baked a cake for her mother.

    Fideli says she got the idea from neighbors who saw a woman do the same thing on a talk show.
    “Love, love is the most important thing in this world. If it’s not in the cards for them, then there’s something out there that will make them happy and find themselves in life and fulfill their soul,” said Fideli.

  • Asia Cup 2023: Bangladesh rejects Dubai as neutral venue proposed by Pakistan

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has proposed a hybrid model to Asian Cricket Council (ACC) as the best possible way to conduct the tournament amicably.

    The model initially proposed that India play their matches at a neutral venue and the rest of the teams come to Pakistan and play their matches, with a possible India vs. Pakistan final taking place at the neutral venue.

    Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly rejected the first hybrid model, prompting Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Najam Sethi to propose a revised version in which the first four matches will take place in Pakistan and then all the teams along with the men in green, move to the neutral venue.

    PCB told ACC and BCCI that they decide the neutral venue because they are the hosts.

    PCB wants Dubai or UAE to be the host of Asia Cup if the hybrid model is considered because the money gateways are clearer in Dubai rather than Sri Lanka or any other venue.

    Bangladesh and Sri Lankan boards have agreed to the hybrid model but Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has observed that it’s too hot in Dubai so that’s why players are not agreeing to play in the desert city.

    “We have no issues if the tournament will be completely played in Pakistan, we have good bilateral relations with Pakistan and PCB, we are ready to come,” the board reported said, adding that they will be ok with Sri Lanka too.

    “The weather in UAE is not suitable for cricket and it will affect the health of players as we can not afford to take any risk specially ahead of World Cup 2023.”

    According to sources quoted by media, Pakistan will travel to India for the World Cup on the basis of some give and take if India agrees in writing that they will travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.

  • ‘Is he mentally stable or not’: Ramiz Raja slams Sethi’s proposal for England to be Asia Cup host

    ‘Is he mentally stable or not’: Ramiz Raja slams Sethi’s proposal for England to be Asia Cup host

    Former Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja has slammed current head of the Board, Najam Sethi, on the issue of Asia Cup 2023 hosting country.

    Sethi is trying to solve the Asia Cup hosting issue amicably with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Jay Shah, President of ACC and also Secretary of BCCI, has been accused of being biased and creating hurdles for Pakistan’s hosting rights of Asia Cup.
    “England could be a possibility as a venue for the Asia Cup,” Sethi said in an interview with BBC.

    Ramiz Raja expressed anger on the statement, raising questions about the mental health of the PCB chairman. “The whole purpose of Asia Cup right before the World Cup is to let the teams get used to Asian conditions.

    I was shocked to hear the Chairman PCB saying it would be great to see the Asia Cup being played at Lord’s. Is he mentally stable or not?” Raja questioned.

    Raja also said that it makes him angry when the chairman is saying that Pakistan Super League (PSL 9) will be conducted in UAE because of taxation issues in Pakistan.

    “On one side you are saying Pakistan is safe for cricket regarding Asia Cup and on the other hand you are saying PSL 9 will be conducted in UAE, what type of perspective are you trying to give, are you out of your mind,” Ramiz Raja asked.

    Former cricketer Salman Butt also took a dig on Sethi’s statement of hosting Asia Cup in England:
    “A neutral venue like this [England] is not viable for Asia Cup, it will not make sense as it will mean that there is not a single venue in Asia where it could be held.”
    “You can include England in it and make it Euro-Asia Cup. You can also give this suggestion. In the past, Austral-Asia Cup used to take place in which Australia participated.

    You can also include Ireland and Netherlands in it. It would be a World Cup-like event, as it will have six teams from Asia and four countries from Europe, so it will be a ten-team tournament. It will be a dress rehearsal for World Cup,” the former Pakistan opener said.

    He also added, “You can come up with as many ideas as possible but you also have to see what is practically possible.”

  • Real Sinf-e-Ahan Naila Kiani summits Mount Lhotse in Nepal

    Real Sinf-e-Ahan Naila Kiani summits Mount Lhotse in Nepal

    Pakistani female mountaineer Naila Kiani has summited Mount Lhotse just two days after scaling Mount Everest.

    On Tuesday morning, Kiani became the first Pakistani woman to summit six 8000-meter mountains after she successfully scaled Mount Lhotse in Nepal.

    Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain in the world at 8,516 metres, after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga.

    Apart from Lhotse, the other five 8000 metre mountains Kiani has summited include Everest, K2, Annapurna, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II.
    Kiani’s expedition organisers in Nepal confirmed that she reached on top of Lhotse at 8:13 am local time today morning.

    According to Karrar Haidri of Alpine Club of Pakistan, Kiani is the first Pakistani woman to climb Lhotse and the country’s fastest woman to ascend six peaks higher than 8,000 metres.

    There have been several Pakistani mountaineers who have successfully summited Mount Lhotse and Mount Everest. Nazir Sabir, the first Pakistani to climb Mount Everest, also summited Mount Lhotse, the fourth highest peak in the world.

    He achieved this feat in 2001. Ashraf Aman has also summited both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse.

    Samina Baig, the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest, has also successfully summited Mount Lhotse. She accomplished the feat in 2014, becoming the first Pakistani woman to summit both peaks.

    Mirza Ali is a Pakistani mountaineer who has climbed both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse. He achieved this double summit in 2019, becoming the first Pakistani to accomplish this feat within 24 hours.

    These are some of the Pakistani mountaineers who have conquered both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse, two of the most challenging and renowned peaks in the world.

    Their achievements reflect the determination and skill of Pakistani climbers in tackling the world’s highest mountains.

  • ‘Kaptaan, aap larae jeet gaye’; celebrities congratulate Khan on being set free

    ‘Kaptaan, aap larae jeet gaye’; celebrities congratulate Khan on being set free

    After the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the cricket fraternity came together to support the ex-cricketer. Khan was one of the greatest all-rounder of the cricket and mentored such players las Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzimam UL Haq and Aqib Javed.

    Former fast bowler Waqar Younis tweeted right after Imran Khan’s release and congratulated him.

    “Won the fight but long way from winning the War. Congratulations Skipper @ImranKhanPTI ALLAH pak aap ko apna hifzoimaan main rakha #Ameen #PakistanZindabad “

    A day earlier, the PTI chairman got blanket relief from the IHC as authorities have been barred from arresting the deposed prime minister in any case till Monday morning (May 15).

    In the first relief, a two-member special divisional bench granted two-week bail to the former prime minister in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, and later, the court barred authorities from arresting him till May 17 in any new case filed against him till May 9 — the day he was detained in the corruption case, which led to deadly protests.

    Then, he sought transitory bail in four cases lodged against him in Lahore, in which the court awarded him bail till May 22 in the Zille Shah murder case, then, another bench barred authorities from arresting the former prime minister till the morning of May 15 while hearing the bail petition filed against three terrorism cases.

    Khan was arrested in a corruption case involving a property tycoon. The former prime minister had immediately approached the high court for release but it had declared his arrest “legal”.

    However, the apex court released him on May 11 after concluding that he was taken into custody in violation of rules by law enforcement agencies.

    Since being ousted from office last April, Khan has waged a tempestuous campaign for snap elections and fired unprecedented criticism at the coalition government and military who he blames for pulling him from power.

    He has accused senior military and government officials of plotting a November assassination attempt that saw him shot in the leg during a rally.

  • Big Bash League to be shortened in 2023-24

    Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) will be shortened to a 44-game season from 2023-24, Cricket Australia announced on Friday as it brought forward changes in the tournament structure set to be implemented under the new broadcast deal.

    The Twenty20 competition will be cut by 17 matches, featuring 40 home-and-away matches plus four finals from the next edition.

    The changes come 12 months in advance of a seven-year broadcast deal agreed between Cricket Australia and media partners Seven Network and Foxtel.

    Cricket Australia’s general manager of Big Bash Leagues, Alistair Dobson, said a shorter BBL would allow the league “greater flexibility” to deliver the “best possible fixture for clubs and fans”.

    The Women’s Big Bash will remain unchanged from its 59-game season.

  • Asia Cup: Sri Lanka denies Indian media reports of hosting tournament

    Asia Cup: Sri Lanka denies Indian media reports of hosting tournament

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi left for Dubai on Tuesday for a crucial meeting with Asia Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Jay Shah.

    Media reports have stated that the owner of Star Sports will also attend the meeting.

    Ahead of the meeting Indian media ran false reports that Sri Lanka is set to host Asia Cup 2023 after the tournament is shifted from Pakistan.

    However, Sri Lankan media has rubbished the news and said that the Board of the island nation have stated that there has been no official announcement by ACC on the matter.

    Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has locked horns with PCB over the matter, threating to form their own five nation version of the tournament, excluding Pakistan, and influencing other teams not to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023.

    On the other hand, PCB had indicated that they would boycott the event if it would be held outside Pakistan.

    Pakistan has suggested a hybrid model, in which Pakistan will host all other matches of Asia Cup but India will play at a neutral venue. However, Indian media have reported that broadcasters were not satisfied with the offer.