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  • Asia Cup: Asif Ali, Fareed Ahmad fined 25% of match fee for misconduct

    Asia Cup: Asif Ali, Fareed Ahmad fined 25% of match fee for misconduct

    Pakistan’s star batsman Asif Ali and Afghanistan bowler Fareed have landed in hot waters after a confrontation with Afghanistan’s pacer Fareed Malik during Wednesday’s knock-out match in Asia Cup 2022.

    A clip of the alteration went viral in which Fareed Malik dismisses Asif Ali, then celebrates right in front of the batsman. Fareed then seemingly says something to Asif, who turns around and raises his bat towards the bowler.

    Match Referee Andy Pycroft summoned both players for a hearing.

    According to ICC report, Asif Alibreached Article 2.6 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an International Match” while Fareed was found breaching Article 2.1.12, which relates to “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator) during an International Match.”

    International Cricket Council (ICC) has fined both Asif Ali and Fareed 25 per cent of their match fee for the alteration which occurred in the second last over.

    BanAsifAli was trending on Twitter earlier where the incident had divided users, with some blaming Malik for provoking Ali while others criticized him for losing his cool.

    Here are some of the tweets.

    https://twitter.com/arrqamm/status/1567675328599826438

  • Rizwan dethrones Babar, tops ICC ranking T20I ranking

    Rizwan dethrones Babar, tops ICC ranking T20I ranking

    Pakistan batsman Mohammad Rizwan is at the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I batsmen ranking list.

    After reigning at the top spot for over 1000 days, Pakistan captain Babar Azam slipped to the number two slot with 794 points. Rizwan now has 815 points.

    Rizwan, who is currently having a stellar run at the Asia Cup 2022, scored 192 runs in the ongoing tournament with 43, 78 and 71 runs against India, Hong Kong and India again respectively.

    Babar Azam has scored 33 runs as yet in the Asia Cup.

    South Africa’s Aiden Markram is at the number 3 spot with 792 rating points while India’s Suryakumar Yadav down one spot to land at number 4 with 775 points.

  • Urvashi unfollows Naseem on Instagram after pacer said, “I don’t know her”

    Urvashi unfollows Naseem on Instagram after pacer said, “I don’t know her”

    The sprinter, Naseem Shah, said in a recent interview that he only focuses on his matches. “I don’t know who Urvashi Rautela is. People usually send me videos but I have no idea,” the young star from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa clarified when asked about the viral video Urvashi shared on her social media.

    Urvashi took to her Instagram and replied with a strong statement. The Bollywood star stated that her team shared fan made edits without her knowledge on her Instagram handle. She wrote, “Couple of days back, my team shared all fan-made cute edits (around 11-12) without any knowledge of Bollywood actor Urvashi Rautela posted an edited video of her and Naseem Shah smiling at each other.

    Twitterati claimed, initially, Urvashi was following Naseem Shah on Instagram, however, she unfollowed the Pakistan pacer after the latter disclosed he doesn’t know who Urvashi really is.

    After India and Pakistan’s nail-biting group stage match, Bollywood actor Urvashi Rautela posted an edited clip on her Instagram in which footage is cut to make it seem as if Shah has smiled at her and then she smiles back.

    The clip seemed edited as in the first clip, the scorecard was at 1-1 while in the second clip of Urvashi returning the smile, the scorecard jumped upto 97-4.

    A user wrote, “NASEEM WASN’T LOOKING AT HER, THESE ARE HIS EXPRESSIONS WHEN HE ALMOST GOT KOHLI WITH AN INSWING.”

    A user expressed his disappointment after finding out that Urvashi was not there for Panday or Pant but for someone else.

    “Some were saying she was there for Hardik Pandya, others were saying Rishabh Pant, but this lady was clearly ahead of all of us.” tweeted a user.

    Here are some of the other tweets.

  • Muhammad Rizwan allows Indian female fan to take a ‘doorfie’ instead of selfie

    Muhammad Rizwan allows Indian female fan to take a ‘doorfie’ instead of selfie

    Muhammad Rizwan, a wicketkeeper-batsman for Pakistan, is regarded as one of cricket’s most popular players both domestically and internationally.

    In addition to the fact that he is an excellent golfer, his lovely and humble personality is what has earned him such a large fan base.

    The player has unnecessarily drawn criticism during the current Asia Cup 2022.

    A video of a female Indian cricket fan asking Rizwan to take a photo with her during a practise session has been shared by sports journalist Brashna Kasi. Rizwan reluctantly consented to take a photo with the woman but stood at a visible distance, making it clear it wasn’t a selfie and leading the fan to mockingly refer to it as a “doorfie”.

    The fan claimed in the video that Rizwan had informed her that he never poses for photos by himself with female fans.

    This, however, is nothing new since Rizwan has repeatedly stated that he feels uncomfortable with women. In actuality, the beloved cricketer has never been seen in any of his photos with a female fan.

    We must “respect his boundaries and leave him alone,” as Kasi put it.

    Rizwan explained why he never poses for photos with women in an interview with local media earlier this year.

    When asked why he is so shy around women, he replied: “It is not about being shy but some things are personal and every player has their own personal [reasons].”

    He stated that he greatly respected ladies and did not deem himself “worthy” of taking pictures with “mothers and sisters,” even if they requested one.

  • ‘Neither IK nor India can beat the combo of Nawaz and Asif Zardari’: Twitter reacts to PAKvsInd match

    ‘Neither IK nor India can beat the combo of Nawaz and Asif Zardari’: Twitter reacts to PAKvsInd match

    Pakistan won against India on Sunday in a super four-stage match of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai on Sunday.

    Mohammad Nawaz helped Pakistan to chase India’s mammoth score of 181 runs. Nawaz scored a T20I career-best 42 off 20 balls including six boundaries and two maximums. His 71 runs partnership with Mohammad Rizwan proved pivotal in sealing India’s fate.

    Asif Ali, on the other hand, scored a crucial 16 runs on eight balls.

    The match-winning performances of Nawaz and Asif have made Twitter users draw comparisons between politicians Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and both the cricketers.

    Have a look at the memes:

    After a blazing start by India, Pakistan bowlers bounced back to halt India’s march, restricting the defending champions to 181/7 in 20 overs.
    Chasing 182, Pakistan achieved the target with one ball to spare. Pakistan will play its second Super Four stage match against Afghanistan on Wednesday.

  • PakvsInd: Mohammad Rizwan breaks Virat Kohli’s T20I record

    PakvsInd: Mohammad Rizwan breaks Virat Kohli’s T20I record

    Pakistan’s wicket keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan made another record by surpassing India’s former skipper Virat Kohli after his stellar performance in high-voltage Pakistan-India match on Sunday.

    Rizwan played a match winning innings of 71 runs in 51 balls. He now has 1855 runs in 48 innings to his name. Virat Kohli in his first 48 innings managed to score1852 runs.

    Pakistani skipper Babar Azam is still on top on the list by scoring 1916 in his first 48 innings of his career.

    In the latest Pakistan-India match in the ongoing Asia Cup, Pakistan defeated India by five wickets. India scored 181 for the loss of 7 while Pakistan managed to chase the target down with one ball remaining. Mohammad Nawaz became man of the match with an outstanding knock of 42 on 20 balls and one wicket to his name.

  • India’s bowling is not as ‘glamorous’ as Pakistan’s, but it produces results: Rahul Dravid

    India’s bowling is not as ‘glamorous’ as Pakistan’s, but it produces results: Rahul Dravid

    Before facing Pakistan in the Asia Cup Super 4, Team India head coach Rahul Dravid had all praise for his team’s bowling attack. Dravid claimed during a news conference that while India’s bowling attack might not be as ‘glamorous’ as their Pakistani counterparts, they still do the job.

    He was attempting to explain this when he ran out of a term, but he quickly came up with another way to make his point.

    After India defeated Pakistan in the group round, the two Asian powerhouses clashed for the second time in the competition.

    “They are a good bowling side, but we also bowled well to restrict them to 147 (in the first match),” Dravid said on being asked whether Pakistan has a better bowling line-up.

    “End of the day bowling analysis is the most important thing. You are judged by the results you produce. I respect their bowling but I am very confident that we have a good bowling attack that produces results.”

    On the eve of the prestigious game, the former captain told the media: “(Our bowling) might not look very glamorous but in terms of results we got some guys who produce results.”

    Avesh Khan, a pace bowler, is still questionable for the crucial game.

    “Avesh has been under the weather but hopefully he should be okay for tomorrow or for the later part of the tournament,” said Dravid.

    Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Yuzvendra Chahal are the speed alternatives for India’s bowling unit, which is led by veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Axar Patel, who took Ravindra Jadeja’s place due to injury, and Yuzvendra Chahal are the spin possibilities.

    In Dravid’s opinion, the team will be put to the test in tight contests against Pakistan before the T20 World Cup in October-November.

    “We know Pakistan is a good team and it is a challenging match,” said Dravid.

    “It will be a packed stadium and there is always an edge to these games and it’s good to play such games where you are tested. It’s good to play such tournaments before the World Cup.”

    Three of Pakistan’s fast bowlers, including star quick Shaheen Shah Afridi, suffered injuries, but Naseem Shah’s rapid bowling has kept the opposition’s batters on their toes.

  • Hafeez, Harbhajan support Arshdeep amid abusive trolling

    Hafeez, Harbhajan support Arshdeep amid abusive trolling

    Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Hafeez has come to the defence of India’s young fast bowler Arshdeep Singh who is being trolled for dropping Asif Ali’s catch in a high-voltage Pakistan vs India Match in the Asia Cup on Sunday.

    Right-wing Indian fans are trolling Arshdeep for his age or calling him anti-national.
    “My request to all Indian team fans. In sports, we make mistakes as humans. Please don’t humiliate anyone for these mistakes,” wrote the Pakistani cricketer in support of the Indian sportsman.

    Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh also extended his support to the young cricketer. “Stop criticising young @arshdeepsinghh .. No one dropped the catch purposely..we are proud of our boys .. Pakistan played better.. shame on such people who r putting our own guys down by saying cheap things on this platform bout arsh and team.. Arsh is GOLD.” he tweeted.

    Check out some other tweets:

    https://twitter.com/SagrikaKissu/status/1566515122901635072

    After a blazing start by India, Pakistan bowlers did well to halt India’s march, restricting the defending champions to 181/7 in 20 overs.

    Chasing 182, Pakistan achieved the target with one ball to spare. Pakistan will play its second Super Four stage match against Afghanistan on Wednesday.

  • Hong Kong’s batting collapse against Pak sparks meme fest

    Hong Kong’s batting collapse against Pak sparks meme fest

    Pakistan knocked out Hong Kong yesterday on 38 runs in their second group match of Asia Cup 2022. Hong Kong had the lowest score against a Full Member in T20 internationals.

    Pakistan scored 193 runs in the match. Mohammad Rizwan was the highest run scorer from Pakistan’s side with a dazzling 78 . In response, Hong Kong only managed to make 38, and handed 155-run victory to Pakistan. None of Hong Kong’s batters could make it to double figures.

    Pakistan has now advanced to the Super Four stage of Asia Cup.

    The collapse of Hong Kong’s batting order has sparked a meme fest on Twitter.

    Have a look at the memes:

    Read more– Hong Kong’s Captain takes tips from Babar Azam ahead of match

    India and Pakistan will play against each other for the second time in the Asia Cup 2022, tomorrow (September 4). Pakistan lost to India by 5 wickets in the last encounter.

  • Serena Williams bids an emotional goodbye to 27-year career after US Open loss

    Serena Williams bids an emotional goodbye to 27-year career after US Open loss

    Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia has made history by defeating Serena Williams at the US Open for the last time after the 23-time major winner acknowledged her career to be concluded.

    Serena and the boisterous audience couldn’t stop Tomljanovic, who prevailed 7-5, 6-7,6-1.

    After suffering through two sets that couldn’t separate the two, the final began when Tomljanovic broke Serena early and rode that momentum to a 5-1 lead. Ajla Tomljanovic ran into a classic Serena Williams, though, who utilised all of her determination to avoid losing while serving for the match.

    The American, who benefited from the crowd’s support in the previous round when she pulled off an unlikely victory, managed to save five match points during Tomljanovic’s lengthy service game that lasted more than 14 minutes before she was finally defeated.

    Even during the on-court interview, Serena only made passing references to this being her final tournament.

    At the US Open, fifth-seeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur defeated hometown favourite Shelby Rogers 4-6 6-4 6-3 to go to the fourth round of the competition for the first time.

    The Wimbledon finalist got off to a slow start, missing breakpoint opportunities before finding her groove in the second set. In the decisive match, the Tunisian quickly built a 4-0 lead before the American battled back, only to make crucial mistakes once more to give Jabeur the victory.

    Additionally moving on to the following round were Caroline Garcia, Alison Riske, Coco Gauff, Karolna Plková, and Danielle Collins.

    The sound system bellowed Tina Turner’s hit single “Simply The Best” as she waved goodbye and made her signature spin.

    Williams responded when asked if she would think about coming out after her performances this week: “I’m literally playing my way into this and getting better. I should have started sooner this year. I don’t think so, but you never know.”

    When interviewed in the middle of the court, Williams was filled with emotion and thanked her family, team, the spectators, and her supporters all over the world for their continued support.

    Here are some Twitter reactions following Serena Williams’ last US Open defeat: