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  • Flyover or Dam: PM Shehbaz gets candid with a Twitter follower

    Flyover or Dam: PM Shehbaz gets candid with a Twitter follower

    Pakistani weightlifter Nooh Dastagir Butt has bagged a maiden gold medal in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022. In the 109+kg category, Butt lifted 173kg in snatch and set a new record. In clean and jerk, he lifted 232kg to set another record. In total, he lifted 405kg to claim a gold medal for Pakistan.

    “This wasn’t possible without the support and prayers of my friends and family members,” said Butt while talking to Geo News. “I dedicate this gold medal to my father, who worked for 12 years and helped me reach this stage.”

    “Winning a medal for your country is always a proud moment, and gold is something special.”

    “I have done my duty. Now it’s up to the government of Pakistan to do their job,” he added.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Nooh on winning a gold medal for Pakistan.

    “Prime Minister sahb Well done say BAAT nahe chalni, Butt Sahab Kay name ka flyover hona chahiye,” Twitter user Faizan Khan commented on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s congratulatory tweet after Nooh Butt won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games last night.

    “Or a dam,” was PM Shehbaz’s candid response.

    Social media users are expressing their joy over the achievement of the weightlifter from Gujranwala.

    Have a look at some of the tweets:

    https://twitter.com/hamzabutt61/status/1555010742625124352

    Butt won a bronze medal in the 105+kg division at the 2018 CWG. Pakistan won a gold medal in the CWG’s weightlifting event in 2006 when Shujauddin Malik won gold in the 85kg division.

  • Asia Cup 2022: Shoaib Malik not part of Pakistan squad

    Asia Cup 2022: Shoaib Malik not part of Pakistan squad

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced a 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2022.

    The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced last month that the Asia Cup 2022 will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from August 27 to September 11. However, Sri Lanka will still officially have hosting rights.  The Asia Cup, which was last played in 2018, will be played in the T20 format, with nine teams participating.

    Shoaib Malik and Shan Masood are not part of Pakistan’s batting squad while fast bowler Naseem Shah has replaced Hasan Ali.

    Shoaib Malik is Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in Asia Cup. He has scored 907 runs in 21 matches with an average of 64.78.

    Shoaib Malik was part of the T20 World Cup 2021 and scored 101 runs in the tournament with a match-winning knock of 54 on 18 balls against Scotland.

    “It’s been 25 years but Pakistan has not found a replacement for Shoaib Malik,” said former Pakistani cricketer Aaqib Javed said in an interview.

    Read more – Asia Cup 2022 to be held in UAE

    People are expressing their disappointment over the decision to drop Shoaib Malik and Shan Masood.

    Have a look at some of the tweets:

    https://twitter.com/aleeybae/status/1554740957286785024

    Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2022: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir

  • Aima Baig, Sahir Ali Bagga collaborate for KPL 2 anthem

    Aima Baig, Sahir Ali Bagga collaborate for KPL 2 anthem

    The much-anticipated official hymn for the second edition of the Kashmir Premier League (KPL), which will take place from August 11 to 25, was unveiled on Saturday.

    The anthem, which is sung by superstar singers Aima Baig and Sahir Ali Bagga, also includes notable Pakistani athletes, including Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Sharjeel Khan, and Azam Khan.

    The KPL administration also took sure to promote Kashmiri music in the writing of the song and included some magnificent images of the magnificence of the valley.

    The opening match of the second KPL season will take place on August 11 at Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium, while the championship game will follow on August 25 at the same location.

    Fans of cricket will be able to watch some of Pakistan’s most well-known cricketers, such as Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Amir, and Sharjeel Khan, play in the KPL this year as icon players.

  • Sri Lanka defeats Pakistan in second Test to end the series 1-1

    Sri Lanka defeats Pakistan in second Test to end the series 1-1

    After losing the second Test match against Sri Lanka, Pakistan dropped to fifth place in the most recent World Test Championship points standings.

    Both sides won one match each in the two-Test series between the two countries, which has been entertaining. With a four-wicket victory in the first Test, Pakistan took a 1-0 lead in the series. By chasing 342, the visitors improved their hopes of competing in the World Test Championship final the following year, moving up to third place in the standings, while Sri Lanka fell to No. 6.

    After their victory over the Men in Green to tie the series, Sri Lanka rose from sixth to third place. Australia holds down the coveted second slot in the league while South Africa continues at the top.

    Pakistan’s heroics from the first Test were not repeated as they lost in the second innings despite attempting to reach a record-breaking 508-run mark. The Men in Green gave Sri Lanka a 147-run lead going into the second innings by being dismissed for 231 in their first innings.

    In the second innings, Sri Lanka made the most of their advantage by completely dominating Pakistan’s bowling attack. In the last innings, Pakistan was given a target of 508 after Dhananjaya de Silva’s brilliant century.

    Despite having a strong beginning to their innings, Pakistani hitters lost their way halfway through. Before Pakistan’s mini-collapse stopped them and secured a draw, captain Babar Azam produced yet another half-century. Sri Lanka destroyed the batsmen as they defeated their opponent by 246 runs.

  • Asia Cup 2022 to be held in UAE

    Asia Cup 2022 to be held in UAE

    The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced on Wednesday that Asia Cup 2022 will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, Sri Lanka will still officially have hosting rights. According to the ACC, the competition has been relocated to the UAE in light of the current crisis in Sri Lanka.

    “Every effort was made to host the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the decision to shift the venue to the UAE was taken after much deliberation. The UAE will be the new venue while Sri Lanka will continue to retain hosting rights,” ACC president Jay Shah said.

    The tournament will be played between August 27 and September 11.

    The 2022 edition of the Asia Cup is scheduled to be a T20I tournament.

    Since 1984, 14 Asia Cups have taken place. India won the Asia Cup title seven times. Sri Lanka is second to India with five cups to their name while Pakistan has won this title two times.

  • Pakistan’s Armughan Muqeem becomes youngest international bodybuilding judge

    Pakistan’s Armughan Muqeem becomes youngest international bodybuilding judge

    Vice president of the Pakistan Body Building Federation, Armughan Muqeem, has been named the youngest judge for the Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships 2022, which will be held in the Maldives.

    Muqeem will now serve as a judge in Asian bodybuilding championship contests after being granted a license by the Asian Body Building Federation (ABF) in recognition of his skills and abilities.

    He will also be a judge at the upcoming 13th World Championship.

    The 33-year-old hailed the moment as a proud one, saying that his years of hard work had finally paid off.

    “It was a proud moment for myself and my family to honour my Nation with this great opportunity and be a sign of pride for my county,” said Muqeem.

  • Arshad Nadeem secures fifth position at World Athletics Championship

    Arshad Nadeem secures fifth position at World Athletics Championship

    Pakistani Olympian Arshad Nadeem has secured fifth place in the men’s javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States.

    Arshad Nadeem threw at a distance of 86.16 meters in the final, which was his best throw of the season. He reached the final on Friday by throwing at a distance of 81.71m during his group B qualifying round to finish ninth overall.

    Neeraj Chopra of India won the silver medal with a throw of 88.13 meters.

    Arshad finished fifth in the javelin throw event at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021 and received wide acclaim back home for his achievement with little resources at his disposal.

  • Not in a position of hosting Asia Cup 2022, says Sri Lanka Cricket

    Not in a position of hosting Asia Cup 2022, says Sri Lanka Cricket

    Amid the ongoing economic and political crisis, Sri Lanka has withdrawn from hosting the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. This news came after Sri Lanka decided to postpone the third edition of the Lankan Premier League (LPL).

    Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) informed the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) about their decision that they are not in a position of hosting the Asia Cup because of the current political situation.

    The venue is yet to be decided. It could either be the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or any Asian country, including India.

    Sri Lanka will reportedly consult the UAE Cricket Board, requesting them to provide a venue to host the event. Sri Lanka Cricket will remain the official host of the Asia Cup, but the tournament is set to be played in Dubai and Sharjah between August 27 and September 11, according to ESPNcricinfo.

    The 2022 edition of the Asia Cup is scheduled to be a T20I tournament. Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and one other team from the qualifiers will be competing against each other in the T20 format at the Asia Cup 2022. UAE, Kuwait, Singapore, and Hong Kong will compete with each other in the qualifier rounds to get the spot as the sixth team in the tournament.

    Since 1984, 14 Asia Cups have taken place. India won the Asia Cup title seven times. Sri Lanka is second to India with five cups to their name while Pakistan has won this title two times.

  • Abdullah Shafique shines as Pakistan completes record run-chase, beating Sri Lanka in 1st Test

    Abdullah Shafique shines as Pakistan completes record run-chase, beating Sri Lanka in 1st Test

    Abdullah Shafique scored an unbeaten 160 as Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets in the first Test on Wednesday in Galle, chasing down a record mark of 342.

    To take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, the visitors won the game in the final session on the fifth day of competition.

    The most successful fourth-innings chase at Galle previously occurred in 2019 when Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by a score of 268.

    For the hosts, left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya got four wickets and is on the verge of a record-breaking four consecutive five-wicket hauls in his first two Tests.

    In a series-leveling Test victory against Australia last week at the same location, he grabbed 12 wickets on his debut, six in each innings.

    As soon as Sri Lanka used up their final two umpire reviews, which both featured Jayasuriya, Pakistan started the day on 222-3.

    Mohammad Rizwan began the day with a boundary off Ramesh Mendis and maintained his optimism by taking singles and twos before being bowled out for 40 by Jayasuriya.

    Rizwan, a wicketkeeper-batsman who entered the two-match series following a successful stay with English county Sussex, was not saved by a review.

    Shafique has so far maintained his composure and performed the anchor job flawlessly, scoring his second Test century on day four to put the pursuit in front.

  • ‘England will miss him,’ Twitter is sad over Ben Stokes’ sudden ODI retirement

    ‘England will miss him,’ Twitter is sad over Ben Stokes’ sudden ODI retirement

    England cricket team all-rounder Ben Stokes announced his shocking retirement from One-Day International (ODI) cricket on Monday citing the “unsustainable” rigour of playing all three formats of the game.

    Stokes was recently appointed as the captain of the England Men’s Test side.

    Today’s (Tuesday) match against South Africa at his home ground will be Stokes’ last ODI. However, he will continue to play Twenty20 Internationals and Test cricket.

    The 31-year-old said, “This has been an incredibly tough decision to make. I have loved every minute of playing with my mates for England. Hard as this decision was to come, it’s not as hard as dealing with the fact I can’t give my teammates 100% of myself in this format anymore. The England shirt deserves nothing less from anyone who wears it.”

    Ben Stokes has not played a T20 international for 16 months. He missed the World Cup last autumn while he was taking a break from the game to prioritise his mental health.

    Following the news, cricket fans couldn’t hold themselves from expressing their sadness over Stokes’ retirement while some of his fans and fellow cricketers wished him luck.