Category: Sports

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

  • Ayesha Omar reveals which cricketer took modelling tips from her

    Ayesha Omar reveals which cricketer took modelling tips from her

    Actor and Model Ayesha Omar has recently revealed who is her favourite cricketer in Pakistan. She also mentioned that which cricketer used to take modelling tips from her.

    In a candid interview on the Geo News programme ‘Jashan-e-Cricket’, Omar said star all-rounder Shoaib Malik is her favourite.

    The Karachi Se Lahore diva added that Malik is not only her favourite cricketer but is also her old friend.

    The actor also shed light on the photoshoot that the two friends did, which went viral on social media for all the wrong reasons.

    Omar, however, said that she enjoyed the shoot with Malik and that he used to take modelling tips from her during the time they worked on that shoot.

  • Ash Barty beats Danielle Collins to end 44-year wait for home Australian Open Champion

    Ash Barty beats Danielle Collins to end 44-year wait for home Australian Open Champion

    Ashleigh Barty beat Danielle Collins to win the Australian Open title, ending the home nation’s 44-year wait for a Grand Slam women’s singles champion.

    Ace player Barty fought back from 5-1 down in the second set to win 6-3 7-6 (7-2) on a jubilant Rod Laver Arena.

    The 25-year-old Queenslander has won the title without dropping a set in Melbourne this fortnight.

    After winning the 2019 French Open and last year’s Wimbledon title, she now claims three of the four majors.

    The Australian star player thanked all the staff as the ballkids stand on ceremony.

    “It’s been one of my favourite experiences,” said Ashleigh, adding, “this is just a dream come true. I’m so proud to be an Aussie.”

  • Pakistanis praise Will Smeed for outstanding knock in Quetta Gladiators’ PSL 7 opener

    Pakistanis praise Will Smeed for outstanding knock in Quetta Gladiators’ PSL 7 opener

    Pakistani netizens and cricket lovers went berserk on social media after Quetta Gladiators’ Will Smeed played an outstanding 97-run knock off just 62 balls against Peshawar Zalmi in the first match of his team. He hit 11 fours and four sixes in his prolific inning.

    Will Smeed’s spectacular score against Peshawar Zalmi was the second-highest individual score for the Quetta Gladiators on his Pakistan Super League (PSL) debut.

    He replaced fellow English cricketer James Vince for PSL 2022.

    Though the 20-year-old missed out on a well-deserved hundred, he won the hearts of fans, courtesy of the entertaining inning and bagged Player of the match award.

    The entire cricket fraternity and fans lauded the right-handed batter for his extraordinary knock, as he announced his arrival on the PSL stage in a grand style.

    https://twitter.com/Crickettalks91/status/1487098485316866049?t=H8hU8Ka7DnnqSO2NCx4Rlg&s=19

    Taking to Twitter, Smeed said that he loved his first experience of the PSL.

    Zalmi beat Gladiators by five wickets after stand-up captain Shoaib Malik and Hussain Talat led the team to victory.

    Quetta is set to take on Babar Azam’s Karachi Kings tonight (Saturday) at the National Stadium Karachi.

  • Pak U19 CWC journey ends in quarter-finals defeat by Australia

    Pak U19 CWC journey ends in quarter-finals defeat by Australia

    Pakistan’s journey ended in U19 Men’s World Cup 2022 as Australia beat the national side with a margin of 119-run in a quarter-final match on Friday at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua.

    Pakistan won the toss and decided to field first but the decision turned out to be a bad one as the Australian side set a huge target of 277 to reach the semi-final.

    For Pakistan, Captain Qasim Akram took three wickets for 40 runs. Awais Ali took two while Mehran Mumtaz and Zeeshan Zameer took a wicket apiece.

    In reply, Pakistan lost openers Muhammad Shehzad and Haseebullah in 4.1 overs. Abdul Faseeh and Irfan Khan added 50 runs for the third-wicket which turned out to be Pakistan’s best partnership in the match. Faseeh fell for 28 while shortly after Irfan was dismissed for 27.

    Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals before being bowled out for 157 in 35.1 overs. Mehran top-scored with 29 off 19 balls.

    For Australia, William Salzmann took three while Tom Whitney and Jack Sinfield took two wickets each.

    Pakistan, meanwhile is the third most successful side after India and Australia in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, which was launched in 1988 before becoming a biennial event in 1998.

    The boys in green have won titles in 2004 and 2006, finished runners-up thrice in 1988, 2010 and 2014, and achieved third positions in 2000, 2008, 2018 and 2020.

    Qasim Akram and Zeeshan Zameer will join their teams Karachi Kings and Islamabad United respectively in the ongoing seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) after coming back. The players will have to get negative Covid-19 results and complete mandatory quarantine to play in the tournament.

  • Are you stupid? You are so bad’: Medvedev yells at referee in Australian Open semi-final

    Are you stupid? You are so bad’: Medvedev yells at referee in Australian Open semi-final

    Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev sealed his place in a second consecutive grand slam final by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 but not without drama after he lost his temper with Jaume Campistol and called him ‘stupid’ and a ‘bad’ umpire during the semi-final clash.

    Medvedev took a close first set in a tie-break but was then broken at 4-4 in the second to hand the Greek an opportunity to level the match at a set a piece.

    As both players headed to the changeover, Medvedev was warned for a “visible obscenity”, after which he started screaming up at umpire Campistol, complaining about Tsitsipas’ father and coach Apostolos talking to him about the match. (Coaching players during a match is banned in men’s tennis.)

    Campistol was unmoved, which enraged Medvedev further.

    “Are you mad? His father can’t talk every point. No, are you stupid? Can you answer my question please? Oh my God you are so bad,” Medvedev added.

    “How can you be so bad in the semi-final of a grand slam. Look at me! I’m talking to you,” he yelled.

    Campistol then called time, to which Medvedev shouted: “what time?”, and then watched as the Russian could not stop Tsitsipas serving out the set.

    “Next time, it should be a code violation. If you don’t [call it], what can I call [you]? A small cat?”

    The US Open champion took himself off court at the end of the set but as he left, once again implored Campistol to do something about what he felt was blatant coaching.

    Medvedev is shooting for back-to-back major titles after upsetting Djokovic in last year’s US Open final.

    Like in New York last September, when he stopped Djokovic from completing a calendar Grand Slam of titles, Medvedev will be trying to derail Nadal’s tilt at making men’s tennis history.

    Spanish star Nadal will be playing against world number two Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday.

  • Shahid Afridi to miss the first few matches of PSL 7 due to back injury

    Shahid Afridi to miss the first few matches of PSL 7 due to back injury

    Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, who is repsenting Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Quetta Gladiators this season, is expected to miss the first few matches of the highly-anticipated league, starting tomorrow.

    The veteran power-hitter Afridi sustained a back injury in a practice session on Tuesday. He was also not part of the training session of Quetta Gladiators. Afridi was hopeful of being fit in time for season seven but he is not 100 percent fit yet.

    As per Geo Super, Afridi requested Quetta to excuse him from the bio-secure bubble. Along with the back pain, a relative of Afridi’s wife has passed away so the cricketer has to attend to personal matters as well.

    Sarfaraz Ahmed, who will be leading Quetta, said they will use their marquee player judiciously and make sure he doesn’t aggravate his injury.

    Afridi was unavailable for the UAE-leg of the PSL 6 because of back injury while representing Multan Sultans.

    The T20 bigwig has piled up 4,395 runs in 326 matches and has maintained a stupendous strike rate of 154.21. He has shed 344 wickets in the shortest format.

    The top-flight bowling all-rounder Afridi alongside England stylish batter James Vince will play for Quetta Gladiators in PSL 2022 edition.

    Afridi played four matches for Sultans in last year’s edition that was played in Karachi and UAE. The veteran shed two wickets and made three runs.

  • Babar, Rizwan face-off: Both ready to face each other in first PSL 7 match

    Babar, Rizwan face-off: Both ready to face each other in first PSL 7 match

    The stage is set for the seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) to begin on January 27 at the National Stadium in Karachi with defending champions Multan Sultans facing off 2020 champions Karachi Kings following a curtain-raiser opening ceremony.

    Babar Azam, who made the record for most T20I wins as captain in a calendar year with 20 in 2021, will lead Karachi Kings. Mohammad Rizwan, first-ever batter to score more than 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year, will lead Multan Sultans.

    Babar in a statement issued by PSL, said: “I am very excited to be leading Karachi Kings this season. This is the first instance that I will be captaining a side in the HBL PSL and I am looking forward to it.

    “The first match of the tournament always has a lot of eyeballs and Multan Sultans can prove to be a tough opposition. I am sure the fans will get to see a thrilling contest.

    “Peter Moores is a seasoned coach and I have had fruitful discussions with him. Karachi Kings will display good, competitive cricket this season.”

    While Rizwan said: “We have all the potential to defend our HBL PSL title and we will be taking the field tomorrow with that mind set. This season will present us new challenges and we will have to plan accordingly.

    “Babar Azam is a wonderful batter and captain, and his leadership will certainly have a good impact on Karachi Kings. I am hopeful that the HBL PSL 7 will kick off with a great contest between the two sides.”

  • Rizwan misses ‘fighter’ Shahid Afridi ahead of PSL 7

    Rizwan misses ‘fighter’ Shahid Afridi ahead of PSL 7

    The seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to kick off from January 27 and skipper of PSL franchise Multan Sultans, Mohammad Rizwan, has said that he will miss the “fighter” all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

    The phenomenal all-rounder moved to Quetta Gladiators for the PSL 7, which would be his last tournament.

    Rizwan, while speaking to Cricket Pakistan, said that the global superstar’s absence will always be felt.

    “Last year he also got injured and we missed him dearly then as well,” Rizwan said. “He is a superstar of the country and his absence is always going to be felt. I talk to him time and time again as he makes things easier.”

    The wicket-keeper-batter, who was named the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year, also recalled the time that he spent with Afridi on the pitch.

    He said that Shahid is a fighter and he plays with passion and he never gives up. “I remember we were playing a match together and we needed 120-odd runs from 50-odd balls,” he said. “Our entire top-order had collapsed and batting together with him made me realise that he never gives up. When we would meet in the middle, he would tell things we need to do to turn the match around and that, for me, defines him as a person and a player,” he added.

    Sultans will be in action against Karachi Kings in the PSL 2022 opening match, which will be played at the National Stadium Karachi tomorrow (January 27).

  • Australian A-List cricketers to miss Sri Lanka tour to prepare for Pak series

    Australian A-List cricketers to miss Sri Lanka tour to prepare for Pak series

    Cricket Australia has confirmed that they are preparing for Pakistan tour and this is the reason why their players David Warner and Mitchell Marsh will not attend the Sri Lankan series.

    Read More – ‘All looking really positive’ for Pak tour, says Australian Captain Pat Cummins

    Chief selector of the Australian team George Bailey, while announcing the team for the Sri Lankan series, revealed that David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and others are granted leaves to prepare for the Pakistan tour.

    The head coach of the Australian side, Justin Langer, will miss the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka as he will be busy preparing for Australia’s full-fledged tour to Pakistan in March this year. The Aussies will play three Tests, three ODIs as well as one T20I match against Pakistan.

    Aaron Finch will continue to lead the Australian side in the series.

    Australia T20I Squad:

    Aaron Finch (C), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Josh Inglis, Ben McDermott, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa

    On the other hand, Australian media claims that Cricket Australia and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are in a process of dialogues to play all the matches at one venue. Earlier, the first Test match of the series was set to start from March 3 in Karachi. The second in Rawalpindi from March 12 to 16 and the third in Lahore from March 21 to 25.

    The Australian cricket team will be visiting Pakistan in March and April.

  • Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen have a message for fans after receiving ICC awards

    Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen have a message for fans after receiving ICC awards

    Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam, wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi have a message for their fans after receiving ODI Cricketer of the Year, T20I Cricketer of the Year and ICC Player of the Year awards respectively. All three cricketers took to their social media to express their gratitude for achieving the feat.

    Read More – Babar Azam named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

    Taking to Twitter, Babar expressed his gratitude for being named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year 2021.

    “I am thankful to Almighty, my family, friends, and fans who always push me to do better with all their love and trust,” he said in a tweet.

    This is the third mention of Babar Azam in the ICC Awards 2021. He was earlier announced as the captain of the T20 and ODI teams of the year by the ICC.

    Similarly Rizwan, after being declared the T20I Cricketer of the Year, took to Twitter to thank the Almighty.

    “Alhumdulillah. Bus Allah se hota hai. Allah k ghair se nahi hota,” he wrote.

    He further added: “I am grateful to everyone for their support and love. In sha Allah, the journey has just started. This award is dedicated to Pakistan and the beautiful people of Pakistan.”

    The player aggregated a staggering 1,326 runs in only 29 matches at an average of 73.66 and a strike-rate of 134.89 last year.

    Read More – ‘Sirf Allah se hota hai’: Mohammad Rizwan after scoring 2,000 record T20 runs in a year

    According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Rizwan was “as solid as ever behind the stumps”, playing a key role in Pakistan’s run to the semi-final during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, where he ended up as the third-highest run-scorer.

    Pakistan’s “tall boy” Afridi, as noted by ICC, also joined Babar and Rizwan in expressing his joy and gratitude by posting a tweet.

    “Almighty has been very kind to me. I’m extremely grateful for all the love sent my way,” he wrote.

    Afridi took 78 wickets in 36 internationals at an average of 22.20 with the best bowling figures of 6/51.

    The 21-year-old speedster was on fire throughout 2021, knocking some of the best batters over across all three formats of the game.

    He especially had a year to remember in Tests and T20Is, reaching his peak during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in UAE where he impressed one and all with his sheer speed and skills. His exceptional spell against India in the ICC T20 World Cup was the cherry on the top for the Pakistan cricket fans. He sent Indian openers KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli to the pavillion in the clash with India. He conceded only 31 runs in his four overs.