Pakistan’s female umpire, Saleema Imtiaz, has been nominated to the International Cricket Council’s( ICC) International Panel of Development Umpires.
After her nomination, Saleema Imtiaz will officiate in women’s bilateral international matches and ICC Women’s events, an important milestone in Pakistan’s cricket history.
Saleema is the first Pakistani woman to receive this honour. After being nominated, she will officiate the T20 home series against South Africa.
She is 52 years old and the mother of Pakistani women cricketer Kainat Imtiaz. She started her umpiring career in 2008 with the PCB Women’s Umpires Panel, and her extensive experience includes umpiring at high-level events under the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
Her career highlights include the 2022 and 2024 ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup and the 2023 ACC Emerging Women’s Cup Hong Kong. Recently, she was also a member of the playing control team for the ACC Women’s Premier Cup 2024 in Kuala Lumpur.
Pakistani former cricketer Basit Ali has accused Shoaib Malik of match-fixing and slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for appointing him as the mentor of Team Stallions for the Champions Cup.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, “If anyone wants proof, I will give it. People who can’t think about the country should not be appointed, and how PCB mentored those who admitted they lost a match on purpose.”
In an interview given to Ramiz Raja, Shoaib Malik admitted to losing a match on purpose.
The former cricketer also criticised Malik for making the young wicket keeper-batsman Muhammad Haris the captain of Stallions instead of Babar Azam. He said, “You can take 10 players like Haris out of Babar Azam’s pocket. Babar should have taken a stand like Umar Akmal or Ahmed Shahzad in these circumstances and refused to play under Haris’ captaincy.”
Babar Azam is part of the stallions, which are participating in the ongoing Champions Cup and playing under Muhammad Haris’s captaincy.
India has defeated Pakistan 2-1 in the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy group match.
Nadeem Ahmed scored the first goal for Pakistan in the first ten minutes of the first quarter. But Jarmanpreet Singh scored two goals for India and led his team to victory.
Previous Updates:
Pakistan and India will face off today in the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy.
The Indian team is at the top of the points table with 12 points after winning four undefeated matches in the tournament.
In the event, the Indian team scored 19 goals in 4 matches and the opposing teams scored only three goals in 4 games.
Pakistan’s team has not lost any matches so far. It has played two draws in four matches, won two, scored 11 goals in four games, and opponents scored 5 goals against Pakistan. In the world ranking of hockey, the Indian team is ranked fifth, while Pakistan is ranked 16th. India has won the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy four times and Pakistan three times.
District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Zahid has made a statement that terrorists used PUBG mobile to share information during attacks on a police post in the Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
DPO Swat said, “The three arrested terrorists involved in the police outpost attack have admitted to using PUBG for communication. They had created a chat group in the game to share information that the arrested accused were related to each other.”
On August 28, terrorists attacked the police post with explosives, in which one policeman, Rehmanullah, was killed while two policemen, Shafiullah and Mohammad Ayaz, were injured.
Earlier terrorists used Telegram to communicate, but this is the first time a game’s name has been revealed.
However, we have checked whether creating a chat group in the game and sharing such information is possible.
What’s the reality?
PUBG Mobile is a Chinese game launched in 2018. The Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) banned it in June 2020, but the ban was lifted later after meeting with company representatives.
This game has very strict rules and regulations on the use of language. Here are a few of them.
-Use of profanity or offensive slang, etc. -Expressions or behaviours that are sexually harassing, such as obscene words or sexual descriptions -Belittling, mocking or criticizing specific regions, religions, races, or individuals with disabilities, etc. -Expressions or behaviours that are threatening or intend to cause fear -Causing discomfort or aversion to users by using expressions or communicating in a manner prohibited by other terms and conditions of use
You can voice chat with eight people (in an 8v8 arena match) but cannot use offensive language.
You cannot write any offensive words. You will face a ban of one or more days if you try multiple times. You cannot even type any offensive word. The game system is organized so that it converts offensive words into *****.
Here is an example:
You can’t create groups in the game but can chat in voice or text while playing. You have to make sure you’re in the game to chat.
The game also requires more than 20 GB of memory and high-speed internet, and the internet speed in those areas is unsuitable for playing it properly.
Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has made history by becoming the first person in the world to reach one billion followers across all his social media platforms.
He has the most followers on Instagram, with 638 million, 170 million on Facebook, 113 million on X (formerly Twitter) and more than 60 million on YouTube. The star footballer made an entry on the YouTube last month and created records there as well, including a unique record of getting more than fifty million subscribers in just one week.
Ronaldo also posted about reaching one billion followers on his Instagram, thanking the fans, writing, “We’ve made history—1 BILLION followers! This is more than just a number—it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond. From the streets of Madeira to the biggest stages in the world, I’ve always played for my family and you, and now 1 billion of us stand together.”
“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This is our journey, and we’ve shown no limits to what we can achieve.”
He also holds the record of becoming the first footballer to score 900 goals.
The cricket Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand, scheduled for Noida, India, has been washed out amid rain and a wet outfield.
Although the weather was good and the sun was shining on the first two days of the Test match, the outfield was wet, raising questions about the staff’s preparation of the ground. On the remaining three days, both teams could not enter the field as rain continued to pour down.
On the last day of the match, umpires inspected the ground, but due to the accumulation of water in the ground and the wet outfield, the match ended without a toss.
In the history of Test cricket since 1890, only seven matches have ended without a single ball being bowled. The last time it happened was in 1998, when a game between India and New Zealand in Dunedin was abandoned due to rain.
Australian Test cricket team captain Pat Cummins celebrated the late Shane Warne’s birthday with an inspiring poetry reading.
Cricket Australia shared an emotional video with a montage of highlights of the legendary king of spin: “Happy birthday, Warne, A poetic tribute to the life and magic of Shane Keith Warne, as read by Australia Test captain Pat Cummins.”
This poem was written by Adam Burnett for Warne in 2022, titled Lightning in a Bottle: An Ode to Shane Warne.
Shane Warne took 708 wickets in 145 Test matches, 293 in 194 ODI matches, and 57 wickets in 55 (Indian Premier League) matches.
Arguably the greatest spinner in the history of the game, Warne died of a sudden heart attack at age 52 while on vacation in Thailand in 2022. Hours earlier he had paid tribute to Rod Marsh, who died on the same day. His unexpected death left the cricketing world reeling in shock.
You can read the full poem below.
Lightning in a Bottle: An Ode to Shane Warne
In your mind’s eye still you see him, standing calm atop his mark,
Ball in hand, it’s fizzing, as he looks around the park
He waits another heartbeat, points his fielders where to go,
It’s all part of the magic act, it’s all part of the show
His walk begins, deliberate, it builds towards its height,
He lets it go, the rest we know – has there been a better sight?
….
But now it’s gone forever, our sport will never be the same,
And so we ponder how to honour a true icon of the game
For where to start with Shane Keith Warne, that otherworldly gift?
We could talk about the wicked spin, the endless flight, the drift
We could talk about the wickets and the bluster and the guile,
We could talk about the character, the look, the hair, the smile
….
We could talk about charisma, a bush ballad come to life,
We could talk about the dramas and the trouble and the strife
We could talk about the slider and the leg breaks and the flipper,
We can contemplate a world in which he was full-time Aussie skipper
…
But single takes won’t encapsulate this giant of the sport,
A Melbourne kid with cricket nous that simply can’t be taught
We’re reflecting on an icon here, Australia’s finest sprig of wattle,
This is Shane Warne – the king – the lightning in a bottle
For such a man we need to go beyond the one-off traits,
Where history meets destiny, and a wider legacy awaits
…
Think miracles and magic, think spin bowling redefined,
Think generations spellbound, think unique, one of a kind
Think mastery and sleight of hand unmatched in cricket’s lore,
Think phenomenon, a genius who allowed an art to soar
…
We can marvel at the theatre, a crowd expectant, still,
We’re all in awe and in his palm, the game bent to his will
We’re watching and we’re waiting as our showman owns the stage,
We’re witnessing the golden glow of Australia’s golden age
…
Then each of us will zero in on moments we hold dearest,
The balls that somehow shaped our lives, the ones we still see clearest
Richardson and Cullinan, you remember who was batting,
Gibbs and Strauss and Stewart, and you’ll always treasure Gatting
…
A hat-trick in the Ashes, a World Cup spun his way,
The comeback in Sri Lanka, that final Boxing Day
So take your pick and go there in the quiet of your mind,
Just close your eyes and conjure – this is what he leaves behind
…
See the wickets we can tally up, but the emotion we can’t measure,
The feelings that he stirred in us, the simple sense of pleasure
A chubby blond in cricket whites, he took a ball and twirled,
For fifteen years he cast his spell, bewitched the cricket world
…
He was just a bloke – extraordinary – but fallible and flawed,
It meant he felt like one of us, made him all the more adored
Which is why he’s left us grappling, left the cricket world defeated,
From Launceston to the Long Room, we’ve all been left depleted
But flip that thought and think instead how enriched we are by Warne,
Let’s salute a pure entertainer – the greatest bowler ever born.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Board of Governors has proposed to include the Champions Cup in the 2014 Constitution in its 74th meeting.
The Board of Governors suggested that the Champions Cup should be included in the PCB Constitution 2014, along with the T20 and four-day format events, to make it part of the annual calendar, hoping that it will bring continuity and consistency to the domestic cricket system.
Members also suggested that PCB should take full control of Iqbal Stadium, upgrade it to international standards, and restore the venue.
The Board of Governors received an update on the progress of the infrastructure projects, including the design and scope of work. The members expressed their full support and satisfaction with the projects, saying they needed the time. Once the projects are completed, they will help raise the image and profile of Pakistan and domestic cricket.
The Champions ODI Cup began on Thursday afternoon with the opening match between the Markhors and the Panthers at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed in its recent report that last year’s 50-over World Cup benefited the Indian economy to the tune of one billion 39 million dollars (38 thousand 628 crore Pakistani rupees). However, Dawn has reported that the details of the financial benefit from the Pak-India match have not been provided yet.
The main source of the ICC income in the World Cup comes from the big matches between Pakistan and India, but in return, India gets 38.5 percent of the ICC’s income, while Pakistan’s share is limited to only 5.75 percent.
ICC derives most of its revenue from broadcasting contracts, gate money (money from match ticket sales), title sponsorships, and other sources. Last year, the Indian broadcaster reportedly acquired the broadcasting rights for exclusive coverage of World Cup matches between Pakistan and India for a whopping $3 billion from 2023 to 2027.
India receives 230 million dollars annually out of the total revenue of 600 million dollars of the ICC. At the same time, in other important countries, England gets 40.13 million dollars, Australia 37.5 million dollars and Pakistan 34.5 million dollars.
India accounts for a significant share of the ICC’s overall revenue as the sport’s governing body receives more from India’s sponsorship. Still, Pakistan-India matches are also a major source of income for the ICC, so Pakistan should get at least more share than England and Australia.
The bilateral series with India’s central member nations, Australia and England, will bring financial benefits to the boards of both countries.
According to a report by the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the total revenue generated from Pakistan-India matches has been about $1.3 billion in the last twenty years.
The World Cup was held in India last year from October 5 to November 19 in 10 cities, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamshala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune, which brought together various sectors of the country played an important role in promoting the development of the economy.
Additionally, due to the direct investment in hosting the event by the ICC and the Board for Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and plans to upgrade stadiums by state cricket associations in various sectors, Indian businesses have directly benefited.
Australia’s two-time cricket World Cup (2003 and 2007) winning team member, fast bowler Nathan Bracken, has started working as an accountant in a local firm.
In 2008, 47-year-old Nathan became the number one bowler in the ODI format. In 2011, Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challenger Bangalore picked him in the draft for 1.3 crore rupees, but the cricketer refused to play in the league.
In 2023, the Australian cricketer briefly entered politics and participated in the elections as a Liberal candidate for the Entrance Electorate but could not win.
Nathan was forced to retire from cricket in 2010 after a knee injury. He played five Tests, 116 ODIs, and 19 T20 Internationals and took 205 wickets in all three formats.
