Category: Sports

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

  • ICC falls in love with ‘picturesque’ Gwadar stadium

    The scenic cricket stadium in the port city of Gwadar has also caught the eye of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

    In a tweet, the ICC shared photo of the cricket stadium, located in Balochistan, asking people if they have seen “a more picturesque sports venue”.

    The stadium was inaugurated by the chief minister of Balochistan in November last year. “The government is planning to extend the newly-built stadium in Gwadar by establishing a cricket ground meeting international standards,” Jam Kamal had said on the occasion.

    Fakhr-e-Alam, an actor and TV host, also uploaded a video of the stadium on his Twitter handle, calling it as the “most beautiful cricket ground” he had ever seen. 

    In a short video clip, Alam asked leagues to come out and play cricket in the Gwadar cricket ground. “To all #cricket playing friends everywhere in the world….come visit us…come play cricket with us here in Gawadar cricket ground….it’s the most beautiful cricket ground I have ever seen……,” he tweeted. 

    The stadium is located in Gwadar that holds prime importance for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. However, due to the security reasons, the provincial government had decided to fence the city that was criticised by all quarters and subsequently halted.

  • Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali help Pakistan sail past South Africa in first Test

    Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali help Pakistan sail past South Africa in first Test

    Pakistan defeated South Africa by seven wickets on day four of the first Test match in Karachi on Friday, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series that marks the Proteas’ first tour to the country in almost 14 years.

    Fawad Alam hit the winning runs with a square cut to Keshav Maharaj for four to seal what has been a remarkable comeback for him to the Test unit as Pakistan easily chased the 88 runs set by South Africa for victory.

    Pakistan, needing 88 for victory, had reached 22 without loss at lunch with Abid Ali on 10 and Imran Butt on 12. But even as the openers departed after adding just a run after lunch, there seemed to be no panic as captain Babar Azam and veteran Azhar Ali coasted to within two runs of victory.

    Maharaj trapped Babar in front for 30, Azhar was 31 not out while Alam — who hit a fighting hundred in the first innings — hit the winning boundary.

    Earlier, debutant Nauman Ali took five wickets and fellow spinner Yasir Shah grabbed four to give Pakistan a solid opportunity to take lead in the series.

    Left-arm spinner Nauman took 5-35 while Yasir finished with 4-79 after South Africa resumed at 187-4 at the start of the day. Temba Bavuma was the last man out for 40.

    On Thursday, Yasir and Nauman grabbed three wickets in the space of ten runs to halt South Africa’s fightback on the third day of the first Test in Karachi.

    When it looked like South Africa would end the day at parity after wiping out Pakistan’s big 158-run first-innings lead, Yasir struck twice and Nauman once to leave the tourists on 187-4 at close.

    Earlier, Pakistan scored 378 to take a crucial lead over South Africa’s first innings total of 220.

    Read more – Fahad Mustafa says ignoring Fawad Alam for a decade was ‘a failure of our system’

    Meanwhile, the centurion, Alam got man of the match award for getting Pakistan out of trouble.

    The two-match Test series is South Africa’s first in Pakistan for 14 years. The second Test will be played in Rawalpindi from February 4.

    The hosts have won only one of their previous seven Tests against South Africa in Pakistan, with the visitors claiming two victories to go with four draws.

    Pakistan’s bowling coach congratulated the team for a win as well as Fawad for his outclass performance in his debut match at home ground. He also congratulated Yasir and Nauman for an incredible bowling and helping Pakistan beat the visitors.

  • Fahad Mustafa says ignoring Fawad Alam for a decade was ‘a failure of our system’

    Fahad Mustafa has condemned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for ignoring Fawad Alam for a decade.

    “If you want to witness what a failure of our system really is, watch Fawad Alam playing like a champ that he really is. We have wasted 10 years of this incredibly talented athlete,” wrote Fahad on social media.

    Fawad, who was ignored for almost eleven years, has gone on to score a century during the Pakistan vs South Africa series, happening in Karachi. This is the cricketer’s third century. He scored his first in 2009 when he hit 168 on his Test debut against Sri Lanka while opening the innings. Since then Alam has played just six Tests having made a comeback in 2020. He scored his second hundred in New Zealand during the Pakistan vs New Zealand Test series after he got a chance to play when Babar Azam was ruled out due to his thumb injury.

    Meanwhile, Pakistanis including celebrities, politicians and sports analysts cannot stop praising Alam for his brilliant feat and many have called out the previous selectors for ignoring his talent.

  • First day of PAK vs SA ends in distress despite ‘Super Rizwan’

    First day of PAK vs SA ends in distress despite ‘Super Rizwan’

    The Pakistan vs South Africa series kickstarted on Tuesday with a Test match at the National Stadium Karachi. While the day began with cricket aficionados witnessing some great wicketkeeping by ‘Super Rizwan’, it ended with four out after making just 33 runs. SA, on the other hand, had a score of 220-10.

    Muhammad Rizwan’s exceptional wicketkeeping abilities left everyone in awe during the first session of the first test between Pakistan and South Africa. Middle-order batsman Van der Dussen was run out by a quick throw from Babar Azam and excellent work with the gloves from Rizwan.

    With an excellent speed, Rizwan broke the wickets in seconds. The skipper’s throw in the right direction helped Rizwan run out the South African Middle-order batsman at 17 runs.

    This Test series is very important for Pakistan Cricket as the green shirts have faced a humiliating defeat in New Zealand.

    Pakistan’s 11 initially appeared strong with its two debutants, Nauman Ali and Imran Butt, but opener Imran, couldn’t do anything promising with the bat. Earlier in the day, Younis Khan and Yasir Shah had presented both Ali and Butt their first Test cap.

    The visiting team opted for batting after winning the toss. They had a strong start but lost Markram early after which they could not construct a lasting partnership. The highest individual score from a South Africa batsman came from the blade of Dean Elgar, who scored a well-made 58. The visitors could only post a total of 220.

    For Pakistan, with the ball, the spinners rose to the occasion. Yasir Shah was the highlight, with 3 wickets to his name, while debutant Nauman Ali snared two. The pacers had 3 wickets to their names. And then, Pakistan stepped out to bat, in their first innings. It was a horror start with the bat though, as they lost Abid Ali early and saw further collapses, including the skipper at 7.

    In the end, they closed out Day 1, at 33 for 4, and probably have to thank the sun for setting down, rather than any of their batsmen. However, if one exception were to be made, one can say that Azhar Ali is gritting it out there – he is the man the visiting team would hope to snare as they resume play on Day 2.

    Pakistan will need 187 runs to opt for a lead tomorrow with six wickets in hand.

  • Babar Azam opens up on his journey from ‘ball-picker’ to Test captain

    Star batsman Babar Azam has opened up and shared his journey from being a ‘ball-picker’ during a match between Pakistan and South Africa in 2007 to becoming the Test captain and leading the team against the Proteas on their first visit after fourteen years.

    In a video shared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the 26-year-old recalled the time when he was a ball-picker in the Test match in 2007 between the Green Caps and the Proteas at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore which increased his passion for the game.

    “My cricket journey started back in 2007,” said Azam. “I had a passion for the game but I really wanted to see international stars play in front of me. At the time, South African team was here so I asked someone to help me become a ball picker. I used to go daily from Gulberg to Gaddafi Stadium.”

    Azam continued: “I used to enjoy picking up balls. I remember watching Inzamam-ul-Haq’s farewell innings where he got out before breaking the record of great Javed Miandad. I witnessed it live the way he went back to the dressing room and took his anger out.”

    “This journey has been long and tough but I feel blessed to be making my Test captaincy debut against the same team,” he shared further.

    It is pertinent to add here that Babar’s cousin Kamran Akmal was the first-choice wicketkeeper for Pakistan from 2007 to 2010.

    Later, sharing PCB’s video, Babar said: “This humble story is for our youth. May your dreams keep you awake and motivate you to run that extraordinary yard.”

    “You are enough. A thousand times enough,” he added.

    Babar will be leading the national team for the first time in the five-day format in the first Test against South Africa which will begin from Tuesday, January 26 at the National Stadium in Karachi.

  • India hands Australia first defeat since 1988 at Brisbane’s Gabba ground

    India handed Australia their first defeat since 1988 at Brisbane’s Gabba ground, allowing them to clinch the four-Test series 2-1 to win the Border-Gavaskar trophy on Tuesday.

    Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant starred with a swashbuckling 89 not out as the injury-depleted visitors overhauled the 328-run target with three overs to go, winning by three wickets.

    Australia had not been beaten at the Gabba since falling to Viv Richards’ all-conquering West Indies side by nine wickets in November 1988.

    Since then, Australia had played 31 test matches at The Gabba, winning 24 of them, while drawing the remaining seven.

    “Last time Australia lost a Gabba Test… George H.W. Bush had just won the US Presidential election, Bad Medicine by Bon Jovi was charting #1, Virat Kohli was 16 days old and Sachin Tendulkar was still one year away from making his Test debut,” wrote ICC on Twitter.

    India’s 329 for seven also smashed the 69-year-old record for the biggest run-chase at the Gabba, set by Australia who scored 236 for seven to beat the West Indies in 1951.

    The series win was a remarkable achievement considering India were bowled out for their lowest Test score of 36 to lose the first Test in Adelaide, before bouncing back to win the second in Melbourne.

    The visitors, ravaged by injuries and captain Virat Kohli’s absence for paternity leave, then batted throughout the final day to draw the third Test in Sydney.

    “It really means a lot to us. I don’t know how to describe this victory but I’m really proud of all the boys,” said India’s interim skipper Ajinkya Rahane. “They showed character, attitude, especially after the Adelaide Test match. We decided we’re going to fight really hard and we just wanted to give our best.”

    Man-of-the-match Pant, who played a similar innings in the drawn Sydney Test, blasted his 89 from 138 balls with nine fours and a six.

    His innings followed an equally impressive knock from 21-year-old Shubman Gill, who made 91 at the top of the order earlier in the day.

    Before the latest match, India had played six test matches at The Gabba, losing five of them with one draw. In their seventh outing on the ground, they managed to beat Australia and with this win, India moved to the top of the ICC World Test Championship ranking list.

    Meanwhile, Kohli congratulated the team and the board on their historic win.

  • Mohammad Amir will be available for Pakistan on one condition

    Mohammad Amir will be available for Pakistan on one condition

    Mohammad Amir has clarified that he will be available for Pakistan on one condition.

    In a tweet, the fast bowler wrote: “I would like to clarify that yes I will be available for Pakistan only once this management leaves. So please stop spreading fake news just to sell your story.”

    Widely regarded as one of the most destructive fast bowlers of the Green Army in the modern era, Amir had shocked the entire cricket fraternity when he opted to bid farewell to international cricket following his ouster from the Pakistani limited-overs squad for the New Zealand series last year. 

    Amir had already retired from the longest format before he quit international cricket alleging ‘mental torture’ by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). According to the latest developments, the out-of-favour Pakistani cricketer has volunteered to come out of retirement in order to play for the Azam-led side on the international circuit.

    Read more – PCB, cricketing greats among others react to Amir’s exit

    Meanwhile, according to the Pakistani journalists, the pacer will only make a comeback to play for the National team if Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis are removed from office. While Misbah is the current head coach of the Babar Azam-led side, Younis is the bowling chief.

    Earlier, Babar Azam had backed coach Misbah by defending the management’s decision to snub the pacer from the national squad. Azam had asserted that Amir’s performances were not up to the mark.

    Misbah and Waqar said that Amir’s recent performances have been really poor and he does not warrant a place in the squad. They did, however, say that Amir will be welcomed back into the team if he is able to perform better in the domestic circuit. However, Amir rubbished this statement as well, saying that they are portraying a different picture to take the blame off their backs.

    The 28-year-old speedster has played 36 Tests, 61 One Day International (ODIs), and as many as 50 T20Is for the Pakistani national team. Amir also plied his trade with Galle Gladiators in the inaugural Lanka Premier League (LPL).

  • IN PICTURES: South Africa cricket team arrives in Pakistan

    The South African cricket team has arrived in Pakistan to play two tests and three T20 international matches. It is the first tour by the cricket team since 2007. The South African team is led by Quinton de Kock.

    As per reports, the visiting side has cleared two COVID-19 tests before coming to Pakistan and will be tested again for COVID-19. Till then, the squad will remain in quarantine. However, they will be allowed to practice after testing negative for coronavirus.

    According to an official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB): “The South African team will be training at the Karachi Gymkhana cricket ground from January 17-22 in a biosecure bubble before moving to National Stadium for a full-fledged training session.”

    Both sides will undergo another round of COVID-19 testing before the first test match.

    Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricket team will reach Karachi on January 19 and commence their practice session from January 21.

    Earlier on Friday, the board announced a 20-player squad for the Test series against South Africa (SA). As per details, the squad includes nine uncapped players.

    The five-day matches will be staged in Karachi from January 26-30 and in Rawalpindi from February 4-8, T20 fixtures will be played in Lahore from 11th February to 14th of February.

  • VIDEO: Shoaib Akhtar thrashes Pakistani advertisements

    VIDEO: Shoaib Akhtar thrashes Pakistani advertisements

    Pakistani former cricketer, Shoaib Akhtar has thrashed Pakistan’s corporate advertisements in a live sports show.

    Insulting the advertisements shown on television, the pacer said: “[The] world’s pathetic advertisements are made in Pakistan.”

    “You can imagine the capacity of our elite class that their brains are filled with trash, filled with trash,” he expressed. “They have no creativity.”

    “There’s an ad of 4G and a guy is running very fast and jumps off a cliff and stands there. I thought it’s an advertisement of shoes but turns out it’s about a faster 4G connection,” he said.

    Akhtar continued: “In another one, two cricketers are dancing on a track about a girl welcoming her beloved. How silly is it to have two cricketers dance on this? A guest cricketer has come and the other one is receiving him and that track is being played.”

    “I think their brains have stopped working. This the corporate ads culture?,” he lamented.

    While the host tried to ask him about South Africa’s tour to Pakistan, Akhtar ignored and continued to share his thoughts on Pakistani adverts.

    “You have seen that world’s pathetic ads are being made here,” said Akhtar, before going on to share his experience of producing an advertisement for a car.

    “I was offered to work in a car advertisement,” said Akhtar. “I told them that I will produce the ad. If you like it, you can keep it. Otherwise, I don’t want you to make this advertisement.”

    He continued: “They agreed and we made the advertisement and they loved it. The ad got millions of views and when they showed me their original concept for the same ad, I said: ‘Shame on you for your pathetic concept’.”

    Akhtar is well-known for his aggression on and off the field, and this time, the legend didn’t shy away from slamming corporate organisations for their advertisements and the advertisement culture of Pakistan.

  • Babar Azam summoned by FIA over claims by ‘ex-girlfriend’

    Babar Azam summoned by FIA over claims by ‘ex-girlfriend’

    Cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has summoned Pakistan cricket team skipper Babar Azam over sexual and financial abuse accusations by the woman who claims to be his ex-girlfriend. 

    Babar, 26, was summoned on Thursday but excused from visiting the officials due to some engagements.

    The star batsman requested the FIA to reschedule the summons, after which he has been asked to appear before the agency next week.

    On Wednesday, he started net practice at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after missing out all the matches of Pakistan against New Zealand owing to thumb injury. Babar’s thumb was injured during net practice in Queens Town on December 12.

    Despite missing out on all the matches, Babar remained with the team in New Zealand.

    The New Zealand series was Babar’s first as Test captain and now he has to lead Pakistan in the home series against South Africa starting from January 26 with the first Test scheduled to be played in Karachi. The second Test is scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi from February 4 following which the two teams will play three T20Is in Lahore from February 11 to 14.

    CASE AGAINST BABAR:

    In December 2020, police had given a clean chit to Babar in the harassment case against him.

    According to reports, Additional Sessions Judge Nauman Naeem had taken up the petition of a woman, namely Hameeza Mukhtar, against the Pakistani skipper.

    The hearing had come after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director of Media and Communications Samiul Hassan said that the sexual violence allegations against skipper Babar were a personal matter and the board could not comment on it.

    According to Jang, the board’s spokesperson was responding to a question posed by the Urdu daily after a damning press conference by one Hamiza of Lahore, who claims to be Babar’s schoolfellow and neighbour.

    Addressing the presser, the woman had claimed that the young cricketer tricked her into love and marriage.

    “When I asked him to marry me, he tortured me,” she said.

    Hamiza said that she had financially supported Babar when he was struggling with his career, adding that she spent millions of rupees on him.

    “When I called the PCB to lodge a complaint, they said that it was a personal matter,” she continued.

    During the proceedings in the sessions court, the counsel of the petitioner sought time to submit documents in the court and said that the entire case was based on medical reports.

    Azam’s counsel, Barrister Harris Azmat, while requesting the court to reject the petitioner’s plea, said that Azam was a national cricketer and hero, adding that Hameeza had started blackmailing the national cricket team captain in 2016 whereas the police had cleared him in an investigation.

    Police also submitted an investigation report in the court, as per which the national cricketer was found innocent and the woman was leveling baseless allegations.

    “The court should reject the petitioner’s plea,” he had said.

    Barrister Azmat said that Azam’s case was being covered by Indian media and the woman may have targeted the national cricketer once again at the behest of someone.