Category: Sports

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

  • Are IPL’s Mumbai Indians the greatest domestic T20 side ever?

    Are IPL’s Mumbai Indians the greatest domestic T20 side ever?

    Mumbai Indians on Tuesday defeated Delhi Capitals in the final of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 becoming the most successful IPL team in history. The defending champions lifted the trophy of IPL for the fifth time, following which the International Cricket Council (ICC) asked their followers if the team was “the greatest domestic T20 side ever.”

    Soon after the post by ICC, a debate erupted in which some Twitter users pointed out that the council is forgetting Sialkot Stallions, the most successful Pakistani domestic team, which under Imran Nazir and Shoaib Malik’s captaincy has six National T20 Cup wins in Pakistan. This record is jointly held by Pakistan’s Sialkot Stallions and South Africa’s Titans.

    Many teams have registered pretty long winning streaks in recent times but have fallen a long way behind the biggest winning streak ever recorded in Twenty20 cricket but Stallions hold the record as they won 25 consecutive matches in the T20 format which they played across six domestic competitions. The dream run came to a tragic end in October 2010 when Sialkot fell 14 runs short of a 198-run chase against Rawalpindi Rams.

    Mumbai now needs only one more title to equal the aforementioned record. Though Mumbai has two Titles of Champions trophy, it does not fall under the domestic radar. Hence, it is premature to announce them the greatest domestic T20 side ever.

    Meanwhile, check out some arguments on Twitter below:

  • Virat Kohli to take paternity leave for baby’s birth

    Virat Kohli to take paternity leave for baby’s birth

    Indian captain Virat Kohli will play the test series against Australia next month before taking paternity leave and missing the rest of the matches.

    According to details, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a statement on Monday confirming that it had granted Kohli’s request for paternity leave during the upcoming series.

    Kohli is expected to play in the limited-overs section of the tour and the day-night test match from December 17-21 before returning to India to be with his wife Anushka Sharma, who is expecting the couple’s first child in January.

    Meanwhile, Anushka shared Virat cleaning his shoes for the tour.

    Back in August, Anushka and Virat had announced on social media that they will soon be turning into a family of three. The couple had shared an adorable picture that had sent their fans and fan clubs into a frenzy.

    View this post on Instagram

    And then, we were three! Arriving Jan 2021 ❤️?

    A post shared by AnushkaSharma1588 (@anushkasharma) on

    Virat recently celebrated his 32nd birthday in Dubai with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team and Anushka by his side. The couple’s photos as well as Anushka’s appearances at the IPL matches went viral on social media.

  • ‘Among us’: ICC challenges cricket fans to spot the imposter

    ‘Among us’: ICC challenges cricket fans to spot the imposter

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday released a series of images on Twitter featuring famous cricketers alongside their Among Us avatars.

    Among Us is an online multiplayer game centered around a space-theme. Players are given either the role of crew mate or imposter and the objective of the game is to find the imposter before all the crew mates are killed.

    Part of the game includes a wide range of customisation one can do with their avatar and it looks like the ICC had a great time customising avatars. Check them out below:

    While Babar Azam was given a green and yellow avatar, Bismah Maroof got one with a cowboy hat.

    Chris Gayle’s and Andre Russell’s blond hair avatars were the funniest among all.

  • Brother of Pakistani-Australian cricketer jailed over fake terror plot

    Brother of Pakistani-Australian cricketer jailed over fake terror plot

    The brother of Pakistani-Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has been jailed for at least two years and six months for causing a co-worker to be locked up in a maximum-security jail by framing him with fake terrorism claims.

    Arsalan Tariq Khawaja admitted forging entries in the notebook of his UNSW colleague Kamer Nizamdeen in August 2018 after being jealous of his contact with a mutual woman friend, reported an Australian news agency.

    The entries included death threats against then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and the governor-general, as well as lists to attack police stations, an Anzac Day ceremony, the Boxing Day Test match and landmarks including St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney.

    In the NSW District Court on Thursday, Judge Robert Weber jailed the 40-year-old for four years and six months with a non-parole period of two years and six months.

    The term was backdated to when he first went into custody, meaning he will be eligible for release on parole in June 2021.

    Khawaja pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and dishonestly influencing a public official.

    He also asked the judge to take into account further matters of forging a document for a public official to accept it as genuine and inducing a witness to give false testimony.

    After Khawaja presented the authorities with the notebook, Nizamdeen was arrested and held in a high-security jail for one month until the truth was discovered.

    Describing his victim impact statement as “compelling evidence of the trauma and emotional harm” suffered by Nizamdeen, the judge noted he was unable to go back to his job and has returned to Sri Lanka.

    His report of having serious flashbacks to his time in prison was hardly surprising, given the innocent man spent part of his time in an isolation cell in a maximum security prison, the judge said.

    Khawaja also admitted that in 2017 he phoned authorities about another innocent man of whom he was jealous and made visa and terrorism accusations, including that the man had trained overseas.

    In the call he named his famous brother as a possible target of the man.

    The judge accepted psychiatric evidence that Khawaja had a borderline personality disorder which provided some explanation as to why such an intelligent man resorted to such “unforgivable” behaviour.

  • Tennis star Aisam to peacefully protest Macron’s blasphemy stance at Paris Masters tournament

    Tennis star Aisam to peacefully protest Macron’s blasphemy stance at Paris Masters tournament

    Pakistani tennis star Aisam ul Haq announced to protest peacefully in this week’s Paris Masters Tennis tournament against Macron on blasphemy by wearing a white band through the tournament.

    According to the reports Aisam delivered this message and urged famous athletes to participate in this peaceful protest wearing a white arm band. He also shared a video message on his social media accounts.

    Qureshi said: “The most important and valuable lesson I have learnt as an athlete and a tennis player is to respect all religions,cultures,faiths and beliefs.

    He further said, “Freedom of speech does not and should not mean freedom to antagonise anyone and disrespect someone’s religion.”

    “I will be wearing a white armband all this week at Paris Masters as a peaceful protest against the French president who, sadly and disappointingly, is endorsing and encouraging this kind of behavior where people are allowed to disrespect the religion of Islam and make fun of our Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), he said.

    Qureshi concluded with a request, “I urge not just Muslim athletes but athletes all over the world – who respect other religions – to show solidarity and unity by wearing a white armband and raise awareness that we, as human beings and athletes, can’t accept disrespect and mocking of other religions.”

    Aisam will be in action on Wednesday in the first round of the tournament’s mixed doubles event alongside world number 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.

    The Pak-Greek duo will face Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain on Wednesday which is today.

  • PAK v ZIM ODIs: Pakistani bowlers took fifers in each match

    PAK v ZIM ODIs: Pakistani bowlers took fifers in each match

    Three Pakistani bowlers have achieved the maiden five-wicket haul in the Pakistan vs Zimbabwe One Day International (ODIs) matches.

    In the first ODI, Shaheen Shah Afridi grabbed the fifer and returned with the figures of 5-49.

    During the second ODI, off-spinner Iftikhar Ahmed’s maiden five-wicket haul earned Pakistan a convincing six-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the second one-day international and 30-year-old Ahmed returned with 5-40.

    Meanwhile, Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain had a day to remember on Tuesday during the Pakistan vs Zimbabwe third ODI in Rawalpindi.

    The 20-year-old picked up five wickets for just 26 runs in his 10-over spell, wreaking havoc to the opponent’s top order. He picked up three wickets in his opening spell, which he shared with Shaheen.

    Today’s game was the first of the series for Hasnain. He finished with figures of 10-3-26-5 as he became the third Pakistani bowler to claim a fifer in back-to-back matches of the ongoing series.

    Apart from the outclass performance by Hasnain, Pakistan lost the match in a Super over scoring only 2 runs on the loss of 2 wickets while Zimbabwe scored 5 runs of 3 balls, winning the match with 3 balls remaining.

  • Du Plessis excited to play for Peshawar Zalmi

    Du Plessis excited to play for Peshawar Zalmi

    Just a day after the end of his best IPL season (449 runs in 13 outings), it has been confirmed that Faf du Plessis will turn out for Peshawar Zalmi in the playoffs stage of the Pakistan Super League, which will resume from November 14.

    The tournament, played in February-March, was brought to a standstill by the Covid-19 pandemic right after the league stage was done, according to a Cricbuzz report.

    Du Plessis has been roped in as a replacement for Kieron Pollard, who will be away in New Zealand tending to national duties in that period. In the backdrop of CSK’s season-ender against KXIP on November 1, the 36-year-old du Plessis had stated his desire to keep playing for at least five more years.

    “I am very excited to join Peshawar Zalmi for the playoff stage games of HBL PSL 2020. I have fond memories of playing in Pakistan when I toured with the ICC World XI in 2017 and I am sure this experience, although different due to Covid-19, will be a memorable one as well,” Du Plessis said. He will be one of the seven South African players who will be in action during the knockouts stage of the tournament.

    Other replacements

    Karachi Kings bring in Sherfane Rutherford for England pacer Chris Jordan, while Waqas Maqsood has been roped in for the injured USA star Ali Khan. Lahore Qalanders have picked Tamim Iqbal to replace Chris Lynn, Abid Ali for Salman Butt and Agha Salman for Sri Lanka’s Sekkuge Prasanna.

    Multan Sultans will be without Moeen Ali, and have replaced him with Mahmudullah. Adam Lyth has been picked to fill the void left by Fabian Allen. Besides du Plessis, Peshawar have a list of replacements – Hardus Viljoen for Liam Dawson, Yasir Shah for Lewis Gregory and Khurram Shahzad for Amir Khan.

    On November 14, table-toppers Multan Sultan will take on Karachi Kings in the first qualifier, followed by the eliminator clash between Lahore Qalandar and Peshawar Zalmi. The second eliminator will be held on November 15, and the final on November 17.

  • English Football League to now be called Papa John’s Trophy

    English Football League to now be called Papa John’s Trophy

    The English Football League (EFL) Championship and Papa John’s have announced a three-year deal that will see the United Kingdom (UK) pizza takeaway company become the official title sponsor of the EFL Trophy.

    EFL Championship is the highest division of the English Football League and second-highest overall in the English football league system after the Premier League. The league is contested by 24 clubs.

    The exclusive partnership, which will run until at least the end of the 2022/23 season, sees the competition, become known as the ‘Papa John’s Trophy’ with immediate effect.  In addition to the title sponsorship, Papa John’s will also be the official pizza of the EFL.

    The EFL has a unique reach into communities, offering local activation on a national scale with clubs spanning every corner of the country from Colchester to Carlisle and Plymouth to Sunderland, often sharing locality with at least one of Papa John’s 450 branches. 

    EFL Chief Commercial Officer, Ben Wright, said the EFL is delighted to welcome Papa John’s as title sponsor of the EFL Trophy and a new addition to the league’s portfolio of partners.

    “As we continue to navigate through the challenging times that the coronavirus pandemic presents, it is testament to the growing appeal of the EFL that we are able to attract new partners and invest the sponsorship fee into the competition through payments to clubs, which is important during this difficult period.  

    “We look forward to working with Papa John’s over the next three years to build on the success of the competition and create Papa John’s Trophy moments for us all to celebrate.”

    Commenting on the launch, Papa John’s UK Marketing Director, Giles Codd said, “We’re very excited to be named title sponsors of the EFL Trophy. It’s a real honour to be able to support EFL clubs in what is undoubtedly a tough time for everyone involved.

    “It’s always been our goal to serve the best ingredients for the most memorable occasions so we’re incredibly proud to be supporting such a great football competition.”

    Supporters will see Papa John’s feature for the first time in the buildup to the next round of EFL Trophy group stage matches, which will take place on November 10-11, with opportunities to win match passes, signed merchandise and exclusive discounts off orders.  The competition concludes with a showpiece Wembley Final on March 14, one of five EFL Finals held at the national stadium every season.

    The competition was sponsored by car leasing company Leasing.com last season

  • Mesut Ozil ‘deeply disappointed’ by Arsenal omission

    Mesut Ozil ‘deeply disappointed’ by Arsenal omission

    Mesut Ozil said Wednesday he was deeply disappointed” to be axed from Arsenal’s Premier League squad amid speculation he has played his last game for the London club.

    The 32-year-old is the highest-paid player in Arsenal’s history on a reported £350,000 ($450,000) a week, but has also been omitted from the Gunners’ Europa League squad.

    Ozil has not played a single minute for Mikel Arteta’s side since March 7.

    “This is a difficult message to write to the Arsenal fans that I’ve played for over the past few years,” said Ozil in a statement posted on social media.

    “I’m really deeply disappointed by the fact that I have not been registered for the Premier League season for the time being.”

    Former Germany international Ozil went on to question Arsenal’s loyalty having signed his current deal, which expires next year, in January 2018 — the same time Alexis Sanchez left the Gunners for Manchester United.

    “Upon signing my new contract in 2018, I pledged my loyalty and allegiance to the club that I love, Arsenal, and it saddens me that this has not been reciprocated,” said Ozil.

    “As I have just found out, loyalty is hard to come by nowadays. I’ve always tried to remain positive from week to week that there’s maybe a chance to get back in the squad soon again. That’s why I kept silent so far.”

    Alongside Greece defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos — also left out of both squads — Ozil will only be able to represent Arsenal Under-23s until 2021 at the earliest.

    This month saw Ozil offer to pay the salary of Arsenal’s popular mascot Gunnersaurus after Jerry Quy, who has played the role of the dinosaur since 1993, was let go by the club with stadiums empty during the coronavirus crisis.

    Arsenal midfielder Ozil spoke out on Instagram against China’s treatment of the Uighur population in Xinjiang last year.

    More than one million Uighurs and mostly Muslim Turkic minorities have been rounded up in internment camps, according to human rights groups and experts.

    Arsenal did not criticise Ozil for making the comments, but instead posted on their page on the Chinese social media site Weibo that the club “always adheres to the principles” of not getting involved in politics.

  • [VIDEO] IPL 2020: Umpire ‘changes decision after Dhoni’s angry stare’

    The clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) saw the latter winning by 20 runs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium as Chennai kept their ‘#10YearChallenge’ of replicating their 2010 campaign alive.

    While it was a needed win for CSK, there was a moment in the match that got netizens questioning the umpire and former Indian skipper Mahinder Singh Dhoni. In the 19th over, Shardul Thakur bowled another yorker outside the tramline.

    Umpire Paul Reiffel was about to stretch his arms wide, but Dhoni was spotted getting angry and staring at him. The umpire did not give it a wide and now netizens are questioning this decision.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/Kourageous__/status/1316073486884966400

    The controversial decision might not have played a big part in the outcome of the match but it does raise questions on how MS Dhoni’s “intimidatory” tactics against the umpire have come out to the fore again in IPL.

    The result saw CSK go to the sixth spot in the points table and they will be hoping to sustain their momentum as they bid for the play-off spot. Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, have suffered yet another loss and it puts them in danger of not qualifying for the knockouts as the race for the top four spots intensifies.