Category: Sports

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  • Cristiano Ronaldo shares his retirement plans

    Cristiano Ronaldo shares his retirement plans

    Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement plans.

    Portugal booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Nations League with a 5-1 win over Poland on Friday. Ronaldo secured his 132nd international win by surpassing former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos, who had 131 wins for Spain.

    The 39-year-old spoke about his retirement plans while addressing the media after the match.

    “I just want to enjoy,” he said, adding that his retirement could be in “a year or two.” He continued, “I don’t know; I’m going to be 40 soon.”

    “As long as I enjoy it with passion, I will continue playing. The day I realise that I no longer had the passion, I would retire,” he said.

    Ronaldo also revealed that he has “no plans to go into the coaching field” and that he may consider other matters after retirement.

    “I do not see myself becoming a manager of any team, it is not in my plans; my future is in other fields outside of football. Time will tell what happens.”

    Earlier, in an interview in August, Ronaldo indicated that he was considering retiring early despite his contract with the Saudi club Al-Nasr expiring after this season.

    He recently also became the first man to score 900 goals in official matches and is also a five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

  • Australia sets 148 runs target for Pakistan in second T20

    Australia sets 148 runs target for Pakistan in second T20

    Australia has set a target of 148 runs for Pakistan in the second T20 match being played in Sydney.

    Australia captain Josh Inglis won the toss and elected to bat first. Australia opened the innings with Matthew Short and Jack Fraser-McGurk.

    Pakistan suffered costly losses in the first two overs of the innings, but Haris Rauf dismissed first Jack Fraser and then Kangaroos captain Josh Inglis for a total of 52. Abbas Afridi dismissed Matthew Short for an individual score of 32. Aaron Hardy fell victim to Abbas Afridi for 28.

    In the stipulated 20 overs, the Australian team scored 147 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. Haris Rauf and Abbas Afridi took four wickets for Pakistan, while Safyan Muqim took three wickets.

    There was no change in the Australian team for the second T20 match, while one change was made in the Pakistani team, and Safyan Muqim was included in the team in place of Hasibullah.

    The Pakistani team includes captain Muhammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah, and Haris Rauf. In addition, Naseem Shah and Sufyan Muqim are also among the 11 players.

    It should be remembered that Australia defeated Pakistan by 31 runs in the rain-affected first T20 match. Australia has a one-nil lead in the three-match T20 series.

  • ‘People with limited knowledge taking decisions’; Sana Mir slams women team’s central contract

    ‘People with limited knowledge taking decisions’; Sana Mir slams women team’s central contract

    Pakistan’s former women’s cricketer Sana Mir has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) central contract for women’s cricket teams. Interestingly, Nida Dar and Aliya Riaz have been excluded from the central contract.

    Sana wrote on X (previously Twitter), “How can Nida Dar and Aliya Riaz not find a place in the contracts when a 50 Over qualifier is coming up in Feb and potential 50 over World Cup in Oct next year? Extremely disappointed but not surprised at all. The decisions are being taken by people with limited knowledge of the women’s game.”

    Central contracts of the Pakistan women cricketers show captain Fatima Sana and Muniba Ali promoted to A Category. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal has been promoted to Category B based on recent excellent performances.

    PCB has announced central contracts for 16 women cricketers for the international season after the annual performance review, which will be effective from July 1, 2024.

    Last year, 20 cricketers were given central contracts for two years, with the clause that their performance would be reviewed after the 2023-24 season.

    This central contract includes three new entries: Gul Feroza, Ramin Shamim and Tasmia Rabab. Tasmia has received a central contract for the first time, which is an important milestone in her career. Gul Feroza has been able to get a central contract again after 2018, and Ramin Shamim after 2022-23.

    The central contracts of Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, Anushay Nasir, Iman Fatima, Shawal Zulfiqar and Sidra Nawaz have not been renewed. However, all these players will remain available for selection.

    The PCB has shifted its focus to developing the next generation of cricketers, keeping in mind the ICC Women’s Future Tours program.

  • Rohit Sharma has become a father again

    Rohit Sharma has become a father again

    Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and his wife Ritika Sajdeh have welcomed their first son on the intervening night of Friday, November 15 and 16.

    Following his son’s birth, Sharma could not leave for Australia with the Indian team for a Test series.

    This is the second child born to captain Rohit and Ritika. The couple are parents to six-year-old daughter Sameera.

  • YouTuber Jake Paul defeats Mike Tyson in boxing match

    YouTuber Jake Paul defeats Mike Tyson in boxing match

    YouTuber Jake Paul defeated former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in an international boxing match on Friday night.

    All three judges declared Jake Paul the winner on points in an eight-round match in Texas.

    The 27-year-old Paul is also an American actor.

    The 58-year-old Mike Tyson, on the other hand, is known as one of the “greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.” However, he appeared a bit sluggish in this match.

    The age difference was clearly evident. Tyson fought hard in the first two rounds, but in the end, Jake Paul defeated him.

    Earlier, this fight was scheduled for July this year, but it was postponed due to Tyson’s health issues.

    Tyson retired from boxing in 2005 after losing to Kevin McBride.

    Mike Tyson slaps Jake Paul


    Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson slapped opponent Jake Paul as the two men faced off for the final time on Thursday ahead of their controversial Netflix-backed bout.

    Tyson, 58, hit Paul flush on the cheek with his right hand following the formal weigh-in for Friday’s fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.


    A scrum of security swiftly intervened to separate the two fighters following the incident before Tyson was ushered away.

    Tyson, who weighed in at 228.4 pounds after stepping onto the scales wearing only a pair of Versace briefs, barely spoke before leaving the stage.

    “Talking’s over,” Tyson said before making his exit with members of his entourage.

    Paul, the 27-year-old Youtuber-turned-boxer, insisted he had not been hurt by Tyson’s open-handed slap, which drew gasps from the audience.


    “I didn’t even feel it — he’s angry. He’s an angry little elf…cute slap buddy,” said Paul, who weighed in at 227.2 pounds.

    Paul concluded his remarks with an expletive-laden pledge to knock Tyson out before roaring theatrically into a microphone: “He must die.”


    Tyson is reportedly being paid $20 million for Friday’s officially sanctioned about in Texas, which will be comprised of eight two-minute rounds.

    The contest, being streamed live on Netflix, has divided opinion across the boxing world, with many prominent figures decrying the prospect of Tyson lacing up his gloves nearly 40 years after his professional debut and 19 years after his last officially sanctioned fight.

  • Weather update for the second T20 between Pakistan and Australia

    Weather update for the second T20 between Pakistan and Australia

    The second T20 match between Pakistan and Australia is scheduled to be played today (Saturday) at 1 pm Pakistani time in Sydeny, but there is bad news for cricket fans. 

    The second T20 match is also likely to be affected by rain. 

    According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, four to six per cent rainfall was predicted during the crucial match of the series to be played in Sydney. Chances of rain in the morning hours are up to 30 per cent.

    Scattered clouds will continue to linger throughout the day in Sydney, while wind speeds of upto 31 kilometres per hour are exoected. Humidity is likely to be between 76 and 83 per cent.

    Probable change in Pakistan’s squad:

    The Pakistan cricket team is likely to drop a fast bowler and include a young spinner in the second T20 match against Australia.

    The second match of the T20 series between Pakistan and Australia will be played in Sydney today (Saturday) at 1 pm Pakistani time.

    The Sydney pitch is conducive to spin, for which Sufyan Muqeem or Arafat Minhas is likely to be included in the national team, while Naseem Shah can be dropped.

    In the first T20, Naseem Shah took only one wicket for 37 runs in two overs.

    Both teams have not faced each other at the Sydney Cricket Ground since 2019 when the match was washed out due to rain, while the Green Shirts have not won a T20 match against the Kangaroos at home.

    The first match was delayed due to rain. Later, the game resumed with seven overs for each team. Australia defeated Pakistan by 29 runs. Chasing 94 runs, the Green Shirts scored 64 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. 

    Glenn Maxwell was declared the man of the match for playing an aggressive innings of 43 runs on 19 balls.

  • Pakistan will make one change in second T20 against Australia.

    Pakistan will make one change in second T20 against Australia.

    The Pakistan cricket team is likely to drop a fast bowler and include a young spinner in the second T20 match against Australia.

    The second match of the T20 series between Pakistan and Australia will be played in Sydney today (Saturday) at 1 pm Pakistani time.

    The Sydney pitch is conducive to spin, for which Sufyan Muqeem or Arafat Minhas is likely to be included in the national team, while Naseem Shah can be dropped.

    In the first T20, Naseem Shah took only one wicket for 37 runs in two overs.

    Both teams have not faced each other at the Sydney Cricket Ground since 2019 when the match was washed out due to rain, while the Green Shirts have not won a T20 match against the Kangaroos at home.

    The first match was delayed due to rain. Later, the game resumed with seven overs for each team. Australia defeated Pakistan by 29 runs. Chasing 94 runs, the Green Shirts scored 64 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. 

    Glenn Maxwell was declared the man of the match for playing an aggressive innings of 43 runs on 19 balls.

  • ICC stops Pakistan from displaying Champions Trophy in Kashmir over Indian reservations

    ICC stops Pakistan from displaying Champions Trophy in Kashmir over Indian reservations

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) has stopped Pakistan from taking the Champions Trophy to Kashmir over objections by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

    As per the details, PCB had announced the schedule for taking the Champions Trophy 2025 trophy to Skardu, Hunza and Muzaffarabad. The same had also been approved by the ICC.

    However, the Indian cricket board objected to the decision, prompting the cricket watchdog to postpone the tour and inform the PCB that the schedule for said cities was being changed.

    The trophy will initially be on display in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad during the tour.

    On Thursday, ICC brought the Champions Trophy event trophy from Dubai to Islamabad.

    This trophy tour is scheduled to start on Saturday and will continue till November 24.

    India has refused to send its cricket team to play Champions Trophy in Pakistan, whereas the PCB is firmly committed to its stance of not accepting hybrid model for the event.

  • Rohit, Kohli wasted my son’s 10 years, says Sanju Samson’s father

    Rohit, Kohli wasted my son’s 10 years, says Sanju Samson’s father

    Indian batsman Sanju Samson’s father, Vishwanath Samson, has accused Indian star cricketers Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma of wasting 10 precious years of his son’s career by not giving him a chance to play.

    Talking to Indian media, he said,  “There are three to four captains and coaches like (MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rahul Dravid) whose decisions ruined 10 years of my son’s career. They hurt him.”

    Sanju’s father also took a dig at former cricketer Samson Viswanath, saying, “The thing which hurt me after Sanju’s first century of his career against Bangladesh was the comments of cricketer Samson Viswanath in which he said, ‘Sanju scored a century against whom? Against Bangladesh?’”

    Vishwanath said, “A century is a century, and Srikanth himself scored only 26 runs against Bangladesh. Sanju is a cricketer with a classical touch like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.”

    Sanju Samson is part of the Indian playing XI in the ongoing four-match T20 series against South Africa.

    In the opening match of the series, Sanju played a record-breaking 107-run innings off 50 balls. With his brilliant century, he played an important role in the victory of the Indian team.

    Earlier, Sanju had played a brilliant innings of 111 runs off 47 balls for India against Bangladesh.

  • PCB to appoint Pakistani coaches for all formats

    PCB to appoint Pakistani coaches for all formats

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to appoint Pakistani coaches for all three formats.

    The board now intends to part ways with foreign head coaches after a tense relationship and bitter experiences with Gary Kirsten.

    There are also indications that the contract of the Test team’s head coach, Jason Gillespie, will be terminated prematurely, and the board is considering appointing national coaches.

    This move appears to follow the approach taken by Kirsten in dealing with the PCB, and his experience seems to have been a wake-up call for the authorities.

    Sources report that a Pakistani head coach will be appointed during the Zimbabwe tour. The support staff will reportedly consist of foreign batting, bowling, and fielding coaches, along with the Pakistani head coach.

    Jason Gillespie attempted to meet the conditions, but the PCB dismissed his efforts, warning that his appointment was for an interim period to avoid violating the code of conduct.

    The white-ball head coach for the tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa will be announced in the next few days.

    In the past, Waqar Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mohammad Hafeez have led the coaching panel of the Pakistani team, but the PCB has always given preference to foreign coaches.

    The PCB appointed former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten as the head coach of Pakistan’s white ball team and former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie as the head coach of the red ball team in April 2024.

    Later, the head coach and team captain were excluded from the selection committee.

    In October, PCB decided to include Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, and Aqib Javed in the National Selection Committee, while Hasan Cheema was added as a data analyst.