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  • Dale Steyn says PSL is ‘more rewarding’ than IPL

    Dale Steyn says PSL is ‘more rewarding’ than IPL

    Former South African pacer Dale Steyn, who is playing for Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing sixth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL), believes that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is less rewarding compared to other leagues in the world.

    Speaking to an online publication, Steyn said that cricket gets forgotten, amid money talks, in the IPL which is why he decided to skip the last season.

    “I wanted some time off. I found that playing in these other leagues was slightly more rewarding as a player. I think when you go to IPL, there are such big squads and so many big names and so much emphasis on maybe the amount of money players earn and everything like that, so sometimes, somewhere down the line, cricket gets forgotten,” said Steyn.

    “When you come to like a PSL or the Sri Lankan Premier League (SPL), for that matter, there is an importance on the cricket. I have only been here for a couple of days and I have had people in and out of my room, just wanting to know about where I have played and how I went about it. Whereas, when I go to something like IPL that gets forgotten and the main topic is how much money did you go for in this IPL?”

    “That’s just me being brutally honest,” he added.

    “I wanted to stay away from that and really put more emphasis on playing and bringing good vibes to good cricket teams and tournaments I feel are worth it,” said the cricket star.

    Read more – Daren Sammy recalls being called ‘kalu’ by Indian cricketers during IPL

    Steyn also praised the “breeding machine” of Pakistan’s fast bowlers and called Babar Azam “a wonderful player”.

    “There is a breeding machine of fast bowlers here in Pakistan, which is great to see because the wickets are not conducive to fast bowlers,” said the South African great. “I had a chat with Shaheen [Afridi] last year – I think he broke his thumb. He was down but he was amazing. At Melbourne Stars, I had Haris Rauf with me, and I was really impressed by him. Not long after that, he played for Pakistan.”

    “Babar is a great player and it would be a great opportunity to get him out or bowl against him. But you never know, I might not get to bowl against him because it’s only four overs or he might get out for a duck. But he’s been fantastic [in] the last couple of years,” said Steyn.

    Meanwhile, Indians are not happy with Steyn’s statement and are criticising him on social media.

    https://twitter.com/jokn17611521/status/1366721056812113922?s=20

    https://twitter.com/svnvdr08/status/1366720983667597316?s=20

    https://twitter.com/karthik_jammy/status/1366654766630137868?s=20

    According to Cricinfo, Steyn’s “career trajectory has coincided with the rise of the IPL and has seen him become one of the more prized assets for any IPL franchise, and has consistently seen heavy competition for his signature. The highest auction price for the fast bowler came in consecutive seasons in 2014 and 2015, when Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped him up for INR 9.5 crore (approx. USD 1.3 million today). He has taken 97 IPL wickets at 6.91, making him, by some distance, the most economical fast bowler among players with over 50 wickets in the league.”

  • ‘I was there’: Ali Haider Gillani reacts to leaked video

    With less than 24 hours to go, another controversy has come to the fore regarding the Senate elections.

    A leaked video of Ali Haider Gillani – son of former Prime Yousaf Raza Gillani – was aired by ARY News, where he is heard talking about how to waste Senate vote.

    It seems that the other person is from the ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). According to reports, the video was recorded a week ago.

    Addressing a press conference after the leaked video was aired, Ali Haider Gillani admitted the video was real and that he met more than one MNA over the course of campaigning for his father.

    He said he was not buying votes but was telling PTI member of how to waste his vote as that member did not want to vote for his own party.

    “Where do I talk about money in the video? I did no wrong. This is to distract us.”

    The Election Commission of Pakistan has taken notice of the video and Gillani’s response and will be taking up the issue.

    https://twitter.com/profaltafkhan/status/1366783802849296386?s=21

    Yousaf Raza Gillani will face Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh in the Senate elections.

  • ‘Incredible in every way’: Ejaz Durrani’s daughters pen emotional tributes for him

    Ejaz Durrani’s daughters Hina Durrani, Mina Hasan and granddaughter Natasha Ali Lakhani have penned emotional tributes for their father and veteran actor.

    Durrani’s daughter, Hina Durrani remembered her father by calling him “a kind-hearted, empathetic, gifted and incredible in every way”.

    “My heart is broken and you take a piece of me with you but how I love you,” she wrote. “Thank you for doing all that you did for me and all of us.”

    Hina also requested everyone to pray for her late father, saying: “I ask everyone reading this to pray for him today and always as I shall pray for you all and your families.”

    Similarly, Hina’s sister Mina Hasan, sharing a picture of herself with her father said: “Dad, my hero. You were an exemplary human being and excelled in all your relationships. You were the best in the truest sense of the word.”

    “Thank you for everything you did for me because of you I am who I am. I remember how proud you were of me and it always made me want to make you prouder,” she added.

    Meanwhile, Durrani’s granddaughter and Hina’s daughter Natasha also remembered her late grandfather with a video from her wedding in which he was walking her down the aisle.

    “Love you so much Nana and shall always miss you,” wrote Natasha in the caption.

    Durrani passed away early on Monday at the age of 88 after battling a long illness. He is fondly remembered for his role as Ranjha in the movie Heer Ranjha in which he shared the screen with Firdous.

    On the personal front, Durrani was married to Noor Jehan, and the two had three daughters together. However, they later parted ways after which he married his co-star Firdous. That marriage too ended in divorce.

  • Bollywood celebs wish Suniel Shetty’s son success for his debut film ‘Tadap’

    Bollywood celebs wish Suniel Shetty’s son success for his debut film ‘Tadap’

    Suniel Shetty’s son Ahan Shetty is all set to make his Bollywood debut with Tadap. The movie, which will see Shetty share the screen with Tara Sutaria will be an “incredible love story”.

    The first poster of the film was launched by Akshay Kumar and shows a wounded Ahan hugging his co-star Tara.

    Sharing the poster on social media, Kumar said: “Big day for you Ahan. I still remember seeing your father Suniel Shetty’s first film Balwaan’s poster and today I’m presenting yours.”

    “So happy and proud to share the poster,” he added.

    Ahan’s father Suniel Shetty also posted a poster of the upcoming movie with the caption: “A new journey begins today.”

    Wishing Ahan good luck for his movie, Abhishek Bachchan recalled the days when Ahan was a baby and used to play football with him.

    Salman Khan also extended his best wishes and success to Ahan for his debut film, saying: “The tadap of hard work should never die.”

    Directed by Milan Luthria, Tadap is a remake of RX100, a Telugu film. Talking about the film, the director had said: “The plot of the film is very intriguing. It is a love saga which will leave the audience surprised. It is a stark love story, with both the leads having strong parts. I have seen Tara and Ahan perform together during the rehearsal workshops and they have immense chemistry.”

    He added that the movie will not be a “typical candy floss romance”, but an edgy version of the modern-day love story.

    Read more – Alia Bhatt creates waves with ‘gangsta’ act in ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ teaser

    Tadap is scheduled to hit cinemas on September 24.

  • ‘PSL 2021 to continue as per schedule’

    ‘PSL 2021 to continue as per schedule’

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) will go ahead as per schedule amid false reports that the league could be postponed for a few days due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in the Islamabad United camp. It also said that the stadiums will see 50 percent crowds until March 16.

    Director Media and Communications at PCB Samiul Hasan Burney announced the news at a press conference and revealed that three out of the 244 PCR tests conducted returned positive.

    Two of the three infected personnel were foreign players, including Islamabad United’s Fawad Ahmed, whose positive test was made public on Monday and led to the rescheduling of Islamabad, Quetta fixture.

    “We conducted 244 PCR tests, in addition to the rapid tests conducted,” said Burney. “Of the 244 tests, three have come back positive. Two foreign players and one support staff have tested positive.”

    While the identity of the other foreign player has not yet been disclosed, journalist Abdul Ghaffar has said that the third person is a member of the support staff.

    Meanwhile, sports journalists and analysts are urging the board and public not to panic, highlighting that such incidents are common in events of such scale.

  • Indian plane makes emergency landing in Karachi after passenger dies on board

    Indian plane makes emergency landing in Karachi after passenger dies on board

    An Indian Airline flying from Sharjah to Lucknow made an emergency landing in Karachi after a passenger died during the flight on Monday.

    According to reports, IndiGo Airline’s Flight Number 6E1412 entered Pakistani airspace around 4:00 am via Iran when the passenger fell ill. The captain then contacted the air traffic control and requested an emergency landing on humanitarian grounds at the Karachi airport.

    After the approval of the request, the airline made an emergency landing at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport at 5:30 am.

    The Pakistani medical team said that the passenger had fallen sick and passed away due to cardiac arrest.

    This is not the first time that Pakistan has allowed an Indian plane to make an emergency landing in Karachi. In November last year, an Indian plane flying from Saudi Arabia made an emergency landing in Karachi as a passenger aboard the flight died of a heart attack.

    As the plane touched the ground, a doctor at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport was requested to attend to him but the man died before he could be administered medical aid.

  • ‘ECP should ask IT Ministry, not PTA for phone data,’ says Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘ECP should ask IT Ministry, not PTA for phone data,’ says Fawad Chaudhry

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has approached the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to share the call record data of the 20 presiding officers who went ‘missing’ during the Daska by-polls in NA-75, The News has reported.

    Last week, the ECP had announced that new elections in the entire constituency will be held in NA-75 (Daska) after its returning officer alleged irregularities during the by-polls in a report submitted to the commission. Government sources told The News that the PTA has asked the government whether to share the data with the ECP or not.

    Speaking to The Current, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that the ECP has all the right to secure phone data though it “should ask the IT Ministry and not PTA under rules of business”.

    According to the story published in The News, the government may be uneasy about the phone data as it could reveal who had planned and supervised the Daska by-poll rigging. The phone records “will not only establish the whereabouts of these 20 presiding officers during the time when they were missing but will also uncover those they were in contact with”.

    On February 22, Prime Minister Imran Khan had tweeted that as he had always struggled for fair and free elections, he would ask the PTI candidate in NA-75 to ask for re-polling in the 20 polling stations that had become controversial. But the ECP later called for new elections in the entire constituency.

    The PTI has now decided to challenge the ECP’s decision for re-polls.

  • Virat Kohli becomes the first cricketer to join the ‘100 million followers club’ on Instagram

    Virat Kohli becomes the first cricketer to join the ‘100 million followers club’ on Instagram

    Virat Kohli has recorded yet another century, but not on the pitch this time. The Indian cricketer became the first cricketer in the world to have 100 million followers on Instagram. The 32-year-old captain of the Indian Cricket Team is also the first person in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve the feat.

    Announcing the news, the International Cricket Council (ICC) shared a picture of Kohli along with other personalities, who are already in the squad, writing: “Virat Kohli – the first cricket star to hit 100 million followers on Instagram.”

    Kohli is also the most-followed sportsperson in India.

    Meanwhile, Portugal football legend Christiano Ronaldo tops the chart with 266 million followers. He was also the first person to cross the 250 million feat. Argentina football captain and FC Barcelona legend Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Neymar are second and third on the list with 187 million and 147 million followers respectively.

    Others in 100 million club are Hollywood actor and former wrestler Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, American singer-songwriter Beyoncé and Ariana Grande.

    Kohli, who is regarded as one of the finest batsmen in the world, has 27 Test centuries and 43 tons in ODI cricket.

    For over two years now, Kohli has been the most followed person on Instagram in India. Even his wife Anushka Sharma hasn’t crossed 50 million followers on the social media app. She currently has 46.4 million followers.

  • VIDEO: PTI members wrestle each other in Sindh Assembly

    VIDEO: PTI members wrestle each other in Sindh Assembly

    Just a day before the Senate Elections, lawmakers from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) decided to wrestle each other in the Sindh Assembly creating havoc.

    As per details, PTI’s disgruntled MPAs – Aslam Abro, Shehryar Shar and Karim Bakhsh Gabol – were beaten up by their own party members during a session of the Sindh Assembly.

    The three MPAs had earlier said that they will not vote for PTI candidates in the Senate polls. The fighting match that ensued can be seen in the tweets shared by journalists Murtaza Ali Shah and Gharidah Farooqi.

    https://twitter.com/MurtazaViews/status/1366702520467415042

    Later, a video of PPP MPA Sharmila Faruqi running out of the assembly emerged and the lawmaker clarified that she was running to get security.

    When asked about this incident by journalists outside the Sindh Assembly, PTI’s Haleem Adil Sheikh started shouting at them.

    He said that he is very sad that today, some senior journalists are posing as PPP workers and also called them lifafa sahaafi (journalists who take money). He also raised slogans against journalists.

    Responding to Sheikh’s comments, senior journalist Asma Shirazi asked why is it that whenever tough questions are asked, PTI members resort to attacks on journalists.

  • Colleagues pray for Fawad Ahmed’s speedy recovery

    Colleagues pray for Fawad Ahmed’s speedy recovery

    Monday’s match between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators was postponed after Australian legspinner Fawad Ahmed from United’s squad tested positive for coronavirus. While PCB clarified that the coronavirus test results of players from both squads came back negative, the match was postponed to “ensure players from both sides get time to prepare for the game.”

    Following the announcement, Ahmed requested everyone to remember him in their prayers and thanked them for their kind messages.

    Many colleagues, fans and noted people wished the Australian player a quick recover. Those who extended their prayers included Sarfaraz Ahmed, Azhar Mahmood, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Nabi, Junaid Khan, Dr Nauman Niaz, Bilal Asif, Sawera Pasha, Muhammad Nawaz, Amir Yamin, Ahmed Shehzad, Sherfane Rutherford, Sandeep Lamichhane, Zafar Gohar and actor Asad Siddiqui.

    Meanwhile, after Fawad’s test came back positive, all other players were asked to remain at the hotel as their rapid coronavirus tests were conducted.

    In response to the development, Islamabad United confirmed that one of their players had tested positive, while all others players have been cleared to play.

    The team management clarified that “Fawad did not breach any Covid Protocols”. According to the PCB’s protocol, Ahmed will remain in isolation until he returns with two negative results in 10 days time.