Tag: sports-stories

  • Boxer Amir Khan is going to the Line of Control

    Boxer Amir Khan is going to the Line of Control

    Acclaimed British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan has announced that he will be visiting the Line of Control to highlight the ongoing Indian aggression in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

    Khan in a tweet shared that Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor was giving him the opportunity to visit the LoC.

    The boxer also posted a video message calling for peace.

    “This trip to Kashmir will be for peace,” Khan said. “I see that there are a lot of problems there… a lot of innocent people are being killed and injured.”

    The boxer also praised the Pakistan Army for “doing a great job” and said he wants to go to Kashmir on behalf of the Amir Khan Foundation and express his support for the people there.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B1jt7vqj2Da/

    Ever since India revoked Article 370 which granted special status to IoK, tensions between the two neighbouring countries have reached an all-time high. Pakistan has demanded the UN take immediate notice of the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied valley and play its role in relieving the Kashmiris from the Indian atrocities they have been facing for the last 20 days.

  • Yuvraj Singh’s response to Shoaib Akhtar’s tweet will crack you up

    Yuvraj Singh’s response to Shoaib Akhtar’s tweet will crack you up

    Former Indian cricketing star Yuvraj Singh’s hilarious response to former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar’s tweet, wherein he had criticised England’s Jofra Archer, has gone viral over the internet.

    As per the details, Akhtar recently slammed Archer when the latter’s bouncer left Australian batsman Steve Smith rolling on the ground.

    He was seen sharing a laugh with English wicketkeeper Jos Buttler after Smith suffered a nasty blow to his head on day four of the 2nd Ashes Test at Lord’s on Sunday.

    Being a paceman himself, Akhtar criticised Archer over his reaction and tweeted:

    However, Akhtar’s reaction was met with a hilarious tweet by Yuvraj Singh, who wrote, “Yes you did! But your actual words were, hope you are alright mate cause there are a few more coming”.

    This isn’t the first time that the cricketing legends have passed wacky comments on each other’s tweets.

    In 2017, Akhtar had shared an inspirational quote by WWE icon and film star, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson:

    Reacting to the tweet, Singh had tweeted in Punjab:

    “Sounds good, but where are you headed for [some] welding job?”

  • Cricket umpire dies after being hit by a ball

    Cricket umpire dies after being hit by a ball

    A cricket umpire has died one month after being hit on the head by a ball during a domestic match, BBC has reported.

    Mr. Williams was supervising a
    Pembrokeshire County Division 2 match between Pembroke and Narbeth when he was
    hit by a ball.

    He was taken to a hospital and was later rushed to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff when he was in an induced coma. Williams was transferred to Withybush Hospital in Haverford west on August 1 where he died two weeks later.

    After the tragic death of
    Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes in 2014, safety concerns in cricket have
    been under surveillance. Hughes was hit on the head by a Sean Abbott bouncer
    during a native game. He went into a coma and never recovered consciousness.

  • Sri Lankan cricket team agrees to play Test series in Pakistan

    Sri Lankan cricket team agrees to play Test series in Pakistan

    The Sri Lankan cricket team, despite its bitter experience of the past, has agreed to play a Test series in Pakistan, a private media outlet reported Saturday.

    According to reports, the decision was taken after a security delegation from Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) visited Pakistan from August 7 to 9 to evaluate the security conditions in the country.

    The security team visited three major cities, including Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.

    PCB’s director for international cricket, Zakir Khan, and the head of security, Colonel Asif Mehmood, briefed the security team about the arrangements being made at the stadium for the series.

    The team was assured of foolproof security for the guest team during its visit to Pakistan.

    SLC Secretary de Silva thanked Pakistan for inviting them for security assessment and said: “We had a very fruitful discussion and briefing about the arrangements being made for the test match here.”

    Earlier, PCB had invited the Sri Lankan cricket team to come to Pakistan this October and play two Test matches in the country.

    The series will be the first of its kind to be played in the country ever since the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team 10 years ago.

  • Misbah likely to become both chief selector, head coach

    Misbah likely to become both chief selector, head coach

    Former skipper Misbahul Haq has been tipped to play a dual role as both the chief selector and head coach of the Pakistan cricket team under the new model developed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Dawn News reported Friday.

    According to reports, the selectors and the team management would previously start a blame-game to avoid taking responsibility for any poor show. However, this development is expected to help the board hold a specific authority/person accountable in case of any defeats.

    In this regard, PCB has also appointed Misbah as the camp-commandant for the pre-season training camp being held at National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore from August 22 to September 7.

    The former captain reportedly selected the players for the camp himself and will also coach them during the training session, which will further prove his skills for the dual role that he is likely to be assigned soon.

    PCB Cricket Committee had earlier sacked head coach Mickey Arthur, bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, batting coach Grant Flower and trainer Grant Luden over the national cricket team’s poor performance at the 2019 World Cup.

  • Indian tennis captain seeks ‘safety guarantee’ before travelling to Pakistan

    Indian tennis captain seeks ‘safety guarantee’ before travelling to Pakistan

    Indian tennis captain, Mahesh Bhupathi, has demanded a “safety guarantee” before travelling to Islamabad for next month’s Davis Cup clash against Pakistan.

    The unusual demand comes days after the International Tennis Federation (ITF) responded to another Indian request for the second round of security assessment by a green signal to the safety plan in place.

    “We just want guarantees on safety,” Bhupathi was quoted as saying by reports.

    The All India Tennis Association (AITA) said on Wednesday they had written to the sport’s governing body once again asking them to shift the tie to a neutral venue or to postpone it for a couple of months until tensions simmer down.

    In reaction to New Delhi’s unilateral action to abrogate Article 370 of the constitution and strip occupied Kashmir of its special status, Pakistan last week asked Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria to leave, suspended bilateral trade and all public transport links with India.

    Tensions are soaring on both sides of the border ever since.

    ITF has already responded to a previous AITA request, saying they were satisfied with the current safety plan in place in Islamabad.

    The AITA has named a six-member squad under Bhupathi for the September 14-15 tie. The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men’s tennis. It is run by the ITF and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format.

  • MS Dhoni spotted polishing military boots in occupied Kashmir

    MS Dhoni spotted polishing military boots in occupied Kashmir

    Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, commonly known as MS Dhoni, has been spotted polishing military boots in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), where he is serving the army.

    The 38-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, who holds the honourary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army Unit of the Indian army’s Parachute Regiment since 2011, had earlier made himself unavailable for the West Indies tour.

    He had then left for the troubled valley to undertake the duties of patrolling, guard and post for a period of 15 days starting July 31.

    “As requested by the officer and approved by army headquarters; he will be taking on the duties of patrolling, guard and post and would be staying with troops,” the Indian army had said in a statement issued last month.

    In the Men in Blue’s ongoing West Indies tour, the two teams are crossing swords in three T20s, three ODIs and two Test matches.

    Earlier, Dhoni was received with “Boom Boom Afridi” chants by the Kashmiris. Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi aka Boom Boom Afridi has been known to voice out his opinion when it comes to Kashmir.

    Recently, after the Indian government’s recent decision to scrap Article 370, Afridi had taken to Twitter to highlight the unprovoked aggression and crimes in IoK.

    He had also urged the United Nations (UN) to take action and asked United States (US) President Donald Trump to mediate on the matter.

  • PCB sacks Mickey Arthur as head coach

    PCB sacks Mickey Arthur as head coach

    The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced its decision to not renew the contracts of head coach Mickey Arthur, bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, batting coach Grant Flower and trainer Grant Luden.

    The board’s decision to end its association with the team’s coaching staff comes following a review process undertaken in the aftermath of the 2019 World Cup, where Pakistan even failed to reach the semi-finals.

    “I am thankful to the PCB Cricket Committee for submitting their recommendations following an exhaustive and detailed review process. The committee comprised of individuals who possess tremendous acumen, experience and knowledge,” PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, who approved the changes, was quoted as saying.

    “The unanimous recommendation of the committee was that it was time for new leadership and a fresh approach. I am happy to accept their strong recommendations.”

    “On behalf of the PCB, I want to sincerely thank Mickey Arthur, Grant Flower, Grant Luden and Azhar Mahmood for their hard work and unwavering commitment during their tenures with the national men’s team. We wish them every success in their future endeavors,” the press release read.

    According to BBC, Mickey Arthur is one of the names being considered as a replacement for England team coach Trevor Bayliss when the latter leaves at the end of summer.

  • VIDEO: 23yo Pakistani’s sajda after ‘World’s Best Tekken Player’ title will give you goosebumps

    VIDEO: 23yo Pakistani’s sajda after ‘World’s Best Tekken Player’ title will give you goosebumps

    A 23-year-old youngster from Lahore has been crowned the world’s best Tekken 7 player at 2019 Evolution Championship Series (EVO) in Las Vegas.

    According to the details, Arslan Siddiqui aka Arslan Ash, who was relatively unknown in the competitive circuit a year ago, has edged out Jae-Min Bae aka Knee in the grand finals of one of, if not the biggest, fighting game tournament series in the world.

    He was also awarded a cash prize of around $14,000.

    According to VICE, it’s the third time Siddiqui has bested South Korea’s Jae-Min, who many from the gaming community considered a “god” of the game. It’s a monumental win, considering the former was virtually unheard of a year ago.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The 23-year-old had previously also won the second Evo Japan in February, becoming the first-ever unified EVO champion.

    EVO hosted nine official fighting games this year, including Tekken 7, whose competitive scene is centered around a few countries: Japan, the United States (US), and South Korea.

    This year’s top eight consists of players from those very same countries: four players from Japan, two players from South Korea and one player from the US, however, Siddiqui is the exception.

  • New Zealand’s Neesham responds to Pakistani fan’s biryani invitation

    New Zealand’s Neesham responds to Pakistani fan’s biryani invitation

    New Zealand’s cricketing stalwart Jimmy Neesham has responded to a Pakistani’s biryani invitation, which has made his fans in Pakistan love him even more.

    As per the details, Jimmy had last weak turned to Twitter to ask for recommendations for a good place to have dinner in Toronto where he is currently playing the Global T20 League.

    Being one of the most popular cricketers on Twitter, it wasn’t later that the micro-blogging network started flooding with suggestions for Neesham.

    Among the many responses attracted by his tweet, was that of a Pakistani fan who invited him for the “best dish in the world”, biryani.

    https://twitter.com/AhsanNooNari2/status/1155897258086412288

    It wasn’t later that the 28-year-old batsman responded with:

    “Probably a bit too far to go for dinner tonight mate [sic],” he wrote.