Tag: #sports

  • Pakistan’s Hamza Khan wins World Junior Squash Championship in thrilling final

    Pakistan’s Hamza Khan wins World Junior Squash Championship in thrilling final

    In a nail-biting final at the World Junior Squash Championship, Pakistan’s rising star, Hamza Khan, secured a sensational victory against Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria in Melbourne on Sunday.

    The epic battle witnessed Hamza’s remarkable tenacity as he staged a sensational comeback after losing the first game. The scoreboard read 10-12, 14-12, 11-3, and 11-6 in favor of Hamza, making him the first player from Pakistan to achieve this triumph since Jansher Khan’s victory 37 years ago.

    Throughout the tournament, Hamza’s skills shone brightly, conquering formidable opponents to reach the pinnacle of the event. His semi-final clash against French player Melvil Scianimanico left spectators in awe, as Hamza defied the odds to secure a thrilling win.

    With this historic triumph, Hamza Khan’s name is now etched in the illustrious history of the World Junior Squash Championship.

  • ’22 Qadam’ is the long awaited sports drama Pakistan truly needed

    ’22 Qadam’ is the long awaited sports drama Pakistan truly needed

    It’s no surprise that Pakistan is bursting with stories that desperately need to be told on the big screen, but our attention always falls back to the same old ‘saas bahu jhagray’. But this time, Green Entertainment is proving that good, diverse story telling is back in the game with a series of dramas released last week that have been receiving praise from audiences. Among them ’22 Qadam’ looks like a real game-changer because it is truly the first time that we’re getting a good sports drama, that too about women.

    There haven’t been good sports biopics made on Pakistani players, considering how impressive the list of icons is. There was the rare gem of a telefilm ‘Bhaag Amina Bhaag’ released in 2011, starring Amina Sheikh as female Pakistani athlete Naseem Hamid, who won a gold medal at the 11th South Asian Games in Bangladesh. Since then, a biopic on Shoaib Akhtar was in the works but the former cricket star announced that he was leaving the project. It’s disappointing how no attempt was made by our entertainment industry to explore the lives of sports stars, but it feels like ’22 Qadam’ is taking a step in the right direction. The story revolves around a woman’s passion for cricket, leading her to becoming a national player.

    Helmed by the powerful performances by Hareem Farooq and Wahaj Ali, ’22 Qadam is for all those who grew up loving the Bollywood film ‘Chak De! India’ and how it championed women in sports, a long neglected issue that remains pushed out of the spotlight because of patriarchal assumptions that women can’t play sports, and how underfunded this issue remains. The series focuses on a spirited, confident woman Fari who dreams of becoming a cricket player, and her luck turns around when she gets an opportunity to meet the famous cricket player Sana Mir, who makes a cameo in the second episode as a visitor in a girl’s college, and advises Fari to never give up on her dream. As Fari is climbing up the ladder to success, the series alternates with the story of Jimmy, a former cricket star who after an injury, was forced to give up on the game and take a back seat.

    “When we came up with this concept,” Farooq told The Current when the series was announced. “The thought behind it was that we need to empower women in the best way possible and there is no way better than projecting women in sports. Cricket, especially being the most loved sport in South-Asia.”

    She also stressed on the importance of such a drama that would not only be enjoyed by people, but also educate them about breaking stereotypes, calling ’22 Qadam’: ‘the voice of the unheard’.

    Since the two episodes went up on social media, clearly online audiences share our joy because the feedback has been nothing but positive.

  • Alcaraz beats Djokovic to claim first Wimbledon title in five-set final

    Alcaraz beats Djokovic to claim first Wimbledon title in five-set final

    In a thrilling five-set men’s final on Sunday, World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz defeated reigning champion Novak Djokovic to claim his first Wimbledon title.

    After nearly five hours on Centre Court, the Spaniard emerged victorious with a score of 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4. Alcaraz tumbled to the court in celebration and volleyed a tennis ball into the crowd.

    At just 20 years old, Alcaraz becomes the third-youngest Wimbledon champion in the Open Era and adds a second major title to his record, having won the US Open last year. Despite facing the formidable challenge of an in-form Djokovic, widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in history, Alcaraz fought back from a set down.

    As Djokovic’s attempted return failed to clear the net, a new Wimbledon champion was crowned, solidifying Alcaraz’s position as a leader among the sport’s next generation.

    In his on-court interview afterward, Alcaraz expressed his elation, stating, “Well, it’s a dream come true for me. For me, it’s incredible. As I said, it’s a dream come true to be able to play on this stage. It’s amazing for a 20-year-old boy. I didn’t expect to reach these kinds of situations so quickly.”

    Alcaraz also expressed pride in himself and his team for the hard work they put in every day, leading up to this momentous experience.

  • Ahmedabad will host India vs Pakistan World Cup match, ICC reveals schedule

    Ahmedabad will host India vs Pakistan World Cup match, ICC reveals schedule

    Ahmedabad is set to host the all-important India vs Pakistan World Cup, as International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the schedule for the mega event.

    The Cricket World Cup 2023 will be held in 10 venues across 46 days later this year.

    The World Cup kicks off on October 5 with a repeat of the 2019 Final as England take on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

    Hosts India begin their campaign on October 8 against five-time World Cup winners Australia in Chennai.

    A total of 10 teams will participate in the showcase event, the first eight having already qualified through the Cricket World Cup Super League. The final two spots will be determined at the end of the Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe, which concludes on July 9.

    Each team plays the other nine in a round-robin format with the top four qualifying for the knockout stage and semi-finals.
    Key Fixtures

    The much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash is scheduled for Sunday, October 15 in Ahmedabad. Their last encounter in the 2019 World Cup was a high-scoring affair with India achieving a huge victory in Manchester.

    Pakistan will face Australia in Bengaluru on October 20, while England clash against South Africa the next day in Mumbai.
    The final group stage match will be England up against Pakistan in Kolkata on November 12.

    Knockout Stages

    The first semi-final will be held on Wednesday, November 15 in Mumbai, and the second semi-final will be held the following day in Kolkata. Both semi-finals will have a reserve day.

    The final will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19, with November 20 slated as the reserve day.

    All three knockout fixtures will be day-night affairs, with the matches beginning at 14:00 local time.

    Tournament Venues

    There will be a total of 10 venues – Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Dharamsala, Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

    Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram, in addition to Hyderabad, will host the warm-up matches from 29th September to 3rd October.

    Pakistan’s World Cup schedule:

    Pakistan vs Qualifier, Oct 6, Hyderabad

    Pakistan vs Qualifier, Oct 12, Hyderabad

    Pakistan vs India, Oct 15, Ahmedabad

    Pakistan vs Australia, Oct 20, Bengaluru

    Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Oct 23, Chennai

    Pakistan vs South Africa, Oct 27, Chennai

    Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Oct 31, Kolkata

    Pakistan vs New Zealand, Nov 4, Bengaluru

    Pakistan vs England, Nov 12, Kolkata

  • Pakistani snooker player Beats Iranian opponent in U21 Asian Snooker Championship, reaches final

    Pakistani snooker player Beats Iranian opponent in U21 Asian Snooker Championship, reaches final

    Ahsan Ramzan, the youngest cueist of Pakistan, is dominating the U21 Asian Snooker Championship. According to reports, Ahsan won against Iran’s Tirdad Azadipour 4-2 to make his way into the final.

    Ahsan started the semifinal match on the high as he dominated Azadipour in the opening two frames with the scoreline of 76-8 and 102-1 respectively.

    Azadipour, a quick reactor, broke the lead by 2-1 only for Ahsan to restore the advantage in the fourth frame.
    The next two frames also followed the same pattern as Azadipour won the fifth frame to stay alive but Ahsan Ramzan won the sixth frame to seal his spot in the final.

    The semifinal win gives hope to the young seven-years-old Ahsan Ramzan to grab the Gold medal in the Final.

    In the early phase of the tournament, Ahsan contested two group matches against Iran’s Arshia Tehrani and Ali Lalegani and remained unbeaten to book his spot in the knockout stage.

    In his first group match, Ahsan Ramzan thumped Tehrani by the score of 3-0 in the Best of Five.

    The 17-year-old snooker player started his first match of the competition on a high as he outclassed Tehrani by the scores of 55-21 before putting on an even more dominant show in the second frame, sealing it by 93-15.

    The flying start filled Ahsan Ramzan with momentum and he moved within one frame to register his first victory.

    He managed to retain the momentum in the third frame as well and blew away Tehrani 3-0.

    In his next fixture against Iran’s Lalegani, Ahsan Ramzan got off to a contrasting start as the Iranian cueist scored a 66-point break to seal the first frame.

    With Lalegani securing an early 1-0 lead, Ahsan recollected himself and marked an astonishing comeback by sealing the next three frames with great precision and securing his second back-to-back victory in the tournament.

    Ahsan Ramzan continued his rich vein of form in the quarter-final as he defeated India’s Digvijay Kadyan 4-3.

  • Babar Azam takes a dip in test rankings: Joe Root is the new Number 1

    Babar Azam takes a dip in test rankings: Joe Root is the new Number 1

    According to the new rankings of the International Cricket Council (ICC), England’s Joe Root has become the number one Test batsman in the world.

    After the first Test of the Ashes series, there has been a change in the ICC Test Player Rankings and England’s Joe Root has moved up five places to the first place in the rankings, replacing Australia’s Marnus Libuschen, with New Zealand’s Kane Williamson moving up two places to the second position and Marnus Libuschen to the third position.

    In the Test batsmen’s ranking, Travis Head is at the fourth position after a step up, while Pakistan captain Babar Azam remains at the fifth position.

    Similarly, Australia’s Steve Smith has dropped 4 places to sixth, Usman Khawaja has moved up 2 places to seventh and England’s Harry Brook has moved up to 13th place after 5 places.

    India’s Ravichandran Ashwin remains at the top of the ICC Test bowlers rankings.

    In the bowlers ranking, England’s James Anderson is second, Rabada has moved up one level to third, Pete Cummins has moved down one level to fourth, England’s Ollie Robinson and Australia’s Nathan Lyon have moved up one level to 5th and 6th respectively.

  • Shoaib Akhtar is not interested in a second marriage

    Shoaib Akhtar is not interested in a second marriage

    Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar recently appeared on Hafiz Ahmed’s podcast where he opened up about whether he would get married for a second time.

    The speedster rejected the idea of marrying again, saying that he would remain committed to his wife. The cricketer said that although Islam allows men to marry multiple times, it also encourages men to remain faithful and kind to their wives:

    “You can get married four times, but I believe that once you’re attached to someone, they have left their home for you so you should leave your things for them as well. Be nice to her, kind to her. You should be an inspiring figure to her. You should have a strong character and shouldn’t pressurise her to do anything. I’m always straight forward and honest, I take care of my children and teach them the Quran.”

    The cricketer, who tied the knot with Rubab Khan in 2014, talked about the arranged marriage his parents had set up for him, when they met his wife’s parents during Hajj:

    “My mother had met my wife’s mother during the time they were completing Hajj, and during this visit she had taken a lot of care of my mother. When my parents came back, during that moment my mother introduced me to a girl and told me ‘This is your wife’, and I agreed to marry her.”

    Akhtar said they had a simple nikkah ceremony, which wasn’t open to public, with just a few people from his family and from his wife’s family.

    Akhtar went on to reveal that he is quite different from his conservative wife because of his liberal views, but he has never pressurised her to do anything that she doesn’t want to, including asking her to make media appearances:

    “My family doesn’t like coming on tv. My wife is very conservative, even though I am very liberal, very open minded. I keep asking her to go out and eat something, and she refuses.”

    Akhtar also added that he respects his wife’s preference which is why he doesn’t speak about their personal life during media appearances, to keep supporting her choice to remain a private figure.

  • PCB wants Emirates Cricket Board to reschedule ILT20

    PCB wants Emirates Cricket Board to reschedule ILT20

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has requested the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to make changes to the schedule of the next edition of International League T20 (ILT20).

    The second edition of ILT20 is currently scheduled to take place from January 13 to February 12 in 2024. Considering the clash of dates between ILT20 and Pakistan Super League (PSL), PCB requested ECB to give 10 days concession to accommodate Pakistan cricket team players.

    In the previous edition of the ILT20, which took place from January 13 to February 12 earlier this year, Pakistan players were not allowed to participate despite attractive offers from the UAE-based league.

    As reported by Cricket Pakistan last month, ILT20 organizers offered top players, including Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan, substantial contracts, along with the opportunity to captain a team and sign a three-year contract.

    However, the PCB did not grant permission to its players to participate in the league. Former -PCB Chairman, Ramiz Raja had even requested compensation from the Emirates in return for releasing the players.

    In contrast, current PCB chief, Najam Sethi, has taken a more flexible approach towards the ILT20, emphasizing the importance of maintaining good relations with the UAE and suggesting that negotiations can be pursued based on the principle of ‘give and take.’ Hence, as reported by Cricket

    Pakistan, national team players are likely to take part in the next edition of ILT20.

    Last month, Cricket Pakistan also reported that there is a possibility of rearranging the home series against West Indies in 2024. PCB conveyed to the franchises during the recent PSL governing council meeting in Lahore that the mentioned series with West Indies might require rescheduling in order to accommodate PSL 9. The West Indies team is currently slated to come to Pakistan in February and March to play two Test matches and three T20I matches.

  • Smith, Babar, Kohli ‘once in a lifetime’ trio, says Mathew Hayden

    Smith, Babar, Kohli ‘once in a lifetime’ trio, says Mathew Hayden

    In the build-up leading to World Test Championship final between India and Australia, former left-hand test great Mathew Hyden opened up about the strength of both teams.

    When asked about the advantage Australia might have over India, Hayden highlighted the importance of putting runs on the board, and in doing so, he praised the batting prowess of Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, and Babar Azam, whom he considers modern-day greats.

    Hyden praised the techniques of Babar Azam, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, describing them as “once in a lifetime and once in a generation cricketers,” indicating that their abilities and achievements set them apart from their peers.

    Hayden also acknowledged the significance of Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins in the Australian team. Labuschagne’s emergence as a reliable batsman and Cummins’ dual role as a captain and a potent fast bowler add further strength to the Australian lineup.

    “In a big game, it is about runs on the board. Steve Smith is a maestro. When you think about the modern-day greats, Smith, Kohli, Babar Azam, these are once in a lifetime and once in a generation cricketers. So obviously in combination with Labuschagne, those two are extremely critical for Australian batting line-up. And then Pat Cummins as a captain and as a bowler as well,” Hayden said.

    Smith, known for his unorthodox yet effective batting style, has been a key figure in Australia’s batting line-up for several years. His ability to consistently score runs and dominate opposition bowlers has earned him a reputation as one of the best batsmen of his generation.

    Kohli, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, has been a dominant force in world cricket for over a decade. Known for his aggressive and passionate style of play, Kohli is regarded as one of the finest batsmen in contemporary cricket.

    Babar, the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, has risen through the ranks to become one of the most exciting batsmen in international cricket. His elegant strokeplay, impeccable timing, and ability to play long innings make him a delight to watch. Babar’s impressive statistics and consistent performances have cemented his place among the top batsmen in the world.

  • Extreme fan moment as man prints Dhoni’s picture on wedding card

    Extreme fan moment as man prints Dhoni’s picture on wedding card

    Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also known as Mahi, is widely considered the coolest and the most successful captain Indian cricket team has ever produced.
    The superstar recently won the Indian Premiere League (IPL) 16th edition for the fifth time as the captain of Chennai Super Kings.

    A die-hard fan of the ace cricketer has grabbed headlines for an incredible gesture.

    Deepak, a resident of Tamnar in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh, got Dhoni’s photo printed on both sides of his wedding card, as well as the number of his jersey.

    The unique wedding invitation has now become the talk of the town.

    Deepak, who considers Dhoni his ideal is also the captain of his village cricket team. He has said that he has won many matches for his team using the strategy employed by Dhoni as captain.

    The yellow wedding card is going viral on social media, while Deepak has also invited MS Dhoni to his wedding.

    It should be noted that this is the third incident in the last two years where a fan has printed Dhoni’s picture on his wedding card.