ISLAMABAD: The novel coronavirus has claimed 110 more lives in Pakistan during the past 24 hours, surging the overall death toll to 15,982.   The latest statistics of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed the COVID-19 has claimed 110 more lives and 5,364 fresh infections were reported during the period. During the period the positivity rate stood at 8.31 …

Brazil’s hospitals were running out of drugs needed to sedate COVID-19 patients on Thursday, with the government urgently seeking to import supplies amid reports of the seriously ill-being tied down and intubated without effective sedatives. Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said Brazil was in talks with Spain and other countries to secure the emergency drugs. Hospitals, he added, were also struggling …

KRAKOW: When the pandemic began last year, Kinga Szlachcic-Wyroba, an anaesthesiologist in the Stefan Zeromski Specialist Hospital in Krakow, Poland, had to manage one COVID-19 patient and 10 others in intensive care with three other doctors. Now the third wave has hit Poland and the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care stands at 17, with just four non-COVID sufferers. …

CENTURION: South Africa may have been left depleted with the exodus of first-choice players in their Twenty20 series against Pakistan, but they still are in with a chance of sharing honours if they win the fourth international in Centurion on Friday. A sublime century from the redoubtable Babar Azan inspired Pakistan to a crushing nine-wicket victory in the lopsided third …

HARARE: Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani says the eight-year ban handed to former national team all-rounder and coach Heath Streak for corruption is the sport’s darkest day in the country. The 47-year-old Streak admitted five breaches of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption code and agreed to the sanction that was revealed on Wednesday. “This is a very sad …

CENTURION: After climbing to the top of the ICC’s men’s One-day International (ODI) batting rankings, Babar Azam has now his eyes set on doing the same in Test cricket. Babar followed in the footsteps of Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad and Mohammad Yousuf on Wednesday as he became the fourth player from Pakistan to sit atop the ODI batting rankings “This …

Karachi: Pacer Mohammad Abbas has bagged a hat-trick in England’s County Championship while representing Hampshire against Middlesex. The right-arm medium pacer dismissed Max Holden, Nick Gubbins and Stevie Eskinaz on his fifth, sixth and seventh balls of the match. The 31-year-old is currently in England and will be representing Hampshire County for two months. Abbas has previously played for Leicestershire in 2018 and 2019, …

Karachi: Pakistan women’s cricket team captain Bismah Maroof has announced that she will be taking an indefinite break from cricket. The 29-year-old took to Twitter and delightedly announced that she is now entering a new chapter of life as she will be welcoming her first child. “I am delighted to announce that I am entering a new chapter in my life …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s dashing wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan has been named among Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year in the 2021 edition of the Wisden Almanack. The right-hander averaged more than 40 across three Tests for Pakistan during their 1-0 series defeat to England and was also lauded for his brilliant wicketkeeping skills during the series. Rizwan’s was an electrifying presence behind …