Sports

PARIS: The road to Germany resumes this week as Euro 2024 qualifying kicks back into action with a number of teams in position to clinch qualification during two rounds of matches spread over six days from Wednesday. With five wins from as many matches in Group ‘A’, Scotland can become the first country to qualify for next year’s finals if …

DHARAMSALA: Dawid Malan bludgeoned 140 before Reece Topley destroyed the Bangladesh top order on Tuesday as England bounced back from their mauling by New Zealand in their World Cup opener. In-form Malan belted five sixes in his career-best One-day Inter­national score and Topley took 4-43 as the defending champions won by 137 runs after piling up 364-9 in Dharamsala. England …

NEW DELHI: Afgha­nistan captain Hashmat­ullah Shahidi hopes leg-spin wizard Rashid Khan “delivers” against India at the World Cup in Delhi on Wednesday as they attempt to stay on track after an opening defeat in the tournament. The Afghans were completely outplayed by Bangladesh, losing by six wickets after being bowled out for just 156 in Dharamsala on Saturday. The 25-year-old …

KARACHI: Pakistan’s World Cup-accredited journalists received calls, at long last, from the Indian High Commission on Tuesday and were asked to submit their passports for visas to travel across the border for cricket’s showpiece event. Journalists were asked to proceed to Islamabad and submit their passports in person at the Indian High Commission with visas, according to those who received …

NYON: The United Kingdom and Ireland will host the 2028 European Championship, while Italy and Turkey will stage the 2032 edition of the tournament, UEFA announced on Tuesday. By accepting a joint Italy-Turkey bid for Euro 2032 last week, and with Turkey withdrawing from the race for Euro 2028, the hosts for both tournaments were already all but assured. Turkey’s …

CHENNAI: Mitchell Santner said he is enjoying the prospect of bowling more aggressively at the World Cup in India than he does back home after the New Zealand spinner took five wickets in a 99-run win over the Netherlands. Santner claimed 5-59 on Monday to add to his two wickets from their win over England in last week’s opener. “It’s …

Abdullah Shafique has a habit of making great first impressions, the latest of which came on Tuesday when he became the first Pakistan batsman to make a century on his World Cup debut in an epic pursuit against Sri Lanka. Called up to replace the out-of-form Fakhar Zaman, the 23-year-old opener clubbed 113 and with a cramping Mohammad Rizwan (131 not …

Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai hit half-centuries as Afghanistan reached 272-8 against hosts India in their World Cup clash on Wednesday. Afghanistan elected to bat first at New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium which witnessed a World Cup record 754 runs scored in the previous match when South Africa posted 428 and defeated Sri Lanka.     The ground was …

Pakistan began their World Cup 2023 campaign in India with an 81-run victory over the Netherlands on Friday — a result that seemed far more comfortable than it actually was. Those who saw the match instead of only glancing at the final margin of victory would know that the performance was not convincing enough to inspire confidence in the Men …

Pakistan head coach Grant Bradburn insists his team’s top-order batting is not a worry but that confidence may not spare Fakhar Zaman, the only man to have scored an ODI double hundred for his country. Pakistan’s openers have endured a miserable last five matches with just 35 as their highest partnership. There has only been one century stand in the 16 games …