Sports

LAHORE: Former Test player and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt passed away at his residence here on Thursday. He was 85. Born in Sialkot on March 10, 1938, Ijaz featured in eight Tests for Pakistan from 1959 to 1962. He served as the PCB chief from 2008 to 2011 and during his tenure Pakistan won the ICC T20 …

TAROUBA: West Indies stunned India by four runs to capture the opening Twenty20 International on Thursday as the tourists flopped in pursuit of a modest 150-run target. Well-placed at 77-3 in the 11th over thanks to debutant Tilak Varma’s top score of 39 and 21 from Suryakumar Yadav, India then lost six wickets for just 68 runs. Shimron Hetmyer, playing …

CHENNAI: Malaysia defeated Pakistan 3-1 in the Asian Champions Trophy on the opening day of the continental event here at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium on Thursday. Firhan Ashari scored two crucial goals in the 28th and 29th minutes. Shello Silverius also contributed with a goal in the 44th minute. Pakistan managed to pull one goal back through Abdul Rehman …

GLASGOW: Great Britain’s defence of their men’s team pursuit world title ended in a crash in qualifying at the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow on Thursday. Charlie Tanfield slipped coming out of the final corner at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome, and with the home nation already down to three riders at that point they did not set an official …

England’s highly entertaining “Bazball” approach will face a Test when the team travels to India next year for a five-match Test series, England captain Nasser Hussain believes. Under coach Brendon “Baz” McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, England’s result-oriented approach to Test cricket once again enthralled fans as they overturned a 2-0 deficit to level the Ashes series against Australia 2-2. They would …

TAROUBA: A second-string India thrashed West Indies by 200 runs in the third One-day International on Tuesday to seal a 2-1 series victory in a timely boost ahead of their Asia Cup campaign next month. India entered the three-match series with their eyes on the bigger picture, which includes the Asia Cup and the home World Cup in October-November. Skipper …

MILAN: Gianluigi Buffon announced his retirement from football on Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on a glorious career as one of the world’s greatest ever goalkeepers. “That’s all folks! You gave me everything. I gave you everything. We did it together,” he posted in English on social media. Buffon, 45, hangs up his gloves after two final years at Parma, …

SYDNEY: World Athletics president Sebastian Coe says the Commonwealth Games is a strong enough brand to survive its latest crisis, but it must innovate to do so. The multi-sport event suffered a major setback last month when the Australian state of Victoria pulled out of hosting the 2026 edition, citing escalating costs. It left the Commonwealth Games Federation searching for …

ISLAMABAD: After becoming the first Pakistani to win the World Junior Squash Championship title in 37 years, Hamza Khan is now eyeing the senior’s crown. The 17-year-old Hamza beat Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria in the tournament’s final in Melbourne, Australia to emulate the achievement of Pakistan squash legend Jansher Khan’s, who was crowned the junior’s champion in 1986. Reigniting Pakistan’s sports …

LAHORE: In a major decision, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday finally constituted a high-profile body, named Cric­ket Technical Committee (CTC), headed by former Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq and comprising prominent names like Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez. “The CTC will provide recommendations on cricket-related matters, including, but not limited to the overall domestic structure, scheduling, playing conditions, appointment of the …