Sports

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has said the team is focused on playing well throughout the upcoming World Cup and not only against hosts India. “We are going to play the World Cup, not to play only against India,” Babar said during a press conference at the National Bank Stadium on Thursday.     Babar said Pakistan would approach all its …

LAHORE: World champions England will start their 2024 home season with a four-match T20 International series against Pakistan in May before the teams participate in the ICC T20 World Cup in June. According to an announcement made by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday, England will host Pakistan from May 22-30. The matches will be played in …

CHITTAGONG: Bang­la­desh skipper Tamim Iqbal said he was still not “100 percent” fit to play but nonetheless planned to take the field when the One-day International series against Afghanistan begins on Wednesday. The three-match series will start in Chittagong, with Afghanistan looking for their first ODI series win in Bangladesh at the third attempt. Tamim missed last month’s 546-run thrashing …

LAHORE: Pakistan will be one of the favourites to win the World Cup, which is set to be held in India in October-November, former pacer Aaqib Javed has said. While addressing reporters here on Tuesday, Aaqib, a World Cup winner himself, believed Pakistan had a number of players who were reliable enough to help the side overcome any opponent in …

Former pace bowler Ajit Agarkar has been appointed chief selector of Indian men’s cricket after being “unanimously” elected to head a five-member committee. Agarkar’s appointment comes after his predecessor Chetan Sharma resigned following a sting operation by a TV channel, which caught him gossiping about national stars. A three-member committee appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on …

LONDON: Defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic and women’s top seed Iga Swiatek started their Wimbledon campaigns with routine victories on Monday as rain temporarily halted play on the outside courts and the threat of climate protests lingered in the air. Djokovic, 36, has only lost twice at Wimbledon in a decade and began the Centre Court programme with a 6-3, …

LONDON: Injured Australian star Nathan Lyon will play no further part in the Ashes, coach Andrew McDonald said on Monday, with the off-spinner backing Todd Murphy to pick up where he left off. Lyon suffered a “significant calf tear” while fielding on day two of a fractious second Test at Lord’s, which Australia won by 43 runs to go 2-0 up in …

LONDON: It has been described as “the most evocative four walls in world cricket” and somewhere to watch the game in an atmosphere of almost monastic calm, far from the madding crowd. Yet the usually tranquil Long Room at Lord’s became a seething cauldron of hate on Sunday as Mary­lebone Cricket Club members abused Australia players returning from the field …

Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar shared that he has successfully obtained a legal stay order from the court to put a halt to the production of his supposed biopic titled Rawalpindi Express. Expressing his concerns, Akhtar voiced his dissatisfaction with the filmmakers’ persistent “threats” to continue filming despite the termination of their agreement. He shared a legal notice on Twitter, …

The British and Australian prime ministers have traded verbal bouncers after a controversial Test match between the two sides that has rocked the usually genteel world of cricket. Amid allegations of bad sportsmanship, cheating and verbal abuse after Australia took a 2-0 Ashes series lead on Sunday, political leaders have now waded in.     British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fired first, sending a …