Sports

LAHORE: While Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister on Sports and Youth Affairs Wahab Riaz has announced hefty cash prizes for the winners from the province at next month’s National Games in Quetta, the government is yet to release funds to prepare the contingents. A summary has moved to the Punjab government asking to release Rs30 million for training camps, travel …

They say that if you come at the king, then you better kill the king. And Imad Wasim definitely came at the king when he criticised his former Karachi Kings teammate Babar Azam before the start of this Pakistan Super League (PSL). For all intents and purposes, it seemed that those words were just confirming what everyone had suspected — Imad’s international …

RAWALPINDI: After months of speculation, Mickey Arthur has finally arrived. The former Pakistan head coach has returned to the men’s national team setup in a directorial role and seems to be clear about his goals in his second stint. Building match-winners is what the South African will be focused on. In this role, according to a Pakistan Cricket Board press …

England Test coach Brendon McCullum has been cleared by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) of breaching its anti-corruption code and will face no further action over his involvement with an online betting business. Reports said the New Zealander had stepped back from his commercial role with 22Bet, a Cyprus-registered bookmaker for whom he has appeared in several online …

NEW DELHI: Rising talent Tilak Varma has earned predictions that he is destined to play for his country after lighting up the Indian Premier League with his fearless batting. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians bought Varma for $200,000 in last year’s auction and the 20-year-old has repaid their faith with some stellar performances since. An attacking left-handed batsman, Varma smashed a …

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo was upstaged by another former Manch­ester United forward in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as Al-Hilal’s Odion Ighalo scored twice from the penalty spot in a 2-0 win over Al-Nassr. Portugal striker Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr on a lucrative deal last January and scored eight goals in his first five games but he has been unable to sustain …

LONDON: Real Madrid’s pursuit of a 15th European Cup marches on. Chelsea, meanwhile, do not know when they will compete on this elite stage again. Real’s 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday completed a 4-0 aggregate victory and saw the Spanish giants advance to the Champions League semi-finals for the 11th time in 13 seasons. Rodrygo scored twice in …

RAWALPINDI: Cricket fans in Rawalpindi hope the T20 International series between Pakistan and New Zealand is not dampened by inclement weather on Thursday when both the teams enter the ground for the fourth match of the five-game series. After the first three games in Lahore, the action shifts to Rawalpindi for the last two T20s. Two spells of rain on …

BANJA LUKA: Novak Djokovic says he is still dealing with an elbow issue heading into this week’s Srpska Open as the Serb looks to get his French Open preparations back on track following his early exit at the Monte Carlo Masters. Djokovic suffered a third-round defeat to Lorenzo Musetti in Monte Carlo last week, the 22-times Grand Slam champion’s serve …

LAHORE: As many as 14 players from Pakistan will take part in the 14th edition of the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, which starts at the Laguna Lang Co Golf Course in Vietnam on Wednesday. The Pakistani contingent comprises of nine boys and five girls, who will compete with top junior golfers from 21 other countries. The Faldo Series resumes …