Sports

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board’s interim Management Committee chairman Najam Sethi confirmed on Thursday the possibility of the national side playing their 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup matches at a neutral venue instead of host country India was well on the cards. It was the first time Sethi openly mentioned the “hybrid model” in the presence of media, turning what …

LONDON: England’s resurgent Test team can win the Ashes “comfortably” on home soil this year and make up for their 4-0 drubbing in Australia in the last series, fast bowler Ollie Robinson said. Coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes have led England to 10 wins in 12 Tests since taking over early last year on the back of an …

LONDON: Triple Olympic breaststroke champion Adam Peaty said he will miss next week’s British swimming championships as he focuses on his mental health ahead of the 2024 Paris Games. The 28-year-old spoke in an Instagram post of his personal battles and the pressures that came with success. He said he was tired and not enjoying the sport as much as before. “Everyone …

PESHAWAR: Pakistan caused a major upset by beating a strong Austra­lian team 2-1 in their quarter-final tie of the ITF World Tennis Junior Team Competition Asia/Oceania final qualifying in Kuch­ing, Malaysia to qualify for the World Group event. The World Group event will be held later this year in the Czech Republic. According to the information made available here, Pakistan’s …

LONDON: Jonny Bairs­tow hopes to be fit for England’s opening Test of the summer against Ireland in June, according to Yorkshire head coach Ottis Gibson. Bairstow’s form last year came to an abrupt end when a freak accident on the golf course in Septe­mber left him with three separate fractures in his left fibula, as well as a dislocated ankle …

PARIS: Scott McTominay scored twice as Steve Clarke’s Scotland claimed a famous 2-0 victory over Spain at Hampden Park in Euro 2024 qualifying on Tuesday, their first win in 39 years over one of football’s biggest heavyweights. McTominay’s goals came after he also scored two in a 3-0 win over Cyprus on Saturday and ended three-time European champions Spain’s 19-game …

ZURICH: Indonesia has been stripped of the right to host the under-20 football World Cup, global governing body FIFA said on Wednesday. The decision to remove Indonesia as host of the May 20-June 11 tournament was taken after its football federation (PSSI) said it had cancelled the draw after the governor of the largely Hindu island of Bali refused to …

BENONI: Two end-of-season One-day Inter­national matches between South Africa and the Netherlands would not normally attract much attention — but the games this weekend are crucial for the Proteas. The hosts have yet to qualify for the Cricket World Cup in India in October and November. They need to win both World Cup Super League matches to have a realistic …

BUENOS AIRES: Lionel Messi surpassed the 100-goal mark for World Cup champions Argentina on Tuesday by scoring a hat-trick in their 7-0 friendly win over Curacao. Argentina’s leading scorer reached a century of international goals when he opened the scoring after 20 minutes in Santiago del Estero, Giovani Lo Celso setting him up in the centre of the box to …

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board advised top officials of the International Cricket Council officials to consider a “hybrid model” for Pakistan and India in the forthcoming events given the political relations between the two neighbouring countries. Two of the next three top 50-over competitions — the Asia Cup and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup later this year and the …