Sports

Pakistan’s best is yet to come and struggling skipper Babar Azam is due “something very special” in their Twenty20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday, team mentor Matthew Hayden warned. The 2009 champions only scraped into the knockouts when the Netherlands unexpectedly defeated South Africa and Pakistan then beat Bangladesh to secure their second successive last-four berth. Former Australia opener Hayden, who was batting …

EVEN Nostradamus would not have prophesied that Pakistan would sneak into the semi-finals. It looked next to impossible. Simply because there were heaps of ifs and buts involved. But then he would certainly have felt thunderstruck like tens of millions of Pakistanis when the Dutch ousted mighty-looking South Africa in Adelaide. The reputed French seer of the 16th century perhaps could not also …

ADELAIDE: India coach Rahul Dravid labelled Suryakumar Yadav “absolutely phenomenal” after the top-ranked T20 batsman powered them into a World Cup semi-final clash with England. Yadav’s unbeaten 61 off 25 balls on Sunday steered India to 186-5 against Zimbabwe in Melbourne and an emphatic 71-run win in their final group match. India’s star batsman Virat Kohli has top-scored at this World Cup …

SYDNEY: An Australian court on Monday refused bail for Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka after he was charged with four counts of sexual assault. Gunathilaka appeared wearing handcuffs by remote video link to the court in Sydney, speaking only to confirm his identity and that he could hear proceedings. Sri Lanka Cricket said separately that it had suspended the batsman. …

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil coach Tite on Monday named his 26-man World Cup squad for Qatar, including 39-year-old defender Daniel Alves while leaving out Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino as the five-times champions prepare for the tournament starting on Nov 20. Aston Villa attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho is one veteran who didn’t make the list after sustaining a thigh injury in …

BARCELONA: Barcelona enjoyed a 2-0 win over Almeria on Saturday but the night belonged to defender Gerard Pique’s who was playing his last game at the Camp Nou after he announced he will retire from football when La Liga breaks for the World Cup next week. Barca, who won with second-half goals from Ousmane Dem­bele and Frenkie de Jong, climbed …

PARIS: Reigning Paris Masters champion Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in a three-set epic on Saturday to set up a title clash with Holger Rune, who reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final after a comfortable win over Felix Auger-Aliassime. Djokovic won his eighth straight match against Tsitsipas but needed more than two hours to seal a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 …

LAHORE: Opener Sidra Ameen crafted yet another match-winning knock to help Pakistan women’s team outplay Ireland by nine wickets in the second One-day International of their three-match series here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday. The resounding win gave the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series which is also part of the ICC Women’s Championship. Captain Bismah joined …

MELBOURNE: Suryakumar Yadav hit a blazing unbeaten 61 as a proud India set up a Twenty20 World Cup semi-final against England by crushing Zimbabwe by 71 runs here at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. India were flying at 87-1 but the loss of three quick wickets slowed them down before Yadav set the proceedings alight, smashing six …

SOMETIMES the heavens align. Sometimes it snows in April. Sometimes the magic takes hold of Pakistan cricket, rescues it from the jaws of despair, and clears its path to the pinnacle. At times like this it is best to go with the mood, to trip the light fantastic, to savour Pakistan’s version of magical realism. The Netherlands created the mood, and …