Sports

Shahid Afridi, the box office trailblazer of white-ball cricket, believes that “unpredictable” Pakistan can summon the spirit of 2009 and win a second T20 World Cup. Afridi was man of the match in a nail-biting seven-run semi-final win over South Africa in the tournament 12 years ago where he made 51. He then starred again in the eight-wicket rout of …

MUMBAI: India added pace bowler Shardul Thakur to their Twenty20 World Cup squad while all-rounder Axar Patel dropped out of the 15-man side and into a list of stand-by players, the country’s cricket board (BCCI) said in a statement on Wednesday. Inaugural T20 World Cup champions India begin their bid for a second title in a Super 12 match in …

MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia (CA) chairman Earl Eddings resigned on Wednesday, a day before he was due to stand for re-election at the board’s annual general meeting. Eddings, whose three-year chairmanship was marked by a near-constant division between member states, was under pressure after fellow board directors nominated by New South Wales and Queensland withdrew their support for him this week. …

SYDNEY: Australia’s women cricketers will get a pay rise this year, administrators said while admitting that wages will still fall well short of the men’s game. Retainers for Big Bash League players will increase about 14 per cent, Cricket Australia said, and players in the domestic cricket league will see a 22pc rise. Australia captain Meg Lanning said it was …

LAHORE: While underlining that Pakistan’s record against India in World Cups is a story of the past, captain Babar Azam on Wednesday said his players were well prepared to produce their best show in their ICC T20 World Cup opener against the arch-rivals to take a winning start that would put them on the right track to clinch the coveted title. “I …

LAHORE: Top seed Aqeel Khan and Mohammad Abid advanced after winning their respective men’s singles group stage matches of the Sapphire National Open Tennis Championship here at the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association courts on Wednesday. The 41-year-old veteran Aqeel faced some opposition from experienced Heera Ashiq before winning the match 6-2, 6-4 in 40 minutes. Abid also struggled before ousting …

LONDON: England are ‘desperate’ to go to Australia for their five-Test Ashes series later this year, all-rounder Chris Woakes said, despite some players having expressed concerns about Covid-19 protocols for the tour. Woakes was named in England’s 17-member squad for the series that begins in Brisbane on Dec 8 after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the tour …

LAHORE: Top seed Aqeel Khan won his second consecutive match on the second day of the Sapphire Open National Tennis Championships at the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association here on Tuesday. Aqeel was on song as he gave no room to his opponent little-known Usman Rafiq in a 6-1, 6-1 win. The struggling Usman could only hold his serve in the …

LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Tuesday announced 26 probables to attend a national training camp for the Asian Champions Trophy being held in Dhaka from Dec 14 to 22. The event will feature teams from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea. The camp commences here at the National Hockey Stadium from Oct 21. Former Olympian Khawaja …

LAHORE: The knockout round is a test of nerves and on Tuesday, Iftikhar Ahmed provided ample glimpses that he can, indeed, deliver under extreme pressure. With the National T20 Cup final spot at stake, the first of the semi-finals at the Gaddafi Stadium here saw Khyber Pakhtunkhwa eventually get over the line against Northern by five wickets and as many …