Sports

TOKYO: The countdown clock for the Tokyo Olympics hit 50-days-to-go on Thursday, and the day also brought another problem for the delayed Games. About 10,000 of 80,000 unpaid volunteers for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have told organisers they will not participate when the Games open on July 23. Organisers said some dropped out because of worries about Covid-19. Few …

LAHORE: Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf says all the matches involving Pakistan including the Pakistan Super League (PSL) should be held in the home country, otherwise, Pakistan cricket will again go back to dark days. “The credit goes to army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa for ending terrorism and making international cricket viable and playable in Pakistan. …

PARIS: World number one and former champion Ashleigh Barty limped out of Roland Garros on Thursday, throwing the battle for the women’s title wide open as Novak Djokovic eased into the third round for the 16th straight year. Top seed Barty, already suffering from a left hip injury, retired injured midway through the second set of her second-round match against …

KARACHI: South Africa’s star batsman David Miller is really excited about his debut in Pakistan Super League (PSL) for Peshawar Zalmi. The recent uncertainty about the remaining PSL matches in Abu Dhabi may have upset fans and kept them anxiously waiting, but the 31-year-old Miller remains upbeat about the league and is raring to go. In an exclusive interview with DawnNews programme …

Pakistani batsman Ahmad Shahzad has become a dad for the second time! He and his wife recently became parents to a baby girl. He made the announcement on Twitter to his fans and followers’ delight, and congratulations came flooding in. Shahzad and his wife are already parents to a boy. Among the many congratulations he received was one from Lala, …

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday named the squads for the upcoming tours of England and West Indies, recalling four experienced players and including uncapped Azam Khan. “Quetta Gladiators’ Azam Khan, the 22-year-old hard-hitting batsman, is the new face in the T20I squad,” the PCB said in a statement. Middle-order batsman Haris Sohail has been named in the ODI …

On May 11, 19-year-old Shehroze Kashif became the youngest Pakistani to summit Mount Everest. He is also the fourth youngest mountaineer in the world to have summited the world’s highest mountain. Before reaching the 8,848.86-metre peak, the teen also has the honour of being the youngest Pakistani to have climbed the 8,047-metre Broad Peak at the age of 17, which also earned …

PARIS: Down 4-1 in the third set, Alexander Zverev decided it was time to shorten his match at the French Open on Wednesday. He was determined to avoid another lengthy fight following a five-set battle in the previous round, so he applied pressure on qualifier Roman Safiullin. The sixth seed German won the next game at love, broke back by …

LONDON: Devon Conway became just the sixth player to hit a Test century on debut at Lord’s, with the left-handed opener brilliantly anchoring New Zealand to 246-3 against England on Day one of the first match of the series on Wednesday. The 29-year-old South African-born left-hander was unbeaten on 136 — the highest individual on debut at Lord’s — to …

LAHORE: Former chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Khalid Mahmood on Wednesday suspected the Indian lobby to be behind the hurdles that are being created by Abu Dhabi authorities in holding the remaining 20 matches of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL). However, at the same time he also termed the decision of shifting the league from Pakistan to the UAE …