Sports

In my late sixties, and in the sunset of a cricket career which never really had a dawn, I have found it a huge privilege to play in Pakistan. I have recommended this experience to all my cricketing friends in England: some have followed me, and I hope that more will follow them. Some have asked me whether Pakistan is …

Rawalpindi: With Central Punjab (CP) and Southern Punjab (SP) making a surprising comeback today, the National T20 Cup has taken a curve and things look quite enthralling ahead in the tournament.  Here is how the points table of the event looks like after completion of 16 matches:      Teams         M         W …

PARIS: Twelve-time champion Rafael Nadal reached his 13th French Open final on Friday with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) win over Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, setting up a potential blockbuster title clash against Novak Djokovic. For 34-year-old Nadal, it was a 99th win at Roland Garros since his 2005 debut and put him just one victory away from equalling Roger Federer’s …

KARACHI: Central Punjab revived their semi-final aspirations in the National T20 Cup on Friday when the returning Pakistan duo of Babar Azam and Faheem Ashraf combined to put an end to reigning champions Northern’s remarkable 10-match winning streak in Rawalpindi. The opening fixture of the 19-game First XI competition’s second leg at the Pindi Cricket Stadium was a virtual one-way …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is all set to rope in an Australian trainer to improve national players conditioning, agility and speed, PHF president retired Brig Khalid Sajjad Khokhar said on Thursday. “Currently, we are in talks with three to four trainers from Australia. Hopefully, within the next few days we’ll reach on an agreement with one of them …

COLOMBO: The draft for Sri Lanka’s upcoming Premier League tournament has been postponed, the cricket board said on Thursday, as the island nation battles to contain its biggest-ever coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. Leading internationals including Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, Darren Bravo, Shahid Afridi and Shakib Al Hasan had been up for grabs at a Friday ceremony ahead of the Twenty20 competition. …

KARACHI: While the second leg of the star-studded First XI National T20 Cup begins in Rawalpindi, Central Punjab clinched the Second XI title after finishing at the top of the league standings in Lahore on Thursday. Central Punjab only needed to secure a victory in the final fixture of the second-tier competition at the Gaddafi Stadium — a task they …

KARACHI: Former hockey Captain and ex-Olympian Islahuddin Siddiqui has been asked to vacate the hockey academy premises in North Nazimabad by director culture, sports and recreation DMC (Central) who has described it as “illegal occupation” in a letter issued this week. The letter is dated 05.10.2020 and has been addressed to in-charge of the Islahuddin-Muhammad Ali Shah Hockey Academy in …

TOKYO: World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said competitors should be able to ‘take the knee’ on the podium at the postponed Tokyo Olympics, following an outcry over moves to ban protests. Coe, who was inspecting the national stadium where Olympic track and field will be contested next year, said any protests must be carried out with ‘respect’ for other competitors. …

LAHORE: Pakistan Golf Federation’s Match Play Golf Championship 2020 commenced here at the Royal Palm Golf Course on Wednesday. This five-day event features top 25 professionals of the country who are eligible to participate based on their national ranking. Parallel to this will run a contest between the leading amateurs of the national golf circuit. Format of this championship requires …