Sports

SOUTHAMPTON: Pakistan’s luck ran out as captain Azhar Ali was dismissed after lunch before rain stopped play on the first day of the second Test against England in Southampton on Thursday. Azhar, who was nearly out for seven, fell for 20 when he edged paceman James Anderson and second slip Rory Burns, who had already dropped a catch, held onto …

LEXINGTON (Kentucky): Serena Williams made a winning return to competitive tennis on Tuesday as she rallied from a set down to beat Bernarda Pera 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 at the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Kentucky on Tuesday in her first match of the Covid-19 era. Serena was five points from falling to the American left-hander in the second set but …

KARACHI: Pakistan has gone through a long journey since they toured England for the first time way back in the summer of 1954. During this period of 64 years they confronted the host nation in 15 Test series until 2018. From Thursday the Ageas Bowl in the port city of Southampton on the south coast of England will stage the …

KUALA LUMPUR: All Asian qualifying games for the 2022 World Cup scheduled this year were postponed to 2021 on Wednesday, adding to a global fixture backlog for football’s biggest competition caused by the coronavirus pandemic. FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation issued a joint statement saying the delay is to protect the health and safety of all participants from Covid-19. …

SOUTHAMPTON: England skipper Joe Root has backed James Anderson to hit peak form again, saying on Wednesday that the pace bowler’s spot in the team was not in question ahead of the second Test against Pakistan starting on Thursday. Anderson, England’s most successful Test bowler with 590 wickets, has endured a frustrating summer with six scalps in his last three …

LAHORE: Pakistan fast bowling coach Waqar Younis has admitted that the defeat in the first Test against England was ‘shocking’ stating that the team management was not expecting it. He, however, said it happens in cricket and his team is capable of bouncing back in the series, despite being inexperienced, by winning the second Test against England, starting today at …

MOSCOW: Former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has joined a growing list of players who have decided not to play in this year’s tournament due to concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic. The Russian world number 32 on Monday announced her decision on Instagram where she also said she would skip the Western & Southern Open which is being held in New York …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) announced on Tuesday to reopen the sports facilities in phases with activities to start in squash, tennis, badminton while jogging tracks will also be reopened from Thursday. The PSB had closed down the sports facilities on March 15 due to Covid-19 and now after a gap of almost five months, it has decided to …

ISLAMABAD: Batting legend Javed Miandad has backed the Pakistan cricket team, saying the Green-shirts haven’t lost the series against England yet, and should rectify their mistakes in the games ahead. “Winning or losing are part of the game. Don’t worry, just rectify the mistakes you have made. Sit together, identify them and don’t repeat them. Players should keep their morale …

WELLINGTON: West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh have all confirmed they will tour New Zealand during the southern hemisphere summer, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive David White said on Tuesday. Under the International Cricket Council’s Future Tours Programme, West Indies were scheduled to play three Tests and three Twenty20 Internationals in New Zealand, while Pakistan will play two Tests …