https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSzLFjyxsJs&t=33s

SYDNEY: Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Serbia team for the ATP Cup in Sydney, event organisers said on Wednesday, raising further doubts over whether the world number one will defend his Australian Open title next month. There has been intense speculation over Djokovic’s participation in both events, with the 34-year-old, who is opposed to Covid-19 vaccinations, repeatedly declining …

BARCELONA: Four more Real Madrid players, and three from Barcelona, have tested positive for Covid-19, the two clubs said Wednesday as new infections hit record highs in Spain. Real Madrid’s Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois, Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde, French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and Brazilian winger Vincius Junior are all infected, the La Liga leaders said in a statement. A spokeswoman …

LONDON: England all-rounder Chris Woakes has supported Joe Root to continue as the team’s Test skipper despite their humiliating Ashes capitulation to Australia. England suffered an innings and 14-run loss to Australia on Tuesday in Melbourne as Root’s team surrendered the five-Test Ashes series with two Tests to spare. Root, who was reluctant to discuss the long-term future of his …

CENTURION: South Africa captain Dean Elgar scored an unbeaten 52 against India as the hosts showed a dogged determination to stay in the fight on a spicy wicket and closed the fourth day on 94 for four in the first Test here at the SuperSport Park on Wednesday. South Africa are still 211 runs off their record victory target at …

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor will retire from test cricket after the two-match series against Bangladesh and play his last limited-overs internationals against Australia and the Netherlands over the home summer, AFP reports. The 37-year-old has been a ‘Black Caps mainstay since his 2007 test debut, amassing a New Zealand record 7,584 runs in 110 matches at an average of 44.87. One …

KARACHI: Midway through their second innings, it had become pretty evident Northern were playing for a draw and some pride in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final. With defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa already having the first innings lead that would’ve given them a title in case of a stalemate and Northern still requiring 228 runs for victory with five wickets remaining, the …

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday unveiled nominations for its ODI Player of the Year award, with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam one of four contenders for the accolade. The national skipper scored 405 runs in six matches in the outgoing year at an average of 67.50 with two centuries in the 50-over format. Alongside Azam, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, …

KARACHI: The Bank of Punjab (BoP) on Wednesday announced it’s going to acquire a strategic stake in NRSP Microfinance Bank from the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), which owns a 57 per cent stake in the country’s fourth largest provider of microcredit in terms of the number of active borrowers. A stock filing by BoP stated that the commercial bank …

ISLAMABAD: Taking note of the resurgence in sug­ar prices, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Wednesday directed the provincial authorities to take appropriate measures to control the prices of the sweetener. The meeting of the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC), chaired by Mr Tarin, was informed that sugar was still selling around Rs100 per kg in major cities including Karachi, Rawalpindi …