Ben Stokes’ England side could go with an all-spin bowling attack against an inexperienced India batting line-up when the second Test begins in Visakhapatnam on Friday. Rohit Sharma’s side suffered only their fourth home defeat in 47 Tests since 2013 last week in Hyderabad as England came from 190 runs behind on the first innings to record a stunning 28-run …

English midfielder Jude Bellingham has been on a roll since joining Spanish club Real Madrid last year, courtesy of his exceptional on-field prowess. Not only on-field, the Real Madrid star has been winning hearts off the field as well with his respectable gestures towards his fans. In one of those gestures, Bellingham recently responded to a Pakistani Sameer Shoukat, who …

KARACHI: The business community has expressed deep concern over the State Bank’s decision to maintain its policy rate at a steep 22 per cent. This rate, according to industry representatives, is unsustainable for businesses and could lead to widespread closures and a freeze on new investments.     Representatives of the United Business Group (UBG) said they had expected some cuts in …

Sri Lanka have named a 16-member Test squad on Wednesday for their one-off match against Afghanistan, scheduled to begin on Friday in Colombo. This will be Sri Lanka’s first assignment under the new Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva, after they appointed different captains for the Test, ODI and T20 sides earlier this month. Upul Tharanga, the newly appointed chief of Sri …

DUBAI: Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah surged to the fourth position and closed the gap with top-ranked fellow Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Test Bowling Rankings. Bumrah jumped four places to acquire the fourth spot with 825 points after taking six wickets in the thrilling first Test against England in Hyderabad, which India …

Atletico Madrid confirmed the signing of Brazilian defender c from Valencia on Wednesday until the end of the season. Valencia announced through a statement that the 33-year-old centre-back had “reached a deal to end his contract” with the club. “Valencia CF and Gabriel Paulista have reached an agreement to terminate the player’s contract,” the statement said. “Gabriel Paulista has worn …

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday managed modest gains, a day after losing 900 points as foreign selling eased. On Tuesday, the stock market had posted another major dec­line of 1.5 per cent due to investor concerns over political noise and security unrest in the country. It was the fourth consecutive drop on the market, with the KSE-100 index having lost …

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has invited the general public to submit designs for new currency notes as it initiates the process of replacing the existing banknotes. The announcement came a day after the SBP governor told a meeting of analysts about the decision to introduce new currency notes with advanced security features and to address the issue …

ISLAMABAD: Emphasising the need for concerted efforts to explore onshore and offshore oil and gas reserves, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said on Tuesday the country has an abundance of natural resources to cater for domestic and industrial needs. Speaking at the Petroleum Conference as the chief guest, the prime minister reaffirmed the government’s readiness to contribute to infrastructure …