ABIDJAN: Morocco’s 1-0 win over Zambia at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday had the knock-on effect of sending Ivory Coast through to the last 16, after a day in which the tournament hosts sacked their coach. The final day of group-stage action also saw Namibia secure a place in the knockout stage of an AFCON for the first …

DUBAI: Australia captain Pat Cummins and England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt were named Cricketers of the Year by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday. Cummins won the men’s award after a year in which he led Australia to the World Test Championship and World Cup titles. “It’s a huge honour. It has been a big year, lots of wonderful team success,” …

LAHORE: Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez will not see an extension following the completion of his three-month tenure, marked by disappointing performances against Australia and New Zealand. Despite only securing a consolation victory in a T20I match, Pakistan endured defeats in three Test matches against Australia and four T20Is against New Zealand during Hafeez’s tenure. After returning from the challenging …

Cricketer Shoaib Malik on Friday responded to reports regarding the termination of his contract with Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchise Fortune Barishal, saying he had left the country due to a “pre-committed media engagement in Dubai”. The statement came after several media outlets, without citing a clear source, reported that Shoaib’s BPL contract was terminated over suspicions of match-fixing. According to Bangladeshi …

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp announced in a shock decision on Friday that he will leave the club at the end of the season. Klopp, who led Liverpool into the final of the League Cup on Wednesday, had informed the club’s hierarchy that he would end his eight-and-a-half years at Anfield at the end of the current campaign. Assistant managers Pepijn Lijnders and …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s public sector insurance companies have not only expanded their market share but also pioneered the development of innovative products to cater to the needs of low-income individuals and micro-entrepreneurs. A high-level meeting was convened on Thursday to evaluate the performance of public sector insurance companies — State Life Insurance Company (SLIC), National Insurance Company (NIC) and Pakistan Reinsurance …

LONDON: Oil prices rose on Thursday after data showed US crude stockpiles fell more than expected last week and a fresh attack by Houthi forces on ships off Yemen’s coast underscored the peril facing trade in a key global transit route. Brent crude futures were up $1.29, or 1.6 per cent, to $81.33 a barrel at 1521 GMT , while …

ISLAMABAD: Careta­k­er Prime Minister An­­w­a­arul Haq Kakar on Thu­rsday urged the Al-Jomaih Group of Saudi Arabia to invest in the alternative energy sector of Pakistan. Mr Kakar, in a meeting with a four-member delegation, led by the Al-Jomaih Group head Sheikh Abdulaziz Hamm­ad, said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had brotherly ties which were getting further stronger. Al-Jomaih earlier made a …

KARACHI: After inflows from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the foreign exchange reserves of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) increased enough to cover 1.6 months of imports, helping the exchange rate to remain stable. The SBP reported on Thursday that the reserves of the central bank went up by $243 million to $8.27 billion during the week ending on …