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KARACHI: Danish Kaneria, a former Pakistani leg-spinner, has called the star all-rounder Shahid Afridi a liar and accused him of mistreatment during his time with the national team. Kaneria, during an interview with an Indian Newswire – Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), accused that the then Pakistani captain Shahid was against him and used to go to the teammates to conspire against the former. “I was always degraded by Shahid Afridi. We used to play together for the same department, he used to keep me on the bench and didn’t let me play the one-day tournament,” the IANS quoted Kaneria. “He didn’t want me to be in the team. He was a liar, manipulator… because he’s a characterless person. However, my focus was only on cricket and I used to ignore all these tactics. Shahid Afridi was the only person who would go to other players and provoke them against me. I was performing well and he was jealous of me. I am proud that I played for Pakistan. I was grateful,” IANS further quoted Kaneria...

BRUSSELS: Second-ranked Belgium Hockey Team secured a comprehensive victory over the 17th-ranked Pakistan Men’s Hockey Team by 4-1 in the only match between the two teams of the Europe Tour, here on Friday. After the conclusion of a highly-competitive series against the Netherlands, the green shirts turned their attention towards Belgium to lock horns in the only match. The better-ranked Belgium, however, outclassed the green shirts by the scores of 5-1. In the first half, Pakistan could not net the ball once, in response to Belgium’s two. The green shirts then managed to cut the margin to 2-1 as Rizwan struck a goal in the third quarter. Belgium, on the other hand, restored and also extended their lead as the side responded quickly with two goals in the same quarter. Second-ranked Belgium then netted one in the final quarter to better their lead to 5-1. The green shirts, on the other hand, could not make their way back into the game despite a goal in the starting minutes of the t...

JOHANNESBURG: The Cricket South Africa (CSA), in association with SuperSport, introduced a new franchise-based T20 league, which will take place in January 2023. In an official statement released by the CSA, the cricket governing body shared the details regarding the new league. According to the details, the first edition of the league will be played in January next year, immediately after the conclusion of South Africa’s tour to Australia. The league will also feature foreign players and the recruitment of the players will be completed after the auction; scheduled to take place at a later date. NEW EVENT ALERT CSA and @SuperSportTV are proud to announce the formation of a dynamic new T20 competition 6⃣ privately-owned franchises January 2023 Read more https://t.co/IowJFF49Ye #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/LjjrPD4Tp3 — Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) April 29, 2022   The tournament will comprise six privately-owned teams, which will face each other twice in a rou...

LEEDS: Pakistani right-arm pacer Haris Rauf, who is representing Yorkshire in the ongoing County Championship claimed a maiden five-wicket haul in his side’s third-round fixture against Kent, here on Friday. Haris, who is enjoying a decent run in his debut county cricket championship, has now picked his maiden five-for. The right-arm pacer achieved the remarkable feat against Kent. Taking to Twitter, the Yorkshire County Cricket Club shared the footage of Haris claiming his fifth wicket. “[Haris Rauf] claiming his fifth wicket. What a way to start his first match in a Yorkshire shirt at HQ,” the Yorkshire wrote. @HarisRauf14 claiming his fifth wicket What a way to start his first match in a Yorkshire shirt at HQ! #OneRose pic.twitter.com/0Kdc1Mc1E0 — Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) April 29, 2022   It is pertinent to mention here that Haris had picked nine wickets in two matches of the ongoing County championship before claiming a five-fer. READ: ‘I am determined to do...

ISLAMABAD: The newly elected Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Minister Ehsan ur Rehman Mazari stated that he is motivated to take measures for the betterment of sports in Pakistan. Ehsan, while talking to the media after participating in a prize distribution ceremony, held at the Press Club, shared his desire to do something for the sports in the country. “I will try to do something for the sports in our beloved country Pakistan as I, myself am a sports enthusiast,” Ehsan said. He further congratulated the winning players and also lauded the female players for performing well. “I would like to congratulate all the winning teams and players. I am amazed that the women’s tournament was also held and they did play well,” he shared. The IPC Minister again commented on the preparations for the upcoming South Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Pakistan in May and said he will try that the players get proper training for the event. “The South Asian Games are also coming up. For all...

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) held a day-long seminar featuring 24 head and assistant coaches of the six Cricket Association sides, Pakistan men’s national team head, batting and assistant coach, and national selector Muhammad Wasim finished the three-day domestic cricket season 2021-22 review, here on Wednesday. The director of the National High-Performance Center (NHPC) spoke to the attendees during the first half of the session and discussed a presentation regarding the players’ tracking system – which is in use for the last two seasons and aims to evaluate a player’s performance in an analytical manner with the allocation of points. Following Nadeem’s interactive session, the head coach of the Pakistan men’s national cricket team Saqlain Mushtaq conducted an extensive evaluation and review session. Chief selector Muhammad Wasim then also addressed the audience about the goals and objectives of domestic cricket, as well as how selection and playing methods must align w...

LONDON: Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is representing Middlesex in the ongoing County Championship 2022, claimed that the representation of Pakistani players will also benefit the team. Shaheen, in an interview on the eve of Middlesex’s County Championship match against Leicestershire at Lord’s, commented about the participation of Pakistani players in the tournament and claimed it will benefit Pakistan cricket. “I think, this year, I saw like nine or 10 players here and that’s good for Pakistan cricket,” he said. The left-arm pacer also heaped praises on his fellow teammates, saying they are performing really well and that too is good for Pakistan cricket. “Actually, that’s a good sign for Pakistan cricket — the top cricketers are here. They are performing really well, Hasan and Shan, and everyone performed really well — Haris — so it’s good for Pakistan cricket as well,” he said. “I think playing anywhere in the world and playing in different conditions alwa...

SOUTHAMPTON: Pakistani right-arm pacer Hasan Ali, who is representing Lancashire in the ongoing County Championship 2022, took two wickets in an over against Hampshire in the third-round fixture. In a video shared by County Championship, the right-arm speedster can be seen taking two wickets in an over against Hampshire. In his side’s third fixture of the 2022 championship, Hasan dismissed English Test cricketer Liam Dawson on the second ball before removing Ben Brown on the fifth ball. in an over for @RealHa55an ! What a start by the lads in Southampton! #RedRoseTogether pic.twitter.com/fS12HvFv3H — Lancashire Cricket (@lancscricket) April 28, 2022 It is pertinent to mention here that Hampshire are in trouble on the first day of the ongoing match as the side has lost five wickets for a mere 74 in the first innings. READ: Trump blunts Bingham to reach World Snooker Championship semis The post WATCH: Hasan Ali takes two wickets in an over in County Championship appeared...

SHEFFIELD: The 2019 champion and the current second-ranked cueist Judd Trump outclassed his countryman Stuart Bingham 13-8 in the quarter-finals of the ongoing World Snooker Championship to make it to the last four of the championship. The exciting see-saw battle between the two countrymen started on a high as Bingham and Trump scored centuries in the first and the second frames of the match respectively. Trump, on the other hand, secured a close but an early advantage, as he led Bingham by 4-2 after the first six frames. Bingham then shone in the seventh frame with another century and cut the margin to 4-3 only for Trump to respond quickly to restore the lead with two frames advantage after eight frames 5-3. In the next session, Bingham levelled and then took the lead as he won five consecutive frames to go 8-5 over Trump. Bingham’s triumph in five consecutive frames did not halt Trump much as he turned the game on its head by winning eight back to back frames in response to clai...

LIVERPOOL: The home side Liverpool inched closer to the Champions League final following a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Villarreal in the first leg of the semi-final at the Anfield Stadium here on Thursday. Two goals in two minutes undid Villarreal boss Unai Emery’s defensive game plan as Pervis Estupinan deflected Jordan Henderson’s cross into his own net before Sadio Mane slotted in a second. The Reds remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple of Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup. And barring a huge upset when the sides meet again in southern Spain in six days’ time, Liverpool’s season will finish with a third Champions League final in five seasons in Paris on May 28. In stark contrast to the free-flowing thrills of Manchester City’s 4-3 win over Real Madrid in the other semi-final, on Tuesday, Emery’s men followed the same tactic that saw them past Juventus and Bayern Munich by retreating behind the ball. However, the Yellow Submarine could bare...

SHEFFIELD:  The Scottish Snooker player John Higgins secured a hard-fought victory as the fifth-ranked cueist edged past the 10th-ranked Jack Lisowski to book his semi-final clash with his English counterpart Ronnie O’Sullivan in the ongoing World Snooker Championship. The four-time world champion Higgins experienced another tough competition in the championship as he had to fight hard to claim the quarter-final victory by defeating Lisowski 13-12 in the Best of 25. With the scores levelled at 12-12, Higgins held his nerves calm and brought his experience into play as the veteran secured the deciding frame by the scores of 72-18. The two cueists remained involved in a see-saw battle with Lisowski pulling ahead and Higgins levels and vice-versa. In the last two frames, Lisowski was just one shy away from the victory but Higgins scored a brilliant century in the 24th frame before following up with an important 72 to book his spot in the semi-finals. Higgins scored three centurie...

AMSTERDAM: The head coach of the Netherlands men’s hockey team Jeroen Delmee has rubbished the reports of the Pakistan Hockey Team playing against the local clubs on the Europe Tour. After a voice statement circulated by a former Olympian, claiming that the Dutch and Belgian teams have refused to play against Pakistan and the green shirts are playing against the local club teams. The Dutch head coach came forward to rubbish the former’s accusations. In a video statement for the Pakistani fans, the head coach of the Dutch hockey team Delmee confirmed that the national team has so far played two matches against Pakistan and I can confirm that they played against the national team of Holland. https://a-sports.tv/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/DUTCH-Coach.mp4 “Last Tuesday and yesterday we played two games against Pakistan with the national team. On Tuesday, we lost 5-3 against a very young and energetic Pakistan side,” he said. “But fortunately, we were able to turn things around for the...

LONDON: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed the all-rounder Ben Stokes as the new Test captain, international media reported. Stokes, who was considered the strongest contender for the Test captaincy – after Joe Root resigned from his position – has been appointed as England’s new Test captain. On this occasion, the newly appointed managing director of ECB Rob Key talked to the media and said that time is right for Stokes. "The time is absolutely right for Ben Stokes" New managing director of men's cricket Rob Key speaks after appointing Ben Stokes as England's captain! pic.twitter.com/Xi1SMTiYJt — Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 28, 2022 “I think the time is right for Ben actually, Joe Root’s resignation from the position let the way for Ben to do it. He’s been a leader in that dressing room for a long long time and people turn to him and follow him along with Root when he was doing it,” Key said. “He’ll be a strong leader. I think...

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) unveiled the probable for the national women’s team’s training camp ahead of the forthcoming home series against Sri Lanka, here on Thursday. The national women’s selectors have named 26 players for the training camp for the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka, which will begin on May 24 in Karachi. The Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre, National Stadium Karachi, will host the 12-day programme from May 7 to 18. The women’s team’s captain Bismah Maroof, all-rounder Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, and Fatima Sana will not attend the camp and will join the squad for the series on May 17. The quartet will compete in a women’s T20 event in Dubai. Nashra Sandhu, a left-arm spinner, will also be unable to participate in the camp owing to a shoulder injury. It is pertinent to mention here that all the six matches (three ODIs and three T20Is) will be played at Southend Club here. CAMP PARTICIPANTS Aiman Anwar, Anam Amin, Anoosha Nasir, Ayesha Bilal, ...

WARSAW: The top-ranked Women’s tennis player Iga Swiatek has opted to withdraw from the upcoming Madrid Open, saying her body ‘needs rest’ after a frenetic schedule. The 20-years-old Polish Tennis player Swiatek, who became the top-ranked player following the retirement of Ashleigh Barty earlier this month, has decided to withdraw from Madrid Open. Swiatek was enjoying a delightful run as the top-ranked tennis star won the last four tournaments she played but her restless schedule forced her to withdraw. Taking to Twitter, Swiatek announced her withdrawal from her first WTA 1000 event of the clay season. “After intense last weeks and winning 4 titles in a row it’s time to take care of my arm that has been fatigued since the Miami Open and I haven’t had a chance to handle it properly,” she wrote. “I need a break from playing so intensively in order to treat my arm well and that’s why, unfortunately, I have to withdraw from the Madrid Open. My body needs rest.” Unfortunately my te...

MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola said he had to reiterate to his players they had beaten Real Madrid 4-3 in a Champions League classic on Tuesday despite the disappointment of not killing off their semi-final tie at the Etihad. Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva were on target for Guardiola’s men, who held a two-goal lead three times. But Karim Benzema’s double and a brilliant individual effort from Vinicius Junior gave Madrid hope of another famous Champions League fightback at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 4. Guardiola lamented letting Liverpool escape “alive” in the Premier League title race after a 2-2 draw at the Etihad nine days ago and will have similar regrets after a blistering opening that could have seen City go 4-0 up inside half an hour. Madrid, the record 13-time European champions, were playing in their 30th semi-final to City’s third, but the English champions lived up to their tag as pre-tie favourites early on. Only 92 seconds had...

AMSTERDAM: The home team the Netherlands secured a comprehensive victory over Pakistan by 4-1 in the second match of the Europe Tour, here on Wednesday. After suffering from a shock loss in the first match against Pakistan, the third-ranked Netherlands bounced back to claim a thumping 4-1 victory over the 17th-ranked green shirts. The green shirts were off to a flying start as the side dominated the first quarter with 1-0. The opposition was quick to respond as the dutch levelled the scores at 1-1 in the first half. The Netherlands fueled with momentum, scored one goal in each quarter of the second half and secured a convincing victory over Pakistan 4-1. The green shirts, on the other hand, despite starting brilliantly; scoring a goal in the first quarter, remained unable to net another goal and suffered a crushing defeat. With this victory, the Netherlands have managed to level the three-match series 1-1, with the third and final match scheduled tomorrow. For Pakistan, Abdul Man...

KARACHI: Pakistan has got the hosting rights of the inaugural Seniors Over 40 Cricket World Cup, scheduled to take place from 23rd September to 8th October next year, Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA) confirmed. In the inaugural world cup, scheduled to take place next year, a total of 12 teams out of the 14 registered nations will participate. The registered teams for the senior world cup include Pakistan, India, Australia, England, New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Canada, USA, Zimbabwe, Wales, Namibia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Chairman of PVCA Fawad Ijaz Khan claimed that veteran Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi can also be seen in action in the seniors’ world cup. “Test cricketers Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Muhammad Hafeez and others over 40 years of age will also be seen in action, Fawad Ijaz stated. The PVCA chairman further shared the details about the playing conditions and revealed an innings in the seniors’ world c...

LONDON: England’s world cup winning all-rounder Ben Stokes has agreed to captain the Test side after his meeting with the new director of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) – Rob Key, a local newspaper ‘The Telegraph’ reported. As per the English newspaper, The Telegraph, the all-rounder Stokes has agreed to captain England in Tests, following his face to face meeting with Key. The 30-years-old also wants the veteran pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad to make their comeback into the side. “Ben Stokes has agreed to be England’s next Test captain after meeting with new director of cricket Rob Key on Tuesday and wants to recall James Anderson and Stuart Broad,” The Telegraph wrote. “The returns for Anderson and Broad were part of their discussions with Stokes keen for them to play a full role again this summer after they were left out of the West Indies tour,” the report added. Ben Stokes agrees to be England Test captain and wants James Anderson and Stuart Broad to return | @...

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced to hold nationwide trials in collaboration with six Cricket Associations (CA) next month in an attempt to develop a strong talent pool of women cricketers and increase the participation of teenage girls. The trials will be conducted by highly trained coaches, including former Test and first-class cricketers, for three age groups: U19, which includes players born on or after September 1, 2003; emerging, which includes players aged 19 to 24; and seniors, which includes players aged 25 to 28. Players who are members of the PCB’s regional academy system are not eligible for these trials in order to ensure that as many girls and young women as possible participate. This comes after the PCB declared that approximately 100 women cricketers will compete in the domestic cricket season of 2022-23. With the ICC U19 T20 Women’s World Cup planned to be held in South Africa in February 2023 and a jam-packed national women’s side schedule, these t...

AMSTERDAM: Pakistan Men’s Hockey Team secured an astonishing 5-3 victory over the Netherlands in the first match of the Europe Tour, here on Tuesday. Pakistan started the Europe tour on a high as the side secured a comprehensive victory over the better-ranked Netherlands. The two teams remained involved in a hard-fought match with the Netherlands dominating the first half with 2-1. Despite trailing by one goal, the green shirts made an exceptional comeback in the second half; scoring three goals in response to the Netherlands’ one to claim the victory by 5-3. For Pakistan, Rizwan netted a goal thrice, while Mubashir and Aijaz scored one each. The green shirts will lock horns with the Netherlands in the second match tomorrow. Pakistan lead the three-match series 1-0. READ: Barcelona wobble continues as Rayo win puts Real Madrid on brink of title The post Pakistan thump Netherlands 5-3 in the first match appeared first on ASports.tv . from ASports.tv https://ift.tt/kZUle0d

BARCELONA: The home side Barcelona suffered a shock 1-0 defeat by Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, handing Real Madrid the chance to win La Liga if they draw at home to Espanyol next weekend. Barca’s place in the top four is still not secure either after a third consecutive defeat at Camp Nou continued their late-season wobble and saw them squander the chance to pull away in the race for Champions League qualification. Madrid remain 15 points clear with five games left to play and while Barcelona have a better head-to-head, Carlo Ancelotti’s side know they will be uncatchable if they take just a point from Espanyol on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu. Barcelona should still have enough for the top four given they sit six points clear of Real Betis in fifth, with five games left to play, but winning this game in hand against an out-of-form Rayo side would certainly have made the run-in more comfortable. Instead, their form, as much as their position, will be a real conc...

SHEFFIELD: The English cueist Jack Lisowski pulled off an exceptional comeback to stun the better-ranked and the tournament’s favourite Neil Robertson 13-12 to proceed into the quarter-finals of the ongoing World Snooker Championship, here on Tuesday. In the second-round fixture, Lisowski, ranked 10th blunted second-ranked Robertson by the scores of 13-12 as the former secured the final frame after Robertson’s maximum break in the Best of 25 and booked a quarter-final berth in the ongoing tournament. The two cueists remained involved in a see-saw battle, right from the start with Robertson pulling ahead and Lisowski levels and vice-versa. Both the players won four of the first eight frames. Lisowski then managed to pull ahead as he managed to win three out of the next four frames and earned a decent lead of 7-5. Robertson, however, responded quickly as he managed to clinch the next frame by scoring a century and cutting the margin to 7-6 only for Lisowski to repeat the same feat an...

KARACHI: The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has unveiled the schedule for the upcoming Men’s Hockey Asia Cup, the eight-team tournament will begin on May 23 in Indonesia. The Men’s Hockey Asia Cup will be played in Indonesia from April 26 to June 01. The eight-team tournament will comprise 24 matches. Pakistan will play their opening match against the arch-rivals India on May 23 as the two teams are placed in Group A alongside Japan and Indonesia. Whereas, Group B includes Malaysia, Korea, Oman, and Bangladesh. Taking to Twitter, AHF shared the fixtures for the upcoming Hockey Asia Cup. Click here to see the full match schedule of the Hero Asia Cup Jakarta 2022: https://t.co/4NcljcMucv pic.twitter.com/QkEN2VzPsD — Asian Hockey Federation (@asia_hockey) April 26, 2022   PAKISTAN’s SCHEDULE Pakistan vs India on May 23 Pakistan vs Indonesia on May 24 Pakistan vs Japan on May 26 READ: IPC Minister Ehsan visits Sports Board, reviews various projects The post Men’s Hockey...

ISLAMABAD: The Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Ehsan ur Rehman Mazari visited the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to review projects, here on Tuesday. On his first visit to the PSB, the newly-elected IPC Minister reviewed the development work going on various projects. The Minister also paid a visit to Roshan Khan Squash Complex, Player and Staff Cafeteria, while also monitoring the construction of Hamidi Hall. The Director-General of PSB Colonel Retired Asif Zaman accompanied IPC Minister Ehsan on his first visit to the sports board and briefed the latter about development schemes. “While speedy completion of work is a priority at the same time we must ensure all the work is up to the mark,” Minister remarked while engaging with the media in casual interaction. It is pertinent to mention here that it was the first visit of IPC Minister Ehsan after taking the oath, earlier this month. READ: Rashid Naseem sets two more world records in the martial arts category The post IPC Mi...

KARACHI: Pakistani martial artist Muhammad Rashid Naseem, who holds the record of registering most Guinness World Records for Pakistan, has added two more to his tally, here on Tuesday. Pakistani martial artist Rashid broke the record of the Chinese kung fu master in the Nunchaku category, while also breaking the record of opening a bottle with the head, previously set by an Indian martial arts master. Following this, the martial artist has extended his tally of individual records to 77, while his academy has so far set 96 records. Rashid holds the record for the most Guinness World Records in all categories of Nunchaku, with this being his ninth. The martial artist has dedicated his latest record in the Nunchaku category to the country’s famous mountaineer Ali Sadpara; breaking the Chinese Kung Fu Master’s record (19) of removing the playing cards between the two balanced bottles (22). In the other record, Rashid removed 71 bottle caps with his head in one minute. India’s Prabhak...

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has started exploring possible adjustments in the categories of central contracts as previous contracts of 20 players will expire on June 30, sources claimed. According to the details, for the new contracts – due to be issued on July 1 – the cricket board is considering reshuffling, promoting, and demoting players through different categories. Sources further claimed that the young players and the top performers of the recently concluded domestic season are more likely to get their names in the central contracts. Whereas, the left-handed all-rounder Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr., and Hari Rauf may be awarded the contracts. The right-arm pacer Hasan Ali is likely to be downgraded and Sarfraz Ahmed, the former captain and wicketkeeper-batter, will be challenged for the C category, as will the names of Shan Masood and Haider Ali. It is pertinent to mention here that the detailed meetings regarding the central contracts will start after Eid...

SHEFFIELD: The 15th-ranked cueist China’s Yan Bingtao knocked out the defending champion of the World Snooker Championship Mark Selby after a match featuring the longest frame in Crucible history. In the second-round fixture, Bingtao ranked 15th, blunted the top-ranked Selby by the scores of 13-10 in the Best of 25 to book a quarter-final berth in the ongoing tournament. The two cueists remained involved in a see-saw battle, right from the start with Selby pulling ahead and Bingtao levels and vice versa. Both the cueists won four of the first eight frames. Bingtao then took a decent lead 7-4 as he won the next three frames, including a century in the ninth. Selby, however, responded quickly as he managed to claim three out of the next four frames to cut the margin to 8-7 only for Bingtao to secure victories in the next three frames to extend his lead to 11-7. With his opponent just two shy away from the victory, Selby looked to retaliate as he copied Bingato; winning three consecu...

BARCELONA: The 18-years-old Tennis player Carlos Alcaraz has defeated his mentor Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 in the final to win the Barcelona Open. The teenage Spaniard, who enjoyed a delightful season, has now won three titles during the period. Although the scorecard of the final between the two Spaniards looks straightforward, the youngster had to go display a lot of endurance as he first competed in the semi-final for three hours and 40 minutes to defeat Alex de Minaur in the longest best-of-three match of the season. In the final, Carreno Busta found it hard to get the rhythm against the passionate Alcaraz, who was striking heavily. It is pertinent to mention here that Alcaraz is projected to climb to No. 9 in the ATP Rankings on Monday, making him the youngest player to crack the Top 10 since Rafael Nadal did it exactly 17 years ago after lifting his first Barcelona trophy. READ: Irfan Mehsood completes half-century of Guinness World Records The post Al...

LADHA: Pakistan’s martial artist, Irfan Mehsood, who holds the record of making most world records in the shortest duration, has now completed the half-century of Guinness World Records. Irfan broke his personal record of 53 push-ups by accomplishing 59 push-ups with a weight of 100 pounds in his most recent effort. Following this record, Irfan marked himself 50th time in the Guinness Book of World Records. Irfan has also become the only athlete in the world to hold the most records (27) in Guinness World Records’ push-ups category. Whereas, he also holds the record of most records in the jumping jack category. ٖFurthermore, Irfan also made most records by lifting a weight of 100 pounds, while the most fitness records in Guinness also belong to the Martial Artist. He has so far trumped the records of athletes from nine countries including India, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and others. READ: PCB unveils summary of club cricket in 2021-22 season  The post ...

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled the summary of a busy club cricket season of 2021-22, here on Monday. According to the PCB, there were 3,822 club sides across the country that played 7,009 matches, giving club cricketers ample opportunities to play competitive cricket. During the 2021-22 season, the PCB gave direction and assistance to six Cricket Associations for the growth and promotion of cricket as part of the PCB’s attempts to democratise the sport. Between October 2021 and February 2022, the six CAs held cricket leagues in their different jurisdictions, offering a pathway for aspiring cricketers to ascend to the top domestic level and assisting in the discovery of cricket talent in both urban and rural areas. 3,822 clubs featured in 7,009 matches in the 2021-22 season Details here https://t.co/wg7pRKkAfH — PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) April 25, 2022   As per the details, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which dominated the major domestic events, saw 44 c...

LAHORE: The interviews of the candidates for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Coach Evaluation Program will begin today. As per the initial plan, a three-member committee will conduct coaches’ interviews at the National High-Performance Center (NHPC). The interview duration of each committee’s first and second eleven coaches will be of 30 minutes during which the committee will ask the coaches about the performance of the players, team performance in different conditions and players’ development. Cricket Association coaches assessment and season review begins Monday More details https://t.co/URxyT007r1 — PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) April 24, 2022   The candidates will be interviewed for a total of two days. On the third day, a coaches seminar will be held, during which the coaches will be given the strategy for the upcoming cricket season. The three-member committee will then decide on the promotion and demotion of coaches after the completion of the interview and eval...

IMOLA: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won a wet-dry Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to resurrect his title aspirations, as challenger Charles Leclerc squandered third place with a costly error. Ferrari’s Leclerc, who was thrusting to move past Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez after a late pit stop, lost control at the Variante Alta chicane here, which eventually denied him the podium at Emilia Romagna. Leclerc then had to pit for a new front wing and tyres which resulted in him falling to the ninth place, from which he could only recover to sixth at the end. After turning his pole position from Saturday’s race into a lead at the first bend, Verstappen was in complete command. Despite the tough conditions, the late drama enlivened what had been the most uneventful race of the season thus far, as Verstappen stayed unchallenged throughout the race. His teammate Sergio Perez, on the other hand, also carried on his exceptional stint as he finished second to get his second podium of the season....

BARCELONA: The Argentine Diego Schwartzman pulled off an astonishing 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime after being one set down to reach the semi-final of the ongoing Barcelona Open. Alcaraz, who beat Auger-Aliassime to book a semi-final berth in the ongoing tournament, has now won 15 clay wins of the season and has managed to make it to the final four for the fifth time this year. In an exciting match, Schwartzman pulled off an exceptional comeback to seal a stunning victory 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Schwartzman, after running to the final in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, is seeking his first title in 2022. The Argentine, who spent more than four hours on the court, started his day with a comprehensive third-round victory over Lorenzo Musetti by 6-4, 7-5. Following this victory, Schwartzman will now compete against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the first semi-final. READ: Maguire stuns Xintong, reaches World Snooker Championship QFs  The post Schwartzman rallies pas...

SHEFFIELD: The Scottish cueist Stephen Maguire pulled off an exceptional victory as he stunned better-ranked Chinese snooker player Zhao Xintong 13-9 to proceed into the last eight of the ongoing World Snooker Championship, here on Saturday. In the second-round fixture, Maguire, ranked 31st blunted sixth-ranked Xintong by the scores of 13-9 in the Best of 25 to become the second player to book a quarter-final berth in the ongoing tournament. The two cueists remained involved in a see-saw battle, right from the start with Maguire pulling ahead and Xintong levels. Both the players won three of the first six frames. Maguire then took a decent lead 6-3 as he won the next three frames, including a century in the seventh. Xintong then won a hard-fought 10th frame by the scores of 63-61 and reduced the margin to 6-4 only for Maguire to restore and then enhance his lead to a four-frame advantage of 8-4 after sealing the next two frames. The next four frames again followed the same pattern...

SAN SEBASTIAN: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s early goal proved enough as Barcelona sealed a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on Thursday to tighten their grip on a top-four finish in La Liga. But Barca’s run-in could be hampered after their defence was almost completely wiped out by injuries at Anoeta, with Dani Alves, Ronald Araujo and Gerard Pique all going off with problems while Jordi Alba appeared to play on in discomfort. Barcelona relied on a combination of poor finishing from Real Sociedad and excellent saves from Marc-Andre ter Stegen to secure a big win in the chase for Champions League qualification. Barcelona go back to second, six points clear of Real Betis in fifth, with a game in hand, and two ahead of Atletico Madrid in fourth. Atletico were held to a goalless draw by Granada on Wednesday. Sevilla sit third after they held on for a 3-2 win away at Levante, Tecatito scoring twice in Valencia. Real Sociedad might have had an outside cha...

BARCELONA: The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz continued his exceptional run in the quarter-final of the ongoing Barcelona Open as the young Tennis star outshined top-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the final four of the tournament. Alcaraz, who reached his fourth semi-final of the season after an exceptional victory over Tsistipas, will now storm into the top 10 of the ATP Tour Rankings on Monday. His surge into the top 10 will make him the youngest player to book a position after his country’s great Rafael Nadal did it in 2005. In an exciting match, Alcaraz neutralized an exceptional comeback from Tsitsipas to seal a stunning victory 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. Alcaraz seemed to get a bit more relaxed after his first set success, but Tsipsipas’s exceptional comeback in the second set forced the youngster to regroup and he managed to do that as he clinched the last set of the match to seal his ‘biggest victory on clay court’. “Probably my biggest win on clay court. It was an unbelievable game that I...

AMSTERDAM: The 20-members squad of the Pakistan Hockey Team has landed here for their upcoming Europe tour, rolling into action from April 26. Following their arrival here, the team will practice for three days before their first fixture of the tour against the home side Netherlands on April 26. The head coach of the Pakistan hockey team, Siegfried Aikman, expressed his excitement on reaching with the team here for an important tour, saying it is an opportunity for us to compete with the best teams and analyse how the team grows. “It is exciting for us to be here in Europe and to compete against the best and it will show how we grow and we can show what we want to achieve,” he said. “So this is an amazing start for our campaign to do well at the Asia Cup and we also aim for the World Cup participation,” he added. Aikman further revealed his plans to assess the players’ weaknesses and the urge to rectify them. “I need to see how they develop, want to assess their weaknesses and wh...

BARCELONA: Second seed Norweigian Tennis player Casper Ruud outclassed Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2, 6-2 in the third round of the ongoing Barcelona Open, here on Friday. The Norwegian has displayed some of his best tennis on clay and has reached his third ATP Tour quarter-final of the season with a resounding victory over Ruusuvuori. The 23-years-old stole the show and dominated Ruusuvuori throughout the game with his consistent and heavy groundstrokes to advance after 76 minutes. Ruud, who made it to the second round in his only prior outing in Barcelona last year, is now three wins away from winning his eighth tour-level title and seventh on clay. The World No. 7 will return to the court later on Friday to face Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain or Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in the quarterfinals. READ: Trump crushes Vaffaei, books second-round spot in World Snooker Championship The post Ruud scrapes past Ruusuvuori, advances to Barcelona Open quarter-finals appeared first on ASports....

SHEFFIELD: Former World Champion and the world number three Judd Trump has outclassed his Iranian counterpart Hossein Vafaei 10-4 to move into the last 16 of the ongoing World Snooker Championship, here on Thursday. The world number three Trump, who faced Iran’s Vaffaei in his first match of the campaign, defeated the latter by 10-4 in the Best of 19. Trump dominated Vaffaei right from the start as he secured three opening frames including a century in the third frame. Vaffaei, on the other hand, was quick to respond as he levelled the scores at 3-3 by winning the next three frames. His the then best break came in the sixth frame as he missed on his century by a mere one; scoring 99. Trump then again showed his class and pulled ahead by a massive margin as the English cueist claimed five consecutive frames to extend the lead to 8-3. Vaffaei then looked to bounce back as he cut the margin to 8-4 by winning the 12th frame following a sensational century. But only for Trump to win th...

LONDON: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) hosted their first-ever Iftar event, here on Thursday. The Home of Cricket, Lord’s Cricket Ground was echoed by the Azan. Following the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal at Yorkshire Cricket Club, the ECB has been working hard to develop a healthy culture that is tolerant of all cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Rafiq was also in attendance at the gathering. Aatif Nawaz and Tameena Hussain, two well-known commentators, hosted the event, which was attended by a number of high-profile guests. England’s white-ball captain Eoin Morgan was also seen attending the event. On the other hand, Nakul Pande, Sky Sports Associate Producer, shared a stunning video of the Maghrib Azaan being recited in the Lord’s Long Room. “You need not be a person of faith, only a person in possession of a soul, to find the adhan call to prayer reverberating around the [Home of Cricket] Long Room spine-tingling. A beautiful moment,” he wrote on his Twitter handle. You ne...

EMILIA ROMAGNA: The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is poised to host its first-ever Sprint weekend in 2022, now in its third year since returning to the calendar in 2020. Before the race rolls into action, here are the schedule, as well as the favourites for pole, and points. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will embark with the first practice, which is scheduled to trigger at 13:30 Local and 16:30 PST. The first round of the practice will be an hour-long, which will then be followed by the Qualifying race – starting at 17:00 Local and 20:00 PST. Italy Grand Prix 2022 – 22nd of April Practice1 at 4:30 pm and Qualifying at 9 pm Watch LIVE and exclusive only on #ASports #F1 #Formula1 #Imolagp #Italygp pic.twitter.com/vKhbDigYsy — ASports (@asportstvpk) April 20, 2022 The second day at the Imola will commence with the second round of the practice, followed by the Sprint, scheduled to be held from 16:30 – 17:30 Local (19:30 – 20:30 PST). Italy Grand Prix 2022, This Saturday 23rd ...

MANCHESTER: Pakistan’s right-arm speedster Hasan Ali, who is representing Lancashire in the ongoing County Championship 2022, took six wickets in his side’s fixture against Gloucestershire, here on Thursday. After bagging five wickets in his debut county cricket match, Hasan regained his rhythm and form and claimed a six-wicket haul in the first innings against Gloucestershire. The right-handed pacer bowled 17 overs, took six wickets, bowled as many maidens, and conceded only 47 runs. 1⃣7⃣ overs 4⃣7⃣ runs 6⃣ wickets 6⃣ maidens What a day for @RealHa55an #LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/JBzpfa7MiG — LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) April 21, 2022   Following his brilliant performance, Lancashire managed to fight back against Gloucestershire; managing to restrict the latter to 252 after the openers Marcus Harris and Chris Dent provided a solid start. He has now taken 11 wickets in three innings so far in the ongoing County Championship 2022. READ: Amir...

KARACHI: Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir has replaced his countryman Naseem Shah in the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the ongoing County Championship 2022. Naseem, who was ruled out of the championship for a month after sustaining a shoulder injury, has been replaced by left-arm pacer Amir. The Gloucestershire signed the experienced left-arm speedster Amir for a three-match stint. The 30-years-old will play his first match for Gloucestershire on April 28. Taking to Twitter, the Gloucestershire CCC announced the signing of Amir as their overseas pick. “We are delighted to announce the signing of Pakistan pace bowler Mohammad Amir. The experienced international will be available to play in three County Championship matches for Glos in April & May,” the club wrote. Welcome to Gloucestershire, @iamamirofficial We are delighted to announce the signing of Pakistan pace bowler Mohammad Amir The experienced international will be available to play in three County C...