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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee on Saturday decided to discontinue the Pakistan Junior League (PJL) after their second meeting at the National High Performance Centre here.  According to the PCB, the management committee reached a conclusion of discontinuing the PJL, while in a bid to ensure there is a pathway for the high-performing teenagers, agreed to revive junior series on a home and away basis. “The PCB Management Committee agreed to discontinue the Pakistan Junior League,” PCB said in a statement. “However, to ensure there is a pathway for the high-performing teenagers and the country continues to produce talented cricketers across all age gaps, it was agreed to revive junior series on a home and away basis. “It was also agreed to hold discussions with the HBL Pakistan Super League franchises to include an Under-19 player under their Emerging Categories in the playing line-ups.” Besides the discontinuation of the PJL, the PCB management com...

KARACHI: Two of the biggest football superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are likely to come face to face in a friendly match in January 2023, reports suggested. According to the details, the two football greats Messi and Ronaldo could meet mid-season after a long delay, subjected to Messi’s club Paris Saint Germain’s (PSG) possible tour to Saudi Arabia to play a friendly match on January 19. The reports further suggested that the Saudi team will field players combined from clubs Al Nassr and Al Hilal. The possibility of the two former La Liga rivals coming face to face once again when Ronaldo joined Arab club Al Nassr after month-long speculation following the termination of his contract with English Premier League club Manchester United. “History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome Cristia...

KARACHI: The chief of the Men’s Interim National Selection Committee Shahid Afridi on Saturday, inspected the pitch being prepared for the upcoming second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand at National Bank Cricket Arena. According to the details, Afridi, who was busy with his eldest daughter’s wedding ceremony, got back to work soon after as he visited the National Bank Cricket Arena in the morning and inspected the pitch. In this regard, the former Pakistan captain also interacted with the groundsmen and instructed them to prepare a more lively and bouncy pitch for the second Test. چیف سلیکٹر شاہد آفریدی کیجانب سے کیوریٹرز کو اچھی و معیاری پچز بنانے کی ہدایت… #ShahidAfridi #PakvsNz #Karachi @SAfridiOfficial pic.twitter.com/J1LPcfEwhU — Ali Hasan (@AaliHasan10) December 31, 2022   Following the inspection, Afridi also had a brief interaction with the media here and emphasized the importance of lively pitches to make sure the safeguarding of the bowlers and also ter...

MADRID: Karim Benzema shrugged off his World Cup misery with two late goals that powered Real Madrid to thump Valladolid 2-0 on Friday to take over the top spot in LaLiga standings. Ballon d’Or winner Benzema was initially named in the French squad for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar but an untimely thigh injury amid training forced the striker to withdraw hours before the commencement of the opening game. Benzema then decided to hang his boots from international football, following the conclusion of the mega event in which France endured a frustrating defeat in the final against Lionel Messi’s Argentina. In his first La Liga fixture after the World Cup however, the French striker scored his first goal in the competition since October 19 when Real Madrid defeated Elche. However, it took him 83 minutes to score his first goal of the game, which came from a penalty that was granted after Javi Sanchez was fouled for handball. Benzema then soon made it double when he scored from a pa...

LONDON: World’s top-ranked ODI batters Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq have been named in Wisden’s men’s ODI team of the year 2022. Wisden – a renowned cricket publication – picked a combined world team in the men’s ODIs featuring players who enjoyed a scintillating year in the 50-over format. Consequently, Pakistan’s opening batter Imam, alongside his captain and top-ranked batter Babar was featured in the team of the year as they both had a remarkable year in the ODIs. Apart from the duo of Babar and Imam, the combined XI features Travis Head (Australia), Shreyas Iyer (India), Tom Latham (New Zealand), Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh), Alzarri Joseph (West Indies), Mohammed Siraj (India), Adam Zampa (Australia) and Trent Boult (New Zealand). The second-ranked T20I batter Imam had another remarkable year with the bat in ODIs as he 505 runs at 72.14 in eight ODIs with the help of two centuries that came in the home series against Australia. “In eac...

RIYADH: Star footballer and Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on a two-year contract. “History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome Cristiano to your new home” Al Nassr said in a statement. The terms on offer to Ronaldo are understood to be worth $75 million a year, according to CBS Sports. Ronaldo, 37, left Premier League giants Manchester United last month following an explosive television interview in which the forward said he felt betrayed by the club and did not respect their Dutch manager Erik ten Hag. He represented Portugal in Qatar, where he became the first player to score in five World Cups after netting a penalty in his side’s opening Group H game against Ghana. Portugal were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Morocco. Ronaldo said Qatar would pro...

MADRID: Alvaro Morata and Jao Felix struck in Atletico Madrid’s dominant 2-0 victory over Elche in their side’s first LaLiga fixture after the World Cup. With a dominant victory in their first match on return, Atletico moved up to the third spot behind leader Barcelona and second-placed Real Madrid. The home side started the match with an aggressive approach as it looked to push the ball up the pitch quickly and into wide areas. Despite pushing the rock-bottom Elche desperately in the first half, Diego Simeone’s side remained unable to fire the opener. Elche endured a major setback on the stroke of half-time when Gonzalo Verdu received a red card for pulling Morata down just outside the box. Madrid’s domination in terms of men, however, did not last for long as in the 50th minute Mario Hermoso was given a second yellow card in the space of two minutes. Simeone’s side, however, did not bother being a man down as just six minutes later they had their breakthrough when Antoine Griez...

DUBAI: Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam has been nominated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Player of the Year 2022. Babar, who won the ODI cricketer of the year award in 2021, has now been nominated for the most prestigious award in cricket alongside England’s Ben Stokes, New Zealand’s Tim Southee and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza. The right-handed batter who is in the top five rankings across each format, collected 2598 runs in 44 matches, he played in 2022. Babar was the only player to breach the 2000-run mark in the calendar year 2022 with his 2598 runs coming at an average of 54.12, which included eight hundreds and 17 fifties. “The 2021 ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year continued to rule in the 50-over format, scoring 679 runs in nine matches. It is a testament to his consistency that he registered scores of 50 or more in eight of those innings,” wrote ICC in a press release. “He continues to hold on to his top spot in...

DUBAI: The highest run-scorer in Tests this year Babar Azam was not shortlisted among the nominees by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the Test Cricketer of the Year 2022 award. Babar, who had a dream year with the bat; scoring 1184 runs in nine matches including four hundreds, was absent from the list of nominees for the prestigious award. The ICC, however, nominated England’s Ben Stokes and Jonathan Bairstow, Australia’s Usman Khawaja and South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada for the highest annual award of the longest format. England’s Test captain, who injected new energy into Test cricket with his attacking mode, claimed nine wins as captain during his brief tenure and scored 870 runs in 15 matches. The right-arm pacer also claimed 26 wickets. Another Englishman Bairstow was nominated by the ICC and was equally important in implementing England’s aggressive approach towards Test cricket. The right-handed batter scored 1061 runs in 10 matches at an astounding average of 66.3...

LAHORE: Left-handed batters Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail have been added to the list of probables for the home ODI series against New Zealand, the chairman of the Men’s Interim National Selection Committee Shahid Afridi announced on Friday. Taking to Twitter, Afridi shared the announcement of the two experienced batters’ inclusion in the list of probables for the ODI series against New Zealand. “We have added Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail to the NZ probables list after they passed their fitness tests today,” stated Afridi. “The two are also playing in Pak Cup and doing well,” he added. We have added Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail to the NZ probables list after they passed their fitness tests today. The two are also playing in Pak Cup and doing well. pic.twitter.com/niK52G2XfH — Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) December 30, 2022   Earlier, on Wednesday, the interim selection committee for the national men’s team under the leadership of former captain Afridi named 21 proba...

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday, announced the nominees for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2022. In a press release, ICC nominated India’s Smriti Mandhana, New Zealand’s all-rounder Amelia Kerr, her English counterpart Nat Sciver and Australian wicketkeeper batter Beth Mooney for the prestigious award for their brilliant performances across formats over the year. The winner of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2021 Mandhana has been nominated for the successive year to bag the coveted price in 2022. The left-handed batter enjoyed a remarkable year with the bat as she scored 1290 runs in 38 matches across formats. She was equally good in each white-ball format as she finished the year with the highest run-scorer in T20Is (594 runs) and the second-highest in ODIs (696 runs) for India. Two brilliant all-rounders Two sensational batters Unveiling the nominees for the Rachael Heyhoe ...

DELHI: Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been hospitalised after being involved in a serious car accident near his hometown of Roorkee in Uttarakhand. The Hindustan Times reported that Pant’s car collided with a divider on the road and caught fire. He suffered injuries to his head, back and leg, multiple reports in Indian media said. “Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant’s car met with an accident at around 5:30 am,” Director General of Uttarakhand Police, Ashok Kumar, was quoted as saying by NDTV. “Praying for Pant. Thankfully he is out of danger,” former national team batsman VVS Laxman said on Twitter. Pant was part of the test squad that sealed a 2-0 series victory over Bangladesh this month. However, Pant, 25, was not part of the India squads for the T20I and ODI home series against Sri Lanka beginning on January 3. He most recently played a match-winning innings of 93 in the second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur. READ:  Brazilian football legend Pele has died: fami...

PERTH: Stefanos Tsitsipas fired his 12th ace on match point to give Greece a 2-0 lead over Bulgaria with a comeback win against Grigor Dimitrov on Thursday at the inaugural United Cup. The world number four recovered smoothly after losing the opening set to emerge with a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) victory in his season-opening match at Perth ahead of the Australian Open. Greek teammate Despina Papamichail, ranked 158th, gave her country the opening point as she defeated a cramping Isabella Shinikova, also finishing with a fightback to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. The mixed teams tournament features 18 countries playing in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, with each tie consisting of two men’s and two women’s singles rubbers along with a mixed doubles. Tsitsipas lifted in the final-set tiebreaker against an opponent he has now defeated in six of their seven matches. “It was extremely close, but I’ll take it,” he said. “It was a good effort from my side. “It was tough playing in the heat — ...

MELBOURNE: The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) on Thursday expressed interest in the possibility of hosting a much-anticipated Test between arch-rivals Pakistan and India. Two Asian giants and bitter rivals, who did not face each other in the longest format since 2007 due to the seizure of the bilateral series between them, have once again caught the attention of other cricketing nations after MCC Chief Executive Stuart Fox expressed his interest in hosting a Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Notably, the two sides come face to face in the ODIs and T20Is in multi-national events like Asia Cup and ICC World Cups. They last met in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at MCG, which witnessed a mammoth audience of more than 90,000 piling in the stands while some stood to witness India seal a final-ball thriller over Pakistan after Virat Kohli’s heroics. The electric atmosphere of the T20 World Cup fixture seemed to have inspired the MCC Chief Fox, who asserted that there would be ...

DUBAI: Pakistani skipper Babar Azam has been nominated for the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI Player of the Year award for the second successive year.  Babar, who won the prestigious award in 2021, has been nominated this year too following his sublime record in ODIs with Australia’s Adam Zampa, Zimbabwe’s Sikander Raza and West Indies’s Shai Hope as the other three nominees. The top-ranked ODI batter, who has been ruling the rankings chart since April 2021, accumulated 679 runs in nine matches. Babar carried on his astounding form in the 50-over format and crossed the fifty-plus score eight times and converted three of those into centuries. Babar finished the year with a stunning average of 84.87. “The ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2021 is in the running to do a repeat in 2022. Pakistan captain Babar Azam once again showed his prowess in the 50-over format,” said ICC in a press release. “It was a memorable year for Babar as captain of the Pakistan ODI team, win...

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe said he will never get over the disappointment of losing the World Cup final after the France star scored the winner on his return to action for Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. “I think I’m never going to get over it,” Mbappe said, speaking 10 days after he scored a hat-trick in the final against Argentina which the South Americans won in a penalty shootout. Mbappe said he had been through some “difficult times” since the defeat but he showed few signs of the setback in Qatar as he won and converted a 96th minute penalty to give PSG a last-gasp 2-1 win against Strasbourg on Ligue 1’s resumption following the World Cup break. “As I said to my teammates, there is no reason why the club should pay the price for the failure of the national team, they are two very different situations,” 24-year-old Mbappe said. “It does me good to come back with a win and to have a link with the club, the supporters and my teammates.” Neymar, who was left in tears after Brazil we...

LAHORE: Pakistan’s young right-arm pacer Mohammad Hasnain has been added to the list of probables for the home ODI series against New Zealand, scheduled in January 2023. Briefly, after announcing the 21 probables for the ODI series against New Zealand , the Men’s Interim National Selection Committee has added young pacer Hasnain among the shortlisted players. Earlier, Sindh’s explosive batter Sharjeel Khan, who last played an ODI back in 2017 was named among the probables, while Shan Masood has also been added to the set of players; having played his last ODI in 2019. Former captain and wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed, who marked his return to Test cricket after a gap of more than three years, has not been named among the set of players. The interim selection committee for men’s also named six uncapped players Abrar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Aamer Jamal, Kamran Ghulam, Qasim Akram and Tayyab Tahir in the list of shortlisted players. The final squad for the historic home ODI series wil...

LAHORE: The Men’s Interim National Selection Committee on Wednesday announced 21 probables for the home ODI series against New Zealand, left-handed batter Sharjeel Khan included. The interim selection committee for the national men’s team under the leadership of former captain Shahid Afridi named 21 probables for the home ODI series against New Zealand, scheduled to take place from January 9 to 13 in Karachi. Former captain and wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed, who marked his return to Test cricket after a gap of more than three years, has not been named among the set of players, while his Sindh teammate Sharjeel, who last donned the national jersey in the fifty-over format in 2017 was named among the 21 probables. Besides Sharjeel, Shan Masood who last played an ODI in 2019 has also been named among the 21 announced players that also feature six uncapped players Abrar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Aamer Jamal, Kamran Ghulam, Qasim Akram and Tayyab Tahir. The final squad for the historic ho...

From nearly missing the cricket world cup title to creating history in other sports. An eventful year for Pakistani athletes is coming to an end with 2022. Near misses and a disappointing year for Men’s Cricket Babar Azam-led Pakistan experienced a see-saw year from headlining the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 and Asia Cup Finals to sustaining major setbacks in the form of home series defeat against Australia and England. Rookie Sri Lanka snatch Asia Cup title from favourites Pakistan Despite being considered the powerhouse of Asian Cricket, the men in green had only won the title twice with the last of them coming nearly a decade ago. Meanwhile, Babar’s men had the perfect opportunity to end the title drought by beating the inexperienced Sri Lankan side in the final but they let the opportunity slip away out of their grasp. The Men in Green had an overall decent campaign in the continental tournament, having avenged their bitter rival India in the Super 4s and a nail-biting vic...

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has expressed its disappointment over the comments made and language used by former Chairman Mr Ramiz Raja against Chairman of the PCB Management Committee Mr Najam Sethi on a social media platform and in a TV interview. PCB on Tuesday issued a detailed rebuttal to the allegations raised by its former head  against his successor, saying the board believes the former Chairman’s comments are aimed at tarnishing and damaging the impeccable reputation of present Chairman Mr Sethi, “It (PCB) reserves its rights to pursue legal proceedings to protect and defend the image and credibility of its Chairman and the institution” added the statement released by the cricket board. To put the record straight, the board reported the following facts; – The PCB Patron, on the popular demand of cricket fans, administrators as well as former and current cricketers, exercised his constitutional right by restoring the PCB Constitution 2014 to safeguard the liveliho...

MELBOURNE: Australia closed in on winning the second Test and the series against South Africa on Wednesday after Alex Carey struck a maiden century to leave them in a commanding position. The hosts declared at tea on 575-8 on day three with an ominous lead of 386 after South Africa were bowled out in their first innings for 189. In reply, the Proteas were 15-1 when play was abandoned early at the Melbourne Cricket Ground due to persistent drizzle. Their bid to save the Test, and the three-match series after losing the opener in Brisbane, got off to a horror start with under-pressure skipper Dean Elgar caught by Carey off Pat Cummins without scoring in the second over. Theunis de Bruyn, who was dropped by David Warner on three, was not out six alongside Sarel Erwee on seven. Wicketkeeper Carey, playing in his 14th Test, was superb in reaching three figures for the first time before he was caught and bowled by Marco Jansen for 111. At the declaration, a battling Cameron Green was n...

MUMBAI: With mounting pressure to bring radical changes in the team after a failed T20 World Cup campaign, Indian selectors dropped Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul from the T20I squad for the home series against Sri Lanka. All-rounder Hardik Pandya will lead the new-look Indian side in the three-match T20 series, however, Rohit’s captaincy rein has been limited to the ODIs only for Sri Lanka’s white-ball tour of India, commencing next month. While batting maestro Kohli and opener Rahul were named in the 50-overs squad only, out-of-form wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant did not find a place in either of the squads. Veteran ODI opener Shikhar Dhawan, who led the team in three-game series against hosts New Zealand in December, was also excluded from the squad, with the likes of Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill expected to be given more chances at the top of India’s batting order. Sri Lanka’s tour commences on January 3 with the first of the three T20I games in Mumbai before a three...

KARACHI: Pakistan earned vital breakthroughs in the opening session as they dislodged the opening pair of Tom Latham and Devon Conway with New Zealand still looking composed on 245/2 before Lunch on the third day of the opening Test, here at National Bank Cricket Arena on Wednesday. Latham completed his test 13th Test ton and added 35 runs to his overnight score of 78 to keep New Zealand in control, however, his opening partner Conway missed his hundred by eight runs. Pakistan found early success on the day when spinner Nouman Ali hit the front pad of Conway and on-field umpires were forced to change their original decision following a DRS review taken by Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was leading the side as stand-in captain in the absence of Babar Azam. Following the first scarce, Latham, however, kept the momentum going for the touring side and gathered 47 runs for the second wicket along with Kane Williamson, who played a cautious knock of unbeaten 19 off 60. The left-handed opener made 1...

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has not taken the field after suffering from flu on day Third of the opening Test against New Zealand, here at National Bank Cricket Arena on Wednesday. Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is leading the side in place of Babar while wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan took the field as a substitute fielder. Besides skipper, Salman Ali Agha and Shan Masood are also absent from the field. Meanwhile, Pakistan earned their first breakthrough on Day 3 when spinner Nauman Ali removed opener, Devon Conway, on 92. Rewarded for the tight lines maintained this morning Excellent review #PAKvNZ | #TayyariKiwiHai pic.twitter.com/jejexv1v7n — Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 28, 2022 New Zealand are currently batting at 197/1 with Tom Latham and Kane Williamson on the crease. The home side scored a respectable total of 438 in the first innings but an even from the Kiwi side hangs the competition in balance. READ: Dutch World Cup star Daley Blind t...

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday, confirmed their tour to Bangladesh for their first-ever T20I and a three-match ODI series in March 2023 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed the tour dates. According to the details, the white-ball champions will return to Bangladesh after a six-year hiatus when they last played three-match ODI series with England triumphing 2-1. England’s historic tour to Bangladesh will embark with a three-match ODI series with Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) hosting the first two matches while Chittagong to host the final ODI of the series. The touring side will then play their first-ever bilateral T20I series against Bangladesh from March 9 to 14 across the two venues in Dhaka and Chittagong. The English side are expected to play two warm-up fixtures ahead of the ODIs. The warm-up schedule will be announced in due course. England Men’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh Schedule: Three-Match ODI Series: 1st ...

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Interim Selection Committee has added three top performers of the Pakistan Junior League to the national Test squad. Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday announced that all-rounder Arafat Minhas, top-order batter Basit Ali and right-arm fast bowler Mohammad Zeeshan have been added to the squad as part of its strategy and vision to develop, grow and incentivise high-performing talented youngsters. “We are not only looking at present but also have an eye on the future. In this relation, we have added three top-performers from our age-group cricket so that they can spend time with their stars in the national side and learn how to plan and prepare for high pressure matches.” said the Chairman of Men’s Interim Selection Committee, Shahid Afridi. PCB Interim Selection Committee has added Arafat Minhas (Multan), Basit Ali (Dera Murad Jamali) and M.Zeeshan (Faisalabad) to the Pakistan Test squad with the objective of providing them international exposure...

SYDNEY: Former world number one Novak Djokovic arrived in Australia on Tuesday almost one year after he was deported for refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19, tennis officials said. The nine-time Australian Open champion was initially banned from the country for three years after losing a high-stakes legal battle in January over his vaccine status. Australia has since lifted its requirement for visitors to show proof of vaccination against Covid. The government confirmed in November that the unvaccinated Serb was no longer barred and had been granted a visa allowing him to play in the opening Grand Slam of the year, which starts next month. Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said he hoped local fans would embrace Djokovic’s return. “We welcome him back to Australia,” he told reporters. “I think as we speak he’s landing in Adelaide and I think that he is going to be again the player to beat. “I have a great deal of confidence in the Australian public. I have a lot...

KARACHI: Sarfaraz Ahmed added another feather to his cap following his sensational comeback in the first Test against New Zealand as he became Pakistan’s leading run-scorer among wicketkeeper-batters in Tests.  Sarfaraz accumulated 2743 runs after his phenomenal 86-run knock in the 50th Test match of his career and surpassed Kamran Akmal on the list who scored 2643 runs. . @SarfarazA_54 – Pakistan's leading run-getter in Tests among wicketkeeper-batters #PAKvNZ | #TayyariKiwiHai pic.twitter.com/U2QgB5U8FI — Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 27, 2022 The 35-year-old made his return to the national Test side after four years. He played his last Test against South Africa in 2019. The wicket-keeper batter stood for a solid 194-run partnership along with batting maestro and team’s captain Babar Azam as the two dominated the Kiwi bowlers on the opening day of the first Test. Babar top-scored for the side with a sensational knock of 161 runs while Salman Ali Agha shone ...