Pak News.COM

CENTURION: Kyle Verreynne’s fighting century went in vain as MI Cape Town humbled Pretoria Capitals by 34 runs in the high-scoring SA20 fixture on Thursday. MI Cape Town captain Kieron Pollard’s decision to bat first, paid dividends for his side as they ran riot to post a mammoth total of 248/4 on the board. The bottom-ranked side got off to a flying start to their innings, courtesy of a brilliant 64-run partnership between Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton. But Wayne Parnell dismissed van der Dussen in the fifth over to provide a much-needed breakthrough to the Capitals. MI Cape Town then lost another wicket when Liam Livingstone fell in the 10th over after a cautious 12 off 19. With the scoreboard reading 87/2 in 9.3 overs Dewald Brevis joined Rickelton in the middle and turned the game on its head. Watch SA20 Live on  ARY ZAP The pair baton charged on the Capitals bowlers and put together a 64-run partnership off just 27 deliveries. Both Rickelton and Brevis were ...

DUBAI: Ben Dunk’s brisk half-century, followed by Rovman Powell’s unbeaten 40 led Dubai Capitals to an enthralling four-wicket victory over Desert Vipers in the 17th match of the ILT20 here on Thursday. Put into bat first, the Vipers registered a decent total of 169/6 in the allotted overs, courtesy of their openers Rohan Mustafa and Alex Hales. The duo gave the Vipers a flourishing start with an 81-run opening partnership. Mustafa led the stand with clean hitting and notched up his half-century in the process but failed to stretch his sensational knock. He perished in the ninth over after scoring 50 off 33 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and three sixes. Watch ILT20  Live on  ARY ZAP Meanwhile, Hales stood his ground firm and put together a cautious 35-run partnership with skipper Colin Munro but fell agonizingly short of his well-deserved fifty. He fell victim to Jason Holder in the 14th over, scoring a 32-ball 49 which featured two boundaries and four six...

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is about to make a surprise switch to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula One season, according to reports on Thursday. The Italian team want the 39-year-old Briton to partner their current driver Charles Leclerc, according to a number of reports in Britain and Italy. The BBC reported that Mercedes team staff were called to a meeting with boss Toto Wolff at their UK headquarters on Thursday to be told Hamilton will leave at the end of the 2024 season and head to one of Formula One’s most storied names. Reports in Italy say the move could be announced officially as early as Thursday evening. A move to Ferrari would raise eyebrows because Hamilton has signed a two-year contract with his current team Mercedes for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, but that deal reportedly contains a clause allowing him to leave after one season. Several reports say Lewis Hamilton’s agreement with Ferrari was put together hastily as the team was in talks with Spanish driv...

JOHANNESBURG: Sunrisers Eastern Cape bowlers decimated Joburg Super Kings and powered them to a crushing nine-wicket victory, which sealed their spot in the SA20 knockouts. The defending champions after booking the hosts on a measly total, chased down the target in just 11 overs to earn a bonus point which propelled them to book their place in the knockout stage of SA20. Eastern Cape captain Aiden Markram’s decision to bowl first paid dividends for his side as his bowlers wreaked havoc to bundle the Super Kings on a mere 78. The home side had a disastrous start to their innings as they lost skipper Faf du Plessis and Reeza Hendricks – both duck – in the second over with just 10 runs on the board. Wayne Madsen then joined Leus du Plooy in the middle and attempted to settle things down with a cautious stand. Watch SA20 Live on  ARY ZAP The duo could put together 22 runs for the third wicket before Beyers Swanepoel removed du Plooy on the first delivery of the fifth over. He sco...

KARACHI: Pakistan all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed apologized over his heated verbal exchange with senior batter Asad Shafique in the Sindh Premier League (SPL). Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Iftikhar issued an apologetic statement and admitted that he should not have behaved in such a way. “I am extremely apologetic for my behaviour in the field today. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did in the heat of the moment,” wrote Iftikhar. Iftikhar Ahmed further shared that he has apologized to Asad Shafique in person and have always held great regard for him. “I’ve apologised to [Asad Shafique] Bhai in person after the match & have always held great regards for him. We have played a lot of cricket together,” he concluded. The incident occurred when Karachi Ghazi’s Iftikhar dismissed Larkana Challengers’ Asad in the eighth over of the 161-run pursuit. In a video, making rounds on social media, Iftikhar was seen doing an animated celebration directed towards Asad which irked the batter,...

Former Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim finally broke the silence on the possibility of taking back his retirement from international cricket. In an interview with a local news outlet, Imad backed his decision to retire from international cricket but hinted at the possibility of coming back if Pakistan need him. “The decision I took, I was 100 % in it. But you never know when Pakistan needs you; you have to do something about it,” said Imad. Imad Wasim further insisted that he needs clarity from the team management about his role and the brand of cricket they want to go forward with. “What I want to know is about clarity — it’s about giving me responsibility, not as a captain but as a senior player, to take the team where I want to or where a group of senior players wants to take it. “I want Pakistan to play the right cricket, the right style, and the right combination. There is nothing wrong with taking retirement. I’m really happy; I’m still playing cricket all over the world,” h...

DUBAI: Shaheen Shah Afridi’s unbeaten 17-run cameo in the tense run chase propelled Desert Vipers to an enthralling two-wicket victory over MI Emirates in the 15th match of the ILT20 here on Tuesday. Put into bat first, MI Emirates could register 149/9 in the allotted 20 overs. The table-toppers had a dismal start to their innings as Mohammad Amir got Kusal Mendis (0) caught behind on the second delivery of the first over. Opening batter Muhammad Waseem (19) and Andre Fletcher (18) had brief stints as they both fell victim to Luke Wood inside the batting powerplay. Ambati Rayadu and Akeal Hosein played cautious knocks in the middle as the Vipers’ bowlers kept things tight. Tim David then bolstered MI Emirates’ total with a brisk cameo, which lasted in an eventful last over bowled by Mohammad Amir. Watch ILT20  Live on  ARY ZAP David top-scored for MI Emirates with a 14-ball 28, which featured two boundaries and two sixes. Amir led the bowling attack for the Vipers with...

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has called for calm surrounding speculation over a number of the club’s star players following the news he will leave Anfield at the end of the season. Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold have 18 months left to run on their contracts and captain Van Dijk raised alarm bells when the Dutchman said he was “curious which direction the club will go” once Klopp leaves. “It’s completely normal,” said Klopp at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea. “A week ago no one knew about my situation. There was still 18 months on their contracts and no one asked, so give us a break. No one has to worry. “Write what you want, the club is stable. Everything will be fine, I’m 100 percent sure. I would recommend to stay calm. Very often the fans’ concerns are not as big as you might think. You underestimate the intelligence of our supporters.” Follow us on our Official  WhatsApp channel Jurgen K...

COX’s BAZAR: Sri Lanka thumped Pakistan by 31 runs in the fifth match of the U19 Women’s T20 Tri-series at the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first. Zaib-un-Nisa Niaz provided an early breakthrough, as she removed Dewmi Wijerathne for a second-ball duck. Nethmi Senarathna and Vishmi Gunarathna built a 66-run second-wicket stand to bring momentum to the innings. Maham Anees dismissed Senarathna (35, 45b, 3x4s) to break the partnership. Gunarathna remained unbeaten at 71 from 55, including 11 boundaries. Captain Manudi Dulansa Nanayakkara also chipped in with an unbeaten 17 off 18, with one boundary. Sri Lanka Women U19 finished at 134-2 in 20 overs. Maham and Zaib-un-Nisa were the only two wicket-takers for Pakistan Women U19. Follow us on our Official  WhatsApp channel Eyman Fatima and Samiya Afsar provided Pakistan Women U19 a solid start to the chase, courtesy of a 42-run opening stand. Rashmika Sewwandi brought an en...

YAMOUSSOUKRO: Hosts Ivory Coast put a disastrous group campaign behind them on Monday to beat holders Senegal 5-4 on penalties at Charles Konan Banny Stadium and book an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final against Mali or Burkina Faso.  A last-16 thriller ended 1-1 after extra time with Habib Diallo scoring after four minutes for Senegal and Franck Kessie equalising off a penalty four minutes from the end of regular time in Yamoussoukro. Kessie was the shootout hero, converting the decisive kick after Moussa Niakhate had struck the post with the third Senegalese penalty. Senegal became the seventh consecutive holders to fall victim to a Cup of Nations curse — no team since Egypt in 2008 have been able to take a title defence beyond the round of 16. A humiliating 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea last Monday did not dampen support for the host nation with supporters queueing from the middle of the night to buy tickets in the central city. French coach Jean-Louis Gasset was ...

CAPE TOWN: Openers Leus du Plooy and Faf du Plessis came out all guns blazing and powered Joburg Super Kings to a sensational victory over MI Cape Town in the rain-affected clash of the SA20. Put into bat first, MI Cape Town registered a decent total of 80/3 in the reduced eight overs, courtesy of Kieron Pollard’s cameo after the rain delay. The all-rounder smashed 33 off 10 deliveries with the help of one boundary and four sixes and top-scored for his side. Earlier, MI Cape Town had a cautious start as they were 43/1 in six overs. Watch SA20 Live on  ARY ZAP Opening batters Rassie van der Dussen (16) and Ryan Rickelton (23) were the other significant contributors for the visitors. Imran Tahir led the bowling attack for the Super Kings with two wickets, followed by Lizaad Williams, who picked one. Set to chase a revised target of 98, the Super Kings’ openers straightaway went after MI Cape Town’s bowlers and comfortably chased down the total without losing a wicket and 14 ba...

SHARJAH: Maheesh Theekshana returned splendid figures of 4/20 and powered home side Sharjah Warriors to a thumping nine-wicket victory over Dubai Capitals in the 14th match of the ongoing ILT20 here on Monday. Dubai Capitals’ captain David Warner’s decision to bat first backfired as his side unfolded on a measly 104 in 18.2 overs. The visitors had an unwanted start to their innings as they lost their top-order – Rahmanullah Gurbaz (9), David Warner (16) and Ben Dunk (8) – inside the powerplay with just 39 runs on the board. Coming out to bat at number 4, all-rounder Sikandar Raza offered some retaliation but kept losing partners at the other end. He waged a lone battle with a gutsy 22 before falling victim to Daniel Sams in the 18th over. Watch ILT20  Live on  ARY ZAP Besides Raza, Roelof van der Merwe (21) was the other notable contributor to the Capitals’ total. Maheesh Theekshana led the bowling charge of the Warriors with a four-wicket haul, followed by Daniel Sams,...

England’s attacking “Bazball” style of play trumped India at home in the first Test but pundits and cricketers on Monday said the hosts remain favourites in the five-match series. Rohit Sharma’s India lost the nail-biting opener by 28 runs in Hyderabad on Sunday on day four of the Test, after being ahead in the match for most of the opening three days. England’s fearless “Bazball” brand of play devised by coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes has brought the team 14 victories in 19 Tests. It was India’s fourth loss in their last 47 Tests at home since 2013 — and their first-ever after leading by 190 runs in the first innings of a home game. “It’s just a wake-up call for India,” former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports. “England have shown that they’re not a side to be messed with,” he added. “This is a confident side; they have great self-belief in the way they are playing the game. They are fully behind their captain. They are fully behind their coach.” ...

BARCELONA: Atletico Madrid replaced holders Barcelona at the third position in La Liga standings after registering a 2-0 victory over Valencia at Civitas Metropolitan Stadium on Sunday. Barcelona succumbed to a 5-3 loss at the hands of Villarreal on Saturday at home after having a 3-2 lead in the 80 minutes, leaving them at same number of wins with Atletico Madrid. Atletico entered their home ground on Sunday with three points shy of Barcelona, however, the victory over Valencia placed them in the third position with more wins. Watch La Liga 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP The home team spent the first half looking for the first goal, which they earned at the stroke of half-time as Samuel Lino hit from the centre of the box to the centre after an assist by Antoine Griezmann with a through ball. Memphis Depay doubled their advantage 10 minutes into the second half with a header from very close range to the centre of the goal after finding a cross by Nahuel Molina. Valencia made desperate...

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Sunday that it had lifted its ban on Sri Lanka Cricket after Colombo promised to end political interference in the board’s administration. The controversy related to alleged corruption in Sri Lanka’s cricket board, the richest sporting body in a country still reeling from a crippling economic crisis. The ICC ban had prevented Sri Lanka from taking part in international events and it lost an opportunity to host the Under-19 World Cup. “The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board has today lifted the suspension of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) with immediate effect,” the sport’s world governing body said in a statement. The SLC was suspended in early November after the ICC accused it of failing to autonomously manage its affairs without political interference. The ICC said it was now “satisfied that SLC are no longer in breach of membership obligations”. Follow us on our Official...

SHARJAH: Captain Tom Kohler-Cadmore played a blistering knock in the first innings, which was followed by a combined bowling effort by Sharjah Warriors’ bowlers to sink Desert Viper s in the 13th ILT20 match here on Sunday. Desert Vipers opted to bowl first and Luke Wood proved the decision right as he removed opening batters Niroshan Dickwella (5) and Johnson Charles (6) in the second over. Martin Guptill and Tom Kohler-Cadmore joined hands to construct a blistering 101-run stand from 53 balls to push the team’s total to 120 in 10.3 overs. Wood came back to attack and dismissed Kohler-Cadmore, who was the chief contributor to the partnership, scoring 68 off 34. His innings was laced with two fours and eight sixes. Watch ILT20  Live on  ARY ZAP Guptill scored 39 off 32 before Shaheen Afridi ended his anchoring innings. Wanindu Hasaranga picked three wickets in the next over to reduce the Warriors to 147-7, however, Joe Denly and Chris Woakes’s 27-run stand helped them po...

BRISBANE: West Indies pulled off a historic eight-run win over Australia in the second Test at the Gabba, prompting an emotional reaction by legendary Brian Lara. Young West Indies pace bowler Shamar Joseph was adjudged man-of-match for his tremendous bowling as he helped the West Indies register their first win in Australia since 1997. Joseph went through scans after retiring hurt on Saturday night when he was hit on the toe by a Mitchell Starc yorker, however, he came back to the field on Sunday and took 7-68 as the West Indies bowled Australia out for 207. Brian Lara was sitting in the commentary box during the final moments of the historic victory and he failed to control his emotions as Joseph claimed the last wicket of Mitchell Starc to seal the victory. Inside the commentary box as Ian Smith and Brian Lara call one of West Indies' greatest Test victories (via @MarkHoward03 ) #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/SgTXmyXSSf — ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 28, 2024 For th...

BARCELONA: Villarreal made a stunning comeback late in the game to register a thumping 5-3 victory over Barcelona in the La Liga 2023-24 fixture at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Saturday. Both teams made efforts early on to gain the advantage but to no avail, before Gerard Moreno opened the scoring for the visitors. Barcelona made two back-to-back attempts at the stroke of the first half, however, Villarreal’s goalkeeper did well to deny them, ending the first half at 1-0 for the visitors. Ilias Akhomach extended Villarreal’s lead ten minutes in the second half however, Ilkay Gündogan reduced the deficit for the hosts six minutes later. Watch La Liga 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP Barcelona’s Pedri, who came off the bench after the first half, then squeezed a low effort into the bottom corner to level things up at 2-2 before Eric Bailly’s own goal handed the home side an unlikely 3-2 lead. Villarreal made a comeback with Gonçalo Guedes scoring in the 84th minute after a quick cou...

BRISBANE: Injured pace bowler Shamar Joseph produced a stunning spell to help West Indies pull off a remarkable eight-run win over Australia in the second Test at the Gabba on Sunday. Joseph, who needed scans after retiring hurt on Saturday night when he was hit on the toe by a Mitchell Starc yorker, took 7-68 on Sunday as the West Indies bowled Australia out for 207, giving the West Indies their first win in Australia since 1997. Australia began the fourth day’s play at 60-2, chasing 216 for victory and with Steve Smith and Cameron Green at the crease, they were overwhelming favourites. Opening bowlers Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph were not particularly threatening, so 45 minutes in captain Kraigg Brathwaite threw the ball to Joseph, with almost immediate results. Although proving expensive, Joseph’s extra pace caused trouble for all the batters and the more wickets he took, the more confident the West Indies became. Follow us on our Official  WhatsApp channel He bowle...

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday, announced the composition of the Board of Governors (BoG) in accordance with Paragraph 10 of the PCB Constitution 2014. The Board of Governors now stands as follows: 1. Mr Mustafa Ramday (PCB Patron’s nominee) 2. Mr Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi (PCB Patron’s nominee) 3. Mr Sajjad Ali Khokhar, President Regional Cricket Association AJK 4. Mr Zafarullah Jadgal, President Regional Cricket Association Dera Murad Jamali 5. Mr Tanveer Ahmed, President Regional Cricket Association Larkana 6. Mr Tariq Sarwar, President Regional Cricket Association Bahawalpur 7. Representative of Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) 8. Representative of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) 9. Representative of Ghani Glass Limited 10. Representative of Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) 11. Secretary to the Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, or any other officer nominated by him as an ex-officio member (Non-voting member) Earlie...