LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Central Punjab General Secretary and Parliamentary Leader in the Punjab Assembly Syed Hassan Murtaza on Tuesday said that the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan has won ‘the world cup of corruption’. In a statement, Murtaza referred to the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2021 in which Pakistan has … Read more
Bismah Maroof will lead the Pakistan women’s team in the ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. She was confirmed as the skipper after the national women’s selection committee announced the squad for the World Cup. The tournament is scheduled from March 4 to April 3. This tournament will be Bismah’s first after she took … Read more
India cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid said that the ODI series against South Africa was an “eye-opener.” However, he expects that the team would improve ahead of the next year’s World Cup. “We’ve not played a lot of one-day cricket since the last World Cup,” said Dravid after South Africa completed a 3-0 series win in … Read more
KINGSTON: West Indies and Ireland have announced new dates for the rest of their one-day international series after Tuesday’s second match was postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak in the tourists’ camp. The second ODI will now be played on Thursday, with the third and final ODI taking place three days later. Both matches will … Read more
MANCHESTER: Even after a weekend in which Manchester City produced the worst performance of the Premier League’s top four, the champions streaked further clear towards a fourth title in five years. City manager Pep Guardiola admitted his side were second best despite coming from behind to beat 10-man Arsenal 2-1 with a 93rd minute winner … Read more
JOHANNESBURG: Morocco head to Cameroon without out-of-favour Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech and hoping to end a 46-year wait for a second Africa Cup of Nations title. The North Africa kingdom boasts one of the strongest leagues in the continent and its stars are dotted across Europe, but the national team consistently underachieves in the flagship tournament. … Read more
BEIJING: Footballers playing in China’s national team should remove any existing tattoos and are “strictly prohibited” from getting any new ones, the country’s sports administration body has said. The sport has found itself in the crosshairs of the Communist Party’s purity drive in recent years, and players on the national football team routinely cover their … Read more
Saqlain Mushtaq, former Pakistani leg-spinner and the founder of ‘Doosra’ bowling style, turns 45 today. Mushtaq was also among the coaching staff of the Pakistan national team during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Bangladesh and West Indies series where he served as the interim coach. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on their official Twitter … Read more
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja on Wednesday praised the national team but stressed that ‘more needed to be done’. Flanked by newly appointed CEO Faisal Hasnain in a news conference in Karachi, Ramiz acknowledged that Pakistan was not ranked well in Test cricket. The PCB chairman underscored the need to improve cricket standards … Read more
LONDON: Already sidelined England fast bowler Jofra Archer is set to miss the tour of the West Indies after undergoing a second elbow operation, it was announced Tuesday. The Barbados-born quick has been out of international action since March and his absence from England duty will now extend to over a year after it was … Read more
LAHORE: Qasim Akram will lead the 15-player Pakistan U19 squad in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup which will be played in January-February 2022 in the West Indies. The Lahore-born Qasim will also captain the team in the U19 Asia Cup that will be played in the UAE later this month. The junior selection … Read more
BRISBANE: Spinner Nathan Lyon believes his team can sweep the Ashes series, saying England will have doubts about their own chances given their poor record in Australia. The tourists have lost nine of their last 10 Tests in Australia going back more than a decade and haven’t won in Brisbane — where the opening Test … Read more
MUMBAI: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and three key Indian players were ruled out of the second Test on Friday by injuries, as the match was delayed by rain. Tom Latham was to lead the tourists following Williamson’s elbow injury, according to New Zealand cricket, whose side earned a hard-fought draw in the first of the … Read more
Ellen White broke England Women’s all-time scoring record as the Lionesses recorded their biggest ever victory by crushing Latvia 20-0 in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday. White scored twice early on to take her level with and then past Kelly Smith’s mark of 46 goals, before completing her hat-trick shortly after the break. The Manchester … Read more
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates has awarded Prime Minister Imran Khan the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award for winning the 1992 World Cup, reported Gulf News on Tuesday. “Premier Imran Khan has been given the award for his contribution to sports, including leading his country’s cricket team to win the 1992 Cricket … Read more
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s launch of its first women’s football league on Monday will clear the way for girls who dream of turning professional — and maybe even playing in a World Cup. Long condemned for harsh restrictions on women, Saudi Arabia lifted a decades-old ban on female footballers only a few years ago, and it is now aiming … Read more
PARIS: With Argentina’s place at the 2022 World Cup secure, Lionel Messi can shift his focus exclusively to ending the year “in the best way possible” with Paris Saint-Germain after an injury-hit start to life in France. Messi missed PSG’s last two games before the international break with a combination of knee and thigh issues … Read more
PARIS: Holders France hope to retain their title but the 2022 World Cup in Qatar could be missing the two most recent European champions as Portugal and Italy must both battle through play-offs to qualify. That left fans with the prospect of no Cristiano Ronaldo in Qatar next winter and the Azzurri, who thrilled during … Read more
COPENHAGEN: Vehemently opposed to Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup, football federations in the Nordic countries are putting pressure on Doha and FIFA to improve conditions for migrant workers in the emirate. Together with rights organisation Amnesty International, the federations of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland have ratcheted up the pressure in recent … Read more
DOHA: With many millions of dollars invested and thousands of hours spent on the training pitch, Qatar’s great football experiment will face the ultimate test when its start-from-scratch team makes its World Cup debut next year. Honed at Doha’s renowned Aspire Academy by coaches imported from Spanish giants Barcelona, no expense has been spared by tiny, … Read more
DOHA: After upending the football establishment by winning the right to host the World Cup, Qatar’s preparations are heading into overdrive with a year to go as they rush to welcome more than a million fans and prove their critics wrong. The tiny Gulf state has a reputation for punching above its weight but challenges do … Read more
LOS ANGELES: Canada took a giant stride towards their first World Cup finals appearance in 36 years on Tuesday after beating Mexico 2-1 to vault to the top of the CONCACAF qualifying standings. Two goals on either side of half-time from Turkey-based forward Cyle Larin fired the Canadians to a victory, which leaves them one point … Read more
MONTEVIDEO: Argentina qualified for next year’s World Cup in Qatar as a point in their 0-0 draw with Brazil on Tuesday proved enough after defeats for Chile and Uruguay. The reigning Copa America champions came into the match against their arch-rivals knowing that a win might not be enough to secure their ticket, but a draw … Read more
PARIS: European champions Italy missed out on automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup after being held to a goalless draw by Northern Ireland in Belfast on Monday, ceding the top spot in Group C to Switzerland who beat Bulgaria 4-0. The Italians needed to match Switzerland’s result to qualify directly but while Roberto Mancini’s … Read more
LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes of playing in a record-equalling fifth World Cup hang in the balance after Serbia stunned Portugal 2-1 in Lisbon to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Framing this. pic.twitter.com/bG1oLoQRqB — Serbian Football (@SerbianFooty) November 14, 2021 Spain and Croatia did secure their places in Qatar on Sunday thanks to 1-0 wins … Read more
PARIS: World champions France booked their place at next year’s World Cup in Qatar in style as Kylian Mbappe fired in four goals in an 8-0 thrashing of Kazakhstan at the Parc des Princes on Saturday. Karim Benzema scored twice and there were further goals for Adrien Rabiot and Antoine Griezmann whose penalty marked his 42nd goal … Read more
SAO PAULO: Lucas Paqueta’s instinctive strike gave Brazil a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Colombia on Thursday to book their place at Qatar 2022. The five-time world champions join the hosts and Europeans Germany and Denmark as early qualifiers for next year’s finals. They have produced a near-perfect qualifying campaign, winning 11 of 12 matches — … Read more
SHARJAH: South Africa bowed out of the Twenty20 World up on Saturday but coach Mark Boucher said the young team is headed in the “right direction” and will soon be rewarded with a trophy. The Proteas won their final Super 12 league match in Sharjah to hand England their first loss in the tournament but … Read more
