Southern Punjab’s left-arm orthodox spinner Ali Usman is eager to get a call from the national team after producing the goods in the recently concluded Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 campaign. The 28-year-old finished the competition as the leading wicket-taker after taking 43 wickets in nine matches at an average of 27.93. He was the only bowler … Read more
MELBOURNE: Australian Open chief Craig Tiley said Wednesday he was confident that Rafael Nadal will play in Melbourne despite testing positive for Covid-19, as fresh doubts emerged over Novak Djokovic. Spanish star Nadal said on Monday that he tested positive after returning home from an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi and was experiencing “some unpleasant moments”. … Read more
Jiu-Jitsu is one sport where Pakistani athletes are consistently shining, according to Isra Waseem, who has won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for the country at the international stage. This statement is true as a daylight as Pakistani athletes won eight Bronze medals in the fifth Asian Championship that took place in Abu Dhabi in … Read more
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes that stopping the Premier League will make no difference as the situation will be the same after the tournament resumes. “Stopping the league is probably not the right thing, but with the schedule, we have to be more flexible,” said Klopp, according to Sky Sports. “I don’t see the massive … Read more
PRAGUE: Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova will miss the Australian Open in January after breaking her forearm in training, her husband and manager Michal Hrdlicka said on Thursday. “Karolina broke her radius… in a fitness room at a training camp in Spain,” Hrdlicka said in a statement, adding that treatment would take about four weeks. “Unfortunately … Read more
LAHORE: The 4th PGF Jinnah Development Tour Golf Tournament 2021 will be contested here at the spick and span par 72,18 holes Royal Palm Golf and Country Club Golf Course from 17th December. The fervent second tier golf professionals of the country have converged to Royal Palm for much needed practice rounds. These golf professionals … Read more
Pakistan veteran all-rounder Shah Afridi will be playing career’s his last Pakistan Super League (PSL) for Quetta Gladiators. He represented Multan Sultans in the previous edition. “I am excited to join Quetta Gladiators, a side that has had a roller-coaster ride in the past few events despite winning the title in 2019. In my final … Read more
SYDNEY: After months of speculation that Novak Djokovic may miss the Australian Open over tough Covid vaccination requirements, the world number one was on Tuesday named to play in a Sydney tournament weeks before. The 20-time Grand Slam champion had cast doubt on whether he would defend his title at Melbourne Park next month, refusing … Read more
MADRID: Russia claimed a third Davis Cup title on Sunday after Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev both won their singles matches to defeat Croatia. Medvedev’s 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 victory over Marin Cilic came after Rublev had earlier prevailed 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) over Borna Gojo, giving Russia an unassailable 2-0 lead in Madrid. Croatia’s greatest chance … Read more
JAKARTA: Olympic badminton gold medallists Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu secured a spot in the Indonesia Open finals after defeating Thailand’s Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai in two straight sets on Saturday. The Indonesian women’s double beat the Thai pair 21-18, 21-14 in 58 minutes in the tournament held in the resort island Bali. They will … Read more
BEIJING: China on Tuesday said the controversy surrounding Peng Shuai was being “maliciously” hyped up after the Chinese tennis star made sexual assault claims against one of the nation’s most powerful politicians. Read more: Zhang Gaoli: Former China vice premier accused by Peng Peng, a Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion, was not seen for … Read more
LOS ANGELES: The PGA Tour said Monday it plans to increase prize money at its most lucrative events in 2022, pumping millions of more dollars into limited-field tournaments in a move that comes amid reports of a new Saudi Arabia-backed golf series. In a memo sent to players on Monday, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan … Read more
TURIN: Novak Djokovic refused to reveal whether he would defend his Australian Open title after the tournament’s chief confirmed on Saturday that only vaccinated players would be able to take part in the first Grand Slam of the season. The decision, revealed by Craig Tiley, piled more pressure on world number one Djokovic who has … 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
GUADALAJARA: Anett Kontaveit will face Garbine Muguruza in the final of the season-ending WTA Finals in Guadalajara after both women battled through the semi-finals in contrasting fashion Tuesday. Sixth seed Muguruza overpowered Spanish compatriot Paula Badosa 6-3, 6-3 to reach the final before the eighth-seeded Estonian Kontaveit needed three sets to down Greek fourth seed … Read more
SYDNEY: Next year’s Twenty20 World Cup will be held across seven venues in Australia, officials confirmed Tuesday, with Sri Lanka and the West Indies forced to play for a place in the Super 12. The tournament, which was supposed to be held Down Under in 2020 but was pushed back two years due to coronavirus, … Read more
SYDNEY: Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday called for the Australian Open to be cancelled, while unexpectedly showing sympathy to tennis world number one Novak Djokovic, who has refused to reveal his vaccination status. The mercurial Australian said he believed January’s opening Grand Slam of the year should not go ahead out of respect for the struggles Melbourne, which … Read more
Pakistan former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who was in the audience during the ICC T20 World Cup final on Sunday between New Zealand and Australia, believed that it was an unfair decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to name Aussie’s David Warner as the Man of the Tournament. Warner scored 289 runs in seven … Read more
DUBAI: Known as a connoisseur of whisky and a vegan devotee, Adam Zampa would rather people focus on his leg-spin box of tricks when Australia tackle New Zealand in Sunday’s T20 World Cup final. Australia, who have won the 50-over World Cup on a record five occasions, have never triumphed in the final of the … Read more
DUBAI: Australia skipper Aaron Finch on Saturday said his team came with a “clear plan” to win the Twenty20 World Cup and reaching the final against New Zealand came as no surprise to them. The tournament showcasing cricket’s shortest format will witness a new winner in Dubai on Sunday after a clash between two teams that … Read more
ABU DHABI: Trent Boult and Tim Southee are New Zealand’s kings of swing, unstarry but deadly with the new ball and looking to inspire the Black Caps to the T20 World Cup title. They face England in Wednesday’s first semi-final in Abu Dhabi where the two veteran seamers will be key to slamming the brakes … Read more
SHARJAH: Veteran Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik on Sunday admitted a Twenty20 World Cup semi-final against a formidable Australia will give him “butterflies”. Pakistan completed the Super 12 stage with five wins in as many games with a clinical 72-run win over qualifiers Scotland in Sharjah. Shoaib smashed a quickfire 18-ball 54 not out — the fastest half century … Read more
DUBAI: Fans of India and Pakistan called for “peace” and more cricket between the two Asian giants ahead of the blockbuster clash at the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday. The arch rivals will lock horns in Dubai in one of the biggest games of the tournament with an expected television audience of up to one billion people. … Read more
DUBAI: India and Pakistan renew their high-profile but one-sided cricket rivalry on Sunday in a T20 World Cup blockbuster watched by hundreds of millions of fans across the globe. Virat Kohli’s India has beaten Pakistan in all of their 12 matches at the T20 and 50-over World Cups. Pakistan, however, go into the contest with … Read more
As Babar Azam and his men get ready to take on arch-rivals India, in a rare sight politicians from across the spectrum wished the Pakistan team good luck against Virat Kohli and co. Pakistan and India will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign tonight at the Dubai International Stadium. Since 2013 both teams have … Read more
DUBAI: Rashid Khan insists his mind is occupied by the World Cup and not wedding bells as the leg-spin wizard looks to inspire Afghanistan at the Twenty20 global showpiece. Still only 23, Rashid is key to his nation’s hopes of a first world title and a potential triumph which would deliver a rare bout of … Read more
DUBAI: Former Pakistan all-rounder Mudassar Nazar insists his country will once again be the kings of Asian cricket despite India’s rise as world-beaters on the back of the riches of the IPL. Pakistan were kings of the sub-continent from the mid-1980s to the 1990s with their on-field brilliance under Imran Khan, who led them to … Read more
SYDNEY: Australia are banking on Glenn Maxwell being at his destructive best at the Twenty20 World Cup to carry a team beset by injuries, poor form, minimal game time and dressing-room discontent. Rarely, if ever, have Australia had such a disjointed build-up to a major tournament. But Maxwell’s blistering exploits in the Indian Premier League … Read more
