KARACHI: Pakistan’s top squash players Asim Khan and Ashab Irfan progressed to the quarterfinals of the Johns Creek Open 2025, a $12,000 PSA Challenger event, after recording victories in the second round on Thursday. Top seed Asim overcame Egypt’s Kareem Badawi 11-3, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8 in 45 minutes. Asim dominated the opening two games with precise length and controlled rallies …

LAHORE: The Maarka-e-Haq National Junior Squash Championship, organized by the Punjab Squash Association (PSA), will commence on August 17 with a total prize fund of PKR 2 million. A PSA spokesperson said that the event will take place from August 17 to 20 at the Punjab Squash Complex and Lahore Garrison Green. The inaugural ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 pm on August 17 at Lahore Garrison Green. Matches up to the quarter-finals will be held at the Punjab Squash Complex while the semi-finals and final will take place at the Lahore Garrison …

Pakistan’s top-order batter Babar Azam has dropped to third place in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings, following a below-par performance in the recent series against the West Indies. Babar managed just 56 runs across three matches, averaging 18.66, which led to a dip in his overall rating points to 751. As a result, he has been overtaken by …

TAROUBA: Roston Chase lit up the third ODI with an unbeaten century before Jayden Seales ripped through Pakistan’s lineup with a maiden six-for, sealing a commanding 202-run triumph for the West Indies at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Tuesday. Seales blew away the Pakistan top order en route to figures of 6-18 as the tourists were bundled out for …

Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis broke his own pole vault world record with a clearance of 6.29 metres at the Hungarian Grand Prix meeting in Budapest on Tuesday, the 13th time he has set a new world mark as he continues to defy gravity. The double-Olympic champion maintained his tradition of improving on his previous record by one centimeter, with his second attempt …

CHENGDU: Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif booked his place in the World Games snooker semi-finals with a commanding 2–0 victory over Britain’s Zac Cosker in Tuesday’s quarter-final in China. He opened with a 79–15 win in the first frame, highlighted by a break of 51, before wrapping up the match with an 89–31 triumph. The win leaves Asif just one victory away …

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has got engaged to his long-term partner Georgina Rodríguez. She announced the news on social media alongside a picture of a large ring, writing “Yes I do. In this and in all my lives” in her native Spanish. No further details have been shared. Ronaldo, who is the most followed person on Instagram, has not yet made …

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Yash Dayal has had his personal life making news for a few weeks. Though court proceedings in the alleged sexual exploitation case are going on at present, his personal life has now started to affect his professional career too, with the pacer being reportedly barred from competing in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League. Dayal is a part …

West Indies secured a five-wicket win over Pakistan, with Roston Chase and Justin Greaves guiding the run chase to tie the one-day series. Roston Chase sparked West Indies over Pakistan to level their One Day International (ODI) cricket series at one victory each. Chase had 49 runs and Greaves was not out for 26 with a thrilling selection of fours …

CINCINNATI: Venus Williams rallied from 4-1 down in the first set but could not maintain momentum, the seven-time Grand Slam champion falling 6-4, 6-4 to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Thursday. Williams, 45, was competing for the second time in three weeks after returning to the WTA tour in Washington in her …

Aug 9 – Elena Rybakina’s former coach, Stefano Vukov, is eligible to receive credentials at WTA tournaments again, following the lifting of his provisional suspension by the women’s tennis governing body. Rybakina ended her five-year partnership with Vukov last August, a few days before the U.S. Open, before she appointed Novak Djokovic’s former mentor Goran Ivanisevic for the 2025 season …

LAHORE: With the Pakistan national team due to tour England in the near future, it was essential for us to identify players who could adapt quickly and perform in these conditions. This was stated by Imran Farhat, head coach Pakistan Shaheens, which undertook 15-day tour of England that comprised of white and red-ball series. During the tour, Shaheens featured in …

LAHORE – The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has suspended batter Haider Ali on disciplinary grounds after he was accused of sexual assault in Manchester during the recent tour of the Pakistan Shaheens cricket team to England. Haider Ali has been released on bail after his arrest in Manchester over allegations of sexual assault. Local authorities have confirmed that Haider Ali …

The Pakistan domestic cricket season is slated to begin with the Hanif Mohammad Trophy. According to details, the Hanif Mohammad Trophy is scheduled to take place from August 29 to September 25. The matches will be take place in South Punjab – Bahawalpur, Multan and Rahim Yar Khan. Meanwhile, the rest of the matches will also be held in Karachi. …

Pakistan and New Zealand have expressed discontent with the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) qualification system for cricket at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The ICC recently confirmed that Team GB will receive an automatic place in the men’s tournament at LA 2028, following the adoption of a regional qualifying format favoured by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The system …

The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has issued a directive making it mandatory for all national sports federations to seek prior approval before participating in any sports event held in India. The move comes on the special instructions of the Prime Minister’s Office, following heightened security concerns and regional sensitivities. The directive was officially approved during the 34th meeting of the …

England ace batter Joe Root has registered himself as the third-highest run-scorer in the history of Tests against India on day three of the 4th Test at the Old Trafford in Manchester on Friday. According to details, Root has surpassed the run tally of South African ace all-rounder Jacques Kallis and Indian batting legend Rahul Dravid. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has …

A tri-nation series featuring Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates is in its final planning phase, sources said. According to insiders, the series will be finalized during the upcoming Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting. Following the meeting, the official schedule and venue details are expected to be announced. Sources further revealed that the tri-series will be held in the …

Pakistan Shaheens’ off-spinner Sajid Khan on Tuesday ruled out of the England tour with injury. According to details, Khan got his right thumb injured during the practice session in Tonbridge. Khan would return to Pakistan on the first available flight. Meanwhile, the team management has not asked for the replacement for Khan. The Pakistan Shaheens will take on the Professional …

The DG Sports Punjab Khizar Afzaal Chaudhry has announced a one-year scholarship for the players who won the Asian Under-16 Volleyball Championship. Chaudhry met the victorious players and congratulated them on their exceptional performance. During the meeting, he also declared a monthly stipend of Rs70,000 for players in the Platinum category. He stated that the players had made history through …

Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali has said he was informed well in advance that he would not be part of the ODI series against Bangladesh, but he is still unaware of the exact reason behind his exclusion from the national squad. Speaking to Samaa TV in an exclusive interview, Hasan expressed contentment with the team management’s decision, saying he does not want …

Former Pakistan legendary all-rounder Wasim Akram has urged fans to adopt healthy routine and spend some leisure time indulging in exercises. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Akram posted a short video in which he is seen spotting at the gym, urging the fans to ensure their fitness. He used some Punjabi words to further convince his fans to adopt healthy …

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem and India’s Neeraj Chopra are set to reignite their long-standing rivalry as they face each other at the upcoming Diamond League meeting in Poland next month — their first direct contest since the Paris Olympics. The high-profile event, scheduled for August 16, has garnered significant attention, particularly given the current political tensions between Pakistan and India. A …

Italy have made history by qualifying for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, marking their first-ever appearance at a cricket World Cup. Despite a defeat to the Netherlands at The Hague. The Netherlands also booked their place in next year’s showpiece event in India and Sri Lanka after chasing down Italy’s total of 134 with eight wickets in hand …

Novak Djokovic survived a scare to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals with a tense four-set victory over Alex de Minaur on Monday. Seven-time champion Djokovic endured a nightmare start to his last-16 match against the Australian 11th seed on Centre Court, but eventually battled back to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Aged 38, Djokovic is aiming to win a record 25th …

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday announced the national squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. According to the official press release issued by the board, Salman Ali Agha will continue to captain the national side in the T20I format. The selection has been made by the Men’s National Selection Committee, keeping in view the team’s strategy …

DUBAI: Sanjog Gupta a senior official at India’s key broadcaster of the game named new ICC chief executive officer. Gupta, the ICC’s seventh CEO, succeeds Geoff Allardice, who resigned from the post in January after four years in office. ICC chairman Jay Shah said Gupta “brings extensive experience in sports strategy and commercialization, which will be invaluable for the ICC”. …

LONDON: Women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka and men’s defending champion Carlos Alcaraz both survived tough tests to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals and Cameron Norrie kept alive British singles hopes after surviving a five-set thriller on Sunday. Sabalenka ruined home favourite Emma Raducanu’s dream in the previous round but had the Centre Court crowd cheering her on as she beat Elise …

The Pakistan Cricket Board announced the domestic cricket calendar for the 2025-26 season, with an emphasis on increased competitiveness, highlighted by an eight-team Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (first-class) tournament. The domestic season will commence on 15 August with the 12-team Hanif Mohammad Trophy (non-first-class) being staged in Karachi, Multan, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan. The teams are divided into two pools, with …

Pakistan Super League (PSL) management has finalized the schedule for the 11th edition of the tournament, sources confirmed on Sunday. According to sources, PSL 11 is set to take place in April and May next year, running parallel to the Indian Premier League (IPL), due to scheduling adjustments prompted by the T20 World Cup. The PSL management is also considering …

Pakistan celebrated a major triumph at the Asian Junior Squash Championship 2025 in Korea, defeating traditional rivals India and securing a total of seven medals. The national junior squad returned home with two gold, two silver, one bronze, and two Plate Division titles, marking one of their strongest performances in recent years on the Asian circuit. In a standout performance …

Lahore: Pakistan cricket team fielding coach Muhammad Masroor has stepped down from his responsibilities. Muhammad Masroor said that his chapter with the team is now over. He thanked all the players for their trust and the support of the staff. He stated that he will always be a part of Pakistan cricket and that he is leaving without any disappointment …

Former England captain Michael Vaughan stunned on Friday with the fiery ton of Jamie Smith against India on the third day of the second Test in Birmingham. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Vaughan praised the Smith’s batting prowess, saying, “Wow… Jamie Smith. We have witnessed a bit of genius. If you walked into the ground and saw the fields being …

Chelsea have signed forward Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion, both Premier League clubs said on Wednesday. Financial details were not disclosed, but British media reported that the deal was worth 60 million pounds ($81.54 million). “Everyone knows this is a big club with a great history,” the Brazilian, who has signed an eight-year contract, said in a statement. …

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday appointed former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood as the interim head coach of the men’s national red-ball team. According to a statement issued by the PCB, Mahmood will serve in the role until the expiration of his short-term contract. The board added that the former cricketer had previously worked as the assistant head coach of …

Pakistan got off to a flying start at the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship 2025, thrashing Saudi Arabia 71-15 in their opening match here at Jeoju, South Korea on Friday. The national side, featured standout performances by Lia Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, Samia Safdar, Halima, Sareena Hussain, Jasmine Farooq, Farah Rasheed, and Pareesa who displayed fantastic skills throughout the match, …

Australia’s pace battery proved too strong for the West Indies as the hosts crumbled to a dismal 141 all out in their second innings to hand the visitors a commanding 159-run victory in the first Test at Kensington Oval  — with two full days to spare. Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was the standout performer, claiming 5-43 in a devastating spell …

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has refused to give a post-match interview to Australian sports radio station SEN following the first day of the opening Test against the West Indies in Barbados. The move is widely seen as a protest against SEN’s sacking of journalist Peter Lalor, who was removed from the air four months ago over his pro-Palestinian social media …

Ritika Sajdeh – wife of former Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma – has come under fire on social media after referring to Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal as a “cartoon” during an appearance on a YouTube talk show. The controversy erupted following a segment in which the hosts displayed photographs of various Indian cricketers, asking Ritika and Rohit to share their …

Bangladesh players gave retiring Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews a guard of honour as he walked out to bat in his farewell Test at the Galle International Stadium on Thursday. The gesture came during the 52nd over of Sri Lanka’s first innings, when Mathews, 38, made his way to the crease following the dismissal of Dinesh Chandimal. As he stepped …