Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has defended the team’s pitch strategy following Pakistan’s 2-1 ODI series victory over Australia, insisting that preparing home conditions to suit local strengths is a standard practice in international cricket. Pakistan secured the three-match ODI series against Australia after employing slow, spin-friendly surfaces in Rawalpindi and Lahore, where their spin bowlers played a…
Poland’s Maja Chwalinska celebrates winning her semi final match against Russia’s Diana Shnaider. Photo: REUTERS PARIS: Maja Chwalinska will bid to become only the second qualifier in the professional era to win a Grand Slam title on Saturday after a run that has been “hard to process”, but faces her toughest test yet in the final against Mirra Andreeva….
Work continues ahead of the UFC event on June 14, including on the arena, seen here on May 31. Photo: AFP LONDON: Long before the first punch lands at President Donald Trump’s unprecedented hosting of a UFC fight on the White House lawn, some in the usually ultra-pro-Trump mixed martial arts community are already throwing…
LONDON: Iran’s football squad, whose participation in the World Cup remains uncertain, have handed their passports to the US embassy in Turkey for visas, the head of their Football Federation said on Friday. Mehdi Taj said Iran were following instructions from world football’s governing body. Their quest for the visas comes as Iran and the…
LONDON: Ollie Robinson celebrated a five-wicket haul on his return to England duty as New Zealand were dismissed for just 113 on the second day of the first Test at Lord’s on Friday. The Sussex pace bowler, playing his first Test in more than two years, produced a triple-wicket maiden on Thursday during a sensational…
Rajasthan Royals’ player VaibhavSooryavanshi has been tipped for the national T20 squad. Photo: AFP LONDON: The 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is likely to be named in India’s T20 squad while skipper Suryakumar Yadav could get the axe when selectors meet on Saturday, according to reports. Sooryavanshi had a stellar IPL for Rajasthan Royals, finishing top of the batting charts with…
Over 100 young players from across Pakistan compete in Under-15 category at Qamar Zaman Squash Complex PESHAWAR: The All Pakistan National Junior Squash Championship 2026, organized by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Directorate of Sports, commenced on Wednesday at the Qamar Zaman Squash Complex in Peshawar. More than 100 male and female players from all four provinces, Islamabad,…
Members of Bosnian Hip-Hop band “Dubioza Kolektiv”, Brano Jakubovic (L) and Vedran Mujagicpose with a ball in Sarajevo on June 2, 2026. Photo: AFP LONDON: “I am from Bosnia, Take me to America” — with brass instruments, guitars and a video clip featuring grilled meat, Bosnia already achieved a success with a hit song for the forthcoming…
Charles Leclerc will try to put an end to Kimi Antonelli’s winning run in Monaco. Photo: AFP MONACO: Local hero Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are widely expected to end Ferrari’s long winless streak and finish Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli’s record streak in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix. Leclerc, who this week agreed a contract extension with Ferrari, won…
LONDON: Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday announced the appointment of Spaniard Carles Martinez Novell as manager, replacing former coach Kasper Hjulmand with immediate effect. The 42-year-old Martinez Novell, who stepped down as Toulouse coach at the end of the 2025-26 season, signed a deal running until 2028. The appointment continues the instability in the club’s coaching ranks since the departure…