Pakistan has secured a spot in the semi-finals of the 22nd Asian Junior Squash Team Championship after defeating Japan 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
In the quarter-final clash, Ans Ali Shah won the first match for Pakistan, defeating Renshi Makino in an intense 53-minute battle with scores of 11-4, 11-6, 7-11, and 11-8.
However, Sakhiullah Khan Tarin faced a tough contest against Sho Takashi, eventually losing after a hard-fought 57-minute match with scores of 11-9, 11-6, 2-11, 7-11, and 11-8.
In the decisive match, Abdullah Nawaz delivered an outstanding performance, defeating Shinsaku Kariazono in just 30 minutes with scores of 11-7, 11-5, and 12-10, securing Pakistan’s victory.
Pakistan will now face Korea in the semi-finals.
Earlier in the tournament, Pakistan remained unbeaten in the group stage, defeating India, Macau, and China to advance to the knockout round.
Former Pakistan football captain Kaleemullah has decided to run for the presidency of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).
He has played for Pakistan for years and competed in leagues around the world, including the United States.
Kaleemullah is seen as a strong candidate and has started gathering support to become the first international footballer to lead PFF. His football career was cut short due to internal conflicts in Pakistan’s football, but he remains well-connected in political, military, and football circles.
He led Pakistan to a historic series win against India in 2014 and is the nephew of Balochistan Assembly Speaker Captain (retd) Abdul Khaliq Khan Achakzai. He has also organized football events, including one in Karachi, with support from PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto.
Another strong candidate for the presidency is Syed Zahir Shah, a politician and newly elected member of the PFF Congress.
Meanwhile, changes are happening in the PFF Normalization Committee. Chairman Haroon Malik is stepping down on February 15, and FIFA has appointed Saud Hashmi as his replacement. Saud has been part of the committee from the beginning and is expected to oversee fair elections.
FIFA recently suspended PFF, but the ban may be lifted as soon as the newly elected PFF Congress prepares to approve proposed amendments.
Pakistan is set to face New Zealand in the highly anticipated final of the Tri-Series, scheduled to take place on Friday at the National Stadium in Karachi.
According to reports, Pakistan’s probable playing XI for the final has been revealed. It is expected that the same squad that played against South Africa on Wednesday will take the field in the final.
The lineup includes captain Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Hasnain.
New Zealand has already secured its place in the final after winning its first two matches, defeating Pakistan by 78 runs and South Africa by six wickets. Pakistan also qualified for the final after a thrilling six-wicket victory against South Africa in the third match of the series.
Mohammad Rizwan will lead the Pakistani side, while Mitchell Santner will handle New Zealand’s captaincy responsibilities.
The ongoing Tri-Series features three teams—Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa—competing in a series of One Day Internationals in Pakistan.
A man resembling Pakistani fast bowler Naseem Shah has gone viral after expressing anger in a video over a controversy related to the YouTube show India Got Latent. However, instead of focusing on the issue, social media users are more obsessed with his uncanny resemblance to the Pakistani heartthrob cricketer.
In the now-viral clip, the Naseem Shah lookalike expresses frustration over how much attention India’s Got Latent is receiving. He argues that the focus should be on bigger issues like inflation, pollution, and unemployment instead of debating whether the show should be banned.
He said, “Of course, our country will only become great when shows like India’s Got Latent are banned. Even Elon Musk and China think the same way. China disrupted the market with platforms like DeepSea, but in our country, the trending topic is whether India’s Got Latent should be banned.”
“People are being summoned as if they are criminals. Inflation is rising, pollution is increasing, unemployment is growing, but no one is talking about these issues,” he added.
He also slammed the hypocrisy around entertainment, saying, “Controversial songs like Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai, Sheila Ki Jawani, and Bidi Jalai Le have played at festivals for years, but no one had a problem with them. Where was the moral outrage then?”
“Comedy should be seen as comedy. This is not a physics or philosophy class. If you don’t like the show, don’t watch it. But people want to watch and criticize at the same time—what double standards!” he added.
Despite his serious take on the issue, the highlight for many social media users remains his resemblance to Naseem Shah. The video has sparked humorous memes.
One user commented, “Ye bilkul Naseem Shah ka bhai lag raha hai” (He looks exactly like Naseem Shah’s brother). Another joked, “Hailaaaa! Naseem Shah!”
Some cricket fans, seemingly confused, even thought he was Naseem himself. “Starting m mujhe laga yeh Pakistan ka cricket player Naseem Shah hai” (At first, I thought this was Pakistan’s cricket player Naseem Shah),” wrote one user. Another asked, “Yeh banda Naseem Shah hai kya? Pakistani bowler?”
Some even humorously advised the man to stay out of Indian controversies and focus on cricket. “Why is Naseem Shah angry over Indian issues? Bro, focus on the Champions Trophy,” one person commented. Another added, “Naseem Shah, bowling par dhyan de!” (Naseem Shah, focus on bowling!).
Meanwhile, others couldn’t help but joke about his resemblance, calling him “Naseem Shah ke bichade bhai” (Naseem Shah’s long-lost brother).
Despite the man’s attempts to address the controversy, it seems the internet is only interested in one thing—how much he looks like Pakistan’s young fast-bowling sensation.
Rajat Kumar, the 25-year-old man who saved Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant in a 2022 car accident, has reportedly consumed poison along with his girlfriend.
According to NDTV, the incident occurred on February 9 in Bochha Basti village, Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh.
Rajat Kumar and his 21-year-old girlfriend Manu Kashyap reportedly took poison as their families were against their relationship. Manu passed away during treatment, while Rajat Kumar remains in critical condition.
Indian reports suggest that both families had arranged their marriages elsewhere and refused to accept their relationship as they were from different castes, driving them to attempt suicide.
Following Manu Kashyap’s death, her mother accused Rajat Kumar of kidnapping her daughter and poisoning her.
Rajat Kumar gained national attention in December 2022 when he, along with another man, Nishu Kumar, saved cricketer Rishabh Pant from a severe car accident.
Pant was travelling from Delhi to Uttarakhand when his Mercedes crashed and caught fire.
Rajat and Nishu Kumar acted swiftly, pulling him out of the burning vehicle and taking him to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has fined Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, and Kamran Ghulam for violating the ICC Code of Conduct.
According to the ICC, Shaheen Afridi has been fined 25 percent of his match fee, while Saud Shakeel and substitute player Kamran Ghulam have each been fined 10 percent of their match fees.
All three players are said to have breached the Code of Conduct during a match against South Africa in the tri-nation series. Additionally, each player has been handed one demerit point.
Afridi deliberately obstructed South African batter Matthew Breetzke’s path, made inappropriate body contact, and became involved in an argument. Meanwhile, Saud Shakeel and Kamran Ghulam celebrated a dismissal too close to Temba Bavuma.
Pakistan cricket correspondent and television host Dr Nauman Niaz believes that if the poorly selected Pakistan team wins the triangular tournament, then the rest of the international teams should drink poison and die.
During a live stream on the YouTube channel Caught Behind on Wednesday, Dr Nauman and former wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif discussed Pakistan’s win over South Africa in the tri-nation series.
Nauman said, “This combination has been selected in such a way that it includes crippled, limping, broken, useless players—an unfairly selected Pakistan team, full of intellectual dishonesty. If this team wins—if this wins—people are criticizing, but they are not calling it pathetic, which is wrong.”
“I did not call the team pathetic, and I will never say that, ever. I said it was selected in a pathetic manner, in an unfair way,” he clarified.
He further stated, “If this poorly selected team wins the triangular tournament, then the rest of the international teams should just poison themselves and die. They should not play the Champions Trophy and should just go home.”
It is worth mentioning that Pakistan outclassed South Africa in the third ODI of the tri-series in Karachi.
Batting first, South Africa scored 352 runs, losing five wickets.
In response, Pakistan chased down the target in the 49th over, losing just four wickets.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan and vice-captain Salman Ali Agha played outstanding unbeaten centuries, guiding their team to a remarkable win.
Indian cricketer Rajat Patidar has been appointed as the new captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Many fans expected Virat Kohli to take over the captaincy after RCB did not retain Faf du Plessis, who led the team from 2022 to 2024.
The announcement was made in Bengaluru at an event attended by RCB’s team director, Muhammad Bobat, head coach Andy Flower, and Patidar. The 31-year-old batter has been with RCB since 2021, playing 28 matches and scoring 799 runs at a strike rate of 158.85.
Coach Andy Flower praised Patidar for his calmness and leadership qualities, while Muhammad Bobat revealed that Kohli was also considered for the role. However, they ultimately chose Patidar as they preferred an Indian captain and believed he was ready for the challenge.
Patidar has gained leadership experience by captaining Madhya Pradesh in domestic tournaments like the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. He was also one of the three players RCB retained before the IPL 2025 mega auction.
RCB has never won an IPL title but has reached the final three times, with the last appearance in 2016. They made the playoffs in four of the previous five seasons, including in 2024, when they won six consecutive matches to qualify but lost in the Eliminator.
With RCB appointing Patidar, only Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) have yet to announce their captains for IPL 2025.
A viral image on social media claims that the famous animated series The Simpsons has predicted Pakistan’s victory in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
The show has long been known for its uncanny predictions about future events, including Donald Trump’s presidency, Kamala Harris’ defeat, California wildfires, and even the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these predictions, made decades ago, have surprisingly come true.
The Champions Trophy is set to begin on February 19, with Pakistan serving as both the host nation and the defending champion. Amid the excitement, social media users have been widely sharing an image suggesting that The Simpsons has predicted Pakistan’s triumph in the tournament.
However, for Pakistani cricket fans celebrating this so-called prediction, there’s an important clarification: the viral image is not from the original Simpsons series. Instead, it is an AI-generated creation meant to mislead people.
Many social media users have pointed this out, with some calling it an “AI trick,” while others humorously commented that, given Pakistan’s current team selection, this might be the first time The Simpsons gets a prediction wrong.
Pakistan won its first-ever Champions Trophy title in 2017 under Sarfaraz Ahmed’s captaincy, defeating arch-rivals India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval.
The Green Shirts will begin their title defence on February 19 at Karachi’s National Stadium against New Zealand.
The much-anticipated Pakistan-India clash is scheduled for February 23 in Dubai.
Legendary Pakistani cricketer Hanif Mohammad (late) has been posthumously inducted into the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Hall of Fame.
A special ceremony was held at the National Stadium Karachi on Wednesday during the Pakistan vs. South Africa match in the ongoing tri-series.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi presented Hanif Mohammad’s commemorative plaque and cap to his son Shoaib Mohammad. The PCB had initially announced Hanif Mohammad’s inclusion in the Hall of Fame back in 2021, but the induction was delayed due to various reasons.
The PCB Hall of Fame was established to honour the contributions of Pakistan’s cricket legends.
With this induction, Hanif Mohammad joins an elite group of legendary cricketers already in the Hall of Fame, including Abdul Qadir, A.H. Kardar, Fazal Mahmood, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Younis Khan, and Zaheer Abbas.
