Category: Sports

The biggest clash of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2025, the Pakistan vs India match, is set to take place on February 23 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. 

As expected, the demand for tickets skyrocketed, with all tickets for the high-voltage encounter sold out within an hour.

According to media reports, the ticket booking window opened yesterday (Monday), while fans from both countries rushed to secure their seats. The immense interest in the match caused a heavy load on the booking website, with nearly 140,000 fans attempting to purchase tickets online. Within less than an hour, all tickets for the much-anticipated clash were completely sold out.

Many fans expressed disappointment over not being able to get tickets, as they had hoped to witness the thrilling match live at the stadium.

Ticket prices for the Pakistan vs India match varied based on seating categories. The cheapest ticket was priced at 500 AED (approximately 19,000 Pakistani rupees), while the most expensive pass cost 12,500 AED (approximately 479,493 Pakistan rupees). Other ticket categories included prices of 1,000 AED (approximately 38,000 Pakistani rupees), 1,200 AED (approximately 47,000 Pakistani rupees), 2,500 AED (approximately 95,000 Pakistani rupees), and 5,000 AED (approximately 191,000 Pakistani rupees).

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will begin on February 19, with the opening match scheduled to be played in Karachi. 

The tournament will run until March 9, featuring a total of 15 matches between eight participating teams, hosted across Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Dubai, with all games scheduled as day-night encounters.

Notably, the Indian team will play all of its matches at a neutral venue in Dubai.

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchise Durbar Rajshahi is once again in the news, but for the wrong reasons.

According to reports, the franchise has not yet paid its foreign players and staff. This issue has resulted in several well-known players being stuck in a hotel in Dhaka.

Even though the team owners had promised to clear the payments, many local players have already left the hotel without receiving their dues.

The situation worsened when the franchise did not pay the bus driver either. In protest, the driver locked all the players’ kit bags and equipment inside the bus.

Bus driver Mohammad Babul told reporters that the situation was very disappointing and embarrassing. He stated that if they had been paid, they would have returned the players’ belongings.

“The kit bags of both local and foreign players are inside the bus. But until we receive most of our payments, I cannot return them,” he said.

The team owner, Shafiqur Rahman, claimed that the flight tickets for foreign players had been booked. However, since the payments have not been cleared, the players are still waiting at the hotel.

Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Haris, Afghanistan’s Aftab Alam, West Indies’ Mark Deyal and Miguel Cummins, and Zimbabwe’s Ryan Burl are among the unpaid players. When they tried to contact the team management, they did not receive a clear response.

Sources say Mohammad Haris has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about the issue. In response, the PCB contacted both Haris and the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Arrangements are now being made for Haris to fly back to Islamabad today.

Durbar Rajshahi’s performance in the BPL 2025 season was also disappointing. They failed to qualify for the playoffs, winning only six out of 12 matches. The team finished in fifth place on the points table. Their last match was on January 27 in Dhaka against the Sylhet Strikers.

Former Pakistani left-arm pacer Wasim Akram has denied the allegations regarding his criticism of the selection committee and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

In response to these claims, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Fake news regarding Mr Naqvi. Stop lying. Enough is enough, and please don’t believe these muppets.”

Earlier, there were reports that Wasim Akram had expressed surprise at the inclusion of all-rounder Faheem Ashraf in the ICC Champions Trophy squad.

However, many other cricketers, including Ahmed Shehzad, Tanveer Ahmed, Sikandar Bakhat, and Kamran Akmal, raised concerns over the squad for the Champions Trophy.

Ahmed Shehzad wrote, “Fakhar’s return is happening, but we still don’t know who will open with him.” He also questioned, “Where will Saud Shakeel fit into the playing eleven? The team selection shows how unprofessional the system has become.”

Shehzad criticised the inclusion of Usman Khan and Faheem Ashraf in the squad, stating, “Their selection was based on their performances in the recent T20 tournament in Bangladesh rather than their ODI form. This was Pakistan’s preparation for a major ICC tournament that they are hosting.”

Former cricketers Tanveer Ahmed, Kamran Akmal, and Basit Ali also raised questions about the inclusion of all-rounders Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah.

Kamran Akmal said, “Some players were selected despite their inconsistent performances, even though they had not been consistently performing well.”

Tanveer Ahmed sarcastically remarked, “The return of Faheem Ashraf was like bringing back Ben Stokes.” He added, “The exclusion of Aamer Jamal and the inclusion of Faheem Ashraf in the team didn’t make sense.”

Sikander Bakht advised Mohsin Naqvi, suggesting, “You can save one billion rupees by closing down first-class cricket. Players should be sent to play in leagues, and those who perform well there should be selected for the national team. This can save the cricket board a lot of money because, according to him, I’ve never seen selectors as incompetent as this.”

Pakistan’s all-rounder, Faheem Ashraf, last played an ODI against India on September 11, 2023, in the Asia Cup, in which Pakistan suffered a heavy defeat. Meanwhile, middle-order batter Khushdil Shah last played on October 7, 2023, and since then, he has failed to secure a spot in the team.

Usman Khan, who has not played any ODI matches for Pakistan, has been included in the squad.

The Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9.

The PCB has until February 11 to make changes to the squad. After that, changes will only be allowed on medical grounds, with the approval of the ICC event technical committee.

Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri and former Australian batter Ricky Ponting have made predictions for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy final.

Speaking on ICC Review, Shastri said, “India and Australia are the two teams that could play in the final of the 2025 Champions Trophy. Both teams always perform exceptionally well in major tournaments, and if we look at history, both teams are capable of qualifying for the final.”

The 62-year-old former cricketer added, “South Africa and England could be the teams playing in the semi-finals.”

In the same episode, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting also predicted, saying, “The final of the ICC Champions Trophy would be between India and Australia. However, the Pakistani team could challenge both teams.”

He said, “India and Australia cannot be overlooked as potential finalists.”

The tournament Champions Trophy will begin on February 19, with eight teams competing in Pakistan and the UAE.

Indian cricket team star batter Virat Kohli reacted to fast bowler Himanshu Sangwan, who knocked him over during a match for the Ranji Trophy on January 31, 2025.

Returning to domestic cricket after more than a decade, Kohli fell to Sangwan for just six runs off 15 balls in a Ranji Trophy match.

The fast bowler then took the opportunity to get the star batter’s autograph on the very ball he used to take his wicket.

Himanshu celebrated his wicket enthusiastically, with videos and pictures of the moment going viral. However, some Kohli fans reacted aggressively and criticised the bowler.

Despite the controversy, the young cricketer approached Kohli at the end of the match to get his autograph on the ball, which bowled the star batter.

Before signing the ball, Kohli praised the young pacer, saying, “You bowled brilliantly, and the delivery that got me out was difficult to play. I really enjoyed it.”

Kohli’s team, Delhi, secured an innings victory over Railways in the match.

Virat Kohli fans lose cool over bowler who dismissed him

Indian cricket star Virat Kohli made a dramatic return to domestic cricket after more than a decade, but his comeback did not go as planned. Playing for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, the 36-year-old batter was dismissed for just six runs off 15 balls in a match against Railways.

Kohli was clean bowled by young fast bowler Himanshu Sangwan, who celebrated the big wicket with unbridled excitement. His celebration quickly went viral, with videos and pictures spreading across social media. However, Kohli’s fans reacted angrily to his glee. 

The master batsman’s fans started trolling Sangwan on social media, posting insulting comments and swearing words. Some fans could not accept their favourite cricketer getting out cheaply and expressed their frustration online.

Virat Kohli is one of the most followed cricketers in the world, with millions of fans not just in India but across the globe. His popularity was evident as more than 15,000 spectators came to the stadium to watch him play. However, he failed to deliver a strong performance, leaving his fans disappointed.

Here is how users are trolling him:

Possible reasons behind Imam-ul-Haq’s exclusion from Pakistan’s squad for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2025 have come to light.

With the return of Fakhar Zaman as a specialist opener, the selection committee refrained from including Test captain Shan Masood and Test opener Imam-ul-Haq in the squad, keeping in mind the absence of injured Saim Ayub and out-of-form Abdullah Shafique.

Left-handed Test opener Imam-ul-Haq has an impressive ODI record, having scored 3,138 runs in 72 matches at an average of 48.27, including 9 centuries and 20 half-centuries.

According to media reports, Imam-ul-Haq was a strong candidate for selection with his extensive experience and record. However, certain reasons led the selectors to overlooking him.

Imam last played an ODI for Pakistan on October 27, 2023, in Chennai.

Selectors reportedly had concerns over Imam-ul-Haq’s withdrawal from the team just a day before a three-day match against the West Indies last month.

During the first innings of that match, Imam-ul-Haq was dismissed for just five runs. In the second innings, Umair Bin Yousuf opened the innings alongside Mohammad Haris instead of Imam because the latter had left for Lahore with permission from head coach Umar Gul.

Mohammad Haris was handed his Test debut in Multan. However, for the second Test, selectors and the team management considered dropping a fast bowler to include Imam-ul-Haq. Reports suggest that doubts were raised over Imam’s fitness, leading to his omission.

Imam-ul-Haq was part of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) 2023-24 central contract in the ‘B’ category. However, fitness concerns played a role in his exclusion from all categories of the 2024-25 central contract.

Meanwhile, reacting to his exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad, Imam-ul-Haq took to social media platform X (previously Twitter) and wrote, “The result is not what I expected, but the journey is not over. This is life.”

He further added, “Everything is about moving forward through every difficulty, making yourself stronger, and most importantly, having patience and trust in Allah.”

PCB announced the Pakistan cricket team squad for the Champions Trophy on Friday. Here is the 15-member squad for the Champion Trophy.

Squad:

Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir,  Faheem Asharf, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Rizwan, Usman Khan,  Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Sheheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Muhammad Hasnain.

The Champions Trophy is scheduled from February 19 to March 8 2025, in Pakistan and UAE.

The sale of physical tickets for the Champions Trophy has officially been announced. 

According to details, a week after the announcement for sale of online tickets, the physical tickets for the tournament will go on sale at designated TCS outlets today (Feb 3), 4 pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST).

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that fans can purchase physical tickets from 108 TCS centres across 26 cities. The prices for general stand tickets will start from PKR 1,000, whereas premium seating for the 10 matches in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, will be available in various categories, starting at PKR 1,500.

The tournament’s opening match will take place on Feb 19 at Karachi’s National Stadium where hosts Pakistan will face New Zealand. 

India’s matches, scheduled for February 20, February 23, and March 2 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will have their ticket details announced at a later time.

The ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 final will be held on March 9, and tickets for the final will be available for purchase in Dubai following the conclusion of the first semi-final.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that the match officials for the upcoming tri-nation One Day International (ODI) series are set to take place in Pakistan.

The tri-nation series will be held from February 8 to February 14 in Lahore and Karachi.

David Boon, Richard Illingworth, and Michael Gough have been appointed as match officials for the series, which features Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Boon, a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, will lead the playing control team for the series. 

The series opener between Pakistan and New Zealand will take place on February 8 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Michael Gough, a member of the ICC Elite Panel, and Pakistan’s Faisal Khan Afridi from the ICC International Panel will serve as the on-field umpires for the match.

On February 10, Gaddafi Stadium will host the match between New Zealand and South Africa, where Richard Illingworth and Rashid Riaz will officiate as on-field umpires, while Michael Gough will act as the third umpire.

The final league match and the tournament final will be played at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium.

In the match between Pakistan and South Africa in Karachi, Asif Yaqoob and Michael Gough will be the on-field umpires.

For the final, scheduled on Friday, February 14, ICC Elite Panel umpire Ahsan Raza and Richard Illingworth will officiate as the on-field umpires.

With the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announcing the squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, cricketing fans across the country have been left disappointed, reacting strongly to some of the board’s “questionable” selections.

All-rounder Faheem Ashraf tops the list of cricketers whose selection has left fans fuming as they take to social media to voice their criticism. Netizens speculate if Ashraf, who last played an ODI for Pakistan in 2022, was picked to play for the national side due to his “political allegiances”.

While the board or any cricket officials have not reacted to the allegations, social media users, almost libelously, continue to share pictures of Ashraf with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif whom the all-rounder had met during his visit to London three years ago.

Amid claims that Ashraf’s selection was a result of his support for the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), netizens are also training guns at the PCB for including Khushdil Shah and Usman Khan to the national squad.

While Shah and Ashraf performed well in this year’s season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), fans maintain the two “do not deserve a place in the team based solely on their BPL performances”. Khan, on the other hand, has not played even a single ODI for Pakistan so far and his performance in T20s, social media user say, does not justify a spot on the squad for the upcoming mega event.

Netizens are also calling the cricketing board out for “only selecting one spinner”, Abrar Ahmed, despite the team’s recent Test successes at home owing to outstanding spin bowling.

It merits a mention that the reactions come a day after the team for Champions Trophy was announced.

The squad includes Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Muhammad Hasnain.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy on Friday, surprising not only Pakistani but also Indian cricket fans.

Pakistan has been performing well at home by taking advantage of spin-friendly conditions. However, the squad for the Champions Trophy includes only one specialist spinner, Abrar Ahmed. Salman Ali Agha and Khushdil Shah have been included as part-time spinners.

Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf have returned to the squad despite not being part of the team for a long time. Meanwhile, some players who travelled to Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa have been left out of the team.

Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, and Saud Shakeel have replaced Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, and Sufiyan Muqeem in the squad.

Khushdil Shah last played an ODI for Pakistan in 2022. Usman Khan, who has never played an ODI for Pakistan, has also been included in the squad.

An Indian sports journalist expressed concern on social media about Pakistan’s squad, highlighting that the team is going ahead with only one specialist spinner.

On the Sports Tak platform, a journalist analyzed the squad and questioned, “Why is Pakistan relying on just one regular spinner, Abrar Ahmed? While Agha Salman and Khushdil Shah can also bowl, they are not specialist spinners. Spinners usually play a key role on pitches in Dubai and Pakistan.”

He also pointed out, “Several players in the squad are returning after a long time away from ODI cricket. Usman Khan’s recent performances have not been impressive.” Overall, he found Pakistan’s squad selection confusing.

Social media users have also raised concerns over the squad for the mega event.

Here’s how social media is reacting: