Category: Sports

Saim Ayub, who suffered an injury on the first day of the second Test against South Africa, will not be able to participate in international cricket campaigns for six weeks.

Saim twisted and fractured his ankle while chasing the ball at the short third-man boundary Friday.

A statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that the opener’s MRI reports had confirmed a fracture, due to which he has been told to rest for six weeks.

Saim, however, will remain with the team and return home with the squad after the series.

The 2025 Champions Trophy is scheduled to take place in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9, 2025. While Saim is likely to return to the squad before the mega event, an official confirmation is still awaited.

Second Test: Saim Ayub injured, likely to miss upcoming matches

Pakistan’s opener batter Saim Ayub has been injured while fielding in the second match of the series at Cape Town on Friday.

The opener was taken off the field with the help of his teammates.

He will likely be taken to the hospital, where his foot will be scanned, after which a decision will be made regarding his participation in the rest of the match. 

South Africa won the toss against Pakistan and decided to bat first. 

Earlier, Pakistan included Mir Hamza in the playing XI in place of Naseem Shah.

Yesterday, it was reported that Mir Hamza is likely to join the team in place of Aamir Jamal, while left-arm spinner Noman Ali is unlikely to play. 

Read this: Dropped players to return for Pakistan’s Champions Trophy campaign

The South African team defeated the Green Shirts by 2-0 in the three-match T20 series, while the third and final T20 match was washed out due to rain. The Pakistani team swept hosts Proteas by 3-0 in the three-match ODI series. 

South Africa has a 1-0 lead in the ongoing Test series, defeating the Green Shirts in the first Test match by two wickets.

Indian actor Nana Patekar’s statement about star batter Virat Kohli has become a meme.

Nana Patekar recently showed his gratitude towards Virat Kohli by saying, “Virat Kohli is my favourite player; if he gets out early, then I don’t feel like eating food.”

However, Virat was dismissed early in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia. He was dismissed eight times while failing to play the same shot for the seventh time in a single series.

Want to read about Virat Kohli?

Nana Patekar’s statement led to hilarious memes and reactions on social media. Here are some reactions:

Addressing widespread claims regarding his exit from international cricket, Indian Test captain Rohit Sharma has said that he will not be retiring soon. 

In an interview with match presenters during the Sydney Test on Saturday, Rohit said, “Arrey yaar, main kahi na jaa raha hu [I’m not going anywhere].”

The Indian captain’s statement came as presenters thanked him at the end of the interview.

When asked about stepping down as skipper for the ongoing Test match, he said, “Honestly, it was a personal decision to step down just for this game. I’ve been working hard on my batting, but things weren’t clicking. I felt it was the right call to step aside for such an important match. But I’ll continue playing for India, and retirement is not on my mind right now.”

Rohit also addressed the criticism he has faced as captain. “People with a mic, laptop, or pen don’t change our lives. They can’t decide when we go or when we play. I’ve played this game for so long, and I know what’s best for the team and myself. Since 2007, my goal has always been to win games for my team. If you don’t think of the team, then there’s no point. Cricket is a team sport, and decisions should always reflect that.”

It merits a mention that pacer Jasprit Bumrah is leading the team in Rohit’s absence.

Want to read more about Rohit Sharma?

Many Indian players keen to take captaincy after Sharma’s retirement: Reports

After Rohit Sharma’s departure, many players are eager for the leader’s role despite the presence of multiple seniors in the team. 

Indian media has reported that the search for a strong candidate for captaincy is in full swing, but no decision has been made regarding his future yet. 

Jasprit Bumrah captained the team in Rohit’s absence during the first match, but after Rohit’s departure, many players in the dressing room were eager for the  leader role. Bumrah is unlikely to be given the captaincy after Rohit Sharma’s retirement. 

However, the Indian Express revealed in its report that a certain player on the team proposed an “interim captaincy”, calling him ‘Mr. Fix It’ so that the current situation and the dressing room atmosphere can be controlled.

However, the report did not mention who the candidate for the interim captaincy is, but is considered to be among the senior players on the team.

The team’s young candidates are not very impressed with the player who has shown ambitions for captaincy.

On the other hand, Bumrah may be the only choice for long-term Test captaincy, but Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are also seen as favourites for the captaincy.

Pakistan’s opener batter Saim Ayub has been injured while fielding in the second match of the series at Cape Town on Friday.

The opener was taken off the field with the help of his teammates.

He will likely be taken to the hospital, where his foot will be scanned, after which a decision will be made regarding his participation in the rest of the match. 

South Africa won the toss against Pakistan and decided to bat first. 

Earlier, Pakistan included Mir Hamza in the playing XI in place of Naseem Shah.

Yesterday, it was reported that Mir Hamza is likely to join the team in place of Aamir Jamal, while left-arm spinner Noman Ali is unlikely to play. 

Read this: Dropped players to return for Pakistan’s Champions Trophy campaign

The South African team defeated the Green Shirts by 2-0 in the three-match T20 series, while the third and final T20 match was washed out due to rain. The Pakistani team swept hosts Proteas by 3-0 in the three-match ODI series. 

South Africa has a 1-0 lead in the ongoing Test series, defeating the Green Shirts in the first Test match by two wickets.

National cricket team head coach Aqib Javed has hinted at forming separate teams for white-ball and red-ball cricket.

“We cannot burden a player with all matches to be played in a calendar year. We have to form separate white and red-ball teams. Playing cricket continuously, reduces a player’s interest,” he said while talking on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast.

Javed also expressed hope that defending champions Pakistan will yet again win the Champions Trophy scheduled to be hosted by the country here next month. “We will try to take full advantage of our home conditions.”

“Victory brings happiness to the team… [and] people are disappointed after continuously losing series [recently]. The aim of the sudden change in the team and management was to help the team move towards victory,” he said further.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be hosted by Pakistan. The event  is scheduled from February 19 to March 9, 2025. The tournament will feature 15 matches over 19 days, with games hosted across Pakistan—in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi—and in Dubai.

Indian team has been bowled out for 185 runs in the first inning of the 5th Test in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia on day one. In response, Australia lost one wicket for nine runs.

India opted to bat first in the ongoing fifth Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. They were dismissed for 185 runs in 72.2 overs. Rishabh Pant top-scored with 40 runs, while Scott Boland took four wickets for 31 runs.

In reply, Australia ended the first day at 9 for 1, with Jasprit Bumrah taking the wicket of Usman Khawaja, who scored two runs. Bumrah is leading the Indian team in this match as Rohit Sharma is resting.

The series is currently 2-1 in favour of Australia, and they are looking to seal the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and secure a place in the World Test Championship final.

Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain surprised his fans by igniting the magic of his voice, taking fans by surprise at being a talented singer. 

A video of him singing the Bollywood song Ye Tu Ne Kya Kiya on his brother’s wedding is going viral on social media.

Seeing a new side to the fast bowler, friends and relatives greatly appreciated it, while fans also praised Hasnain’s singing.

He had shown hints of his singing talent with his fellow cricketer Azam Khan in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) four years ago. The new video has been viewed by 18 lakh people on YouTube so far.

This video was shared by by the official account of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

In a wordplay on the word choker, Indian star batsman Virat Kohli has once again been labelled “Chokli” by Indian cricketing fans for losing his wicket while failing to play the same shot for the seventh time in a single series.

As per the details, Kohli was on Friday dismissed while failing to deal with yet another offside delivery in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) – an international Test trophy played between India and Australia.

He fell prey to Australia’s Scott Boland, who claimed Kohli’s wicket for the fourth time in the ongoing BGT.

While it was the seventh time that Kohli lost his wicket struggling to play the same shot in a single series, he has accumulated a total of 184 runs in five Tests, scoring a mere 17 runs in his last innings.

Prior to the fifth and latest Test, he had scored 167 runs in seven innings, averaging at 27.83, with a notable century in the second innings of the Perth Test.

After his poor performance in the BGT, Indian cricketing fans have taken to social media to vent, calling him “Chokli”.

Here’s what some of them had to say:

The awkward fusion of Kohli’s name and ‘choker’ was first used following India’s exit from the 2019 World Cup. India’s last match, a semi-final, saw Kohli being bowled out for just one run.

The national cricket team selection committee has decided to drop one fast bowler for the second Test against South Africa, scheduled to start in Cape Town on Friday.

Geo reported that there is a strong possibility of left-arm fast bowler Mir Hamza joining the team in place of Aamir Jamal.

Jamal came under scrutiny for bowling just one over in the second innings of the Centurion Test, giving 11 runs at a crucial stage of the match.

However, the possibility of a spinner being included in the national team is low at this point. The pitch is suitable for spinners, but it is expected that left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who took 20 wickets at an average of 13.85 in the two Test matches played against England in October 2024, will not be included in the eleven-member team.

Team management is considering Salman Ali Agha as a spinner. The all-rounder has taken 16 wickets in 18 Test matches at an average of 58.75.

The second ODI of the three-match ODI series between Pakistan and South Africa was played at Newlands, Cape Town, where the second Test of the series between Pakistan and South Africa is starting on Friday. 

In response to Pakistan’s 329 runs, South Africa was bowled out for 248 runs with Salman Ali Agha taking one wicket for 71 runs in 10 overs.