Category: Sports

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially announced the schedule for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Australia, with all matches set to take place at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore later this month.

Australia’s squad will arrive in Lahore on Wednesday, January 28, a day before the series opener.

The series provides both teams with crucial match practice ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan will compete in Group A of the tournament, while Australia have been placed in Group B.

This tour marks Australia’s third visit to Pakistan since their return in March-April 2022, when they played Tests, ODIs, and a one-off T20I. The Australian side also participated in three matches of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 held in Pakistan.

The two teams have met only once in a T20I at Gaddafi Stadium, on April 5, 2022, when Australia claimed a narrow three-wicket victory.

Pakistan vs Australia T20I Schedule 

1st T20I: January 29, 2026
2nd T20I: January 31, 2026 
3rd T20I: February 1, 2026

United States (US) based fast bowler Ali Khan of Pakistani origin on Tuesday revealed that he has been denied an Indian visa ahead of the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, where he is set to represent the US.

Khan shared the update in an Instagram story that showed him having KFC alongside teammate Shayan Jahangir, who was also denied a visa.

“India visa denied but KFC for the win,” Khan wrote.

Meanwhile, reports said that Ehsan Adil and Mohammad Mohsin of the US cricket team were also denied visas by Indian authorities, allegedly due to their Pakistani roots.

It merits a mention that this is not the first time when players of Pakistani origin have faced visa-related issues while travelling to India.

In 2024, England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir encountered delays in obtaining a visa for England’s Test tour of India due to his Pakistani origin. England pacer Saqib Mahmood has also faced similar entry delays in the past.

According to media reports, several T20 World Cup teams, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Canada, Italy, the US and the Netherlands, have approached the ICC regarding visa issues for players born in Pakistan or of Pakistani descent.

Pakistan’s own squad, however, won’t face any visa concerns as Pakistan and India have already agreed upon a hybrid model for ICC events, under which both teams continue to play their matches at neutral venues when one of them is the host.

While Sri Lanka will host all group-stage games and any knockout matches played by Greenshirts, a decision on venues for Bangladesh matches, amid souring Dhaka-New Delhi ties, is still awaited.

Several Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises have reportedly asked the league’s management to introduce a player auction system instead of the traditional draft ahead of the upcoming season.

Citing franchise representatives, media reports have said that the current draft system often leaves teams without their preferred players, as rival franchises pick them earlier. 

They believe an auction will create a fairer process and give teams more control over squad building. Karachi Kings, Islamabad United, and Quetta Gladiators have openly supported the auction model.

Franchises have also raised concerns over a lack of clarity on player recruitment rules. They have questioned how direct signings will work, how many players teams can sign directly, and who will finalise player categories. 

Franchise officials have reportedly demanded transparency and involvement in these decisions.

However, PSL management has yet to respond to these queries. 

Earlier, PCB successfully conducted a franchise team auction, which expanded the PSL. 

The league completed its franchise auction on January 8, adding two new teams to the tournament. 

The Kingsmen Group (FKS) acquired the seventh franchise Hyderabad for PKR 1.75 billion, while OZ Developers bought the eighth franchise Sialkot for a record PKR 1.85 billion. 

The bidding took place at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad, with ten groups initially registered to participate, however, Ali Tareen Group withdrew just before the auction started, leaving nine groups to compete for the two franchises.

Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso have parted ways after only seven months, with Alvaro Arbeloa replacing him.

The club announced the decision just one day after Real lost to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.

Arbeloa, who has coached Real Madrid’s B team since June 2025 and spent the previous six years working with the academy, takes over immediately.

Alonso departs despite having the best win percentage of any Real Madrid head coach in the last decade at 71 percent. However, Real currently sit second in LaLiga, four points behind leaders Barcelona at the midway point of the season.

The club also occupies seventh place in the Champions League table, having won four of their six matches and lost the other two.

A Real Madrid statement announced the club had parted ways with Alonso, who also enjoyed a stellar playing career at the Bernabeu, via “mutual agreement.”

The statement said, “Xabi Alonso will always have the affection and admiration of all Madrid fans because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values of our club. Real Madrid will always be his home. Our club thanks Alonso and his entire technical team for their work and dedication during this time, and wishes them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives.”

Real hired Alonso last summer as Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement after he guided Bayer Leverkusen to an unexpected German league and cup double in 2024.

Liverpool had previously linked Alonso to their managerial position when Jurgen Klopp announced his departure from Anfield in 2024, but the Spaniard opted to stay at Leverkusen for another season before moving to Madrid.

Arbeloa brings a strong track record from within the Real Madrid system. The 42-year-old previously coached the club’s academy, particularly excelling with the Juvenil A side, the Under-19s squad.

In the 2022-23 season, Arbeloa guided the Juvenil team to a treble, winning their league, Copa del Rey tournament and the Champions Cup title. He added another league title with the team last season before his promotion to Castilla.

Arbeloa and Alonso share a unique connection as former teammates at Real Madrid, Liverpool and the Spain national team.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes fell victim to a social media hack late Sunday night, with hackers posting a series of bizarre and offensive messages on his X account.

The incident occurred just hours after Fernandes played the full 90 minutes in United’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the third round of the FA Cup.

The first unusual post read, “Join Macclesfield FC. Excited for the future.” The message referenced sixth-tier Macclesfield, who had knocked holders Crystal Palace out of the competition on Saturday.

Shortly afterwards, another post appeared stating, “At the end of the day I will always be a winner. No matter what,” with a money bag emoji.

The hacker then published several posts, including remarks aimed at female footballer Alisha Lehmann and social media personality KSI. 

The most widely viewed post targeted Manchester United’s ownership , stating, “let’s get rid of INEOS.” Sir Jim Ratcliffe owns INspec Ethylene Oxide Specialities (INEOS) and serves as a minority owner at the club, overseeing football operations.

As fans began questioning the posts, Manchester United confirmed that hackers had compromised Fernandes’s account and urged supporters not to engage with any posts or direct messages.

The hacker then shared that warning on Fernandes’s page, adding,”Make sure you guys stay alert for any hacks.”

Other posts included challenges such as “1v1 fifa @LukeTheNuke180” and a controversial statement claiming, “jake paul beat AJ but you aren’t ready for that conversation.”

One post drew attention when the hacked account replied to 18-year-old United player Shea Lacey, who had received a red card against Brighton and later issued a public apology. The reply read, “just don’t do it again.”

The account continued posting and interacting with users past midnight while club officials worked to regain control.

Fernandes had maintained his X account since April 2019, accumulating just over 500 posts. His most recent legitimate update came in October, celebrating his 300th appearance for Manchester United.

As of now, all the hacked posts have been deleted from the account.

Pakistan will finalise its T20 World Cup squad this week as the national team returns from its Sri Lanka tour, with head coach Mike Hesson set to hold crucial consultations with selectors.

According to reports, Hesson will arrive in Lahore following the conclusion of the Sri Lanka tour. National T20 squad members are returning home today after completing the series in Sri Lanka.

Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha will conduct final consultations with the selectors before announcing the squad. Reports indicate that once consultations conclude, the PCB will announce the squad with approval from Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

The Board has already submitted provisional names to the ICC for the World Cup. The board can make changes to the names without ICC permission until January 31.

Reports suggest that the likely players include captain Salman Ali Agha, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan, and Abrar Ahmed.

The list also features Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Salman Agha, and Khawaja Nafay as potential squad members.

Abdul Samad, Mohammad Wasim Junior, and Usman Tariq may join the team as reserve players.

The World Cup begins on February 7 and will be played in India and Sri Lanka. 

Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan has reportedly expressed interest in hosting Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches after the team refused to travel to India for the tournament.

Citing Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sources, media reports have said that if Sri Lankan venues remain unavailable, Pakistan stands ready to step in. The Board pointed to its successful hosting of the Champions Trophy and ICC Women’s Qualifier as evidence of its capability to organise World Cup matches. 

“Pakistan’s venues are fully prepared to host T20 World Cup matches,” the reports said, adding that all stadiums meet the requirements for international competitions.

The offer comes after Bangladesh declared it will not send its team to India for the tournament. 

The controversy began when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dropped star Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from its Indian Premier League (IPL) squad following directives from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The move sparked outrage among cricket fans and administrators in Bangladesh, who called for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to take reciprocal action. The BCB subsequently cited security concerns and requested the ICC relocate its group matches from India to Sri Lanka.

India and Sri Lanka are co-hosting the 20-team tournament starting February 7, with all of Bangladesh’s group matches originally scheduled at Indian venues.

Following two days of silence, the ICC and BCB held a virtual meeting on January 6 to address the dispute. The BCB has now agreed to work closely with the ICC to resolve security concerns.

“The ICC has conveyed its willingness to work closely with the BCB to address the concerns, and has assured that the board’s inputs will be welcomed and duly considered as part of the detailed security planning for the event,” the BCB stated on January 7.

The Board committed to “continue constructive engagement with the ICC and relevant event authorities in a cooperative and professional manner to arrive at an affable and practical solution.”

ESPNCricinfo reported that the ICC told Bangladesh during the meeting that the team must travel to India or risk forfeiting points. However, the BCB dismissed the report as “completely false and unfounded,” stating such claims do not reflect the nature of communications received from the ICC.

Bangladesh’s interim government has escalated the dispute by banning IPL broadcasts.

Relations between the nations have remained strained since August 2024, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi after an uprising ended her rule. Bangladesh blames India for supporting Hasina during her time in power.

The ICC is yet to make a final decision on whether it will relocate Bangladesh’s matches, with the tournament’s opening match just over a month away.

Pakistan’s young squash star Noor Zaman lost to former world champion Mohamed Elshorbagy in the Karachi Open quarterfinals on Friday, eliminating Pakistan from the tournament, but the 21-year-old won the hearts of fans with his spirited performance.

Zaman gave the former world number one a tough fight in a five-game thriller, earning praise from Elshorbagy after the match. The Egyptian acknowledged the challenge Noor presented, particularly in the later games.

The first game saw a weak start from Noor as Elshorbagy displayed brilliant shots and took it 11-2. In the second game, Noor drew energy from the home crowd’s and showed a stronger performance, though Elshorbagy edged it 11-8.

Noor found his rhythm in the third game and defeated Elshorbagy 11-6 to stay in the semifinal race. 

Both players competed neck and neck in the fourth game, but Noor gained the upper hand through some intelligent shots, treating fans to spectacular action.

The fifth and final game proved extremely thrilling as both players battled hard for every point. Elshorbagy eventually won the last game 11-9 to claim the match. 

At the match’s conclusion, both players embraced each other and Elshorbagy offered Noor some advice while fans gave the players a standing ovation.

“He is a young guy and was more excited for the match as he was winning the games. It was hard, I can tell you. The fifth game was definitely a lottery. It could have gone either way,” Elshorbagy said after the match. “He is very good one to watch in the future,” he added.

Noor Zaman became the first-ever men’s U23 World Squash Champion in April 2025, achieving the historic feat at the inaugural championship held in Karachi. 

His accolades include two consecutive Asian Junior Championship titles, a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games, and a bronze in the 2024 Asian Senior Team Event. 

In December 2025, he claimed his second Copper-level title of the 2025/26 PSA Tour season at the CAS Serena Hotels International Squash Championships in Islamabad.