Category: Sports

Former cricketer Azhar Ali, a member of Pakistan Cricket Board’s national men’s selection committee, has resigned from both his role on the panel and as Head of Youth Development, media reports confirmed on Tuesday.

Azhar joined the national selection committee in October 2024 alongside former ICC elite umpire Aleem Dar and ex-Test pacer Aqib Javed, joining Asad Shafiq who was already serving. 

The panel arrived amid a turbulent period following Pakistan’s innings defeat in the Multan Test against England.

The revamped committee drew attention after making bold calls, including dropping star batter Babar Azam and pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah from the remaining two Tests. The decisions sparked debate but were credited with helping Pakistan bounce back to claim a 2-1 series win.

In November 2024, the PCB appointed him as Head of Youth Development after a formal recruitment process. In the role, he oversaw grassroots programs, long-term talent pathways, and development of players from junior to elite levels.

The resignation comes as a surprise amid the board’s focus on strengthening its development framework. The PCB has not issued an official statement on the reasons behind the departure.

The former player enjoyed a distinguished international career, earning 97 Test and 53 ODI caps, captaining Pakistan in nine Tests and 31 ODIs, and playing a key role in Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy triumph in 2017. He scored 7,097 runs in 96 Test matches at an average of 42.49, making him Pakistan’s fifth-highest Test run-scorer with 19 centuries and 34 half-centuries.

Norway has booked its place at the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 27 years after strong wins over Estonia and Italy. 

With stars like Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, the team enters the global stage with a renewed identity under manager Ståle Solbakken.

Solbakken says the squad carries the same spirit he felt during his own World Cup experience, highlighting the positive energy and unity within the group. The players share a strong sense of purpose as they prepare for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year.

Norway’s transformation began after their UEFA Nations League campaign, where an early loss to Austria sparked a revival. The team topped their group and earned promotion to League A, building belief in itself that carried into their World Cup qualifying run. 

Under Ødegaard’s captaincy, Norway has now recorded 11 straight competitive wins, including dominant victories over Israel and Moldova.

Their numbers reflect a complete shift in approach. Norway leads Europe in qualifying goals and has conceded only five times in eight matches. Solbakken’s focus on structure, confidence and a more attacking style has helped the team control games, moving away from the inconsistent performances of the past.

The tactical setup balances possession and defensive discipline. A compact shape, zonal marking and a dynamic midfield led by players like Sander Berge have become central to Norway’s success. Haaland’s impact remains massive, not only through goals but through his pressing and movement that open space for teammates.

Former goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt credits cultural change within the team, noting how players now show maturity, resilience and strong communication.

Solbakken says the journey demanded patience and commitment, but the team now stands ready for the challenge ahead. 

Norway’s qualification marks the start of a new chapter built on belief, teamwork and a modern style of football.

Portugal confirmed their place at the 2026 World Cup with a commanding 9-1 victory over Armenia in Porto on Sunday, producing their most dominant display of the qualifying campaign even without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves stepped up in style, scoring hat-tricks to lead Portugal to a statement win at home. 

Renato Veiga opened the scoring in the early minutes, with Goncalo Ramos and Francisco Conceicao adding a goal each as Portugal sealed top spot in Group F.

Portugal entered the match needing a strong finish after a draw in Hungary and a shock defeat to Ireland earlier in the week. They responded with complete control from kickoff, pressing high and punishing Armenia’s defensive mistakes. 

Veiga set the tone with a clean strike, before Fernandes and Neves took over the midfield and broke through Armenia’s backline repeatedly.

Ramos added his name to the scoresheet with a sharp finish, while Conceicao struck late to complete the rout. Armenia struggled to cope with Portugal’s pace and intensity, allowing the hosts to dominate possession and territory throughout.

The victory ensured Portugal’s qualification at the third attempt and secured their seventh consecutive appearance at the World Cup. 

Despite Ronaldo sitting the game out, the Euro 2016 champions showcased their depth, creativity and attacking balance, elements that will be crucial as they prepare for next year’s tournament in North America.

Coach Roberto Martinez praised the team’s response after two difficult outings, highlighting the leadership of senior players and the rise of young talents like Neves. 

Fernandes, meanwhile, delivered one of his best performances of the campaign, controlling the tempo and finishing with authority.

Spain and Switzerland also moved within touching distance of qualification over the weekend. 

Spain maintained their perfect run with a 4-0 win against Georgia, as Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice and Ferran Torres added another. The result kept Spain firmly in control of Group E, with Turkey needing a highly unlikely seven-goal victory in their final match to overtake them. 

Switzerland also closed in on qualification after a 4-1 win over Sweden, with Granit Xhaka scoring from the spot and Dan Ndoye extending the lead late on. Both European giants now stand just one routine result away from confirming their place at next year’s tournament.

Portugal, however, will now shift focus to building momentum and refining their squad as they chase their first-ever World Cup title.

Los Angeles 2028 has published the detailed daily competition schedule for the first Summer Olympics to be held in the United States (US) since 1996.

The schedule, subject to change, includes specific session times for the largest games ever with 351 medal events.

As previously announced, action starts on July 12, 2028 – two days before the opening ceremony, as usual – with preliminary competition in basketball, cricket, field hockey, handball, rugby sevens, football and water polo.

On July 14, the day of the opening ceremony, canoe slalom will be held at the Oklahoma City Whitewater Center. Softball will also be held in Oklahoma City in the second week of the games — at Devon Park, the annual host of the NCAA Women’s College World Series.

On July 15, the first medals of the games will be awarded in women’s triathlon, which will be held along Venice Beach.

Later that evening, the first track and field finals will be the women’s shot put, men’s 10,000m and women’s 100m. All four rounds of the women’s 100m will be held on that Saturday, including a preliminary round that’s traditionally for lower-ranked sprinters only.

The men’s 100m final will be the following evening.

The women’s 400m hurdles semifinals and women’s 400m final are in the same session, which would make it difficult for a potential Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone double in both events.

Track and field and swimming will switch places from their traditional spots in the Olympic schedule — track and field in the first week for 2028 and swimming in the second week.

The switch will aid SoFi Stadium’s transition from co-hosting the opening ceremony with the Coliseum to becoming the first NFL stadium to host Olympic swimming starting July 22.

The women’s 200m butterfly and women’s 800m freestyle finals are in the same session, making a potential double difficult for Canada’s Summer McIntosh.

McIntosh is the reigning Olympic and world champion in the 200m fly, and the second-fastest woman in history in the event. This past August, she did swim the 800m free at the World Championships and took bronze behind Katie Ledecky — the four-time Olympic gold medalist in the event — and Australian Lani Pallister.

Swimming is slated to host the final medal events of the Games on Sunday, July 30 before the closing ceremony at 6 pm.

As usual, the team and all-around finals in gymnastics are in the first week of the Games. The new mixed team event will be the last artistic gymnastics event on Tuesday, July 25. The format for that event has not been announced.

The marathons will still be held on the last weekend of the games, keeping with tradition.

Flag football, which makes its Olympic debut, will be in the first week from July 15-22. If NFL players take part, having that competition early could be helpful given NFL preseason training camps typically open in mid-to-late July with preseason games ramping up in early August.

Baseball, which returns to the games, will also be early in the schedule from July 13-19 at Dodger Stadium (which hosted baseball as a demonstration sport at the 1984 LA Games).

Though Major League Baseball has not yet decided whether to allow active big leaguers to participate in the Olympics for the first time, it may be noted that the MLB All-Star breaks the past five seasons have been: July 12-14, 18-20, 10-13, 15-18 and 14-17.