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  • VIDEO: Haris Rauf celebrates wicket in BBL match by wiping hands, putting on mask

    VIDEO: Haris Rauf celebrates wicket in BBL match by wiping hands, putting on mask

    Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf is known for his quirky celebrations after he took Shahid Afridi’s wicket in Pakistan Super League (PSL). A video of the 28-year-old speedster is circulating on social media and burned the internet with his unique style of celebrating the wicket in Big Bash League (BBL).

    In Melbourne Stars jersey, the right-arm fast bowler came up with a ‘Covid-safe’ celebration, where he gestured to sanitise his hands and put on a mask after taking the wicket of Kurtis Patterson.

    It all happened during the third over of the BBL contest between Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars. Rauf bowled a delivery that was angling away outside off stump, tempting Patterson to go for a cover drive. But the batter nicked it to the keeper Joe Clarke, which was followed by Rauf’s hilarious celebration.

    Rauf acted to take out sanitiser from his pocket moments after the umpire raise his finger. The Pakistan seamer then pulled out a mask and wore it, leaving his teammates and even the commentators in splits.

    Rauf finished with figures of 2 for 38 in his four overs as Perth Scorchers scored 117 runs off the last 10 overs to take their total to 196/3.

    Earlier, Rauf impressed his fans after taking a brilliant catch in his second match for the Stars.

  • VIDEO: Younis Khan recalls time when crowd wanted him out so Afridi could bat

    VIDEO: Younis Khan recalls time when crowd wanted him out so Afridi could bat

    An old video of Former Pakistan Cricket Team Captain Younis Khan is doing the rounds on social media in which he can be seen talking about Pakistan’s most loved cricketer Shahid Afridi and his fan following. The cricketer recalled the time when he was on the crease at 150 score and the crowd wanted him dismissed to watch Afridi play.

    In the video of an old interview, Younis shared: “I was playing on 150 and Mohammad Yousuf was playing on 170 and we were playing against India. What we were hearing from the crowd was ‘dismiss Younis Khan, dismiss Mohammad Yousuf’. Why? Because Shahid bhai had worn his pads.”

    Shahid, who was also sitting in front of him started laughing.

    Younis further added that the crowd left as soon as Afridi got out and nobody waited for his double hundred.

    “Shahid Afridi came to the crease. Hit a few sixes here and there and got out. Amazingly, the crowd left with him. They got value for their money. But here I was nearing a double hundred in front of an empty stand,” he added.

    “What we see later was that the crowd was also leaving. I stood there and wondered: my 200 is almost done, watch me do that too. No, they were like ‘we have seen Shahid bhai hitting sixes, now we are going, Goodbye’.”

    Younis did not clarify which match he was talking about but there is only one Test in Pakistan in which both he and Yousuf got hundreds against India. It took place in Lahore in 2006.

    Younis had scored 199 while Yousuf slammed 173 as Pakistan pummelled the Indian bowling attack on a flat track. They ended up scoring 679/7 batting first.

    Afridi, however had smashed a hundred in that match. The attacking all-rounder hit 7 sixes in his 80-ball 103.

  • Want to go watch the PSL matches during Covid? Here is what you need to know

    Want to go watch the PSL matches during Covid? Here is what you need to know

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly finalised a plan to complete the Pakistan Super League season seven smoothly despite Covid-19 fears.

    The much awaited league is set to start from January 27 and will be played in Karachi and Lahore.

    The previous two editions of the league were affected by the pandemic and were completed in two phases after a brief postponement.

    Keeping the fifth Covid-19 wave in mind, the board and the franchises have chalked down the protocols to complete the tournament smoothly.

    Reportedly, the authorities have made a three-day quarantine mandatory for the people associated with the league.

    Local and foreign players will enter quarantine from January 20. In case of a positive test, 10-day isolation will be obligatory for the affected person.

    Families of the players will not be allowed to stay with them during the tournament.

    The report further revealed that the availability of a minimum of 13 players is essential for the conduct of a match. In case less than 13 players are available, a match will not be possible.

    The tournament will be suspended for seven-day if coronavirus infections break out during the league.

    A reserve pool of 24 local players will be readied for the PSL 7. These players will also enter quarantine from January 20.

    The security plans were also discussed in a meeting held by Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja.

    Meanwhile, the online sale of tickets of the league will start from today (Tuesday). PCB has also reportedly offered free tickets for the fans, one free ticket will be given for every four tickets purchased.

    The spectators will have to be fully vaccinated and follow the Covid-19 SOPs.

  • World number one Djokovic wins legal battle to remain in Australia

    World number one Djokovic wins legal battle to remain in Australia

    An Australian judge ruled on Monday that Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic be released from immigration detention immediately, finding the government’s decision to revoke the tennis star’s visa to enter the country was “unreasonable”.

    Judge Anthony Kelly ordered Djokovic be freed within 30 minutes and his passport and other personal documents returned to him, rekindling the world number one’s bid to win a record 21st Grand Slam title at the upcoming Australian Open.

    Kelly, who earlier in proceedings had criticised the hours-long questioning of Djokovic at Melbourne’s airport when he landed on Wednesday, said both the interview and the visa cancellation “was unreasonable”.

    Djokovic was not given enough time to speak to tennis organisers and lawyers to respond fully after he was notified of the intent to cancel his visa, the judge said.

    Lawyers for the federal government told the court the country’s immigration minister was reserving the right to exercise his personal power to again revoke Djokovic’s visa.

    After confirming that such a step, if taken, would bar Djokovic from the country for three years, Kelly warned the government lawyers that “the stakes have now risen, rather than receded.”

    Spokespeople for the minister, Alex Hawke, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    Djokovic’s plight has been closely followed around the world, creating political tensions between Belgrade and Canberra and sparking heated debate over national vaccination mandates.

    Djokovic, 34, has been held in an immigration detention hotel alongside long-term asylum seeker detainees since Thursday. He was at his lawyers’ chambers on Monday to hear the ruling, which included the government being ordered to pay his costs.

    His lawyers argued that a recent Covid-19 infection qualified Djokovic for the medical exemption from a requirement for non-Australian citizens entering the country to be double vaccinated.

    The Australian government, however, had argued non-citizens had no right of guaranteed entry to Australia and questioned his claimed exemption.

  • ‘Lovely surprise’: Shoaib Malik thanks Atif Aslam for popping up at restaurant launch

    ‘Lovely surprise’: Shoaib Malik thanks Atif Aslam for popping up at restaurant launch

    Former Pakistan Cricket Team Captain Shoaib Malik has launched his restaurant “Rice Bowl” in Lahore and hosted a star-studded event. Many Pakistani cricketers including skipper Babar Azam, Wahab Riaz, Waqar Younis, Ahmed Shahzad, Kamran Akmal, Usman Qadir, Hassan Ali among others were present at the launch party.

    Pakistani superstar Atif Aslam also popped up at the launch party, joing the others at dinner.

    Taking to Twitter, Malik thanked Atif, saying: “What a lovely surprise it was @itsaadee to see you pop out of the blue at the launch of #RiceBowl earlier today…”

    “Sir tussi great ho, love you,” he added.

    Veteran cricketers Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saqlain Mushtaq were also spotted at the inaugaration ceremony.

    Malik thanked everyone saying that they graced the launch event.

    Atif also met all the cricketers. In a video widely circulating on social media, they can be seen hugging and shaking hands.

  • PM Khan honoured with international sports award

    PM Khan honoured with international sports award

    Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan on Sunday was awarded the “International Sports Personality Award,” at the 11th edition of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Awards ceremony held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

    According to The Khaleej Times, the awards were distributed by the Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Chairman of Dubai Sports Council and Mattar Al Tayer Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the Dubai Exhibition Centre.

    It should be noted that PM Imran Khan was announced as a winner back in November 2021 for dedicating his life to sports.

    During his illustrious 21-year cricket career, Imran Khan made numerous contributions to Pakistan cricket including leading the green shirts to the 1992 World Cup title.

    After making his debut in 1971, he went on to make several records, becoming one of the greatest players ever to grace the game.

    In his stellar career, Imran represented Pakistan in the 88 Test matches and scored 3807 runs with six centuries as well as took 362 wickets at an average of 22.81.

    While in the ODIs, he represented his country in 175 matches and took 182 scalps at an average of 26.61, along with 3,709 under his belt as well.

  • Australian judge offers Djokovic ray of hope in deportation fight

    Australian judge offers Djokovic ray of hope in deportation fight

    An Australian judge demanded to know what more Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic could have done to meet the country’s strict pandemic entry requirements, offerring a ray of hope to the detained tennis ace as he fights deportation.

    The 34-year-old world number one arrived in Melbourne last week ahead of Australian Open, hoping to win a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title.

    But guards at the Melbourbne’s Tullamarine Airport decided the unvaccinated star had failed to present a solid medical reason for not being vaccinated.

    Djokovic’s visa was revoked and he was moved to an immigration detention facility pending deportation.

    In an emergency online court hearing Monday, Federal Judge Anthony Kelly listened to extended legal wrangling about the process, before jumping to the 34-year-old’s defence.

    Declaring himself “somewhat agitated”, Kelly said Djokovic had provided evidence from “a professor and an eminently qualified physician” about a medical exemption.

    “What more could this man have done?” the judge demanded.

    The proceedings were being watched live and anti-vaccine activists shared a link to the livestream, defying a court order by broadcasting the proceedings live on YouTube.

    Eventually, the judge pressed ahead without a public livestream, and Djokovic’s team of top lawyers made his case.

    The Australian Open gets under way in just seven days, and the nine-time defending champion’s participation now entirely depends on whether Judge Kelly believes the government acted improperly in revoking his visa.

    Most foreigners are still banned from travel to Australia, and those granted entry must be fully vaccinated or have an exemption like “acute” illness.

    Meanwhile, much of Australia is tightening restrictions to battle an Omicron-fuelled wave of infections.

    As per reports, the country is now approaching 100,000 cases a day, having been virus-free for much of the pandemic.

  • VIDEO: Babar Azam recalls the time when his cousins refused to lend him shoes

    VIDEO: Babar Azam recalls the time when his cousins refused to lend him shoes

    A video of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is being widely shared on Twitter from an interview with former Pakistan Cricket team captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, in which he can be seen talking about his past and recalled an incident when he requested his cousins to lend him an extra pair of shoes and they refused to give them to him.

    While in conversation with Inzamam, Babar said that he used to play cricket in the streets and then he joined a cricket club. He said: “When you join a club, you need kits for that. Firstly, I used to borrow kits from fellow trainees but after a month I realised that I also need one. I told my papa that I need a kit but he said that he can not afford it. My mother got to know about this and told me she has saved some money. She gave me about 3500 rupees and I bought a bat worth rupees1500. That was the best moment for me.” Babar shared he still has that bat in his old house.

    He further shared: “When I was first selected for under 15, I asked my cousins if they have extra pair of shoes for me but they said ‘No, we don’t’. That is when I decided not to borrow anything and will do everything on my own from here.”

    He made his Test debut for Pakistan against the West Indies in Dubai on 13 October 2016 and scored 69 runs in his first innings. He was the first player to score a fifty on his Test debut through a day/night Test.

    In September 2019, before the home series against Sri Lanka, he was named as the vice-captain of Pakistan cricket team in both ODIs and T20Is, on the back of his consistent performances in these formats. In October 2019, he was named captain of the Pakistan cricket team in T20Is, ahead of a series with Australia.

    Recently, the all-format captain was also given the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ODI Player of the Year award.


  • Shoaib Akhtar left England matches for Pakistan to give his mother a bag of flour when she needed it

    Shoaib Akhtar left England matches for Pakistan to give his mother a bag of flour when she needed it

    Veteran Pakistani actor and comedian Sohail Ahmed had an interesting story to share about former fast bowler of the national cricket team Shoaib Akhtar and his unwavering love for his late mother.

    “I want to tell the next generation how Shoaib Akhtar loved and served his mother. He is one of a kind,” shared the legendary actor on his television show Hasb-e-Haal.

    “Let us provide the youth an example of how to respect and serve mothers,” he remarked, narrating a story first told by Saqlain Mushtaq, a former Pakistani cricketer and coach, about Akhter’s love for his mother.

    As per Sohail Ahmed, Akhtar along with his family devoured a mix of big quantity of flour which Shoaib had to get for his family.

    Quoting Mushtaq, Ahmed said that “Akhtar had left us in England while the matches were being played and had come to give wheat to his mother as she called him and informed him that she was running out of flour.”

    “He left the match and went to give flour,” said Mushtaq to Ahmed.

    Akhtar, according to the actor, expressed his love for his mother through actions and not just words. “He was an obedient child.”

  • Former Indian Cricket Team Captain MS Dhoni sends a special gift to Pakistani cricketer Haris Rauf

    Former Indian Cricket Team Captain MS Dhoni sends a special gift to Pakistani cricketer Haris Rauf

    Star Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf has received a signed shirt from former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

    The 40-year-old sent a signed Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) jersey to the pacer.

    Rauf took to his Twitter account and expressed his joy and happiness on receiving the signed jersey from one of the game’s finest captains.

    Pacer Rauf also thanked CSK team manager Russell Radhakrishnan for his support.

    It is pertinent to mention that Rauf has played 34 T20Is for Pakistan and has taken 41 wickets, while in eight ODIs, he has taken 14 scalps. Currently, he is playing in Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia for the franchise Melbourne Stars.