Category: Sports

South Africa on Thursday defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the Rawalpindi Test to level the two-match series 1-1. 

Pakistan’s batting collapsed again on the fourth day, setting the visitors a modest target of only 68 runs, which they chased down comfortably.

The day began with Pakistan struggling from the start. Babar Azam was the first to fall after scoring 50 runs, followed by Mohammad Rizwan, who managed 18. Salman Ali Agha contributed 28, while Sajid Khan added 13. Nauman Ali and Shaheen Afridi fell without scoring, and Asif Afridi remained unbeaten on zero as Pakistan were bowled out for 138.

Simon Harmer shone bright for South Africa with six wickets, while Keshav Maharaj took two and Kagiso Rabada claimed one.

In reply, South Africa reached the target at 70 for two. Aiden Markram scored 42, Tristan Stubbs was dismissed for a duck, and Ryan Rickelton stayed unbeaten on 25 to seal the win.

Earlier, Pakistan scored 333 runs in their first innings, while South Africa replied with 404 to take a 71-run lead.

Pakistan have announced their squads for the upcoming white-ball series against South Africa. 

The 15-member T20I and 16-member ODI squads will also remain the same for the tri-nation series featuring Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, as well as the ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Former captain Babar Azam and pacer Naseem Shah have returned to the T20I squad. Babar last played a T20I on December 13, 2024, against South Africa. Salman Ali Agha will lead the T20I side, while Shaheen Shah Afridi will captain the ODI team.

Pakistan and South Africa will play the T20I series from October 28 to November 1, followed by the ODI series in Faisalabad from November 4 to 8. The tri-nation T20I series featuring Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will take place in Rawalpindi and Lahore from November 17 to 29. Pakistan will also face Sri Lanka in an ODI series from November 11 to 15 in Rawalpindi.

Usman Tariq has received his first call-up to the T20I squad, while Abdul Samad, Babar Azam, and Naseem Shah have made their comebacks. In the ODI squad, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, and Haseebullah return to the team.

Pakistan T20I squad:

Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wk), Usman Tariq.

Reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Sufyan Muqeem.

Pakistan ODI squad:

Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha.

Pakistani spinner Noman Ali has reached a new career-high in the ICC Men’s Test Bowler Rankings, moving within touching distance of India’s Jasprit Bumrah, who currently holds the top spot.

Noman’s 10-wicket haul in Pakistan’s 93-run win over South Africa in Lahore earned him a jump of four places to second on the list. The left-arm spinner now has 853 rating points, just 29 behind Bumrah.

Shaheen Shah Afridi also climbed the rankings after taking four wickets in the second innings of the same match, rising three spots to 19th among Test bowlers.

Pakistan’s strong performance against South Africa also helped several batters improve their rankings. Mohammad Rizwan moved up four places to 16th, Babar Azam climbed two spots to 22nd and Salman Ali Agha jumped eight places to 30th.

England’s Joe Root continues to lead the Test batter rankings.

For South Africa, Ryan Rickelton’s first-innings 71 prompted him to the top 50 for the first time, while Tony de Zorzi’s century moved him up to 54th.

Noman’s rapid rise has put him on the verge of becoming the world’s No.1 Test bowler, a position no Pakistani spinner has held in recent years.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has found itself in the firing line after leaving out Sarfaraz Khan and Mohammed Shami from the India A squad for the upcoming red-ball series against South Africa A.

The announcement naming Rishabh Pant as captain and Sai Sudharsan as vice-captain was released on Tuesday. While fans were happy to see Pant return from injury, many were left fuming after noticing two major absentees, Sarfaraz Khan and Mohammed Shami.

Sarfaraz’s exclusion, in particular, has turned into a hot topic. The middle-order batter, known for his consistency in domestic cricket, recently scored 74 runs in the Ranji Trophy and impressed during the England tour with a 92-run knock for India A. Despite his fitness improvements and strong numbers, the selectors still turned a blind eye.

One user wrote, “Sarfaraz Khan has scored tons of runs in domestic cricket, but BCCI always sidelines him. He’s a victim of ugly politics.”

Another user commented, “He is fit, scoring runs, and performing consistently. What else does he need to do, walk on water?”

A third fan couldn’t hold back and said, “Shame on BCCI and coach GG . The man averages 65.98 in first-class cricket, yet he can’t make it to India A.”

Even political voices joined the debate. Indian National Congress leader Dr. Shama Mohamed asked bluntly on X, “Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname? #JustAsking.”

Senior sports journalist Vikrant Gupta also expressed surprise, saying, “I am a little surprised with the continued absence of Sarfaraz Khan — even from the India A system now.”

Meanwhile, fans also questioned Mohammed Shami’s omission. The veteran pacer, who is fighting for a comeback, recently said his participation in Bengal’s Ranji Trophy proves his fitness. “If there was a fitness issue, I wouldn’t be here playing for Bengal,” he said before the selection.

The irony wasn’t lost on fans. One wrote, “So Shami is fit enough for Ranji but not fit enough for India? Classic BCCI logic.”

While BCCI announced that KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, and Dhruv Jurel will join the India A squad after the ODI series against Australia, fans were in no mood to calm down. Many accused the selection committee of favoritism and inconsistency.

As one frustrated fan summed it up, “If performance doesn’t matter and surnames do, maybe the selection committee should just rename the team ‘India B’ instead of India A.”

Whether the selectors respond or not, the internet has made its judgment clear, cricket fans aren’t buying the “merit” argument anymore.

Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Asif Afridi made history by breaking a 92-year-old record during the second Test against South Africa in Rawalpindi.

At 38 years and 299 days, Asif became the oldest cricketer to take a five-wicket haul on debut, surpassing England’s Charles Marriott, who achieved the feat in 1933 at the age of 37 years and 332 days.

Asif’s remarkable performance came after he was included in the playing XI for the second and final Test. He was not part of the team in the opening match, which Pakistan won.

With this achievement, Asif has written his name into cricket history, proving that age is no barrier to success on the big stage.

Pakistani mountaineer Shehroze Kashif has said that the government has forgotten its promise of financial support after his historic achievement of climbing all 14 peaks over 8,000 meters.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) Shehroze wrote, “My government promised support, but all was forgotten. I sold my land, my car, and remain in debt from past expeditions. How can you do this to someone who raised Pakistan’s flag on all 14 eight-thousanders?” 

He tagged Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, and federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar, urging them to take notice.

Shehroze revealed that he spent nearly Rs 40 million on his expeditions and is now struggling to recover financially. He also shared that he underwent a major back surgery and now has metal rods in his spine, which makes movement painful. “No one even took responsibility for my medical bills,” he said.

Frustrated with the lack of recognition, Shehroze said that if this continues, he might consider moving abroad to pursue better opportunities.

The 22-year-old climber holds the record as the youngest Pakistani to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks.

West Indies has created history in Mirpur by becoming the first team in men’s or women’s ODI cricket to bowl all 50 overs with spin during their match against Bangladesh.

The Caribbean side used five spinners, delivering 300 balls, conceding 207 runs, and taking seven wickets on a turning track at the Shere Bangla Stadium. Remarkably, their only pace option, Justin Greaves, was not used at all.

Before this, the record for most spin overs in an ODI innings stood at 44, achieved three times by Sri Lanka, against West Indies in 1996, New Zealand in 1998, and Australia in 2004.

Abbas Afridi has been named captain of Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming Hong Kong Sixes tournament that is scheduled to take place from November 7 to 9.

According to reports, the Pakistani team will depart for Hong Kong on November 5, and play both its group-stage matches on Friday, November 7.

The team includes Abdul Samad, Khawaja Muhammad Nafe, Moazz Sadaqat, Mohammad Shehzad, Saad Masood and Shahid Aziz.

While a total of 12 teams will compete in the event, Pakistan enters this year’s Hong Kong Sixes with a rather rich history. They have won the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes tournament five times, placing them among the most successful teams in the event’s history.

More recently, Pakistan reached the final of the 2024 edition but fell short, losing to Sri Lanka by three wickets after being restricted to 72 in their innings.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has removed Mohammad Rizwan and appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi as the new ODI captain on Monday.

While the board did not explain the reasoning behind the decision, former cricketer Rashid Latif blamed head coach Mike Hesson for Rizwan’s removal.

Latif claimed that Rizwan’s public support for Palestine was the real reason behind his dismissal as captain. He said that Rizwan’s actions, including his pledge to donate PKR 100,000 for every six wickets taken by Multan Sultans in support of Palestine, did not sit well with the team management.

According to Rashid Latif, Mohammad Rizwan has been removed from the captaincy because he spoke openly for Palestine and Mike Hesson didn’t like the culture he brought to the dressing roompic.twitter.com/YUoKfsqz8q

— Hassan Abbasian (@HassanAbbasian) October 20, 2025

“Just because he picked up the Palestine flag, you would sack him as captain? There is this mindset that a non-Islamic captain will lead the team of an islamic country,” Latif said in a video shared on social media.

He further alleged that Rizwan introduced religious practices in the dressing room, something that Hesson reportedly disliked. “Mike Hesson is the one behind this decision. He isn’t someone who likes this culture in the dressing room. He has a team of five to six people who want to end this culture. We never cared about these things, even when Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, or Saqlain Mushtaq were part of the team,” Latif added.

The PCB’s decision surprised many, as Rizwan had only been appointed ODI captain in October last year. The Board’s announcement came on the first day of the second Test between Pakistan and South Africa in Rawalpindi.

Rizwan’s tenure included series wins against Australia and South Africa, but Pakistan’s early exit from the Champions Trophy and a disappointing series against West Indies reportedly sealed his fate. The selection committee discussed the matter with Hesson before finalizing the change, though the PCB has not issued an official explanation.

With Shaheen Afridi now leading the ODI side, Pakistan will have three different captains for all three formats.