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Category: Sports

  • Gwadar stadium hosts first cricket match, dedicated to Ali Sadpara

    Gwadar stadium hosts first cricket match, dedicated to Ali Sadpara

    It was a sight for sore eyes as the cricket stadium in Gawdar city, dubbed by many as the world’s most beautiful one, hosted its first ever cricket match on Friday.

    The picturesque stadium, surrounded by the majestic mountains and hills, is hosting a match between the Showbiz Sharks Vs the Gwadar Dolphins. Prime Minister Imran Khan dedicated the match to the unsung hero, Ali Sadpara.

    Sharing the images from the stadium, the official page of Khan wrote: “The first ever cricket match being held at Gwadar cricket stadium, the match was dedicated to Muhammad Ali Sadpara.”

    Zulfi Bukhari seconds Khan. “Dedicating the 1st ever match at Gwadar Stadium to Pakistan’s son #MuhammadAliSadpara. The match tomorrow will start with a prayer in his memory,” he tweeted.

    “This is the beauty of our land, even our loss unites us from K2 to Gwadar to Quetta,” he added.

    According to a report, the Showbiz Sharks were being led by PCB CEO Waseem Khan and will include Fakhr-e-Alam, Faysal Qureishi, Ali Zafar, Saleem Sheikh, Aijaz Aslam, Shezad Roy, Sami Khan, Kamran Jeelani, Salman Saeed, Ali Safina and Noman Habib.

    The Dolphins, on the other hand, were being led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari and features local players and Ali Zaidi and the GOC Gwadar.

    British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Christian Turner, officiated the toss between Zulfi Bukhari and Waseem Khan.

    Cricket buffs couldn’t hold back from tweeting pictures of the stadium. Here are some of the tweets:

    The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis decided to jump on the “Pawri Hori Hai” bandwagon.

    One Twitter account uploaded the new PSL banger playing loudly in the stadium.

    Zulfi Bukhari’s ministry tweeted a few pictures of the Dolphins’ captain on the field.

    Christian Turner himself was pretty excited to be at the venue.

    Before the game commenced, prayers for Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara and the other two foreign climbers were held who went missing with him on their adventurous expedition to K2.

    Sadpara was recently declared dead by his family.

    The stadium was first highlighted by singer, actor and TV personality Fakhar-e-Alam, who tweeted pictures and videos from the stadium.

    Soon, the International Cricket Council (ICC) caught wind of it and shared pictures of the stadium, upsetting some Indian cricket fans in the process.

    Meanwhile, sharing a video of the stadium, Aijaz Aslam wrote: “World’s most beautiful cricket stadium Gwadar.”

    Earlier Faysal Qureshi and wife, Sana faysal also shared pictures and video of their visit to Gawadar.

  • ‘Disappointed not to be involved in PSL 6’: Cricket Presenter Erin Holland

    Female Cricket Presenter from Australia, Erin Holland expressed, disappointment for not being a part of Pakistan Super League (PSL) this year.

    Holland, the wife of Ben Cutting, who will represent Quetta Gladiators in PSL 6, reacted to PSL 6’s commentators and presenters’ roster on Twitter. “Very disappointed not to be involved this year. I wish everyone all the best for what’s sure to be a huge tournament again – thanks for all the support, and hope to see everyone again next year,” she wrote.

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced a 14-member list of commentators and presenters for the sixth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) featuring big international and local names.

    Former England captain David Gower will make his debut this time in the commentary panel of HBL PSL 6 along with former New Zealand bowler and known commentator Simon Doull. The star-studded commentary roster also includes former South African all-rounder JP Duminy and Zimbabwean commentator Mpumelelo Mbangwa.

    Other international names involved are Danny Morrison, Dominic Cork and Alan Walkins, who has been one of the most popular PSL voices in the previous seasons.

    Meanwhile, the Pakistani commentators list includes both bi-lingual and Urdu commentators. Bazid Khan, Ramiz Raja, Sana Mir and Urooj Mumtaz will be doing bi-lingual commentary while renowned Tariq Saeed and Sikandar Bakht will be part of the panel as Urdu commentators. While Zainab Abbas will be the official presenter of this season.

    PSL 6 will start on February 20 at National Stadium Karachi, which will host 20 matches. The league will move to Lahore in the second phase and as many as 14 matches including Playoffs and the final will be played till March 22.

  • Here’s why PM Imran was ‘sorry’ for winning a $72,000 car in 1989

    Here’s why PM Imran was ‘sorry’ for winning a $72,000 car in 1989

    Prime Minister Imran Khan won a Range Rover car worth $72,000 in 1989 for being the International Cricketer of the Year and Australian press wasn’t happy with it.

    The PM shared a newspaper clipping of the incident on his Instagram account. At the time, Imran was the first Asian and eighth foreigner to win the prize that was started in 1979.

    Imran and Australian cricketer Dean Jones were in the run for the ICC prize and Australian skipper Allan Border was irked by the fact that the award went to Imran Khan from Pakistan. Border said that the award should have been given to his teammate Dean Jones.

    As per the article shared by Imran Khan on his social media account, when he went out for toss with Aussie cricketer Allan Border at the MCG for the first of the best of three finals, he wore a specially printed T-shirt saying “I’m sorry I won the car.”

    When Imran Khan told interviewer Ian Chappell that the proceeds from the $72,000 Rover 827 Vitesse were to be donated to the cancer hospital he was setting up in Lahore at the time, Allan Borders was embarrassed.

  • South Africa’s Faf du Plessis announces retirement from Test cricket

    South Africa’s Faf du Plessis announces retirement from Test cricket

    South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis on Wednesday announced that he is retiring from Test cricket. 

    The former South Africa captain wrote in a post on Instagram, where he also shared a statement on his decision. “My heart is clear and the time is right to walk into a new chapter.”

    With two T20 World Cups in the next two years, Du Plessis said he is shifting his focus to the shortest format of the game. “It has been an honour to play for my country in all the formats of the game, but the time has come for me to retire from Test cricket,” he wrote.

    “The next two years are ICC T20 World Cup years. Because of this, my focus is shifting to this format and I want to play as much of it as possible around the world so that I can be the best player I can possibly be.”

    He represented South Africa in 69 Tests and scored 4,163 runs at an average of 40.02. He scored 10 centuries and registered his highest score of 199 in 2020. He had a memorable Test debut against Australia in Adelaide in 2012, when he scored 78 in the first inning and followed it up with a maiden Test century in the second.

    His final Test came in Rawalpindi against Pakistan earlier this month.

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) also thanked the veteran cricketer on Twitter for “the memories”.

    Meanwhile, The Pakistan Super League (PSL) announced the replacement picks for the teams that will lose some players due to international commitments.

    The teams made replacement picks for the players who have either become fully or partially unavailable due to international cricket commitments. Du Plessis, who was earlier part of the Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 2020 play-offs, returns to the league as a partial replacement player in the Quetta Gladiators outfit in place of the West Indian Chris Gayle.

  • PCB announces PSL 6 ticket prices, booking details

    PCB announces PSL 6 ticket prices, booking details

    Following the decision of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to allow 20 percent crowd to attend each matchday of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 6, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday confirmed the ticket prices for 30 of the 34 matches, which will be played from February 20 to March 16. Ticket denominations for the Qualifier, two Eliminators and the final, to be played from March 18-22, will be announced closer to time.

    According to a press release, online sale of tickets will start on Wednesday at 10 00 (Pakistan time) and fans can visit www.bookme.pk to purchase match tickets and select their preferred enclosure and choice of seat.

    Fans can also call the Bookme helpline (03137786888) to book their tickets for which CNIC number and phone number is mandatory. When the match ticket has been confirmed, the customer will be sent a token number on the registered phone so that the customer can make the payment at the closest Jazzcash/Easypaisa shop. Upon payment, the customer will receive an e-ticket code along with a Quick Response (QR) Code, which the customer can use to print the ticket or show the SMS at the entry gate on match day.

    To encourage families to attend the marquee event, the PCB has reserved certain enclosures of the National Stadium Karachi and Gaddafi Stadium Lahore for families.

    At the National Stadium, enclosures reserved for the families include Hanif Mohammad (VIP Enclosure), Wasim Akram (Premium Enclosure), Zaheer Abbas, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures (First-Class Enclosures), and Intikhab Alam Enclosure (General) while family enclosures at the Gaddafi Stadium include: Fazal Mahmood (VIP Enclosure), Saeed Anwar (Premier Enclosure), Abdul Qadir (First-Class Enclosure) and Nazar, Quaid, Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan (General Enclosure).

    For Saturday’s tournament opener between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators, which will begin at 7 pm, cost of VIP stands (Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad Enclosures) have been fixed at Rs 5,000, while the price of the First-Class stands (Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Waqar Hasan, Majid Khan, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures) have been kept at Rs 4,000. Similarly, price of Premium stands (Quaid, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan Enclosure) has been set at Rs 3,000, while the General stand tickets (Wasim Bari, Mohammad Brothers and Intikhab Alam Enclosure) have been fixed at Rs 2,000.

    For Sunday’s double-header between Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi, and Islamabad United and Multan Sultans, which will start at 2 pm and 7 pm, respectively, cost of VIP stands (Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad Enclosures) have been fixed at Rs 4,000, while the price of the First-Class stands (Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Waqar Hasan, Majid Khan, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures) have been kept at Rs 3,000. Similarly, price of Premium stands (Quaid, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan Enclosure) has been set at Rs 2,000, while the General stand tickets (Wasim Bari, Mohammad Brothers and Intikhab Alam Enclosure) have been fixed at Rs 1,000.

    For matches to take place from Monday-Wednesday, cost of VIP stands (Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad Enclosures) have been fixed at Rs 3,000, while the price of the First-Class stands (Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Waqar Hasan, Majid Khan, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures) have been kept at PKR2,000. Similarly, price of Premium stands (Quaid, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan Enclosure) have been set at Rs 1,000, while the General stand tickets (Wasim Bari, Mohammad Brothers and Intikhab Alam Enclosure) have been fixed at Rs 500.

    For the first match in Lahore on March 10 involving Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings, ticket prizes for the VIP stands (Imran Khan and Fazal Mahmood Enclosures) have been set for 3,000, followed by Rs 2,000 for the First-Class Stands (Abdul Qadir and Sarfraz Nawaz Enclosures), Rs 1,000 for Premium stands (A.H. Kardar, Rajas, Javed Miandad and Saeed Anwar Enclosures) and Rs 500 for General stands (Inzamam ul Haq, Nazars, Quaid, Imtiaz Ahmed, Zaheer Abbas, Hanif Mohammad, Majid Khan, Saeed Ahmed Enclosures).

    Read more – PSL6 opening ceremony to be filmed in a specially designed studio in Turkey

    Meanwhile, overseas players have started arriving in Karachi, where the first half of the tournament will take place. Karachi will host 20 matches from February 20 to March 7 while Lahore will host the remaining 14 matches from March 10 to 22.

  • Quetta Gladiators’ Ben Cutting and PSL presenter Erin Holland tie the knot

    Quetta Gladiators’ Ben Cutting and PSL presenter Erin Holland tie the knot

    Days before the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) is set to commence, Quetta Gladiators’ Ben Cutting has tied the knot with PSL presenter and former Miss World Australia Erin Holland.

    The couple announced the news on social media, sharing beautiful pictures of their beachside wedding.

    “Official Wifey,” wrote Cutting in the caption.

    Quetta Gladiators also congratulated the couple, saying: “Wishing you two a lifetime of love and happiness! Congratulations Mr and Mrs Ben Cutting.”

    The all-rounder and his girlfriend, had announced their engagement two years ago. The couple’s wedding had to be postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Holland also posted pictures of her big day on her Instagram. 

    The ceremony was followed by a reception in evening.

    Check out more pictures from the celebrations below:

    The wedding venue

  • VIDEO: Buzdar’s driving skills on Cholistan Jeep Rally track go viral

    Driving skills of the provincial chief executive of Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar, on the track of Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally’s 16th edition have taken the internet by storm.

    The Cholistan rally started back in 2005 and has since progressed by leaps and bounds. The incumbent Punjab chief minister (CM) has shared plans to make it an international event.

    This year, the event was held from February 11 to 14 with the participation of over 100 racers from all over Pakistan in different categories.

    The rally route was extended to 500 kilometres and also included major forts of the desert, namely Dingarh, Marrot, Khan Garh, Bhijnot, Moujgarh and Jamgarh.

    It was won by Sahibzada Sultan while Mir Nadir Magsi and Jaffar Imran secured the second and third positions, respectively.

  • Pakistan becomes the first T20 side to complete 100 wins

    Pakistan clinched a four-wicket win over South Africa in the third and final T20 international at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore to not only win the three-match T20 series 2-1 but also become the first international side to post 100 wins in this format.

    Sunday’s win (February 14) was Pakistan’s 100th in 163 matches with India in second place with 88 wins in 137 matches.

    32-year-old leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood picked up 3-40 in his debut game, reducing South Africa to 65/7 before Miller’s clean hitting powered South Africa to a total of 164-8. Miller hit five fours and seven sixes in his unbeaten knock.

    South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi grabbed 4/25 in a game dominated by spinners, but Pakistan’s lower order hung in to reach 169/6 with eight balls to spare and record its 100th win in a T20 international.

    Hasan Ali (20 not out) raised the victory with two sixes and a four against Andile Phehlukwayo as seamers again found it difficult to grip the wet ball because of dew. 

    “Credit must be given to David Miller for playing an outstanding inning and making the match interesting,” said Pakistan captain Babar Azam. “We told the players to play fearless cricket and that’s why we finished on the right side.”

    Babar top-scored for the national side with 44 off 30 balls. While Mohammad Rizwan contributed 42 runs to the cause. He also scored 197 runs in the three-match series, becoming the man of the series and Nawaz became man of the match.

    The green side celebrated the victory over South Africa at home ground. The young cricketers recreated the trending ‘Pawri Ho Rhi Hai’ to celebrate their big win on the field.

    Pakistan beat South Africa 2-0 in the test series before completing the double by handing the Proteas its first defeat in a T20 series in Asia.

    After winning the series, players and fans are now gearing up for the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) set to begin next week on February 20.

  • Fans celebrate after Multan Sultans announce Rizwan as captain

    Mohammad Rizwan has replaced Shan Masood as the captain of Multan Sultans for the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    Rizwan, who is Pakistan’s Test vice-captain, was part of Karachi Kings in the last edition but was inducted in the Multan Sultans’ squad in the silver category during the players draft in January.

    He was controversially included in the playing XI for Karachi in PSL 2020 on only two occasions with Chadwick Walton preferred over him to perform the wicketkeeping duties throughout the franchise’s title-winning campaign.

    Read more – ‘Shallow-minded approach exposed,’ says Hafeez after Sarfaraz criticises him for comments on Rizwan

    Reacting to his appointment, Rizwan said: “I look forward to leading the Multan Sultans team for the upcoming season. I have understood the innovative approach the franchise applied last season and am looking forward to playing my part this year.”

    “Multan Sultans had a successful PSL 5 and we will aspire to go even better this time around especially with senior Pakistani players like Shahid Afridi, Shan Masood and Sohail Tanvir to look up to,” he added.

    Rizwan recently became the second Pakistan batsman to score a century in T20 internationals when he racked up the triple-figure score in the first match against South Africa in Lahore on Thursday.

    He followed the match-winning contribution with 51 and 42 in the subsequent games to be declared player of the series as Pakistan prevailed in the T20I assignment 2-1.

    Rizwan has been in a similar blazing run of form in the longest format as he smacked his maiden Test century in the Rawalpindi encounter against South Africa. The 28-year-old was also Pakistan’s stand-in Test captain in the The Nw Zealand tour when regular skipper Babar Azam missed the series owing to a thumb fracture.

    Additionally, Rizwan boasts leadership credentials in the domestic circuit and was in charge of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as they clinched the National T20 Cup title in October 2020.

    “Mohammad Rizwan has shown exemplary leadership qualities with the Pakistan team as well as with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the domestic tournaments,” said Multan Sultans owner Alamgir Khan Tareen.

    “He is presently one of the very best in the world in his position and we are excited to have him lead our team for the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League. We are grateful to Shan Masood for leading the franchise exceptionally well last season and for instilling a winning mentality within the team.”

    After two years of fifth-spot finishes since their entry into the PSL system, Multan topped the six-team table under Shan in the 2020 edition. However, a couple of defeats in the delayed PSL playoffs meant Multan could not reach the final.

    Meanwhile, Rizwan’s fans are celebrating his appointment on social media and lauding Multan Sultans for taking his decision.

    https://twitter.com/MaharSpeaks/status/1361288157459791873?s=20
    https://twitter.com/Shahzad29719575/status/1361251256560472067?s=19
    https://twitter.com/NIMMRARA/status/1361232769888714753?s=19
  • PSL6 opening ceremony to be filmed in a specially designed studio in Turkey

    PSL6 opening ceremony to be filmed in a specially designed studio in Turkey

    The sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League 6 (PSL6) will commence with a glittering opening ceremony on February 20. The star-studded entertainment-packed event will feature Atif Aslam, Imran Khan, Humaima Malick and the PSL 6 Anthem artists: Naseebo Lal, Aima Baig and Young Stunners. The event will also mark Atif and Khan’s first-ever PSL appearance.

    According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), parts of the opening ceremony will be filmed offshore in a specially designed studio space in Turkey. Some artists including Baig have already arrived in Istanbul for the event.

    Speaking about the opening ceremony, Director Commercial PCB Babar Hamid said: “This year promises to be really exciting especially the state-of-the-art technology being used to create this experience for Pakistani fans.”

    Later, Khan shared his picture on Instagram with a caption, “Aj wekhe ga crowed mera groove tv te,” following the tags #hblpsl, #pakistan and #turkey.

    Read more – Shoaib Akhtar receives flak from celebrities for his comments on ‘Groove Mera’

    The first four opening ceremonies of the PSL were held at the Dubai International Stadium while the 2020 opening ceremony was staged at the National Stadium Karachi, and the same venue will play host to the 2021 ceremony. As has been the tradition in earlier editions, the opening ceremony will be followed by the first match of the season – defending champions Karachi Kings will play Quetta Gladiators in the night match.

    The ceremony is expected to be aired on PTV Sports and Geo Super. The time for the event has not yet been announced.

    Meanwhile, overseas players have started arriving in Karachi, where the first half of the tournament will take place. Because of COVID-19 SOPs, the PCB has limited the event to Karachi and Lahore only. The former will host 20 matches from February 20 to March 7 while the latter will host the remaining 14 matches from March 10 to 22.

    As announced by the PCB, around 7,500 ticketed spectators will be allowed access inside the stadium per match day, while around 5,500 will be able to attend each match day at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.