Category: Sports

Pakistan has achieved a historic milestone in ice hockey after winning the LATAM Cup Division III Championship in the United States.

The national team defeated Peru 6-1 in the final to claim the title, remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament.

Pakistan’s women’s team also delivered an impressive performance, securing a bronze medal in the Division II category.

The championship featured more than 62 teams from 17 countries, making Pakistan’s victory even more significant.

This remarkable achievement is expected to boost the popularity and development of ice hockey in Pakistan, a sport considered unconventional in the country.

The Indian government has approved the participation of the Indian cricket team in Asia Cup 2025, paving the way for a high-profile clash with Pakistan next month.

The Ministry of Sports has confirmed that the Indian men’s cricket team will compete in the Asia Cup as it is a multi-nation event.

According to Indian media reports, the ministry announced that India and Pakistan can face each other in international tournaments but there will be no bilateral series between the two nations.

The ministry further stated that no Indian team will be allowed to travel to Pakistan for any sporting event, nor will any Pakistani team be permitted to play bilateral matches in India.

Under the new policy, India will play against Pakistan as per the schedule in the Asia Cup, since it is a multi-team tournament featuring other nations from the region.

The Asia Cup is set to begin on September 9 in the UAE, with the much-anticipated India-Pakistan match scheduled for September 14 in Dubai.

Pakistan cricket legend, the “Sultan of Swing” Wasim Akram, has spoken about former World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan.

Speaking on the Stick To Cricket podcast, hosted by Michael Vaughan, Sir Alastair Cook, David Lloyd, and Phil Tufnell, the 59-year-old described Imran Khan as hardworking but not naturally talented.

When asked what it was like to play under Imran, Wasim said, “I think whatever I did as a cricketer, off the field, on the field, credit goes to him. He used to give us a lot of confidence. He led from the front. He had a belief in his own ability. He was a hardworking cricketer. I mean, he was the best captain I played under. He used to give confidence to every one of us.”

Wasim further added that Imran was not the most naturally gifted cricketer, but his determination to succeed set him apart.

“People used to say I’m very naturally talented. Skipper (Imran Khan) wasn’t talented. He worked hard. Remember, he changed his bowling action. From 76, exactly. Changing even a little bit of action can take months; it might not happen. But he did change his action. He was so determined,” he said.

The former fast bowler also revealed that Imran Khan demanded full commitment on the field and did not tolerate laziness.

“At times, he used to shout at us because if you were lazy, fair enough. He was tough, but he was tough on the field. You give your 100%. If you don’t do well, he was okay with it,” Akram concluded.

Wasim Akram made his Pakistan debut in 1984 under Imran Khan’s captaincy. 

Imran took the young left-arm seamer under his wing, helping him develop into one of the best bowlers in world cricket. The duo later played a pivotal role in Pakistan’s historic 1992 World Cup triumph.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the launch of a nationwide schools talent hunt program aimed at identifying and nurturing young cricket talent across the country.

More than 60 PCB coaches will conduct trials in over 400 schools from 39 districts across Pakistan. Following the trials, a one-day tournament featuring 40-over-per-innings matches will take place next month among the participating schools.

The top 100 teams from this event will qualify for the Weekend Schools League, and the champion team will earn an international tour. According to the PCB, standout performers from the tournament will also get the opportunity to compete in the PCB Under-15 and Under-17 tournaments.

Director Domestic Cricket, Abdullah Khurram Niazi, stated that the PCB will fully fund the school talent hunt program. “This initiative will allow children to pursue their education while playing cricket,” he said, adding that PCB also plans to develop and revive 168 school grounds across the country.

Breakdown of participating schools:

Total districts: 39
Total schools: 405

Punjab (134 schools)

Lahore (30), Faisalabad (16), Sialkot (11), Gujranwala (11), Bahawalpur (10), Rahim Yar Khan (10), Dera Ghazi Khan (10), Multan (10), Rawalpindi (6), Sargodha (10), Sahiwal (10)

Sindh (82 schools)

Karachi (38), Hyderabad (12), Sukkur (8), Mirpurkhas (8), Shaheed Benazirabad (8), Larkana (8)

Balochistan (81 schools)

Quetta (16), Naseerabad (12), Pishin (10), Khuzdar (10), Lasbela (6), Loralai (6), Jaffarabad (6), Nushki (5), Killa Abdullah (5), Sibi (5)

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (68 schools)

Mansehra (12), Swabi (12), Peshawar (10), Bannu (8), Swat (8), Mardan (8), Kohat (7), Abbottabad (5)

Islamabad and GB (28 schools)
Islamabad (20), Gilgit Baltistan (8)

Azad Jammu & Kashmir (12 schools)
Mirpur (8), Muzaffarabad (4).

Former Pakistan cricket team captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has expressed frustration over the prolonged power outage in Karachi following heavy rains.

The city witnessed continuous rainfall from Tuesday morning, which led to power suspension on 550 feeders across Karachi. According to reports electricity supply continues on more than 1,550 of 2,100 feeders, while efforts are underway to restore the rest.

Sarfaraz Ahmed took to Instagram to share his ordeal, appealing to the authorities to restore electricity in Buffer Zone. “Restore Buffer Zone’s electricity. It’s been 10 hours, even the UPS has stopped working,” he wrote in his story.

Meanwhile, fuel shortages have also disrupted the movement of K-Electric vehicles, slowing down repair and maintenance work in several areas.

The heavy rain has caused urban flooding across the city, with water entering homes in many neighborhoods. At least nine people lost their lives in rain-related incidents, including electrocution and wall collapses.

Authorities have declared a public holiday in Karachi today due to the severe weather situation.

On the other hand the death toll in the country from rain-related incidents and floods has climbed to 700, with the army stepping up relief efforts in the hardest-hit areas.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the most affected province, recording 427 deaths. Punjab has reported 164 fatalities, Sindh 29, Balochistan 22, Pakistan-administered Kashmir 56, and Islamabad eight, the NDMA said on Tuesday.

The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has released the official schedule for the Hero Asia Cup Rajgir Bihar 2025, confirming that Pakistan and Oman have withdrawn from the tournament. 

The event will be held from August 29 to September 7 in Bihar, India.

Following the withdrawals, Kazakhstan and Bangladesh have been added as replacements. However, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has yet to issue any official statement on the decision to pull out.

The continental championship holds major importance as it will not only decide the top team in Asia but also serve as a qualifier for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands. The winners of the Asia Cup will earn a direct spot in the global event.

The tournament will open on August 29 with defending champions Korea facing Chinese Taipei at 11:00, followed by hosts India taking on China at 15:00 in what is expected to be a high-voltage clash.

The teams have been divided into two pools:

Pool A: India, Japan, China, Kazakhstan
Pool B: Malaysia, Korea, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei

After the pool stage, the top teams will move into the Super4s, with the grand final scheduled for September 7. The champions will not only lift the Hero Asia Cup trophy but also claim Asia’s place at the 2026 Hockey World Cup.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finalised a 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025.

Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side, with Shubman Gill serving as vice-captain. The squad also includes Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah.

Other players named are Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, and Rinku Singh.

The Asia Cup is scheduled to begin on September 9 in the United Arab Emirates. The high-voltage clash between Pakistan and India will take place on September 14.

Group A consists of Pakistan, India, the UAE, and Oman, while Group B features Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong.

As always, the Pakistan-India contest is expected to be a major highlight for cricket fans. If both teams progress to the Super Four stage, they could meet again on September 21. The final of the tournament will be played on September 28 in Dubai.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced central contracts for the 2025-26 cricketing season, revising monthly salaries that might not sit well with some of the players.

According to reports, the board has revised monthly salaries for players in the C and D categories while downgrading the country’s only Category A cricketers, namely Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Muhammad Rizwan, to Category B.

As per the revisions, cricketers in Category C will now receive Rs2.5 million per month – up from Rs 2 million – whereas players in Category D will earn Rs 1.5 million per month as compared to Rs1.2 million earlier.

While there has been no pay-raise for Category B players, who will continue to receive around Rs 4.5 million per month, Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan, who earned Rs6.5 million a month in category A, will be facing a loss of at least Rs2 million every month.

Category A was abolished after no player met the criteria, reports said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced central contracts for the 2025-26 season, with no player qualifying for the top tier, and Category A has been abolished this year. 

According to the PCB, 30 players have been awarded contracts, compared to 27 last year. The contracts will run from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Players have been divided equally into three categories, B, C, and D, with 10 players in each.

12 new names have been included this year: Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, and Sufiyan Muqeem.

Nine players managed to retain their previous categories, while eight missed out on contracts altogether.

Category B: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha.

Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Sajid Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Sahibzada Farhan, Hasan Nawaz, Nauman Ali.

Category D: Shan Masood, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Ahmed Daniyal, Salman Mirza, Khurram Shehzad, Sufiyan Muqeem.

Last year, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were part of category A, but with its removal, the top category no longer exists. Some notable shifts include pacer Naseem Shah moving from category B to C, and Test captain Shan Masood dropping from B to D. Meanwhile, opener Fakhar Zaman has been promoted back into category B.

An application submitted to the Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) – now National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) – in Lahore has sought legal action against former Pakistan cricket captain and star bowler Wasim Akram for promoting a sports betting and gambling platform.

According to the application submitted by one Muhammad Fiaz, the former international cricketer signed up as a brand ambassador for an Indian betting company linked to the platform called Baji. The complainant alleges that a poster and a video clip circulating on social media showed Akram endorsing the platform while urging people to join for an “exciting experience”.

“Wasim Akram signed up for an Indian betting and gambling company as a brand ambassador. A clip shared on his social media account shows Akram asking people to join the betting app for exciting experience, encouraging fans to rake in dough,” stated the application, a copy of which is available with The Current.

It added that the former cricketer, by associating with the platform, was “promoting gambling in Pakistan”, which is prohibited under the law and banned in all forms.

The complainant went on to seek strict action against Akram under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act of 2016.

While Akram is yet to respond to the complaint against him, the complaint comes amid growing scrutiny over influencers and celebrities promoting betting and gambling platforms in Pakistan.

On Saturday night, popular YouTuber Saad ur Rehman, widely known as Ducky Bhai, was arrested in Lahore after the NCCIA registered a case against him for promoting online gambling applications.

According to the FIR, the case against Ducky Bhai was registered under several sections of PECA, including Section 13 (Electronic Forgery), Section 14 (Electronic Fraud), Section 25 (Spamming) and Section 26 (Spoofing). He was also charged under Sections 294-B and 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The FIR said that Ducky Bhai among other internet personalities were promoting gambling apps such as Binomo, 1xBet, Bet365 and B9 Game for financial gain, which had resulted in financial losses for people who had been misled into using their savings on these platforms.

He is currently in NCCIA custody on a two-day physical remand.