Author: shoaib.jatt

KARACHI: Pakistan’s wrestler Ali Asad, who bagged a bronze medal in the recently-held Commonwealth Games 2022, returned a positive dope test result.

According to the details, Ali had undergone a dope sample test before departing for the Games, which returned positive.

The national wrestler later completed a second drug test during the Games, which also resulted in a positive result.

Ali then requested a Sample B test after his Sample A test returned positive, but that too produced the same result.

Ali will now get an opportunity to appear before the inquiry committee and give his stand.

Details further suggest that the wrestler may face up to four years of the ban if found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs. The Commonwealth Games administration will also take back the medal from Pakistan.

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KARACHI: The two selectors of the national selection committee suggested making changes in the national men’s cricket team’s middle order ahead of the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022, sources claimed.

Two national selectors reportedly proposed making changes in the national contingent for the ongoing historic T20I series against England as a result of the middle order’s repeated failures.

The selectors recommended leaving out power hitter Khushdil Shah and adding veteran batters Shoaib Malik and Haris Sohail to the squad for the England T20Is.

The selectors also advised to include Shoaib and Haris in the squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia if the duo perform well in the ongoing England T20Is.

It is pertinent to mention that England edged past Pakistan in the series opener in a rather convincing fashion by six wickets as the hosts’ middle-order failure barred them from posting a respectable total and could finish at 158/7 in the allotted 20 overs.

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KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper batter Moin Khan made a major assertion regarding Mohammad Rizwan and stated that he only favours to play on the leg side and will soon be trapped by the opposing teams.

Moin, while speaking on ARY News’ show Bouncer highlighted a weakness in the batting approach of wicketkeeper batter Rizwan and alleged that the latter is a one-dimensional batter and prefers to score on the on-side.

“If you look at the openers of world-class teams, their strike rates are above 130. So, I think Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan need to improvise their game and approach as they are now in dire need to ante their strike rate up,” said Moin.

“I think Babar is currently going through a rough form, no doubt on his capabilities, he is a wonderful player. Rizwan, on the other hand, plays on one side only and he needs to score on the other side as well or else he will be trapped,” Moin maintained.

The former Pakistan captain then also opined regarding the possibility of testing a new opening pair for T20Is and claimed a left-handed batter like Sharjeel Khan and Fakhar Zaman would be more productive.

“I said it earlier in the Asia Cup that a left-right combination should be made in the opening since Babar had been playing at the one-down position so he should have demoted himself and promoted Fakhar to the opening position,” said Moin.

“Such combination is very deadly as it also makes it harder for the bowlers to stick to their line and length. So, you have to take a chance, it is inevitable and if you don’t want to take such chances and want to play conventional cricket then you’ll remain a conventional and an average side forever,” he added.

Moin then further commented on the Pakistan cricket team’s middle-order voes and termed Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, and Iftikhar Ahmed lucky for getting the backing despite having a below-par tournament.

“There is no doubt, changes could have been made to the current middle-order but as a former cricketer, I always support the team. So, I think we need to back them now,” said Moin.

“No doubt, our middle-order had a poor Asia Cup and they could have done better in the tournament but I think Khushdil, Asif, and other middle-order batters are lucky as they got the backing from the management after a poor tournament,” he added.

The former Pakistan captain then went on to highlight the flaws in the leading skills of current skipper Babar and stated that “it’s about time to improve his captaincy skills.”

“As we saw in the Asia Cup final that Pakistan lost the match after a dominating start, we should have adopted the attacking approach but we did not and lost the momentum. I wonder what was this support staff doing there if they could not pass on a message to Babar and told him to go for the kill,” said Moin.

“So, I think he is consistently making mistakes in the captaincy and we always think that he’ll learn things soon but he is not. It’s about time Babar. The world cup is nearing up and we do not have room for blunders now and if you still keep on making mistakes then I do not think we would be able to win it,” he concluded.

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KARACHI: England cricket team are set to arrive in Karachi early on Thursday morning to mark the first tour of Pakistan after 17 years gap. 

England captain Jos Buttler will also hold a press conference later in the day at a local hotel after the arrival of the touring side, confirmed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)

Law enforcement agencies have ensured foolproof security arrangements on the team’s travel routes from the airport to the hotel and the stadium.

Meanwhile, bullet-proof buses reached National Stadium Karachi on Wednesday which will be used to move England’s squad during their stay in the city.

England’s historic tour of Pakistan comprised of seven-match T20I series commencing on September 20. Karachi will host the first four matches before the venue shifts to Lahore for the remaining matches.

 READ: Babar slips to third, Rizwan retains No.1 spot in latest T20I rankings

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Guinness World Records approved three new records set by Pakistani athlete Irfan Mehsood as he registered 57 records to his credit with the latest entries in the books.

According to the details, the three new records registered by Masood included the most push-ups (fingertips, carrying 60 lb pack) in one minute, most step-ups in one minute carrying a 100 lb pack and the longest time in a reverse abdominal plank position carrying a 100 lb pack.

Masood carried 58 push-ups to beat the previous record of 49 of the most push-ups with fingertips and carrying a 60 lb pack.

Similarly, he registered 50 step-ups in one minute carrying a 100 lb pack surpassing the previous record of 46.

Moreover, he shattered the record of one minute and 30 seconds in a reverse abdominal plank position carrying a 100 lb pack after holding the position for 2 minutes.

Masood expressed his joy over the remarkable feat, claiming that he had already beaten the records of 11 countries which included India, US, Britain, France, the Philippines, Iraq, Egypt, Italy, Spain, Lebanon and Syria.

“I have registered the most number of records in the push-ups category with 30 records. Similarly, I have recorded the most number of Guinness Records in the fitness category,” he said.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Friday, announced Maria Khan as the new captain of the national team for the upcoming South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championship 2022. 

The goalkeeper turned midfielder replaced Hajra Khan as the captain, whereas the latter has been retained in the squad as a player.

Maria, who grew up in the United States and played football for the University of Denver before moving to UAE, is one of the two overseas players picked in the national contingent.

UK-based Doncaster Rovers’ Nadia Khan is the other overseas player, chosen to represent Pakistan in the SAFF Women’s Cup.

Malika-e-Noor, who was a member of the 2014 squad that played Pakistan’s last game in senior women’s football, however, has been named as Maria’s deputy for the upcoming championship.

It is pertinent to mention here that the sixth edition of the SAFF Women’s Championship will take place in Nepal from September 6 to 19.

Making their way back into the championship after a gap of eight years, Pakistan will start their campaign against their arch-rivals and five-time champions India on September 7 before taking on Bangladesh and Maldives on September 10 and 13 respectively.

PAKISTAN SQUAD: Hajra Khan, Maliha Nasir, Mishal Akram Bhatti, Rameen Fareed, Alina Isphani, Anmool Hira, Ghazala Aamir, Khadija Kazmi, Marvi Baig, Nizalia Siddique, Sara Khan, Shahida Amin, Shanza Nazir, Suha Hirani, Malika-e-Noor, Nisha Ashraf, Roshan Ali, Sahar Zaman, Mahpara Shahid, Zulfia Nazir, Atika Nasir, Maria Khan, and Nadia Khan.

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ZURICH: Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) lifted the ban on the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Friday, imposed earlier this month over undue third-party influence.

The lifting of the moratorium also implies that the Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which was set to take place in India from October 11 to 30, will take place as intended.

“The Bureau of the Council decided on 25 August 2022 to lift the suspension of the AIFF with immediate effect,” FIFA announced in a statement.

“As a consequence, the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 scheduled to take place on 11-30 October 2022 will be held in India as planned,” the statement further read.

FIFA, on the other hand, stated that it and the AFC will keep an eye on the circumstances and will assist the AIFF in holding its elections on time.

It is worth noting that FIFA suspended AIFF for being managed by administrators after former chief Praful Patel lingered in office beyond his mandate without new elections, which courts declared unconstitutional.

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KARACHI: Pakistan ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 as his knee injury worsen.

The PCB Medical Advisory Committee and independent specialists suggested the star pacer for the rest in light of the latest scans and reports.

Following this, the left-arm pacer has been ruled out of the Asia Cup 2022 and the home T20I series against England.

According to the details, Shaheen will be out of action for four to six weeks and is likely to make his comeback in the home series against New Zealand, scheduled later this year.

The 22-year-old pacer sustained the injury amid Pakistan’s first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, which resulted in him in missing the second match of the series and the first two ODIs against the Netherlands.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Babar Azam asserted that the star pacer will play at least one match in the ongoing ODI series against the Netherlands, in a bid to prepare for the Asian event.

Shaheen expressed displeasure when the ace pacer was informed of his fitness update by PCB Chief Medical Officer Najeeb Ullah Soomro, who shared with this reporter here.

“I spoke to Shaheen Afridi and he is upset after hearing this news. He is a brave young man and will soon come back to cricket in full force and represent the country,” Soomro stated.

“Shaheen Shah Afridi has shown improvement during rehab in Rotterdam but still needs some time to improve further,” he revealed.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PCB will announce Shaheen’s replacement in due course. Whereas, the national contingent is set to depart for Dubai on Monday after the conclusion of their ongoing ODI series against the Netherlands.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistani boy Irfan Mehsood has entered the Guinness World Records yet again as he registered a new record for performing most front-to-back claps.

Rizwan, who attempted to break the record of Syria’s Amro Merei in March 2022, has finally gotten his name in the records book as Guinness approved his international record on Saturday.

The 12-year-old broke the record of Syria’s Amro Merei, who performed 62 claps in 30 seconds amid the series of Guinness World Records in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2019.

It is pertinent to mention here that Rizwan is the son of Pakistan’s serial record-breaker Irfan Mehsood. Furthermore, the former has already set the record of most helicopter spins in 30 seconds (46); previously held by an Indian.

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ISLAMABAD: Weightlifter Nooh Dastgir Butt was given a warm reception by his fans and family on his return to the country after he bagged a gold medal in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, UK.

Director General of Pakistan Sports Board Colonel (retd) Muhammad Asif Zaman was also present on the occasion and warmly received the gold medalist upon his arrival at Islamabad International Airport on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old weightlifter created history in the event as he lifted 405kgs to set a Commonwealth Games record and win the gold medal in the 109kg+ category.

Following his achievement, DG PSB had already announced a cash award of Rs5 million for Nooh Butt. Meanwhile, Arshad Nadeem, who won the gold medal in the javelin throw final at the event will also receive an equal sum from the sports body.

Moreover, a ceremony will be held at PM House on August 22 to honour the national athletes for their remarkable feat in the Commonwealth Games where Prime Minister Shehbaz Shareef will meet and present cash prizes to the medalists.

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