Category: Sports

DUBAI: Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed has continued his rapid rise in international cricket, climbing to a career-best second place in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings following his standout performances against Australia.

The spinner was one of Pakistan’s key performers during their recently concluded three-match ODI series victory over Australia, claiming six wickets and playing a pivotal role in the hosts’ 2-1 triumph.

His impressive returns earned him a significant boost in the rankings, moving him up from fourth to second place with 675 rating points.

Abrar now trails only Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, who continues to lead the ODI bowling rankings with 705 points. England fast bowler Jofra Archer slipped to third after the latest update.

Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi also enjoyed a notable rise after spearheading the pace attack against Australia. The left-arm quick, who finished the series with seven wickets, jumped four places to break into the top 10, reaching ninth position with 604 rating points.

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Among other Pakistani bowlers, Haris Rauf moved up one spot to 18th, while Naseem Shah slipped two places to 47th. Fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr also dropped three positions and is now ranked 68th.

In the ODI batting rankings, former Pakistan captain Babar Azam retained his sixth-place position, while vice-captain Salman Ali Agha fell two spots to 16th with 630 rating points.

Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan dropped to 31st, while opener Fakhar Zaman slipped to 36th in the latest rankings.

New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell remains at the top of the ODI batting rankings, with India star Virat Kohli occupying second place and Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran sitting third.

Abrar’s strong performances also brought rewards in the all-rounders’ rankings, where he surged 13 places to reach 32nd. Shaheen, meanwhile, climbed one spot to 22nd among ODI all-rounders.

READ: World Cup 2026 opening ceremony: Pakistan time, date, performer list

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will begin with a series of interconnected ceremonies across all three host nations for the first time, marking a departure from the single opening ceremony of previous events.

With the United States, Mexico, and Canada jointly hosting the expanded 48-team competition, fans will witness three separate but connected ceremonies designed to showcase the culture, identity, and artistic heritage of each nation, while highlighting a shared theme of unity.

The celebrations will begin in Mexico City on June 11 ahead of the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa. For viewers in Pakistan, the ceremony is scheduled to start at 10:00 PM.

Catch all FIFA World Cup 2026 live updates here!

Mexico’s segment is expected to pay tribute to the country’s rich cultural traditions through Indigenous performers, contemporary folkloric acts and the vibrant art of papel picado.

Opening ceremony in Mexico

• Opening ceremony: Thursday, June 11, 10:00 PM (PKT)
• Mexico vs South Africa kickoff: Friday, June 12, 12:00 AM (PKT)

A host of international and local music stars are expected to take part, including Shakira and Burna Boy, who are set to perform the official World Cup soundtrack “Dai Dai“.

The line-up also includes Tyla, J Balvin, Alejandro Fernández, Lila Downs, Belinda, Danny Ocean, Maná and Los Ángeles Azules.

The second ceremony will take place in Toronto on June 12 before Canada’s opening group-stage fixture against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Scheduled to begin at 10:30 PM (Pakistan Standard Time), the event will revolve around the theme of a cultural mosaic, reflecting Canada’s diversity through music, dance and visual performances.

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Artists expected to feature include Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince.

Opening ceremony in Toronto

• Opening ceremony: Friday, June 12, 10:30 PM (PKT)
• Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina kickoff: Saturday, June 13, 12:00 AM (PKT)

The final opening celebration will be held in Los Angeles before the United States of America (USA) begin their campaign against Paraguay.

The ceremony is scheduled to start at 4:30 AM in Pakistan on June 13 and is expected to feature large-scale visual productions, immersive storytelling and performances from some of the biggest names in global entertainment.

A record 1,248 players will represent their nations at @FIFAWorldCup 2026 👏🌍 pic.twitter.com/IeHiPmUlkV

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) June 10, 2026

Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla are among the artists expected to perform during the American showcase.

Opening ceremony in Los Angeles

• Opening ceremony: Saturday, June 13, 04:30 AM (PKT)
• USA vs Paraguay kickoff: Saturday, June 13, 06:00 AM (PKT)

Once the entertainment segments conclude at each venue, attention will shift to the football action.

The participating teams will begin their warm-up routines before FIFA’s official pre-match ceremonies, including player walkouts and introductions, which are scheduled to commence 25 minutes before kick-off.

READ: Messi scores as Argentina beat Iceland in World Cup warm-up

Lionel Messi scored within minutes of making his return from an injury scare as Argentina beat Iceland 3-0 in their final FIFA World Cup 2026 warm-up in Auburn, Alabama, on Tuesday.

Messi started on the bench as the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is eased back to fitness after exiting Inter Miami’s 6-4 win over Philadelphia with muscle fatigue on May 24.

He was joined on the sidelines at the start by Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister as Lionel Scaloni named an experimental line-up in front of an 88,000 capacity crowd.

Messi is set to feature in his sixth World Cup and allayed fears he may not be ready for the start of the tournament in a supreme 20-minute cameo.

Argentina begin their defence of the World Cup against Algeria on June 16 before also facing Austria and Jordan in Group J.

Iceland should have taken the lead inside the first few minutes when Mikael Egill Ellertsson blasted over with the goal gaping.

Instead, the three-time world champions took an early lead. Iceland could only partially clear a goalmouth scramble inside their box, and the ball broke to Strasbourg defender Valentin Barco to fire into the bottom corner.

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Nico Paz failed to make the most of his chance to shine in Messi’s absence and wasted a big chance to make it 2-0 before half-time when his powerful hit was repelled by the face of Iceland goalkeeper Elias Olafsson.

Fernandez and Mac Allister were introduced among five Argentine changes at the break.

Lautaro Martinez was another to make his entrance at half-time and twice hit the post when he should have doubled Argentina’s advantage.

The expectant crowd had to wait until the final quarter for Messi to make his appearance.

With his first involvement, Messi’s brilliant pass played in Martinez, who was wiped out by Olafsson as he chipped the ball wide.

Messi made no mistake by slotting in his 117th international goal on his 199th cap.

He was involved again for Argentina’s third goal as Messi’s pass fed Rodrigo De Paul, who squared for Thiago Almada to tap in.

READ: Benfica say farewell to Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid return nears

Benfica on Tuesday parted company with coach Jose Mourinho, who is close to returning to Real Madrid, and announced an agreement with Fulham boss Marco Silva to replace him.

The Lisbon club said Real Madrid had “formalised their intention to sign Mourinho for a fee of 15 million euros ($17.25 million)” in a statement sent to Portugal’s financial markets regulator.

The amount corresponds to the release clause in Mourinho’s contract.

Benfica subsequently announced they had struck a two-year deal with Silva, who left Fulham last week after five seasons at the Premier League club.

Florentino Perez’s re-election as Real Madrid president at the weekend paved the way for Mourinho to return to the Spanish capital.

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Mourinho, 63, first joined Real Madrid in 2010, spending three seasons at the club.

During his tenure, he won one La Liga championship, one Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during a period of fierce rivalry with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.

Appointing the divisive Mourinho will be a gamble on the part of president Perez after Los Blancos finished without a major trophy in 2025/26, making it a second consecutive barren season.

Real Madrid confirmed the departure of coach Alvaro Arbeloa earlier on Tuesday.

Arbeloa, who arrived in January to replace Xabi Alonso, had announced last month that he would be leaving his post at the end of the season.

READ: Iran to travel to USA one day before first World Cup match

The Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) on Tuesday announced that their team will fly to Los Angeles the day before their opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 against New Zealand.

The Iranian team will be based in Tijuana, Mexico, throughout the tournament, despite playing their first three round matches in the United States.

Iran will open their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, before facing Belgium in the same city on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Their involvement has been overshadowed by the military conflict between Iran and the United States.

While the players obtained the visas necessary to enter the United States of America (USA), 15 members of their support team in management and administrative roles did not receive them.

The visa dispute erupted just days before the World Cup kicks off on Thursday. The tournament is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

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“In accordance with FIFA’s programme, the team delegation will travel to the United States on a charter flight,” the Iranian federation’s spokesperson Amir Mehdi Alavi said in a statement carried by Iran’s ISNA news agency.

“The team will travel to the host city one day before the match against New Zealand, and for the following two matches, we will be at the host venue two days before the game,” he added.

Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali separately warned against the display of certain symbols during matches.

“If, in the stadiums where we play, we see any flag or symbol other than that of the Islamic Republic of Iran, or if norm-breaking slogans are chanted, the team official will certainly have a duty to stop the match,” he was quoted by Iran’s official IRNA news agency as saying.

“It is the responsibility of the organisers to rectify the situation,” he added.

FIFA rules prohibit political symbols at World Cup matches.

READ: Real Madrid’s 150 million offer rejected for Julian Alvarez

Real Madrid said on Tuesday that Atletico Madrid had rejected the club’s offer of 150 million euros ($173 million) for Argentine forward Julian Alvarez.

“After reviewing and evaluating the offer, Club Atletico de Madrid has expressed its gratitude for the proposal… and has rejected it,” Real Madrid said in a statement.

A World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022 and formerly of Manchester City, the 26-year-old Alvarez joined Atletico in 2024. He is under contract until June 2030, with a release clause estimated at 500 million euros.

Included in Argentina’s squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, Alvarez scored eight goals last season in La Liga and 10 in the Champions League, where Atletico were eliminated in the semi-finals by Arsenal.

“After studying and evaluating it, Atletico de Madrid thanked the club for the offer made, in keeping with the good relations between our two clubs, but rejected it,” Real Madrid said in a statement.

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Atletico Madrid scoffed at the Real statement.

“You may have confused politeness with gratitude, but to be clear: we don’t thank you for anything. We neither studied nor considered any offer for Julian. You make us laugh even more than Barcelona do,” Atletico said in reply to Real in a social media post.

Re-elected on Sunday as Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez had promised during his election campaign that he would make a big-name signing.

Spanish media had reported that the target was Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise; however, the German club said they would not be selling their French international.

“If Florentino Perez wants to send us an offer, which has not happened so far, he can save himself the trouble,” said Bayern president Herbert Hainer.

READ: Neymar feels like a ‘kid’ at his last FIFA World Cup

Brazil star Neymar said he feels like a “kid” ahead of what will be the fourth and “final” FIFA World Cup, which could yet risk being derailed by a nagging calf injury.

The 34-year-old is a doubt for the start of Brazil’s World Cup campaign and is expected to miss their tournament opener against Morocco in New Jersey on Saturday.

But Brazil’s all-time record scorer is said to be “recovering well” and will hope to play a part for Carlo Ancelotti’s side in the United States.

The five-time champions play Haiti on June 19 and face Scotland five days later in their final Group C match.

“Even though it’s my fourth World Cup, it’s a different feeling because of everything involved and, obviously, because it’s the final one,” Neymar said in a preview of the feature-length documentary “Vai, Brasil” (Go, Brazil), due to be released on Wednesday.

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Neymar has been an integral part of Brazil’s last three World Cup campaigns but there was some surprise at his inclusion this time as injuries have prevented him from playing for his country at all since 2023.

“I’m here feeling like a kid, like an 18-year-old going to his first World Cup,” said the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward.

“I’m very proud, very happy to be here. I’m going to enjoy every second, every moment of this World Cup and I hope it will be special as well,” he added.

Neymar made his World Cup debut on home soil in 2014 but was sidelined by injury when Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany in the semi-finals. They were knocked out in the quarter-finals at the past two tournaments.

READ: ICC hands Gaddafi Stadium and Lord’s pitches demerit points

LAHORE: Top-order batter Sahibzada Farhan has been named as captain of the Pakistan squad for the upcoming Asian Games 2026, set to take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October.

The men’s cricket event will commence on 24 September, featuring 10 teams; meanwhile, the medal matches will be played on 3 October. All games will be played at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture.

30-year-old Farhan has featured in 46 T20I matches for Pakistan, scoring 1,305 runs, including two centuries and 10 half-centuries. Meanwhile, Abdul Samad, who has played five T20Is for Pakistan, has been named vice-captain of the side.

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Among the 15-member squad, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood are the four players yet to represent Pakistan in the T20I format.

Additionally, 14 of the 15 players selected for the Asian Games squad are part of the NCA White-Ball Camp, which is set to commence in Lahore from Monday, 15 June.

Pakistan squad for Asian Games 2026

Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan (wicket-keeper)

Support staff: Mike Hesson (head coach), Ashley Noffke (bowling coach), Shane McDermott (fielding coach), Muhammad Tahir (physiotherapist), Imran Ullah (trainer), Usman Hashmi (analyst-cum-team operations coordinator)

READ: Shan Masood set to lose Test captaincy, likely replacement revealed

LAHORE: Pakistan Test skipper Shan Masood is likely to be removed from his role, with Salman Ali Agha expected to replace him following key Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) meetings scheduled for June 12 and 13.

The meeting will be held under the supervision of PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, with major appointments and changes expected in the team management.

According to sources, the two-day meeting will focus on several important matters, including appointments to key positions and a possible reshuffle within the national team’s management setup.

Sources privy to the matter also revealed a significant decision regarding the future of Pakistan’s Test captain is also likely to be discussed.

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Following Pakistan’s poor performances in Test cricket, the board is reportedly considering removing Shan Masood as Test captain. T20I captain Salman Ali Agha is being considered as a potential replacement to lead the side in the longest format.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez is likely to be appointed as Director International, while other major changes within the team management are also expected.

It is worth mentioning that Shan Masood was appointed Pakistan’s Test captain in January 2024 after Babar Azam stepped down from the role.

However, Pakistan’s Test record under Masood has been disappointing. During his tenure, the national side has won only four of its 16 Test matches.

Among the most notable setbacks were whitewashes against Bangladesh in both home and away Test series. Besides this, Masood’s individual batting performances have also declined during the same period.

READ: Ben Stokes could retire from international cricket: reports

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday called protests by teachers ahead of this week’s launch of the FIFA World Cup 2026 a “provocation.”

The left-leaning leader called the decision by the teachers’ union to camp out near Mexico City’s central fan zone “unexplainable” and a “provocation — as if to say, ‘Look at how bad the situation is in Mexico.'”

Sheinbaum said Thursday’s opening game between Mexico and South Africa “is guaranteed” despite planned protests.

Teachers called for a mass demonstration across Mexico City that will also include families of so-called “disappeared” people, who are alleged to have been killed or kidnapped by the authorities or criminal gangs.

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The CNTE teachers union has been on strike since last week to demand a salary raise and the reversal of a pension law — which the government considers unfeasible.

On June 1, police dispersed protesting teachers with rubber bullets and teargas at metal barricades near the fan zone in the Zocalo square.

“They want to make it seem like there is mass social turmoil in Mexico, and that’s not true,” Sheinbaum said of the protests.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will kick off in Mexico on 12 June with the opening match scheduled between Mexico and South Africa.

READ: Ben Stokes could retire from international cricket: reports