Category: Sports

England captain Ben Stokes has dismissed suggestions of a collapse in his relationship with coach Brendon McCullum, although he says the way they work together will “look a little bit different” this season.

Stokes and McCullum, a former New Zealand captain, have been in a close alliance since joining forces in 2022. But there appeared to be a difference in their respective approaches as England slumped to a woeful 4-1 series Ashes loss in Australia.

As all-rounder Stokes opted for a more grinding, disciplined approach, as the series wore on, while McCullum continued to stand by his mantra of ultra-aggressive ‘Bazball’ cricket.

Both men backed each other in public at the end of the series, and Stokes reiterated that position following media reports that a post-Ashes review had revealed tensions between the duo.

“Saying we weren’t aligned, I think, is a massive overstatement,” Stokes said in an in-house interview with the England and Wales Cricket Board published Tuesday.

“When you’re in a position of leadership along with someone else, if anyone thinks that you’re always going to agree on everything, then it’s just impossible.”

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England are back in Test action in June, against New Zealand, before taking on Pakistan at home as well. Stokes said there would be a change in how he worked with McCullum as the team look to return to winning ways ahead of the 2027 Ashes in England.

“I’m very confident in mine and Brendon’s ability to be able to work together, because we’ve done it for such a long period of time now, but work together in a slightly different way,” he said.

“The main point of me and Brendon is our alignment towards winning things and making this team as good as they can be. That’s always been the thing since we started. It might just look a little bit different now to how that operates — on the back of four years working together.

“Hopefully we’ll still be together at the end of 2027, winning what we want to win.”

Ben Stokes is currently recovering from a facial injury after being struck by a stray ball in pre-season training, but is expected to lead England in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on June 4.

READ: Pakistan fast bowler set to join Yorkshire for T20 Blast

Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali has secured a stint in county cricket after signing with Yorkshire County Cricket Club as an overseas player for the upcoming Vitality Blast.

The 31-year-old will replace Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq, who has been ruled out after suffering a stress fracture in his right shoulder.

Naveen had already missed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year and will not recover in time to take up his contract at Headingley.

Yorkshire have moved swiftly to bring in Hasan, who arrives with a significant T20 pedigree. The right-arm quick has represented Pakistan in 57 T20 Internationals and has built a strong reputation across franchise leagues worldwide.

His previous county stint with Warwickshire further strengthens his credentials, having picked up 44 wickets at an impressive average of 14.93 across three Vitality Blast campaigns between 2023 and 2025.

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Hasan Ali is also carrying strong momentum into the competition, currently enjoying an excellent run in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11, where he has claimed nine wickets in four matches for Karachi Kings at an average of just over 13.

The experienced pacer is expected to be available for Yorkshire throughout the Blast group stage and will also feature in two County Championship fixtures against Warwickshire and Leicestershire.

Yorkshire’s general manager of cricket, Gavin Hamilton, welcomed the signing, acknowledging the disappointment of losing Naveen but expressing confidence in Hasan’s ability to fill the void.

“Whilst we’re naturally disappointed to not see Naveen join us this year, in Hasan we have an exceptional replacement,” he said.

“He arrives with a wealth of experience and a skillset that we believe will be invaluable to the group. We’re delighted to have secured someone of Hasan’s quality at such short notice, and everyone at the club is looking forward to welcoming him to Headingley next month.”

READ: Blessing Muzarabani penalised by PCB for violating PSL contract

Bayern Munich veteran Manuel Neuer is saddling up for Wednesday’s Real Madrid quarter-final second leg at home in what could be his final season before riding off into the sunset.

Though not the risk-hungry, ‘sweeper keeper’ of his prime, the two-time Champions League winner was outstanding in Bayern’s 2-1 first-leg victory in Madrid.

Named man of the match, Neuer made nine saves and succeeded in keeping Real’s danger men Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior at bay, for the most part.

Neuer, who turned 40 in March, has a contract in Munich until the end of the season.

Bayern seem willing to offer their long-time ‘keeper and captain another year, but Neuer has repeatedly said he is still weighing up his future.

The 2014 World Cup winner has struggled with muscle injuries in the past two seasons. Normally, the first name on the teamsheet, this campaign, he has missed 11 games as he battles persistent calf muscle strains.

Having already ruled himself out of World Cup contention this summer, ending the season with a third Champions League crown alongside a record-equalling 13th Bundesliga title would be a perfect sign-off.

While Bayern have always sat atop German football, Neuer’s arrival alongside other modern greats, including Thomas Mueller, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger, helped push the club into the stratosphere.

Bayern Munich had never won more than three Bundesliga titles in a row before Neuer signed in 2011, but have only missed out twice in the 15 subsequent seasons.

Two of Bayern’s six Champions League titles have come with Neuer between the sticks.

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Neuer’s spectacular saves make highlight reels, but his leadership has been crucial as Bayern have rebuilt from 2023-24’s third-place Bundesliga finish, to once again contend for the Champions League.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, in just his second season managing a club with Champions League ambitions, said so after the first leg.

“Manu only has to say one sentence, and he brings order to the team. That’s why his role to me as a leader is just as important as what he does on the pitch,” Kompany said, adding Neuer “made things much easier for me at the beginning than I thought”.

Heading into Wednesday’s return leg, Manuel Neuer is the only current Bayern player to have experienced victory over two legs against Madrid. Since getting past the Spaniards in the 2012 semi-finals, Bayern had not even won a match against Los Blancos in their eight meetings, up until last week.

And the Gelsenkirchen native will have even more motivation to get across the line against Real this time around. Two years ago, with Bayern ahead against Los Blancos in the dying stages of their semi-final return leg, Neuer spilt a Vinicius shot, which Joselu tapped in to level things up.

Minutes later, Joselu scored again, and Bayern were eliminated, with Real going on to win the title at Wembley.

Despite their first-leg lead, Bayern know their opponents well, with 29 games between the sides, no European fixture has been played more, and remain wary of the Champions League specialists.

Real suffered another La Liga setback on Friday and are now nine points behind Barcelona, but Joshua Kimmich recognised that the 15-time winners can turn it on when they have the Champions League anthem ringing in their ears.

“It doesn’t matter at all what form Kylian Mbappe and his teammates are in. When it’s the Champions League, they perform,” Kimmich said Saturday.

“We know exactly who we are playing against. It’s a brutally difficult task,” Leon Goretzka said the same day. “We know how quickly they can create scoring opportunities. We know what to expect.”

READ: Blessing Muzarabani penalised by PCB for violating PSL contract

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has slapped a two-year ban on Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani for breaching his Pakistan Super League (PSL) contract with Islamabad United.

The 29-year-old pacer was bought by three-time champions United for PKR 1.1 crore for the 11th edition of the PSL; however, he later withdrew to join the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a replacement for Bangladesh left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman.

The PCB, following a disciplinary review, announced that the Zimbabwean cricketer is declared ineligible to participate in the next two editions of the PSL, effective immediately.

The board maintained that professional cricket operates on the bedrock of trust and the certainty of agreements. In this instance, despite a clear offer and an unequivocal acceptance of essential terms, the player chose to disregard these obligations in favour of a conflicting arrangement.

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In a statement regarding the sanctions, the PSL emphasized that the integrity of the HBL PSL depends on the consistent and ethical behaviour of all participants:

“Professionalism in franchise-based leagues requires participants to act with transparency and consistency. Entering into a conflicting engagement while a prior binding agreement subsists represents a departure from the expected standards of the game.

“Such conduct, if left unaddressed, erodes the reliability of dealings and the confidence that franchises, regulators, and stakeholders place in professional engagements.”

READ: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi likely to make history with India debut: report

India’s rising teenage sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, is on the verge of scripting history, with reports suggesting the 15-year-old could soon become the youngest player to represent the country at the international level.

The prodigious batter has been making waves with his fearless strokeplay, and his performances in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, for Rajasthan Royals, have only strengthened his case for national selection.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the youngster has been shortlisted for India’s upcoming two-match T20I series against Ireland in June, with selectors closely monitoring his progress.

He is also believed to be in contention for the subsequent three-match series against Zimbabwe in July.

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If handed a debut, Sooryavanshi would surpass the long-standing record held by Sachin Tendulkar, who was 16 years and 205 days old at the time of his international debut.

He would also go past Shafali Verma, who made her T20I debut at 15 years and 239 days in women’s cricket.

Notably, in the IPL 2026, Sooryavanshi has amassed 200 runs in five matches at an average of 40 and an astonishing strike rate of over 260, making him one of the standout performers of the season.

Overall, he has featured in 23 T20 matches, scoring 901 runs at an average of 40.95 and a blistering strike rate exceeding 215, including three centuries.

READ: Mitchell Starc, Deepti Sharma named as Wisden’s Leading Cricketers in the World

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has been named the leading men’s cricketer in the world by Wisden Almanack, while India’s Deepti Sharma was named the leading women’s cricketer on Monday.

The UK-based Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which dates back to 1864, is an annual record of all major cricket worldwide and is regarded as the sport’s “Bible”.

The publication named four Indian players who starred in a thrilling 2-2 drawn Test series in England last year among its five cricketers of the year.

Men’s Test captain Shubman Gill, spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj were all on the list.

The only English player in the group of five was former Test opener Haseeb Hameed, who led Nottinghamshire to the County Championship in 2025.

Players can only receive the award once in their careers, and it is based predominantly on performances during the previous English season.

Gill also received the Wisden Trophy for Test performance of the year after he scored 269 and 161 in the second Test at Edgbaston.

Deepti Sharma succeeds compatriot Smriti Mandhana as Wisden’s leading women’s cricketer of the year for her all-round performances in India’s 50-over World Cup triumph, with Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc receiving the men’s award.

Starc, 36, claimed 55 Test wickets at 17.32 in 11 Tests in the calendar year, including a career-best haul of 6 for 9 against West Indies.

He then backed that up with 18 wickets in the first two Tests of the 2025-26 Ashes, en route to a series-winning haul of 31 at 19.93.

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Meanwhile, Sharma, 28, was India’s player of the tournament as they claimed their maiden 50-over women’s World Cup crown with a 52-run win over South Africa in the final in Navi Mumbai.

In the course of the campaign, she scored 215 runs at 30.71 alongside 22 wickets at 20.40, and excelled in the final with a run-a-ball 58 and a match-sealing haul of 5 for 39.

The prolific Abhishek Sharma was named Wisden’s leading T20 cricketer of the year.

Wisden editor Lawrence Booth, however, criticised the increasing Indian influence on English domestic cricket’s Hundred, with four of the eight franchises now linked to owners of Indian Premier League teams after a huge influx of private investment.

“The competition’s new ownership structure risks turning The Hundred into an IPL proxy event, more for the benefit of Indian businessmen than English cricket,” wrote Booth.

He also pulled no punches in labelling England’s woeful Ashes campaign as “feckless, reckless and legless”.

England, humiliated 4-1 by Australia, were criticised for insufficient planning, confused tactics and an over-relaxed approach to off-field behaviour, highlighted by reports of excessive drinking during a mid-tour break.

“In the game’s long history, it is hard to think of a privilege so carelessly squandered, a chance so blithely spurned,” wrote Booth.

“England were feckless, reckless and legless. These were the wing-and-a-prayer Ashes and England got what they deserved. What a waste. What a shame.”

READ: Babar Azam reflects on Peshawar Zalmi’s unbeaten run in PSL 11

Noah Okafor fired Leeds to a long-awaited 2-1 win over 10-man Manchester United at Old Trafford as the Premier League strugglers boosted their bid to avoid relegation on Monday.

Okafor punished United’s sloppy defending with a brace in the first half before Lisandro Martinez was sent off after pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair after the interval.

Casemiro got one back for United, but Leeds held on for their first win against United since a shock 2010 FA Cup success when they were in the third tier.

The Yorkshire club were able to celebrate their first top-flight win against United since 2002 and their first league victory at Old Trafford in 45 years.

A first win in seven league matches lifted Daniel Farke’s side six points clear of the relegation zone, with six games left to preserve their top-flight status after last season’s promotion.

As well as battling for survival, Leeds are through to the FA Cup semi-finals, where they face Chelsea at Wembley on April 26.

While Manchester City and Liverpool are United’s main rivals, their fans’ enmity with Leeds supporters goes back decades, featuring numerous clashes between hooligan gangs.

That made the defeat a bitter pill to swallow for United fans, who booed Michael Carrick’s side at full-time.

It was only Carrick’s second defeat in 11 games since he replaced the sacked Ruben Amorim as interim boss in January.

United remain in third place, seven points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish.

The last time United played Leeds, Carrick was on holiday with former Old Trafford team-mate Wayne Rooney and their respective families in Barbados.

Carrick has revitalised United since taking charge, but one win from their last four games is a step back.

United’s trip to Chelsea on Saturday offers another chance to take a step towards returning to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2023-24.

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Leeds had failed to score in their previous four league games, but they blew United away with a blistering start.

When Jayden Bogle whipped a fifth-minute cross towards Dominic Calvert-Lewin, United defender Leny Yoro was unable to clear, and Okafor pounced with a clinical finish from 10 yards.

With Harry Maguire suspended, United were shambolic at the back in the first-half and Okafor netted again after more defensive miscues in the 29th minute.

United made a hash of clearing twice in quick succession, and the ball was eventually worked to Okafor, whose strike took a hefty deflection off Yoro as it flashed past Senne Lammens.

Carrick’s men were back in action for the first time in 24 days, and they looked rusty after the enforced break.

Lisandro Martinez was forced to make a last-ditch tackle on the goal-line to stop Ao Tanka scoring a third for Leeds after the Japan midfielder danced around Lammens.

Benjamin Sesko’s effort was cleared off the line soon after the interval, and United’s nightmare evening continued when Martinez saw red in the 56th minute.

Martinez needlessly tugged Calvert-Lewin’s long hair, and referee Paul Tierney sent him off after consulting the pitch-side monitor.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, United reduced the deficit in the 69th minute when Casemiro met Bruno Fernandes’ cross with a thumping header past Karl Darlow from six yards.

It was Fernandes’ 17th league assist this season, closing the gap on the single-season record of 20 held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

Calvert-Lewin squandered a golden opportunity to wrap up the points, heading straight at Lammens from close-range.

Darlow made a superb save from Sesko’s header before Casemiro, and Manuel Ugarte had efforts cleared off the line as Leeds held firm in a frantic finale.

READ: Liverpool need ‘very special’ night to stun PSG, says Arne Slot

KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam expressed confidence in maintaining the team’s winning momentum in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11. 

Zalmi’s 24-run victory over Multan Sultans marked their fifth win in the tournament, strengthening their top position on the points table.

The stars of the match were Kusal Mendis and Sufiyan Muqeem, with the former top-scoring with 68 while the latter returned with a three-wicket haul.

Speaking to the media after the match, Babar praised the players for their impressive performances.

“I am thoroughly enjoying playing this season. Our players are working hard in every department,” he told reporters.

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“The plan is for the top three batters to provide a strong start, after which the other players should take the score forward,” Babar revealed.

The skipper termed every match important, noting that they have learned from past mistakes.

“Our effort is to perform well in every match. We have learned a lot from our mistakes,” Babar maintained.

He talked about conditions and highlighted the different nature of the game, which could vary depending on the opposition.

“The aim is to maintain the strong performances from the last five matches. It is my opinion that conditions are not the same every day, and it is not easy to understand conditions on a daily basis.”

Catch all the PSL 11 updates here!

Regarding strike rate, Babar said maintaining a strike rate can be challenging sometimes, while emphasizing the role of partnerships.

“We have to play according to the team’s requirements. I know if I am coming in the power play, I have to utilize the fielding restrictions. ”

“Sometimes it is not easy to maintain the strike rate. Partnerships are for this purpose because if one batter is struggling, then the other could assist him,” he concluded.

READ: PSL 11: Naqvi to request PM Shehbaz for fan attendance in stadiums

KARACHI: Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi on Monday said he would request Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reconsider the decision regarding fan attendance for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11.

Speaking to the media after the Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans clash, Naqvi addressed the question regarding the fans’ entry in stadiums.

The appeal was made while Season 11 of the prestigious tournament was taking place behind closed doors in Karachi and Lahore, in line with the government’s official resource conservation initiatives.

Before the start of the PSL season 11, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi announced that PSL matches would be held without spectators as part of the government’s austerity measures amid the ongoing regional crisis.

“I would request the Prime Minister to permit fans to come to the stadium,” he said.

“We are making decisions keeping the current situation in mind,” he added, saying that the decisions are taken in accordance with the prevailing situation.

Chairman PCB also dismissed comparisons with India, where fans are allowed to watch IPL 2026 matches, asserting that the conditions in Pakistan are different.

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“We do not have a situation like India in our country,” he remarked.

Mohsin Naqvi also confirmed that the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will proceed as planned.

“The PSL will continue as per the scheduled plan,” he said.

Chairman PCB further pointed out the need for improvements in the National Bank Stadium facilities and revealed that plans are under consideration to completely demolish the venue.

“The second phase of the upgradation will begin after the PSL ends. We need to bring changes to the stadium infrastructure. Our plan is to rebuild the stadium after demolition, but it depends how much change will it bring [to the overall structure],” he concluded.

READ: Mohammad Haris achieves THIS milestone during Multan Sultans clash

Arne Slot admits Liverpool will need a “very special” performance to overturn their 2-0 deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday.

Slot’s side are on the brink of being eliminated by PSG for a second successive season after a disappointing display in Paris last week.

Liverpool failed to muster a single shot on target at the Parc des Princes and Slot acknowledged they will have to improve significantly to stun Luis Enrique’s team at Anfield.

“We know we need an exceptional performance to go to the next round but that’s completely normal when you face the champions of Europe,” Slot told reporters on Monday.

“In the 49 home games we have played under me, 36 times we were able to score two goals or more.

“Yes, we have not played all these 49 games against Paris Saint-Germain, I realise that, but the Premier League and Champions League opponents we had were very strong.

“So there is a belief we can do special things tomorrow but we need to be very, very, very special to achieve that.”

Slot has come under mounting scrutiny following Liverpool’s woeful defence of the Premier League title and their embarrassing FA Cup quarter-final exit in a 4-0 thrashing at Manchester City.

After three successive defeats against Brighton, City and PSG, Liverpool kept the critics at bay, for a few days at least, with a 2-0 win against Fulham on Saturday.

But a tame exit from the Champions League would intensify the pressure on Slot ahead of Sunday’s Merseyside derby at Everton.

Slot knows Liverpool need to at least put up a better fight than in Paris, where they struggled to retain possession and rarely troubled the PSG defence.

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“We are playing the champions of Europe so that makes the task more difficult but not impossible,” he said.

“For now let’s just focus on the job on hand, start aggressive and make sure we can get back in the tie.

“Even Saturday showed how important a goal is… minutes (later) we scored the second. That is what football is about, a goal can change the momentum, which happened negatively for us at Manchester City.”

While Slot was criticised for Liverpool’s passive first-leg performance, the Reds boss insisted his side could win with a similar approach at Anfield.

“People probably find it very hard what I am about to say now but the approach is not so different tomorrow than it was in Paris. For the people who know me I never tell them to play in a low block for 90 minutes,” he said.

“You could see we pressed them high on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, seven or eight of those moments led them to being one-on-one with our goalkeeper.

“The last time we faced each other they had the ball for 76 percent of the time, so that’s the first thing we have to change tomorrow, to have the ball more.

“If we have it more then it’s nice to have the attacking threat on the pitch and that’s what we will have tomorrow.”

READ: Atletico captain issues bold statement ahead of Barcelona clash