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LAHORE: Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team is set to hold intra-squad white-ball matches to fine-tune their preparations for the three-match ODI series against Australia.

According to reports, three to four matches are likely to be played, with leading white-ball performers expected to be included.

White-ball head coach Mike Hesson is keen to closely assess the available players ahead of the series, which is expected to play an important role in finalising Pakistan’s ODI squad.

Sources further indicate that the national selection committee may also consider including a few young players once the matches conclude.

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The series will commence on 30 May at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.  The 2023 World Cup winners will touch down in Islamabad on 23 May ahead of the first ODI, which will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The last two matches of the series are scheduled at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on June 2 and 4. All three ODIs will start at 4:30pm local time, with the toss at 4pm.

For the unversed, it will be Australia’s first bilateral ODI series in Pakistan since March-April 2022. The series is a continuation of Australia’s tour of Pakistan for a three-match T20I series in January and February, where Pakistan completed a 3-0 clean sweep over them.

Australia also visited Pakistan during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, registering a five-wicket win over England at the same venue on 22 February.

Pakistan-Australia Series schedule

30 May – First ODI, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
2 June – Second ODI, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
4 June – Third ODI, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

READ: Bangladesh name ICC Women’s T20 World Cup squad

KARACHI: Pakistan Women’s Cricket Team produced a record-breaking performance to complete a 3-0 victory over Zimbabwe in the three-match ODI series at the National Bank Stadium.

After a dominant display in the third ODI on Saturday, Pakistan also climbed to second spot in the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29 points table.

Zimbabwe’s decision to bat first in the final ODI backfired as they managed 222-9 in 50 overs. Beloved Biza remained the top-scorer for them, scoring 73 off 88 balls, including 12 fours. For Pakistan, Tasmia Rubab scalped three wickets.

In reply, Pakistan chased down the target in only 31.5 overs, losing one wicket in the process. Gull Feroza starred with the bat, notching up her second consecutive century. She remained unbeaten on 106 off just 92 balls, striking 16 fours.

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Meanwhile, Sadaf Shams also played well, hitting 13 fours in her 90 off 98 deliveries.

The opening pair continued their record-breaking form, powering Pakistan to several milestones during the series against Zimbabwe.

Their 90-run powerplay set a new benchmark for Pakistan Women in ODIs. The duo also equalled the record for the most century partnerships by a Pakistan Women’s opening pair (three), matching the record held by Muneeba Ali and Sidra Amin.

Both batters recorded the most runs by a pair in a bilateral ODI series with 571 runs, registered three consecutive 150-plus stands, and produced the second-highest partnership for any wicket for Pakistan Women in ODIs (220 runs).

Sadaf Shamas became the first Pakistani batter to score five successive fifty-plus scores in Women’s ODI, while Gull Feroza broke her own record for the fastest century by a Pakistan Women batter, reaching the milestone in 83 balls.

Gull Feroza also became only the second Pakistani player to score back-to-back centuries in Women’s ODIs, as Pakistan finished with the highest successful chase run-rate of 7.06 in a 200-plus target.

READ: Bangladesh name ICC Women’s T20 World Cup squad

Bangladesh’s cricket board announced on Sunday that star batter Taj Nehar was back in the squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales, with Nigar Sultana leading the 15-member team.

Bangladesh depart for Edinburgh on May 25 for a tri-series against Scotland and then the Netherlands before travelling to Loughborough for the official warm-up matches.

Pacer Sharmin Sultana, who featured in the last home T20I series against Sri Lanka, has been left out of the team, with Nehar taking her spot.

The side includes two specialist pacers in Marufa Akter and Fariha Islam Trisna, with Ritu Moni as part-time medium bowler.

Chief selector Sajjad Ahmed set a target of three wins from five group stage matches.

“In the World Cup, we have five matches, excluding the two practice matches. Among those five, we hope to win three,” Sajjad told reporters after the announcement.

“Our targets are Netherlands, then Pakistan, South Africa — we are working very hard on those three.”

The chief selector also acknowledged a lack of pace bowling depth.

“We don’t have many pacers in our pipeline. Most of the time, the important ones get injured at crucial moments. We have two pace bowlers — Fariha Islam, Trisna and Marufa Akter — with Ritu Moni as our third pacer,” he said.

Bangladesh T20 World Cup Squad

Nigar Sultana Joty (captain), Nahida Akter (vice captain), Sharmin Akter Supta, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Fahima Khatun, Fariha Islam Trisna, Marufa Akter, Sanjida Akter Meghla, Sultana Khatun, Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Taj Nehar.

READ: Azan Awais, Abdullah Fazal make debut history during Bangladesh Test

MIRPUR: Pakistan debutant pair Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal scripted history after posting a century partnership against Bangladesh in the first Test at the Shere-e-Bangla National Stadium.

The pair became only the third Pakistani duo to share a century stand on Test debut, putting together a 104-run partnership for the second wicket.

Fazal joined Awais when Pakistan were 106 -1 on day two. The pair batted with maturity and composure to keep the Bangladesh bowlers at bay.

Fazal made 60 off 120 balls with the help of seven fours and a six, while Awais scored 103 off 165 balls, including 14 fours.

For Pakistan, Khalid Ibadulla and Abdul Kadir hold the record for the highest partnership by a debutant pair, adding 249 runs against Australia in 1964.

Century partnerships between debutants for Pakistan in Test cricket

Khalid Ibadulla & Abdul Kadir (Pakistan) — 249 runs against Australia in 1964

Mohammad Hafeez & Yasir Hameed (Pakistan) — 134 runs against Bangladesh in 2003

Azan Awais & Abdullah Fazal (Pakistan) — 104 runs against Bangladesh in 2026

Century partnerships between debutants in Test cricket

RA Duff and WW Armstrong (Australia) — 120 runs against England in 1902

RE Foster & AE Relf (England) — 115 runs England against Australia in 1903

G Gunn & J Hardstaff (England) — 113 runs against Australia in 1907

GA Headley & FI de Caires (West Indies) — 142 runs against England in 1930

FI de Caires & JED Sealy (West Indies) — 124 runs against England in 1930

DL Houghton & A Flower (Zimbabwe) — 165 runs against India in 1992

KJ Arnott & GW Flower (Zimbabwe) — 100 runs against India in 1992

RT Ponting & SG Law (Australia) — 121 runs against Sri Lanka in 1995

Tamim Iqbal & Junaid Siddique (Bangladesh) — 161 runs against New Zealand in 2008

KJ O’Brien & SR Thompson (Ireland) — 114 runs against Pakistan in 2018

NE Bonner & KR Mayers (West Indies) — 216 runs against Bangladesh in 2021

At the time of filing this story, Pakistan were 349-6, trailing by 64 runs with the match delayed due to rain. Salman Ali Agha remained not out on 55 off 90 balls.

READ: Agha, Rizwan fifties rescue Pakistan after Mehidy strikes

MIRPUR: Mehidy Hasan Miraz weaved spin magic as Bangladesh bowled out Pakistan for 386 in the final session on day three of the first Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday.

Bad light caused early stumps on day three as Bangladesh were 7-0 in 1.5 overs.

After tea, Pakistan managed to add only 37 to their total and lost four wickets after the rain-delayed post-tea session. The lower order collapse handed Bangladesh a 27-run lead, largely due to reckless shot selection by Pakistan batters.

The visitors resumed their innings on 349-6 with Noman Ali joining Salman Ali Agha. However, Nahid Rana ended the latter’s resistance, who had him caught at slip. Agha made 58 with the aid of a six and a four.

Noman and Shaheen added 19 to reduce the deficit, but Mehidy removed both batters in a short span to put Bangladesh on top position.

Hasan Ali (6) was the last batter to fall, attempting a slog against Taijul Islam and ended up losing his wicket.

Mehidy starred with the ball, finishing with figures of 5-102. Taskin Ahmed and Taijul Islam picked up two while Nahid Rana managed one.

Earlier, Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan’s 119-run partnership took Pakistan out of trouble against Bangladesh by Tea.

Pakistan were 349-6 in the second session, still trailing by 64 runs. Agha remained unbeaten on 55 while Mohammad Rizwan gave his wicket away on the stroke of session end.  The right-hander made 59 off 79, hitting eight boundaries before getting caught at mid-off.

The duo launched Pakistan’s recovery after Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran through the middle-order. Both batters came in when the side was in deep trouble at 230-5.

For Bangladesh, Miraz remained the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets, while Taijul Islam also chipped in with one wicket.

At lunch, Pakistan were in a hole as Mehidy Hasan Miraz struck thrice to jolt the visitors’ progress.

In reply to Bangladesh 413, Pakistan resumed on 179-1 with debutants Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazam batting steadily. However, Taskin Ahmed provided the home side a much-needed breakthrough in the form of Azan’s wicket.

The left-hander made 104 with the aid of 14 fours. Soon after, skipper Shan Masood went back, getting dismissed for nine. The woes were further compounded when Saud Shakeel (0) and Abdullah Fazal (60) perished, leaving Pakistan at 230-5.

After quick wickets, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha came to the fore, arresting the slide with an unbroken 21-run partnership at lunch.

READ: Azan Awais enters record books with century on Test debut

MIRPUR: Pakistan opening batter Azan Awais on Sunday entered an elite list of players after scoring a century on his Test debut. 

The left-hander achieved the feat in the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The 21-year-old brought up his century with a single in the 51st over of Pakistan’s innings.

The Sialkot-born batter resumed his innings from an overnight score of 85 on day two.

With this achievement, Azan became the 14th Pakistani player to reach the triple-figure mark on Test debut, joining a list that includes several notable players.

Khalid Ibadulla remained the first player to achieve a milestone on debut in the longest format for Pakistan, while Yasir Hameed remains the only player on the list to score a century in both innings of a debut Test.

Overall, he is the 120th batter in the history of Test cricket to score a century on debut in the longer format of the game.

List of Pakistan batters to score century on Test debut:

Khalid Ibadulla – 166 against Australia in 1964
Javed Miandad – 163 against New Zealand in 1976
Saleem Malik – 100* against Sri Lanka in 1982
Mohammad Wasim – 109* against New Zealand in 1996
Ali Naqvi – 115 against South Africa in 1997
Azhar Mahmood – 128* against South Africa in 1997
Younis Khan – 107 against Sri Lanka in 2000
Taufeeq Umar – 104 against Bangladesh in 2001
Yasir Hameed – 170, 105 against Bangladesh in 2003
Fawad Alam – 168 against Sri Lanka in 2009
Umar Akmal – 129 against New Zealand in 2009
Abid Ali – 109* against Sri Lanka in 2019
Kamran Ghulam – 114 against England in 2024
Azan Awais – 103 against Bangladesh in 2026

Azan Awais fell prey to Taskin Ahmed soon after completing his century. He made 103 from 165 balls, striking 14 boundaries.

READ: Debutant Azan Awais puts Pakistan in command against Bangladesh

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said Aurelien Tchouameni will be in his team’s squad to face Barcelona on Sunday in La Liga, despite his confrontation with team-mate Fede Valverde.

The Uruguay captain was treated in hospital for a head injury and will miss up to a fortnight while he recovers, after the two players argued at the end of training on Thursday.

Real Madrid fined France international Tchouameni and Valverde on Friday and said both midfielders had apologised to each other and the club, fans, staff and team-mates.

If Real Madrid fail to beat Barcelona, the Catalans will be crowned Spanish champions for a second consecutive season.

“Tomorrow Tchouameni will be in the squad,” Arbeloa told reporters, when asked about the Frenchman’s availability for the Clasico at Camp Nou.

Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in January of a troubled season for Madrid, said he had accepted both players’ apologies for the incident.

“I’m very proud of the club’s decisiveness, speed, and transparency, and that the players have acknowledged their mistake, expressed their regret, accepted the consequences of what they have done, and asked for forgiveness,” said Arbeloa.

“For me, that’s enough. What I’m not going to do is burn them at the stake in public, because they don’t deserve that… because of what they’ve shown me over these four months and over these years.

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“They’ve shown they understand what it means to be a Real Madrid player, their commitment, their effort, their love for the shirt, and I’m not going to forget that.”

Arbeloa said what was more troubling to him was that somebody would leak the details of the row to the media.

“That things are leaked that happened in the dressing room, to me is a betrayal of Real Madrid and the club badge,” said the coach.

Arbeloa was at Liverpool in 2007 when Welsh striker Craig Bellamy hit team-mate John Arne Riise with a golf club. A few days later, Bellamy celebrated scoring against Barcelona at Camp Nou in the Champions League with a golf swing celebration.

“I had a team-mate who smacked another one with a golf club,” remembered Arbeloa.

“For me, the thing that hurts me the most is that what happens in the Real Madrid dressing room should stay in the Real Madrid dressing room.

“Situations that don’t represent Real Madrid, or any club, situations that shouldn’t happen between teammates, have always happened, everywhere, but I’m not justifying it.”

Arbeloa added that it was “not easy” for the players to be at Real Madrid and on the verge of not winning a major trophy for two consecutive seasons.

READ: Debutant Azan Awais puts Pakistan in command against Bangladesh

Iran’s football federation said on Saturday that the men’s national team will take part in the FIFA World Cup 2026 this summer, but demanded that the joint hosts, the United States of America (USA), Mexico and Canada, agree to its conditions amid the Middle East war.

The call comes after Canada refused entry to the federation’s chief last month before the FIFA Congress because of his links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological arm of Iran’s military, which it designated as a terror group in 2024.

Iran’s presence at the tournament, which will take place between June 11 and July 19, has been shrouded in uncertainty since the eruption of war in the Middle East in February following strikes by the United States and Israel.

“We will definitely participate in the 2026 World Cup, but the hosts must take our concerns into account,” the Iranian federation said on its official website.

“We will participate in the World Cup tournament, but without any retreat from our beliefs, culture, and convictions.”

The Iranian football federation (FFIRI) president, Mehdi Taj, told state TV on Friday that Tehran has 10 conditions for attending the global spectacle, seeking assurances over the country’s treatment.

The conditions include visas being granted and respect for the national team staff, the team’s flag and its national anthem during the tournament, as well as demands for high security at airports, hotels and routes to the stadiums where they will play.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that Iran’s footballers would be welcome at the tournament.

But he warned that the US may yet bar entry to members of the Iranian delegation with ties to the IRGC, which it also designates as a terrorist organisation.

“All players and technical staff, especially those who have served their military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC, such as Mehdi Taremi and Ehsan Hajsafi, should be granted visas without any problems,” said Iranian football chief Taj.

FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has reiterated that Iran will play their World Cup games in the United States as scheduled.

Iran, who are due to be based in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup 2026, face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G.

The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.

“No external power can deprive Iran of its participation in a cup to which it has qualified with merit,” the Iranian federation said on Saturday.

READ: Real Madrid fine Tchouameni and Valverde 500,000 euros over bust-up

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named a 15-member women’s squad for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, scheduled to take place at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi from 12 to 15 May.

Pakistan and Zimbabwe are currently taking part in a three-match ODI series, where the hosts have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead. The third ODI is set to take place later today at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

Fatima Sana will continue to lead the T20I side, with the first ball of all three matches set to be bowled at 7.30pm local time.

Among the 15 players selected for the T20I squad, Amber Kainat and Saira Jabeen are the two uncapped players.

Right-arm fast bowler Amber took 11 wickets in eight matches for Invincibles in the recently concluded National Women’s T20 Tournament, while Saira was part of Pakistan’s T20I squad for the recent tour of South Africa.

Pakistan women’s T20I squad: Fatima Sana (captain), Amber Kainat, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali (wicket-keeper), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Tasmia Rubab and Tuba Hassan.

Reserves: Diana Baig, Momina Riasat, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin and Syeda Aroob Shah

Player support personnel: Ayesha Ashhar (team manager), Wahab Riaz (mentor/head coach), Abdur Rehman (spin bowling coach), Umaid Asif (fast bowling coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Muhammad Arslan (media manager), Waleed Ahmed (analyst), Moeen (strength and conditioning coach), Tehreem Sumbal (physiotherapist) and Kiran Shahzadi (masseuse).

Pakistan-Zimbabwe women’s T20I schedule

12 May – First T20I (7.30pm PKT)

14 May – Second T20I (7.30pm PKT)

15 May – Third T20I (7.30pm PKT)

READ: England to host Pakistan for five-match Test series in next WTC cycle: report

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is reportedly exploring the possibility of hosting Pakistan for a five-match Test series during the next cycle of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), marking what could become a historic revival of a long-format rivalry.

According to reports, the proposed series would take place in the upcoming WTC cycle, which begins with England’s home Ashes next summer.

If finalised, it would be the first five-match Test series between the two countries since 1992, when Pakistan secured a memorable 2-1 series victory over England away from home.

The development comes amid a significant shift in the ECB’s scheduling strategy, with the board reportedly moving away from the traditional model of reciprocal home-and-away tours.

Reports suggest the ECB has already opened discussions with both South Africa and Pakistan regarding potential five-match Test tours of England in the coming years.

At the same time, England’s future away tours to nations such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh could reportedly be reduced to a single Test match alongside white-ball fixtures, which are viewed as more commercially beneficial for host boards.

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The proposed changes are linked to the ICC’s plans to expand the WTC structure to include all 12 Test-playing nations, with Ireland and Zimbabwe expected to join a unified division for the first time.

Under the new model being discussed, single Test matches would carry WTC status, removing the current requirement of a minimum two-match series for championship points. That adjustment could pave the way for England to play a Test in Zimbabwe for the first time since the 1996-97 tour.

The ECB is understood to support the idea of one-off Tests, believing the format could help smaller cricketing nations remain active in red-ball cricket while also allowing major boards greater flexibility in arranging marquee series.

Internal ECB research has reportedly shown that Test cricket continues to be the most popular format in England across all age groups, encouraging the board to pursue longer home series similar to those regularly played against Australia and India.

The board has already proposed a five-Test home series against South Africa in 2032, with plans to repeat the arrangement in 2036. Pakistan are reportedly being considered as an alternative option should those discussions not materialise.

READ: Mushfiqur Rahim breaks Tamim Iqbal’s record during Mirpur Test