SPORTS NEWS

 BIRMINGHAM, 12 September 2026 (Kamran Raja): England defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the third Test at Edgbaston on Saturday to complete a historic 3-0 series whitewash, securing their first-ever home Test series clean sweep against Pakistan. Chasing a modest target of 130, England reached the required total in the opening session of the penultimate day. Pakistan made an impressive early start when Mohammad Abbas dismissed Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay for ducks in a sensational opening over, leaving England in immediate trouble. However, Joe Root and Jordan Cox steadied the innings with a composed partnership and guided England to victory. Root scored an unbeaten 62 off 69 balls, while Cox remained not out on 59 from 76 deliveries. Root also completed his 69th Test half-centu...

ISLAMABAD, 11 September 2026 (Nosheen): Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has criticised Test captain Babar Azam over his inability to take firm decisions following major changes in the national team after the Lord’s Test against England. Pakistan made seven changes to the team after suffering a series defeat at Lord’s, including the removal of head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul. Ahead of the third Test, Babar expressed surprise over the overhaul and said he was unaware of the changes, while also admitting that he had not been informed about the disciplinary investigation and related decisions, saying the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was better placed to explain the matter. Speaking on a sports programme on PTV, Akhtar was asked about the mid-series overhaul and B...

 NAGOYA, 11 September 2026 (Ghufran): Pakistan has achieved a historic milestone after Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) was officially included in the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 for the first time. The Pakistan Mixed Martial Arts Federation (PMMAF) confirmed that Pakistan will participate in the historic event, with Abu Huraira selected as an International Technical Official (ITO)/Referee, Asim Khan named as an athlete and Dilawar Khan Sanan appointed as a team official. The Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association (AMMA) selected Pakistan’s top-ranked and experienced MMA referee Abu Huraira to officiate the MMA competitions at the Asian Games. PMMAF President Zulfiqar Ali welcomed Pakistan’s historic participation and congratulated Abu Huraira on his selection, describing the inclusi...

DUBAI, 11 September 2026 (Kamran Raja): Pakistan posted a fighting total of 130-5 in 20 overs against Sri Lanka in the second semi-final of the ACC Women’s Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday, with captain Fatima Sana producing a valiant unbeaten knock to provide late impetus to the innings. Pakistan suffered an early setback when Muneeba Ali was dismissed for just two runs, while Gull Feroza and Shawaal Zulfiqar then added 24 runs for the second wicket. Feroza scored 21 off 32 balls, while Zulfiqar struck two sixes and two fours in her 24 off 16 deliveries. Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals after the partnership and were reduced to 52-4 at the halfway stage, but Fatima Sana steadied the innings by forging two crucial partnerships and guiding her side to ...

 ARUNDEL, 10 September, 2026 (Ghufran): Pakistan U19 registered a commanding 177-run victory over England U19 in the opening match of the four-match Youth ODI series at the Arundel Castle Cricket Club Ground on Wednesday, powered by centuries from Usman Ali and captain Farhan Yousaf, followed by a four-wicket haul from Mohammad Sayyam. Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf’s decision to bat first proved successful as the Green Shirts posted a formidable 332 for nine in their allotted 50 overs, built around a massive 268-run partnership for the third wicket between Farhan and opener Usman Ali. Pakistan suffered an early setback when opener Aliyan Usman was dismissed in the third over with only 12 runs on the board. Top-order batter Abdul Qadir launched a quick counterattack, scoring 26 of...

 LAHORE, 10 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Pakistan fast bowler and ODI captain Shaheen Afridi is set to return to first-class cricket by representing Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in the President’s Trophy Grade-I. According to sources, Afridi will play for KRL, the department he represented early in his domestic career. The 26-year-old has not featured in first-class cricket since the 2017 season of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and has since represented Pakistan in 34 Tests after making his international debut in 2018. Afridi was recently omitted from Pakistan’s squads for the away series against the West Indies and England and is expected to use the domestic competition as an opportunity to regain his rhythm in red-ball cricket. KRL will begin its President’s Trophy campaign agai...

 LONDON, 9 September 2026 (Nosheen): Argentina star Lionel Messi has been nominated for the men’s Ballon d’Or, leading a 30-player shortlist, while his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo has missed out on the nominations announced on Tuesday. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner received his 17th nomination after helping Argentina reach the World Cup final, where they took almost 120 minutes to register their first shot against Spain in a one-sided contest. The 26-year-old Ferran Torres, who joined Paris Saint-Germain after winning La Liga with Barcelona in May, is also among the nominees and is one of six Spanish World Cup winners on the list, alongside 2024 winner Rodri and last year’s runner-up Lamine Yamal. Torres has now joined last year’s Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele at PS...

BIRMINGHAM, 8 September 2026 (Ghufran): Pakistan captain Babar Azam has expressed surprise over the sweeping changes made to the national team following the series defeat to England at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Speaking to the media on the eve of the third Test at Edgbaston, the 31-year-old captain said the developments were “not difficult, but surprising” when asked about a week in which seven players and members of the coaching staff were sent back to Pakistan. Babar also clarified that he had not been involved in the decisions, including the decision to send the players home. Addressing the disciplinary investigation and the dramatic developments within the team, he said the decisions came as news to him and that he learned about them afterward. Babar said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ...

 MADRID, 07 September, 2026 (Nosheen): Real Madrid forward and France captain Kylian Mbappe has welcomed growing speculation that he could win the Ballon d’Or this year following his outstanding performance at the FIFA World Cup. The 27-year-old scored 10 goals at the tournament to claim the Golden Boot, while his 22 career World Cup goals have made him the competition’s all-time leading scorer. Mbappe, who has yet to win the prestigious individual award, said playing for Real Madrid naturally puts him among the players considered for major individual and team honours. He acknowledged that his performances during the World Cup have strengthened his case but said the final decision would be determined by the voters. Since joining Real Madrid in 2024, Mbappe has scored consistently,...

 DUBAI, 07 September, 2026 (Ghufran): Pakistan delivered a dominant performance to defeat Hong Kong by 72 runs and secure a place in the semi-finals of the ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2026 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday. Chasing a target of 144 runs, Hong Kong were bowled out for 71 in 19 overs, with Kary Chan top-scoring with 30 runs off 47 deliveries. Pakistan’s bowlers made an early impact as Hong Kong were reduced to 2-1 in the opening two overs, while Yasmin Daswani and Kary Chan briefly attempted to revive the innings with a 31-run partnership. However, left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu dismantled Hong Kong’s middle order with a sensational spell, claiming six wickets for just seven runs in her four overs. Her figures are the best by any Pakistani bowler in T20I ...