SPORTS NEWS

MONTERREY, 27 August, 2026 (Nosheen): Denmark’s Clara Tauson stunned top-seeded Russian player Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey, Mexico. Alexandrova had two set points in the opening set, including one on Tauson’s serve at 6-5 and another late in the tiebreak, but Tauson held her nerve to take the set.Tauson secured the only service break of the match in nine opportunities when she moved 4-2 ahead in the deciding set before closing out the victory. In other second-round matches, Alycia Parks recovered from losing the opening set to defeat third-seeded Maja Chwalinska 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, while Czech Republic’s Darja Vidmanova beat eighth-seeded Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 7-5. Second-seeded Belgian Elise Merte...

BERLIN, 27 August  2026 (Ghufran): Bayern Munich will begin their Bundesliga title defence against VfB Stuttgart on Friday, with the German champions once again considered among the favourites to lift the trophy.Bayern head into the new campaign with a strengthened squad and European Golden Shoe winner Harry Kane leading their attack. The Bavarian club has made key additions during the transfer window, including Germany defender Nathaniel Brown, who scored on his competitive debut during Bayern’s 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup last week. Morocco attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari has also joined the club, adding further attacking strength alongside Kane, Luis Diaz and Michael Olise.Bayern could, however, face concerns over the availability of Jamal Musiala. The...

KARACHI, 26 August 2026 (Nosheen) — Pakistan women’s team fast bowler Aimen Anwar has announced her retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to her career with the national side. The 34-year-old represented Pakistan in eight One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 37 T20 Internationals between 2016 and February 2023. Aimen first emerged on the national cricket scene in 2010 when she represented Karachi Under-19 in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s National U19 Championship.The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed her retirement in a press release, noting that Aimen earned her 37th T20I cap for Pakistan against England in Southampton in 2016 and her 76th ODI cap against Bangladesh in Colombo in 2017. During her 45-match international career, the right-arm pacer claimed four wickets in ODIs a...

 LONDON, 26 August 2026 (Ghufran) — Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has suggested that fast bowler Shaheen Afridi’s absence from the Test squad may be linked to issues beyond his knee injury. Ramiz made the remarks during a podcast appearance alongside former England cricketers Sir Alastair Cook, David Lloyd, Michael Vaughan and Phil Tufnell, where he was asked about Shaheen’s continued absence from Pakistan’s Test side. Raja said he was not fully aware of Shaheen’s current situation but acknowledged that the fast bowler may not have completely recovered from his previous knee injury. He also referred to reports of possible concerns over the pacer’s attitude, while stressing that he did not know him well enough to make a definitive judgment. Raja further suggested that Shaheen’...

 LONDON, 26 August 2026 (Kamran Raja) — Pakistan captain Babar Azam has provided a fitness update ahead of the second Test against England at Lord’s, saying he is 90 per cent fit and available for the match. Speaking to the media on the eve of the second Test, Babar said he had made good progress during training and was hopeful of remaining available for the rest of the series. Babar said he had participated in two training sessions the previous day before completing his practice session. He expressed confidence that he would be fit enough to play tomorrow’s match and continue through the remainder of the series. Talking about playing at Lord’s, Babar said it was a special occasion for both the team and individual players. He described playing at the historic venue as an honour an...

 DUBAI, 26 August 2026 (Nosheen) — Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has ended India’s Jasprit Bumrah’s reign as the world’s No. 1 Test bowler in the latest ICC Test rankings released on Wednesday. The 36-year-old Starc climbed two places to reach the top of the rankings for the first time in his illustrious career, moving ahead of New Zealand’s Matt Henry and Bumrah.Starc has remained among the top 10 Test bowlers for much of his 15-year international career and recently broke into the top three following his impressive performances during last year’s Ashes series. Bumrah had occupied the No. 1 position since 2024. However, an injury ruled him out of India’s Test series against Sri Lanka, contributing to his drop in the latest rankings. Starc’s rise to the summit followed an o...

کولمبو، 26 اگست 2026 (غفران) — بھارت دوسرے ٹیسٹ میں سری لنکا کے خلاف بڑی فتح کے قریب پہنچ گیا ہے۔ میچ کے چوتھے روز سری لنکا نے فالو آن کے بعد کھیل کے اختتام پر 6 وکٹوں کے نقصان پر 229 رنز بنائے۔ سری لنکا کو صرف 16 رنز کی برتری حاصل ہے جبکہ اس کی چار وکٹیں باقی ہیں۔ بھارت پانچویں اور آخری روز میچ جیت کر سیریز 2-0 سے اپنے نام کرنے کے لیے پرعزم ہے۔ پہلی اننگز میں شاندار سنچری بنانے والے سونال دینوشا 7 رنز پر ناٹ آؤٹ رہے جبکہ کیشارا نوانتھا 3 رنز کے ساتھ ان کا ساتھ دے رہے تھے، جب بارش کے باعث کھیل مقررہ وقت سے قبل ختم کر دیا گیا۔ سری لنکا نے بھارت کے 9 وکٹوں پر 503 رنز ڈکلیئر کے جواب میں چوتھے روز اپنی پہلی اننگز 265 رنز 8 کھلاڑی آؤٹ سے دوبارہ شروع کی۔ میزبان ٹیم بالآخر 290 رنز پر آؤٹ ہو گئی، جس کے بعد اسے فالو آن کا سامنا کرنا پڑا۔ دوسری اننگز میں سری لنکا کے دونوں اوپنرز جلد آؤٹ ہو گئے، تاہم...

 COLOMBO, 26 August 2026 (Ghufran) — India are closing in on a comprehensive victory over Sri Lanka in the second Test after the hosts ended day four on 229-6 following the enforcement of the follow-on. Sri Lanka lead by only 16 runs with four wickets remaining. India will enter the fifth and final day hoping to complete a 2-0 series sweep. Sonal Dinusha, who scored an impressive century in Sri Lanka’s first innings, remained unbeaten on seven at stumps, with Keshara Nuwantha not out on three when rain brought an early end to play. Sri Lanka had resumed the day on 265-8 in reply to India’s declared total of 503-9. The hosts were eventually dismissed for 290 and were forced to bat again. Sri Lanka lost both opening batsmen early in their second innings, but Kamindu Mendis and Pasin...

 LAHORE, 25 August 2026 (News Desk): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has begun the search for a new fielding coach for the national men's cricket team following the departure of Australian coach Shane McDermott last month. According to the requirements outlined in the PCB's advertisement, the successful candidate must possess at least a Level II cricket coaching qualification and have a minimum of five years' experience in a similar role working with elite cricketers, national teams, franchise sides or international teams. Candidates are expected to have a strong understanding of modern fielding techniques, game analysis and player development. They should also have proven experience in monitoring and evaluating international-level systems and processes aimed at improving players...

 COLOMBO, 25 August, 2026 (Nosheen): Sri Lanka were battling to avoid the follow-on when rain brought an early end to play on the third day of the second Test against India on Tuesday, with the hosts struggling at 265-8. Sri Lanka still need 39 more runs to avoid being asked to bat again, having fallen 238 runs behind India's first-innings total of 503-9 declared. Only 80.4 of the scheduled 98 overs could be bowled during the day due to persistent rain. India fast-bowling coach Morne Morkel said his team was looking to dismiss Sri Lanka quickly on the fourth day and enforce the follow-on.“With the amount of rain that is around, it takes a lot of time to put the covers on and take covers off,” Morkel told reporters. “So given the lead we have, we want to ask them to follow on and p...