Sports

WELLINGTON: New Zealand Cricket said Tuesday it will go ahead with a Test match against Afghanistan in September, a month after Australia scrapped a Twenty20 series against the same opponents. Cricket Australia postponed a three-match series due to take place in August at a neutral venue, saying the situation for women in the Taliban-ruled country … Read more

DORTMUND: The tantalising prospect of Kylian Mbappe squaring up to Real Madrid in the Champions League final looms large, with only Borussia Dortmund lying in Paris St Germain’s way. Mbappe becomes a free agent at the end of the season when Real are favourites to finally land the forward they have coveted for so long. … Read more

LAHORE: While Jason Gillespie would like to rely on “communication and clarity” to get the best out of the Pakistan Test team, Gary Kirsten would need an environment conducive for “continuity and consistency” for the national side to thrive in the shorter formats. Both Gillespie and Kirsten — appointed on Sunday as the national side’s … Read more

KARACHI: Pakistan’s hopes of bouncing back from the One-day International series whitewash at the hands of West Indies were dealt with another blow when the visitors registered a seven-wicket victory in the second Twenty20 here at the National Bank Stadium on Sunday. Following their 3-0 ODI series win over Pakistan, West Indies had edged the … Read more

MADRID: Real Madrid have their sights set on a La Liga and Champions League double, but to lift the latter they must find a way past Bayern Munich, their “bestia negra” — “black beast”. Carlo Ancelotti’s side travel to Bavaria for the semi-final first leg clash on Tuesday, in a fixture dubbed the ‘European Clasico’, … Read more

WELLINGTON: Cap­tain Kane Williamson will play at his sixth Twenty20 World Cup in June after New Zealand named an experienced 15-man squad on Monday. The tournament, taking in the United States and the West Indies from June 2-30, will be Williamson’s fourth as captain. The batsman leads a squad including New Zealand’s Test captain Tim … Read more

ISLAMABAD: After suffering widespread criticism, the Pakistan Sports Board got the Amir Khan Boxing Academy vacated from Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force which had been residing in its premises for almost two years, in the wee hours of Monday. The issue had come to light on Friday, when Britain-born Pakistani boxer Amir Khan raised his … Read more

ISLAMABAD: After resolving the controversy over two training camps, a selection committee announced an 18-member Pakistan hockey squad for the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which will be held in Malaysia from May 4 to May 11. Seasoned Ammad Shakeel Butt will lead the team with defender Abu Bakar as his deputy. The three-member selection … Read more

LAHORE: While acknowledging that his team need to lift their game overall ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup, Pakistan captain Babar Azam has said that the batsmen need to lift their game in middle overs. “We are struggling significantly to get quick runs in middle overs. To improve in this area, we tested Iftikhar … Read more

Arsenal held on to beat battling local rivals Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 away and move four points clear at the top of the Premier League after an emphatic first-half display and a nervous second period in an electric derby atmosphere on Sunday. An own goal by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and efforts from Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz … Read more