KARACHI: Sarfraz Ahmed’s heart was pounding as he looked to survive the three deliveries before lunch. For someone playing his 50th Test match, having captained Pakistan in quite a few matches, this was odd. Odd was also the fact that Sarfraz was playing his first Test in nearly four years. And that he was making […]
LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is “not really happy” that the Premier League will resume just eight days after the World Cup and hinted he might rest players for the Boxing Day match at Brentford. Out of the 12 Tottenham players who featured in Qatar, Conte has ruled France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and Argentina’s […]
ZURICH: Winning the World Cup was not enough to lift Argentina atop the FIFA world rankings with arch-rivals Brazil keeping the No. 1 position, the global governing body announced on Thursday. Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Croatia but built enough rankings points from results over recent years that feed into FIFA’s calculation. Argentina […]
Millions of jubilant fans turned out on Tuesday to welcome home Argentina’s World Cup winners led by Lionel Messi, but most were left disappointed when an open-top bus parade had to be abandoned due to the massive crowds, in favour of a hastily organised helicopter tour. Vast crowds of ecstatic fans cheered on their heroes along every […]
Lionel Messi and his teammates set off for Argentina with the most coveted prize in football as millions of compatriots waited to welcome them home on Monday and catch a glimpse of the World Cup trophy. In the capital Buenos Aires and throughout the country, millions took to the streets to celebrate Sunday’s remarkable penalty […]
THE giant posters of football’s modern day stars Sadio Mane, Harry Kane and Virgil van Dijk that hang on the skyscrapers in Doha’s West Bay area overlooked the Khalifa International Tennis Complex where stars of the past took to the pitch for a series of exhibition matches as part of the FIFA Legends Cup. There […]
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced plans on Friday for a 32-team Club World Cup from 2025, despite reported opposition from Europe’s biggest clubs. An expansion of the competition has long been a pet project of Infantino’s. A 24-team event, featuring eight sides from Europe, was planned for 2021 in China but was put on hold […]
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant became the second fastest Indian batter to reach 50 sixes landmark in Test cricket, on Day One of the first Test between India and Bangladesh at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here on Wednesday. Pant secured this achievement when he made a counter-attacking 46 runs off 45 balls, laced with six fours […]
THERE was talk about suffering, about resilience and about the emotions both Argentina and Croatia attach with football; a prelude for the battle in store. They’ve given every ounce of their being to be here in Qatar, among the final four teams at the World Cup. Now, the fight is about being among the last […]
England dismissed Pakistan for 328 on Monday to win the second Test by 26 runs in Multan, taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Pakistan, who resumed the fourth day on 198-4, looked set for victory at one point but fast bowler Mark Wood led England’s fightback by removing Mohammad Nawaz for 45 […]