MELBOURNE: Australia coach Justin Langer has confirmed James Pattinson and Usman Khawaja are certain starters for the opening Ashes Test in Birmingham. Khawaja passed a fitness Test on Monday after recovering from a hamstring injury and Langer confirmed the left-hander will bat at number three, while fast bowler Pattinson is set to feature in his first Test match since February ...

LONDON: The opening day of the Ashes series between England and Australia at Edgbaston on Thursday also marks the start of the International Cricket Council’s new World Test Championship. The aim is to give individual Test series greater context and spark a worldwide revival of interest in the five-day game What is it? The top nine nations will compete in ...

LAHORE: Pakistan batsman Imam-ul-Haq has apologised to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for an online scandal involving multiple women who accuse him of “cheating and manipulation”. The opening batsman had landed in hot waters last week when a few women posted alleged screenshots of his objectionable Whatsapp and Instagram conversations, accusing him of misleading and manipulating them. The PCB had ...

LAHORE: Leading fast bowler Mohammad Amir was set to retire from Test cricket two years ago, but timely intervention from coach Mickey Arthur persuaded him to change his mind, a top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Monday. 27-year-old Amir, who is regarded as one of the best left-arm pacers after countryman Wasim Akram, announced his retirement ...

Lahore is all-set to represent Pakistan in Socca World Cup; DG Rangers awarded Rs 200,000 cash prizes Karachi, July 29: Lahore defeated Karachi on penalty kicks by 2-1 score to clinch the Leisure Leagues Six-a-Side Football National Championship title, which earned them a prized ticket to Greece, where they will get a chance to represent Pakistan in the second Socca ...

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he was pleased to see both David Warner and Steve Smith perform in the World Cup despite being jeered by the English crowd. “I’m sure it’s been difficult, but you wouldn’t know from the way they’ve been around the team. The important thing for those guys coming back into the side was, if they ...

Standing in the middle of the Trent Bridge outfield during warm-ups for the pivotal Test match of the 2015 Ashes series, Peter Siddle confided to Ricky Ponting that he thought his international career was at an end. Siddle had just been told by the selectors Darren Lehmann and Rod Marsh that he was being left out for the fourth Test ...

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has plans to obtain a British passport and permanently settle down in England, reports in the Pakistan media said. Amir, who is married to British citizen Nargis Malik, has already applied for a “spouse visa”, which means he can stay in England for 30 months. He is also looking to purchase a home in London, cricketpakistan.com.pk ...

Former Pakistan fast-bowler Shoaib Akhtar has questioned the retirement of paceman Mohammad Amir from Test cricket, asking if Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali will also follow soon in his footsteps. In a video posted on his Youtube page, the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ said Amir was taking his retirement at a very young age of 27. “What I find as troubling news ...

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) T20 franchise, Peshawar Zalmi, “wholeheartedly” hopes to make the fifth season of the series to be memorable for the country and its fans. In a press release issued Sunday, its media team said Peshawar Zalmi “will conduct promotional campaigns throughout the country with International Stars”. In this regard, the team’s owner, Javed Afridi, said: ...