Sports

Dubai: The whole world’s eyes are on UAE as Asian Superpowers India and Pakistan are due to square off in the Champions Trophy in Dubai on 23 February.  But the only question everyone still wants to ask, yet no one has, is where to get tickets to see these guys go head-to-head in the biggest fight of the year.  Ticketing uncertainty for Dubai matches   Pakistan is staging the Champions Trophy on a hybrid system as the Indian government didn’t allow their national team

In another rain-affected low-scoring thriller where neither side could touch 70, debutants Nigeria captured the improbable by two runs in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (January 20, 2025), stunning a playing nations powerhouse of Women's cricket in New Zealand to claim their first ever points at ICC level. After an opening loss where Nigeria batted first to make 65-6, Nigeria fielded impressively to disrupt New Zealand's score chase. In the 13-over contest, the Kiwis were 57-5, needing nine runs with one over to go. But pacer Lilian

Sajid Khan and Abrar Ahmed paced Pakistan with their spin bowling, who dismissed West Indies for 123 to win the first test at Multan by 127 runs on day three while spinners ruled the land.  It was the shortest played men’s test in Pakistan which lost 40 wickets from 1064 balls.  Bowlers occupied 16 wickets on Sunday as seven wickets by Jomel Warrican held Pakistan's second innings to 157, and West Indies were all out for 251 at a time when the turgid

India will pick its teams for the ODI series against England and ICC Champions Trophy on Saturday, said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday.  Skipper Rohit Sharma and men’s selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar will be present at the press event which is being held at 12.30pm IST (11am UAE time).  "The Men’s Selection Committee will announce the Indian team for IDFC First Bank ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, tomorrow in Mumbai. Selection

WPL 2025 will begin on 14 February. The third season of the Women Premier League (WPL) will start on 14th February 2025. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face Gujarat Giants in Vadodara in the tournament opener. There will be a total of 22 matches played over 29 days in the WPL 2025. An eliminator and a final will follow the 20 league games. The tournament's knockout stage will commence on 13 February. In all, five teams — Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and UP Warriorz

The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders had claimed their debut ILT20 Season 3 victory as they got rid of Sharjah Warriorz by 30 runs in the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.  Jason Holder got four wickets for just 23 runs and David Willey returned with three wickets for 19 runs to keep them at 159/5.  Batting first, and unbroken 50 runs partnership in the final overs between Andre Russell and Laurie Evans helped the Knight Riders register 159/5 as Kyle Mayers put on

Anrich Nortje – fast bowler – is out of Champions Trophy due to a back injury on Tuesday.  The 31-year-old's latest injury blow came from Cricket South Africa a day after he was named in his nation's 15-man team for the tournament in Pakistan next month.  Nortje, the former fastest bowler in international cricket, was scanned on Monday, CSA says in a statement, "and the extent of the injury was discovered".  The sentence did not say what the injury was.  Nortje, who has

Desert Vipers defeated Gulf Giants by six wickets in a low scoring encounter for the second time in succession to win the ILT20 in Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.  An unrepaired knock of 42 from all-rounder Sam Curran orchestrated a straightforward run chase for the Desert Vipers. He was supported by Sherfane Rutherford who added 40 runs in 18 balls to retire the Vipers in 17.4 overs.  It was the Vipers’ pacers who took control of the first innings with captain Lockie Ferguson

Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand is first pick in the HBL PSL 2025 player Draft after the reigning champions Lahore Qalandars brought him into their ranks at Huzoori Bagh in Lahore Fort on Monday afternoon. Mitchell who has made 70 T20Is will start for HBL PSL this year.  Karachi Kings pouched Left Hander David Warner using the 2nd pick in the Platinum round. Warner, who is already a big-time player as he has 12,727 T20 runs in 392 T20 matches, will also be

MI Emirates had the best of the seasons with their first DP World ILT20 win, courtesy half-centuries by Tom Banton and Nicholas Pooran in their 26-run victory over Dubai Capitals at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Monday.  Shai Hope was the hero of the evening with his brilliant century — 101 runs off 59 balls — but it was nothing and the Dubai Capitals got defeated by the MI Emirates for the first time in the tournament.  A bowl by Fazalhaq Farooqi who

Tyson Fury has retired from boxing, weeks after a second consecutive loss to Oleksandr Usyk, the former world heavyweight champion said on Monday.  "This is going to be short and sweet," the British boxer posted on social media. "I am retiring from boxing".  "It’s been an awesome ride, I love every minute of it," Fury continued, though he has also walked away and come back to the ring.  The "Gypsy King", 36, last fought on December 21 and failed his rematch with WBA,

The English batsman Tom Kohler-Cadmore had a dream knock when Sharjah Warriorz defeated Gulf Giants in the last-ball encounter of the ILT20 on Sunday.  Kohler-Cadmore (83 not out from 56 overs, 6 fours, 4 sixes) played his part in the Ring of Fire at Dubai International Stadium as he did not get too carried away on the outside edge as he brought up his side to bat but still took wickets back and forth at both ends.  The Warriorz, under his genius, chased

Pakistan's top order superstar Fakhar Zaman is bracing for the DP World ILT20 (January 11-February 9) with the Desert Vipers – and he feels he still has plenty to give Pakistan.  It was Fakhar that Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody targeted most during this year’s tournament in the UAE, and the Australian ICC Cricket World Cup champion describes the left-hander as "a real match-winner".  Fakhar’s account: The chance to join the Desert Vipers was not one he had to give much

World No1 Aryna Sabalenka is also in for a nasty shock as she tries to become the first woman since Martina Hingis to rack up an AO hat-trick in 26 years.  Sabalenka plays Sloane Stephens (last major champion) and a scheduled quarterfinal against No.5 Zheng Qinwen (replay of last year’s Australian Open final).  Then she might square up to Coco Gauff in an explosive semifinal, the same round where the two champs clashed here 12 months ago.  Sabalenka came into Brisbane as the

Just under a day away from the start of season three of the DP World ILT20 (January 11-February 9), cricket legends Tim Southee, Ben Dunk, Azam Khan, Tymal Mills, Joe Weatherly and Adam Hose were in Dubai office on Wednesday to participate in the trophy tour and give their amazing cricket stories.  It’s already the second-most watched league in the world behind Indian Premier League (IPL) after the headline-grabbing competition was given a big lift last month with Sharjah Warriorz announcing the signing

Sam Curran on the other hand, having been a part of winning teams in England in 2024, is hoping he can replicate that success with the Desert Vipers. He is set to become a part of the team during the third season of DP World ILT20 set to begin on 11th January. At the age of 26 years, Sam Curran has already won The Hundred with Oval Invincibles along with the County Championship with Surrey last year. He now aims to add more

M7 Endurance Stables opened their Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival campaign on a winning note at the Dubai International Endurance City in Seeh Al Salam as Argentina’s Milena Mendez made easy work of winning the first race of the competition, which was the Ladies Ride which spanned over 101 km on Tuesday.  On the 13-year old Poli, owned by Mohammed Ahmad Al Subosi, Mendes was able to finish off the four loop race with a final time of 3:29:12, reaching an average speed

Afghanistan concluded the Test series against Zimbabwe with victory at Bulawayo. The home side dismissed Zimbabwe for 205 in the second innings to clinch the two-match series 1-0. It was a 0-0 first Test. Afghanistan went down in history books and made history with the series win.  Afghanistan was the first Asian side to ever lift their first Test series outside of Asia. The Asians mostly sank on their first Test tours beyond the continent.  Only 9 series separated Sri Lanka and Pakistan

South Africa trounced a lowly 58 to beat Pakistan by 10 wickets at a sun-kissed Newlands on Monday and tied the series 2-0 after four days of the second and final Test.  Pakistan had thwarted the home visitors’ chase for victory, their second innings total of 478 had been tasked to follow up, their innings dominated by captain Shan Masood’s splendid 145 on a supple pitch.  But the Pakistan wickets kept falling, thanks to some fucked up shot choice from the seamer Kagiso

All the UAE’s best long-distance stables and riders are present at the 17th Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival held at Dubai International Endurance City (DIEC) Seeh Al Salam from 7-11 January.  The Festival is run by the Dubai Equestrian Club in partnership with the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation and ranks among the most prestigious on the UAE’s annual endurance calendar with the best Emirati riders battling it out with some of the best Emirates’ foreign competitors.  The four rides of the Dubai