Category: Sports

Pakistan has made significant strides in its cricketing strategy, appointing Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie as head coaches while interim head coach, Azhar Mahmood will be the permanent assistant coach in all formats. Kirsten, designated for white-ball cricket, will lead the team until the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Gillespie, set to helm the red-ball format, will commence his role before the Test series against Bangladesh in August 2024. Both coaches are appointed for a two-year term. Kirsten, currently engaged with the Gujarat Titans in the ongoing IPL 2024, will transition to his new responsibility before the T20 World Cup, bringing invaluable experience from coaching stints with India and South Africa. Gillespie, celebrated for his prowess in fast bowling, will inject fresh energy into Pakistan's Test squad, beginning his tenure with the Bangladesh series. The appointment of these seasoned mentors underscores Pakistan's commitment to strategic planning and long-term success in cric ket. With Kirsten and Gillespie at the helm, Pakistan anticipates a revitalization of its cricketing fortunes across formats, igniting hope and excitement among fans for the journey ahead. Source: Pro Pakistani

Chances for the 5th T20I match between Pakistan and New Zealand seemed gloomy yesterday, but the weather conditions have changed drastically overnight and the match is expected to be held tonight at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore although there can be a few disruptions due to rain in the first innings. Pakistan is expected to make changes from the previous game as Abrar Ahmed can come in for Usama Mir and Shaheen Shah Afridi can replace Zaman Khan in the last game of the series. Usama Mir had an economy rate of 10.75 and Zaman Khan registered an economy of 11.67 in the last match as both the bowlers bowled 7 overs between them. Tim Robinson's 51 off 36 balls helped the Kiwis triumph over Pakistan in the 4th T20I by 4 runs as New Zealand sealed a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. A thrilling encounter awaits Pakistan in the last match of the series where a win can help the hosts salvage some pride while defeat will mean that the Men in Green faltered at home against a depleted Kiwi side. The average first inni ngs score in Gaddafi Stadium is 162 whereas the second innings score while chasing is 145. Weather Report: Weather predictions indicate cloudy skies with a 20% chance of rainfall. Humidity levels are forecasted to be around 37% for the area, while the temperature will remain steady at about 35 degrees Celsius. Pitch Report: The pitch is anticipated to be favorable for batters, providing good bounce and carry. Although pacers might get some early support, it's likely to decrease as the game goes on. Spinners may become more influential as the pitch dries out later in the match. The fifth T20I match will be played in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on April 20 from 7:30 PM. Source: Pro Pakistani

South Waziristan athlete, Irfan Mehsood holding 100 Guinness Book of World Records has returned Rs. 500,000 awarded by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Department's officers. Mehsood has broken 100 world records in the martial arts and fitness category expressing his discontent over the obnoxious behavior of the KP Sports Department. During a video, that he posted on X, the athlete recounted his interaction with the Provincial Sports Minister, Secretary, and Director General was insulting revealing that he asked for help to acquire equipment for his club but instead of providing him with assistance, they started bargaining for Rs. 200,000 with him which was disrespectful. While expressing his resentment over the misbehavior of the government officials he said, 'I asked the sports adviser for equipment for my club, 'They started bargaining with me, asking me to take Rs200,000.'If you can't respect us, don't insult us.' Irfan had broken the record of Italy's Marcello Ferri in the weightlifting category and co mpleted a century of Guinness World Records. Ferri set a world record by lifting 56kg, while Irfan defeated him by lifting 63kg. He also holds the maximum of 46 records in the world for the push-ups category, He has also cemented 31 records with 100 pounds, including 80 pounds, 60 pounds, and 40 pounds. Through his achievements he has garnered national recognition, leading to him being honored with the Presidential Pride of Performance Award in April 2023. Source: Pro Pakistani

Pakistan will look to fight back in the last T20I match of the series to salvage some pride with a draw following a shocking defeat against the Kiwis in the fourth T20I match at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Thursday. Pressure is mounting after the defeat in the fourth T20I series on Babar Azam's men as the Black Caps lead the series by 2-1 as the Men in Green faltered in the last over by 4 runs while chasing a target of 179. However, the final composition of Pakistan's playing eleven still, remains a subject of intrigue, with regular wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan suffering an injury which has ruled him out of contention. Fakhar Zaman was the only batter who displayed some fighting spirit in the run-chase with a scintillating knock of 61 runs off 45 deliveries, although his strike rate of 135.56 was extremely poor by his standards. Pakistan's main concern is the strike rate of the top-order considering that Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam did not capitalize on Saim Ayub's quickfire knock in the last m atch. Shaheen Afridi can be included in the playing XI instead of Zaman Khan as Pakistan might need their talisman speedster to level the series in the last match to salvage pride. Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed is another option in the ranks who can replace Usama Mir who was extremely expensive with the ball alongside Zaman Khan as both the bowlers had an economy rate of more than 10 runs per over. The Men in Green will face the Kiwis at 7 pm tonight at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Here is the expected playing XI: Babar Azam (c) Saim Ayub Fakhar Zaman Usman Khan (wk) Iftikhar Ahmed Shadab Khan Imad Wasim Shaheen Shah Afridi Mohammad Amir Abrar Ahmed Abbas Afridi Source: Pro Pakistani

Pakistan's left winger Otis Khan, known for his dribbling skills and goal-scoring ability, expressed his desire to play for Faisalabad if the Pakistan Premier League returns as the country's premier football league. Otis Khan's grandfather migrated to Faisalabad from Delhi and resided there for many years before moving to England where the footballer was born. On his Instagram story, during a question-answer session with the fans he was asked which club will he play for if there is a league structure in Pakistan in the future. In response, the former Manchester United academy graduate said, 'Has to be where my family is, Faisalabad.' Currently, he is playing for Hartlepool United on loan from Grimsby Town in the fifth tier of English football as he made the loan move in the last week of the January transfer window. Otis Khan,28, joined Grimsby Town, back in July 2022 on a two-year contract, which is about to end in the summer of this year. The British-Pakistani player represented Grimsby Town in 45 matc hes across all competitions and scored 6 goals. All of those goals were scored last season. The Hartlepool United footballer can play for clubs such as Masha United and Lyallpur FC in Faisalabad if the Pakistan Premier League ever comes back and the Pakistan Football Federation organizes it regularly. The left winger made debut for Pakistan in a 3-0 defeat against Mauritius on 11 June 2023 and has earned 8 caps for Pakistan in his International career. Unfortunately, he missed both matches against Jordan in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier Round 2 in March due to an injury from which he has still not recovered yet. Source: Pro Pakistani

Pakistan takes on New Zealand in the last match of the five-match T20I series at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, as the Green Shirts and the Kiwis prepare for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean. The first match of the series was abandoned due to rain, as the Black Caps came out to bat but could only do so for two balls before rain started. In the second match, Pakistan was dominant and bundled the Kiwis out on 90 runs in the first innings claiming victory by 7 wickets with 47 balls to spare. Despite this, the visitors made a strong comeback in the third T20I that turned out to be a 'Mark Chapman' show as he thrashed the Pakistani bowlers all across the park in the second innings to help New Zealand chase a target of 178 while helping them to tie the series at 1-1. The Kiwis now lead the five-match series by 2-1 following Pakistan's defeat in the last over by 4 runs while chasing a target of 179 where Fakhar Zaman was the only shining light for Pakistan in the second innings scorin g 61 runs off 45 deliveries. Pakistan will look to salvage some pride by leveling the series against a New Zealand team that does not have its core players in the team for this series. The series will be shown live on A Sports HD and Geo Super, while ARY ZAP, Tamasha, and Tapmad will livestream across the country. Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore will host the match, and the toss is scheduled to take place at 7 PM local time and the first will be bowled at 7:30 PM Pakistan Standard Time. Mobile Streaming: Sr. No. Live Streaming Platform Android IOS 1. Tapmad LINK LINK 2. Tamasha LINK LINK 3. ARY ZAP LINK LINK Web Streaming: 1. Tamasha LINK 2. Tapmad TV LINK 3. ARY ZAP LINK The limited-overs series between Pakistan and New Zealand will also be telecasted live internationally including India and the UK. Region Platform North America Willow TV India Fancode Caribbean Flow Sports UK ARY Digital Rest of the World Sports Central MENA + South East Asia Cricbuzz Sub-Saharan Africa SuperSport Australia Fo x Sports Source: Pro Pakistani