KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket chiefs hope the country can host a full series by 2020, after a successful tour by the West Indies sparked hopes of an international revival.
The three-match series against the World Twenty20 champions, staged in the once militancy-wracked port city of Karachi, was accompanied by a wave of optimism, with enthusiastic fans braving heavy security checks to express their gratitude to the West Indies for the visit which ended Tuesday.
Last month Karachi also hosted the final of the popular Pakistan Super League, the biggest cricket event in the city since a 2009 attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team in Lahore drove international cricket from the country.
Pakistan was forced to host its international fixtures in the United Arab Emirates. But with security dramatically improving in the last three years, the Pakistan Cricket Board has been taking “gradual steps” to bring them back, PCB chairman Najam Sethi said.
“They are bearing positive results,” he told AFP.
“We will host more PSL matches next year and by that time almost all the top international players from top cricketing nations will have played in Pakistan,” he predicted.
“Then we can convince their boards to send national teams for a full series to Pakistan in 2020.”
His confidence is striking, coming after so many false starts.
Sri Lanka had agreed to return in 2011, but an attack on a Karachi naval base derailed that hope. The PCB then convinced Ireland to tour in 2014, only to have the trip canceled after militants attacked the Karachi airport.
Bangladesh also declined tours not once but twice out of unspecified security concerns, after initially agreeing in 2012.
But in 2015 the sound of the Pakistani national anthem rang out at Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium once more as minnows Zimbabwe became the first international team to return.
Unprecedented security was put in place with some 30,000 policemen and military personnel on guard as spectators braved heat and security checkpoints to attend the first international match in the country in six years.
Not everyone touted it as a success. “What kind of message of peace will we send abroad by arranging the match after closing down shops and roads?” grumbled former Pakistan captain-turned-politician Imran Khan at the time.
But security has continued to improve under a military crackdown, and confidence has been steadily growing, despite continued sporadic attacks and strong warnings from critics that Pakistan has not done enough to get to the root causes of extremism.
In 2017 Pakistan hosted the PSL final in Lahore. Some top foreign players — like Kevin Pietersen of England, Shane Watson of Australia and Rilee Rossouw of South Africa — stayed away.
But those who came, like double World Twenty20 winning West Indian captain Darren Sammy, were won over.
That led to a visit by a World XI side, then the emotional return by the Sri Lankan team in October last year, a hugely symbolic event that also saw Pakistanis turn out in their thousands to welcome the visitors with open arms.
Sammy — a Pakistani crowd favorite — returned for two PSL play-offs in Lahore and the final in Karachi this year, and his presence influenced former teammates Andre Fletcher, Samuel Badree and Chadwick Walton to be part of the West Indies team.
Security remained an enormous issue, however, with massive, head-of-state level arrangements made for each visit. A security company appointed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) under its Pakistan Task Team had greenlit the matches.
“We realized that matches caused inconvenience for Lahorites and Karachiites, but they were a big gain for Pakistan,” Sethi said.
Now the PCB is setting its sights on bigger teams, with hopes that sides such as South Africa could tour by next year. Pakistan’s Interior Minister has also invited the England team to come.
Former Pakistan captain-turned-commentator Ramiz Raja praised the efforts in a newspaper column recently.
Pakistan, he wrote, “will fight tooth and nail to bring international cricket back home.”
Pakistan firmly on road to cricket revival, says PCB
Pakistan firmly on road to cricket revival, says PCB
- Karachi hosted the final of popular Pakistan Super League (PSL) last month
- In Pakistan, security has continued to improve under a military crackdown, and confidence has been steadily growing
LeBron James buzzer-beater rescues Lakers to halt losing streak
- The 40-year-old James – who had failed to score from the field in the opening three quarters – finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists
LOS ANGELES: LeBron James tipped in a buzzer-beating rebound with 0.1 seconds remaining as the Los Angeles Lakers halted their three-game losing streak with a pulsating 120-119 road victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
A thrilling duel in Indianapolis saw the Pacers climb out of a 13-point fourth-quarter hole to snatch a 119-118 lead with 42 seconds remaining and leave the Lakers staring down the barrel of a fourth straight defeat.
But with the clock ticking down, Luka Doncic made one last drive to the basket – only to see his attempted 13-foot floater bounce off the rim.
James reacted fastest, leaping to palm the ball into the bucket for the winning score and give the Lakers a precious victory in the race for Western Conference playoff berths.
The 40-year-old James – who had failed to score from the field in the opening three quarters – finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
Lakers coach J.J. Redick saluted the veteran superstar’s perseverance in dragging his team over the line despite having an offensive off-night.
“It’s another great example of where he doesn’t necessarily have it going early, and got off to a slow start offensively,” Redick said.
“But he was so good defensively for us. And then he takes over in the fourth quarter and gets rewarded by the basketball gods because he didn’t let go of the rope and didn’t stop competing.”
James said he hadn’t been bothered by his low-key offensive performance.
“Whatever it takes to help your teammates win,” James said. “For me, I can always do other things that still impact the game, even when I’m not scoring.
“That’s the beauty of my game, I’ve always built that throughout my whole life – get my guys involved, rebound, defend and then sprinkle in a few points here and there.”
Doncic led the Lakers scoring with 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Austin Reaves provided offensive support with 24 points along with Rui Hachimura (14pts).
The win leaves the Lakers in fourth place in the Western Conference on 44-28. The top six finishers in the standings qualify automatically for the playoffs.
In other games, the Los Angeles Clippers battled back from 14 points down to defeat the New York Knicks 126-113 at Madison Square Garden.
James Harden scored 29 points including six three-pointers while Kawhi Leonard added 27 to give the Clippers a crucial victory which leaves them on 41-31 and occupying the sixth automatic playoff spot in the West.
The Clippers however have little margin for slip-ups in a tightly contested playoff race that looks likely to go down to the wire in the final weeks of the regular season.
The Golden State Warriors are in seventh place in the West, also with 41 wins, with the Minnesota Timberwolves in eighth with a 41-32 record.
Scheffler, McIlroy focus on Houston while preparing for Masters
- McIlroy is making his first Houston trip in 11 years and playing the course for the first time
- Scheffler was the runner-up in Houston last year, a season in which he won nine titles include Olympic gold and his second Masters title
HOUSTON: Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy play their final tuneups for the Masters at this week’s PGA Houston Open, seeking a title while preparing for Augusta National.
McIlroy, who won the Players two weeks ago after taking the Pebble Beach crown last month, is making his first Houston trip in 11 years and playing the course for the first time.
“It has been a great start to the season for me and I want to continue it,” McIlroy said.
But the 35-year-old from Northern Ireland visited Augusta National this week to start preparations for the Masters, the only major title he needs to complete a career Grand Slam.
“I use those trips just to refamiliarize myself with the place, clubs off tees, looking to see if they changed any greens,” McIlroy said.
“There are four greens that are new this year that they’ve redone. You have a look at those and see if there’s any new hole positions they give you, stuff like that.
“Honestly for me, it’s nice to play a practice round without people around and it sort of takes the pressure off the start of the (Masters) week for me.”
His time in Houston, however, is about competing and trying to add another title to his season before his quest for a green jacket resumes.
“I just want to get a card in my hand and shoot scores and hopefully get myself in contention and try to win another golf tournament,” McIlroy said. “It’s not as if I’m playing here this week and thinking about two weeks’ time. I’m here, I’m in the present, I’m trying to do my best this week and trying to win this golf tournament.”
Repeated shotmaking under tournament pressure is on McIlroy’s mind.
“I want to keep playing well, so I think every round you play where you see good things you’re filling up that confidence bucket a little bit, so I want to see that,” he said.
“It was great to get a win a couple weeks ago but I still feel I could have played a lot better. I tried to poke holes in a lot of my game last week and think about things I could do better, and there were definitely things that I could work on.
“It’s a good opportunity to go out and see if some of the work I did at home and I’m continuing to do here... is all going in the right direction.”
Scheffler was the runner-up in Houston last year, a season in which he won nine titles include Olympic gold and his second Masters title.
But Scheffler missed the first month of this season with a hand injury and is only now getting back to normal form.
“Feeling pretty good. Excited about the stuff we’re working on right now and game feels like it’s in a good spot. Definitely excited to get the season going this week,” he said.
He finds Houston’s Memorial Park course a worthy place to prepare for the challenge of winning a third Masters in four seasons.
“With it being rye grass in the fairways now I think definitely improves the prep for the Masters, it’s a similar grass to what we see at Augusta,” Scheffler said.
“It’s also a big golf course. You’ve got to hit it far out here, so there is definitely some similarities and good preparation between here and Augusta.”
Like McIlroy, however, Scheffler is concentrating on winning this week before trying for another major win.
“I try to focus as much as I can on the tournament at hand,” he said.
“I think in the back of your mind at all times the majors are always kind of there... so when you’re here with the Masters being only two weeks away, it’s very easy for us to look ahead. But I’m trying to do my best to focus on this week.”
Arsenal stage 3-goal comeback against Real Madrid, set up Women’s Champions League semifinal against Lyon
- The England star might have had a hat trick only to be denied by a VAR call for offside, then by Madrid goalkeeper Misa in a one-on-one, then by another offside call
- Arsenal will face last season’s beaten finalist Lyon as they seek to win the trophy for the second time after success in 2007
LONDON: Alessia Russo scored twice and Arsenal staged a remarkable comeback to reach the Women’s Champions League semifinals with a 3-0 win over Real Madrid.
Mariona Caldentey scored the other as Arsenal grabbed three goals in 13 minutes to overturn the team’s 2-0 loss in the first leg of the quarterfinal in the Spanish capital last week.
Caldentey, who used to torment Madrid while playing for Barcelona, wheeled away in delight after leveling the tie three minutes after Russo pulled a goal back as Arsenal couldn’t have had a better start to the second half.
Russo fired Arsenal in front for the first time in the tie with an acrobatic finish in the 59th. It proved to be the winner in the 3-2 victory on aggregate.
The England star might have had a hat trick only to be denied by a VAR call for offside, then by Madrid goalkeeper Misa in a one-on-one, then by another offside call.
Arsenal needed a save from goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar in stoppage time to prevent Madrid star Linda Caicedo from sending the match to extra time.
Arsenal will face last season’s beaten finalist Lyon as they seek to win the trophy for the second time after success in 2007.
Lyon advance
Kadidiatou Diani scored one goal and set up two more as Lyon outclassed Bayern Munich 4-1 in the second leg of their quarterfinal earlier.
The French powerhouse needed a wake-up call before reaching the semifinals for the 13th time. Klara Bühl opened the scoring in the 33rd minute off the far post to claw a goal back for Bayern after losing the first leg 2-0 in Munich.
Lyon, the eight-time champion, emerged reinvigorated after the break and went on to wrap up a 6-1 victory on aggregate with Diani scoring and setting up goals for Melchie Dumornay and Tabitha Chawinga, who both scored in Munich last week.
Dumornay played in Ada Hegerberg to seal the rout with a flourish by shooting the ball through Bayern goalkeeper Maria-Luisa “Mala” Grohs ‘ legs in stoppage time.
Bayern will be left to rue defensive blunders for undermining its comeback hopes.
The other quarterfinal second legs are scheduled for Thursday, with defending champion Barcelona in a comfortable position after a 4-1 win over Wolfsburg in Germany, and Chelsea needing goals as it host Manchester City after losing the first leg 2-0.
Barcelona defeated Lyon in last year’s final.
Lyon outclass Bayern with 4-1 win to reach Women’s Champions League semifinals
- Lyon, the eight-time champion, emerged reinvigorated after the break and went on to wrap up a 6-1 victory on aggregate
- Bayern will be left to rue defensive blunders for undermining their comeback hopes
LYON: Kadidiatou Diani scored one goal and set up two more as Lyon outclassed Bayern Munich 4-1 in the second leg of their Women’s Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.
The French powerhouse needed a wake-up call before reaching the semifinals for the 13th time. Klara Bühl opened the scoring in the 33rd minute off the far post to claw a goal back for Bayern after losing the first leg 2-0 in Munich.
Lyon, the eight-time champion, emerged reinvigorated after the break and went on to wrap up a 6-1 victory on aggregate with Diani scoring and setting up goals for Melchie Dumornay and Tabitha Chawinga, who both scored in Munich last week.
Dumornay played in Ada Hegerberg to seal the rout with a flourish by shooting the ball between Bayern goalkeeper Maria-Luisa “Mala” Grohs’ legs in stoppage time.
Bayern will be left to rue defensive blunders for undermining their comeback hopes.
Diani was given two opportunities to cross the ball for Dumornay to equalize on the night, then Bayern star Giulia Gwinn inadvertently set up Diani to score in the 54th.
It was the third blow for Bayern in quick succession with forward Jovana Damnjanovic going off with an apparent rib injury.
The fourth blow came shortly afterward with Diana crossing for Chawinga to score Lyon’s third goal on the hour-mark. The French league champion missed further chances to score before Hegerberg made the last one count.
Lyon will face either Real Madrid or Arsenal in the semifinals. They were contesting the second leg of their quarterfinal in London later, with the Spanish team 2-0 up from the first leg in Madrid last week.
Arsenal made a promising start without scoring while Madrid began threatening toward the end of the first half in the second leg.
The other quarterfinal second legs are scheduled for Thursday, with defending champion Barcelona in a comfortable position after a 4-1 win over Wolfsburg in Germany, and Chelsea needing goals as they host Manchester City after losing the first leg 2-0.
Barcelona defeated Lyon in last year’s final.
Tour de France champion Pogacar targets Paris-Roubaix’s cobbled ‘hell’
- “It was initially planned for Tadej Pogacar to participate in both the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem,” read UAE’s statement
- Mauro Gianetti, UAE team manager, highlighted their concerns for the best paid member of the peloton
PARIS: Three-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar will race the notorious Paris-Roubaix, known as the ‘Hell of the North’ for its treacherous cobbled mining roads, for the first time, his team UAE announced on Wednesday.
Of the five big one-day races known as ‘Monuments’, Paris-Roubaix is the least suited to the Slovenian’s slender frame and adding that title would confirm his growing status as one of the all-time greats.
He will be the first reigning Tour de France champion to tackle what is often a mudfest since Greg Lemond in 1991 — the American finished 55th.
Cycling legends Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx also tried to win the one-day race in 1982 and 1975 respectively, a year after winning the Tour de France.
Neither was successful although Merckx finished second, edged out on the line by Roger De Vlaeminck. However, they both achieved perhaps an even greater feat in landing the two races in the same year, with Merckx doing the double in 1970 and Hinault in 1981.
Victory on April 13 would set Pogacar up nicely to join that elite duo.
He already has seven Monument victories to his credit, including the 2023 Tour of Flanders.
Pogacar has also won Il Lombardia each of the last four years and Liege-Bastogne-Liege twice.
“It was initially planned for Tadej Pogacar to participate in both the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem,” read UAE’s statement.
“However, after discussions with the team, it has been decided that he will adjust his calendar to focus on the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix instead, aiming for peak form in those iconic races.”
The change of plan is a victory for Pogacar, who has said he prefers the one-day races to multi-stage ones, as he had argued to compete in the Paris-Roubaix, against the wishes of the team directors who were concerned about the possibility of injury.
Paris-Roubaix is considered the most dangerous race of them all owing to its six million cobble stones, many of them uneven, which has resulted in serious injuries to the riders.
Mauro Gianetti, UAE team manager, highlighted their concerns for the best paid member of the peloton — he is believed to earn 8 million euros ($8.6 million) a year — in the one-day races after he had fallen in the Strade Bianche before getting back up to win it.
“A bad fall could put a question mark over his competing in the Tour de France and maybe the rest of the season,” said Gianetti.
“He has enough time in his career to ride in the Paris-Roubaix.”
However, his decision, after finishing third in the Milan-San Remo, delighted Paris-Roubaix race director Thierry Gouvenou.
“It is a huge moment for cycling,” said Gouvenou.
“It has been a long time since we had a Tour de France winner who is a genuine contender to win the Paris-Roubaix.
“He is going to face a challenge suited to his talent.”
Gouvenou, though, believes Pogacar is up against it with rivals like Milan-San Remo winner Mathieu van der Poel, Belgian Wout Van Aert and Italy’s Filippo Ganna.
“If Van der Poel is at the top of his game, it will be very difficult for Pogacar,” said Gouvenou.
“He is going to race on a route that is not suited to him.
“If ever he wins Paris-Roubaix it will be against the odds. But that is what we all expect: to see champions up against it.
“This race could make him even greater than he is now.”
Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme said Pogacar’s bid was a bold move.
“That he dares take this risk in a year he wants to win the Tour is a bold move. It’ll be a hell of a fight. I can’t wait to see it.”
