Asia | Pakistan

India’s sports ministry on Thursday declared that India and Pakistan would not have any bilateral sporting ties even on neutral venues as per an unprecedented new policy but the cricket team would not be stopped from playing the Asia Cup next month as it is a multi-lateral engagement, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. Political tensions bet­ween the two nations over the years have cast a sha­d­ow over bilateral sporting events, causing major tournaments to hang in the balance. The countries’ teams have previously refused to travel across the border for sporting events, electing to play on neutral ground via a hybrid model instead. Last month, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) instructed all national sports federations to seek prior consultation and approval before participating in any sporting events held in India due to ’“security concerns”. According to PTI, India’s sports ministry unveiled the new policy with regard to India’s international engagements with emphasis on Pakistan. It added that a well-p...

The national men’s T20 squad arrived in Dubai for the upcoming Asia Cup and Tri-Nation series, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Wednesday. The tri-series against Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, which starts on August 29, and the Asia Cup from September 9 will both take place in the UAE. In a post on X, the PCB said the team arrived in Dubai in four groups, adding that it would participate in a pre-series training camp from August 21-27 and take part in a training session at the ICC Cricket Academy tomorrow. The squad departed from Pakistan in four different groups “to ensure a smooth and organised arrival of players and support staff in Dubai”, state media PTV reported. While the ICC Cricket Academy will serve as the “primary training facility” for players, the team was scheduled to play a T20 practice match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the state broadcaster said. All training sessions and practice matches will take place in Dubai according to the official schedule, PTV stated...

Pakistan left out Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20 squad named on Sunday for the Asia Cup and a warm-up tri-series beginning this month against Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, according to a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Azam and Rizwan have been star performers in the shortest format in the past, but have not played since December, which head coach Mike Hesson put down to other players performing well while addressing a press conference. “We know what a fine player Babar (Azam) is,” said Hesson. “Babar has been asked to improve in certain areas, like taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate, and he is working hard on these things. “The players we have are performing well and having a positive impact,” said Hesson. Since Hesson took over as head coach in May, Pakistan have played three T20 series — winning 3-0 at home but losing 2-1 away to Bangladesh. They then beat the West Indies 2-1 in the United States. “Our focus is to win the tri-series and the Asia Cup,...

Legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram has called for the return of star batter Babar Azam to the T20I side ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. While the former Pakistan captain has been out of the T20I squad for some time, reports about his potential return began making rounds after Fakhar Zaman was ruled of the […]

LAHORE: This year’s Asia Cup which among other nations will feature defending champions India and Pakistan, the two major cricketing giants of the continent, is facing a fresh challenge — this time from the broadcaster, Dawn has learnt. A highly exorbitant rate set for Pakistan’s region by official broadcaster of the Asia Cup based in India plus the uncertainty prevailing over the pinnacle clash of the event between Pakistan and India, the chances are bleak that any sports channel in Pakistan could buy the broadcasting rights for the continental showpiece. The Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from Sept 9 to 28 at its new venue — the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — where it was shifted from original hosts India, due to Pakistan-India political tensions and also due to stra­ins between India and Bangladesh. According to well-informed sources, Asia Cup’s official broadcaster has set significantly higher rate for Pakistan’s region. It is learnt that the broadcaster, having secured Pan-Asia broadcast rights in a $170...

The Asia Cricket Council’s (ACC) Asia Cup 2025 tournament will be held in the United Arab Emirates from September 9-28, ACC President Mohsin Naqvi announced on Saturday. In a post on X, he said: “I am delighted to confirm the dates for the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 in UAE. The prestigious tournament will take place from September 9th to 28th. We look forward to a spectacular display of cricket! Detailed schedule will be out soon.” Naqvi later announced the schedule for the tournament on X, with India and Pakistan set to clash on September 14. In addition to India, the Green Shirts will play Oman on September 12 and the UAE on September 17. Pakistan, India, the UAE and Oman will make up Group A, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Hong Kong will make up Group B. The group stage will be followed by a super four stage, in turn followed by the final on September 28. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman’s confirmation came after the tournament was already expected to be hosted in the UAE. The tournamen...

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday hailed the positive environment in which the council’s annual general meeting (AGM) was held and said the fate of the upcoming Asia Cup would be announced soon. The meeting, hosted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), comes ahead of the Asia Cup tournament, scheduled to be hosted by India in September. The tournament remains in limbo amid strained India-Pakistan ties following a military encounter in May. On Wednesday, Hindustan Times reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), reversing an earlier decision, would attend the Asian Cricket Council’s annual meeting virtually. The BCCI had previously declined to travel to Dhaka, citing tensions with Bangladesh and threatening to boycott the meeting. The AGM was held in Dhaka today with 24 other members in attendance. Addressing the media after the meeting, Naqvi said: “The meeting went very well. We have 25 ACC members and all of them pa...

LAHORE: An important meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is being held on Thursday in Dhaka where Pakistan’s participation in this year’s Asia Cup in India will come under discussion. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi as the head of the ACC was expected to leave for Dhaka on Tuesday night to head the said meeting. The ACC meeting is considered important, particularly in the backdrop of the the Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in India in the month of September. According to reports, no official of the BCCI will visit Bangladesh to attend the ACC meeting. There are also media reports that Sri Lanka, Oman and Afghanistan may also not attend. Though the Asia Cup is an impo­rtant continental event, due to strained political relations between India and Pakis­tan, particularly after the military encounter between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May this year, the fate of the said competition is hanging in the balance. On its part, the BCCI has said that the political relations between India an...

Pakistan and India are expected to play against each other “likely” on September 7 in the Asia Cup 2025 — set to begin on September 4 or 5 in the UAE, according to a report by The Times of India on Wednesday. The T-20 tournament will mark the 17th edition of the Asia Cup, beginning with a group stage and then a super-four round. The participating teams include India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and the UAE. According to Asia Cup’s website, recent political tensions between India and Pakistan have made UAE the frontrunner to host the tournament or serve as part of a hybrid hosting model. The multi-nation tournament was initially going to be hosted solely by India. According to the Indian media report, a 17-day window has been almost finalised by the Asian Cricket Council, where India and Pakistan are to clash on September 7. The two teams could also see a second match on September 14, depending on how the teams progress. The report said that all the participating teams are currently in the pr...

Asia is currently warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, fueling more extreme weather and wreaking a heavy toll on the region’s economies, ecosystems and societies, according to a report published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on the ‘State of the Climate in Asia 2024’ published on Monday. The State of the Climate reports, which provide policy-relevant information for national and regional decision-making, have previously reported in 2024 that the impact of heatwaves in Asia was becoming more severe, with melting glaciers threatening the region’s future water security. The new report says that 2024 was the warmest or second-warmest year on record depending on the dataset, with widespread and prolonged heatwaves. The warming trend between 1991–2024 was almost double that of the 1961–1990 period. Asia is the continent with the largest land mass extending to the Arctic, and is warming more than twice as fast as the global average because the temperature increase over land is larger ...

Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem was named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list following his historic Olympic performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, it emerged on Monday. The entertainment and sports list, which was originally published last month, aims to “[spotlight] the next generation of talent — on court and the screen.” Nadeem, 28, changed Pakistan’s sporting trajectory when he won gold and broke the Olympic record with a massive 92.97m throw in Paris — which Forbes called a “stunning show” — winning Pakistan’s first individual gold medal and the first of any colour in more than 30 years. His Olympic feat got him more than Rs153 million in cash prize from Punjab and Sindh, in addition to several other rewards handed out by various government entities and companies. The government also named a road in Islamabad in Nadeem’s honour, while Pakistan Post issued a commemorative stamp on Independence Day to pay tribute. Nadeem retained his javelin supremacy when he took home gold at last month’s Asian Athletic Cha...

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday that China was “credibly preparing” to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, vowing the United States was “here to stay” in the region. The Pentagon chief made the remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore as the administration of US President Donald Trump spars with Beijing on trade, technology, and influence over strategic corners of the globe. China’s embassy in Singapore blasted the speech, accusing Washington of escalating tensions in the region and “profiting from creating risks of war”. Trump has launched a trade war with China since taking office in January, has sought to curb its access to key AI technologies and deepened security ties with allies such as the Philippines, which is engaged in escalating territorial disputes with Beijing. “The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent,” Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue attended by defence officials from around the world. Beijing is “credibly preparing to...

KUALA LUMPUR: Be it family-friendly attractions, scenic stays or wonderful dining options, Malaysia has a wide range of experiences that is sure to delight every type of traveller. This unsurprisingly results in Malaysia leading the Asia-focused categories of Trip.com’s global rankings. Named the best in a total of 19 categories, ranging from accommodation to nightlife, the country boasts several establishments that received multiple recognitions. The popular island of Langkawi earns repeat mentions for its hotels and villas, as well as its Underwater World attraction. Langkawi was also named one of “Asia’s best coastal destinations”. The only other place in Malaysia crowned best coastal destination is Semporna, a scenic seaside town in Sabah’s east coast. Meanwhile, the state’s capital city Kota Kinabalu joins Semporna, Langkawi, Melaka and Kuala Lumpur in the “best destinations” category. Understandably, Kuala Lumpur draws many visits from local and foreign tourists alike. Many of its attractions and restau...

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has denied reports of withdrawal from all Asian Cricket Council (ACC) events amid recent tensions with Pakistan, according to Indian media. Earlier, The Indian Express, citing sources, reported that the BCCI had informed the ACC about its decision to pull out from the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Sri Lanka next month and from the biennial Men’s Asia Cup in September in a bid to “isolate Pakistan cricket.” “The Indian team can’t play in a tournament that is organised by the ACC whose chief is a Pakistan minister”, the source said, referring to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who was appointed as the new president of the ACC last month. The outlet further quoted the source as saying that the BCCI was aware that an Asia Cup without India was not a feasible option as many of the sponsors of international cricket events were from India. The International Cricket Council (ICC), the global governing body for cricket, did no...