Rejuvenated Amir back for ‘unfinished work’ at T20 World Cup

Pakistan's Mohammad Amir takes part in a practice session at the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore on May 4, 2024. (AFP/File)
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Updated 07 May 2024
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Rejuvenated Amir back for ‘unfinished work’ at T20 World Cup

  • Amir was selected at the age of 15 by none other than great left-armer Wasim Akram at a fast-bowling camp
  • He says his short-term goal is to win World Cup, adds it’s hard to describe the feeling of playing for Pakistan

KARACHI: Rejuvenated fast bowler Mohammad Amir said he has “unfinished work” at next month’s T20 World Cup, 15 years after dazzling as a teenager when Pakistan last lifted the trophy.

The 32-year-old, who was jailed for spot-fixing in 2011, came out of retirement last month and is grateful to have another crack at the World Cup.

“It’s a great feeling to be playing for Pakistan again,” Amir told AFP by phone from Lahore this week ahead of the tournament in the United States and the West Indies beginning on June 2.

“I want to complete the unfinished work and, for me, the short-term goal is to win the World Cup.”

The young Amir impressed in all formats after breaking into the Pakistan side in 2009 and playing at the T20 World Cup.

Within a year he was one of the hottest young talents in cricket, but his precocious career then crashed to an infamous halt in 2010.

Amir was one of three Pakistan players banned from cricket for five years for spot-fixing during a Test match in England after being caught in a newspaper sting. He was later jailed in the UK for six months.

Pakistan captain Salman Butt, who was deemed the ringleader, and fellow quick bowler Mohammad Asif were also banned and the pair were jailed for 30 and 12 months respectively.

Amir returned after his ban to play for Pakistan in 2016 but announced a shock retirement in December 2020 after poor form kept him from being selected.

He will form a potent pace bowling attack with spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf that sees Pakistan ranked among the World Cup favorites.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board and the team management have shown trust in me so I have to fulfil that trust,” said Amir.

“I have come back after four years and when you play for your country the feeling cannot be described.”

Amir played three of the four T20 home matches against New Zealand last month, taking three wickets in a 2-2 drawn series, and said he felt part of the attack again.

“To be honest I felt fitter than in 2019 and until you are fit you cannot express yourself, so I am ready to do better and better,” said Amir.

He will be in action when Pakistan travel to Ireland for three T20s in Dublin on May 10, 12 and 14.

Pakistan then move to England to play the defending T20 world champions in Leeds (May 22), Birmingham (May 25), Cardiff (May 28) and London (May 30).

Brought up in Changa Bangial village in Punjab province, some 60 kilometers from the capital Islamabad, Amir was determined to make his name in cricket after his five older brothers introduced him to playing.

He was picked out at the age of 15 by none other than great left-armer Wasim Akram at a fast-bowling camp and within two years grew in height and overcame a stress fracture of the back.

Amir said now he only wanted to remember the good events in his career.

“The 2009 Twenty20 World Cup winning memories are special and excite me to this day,” said Amir, who took six wickets in seven matches in the tournament.

They included the prize dismissal of Sri Lanka opener Tillakaratne Dilshan — the player of the tournament — in Pakistan’s eight-wicket final victory.

“I was selected for the first time and then became part of a champion team.

“When I landed (back) at Rawalpindi airport to go to my village there were so many cars and they were showering flowers on me,” he recalled.

“I am lucky that I am still playing. When I came, I was the youngest in the team, so here I am having another chance to win the World Cup and that is the target for me and my team.”


Tennis Coach Murray and Djokovic part ways ahead of French Open

Updated 13 May 2025
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Tennis Coach Murray and Djokovic part ways ahead of French Open

BENGALURU: Andy Murray will no longer coach 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, with the pair’s high-profile partnership coming to an end after only six months, the Briton’s team announced on Tuesday.
Djokovic appointed fellow former world number one Murray ahead of this year’s Australian Open and the Serb said at the Qatar Open in February that he would continue working with Murray for an indefinite period.
However, the partnership will now end as Djokovic looks to arrest a dip in form during the clay season by competing in the Geneva Open next week, ahead of his quest for a fourth French Open title when Roland Garros gets underway on May 25.
“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months,” Murray said in a statement.
“I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”
Djokovic, who won 25 of his 36 matches against Murray, said he was grateful for his former rival’s hard work and support in their short spell together.
“I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together,” Djokovic added.

Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January before injury ended his campaign. He made the Miami Open final in March but his bid for a 100th tour-level title ended in a defeat by Jakub Mensik.
The Serb, who turns 38 three days before the year's second Grand Slam begins, has been woefully out of form since that Miami defeat and was beaten in his opening matches at Masters tournaments in Monte Carlo and Madrid last month.
He was expected to jumpstart his clay campaign in Rome before returning to Paris, where he won Olympic gold last year, but skipped the ongoing Italian Open without giving a reason.
Djokovic accepted a wildcard for the May 18-24 Geneva Open.


Cummins and Green set to return for Australia in cricket's World Test Championship final

Updated 13 May 2025
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Cummins and Green set to return for Australia in cricket's World Test Championship final

BRISBANE: Pace bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood and allrounder Cameron Green have been recalled from injury and young batter Sam Konstas has been retained in Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship final against South Africa next month.
Australia is the defending WTC champion and finished the league stage with an away win over Sri Lanka after a home series victory against India.
“Those series capped a consistent performance across the two-year cycle and now presents us with the incredibly exciting opportunity to defend the World Test Championship,” Australia’s chief selector George Bailey said in a statement Tuesday. “It means a lot to the group to reach the final and they are very much looking forward to the challenge South Africa will present at Lord’s.”
The same squad will head to the Caribbean for a three-test series against the West Indies following the June 11-15 WTC final.
Green hasn't played international cricket since September because of back surgery, but the 25-year-old allrounder is making a graduated return and currently batting at county level in England.
Skipper Cummins missed the two-test series in Sri Lanka with an injured ankle and Hazlewood hasn't played a test since developing a side strain in November, early in the series against India.
Both veteran pacemen have been playing in the Indian Premier League, which was suspended last week because of the border tension between India and Pakistan but is set to resume this weekend.
“We are fortunate and looking forward to having Pat, Josh and Cam back in the squad,” Bailey said.
Opening batter Konstas made an impressive debut against India with a half-century in the Boxing Day test in Melbourne but was dropped ahead of the subsequent tour to Sri Lanka.


Knicks take a 3-1 lead over the Celtics with a 121-113 victory as Tatum is injured in final minutes

Updated 13 May 2025
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Knicks take a 3-1 lead over the Celtics with a 121-113 victory as Tatum is injured in final minutes

NEW YORK: Jalen Brunson had 39 points and 12 assists, and the New York Knicks moved a win away from their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years and pushed the defending champion Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination with a 121-113 victory Monday night in Game 4.
The Celtics will have to make the NBA’s 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit to extend their title reign and may have to do it without All-Star Jayson Tatum, who was carried off the court with a right leg injury with 2:58 left.
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points and OG Anunoby bounced back from two poor performances by scoring 20 for the Knicks, who can win the series Wednesday night at Boston. If not, they would come back to Madison Square Garden to try to do it Friday night.
Tatum scored 42 points, his high in these playoffs, before he was hurt when the Celtics turned the ball over and his leg gave out as he tried to lunge forward toward the loose ball.
The Knicks had taken control just before that in front of a delirious crowd of fans who haven’t seen them play in the conference finals since they lost to Indiana in 2000.
Nobody has come from 3-1 down since Denver did it twice in 2020 at the Walt Disney World resort. It hasn’t happened when a team had to win a true road game since Cleveland rallied past Golden State in the 2016 NBA Finals.


Al-Hilal keep slim Saudi Pro League title hopes alive with comfortable win

Updated 12 May 2025
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Al-Hilal keep slim Saudi Pro League title hopes alive with comfortable win

  • 4-0 home victory over relegation battlers Al-Orobah leaves the reigning champions 6 points adrift of leaders Al-Ittihad, with just 3 games remaining

Al-Hilal defeated Al-Orobah 4-0 on Monday to keep their slim Saudi Pro League title hopes alive. The reigning champions are six points behind leaders Al-Ittihad with just three games remaining.

After the Jeddah giants enjoyed a comfortable win on Sunday, defeating Al-Fayha 3-0 at home, the pressure was on their Riyadh rivals, also playing at home. Interim coach Mohammed Al-Shalhoub, who took over this month after the departure of Jorge Jesus, knew that only a win would do against the relegation battlers.

As expected, the Blues attacked from the start but the visitors defended deeply and in numbers. Hamad Al-Yami almost put the home side ahead at the midway point of the first half. After making a run on the right side, he was picked out by a fine floated pass from Ruben Neves but the full-back, stretching at close range, could not get enough power on his shot.

The home fans, who failed to turn up in large numbers, did not have to wait for much longer before the deadlock was broken, however. Salem Al-Dawsari has been in fine goal-scoring form of late, but just before the half-hour mark he turned provider with a perfect cross from the left side of the penalty area for Aleksandar Mitrovic, unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box, to steer home. Just before half-time, the goalscorer went down in the box under a challenge but the referee waved play on.

The attacks continued after the restart and the task Al-Orobah faced became more difficult within two minutes when Ibrahim Al-Zubaidi was shown a straight red for a reckless challenge on Malcom.

On the hour, Mohammed Kanno’s fierce effort from outside the area stung the palms of Gaetan Coucke and, despite the lead and the extra-man advantage, there was always a chance that the visitors might grab a goal that could all but hand the trophy to Al-Ittihad.

However, Al-Hilal effectively sealed the win in the 65th minute, thanks to that man Al-Dawsari, who scored a typically classy goal. Cutting in from the left, he exchanged swift passes with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as he moved into the area and then lifted a perfect chip over the advancing goalkeeper.

Two late goals added to the ultimately emphatic nature of the victory: Kaio Cesar scored from the spot in the 90th minute and then grabbed another two minutes later.

The title still seems likely to be heading to Jeddah but Al-Hilal are at least showing they will not be just handing it over without a fight.


IPL to resume on May 17 after India-Pakistan ceasefire

Updated 12 May 2025
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IPL to resume on May 17 after India-Pakistan ceasefire

  • The Pakistan Super League has yet to announce a date for resumption
  • Pakistan initially decided to move the last eight PSL games to the UAE

The Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, suspended for a week amid fighting between India and Pakistan, will resume on May 17 following the announcement of a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed neighbors, organizers said on Monday.
The IPL governing council took the decision to suspend the tournament last Friday after consulting franchises and players as India and Pakistan extended their worst fighting in nearly three decades.
The IPL still has 12 group matches left, which will be played in the cities of Bengaluru, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
“After extensive consultations with government and security agencies, and with all the key stakeholders, the Board has decided to proceed with the remainder of the season,” India’s cricket board, BCCI, said in a statement.
“A total of 17 matches will be played across 6 venues, starting May 17, 2025, and culminating in the final on June 3, 2025. The revised schedule includes two double-headers, which will be played on two Sundays.
“Venue details for the playoff matches will be announced at a later stage.”
An IPL match in Dharamsala on May 8 was abandoned midway through, with organizers citing a power outage, while another game at the same north Indian city was shifted to Ahmedabad because of the border tensions before being postponed.
A number of non-Indian players left the country after the league’s suspension.
The Pakistan Super League has yet to announce a date for its resumption.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initially decided to move the last eight PSL games to the United Arab Emirates, but last week said it had postponed the matches on the advice of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
India and Pakistan have clashed since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan that it said were “terrorist camps” in retaliation for the deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month, in which it said Islamabad was involved.
Pakistan denied the accusation but both countries exchanged cross-border firing and shelling, sent drones and missiles into each other’s airspace and left dozens of people dead.
A fragile ceasefire was holding between the neighbors after the agreement was reached on Saturday, following diplomacy and pressure from the United States.