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1st Test, Day 1: New Zealand strike back to maintain balance against England

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After a flying start with the ball, England imploded with the bat against New Zealand, who managed to maintain the balance on the opening day of the first Test, here on Thursday.

A total of 17 wickets fell on Day 1 as both England and New Zealand seamers put in a similarly incisive performance with the ball at Lord’s helpful surface.

England pacers wreaked havoc to bowl out New Zealand for 132 and they looked in a solid position to control the first Test. Their openers started off well, first seeing off the brief session before Tea without any hiccups.

The final session began steadily, with openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley sharing a half-century stand. They put together 59 before Kyle Jamieson struck to send by Crawley and struck again 10 overs later to dismiss Ollie Pope. At 75/2, England still looked in a comfortable enough position but it did not take long for disaster to strike.

Former captain Joe Root (11) edged one off Colin de Grandhomme. In the next over, Tim Southee trapped Lees for a 77-ball 25 and then got Ben Stokes (1) in his very next over. Trent Boult made Jonny Bairstow (1) drag one back onto the stumps and then removed Potts (0) two balls later to leave England stuttering at 100/7.

Ben Foakes and Stuart Broad were able to add 16 runs in the remaining 3.1 overs as England finished the first day on 116/7, trailing by 16 runs.

Earlier in the day, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson’s decision to bat first proved to be disastrous against some relentlessly precise seam bowling from England’s pacers, both old and new.

The tone was set by England’s returning veterans – James Anderson and Stuart Broad. In overcast conditions, Anderson found movement consistently and started off with a maiden over from round the wicket against Tom Latham first up.

But it was his opening partner Will Young that bit the dust first. Poking outside off, Young got a thick outside edge that was snapped up by a diving Jonny Bairstow at third slip. Latham was to follow after a good working over, when he tried to punch Anderson through the vacant cover region. But the edge that flew quickly to Bairstow was caught on the rebound.

Soon after, Broad persisted with his successful round-the-wicket line to the next left-hander Devon Conway and had him edging to Bairstow, once again as New Zealand slipped to 7/3. There was no respite to be had even when the duo were done with their opening spell, with Stokes applying the pressure with a loaded slip cordon. Debutant pacer Matthew Potts found immediate success when he had NZ’s skipper Kane Williamson nicking behind in just his first over.

Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell put on a brief rearguard thereafter for eight overs before the former chopped one on from Potts. Blundell, who was once saved by an inside edge on review, also became Potts’ third victim after the pacer knocked the off stump with a sharp incoming delivery as NZ lost six wickets before Lunch.

England did not bowl spin at all after Jack Leach was forced to withdraw due to concussion having had an awkward fall at the boundary. His replacement, leg spinner Matt Parkinson was called up from over 300km away to make his Test debut, but England needed none of it on the first day.

New Zealand’s lower order, led by an unbeaten 42 from Colin de Grandhomme, came out counterattacking after the first break. But James Anderson managed to cash in on this aggression, having both Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee (26 off 24) caught at fine leg, despite copping some punishment.

Potts was introduced as the first change after the break and he struck with his first ball, trapping Ajaz Patel leg before the wicket from round the wicket. He too was forced to walk out mid-over due to a calf strain, which meant that Ben Stokes had to chip in with the ball. The skipper accounted for the final wicket when Boult chipped to midwicket, completing a ruthlessly dominant performance with the ball.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 132 all-out (Colin de Grandhomme 42 not out; Matthew Potts 4/13, James Aderson 4/66) lead England 116/7 (Zak Crawley 43; Trent Boult 2/15) by 16 runs

International

Champions Trophy: Pakistan’s dismal show likely to be discussed in cabinet and parliament

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Islamabad, Feb 27: The Pakistan cricket team’s depressing, dismal, and cheerless performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, resulting in its early exit from the tournament, has not only broken the hearts of home fans but also knocked on the doors of the country’s Prime Minister.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has personally taken notice of the team’s early departure and the below-par performance and is likely to take up the issues related to the cricket team in the cabinet and the parliament. Pakistan’s final Group A fixture against Bangladesh was washed out in Rawalpindi due to rain on Thursday, which meant that they ended their campaign without a win. With only one point, thanks to a washout, Pakistan will finish at the bottom of the group.

Prime Minister’s aide on Political and Public Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, has said that PM Shehbaz will also take up the matter at the parliament. “The Prime Minister will personally take notice, and we will also ask him to raise these cricket-related issues in the cabinet as well as in the parliament,” said Rana Sanaullah.

It is pertinent to note that Pakistan is hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Special arrangements have been made to glorify the event, with Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi cricket stadiums renovated to increase audience capacity and further enhance the facilities. However, the team’s fans were left dejected after Pakistan lost both its matches and was knocked out of the tournament when their final league match with Bangladesh was rained off.

While anger persists among cricket fans, questions are being raised over the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), its chief Mohsin Naqvi, and the selection committee, which selected the squad. Aqib Javed, head coach of Pakistan, has tried to justify the team selection, stating that all players were selected on the basis of their recent performances.

On the other hand, internal issues within the PCB are also being linked with the team’s bad performance as many believe that the cricket board’s decision-making regarding playing eleven, the team, and the players has prompted foreign coaches like Jason Gillespie to part ways.

Rana Sanaullah said that he will also call on PM Sharif to address the ongoing issues within the PCB, emphasising that the cricket sport as a whole is in bad shape. “The sport at college and district levels is in a bad position, and the amount that has been spent on a professional level should be revealed before the public”, said Rana Sanaullah.

Rana Sanaullah also raised concerns over amounts being paid to mentors, who he highlighted admitted that they were unaware of their responsibilities and were being remunerated for doing nothing. “You will be surprised after hearing about the perks and privileges of other officer-bearers. You will be confused whether they are officials of a Pakistani institution or those belonging to a developed nation”, he said.

It would not be wrong to say that Pakistan’s performance on home grounds has certainly left fans heartbroken. In major ICC events, Pakistan’s performance in the past years has also not been mentionable.

In 2023, Pakistan only won four out of nine matches during the ODI World Cup in India and ended in fifth position on the points table. Pakistan also made an early exit from last year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA after losing to India and the USA in the preliminary stage.

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Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan’s Cricket Stadiums Far From Ready, Tournament Could Be Moved To Dubai, Claims Report

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Problems seem to be mounting for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as they face a race against time to handover a proper stadium to the International Cricket Council (ICC) before the Champions Trophy gets underway. According to The Times Of India report, the construction and upgradation work is still underway at the National Stadium in Karachi, Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

A source following the developments said,”It is a very disappointing picture. All three stadiums are far from ready and it’s not renovation or refurbishment, but proper construction which is underway. There is so much work left with seats, floodlights, facilities and even the outfield and playing surfaces,”

The report further states there is not much time left for the venues to be handed over and it’s not a surprise that there are discussions about moving the entire tournament to the UAE. 

The PCB has to hand over the tournament venues to ICC by February 12, however, the stadium work which was scheduled to be finished by December 31, is yet to be completed.

A team of from the ICC will leave for Pakistan towards the end of the week to do a status check and informal contingency discussions are underway in Dubai corridors.

What is the Current stadium of Champions Trophy venues?

Lahore and Karachi are the two centres where heavy construction work is underway and their multi-storied enclosures, which will have dressing rooms and hospitality boxes, are yet to enter the finishing stages. In addition to the new enclosures, there is fencing work, placement of floodlights and seats which is far from the finish line.

The source added, “The weather is not ideal for construction and finishing work to happen at a rapid pace. At Gadaffi, even the plaster work isn’t completed yet. And most of the time is taken by finishing work because we are talking about dressing rooms etc. They just can’t be random rooms/enclosures for an ICC event. ICC has a checklist which needs to be met. National Stadium has decided to not completely finish the new enclosure because there is no time,”

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AFC Asian Cup 2027 to take place in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar from Jan 7 to Feb 5

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Kuala Lumpur, Jan 7: The AFC Asian Cup 2027 will take place from January 7 to February 5 across three cities – Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar – in Saudi Arabia, the AFC announced on Tuesday.

A total of five stadiums in Riyadh will host the tournament’s matches; the King Fahd Sports City Stadium, the King Saud University Stadium, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium, Kingdom Arena and the Al Shabab Stadium.

Two stadiums have been confirmed for Jeddah – King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium – with a new state-of-the-art venue to be built in Al Khobar, completing the world-class infrastructure set to provide the backdrop for Asia’s top 24 national teams.

Saudi Arabia was announced as the host nation for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in 2023. This will be the first time Suadi Arabia will host the tournament.

“Confirming the dates and selecting the stadiums for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ is a strategic milestone in our journey to host the tournament. This announcement goes beyond simply identifying locations and schedules; it reflects the ongoing high-level collaboration between us and the AFC as we work towards delivering an exceptional tournament that fulfills the aspirations of the entire Asian continent,” Saudi Arabian Football Federation chief Yasser Al Misehal.

Eighteen teams have already sealed their places at the AFC Asian Cup 2027. The remaining berths will be decided via the Qualifiers Final Round, which is scheduled to commence from March 2025 and features six groups of four teams – confirmed at last month’s draw – with the winners of each group making up the final cast.

India, aiming for its fifth appearance at the AFC Asian Cup, has been placed in Group C alongside Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh. The team will look to replicate or surpass its 2019 performance, where it showcased significant progress on the continental stage.

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