Mountaineer Sirbaz achieves unique feat
Renowned Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan achieved yet another landmark in the history of high-altitude climbing as he successfully summited the world's third-highest mountain, Kangchenjunga, on Sunday morning.
Khan reached the top of the 8,586 meters high Kangchenjunga at 5am Nepal Time. What makes this feat extraordinary is that he achieved it without the use of supplementary oxygen - a defining moment in Pakistan's mountaineering legacy. With this latest accomplishment, Sirbaz Khan becomes the first Pakistani, and one of the very few elite mountaineers worldwide, to summit all the 14 peaks over 8,000-meters - known as the 'Eight-Thousanders' - without supplementary oxygen support.
Previously he has scaled Everest, 8,848 m; K2, 8,611m; Lhotse, 8,516 m; Makalu, 8,485m; Cho Oyu, 8,188 m; Dhaulagiri, 8,167 m; Manaslu, 8,163 m; Nanga Parbat, 8,126m; Annapurna I, 8,091m; Gasherbrum I, 8,080 m; Broad Peak, 8,051 m; Gasherbrum II, 8,035m; and Shishapangma, 8,027m.
Sirbaz Khan's journey to this historic milestone spanned over a decade. His achievement on Sunday not only cemented his place among the greatest mountaineers of all time but also brings immense pride to the people of Pakistan.
Khan hails from Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B). His accomplishment was made in the spirit of pure alpine climbing — minimal gear, no fixed ropes or camps set by Sherpas, and no oxygen support.
"Sirbaz Khan has made the entire nation proud. Completing all 14 eight-thousanders without oxygen is a rare and heroic achievement. He is a symbol of Pakistani resilience, skill, and courage on the highest peaks of the world," Karrar Haidri, Secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said, in a congratulatory message to Khan.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
19 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Babar, Rizwan tumble from ICC T20I top 10, Haris climbs into top 30
Listen to article In a significant reshuffle following Pakistan's recent T20I series against Bangladesh, former captains Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan have dropped out of the top 10 in the ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings, while emerging batter Mohammad Haris has surged into the top 30 after a stellar performance. According to the latest rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday, Babar has fallen three places to 12th, while Rizwan has slipped one spot to 13th. The two had held positions in the top 10 for several months and were Pakistan's most consistent performers in the format, but were dropped from the recent T20I series against Bangladesh following a dismal run of form. No Pakistani player currently features in the top 10 of the T20I batting rankings. Despite the slide in senior players' rankings, the spotlight has shifted to rising talent Mohammad Haris, who made a remarkable jump of 210 positions to reach 30th. His explosive unbeaten 107 off 46 balls in the third T20I against Bangladesh capped off a successful series in which he also scored 41 and 31 in the earlier matches. Haris finished as the series' leading run-scorer with 167 runs at an impressive strike rate of 201.12. Youngster Hasan Nawaz, who ended the series as the second-highest run-getter with 121 runs, also made significant gains, climbing 57 places to reach the 46th spot. Saim Ayub improved four spots to 61st, while skipper Salman Ali Agha advanced 42 positions to 76th. Australia's Travis Head now tops the T20I batting charts, followed by India's Abhishek Sharma and England's Phil Salt in second and third places, respectively. On the bowling front, pacer Abbas Afridi moved up 18 places to share the 19th spot with South Africa's Anrich Nortje and Pakistan's Haris Rauf. Afridi impressed with figures of 2 for 26 in the high-scoring third T20I. All-rounder Shadab Khan also saw improvement, climbing 10 places to 14th in the ICC Men's T20I All-rounder Rankings after contributing 55 runs and four wickets across the series.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business Recorder
Babar, Rizwan slip in ICC T20I rankings; Haris makes significant leap
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday released the latest T20I player rankings, revealing a significant reshuffle among Pakistani cricketers. Former captain Babar Azam has dropped three places to 12th, while wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has slipped one spot to 13th. Notably, no Pakistani player features in the top 10 of the current rankings. Australia's Travis Head leads the chart, followed by India's Abhishek Sharma and England's Phil Salt in second and third positions, respectively. Haris moves up, Shaheen slides in ICC T20I bowler's rankings Despite the decline of senior players, emerging talent Mohammad Haris has made a remarkable jump of 210 places, securing the 30th spot. Additionally, Hasan Nawaz has climbed 57 positions to reach 46th place. Other Pakistani players have also shown progress: Saim Ayub has moved up four spots to 61st, and captain Salman Ali Agha has advanced 42 places to 76th. The latest rankings highlight the evolving dynamics of Pakistan's T20I squad, with younger players making significant strides on the international stage.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Aus confirm Pakistan tour in 2026
Cricket Australia (CA) is gearing up for a white-ball series tour to Pakistan, scheduled for early next year, signaling a positive step towards strengthening cricketing ties between the two nations. During an online press conference, CA CEO Todd Greenberg conveyed his positive outlook on the upcoming tour, emphasising the significance of the series against Pakistan and the ongoing collaboration between the two cricket boards. "I believe it will be another good tour of Pakistan. The series against Pakistan is an important part of our schedule. There has been good communication between Pakistan and Australia regarding both red-ball and white-ball series," Greenberg said. "We need to look for more opportunities for series, which we will definitely do," he added. Looking back on the 2022 tour, Greenberg expressed enthusiasm about future matches in Pakistan. "We would like to play a series in Pakistan. In 2022, we toured Pakistan after a long gap, and the tour was very successful. The Australian team received a warm welcome. It would be great if such series continue to happen." Greenberg emphasised the league's commitment to bringing in talent from Pakistan, recognising the popularity of Pakistani players among fans, and explained the mutual benefits of such participation. "There is no doubt that Pakistani players are very popular within the community. Our effort is to attract players from all over the world for the BBL," he said. "If leading Pakistani players come, they will definitely enjoy it here. The league will benefit greatly from these top players for their teams and franchises," he added. Regarding player participation, Greenberg confirmed, "I hope we will definitely attract some players for the next edition of the BBL." It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan last toured Australia in November 2024 for a white-ball series. Under Mohammad Rizwan's captaincy, the Men in Green secured a historic 2-1 victory in the ODI series - their first series win in Australia since 2002. However, Australia bounced back strongly, winning the subsequent T20I series 3-0. For the unversed, according to the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 202527, Australia are expected to tour Pakistan for a white-ball series featuring three ODIs and three T20Is in FebruaryMarch. White-ball camp The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has summoned 22 top white-ball performers for a camp, including the senior trio of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi on Monday. According to the details, the shortlisted 22 players will report for the camp here in three groups, scheduled to be held on June 3, 4 and 5 respectively. During the camp, the PCB will inform the players about the future course of action, while their fitness and respective performances will also be analysed. Sources further suggested that senior players will participate in all three training sessions, which will also feature the top performers of the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10. Furthermore, Pakistan's white-ball head coach Mike Hesson will meet with top performers and will update them regarding the future course of action. Players called up for training camp: Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shahid Aziz, Abbas Afridi, Salman Mirza, Mir Hamza, Abdullah Shafique, Khawaja Nafay, Haider Ali, Ahmed Daniyal, Mehran Mumtaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Nawaz, Aamir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Ali Raza and Tayyab Tahir. For the unversed, Pakistan's white-ball entered a new era under the leadership of former New Zealand head coach Hesson. The 50-year-old had an ideal start to his tenure as the green shirts registered a 3-0 T20I series whitewash against Bangladesh, which also marked their first series triumph at home since December 2021. Following the drought-ending series victory over Bangladesh, Pakistan are scheduled for a brief break before touring back to Bangladesh next month for a potential three-match T20I series.
