Pakistan's merry-go-round with coaches continues; PCB keen to release Azhar Mahmood
Also Read: Bangladesh vs Pakistan T20I series Live Streaming: Squads and all you need to knowWhen Mahmood was appointed as the acting coach, his first assignment was the two-match Test series against South Africa at home, scheduled for October this year.The issue arose when white-ball coach Mike Hesson stated that having Azhar on the coaching staff was not part of his plans."The problem arose when Mike Hesson, the recently-appointed white-ball head coach made it clear he would have his own support staff and Azhar was not among his selections."This left the PCB with a major problem of how to utilise Azhar's expertise to justify paying him such a handsome salary, as even if they wanted they couldn't release him without the six months of compensation," the insider added.He previously served as Pakistan's bowling coach from 2016 to 2019. In 2024, he acted as head coach during the T20I series against New Zealand.Mahmood also worked as bowling coach for both the Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and has also served as head coach of Islamabad United.Pakistan is next scheduled to face Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series, beginning June 20 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.- EndsMust Watch
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Asia Cup meeting may not hold up legally; Bangladesh caught in crossfire as PCB makes last-ditch effort: Report
The venue of the Asia Cup meeting has triggered an India vs Pakistan standoff in the cricketing world, with the PCB adamant about holding the Asian Cricket Council AGM in Dhaka. However, they may not receive enough support. read more The venue for the upcoming Asia Cup meeting has become the new battleground for India and Pakistan. Image: PTI With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) enjoying the support of major Test-playing nations like Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, there's a high chance the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for 24 and 25 July in Dhaka, Bangladesh, may not hold any legal value. The ACC meeting is expected to deliver a solution on the Asia Cup 2025 standoff. There have been question marks over the future of the Asia Cup 2025 since the Pahalgam terror attack. Cricket fans in India have been demanding a boycott of all matches against Pakistan and it also led to the cancellation of the India vs Pakistan match last week in the World Championship of Legends (WCL). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Asia Cup meeting to fail legal test? Nonetheless, BCCI has communicated to ACC that the venue for the meeting needs to be shifted away from Bangladesh due to India's deteriorating relationship with the country. They have also postponed the ODI series to Bangladesh in August 2025 to next year. The ACC, which is currently chaired by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) head Mohsin Naqvi, is reportedly adamant about holding the ACGM in Dhaka, but they may not have enough members attending the meeting. As per a report in Cricbuzz, the ACC constitution states that at least 10 full or Associate members (non-Test playing nations) need to be part of the AGM for a valid quorum, which may not be possible as Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are also ready to boycott the meeting. Nepal, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar are remaining full members of ACC. The Associate members include Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, Tajikistan, Maldives, Japan, Iran, China, Myanmar and Indonesia. As per Cricbuzz, Oman, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar and Indonesia may also skip the meeting. PCB makes last-ditch effort The report further adds that PCB's Naqvi was in Kabul on Sunday in an attempt to persuade Afghanistan to attend the ACC meeting, but the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has assured BCCI that they will boycott the AGM in Dhaka. BCCI's refusal, meanwhile, has become a major issue for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), where one faction has even asked Aminul Islam, the BCB president, to cancel the meeting. 'Bulbul (Aminul) was requested to cancel the meeting as some of the board directors were not ready to do anything that can hurt the BCCI but the president insisted that he had given his word so cannot return back after giving his words to PCB,' a BCB source told Cricbuzz.
NDTV
16 hours ago
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Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh Hold Firm With Draws In FIDE Women's World Cup Semi-Finals
Grandmaster Koneru Humpy held China's Tingjie Lei to a comfortable draw with black pieces, while Divya Deshmukh's solid defence frustrated former women's world champion Zhongyi Tan in the first game of the FIDE Women's World Cup semifinals here on Tuesday. With two Indians and two Chinese making up the final-four, the Asian dominance in women's chess remains undisputed. But it's now a battle of nerves for the final two spots. From the look of it, the two Indians have had a great beginning drawing with black and in the return game both will play as white. If the results remain tied in this USD 691,250 event, then the games of shorter duration will be played to determine the winner. Also, three spots are up for grabs for the next Women's Candidates Tournament -- ensuring at least one Indian will qualify. Divya was the first to get off the hook against Zhongyi Tan who boasts of a remarkable resume as a woman chess player. The former world champion did not find any flaws in Divya's opening repertoire as the game embarked on a queen's gambit declined opening path. Divya exchanged pieces almost at will and Zhongyi also did not seem averse to equalising against an active position for black forces. In the end the players were left with just a rook and a minor piece each with three pawns on the same flank when nothing could have happened other than a drawn result. India's top woman player, Humpy, came up with a huge opening surprise for Lei that has not been seen at top level chess regularly. The Chinese did not know what hit her as early as on move four and even her best resources were not enough to combat Humpy into equalising. The players fought on post the exchange of queens in the middle game but the presence of opposite coloured Bishops ensured that Humpy was never in any danger. Results (Semifinal Game 1): TIngjie Lei (CHN) drew with Koneru Humpy (IND); Zhongyi Tan (CHN) drew with Divya Deshmukh (IND).
News18
17 hours ago
- News18
Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh Hold Nerve In FIDE Women's World Cup Semifinal Openers
Last Updated: India's Humpy and Deshmukh secured confident draws in the FIDE Women's World Cup semifinals against Chinese opponents. Both will now play with white pieces in the return leg. India's Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh made a strong start to the semifinals of the FIDE Women's World Cup in Toronto on Tuesday, both securing confident draws with the black pieces against Chinese opponents. With two Indians and two Chinese players in the final four, Asia's dominance in women's chess remains unchallenged. But the road to the final now hinges on nerves, precision—and a strong performance in the return leg. Humpy Surprises Lei with Rare Opening India's top-ranked woman Grandmaster, Koneru Humpy, stunned Tingjie Lei early with an unusual opening line rarely seen at the elite level. By move four, the Chinese GM found herself in unfamiliar territory, forced to expend significant energy just to maintain equality. Despite a tense middle game, Humpy exchanged queens at an opportune moment, transitioning into a bishop endgame with opposite-colored bishops—ensuring safety and simplifying to a draw. Divya Holds Off Former World Champion Earlier, Divya Deshmukh held her ground impressively against Zhongyi Tan, the 2017 Women's World Champion. The game followed the Queen's Gambit Declined, with Divya steering the position into calm waters through timely exchanges. Zhongyi, unable to pose any real threats, saw the position dissolve into a balanced endgame, with both sides left with a rook, a minor piece, and three pawns on one flank. A draw was the inevitable conclusion. 'Divya didn't give Tan a single tactical opportunity. Her piece play was confident, and her defence was clinical," noted a tournament observer. A Chance to Shine with White Having drawn their black games, both Indians will now enjoy the advantage of the white pieces in the return leg. If those games also end in draws, the USD 691,250 event will move to tiebreaks featuring faster time controls. Notably, three spots are available for the next FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament, meaning at least one Indian is guaranteed qualification—another sign of India's growing strength in women's chess. (with PTI inputs) view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
