Oftana shines but Gilas Pilipinas falls short vs Bahrain to open Asian Games title defense

England have unveiled their 16-member squad for the first two Tests of their three-match series against Pakistan, with Joe Root set to lead the side after Ben Stokes’ retirement. The first Test will begin on August 19 at Headingley in Leeds, marking the start of what promises to be a closely watched series between the two sides. Root has been handed the captaincy once again following Stokes’ retirement, placing the experienced batter at the centre of England’s plans against Pakistan. England have also welcomed back several familiar faces. Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Brydon Carse and Sam Cook have returned to the squad, adding experience and depth to the team. However, England will be without Jacob Bethell, who has been ruled out of the Pakistan series because of a right knee injury. With Root back in charge and several key players returning, England will look to make a strong start at Leeds before the teams move on to the second Test. Pakistan will be hoping to challenge England’s home advantage and seize an early lead in the three-match contest. England Squad Joe Root (C), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue.

Pakistani boxer Qudratullah Khan has reportedly gone missing in Glasgow after representing the country at the Commonwealth Games, raising fresh concerns for sports authorities ahead of upcoming international events. The Quetta-born boxer, who competed as part of Pakistan’s national boxing squad, did not return with the team after the conclusion of the tournament. The squad was scheduled to travel back to Pakistan on Sunday, but Qudratullah was missing when the team prepared for departure. Officials familiar with the matter said the boxer could not be located in his hotel room before the team’s departure. However, his luggage and personal belongings were reportedly found inside the room, leaving team officials uncertain about his whereabouts. Pakistan Boxing Federation officials confirmed that the athlete failed to return with the national contingent. They said the boxer had been selected solely on merit due to his performances and described the incident as unfortunate. Officials added that the matter would now be handled by the department the boxer represents. The incident has created an unexpected challenge for the team management and has once again drawn attention to the recurring issue of Pakistani athletes going missing during international sporting events. This is not the first such case involving Pakistani athletes. In recent years, several sportsmen disappeared while competing abroad. During the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, boxers Suleman Baloch and Nazirullah Khan also went missing after the competition. Earlier that year, swimmer Faizan Akbar disappeared in Hungary before the FINA World Championships. In 2024, boxer Zohaib Rasheed left his team hotel in Italy before an Olympic qualifying event. He later stated that financial difficulties had influenced his decision. The latest disappearance is expected to increase concerns among sports authorities regarding athlete management and monitoring during overseas tours. Pakistan is preparing to send another sporting contingent to Japan next month for the Asian Games, and officials are likely to review existing protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the squads and schedule for the National Champions Cup 2026, with the tournament set to launch Pakistan’s 2026-27 domestic cricket season in Multan next month. The seven-match 50-over List A competition will be played from August 11 to 18 at Multan Cricket Stadium. All matches will be day-night fixtures and are scheduled to begin at 3pm local time. Four teams — Pakistan Greens, Pakistan Whites, Pakistan Blues and Pakistan Gold — will compete in the tournament. The teams will play each other once in a single round-robin format, with the top two sides advancing to the final on August 18. The PCB has also announced fixed playing XIs for all four teams. Reserve players will only be allowed to enter the playing XI in case of injury or concussion. The reserves will remain with their respective squads during training and match days. The tournament will feature several prominent Pakistan players in leadership roles. Shadab Khan will captain Pakistan Greens, Saim Ayub will lead Pakistan Whites, Sahibzada Farhan will captain Pakistan Blues, while Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead Pakistan Gold. Pakistan Greens include experienced names such as Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain alongside emerging players. Saim Ayub’s Pakistan Whites feature Haris Rauf, Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jr, while Sahibzada Farhan’s Pakistan Blues include Abdullah Shafique, Hasan Ali, Arafat Minhas and Hussain Talat. Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Pakistan Gold side includes Haider Ali, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Nawaz and Faisal Akram. The PCB has selected a 44-player squad and reserve pool as part of its preparations for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. The domestic tournament is expected to provide selectors with an opportunity to assess players and identify emerging talent ahead of the global event. The reserve pool includes batters Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Faiq and Muhammad Irfan Khan. All-rounders Mubasir Khan and Danish Aziz are also included, along with pacers such as Arshad Iqbal, Shahnawaz Dahani and Mohammad Amir Khan. Haseebullah has been named as the reserve wicketkeeper. The tournament will begin on August 11 with Pakistan Greens facing Pakistan Whites. Pakistan Blues will meet Pakistan Gold on August 12, followed by Blues against Whites on August 13. Gold will take on Greens on August 14, while Blues and Greens will meet on August 15. Gold will face Whites on August 16.

CINCINNATI: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka survived a tense challenge from Australia’s Talia Gibson on Sunday, needing six match points to secure a straight-sets victory and book her place in the third round of the Cincinnati Masters. Sabalenka eventually prevailed 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) in just under two hours on a windswept Grandstand Court, but the second set turned into a nerve-testing battle. The Belarusian appeared close to victory when she created five match points in the 12th game. Gibson, however, refused to surrender, saving all five before forcing the set into a tiebreak. Sabalenka kept her composure when it mattered most, dominating the tiebreak before sealing the match with a final winner. “I’m super tired; this is crazy weather,” Sabalenka said after the contest, praising Gibson for becoming more aggressive and putting greater pressure on her serve. The victory keeps Sabalenka’s bid for another deep Cincinnati run alive. She won the tournament in 2024 and is hoping to build momentum ahead of the US Open, where she will be chasing her first Grand Slam title of the 2026 season. Sabalenka has already captured three titles this year, although her most recent triumph came in Miami in March. Meanwhile, Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina advanced comfortably with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Taylor Townsend. The world No. 2 arrived in Cincinnati after finishing runner-up to Iga Swiatek in Toronto. French Open champion Mirra Andreeva produced an even more emphatic performance, crushing Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-0 while saving all seven break points she faced. Defending champion Swiatek also moved forward, defeating Colombia’s Emiliana Arango 6-3, 6-0. American fourth seed Coco Gauff battled back from a slow start to defeat Liudmila Samsonova 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, winning the final five games. The day ended on a disappointing note for American Ben Shelton, however, as the world No. 6 was eliminated by Portugal’s Jaime Faria.