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KABUL: Fast-rising Afghanistan announced a spin-heavy squad on Sunday led by Rashid Khan for the T20 tri-series and Asia Cup to be played in the United Arab Emirates. Along with Rashid, Afghanistan will have Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar and Mohammad Nabi in the spin department as they play their first Twenty20 Internationals this year. The tri-series, also involving Pakistan and hosts the UAE, starts in Sharjah on Friday, while the six-nation Asia Cup begins on Sept 9. The 19-year-old Ghazanfar has yet to play a T20I but has made rapid strides in domestic matches in that format…

Fatima Sana will lead the women’s side in the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced a 15-member squad for the tournament set to take place in India and Sri Lanka in September. Pakistan will play all their matches of the 50-over World Cup in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo when India hosts this year’s tournament from Sept 30 to November 2. Following India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy earlier this year, a “hybrid model” was decided upon whereby India would play all its matches in Dubai, chosen as a…

Manchester United remain without a Premier League win this season after being held 1-1 at Fulham on Sunday, while a Jack Grealish-inspired Everton opened their new stadium with a 2-0 victory over Brighton. Ruben Amorim’s United were left to rue Bruno Fernandes’ wayward first-half penalty as they were pegged back at Craven Cottage. Rodrigo Muniz’s own-goal put United in front on the hour mark, but Emile Smith Rowe came off the bench to rescue a point for Fulham. Amorim is seeking an upturn on a disastrous 15th-placed finish last season, but so far his new £200 million ($270 million) forward…

Emma Raducanu bagged her first US Open victory since her fairytale 2021 title triumph on Sunday with a straight-sets demolition of Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara. The Briton was in complete control throughout, breaking Shibahara’s serve routinely on her way to a 6-1, 6-2 drubbing on the Louis Armstrong Stadium showcourt. The win was Raducanu’s first at the US Open since she made history four years ago, winning the championship as a little-known qualifier at the age of 18. She was knocked out in the US Open first round in 2022, missed the 2023 tournament due to injury, and exited in…

Pakistan’s junior male swimmers tore through the national record books as Rayan Awan and Azlan Sohail set new marks at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Romania, which concluded on Sunday. Rayan clocked 30.87 in the Men’s 50m Breaststroke to smash the previous record of 30.98 set by Abdul Aziz Chaudhry 17 years ago. To put it into perspective, the record was set before Rayan was even born. He finished 58th out of 86 swimmers in the breaststroke sprint. Azlan can safely call himself the junior medley king after smashing the Under-16 national records in both the 200m and 400m…

Cameron Green slapped a 47-ball century with Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh also blasting tons as Australia crushed South Africa by 276 runs in a record-breaking third and final one-day international on Sunday in Mackay. The hosts were playing for pride, down 2-0 in the series, and responded magnificently, posting an ominous 431-2 after opting to bat — their highest ODI total on home soil. They then dismissed the Proteas for 155 in the 25th over, with spinner Cooper Connolly taking 5-22. Head was supreme in blazing 142 off 103 balls, ably supported by skipper Marsh (100 from 106). Their…

Marco Vdm | E+ | Getty ImagesFor many investors, workplace retirement plans build long-term savings via automatic paycheck deferrals. But most employees don’t make Roth contributions, which can grow tax-free. Some 86% of retirement plans, such as 401(k)s, offered Roth contributions in 2024, but only 18% of investors with the option participated, according to Vanguard’s 2025 analysis of more than 1,400 qualified plans and nearly 5 million participants.That’s up slightly from 17% who made a Roth 401(k) contribution in 2023.One reason for low adoption is that plans typically default to pre-tax contributions, meaning investors must switch to the Roth option, experts…

Veteran batsman Cheteshwar Pujara dropped curtains on his illustrious India career on Sunday after playing 103 Tests but failing to win back his place in the last two years. The 37-year-old, who made his Test debut in 2010, last played for India in the 2023 World Test Championship final but has been active in domestic cricket as well as county cricket in England. “Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the anthem, and trying my best each time I stepped on the field — it’s impossible to put into words what it truly meant,” Pujara wrote on his social media pages. “But…

PARIS: Fabian Ruiz scored the only goal of the game while Ousmane Dembele missed a penalty as a rusty Paris Saint-Germain beat Angers 1-0 on Friday to make it two wins out of two at the start of the Ligue 1 season. Spain midfielder Ruiz drilled home from inside the box five minutes into the second half at the Parc des Princes, handing European champions PSG the win in a game in which they dominated but lacked sharpness. Luis Enrique’s side, who showed off their trophy haul from last season at the end of this game, edged Nantes 1-0 away…

LAHORE: Under cloudy skies, the semi-final round of the Pakistan Open MMA Championship rolled into action on Saturday as fighters displayed their prowess, recording multiple submission wins across various weight categories here at the Brave Gym. The strawweight (52.2kg) fight between Tayyab and Bismillah kicked off the action, with the former displaying superior grappling skills throughout three electrifying rounds to secure a unanimous decision victory. In the opening round, Punjab’s Tayyab secured a half-guard and landed several significant strikes. Bismillah managed to escape and secure a dominant position by the end of the round, but it was too little, too…