KARACHI: Pakistan’s Noor Zaman has advanced to the semifinals of the Charlottesville Open after a straight-games victory over third seed Yahya Elnawasany of Egypt.

The eighth-seeded Zaman needed just 35 minutes to dispatch Elnawasany, winning 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 in their quarterfinal clash on Thursday.

The 21-year-old Pakistani will now face top seed Timothy Brownell of the United States in the semifinal. Brownell reached the last four by defeating India’s Veer Chotrani 3-1 (11-6, 9-11, 11-1, 11-6) in 41 minutes.

In other quarterfinal results, England’s Sam Todd overcame Argentina’s Leandro Romiglio 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-8) while Egypt’s Salman Khalil knocked out fourth seed Velavan Senthilkumar of India 3-1 (12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3).

The Charlottesville Open, which carries a total prize purse of $31,250, is part of the PSA World Tour series.

Zaman stormed into the Charlottesville Open quarter-final with a resounding 3-1 victory over England’s Tom Walsh on Thursday.

The in-form player, who received a first-round bye, started the game on a high as he sealed a hard-fought opening set 13-11, while completely outclassing Walsh 11-5 in the second.

The Englishman pulled one back by sealing the third set 11-5, only for Zaman to clinch the fourth and round up a comprehensive victory to book his spot in the quarter-final.

Notably, Zaman is riding high on confidence after clinching the Nash Cup in Canada last week, another PSA World Tour event.

The 21-year-old, seeded fifth, stunned the tournament’s No. 2 seed 3-0 in a gripping 52-minute contest.

Noor Zaman edged a marathon first game 19-17 before sealing the match with 11-7 and 11-9 wins. The triumph marked a significant milestone for the reigning World U23 Champion.

On the other hand, Zaman’s compatriots Ashab Irfan and Asim Khan suffered defeats in their respective Round of 16 matches and were thus knocked out of the tournament.

Asim suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of top seed Timothy Brownell, while India’s Veer Chotrani crushed Ashab 3-1.

Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir has responded to Indian criticism over her reference to “Azad Kashmir” during commentary in Pakistan’s ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 clash against Bangladesh in Colombo.

The incident occurred at the R Premadasa Stadium, where Mir, while speaking about Pakistan all-rounder Natalia Pervaiz, initially said “Kashmir” before correcting herself to “Azad Kashmir.” 

Mir took to X (formerly Twitter) to issue a statement, lamenting that her remarks were blown out of proportion “and people in sports are being subjected to unnecessary pressure”.

She clarified her words were never meant as a political remark but as part of the storytelling that commentators do by highlighting players’ backgrounds.

“It’s unfortunate how things are being blown out of proportion […] My comment about a Pakistan player’s hometown was only meant to highlight the challenges she faced […] There is no malice in my heart or any intention to hurt sentiments,” Mir wrote.

She added that as a commentator on the World Feed her role was to focus on the sport and players, showcasing inspiring stories of grit and perseverance, not politics.

To support her statement, Mir also shared a screenshot from ESPNcricinfo, showing Natalia Pervaiz’s profile listing her birthplace as “Bandala, Azad Jammu and Kashmir.” Mir explained this was her source of information, though she noted the site has since been updated.

The clarification comes at a sensitive time in cricket relations between Pakistan and India. The men’s Asia Cup 2025 tournament saw India’s men’s team refuse handshakes with Pakistani players, while the trophy presentation was overshadowed by India’s refusal to accept medals from ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi.

With Pakistan’s women playing all their matches in Sri Lanka due to PCB-BCCI tensions, the controversy around Mir’s comment has further highlighted how cricket continues to be entangled with politics.

Bangladesh won the match by seven wickets, leaving Pakistan struggling to stay afloat in the group stage of the Women’s World Cup.

NFL quarterback-turned-outspoken media personality Cam Newton’s latest headline-grabbing take centered on Shedeur Sanders.

The rookie quarterback is listed third on the Cleveland Browns depth chart, despite the recent benching of veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco. Dillon Gabriel was named the starter for Cleveland’s Week 5 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, and Flacco will serve as the backup. 

On Wednesday, Sanders was asked about the quarterback shuffle. The former Colorado standout pantomimed answers to reporters in the locker room. The move came on the heels of NFL analyst Rex Ryan’s previous criticisms of Sanders’ outspoken nature.

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Sanders’ action sparked varied reactions. Newton’s takeaway revolved around his premise that the Browns are not putting the young quarterback in a position to to succeed.

WILL BROWNS MOVE FROM JOE FLACCO TO DILLON GABRIEL PAY DIVIDENDS? 

“I don’t think they want Shedeur Sanders to be successful in Cleveland,” Newton said during a recent edition of his “4th&1” podcast. “Because if you were to say, ‘I want Cleveland to have a person or a figure to have every chance to be successful,’ Shedeur has been the opposite of that.”

Cam Newton attends the BET Awards Media House on June 29, 2024, in Los Angeles, California.  (Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for BET)

Newton then cited Sanders’ preseason. The 23-year-old threw two touchdowns in an exhibition win over the Carolina Panthers. He sat out the Browns’ second preseason game with an injury and largely struggled in the exhibition finale against the Los Angeles Rams.

“When you give Shedeur an opportunity to play with viable options around him, what does he do? He performs. The next opportunity for him to perform the following week, he didn’t help his case because he had [an injury]. The following week from there, if you want to see a real clear-cut identifier if he’s capable or not, you put him with the 1s. Or you put him with the valuable 2s. Don’t put him with the trash.”

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders warms up during a practice at the team’s NFL football training camp Friday, July 25, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.  (David Richard/AP Phoeo)

Newton then floated a theory about the Browns’ motives, claiming the franchise wants to keep him on the roster for business purposes.

“This is my conspiracy theory about the Cleveland Browns. Shedeur Sanders is extremely talented and well and capable of being a player in the NFL. But I do not think a lot of teams are willing to risk what’s mounting in circus-like attention that he brings naturally,” Newton said. “So therefore the Browns are stuck with this idea, if we cut Shedeur that would be bad for business. Business being, he’s good for business on our roster. If we cut him, he’s going to be picked up by somebody. When have we ever had a person on our roster to move the needle?… The Cleveland Browns have never had a player in modern day that pushes the needle like Shedeur Sanders.”

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Flacco threw two interceptions in last week’s 34-10 loss to the Detroit Lions. The Browns entered Week 5 with a 1-3 record.

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