Sports
Babar Azam trolls Kevin Pietersen over all-time favourite cricketers list
Pakistani batter Babar Azam playfully trolled former captain Kevin Pietersen when asked about whether he was listed in his all-time favourite cricket stars.
“As a youngster, I looked up to AB de Villiers — he’s my all-time favourite,” Babar responded to the query about his cricket idol during a recent appearance on Pietersen’s YouTube channel.
When Pietersen jokingly asked whether he was featured second or third on Babar’s list of favourites. The former Pakistan captain answered with a smile and replied bluntly: “No… sixth or seventh.”
The 31-year-old threw light on his admiration for AB de Villiers, recalling how deeply the South African legend influenced his early years.
“When I was younger, I used to copy him, like his stance and his batting posture, his shots. In 2007, I was a ball picker in the stadium, so the first time there I saw de Villiers, I just froze and said my idol is here,” he said.
“I shook his hand and later on playing in PSL, and then I said to him, I need your time, I have a good relation with AB and I told him that you are my favourite, my hero,” he added.
Recently, Pietersen himself adopted a humorous approach while reacting to Babar ending his international century drought.
Taking to X, the 45-year-old shared a behind-the-scenes picture from a net session with Babar and jokingly took credit for the batter’s return to form.
“My net session with Babar Azam definitely helped him get his flow back and scoring 100s again!” Pietersen posted, adding a laughing emoji.
The picture was from September, when Babar joined Pietersen for his newly launched project, The Switch, featuring conversations and sessions with top current cricketers.
Babar, who previously scored an international century against Nepal in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023, finally brought up another hundred after 83 innings and an 807-day wait.
His match-winning knock powered Pakistan to an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka.
The century was his 20th in ODIs, equaling Saeed Anwar’s record for the most by a Pakistani batter in the format.
He also surpassed AB de Villiers to become the third-fastest player in men’s ODI cricket to reach 20 hundreds, achieving the feat in 39 fewer innings than the Proteas great.
Babar now trails only South Africa’s Hashim Amla (108 innings) and India’s Virat Kohli (133 innings) on the list.
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The Carolina Panthers created havoc for the Los Angeles Rams and received a boost from the sloppy weather as they defeated the best team in the NFC, 31-28.
Carolina notched its seventh win of the year. It’s the first time they have won at least seven games since the 2022 season when Matt Rhule, and eventually Steve Wilks, were at the helm. The Panthers also snapped the Rams’ six-game winning streak.
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Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young runs against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina (Rusty Jones/AP Photo)
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford entered the game as the NFL MVP favorite. It seemed like he was going to have a big game as he led the team down for a touchdown on the opening drive. At the time, it was his 28th touchdown pass without an interception, which broke an NFL record.
The good vibes didn’t last long as Stafford threw an interception on his next drive and later had a pick six to Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson. The Panthers’ defense then forced Stafford to fumble the ball on the Rams’ final drive, which sunk any hopes of them coming back to force overtime or win the game.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was 15-of-20 with 206 passing yards and three touchdown passes. He found rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan for a 43-yard go-ahead touchdown with 6:34 left in the game. It was McMillan’s only catch of the game.
Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/AP Photo)
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Carolina’s Jalen Coker had four catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Running back Chuba Hubbard had two catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. He also added 83 yards on the ground on 17 carries.
Stafford finished 18-of-28 with 243 passing yards and two touchdown passes. Both touchdowns were to Davante Adams, who finished with four catches for 58 yards.
The Panthers’ (7-6) win kept them in contention for the NFC South lead. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a higher winning percentage after their win over the Arizona Cardinals, moving to 7-5.
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The Rams’ grip on the conference was loosened. The loss meant the Chicago Bears have the best record in the NFC. Chicago defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday.
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Kiffin became a hovering theme of the latter part of the college football season as his future at Mississippi became uncertain.
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That’s a wrap on the regular season. All 31 automatic bids have been decided. Next up is the Selection Show on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN where the other 33 at-large teams along with the seeding will be revealed.
Volleyball seeds the top-eight teams in each region and the top four serve as first- and second-round hosts. The rest of the bracket is filled out to balance it competitively and geographically. The highest remaining seeds also host the regionals, and the 2025 Final Four is in Kansas City, Missouri, on Dec. 18 with the finals on Dec. 21.
Bracket watch
Pittsburgh’s win over Louisville, although much closer than the sweep would indicate, was still convincing enough to push the Panthers onto the top line as the final No. 1 seed. The other three top seeds — Nebraska, Kentucky and Texas — should be easy for the committee. The big discussion and decision-making will likely center around which teams slot as No. 2 seeds and which ones falls on the No. 3 line. That group includes teams such as Arizona State, Stanford, Louisville, Creighton, SMU, Wisconsin and Texas A&M with résumés that are so close; differentiating them won’t be easy.
The final spots for the right to host the first and second rounds will also take some time. Miami and USC seem to have played their way into the top 16 with good finishes to the regular season. Indiana slipped a bit down the stretch. The Hoosiers might just hold onto a spot in the top 16.
Top seedings
No. 1 seeds: Nebraska, Kentucky, Texas, Pittsburgh
No. 2 seeds: Arizona State, Texas A&M, Creighton, SMU
No. 3 seeds: Stanford, Wisconsin, Louisville, Purdue
No. 4 seeds: Miami, Minnesota, USC, Indiana
No. 5 seeds: Kansas, BYU, Baylor, Tennessee
No. 6 seeds: TCU, Kansas State, Colorado, Iowa State
No. 7 seeds: Penn State, UTEP, Western Kentucky, Northern Iowa
No. 8 seeds: Marquette, North Carolina, Florida, San Diego
Rest of the field (alphabetical): American, Arizona, Arkansas State, Campbell, UCLA, Cal Poly, Central Arkansas, Coppin State, Eastern Illinois, Fairfield, Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, High Point, Long Island, Loyola-Chicago, Maryland-Baltimore County, Northern Colorado, Princeton, Rice, St. Thomas, South Dakota State, South Florida, Stephen F. Austin, Toledo, Tulsa, Utah State, Utah Valley, Villanova, Western Kentucky, Wofford, Wright State, Xavier
(The rest of the field teams wouldn’t be seeded)
Bubble watch
The biggest change on the bubble in the season’s final weekend was Arizona playing itself into the field with two wins. The Wildcats beat Cincinnati in four sets Saturday in a match that became a de facto play-in game. The Bearcats’ two losses over the past three days were backbreaking. Oregon picked up a pair of wins, but beating Rutgers and Maryland weren’t enough to elevate the Ducks, who lack a significant nonconference victory and didn’t play the nonconference schedule of South Florida.
Last Four In: Georgia Tech, Villanova, Arizona, South Florida
First Four Out: Oregon, Cincinnati, Dayton, Missouri
Next Four Out: Auburn, Florida State, Pepperdine, James Madison
Conference breakdown
Big 12: 8
Big Ten: 8
ACC: 7
SEC: 5
Big East: 4
American: 3
CUSA: 2
Summit: 2
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