Pakistan’s newly appointed ODI captain, Shaheen Afridi, is set to lead the national team in his debut 50-over series as skipper, starting Tuesday against South Africa in Faisalabad.

“It is an honour to captain my country,” said the 25-year-old during a pre-match press conference. Shaheen previously served as Pakistan’s T20I captain, a stint that ended after a 4-1 series defeat in New Zealand last year.

“Wearing the national jersey is always a proud moment, but captaining the team comes with added responsibility,” he added.

Asked about being handed the ODI captaincy after his earlier T20I role, Shaheen remained composed. “Our duty is to serve Pakistan cricket and perform in whichever role we’re assigned. Leadership appointments are management decisions, and we respect that. My focus is on improving our one-day game and leading the team from the front,” he said.

Pakistan will feature a strong lineup, with Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah spearheading the attack, and Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, and Mohammad Rizwan anchoring the batting.

South Africa, on the other hand, will miss several key players, including regular skipper Temba Bavuma and pacers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, who are being rested.

The team will be led by newcomer Matthew Breetzke, who made headlines with a record-breaking 150 on ODI debut against New Zealand in Lahore earlier this year.

Despite fielding an under-strength squad, Breetzke remains confident and optimistic about his team’s performance.

“We are missing the core group of ODI players that we usually have, but in saying this there is an opportunity for the younger guys to step up and take the challenge,” said Breetzke.

South Africa’s star Quinton de Kock will make a comeback to ODI cricket after reversing his 2023 retirement before the tour.

The three-match ODI series is a part of the Proteas tour of Pakistan, featuring an all-format series. A two-match Test series was shared by both teams 1-1, while Pakistan won the three-match T20I series 2-1.

Meanwhile, Shaeen and his counterpart Breetzke unveiled the glittering trophy for the three-match ODI series between.

International cricket returns to Faisalabad after 17 years

With the ODI series commencing from Tuesday at the Iqbal Stadium, international cricket is making a return to Faisalabad after 17 years. The remaining matches will be played on 6 and 8 November at the same venue.

The last international match at the Iqbal Stadium was played on 11 April 2008, when Pakistan defeated Bangladesh in an ODI by seven wickets.

The historic venue has hosted 16 ODIs to date, including four World Cup matches – one in 1987 and three in 1996.

Pakistan have featured in 12 ODIs at this ground, winning nine and losing three.

South Africa, on the other hand, have played five ODIs here, winning two and losing three.

Across all ODIs between the two sides, Pakistan and South Africa have met 87 times, with Pakistan winning 34 and South Africa emerging victorious in 52 encounters.

In Pakistan, both teams have won eight matches each out of 16.

In Faisalabad, Pakistan and South Africa have contested in three ODIs. Pakistan have won on two occasions (in 1994 and 2007), while South Africa secured victory in one (2003).

The Arizona Cardinals have finally snapped their five-game losing streak, doing so in convincing fashion with a 27-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. 

The Cardinals, who started 2-0, are now 3-5, while the Cowboys – blown out by the Denver Broncos last week – fell to 3-5-1 heading into their bye week. 

All eyes were on the Cowboys entering this game after that brutal loss at Mile High, but the Cardinals also came into this game desperately needing a win to not only get the vibes high in the locker room again but keep the season afloat. 

It was Jacoby Brissett once again starting for Arizona, as Kyler Murray remains out with his toe injury. Brissett, though, was the man for the job from the jump, and Marvin Harrison Jr. was his right-hand man. 

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The second-year receiver had a fantastic night, tallying seven catches and 96 yards in the first half with the game’s first touchdown on a beautiful release that left cornerback Da’Ron Bland flat-footed.

However, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense – averaging over 30 points per game this season – couldn’t find a rhythm against the Cardinals’ defense. They turned it over on downs on their opening drive and came away empty-handed.

After a Cowboys punt, Harrison’s touchdown made it 10-0, and tight end Jake Ferguson’s fumble in Arizona territory killed another promising Dallas drive. But the Cowboys’ special teams answered when Sam Williams blocked a punt that ricocheted off his helmet and rolled into the end zone, where Marshawn Kneeland recovered it for a touchdown.

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Brissett and the Cardinals responded immediately, marching 74 yards in 11 plays before Brissett snuck one across at the goal line. 

When the third quarter began, Michael Wilson immediately put the Cardinals in plus territory as he caught a ball from Brissett and ran 50 yards to Dallas’ 24-yard line. A few plays later, tight end Trey McBride made it 24-7 with a nice snag on the right side of the colored paint. 

Jacoby Brissett of the Arizona Cardinals on the line of scrimmage against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter in the game at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 3, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Dallas added a field goal, then Prescott connected with Ryan Flournoy for a short touchdown to cut the deficit to 10. Given how Arizona’s recent losses came down to one score, this one still felt far from over.

Dallas got another stop on defense, but it was the Cardinals’ defense that came away with a massive play during the ensuing drive. Prescott was blitzed and threw the ball immediately to running back Javonte Williams, who wasn’t ready for a Cardinals defender to hit him right away. During the tackle, the ball was ripped out of Williams’ arm and Akeem David-Gaither recovered it before it went out of bounds. 

That play came with 4:46 left in the game, and just when it seemed like there was a chance for another epic collapse, Arizona finally came through with the play they needed. 

In the box score, Brissett was 21-of-31 for 261 yards with two touchdown passes despite getting sacked five times by the Cowboys. McBride finished with five catches for 55 yards, while Emari Demercado led the way on the ground with 79 yards on 14 carries. 

Jacoby Brissett of the Arizona Cardinals throws against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter in the game at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 03, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

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For Dallas, Javonte Williams totaled 83 yards on 15 carries, but turnovers doomed the offense. Prescott went 24-for-39 for 250 yards with one touchdown and one interception, the latter coming on the Cowboys’ final drive.

CeeDee Lamb finished with 85 yards on seven catches, while George Pickens added six receptions for 79 yards.

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Victor Conte, the central figure in one of the biggest performance-enhancing drug scandals in sports history, has died at age 75.

Conte’s company, Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning (SNAC), announced his death in a post on X, saying he had been battling pancreatic cancer. 

“We are Heartbroken by the Passing of our Fearless Leader,” the post stated. “We will Honor his Wishes. SNAC and his Legacy will Carry Forward, Strong and Forever. We LOVE you, Conte!”

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Conte’s prior venture, BALCO, made national headlines in 2003 when federal agents raided the business as well as his Northern California home as part of an investigation into the steroids scandal that rocked multiple sports leagues, most notably Major League Baseball.

He later pleaded guilty in 2005 to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering, admitting to supplying performance-enhancing drugs to several high-profile athletes, including Barry Bonds, baseball’s home run king, and Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones.

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While Conte expressed remorse for his role, he also reflected on his controversial legacy in a Netflix documentary:

“When Marion Jones hit the finish line and won the gold medal, when Barry Bonds hit all these home runs, you know, any of these great accomplishments, those are things that I’ll always be proud of.”

Victor Conte, founder of BALCO speaks with the media at the Federal Courthouse after his sentencing in the BALCO steroid case on October 18, 2005, in San Francisco, California. The case, which brought international attention to the steroid use by athletes, came to a close today with Victor Conte receiving four months jail time and four months of house arrest.  (David Paul Morris/Getty Images)

Conte ended up serving four months in a low-security federal prison in California as part of his sentencing.

Conte’s SNAC developed and sold natural supplements, but he wasn’t completely blackballed from sports. He was an advisor in the boxing world, with clients including Terence “Bud” Crawford and Claressa Shields.

That doesn’t mean Conte didn’t still have detractors, as Crawford’s most recent fight against Canelo Alvarez brought about skeptics who believed he might be cheating with Conte on his team.

“Please don’t stress the negativity of my past too much,” Conte said, via USA TODAY before Crawford’s unanimous victory over Alvarez to make him a three-belt champion.

Founder and president of BALCO, Victor Conte speaks at the “Tribeca Talks: Injecting The American Dream” panel discussion during the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival on May 3, 2008 in New York City. (Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)

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Conte was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May, but continued working with athletes from his hospital bed in his final months.

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