Sports
CA boss addresses Pakistan BBL ban | The Express Tribune
Cricket Australia remains hopeful it can find a resolution with the Pakistan Cricket Board after it banned its players from competing in overseas Twenty20 tournaments.
PCB chief operating officer Sumair Ahmad Syed issued players a notice on September 29, restricting them from competitions outside Pakistan.
It’s is a major blow to Cricket Australia and its Big Bash League clubs after Pakistani talent was the highlight of a successful draft.
Top-liners Babar Azam (Sydney Sixers), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Brisbane Heat) and Muhammad Rizwan (Melbourne Renegades) were all locked in for the upcoming season.
Cricket Australia boss Todd Greenberg is in contact with the PCB and remains confident the headline acts will feature this summer.
“We’ve been in contact with our colleagues at the PCB over the last few days, we’re hopeful we can find a resolution,” Greenberg said.
“We’re really looking forward to welcoming their players to the Big Bash, we think they’ll add great value … it will be a fascinating summer across the BBL, yeah.”
The BBL, and more specifically Sydney Thunder, received a boost when Indian megastar Ravichandran Ashwin signed last week.
Greenberg denies any integral issues with Ashwin’s arrival post draft and expects him to be a major drawcard.
In a notification issued on September 29, PCB Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmad Syed informed players and their representatives of the decision.
“With the approval of Chairman PCB, all No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for players with respect to participation in leagues and other out-of-country tournaments are hereby put on hold until further orders.”
The board has not provided an official reason for the suspension.
The decision, however, came just a day after Pakistan’s narrow defeat to India in the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 28.
It remains unclear whether any exemptions will be made or how long the suspension will remain in place.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The minute sports fans found out there was a new American pope and he’d been born in Chicago, every American sports fan had one thought: was he a Cubs or White Sox fan?
Soon, news emerged that he was a White Sox fan — not without a false report, however, that he was a Cubs fan — and shortly thereafter footage emerged that not only was the newly christened Pope Leo XIV a fan, he’d been in the stands for the 2005 World Series, which the White Sox won in a series sweep.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Justin Ishbia, Ambassador Brian Burch and Clay Travis with an autographed World Series 2005 jersey signed by all the players seen on the left, as Pope Leo XIV is seen on the right. (OutKick; Reuters)
Pope Leo, born Robert Prevost, was elected as pope in May of 2025 and then one month later it was announced that my Vanderbilt law school friend and classmate Justin Ishbia was buying the Chicago White Sox.
The two of us were chatting about fun ways Justin could introduce himself to Chicago sports fans and I tossed out an idea — we should travel to the Vatican and invite Pope Leo to throw out the first pitch at a planned new White Sox stadium.
After all, Pope Leo was a big enough White Sox fan that he’d attended the World Series 20 years ago as a fan in the crowd. Sure, he’s the pope now, but deep down he, like all of us, is a diehard sports fan.
We were both convinced the idea was a good one, but it presented a challenge: how do you get a meeting with the pope to invite him to throw out the first pitch?
Pope Leo XIV waves to the faithful ahead of his inauguration Mass in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, on May 18, 2025. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
POPE LEO XIV CALLS OUT CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION AMID LATEST MASSACRE OF CIVILIANS IN AFRICAN NATION
An Invitation to the Pope
It’s not like you can just call the Vatican and ask to speak to the pope’s people.
Ultimately we hit on our answer: Vatican ambassador Brian Burch, who lived in Chicago with his family prior to his confirmation as ambassador.
Luckily, Ambassador Burch loved the idea and, this morning in Vatican City, Justin and his wife Kristen met the pope, delivered a team autographed 2005 White Sox World Series replica jersey, and conveyed the first pitch invitation to Pope Leo, who said yes so long as his schedule permits. (It turns out the pope is kind of busy).
So, the result, as many of you have likely seen on social media already, is an awesome one — the first ever American-born pope will hopefully be throwing out the first pitch in a new Chicago White Sox stadium, which will potentially mark the first time the pope has visited Chicago since 1979.
Pope Leo XIV prays over members of the international media in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on May 12, 2025. (Domenico Stinellis)
Let’s hope it’s a strike.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
And that Pope Leo can help return the magic of the 2005 season for White Sox fans.
DUBAI: Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan have made notable gains in the latest ICC ODI rankings after delivering standout performances in the team’s emphatic 3-0 series victory over Sri Lanka.
In the updated batters rankings, Babar climbed one position to claim sixth place with 722 rating points, while Salman Ali Agha maintained his 16th position.
Rizwan enjoyed a significant rise, jumping five places to 22nd. Opener Fakhar Zaman has also benefited from the series, moving up five spots to 26th with 589 points.
Meanwhile, other Pakistani batters saw a decline. Opener Saim Ayub dropped three places to 38th, while left-handed batter Imam-ul-Haq slipped seven spots to 54th with 516 points.
In a major shake-up at the top, former Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been dethroned as the number one ODI batter, with New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell claiming the top spot.
Sharma now sits second, Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran dropped to third, and the Indian duo of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli hold the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
In the bowlers’ rankings, Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed makes a remarkable jump of 11 places to enter the top 10, now sitting ninth with 624 points.
Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi drops five spots to 21st, while right-arm pacer Haris Rauf climbs five places to 23rd with 562 points.
Another pacer, Naseem Shah, falls three places to 36th, whereas Mohammad Wasim Jr makes a massive leap of 20 spots to 64th. Spinner Mohammad Nawaz, however, slips seven places to 71st.
Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan continues to dominate as the number one ODI bowler, followed by England’s Jofra Archer in second and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj in third.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued an updated list of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) granted to national players for participation in various international leagues.
As per the details, several Pakistani cricketers have been cleared to take part in the Abu Dhabi T10 League and the ILT20.
The NOCs for Abu Dhabi will remain valid until November 25.
Additionally, three players have been granted NOCs for the Dubai T20 League, scheduled from December 2 to January 4.
These include Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, and Naseem Shah.
A number of other players have also received NOCs for different leagues, among them Iftikhar Ahmed, Khawaja Nafee, Asif Ali, Salman Irshad, Mohammad Amir, Arafat Minhas, Irfan Khan, Azam Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Abbas Afridi, Akif Javed, Mir Hamza, Obaid Shah, and Zaman Khan.
The updated list reflects PCB’s ongoing efforts to manage player workloads while facilitating their participation in global cricket events.
Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali have already been issued NOCs for BBL.
UK’s Burberry H1 FY26 revenue slips, Q2 sales show signs of recovery
Vasco’s Latest Pocket Translator Can Mimic Your Voice
India’s GDP growth projected at 7% in Q2 FY26, lower than Q1’s: ICRA
-
Tech1 week agoFrom waste to asset: Turning ethanol production CO₂ into jet fuel
-
Tech4 days agoNew carbon capture method uses water and pressure to remove CO₂ from emissions at half current costs
-
Politics5 days agoBritish-Pakistani honoured for transforming UK halal meat industry
-
Sports4 days agoTexas A&M officer scolds South Carolina wide receiver after touchdown; department speaks out
-
Business5 days agoWhat’s behind Rachel Reeves’s hokey cokey on income tax rises?
-
Business4 days agoThese 9 Common Money Mistakes Are Eating Your Income
-
Fashion6 days agoAdidas & Patrick Mahomes expand NIL programme with Texas Tech athletes
-
Politics6 days agoInternet freedom declines in US, Germany amid growing online restrictions