Pakistan sealed a 67-run victory over Zimbabwe in the second T20I, powered by Eyman Fatima’s unbeaten half-century and a disciplined bowling display, at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi, on Thursday.

The victory helped Pakistan secure an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, whose final fixture will be played at the same venue on Friday.

Set to chase a daunting 171-run target, the touring side could accumulate 103/8 in their 20 overs and thus succumbed to a series-conceding defeat.

Captain Nomvelo Sibanda remained the top-scorer for the Chevrons with an unbeaten 18 off 37 deliveries, followed by No 10 batter Kudzai Chigora, who made 14 not out.

Besides them, Adel Zimunu, Lindokuhle Mabhero, 12 each, Beloved Biza (11) and Natasha Mtomba (10) could amass double figures against a disciplined Pakistan bowling attack.

Nashra Sandhu was the standout bowler for Pakistan, as she took two wickets for just 18 runs in her three overs, while Sadia Iqbal, Tuba Hassan, Ayesha Zafar, Natalia Pervaiz and captain Fatima Sana chipped in with one scalp apiece.

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana’s decision to bat first eventually proved beneficial as the home side piled up 170/4 in their 20 overs, courtesy of an unbeaten 78-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Eyman and Natalia Pervaiz.

The Green Shirts got off to a brief flying start to their innings as their opening pair of Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza (nine) put together 27 runs before the latter fell victim to Michelle Mavunga on the third delivery of the fifth over.

Pakistan then suffered two more setbacks to their batting expedition as the last match’s centurion, Ayesha Zafar and returning Iram Javed could muster four and five respectively.

With the scoreboard reading 46/3 in 7.4 overs, Eyman joined set batter Muneeba in the middle, and the duo batted sensibly to add 46 runs for the fourth wicket until the opener was dismissed by Lindokuhle Mabhero in the 14th over, walking back after scoring a 33-ball 36 with the help of four fours.

Following her departure, Eyman joined forces with batting all-rounder Natalia, and the duo ensured a dominant finish with the bat for Pakistan by knitting an unbeaten 78-run stand.

Eyman, who dominated the crucial stand, remained the top-scorer for Pakistan with an unbeaten 79 off 43 deliveries, studded with 10 fours and four sixes, while Natalia contributed with 24 not out from 19 balls, comprising three fours.

For Zimbabwe, Precious Marange, Mabhero and Mavunga picked up one wicket apiece.

Exactly 150 years after Carlton Cricket Club and Toronto Lacrosse Club took part in the first recorded organised football match in Canada in 1876, Canadian soccer is finally ready for its coming out party.

When Canada faces Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 12 in the team’s first ever World Cup match on home soil, it will be the latest stop on a decades-long journey of development that has seen football gain a solid foothold in a sporting landscape dominated by ice hockey.

Already the largest participatory sport in Canada with nearly one million registered players, the 2026 World Cup is set to deliver another jolt of momentum to the country’s rapidly emerging football scene.

Canada will host 13 matches — six in Toronto, seven in Vancouver — with Canada also facing Qatar and Switzerland in Group B.
In two previous appearances at the World Cup — the 1986 finals in Mexico and the 2022 tournament in Qatar — Canada has compiled a perfect record of futility: played six and lost six.

Yet Canada’s American coach Jesse Marsch insists that the tournament co-hosts aren’t just making up the numbers at their own party.
“We want to win the World Cup,” Marsch said in an interview last year.

“That may sound ridiculous, but why would we go into any tournament at any time and think, ‘Yeah, let’s see how we do, and maybe we get one win. Or can we score a goal?'”

Marsch said that kind of thinking was Canadian football’s “dialog in the past.”
 
‘Love of the team’

But with a group of players which is often described as the best Canadian squad ever assembled, featuring the likes of Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies and Juventus’s Jonathan David, Marsch is adamant that there are grounds for optimism.

“This team now, the standard of what we think we can be is growing,” Marsch said.

“We know that it’ll be hard. I don’t think our group is easy. It’s possible we get knocked out of the group, like all these things are possible. But we believe in ourselves, we believe in our group and we believe in our players.”
Marsch’s confidence is backed by Canada’s steady rise up the FIFA rankings.

In 2015, Canada’s men’s team were ranked 116th in the world. By 2025, the team had climbed as high as 26th.

The Canadians first signalled they were a force within CONCACAF during qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, when they finished above both regional powerhouses Mexico and the United States to advance to Qatar.

While they were eliminated in the group stage in Doha with losses to Belgium and eventual semi-finalists Croatia and Morocco, they impressed on the world stage in 2024 at the Copa America, with a surprise run to the semi-finals where they were defeated by world champions Argentina.

Many of Canada’s likely World Cup starting line-up have their roots in the country’s immigrant diaspora.

Juventus star David was born in New York to Haitian parents before moving to Canada as a child. Bayern ace Davies was born to Liberian parents in a refugee camp in Ghana in 2000, before relocating to Canada at the age of five. Talented midfielder Ismael Kone, who plays in Italy’s Serie A for Sassuolo, was born in Ivory Coast.

“Obviously, there’s attachments to different cultural things, but the love they have of being Canadian and playing for the Canadian national team is really strong,” Marsch said.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed with their commitment and their love of the team, their love of their country, the belief they have in what they represent.”

Just as soccer in the United States gained a valuable boost from the success of the men’s team at the 1994 World Cup, Canadian officials are hoping that a prolonged campaign by Canada this year will also reap long-term rewards for the sport.

“A long run in the tournament that’s compelling will create viewership demand for soccer going forward, in all forms,” Canada Soccer chief executive Kevin Blue said.

The Trump administration will temporarily waive visa bond requirements for eligible World Cup ticket-holders from countries subject to a controversial US travel deposit scheme, a State Department official said on Wednesday.

Citizens from 50 countries have been required since last year to pay deposits ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to obtain tourist visas for the United States, with the money refunded upon departure. Washington said the measure was introduced to prevent visa overstays.

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said the bond requirement would now be lifted for qualifying football fans attending this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

“(The United States is) waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets and opted in to FIFA PASS as of April 15, 2026,” Namdar told Al Jazeera.

The waiver also applies to eligible players, coaches and team staff from the affected countries.

Five nations subject to the visa bond rules qualified for the World Cup: Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia.

However, separate Trump administration restrictions remain in place for some countries, including Haiti and Iran, whose citizens face broader entry bans under US immigration directives.

“We remain committed to strengthening US national security priorities while facilitating legitimate travel for the upcoming World Cup tournament,” Namdar said in a statement.

The FIFA World Cup will take place in June and July across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament opens on June 11 in Mexico, while the first match in the United States is scheduled for June 12 in Inglewood, California. The final will be played on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The US launched the FIFA PASS system in January to speed up visa processing for ticket-holders. To qualify for the waiver, fans from affected countries had to register through the programme by April 15.

The administration’s immigration crackdown has drawn scrutiny ahead of the tournament, including concerns over the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at venues.

Human Rights Watch last month urged FIFA to seek an “ICE Truce” during the tournament, including guarantees against immigration enforcement operations at stadiums and related sites.

The Department of Homeland Security said international visitors attending the games “have nothing to worry about” if they hold legal immigration status.