The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, scheduled from 30 May to 4 June in Rawalpindi and Lahore.

The national selection committee confirmed that the squad will be led by captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, with Salman Ali Agha serving as vice-captain.

Star batter Babar Azam and pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah have been recalled after missing the previous away series against Bangladesh. Mohammad Rizwan has been left out, with wicketkeeping options now including Muhammad Ghazi Ghori and uncapped Rohail Nazir.

Besides Nazir, the squad includes two more uncapped players, Ahmed Daniyal and Arafat Minhas. Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub remain unavailable due to injuries and are undergoing rehabilitation under the PCB medical panel, according to the PCB.

The 16-member squad will assemble in Islamabad later tonight and will train under the coaching staff from Saturday, 23 May. The media advisory regarding the camp will be shared in due course.

Australia men’s team will arrive in Islamabad on 23 May. They will also take part in training sessions at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, details of which will be announced in due course.

The ODI series opener will be played on 30 May at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, followed by matches on 2 and 4 June at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Squad

Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Naseem Shah, Rohail Nazir (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Shadab Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Sufyan Moqim.

Team management:

Naveed Akram Cheema (manager), Mike Hesson (head coach), Ashley Noffke (bowling coach), Hanif Malik (batting coach), Shane McDermott (fielding coach), and support staff including medical, fitness, analysis, and security units.

NASCAR driver Casey Mears reflected on the death of Kyle Busch on Friday, saying his impact on the sports of professional racing “immeasurable.”

Busch died at the age of 41, hours after it was announced he was going to forgo any racing activities at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend due to a “severe illness resulting in hospitalization.”

Mears appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends First” as he mourned Busch’s death.

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“I would say, really, it’s immeasurable. What he’s accomplished in the sport is done by nobody else. Kyle’s won so many races,” he said of Busch’s impact on the sport. “I mean, there was a stretch there for a handful of years where if Kyle didn’t win a Busch race, a Cup race or one of the truck races throughout the weekend, something was wrong because he was constantly winning races.

“I think that the end of the day he was just a tremendous competitor you absolutely knew he was going to leave 110% on the table at all times. Just one of the best that’s ever been in a racecar. The biggest thing is that he’d just become such an amazing dad, father, husband, brother. I’m just thinking about everybody in the family. Tom and Gaye, his mom, and brother, obviously Samantha and the kids. He was a true champion at home as a family man as well.”

NASCAR, the Busch family and Richard Childress Racing announced the death Thursday evening, but did not offer a cause of death.

“On behalf of the Busch family, everyone at Richard Childress Racing and all of NASCAR, we are devastated to announce the sudden and tragic passing of Kyle Busch,” the statement said. “Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch. A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans.

Kyle Busch celebrates his win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Victory Lane at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., on Sept. 5, 2014. (Steve Helber/AP)

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“Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR’s highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series. His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal ‘Rowdy Nation.’

“Our thoughts are with Samantha, Brexton and Lennix, Kyle and Samantha’s parents, Kurt and all of Kyle’s family, Richard and Judy Childress, everyone at Richard Childress Racing, his teammates, friends and fans. NASCAR lost a giant of the sport today, far too soon.

“During this incredibly difficult time, we ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy and continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Further updates will be shared as appropriate.”

Busch was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and had been on the series since 2004, He made 762 career starts with 63 wins. Busch won the championship in 2015 and 2019, and had 234 victories across all three NASCAR national series.

Kyle Busch celebrates his victory in the NASCAR Shelby 427 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on March 1, 2009. (Isaac Brekken/AP)

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Busch is the all-time record-holder for wins in both the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (102) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (69). His most recent win came last weekend at Dover, when he led 147 laps in a dominating Truck Series victory.

Fox News’ Zach Dean contributed to this report.

Bayern Munich face holders Stuttgart in the German Cup final on Saturday knowing defeat will sour what had been one of their most promising seasons in recent memory.

Just weeks ago, Bayern were flying high and hopeful of a treble after beating Real Madrid for the first time in over a decade, in the Champions League quarter-finals.

But despite challenging defending champions Paris Saint-Germain over two semi-final legs in a breathless display, Bayern finished a goal behind in the tie on aggregate and were eliminated.

Bayern have beaten Stuttgart three times already this season by a collective 11 goals to three. However a defeat on Saturday will sting a club with their ambitions — and their resources.

With just three defeats in all competitions, Bayern have been incredible this season.

Finishing the Bundesliga 16 points ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund, Bayern scored 122 goals in 34 matches to shatter the previous single season goalscoring record of 101, becoming the first side in league history to average over three goals a game.

But the Bavarian giants’ financial muscle has meant the league title has become par for the course in recent years, with 13 wins in the past 14 seasons.

A victory on Saturday would not just crown an excellent season, it would break what is becoming a surprisingly long drought in the competition.

The Bavarians have won the German Cup a record 20 times — 14 more than the next best side, Werder Bremen — but they have not lifted the trophy for six years dating back to 2020, the biggest gap between cup wins this century.

Bayern twice crashed out to lower league opposition in that run and only made it to the quarter-final stage once.

– ‘Painful’ –

In 2021-22, Bayern lost 5-0 to Borussia Moenchengladbach in the second round — their biggest defeat in any competition since the mid-1970s.

“We really want to win that again because it’s painful for us that we haven’t won the cup for six years,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said on Sunday.

Harry Kane finally broke through for a first team trophy when Bayern won the Bundesliga last season but admitted failing to win Saturday’s showpiece would put a different spin on the campaign.

“If we don’t win, it will leave a bitter taste in our mouths,” Kane said of the clash with Stuttgart at Bayern’s Bundesliga title celebrations in Munich on Sunday.

By lifting the cup on Saturday, Bayern would win the double for a remarkable 14th time. No other team in German history has done so more than once.

A Bayern-Stuttgart clash opened the season in the newly renamed Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, which features the league and cup holders.
That the domestic season should close with the same two teams duking it out shows how far Stuttgart have come under coach Sebastian Hoeness.

The coach, a nephew of Bayern powerbroker Uli, took over with Stuttgart in relegation danger in 2023 but guided them to two Champions League qualifications and their first silverware in 28 yeras.

Stuttgart may be the defending champions but striker Deniz Undav said the pressure is all on the Bavarian giants, with his side happy to play the role of spoilers.

“It’s a bonus game. We’ve got nothing to lose — we’re the complete underdog,” the Germany striker said, adding “there’s one clear favourite and that’s Bayern”.