Sports
New faces, new hopes: Why Pak’s young guns can light up Asia Cup | The Express Tribune
KARACHI:
The announcement of Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming UAE T20 Tri-Series and the much-anticipated Asia Cup 2025 has sparked intense conversations across the cricketing world. The omission of experienced duo like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the 17-member squad is not just a headline—it marks a shift in Pakistan’s T20 philosophy.
Yet, as the dust settles, one truth emerges: Pakistan’s young guns have both the talent and temperament to seize the moment and fill the void left by two of the country’s most consistent performers.
Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson was quick to underline the thought process behind the selection. On social media, he described the squad as “a great blend of energy and experience,” highlighting the balance between established performers and fresh talent.
With names like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf providing stability and firepower in the bowling department, and rising stars like Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, and Hasan Nawaz bringing aggression to the batting order, Pakistan have deliberately chosen a squad built for the demands of modern-day T20 cricket.
Young brigade steps in
At the heart of this transition are players who represent Pakistan’s future.
Saim Ayub has already shown flashes of brilliance with his bold stroke play and fearless approach, while Sahibzada Farhan has made a strong case for himself with three Player-of-the-Match awards in just six T20Is.
Fakhar Zaman, though not entirely new, continues to offer the kind of explosive batting that can change games within a few overs.
Add Mohammad Haris’s natural attacking flair with the bat and skills behind the stumps, and Pakistan suddenly look like a side ready to match, if not surpass, the strike rates that Babar and Rizwan were often criticised for.
This new approach aligns with the global evolution of T20 cricket. Powerplay overs are no longer about consolidating; they are about striking hard and fast. Pakistan’s decision to opt for aggressive openers reflects a broader recognition of what it takes to win at the highest level. In this sense, the likes of Saim and Farhan are not just replacements—they are the embodiment of a new mindset.
Confidence Hesson
Hesson’s emphasis on bowling variety is equally crucial.
With five frontline seamers and two mystery spinners, Pakistan’s attack is tailor-made for UAE conditions, where adapting quickly is often the difference between victory and defeat.
He also stressed that this squad represents “a much-improved fielding side,” another area where Pakistan have historically lagged but now seem determined to catch up.
If the bowlers can complement the batting firepower with discipline and sharpness in the field, Pakistan will enter the Asia Cup as genuine contenders.
Aqib’s assurance
Selector and former pacer Aqib Javed also brought clarity to the debate surrounding Babar and Rizwan.
He reminded fans and critics alike that exclusions in cricket are rarely permanent.
“Whoever performs will play,” he said, stressing that opportunities in the national side depend on consistency and form, not past reputation.
For Babar and Rizwan, both of whom are still competing in international leagues, the message is clear: performance will dictate their return.
This perspective is vital for Pakistan cricket. It ensures accountability and avoids the pitfalls of over-reliance on individuals.
It also motivates the younger players, who now know that strong performances will not go unnoticed.
Sahibzada Farhan’s resurgence, Saim’s learning curve, and Fakhar’s adaptability are examples of how patience and faith in talent can pay off.
The road ahead
Pakistan’s group in the Asia Cup—featuring arch-rivals India alongside Oman and UAE—offers the perfect stage for this new-look side to test its mettle.
The Pakistan-India clash on September 14 in Dubai will be the ultimate litmus test, not only for the youngsters stepping into the spotlight but also for the selectors’ bold strategy.
If they succeed, Pakistan may have found a new formula to rival India’s explosive top order.
Transitions are rarely smooth in cricket, especially when they involve moving on from iconic figures like Babar and Rizwan.
But every era demands its heroes, and this squad is brimming with candidates ready to answer that call.
The Asia Cup 2025 might just be remembered not as the tournament where Babar and Rizwan were absent, but as the stage where Pakistan’s next generation announced itself to the world.
Sports
Men’s college basketball buzz: State of blue blood rebuilds
Roster overhauls are not uncommon in today’s era of men’s college basketball.
This offseason is no different, with around a dozen power-conference schools returning zero or just one player from this past season. It has been a growing trend as the sport has become more reliant on the transfer portal, with salary caps dictating roster construction and teams adding seven to eight players in the spring becoming the new norm.
Last week, we looked at how the Final Four teams — and Duke — have been approaching the offseason. This week, we’re putting the same focus on the three winningest programs in college basketball history: Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. None made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, and each face massive rebuilds heading into next season.
All information as of 9 a.m. ET on April 20
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Players leaving: Bill Self faces arguably the biggest rebuild of the three programs featured here.
Potential No. 1 pick Darryn Peterson was gone regardless, but All-Big 12 big man Flory Bidunga‘s decision to enter the portal and head to Louisville was a difficult loss. Starting wings Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White were seniors, and six more players joined Bidunga in the portal. The biggest loss among that group was Bryson Tiller, who started 31 games and looks poised for a breakout season in 2026-27. Making matters worse, Tiller committed to rival Missouri.
Players staying or incoming: The retention list is short. Kohl Rosario, who started the first six games of this past season before seeing his role diminish as the year progressed, is back and still has a high ceiling.
Self has the fifth-best class of incoming freshmen, led by five-star point guard Taylen Kinney. Two more SC Next 100 recruits, Davion Adkins and Trent Perry, and four-star guard Luke Barnett round out the group.
Kansas has also landed two players out of the portal thus far: Utah transfer Keanu Dawes and Toledo transfer Leroy Blyden Jr. Dawes was one of the Big 12’s best rebounders last season, ranking in the top 50 nationally at 8.8 per game. Blyden, a 6-foot-1 point guard, was the MAC Freshman of the Year.
Players in limbo: Freshman big man Paul Mbiya has been an interesting follow. He suddenly played a key role in the NCAA tournament, reports emerged that he planned to enter the portal … and yet, he’s still on the Jayhawks and hasn’t portaled yet.
Work to do: Kansas has a massive amount of work to build a roster that can compete next season. The Jayhawks’ top target is No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes, who they appeared on track to land until a recent trip to Kentucky cast doubt on their status as the front-runners.
Kansas has hosted a long list of players from the portal, although Terrence Hill Jr. (Tennessee) and DeSean Goode (Miami) have committed elsewhere. Charlotte big man Anton Bonke was on campus last week, as was Utah transfer Terrence Brown, though UNC appears to be the favorite for Brown.
With Blyden committed, Self needs a scorer with size on the wing. Vyctorius Miller (Oklahoma State) is among the players on the Jayhawks’ list for that role. In the frontcourt, Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam — one of the best bigs left in the portal — is among their targets, though he is visiting Michigan this week.
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Players leaving: A roller-coaster season that started with the nation’s largest payroll and ended with a second-round loss to Iowa State in the NCAA tournament portended a roster overhaul.
The starting backcourt of Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen is out of eligibility (although Florida is attempting to secure an extra year for Aberdeen), while Jayden Quaintance was expected to declare for the NBA draft. Six more players also entered the transfer portal, including starting guard Collin Chandler and frontcourt mainstays Andrija Jelavic, Mouhamed Dioubate and Brandon Garrison.
Players staying or incoming: Two key contributors are back from last season: starting center Malachi Moreno and rotation wing Kam Williams, who missed most of the second half of the campaign with a broken foot. Moreno has a chance to be one of the best centers in the country next season.
Role player Trent Noah and redshirts Braydon Hawthorne and Reece Potter are also back. And Kentucky’s lone high school commit is four-star guard Mason Williams, son of new assistant coach Mo Williams.
After missing on a few early portal targets such as BYU’s Robert Wright III and Georgia’s Jeremiah Wilkinson, Mark Pope finally landed his 2026-27 backcourt last week with Washington transfer Zoom Diallo and Furman transfer Alex Wilkins. Diallo averaged 15.7 points and 4.5 assists last season for the Huskies, while Wilkins was one of the most electric first-year point guards in the country and boosted his stock with 21 points against UConn in the NCAA tournament.
Players in limbo: Barring a surprise return from Quaintance, Pope isn’t waiting on any stay-or-go decisions.
Work to do: Kentucky still has plenty of targets left on the board, with overall No. 1 recruit Stokes at the top of the list.
Stokes is down to the Wildcats and Jayhawks, with a decision expected to come at any point. Pope could use a statement signing to help the overall vibe in Lexington, and they don’t get much bigger than Stokes. Kansas had the lead entering Stokes’ recent visit to Kentucky; did Pope flip momentum on the trip?
Kentucky needs shooting, and NC State transfer Paul McNeil Jr. is on the short list. Utah transfer Terrence Brown was also a target but visited North Carolina and Kansas and hasn’t rescheduled a visit to Kentucky. Up front, the Wildcats are prioritizing Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman, one of the best players available. Former USC center Gabe Dynes is expected to visit this week; the 7-foot-5 Dynes would provide interior depth.
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Players leaving: With Hubert Davis out and Michael Malone in, extensive roster turnover was inevitable.
Projected top-five pick Caleb Wilson was headed to the NBA regardless, while Seth Trimble is out of eligibility. Still, nine players entered the portal following the coaching change, with Derek Dixon and Luka Bogavac the most notable, although two have since opted to withdraw and return to Chapel Hill to play for Malone.
It’s also worth noting that Carolina had a commitment from top-10 incoming freshman Dylan Mingo until he reopened his recruitment last week.
Players staying or incoming: The lone starter guaranteed to return from last season is Jarin Stevenson, who helped fill Wilson’s shoes after his injury and played well, averaging 10.7 points and 6.4 rebounds over the Tar Heels’ final 10 games. Jaydon Young and Isaiah Denis are returning after initially exploring the portal. And while Mingo opted to decommit, top-25 recruit Maximo Adams kept his commitment to the Tar Heels after the coaching change.
Since the portal opened, Malone added Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas. The 6-foot-9 guard was inconsistent for most of his freshman season but generated first-round NBA draft buzz early in the campaign and has an intriguing combination of size and playmaking ability.
Players in limbo: All-ACC big man Henri Veesaar has yet to announce his intentions.
The proven big man could return to Carolina, enter the NBA draft or head into the transfer portal. Veesaar is essentially the linchpin to Malone’s first season who would be in the preseason All-American conversation should he return to college after averaging 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds last season.
Work to do: There are two priorities for Malone right now.
One, as we just mentioned, is keeping Veesaar. He provides an anchor on the interior and would give the new head coach a player to build around. But given the timing of Veesaar’s pending decision, the lack of legitimate replacements at his position is glaring.
The second focus is a couple of perimeter scorers and playmakers, and the Tar Heels have a few players on their shortlist. Utah transfer Terrence Brown is atop the board; he has visited UNC and Kansas. Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris met with the Carolina staff a couple weekends ago, although he’s also going through the NBA draft process. NC State’s Matt Able and Paul McNeil Jr. have also been linked to the Tar Heels.
Sports
PSL 11: Hyderabad Kingsmen opt to field after winning toss against Multan Sultans
Hyderabad Kingsmen won the toss and elected to bowl first against Multan Sultans in the 33rd match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on Wednesday.
Playing XI
Hyderabad Kingsmen: Maaz Sadaqat, Marnus Labuschagne (c), Usman Khan (wk), Saim Ayub, Kusal Perera, Gleen Maxwell, Irfan Niazi, Hassan Khan, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali, and Akif Javed.
Multan Sultans: Sahibzada Farhan, Steve Smith, Ashton Turner (c), Shan Masood, Josh Philippe (wk), Muhammad Nawaz, Arafat Nawaz, Muhammad Imran, Peter Siddle, Muhammad Waseem Jnr, and Muhammad Ismail.
Head-to-head
The upcoming fixture marks only the second meeting between Sultans and Kingsmen, while their maiden face-off saw the 2021 champions emerge victorious by six wickets.
- Matches: 1
- Multan Sultans: 1
- Hyderabad Kingsmen: 0
Form Guide
Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen enter the fixture with similar momentum in their favour as the 2021 champions have four victories in their last five completed matches, while the debutants have three triumphs in as many games.
Overall, Sultans have six victories in the ongoing PSL 11 and thus sit second on the points table with 12 points after eight matches, and a victory over Kingsmen would seal their qualification for the playoffs with a match to spare.
Kingsmen, on the other hand, have three triumphs in seven matches, which came consecutively after four successive defeats.
Multan Sultans: W, W, L, W, W (most recent first)
Hyderabad Kingsmen: W, W, W, L, L
Sports
Austin Reaves nearing return for Lakers as Luka Doncic remains out indefinitely with hamstring strain: report
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In early April, with just five games remaining in the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that star guard Luka Doncic would be sidelined at least until the NBA playoffs.
Doncic’s setback was a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, an MRI confirmed. The reigning NBA scoring champion sustained the injury during an April 2 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers also entered the playoffs without another key member of their backcourt, Austin Reaves.
The shorthanded Lakers upset the Houston Rockets in the opening game of their first-round Western Conference series Saturday. Ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday, the Lakers reportedly received a clearer update on the health of at least one of their injured stars.
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Lakers guard Austin Reaves brings the ball up court against the Washington Wizards in Los Angeles on March 30, 2026. (Ryan Sun/AP)
Reaves, who was diagnosed with an oblique strain, appears to be progressing toward a return later in the first-round series if it extends to six or seven games. If the Lakers advance sooner, he could be on track to return for the Western Conference semifinals.
According to ESPN, Reaves recently returned to the practice court for 1-on-1 drills. The 27-year-old will still need to progress to 2-on-3 and then 5-on-5 work before he can be cleared for playoff action, but he appears significantly further along than Doncic, who remains out indefinitely.

Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center on March 21, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
Doncic is unlikely to play in the first round, regardless of the series length. ESPN footage showed him on the practice court on Tuesday, though the six-time All-Star was not doing high-intensity work.
2025-26 NBA PLAYOFF ODDS: SPREADS, LINES FOR FIRST-ROUND SERIES
The Rockets, despite being widely favored in the opening round playoffs series, also contended with key injuries. Kevin Durant missed Game 1 with a knee contusion. He was cleared to play in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. shoots the ball against the Lakers during Game 1 in the NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on April 18, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
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LeBron James scored 19 points, while Luke Kennard led Los Angeles with 27 in Saturday’s win.
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