Sports
Pakistan back in Asia Cup after referee apology | The Express Tribune
DUBAI:
A controversy during the recent Pakistan-India clash in the Asia Cup was ended on Wednesday with a dramatic twist after match referee Andy Pycroft issued an apology to the Pakistan team, leading Pakistan to withdraw its threat to boycott the tournament and take part in the crucial match against the UAE.
The match began with a delay of one hour, with uncertainty persisting till the last moment. The ICC expressed its willingness to launch an inquiry into the code of conduct violation, although Pycroft has not been removed from his duties.
The Zimbabwean referee officiated Sunday’s politically-charged clash between Pakistan and India, after which the victorious team refused to shake hands with Pakistani players.
Captain Salman Ali Agha and coach Mike Hesson approached them but, understanding the situation, decided to walk away. Earlier, even at the toss, there had been no handshake between the captains – reportedly on instructions from match referee Andy Pycroft.
In response, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi demanded Pycroft’s immediate removal from the remaining Asia Cup matches and even threatened to withdraw the team from the tournament if the demand was not met. Until moments before Pakistan’s match against the UAE, uncertainty loomed.
A zoom call took place between PCB and ICC officials, during which the players’ gear was loaded onto the team bus, but the players themselves were not sent to the stadium. Later, they were told the match would not take place and were sent back to their rooms. The PCB even announced an emergency press conference in Lahore.
Following this, the situation changed dramatically. Chairman Mohsin Naqvi consulted former PCB chairmen Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raja. Adviser Aamir Mir told the media to wait, citing a one-hour delay in the match. Eventually, the team received the green light to proceed from the hotel to the stadium.
Match referee Andy Pycroft met with team manager Naveed Akram Cheema and captain Salman Ali Agha, where he termed the no-handshake incident during the Pakistan-India match as a result of “miscommunication” and issued an apology. The ICC also agreed to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation during the September 14 match.
It is worth noting that in the PCB’s initial letter to ICC General Manager Wasim Khan, it was stated that Pycroft took Pakistani captain Salman Ali Agha aside at the toss and told him not to shake hands with the Indian captain. Later, he also spoke separately to Suryakumar Yadav.
Following this, Pakistan team manager Naveed Akram Cheema sought clarification from tournament director Andrew Russell, who responded that the decision was made in consultation with the BCCI and the Indian government.
The PCB stated that Pycroft’s conduct went against MCC rules and the spirit of cricket, and that the match referee had violated the ICC Code of Conduct. In protest against India’s behavior, Pakistani captain Salman Ali Agha did not attend the post-match presentation ceremony, while coach Mike Hesson, in his press conference, described India’s conduct as disappointing.
During media interaction, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav referenced the “Pahalgam attack”, praising his country’s armed forces. His remarks, the PCB stated, were also a violation of the ICC regulations.
Another encounter on Sunday
Pakistan, meanwhile, beat UAE by 41 runs in a Group A match to move into the last four stage, where the green Shirts will face-off India in another politically charged clash on Sunday. Despite Pakistan’s complaint, the ICC refused the change Pycroft, who officiated the UAE match.
Pakistan got off to a shaky start as Saim Ayub fell for a second-ball duck while Sahibzada Farhan made five, both falling to pace bowler Junaid Siddique, who finished with an impressive 4-18 in his four overs. Fakhar Zaman and Salman Agha added 61 for the third wicket.
Zaman scored 50 off 36 balls and Agha made 20. Zaman hit three sixes and two fours before he fell to left-arm spinner Simranjeet Singh, who took 3-26. It was left to Shaheen Shah Afridi to help Pakistan add 51 in the last five overs. Afridi added a brisk 29 not out.
Pakistan made a modest 146-9 batting first. Spinner Abrar Ahmed then led Pakistan’s bowling charge with 2-13 as the UAE were dismissed for 105 in 17.4 overs. Shaheen took 2-16 and fellow paceman Haris Rauf 2-19. Rahul Chopra top-scored for the hosts with run-a-ball 35.
The win means Pakistan join India in the Super Four from Group A. They will meet again in Dubai on Sunday. Sri Lanka meet Afghanistan in Abdu Dhabi to decide who goes through to the next round from Group B. Bangladesh are also in the running with two wins in three matches.
(WITH INPUT FROM APP)
Sports
Craig Morton, quarterback who led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance, dead at 83
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Former Denver Broncos quarterback Craig Morton, who was inducted into the team’s Ring of Fame, died on Saturday. He was 83.
Morton was critical in helping the Broncos reach their first-ever playoff appearance, ultimately getting them to Super Bowl XII during the 1977 campaign.
After going 12-2 during the season, and getting wins in the playoffs over the Pittsburgh Steelers and then-Oakland Raiders, Morton was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Year.
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Denver Broncos quarterback Craig Morton stands on the sidelines with both hands on his hips. (GETTY)
“Craig Morton is unbelievable,” fellow Ring of Famer Haven Moses said after the Broncos won the AFC Championship in 1978, per the New York Times. “To me, he’s the most valuable player in the National Football League.”
Morton also won Sporting News Player of the Year, the PFWA Comeback Player of the Year and the NFL UPI MVP in 1977.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of #BroncosROF quarterback Craig Morton, who died on Saturday at the age of 83,” the Broncos posted on social media.
Morton also led the Broncos to two different division titles and three playoff berths during his six seasons with the franchise. He finished his career in Denver with 11,895 passing yards, which marked the most in franchise history at the time.
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Quarterback Craig Morton #7 of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during an NFL game at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo., circa 1978. Morton played for the Broncos from 1977 to 1982. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)
Morton also led the Broncos with pass attempts (1,594) and completions (907). But Morton’s time with the Broncos was the latter half of his NFL career.
He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1965, the fifth overall pick out of Cal. Morton spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Cowboys, where he threw for 10,279 yards with 80 touchdowns and 73 interceptions. He went 32-14-1 in his time with Dallas.
Then, during the 1974 season, Morton was moved to the New York Giants, a division rival of the Cowboys. He went 1-6 in his first seven starts that year and wouldn’t find much success in New York across three seasons.
Quarterback Craig Morton #7 of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during an NFL game at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo., circa 1978. Morton played for the Broncos from 1977 to 1982. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)
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For his career, Morton threw for 27,908 yards with 183 touchdowns. He owned an 81-62-1 record across 207 games.
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Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza’s year couldn’t have been more perfect.
He led his Hoosiers to an unblemished 16-0 season, captured the national championship in historic fashion and won the 2025 Heisman before being selected first in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Raiders.
Now that the path is clear for a new athlete to leave NYC in December holding the Heisman, who will it be?
Here are the way-too-early odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 5.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
2026 Heisman Trophy Winner
CJ Carr (Notre Dame): +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Arch Manning (Texas): +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Julian Sayin (Ohio State): +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Dante Moore (Oregon): +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss): +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Josh Hoover (TCU): +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Darian Mensah (Miami, FL): +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State): +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Gunner Stockton (Georgia): +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Sam Leavitt (Arizona State): +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Marcel Reed (Texas A&M): +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Jayden Maiava (USC): +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
John Mateer (Oklahoma): +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total)
Here’s more on a few of the names on the 2026 Heisman oddsboard:
The Favorites: Carr and Manning are tied at +750 to win the Heisman Trophy at the end of the 2026 regular season. And the latter is no stranger to Heisman talk. He opened as the favorite for the 2025 Heisman at several books and right before the season kicked off, bettors were hammering Manning’s futures. The excitement over Manning was short-lived once his Longhorns went 4-2 to begin the season. If he is at least named a finalist, he would follow in the footsteps of his uncles and his grandfather, as both Peyton and Eli Manning, and their dad Archie, were Heisman finalists during their college careers.
Arch Manning is an early favorite to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy.
Ones to Watch: Ohio State teammates Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin are two players to watch for next season’s Heisman — especially because they were both in the conversation to win the award most of 2025. Sayin, in fact, was a Heisman finalist and finished fourth in the race with eight first-place votes. Smith didn’t make the trip to New York but finished sixth in the tally. FOX Sports college football writer RJ Young projects that both Smith and Sayin — as well as Manning — will be in the running in 2026.
Ohio State’s Julian Sayin could make another trip to NYC — but this time as the winner.
Heisman in Troy?: Could Maiava bring the hardware back to SC from NYC? Based on the early odds, he could have at least a slight chance. If the Trojans’ QB wins the most coveted individual award in college football, he’d be the first USC player since Caleb Williams (2022) to do so. Maiava finished the 2025 season with 3,711 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, as his squad ended the year with a 9-4 record.
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Aaron Rodgers never met with Steelers despite rumor-filled weekend as QB’s decision remains up in air
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Aaron Rodgers didn’t make it back to Pittsburgh after all.
After reports surfaced this past Friday that Rodgers was expected to visit the Pittsburgh Steelers in preparation for a return to the team he played for last year, many were hopeful the months-long wait was over.
However, during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN this Monday, Adam Schefter said neither the Steelers nor his agent were aware of any such meeting being on the schedule.
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Aaron Rodgers of the Steelers stands during the national anthem before an NFL game against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Jan. 4, 2026. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
But then, there were the reports about where Rodgers is in the world, with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporting that he was in the Steel City, though he wasn’t scheduled to visit with the team. A report from 93.7 The Fan added on, saying he was in town for golf.
Either way, the decision still lingers whether Rodgers will suit up for the Steelers, but the storied franchise gave themselves some insurance if the four-time MVP quarterback decides he wants to potentially play elsewhere.
STEELERS OWNERSHIP HOPES FOR CLARITY ON AARON RODGERS’ FUTURE ‘IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO’
The Steelers used an unrestricted free-agent tender on Rodgers last month, which allows Pittsburgh the right to match any offer Rodgers may get from another team.
Despite doubt from some camps on Rodgers’ potential return, Schefter noted his belief he will be in the Steelers’ depth chart come training camp. The Steelers have their OTAs scheduled to begin next Monday.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers drops back to pass against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Jan. 4, 2026. (Getty Images)
With Rodgers at the helm this past season, the Steelers went 10-7, even earning a playoff berth after Baltimore Ravens rookie Tyler Loop’s now-infamous game-winning field goal did not get through the uprights. The Steelers ended up losing to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round, extending the team’s playoff winless streak to eight straight seasons, including three consecutive campaigns.
Rodgers, who’s slated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame once he decides to call it quits for his career, threw for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns to seven interceptions in 16 games for Pittsburgh in 2025.
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The Steelers also revamped their team for this season, as Mike McCarthy, Rodgers’ old head coach with the Green Bay Packers, takes over for Mike Tomlin, whose generational run in Pittsburgh ended after 19 seasons (2007-25). While D.K. Metcalf and Rodgers built chemistry this past season, the Steelers also added veteran receiver Michael Pittman Jr. in a deal with the Indianapolis Colts, while adding Alabama’s Germie Bernard in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers after being sacked during the wild-card game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Jan. 12, 2026. (Michael Longo/For USA Today Network-PA/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
And while Kenneth Gainwell is gone after a solid performance with Pittsburgh, Rico Dowdle comes into the fold to work alongside Jaylen Warren at running back.
Yet, the biggest question in football still remains: will Rodgers be a part of these new-look Steelers in 2026?
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