Sports
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to stay in Asia Cup final race | The Express Tribune
Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets with 12 balls remaining in their Asia Cup 2025 Super Four match at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night.
“The plan was to go and attack straight away, but I had to take some time, and the boundaries will come,” said the player of the match Hussain Talat, who took two crucial wickets and an unbeaten stand of 58 off 41 with Mohammad Nawaz from the 12th over onwards.
It was Nawaz who smashed three sixes and together their partnership produced five fours. It was Talat, who provided the calming presence so that Nawaz could finish the job.
“There was a lot of humidity and my energy was low,” Talat explained during the post-match ceremony. “But hats off to Nawaz on how he finished the match.”
He added that he was working hard on his bowling, and that translated into a good performance against Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Skipper Charith Asalanka admitted that the surface on the pitch looked very good for his side; however, Pakistan were bowling and fielding beyond their expectations, and they lost to a better side on the night.
The captain of the victorious side, Salman Ali Agha, praised Shaheen Shah Afridi for his brilliant spell that helped Pakistan pick three crucial wickets, while he also expressed his delight with Talat’s performance, along with appreciating Abrar Ahmed, who he said always come in handy in tough situations.
However, he accepted that Pakistani batters did not have a good start, ” I can’t say it was a it was perfect game, we lost four wickets in 10-12 overs, we are struggling with that.”
But he noted the effect of Shane McDermott, the Australian fielding coach, who was recently appointed to the Pakistan men’s cricket team.
“To be honest, since Shane came to Pakistan camp, we have been working very hard with him.
He added that the hard work they put into training for the event showed during their match with Sri Lanka.
Pakistan batters struggle to stay on the pitch
Despite a powerful start by Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan’s chase of 134 runs became a burdensome affair against Sri Lanka in their Asia Cup 2025 Super Four match at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night.
The Pakistani openers successively fell to mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana in the sixth over.
Meanwhile, Wanindu Hasaranga added to the injury with another two quick wickets in his second over for the Sri Lankan spin attack.
Hasaranga dismissed Saim Ayub first and then Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha on lbw in his 1.1 overs, leaving the Greenshirts limping at 63/4.
Muhammad Haris came on the pitch in the eighth over.
He was aiming to stay on the pitch with Hussain Talat as they searched for a decent partnership of at least 30 to 50 runs without losing another wicket.
But he was soon sent back to the dugout by Dushmantha Chameera, and Pakistan struggled at 82/5.
Pakistan limit Sri Lanka to 133-8
Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka to 133-8 thanks to their pacers led by Shaheen Afridi and Hussain Talat.
Pakistan won the toss and skipper Salman Ali Agha chose to field first as the Greenshirts fight for their place in the Asia Cup 2025 final.
Agha believed that fielding first would benefit his side as he thinks the pitch will not change much. He also said that he wants to set the tone with the bowlers first.
Shaheen took three wickets, dismissing openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis in the first two overs and then took out Kamindu Mendis in 18.4 overs on lbw.
Meanwhile, Hussain Talat was effective in sending Captain Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka in crucial moments.
Haris Rauf was a happy man with two wickets as well, and Abrar Ahmed was successful in picking one wicket.
Quick fall of wickets
Sri Lanka struggled to put up a competitive total.
Abrar Ahmed took out Wanindu Hasaranga in 12.1 overs.
Sri Lanka are reduced to 62 for 5.
Pakistan took their fifth wicket as Dasun Shanaka is out in 7.3 overs for a duck on Talat’s ball. Two in two for Talat.
The fourth Sri Lankan wicket that fell was Charith Asalanka’s, as he was trying to find a four in the 7.2 overs.
Salman Ali Agha’s decision to field first is paying off well as Pakistan dismissed Kusal Perera on Haris Rauf’s ball. Caught by Faheem Ashraf in 5.2 overs.
Their big three batters have been sent back to the pavilion.
Sri Lanka are still not shying away from big shots; they carry on at 53 for three.
The openers came on the field after the national anthems.
Pakistan saw their first success immediately in the first over when they dismissed Sri Lankan opener and wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis 1-1 on Shaheen Afridi’s ball, Talat caught it comfortably. Afridi took his second wicket as Pathum Nissanka, in 2.2 overs.
As the openers came on the field after the national anthems, Pakistan saw their first success immediately in the first over when they dismissed Sri Lankan opener and wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis 1-1 on Shaheen Afridi’s ball, Talat caught it comfortably.
Head-to-head
Pakistan leads Sri Lanka in the overall T20I record; however, the Lions have been the dominant side over the last six years.
Pakistan have beaten Sri Lanka 13 out of 23 times, but their last T20I win against the Lions came in 2019.
What’s at stake?
That result has left Pakistan in a tricky position. To qualify directly for the final, Salman Ali Agha’s men must beat Sri Lanka on Tuesday and then overcome Bangladesh on Thursday. They would also need India to defeat Bangladesh in their remaining Super Four fixture.
However, if Pakistan loses against Sri Lanka, they will not be knocked out straight away but will then rely heavily on other results. In that scenario, they would need India to beat both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while also defeating Bangladesh themselves by a big margin to stand a chance of reaching the final on net run rate.
For Sri Lanka, a win against Pakistan would strengthen their chances, though they too might still need favorable results to book a spot in the title clash. Bangladesh, after their dramatic win, remains very much in the hunt as well.
The qualification picture will become clearer when Pakistan faces Sri Lanka on Tuesday in what is shaping up to be a must-win clash for both sides.
Sports
NASCAR’s Truck Series and O’Reilly Autoparts Series honor Kyle Busch with moments of silence at Charlotte
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The NASCAR world is paying tribute to Kyle Busch this weekend, and that includes some classy ones from two series in which the late driver had a lot of success.
While Busch — who passed away Thursday after “severe pneumonia [that] progressed into sepsis” — had been a full-time driver in NASCAR’s top series, the Cup Series, for more than 20 years, he still competed occasionally in both the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series.
He was especially known for his dominance in the Truck Series, winning 69 of his 184 races, and at one point owned a team. In fact, the final win of Busch’s career came just under a week before his death in a Truck Series race at Dover.
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Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, is introduced before the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 1, 2026. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
On Friday, the Truck Series was in Charlotte as part of the Coca-Cola 600 weekend for a race that Busch was supposed to take part in.
NASCAR, RACING WORLD REACTS TO KYLE BUSCH’S SHOCKING DEATH AT 41: ‘CANNOT COMPREHEND THIS NEWS’
Corey Day was in the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, the truck in which Busch took his final win, and it was set to start on pole after Friday’s qualifying was rained out.

Kyle Busch celebrates the final win of his NASCAR career at Dover Motor Speedway. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire)
Before the race was set to begin on Friday evening, teams and fans held a moment of silence for Busch.
Unfortunately, the race never got underway and was postponed until Saturday morning and then again to Saturday night.
The O’Reilly Autoparts Series, which Busch raced in many times and won many times during his career, also took a moment to remember him before their race at Charlotte on Saturday.
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That race was also suspended due to rain.
There will be some heavy hearts on Sunday when the Coca-Cola 600, the NASCAR Cup Series’ longest race of the year, gets started at 6 p.m. ET.
Sports
Kyle Busch’s iconic No. 18 will appear in the Indianapolis 500 in tribute to late driver
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While Kyle Busch was a legend in the NASCAR ranks, he was incredibly well respected throughout the world of motorsports.
That’s why one of Busch’s NASCAR numbers — the one I’d argue is most iconic — will make an appearance in the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Busch had a bunch of numbers across NASCAR’s three national series, but in the Cup Series, he used No. 5, No. 18 and No. 8.
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Kyle Busch used No. 18 during his years with Joe Gibbs Racing. (Isaac Brekken/AP)
For many fans, No. 18 is the number they associate with Busch, as he used it for 15 years, including during both of his championship seasons.
NASCAR, RACING WORLD REACTS TO KYLE BUSCH’S SHOCKING DEATH AT 41: ‘CANNOT COMPREHEND THIS NEWS’
You can close your eyes and picture it on the side of those legendary M&M’s paint schemes.
Well, Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern shared that Dale Coyne Racing, which runs the No. 18 Honda driven by Romain Grosjean, will display the classic No. 18 used on Busch’s car during his time with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Cup Series.
How about that tribute?
Of course, the numbers are typically trademarked, so as Stern reported, the idea — which came from Fox Sports IndyCar commentator Townsend Bell — required getting in touch with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Busch never raced in the Indy 500 or in the IndyCar Series; however, he did have a lot of success at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in NASCAR.

NASCAR star Kyle Busch died on Thursday at just 41 years old. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
His brother, retired NASCAR driver and former Cup Series champ, Kurt Busch, attempted double duty by competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in 2014.
It’s a heck of a tribute from the folks at Dale Coyne Racing with an assist from JGR.
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And while I don’t want to play favorites, wouldn’t it be something to see that No. 18 in Victory Lane?
Grosjean will start Sunday’s race in 24th, which means he has some ground to make up, but anything can happen in the Indy 500.
Sports
Who Are The 10 Test Indy 500 Drivers Of All time?
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The 2026 INDYCAR season has already delivered stellar moments, even before “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
That highly anticipated race happens on Sunday, May 24, with the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Coverage for the Indy 500 begins at 10 a.m. ET.
You can watch the Indy 500 pre-race and race broadcasts on FOX and stream the broadcasts on FOX One, FOX Sports.com and the FOX Sports App.
Ahead of all the action, we’ve rounded up the best drivers to grace the course.
Here are the 10 best Indianapolis 500 drivers of all time.
10 Best Indy 500 Drivers Of All Time
10. Dario Franchitti
Although he had one of the shorter Indy 500 careers on this list, Franchitti managed to compile some impressive results. He earned three victories at the track between 2007-2012. Moreover, he added three other top-10 finishes to his name despite participating in just 10 races. His best stretch was when he claimed six top-seven finishes in seven attempts from 2005 and 2012.
9. Arie Luyendyk

Luyendyk won the Indy 500 twice, but it was a mixed bag overall. He raced in the event every year from 1985 to 2002 and withdrew in 2003, but he finished outside the top 10 in 10 different races. Still, few can match the success he found, with seven top-10 finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
8. Louis Meyer

The first three-time winner in the race’s history, Meyer is one of the top drivers who isn’t talked about nearly enough. He had a truly remarkable race in 1936, becoming just the second racer in history — and last — to win the Indy 500 from a starting position of 28th or lower. Meyer grabbed first and second, respectively, in his first two tries in Indianapolis.
7. Bobby Unser

It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Never has that been more true than with Unser, who had just one top-10 finish in his first four tries at Indy. However, Unser would eventually win the Indy 500 three times (1968, 1975 and 1981). In his last four starts, he had three top-six finishes, including winning the event on his last time at the track at age 47.
6. Johnny Rutherford

Another three-time Indy 500 winner, Rutherford claimed his victories between 1974 and 1980. Rutherford had a bit of a slow start to this race, finishing 18th or lower in each of his first nine times at the track. He then turned in four straight top-10 finishes, including winning in 1974 and 1976 and grabbing second in 1975.
5. Wilbur Shaw

As good as Rutherford’s three-year stretch was, Shaw one-ups him with his bonkers four-year run. From 1937 to 1940, Shaw placed first, second, first and first. A run like that automatically vaults you into the top five in the history of the Indy 500. Before that, it had been an up-and-down race for Shaw, but you cannot overlook just how dominant he was overall, with three victories and seven top-five finishes.
4. Helio Castroneves

Castroneves is the first of four drivers on this list tied for the most wins (four) at the Indy 500. He earned his most recent victory in 2021, while his previous three wins came between 2001 and 2009. He’s also one of just six drivers to claim back-to-back Indy 500 victories, doing so in 2001 and 2002. Perhaps the most remarkable part of his driving career at IMS is the fact that he owns the record for the longest span between his first and last win — 20 years.
3. Al Unser Sr.

Unser isn’t just tied for the most Indy 500 wins, claiming his four in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987. He’s also the oldest winner ever at 47 years, 360 days old, slightly edging out his brother, Bobby. In his second-to-last race at IMS in 1992, Unser finished in third, while his son, Al Unser Jr., was the winner.
2. A.J. Foyt

Foyt is undoubtedly deserving of one of the top spots on this list as the first four-time winner in the race’s history, finishing in first place in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977. Most impressive about his career in Indy, though, is that Foyt has the most starts there of any driver (35), including racing in every single one from 1958 to 1992.
1. Rick Mears

The other driver tied for the most wins at IMS, Mears dominated in Indy. He started 11 times on the front row, with six of those times coming consecutively from 1986 to 1991 — both of which are records at the track. He has also claimed a record six pole positions at the event and is one of just 12 racers to earn back-to-back pole positions.
Check out all of our Daily Rankers.
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