Sports
Pakistan warns India against politicising Asia Cup clash | The Express Tribune
DUBAI:
Ahead of Sunday’s Asia Cup Super Four clash, Pakistan has warned that India should not once again turn the cricket field into a political battleground.
The match should be played in the spirit of cricket.
“We are not eager to shake hands with Indian cricketers, but prior intimation should be given,” PCB sources stated.
Team management has instructed the players to stay away from off-the-field matters, focus solely on their game, and defeat India. Meanwhile, match officials have not yet been appointed, but Richie Richardson remains an option to serve as referee.
On the other hand, captain Salman Ali Agha said that Pakistan is ready to face every challenge, including India.
“We need to improve our middle-order batting. Shaheen Afridi’s batting has improved a lot,” he added.
According to details, following a tense opening encounter, Pakistan and India are set to meet again in the Asia Cup on Sunday at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. In the previous match, the Blue Shirts may have secured victory but completely disregarded sportsmanship spirit.
At the toss, their captain refused to shake hands with his counterpart, and at the conclusion, the Indian team avoided handshakes with Pakistani players. Suryakumar Yadav also made political remarks during his interview.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged a complaint with the ICC against the controversial behavior of match referee Andy Pycroft, demanding his replacement and even threatening a boycott otherwise. Due to this dispute, the Pakistan-UAE match was in jeopardy but eventually commenced an hour late after the referee’s apology and ICC’s assurance of an inquiry.
Now, before the Super Four clash of the arch-rivals in Dubai, concerns have again emerged that India might once more use the occasion for its political agenda. Sources revealed that the PCB has also spoken to the ICC about ensuring that match officials are clearly instructed in advance, emphasizing that political elements should not be allowed to enter the game.
“We are not eager to shake hands with Indian cricketers, but there should be prior clarity on this matter,” the sources added. Reportedly, match officials for the Super Four have not yet been finalized. Alongside Andy Pycroft, Richie Richardson is also available, and assigning him as referee for the Pakistan-India match remains an option.
Meanwhile, the team management has reiterated its advice to the players: stay away from off-field issues, concentrate on your game, and beat India.
Captain Salman Ali Agha, speaking after the win against UAE, said: “We are prepared for every challenge, including India, in the Super Four stage. We need to improve our middle-order batting, which is a concern and requires hard work. Apart from that, we fulfilled our responsibility well. We have yet to showcase our best batting; so far we’ve only managed around 150 runs. If we bat well in the middle overs, we can post 170 runs against any opponent.
“Shaheen Afridi’s batting has improved greatly; in bowling, he already performs brilliantly. Saim has brought us back into games several times with his bowling, and I hope he continues to do so till the end. If we keep playing the way we have over the past four months, we can prove to be a tough opponent for any team,” Salman concluded.
Sports
Floyd Mayweather Jr. sues Showtime; owed ‘at least’ $340M
Although Floyd Mayweather Jr. made hundreds of millions of dollars during his professional boxing career and topped the Forbes list as the highest-paid athlete from 2012 to 2014, the boxer said he has been shortchanged and filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Showtime.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday and obtained by ESPN, seeks to “recover hundreds of millions of dollars in misappropriated funds and damages resulting from a long-running and elaborate scheme of financial fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and conspiracy orchestrated by Floyd J. Mayweather’s former manager and advisor, Al Haymon, with the knowing and substantial participation and aid of Defendants Showtime Networks Inc. and Stephen Espinoza, among others.”
Mayweather, 48, claims to be owed “at least” $340 million and cites a “complex web of hidden accounts, unauthorized transactions and deliberate concealment of financial records” as the reason he believes he has been defrauded from those funds.
Haymon is not named as a defendant in the complaint.
Espinoza didn’t respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
In 2013, Mayweather signed a 30-month, six-fight deal with Showtime that was, at the time, the richest for an individual athlete. He fought Robert Guerrero, Canelo Alvarez, Marcos Maidana (twice), Manny Pacquiao and Andre Berto during that deal and also faced UFC superstar Conor McGregor on Showtime PPV.
Mayweather fought eight times on Showtime PPV, with the Pacquiao bout still standing as the highest-grossing pay-per-view in history with over 4.4 million purchases and $410 million in revenue generated. Mayweather reportedly earned around $250 million for that fight alone.
In the lawsuit, Mayweather claims Showtime and Espinoza worked in tandem to divert the boxer’s earnings into accounts controlled by Haymon and failed to provide financial transparency. Mayweather claims that he has “suffered enormous financial harm” and is missing at least $340 million from his reported $1.2 billion in career fight purses.
Mayweather retired from professional boxing in 2017 with a 50-0 record but has competed in several exhibitions since.
An exhibition fight with Mike Tyson was announced last September for Spring 2026, but no date or location has materialized since. Reports surfaced Tuesday that Mayweather would face K-1 kickboxing legend Mike Zambidis on June 27 in Greece, but there has been no formal announcement of that fight either.
ESPN’s Michael Rothstein contributed to this report.
Sports
PM says Pakistan will not play against India in T20 World Cup, calls for politics-free sports
- Pakistan stands in solidarity with Bangladesh after ICC expels team.
- Politics should have no place in the field of sports: PM Shehbaz.
- Pakistan team currently in Sri Lanka to participate in T20 World Cup.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed on Wednesday that Pakistan will not play against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, emphasising that the decision was made after much deliberation.
“Politics should have no place in the field of sports,” the prime minister said while explaining Pakistan’s stance on the 20-team tournament. He made the statement while addressing the federal cabinet meeting.
He further stressed that the country should stand with Bangladesh in the matter.
Pakistan had decided to boycott the February 15 match against arch-rivals India to show solidarity with Bangladesh, which the International Cricket Council (ICC) kicked out of the tournament after rejecting Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to move their matches to a venue outside India.
The cricketing body then replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament, stating that it was not feasible to revise the schedule so close to the February 7 — start of the World Cup.
Meanwhile, multiple other factors influenced Pakistan’s decision to boycott the match, including ICC’s perceived biased stance towards Bangladesh playing a central role, with government sources noting that the Pakistani team was instructed not to take the field against India on February 15 as “a form of protest”.
The sources said that ICC chief Jay Shah’s partial decisions had effectively turned the International Cricket Council into an extension of the Indian cricket board.
They further said that these biased decisions have undermined the principles of fairness and equality, accusing the ICC of applying different standards to different countries on its platform.
Since then, the ICC, in its statement, has expressed hope that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would work towards a “mutually acceptable resolution”.
While recognising the prerogative of national governments, the ICC publicly urged the PCB to reconsider, arguing that the decision harms the sport and its global fanbase.
The council encouraged the Pakistani board to pursue a mutually acceptable solution that protects the interests of all stakeholders in the game, saying that the boycott decision was not “in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan”.
Currently, the national team is present in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to partake in the highly anticipated T20 World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India from February 7 to March 8.
Sports
Ex-NFL star shares Super Bowl advice he would give to Sam Darnold, Drake Maye
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Three-time Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck accumulated a lot of experience in his 18-year NFL career, including one Super Bowl appearance.
Hasselbeck led the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl XL against the Pittsburgh Steelers but lost the game 21-10. During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Hasselbeck was asked what advice he would give to Sam Darnold and Drake Maye, who are both making their first Super Bowl starts.
The 50-year-old’s advice was simple: just have fun.
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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) scrambles with the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dec. 6, 2015. (Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports)
“Well, have fun. I think that’s a major thing. You know, my dad (Don Hasselbeck) actually won Super Bowl XVIII with the Raiders against Washington, and I just remember that team had so much fun. Like they were the silver and black, the Raiders, all that, but they had fun,” Hasselbeck told Fox News Digital in a recent interview with the Family Heart Foundation.
“And even like when I got drafted to the Green Bay Packers, they had just come off two consecutive Super Bowls. And Brett Favre and those guys, like they had fun. I would say in Seattle, like without really knowing that we were having fun, like we were cutting it, because it didn’t feel like a job.”
Hasselbeck completed 26 of his 49 passes for 279 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the loss. He urged Darnold and Maye to cut it loose but, no matter what, just to take it one play at a time.

Drake Maye (10) of the New England Patriots stands for the national anthem prior to the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, on Jan. 25, 2026. (Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
“For Sam and the Seahawks or Drake Maye and the Patriots, I would say one play at a time, guys. Cut it loose. Sixty minutes — all you got. At the end of the day, you look up at the scoreboard, whatever it says is what it says. Control what you can control. Cut it loose and have fun. But there’s no such play. There’s no such thing as a 14-point touchdown. (It) does no good to look ahead. One play at a time. Cut it loose. Good or bad. One play at a time.”
The quarterbacks are both listed with ailments on the injury report and will be battling through injury in the Super Bowl.
Both quarterbacks are facing stout defenses. The Seahawks allowed the fewest points per game in the regular season (17.1).
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Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks walks onto the field after the Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 31-27, in the NFC Championship NFL football game in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Seahawks advanced to the Super Bowl. Jan. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
The Patriots have shut down the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos in the playoffs, allowing just 8.6 points per game en route to the Super Bowl.
Hasselbeck played for four different teams in his 18-year career: 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, three with the Indianapolis Colts, two with the Green Bay Packers and two with the Tennessee Titans. In 209 games, he completed 60.5% of his passes for 36,638 yards with 212 touchdowns and 153 interceptions.
The Seahawks play the Patriots in the Super Bowl on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
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