Sports
Shaheen admits even he may face ‘exclusion’ in future after Babar-Rizwan snub

SHARJAH: Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has expressed his views on the absence of senior players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025, scheduled from September 9 to 28.
Babar and Rizwan, who had featured in every multi-nation tournament for Pakistan since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE, have been sidelined from the shortest format following the three-match away series against South Africa in December last year.
The duo ultimately failed to make it to the Pakistan squad for the upcoming Asia Cup as the former champions shift their focus to grooming youngsters ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.
Their snub from the continental tournament drew severe backlash from fans and former cricketers, but their teammate Shaheen emphasised backing the youngsters while acknowledging them as ‘world-class players’.
“I won’t be here either in the future. I believe everyone should get the opportunity,” stated Shaheen.
“Babar and Rizwan are world-class players, and they played pretty good cricket for Pakistan and by the will of Almighty Allah will play again.
“But again, everyone should get the opportunity, and they should grab it with both hands. They are our youngsters as well, so we should back them. They are also our players, and we should take them forward.”
Shaheen’s remarks came on the sidelines of the national men’s team’s training session at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium here for the tri-nation T20I series against Afghanistan and hosts UAE, which will precede the Asia Cup 2025.
The series will get underway on August 29 and will conclude on September 7, just a day before the commencement of the eight-team continental event.
Pakistan squad for Tri-Series and Asia Cup 2025:
Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.
Sports
NFL Week 6 scores: Baker Mayfield delivers victory for Bucs, Jaxson Dart gets Giants in win column

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Baker Mayfield looked like he was in MVP form as he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a huge win over the San Francisco 49ers. But that was far from the lone performance NFL fans will be talking about after Week 6.
New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart set the week off right with an incredible game against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. Dart would help kick off an incredible week around the league.
The Carolina Panthers pulled off the upset of the week with a three-point win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Indianapolis Colts continued their winning ways with a big home victory against the Arizona Cardinals. Justin Herbert led the Los Angeles Chargers to a last-second win over the Miami Dolphins.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Read below to see how the rest of the week played out.
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025
New York Giants’ Jaxson Dart plays during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
- New York Giants 34, Philadelphia Eagles 17
Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025
- Denver Broncos 13, New York Jets 11
- Indianapolis Colts 31, Arizona Cardinals 27
- Los Angeles Chargers 29, Miami Dolphins 27
- New England Patriots 25, New Orleans Saints 19
- Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Cleveland Browns 9

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, right, and New England Patriots center Garrett Bradbury run onto the field before an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
BENGALS’ EVAN MCPHERSON HAS NFL-RECORD FIELD GOAL CALLED BACK IN HEARTBREAKING FASHION VS PACKERS
- Carolina Panthers 30, Dallas Cowboys 27
- Seattle Seahawks 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 12
- Los Angeles Rams 17, Baltimore Ravens 3
- Las Vegas Raiders 20, Tennessee Titans 10
- Green Bay Packers 27, Cincinnati Bengals 18
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30, San Francisco 49ers 19
- Kansas City Chiefs 30, Detroit Lions 17
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White (1) is congratulated by quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) after scoring against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in Tampa, Florida, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Monday, Oct. 13, 2025
- Atlanta Falcons 24, Buffalo Bills 14
- Chicago Bears 25, Washington Commanders 24
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sports
Premier League big issues: Will Amorim, Ange last? Is Salah fading?

The second international break of the season is almost over, and the Premier League is ready to return this weekend, with Liverpool‘s clash against Manchester United at Anfield topping the bill.
Each of England’s 20 top-tier clubs have now played seven league games. The Premier League table is beginning to point to a competitive title race and a relegation battle in which all three promoted teams — Burnley, Leeds United and Sunderland — have genuine hopes of avoiding the drop.
Meanwhile, the pressure is growing on struggling managers Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou, big-money summer signings such as Florian Wirtz and Matheus Cunha have yet to have a major impact at their new clubs, and Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are offering signs that they could push for UEFA Champions League qualification.
So with four Premier League matchdays scheduled before the November international break, what are the big issues that could come to a head over the next month?
– How to fix Man Utd in 4 steps by copying Liverpool, Arsenal, City
– What’s wrong with Liverpool: Transfers? Salah? Fixtures?
– Soccer’s wildest 2025-26 kits: From unorthodox to unhinged
Will Amorim and Ange last until November?
Ruben Amorim was given the public backing of Sir Jim Ratcliffe last week; the Manchester United minority owner said Amorim could not be judged in his role as manager until he has had three years in the post. But despite the vote of confidence, Amorim is still — by some distance — statistically the worst United manager of the Premier League era.
United have not won back-to-back league games since the Portuguese coach took charge in November 2024, and their last away win came against relegated Leicester City in March. So far this season, United have beaten two promoted teams and a Chelsea side reduced to 10 players for virtually the entire game, so Sunday’s trip to Liverpool threatens to be a major test of Amorim and his players. And while Ratcliffe’s supportive words will be welcomed by Amorim, it’s worth remembering that he called Erik ten Hag a “very good coach” just three weeks before firing him last season.
Despite Amorim’s difficulties, he is not the manager in most peril right now. That title goes to Nottingham Forest‘s Ange Postecoglou, who is under intense pressure after seven winless games in charge at the City Ground.
The former Tottenham Hotspur manager replaced Nuno Espirito Santo last month after being hand-picked by ultra-demanding Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis. But Forest have nosedived under Postecoglou, and the fans have already turned on the former Australia coach. Marinakis has shown himself to be a ruthless owner many times in the past, so Big Ange is already in big trouble.
1:35
Nicol: Mo Salah is lacking in confidence
Steve Nicol believes Mo Salah could be facing a crisis in confidence this season as his struggles continued vs Chelsea.
Is Salah a fading force?
Mohamed Salah is now fourth on the list of all-time Premier League goal scorers and will become only the third player — after Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane — to break the 200-goal barrier if he scores just 12 more times for Liverpool. But will Salah hit that target this season, or are we beginning to see signs that the 33-year-old is a fading force?
Since the beginning of February, Salah has scored 14 goals for Liverpool in all competitions; six of those have been penalties. So far this season, he has managed just two goals and two assists for the champions in seven league games.
With an Africa Cup of Nations campaign with Egypt looming in December, Salah could be away from Liverpool for six weeks this winter. In addition, summer signings Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are ready to usurp him as Liverpool’s main goal threat.
So with age catching up with Salah and international commitments — Egypt have also qualified for next year’s FIFA World Cup — set to distract his focus, this season could be a difficult one. It could also be his last at Anfield if his declining output continues.
But here’s the good news. Next up for Salah is Manchester United on Sunday, and no team has conceded more goals against the forward than United (16). Will everything click into gear this weekend?
1:06
Nagelsmann backs Wirtz for Liverpool success
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann fully expects Florian Wirtz to be successful at Liverpool following his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
Time for big signings to deliver
Every signing needs time to adapt to a new club. Some do it more quickly than others, but eventually, a star player has to deliver. That’s the issue facing the likes of Florian Wirtz, Matheus Cunha, Alexander Isak and Eberechi Eze after over two months of Premier League action for their new teams.
Wirtz is the one with the most to do after making little to no impact for Liverpool since arriving in a deal worth up to £116 million from Bayer Leverkusen this summer. In seven league games so far, Wirtz has registered no goals and no assists, and the pace of the English top-flight has been too hot to handle for the Germany international.
Liverpool teammate Isak, who arrived on deadline day of the summer transfer window for a fee worth up to £130 million, has managed only one assist in three Premier League appearances since his move from Newcastle United, though he’s still getting up to speed after missing the entire preseason due to his desire to force a transfer. Wirtz and Isak have been signed as investments in Liverpool’s long term, but both need to offer more than they have done so far.
Cunha, meanwhile, was signed by United to boost their attacking threat after the side scored just 44 league goals last season, but the £62.5 million arrival from Wolverhampton Wanderers has yet to score or register an assist in six appearances with Amorim’s team. Fellow new arrivals Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko are both already off the mark with goals for United, so Cunha needs to step up.
The same applies to Arsenal‘s Eze, who has contributed just two assists in six appearances since completing a £67.5 million transfer from Crystal Palace last month. Eze contributed eight goals and eight assists in his final season at Palace and also played a central role in the Eagles’ first FA Cup triumph, scoring the winner in the final against Manchester City. But the 27-year-old is still finding his feet at the Emirates.
Can Bournemouth and Palace keep pace at the top?
Bournemouth and Crystal Palace have two of the most sought-after coaches in the game in Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner, respectively, and both sides are raising hopes of a top-four finish this season. Iraola’s side is just two points behind leaders Arsenal, while Palace are two points further back after becoming the last team to lose its unbeaten record with a defeat at Everton going into this international break.
But can both sides maintain their early form? And with that, can they also hold on to their highly rated coaches long enough for the first question to be answered?
The two teams meet at Selhurst Park on Saturday, and both sides have players who have made outstanding starts to the season. Antoine Semenyo has scored six goals and registered three assists so far this season for Bournemouth, while left back Adrien Truffert has replaced Milos Kerkez (now with Liverpool) and appears to be an absolute bargain in a deal worth up to £14 million from Rennes. Palace’s Adam Wharton, Marc Guéhi, Daniel Muñoz, Daichi Kamada and Jean-Phillippe Mateta have all built on last season’s performances to excel this time around, so Glasner’s side has strength throughout the roster.
Palace look to have the greater depth to ensure a challenge for the top four, but Bournemouth have real quality, too.
Are winless Wolves doomed already?
The prospects for Wolves are already looking bleak, with Vitor Pereira’s side anchored to the bottom of the table without a win so far this season. But their record of just two points from seven games is one point better than at the same stage last season, so there will be hope that they can turn the situation around at Molineux.
However, with key players Cunha and Rayan Aït-Nouri leaving during the summer for Manchester United and Manchester City, respectively, Wolves would seem to have an even bigger mountain to climb this time around.
Sheffield United hold the record for the longest wait for a first Premier League win after going 17 games at the start of the 2020-21 season, and the Blades were relegated at the end of that campaign. But Wolves had to wait until their 11th league game for a win last season and still ended up avoiding relegation.
Their next two league games look to be crucial if they are to get their season up and running, though. With promoted teams Sunderland (away) and Burnley (home) next up for Wolves, they simply have to get a win from one of those.
Sports
Dodgers vs. Brewers (Oct 13, 2025) Live Score – ESPN
-
Tech1 week ago
I’ve Tested Countless Mesh Systems. Here Are the Routers I Recommend
-
Business1 week ago
DGCA Reviews Airfare Trends Ahead Of Festive Season, Asks Airlines To Add More Flights
-
Business6 days ago
Tata Capital IPO: Rs 15,512 crore IPO fully subscribed; stock market debut on Oct 13 – The Times of India
-
Tech1 week ago
All Hail the Surprisingly Versatile Packing Cube! These Are Our Favorites
-
Tech1 week ago
Jony Ive Says He Wants His OpenAI Devices to ‘Make Us Happy’
-
Tech1 week ago
Combat Dry Indoor Winter Air With a New Humidifier
-
Tech1 week ago
OpenAI and chipmaker AMD sign chip supply partnership for AI infrastructure
-
Business1 week ago
Investors are packing up; Pakistan must ask why | The Express Tribune