Padel: The Next Step For Tennis Players?

 

Enrique Corcuera, an entrepreneur from Acapulco, Mexico, would sleep at his Casa (house) every afternoon because of the extreme heat there. However, Viviana, his daughter, would annoy him by bouncing tennis balls off the house's walls. As a result, Corcuera constructed a separate wall for her to knock against. From that point, his improvised racket sport started to take shape. Corcuera built additional walls with metal fencing to stop the ball from fleeing down the side of the wall. He then attached a net across the middle of the area to finish off the enclosure. Originally intended as a game for one household in Mexico, Padel has developed into a well-liked racket sport that combines aspects of both squash and tennis. 

Padel now has twenty five million players worldwide in more than 90 countries today, more than 50 years after it first appeared. It has especially become a popular sport within the Tennis players, or should we say, ‘ex-tennis player’. After finishing up their careers as tennis players many of them have taken up Padel. Whether they were armature level or semi-pro or even at professional level such as Andy Murray, the next step of tennis players seems to be Padel.

“I know a lot of former tennis athletes that have taken up the sport when they've done playing and find that it's wonderful for their health, but it's also not nearly as hard as tennis as it is less demanding.” said Andy Murray.

How it's played:

Padel is typically played in a doubles format, unlike tennis, despite the fact that both sports employ the same points system. Every serve is underhanded, and following a return, shots may be struck on the volley, following a single bounce, or after a wall-rebound. On their side of the net, participants can also shoot the ball into the side and back walls that line the 20-meter-long, 10-meter-wide court. In contrast to the wooden or stringed rackets used in tennis, squash, badminton, and other sports, padel rackets are smaller and thicker than most rackets and the striking area is entirely constructed of fiberglass.

Originating from Mexico, Padel has now become a well-known and well enjoyed sport in countries all over the world. Last Year, research showed that 15,000 new padel courts were opened and actively used in Europe. Padel is now one of the most popular participation sport in Spain, after football, with more than 6 million current players and an estimated 20,000 courts. Padel is limited impact and slow game compared to other racket sports; this, along with the pleasant "pock" sound made when hitting the ball, has helped to increase its appeal. Padel is played on a court that is one-third the size of a tennis court.

Although there is a developing professional circuit for padel in the World Padel Tour, the sport's popularity is now best seen among amateur players. With the growing popularity, could it perhaps ever match tennis in terms of global acclaim? Andy Murray believes that this is just the start for padel and the exciting sport will just get bigger and bigger. 

Leo Messi: Breaking Records On And Off The Pitch.

The culmination of a lifetime dream after years of World Cup heartbreak and years of blood, sweat, and tears is captured in a brief instance as his eyes glisten and a wide smile maps across his face. Lionel Messi is lifting the fabled World Cup trophy above his head, and on the shoulder of his best friend and fellow legend, Sergio "Kun" Aguero.

The now iconic picture was captured by Getty photographer Shaun Botterill, who was in the stands for one of the most important moments in sporting history, and was one that Leo Messi decided to post on his social media to celebrate his World Cup victory over France. This picture is currently the most liked post in the history of Instagram, surpassing a simple egg.

According to Botterill, the photographers at Sunday's World Cup final planned for one of them to go stand on the field in front of the billboards by the main stand, which hosted the great majority of the Argentina fans in the Lusail Stadium, where there were advertising hoardings.

After the Argentinean captain was presented with the big gold trophy , Messi spent some quality time with his family who have supported him to this momentous occasion before he made his way over towards the supporters. This prompted all the photographers to rush to the goal at that end of the field.

According to Botterill, "I almost got trapped, but just got trapped in the correct position." "If most of us [photographers] are being completely honest, you always need a little bit of luck, and I had a little bit of luck on Sunday night. Aguero, a close friend and teammate of Messi's who retired from football in December 2021 due to cardiac arrhythmia, carried his friend to the other side of the stadium. At that moment, Botterill seized a cable from a remote camera behind the goal, plugged it into his camera, and sent the picture to his editors.

By coincidence, Botterill's son was that evening working the editing station.

In a message, my oldest son told me, "I've modified your image dad, it's a really great picture," recalls Botterill.

The disapproval from his son has turned out to be rather underemphasized.

Botterill "knew it was a really decent image" right away; modesty runs in the family. However, there is always a chance that another photographer at a slightly different angle would have taken a better picture because "little margins" may often make a significant difference.

The broader picture, which provided more context and more accurately captured the adoration the Argentina captain was receiving, was the photographer's preferred version of the image, the British photographer reveals. Messi shared the cropped version of the image on Instagram.

Brooklyn Nets defeat Golden State in a thrashing win by scoring a franchise-record 91 points in the first half

 

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Golden State Warriors 143-113 on Wednesday, setting a franchise record and scoring 91 points in the first half, which ranks third all-time in NBA history. The record for most points in the first half is currently held by The Phoenix Suns, scoring 107 points against Denver in 1990, and in second place the Warriors managed to score a 92 point first half when they battled the Chicago Bulls in 2018.

Edmond Sumner was the second best scorer with 16 points off the bench, while star player Kevin Durant managed to score 21 of his 23 points during the team's first-half sweep. Durant also added seven rebounds and five assists. Brooklyn reached the record amount despite Kyrie Irving's calf injury, who was absent during the game on Wednesday. Another club record was set by the nine double-digit scorers among the 12 Nets players that played, and it was set in some style. The Warriors put up a good fight but the first half was too overwhelming for them and they never really got an opportunity to hit back and make something of the game. According to NBA.com, Jacque Vaughn, the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, said to reporters, “That's what transpires when you arrive at the job and you're prepared for the job from the start.”

The Warriors, who lost to the New York Knicks by 38 points last Tuesday, suffered their second lopsided defeat in a row, some tough times at the office for them right now. Although to be fair, Steve Kerr's team was without Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry. Stephen Curry's shoulder injury is anticipated to keep him out for several weeks and losing one of your star players is never easy for any team. Stephen Curry’s absence surly took its toll on the Warriors against the Nets this Wednesday. According to NBA.com, Durant stated, “We are up against the Warriors. Regardless of who is on the court, you must always be ready for them. They have a winning mentality with a strong system and determined championship players.” The Nets, who now own the NBA record for the longest running unbeaten run, won their seventh straight game to move up to fourth position in the Eastern Conference. The Warriors, on the other hand, are now in last place in the West Conference standings and have the NBA's worst winning percentage this year with a record of 3-16. It is surely a struggling time for the Warriors. The Brooklyn Nets seem to be enjoying life at the moment. How long can their winning streak last? We will find out on their next game which is on Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs.

Manchester City’s first signing of the January 2023 transfer window

Another Argentine?

The Premier League side from Manchester are all set to complete their first signing of the January 2023 transfer window and bring the Argentinian midfielder Maximo Perrone to England. Despite Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s manager telling the media that the club is not going to make any high-profile signings for the first team in this transfer window, reports and rumours keep showing the ongoing background work regarding the talent and the players in which the club might be interested in future. 

How did signing an Argentine work out last season for City?

In last year’s winter transfer window, Manchester City signed Julian Alvarez the Argentina and River Plate forward. Alvarez proved to be a great talent and played in the world cup from his national team as well, resulting in Argentina winning the world cup featuring Lionel Messi winning his first-ever world cup. Even though Alvarez is a second choice forward for Man City because of the goal scoring machine Erling Haaland, the Alvarez deal also proved to be a huge success for the club as the forward managed to score 7 goals in his 21 games. Haaland was signed by Man City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window before the 2022/23 season kicked off.

About the deal.

This year, Manchester City are about to close a deal on another Argentina player, keeping fingers crossed for their central midfield depth. Maximo Perrone will join his new club next season after the deal is closed. The deal is worth 8 million dollars plus taxes, and it is clear that the 19 year old Argentinian top talent will directly join Man City instead of other clubs owned by the City Football Group. This was confirmed and tweeted on Sunday by the Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, who is known to be one of the most authentic and reliable sources of football transfer news.  

Why was Manchester City eyeing this move?

Considering the German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan’s contract expires at the end of the season and his possible departure because his future at the club remains uncertain, Man City require more backup players and made a move on Maximo Perrone and currently have a verbal agreement with his current club, Velez Sarsfield. Perrone will also fill the vacant space of an excellent backup defensive midfielder allowing some breathing room for Rodri. Reports and rumours also reveal that Kalvin Philipps, City’s new signing for the defensive midfield, is having issues with his new club and is most likely to leave this summer.

Maximo Perrone’s style of play.

Perrone has a rate of 3.29 tackles per game in his 33 games played so far. Due to his ability to play deep in the midfield and direct the state of gameplay and pace of the game, fans have compared Maximo Perrone to Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong and Madrid’s Federico Valverde. Maximo Perrone currently plays for Velez Sarsfield in Argentina’s Primera Division. At international level, he plays for Argentina’s under 20 national team and will depart for Man City after the South American U20 Championship.

Will Conor McGregor ever return to UFC?

 

It's far difficult to mention for sure whether or not Conor "the Notorious" McGregor will fight once again in the UFC octagon. McGregor, who is an Irish professional mixed martial artist and previous fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the featherweight and light-divisions. He has had a successful career in the MMA game, however he has also suffered setbacks and controversies.

In recent times, McGregor was forced into short-term retirement due to previous numerous instances, but would return to the cage after a while. In 2019, he officially announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, but in the year 2020, he made his big return to the UFC and fought one of the most in form fighters of that year, the "Cowboy" Donald Cerrone, which he won with the a technical knockout (TKO) within the first round.

Since that fight, McGregor has not announced any plans to step into the octagon once more. However, he has remained energetic on his social media and has hinted at the possibility of returning to the cage at some point in time. In 2021, McGregor announced that he was in contact regarding his return to the UFC for a rematch with Dustin "the Diamond" Poirier, but those talks fell through and the bout did not materialize. McGregor got injured in the first match with Dustin Poirier and this was the main reason for holding another match with him.

Regardless of his inconsistent UFC career, McGregor is a famous and polarizing figure within the globe of mixed martial arts, and there is constant possibility that he may want to decide to return to the sport at some point in time. But, it's ultimately up to McGregor to determine if he desires to continue fighting, and presently, it is not clear if he has any plans to accomplish that. Along with his career as a professional mixed martial artist, McGregor has also pursued different commercial enterprise ventures and has been recognized for his involvement inside the whiskey industry (Proper No. Twelve) . He has additionally dabbled in boxing and made headlines in 2017 when he fought one of the all time legends of the sport in Floyd Mayweather Jr., in a pretty publicized bout. He lost the match but from there onwards he was recognized as a somewhat of a legend as he had no experience in boxing but still gave tough time to G.O.A.T. of boxing.

On the 7^{th of} October 2018 Conor McGregor fought with long-term rival Khabib 'the Eagle" Nurmagomedov, who is a Russian MMA fighter. It was a very advertised match, as it ended up being biggest draw of UFC in history with 2.4 million Pay-Per-View buys as Conor McGregor was on the top of his game and Khabib Nurmagomedov was undefeated till that match with 29-0 winning streak, but unfortunately McGregor lost that match in the fourth round via submission to a neck crank.

Social media McGregor suggests that he will return but in the welterweight division. Ultimately, whether or not McGregor will return to combat sports again is unsure; however, fans all around the world would love for him to return for one final run. 

The Top 3 Fights of UFC in 2022

1: Jiri Prochazka vs Glover Teixeira

Was there ever any any speck of doubt? The undisputed greatest light heavyweight title battle ever, a stunning conflict of heart, method, and will with additional exciting bends in the road than three Stephen Lord books set up.

A classic fight was brought as promised by Prochazka's all-action, semi-improvised striking and Teixeira's combination of expert wrestling and savage power-punching.

The first three rounds were a burst of offence. Any extensive standup exchange saw Prochazka's barrage of offence put Teixeira on the ropes, but the Brazilian would struggle Prochazka to the mat and continue to beat on him until Prochazka managed to slip out from under it, and it started all over again just like before.

But once they got to the championship rounds, Teixeira's familiarity with rough water started to come through.

In the first few seconds of the fifth round, Teixeira nearly finished Prochazka, whose never-ending engine appeared to be finally giving out. 

However, the famous black belt to suffer the first defeat by submission of his MMA career.

This main event had everything you could possibly desire from a main event, from brutality to drama to technique, and it more than merits its position at the top of this year's ranking.

 

2: Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns

 

The two men entered this matchup with a ton to demonstrate. For Khamzat Chimaev, this was an opportunity to show that his until now relentless assault would neutralize a first class Welterweight but for Gilbert, it was a shot at recovery in the wake of going to pieces against Kamaru Usman.

Initially, it looked like Chimaev was more capable. His wrestling and top control demonstrated powerful regardless of Consumes' jiu-jitsu family, and a weighty knockdown late in the main seemed like the start of the end for "Durinho."On the off chance that there were any worries about Consumes' heart, however, he tended to them marvelously, handling a stunning 56 power-punches with 62% exactness in the subsequent round. He addressed the knockdown with one of his own and seemed to be strategically set up to take the third round.

Chimaev, thusly, demonstrated his own assurance. With his takedowns done delivering results, he followed Consumes from one chime to another and released almost 100 huge strikes simultaneously. Consumes answered with many bombs after bomb, yet Chimaev's hostility and sturdiness conveyed him to the hardest triumph of his vocation. Chimaev may have recently made some incredibly bad decisions, but that war will always be with him.

 

3: Stephen Thompson vs Kevin Holland

God bless Kevin Holland for making the decision to strike even though it didn't work out for him. It was good to see "Wonderboy" back in full swing against a willing dance partner after repeatedly watching Stephen Thompson being grappled.

What a dance it was as well. In the course of four rounds, the two of them attempted roughly 500 strikes collectively, of which all but 22 were meaningful. In the beginning, the bigger, younger Holland was in charge, buckling Thompson with a vicious right hand and never letting him get into a good striking rhythm. It wouldn't last long, however, as Thompson quickly kicked into gear and began throwing his trademark lightning-quick kicks and nasty punches flurry.

When Holland injured his hand, things got even worse for him, but to his credit, he never gave up attempting to fight back. Even though Thompson outclassed him by four to one in the fourth, he fought the urge to submit and only submitted at his corner's urging.

Everything about Cristiano Ronaldo’s new club, Al-Nassr.

November of 2022 saw Cristiano Ronaldo officially confirm that he was leaving Manchester United in an abrupt adieu. The Portuguese superstar and the Red Devils mutually agreed to terminate his contract, and since then, Ronaldo has been linked with various high profiles in Europe. It was heavily reported that CR7 pressed for a move to a Champions League team, but has now ultimately left European football, and perhaps will never return to the biggest stage in club football. December 30 2022 is a monumental date in history as it saw Ronaldo sign for the Saudi club Al-Nassr, who put out an offer that the Portuguese legend could not refuse for any longer. Cristiano Ronaldo now is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, but who are the Saudi Arabian team?

Al-Nassr’s profile

Al-Nassr is a Saudi Arabian club that plays its football in the Saudi Pro League. They are considered as one of the crown jewels of Saudi football and are one of the most widely known Saudi Arabian clubs. Al-Nassr, who are also known as Al-Aalami or Faris Najd, have their HQ located in Riyadh. The former coach of Roma, Marseille, and Lyon, Rudi Garcia has been given charge of the Saudi club. Al-Nassr play their home games in yellow and blue strips at the Mrsool Park, a 25,000-capacity stadium that also has had the privilege to host the very first F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

All about Al-Nassr’s history

Al-Nassr are one of the most illustrious clubs in the Saudi Pro League and were was founded in the year 1955. The have had the honor and quality to win nine league championships, six King's Cups, three Crown Prince's Cups, three Federation Cups, and two Saudi Super Cups with other team honors as well. 1998 was a stellar year for the club as they won the double by winning the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the Asian Super Cup and also winning the GCC Champions League twice. The previous season saw the finish third in the league and were also eliminated for the AFC Champions League and the local cup by Al-Hilal. Currently, the are first in the league and are being martialed by second place Al-Shabab.  

Fan response to Cristiano Ronaldo signing

Currently leading the Saudi Arabian league, Cristiano Ronaldo's new team is apparently interested in signing Sergio Ramos, a former Real Madrid colleague. Although he hasn't yet played a game for his new team, Ronaldo is already a crowd favourite. In the seventh minute of the team's 1-0 victory over Al-Khaleej on Saturday, Al Nassr fans performed the famous Cristiano Ronaldo celebration chant, "SIUUUUU," in chorus to mark the confirmation of the 37-year-two-year old's deal. There were also Portuguese flags in the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium crowd. Vincent Aboubakar's goal in the fifth minute gave Al Nassr the victory and kept them one point ahead of the leaders in the standings. After weeks of rumours were put to rest on Friday with the official announcement of Ronaldo's signing, Al Nassr supporters lined out to purchase the shirts. Whether Ronaldo makes his debut against Al Ta'ae on Thursday at Al Nassr's 25,000-seat Mrsool Park is yet to be determined.

What can Cristiano Ronaldo expect in Saudi Arabia

David Ospina, a former goalkeeper for Arsenal, Vincent Aboubakar, a forward from Cameroon, and Talisca, a Brazilian striker who has nine goals this season, are among Cristiano Ronaldo’s new teammates. The former Manchester United forward Odion Ighalo is one of three players with six goals behind. But for Ronaldo, whose career to now has been based in the legendary football towns of Lisbon, Manchester, Madrid, and Turin, life in Saudi Arabia will be a completely new experience.

Eliesse Ben Seghit: Another Youth Sensation by AS Monaco?

 

Monaco are well known for producing spectacular youth talents. In the last few years, we have seen this team produce the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Martial, James Rodriguez, Bernado Silva and many more. Their latest contribution to the talent pool of young footballers seems to be Eliesse Ben Seghit.

In last Wednesday's Ligue 1 match between Monaco and AJ Auxerre, the 17-year-old youngster scored twice as he came off the bench, including a spectacular long-range shot. The young player stole the show against Auxerre despite the fact that he hasn't yet been listed on Monaco's website as a member of the first team squad. At halftime, with the score tied 1-1, Monaco's gaffer Philippe Clement made three substitutions, including the talented Ben Seghir for his first Ligue 1 start. The club's youth academy was where the French attacking midfielder, who played with the number 44, first began his career. Ben Seghir had a very late replacement cameo in the Europa League in November, but this outstanding effort against Auxerre has really given his name a world view in terms of youth talent.

 He scored his first goal only Thirteen minutes into his professional league debut, slipping the ball past the goalkeeper after Aleksandr Golovin set him up. If his initial attempt was impressively made, his second goal showed that Monaco seemed to have discovered another future star. In the 85th minute, with the game tied at 2-2, Ben Seghir caught the ball on the left, cut inside, and released a spectacular attempt that flew past the goalkeeper and nestled right into the bottom corner of the net. The youngster spun away in excitement with his teammates, and you witnessed the pure joy on his face.

According to the club's website, Monaco defender Malang Sarr commented, “I am certainly not surprised. He is a player that accepts responsibility and is not scared to attempt new things. It's remarkable for someone that young.”

“We are thrilled to have a young player with that talent because he can save us from trying circumstances like this one. Since it is his evening, I hope he has a good time. We are delighted for him.”

Following France icon Thierry Henry, Ben Seghir became the second-youngest player to score two goals for Monaco in Ligue 1. According to Monaco, Ben Seghir, who is 17 years and 315 days old, also passed Kylian Mbappé, Pietro Pellegri, Henry, and Benoît Badiashile as the fifth-youngest player in Ligue 1 to score for the team. When his team plays Brest on Sunday, Ben Seghir will be hoping that his heroics will be sufficient enough to earn him a starting spot in the line ups.

Have Monaco yet again produced another youth sensation for football lovers around the world to enjoy? Will Eliesse Ben Seghir be the next big thing in the coming years? We would all sure love to see another Project Mbappe in the making. There's no doubt that France's future in football is in good hands thanks to another AS Monaco star. 

Will Arsenal’s unstoppable run in the PL crown them as champions?

The Gunners finished their year in the best way on Saturday, retaining the first position on the Premier League table with 43 points after a 4-2 win over Brighton. Their unstoppable run throughout the season with some star performances by Martin Odegaard along with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have kept them on top of the table. Manchester City, last season’s champions currently hold the second place with a difference of 7 points which indicates that Arsenal are in the clear for the title race.

Defending champions’ point of view

Manchester City fans still believe they are in the title race, despite a draw at home against Everton on Saturday. Last season, they were eleven points behind at this stage and still managed to win the league after an incredible super sub comeback against Steven Gerard’s Aston Villa by scoring three goals in five minutes. This year, Erling Haaland who is a goal scoring machine, is keeping their hopes high along with Kevin De Bruyne and others in the midfield. Considering that two Arsenal vs Man City fixtures are yet to be played, things can result differently if City wins both of them along with rest of their remaining matches. Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s manager and Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s manager, both are confident and looking forward to the upcoming fixtures.

Will the transfer window result in something big for arsenal?

As the January transfer window goes live, many reports and rumours about Arsenal looking to increase their squad depth are also coming on the surface. As their main forward, Gabriel Jesus is injured, reports say that Arsenal are very keen to pay 8 million pounds to sign the Portuguese forward Joao Felix on a six-month loan.

Arsenal had also placed an initial bid of 60 million euros for Shakhtar Donetsk’s forward Mykhaylo Mudryk, but their vice director Nicolini rejected it saying it was not enough for the Ukrainian winger and they needed a higher bid. Shakhtar had initially placed a price of 85 million pounds on Mudryk. Rumours say that the Gunners are now preparing a second bid for Mykhaylo Mudryk.

While Arsenal looks to retain the key players like Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba and Bukayo Saka, the Italian side Juventus are planning a swap deal to sign Bukayo Saka in exchange with Serbian forward Dusan Vlahovic. Atletico Madrid are also offering Joao Felix to The Old Lady in exchange for Dusan Vlahovic.

The Gunners will have to choose the best deal and execute it perfectly keeping in mind the Premier League title race while they might be successful in signing their long time target, Mykhaylo Mudryk, after successful agreement on personal terms with the player. Mudryk, however, is not keeping his interest in Arsenal as a secret and also posted a story on Instagram, watching Arsenal vs Brighton and praising the managers of both sides. Arsenal’s Premier League rivals, Chelsea also appear to be interested in the Ukrainian winger but signs are good for Arsenal and they still remain confident to close the deal.

Pakistan continues it’s fight to avoid loss in first Test after Williamson double ton

 

New Zealand are playing their first Test Series after 20 years. After New Zealand took the upper hand, Pakistan will need to bat out the final day to avoid losing in the first Test. Pakistan concluded the fourth day on a shaky 77-2, down by 174 runs after the first innings, with Imam-ul-Haq on 45 and night watchman Nauman Ali on four. Pakistan has now behind England by 97 runs with eight wickets intact after losing their last four Tests, including a first-ever 3-0 whitewash.

The job of salvaging a tie for the host team should not be difficult on a National Stadium field that has not yet taken a severe turn, but their recent proclivity for middle-order failures has offered New Zealand a scent of victory.

 

Opener Abdullah Shafique was the first wicket to fall, caught at mid on for 17 after playing an injudicious lofted shot off spinner Michael Bracewell. Then Shan Masood was adjudged leg before off Ish Sodhi for 10 before Haq and Nauman brought the day to a close. Earlier, Williamson's undefeated double century helped the tourists declare their first innings on 612-9, a healthy 174-run lead over Pakistan's 438.

Williamson scored 200 after batting for ten hours and belting 21 boundaries and a six in an innings in which he overturned two leg-before rulings on 13 and 116. On 15 and 21, he was similarly stumped by spinner Nauman.

Williamson and Sodhi battled Pakistani bowling in the opening session, taking the total to 595 when their seventh wicket stand was broken. Sodhi was caught off Ahmed for 65 yards, breaking his previous record set in 2018 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.

 

Milestone

As New Zealand lost three wickets in the space of two runs, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner fell without scoring, but last man Ajaz Patel held his ground to help Williamson achieve the milestone. It's good to be a part of a number of partnerships that have given us a competitive total and put us in a reasonable position is what Williamson thought at the moment who has now scored a double century in each of the last four seasons. But he still thought it would be difficult to force a victory. as he realizes there will be a lot of hard effort and patience required to make the best use of the surface aid.

 

Pakistan spinner Ahmed who bowled England's Root out in his debut Test in Multan. He lamented the pitch's lack of help. Whether you're a mystery spinner or whatever, you need some support from the pitch, but when you don't receive any help, it's difficult to get wickets he explained. He did, however, compliment Williamson. he said I've bowled against (Joe) Root, but the manner Williamson has batted shows how brilliant he is. As Williamson is exceptional and effortlessly plays good balls. Nauman Ali took 3-185 and Ahmed finished with 5-205, his second five-wicket haul.

Done Deal: Cristiano Ronaldo to join Saudi Arabian Club Al Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of Portugal, left Manchester United and signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr, the club told reporters Friday. Following an intense public interview in which the 37-year-old superstar claimed to feel betrayed by the club and to have no regard for their Dutch boss Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo left Old Trafford last month. It was a controversial explosion as the legend of Manchester United lashed out and ranted about the current situation and management flaws on a live interview with Piers Morgan. A lot of the clubs fans stood by his statement while the other half disagreed with his views and called his interview a childish and unprofessional act. But everyone knew in the back of their minds that his career at Manchester United was probably over after that explosive interview.

The Portuguese striker had previously attempted to leave Old Trafford over the summer transfer window, but was unable to make a move and found it difficult to get along with Erik ten Hag, United's new manager. The Portugal star spoke candidly with Piers Morgan about a variety of topics, including the Red Devils, Ten Hag, Lionel Messi, the World Cup, his impending retirement, and much more. 

Ronaldo on Manchester United:

Naturally, Ronaldo's former club was the primary focus of the discussion, and when questioned about the Red Devils since his homecoming in 2021, he was brutally blunt. 

He felt as if there had been zero progress made in terms of growth and improvement of the club and its players. He compared United's facilities with his previous two clubs, Real Madrid in Spain and Juventus in Italy. Ronaldo emphasized that the technology and equipment used at Manchester United's training and nutritional facilities was suboptimal at best when compared to his past experiences, which was a surprise to him. He then recalls his initial statement saying "After Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United's manager during Ronaldo's first period at the club) left, there was no progress at the club at all". 

Ronaldo Signs to Al Nassr:

On new years eve, Al Nassr released a club statement announcing Cristiano Ronaldo's next step of his huge career. The club states that the five time Ballon Dor winner has signed with them until 2025, a two and a half year contract. 

The media has projected that Ronaldo's contract is worth more than 200 million euros ($214.04 million). This move has some fans speculating that Ronaldo's time in the spotlight in about to finish. If so, Ronaldo will go out as one of the greatest football player of all time, in the world. 

After a dazzling tenure at Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018, in which he won two La Liga trophies, two Spanish Cups, four Champions League medals, and three Club World Cups, Ronaldo not only brings his reputation, but also a serious amount of achievements as well. 

He went on to achieve the landmark of scoring 451 goals for Real, a club record, and has more than over 800 senior goals for club and country total. 

In three year spell with Italian giants Juventus, Ronaldo managed to win two Serie A titles and a Copa Italia trophy before making his shock return to Manchester United, where he previously managed three Premier League titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions League, and the Club World Cup.

There is no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo's achievements and personality will have forever booked his name in the Football Hall of Fame.  

  

2022 BetVictor English Open

 

The 2022 BetVictor English Open, organized by the World Snooker Tour and sponsored by BetVictor, is the seventh ranking tournament of the 2022-2023 snooker season and is the third tournament of the illustrious Home Nations Series. It took place after the Northern Ireland Open and the Scottish Open, and the Welsh Open is the tournament which is set to take place next. The English Open took place from the 12th of December to the 18th of December 2022 in the Brentwood Centre in Brentwood, England. The big guns for the tournament include world's number one Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Williams, John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, and the newly crowned Scottish Open champion Gary Wilson. The winner of the tournament received £80,000 out of a total prize pool of £427,000.  

The 2022-2023 season has been one which has been filled with surprises as the heavyweights of the game are yet to register ranking title wins. The Rocket Ronnie O'Sullivan has two tournament victories in the season but they were non-ranking titles in the form of the Hong Kong Masters and the Champion of Champions. The thunder from down under, Neil Robertson as also had non-ranking title success in the form of the World Mixed Doubles with his partner in the event, Mink Nutcharut. The winner of the Northern Ireland Open and UK championship, Mark Allen leads the table for this season where as Scottish Open champion Gary Wilson rises to 5th is the list. To ensure their entry into the Player's Championship, to maintain their world ranking, and to get some momentum for the rest of the season, the snooker greats had to step up. 

The qualifiers for the tournament took place from 25th October to 30th October 2022 in the Morningside Arena of Leicester, where as the games involving the top sixteen ranked players took place in Brentwood at the time of the tournament. Controversy kicked off the tournament as Chinese national Yan Bingtao was suspended from professional snooker by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) due to an ongoing match-fixing investigation. 

It was a milestone tournament for the Welsh potting machine Mark Williams who recorded the tournament's highest break, a magical 147 maximum against Neil Robertson in the quarter final's fourth frame. This is his third maximum break of his professional career and he also became the oldest player to make a professional maximum break at the age of 47 years and 270 days. The defending champion Robertson was defeated by Mark Selby by 4 frames to 6 in the semi-final. Selby recorded his first win against the Australian in over two years and it was the first time he reached the final of a ranking event since World Championship in 2021. In the final, Selby met Belgian Luca Brecel who is ranked number eleven in the world. Luca managed 2 century breaks in the final including a break of 122. Selby's highest break was of 90 but he managed seven 50+ breaks that were enough for him to secure a 9-6 victory over the Belgian. Mark Selby's victory made him the very first player to ever win the English Open twice, and just the second individual, after Judd Trump, to be triumphant in a total of four Home Nation tournaments and it has allowed him to improve his ranking and become second in the World Snooker rankings.        

Indiana Pacers Top Cavs (135-126) As Buddy Hield Hit 11 3s

 

Bennedict Mathurin had 23 points, Nesmith had 22, and Myles Turner had 14 to help Indiana stop a five-game losing streak over the Cavaliers.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 29 points and Buddy Hield added 25 as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 135-126 on Thursday night. Hield, who leads the NBA in 3-pointers, was 5 for 6 while Haliburton was 6 for 8. The Pacers made 19 of 31 attempts from beyond the arc.

Indiana fell behind by seven points in the fourth quarter before recovering. With only 4:26 remaining, Hield fed Nesmith for the game winning slam, giving the Pacers a 120-119 advantage. On the next possession, Haliburton executed a three-point play, and the Pacers never trailed again. 

Their coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, whose team ranks first in the league in fewest points allowed per game at 105.5, urged them to focus on defense because that is what the game was all about. They choose to play Indiana Pacers basketball because that is their strength

Benedict Mathurin had 23 points and Myles Turner had 14 as Indiana snapped a five-game losing streak to the Cavaliers, who had lost three straight. All Star guard, Donovan Mitchell led a balanced Cleveland offence with seven double-digit scorers with 28 points. Mitchell hit five of the Cavaliers' 12 three-point attempts. Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen both had 19 points for Cleveland, and All-Star guard Darius Garland finished with 18 points and eight assists.

The 3-point onslaught started only three seconds in, when the opening tip was batted directly to Hield, who pivoted and swished the fastest 3-pointer recorded since play-by-play began in 1996-97. The Pacers shot 9 of 15 from beyond the arc in the first half, while the cavaliers shot only 7 of 14. At Halftime, cavaliers lead 68-64.

Donovan Mitchell scored 18 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-112 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. With 3:41 remaining, Mitchell hit his seventh 3-pointer of the game, putting Cleveland up 112-110.

Indiana had taken its highest lead of the game, 103-90, earlier in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Aaron Nesmith. The Cavaliers outscored the Pacers 35-18 in the fourth quarter, preventing Indiana from making a field goal in the last 5:42. Cleveland advanced to 13-2 at Rocket Mortgage Field House, tied for the best home record in the NBA with Memphis.

 

The 28-9 game-winning run came after a scuffle between Mitchell and Pacers youngster Benedict Mathurin, who both clutched the ball after a whistle. After a foul was called on Mitchell, their arms remained entwined for over 30 seconds, but no words were said.

Hield was nearly perfect from outside the arc in Thursday's win, scoring 15 of 25 points from beyond the arc while at the same time contributing elsewhere. Throughout the month of December, the Oklahoma product has been blistering hot from three, averaging 4.2 made three point per game at a 52.5 percent clip over 15 appearances.

T20 World Cup 2022 Summary

 

The T20 world cup is always a extremely anticipated event, globe had been waiting for this event as the pandemic was there no such events were hosted by any countries. ICC men’s T20 world cup was hosted by Australia being the defender of 2018 world cup, the world cup was held from 16 October till 13 November 2022. Due to Covid-19 this word cup was postponed from 2020 to 2022.

There was a total of 16 teams participating in this world cup which included Australia being the Host, these 11 teams were the top team from the previous 2021 ICC men’s T20 world cup, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, India, Namibia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and the 4 other teams were from the Global Qualifier A and B, Ireland and United Arab Emirates were from Qualifier A which was held from 18 to 24 February 2022 in Oman, Netherlands and Zimbabwe were from Qualifier B which was held from 11 to 17 July 2022 in Zimbabwe.

ICC revealed the names of empires and referees on 3^rd October 2022 for the group matches who were from 8 different countries, Referees and empires for the Semi-finals were revealed on 7^th November 2022.

Venues: This tournament was held in 7 different grounds of Australia which were in different cities. Adelaide Oval ground which is in Adelaide city has a capacity of 55,317 people.

The Gabba ground in Brisbane city which has a capacity of 42,000 people.

Kardinia Park gorund which is in Geelong city that has a capacity of 26,000 people.

Bellerive Oval ground which is located in Hobart and has a capacity of 20,000 people.

Perth stadium in Perth having 61,266 peoples capacity.

Melbourne Cricket ground in Melbourne city having the highest capacity of people which consists of 100,024.

Sydney cricket ground which is in Sydney having capacity of 48,601 people.

The prize money for this tournament winner is massive $1.6 million. Runners-up are also having half the amount of the winners which is $800,000. Total amount to be distributed among the teams will be $5.6 million.

 

First Round Group A had 4 teams Namibia, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, and United Arab Emirates from which Sri Lanka having NRR 0.677 and Netherlands having NRR -0.162 qualified to super 12.

Group B of first round also had 4 teams Scotland, West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe from which Zimbabwe having NRR 0.200 and Ireland having NRR 0.105 qualified to super 12.

Group 1 including Afghanistan, Australia, England, New Zealand, Ireland and Sri Lanka. Group 2 consisting Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Netherlands and Zimbabwe.

From Group 1 New Zealand was on top of the table and on second was England which qualified to knockout stage.

From Group 2 India was on the top of the table and Pakistan on second which also qualified to knockout stage.

At the last of this tournament the semi-finals were held between New Zealand and Pakistan, New Zealand giving a target of 152 which was chased by Pakistan with only 3 wickets.

Second semi-final was held between India and England, India gave target of 168 but it was chased easily by England with their openers in 16 over’s.

The Final has held on 13^th November 2022 in Melbourne Cricket ground between Pakistan and England. There were a total of 80,462 audiences in the ground. The match was very engaging as it was giving 1992 world cup feelings having the same teams in final and the same ground but at the England Won the Final by 5 wickets.  

Farewell Rei Pele, the Legend of Football.

In a game of football today, whatever you see, Pele has already done it. The 82-year old legend of the most beautiful sport in the world and a three-time world cup winner departed from the world on Thursday while fighting a long battle with cancer.

The world expressed its sorrow and condolences at his death, while FIFA, the governing body of world football lowered all the flags as sign of respect for the Brazilian hero. Many footballers posted their thoughts to pay tribute as well, which include Lionel Messi the GOAT, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Neymar Jr, etc. Many football leagues around the world also indicated to show respect for Pele and pay their tribute by either the players wearing black armbands, a moment of silence before the game or holding a minute of applause before kick-off.

Other sportsperson also expressed their feelings on Pele’s death. The great Indian cricketer, Sachin Tendulker said that Pele’s death was a great loss to the whole world of sports, not just football.

Pele’s birthname was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, but he got his nickname (Pele) in school. He started his career by playing for a minor league club in Sao Paulo, and was not accepted by the major clubs in the city of Sao Paulo. He later joined the Santos FC as a left forward and won nine league championships. He also won the Libertadores Cup and the International Club Cup. Pele’s international career started in 1957, when he made his debut at the age of 16. He scored in his both debuts, international and club. After Pele won his first world cup in 1958, Pele was announced as a national treasure by the Brazilian government. As he became a national hero, people started calling him “Perola Negra” which means “Black Pearl”.

Apart from his greatest contributions for the world’s greatest sport, Pele also influenced in stopping a civil war. His team was touring Nigeria while it was in the middle of a catastrophic civil war. The war stopped for 48 hours so that both sides in the conflict could witness a game of football and the great player, Pele. The match was drawn 2-2, Pele scoring both goals for his side. There are although many versions of this story, where some people say the fighting only stopped for the game, some claim that fighting had been paused for one night before, and some say that gunshots could be heard outside the stadium during the game.

In 1969, the fans paid Pele a tribute after his 1000^th professional goal was recognized. Pele was not even 30 years old when he achieved this milestone. There is still a debate going on about the total number of goals netted by the Brazilian, whereas Pele himself claimes the number of his goals to be 1283.

Pele also held office as a minister of sports for Brazil in 1995, but later in 1998 he resigned. Pele was also criticized for his conservative views.

Pele was being treated at the Albert Einstein Hospital, where he died fighting cancer at the age of 82, due to multiple organ failure. Farewell, legend.

Max Verstappen: The #1 Formula 1 Driver

 

For the very first time in his career, Max Verstappen began the formula 1 campaign as the world champion. The Red Bull driver had the best car in the circuit as he looked to defend his title and had an entire grid of fierce rivals who were looking to take the world championship title away from him. 

His win in 2021 was not controversy free as many F1 fans believed that he did not deserve the title and he had wrongfully overtaken Mercedes driver Sir Lewis Hamilton. However, Verstappen was entirely blameless as the director of the race Michael Masi had incorrectly allowed the Dutch driver to overtake Hamilton on the final lap of the race. Despite his innocence, he continually had to deal with these claims throughout the season. 

The dawn of the new season proved to be a difficult one for Verstappen as he not only had to fend of the controversy of last season, but also look to continue his long-term battle with Mercedes. This presented an opportunity for other drivers and one which Ferrari associated Charles Leclerc took as he got the first pole position of the campaign. The fight for the pole position was between Verstappen and Leclerc as the Dutch chased the Monacan for almost the entire race and he fell short in the last few laps.

During the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Verstappen battled against Leclerc again and due to safety car, the Red Bull driver managed to take the lead and would eventually go on to seal his first victory of the season. The biggest distance in terms of points (46 point lead) Leclerc would manage over Verstappen was established during the Australian Grand Prix where the Dutch driver would face fuel system problems that took him out of the race. Max would go on to lose two pole positions to the two Ferraris (Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz) in Miami. However, he managed to have nerves of steel as he managed to win the rest of the races and he took him the Miami Grand Prix. The Spanish Grand Prix saw Verstappen win again as he battled against his team mate and fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. Many fans felt that Perez let Verstappen win due to team orders, but it was obvious that Max was the fastest on that day. 

The Monaco Grand Prix determined to be frustrating for the 2021 world champion as he managed to finish third and his team-mate Perez took home the victory for Red Bull. There were reports that Verstappen was suspicious of Perez's win. He put these reports to bed when he won his fifth grand prix in Baku as he won with 20 seconds between him and Perez after both Ferraris self-destructed in the early parts of the race. The races before and after the summer break helped fortify Verstappen's championship defense and were also a couple of his most dominant performances of the season.

However, his most dominant victory of his career came in the Belgian Grand Prix where power unit penalty led Verstappen to go to the back of the grid regardless of where he qualified. His pole finish got converted to 14th place at the start of the final race. Max being Max saw him take the lead from 14th place just in 14 laps, which is quite incredible. He was on an entire different wavelength as compared to his competition during that event.

During the Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen put in another world class performance and was almost untouchable on the Suzuka Circuit. The closest to him on that day was Charles Leclerc but even he could not come close as the Dutch driver won by almost 30 seconds on a race that was cut short due to rain. Leclerc was hit with a post-race penalty which, after a great deal of confusion, saw Verstappen's lead in the championship table become invincible. This saw him become the world champion once again and he had retained his title. The championship victory would not let him ease up on the competition as he looked to break Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher's record of most wins in a season. He equaled that record with his 13th win of the season in the United States Grand Prix. He went on to set a new record with his 14th win in the Mexican Grand Prix. The final round of the season during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen was victorious and he took the checkered flag to a show of pyrotechnics. 

The end of the final event not only signaled the end of the 2022 season, but also cemented Max Verstappen's successful championship defense which is considered one of the most dominant and unabating runs that a formula 1 driver has ever produced. The way he won the 2021 championship sparked a lot of debate and speculation; but, the Red Bull driver's 2022 championship run has left no debate or question of any kind. Max Verstappen owned 2022, was the most deserving of the title, and was the best driver during the entire season. 

HBL PSL 8th Edition

 

The eighth edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) is scheduled to take place from February 9th 2023 to March 19th 2023. The tournament will take place in Karachi, Multan, Rawalpindi, and Lahore. The draft for the PSL 8 took place on the 15th of December 2022.

Previously, it was implied by former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mr. Ramiz Raja that the draft would be replaced by an auction as is done for the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the draft format was retained. The reigning and defending champions Lahore Qalandars were awarded the first pick of the draft. All the teams in the tournament were given the right to one wildcard pick and were also given the right-to-match card which enabled the teams to repurchase a single player that they had released on the day of the draft and this was done by paying a fee as per the category of the pick. The categories and respective fees (in US dollars) are:

• Platinum (130,000-170,000)
• Diamond (60,000-80,000)
• Gold (40,000-50,000)
• Silver (25,000)
• Emerging (7,500)

The major shake-up that came from the draft was the captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team, Babar Azam, being traded to Peshawar Zalmi, along with a supplementary pick, from Karachi Kings. The Kings got the veteran Shoaib Malik and exciting young talent Haider Ali in return. The list for the retained players for each team was unveiled on the 11th of November 2022 and each team in the franchise were allowed a maximum of eight players to be retained from the previous campaign. All of the teams, with the exception of Peshawar Zalmi, utilized the allocated retention quota. For the draft, an upwards of 490 foreign players were registered, the highest this number has ever been. Players to be drafted in the emerging category must be less than 23 years of age as of the first day of 2023 and could have participated in less than 10 matches from any of the previous campaigns and would not be a part of their national squads. The complete squads for PSL 8 are as follows:

Lahore Qalandars:

The reigning and defending champions scouted some new talents as per their Player Development Programme.

• Platinum Category: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman and Rashid Khan (Afghanistan). 
• Diamond Category: Haris Rauf (Brand Ambassador), Hussain Talat, and David Wiese (Namibia).
• Gold Category: Abdullah Shafique, Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), and Liam Dawson (England). 
• Sliver Category: Kamran Ghulam, Dilbar Hussain, Mirza Tahir Baig, Ahmed Daniyal, and Harry Brook (England).
• Emerging  Category: Zaman Khan, and Shawaiz Irfan.
• Supplementary Category: Jalat Khan, and Jordan Cox (England).

Islamabad United:

The record two-time champions managed to cultivate a strong squad and are real contenders for the Qalandar's crown.

• Platinum Category: Shadab Khan, Alex Hales (England), and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan).
• Diamond Category: Asif Ali (Brand Ambassador), Muhammad Wasim, and Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan).
• Gold Category: Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, and Hassan Ali.
• Silver Category: Colin Munro (Mentor), Paul Stirling (Ireland), Abrar Ahmed, Sohaib Maqsood,  and Rumman Raees. 
• Emerging Category: Zeeshan Zameer, and Hassan Nawaz.
• Supplementary Category: Mubasir Khan, and Moeen Ali (England).

Karachi Kings:

The kings picked a squad that is comprised of players that have a real affinity for T20i's.

• Platinum Category: Haider Ali, Matthew Wade (Australia), and Imran Tahir (South Africa).
• Diamond Category: Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik, James Vince (England), and James Fuller (New Zealand).
• Gold Category: Andrew Tye (Australia).
• Silver Category: Aamer Yamin, Mir Hamza, Sharjeel Khan, Tayyab Tahir, and Muhammad Akhlaq. 
• Emerging Category: Qasim Akram, and Irfan Khan.
• Supplementary Category: Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa), and Mohammad Umar.

Multan Sultans:

Although the sultans let go of Imran Tahir and Sohaib Maqsood, they still have a squad that can continue on from where they left off in the previous seasons.

• Platinum Category: Muhammad Rizwan, David Miller (South Africa), and Josh Little (Ireland).
• Diamond Category: Khushdil Shah, Shan Masood, and Rilee Rossouw (South Africa).
• Gold Category: Shahnawaz Dahani (Brand Ambassador), Tim David (Australia), and Akeal Hossain (West Indies).
• Silver Category: Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Sameen Gul, Anwar Ali, and Muhammad Sarwar.
• Emerging Category: Abbas Afridi, and Ihsanullah.
• Supplementary Category: Arafat Minhas, and Adil Rashid (England).

Peshawar Zalmi:

Zalmi took a new approach and put their faith in the captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team, and in aggressive players who are proven match-winners.

• Platinum Category: Babar Azam, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka), and Rovman Powell (West Indies).
• Diamond Category: Wahab Riaz, Sherfan Rutherford (West Indies), and Mujeeb ur Rahman (Afghanistan).
• Gold Category: Muhammad Haris, Danish Aziz, and Arshad Iqbal.
• Silver Category: Aamer Jamal (Brand Ambassador), Salman Irshad, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (England), Saim Ayub, and Usman Qadir.
• Emerging Category: Sufiyan Muqeem, and Haseebullah Khan.
• Supplementary Category: Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand).

Quetta Gladiators:

The gladiators have a very strong team with the addition of some new talented and excited youngsters.

• Platinum Category: Muhammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, and Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka).
• Diamond Category: Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy (England), and Odean Smith (West Indies).
• Gold Category: Mohammad Hasnain (Brand Ambassador), Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Ahsan Ali.
• Silver Category: Umar Akmal (Mentor), Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan), Will Smeed (England), Umaid Asif, and Muhammad Zahid.
• Emerging Category: Abdul Bangalzai, and Aimal Khan.
• Supplementary Category: Martin Guptill (New Zealand), and Omair Yousuf.