indian express

Former captain Azhar Ali has expressed deep dismay over the ongoing crisis in Pakistan cricket following the team making wholesale changes to its squad on the ongoing Test tour of England, adding that the side has become consistent in the most negative way. Azhar's scathing assessment comes in the wake of severe fallout after heavy defeats at Headingley and Lord's, which saw head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul being relieved of their duties and seven players sent home. The turmoil has drawn widespread criticism, with Shahid Afridi calling it ‘the most shocking decision ever' and Misbah-ul-Haq resigning as a selector in protest. "People used to say you could expect anything from Pakistan – that any team could turn up on any given day and either be 46 all out or win from nowhere. But we don't even do that inconsistency any more. We've become totally consistent – in the most negative way. “Cricket in Pakistan needs proper care and a vision tha...

Former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan on Sunday said that there was no discrimination of players based on region in the national team selection, but admitted that luck could play a part in the process. "No, there is certainly no discrimination," Dhawan told reporters at a press conference when asked whether there was discrimination of players from Jammu and Kashmir as they do not get many opportunities. "If you perform, no one on earth can keep you out; your performance must do the talking. Sometimes, luck also plays its part. That isn't exclusive to J&K. Whether it's a boy from Delhi or Mumbai, you will find plenty of instances where a player deserved an opportunity, but didn't get it, and someone else was picked instead. That is simply part and parcel of this game," he said. The press conference was called to announce the launch of Pro Star Cricket League (PSCL) Season 2. The tournament, dedicated to identifying and nurturing emerging cricket ...

Senior officials at the White House have been quietly vetting potential replacements for Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg.  Reuters reported that the vetting effort dates back to at least June, with two of its sources saying White House officials had sounded out senior Senators on whether prospective nominees could win confirmation. One source indicated the exercise was still active as recently as late August, though the outlet could not pin down exactly when the search began or who was being considered. The administration, meanwhile, insists no such process exists and that Feinberg remains firmly in his post. Both the White House and the Pentagon rejected the report outright. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the sourcing behind the story, while Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Feinberg had his complete backing and was "doing a tremendous job." The Pentagon separately denied that any replacement search was under way and declined to make Fei...

Nine flights were diverted and more than 400 delayed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Friday as thunderstorms and heavy rain disrupted flight operations. According to an official, four flights each were diverted to Jaipur and Lucknow, while one was diverted to Ahmedabad. The diversions took place between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., PTI reported, citing an official. Heavy rain lashed several parts of the national capital on Friday afternoon. ALSO READ | Air India Terminates Phuket-Delhi Flight Captain After Positive Banned Substance Tests More than 400 flights were delayed at Delhi airport on Friday, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.com. Lucknow Airport said four flights bound for Delhi were diverted to Lucknow due to adverse weather conditions in the national capital: QP 1821: Bengaluru-Delhi | Arrived at Lucknow at 4:37 p.m. AI 484: Ludhiana-Delhi | Arrived at 4:50 p.m.; departed at 5:51 p.m. AI 2516: Indore-Delhi | A...

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) is set to revise the framework for its pre-open market session from Sept 7, bringing the order collection and price discovery process closer to the mechanism used during the Closing Auction Session. While the pre-open session will continue to operate from 9:00 am to 9:15 am, the exchange is changing the manner in which orders can be placed and matched during the 15-minute window. The revised framework is aimed at making the pre-open auction process more structured and strengthening the process of price discovery at the start of the trading day. What Is Changing In NSE Pre-Open Session? Under the revised framework, market and limit orders will be permitted only during the first five minutes of the pre-open session, from 9:00 am to 9:05 am. From 9:05 am to 9:10 am, only limit orders will be allowed. The order matching process and determination of the opening price will then take place between 9:10 am and 9:12 am. This represents a shift from th...

Brokerages have spotlighted opportunities across capital goods, insurance, mining, automobiles, and pharmaceuticals, with fresh calls on L&T, Sun Pharma, SBI Life Insurance, Eicher Motors, and Samvardhana Motherson, alongside their views on the cement and steel sectors and auto sales trends. GS on SBI Life Maintain Buy with TP of Rs 2235 Regulatory overhang on commissions remains, but SBI Life appears relatively insulated Management does not expect material disruption to the bancassurance model Growth guidance remains around 14%–15% on Individual APE Protection growth is not viewed as merely GST-led Margin outlook should be supported by mix shift and operating leverage, despite GST pressure Agency remains a medium-term growth lever, but execution is key Credit life bundling concerns appear limited for SBI Life Citi on L&T Maintain Buy with TP of Rs 4650 Robust Order Inflow Momentum Strengthens Medium Term Visibility Order wins strengthe...