Pakistan’s Asjad Iqbal and Awais Muneer have reached the knockout rounds of the IBSF World 6 Red Snooker Championship 2024 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Asjad achieved a direct spot in the pre-quarterfinals, while Awais will compete in the last-20 round.

Asjad dominated the group stage, winning all three of his matches. In his first game of the day, he defeated India’s Pandurangaiah 4-1 in a strong showing. The frame scores were 41-32, 35-36, 75-08, 50-09 (with a break of 50), and 35-22.

In another thrilling match, Asjad faced Iraq’s Alijalil Ali, clinching a 4-3 victory. Despite trailing at one point, Asjad bounced back and sealed the win with frame scores of 39-23, 30-34, 66-0, 0-41, 1-54, 39-29, and 63-0 (with a break of 58 in the final frame).

Meanwhile, Awais secured a 4-1 win against Singapore’s Jia Jun Ong. He delivered an impressive performance, winning two frames without allowing his opponent to pot a single ball. The scores were 63-0, 65-0, 0-56, 36-02, and 35-26.

In his second match of the day, Awais was involved in a nail-biting contest against Israel’s Shachar Ruberg. Despite a strong start, Awais fell short, losing 4-3. The scores for this match were 16-43 (with a 43 break by Awais), 53-12, 43-13 (with a 43 break by Shachar), 8-64 (with a 64 break by Awais), 33-21, 12-40, and 40-10.

Lahore: The ICC delegation visited Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday after inspecting stadiums in Karachi and Rawalpindi to assess the arrangements for the Champions Trophy.

The delegation reviewed the ongoing developmental work at Gaddafi Stadium, where PCB officials briefed them on the construction progress.

The officials also guided the ICC team through the training venues.

Additionally, the ICC delegation received a briefing on security measures from PCB officials.

There was a possibility of the team visiting the Safe City Authority.

The previous day, the ICC delegation met with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad and expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made at the Karachi and Rawalpindi stadiums.

After completing their review in Lahore, the ICC delegation is set to depart for Dubai.

 

Pakistani-origin British pugilist Hamzah Sheeraz has defeated British boxer Tyler Denny to claim the Middleweight European Boxing championship.

Sheeraz entirely eclipsed his British opponent at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday evening. The undefeated middleweight sent southpaw Denny to the canvas twice before overcoming him through technical knockout (TKO).

The first knockdown came with the help of a combination of right cross and left hook in the first round. Then, the winning boxer downed Denny once more in the second round with a powerful left hook. Referee Mark Bates declared the bout over and waved it off, despite the fact that Denny was able to stand again.

Experts believe Sheeraz’s height and arm length profoundly helped him keep his opponent at bay.

The Pakistani-origin boxer, a resident of London now, has remained undefeated raising the tally of his victories to 21-0 with this one.

In addition to winning Denny’s European title, the 25-year-old also won the Commonwealth and WBC ‘Silver’ titles.

33-year-old Denny, on the other hand, dropped to 19-3-3 and lost the strap. The defeat broke the English athlete’s six-fight winning streak.

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to a three-year, $192.9 million maximum contract extension that guarantees the former MVP a total of $299.5 million through the 2028-29 season, sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

Embiid announced that he and the team had agreed to the extension Friday morning, saying he hopes to remain a Sixer “for the rest of my career.”

“Philadelphia is home. I want to be here for the rest of my career,” Embiid wrote on Instagram. “I love this community and everything you’ve given me and my family. There is a lot more work to do. You guys deserve a championship and I think we’re just getting started!”

Embiid will decline his $59 million player option for the 2026-27 season and sign the new, three-year extension. He will earn $69 million in the final year of the new deal.

His career earnings will swell to $514.8 million with the new agreement, fourth highest in NBA history behind LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Paul George.

The 76ers also announced the extension Friday without disclosing terms. In a statement, Josh Harris, a managing partner of the ownership group, called Embiid “one of the greatest Sixers of all time” who was “on his way to being one of the best players to ever play the game.”

“We’re ecstatic that this extension keeps him and his family in Philadelphia for years to come,” Harris said. “Joel is a great family man, leader, and person. He is an elite two-way player with a combination of size, strength, and athleticism that this league has rarely — if ever — seen. He is integral to this franchise’s quest for another NBA Championship, and we are honored that he continues to choose this organization as his NBA home.”

Embiid’s deal closes an offseason in which the 76ers committed $550 million in new money. They extended All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey on a $204 million deal and signed George to a four-year, $212 million contract. The Sixers also signed free agent forward Caleb Martin, guard Eric Gordon and center Andre Drummond and re-signed guards Kelly Oubre and Kyle Lowry.

Embiid, 30, remains the cornerstone of the franchise, the 2023 NBA MVP who has made All-NBA five times and shown himself to be one of the most dominant centers in the modern history of the sport. He has averaged 27.9 points in his career — fourth most behind Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Luka Doncic, according to ESPN Research.

Last season, Embiid averaged 34.7 points but did not play enough games to qualify for the scoring title. His 1.03 points per minute made him the first player to average a point per minute since Chamberlain in 1961-62, per ESPN Research.