The Pakistan Cricket Board has postponed its Pakistan Super League T20 cricket tournament following rising military tensions between India and Pakistan.
The PCB said it acted on advice from Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“Cricket, while being a unifying force and a source of joy, must take a respectful pause,” the PCB said in a statement on Friday evening.
The PCB had earlier confirmed that it would relocate the eight remaining PSL matches to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, citing growing concerns among overseas players and the need to prioritise their safety.
The latest announcement, however, said the PSL was being postponed and gave no indication of whether this year’s edition would resume.
The cities of Rawalpindi, Multan and Lahore had been scheduled to host the remaining PSL games.
On Thursday, an Indian drone fell inside the complex of the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium hours before the start of a PSL game in which several cricketers from New Zealand, Australia, the West Indies, South Africa and England were due to compete.
Residents gather outside the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after a drone strike, allegedly by India, on Thursday [Sohail Shahzad/EPA]
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the interior minister in the Pakistan government, held meetings with foreign cricketers and six franchise owners of the PSL before initially saying the tournament was being moved to Dubai.
England cricketer Sam Billings, New Zealand’s Colin Munro, South African Rilee Rossouw and Jason Holder of the West Indies were among 43 foreign cricketers competing in the PSL.
“We have sincere regard for the mental well-being of participating players and the sentiments of our foreign players, and we respect the concerns of their families who want to see them back home,” the PCB statement said.
The PSL, in its 10th edition, started in the UAE in 2016. The UAE hosted the first two editions of the PSL, except for the final in 2017, and also some of the games in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Munro’s Islamabad United are the defending champions in the six-team league. Rossouw’s Quetta Gladiators lead the points table and have already qualified for the playoff stage while Multan Sultans, led by Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, were eliminated after losing eight of their nine league games.
The three other teams are Peshawar Zalmi, captained by Babar Azam; Karachi Kings, skippered by Australian David Warner and Lahore Qalandars.
With the holiday season finally here, now’s the time to step up your swimming costume collection with a best-selling one-piece that offers ‘flattering’ tummy control
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Best-selling tummy control swimsuit hailed as ‘the most flattering ever’(Image: Pour Moi)
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This Santa Monica Strapless Tummy Control Swimsuit retails for £42(Image: Pour Moi)
Perfect for the current heatwave or a vacation to sunnier shores, this Santa Monica Swimsuit is the flattering and stylish piece your summer wardrobe may need.
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Teenager Braxton Sorensen-McGee scored two tries on her Test debut as New Zealand opened their Pacific Four Series campaign with a 38-12 win over Australia.
The Black Ferns took charge with Ayesha Leti-I’iga scoring two tries in Newcastle before 18-year-old full-back Sorensen-McGee claimed her opening score.
That gave the visitors a 19-0 lead at half-time, which they soon extended with a try from Chryss Viliko right after the break.
The Wallaroos gave themselves hope of a fightback with Eva Karpani and Ashley Marsters both getting over to cut the score to 26-12.
But late tries from Sylvia Brunt and Sorensen-McGee ensured that the six-time world champions claimed a 28th straight Test win over their trans-Tasman rivals.
Reigning champions Canada kicked off this year’s Pacific Four Series with a 26-14 win over the United States last week and will visit Christchurch to face New Zealand next Saturday.
Sorensen-McGee graduated to Auckland’s Super Rugby Aupiki squad this year and helped the Blues retain their title.
Jamal Murray scored 27 points, and the host Denver Nuggets dominated in overtime to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-104 in Game 3 of their Western Conference second-round playoff series.
Nikola Jokic missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts in Friday’s matchup and finished 8-for-25 from the field but ended the night with 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, who lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Game 4 is on Sunday afternoon in Denver.
Aaron Gordon scored 22 points, including a tying bucket in the final minute of regulation, and Michael Porter Jr went 5-for-6 from deep and finished with 21 points for the Nuggets, who finished 39-for-85 from the field (45.9 percent).
“We’ve been in this situation before, we stayed poised,” Porter said about Denver’s ability to win close games. “[Aaron Gordon] hit that big 3 to send it to overtime, like he’s done all playoffs. Huge win.”
Jalen Williams scored 32 points for Oklahoma City, who were 1-for-7 from the field in overtime with two turnovers. Chet Holmgren had 18 points and 16 rebounds, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Isaiah Hartenstein had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who were 40-for-104 (38.5 percent) from the field.
“One thing that it takes to be a great team is you get taken to the limit in the playoffs, and you’ve got to rise to the challenges that you’re confronted with,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “This team’s made a habit of doing that repeatedly. I have full confidence we’ll continue to do that, but we have to embrace what this is.”
Jokic opened overtime with a layup, and Porter drained a 3-pointer to make it 107-102. Williams missed a floater and had a turnover, which led to Murray’s layup with 3:02 left.
Holmgren’s dunk with 1:56 left was Oklahoma City’s only basket in overtime, and the Nuggets closed it out.
“I think, late in the games, you can rely on what you’ve seen and felt and done,” Nuggets head coach David Adelman said about the team’s playoff experience. “You can feel a game that maybe you played a couple of years ago.”
Gilgeous-Alexander went 7-for-22 from the field but put the Thunder ahead 93-92 with his first 3-pointer of the night with 7:33 left in the fourth.
Oklahoma City led 95-93 after Murray split a pair of free throws with 5:58 left, and both teams went cold from the field. Gilgeous-Alexander missed three straight shots, and Denver tied it on Gordon’s two free throws with 4:26 remaining.
Williams hit a layup, and Murray tied it at 97 with two free throws and put Denver ahead with a 17-footer with 2:17 left.
Luguentz Dort gave Oklahoma City back in front with a 3-pointer – his only points of the night – Murray was called for a travel with 1:31 remaining, and Williams made a pair of free throws to make it 102-99.
Gordon’s 3-pointer tied it with 27.5 seconds left, Gilgeous-Alexander missed a floater, and Jokic’s 20-footer at the buzzer was off, sending it to overtime.
Jamal Murray (#27) led the Denver Nuggets with 27 points in Game 3 against the Thunder [Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images via AFP]
Banged-up Cavs blow out Pacers in Game 3
In an earlier playoff matchup on Friday, Donovan Mitchell scored 43 points to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 126-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series in Indianapolis.
The top-seeded Cavaliers outscored Indiana by a 34-13 margin in the second quarter en route to cutting their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is on Sunday in Indianapolis.
Mitchell, who added nine rebounds, made 14 of 29 shots from the floor and 10 of 14 from the free throw line. The six-time All-Star drained five 3-pointers on 13 attempts after entering the contest just 2-for-18 from beyond the arc.
Cleveland’s Max Strus collected 20 points and seven rebounds, Jarrett Allen had 19 and 12, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley added 18 and 13, respectively, in his return from a one-game absence caused by a sprained left ankle.
Darius Garland finished with just 10 points while being plagued by foul trouble. He was playing his first game since April 23, having recovered from a toe injury.
“[We were] down 2-0,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “It’s kind of now or never. You’re banged up and you’re hurting … They had to test it today. They showed a lot of fortitude. We have one day of recovery here, so it’s a quick turnaround, and they can turn it around and be ready to go.”
Cleveland held a decisive 56-37 edge in rebounds, including an 18-4 advantage on the offensive end.
Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points off the bench, and Pascal Siakam added 18.
Star Tyrese Haliburton was limited to just four points on 2-of-8 shooting for the fourth-seeded Pacers.
Cleveland will try to level the series when the Pacers host Game 4 on Sunday.
Donovan Mitchell (#45) of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket during Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers on May 9, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, US [Ron Hoskins/Getty Images via AFP]
Russia and Ukraine accused one another of violating a May 8-10 ceasefire that had been unilaterally declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin to coincide with commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday that Ukrainian troops had made four attempts to smash through the border into the Kursk and Belgorod regions in the past week. It claimed that Kyiv’s troops attacked Russian forces 15 times during the ceasefire.
In Belgorod, the local governor said a Ukrainian drone had attacked a government building on Friday. Pro-Russian war bloggers said Ukraine attacked multiple villages in the region, with further “high-intensity fighting” near Tetkino, a village in the Kursk region.
Ukraine, which has called the ceasefire “a farce” and did not commit to abide by it, said late on Friday that 162 armed clashes had been recorded over the previous 24 hours, along with 22 air strikes and 956 drone attacks.
Ukraine’s military said Russian forces had attempted to break through Ukrainian lines 51 times, with heavy fighting near Pokrovsk, a logistics hub in eastern Ukraine targeted by Moscow’s troops for months.
The military administration of Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region said Russia killed three civilians in armed clashes on Thursday and Friday.
The governor of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhia region said Russia had hit eight Ukrainian front-line villages 220 times since the ceasefire went into effect on Thursday.
Further attacks were reported in Ukraine’s southern city of Kherson and the central Dnipropetrovsk region, with two people wounded.
Politics and diplomacy
Putin hosted 20 foreign dignitaries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, at a Red Square military parade on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
United States President Donald Trump said on Friday he would like Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “get this stupid war finished” after calling for a “30-day unconditional ceasefire” the previous day.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said a group of 10 northern European nations in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) coalition had agreed to support the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the US, noting that a “concerted approach” was now being taken.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said he spoke by telephone on Friday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials about the 30-day ceasefire proposal.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Russia’s position on Friday that it supports the implementation of a 30-day ceasefire in the conflict, but only with due consideration of “nuances”.
Foreign ministers from almost 20 European nations met in Ukraine’s western city of Lviv, backing the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Putin and his officials for crimes of aggression.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by Interfax as saying Russia and the US plan another round of talks aimed at getting their respective diplomatic missions fully operational.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said North Korea’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war was “just”, calling it an exercise of sovereign rights in defence of a “brother nation”, state media KCNA reported on Saturday.
Ukraine and Hungary, whose relations have deteriorated amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are expelling two diplomats each after each side accused the other of engaging in espionage.
The leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Poland have arrived in Ukraine for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and have put pressure on Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire as a step to end the three-year conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived together by train from neighbouring Poland on Saturday. Later, they were joined by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
“There is a lot of work to do, a lot of topics to discuss. We must end this war with a just peace. We must force Moscow to agree to a ceasefire,” said Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, posting photographs welcoming the leaders off the train.
It is the first time the leaders of the four European nations have made a joint visit to Ukraine.
More than three years into Russia’s invasion, the hugely symbolic show of European unity comes a day after President Vladimir Putin struck a defiant tone at a Moscow parade marking 80 years since victory in World War II.
United States President Donald Trump has proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire as a step to end the conflict. But Putin has resisted so far.
Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi said the quartet’s visit was “symbolic”, practical meetings were also expected to take place.
“Those practical meetings are expected to discuss the 30-day ceasefire, but crucially how to keep the US on side moving forward with any sort of talks,” he said.
After meeting Zelenskyy in the morning, the leaders are to host a virtual meeting to update other European leaders on moves to create a European force that could provide Ukraine with security after the war.
‘Just and lasting peace’
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace,” the leaders said in a statement ahead of the visit.
“We are ready to support peace talks as soon as possible, to discuss technical implementation of the ceasefire, and prepare for a full peace deal,” they added.
The statement said “the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come”.
The leaders promised to continue to increase their support for Ukraine, saying “until Russia agrees to an enduring ceasefire, we will ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the ABC news channel on Saturday that arms deliveries from Ukraine’s allies must stop before Russia would agree to a ceasefire.
A truce would otherwise be an “advantage for Ukraine” at a time when “Russian troops are advancing … in quite a confident way” on the front, Peskov said, adding that Ukraine was “not ready for immediate negotiations”.
Russia has occupied about a fifth of Ukrainian territory and has yet to respond to the pressure for an enduring ceasefire.
