Pakistan all-format opening batter Saim Ayub has been ruled out of cricket for at least six weeks because of fractured ankle and has put his participation in serious doubt for next month's Champions Trophy. Ayub twisted his right ankle while fielding on the opening day of the second and final test against South Africa and was taken off the field by stretcher on Friday. “An MRI conducted Friday afternoon confirmed the fracture,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement on Saturday. The PCB said Ayub will remain with the team and travel back to Pakistan next week. Ayub’s injury is a big blow to Pakistan. The left-handed opener had been in prolific form, especially in white-ball cricket, scoring two centuries as Pakistan swept South Africa 3-0 in the ODI series last month. India star bowler Bumrah taken to hospital for scans during 5th test against Australia The ankle injury also put Ayub’s participation in doubt for next month’s Champions Trophy which begins Feb. 19 at Karachi when Pakistan takes on New Zealand in the opening match. Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha termed Ayub’s injury a big setback for Pakistan’s bid to level the two-test series in South Africa. South Africa won the first test to qualify for the World Test Championship at Lord's in June. “It’s a big blow, the kind of form he’s in,” Salman had said on Friday after South Africa scored a formidable 316-4 on Day 1 of the second test. “He would have been a great asset on this wicket. I wish him well and hopefully he’ll be better soon.”

Pakistan had an injury scare when opening batter Saim Ayub twisted his right ankle on the field as South Africa reached 72-3 at lunch on day 1 of the second and final test on Friday. Ayub fell awkwardly in the outfield and was visibly in lot of pain as he received brief treatment on the ground before he was rushed to a hospital for precautionary scans. The Pakistan team management said an update on the extent of Ayub’s injury “will be provided in due course.” South Africa, which has already sealed its place in June’s World Test Championship final with a dramatic two-wicket win in the first test at Centurion inside four days, lost three wickets for nine runs in the latter half of first session after getting a promising start of 61. Ryan Rickleton completed his half century in the last over before lunch and was unbeaten on 50, but off-spinner Salman Ali Agha pegged the home team further when he had Tristan Stubbs caught behind for zero which gave wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan his third catch of the morning session. Young Maphaka makes debut as SAfrica wins the toss and bats 1st in 2nd test vs Pakistan South Africa settled in well despite Aiden Markram surviving a close lbw off Mohammad Abbas’ first ball after skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bat on a dry wicket. Rickleton batted aggressively against an all-pace attack but Markram looked shaky in his 17-run knock off 44 balls and was also dropped at covers by Ayub’s substitute Abdullah Shafique. However, the lapse didn’t cost Pakistan as Khurram Shahzad broke the opening stand when he found the inside edge of Markram’s bat. Wiaan Mulder, one of the three changes South Africa made from its Centurion playing XI, fell to Abbas when the seamer found the thick outside edge before Agha got rid of Stubbs at stoke of lunch interval. Kwena Maphaka was among the three changes the Proteas made as the fast bowler became the youngest South African to make his test debut. At 18 years, 270 days, Maphaka broke the record of Paul Adams, who played his first test against England in 1995 at the age of 18 years, 340 days. The home team, which has six successive test wins, opted to go with the express pace of Maphaka in place of Dane Paterson, who was dropped after picking up his second successive five-wicket haul at Centurion. India's top order collapses to 57-3 at lunch vs Australia on Day 1 of 5th test Corbin Bosch was left out after making a stunning test debut in the first test where he took a wicket with his first ball and then made a scintillating unbeaten half century in the first innings which gave South Africa a match-winning lead of 90 runs. Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has recovered from a groin injury and replaced Bosch. Opening batter Tony de Zorzi had a thigh strain and was replaced by Mulder as the all-rounder recovered from a finger injury and returned to the playing XI. Pakistan, which has won just two of its last nine test matches in this WTC cycle, once again went without a specialist spinner. It rested fast bowler Naseem Shah and brought in left-arm fast bowler Mir Hamza.

Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit Bangladesh next month as the South Asian country wants to deepen its relations with Dhaka amid changed political situation. Ishaq Dar’s upcoming trip to Dhaka will be the first visit by any Pakistani Foreign Minister since 2012. Meanwhile, Bangladesh, during the previous regime, repeatedly wanted Pakistan to “seek apology publicly with a formal announcement” for the atrocities perpetrated against unarmed Bangalees in 1971. In February 2023, Bangladesh conveyed the same message to former State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Hina Rabbani Khar during a meeting in Sri Lanka's Colombo. Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim invited Pakistan Foreign Minister to visit Malaysia to discuss promotion of trade and discuss development of a roadmap and ensure business to business community interaction so that PM meeting is meaningful. India, Bangladesh set to exchange apprehended fishermen in humanitarian repatriation effort "So, I will visit Malaysia from February 3 to 5. After completion of my visit to Malaysia, I will also visit Bangladesh at the invitation of Dr Yunus which I received at Cairo," said the Pakistan Foreign Minister on Thursday during a media briefing in Islamabad. He described his planned Bangladesh visit as "crucial" noting that Bangladesh is their "lost brother." "We will work, support and cooperate on the economic and trade fronts and things are moving fast on these fronts," said Ishaq Dar. Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met on the sidelines of the D8 Summit in December 2024 and agreed to strengthen relations between the two countries. Dr Yunus urged his Pakistani counterpart to settle the issues of 1971 to help Dhaka move forward with its relationship with Islamabad. "The issues have kept coming again and again. Let's settle those issues for us to move forward," Yunus told Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Dhaka's ties with Delhi won’t get stuck on single issue: Foreign Adviser Sharif said the 1974 tripartite agreement involving Bangladesh, Pakistan and India settled things, "but if there are other outstanding issues," he would be happy to look at them. Prof Yunus said it would be nice to resolve things "once and for all for the future generations." The two leaders also expressed their desire to extend cooperation in new areas such as the sugar industry and dengue management. Prof Yunus and Sharif discussed issues of mutual interest, including the revival of the SAARC—a key feature of the foreign policy announced by the Chief Adviser after he took over as the head of the interim government. The 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate also spoke about his government's plan to carry out "essential reforms" and hold the general election before mid-2026.

Kwena Maphaka became the youngest South African to make a test debut as the Proteas won the toss and elected to bat in the second and final test against Pakistan on Friday. The 18 years and 270 days old Maphaka broke Paul Adams’ South Africa record of youngest test player, who played his first test against England in 1995 at the age of 18 years and 340 days. South Africa made three changes after sealing its place in June’s World Test Championship final with a dramatic two-wicket win in the first test at Centurion inside four days. Australia, India and Sri Lanka all still in the race for the Lord’s WTC final against South Africa in June. Australia could advance to face South Africa if it wins the fifth test against India in Sydney. “It’s hot and we expect the wicket to break up,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said at the coin toss. “We’ve had time to wrap around what we’ve achieved, the preparations for this test have been the priority … a chance to finish off with a good note.” India's top order collapses to 57-3 at lunch vs Australia on Day 1 of 5th test Fast bowler Mohammad Abbas brought Pakistan close to its first test win in South Africa in 18 years with 6-54 in the second innings at Centurion but tailenders Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen shared a half century ninth-wicket stand and quashed the visitors hopes. The home team, which has six successive test wins, opted to go with the express pace of Maphaka in place of Dane Paterson, who was dropped after picking up his second successive five-wicket haul at Centurion. Corbin Bosch was left out after making a stunning test debut in the first test where he took a wicket with his first ball and then made a scintillating unbeaten half century in the first innings which gave South Africa a match-winning lead of 90 runs. Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has recovered from a groin injury and replaced Bosch. Opening batter Tony de Zorzi had a thigh strain and was replaced by Wiaan Mulder as the all-rounder recovered from a finger injury and returned to the playing XI. Pakistan, which has won just two of its last nine test matches in this WTC cycle, once again went without a specialist spinner. It rested fast bowler Naseem Shah and brought in left-arm fast bowler Mir Hamza. “A bit less grass than usual, but we would have had a bowl,” Pakistan captain Shan Masood said.

South Africa tailenders Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen hung in against relentless fast bowler Mohammad Abbas for a tense two-wicket win in the first test on Sunday to seal the Proteas' place in next year’s World Test Championship final. Jansen (16 not out) overshadowed Abbas’ brilliant figures of 6-54 with a square driven boundary against the fast bowler as South Africa reached 150-8 just after lunch on Day 4 and escaped with a close win in the opener of the two-match series. “Quite an emotional moment for me, good advert for test cricket,” said South Africa captain Temba Bavuma, who made 40. “We haven’t been ruthless but have found a way to ensure the result was on our side. Lot of joy and happiness on our side, a bit of a rollercoaster, glad that we were able to get the result.” Abbas, making a comeback after more than three years in the test wilderness, had knocked back South Africa’s tricky chase of 148 runs in a marathon 13-over spell before lunch on Day 4 as the home team limped to 99-8, losing four wickets for three runs. Australia lose openers but stretch lead to 158 runs at lunch, day 4 of 4th test against India However, Rabada changed gears in an unbroken 51-run stand with Jansen and made an unbeaten 31 off 26 balls with five fours to seal a memorable victory and denied Pakistan its first test win in South Africa in almost 18 years. South Africa had started this WTC cycle with a 1-1 drawn series against India before getting swept 2-0 in New Zealand. But since then the Proteas have beaten West Indies, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to stay on top of the table. “It (WTC final) is a big one, not just for myself but also the team and the coach," Bavuma said. "The way we started our campaign, against India and then New Zealand with a not-so-strong team, and the way we have gone through with our performances, not many gave us a chance.” India, Australia and Sri Lanka are the other teams still in contention for next June’s WTC final against South Africa at Lord’s. Captain Temba Bavuma (40) and Aiden Markram (37) had thwarted Abbas for an hour after South Africa resumed at a wobbly 27-3, still needing 121 for victory. Bavuma’s controversial dismissal punctuated a South Africa collapse in the latter half of first session with Abbas grabbing three off his six balls in a sensational home team collapse. Bavuma, who made 40, surprisingly didn’t request a television review when replays suggested that Abbas’ ball had brushed the batter’s pocket and didn’t make contact with the inside edge of the bat but the South African skipper walked back to the dressing room. Abbas bowled an unchanged marathon spell of 13 overs, but had to wait as Markram and Bavuma saw off eight overs from the fast bowlers. Resuming at 27-3, Bavuma and Markram showed plenty of patience against Abbas’ probing line and length before the fast bowler finally got the breakthrough after the first drinks break. Abbas was rewarded for his brilliant seam bowling when he beat the outside edge of Markram’s bat and knocked back the off stump. Rain washes out first session on Day 3 of 1st test between South Africa and Pakistan Bavuma survived a couple of close chances when he successfully overturned an on-field lbw decision against him early in the day and Naseem Shah couldn’t hold onto a sharp catch at fine leg as he overstepped the boundary cushion while grabbing the ball over his head. South Africa had controlled the game at 96-4 before Bavuma’s dismissal saw Abbas finding the outside edges of David Bedingham (14) and Corbin Bosch’s (0) bat off successive deliveries and in between Kyle Verreynne dragged Naseem Shah’s delivery back onto his stumps. Abbas found the outside edge of Rabada's bat in his first over after lunch that fell just short of wicketkeeper Rizwan before both tailenders took the team home. “Extremely proud of the efforts, but going forward we need to be ruthless,” Pakistan captain Shan Masood said. “We keep making the same mistakes but we have to get over the line, seize moments.” The second test begins at Cape Town on Friday.

Opening batter Aiden Markram closed in on his eighth test century and led South Africa to 180-5 at lunch on the second day of the first test against Pakistan on Friday. South Africa, which needs to win one of the two test matches against Pakistan to seal a place in the final of the World Test Championship at Lord’s next year, trails the visitors by 31 on a pitch tailor-made for fast bowlers. Markram was batting on an attractive 81 off 123 balls before Pakistan hit back with two wickets in the latter half of the first session with captain Temba Bavuma (31) and David Bedingham (30) both edging behind the wickets. Wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne was yet to score but Markram stood tall in the first session and helped South Africa score 98 runs before lunch for the loss of two wickets. Resuming on 82-3, Markram completed his half century with an exquisite cover driven boundary off Naseem Shah and stretched the fourth-wicket stand to 70 runs with Bavuma before Pakistan got its first breakthrough. Aamer Jamal was rewarded for his persistent length balls to Bavuma as the South African skipper finally got a thick outside edge while going for a loose drive. Bedingham counterattacked from the onset, smashing five boundaries in his 33-ball knock and also survived when Pakistan unsuccessfully went for an lbw television review against Naseem Shah’s full pitched delivery, which television replays suggested would have missed the leg stump. Steve Smith's 34th test century puts Australia in control over India on 2nd day of 4th test However, Naseem didn’t have to wait long as Bedingham was beaten by some extra bounce and nicked it in the first slip in the penultimate over before lunch. Pakistan was dismissed for 211 on Day 1 after Dane Paterson (5-61) grabbed his second successive five-wicket haul and debutant Corbin Bosch claimed 4-63, which included a wicket with his first ball in test cricket.

The United States and the United Kingdom have expressed deep concern over the recent handing down of convictions by Pakistani military courts to 25 civilian supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan over their alleged involvement in riots last year. The convictions had previously also been criticized by the European Union and domestic human rights activists. “The United States is deeply concerned that Pakistani civilians have been sentenced by a military tribunal for their involvement in protests on May 9, 2023. These military courts lack judicial independence, transparency, and due process guarantees,” according to a statement released by State Department on Monday. South Korea's opposition party vows to impeach acting president It asked Pakistan to respect the right to a fair trial and due process. In London, the Foreign Office said that “while the UK respects Pakistan’s sovereignty over its own legal proceedings, trying civilians in military courts lacks transparency, independent scrutiny and undermines the right to a fair trial. We call on the Government of Pakistan to uphold its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” The statements were referring to the violence that erupted after Khan’s arrest in Islamabad in May 2023. The former premier was ousted through a no-confidence vote in the parliament in 2022, and he was convicted of corruption and sentenced in August 2023. Since then, Khan has been behind bars. Khan’s popular opposition party is in talks with the government to secure his release. The 25 supporters on Monday received prison terms ranging from two years to 10 years, which the army in a statement warned acted as a “stark reminder” for people to never take the law into their own hands. Khan's opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, has rejected the convictions of civilians, demanding they should be tried in the normal courts if they were involved in the riots. Pakistani health workers' boycotting halts polio vaccination drive in southwest There was no response from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government to the criticism from the US and the UK, but state-run Pakistan Television on Tuesday showed people welcoming the convictions, saying the punishments were given to people who attacked military installations. Earlier this month, Khan and dozens of others were indicted by a civilian court on charges of inciting people on May 9, 2023, when demonstrators attacked the military’s headquarters in Rawalpindi, stormed an air base in Mianwali in the eastern Punjab province and torched a building housing state-run Radio Pakistan in the northwest.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Thursday urged his Pakistani counterpart to settle the issues of 1971 to help Dhaka move forward with its relationship with Islamabad. "The issues have kept coming again and again. Let's settle those issues for us to move forward," Yunus told Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Sharif said the 1974 tripartite agreement involving Bangladesh, Pakistan and India settled things, "but if there are other outstanding issues," he would be happy to look at them. Prof Yunus said it would be nice to resolve things "once and for all for the future generations." Malaysia to support Bangladesh on ASEAN partnership: Dr. Zambry tells Prof Yunus The Chief Adviser and Pakistan PM Sharif met on the sidelines of the D8 Summit and agreed to strengthen relations between the two countries through increased trade, commerce and exchange of sports and cultural delegations. The two leaders also expressed their desire to extend cooperation in new areas such as the sugar industry and dengue management. Prof Yunus and Sharif discussed issues of mutual interest, including the revival of the SAARC—a key feature of the foreign policy announced by the Chief Adviser after he took over as the head of the interim government. The 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate also spoke about his government's plan to carry out "essential reforms" and hold the general election before mid-2026. CA Dr Yunus reaches Egypt to attend D-8 summit He said he is leading a consensus-building commission to hold dialogue on the reforms. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for a strategic relationship between Dhaka and Islamabad. "We are really looking forward to strengthening our relationship with our brother-in-country Bangladesh," Sharif said. He hailed Prof Yunus for his initiative to revive SAARC and Bangladesh to work on the possibility of holding a summit of the regional body. "This is a top priority," Prof Yunus told Sharif. "I am a big fan of the idea of SAARC. I keep harping on the issue. I want a summit of SAARC leaders even if it is only for a photo session because that will carry a strong message," he said. The Pakistan Prime Minister offered technical support to better manage Bangladesh's state-run sugar mills. He condoled the deaths from the dengue outbreak in Bangladesh and added Dhaka could benefit from Pakistan's experience in combating the disease. "Our fight against dengue in Punjab about a decade ago was hailed as world class. We can send a delegate to Bangladesh to share our experience with Bangladeshi officials," he said. Prof Yunus thanked Sharif for his support and hoped Pakistan and Bangladesh would continue these efforts. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Prof Yunus's Special Envoy Lutfey Siddiqi were, among others, present on the occasion. Siddiqi invited Pakistan Foreign Minister Dar to visit Bangladesh in February on his way to a Malaysia tour, and he accepted the offer. Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif also invited Prof Yunus to visit their country at his convenience.

Pakistani authorities on Wednesday postponed a polio vaccination campaign in the country's restive southern Balochistan province after health workers boycotted it to oppose a proposed privatization of hospitals. Authorities on Monday launched the final nationwide polio vaccination campaign for the year, aiming to protect 45 million children. According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the potentially fatal, paralyzing virus has not been eradicated. Anwarul Haq of the National Emergency Operation Center for Polio Eradication, said the polio vaccination campaign in Balochistan was delayed until Dec. 30 for “better preparedness." He provided no further details. However, other health and government officials said the campaign in Balochistan was postponed after health workers refused to join it and demanded that the government stop plans to privatize state-run hospitals where they work. Representatives of health workers have also urged the government not to employ unqualified workers to carry out the campaign. Read: Pakistan begins another vaccination campaign after a worrying surge in polio cases Restive Balochistan has reported the highest number of polio cases, with 26 out of the nationwide 63 confirmed cases since January. The campaign continue until Dec. 22 in other areas in Pakistan. Pakistan regularly launches campaigns against polio despite attacks on the workers and police assigned to the inoculation drives. Militants falsely claim the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. More than 200 polio workers and police assigned for their protection have been killed since the 1990s, according to health officials and authorities.

Pakistan has shown its keenness to import medicine from Bangladesh. Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Syed Ahmed Maroof expressed the interest when he called on Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum at her office on Sunday. Timor-Leste President seeks to boost trade ties with Bangladesh Bangladesh has made significant progress in the pharmaceutical sector, and Pakistan is interested in importing medicines from Bangladesh, said Maroof. Healthcare, trade, and overall cooperation between the two countries came for discussion during the meeting.