Pakistan's Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi admits that playing at Wimbledon with a mixed doubles partner who has a twin sister can often leave him seeing double, but he's happy to remain bamboozled if it brings him and his country a first Grand Slam title.
Qureshi teamed up with Ukraine's Nadiia Kichenok at Roland Garros and they immediately clicked, reaching the semi-finals despite only squeezing into the draw at the last minute.
However, he admitted that with Nadiia also having twin sister Lyudmyla playing on the tour, it can lead to some embarrassing moments.
"At Roland Garros, I thought I saw her in the gym and I said 'hey, partner, how's it going?' She said 'I'm not your partner, it's the other one'," the 39-year-old Qureshi told AFP.
"Now I see the differences between the two although it's tough to tell how I know they are different.
"It's just the look and you kind of sense it. Maybe it's the way they greet me, I can sense straight away who my partner is."
Qureshi's recent fortunes have been inter-linked with the Ukrainian sisters.
He said that when they originally planned to play in Paris, they were just one spot off the cut after Lyudmyla decided to play with Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico.
Ironically, Gonzalez is Qureshi's partner in the men's doubles on the tour.
- 'You can't kick your sister out' -
"He had no one to play mixed with so Lyudmyla signed with him -- so one sister kicked the other one out.
"I said that you know your're doing this to your own sister and she was like 'yeah, yeah, but I need to get in'."
In the end, Qureshi and Nadiia squeezed into the Roland Garros draw as alternates and went all the way to the semi-finals where they were just two points from making the championship match.
Gonzalez and Lyudmyla were beaten in the second round.
Qureshi, who was a mixed doubles runner-up at the US Open in 2010 with Kveta Peschke, and Nadiia decided to play again at Wimbledon.
"We were the last team in again. The cut was 110 and we were 110, it was pretty sweet."
It was even sweeter when they made the second round at the All England Club on Saturday, beating China's Xinyun Han and....Gonzalez.
"It's hard to get pumped up as me and Santiago have been playing together all year," said Qureshi, who is still in the doubles tournament at Wimbledon with his Mexican friend.
"I can't ever remember playing my doubles partner in the mixed.
"I didn't know we had been drawn against each other. He texted me and said you can't believe it but we are playing each other, smiley face, LOL and I was like no way!"
But Qureshi added: "My partner was on fire today, she didn't care who I was playing against, so credit to her."
Once the Grand Slam season is finished for Qureshi, there will be another big date for him when he leads the Pakistan team into an historic Davis Cup home tie against India in Islamabad in September.
It will be the first time India have played a Davis Cup tie in Pakistan in 55 years.
"It's huge and it could be my last. Playing singles is tough on my body," said Qureshi, who made his debut in the tournament back in 1998.
He also played in the most recent tie between the two countries in Mumbai in 2006 when India won 3-2.
"This is historic for us, it will be one of the most memorable ties.
"There will be lots of tension and lots of hype but we are playing on grass and it's best-of-three.
"We are underdogs but we will fight to the last point and we will see what happens."
Gupta previously served as CEO of JioStar Sports, a role he took up following the $8.5 billion merger between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney’s Indian media assets in November last year. (Photo: X/@HomeOfCricket)
THE International Cricket Council (ICC) has named Sanjog Gupta as its new chief executive officer, replacing Geoff Allardice. The announcement was made on Monday.
Gupta previously served as CEO of JioStar Sports, a role he took up following the $8.5 billion merger between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney’s Indian media assets in November last year. He becomes the ICC’s seventh CEO.
Allardice, who was appointed in November 2021 after serving in an interim capacity for eight months following the suspension of Manu Sawhney, stepped down from the position earlier this year.
Gupta took charge on Monday and said, “These are exciting times for the sport as marquee events grow in stature, commercial avenues widen and opportunities such as the women's game scale in popularity. Cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and the rapid acceleration of technology deployment/adoption could act as force-multipliers for the cricket movement around the world.”
ICC chair Jay Shah said Gupta’s experience would support the organisation’s plans. “His deep understanding of the global sports as well as M&E landscape combined with his continued curiosity about the cricket fan’s perspective and passion for technology will prove essential in our ambition to grow the game in the coming years.”
The ICC said over 2,500 applications were received from 25 countries.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.
Lando Norris wins the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for the first time
Celebrations briefly disrupted after he was hit in the nose by trophy
McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri penalised, costing him potential victory
Norris moves to four wins in 2025, just one behind Piastri
Drivers now head into a two-week summer break before Belgian GP
Lando Norris fulfils dream with British GP victory
Lando Norris described winning his home race at Silverstone as a “very, very special” moment, despite picking up a minor injury during the post-race celebrations. The McLaren driver delivered a brilliant performance in constantly changing weather conditions to secure his first British Grand Prix win and fourth of the season.
The race also highlighted the strength of the McLaren team, with both Norris and Oscar Piastri showing exceptional pace. However, a controversial penalty handed to Piastri during a safety car period ended hopes of a 1-2 finish for the team.
Trophy mishap after win
Norris’s joy was briefly interrupted when a photographer accidentally knocked the winner’s trophy into his face, cutting his nose. The 25-year-old has already sustained a similar scar in 2024 after a glass injury, and now has a second mark to show for his latest victory.
That didn’t stop him from joining fans on stage shortly afterwards, donning medical tape and celebrating with team-mate Piastri and McLaren CEO Zak Brown. The trio took part in multiple ‘shoeys’ – a tradition started by former McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo – in front of an enthusiastic Silverstone crowd.
A childhood dream realised
Lando Norris spoke emotionally about achieving a childhood dream, recalling his early days as a Formula 1 fan when he watched Lewis Hamilton win at Silverstone in 2008.
“Being on top in your home race is very, very special,” he said. “I remember watching Lewis win in the wet, seeing the fans all stand, and I dreamt of that. Today, I got to live that feeling myself.”
Surrounded by family, including his parents and siblings, Norris described the experience as one of the most meaningful moments of his career so far.
McLaren domination, but penalty mars Piastri’s race
Both Norris and Piastri were in a league of their own throughout the race. Their McLaren cars looked strong in both wet and dry phases, but Piastri was hit with a 10-second penalty for braking hard ahead of a safety car restart. Stewards ruled that this forced Max Verstappen behind him to take evasive action.
Norris capitalised on the incident to take the lead and hold on for victory. But the team felt the penalty was undeserved, especially given similar situations in recent races that went unpunished.
Norris capitalised on the incident to take the lead and hold on for victory. Getty Images
Piastri frustrated but cautious in criticism
Oscar Piastri was clearly disappointed but careful with his words after the race, aware of the FIA’s current position on driver comments.
“Apparently you can’t brake behind the safety car any more,” he said. “I did it for five laps before that. I’m not going to say too much in case I get myself in trouble.”
Piastri argued that his actions were consistent throughout the race, and said the safety car’s lights went out unusually late just as he braked, which contributed to the confusion.
Confusion over penalty compared to Canada
Piastri pointed to an incident in Canada involving George Russell and Max Verstappen, where no penalty was issued and a Red Bull protest was dismissed. He said the move in Montreal was arguably more dangerous.
Team principal Andrea Stella echoed the criticism, describing the decision as “very harsh” and suggesting Verstappen might have exaggerated the situation to influence the outcome.
“We know some competitors have the ability to make others look like they are causing severe infringements when they are not,” Stella said.
Even Verstappen expressed surprise: “It’s happened a few times now, and suddenly Oscar is the first to get a 10-second penalty.”
Momentum for Norris, but focus remains on consistency
Lando Norris’s Silverstone win was his second in a row and narrows the gap to Piastri in the championship to just eight points. However, he was careful not to overstate the momentum.
“It’s two wins, but they’ve not come easy. You’re fighting for hundredths and thousandths of a second every session. These are exhausting weekends,” Norris said.
“I’d love to continue this form, but two weekends don’t mean anything unless I stay consistent. I need to keep it up and keep working hard.”
Summer break and a title fight brewing
With both McLaren drivers now firmly in the title mix, the Formula 1 season heads into a two-week summer break. The Belgian Grand Prix will mark the start of the second half of the season, with Norris just one victory behind Piastri.
“I felt like I drove a really strong race,” Piastri reflected. “When you don’t get the result you think you deserve, it hurts. I’ll use the frustration to make sure I win more races later.”
McLaren’s pace has now made them genuine contenders, and with Lando Norris riding high on confidence and form, the championship battle looks set to intensify in the weeks ahead.
Keep ReadingShow less
The win was India’s first Test victory in nine matches at Edgbaston, where they had previously suffered seven defeats and a draw.
INDIA defeated England by 336 runs in the second Test at Edgbaston on Sunday, levelling the five-match series 1-1. Akash Deep, playing in place of rested pacer Jasprit Bumrah, took 10 wickets in the match — his first 10-wicket haul in Test cricket.
England were bowled out for 271 while chasing a target of 608. Deep took 6-99 in the second innings, ending with match figures of 10-147 — the best of his eight-Test career so far.
Jamie Smith was England’s top scorer in the second innings with 88, following his unbeaten 184 in the first. No other England batter crossed fifty.
The win was India’s first Test victory in nine matches at Edgbaston, where they had previously suffered seven defeats and a draw.
Gill creates Test history
India captain Shubman Gill became the first player in Test cricket to score 250 and 150 in the same match. Gill made 269 in the first innings and followed it up with 161 off 162 balls in the second. He now has three centuries in his first two Tests as captain, including a 147 in the series opener at Headingley, where India lost by five wickets.
India were also much improved in the field in this match. "The way we came back with our bowling and fielding was tremendous," Gill said.
Speaking about Deep, he added, "He bowled with so much heart and skilfully with his lengths. He moved it in both directions, which was tough to do. He was magnificent for us."
Gill confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will “definitely be back for Lord’s”, where the third Test begins on Thursday.
England struggle in the chase
England resumed day five on 72-3 after a 90-minute rain delay. No team has ever chased more than 418 to win in the fourth innings — a record held by West Indies since 2003.
Ollie Pope was the first to fall on Sunday, failing to add to his overnight 24. He was bowled by Deep after getting a delivery that bounced extra and hit the stumps. His dismissal was cheered by a large Indian crowd.
Ben Stokes, on a king pair after a golden duck in the first innings, managed to avoid a second nought with a legside flick. But England soon slipped to 83-5 when Harry Brook was trapped lbw by Deep for 23. Brook had made 158 in the first innings, sharing a 300-plus stand with Smith.
Stokes and Smith added 70 for the sixth wicket before Stokes was dismissed by Washington Sundar for 33 in the last over before lunch. It was the first wicket in the match taken by someone other than Deep or Siraj. England went to lunch at 153-6.
Smith reached 88 with two successive sixes off Deep. But he was out next ball, caught after misjudging a slower delivery, giving Deep his fifth wicket of the innings.
Deep ended the match by dismissing Brydon Carse, who was caught at cover by Gill.
(With inputs from agencies)
Keep ReadingShow less
Gill's 430 runs in the match made him only the fifth batter to score over 400 in a single Test. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIA captain Shubman Gill became the first batter in Test history to score 250 and 150 in the same match, before Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep struck early to put India in control of the second Test at Edgbaston on Saturday.
Gill followed his first-innings 267 with 161 off 162 balls in the second innings. India declared at 427-6 after tea on the fourth day, setting England a target of 608 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
The highest fourth-innings chase in Test history remains West Indies’ 418 against Australia at St John's in 2003. England’s record is 378, achieved against India at the same venue three years ago.
At stumps on Saturday, England were 72-3, still needing 536 runs to win on the final day.
“Nothing is impossible,” England batting coach Marcus Trescothick told the BBC. “But 536 is a lot of runs... If we were to chase that down then it would be an epic day's play.”
Harry Brook, who made 158 in England’s first-innings total of 407, was unbeaten on 15.
Siraj and Deep strike early
Siraj, who took 6-70 in the first innings, dismissed Zak Crawley for a duck with a loose drive to backward point. Deep, playing in place of the rested Jasprit Bumrah, then bowled Ben Duckett for 25 and dismissed Joe Root for six with a full-length delivery that moved late.
"That's a pleasing sign from Akash, he is an attacking bowler that asks questions, bowling at the stumps a lot," said India bowling coach Morne Morkel.
The former South Africa pacer added: "Top-quality player, Joe Root, and to dismiss him in that fashion just shows the quality of Akash."
Gill crosses 400 in a match
Gill's 430 runs in the match made him only the fifth batter to score over 400 in a single Test. The 25-year-old has now scored three centuries in four innings since becoming captain, following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket in May.
He was supported on Saturday by Rishabh Pant, who scored 65 after being dropped twice. Crawley missed a chance at mid-off when Pant was on 10. The wicketkeeper-batter hit eight fours and three sixes during his 58-ball knock, adding 110 runs in just 103 balls with Gill for the fourth wicket.
Gill, batting at number four in place of the retired Virat Kohli, hit Josh Tongue for three consecutive boundaries – a hooked six, a lofted four over mid-on, and a pulled four past Ben Stokes.
He later struck another hooked six off Tongue. Pant’s innings ended when he tried to hit Shoaib Bashir and lost control of his bat, which flew towards midwicket while the ball was caught by Duckett at deep mid-off.
India pile on after tea
After tea, Gill hit a straight six and two fours off Chris Woakes, then slog-swept Joe Root for six to reach 150. He was eventually dismissed for 161, giving a return catch to Bashir after hitting 13 fours and eight sixes.
With crowd chants of "Boring, boring India" heard as the visitors continued to bat, Gill eventually declared with Ravindra Jadeja unbeaten on 69.
(With inputs from agencies)
Keep ReadingShow less
Lewis Hamilton is optimistic about Ferrari's chances at the 2025 British Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton topped FP1 and finished third in FP2 at Silverstone
Ferrari's pace encouraging despite rivals bringing major upgrades
Hamilton targeting strong weekend, focused on car improvements
Charles Leclerc also positive on Ferrari's race pace ahead of F1 qualifying time
Silverstone qualifying 2025 set to be highly competitive
Hamilton leads strong start for Ferrari at Silverstone
Lewis Hamilton is optimistic about Ferrari's chances at the 2025 British Grand Prix following an encouraging performance during Friday practice at Silverstone. The seven-time World Champion topped the timesheets in Free Practice 1 and secured P3 in the afternoon session, marking one of his best Fridays since joining Ferrari earlier this year.
“It was a really good day,” said Hamilton. “Great to see the crowd. Amazing to be out on track in a Ferrari here at Silverstone.”
Competitive despite rivals’ upgrades
Hamilton noted that both McLaren and Red Bull introduced upgrades ahead of the Silverstone weekend, yet Ferrari remained competitive. “It’s pretty incredible and also with McLaren and Red Bull having upgrades, so for us to be in the mix still is really positive,” he said.
The British driver, who has nine career wins at Silverstone, believes that Ferrari’s pace offers promise ahead of Sunday’s race. “I definitely feel like we can dream of having a strong weekend,” he added. “Executing and putting it all together is another thing but I’ll prepare myself the best I can to make sure we get the best result.”
Lewis Hamilton topped FP1 and finished third in FP2Getty Images
Hamilton finished fourth at the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, equalling his best result for Ferrari so far. He stated he is becoming more comfortable in the SF-25 and continues to improve.
“I’m progressing a lot now with the car and much more comfortable knowing where it needs to be,” he said. “We still weren’t quite where we needed to be in FP2, but we know the changes we need to make.”
Leclerc confident in race pace
Charles Leclerc also showed strong form on Friday, finishing fourth in FP1 and second in FP2. While he acknowledged McLaren’s Lando Norris holds the edge in one-lap pace, Leclerc was confident about Ferrari’s race performance.
“McLaren is probably the car to beat at the moment,” he said. “But in race pace I was happy. I think we are very strong for Sunday. We’ve just got to find more in Qualifying.”
The Silverstone qualifying 2025 session is expected to be closely contested as teams aim to convert their practice form into pole position.