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Pakistan rode on a brilliant 93 from Imam-ul-Haq to reach 313-5 after a brief fightback from South Africa on the opening day of the first Test in Lahore on Sunday.Shan Masood hit 76, but Haq missed out on his hundred and Pakistan slumped to 199-5 as four wickets fell quickly.Mohammad Rizwan, 62 not out, and Salman Agha, unbeaten 52 at the close, rebuilt the innings during an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 114 in the final session on a spin-friendly Gaddafi Stadium pitch.Rizwan hit two fours and two sixes in his 12th Test half-century while Agha had two fours and a six in reaching his 10th fifty.Pakistan dominated most of the first two sessions, but then had a mini-collapse from 163-1 to 199-5 as they lost four wickets for 36 runs, the last three without adding a run either side of the tea interval.”We have batted us to a good position,” said Haq, playing his first Test since December 2023. “We must score over 400 to get us in a strong position. Regarding missing a hundred, that’s always disappointing.”Spinner Prenelan Subrayen trapped Masood lbw for 76, including nine fours and a six, to end a 161-run stand with Haq. Left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy then had Haq caught at short-leg by Tony de Zorzi, after a 236-minute knock that included seven fours and a six.Next ball — the last before tea — Muthusamy had Saud Shakeel caught and bowled to bring South Africa back into the game at 199-4.Local hero Babar Azam fell for 23, trapped leg-before by Harmer after the interval to make it 199-5 and leave a good 10,000 holiday crowd disappointed.South Africa could have been in a better position had they not dropped Masood on 61 and Haq on 72 with Subrayen the unlucky bowler on both occasions.  South Africa spinner Simon Harmer hoped they could finish off the Pakistan innings quickly on day two.”We had a good day and now need to take positives from today and keep Pakistan under 400,” he said. “That would be great because this pitch will take more spin as the match progresses,” said Harmer, who had figures of 1-75. With the pitch likely to turn, Masood opted to bat after winning the toss and named specialist spin duo Noman Ali and Sajid Khan in the teamPakistan lost opener Abdullah Shafique leg before to pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada off the third ball of the day.South African captain Aiden Markram turned to his spinners in the sixth over and by lunch had used all three — Subrayen, Harmer and Muthusamy.But there were no further dramas in the opening session as Pakistan reached 107-1 at lunch after Haq had brought up his 10th Test fifty.The two-match series is part of the new World Test Championship two-year cycle. South Africa won the title by beating Australia in June.

The West Indies did not lose a wicket after tea to be 173-2 in their second innings at the end of day three of the second Test on Sunday after following on, but still need 97 runs to make India bat again.India’s Kuldeep Yadav earlier took five wickets at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium as the hosts bowled out the West Indies for 248 in their first innings after lunch, a deficit of 270.Captain Shubman Gill enforced the follow-on and the visitors lost two wickets before tea.But opener John Campbell then reached 87 not out and Shai Hope was unbeaten on 66 as the pair put together an unbroken 138-run stand.”It may be a good thing to be challenged,” said India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, who defended India’s decision to enforce the follow-on.”Getting probably 130 overs in already, that’s a good test in the legs. We’re going to get sturdier Tests in the future where you do have to field for a day-and-a-half,” he told reporters.The gutsy batting of left-handed Campbell and Hope allowed them to build the highest partnership for the West Indies for any wicket in Tests this year.Campbell became the first West Indian to reach fifty in the two-match series with a four off Kuldeep.He survived a couple of close lbw calls against off-spinner Washington Sundar early in his innings but went on to dominate the bowling.Hope reached his fifty off Ravindra Jadeja and raised his bat to an applauding dressing room.- ‘All about application’ -“This is the first time we have been able to win a session in the two Tests. It’s all about application,” West Indies spinner Khary Pierre told reporters.”The wicket is going to deteriorate more so the more runs we could pile on, it could be a challenge for the Indian batsmen,” he said.Tagenarine Chanderpaul was the first to fall in the second innings, for 10 to a diving Gill catch off Mohammed Siraj, before Sundar bowled Alick Athanaze for seven on the stroke of tea.The West Indies began day three at 140-4 in their first innings in response to India’s 518-5 declared.Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep struck within 30 minutes, bowling Hope for 36.Kuldeep then had Tevin Imlach given out lbw for 21, a review of the decision showing the ball would have hit leg stump.Justin Greaves also fell lbw to Kuldeep for 17 and the West Indies were in deep trouble at 175-8 when Jomel Warrican was bowled by Siraj for one.Pierre and Anderson Phillip, who hit 24 not out, put on a stubborn stand of 46 to steer their team to lunch.Jasprit Bumrah bowled Pierre for 23 straight after the break before Kuldeep finally trapped Jayden Seales lbw for 13 for his fifth five-wicket haul in 15 Tests.Seales was fined 25 percent of his match fee by the International Cricket Council on Sunday for showing unnecessary aggression on Friday’s first day.India won the first Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 140 runs.

Afghanistan and Pakistan said on Sunday they killed dozens of each other’s troops during a night of heavy border clashes between the two countries.Afghanistan’s Taliban forces launched attacks on Pakistani troops along their shared border late on Saturday, in what it called “retaliation for air strikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul” on Thursday. Islamabad has not directly claimed responsibility for the strikes, but has repeatedly stated the right to defend itself against surging militancy that it says is planned from Afghan soil. The two sides have repeatedly clashed in border regions since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, but airspace violations deep into Afghan territory would mark a significant escalation. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government spokesman, said on Sunday that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and around 30 wounded in the clashes, while nine Taliban forces were killed. The Pakistani military, meanwhile, said 23 of its soldiers and more than 200 Taliban and affiliated troops were killed. AFP was unable to independently verify the casualty figures. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Sunday the “situation is under control”.”Our operation last night achieved its objectives. And then our friends like Qatar and Saudi Arabia appealed that war must stop now, and the war is ceased right now,” he said during a visit to India.An Afghan military unit described Thursday’s blasts in the capital as “air strikes”, but Mujahid instead said the incident was an “airspace violation”, adding that no damage had been found.- ‘Strong’ response -Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday he “strongly condemns provocations” by Afghanistan.”There will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defence, and every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response,” Sharif said in a statement, accusing Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of allowing their land to be used by “terrorist elements”.The Afghan military said on Saturday night that Taliban forces were engaged “in heavy clashes against Pakistani security forces in various areas”.Several border security officials told AFP that no further clashes had been reported at major crossings on Sunday morning.Key border crossings between the countries were closed on Sunday, officials said.Extra troops have been sent to the major border crossing at Torkham, which sits on the frontier between Kabul and Islamabad.Pakistani officials at Torkham, who requested anonymity, told AFP there had been no casualties on their side of the border crossing and that no further clashes had been reported in the area on Sunday morning. The violence came while India hosted Afghanistan’s foreign minister for the first time since the Taliban returned to power. Wahid Faqiri, an Afghan international relations expert, said those warming relations have “angered Pakistan and pushed Islamabad towards aggression”.- Resurgent violence -Militancy increased in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the withdrawal of US-led troops from neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021 and the return of the Taliban government. The vast majority of attacks are claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), whose campaign against Pakistan security forces has intensified this year — set to be the deadliest in more than a decade.Violence in the border region has “plunged relations between the neighbours to an all-time low”, said Maleeha Lodhi, a former senior Pakistani diplomat. “But there will have to be a return to diplomacy to find a resolution to the confrontation,” she told AFP.The TTP is a separate but closely linked group to the Afghan Taliban, which Islamabad says operates from Afghan soil with impunity.  A UN report this year said the TTP “receive substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities”, referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.More than 500 people, including 311 troops and 73 policemen, have been killed in attacks between January and September 15, a Pakistan military spokesman said on Friday.Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament on Thursday that several efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop backing the TTP had failed.”Enough is enough,” he said. “The Pakistani government and army’s patience has run out.”

Opener Imam-ul-Haq was dismissed for 93 just before tea as Pakistan reached 199-4 on the opening day of the first Test in Lahore on Sunday.Left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy removed Haq, caught at short-leg by Tony de Zorzi, after a 236-minute knock that included seven fours and a six.Next ball — the last before tea —  Muthusamy had Saud Shakeel caught and bowled to bring South Africa back into the game.At the break, Babar Azam was unbeaten on 23, having overturned a caught behind dismissal against Muthusamy on one, as Pakistan added 92 runs in the session.Earlier spinner Prenelan Subrayen trapped Shan Masood lbw for 76, including nine fours and a six, to end a 161-run stand with Haq. South Africa could have been in a better position had they not dropped Masood on 61 and Haq on 72 with Subrayen the unlucky bowler on both occasions.  With the Gaddafi Stadium pitch likely to turn, Masood opted to bat after winning the toss and named specialist spin duo Noman Ali and Sajid Khan in the teamPakistan lost opener Abdullah Shafique leg before to pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada off the third ball of the day.South African captain Aiden Markram turned to his spinners in the sixth over and by lunch had used all three — Subrayen, Harmer and Muthusamy.But there were no further dramas in the opening session as Pakistan reached 107-1 at lunch after Haq had brought up his 10th Test fifty.The two-match series is part of the new World Test Championship two-year cycle. South Africa won the title by beating Australia in June.

Afghanistan’s government on Sunday said dozens of Pakistani troops and nine Afghan soldiers were killed in a night of heavy border clashes between the two countries.Afghanistan’s Taliban forces launched attacks on Pakistani soldiers along their shared border late Saturday, in what it called “retaliation for air strikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul” on Thursday night.Islamabad has not directly claimed the strikes, but has repeatedly stated the right to defend itself against surging militancy that it says is planned from Afghan soil.Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, the two sides have repeatedly clashed in border regions, but airspace violations deep into Afghan territory would mark a significant escalation. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government spokesman, on Sunday told a press conference that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and around 30 wounded in clashes, while nine Taliban forces were killed. Pakistan has not given any official death toll and AFP was unable to independently verify the casualty figures. Mujahid told reporters that “we stopped the retaliation at midnight” as a result of mediation by Riyadh and Doha, and accused Pakistani troops of attacking Afghan forces early Sunday.Saudi Arabia, Iran and Qatar have urged both sides to “exercise restraint”.A military unit described Thursday’s blasts in the Afghan capital as “air strikes”, but Mujahid instead said the incident was an “airspace violation”, adding that no damage had been found. – ‘Strong’ response -Following the overnight clashes, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he “strongly condemns provocations” by Afghanistan.”There will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defence, and every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response,” Sharif said in a Sunday statement, accusing Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of allowing their land to be used by “terrorist elements”.The Afghan military said on Saturday night that Taliban forces were engaged “in heavy clashes against Pakistani security forces in various areas”.Key border crossings between the countries were closed on Sunday, officials said.Extra troops have been sent to the major border crossing at Torkham, which sits on the frontier between Kabul and Islamabad.Pakistani officials at Torkham, who requested anonymity, told AFP there had been no casualties on their side of the border crossing and that no further clashes had been reported in the area on Sunday morning. Several border security officials told AFP that no further clashes had been reported at major crossings on Sunday morning.- Resurgent violence -Militancy increased in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the withdrawal of US-led troops from neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021 and the return of the Taliban government. The vast majority of attacks are claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), whose campaign against Pakistan security forces has intensified this year — set to be the deadliest in more than a decade.The TTP is a separate but closely linked group to the Afghan Taliban, which Islamabad says operates from Afghan soil with impunity. A UN report this year said the TTP “receive substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities”, referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.More than 500 people, including 311 troops and 73 policemen, have been killed in attacks between January and September 15, a Pakistan military spokesman said on Friday.Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament on Thursday that several efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop backing the TTP had failed.”Enough is enough,” he said. “The Pakistani government and army’s patience has run out.”

The West Indies were 35-2 in their second innings at tea on the third day of the second Test on Sunday after following on 270 runs behind India.Kuldeep Yadav took five wickets as the West Indies were bowled out for 248 after lunch. India captain Shubman Gill took a diving catch to dismiss Tagenarine Chanderpaul for 10 off Mohammed Siraj.John Campbell was 18 not out when Washington Sundar bowled Alick Athanaze for seven on the stroke of tea.They still need a further 235 runs at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium to avoid an innings defeat.The West Indies began day three at 140-4 in their first innings in response to India’s 518-5 declared.Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep bowled the first over of the day and struck inside 30 minutes as he bowled Shai Hope for 36, the batsman adding just five to his overnight score.Tevin Imlach was the next to go when Kuldeep had him given out lbw for 21, a decision that was reviewed but the ball was shown to be hitting leg stump.Justin Greaves also fell lbw to Kuldeep for 17 and when Jomel Warrican was bowled by Mohammed Siraj for one, the West Indies were in deep trouble at 175-8.Khary Pierre and Anderson Phillip, who hit 24 not out, put on a stubborn stand of 46 to steer their team through to lunch.Jasprit Bumrah bowled Pierre for 23 straight after lunch but Phillip and Jayden Seales further frustrated the bowlers.Kuldeep finally trapped Seales lbw for 13 for his fifth five-wicket haul in his 15th Test.India won the first Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 140 runs.

Key border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan were closed on Sunday after fierce clashes erupted overnight following Taliban accusations that Islamabad had carried out air strikes this week, officials said.Neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan have had frosty relations since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad accuses authorities there of harbouring militants carrying out strikes on its soil, an accusation Afghanistan denies.Afghanistan’s Taliban forces attacked Pakistani soldiers along their shared border on Saturday night, accusing Islamabad of violating its sovereignty after explosions were heard in Kabul and in the southeast two days earlier.Officials from both sides of the border told AFP that crossings at Torkham, which connects Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Nangarhar in Afghanistan, and Chaman, more than 800 kilometres (500 miles) to the southwest, were closed.Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif condemned what he said were “provocations by Afghanistan” along Pakistan’s border area overnight.”There will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defence, and every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response,” Sharif said in a statement, accusing Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of allowing their land to be used by “terrorist elements”.- Border crossings ‘sealed’ -A senior Pakistani official in Torkham told AFP extra paramilitary troops had been sent to the area, which sits on the border between Kabul and Islamabad.”The Torkham border has been completely closed for pedestrian movement and trade,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.”Security forces have also pulled out all civilian staff posted at the border, so they are not harmed in case of further firing,” he said.Another Pakistani border official at Chaman, which links Balochistan province with Kandahar, the birthplace of the Afghan Taliban, said the crossing was “sealed”.Other Pakistani officials said there had been clashes using heavy weapons in at least four border districts but there had been no casualties on its side.The Afghan military said on Saturday night Taliban forces were engaged “in heavy clashes against Pakistani security forces in various areas”.Taliban defence ministry spokesman Enayat Khowarazm later told AFP that the “successful” operations had ended at midnight.Several border security officials told AFP that no further clashes had been reported on Sunday morning.Militancy has surged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the withdrawal of US-led troops from neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021 and the return of the Taliban government.The TTP, separate to the Afghan Taliban but which shares the same ideology and is trained in combat in Afghanistan, and its allies are accused by Islamabad of killing hundreds of its soldiers since 2021. Islamabad has not confirmed that it was behind Thursday’s strikes that sparked the border clashes.Saudi Arabia, Iran and Qatar have urged both sides to “exercise restraint”.TTP militants have intensified their campaign of violence against Pakistani security forces in the mountainous areas bordering Afghanistan in recent months.More than 500 people, including 311 troops and 73 policemen, have been killed in attacks between January and September 15, a military spokesman said on Friday.A UN report this year said the TTP “receive substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities”, referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament on Thursday that several efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop backing the TTP had failed.”Enough is enough,” he said. “The Pakistani government and army’s patience has run out.”

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav claimed five wickets as India bowled out the West Indies for 248 and enforced the follow-on in the second Test on Sunday.The tourists resumed on day three at 140-4 and their innings ended in the second session 270 runs adrift of India’s first innings 518-5 declared.West Indies lost regular wickets and were in deep trouble at 175-8, but Khary Pierre and Anderson Phillip, who hit 24 not out, put on a stubborn stand of 46 to steer their team through to lunch.Jasprit Bumrah bowled the left-handed Pierre for 23 in the first over after lunch but Phillip and Jayden Seales further frustrated the bowlers.Kuldeep, a left-arm wrist spinner, finally trapped Seales lbw for 13 for his fifth five-wicket haul in his 15th Test.He bowled the first over of the day and struck inside 30 minutes as he bowled Shai Hope for 36, the batsman adding just five to his overnight score.Tevin Imlach was the next to go when Kuldeep had him given out lbw for 21, a decision that was reviewed but the ball was shown to be hitting leg stump.Justin Greaves also fell lbw to Kuldeep for 17 and Jomel Warrican was bowled by Mohammed Siraj for one.India won the first Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 140 runs.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq hit a solid half-century as Pakistan reached 107-1 at lunch on the opening day of the first Test against South Africa in Lahore on Sunday.Haq was unbeaten on 59 while skipper Shan Masood was 44 not out as the duo steadied Pakistan after losing opener Abdullah Shafique for two off the third ball of the match.With the Gaddafi Stadium pitch likely to take spin, Masood opted to bat after winning the toss and named specialist spin duo Noman Ali and Sajid Khan in the team.Haq completed his 10th Test fifty, including five fours, in an unbroken 105 stand with Masood.South African captain Aiden Markram introduced spin in the sixth over and by lunch had used all three of his spinners — Prenelan Subrayen, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy.But it was pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada who got the lone breakthrough in the first over, trapping Shafique leg-before.The two-match series is part of the new World Test Championship two-year cycle. South Africa won the title by beating Australia in June.

Once Bangladesh’s largest political party, the Awami League has been outlawed since its leader Sheikh Hasina was overthrown in a mass uprising last year.Now, its supporters — encouraged by Hasina’s social media calls to “resist” —  are staging flash mob protests defying the ban as the country prepares for elections from which the party is barred.In the capital Dhaka, 45-year-old cleaner Mohammad Kashem described witnessing around 25 Awami League loyalists being chased, beaten and detained by police at one such rally.”It’s happening all over Dhaka,” Kashem told AFP, saying videos of such spontaneous demonstrations appear constantly on social media.”We see it every day on Facebook.”The elections, expected in February 2026, will be the first since Hasina fled into exile in India as crowds stormed her palace, ending her 15-year rule.She has since defied court orders to attend her ongoing trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity for allegedly ordering a deadly crackdown during the revolt.Her party and its supporters have since been pushed underground. More than 800 have been arrested in connection with the flash mobs, officials say, which have rattled the interim government of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as he oversees the South Asian nation of 170 million until the polls.- ‘Abandoned’ -Still, they protest.Some rallies consist of only a handful of young men. Others draw more than 100, chanting slogans.”Sheikh Hasina is coming!” they shout, waving small placards or unfurling banners. “Bangladesh is smiling!”They gather for a few minutes before vanishing into the crowds.Sometimes, multiple flash protests erupt simultaneously in different parts of Dhaka. On one day, police arrested 244 people, authorities said.The risks are high. In the rally Kashem witnessed, several protesters were badly beaten.”Stupid boys,” Kashem said. “The heavyweight leaders abandoned them… yet they’re risking their lives.”The protests have unnerved Yunus’s government.”The fascists have turned reckless, as they can see that the country is heading towards an election and the trial process (of Hasina) is progressing fast,” Yunus’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters last month.”The government has decided to strengthen the monitoring of flash processions and other illegal gatherings.”Hasina remains vocal on social media, issuing broadsides against Yunus and urging loyalists to “resist”.Bangladeshi newspapers, quoting a senior party leader in hiding, reported at least 20 flash processions in the past month.Dhaka police spokesman Md Talebur Rahman could not confirm the number of protests, but said “more than 800 people” had been arrested in connection with them.Political analyst Zahed Ur Rahman, a member of the government’s electoral reform commission, said Hasina was risking protesters’ safety to maintain relevance.”She is trying to earn sympathy by widely sharing the beatings, chases, dispersals and arrests of her party members,” Zahed told AFP.- ‘Proper action’ -Human Rights Watch has condemned the “draconian” ban on the Awami League.”The interim government should not be engaging in the same partisan behaviour that Bangladeshis had to endure under Sheikh Hasina, whether it is stuffing the prisons with political opponents or shutting down peaceful dissent,” HRW’s Meenakshi Ganguly said.But analysts say the protests could complicate election preparations.Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam said “different interest groups” were trying to derail the election, including the “defeated axis”.Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor in Hasina’s trial in absentia, said that a judicial probe was underway into the Awami League.”Once the investigation report is ready, proper action will be taken,” Islam said.The Awami League remains defiant.Senior leader Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, whose current whereabouts are unclear,insists that protesters were taking to the streets out of “love” for Hasina.He told AFP that he revelled in the trouble they have caused.”Have you noticed how these activities have robbed the government of sleep?”