LONDON: Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan took six wickets on the first day of the tourists’ warm-up match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road on Friday.
Shadab took six for 77 in 19 overs as Northamptonshire made 259 on the opening day of this four-day match — Pakistan’s last before they provide the opposition for Ireland’s inaugural Test match starting a week on Friday in Malahide, near Dublin.
Adam Rossington top-scored with 90 before he was stumped by wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan captain, off the 19-year-old Shadab.
This is just the teenager’s ninth first-class match and Friday’s haul was a career-best at this level after he took five for 82 for Pakistan A in 2016.
As he proved in the preceding tour match against Kent, Shadab is capable of significant turn and he spun the ball sharply to reduce Northamptonshire from 104 for two to 143 for six after lunch.
Seam-bowling conditions are likely to prevail in both Ireland next week and when Pakistan return to England for a two-Test series at Lord’s and Headingley.
But given how sharp-turning leg-spin is not something most batsmen in either England or Ireland encounter on a regular basis, let alone play well, Shadab may yet add to his lone Test cap, against the West Indies in Barbados last year, before the tour is finished.
“I’m very happy, because it’s my second first-class five for,” Shadab told the Cricinfo website.
“I’m the only spinner, Yasir has performed very well for Pakistan. Now I get a chance for the Test team and I wanted to grab that chance.”
Pakistan’s Shadab Khan strikes against Northamptonshire
Pakistan’s Shadab Khan strikes against Northamptonshire
- Shadab took six for 77 in 19 overs as Northamptonshire made 259 on the opening day of this four-day match
- Ireland will play its inaugural Test match on Friday in Malahide
Saudi boxing’s inaugural ‘Kingdom’s Belt’ Championship crowns winners in Riyadh
- Record participation of 246 fighters highlights growing momentum of boxing across the Kingdom
RIYADH: The Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation staged its inaugural “Kingdom’s Belt” Championship in Riyadh this week, with champions crowned on Saturday after four days of competition.
Held at the Mike Tyson Club in Boulevard City, the tournament featured 246 male and female fighters representing 46 clubs from across the Kingdom — the largest turnout for a domestic boxing championship organized by the federation.
Athletes qualified through regional tournaments, setting up national-level competition across multiple weight divisions in both men’s and women’s categories.
The championship formed part of the federation’s official calendar and was run under technical and administrative supervision, with bouts conducted in line with approved regulations and officiating standards.
Fighters progressed through preliminary rounds and semifinals before Saturday’s finals, where winners received the Kingdom’s belts during the closing ceremony.
The event showcased competitive matchups across divisions and highlighted the continued growth of organized boxing in Saudi Arabia.
Federation officials said the tournament represents an important addition to the domestic calendar, offering athletes a structured pathway to compete nationally while supporting efforts to develop the sport across the Kingdom.
