Former Pakistan coach Bradburn fined after discriminatory conduct during Glamorgan stint 

Pakistan's captain Babar Azam and coach Grant Bradburn talk during a practice session at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle on July 14, 2023. (AFP/ file)
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Updated 20 March 2025
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Former Pakistan coach Bradburn fined after discriminatory conduct during Glamorgan stint 

  • Bradburn was sacked by Glamorgan in December following internal investigation into his behavior
  • Bradburn allegedly asked players from Asian background what their “real age” was, implying they lied

LONDON: Former Glamorgan coach Grant Bradburn has been fined and warned about his future conduct after admitting to discriminatory conduct during his spell with the Welsh county cricket side.
Bradburn was sacked by Glamorgan in December following an internal investigation into the New Zealander’s behavior.
A Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) found the former Scotland and Pakistan coach twice made comments with “racist connotations” and also made a remark with “sexist connotations.”
The 58-year-old has been ordered to attend an educational course and fined £500 ($648), in addition to the reprimand.
In its written reasons for the sanction, the CDC said it was alleged Bradburn asked players from an Asian background what their “real age” was, implying they do not tell the truth about their age.
It was also alleged he said during a pre-season team meeting that when making cricket selection decisions in Pakistan, players would pick their friends or cousins or pick names out of a hat.
Bradburn allegedly used the phrase “this isn’t Western Storm” (a former women’s team) during a fielding practice session when he considered that male players were demonstrating a lack of intensity, “throwing like girls.”
Bradburn, a former New Zealand off-spinner, coached Scotland from 2014 to 2018.
He worked as Pakistan’s fielding coach, subsequently taking over as head coach in 2023 — a role he left after less than a year, prior to joining Glamorgan in January 2024.


US freezes visa processing for 75 countries, media reports Pakistan included

Updated 14 January 2026
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US freezes visa processing for 75 countries, media reports Pakistan included

  • State Department announces indefinite pause on immigrant visas starting Jan 21
  • Move underscores Trump’s hard-line immigration push despite close Pakistan-US ties

ISLAMABAD: The United States will pause immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries starting Jan. 21, the State Department said on Wednesday, with Fox News and other media outlets reporting that Pakistan is among the countries affected by the indefinite suspension.

The move comes as the Trump administration presses ahead with a broad immigration crackdown, with Pakistan included among the affected countries despite strong ongoing diplomatic engagement between Islamabad and Washington on economic cooperation, regional diplomacy and security matters.

Fox News, citing an internal State Department memo, said US embassies had been instructed to refuse immigrant visas under existing law while Washington reassesses screening and vetting procedures. The report said the pause would apply indefinitely and covers countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America.

“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the Department of State said in a post on X.

According to Fox News and Pakistan news outlets like Dawn, the list of affected countries includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Russia, Somalia, Brazil and Thailand, among others. 

“The suspension could delay travel, study, and work plans for thousands of Pakistanis who annually seek US visas. Pakistani consulates in the US are expected to provide guidance to affected applicants in the coming days,” Dawn reported.

A State Department spokesman declined comment when Arab News reached out via email to confirm if Pakistan was on the list. 

The Department has not publicly released the full list of countries or clarified which visa categories would be affected, nor has it provided a timeline for when processing could resume.

Trump has made immigration enforcement a central pillar of his agenda since returning to office last year, reviving and expanding the use of the “public charge” provision of US immigration law to restrict entry by migrants deemed likely to rely on public benefits.

During his previous term as president, Trump imposed sweeping travel restrictions on several Muslim-majority countries, a policy widely referred to as a “Muslim ban,” which was challenged in US courts before a revised version was upheld by the Supreme Court. That policy was later rescinded under the President Joe Biden administration.

The latest visa freeze marks a renewed hardening of US immigration policy, raising uncertainty for migrants from affected countries as Washington reassesses its screening and vetting procedures. 

The freeze on visas comes amid an intensifying crackdown on immigration enforcement by the Trump administration. In Minneapolis last week, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good, a US citizen, during a federal operation, an incident that has drawn nationwide protests and scrutiny of ICE tactics. Family members and local officials have challenged the federal account of the shooting, even as Department of Homeland Security officials defended the agent’s actions. The case has prompted resignations by federal prosecutors and heightened debate over the conduct of immigration enforcement under the current administration.