Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed blames Gambhir on Sarafraz Khan’s non-selection
Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed on Wednesday accused head coach Gautam Gambhir of religious bias, criticising the non-selection of Sarfaraz Khan for senior national team assignments. The selection committee’s decision to exclude Sarfaraz from the India-A squad on Tuesday reignited debate over the alleged unfair treatment of one of domestic cricket’s most consistent performers. It raised many questions whether the prolific Mumbai batter is now even being considered for the second-string side. Mohamed took to X and questioned if Sarfaraz wasn’t being selected because of his surname. The Congress leader’s comments came after Sarafraz was not picked for India-A squad that will take on a visiting South African team in October-November in Bengaluru. “Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname! We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on that matter,” said Mohamed on X, referring to Gambhir’s stint in the Bharatiya Janata Party Sarfaraz last played for India during the home series against New Zealand in November 2024 and didn’t get a chance to play the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. This is not the first time Shama Mohamed has stirred controversy with her views on cricket. Earlier this year, the Congress leader faced backlash for her comments on Rohit, calling him “fat for a sportsperson” and the “most unimpressive” captain in India’s history.
Pakistan’s Asif Afridi breaks 92-year-old record, becomes the oldest bowler to capture five wickets on Test debut
Pakistan left-arm spinner Asif Afridi became the oldest bowler in Test history to acquire a five-wicket haul on debut. He achieved the feat on Wednesday, on the third day of the second Test against South Africa in Rawalpindi. Afridi recorded the landmark when he dismissed South Africa spinner Simon Harmer leg-before on 10, reducing the visitors to 210 for seven in their pursuit of Pakistan’s first-innings score of 333. Afridi broke a 92-year-old world record held by England’s Charles Marriott, who picked two five-wicket hauls on debut against the West Indies on successive days at the Oval in 1933. Marriott was 37 years and 334 days old when he bagged the feat, nearly a year younger than Afridi, who is 38 years and 301 days old as of Wednesday. Afridi surpassed the Pakistan record held by his current teammate Noman Ali, who claimed figures of 5 for 35 against the Proteas during his Test debut in 2021. The remarkable record for the oldest player to achieve a five-wicket haul in Test cricket belongs to the Australian spin bowler, Bert Ironmonger. He was 49 years and 311 days old when he accomplished this feat by taking 6 wickets for just 18 runs against South Africa in Melbourne on 12th February in 1932.
Record 43 goals scored on a single Champions League night!
Following this high-scoring record, it was a relentless evening of Champions League football on Tuesday. The evening turned out to be a blockbuster! 43 goals were scored, five red cards were shown, and six penalties were awarded, of which five were converted. Last season’s winners, Paris St-Germain, hit seven past Leverkusen, with both teams having a player sent off and the German side’s Alejandro Grimaldo missing a penalty. Similarly, PSV Eindhoven fought back from a goal down before running riot in a 6-2 win against Italian champions Napoli. Arsenal, Newcastle, and Manchester City all claimed convincing victories, with City’s Erling Haaland scoring for a 12th consecutive game. Only twice before have there been more goals scored on a single Champions League night than in Tuesday’s goal-fest. Last season, in the final round of the league phase, a record 64 goals were scored. However, that was when all 18 games were played at the same time, so there was a lower goals-per-game average (3.55). Back on 1 October 1997, there were 44 goals scored in 12 games. Paul Scholes and Zinedine Zidane were among the names on the scoresheet as Manchester United beat Juventus 3-2 at Old Trafford that evening. That was 11 years ago, when, on 21 October 2014, there were 40 goals in eight games (five goals per game). Sergio Aguero and James Milner found the back of the net for Manchester City in a 2-2 draw against CSKA Moscow, long before the club got its hands on the Champions League trophy. Chelsea put six past Maribor on the same night, while Bayern Munich and Shakhtar Donetsk both scored seven times in respective wins over Roma and Belarusian side Bate Borisov.
