Latest news with #Masroor
Express Tribune
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Shane McDermott to be Pak fielding coach
Shane McDermott has backing of Pakistan's newly appointed white-ball head coach Mike Hesson who has lot of faith in the Aussie coach. PHOTO: REUTERS The Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly completed the signing of respected Australian fielding specialist Shane McDermott as the men's all-format fielding coach. The 44-year-old McDermott was one of two finalists for the job and arrives with a broad résumé across international and domestic cricket. He holds a High Performance Level Three Coaching Certificate and has previously contributed to setups in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and his native Australia. Shane McDermott also reportedly had the backing of Pakistan's newly appointed white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, who worked closely with him during previous assignments. He is expected to link up with the squad ahead of the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. An official announcement from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely later this week. Between 2022 and 2023, Shane McDermott served as Assistant Fielding Coach with Bangladesh's national team and earlier spent three years as Sri Lanka's senior team fielding coach while also leading the Sri Lanka A program. Most recently, the Australian worked with Afghanistan. His earlier coaching experience includes seven years with Cricket Australia's National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, where he held positions ranging from Interim Assistant Coach to National A Team Analyst and Fielding Coach. According to sources, his appointment come as Mohammad Masroor departs from his role as the fielding coach. Masroor, who was hired on a series-to-series basis, confirmed his exit through a heartfelt message on social media. "Thank you to the players who trusted the staff who supported, and the fans who believed," he wrote. "Though my chapter with the team ends here, I'll always be a part of Pakistan cricket's story. Thank you, Pakistan. I leave with no regrets, only pride and best wishes for what lies ahead," he further wrote. Masroor, 49, had previously worked with Pakistan's Under-19 and domestic teams, and was viewed as a progressive coach with modern fielding insights. However, despite his efforts, Pakistan's fielding continued to disappoint in key matches, including in World Cups and the Asia Cup. The PCB has struggled for years to find consistency in this department, having rotated through several fielding coaches without significant improvement. Masroor's exit comes at a critical time with Asia Cup 2025 fast approaching. Scheduled to be held in India, the high-profile tournament will see Pakistan face stiff competition against arch-rivals India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and possibly Afghanistan. Umar Gul set for key role with PCB Former Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul is expected to take up a major role in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) setup as part of the board's wider plans to restructure its coaching and development departments. According to sources, Gul is likely to be named head coach of the Pakistan Shaheens, who have a packed schedule ahead. The team is set to participate in the Top End T20 Series in Darwin next month, followed by a tour of England later this year. The 42-year-old retired from international cricket in 2020 and has since built a strong coaching resume. He has previously served as the bowling coach of Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Afghanistan's national team, and Pakistan's senior men's side. Gul stepped in as Pakistan's bowling coach after Morne Morkel's departure and worked with the national team during the Test series against Australia in late 2023 and the T20I series against New Zealand in early 2024. He also held the same role during Pakistan's 2023 T20I series against Afghanistan and New Zealand. Meanwhile, the PCB has announced that Pakistan Shaheens will return to Darwin for the 2025 Top End T20 Series, marking their third straight appearance in the tournament. The event will run from August 14 to 24, with the Shaheens facing Bangladesh 'A' in the opening match at TIO Stadium. The 2025 edition will feature 11 teams playing 36 T20 matches across five venues: DXC Arena, TIO Stadium, Gardens Oval, Cazaly's Arena, and Freds Pass. More details about the tournament are expected to be announced soon. In previous editions, the Shaheens have performed well, reaching the final in 2023 and the semi-final in 2024. Their campaign included notable wins against teams like Perth Scorchers, Tasmania, Melbourne Renegades, and Bangladesh 'A'. However, their run ended in the semi-finals after a loss to Adelaide Strikers.
Express Tribune
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Muhammad Masroor confirms his departure as Pakistan's fielding coach
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has opted not to extend Mohammad Masroor's role as the national team's fielding coach, bringing his tenure to an end just weeks before the Asia Cup 2025. Masroor, who held the position on a series-to-series basis, confirmed his departure through a message on LinkedIn, thanking players, colleagues, and fans. 'Though my chapter with the team ends here, I'll always be a part of Pakistan cricket's story,' he wrote. 'I leave with no regrets, only pride.' The 49-year-old had been tasked with addressing Pakistan's long-standing struggles in fielding, an area that has often proved costly in major tournaments. Despite pockets of improvement, the team's performance in key moments, including the ICC World Cup 2019, T20 World Cups, and the Asia Cup, continued to draw criticism. Masroor, known for his work with Pakistan's Under-19 side and domestic teams, was seen as a coach with modern techniques and a strong developmental record. However, the PCB's decision reflects its broader move to restructure the coaching setup ahead of a demanding international calendar. As part of that restructuring, Australian coach Shane McDermott has been appointed as the new fielding coach. McDermott brings with him international experience from previous roles with Australia, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. In a related development, Grant Luden has returned as the team's strength and conditioning coach, a role he has filled in the past and is familiar with the players' fitness profile, as per media reports. Pakistan's preparation now shifts toward the Asia Cup 2025, scheduled to be held in India. With match-ups against India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and potentially Afghanistan, the tournament will serve as an early test of the revamped support staff's effectiveness.
Express Tribune
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
India's Rafale dream shattered in combat
Listen to article Pakistan's military announced on Wednesday that it had shot down five Indian fighter jets – including three state-of-the-art French Rafale warplanes – on the night between May 6 and 7 as it retaliated against India's missile attack on civilian infrastructure at six locations along the Working Boundary and the Line of Control. New Delhi has yet to officially confirm the loss of its prized assets, but independent sources lend credibility to the Pakistani military's assertion, marking the first combat loss of a Rafale fighter jet anywhere in the world. As soon as the news of India's naked aggression broke late Tuesday night, reports emerged on various social media platforms about the downing of Indian combat aircraft. Indian netizens were either silent or trying to deny the reports. However, DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif officially confirmed at a news briefing on Wednesday that five Indian Air Force jets had been shot down, including three Rafale fighter jets, one MiG-29, and one SU-30. He also claimed that a Harop combat drone was shot down. According to the military spokesperson, 'These aircraft were brought down over various locations: in Indian Punjab near Bathinda, in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (two near Awantipora, one near Akhnoor), and one near Srinagar.' He said that the Indian jets were downed by the Pakistan Air Force. 'These jets were shot down after they attacked Pakistan and released their weapons. Only then were they engaged and fired upon,' he added. 'We could have shot down more than 10 Indian jets, but exercised restraint.' The military spokesperson said, 'At no point were Indian jets allowed to enter Pakistani airspace. Likewise, Pakistani aircraft never entered Indian airspace.' He clarified that all PAF aircraft remained safe in the skirmish. So far, the Indian military or air force has not issued any response to this claim, nor have their official social media platforms shared any information. Even during the Indian military's press briefing, where they provided details about their targets, there was no mention of any aircraft being shot down. Although the Indian government has not confirmed or denied anything yet, BBC correspondent reported seeing debris from a downed aircraft being removed by a bulldozer in the town of Pampore in Pulwama district in (IIOJK). According to locals, they heard loud explosions amid the roar of jet bombers. Masroor said parts of the aircraft were being collected from various parts of the town. An Indian Air Force team was reportedly present at the crash site to inspect the wreckage, but officials have not confirmed which aircraft it was or which country it belonged to. The crash site has been cordoned off, and no one is being allowed to approach it. The BBC correspondent also reported another aircraft crash in the Ramban district in IIOJK on Tuesday night. According to Zahoor Ahmed, the village head (Sarpanch) of Pantiyal in Ramban, a loud explosion occurred along with jet sounds on Wednesday night, and he visited the site with the police. Additionally, reports have emerged of an aircraft crash in Bathinda district, Punjab, India, although there has been no official confirmation. According to Indian media, the aircraft crashed near Akalian Kalan village, killing at least one person and injuring nine others. The Indian Air Force has yet to issue any statement regarding these crashes. India's newspaper The Hindu initially reported, citing Indian officials, that three aircraft had crashed in different parts of IIOJK. However, The Hindu later deleted the post from social media, saying, 'We have removed the post regarding Indian aircraft involvement in Operation Sandur because it could not be officially confirmed.' International news agency Reuters also reported that four Indian government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said three aircraft had crashed in separate locations in IIOJK. The report also claimed that the pilots of the aircraft had been taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, various videos circulated on social media showing aircraft debris, but the BBC could not independently verify these videos. Later in the day, a senior French intelligence official told CNN that at least one Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jet had indeed been shot down by Pakistan, partially corroborating Pakistan's earlier claims. The official added that French authorities were investigating whether additional Rafale jets may have been downed. Throughout the day, social media was flooded with images purportedly showing the wreckage of Indian jets downed in combat. One widely shared image showed the remains of a jet engine that appeared to be from a French-made aircraft. While some analysts speculated it belonged to a Mirage 2000 – the type India used for the 2019 Balakot air strike – certain details seemed more consistent with the engines that power the Rafale fighter. Rick Joe, an expert on China's military advancements, who The Express Tribune spoke to about China's purported sixth-generation stealth fighter prototypes in an earlier interview, weighed in on the matter. Posting on X (formerly Twitter) under the handle @RickJoe_PLA, he noted: 'The mystery engine does look like it has a distinctive pattern of screws on the nozzles … consistent with the M88 engine that powers the Rafale, rather than the M53 engine used in the Mirage 2000.' Following the initial reports, additional images surfaced on social media, allegedly showing the wreckage of a Rafale fighter jet's tailfin and rudder lying in a field in Bathinda, Punjab. The tailfin displayed the serial number BS-001, which aviation experts identified as belonging to one of the first single-seat Rafale jets delivered to India by France. Rick Joe shared a side-by-side comparison on X, matching the tailfin image with a high-resolution photo of the IAF Rafale bearing the BS-001 serial number: 'Rotating the original image, and looking at a pic of serial BS-001 in better times, from the same side (right/starboard), all the details pretty much line up ('RAFALE' and 'BS 001', roundel flag positioning, slime light, panel lines, etc) … If the pic is real, this would call it.' A video reportedly filmed by residents of Aklian Kalan village in Indian Punjab also showed what appeared to be remains of an MBDA MICA air-to-air missile and its associated launch rail. Both the Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighter jets are capable of carrying MICA missiles. Aklian Kalan is less than 250 kilometres from the Ambala airbase, home to the Indian Air Force's No. 17 'Golden Arrows' Squadron, which operates Rafale fighters. Meanwhile, aviation journalist and author Andreas Rupprecht (@RupprechtDeino on X) shared an image showing what appeared to be the nose section of a Rafale fighter jet, suggesting in his post that 'this is allegedly the radome from the second Rafale.' Other videos and images purportedly showed the wreckage of an Indian MiG-29 or Su-30MKI fighter jet — both of which Pakistan claims to have shot down. The identification was based on the remains of a Russian-made K-36DM ejection seat, used in both platforms. This particular aircraft is believed to have crashed in the Ramban district of Indian-administered Kashmir. Reuters had reported that an Indian combat jet had "crashed" in the region and that the pilot was injured and transported to a hospital. While experts continued to debate how the Indian jets were brought down, another set of images circulating on social media appeared to show the wreckage of a Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missile. The identifiable portion of the missile, located just behind the radome, featured a serial number and a small door marked as a seeker test port, as visible in the image at the top of this story. According to reports, parts of the missile were found in the Hoshiarpur district of Indian Punjab, roughly 200 kilometres from Aklian Kalan village, where remains of a MICA missile were discovered, and about 180 kilometres from Ambala Airbase, home to the No. 17 Squadron that flies Rafale fighters. Writing for the online magazine The War Zone, defence journalist Thomas Newdick noted that Pakistan's use of the missile is a significant development as it's the first confirmed use of the weapon in an operational context. The PL-15 is China's current standard active radar-guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, having supplanted the older PL-12, which also remains in service with both the Chinese and Pakistani air forces. The export variant, designated PL-15E, is believed to have a range of approximately 145 kilometres, while the version deployed by China's military reportedly reaches up to 200 kilometres. Designed to rival the US-made AIM-120D AMRAAM, the PL-15 is powered by a dual-pulse rocket motor and features a two-way datalink, enabling mid-course guidance updates from the launch aircraft and feedback from the missile itself. The development of the PL-15 spurred efforts in the United States and elsewhere to create new air-to-air missiles with superior range. In PAF service, the PL-15E is believed to equip both the JF-17 Block III and the J-10CE, which were acquired specifically to counter India's induction of the Rafale fighter jet. These recent developments once again evoke memories of the tensions between India and Pakistan after the Pulwama attack and Pakistan's claimed retaliation to India's Balakot airstrikes. It is noteworthy that in 2019, after Indian airstrikes on an alleged militant camp in Balakot, Pakistan retaliated with its airstrikes in IIOJK and claimed it had shot down two Indian fighter jets. India, on the other hand, claimed that it had shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet. The Indian Air Force held a press conference to support this claim. Indian officials said that Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman shot down a Pakistani F-16 before his aircraft was downed. Pakistan repeatedly denied this claim. Later, US magazine Foreign Policy reported that US defense officials had counted all Pakistani F-16s and found none missing. Following this, the Pakistani military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor stated that 'India's claims about the attack and its consequences are false, and it's time India told the truth about the loss of its second jet shot down by Pakistan.' Pakistan maintains that it shot down two Indian jets in 2019, while Indian President Ram Nath Kovind awarded Wing Commander Abhinandan the third-highest military honor, the 'Vir Chakra,' for allegedly downing a Pakistani F-16.
Express Tribune
15-04-2025
- Express Tribune
At least two killed, 16 injured in Hazara bus crash
Listen to article Two passengers were killed and 16 others, including three foreign nationals, were injured when a Rawalpindi-bound passenger bus veered off the road and fell into a drain on Tuesday, officials reported. According to Serai Saleh Station House Officer (SHO) Raja Mumtaz, the accident occurred near the Shah Maqsood interchange, approximately six kilometers from district headquarters on the Hazara Motorway. The SHO attributed the crash to reckless driving, though some passengers claimed the driver fell asleep at the wheel. The bus, which departed Gilgit early Tuesday, was traveling at high speed when the driver lost control, causing it to plunge into the roadside drain. Locals and rescue workers rushed to the scene, transporting the injured to the Haripur Trauma Centre. Sadly, two passengers were declared dead on arrival. Five passengers sustained serious injuries and were transferred to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, while 11 others with minor injuries were treated and discharged. The deceased were identified as Masroor, 55, from Yaseen Gilgit, and Zameer Abbas, 42, from Astore. Among the injured were a teenage girl and three foreign nationals, John, a citizen of the Czech Republic, and two Chinese nationals, Zu Chongzhi and Lyu Li Dong.
