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New-look Pakistan are making up for lost time with British-born footballers | Women’s football

Due to international bans, political infighting, corruption and plenty more besides, there has been genuine equality in Pakistan for much of the past decade. Neither the male or female national teams have played much. Indeed, from 2014 to 2022 the women had no fixtures at all. However, the female Green Shirts are making up for lost time, helped by a bunch of British-born players.

An 8-0 defeat would not usually be the start of something special but that is what happened in qualification for the 2026 Asian Cup in June and July. That thrashing came against Chinese Taipei, who are ranked 42 in the world, 119 places above Pakistan. Next up were Indonesia, then ranked 95 and the tournament hosts, and Pakistan won 2-0. Qualifying ended with a 2-1 victory against Kyrgyzstan, then ranked 136 in the word, and a second-place finish. In the end only the top team from the group qualified, but for Pakistan that represented a huge step forward for a new-look side.

The long lack of domestic action robbed Pakistan of a generation of players, hence the need for and importance of British-born players, one of whom is Layla Banaras. “I was contacted when I was 13 or 14, but I felt I was too young to play for the national team,†said the 19-year-old Birmingham native, who plays for Lewes in Englandâ€s third tier. “They contacted me again this year as they had the Asian Cup qualifiers coming up. I thought: ‘Why not? This is perfect timing.â€â€ Banarasâ€s parents agreed. “My dad is Pakistan heritage and my mum is white British and she was over the moon. My dad loves the cricket team and everything about Pakistan, and he thinks it is amazing.â€

Banarasâ€s first training camp also represented her first visit to Pakistan. “It helped to go with other girls,†she adds. “I travelled with Maz and we got quite close.†Maz is the Wrexham forward Mariam Mahmood. She also turned down earlier approaches from Pakistan before deciding in the summer that the time was right. “I was going with girls who had never been before so we didnâ€t know what to expect but we were all excited about the challenge,†said the 21-year-old.

Pakistanâ€s Layla Aliya Banaras (left) dribbles the ball during the AFC Womenâ€s Asian Cup 2026 qualifier against Indonesia in July 2025. Photograph: Claudio Pramana/Zuma Press/Shutterstock

“Sticking 24 people in a room with a language barrier is sometimes not easy at first but as the camp went on and we trained together, there was no divide and we integrated,†Mahmood says. “I made friends for life over there. I really enjoyed it. Everything was good, the food, the training, the kit – everything.â€

Bonds were quickly made off the pitch but, on it, they took a little more time. “I didnâ€t go in with any expectations,†Mahmood says. “The first game was a learning curve, but we went into the game with Indonesia with a lot of fight, we got a good start early on and then it was all about sticking together as a team. We then had the confidence against Kyrgyzstan.â€

“Football brings people together,†adds Banaras. “More games will only make us better. We have gone up in the world rankings [to 154] and we can keep going better. We had a camp in Pakistan for a week so we didnâ€t have much time, so to do what we did was amazing.â€

The next step is more games, more training, more investment, more everything. “The PFF [Pakistan Football Federation] have appointed a new president, we met him and he told us his plans and that is to create a league in Pakistan for both men and women,†Mahmood said. “I hope we have the funding to have more camps and friendlies and to keep playing footballâ€.

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We At The Same Time?

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Naomi is ecstatic that another WWE star is pregnant at the same time as her.

On August 18, 2025, Naomi had an in-ring promo on Monday Night RAW, during which she announced her pregnancy. At the time, she was in the midst of a much-hyped Women’s World Championship reign that was still just a month old. Unfortunately, she had to vacate the title before going on a hiatus.

Similarly, Kylie Rae had to relinquish the Relentless Pacific Northwest Championship owing to her pregnancy. Rae is currently signed to WWE and is part of the ID program, and performs on the Evolve brand.

Naomi Reacts To WWE Women’s ID Champion Kylie Rae’s Pregnancy Announcement

Kylie Rae won the Women’s ID Championship on August 1, defeating Zara Zakher and Zayda Steel in the final of a tournament at Game Changer Wrestling: The ID Showcase.

The WWE ID program was launched as a platform to identify, train, and support promising independent wrestlers. and Rae became the inaugural Women’s ID Champion. While her status as the titleholder has not changed at the time of this writing, she will be out of action for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, here’s how Naomi reacted to Rae’s announcement on X/Twitter:

We at the same time?! Yes! Yes! Yes! Congratulations and Iâ€m coming over lol âš ï¸.”

Naomi proclaimed in her promo in August that even if it meant she had to come back breastfeeding her newborn, she would be back for the Women’s World Championship. For her, the top title had been a long time coming.

Usually, after a WWE Superstar peaks and then goes further down the card, they rarely recover. Naomi spent some time in the tag team division before walking out of the company in 2022. She had to scratch and claw to make it to WWE’s main event scene again, finally.

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Mikel Arteta is allowed to learn, but time wonâ€t wait for him | Arsenal

A minute before half‑time, with Arsenal 1-0 down, still a little clogged in midfield but pressing hard, an unseen brass band somewhere behind the press box began playing a jaunty, oddly mocking version of “No no, no no no no, no no no no, no no thereâ€s no limitsâ€.

The band had vanished by the time the players trooped off. Did it ever really exist? Was it another passing apparition in a wild, gripping, at times occasionally hallucinogenic game notable for the sight of two of the great control managers slightly losing the run of themselves, like a pair of chess nerds out there having a high-speed, full-contact game of draughts, pieces scattered, formations endlessly rejigged, Pep going full Pulis, Mikel Arteta chucking every attacking weapon into the breach, going after the last column of tanks with a soup ladle.

Fast forward another 45 minutes, with Arsenal still 1-0 down and entering stoppage time with five attackers on the pitch, Arteta could be seen sprinting to retrieve the ball, legs pumping in his tight grey slacks, a tender moment of total abandon that would be rewarded by Gabriel Martinelliâ€s equalising goal.

It was entirely deserved and a wonderful stand-alone moment of skill. Eberechi Eze, a half-time substitute, lifted a pass beyond the defensive line. Martinelli, an 80th‑minute substitute, made a lovely full-throttle run from right to left, took the ball on his big toe, then with the same left foot lifted it up and back and over the colossal figure of Gianluigi Donnarumma, the ball hanging deliciously for an extended moment in the evening air like an autumn moon, perfectly calm in the middle of all that fury.

Arsenalâ€s fans, players, managers – possibly even the brass band – writhed and leapt and made strange noises. Maybe there really are no limits.

But football is also a cruel, outcome-based thing. Artetaâ€s players were hugely committed. Arteta himself gambled repeatedly, reordered his team furiously, cracked the game open when he might have begun to fade into defeat. But Arsenal also ended the day five points behind the champions. And they also played liked dervishes only after a stodgy, self-limiting opening 45 minutes. For all the late energy to earn a draw, they really could and should have won this game. And Arteta will be criticised for this, will be accused of picking a team to stay in the game, of once again selecting his containment team. Is it fair?

Eberechi Eze should have been in the starting XI. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Arteta doesnâ€t think so and dismissed this suggestion after the match. Is it, though? This is also a matter of grabbing hold of the moment. The big question seemed to be: have Arsenal learned from the Liverpool game? The early answer seemed to be, well, no. Here they faced another vulnerable title rival. Do you push it? Try to drive the outcome from the first moments?

In the event Arteta went again with Zubimendi-Rice-Merino in midfield, the blanket of suffocation. Leandro Trossard came in on the left ahead of Eze against another stand-in right‑back. Who would Abdukodir Khusanov rather play against? A good all‑purpose attacker? Or the dribbling nightmare, the guy who wants to test your balance every time?

Instead Arsenal started the game with the most sensational bench, a Champions League bench. Plus point: Arteta did use that bench. Negative: itâ€s, like, still the bench.

The Emirates Stadium was a lovely crisp green place at kick‑off, the sky a cold, hard, autumn blue. And the direction of the day was set after eight minutes as City scored a wonderful goal, an extended one-two from deep in their own half, made and finished by Erling Haaland, who played a lovely pass to Tijjani Reijnders then set off on a 60-yard sprint outside him. The return ball was just right, the first touch from Haaland deceptively perfect, taking it to his right foot, just far enough, away from his strong side, but to the right side to score, which he did by simply rolling the ball into the far corner, a finish that felt like a pat on the head. Yeah, weâ€re just doing this now, OK?

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It was the worst start for Artetaâ€s selection, which had been picked precisely to prevent this from happening. And Guardiola deserves credit for his own extreme versatility here, out on his touchline in black athleisure‑wear slacks, black leather shoes and dangly hoodie, like a man on his way to the annual skateboard collective fishing trip. City were set out to score like this and from there to clog the midfield, and ultimately to defend like men lashed together on the deck of a storm-racked ship.

They were helped by a lack of precision from Arsenal in that first half, a self-selecting absence of midfield craft. They missed Martin Ødegaard in that period. They knew they were going to miss him. This was not reflected in the team. Eze is a final-pass guy. But why wait, why leave this weakness in the starting XI?

And so Artetaâ€s own ledger will be split. The idea that Arsenal have No Excuses not to lead the way in the league will be trotted out once again. In reality, this is an endlessly complex sport. Arteta did reach on to the pitch and change the game. Nobody has ever made City play like this under Pep. Arteta is also allowed to learn about himself and about his team, which is stronger than any he has previously managed.

On the other hand, City did score that goal. Arsenal began like a team in the wrong gear. Liverpool, who really have thrown all their talent at this, canâ€t keep winning by one goal every week, we hear. This is true. Theyâ€re quite likely to start winning by three or four.

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India Beat Pakistan For the Second Time In Asia Cup

India has defeated Pakistan by six wickets in the second Super Fours match of the Asia Cup 2025. With this, the Men in Blue have taken their first step towards a place in the final.

The India vs Pakistan Super Fours game was Match 14 of the Asia Cup 2025. The game was played in the Dubai International Stadium and saw India win the toss, deciding to bowl first.

India vs Pakistan: India Beats Pakistan For Second Time In A Row

The Pakistani batting got off to a solid start. 11 runs were scored in the first two overs, of which Jasprit Bumrah conceded 11. But then, in the third over, Hardik Pandya took the first wicket, dismissing opener Fakhar Zaman for 15 off nine.

But then, the Men in Green formed a solid partnership. Saim Ayub, who was demoted to No. 3 in this match after three consecutive ducks, batted with opener Sahibzada Farhan for the next eight overs. While Farhan took the attacking role, Ayub played the anchor.


Demo

No more wickets fell until the 10th over mark, with Pakistan scoring 91 runs in 10 overs. But then, in the 11th over, Saim Ayub was dismissed by Shivan Dube, with Abhishek Sharma, who had dropped two catches in this game earlier, finally holding on to one.

Hussain Talat then accompanied Sahibzada on the pitch for some time but got out in the 14th over by Kuldeep Yadav, who had also dropped a catch earlier in the match. And then, an over later, Sahibzada Farhan got out after scoring a half-century, getting dismissed by Dube for 58 off 45.

At 115/4 in the 15th over, Pakistan needed a speed boost; however, the pair of Mohammad Nawaz and captain Salman Ali Agha would not provide that. It wasnâ€t until the 19th over, after Nawas was run out a couple of deliveries ago, that the score reached 150.

But with 14 runs scored in the final over, helped by a quickfire 20 off eight by Faheem Ashraf, Pakistan managed to reach a solid total of 171/5 in 20 overs. Shivam Dube was the pick of the bowlers, bowling a four-over spell of 2/33. Meanwhile, Sahibzada Farhan, with his 58, was the highest run scorer.

But then came the Men in Blueâ€s turn to bat, and they started dominating right from the first ball, as Abhishek Sharma hit Shaheen Afridi for a six on the first ball of the inning.

The opening pair of Sharma and Shubman Gill made 69 runs in the powerplay without losing any wickets. This partnership then went to the 100-run mark in the ninth over, and it wasnâ€t until the 10th over, when Faheem Ashraf would dismiss Gill for 47 off 28, that Pakistan took their first wicket for a total of 105.

However, in the very next over, captain Suryakumar Yadav got out for a duck. With India losing two quick wickets, one wouldnâ€t be at fault for thinking that the Men in Blue were in trouble. But with Abhishek Sharma causing a storm at the other end, India was still the overwhelming favourite.

But Abhishek Sharma did lose his wicket soon after, having made 74 off 39 before being dismissed by Abrar Ahmed in the 13th over. So with two new batters at the crease in the form of Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson, there was truly some trouble brewing.

So, noticing the trend of falling wickets, Tilak and Samson parked the bus on a cricket pitch. Both Varma and Sanju seemed to have been playing an ODI for all their time at the pitch.

Sanju Samson, the Player of the Match of the game against Oman, was dismissed in the 17th over for 13 off 17, with India still needing 24 runs off 20 deliveries.

This was the point where Tilak Varma picked up the pace, taking his strike rate from below 100 to over 150. He, along with a supporting Hardik Pandya, took the team home in the 19th over as India won the match by six wickets with seven balls to spare.

For his blistering knock of 74 runs off 39 balls with six 4s and five 6s, Abhishek Sharma was named the Player of the Match.

With their win in this India vs Pakistan Super Fours match, the Men in Blue have taken a massive step towards a place in the final. They will now face Bangladesh in their next match on Wednesday, September 24th. On the other hand, Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in their next match on Tuesday, the 23rd.

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