AUCKLAND: New Zealand thrashed 10-man Chile 4-1 on Monday in Auckland in their last home match before the World Cup, their first win ever against South American opposition.

Fellow World Cup qualifiers Cape Verde earlier won a penalty shootout against Finland at Auckland’s Eden Park, having drawn their match 1-1.

Chile beat Cape Verde 4-2 on Friday but started poorly against the hosts with Dario Osorio sent off in the 27th minute after two yellow cards in quick succession.

The All Whites capitalised straight away, Kosta Barbarouses lashing home a volley from a 31st-minute corner, before Elijah Just added a second in the 40th minute.

It was 3-0 in the 60th minute when Jesse Randall scored from close range, and a fourth was fired home by substitute Ben Waine in the 71st minute. Gonzalo Tapia scored a consolation for Chile in the 83rd minute after a swift counterattack.

New Zealand will face Belgium, Iran and Egypt in the group phase this summer in North America.

Cape Verde came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Finland, before winning the penalty shootout.

Finland were coming off a 2-0 win over New Zealand and went into half-time with the lead, Naatan Skytta scoring with the last kick of the half.

Cape Verde struck back in the 67th minute from a corner, Sidny Cabral finding Kelvin Pires at the far post to head home.

Marcio Rosa made two saves in the penalty shootout to secure Cape Verde the victory.

Cape Verde play Spain, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in their World Cup bow.

On Sunday, Desire Doue scored twice as France showcased their attacking firepower and strength in depth with a 3-1 friendly win over Colombia, in their final outing before coach Didier Deschamps names his World Cup squad.

Fielding an entirely different lineup from the first-choice side who beat Brazil 2-1 on Thursday, Les Bleus still proved too strong for Colombia, with Doue’s double and another goal from Marcus Thuram sealing a comfortable victory.

Jaminton Campaz pulled one back for Colombia, who were quickly overwhelmed despite a decent start.

Sometimes criticised for favouring cold calculation over flair, France over the course of two warm-up matches combined style with efficiency and head towards the June 11-July 19 World Cup with growing certainty ahead of Deschamps final tournament in charge.

“What we’ve produced over these two games is really interesting. We can’t wait to be in June,” said Rayan Cherki, who looked comfortable in France’s 4-2-3-1 formation.

Deschamps was equally positive in his assessment.

“A very positive sporting assessment against two very strong South American teams,” he said. “We gave a lot of players opportunities… the quality is there.”

After a lively opening spell, France took the lead through Doue, who fired a low strike into the bottom corner in the 29th minute to score his first international goal.

Five minutes before the break, Thuram dou­bled the advantage, powering a header in off the underside of the bar after meeting a superbly curled cross from Maghnes Akliouche.

Any doubt was effectively removed before the hour mark. Breaking quickly from the midfield, Akliouche began the move before Cherki released Thuram on the right, and the forward squared unselfishly for Doue to apply a clinical finish.

Just as Kylian Mbappe was about to come on as a late substitute, Campaz reduced the arrears with a precise angled shot.

Mbappe, as well as fellow substitute Hugo Ekitike, went close to adding a fourth in a frantic finish.

France will fine-tune their World Cup preparations against Ivory Coast in Nantes on June 4 and against another, as-yet-undetermined, opponent on June 8.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2026

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday slapped a Rs20 million fine on fast bowler Naseem Shah for breaching several clauses of his central contract.

Last week, the cricketer was issued a show-cause notice for “violating the terms of [his] central contract as well as the media policy and regulations”, requiring him to respond within the stipulated time.

The notice was ostensibly issued in response to a social media post in which Naseem had expressed a critical opinion about Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who was the chief guest during the opening match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) played at the Gaddafi Stadium.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Naseem had Naseem’s account responded to a post from the PCB media account, saying, “Why is she treated like the Queen at Lord’s?”

It should be mentioned that PSL matches are being played behind closed doors in line with the government’s austerity drive amid the oil crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran.

Minutes later, the post was taken down and replaced with another post saying Naseem’s account had been hacked and had been recovered by him, the report said.

According to a press release issued by the PCB on Monday, a personal hearing was held by a three-member disciplinary committee after Naseem’s reply to the show-cause notice was “received and reviewed”.

It said that after hearing and evaluation of Naseem’s submissions, the committee determined that while the cricketer had tendered an unconditional apology, he had breached “various clauses of his central contract” and was subsequently fined Rs20m.

“It was noted that Naseem’s social media adviser has already been terminated by Naseem and shall be blacklisted by the PCB from associating with any player falling under the PCB’s jurisdiction,” the press release added.

“The PCB remains committed to upholding professional standards, contractual obligations and the integrity of the game,” it reaffirmed.

Later, in a post on X, Naseem said, “A recent post from my account was made by my management team and does not reflect my views.”

He said he took “full responsibility for my platform” and had implemented the “necessary changes to ensure this does not happen again”.

“I sincerely apologise to everyone affected by this misuse of my platform,” he said.

According to ESPNcricinfo, clause 2.23 of the PCB’s code of conduct states that any “public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to the board, any of its officials or sponsors or policies, the International Cricket Council or any of its officers or sponsors, player, player support personnel or match officials including umpires and match referees, irrespective of when such criticism or inappropriate comment is made” is not permitted.

Meanwhile, the National Dialogue Committee (NDC) — formed by former PTI leaders — had condemned the PCB for issuing the show-cause notice to Naseem.

“While we recognise the right of any organisation to uphold its codes of conduct, we assert that the PCB’s action in this instance represents a dangerous overreach that undermines a fundamental pillar of democracy: the right to peaceful, critical expression,” the committee said on Saturday.

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Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars on Monday imposed a Rs1 million fine on pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi over his involvement in an incident of security protocol breach but clarified that the “matter arose from a misunderstanding rather than any deliberate attempt to violate established procedures”.

On Sunday, a police official had detailed the alleged incident in a letter to the PSL chief executive officer, claiming that Afridi — who is also the captain of Lahore Qalandars — and his teammate Sikandar Raza had “disregarded the directives and forcefully escorted” four visitors to the latter’s room at the hotel where the players were staying “despite resistance from on-duty security personnel”.

Subsequently, a press release by Lahore Qalandars said that the franchise had taken “strong notice of the recently reported incident dated March 28 concerning an alleged breach of security protocol involving its players”.

“The franchise promptly initiated a comprehensive internal review to establish the facts and ensure that all actions remain aligned with the standards and regulations governing the PSL,” the press release said.

Following this review, the press release added, Lahore Qalandars confirmed an isolated incident had occurred at the team’s hotel. “However, it has been overstated in public discourse and amplified beyond its actual context.”

But, in the “interest of maintaining discipline and demonstrating accountability, the franchise has taken a voluntary and proactive step by imposing a fine of Rs1 million on Shaheen Shah Afridi for his involvement”, the press release stated.

It said Lahore Qalandars had also formally communicated a detailed response, along with its observations on the matter, to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“The franchise expressed its sincere appreciation for the efforts of security personnel, recognising their essential role in ensuring a safe and secure environment for players, officials and spectators.

“While underscoring that the matter arose from a misunderstanding rather than any deliberate attempt to violate established procedures, Lahore Qalandars reiterated its full respect for all security protocols,” the press release stated.

It said the “organisation also reaffirmed its commitment to strict adherence to standard operating procedures and emphasised the importance of continued clarity and alignment in the communication of protocols to prevent similar situations in the future”.

“Lahore Qalandars also expressed regret over the undue public attention surrounding the incident, noting its impact on the reputation of both the franchise and the broader PSL.

“The organisation emphasised that the matter was unnecessarily escalated, affecting the league’s image at both domestic and international levels,” the press release said.

It added that the franchise called for “balanced and responsible reporting and reaffirmed its commitment to the highest standards of professionalism, discipline, and full cooperation with all governing authorities”.

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