New Delhi:

The Supreme Court has granted bail to former Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam Khan, who had challenged an order of the Allahabad High Court denying them bail in a machine theft case.

A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal set aside the Allahabad High Court order which rejected their bail plea.

“Taking into consideration the facts and circumstances of the case which include the period of incarceration undergone by the appellants, and that the chargesheet has already been filed, we are inclined to set aside the impugned order and grant bail to the appellants.

“Accordingly, the impugned order stands set aside and the appellants are granted bail, subject to the terms and conditions which are to the satisfaction of the trial court,” the bench said in its February 10 order.

The top court asked the trial court to impose a condition to the effect that the appellants shall cooperate with the conduct of the trial till its conclusion and shall not make any attempt to influence or win over the witnesses.

“Liberty is also granted to the respondent-State to seek for cancellation of bail in case of violation of any of the conditions imposed upon the appellants. We further make it clear that the trial court is at liberty to proceed with the trial, notwithstanding the conduct of the parties,” the bench said.

Azam Khan and his son had moved the top court against the September 21 order of the high court.

The criminal case was registered in 2022 against Mr Khan, his son and five others alleging that they had stolen the road-cleaning machine, which was purchased by the Nagar Palika Parishad, Rampur district.

It was further alleged that this machine was later recovered from Mr Khan’s Jauhar University of Rampur.

After the change of government in the state, a person named Wakar Ali Khan lodged an FIR in 2022 at Kotwali, Rampur against the seven persons.

It was alleged in the FIR that they had in 2014 stolen the government’s road cleaning machine.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The 2025 edition of the International League T20 (ILT20) culminated on Sunday with Dubai Capitals clinching the title. In the summit clash, Dubai registered a thrilling four-wicket win over Desert Vipers to ear their maiden title. Opting to bowl first, the Capitals conceded 189 runs as Max Holden and skipper Sam Curran scored 76 and 62 runs respectively for the Vipers. Later, the Capitals bounced back in style and chased down the target with four balls to spare. Apart from this thrilling chase, the match also had a controversial moment.

In the 8th over of the Capitals’ chase, Vipers wicketkeeper Azam Khan showed his amazing skills to stump out Rovman Powell on Nathan Sowter’s delivery. As the Vipers began to celebrate Powell’s dismissal, the TV umpire saw that Azam’s gloves were in line with the stumps when stumped out Powell.

Drama drama drama!

An erroneous stumping No ball declared Batter called back Wide Free Hit hit for

And ALL that action in just ONE BALL! It’s all happening out there!#Final #DPWorldILT20 #TheFinalPush #AllInForCricket @DPWorldUAE @DP_World @ilt20onzee pic.twitter.com/Hlf6Im5m2l

— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) February 9, 2025

Hence, the Caribbean batter was called back as the delivery was declared a no-ball. However, the action did not end here. The next delivery, which was a free-hit, Sowter ended up throwing it as a wide ball. Finally, when he delivered the next ball perfectly, Powell comfortably smashed it for a six.

This blunder by Azam Khan proved to be expensive for the Vipers as he went on to score 63 off 38 balls.

Talking about the match, chasing 189, Sikandar Raza provided the decisive late surge with a blistering 12-ball 34, sealing victory in the final over. Earlier, Rovman Powell’s 63 and Shai Hope‘s composed 43 (in 39 balls, with two fours and a six) laid the foundation for the Capitals’ triumphant chase, as per an ILT20 press release.

For the Vipers, Max Holden’s innings of 76 runs weathered the loss of early wickets before Sam Curran took control of proceedings with an unbeaten half-century, studded with five fours and three sixes. Azam Khan also stepped up on the occasion with a boundary-laden cameo of 27 runs in the death overs.

The Capitals beat the Desert Vipers for a sixth consecutive time. Capitals took home the cash prize of USD 700,000 while the Desert Vipers were awarded USD 300,000.

Adding to the excitement of a grand final and a new champion, the ILT20’s signature awards that recognise outstanding individual performances saw Shai Hope walk away with the Green Belt (best batter), finishing the competition with 529 runs. MI Emirates’ Fazalhaq Farooqi claimed the White Belt (best bowler) for his 21 wickets in 11 innings.

File photo of Azam Khan.© AFP

Azam Khan in action at the Caribbean Premier League© X (Twitter)

Pakistan Test coach Jason Gillespie highlighted the importance of fitness in the team ahead of their two-match red-ball series against Bangladesh in August. In the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024, Pakistan crashed out of the group stage and received massive backlash from former Pakistan cricketers and some sections of fans. Fielding and inconsistency were the two aspects of the Pakistan team that were heavily criticised. Apart from that, the fitness level of the players also turned out to be another point of backlash for the players.

Some sections of fans, along with former Pakistan cricketers including Wasim Akram, Kamran Akmal and many more stars, have been critical of the players’ fitness.

Gillespie is looking to improve the fitness level within the team and said, as quoted from Geo News, “In international cricket, you have to remain fit, there are no questions on that. In international cricket, everyone should know about the importance of fitness. It is the main component of a sportsman.”

After Babar Azam was reinstated as the white ball captain in place of Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood is expected to lead the side in the two-match Test series.

Gillespie disclosed that he has had conversations with the Test skipper and will hold talks with the players about the brand of cricket that they want to play.

“I have talked to Shan Masood [Pakistan’s red-ball capain] one or two times, I’m hoping we will play positive cricket. I will [also] discuss with the players about what brand of cricket they want to play, the team will be selected while taking the opposition and conditions in mind,” he said.

“If a player is good for the team, he will definitely be selected. I’m in contact with Gary Kirsten [Pakistan’s white-ball coach] for players’ workload management,” he added.

The former Australian pacer asserted that his focus is on red-ball cricket and he has had conversations with previous coaches as he aims to improve the team.

“My focus is red-ball cricket. I will also travel to Australia and watch their players. I have talked with Jeff Lawson and Shaun Tait [Pakistan’s former bowling coach] on the Pakistan cricket team,” Gillespie said.

Pakistan’s Test series against Bangladesh will begin on August 21 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second Test will be played on August 30 at National Stadium Karachi.

Pakistan World Cup winner Mushtaq Ahmed praised under-fire Pakistan captain Babar Azam, and stated that he requires contributions from the rest of the players. He went on to ask that more respect be shown towards Babar. Babar and the rest of the Pakistan team were heavily criticised by former players, experts and fans as Pakistan crashed out of the 2024 T20 World Cup after the group stage. However, Mushtaq Ahmed rushed to Babar’s defence, stating that he has increased his aggression.

“Babar’s intent has definitely changed in the past year. He has shown aggression in his batting. If a person can improve so much, I think that’s enough,” Mushtaq said to Cricket Pakistan.

“Other players also have a duty to score runs; they have a role to play too. If one person gives you a score, but the rest of our players don’t go on to score in the remaining 7-8 overs, then there’s a problem,” he added.

“This has been happening for 3-4 years. They (other players except Babar) only score when it doesn’t make a significant impact,” stated Mushtaq.

Babar was Pakistan’s top runscorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup, scoring 122 runs in four games, but at a strike rate of just 101.66. Mohammad Rizwan, who scored the second-most runs, had a strike rate of just 90.90.

Mushtaq called for people to respect Babar more, and not forget his contributions to Pakistan cricket.

“If we talk about Babar, there’s a reason why people respect him worldwide. He brings honour to Pakistan. I think sometimes people are very hard on him,” said Mushtaq.

Babar Azam currently ranks among ICC’s top 5 batsmen in all three formats; No. 1 in ODIs, No. 3 in Tests and No. 4 in T20Is.

Despite a rocky T20 World Cup campaign, Babar is expected to retain captaincy, with the ‘major surgery’ earlier promised by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi reportedly unlikely.

File image of Babar Azam (right) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.© AFP

Pakistan failed to make the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2024.© X (Twitter)

Babar Azam and five other players have decided to spend their holidays in London.© AFP

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan has been on the receiving end of some criticism from fans and former players amid his poor show in the recently-concluded T20I series against England. Azam scored just 11 runs in the two matches that he played, while his glove-work was also questionable as he dropped a few easy catches. Ahead of the T20 World Cup, fans and former selectors have questioned his inclusion in the team. While Azam’s performances have not been upto the mark, the experts also suggested that the 25-year-old is out of shape to play at the highest level.

Amid the ongoing criticism, Pakistan captain Babar Azam has defended the youngster, urging the fans to back him and the other players who have been selected for the T20 World Cup.

“When we don’t select a player, you ask us why we did not select him. And then, when we select him, you ask us why he was selected. We need to back the players who have been selected,” Babar said in a press conference.

In the fourth and final T20I at The Oval, Azam looked visibly dejected during one of the drink breaks, having dropped a few catches. However, Babar went up to him and consoled the youngster. His gesture has gone viral on social media.

The way he backs his Teammates Aik hi dil hain Kaptaana kitni Baar jetoge pic.twitter.com/OEnyWtACvm

— Muhammad Abubakar (@Abubakarfts213) May 31, 2024

Azam isn’t the only player who is going through a rough patch going into the T20 World Cup. Even captain Babar and star keeper-batter Mohmmad Rizwan have come under scrutiny for their batting strike-rate.

Pakistan would need a massive turnaround to get out of their T20 World Cup group.

They are placed in Group A alongside arch-rival India, Canada, USA and Ireland. The Men in Green will begin their campaign against the co-hosts USA on Thursday at the Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas.

They face USA in their tournament opener on June 6, followed by the high-octane clash against arch-rivals India on June 9.

Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.