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Shehroze Kashif vies with competitors, seeks funds to scale summits

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Shehroze Kashif, a Pakistani mountaineer, faces extreme weather conditions in his attempt to conquer the world’s highest mountains, but the biggest challenge for him lies in securing the necessary funding.

Kashif, at the age of 21, aims to become the youngest person to summit all peaks above 8,000 meters in Pakistan and Asia this year. Reaching Everest alone cost him around $60,000, and summiting all the 14 “super peaks” can require hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This task becomes even more difficult in a country facing an economic crisis. Despite these challenges, the young climber remains determined to achieve his record-breaking summit attempt.

“My father sold my car and a piece of land… that’s how I did Everest,” Kashif told AFP from his home in Lahore, the sub-tropical, low-altitude city where he was born.

Mountaineer Shehroze Kashif speaks with AFP while standing next to his Guinness records certificates inside his home in Lahore.
Mountaineer Shehroze Kashif speaks with AFP while standing next to his Guinness records certificates inside his home in Lahore.

Only around 50 people are believed to have climbed all 14 super peaks, the youngest being Mingma Gyabu “David” Sherpa of Nepal, who summited them all by age 30.

To break this record, Kashif still has three mountains to conquer: China’s Shishapangma, and Cho Oyu and Manaslu in Nepal, having to re-climb the latter after a new, higher summit was officially recognised in 2021.

Hot on Kashif’s heels is Adriana Brownlee, a 22-year-old British-Spanish mountaineer who is also racing to be the youngest to scale all the eight-thousanders.

Kashif describes Brownlee — the youngest woman to climb the world’s second-highest peak, K2 — as “sharing the same stage”.

This picture taken on June 27, 2023 shows mountaineer Shehroze Kashif posing for a photo next to his Guinness records certificates during an interview with AFP inside his home in Lahore.
This picture taken on June 27, 2023 shows mountaineer Shehroze Kashif posing for a photo next to his Guinness records certificates during an interview with AFP inside his home in Lahore.

But unlike Brownlee, who has climbed 10 eight-thousanders, Kashif does not have international sponsorship and said he even struggles to get backers in Pakistan.

Brownlee will also need to re-summit Manaslu, in what would be her third attempt to scale the peak since first climbing it.

“I think she’s waiting for me (to do it) actually,” Kashif said with a laugh.

Climbing summits, breaking records

Kashif first became interested in climbing aged 11, when most Pakistani boys his age are building up their cricket skills.

Instead, he climbed the 3,885-metre Himalayan peak Makra in northern Pakistan.

He has racked up a string of records since then, with scarcely enough space in his Twitter bio to list them all.

This picture taken on June 27, 2023 shows mountaineer Shehroze Kashif (L) training with coach Shamoz Khan at a gym in Lahore.
This picture taken on June 27, 2023 shows mountaineer Shehroze Kashif (L) training with coach Shamoz Khan at a gym in Lahore.

Kashif is the youngest person to climb K2 and the youngest to climb both of the world´s two highest mountains.

He is also the youngest to climb Pakistan’s Broad Peak, the world’s 12th highest mountain and his first eight-thousander — a feat that earned him the moniker “Broad Boy”.

“It’s not about only climbing the mountains. It’s about the energy that you absorb from the mountains,” Kashif said.

“Every mountain has its own charm. It’s own aura of… danger and adventure and happiness.”

Scaling amid danger

With memorial plaques dotting the hills of the eight-thousanders, Kashif is aware of his pursuit’s risks.

“These guys were here with the same potential, same passion, same enthusiasm, same determination and same tolerance (as me),” he said.

This picture taken on June 27, 2023 shows mountaineer Shehroze Kashif speaking during an interview with AFP inside his home in Lahore.
This picture taken on June 27, 2023 shows mountaineer Shehroze Kashif speaking during an interview with AFP inside his home in Lahore.

Kashif’s most dangerous climb was up the world’s ninth-highest peak, Nanga Parbat, in July 2022.

He and his climbing partner Fazal Ali got lost in bad weather after summiting, and soon ran out of oxygen, food and water.

“I started hallucinating,” Kashif said. “My head was working (but the) rest of my body was just totally numb.”

This picture taken on June 27, 2023 shows mountaineer Shehroze Kashif training at a gym in Lahore.
This picture taken on June 27, 2023 shows mountaineer Shehroze Kashif training at a gym in Lahore.

When Kashif woke from a rest, he was surprised to be alive, and determined to survive. After six hours of trekking, the pair made it to one of the mountain’s base camps.

“The thing that I was most afraid of (is) that I don’t want to die without knowing what my body is capable of.”

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Champions Trophy 2025 will remain in Pakistan, the CEO of the ICC has said.

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Dismissing any rumors that the Champions Trophy 2025 will be moved to a different nation, International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Geoff Allardice has stated that the tournament will take place in Pakistan as planned.

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is slated to take place in Pakistan in February and March. Nevertheless, India’s participation in the competition is up in the air since the BCCI is still awaiting government sanction to travel there.

Recall that there were rumors in Indian media, backed by the BCCI, that the Indian team would not be traveling to Pakistan for the forthcoming ICC match.

Additional reports stated that the board had formally suggested Sri Lanka and Dubai as possible locations for India’s match.

According to Geoff Allardice, who denied the reports, no team has expressed reluctance to play in the competition.

Allardice voiced her appreciation over Pakistan’s hosting of the Women’s T20 World Cup during a press conference in Dubai. He went on to emphasize that Pakistan is the ICC’s choice to host the Champions Trophy.

Remarkably, Pakistan is preparing three stadiums for the Champions Trophy in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.

The PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has revealed that the stadium modifications will be finished prior to the start of the Champions Trophy.

Gaddafi Stadium’s basement will be built by September 30. It will take three weeks to finish each floor. A steel framework would make up the front building. By December 31, the primary structure of Gaddafi Stadium will be finished, according to Naqvi.

“The seats will be erected in the stadium prior to the Champions Trophy; Indi Stadium will need to be fully destroyed and rebuilt.

“The Champions Trophy will take place before the renovations at Karachi’s [National Stadium] are finished,” he said.

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In the possible return of the Afro-Asian Cup, players from Pakistan and India might go together.

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Pakistan and India were among the best sub-continent nations that competed in the Afro-Asia Cup, which was contested in 2005 and 2007. The Africa XI was comprised of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. The Asia XI was comprised of two teams.

Due to problems with broadcasting and political hurdles, the event was canceled after only two editions, despite the fact that it received a great deal of attention and appreciation from cricket lovers all over the world.

The negotiations regarding the resuscitation of the Afro-Asia Cup sprang to life a few days after Jay Shah was appointed to the position of Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC!).

The competition was played in the format of a Twenty20 match, but the next edition of the tournament might be played in the format of a Twenty20 match.

Samod Damodar, the chairman of the African Cricket Association (ACA), presented conjecture over the possibility that the idea will actually be adopted. In addition, he provided an update on the situation.

The fact that the Afro-Asia Cup did not take place is something that has left me feeling extremely upset. Despite the fact that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) did not receive sufficient momentum, it is currently being reconsidered. To a large extent, I believe that it was a lack of comprehension and a refusal to support the idea. It is something that our members deeply lament. It was necessary for Africa to be the driving force behind it,” Damodar was quoted as saying in a story published by Forbes.

With the belief that the Afro-Asia Cup has the potential to alleviate political tensions, Damodar has great hopes for the competition.

It is possible that these matches will break down political boundaries that are currently in place. Instead than driving a wedge between people, cricket can help establish bridges between them. In my opinion, I do not feel that players are hostile toward one another; therefore, I am confident that they would be willing to participate in this activity. The fact that Mahinda is now a member of the International Cricket Council board and Jay Shah is the current president of the ICC may give this cause a little bit more traction. When it comes to making this happen, both of them have always been proactive in their efforts,” he went on to say.

Claims concerning the restoration of the Afro-Asia Cup also emerged in June 2022, claiming that the competition would make its return in the middle of 2023. For those who are unaware, these claims suggested that the tournament would return.

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Champions Trophy: Pakistan will be visited by an ICC delegation next week

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Pakistan, who are also the reigning champions, will host the 50-over competition in February and March of next year.

The heads and representatives of various ICC departments are part of the visiting delegation.

Along with these topics, the inspection team will talk about the tournament’s schedule, practice matches, locations, and ticketing.

The group will receive an update on the global premium tournament’s upgraded venues from PCB executives.

Within two days, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will receive the schedule from the ICC, according to sources.

During its inspection, the ICC will visit all three of the tournament’s locations in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi and examine the arrangements for the next events.

The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, National Stadium in Karachi, and Rawalpindi International Cricket Stadium are the three sites that will stage the enormous show. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) allotted Rs 12.80 billion earlier this year for their renovations.

In the upcoming year, the ICC Champions Trophy will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and the National Stadium in Karachi, from February 19 to March 9.

The countries that make up Group B are Australia, England, Afghanistan, South Africa, and Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh.

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