Category: Sports

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  • Jason Gillespie makes bold new claim for Babar Azam

    Jason Gillespie makes bold new claim for Babar Azam

    Jason Gillespie, the head coach of the national cricket team, had made a bold new claim for former skipper Babar Azam.

    While giving an interview with foreign media, he said, “Babar Azam is the best player; bad times come to big players. He will return to form soon and win matches.

    Talking about red ball captain Shan Masood, he said, “Shan was given the captaincy in Australia, which was a tough tour; his behaviour with the players is very good.”

    “I knew that coaching in Pakistan would be challenging, but coaching here is different from past experiences. I am learning every day about adjusting to Pakistan cricket and trying to understand the environment of Pakistan cricket. When the coaching offer came, I was told that there are long-term plans for Pakistan”, he further added.

    Earlier, the spinner of the national cricket team, Sajid Khan, told the plan made regarding the Rawalpindi test against England.

    He said, “The credit for making the pitch goes to the selection committee. The ball spun in the first 30 overs in the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, but the England batters also played the wrong shots. I don’t have ‘Doosra’, so I tried to change the pace; the focus is on the first innings, and I am not thinking about the second innings.”

    Sajid took six wickets in the first innings of the 2nd Test against England.

    The English team was bowled out for 267 on the first day of the Pindi Test.

  • Why this Indian woman cricketer is being called ‘female Muhammad Rizwan’?

    Why this Indian woman cricketer is being called ‘female Muhammad Rizwan’?

    Indian women’s team cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues is being called the female version of Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman Muhammad Rizwan, according to Indian journalist Shubhankar Mishra.

    Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said, “People are calling Jemimah the Indian female version of Pakistan cricketer Muhammar Rizwan.”

    Background of the story:

    One of Mumbai’s oldest clubs, Khar Gymkhana, has cancelled the membership of Indian women’s cricket star Jemimah Rodrigues. Some members of the Gymkhana alleged that her father, Ivan Rodrigues, organised religious conversion activities there.

    This decision was made during the club’s annual general body meeting on October 20, 2024. Members were concerned about the club’s premises being used for religious gatherings.

    According to The Indian Express, Ivan organised around 35 gatherings under the name Brother Manuel Ministries over 18 months in the club’s presidential hall, which led to objections from some club members who claimed these events aimed to convert “vulnerable” individuals.

    “We hear about conversions all over the country, but it’s happening right under our nose… As per Khar Gymkhana’s by-laws, no religious activity is permitted”, Shiv Malhotra, a member of the club’s managing committee, said.

    Former Gymkhana president Nitin Gadekar stated that he had seen such activities at the club for some time. Following these events, the club decided to revoke Jemimah Rodrigues’ three-year membership, which was granted in 2023.

    The initial membership grant had made her the first Indian female cricketer to join the club, and in 2023, Khar Gymkhana invited Rodrigues to use its facilities.

    The allegations surface at a crucial time in her cricket career, as she is preparing to represent India in the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand.

    Why is she called the female version of Muhammad Rizwan?

    In December 2023, a video of the Pakistan cricket team’s wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Rizwan making a speech in a mosque in Melbourne, Australia, went viral. According to the viral video on social media, after arriving in Melbourne, wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Rizwan went to a mosque to give a speech.

    “I believe that a human being is a brand ambassador of two things. If a person is a Muslim, they represent Islam wherever they go. The second thing is that they are Pakistan’s brand ambassador. It doesn’t matter what anyone says,” he said.

    Rizwan has since been criticised by some social media users, including national cricketer Ahmed Shehzad. At the same time, most fans supported him for spreading peaceful religion in the world.

  • ‘No more Bazball’: Muhammad Rizwan’s video from behind the stumps goes viral

    ‘No more Bazball’: Muhammad Rizwan’s video from behind the stumps goes viral

    The final and deciding match of the 3-Test series between Pakistan and England is underway in Rawalpindi. In this decisive match, England won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan, but they were dismissed for 267 runs.

    Sajid Khan took six, while Noman Ali took three wickets for Pakistan.

    England’s aggressive strategy, popularly known as ‘Baseball’, also seems to be failing as half of England’s team returned to the pavilion for 267 runs.

    A video of the match is also going viral on social media, in which Harry Brooke gets out after scoring five runs, then Muhammad Rizwan says ‘No more Baz-ball’.

    The English team has been famous for playing baseball and cricket for the last 2 years. Be it social media or news headlines, this word has been attributed to the England cricket team.

    What is the term ‘Bazball?

    The basic meaning of the word Bazball is to make quick runs with the aim of winning the test matches. England’s cricket team ushered in a new era of Test cricket under coach Brendon McCullum from New Zealand.

    The former Kiwi batsman’s new thinking has apparently changed the way the longest format of the game is played.

    In 2022, the England Cricket Board appointed McCullum as the head coach of the English team and Ben Stokes as the captain. After this, the English team changed its strategy by completely changing the style of the traditional Test match to an aggressive playing style in the Test matches.

    While the batsmen used to bat slowly in the Test match, now the English team has changed this style and started batting fast and has taken the run rate to 4-5 runs per over.

    The England team has adopted the style of playing fast in Test cricket, so aggressive play in Test cricket is now called ‘Baseball’.

  • VIDEO: Pakistan table-tennis coach caught sleeping during match

    VIDEO: Pakistan table-tennis coach caught sleeping during match

    A video of the coach for Pakistan’s table tennis team going viral on the internet shows him sleeping during match time.

    As the match ended with a decisive victory for the Chinese team, the players went to the bench for the traditional post-match handshake, but he was sleeping.

    After a few light shakes, the coach woke up, was momentarily confused, and then shook hands with the Chinese players.

    Meanwhile, the Pakistani team participated in the presentation after the worst defeat.

    Their expressions suggested a mixture of resignation and glee as they watched their coach’s unexpected nap become the highlight of the tournament.

    The incident has sparked a flurry of hilarious comments online, with one user quipping, “Looks like the coach was dreaming of a comeback!”

    Another joked, “At least someone on the team got some rest during the match.”

    The Pakistani team, however, lost in a one-sided match as the Chinese team gave a master-class performance in table tennis.

  • Sajid, Noman shine in Pindi: England lose 5 wickets for 110

    Sajid, Noman shine in Pindi: England lose 5 wickets for 110

    In the decisive test match between Pakistan and England, half of England’s team returned to the pavilion for 110 runs before lunch.

    Spinner Sajid Khan dismissed three, while Noman Ali dismissed two players.

    TOSS:

    England won the toss and decided to bat.

    Speaking on the occasion of the toss, Pakistani captain Shan Masood said that the toss sometimes goes according to plan, sometimes not, and we have to play good cricket.

    Shan said that we had prepared and would play accordingly; playing against England would be a good experience.

    No changes have been made to the Pakistan team for the third test match.

    In the Rawalpindi Test, the national team fielded three spinners, Nauman Ali, Zahid Mahmood and Sajid Khan, while Saeem Ayub and Abdullah Shafiq opened.

    The playing XI also includes Shaan Masood, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Aamir Jamal.

    In the first test of the 3-test series between Pakistan and England, England defeated Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs, and in the second match, Pakistan defeated England by 152 runs.

  • England’s Shoaib Bashir reveals Muhammad Rizwan’s special trick

    England’s Shoaib Bashir reveals Muhammad Rizwan’s special trick

    England’s off-spinner Shoaib Bashir recounted an interesting moment with Muhammad Rizwan during the second Test between Pakistan and England in Multan.

    Speaking to the BBC ahead of the decider in Rawalpindi, the 21-year-old revealed a tactic of Pakistani wicketkeeper.

    He was asked if he helped his side understand Pakistan’s strategy because he speaks Urdu; Shoaib said, “I do as much as possible, but Rizwan has already. When I came to the crease, he started speaking Pashto to communicate with his teammates. I couldn’t understand what he was saying.”

    Rizwan is known for his moves behind the stumps and will likely need to employ more such tactics with the Pakistan captaincy on the horizon.

    On the other hand, the English spinner has given excellent performances to England since making his debut this year. Despite averaging 51 with the ball after 2 Test matches against Pakistan, the team will continue to depend on him for the final game, as the Pindi pitches are being prepared spin-friendly.

  • Jason Gillespie reveals his role in national team selection

    Jason Gillespie reveals his role in national team selection

    Pakistan Cricket team read ball head coach Jason Gillespie has revealed his role in team selection.

    During a press conference ahead of the final Test match between Pakistan and England, he was asked about his role in squad selection.

    He said, “It’s not my place to talk about. I’m not a selector. I’m a ‘matchday strategist’ and head coach, but I would like to have more say in the selection process.”

    After the recent Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) reshuffle, Test team captain Shan Masood and coach Jason Gillespie were no longer part of the selection process, and the authority was handed over to Aqib Javed, Azhar Ali, Aleem Dar, Asad Shafiq and Hasan Cheema.

    The coach and captain now have to rely on the players that the selection committee sends to them. It remains to be seen how this change will affect the relationship between PCB and Jason Gillespie, who apparently took on the role with additional responsibilities.

    During Jason Gillespie’s tenure, the team lost the home series to Bangladesh, which was outclassed by England in the first Test, and they registered their first win under his leadership in the second Test.

  • ‘Surprise captain announcement on the way,’ claims journalist

    ‘Surprise captain announcement on the way,’ claims journalist

    The announcement for the Pakistan cricket team’s white-ball captain is expected today.

    Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif hinted that the future of the team will be decided after an important meeting between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Muhammad Rizwan.

    However, Sports Journalist Shoaib Jatt has posted on X (Formerly Twitter), “Surprise CAPTAIN announcement on the way”, hitting toward something surprising.

    Muhammad Rizwan is a strong candidate for captaincy, but it will be decided after he meets with Mohsin Naqvi. Shadab Khan, Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha were also strong candidates along with Rizwan.

    NEW SELECTION COMMITTEE:

    Earlier, the board announced the new selection committee for the national team.

    The captain and head coach have been removed from the new selection committee of the national team; Aleem Dar, Aqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali and Hasan Cheema are included in the new selection committee. All five members will be voting members.

    The non-voting members include Azhar Mehmood, Bilal Afzal, Nadeem Khan, and Usman Wahla.

    However, PCB has not included the captain and coach in the selection committee.

  • Pakistan announces playing XI for the 3rd Test against England

    Pakistan has announced the playing XI for the Rawalpindi Test against England.

    No change has been made in the Pakistan team. Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique will be open during the third test match as well.

    Captain Shan Masood, Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel are included in the playing XI. Muhammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Aamir Jamal are also part of the team.

    Pakistan will play with three spinners, including Noman Ali, Zahid Mahmood and Sajid Khan. England had announced the playing eleven for the Rawalpindi Test yesterday.

    The English team has made two changes for the Rawalpindi Test and decided to play with three specialist spinners.

    First Test match:

    Pakistan had defeated England by 152 runs in the 2nd Test match at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

    In the match being played at the International Stadium in Multan, England started the fourth day’s game with 36 runs for the loss of two wickets, but Sajid Khan showed the way to the pavilion after adding one run to Ollie Pope, while the individual score of 18 But Noman Ali dismissed Joe Root.

    Nouman Ali also dismissed Harry Brook lbw for a total of 78 while Jamie Smith became his fourth victim.

    English captain Ben Stokes became the fifth victim of Nauman Ali, who was stumped for 37 runs.

    Nauman Ali took eight, while Sajid Khan took two wickets in the second innings.

    Day 3:

    In the closing moments of play on the third day, Pakistan had run the English openers, with Sajid taking the valuable wicket of Ben Duckitt in the first over while Nauman Ali sent Zac Crawley to the pavilion.

    Pakistan scored 366 runs in the first innings, in response to which the England team was bowled out for 291 runs with a deficit of 75 runs. In the second innings, the Pakistani team was bowled out for 221 runs and gave England a target of 297 runs to win.

    Pakistan inning:

    In the first innings of the second Test match, the Pakistani team was all out by scoring 366 runs; the national team started its incomplete first innings at 259 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, then the wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan was out by scoring 41 runs for the gain of just five runs. Done. Agha Salman, 31, and Sajid Khan, two runs, proved to be guests.

    Aamir Jamal and Nouman Ali formed a partnership of 49 runs for the 9th wicket, but Aamir got out after scoring 37 runs; later, Nouman Ali was caught by Jack Leach after scoring 32 runs.

    On behalf of England, Jack Leach took four wickets, Brayden Carrs took three wickets, Matthew Potts took two wickets, and Shoaib Bashir took one wicket.

  • British High Commissioner shies away from naming favourite Pakistani cricketer

    British High Commissioner shies away from naming favourite Pakistani cricketer

    British High Commissioner Jean Marriott declined to name her favourite Pakistani cricketer, saying it could upset millions.

    While exclusively talking to ARY, she said, “I’m not going to be drawn on my favourite Pakistani cricketer. If I did, I would deeply upset about 200 million people in this country.”

    In response to a question about the third Test between Pakistan and England, she said, “Pakistan was happy to win the second Test, which has given life to the series, but my prediction is that England will win the third Test match.”

    The decisive third test match between Pakistan and England will be played in Rawalpindi on October 24. Both teams have won one match each in the test series.

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the sale of tickets for the Rawalpindi test, and admission to the premier enclosures will be free on the first day of the Test. The price of the ticket for the premier enclosures on the second day of the Rawalpindi Test has been fixed at Rs 200.

    The ticket price for VIP Enclosures will be Rs 400, and the ticket price for VVIP Gallery will be Rs 2 thousand.

    For the last 3 days of the third Test, the price of tickets for Premier Enclosures will be Rs.300, VIP Enclosures will be Rs.500, and VVIP Gallery tickets will be Rs.2500.

    Tickets for the Rawalpindi test can be purchased from the courier company’s centre or online.