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  • 2023; Year of gain and loss for Babar Azam

    2023; Year of gain and loss for Babar Azam

    Year 2023 is ready to say goodbye now with good and bad memories. The past year has been a mixed year for the Pakistan cricket team. Star batsman Babar Azam lost the captaincy of the team after a disastrous World Cup campaign but his personal performance remained outstanding, with many world records falling in his lap, proof of his being one of the great cricketers of the present era.

    The poor performance of the Pakistan cricket team in the recently held World Cup in India and earlier in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka was blamed by many on Babar’s captaincy. He resigned from the three-format captaincy last month on his return home. After this, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed Shan Masood as the Test captain and Shaheen Shah as the T20 captain.

    In 2023, Babar Azam was the number one One-Day Internationals (ODI) batsman in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings for almost the entire year and after holding the crown of the number one batsman for more than 900 days, but unfortunately he lost this honor during the World Cup 2023.

    Babar Azam’s abilities were recognized at the government level and for his superior performance, he was awarded the Star of Distinction by President Dr. Arif Alvi on the occasion of Pakistan Day.

    He achieved two world records in a single match of the ODI series against New Zealand. In the second match of the five-match series against the Kiwis, Babar Azam became the fastest batsman to score 5000 runs and the fastest 18 centuries, equaling South African batsman Hashim Amla’s record. Babar reached the milestone in 97 innings while the former Proteas batsman took 102 innings.

    The former captain also became the fastest batsman to score 9000 runs in T20 cricket, accomplishing the feat in 245 innings. This honor was previously held by West Indian batsman Chris Gayle who scored 9000 runs in 249 runs.

    Babar Azam notched up another world record by scoring a magnificent century in the T20 International in New Zealand, playing his 101st match as captain, became the player with the most centuries in T20 as captain. He broke the record of Indian captain Rohit Sharma who was the first with two centuries. Babar Azam has achieved the honor of scoring three centuries as a captain in T20.

    Azam was then awarded the Outstanding Performance Player of the Month award by the ICC in August. This was the third award overall after winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year last year.

    Under the leadership of Babar Azam, Pakistan became the number one ODI team in the ICC rankings this year. Pakistan won the ODI series against New Zealand after 12 years. Pakistan whitewashed Sri Lanka in the Test series and Afghanistan in the ODI series. The Test and T20 series against New Zealand remained a draw, but the Pakistan team’s performance in the last two assignments in the Asia Cup 2024 and the World Cup was disappointing due to unavailability of Naseem Shah in bowling attack.

    Babar Azam’s Overall Performance in International Cricket:

    Babar Azam has scored a total of 12986 runs in all three formats (Test, ODI & T20) of international cricket so far, 3772 runs in 49 Test matches, including nine centuries and 26 fifties.

    He has scored 5729 runs in 117 one-day matches, including 19 centuries and 32 fifties, while in 104 T20 matches, he has scored 3485 runs with the help of three centuries and 38 fifties.

  • Pictures of Imam-ul-Haq sightseeing with wife in Australia are taking over the internet

    Pictures of Imam-ul-Haq sightseeing with wife in Australia are taking over the internet

    Recently married cricketer Imam-ul-Haq and his wife Anmol Mehmood are in Australia these days where the Pakistan cricket team has gone to play a three-match test series. The pictures and videos of this couple’s wedding were liked by social media users. Now the latest pictures are also very viral. Apart from professional engagements, Imam-ul-Haq is also touring Australia with his wife.

    On Instagram, Imam-ul-Haq and his wife have shared some adorable pictures and videos after their wedding. In the pictures and videos, the couple can be seen enjoying the pleasant weather there.

    Anmol Mahmood had shared some pictures from the wedding ceremony with Imam-ul-Haq before these pictures, in which both can be seen in orange dresses.

    It should be noted that the marriage of Imam-ul-Haq and Anmol was held in Lahore last month, where many famous personalities including Pakistan cricketers attended the wedding ceremony.

  • Caretaker Prime Minister assures of all possible facilities for PSL 9

    Caretaker Prime Minister assures of all possible facilities for PSL 9

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has said that all possible facilities will be provided for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine.

    Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Zaka Ashraf met Kakar today. In the meeting, PSL, Champions Trophy, recent performance of the team, and various matters related to cricket were discussed.

    The Caretaker Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction with the briefing, directing Zaka Ashraf to take further steps for the improvement of the game, stating, “We want the improvement of Pakistan’s cricket, the government will provide all possible facilities for PSL.”

    Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said, “Diplomatic relations can be improved through cricket diplomacy, the government will provide all possible support for the promotion of cricket.”

    He asked that PSL dates should be adjusted so as not to clash with the elections. He asked the Board to work together for the success of 2025 Champions Trophy, with all stakeholders and security agencies.

  • Curious incident of clean bowled batsman being declared not out

    Curious incident of clean bowled batsman being declared not out

    A curious incident during the third grade match between the Western Districts in Canberra, has captured the attention of cricket fans. A bowler bowled the batsman cleanly, with the ball hitting the wicket, but the bails did not fall, nor did any of the stumps uproot completely, on which the umpires declared the batsman not out.

    Despite the ball hitting the wicket, the two bails did not fall and not one of the three stumps could be completely uprooted, on which the umpires did not declare out.

    According to Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Law 29.1, a batsman cannot be declared bowled out unless at least one bail has fallen completely from the top of the stumps or at least one or more stumps have been completely uprooted off the ground.

    Social media users have expressed mixed reactions to the unique incident. Here are some reactions;

  • Cricket Australia introduces alcohol-free ‘Pakistan Bay’ at Perth Stadium

    Cricket Australia introduces alcohol-free ‘Pakistan Bay’ at Perth Stadium

    Cricket Australia has introduced an alcohol-free ‘Pakistan Bay’ at Perth Stadium with an emphasis on a family-friendly environment.

    Cricket Australia has taken the proactive step to create an inclusive and unique experience for Pakistani cricket fans during the upcoming first Test of the Benaud–Qadir Trophy at the Perth Stadium on December 14. The event has already attracted significant interest, with over 18,000 tickets sold for the highly anticipated match.

    To provide a dedicated space for supporters, Perth Stadium has allocated two zones around the Pakistan dressing room, officially named ‘Pakistan Bay’, a designated area serving as a focal point for fans to gather and rally behind their team.

    Participants can enjoy various amenities including tea, halal, and desi food. Pakistani cricketers Hasan Ali and Saim Ayub have invited fans to participate in a walk organized by Cricket Australia on the first day of the match. The walk will take participants down the famous Sailani Avenue to Perth Stadium.

  • Mongolia’s IHC won PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2023

    Mongolia’s IHC won PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2023

    IHC E-sports (formerly known as ZEUS E-Sports or Z3US E-Sports) from Mongolia won Player Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile Global Championship (PMGC) 2023 held in Malaysia.

    IHC played extraordinary in the three-day final by collecting 142 points in total including 110 kill points and 32 placement points. IHC E-sports was awarded with $300,000.

    Zyol from IHC E-sports awarded with MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the tournament, as he collect 37 eliminations with total 7,616 damage.

    This PMGC was a LAN (Local Area Network) event with a prize poll of three million USD and was organized by PUBG mobile officials.

    On the start of Day Three of the final, IHC was on third spot with 96 points while A7 E-sports from Brazil was on first spot with 115 points. But they played consistently, collecting one WWCD (Winner Winner Chicken Dinner) on day three, by collecting 46 points in the six matches.

    Stalwert E-sports from Mongolia took second spot, they were only 4 points away from first spot with 138 points. A7 E-sports from Brazil took third spot with 131 points. 4MV (4Mercial Vibes), another Mongolian team, played their first PMGC and took fourth spot with 127 points.

    Two teams (Agonxi8 and 7E) from Pakistan also participated in the event but unfortunately, they were eliminated in the group stage.

    Agonxi8, a very dominating team from Pakistan, faced many difficulties including visa problems during this event. Only three out of five players could get visas while the remaining two played from Pakistan.

  • Karachi Whites won National T20 Cup

    Karachi Whites won National T20 Cup

    In the final of the National T20 Cup, Karachi Whites won the title by defeating Abbottabad by nine runs after a thriller in National Stadium Karachi.

    Batting first, Karachi Whites set Abbottabad a target of 155 runs for the loss of nine wickets. On behalf of Karachi Whites, opening batsman Khurram Manzoor played a brilliant innings of 53 runs off 36 balls. Umar Saif scored 36 runs off 30 balls, Azam Khan scored 14 runs off 8 balls and Danish Aziz scored 22 runs off 12 balls.

    On behalf of Abbottabad, Shahab Khan took 4 wickets while Adil Naaz and Fayaz Khan also took two wickets each.

    In pursuit of the target from Abbottabad, opening batsman Sajjad Ali returned to the pavilion after scoring one run while Fakhar Zaman scored 19 and Kamran Ghulam scored 12 runs.

    Chasing Karachi Whites’ 156 runs, the Abbottabad team could only score 146 runs.

    In defense of the target, Karachi Whites bowler Shahnawaz Dahani dismissed three players by giving 16 runs and declared the player of the match.

  • Asad Shafiq retires from professional cricket

    Asad Shafiq retires from professional cricket

    Pakistan cricket team’s right-handed batsman Asad Shafiq has announced his retirement from professional (international and domestic) cricket.

    The batsman said he will retire from domestic cricket after playing three more matches in the Patron Trophy.

    On Sunday, Karachi Whites clinched the title after defeating Abbottabad by nine runs in the final of the National T20 Cup.

    While holding a press conference after the match, Asad Shafiq said “Today I am retiring from cricket, I will also retire from domestic cricket after playing three matches of Patron’s Trophy”.

    “I am not feeling the enthusiasm that I had in the beginning, I am thankful to the people who have supported me throughout my career, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has offered me to join the selection committee, and I feel happy. I feel lucky to have represented Pakistan in all three formats,” Asad said.

    He said, “There is love for cricket but passion fades with age. When we became number one in Tests, that was the most memorable moment, playing the World Cup semi-final was also memorable. There has been no moment that I can say has been disappointing.”

    Asad Shafiq said that he had decided before the start of this season that it would be his last.

    “My focus has always been Test cricket, so I have not focused much on T20. Adelaide Test will always be remembered, if we had won it would have been even better. Breaking Javed Miandad’s record is also a matter of pride for me.”

    After Asad Shafiq announced his retirement from professional cricket, his teammates gave him a guard of honor.

    Asad Shafiq scored 12042 runs in 191 First Class matches and 5784 runs in 162 List A matches.

    The batsman, who made his international debut in 2010, played 77 Tests, 60 ODIs, and 10 T20Is for Pakistan. He scored 4,660 runs at an average of 38.19 in Test matches, including 12 centuries. He also scored 1,336 runs in ODIs and 192 runs in T20 Internationals.

  • Why national cricket team have no doctor during Australia’s tour?

    Why national cricket team have no doctor during Australia’s tour?

    It has been revealed that there is no doctor with the national cricket team squad who can provide them with medical facilities. According to Geo, the national squad is currently in Australia under the leadership of Shan Masood and the players have to play a series of three-match test series, but the surprising thing is that the team does not have a doctor yet.

    Docter Salim was supposed to go with the team but visa issues came up and he is expected to join the team on December 14. The team is accompanied by physiotherapists and massage therapists. On the other hand, U-19 national team manager and former Test cricketer Shoaib Muhammad could not accompany him due to a passport issue.

    It should be noted that on the third day of the four-day match against Prime Minister XI in Canberra, the spinner Abrar Ahmed complained of pain in his right leg after 8 overs, after which he was sent for rest.

    In a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it was said that Abrar Ahmed has been sent for an MRI scan after a leg injury, the medical panel will inform the details after the cricketer’s reports come out. Abrar Ahmed has bowled a total of 27 overs so far in the match against Prime Minister XI, in which he has taken one wicket for 80 runs.

  • Pak vs Australia’s PM XI: Storm in Canberra leads to a draw

    Pak vs Australia’s PM XI: Storm in Canberra leads to a draw

    The practice match between Pakistan and Australia’s Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra ended in a draw due to a massive electrical storm in Canberra, Australia.

    Pakistan declared on 391 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the first innings thanks to a double century by captain Shan Masood.

    In the second innings, Australia’s PM XI scored 367 runs for the loss of four wickets. PM XI’s Matt Runshaw scored 136 runs, Cameron Bancroft 53, Cameron Green 46, Marcus Harris 49, and Nathan McSweeney scored 40 runs.

    For Pakistan, Khurram Shehzad, Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed, and Imam-ul-Haq took one wicket each.

    This four-day match was a part of the preparation for the Test match series. The three-match Test series between Pakistan and Australia will be played from December 14 to January 7.