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  • ‘Not crime to make mistakes’: Babar Azam under pressure after Pakistan crashes out of World Cup

    ‘Not crime to make mistakes’: Babar Azam under pressure after Pakistan crashes out of World Cup

    Captain Babar Azam was described as “depressed” and under pressure to save his job on Sunday after Pakistan crashed out of the Cricket World Cup, failing to make the semi-finals for a second successive tournament.

    A 93-run loss to England sealed Pakistan’s fate, ending the 1992 champions’ already slim hopes of squeezing into the last four.

    Former captain and ex-chairman of the cricket board Ramiz Raja said that 29-year-old Azam was “depressed” over the reaction at home.

    Fans’ anger would have been made more acute by seeing arch-rivals India sweeping to eight wins out of eight, becoming the first team to reach the semi-finals.

    Pakistan lost five of their nine games including a seven-wicket mauling by India in front of more than 100,000 fans in Ahmedabad.

    That was India’s eighth victory in eight World Cup games against their neighbours.

    Pakistan also lost to Afghanistan for the first time.

    Azam made 320 runs at the World Cup with four fifties at an average of 40 and remains the world’s second-highest-ranked batsman. He has almost 13,000 runs in all international cricket.

    However, it was his captaincy in India which was questioned when he faced accusations of lacking aggression in field settings.

    “I get behind Babar. Babar is very, very close to me. He’s a young guy that needs to be taken on the journey, he needs to be shown the ropes,” said team director Mickey Arthur.

    ‘Time to grow’

    Azam has been captain of the Test and ODI teams since 2020.

    “He’s still learning all the time. We know he’s a very, very fine batsman. He learns every day with his captaincy,” added Arthur.

    “We have to allow him the time to grow. And in order to do that, you make mistakes. It’s not a crime to make mistakes as long as you learn from those mistakes,” he said.

    Despite the despondency of fans at home, Azam and his team found sympathy in India.

    Only a smattering of fans — mostly expatriates — were at the venues as visa complications effectively meant a ban on those wishing to cross the border.

    As a Pakistan squad playing in India for the first time in seven years, they were virtually confined to hotel rooms once playing and training commitments were completed.

    Security details would accompany players and squad members if they wanted to venture outside their hotel.

    Arthur compared the situation to touring “in Covid times”.

    Raja believes that Azam may become the first victim of bloodletting in a cricketing environment often plagued by infighting.

    “There’s so much pressure on him that he may leave the job,” Raja told the BBC’s Test Match Special.

    “Back home there has obviously been a massive backlash, as expected. The Pakistan media have targeted certain players, especially Babar Azam.

    “It’s just a World Cup so you have to take the heat somehow. The problem with this team is it has the potential to play modern-day cricket but they have been a bit shy and timid with their approach,’ Raja added.

  • Vikrant Gupta asks Wasim Akram whether Babar’s captaincy was more disappointing or his batting

    Vikrant Gupta asks Wasim Akram whether Babar’s captaincy was more disappointing or his batting

    Indian sports journalist Vikrant Gupta asked Wasim Akram on X (formerly Twitter) whether it is fair to blame only Pakistan captain Babar Azam when the team’s fast bowlers are taking only three wickets with the new ball in nine matches.

    He also asked what was more disappointing, Babar’s batting or his captaincy in the World Cup, and how the two things interlink with each other.

    Waseem Akram answered the question on ‘A Sports’, saying, “Some mistakes may have been made by Babar Azam as a captain in Asia Cup and World Cup, but the captain alone should not play cricket, it is the fault of the whole system, you can’t just make the captain a scapegoat. The boys don’t know who is the coach, who is coming and who is going, it is not only the captain’s fault but everyone’s fault.”

    In response to the second question, Wasim Akram replied, “When Babar Azam scores a big score, we are happy along with the entire public. There is no doubt that his captaincy has affected his batting, he has seen pressure during the Asia Cup and the World Cup.”

    He said, “When you are captaining, obviously there will be pressure, but when you are batting then you should focus only on scoring runs, it is easy to say but difficult to do”.

  • World Cup 2023: India defeats Netherlands by 160 runs

    World Cup 2023: India defeats Netherlands by 160 runs

    In the last group stage match of the World Cup 2023 India defeated Netherlands by 160 runs.

    This match between the two teams was played in Bengaluru and it is the last match before the World Cup semi-final in which India won the toss and decided to bat first.

    India’s inning:

    India scored 410 runs for 4 wickets in given 50 overs, Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten by scoring 128 runs. Apart from this, KL Rahul played an innings of 102 runs, captain Rohit Sharma scored 61 runs while Virat Kohli and Shibman Gill scored 51 runs each.

    For the Netherlands, Bas de Lede took two wickets, while Paul van McKearn and van der Merwe took one wicket each.

    Netherland’s inning:

    Chasing India’s target of 410 Netherland’s whole team returned to the pavilion on 250 runs in 47.5 overs.

    From the Netherlands side, Teja Nidamanuru scored 54 runs, Sybrand Engelbrecht 45, Colin Ackerman 35, Max’O David 30, Captain Scott Edward 17, Logan Wan Beek, and Roelof van der Merwe scored 16 runs each.

    From India’s side Jasprit Bumrah, Muhammad Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each.

  • World Cup 2023: England defeats Pakistan by 93 runs

    World Cup 2023: England defeats Pakistan by 93 runs

    England defeated Pakistan by 93 runs in the 44th match of the World Cup 2023 played at Eden Garden, Kolkata.

    England’s inning:

    England won the toss and decided to bat against Pakistan. The English team scored 337 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the allotted 50 overs.

    England’s first wicket fell on 82 runs, Iftikhar Ahmed dismissed David Mullan for 31 runs, and then Haris Rauf sent Jonny Bairstow back to the pavilion for 59 runs.

    Ben Stokes played an inning of 84 runs, but he was bowled by Shaheen Afridi, Jurot got out after scoring 60 runs, Harry Brook scored 30 runs, Jos Buttler scored 27 runs and Moeen Ali scored eight runs.

    On behalf of Pakistan, Haris Rauf and Muhammad Wasim got three wickets, Shaheen Afridi got two wickets and Iftikhar Ahmed got one wicket.

    Pakistan’s inning:

    In pursuit of England’s 338 runs, the Pakistan team was bowled out for 244 runs in 43.3 overs.

    Opener Abdullah Shafiq was dismissed on zero on the second ball of the inning by David Willy while Fakhar Zaman was for 1 run. Captain Babar Azam scored 36, Muhammad Rizwan 38, Salman Ali Agha 51, Shaheen Afridi 25, Wasim Jr. 16, and Haris Rauf scored 35 runs.

    On behalf of England, David Wily took 3 while Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, and Gus Atkinson took two wickets each.

    The national cricket team will leave for home from India tomorrow:

    Pakistan team will fly out of India in two groups.

    First batch of 11 members of the team will depart from Kolkota at 8:55 am tomorrow November 12 via Emirates flight EK571. Remaining members will fly from Kolkota at 08:20 pm tomorrow November 12 via Emirates flight EK573

    Players from Sialkot will be landing to their respective city from Emirates flight EK618 on November 13.

    Player and members from team management from KPK, Islamabad and Rawalpindi will be landing in Islamabad via EK612 on November 13

    Players from Lahore and team management will be landing from two different flights. EK622 and EK624 on November 13

    Hasan Ali will stay back in India. He will return back to Pakistan on November 22.

    Team director Mickey Arthur will stay in Dubai from November 13 to 16 before departing for Lahore on November 16.

  • Pakistani polio survivor wins medal in Mr. Olympia competition

    Pakistani polio survivor wins medal in Mr. Olympia competition

    Naveed Butt, a young Pakistani survivor of polio, has won the gold medal in the Mr. Olympia competition held in America.

    The Mr. Olympia competition, taking place in Las Vegas, USA, saw Naveed Butt of Pakistan win the gold medal in the physical challenge category.

    Naveed Butt suffered from polio as a child, but he did not let his disability stop him, earning a name by working hard in bodybuilding.

    Naveed said “I have won a medal in Mr. Olympia for the fifth time,” Butt said, adding that he worked hard as an individual to bring honour to his country. “I am very happy about, I will continue to make the name of the country bright in the future.”

  • ICC suspends Sri Lanka’s membership

    ICC suspends Sri Lanka’s membership

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership.

    In a statement released by the ICC, it has been said that the International Cricket Council has decided to suspend Sri Lanka immediately.

    According to the ICC, Sri Lankan cricket has been suspended due to government interference. The ICC spokesperson says that it was agreed in the board meeting that the Sri Lankan cricket matters are a violation of ICC rules.

    According to the International Cricket Council, the terms and conditions of the suspension and its termination will be decided soon. It should be noted that Sri Lankan Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe dismissed the Cricket Board due to the poor performance of the Sri Lankan Cricket Team in the ICC One Day World Cup.

    Arjuna Rana Tonga, the captain of the 1996 World Cup winning team, was handed over the responsibility while he was appointed as the interim chairman.

    However, the former president of the cricket board, Shami Silwa, approached the court against the decision of the sports ministry, after which the appellate court stopped the implementation of the interim committee after dismissing the Sri Lankan cricket board.

  • ‘TV pe baith kar baatein karna asaan, jis ne mashwara dena ha mera number sub ke pass hai’: Babar Azam

    ‘TV pe baith kar baatein karna asaan, jis ne mashwara dena ha mera number sub ke pass hai’: Babar Azam

    Pakistan cricket captain Babar Azam has a defiant reply for all his critics.

    “For the last 3 years I was performing, I was also captaining, I don’t think there is any pressure on me. Team decisions are taken by the coaches and the captain, but if anyone wants to give advice, everyone has my number. It’s easy to sit on TV and talk,” Babar Azam said in a press conference.

    Azam has been criticised heavily by fans, analysts and former cricketers after Pakistan’s poor performance at the World Cup.

    “We have a net run rate plan in our mind, we will pursue it and how we 10 overs and what to play later is completely planned. If Fakhar Zaman plays 20 or 30 overs, we can get the required net run rate,” he said as Pakistan stares down at nearly impossible odds to make it to the semi-finals.

    The captain of the national team said, “My performance was not such that people say that there was pressure on me, my goal was to finish well as a batsman. I wanted to try to win, and I bat according to the situation. We plan carefully, but sometimes the conditions don’t favor us to play freely. There are different conditions at each venue. We came to India for the first time, we didn’t know the conditions, and I believe we couldn’t perform as per expectations.”

    Talking about the difficulty in reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup, Babar Azam said, “The match against Afghanistan and South Africa should have been won. We will learn from mistakes, the margin for error is very low at this level.”

    On the question of the future of his captaincy, Babar said that right now the focus is on the next match.

  • Bangladesh coach calls for timed-out rule change as Shakib row rumbles on

    Bangladesh coach calls for timed-out rule change as Shakib row rumbles on

    Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha called for a change to cricket’s timed-out law, saying it should be a matter for the umpires only, as debate rumbled on about Shakib Al Hasan’s role in a controversial dismissal of Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews.

    Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka by three wickets in a World Cup group-stage game in Delhi on Monday.

    However, the result was overshadowed by Mathews becoming the first player in the 146-year history of major international cricket to be timed out following an appeal by Shakib, which the Tigers captain refused to withdraw.

    Mathews was given out after he exceeded the two minutes allowed for an incoming batsman to take strike as he attempted to secure a broken strap on his helmet.

    Bangladesh bowling coach Allan Donald, who is to quit his post when his contract expires after the World Cup, was unhappy with the dismissal, telling the CricBlog website: “I think it really overshadowed a clinical performance by Bangladesh. I’m sort of a bit still shocked about it to be honest. 

    “It’s just my values that I have as a person and as a cricketer,” the 57-year-old former South Africa fast bowler added.

    But Hathurusingha said Friday: “I don’t think it (the row) is going to stop here, whatever I say. The only thing I can say is that it’s one of the modes of dismissal.

    “My suggestion is to leave it to the umpires to decide, I don’t think you should leave it to the players to appeal and all that.”

    Victory over Sri Lanka came too late to salvage Bangladesh’s hopes of a semi-final place, with the team having lost six of their eight group games ahead of Saturday’s clash in Pune against Australia, already into the last four.

    ‘Spoilt‘

    And they will have to face the five-time champions without Shakib, appearing in his fifth World Cup, after he broke his finger batting against Sri Lanka.

    The spin-bowling all-rounder may now have played the last World Cup match of his career given he will be 40 by the time of the 2027 edition in southern Africa.

    “We have been spoilt,” Hathurusungha said. “We have had him for a long time, when you have someone of Shakib’s calibre as your number one all-rounder, it’s two players in one…It’s hard (to replace him in the side).”

    Saturday’s match could also mark a World Cup exit for fellow veterans Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, with Hathurusingha saying of the trio: “They have been the best of Bangladesh cricket in the short journey of Bangladesh cricket. 

    “If they decided to quit, it’s a change (passing) of the baton kind of thing.”

    Bangladesh are currently eighth in the table, the last qualifying place for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

    But Hathurusingha said his sole focus was on trying to beat Australia.

    The former champions won their sixth game in a row at the tournament in Mumbai on Tuesday after Glenn Maxwell’s spectacular unbeaten double century saw them to a dramatic three-wicket win over Afghanistan after they had collapsed to 91-7.

    “They’re the most successful team in World Cup history,” said Hathurusingha. 

    “They started slowly but they have already qualified. Playing against them is a big challenge.”

  • Indian actress makes conditional marriage proposal to Muhammad Shami

    Indian actress makes conditional marriage proposal to Muhammad Shami

    Indian actress Payal Ghosh has offered a conditional marriage proposal to Indian cricketer Mohammad Shami after he become India’s highest wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup. Ghosh tagged Shami in a tweet and wrote, “Shami, if you improve your English, I am ready to marry you.”

    Shami is married to model Haseen Jahan, however, Indian media reports state that the two have been estranged since 2019.

    Haseein Jahan accused Shami of torture, after which the bowler and his brother were detained and later released on bail, although the allegations were denied by Mohammed Shami.

    In May this year, Muhammad Shami’s wife once again approached the Supreme Court of India against her husband.

  • BBL: Special area of Melbourne Stadium dedicated to Pakistan

    BBL: Special area of Melbourne Stadium dedicated to Pakistan

    During Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), a stand at the Melbourne Cricket Stadium (MCG) has been named ‘Pakistan Bay’.

    Melbourne Stars fans will be able to sit in the ‘Pakistan Bay’ and watch the first three home matches. Haris Rauf and Osama Mir will represent Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League.

    The opening three matches of the Big Bash League will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 13, January 2, and January 6.

    Melbourne Stars has also started a membership in the name of Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf.

    Fans with memberships will be able to watch the match sitting in the Pakistan Bay at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Exclusive MCG seat sales have also been launched from the name of Pakistan Bay.