Tag: Asia Cup 2022

  • Pakistan clinches thrilling victory against Afghanistan in 2nd ODI by one wicket

    Pakistan clinches thrilling victory against Afghanistan in 2nd ODI by one wicket

    In an intense match on Thursday in Hambantota, Pakistan narrowly defeated Afghanistan by one wicket, securing their series victory after a dominant performance in the first ODI.

    Naseem Shah, known for leading Pakistan to success in the Asia Cup 2022, once again played a pivotal role, guiding his team to victory in the final over when they needed 11 runs off 6 balls.

    During the chase of 301 runs, Pakistan faced setbacks with the early loss of Fakhar Zaman, but Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam’s partnership of 118 runs steadied the innings.

    After Babar’s dismissal, Pakistan’s victory seemed uncertain, but Shadab Khan’s 48 off 35 balls brought them back into the game. A dramatic final over included Shadab’s mankading and Naseem Shah’s heroics, ultimately leading Pakistan to triumph.

    In Afghanistan’s innings, Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s outstanding 151-run knock propelled his team to post 300-5, with a 227-run partnership alongside Ibrahim Zadran. Despite Gurbaz’s impressive display, Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah secured crucial wickets.

    The match highlighted Afghanistan’s batting prowess, but Pakistan’s resilience and Naseem Shah’s performance stood out, sealing a thrilling victory.

  • Women’s Asia Cup 2022: Pakistan beats India by 13 runs

    Women’s Asia Cup 2022: Pakistan beats India by 13 runs

    On Friday, Pakistani women defeated Indian women in the Women’s Asia Cup T20 match in Sylhet.

    Following a shocking loss to Thailand on Thursday, Pakistan came back with a 13-run victory to stay in the competition. Pakistan and India each have six points after four games in the competition.

    India’s winning streak of five straight T20I matches dating back to 2016 was broken against Pakistan. During the Women’s T20 World Cup in Delhi on March 19, 2016, India suffered its most recent loss to Pakistan. In T20Is, India still has an advantage over Pakistan because of 10 victories in 13 games.

    India has two games left in the group stage, taking on Bangladesh on Saturday and Thailand on Monday. Pakistan’s last group matches will pit it against Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.

    The semifinals will thereafter be attended by the top four teams from the group round. The final will take place on October 15 at the same location.

  • Pakistani qaum, yeh cricket hai bhei, racism check mein rakho

    Pakistani qaum, yeh cricket hai bhei, racism check mein rakho

    Sports brings pride and recognition to a country and for Pakistan, cricket is one of the most celebrated games. It brings both joy and heartache to millions of Pakistanis. With Pakistan and Sri Lanka playing the final of Asia Cup 2022, we wish both teams luck but we obviously want Pakistan to win! Pakistanis all around the world will be rooting for our boys in green. Cricket and our men in green are a source of continuous pride for the country but what we witnessed from the audience stands in the match between Pakistan and Afghanistan was nothing but disappointing at so many levels. The Afghanistan-Pakistan cricket rivalry is fast crossing the acceptable margins, even surpassing the age-old rivalry between India and Pakistan.

    Afghanistan and Pakistan faced each other in an important Asia Cup fixture in the Super Four round, where the stakes were too high. Afghanistan needed a win to keep their chances alive, while Pakistan needed to clinch this win to be in the final. Afghanistan was close to victory but the Pakistani team bounced back at the last minute, stealing the game away. The event witnessed some heated moments between Afghan and Pakistani players, charging up the spectators on both sides. Afghan fans purportedly indulged in verbal abuse and later ended up throwing seats at the Pakistani fans, prompting many observers to say the spirit of the game has been ‘tainted’. Sports fabs across the world sometimes show uncouth behaviour, be it cricket or football or any other game. It is always difficult to see one’s own side lose but it does not mean that fans of the winning team should be subjected to violence.

    While the cricketing rivalry between Afghanistan and Pakistan may be in its infancy, it has got all the ingredients for a heated contest courtesy the political history both countries share. After the disappointing scenes between the fans, there was an immense backlash against the Afghans. But the reaction of many Pakistanis was quite disappointing and downright racist. Pakistanis calling Afghans ‘namak haram’ — racist term often used to address Afghan refugees living in Pakistan — was not just uncalled for but also wrong. No one should have to bear verbal abuses and being called ungrateful or other names. Refugees deserve to be treated with dignity. This is what we also demand from western nations when it comes to Muslim refugees so why display racism against refugees in our own country? Also, to taunt an entire nation and another country because of the shenanigans of a few fans is just wrong. It is a game and one needs to accept both win and defeat with grace.

    We just hope that the teams and supporters watching the Asia Cup final today show resolve and grace. May the best team win.

  • Hong Kong’s Captain takes tips from Babar Azam ahead of match

    Hong Kong’s Captain takes tips from Babar Azam ahead of match

    Ahead of a crucial match in Asia Cup, Hong Kong’s captain took tips from Pakistan skipper Babar Azam.

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared a video in which the two skippers can be seen chatting with each other.

    Hong Kong skipper, Nizakat Khan, who aspires to follow footsteps of Babar Azam is seen asking tips from Babar Azam.

    “Koi tip hame bhi do (give us some tips too),” Khan asked Babar, to which the Pakistani skipper replied: “Kya tips chahiye (what tips do you want)?”

    As per ICC latest ranking table, Babar Azam is at the top of the list in ODI and T201 men’s cricket ranking. He is the fastest batsman to score 2500 runs in T20 international cricket. He took 67 matches and 62 innings to reach this milestone. He also holds the record of scoring most hundreds in a series.

    During the conversation, Pakistan born Hong Kong skipper praised Babar Azam for his batting abilities. In the video, he could also be seen trying out Babar Azam’s bat. Earlier, Nizakat Khan said that it was his dream to play for Pakistan.

    Read more: It was my dream to play for Pakistan: Pakistan-born Hong Kong Captain

    Pakistan will be playing against Hong Kong on September 2 at 7:00 pm. The winning team will qualify for the Super 4. India, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka have already made it to Super 4.

    This the first T20I format match between the two teams. Pakistan is confident of securing a place in Super 4.

  • Video: Virat Kohli gives Haris Rauf a special gift

    Video: Virat Kohli gives Haris Rauf a special gift

    Following Pakistan-India match on August 28, right arm pacer Haris Rauf met former Indian skipper Virat Kohli on field.

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video in which Virat Kohli autographed and handed over a signed jersey to Haris Rauf.

    “The match may be over but moments like these shine bright.”

    Players from both India and Pakistan have displayed positive energy on field despite their rivalry.

    Earlier, Indian players met Shaheen Afridi who was ruled out of the Asia Cup because of a knee injury.

    Read more: Indian players meet Shaheen Shah Afridi, inquire about his health

    Babar was also spotted chatting with Indian team captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

    India won the match on August 28 by five wickets.

    Pakistan-India head to head match count in Asia Cup is now 15. India won nine while Pakistan won five matches. One match ended in no results.

    Read more: History of Pakistan vs India matches at Asia Cup

    Pakistan will play its second match of the Asia Cup 2022 against Hong Kong on September 2 (Friday) at 7pm.

  • ‘Bhai tera chakka nahi bhulay ga’: Momin Saqib meets Hardik Pandya

    ‘Bhai tera chakka nahi bhulay ga’: Momin Saqib meets Hardik Pandya

    Pakistani cricket fan, Momin Saqib, who rose to fame for his “maaro mujhe maaro” reaction video after Pakistan’s World Cup loss to India in 2019, posted a couple of videos on Twitter where he is meeting Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli after the India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2022 match in Dubai.

    “Bhai tera chakka nahi bhulay ga!”

    In the video, he can be seen greeting Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya after the match.

    With an unbeaten innings of 33 runs on 17 balls, Hardik Pandya led India to victory with a maximum on the third last ball of the game. In addition, he took 3 wickets and bowled some vicious short deliveries that held Pakistan to 147 runs.

    Saqib praised Pandya for winning and expressed excitement for the India-Pakistan final on September 11.

    He can be seen meeting Virat Kohli in another video. “Good to see him back in form,” he wrote. “What a game tonight! Shall see you in the Final!”

    Kohli responded to Saqib’s “congratulations” on the victory by saying, “Eh ta chalda rehnda aa, tusi vi ta nairray aagaye si” (It is a part of the game. You guys also came very close).

    Pakistan will play its second game at the Asia Cup against Hong Kong on September 2 (Friday) at 7pm.

  • History of Pakistan vs India matches at Asia Cup

    History of Pakistan vs India matches at Asia Cup

    The cricket rivalry between Pakistan and India is known as the greatest rivalry in the world of cricket. Today, the two sides will meet once again at Asia Cup 2022.

    Pakistan and India have played 14 matches in Asia Cup since 1984. India won 8 out of the 14 matches played in total while Pakistan won five. One match ended without a result as it was rained out.

    Here is the list of Pakistan vs India matches in Asia Cup.

    1984:

    India beat Pakistan by 54 runs while Surinder Khanna was the Man of the Match; he scored 56 runs on 72 balls.

    1988:

    India once again beat Pakistan by 4 wickets. Pakistan scored 142 while India chased the target in 40.4 overs with 4 wickets in hand. Arshad Ayub was Man of the Match.

    1995:

    Pakistan broke its losing streak and defeated India by 97 runs. Aqib Javed was Man of the Match with his magical bowling spell with five wickets to his name.

    1997:

    Match was abandoned because of rain.

    2000:

    Pakistan maintained its wining streak and beat India by 44 runs. Mouhammad Yousuf became Man of the Match by scoring a century on 112 balls. Pakistan scored 295 for the loss of 7 while India managed to score 251 in chase.

    2004:

    Pakistan won the match by 59 runs. Shoaib Malik was Man of the Match. He scored 143 on 127 with 2 wickets.

    2008 Group Stage:

    India beat Pakistan by 6 wickets. Suresh Raina became Man of the Match by scoring 84 runs on 69 balls with 2 wickets to his name. Virender Sehwag also played an outstanding innings of 119 on 95 balls.

    2008 Super 4s:

    Pakistan won by 8 wickets with Younis Khan getting Player of the Match award. His outstanding knock of 123 on 117 helped Pakistan achieve a huge target of 308.

    2010:

    India beat Pakistan by 3 wickets with 1 ball remaining. India chased 267 while Gautam Gambhir became Man of the Match by scoring 83 on 97 balls.

    2012:

    India beat Pakistan by 6 wickets. Pakistan scored 329 while India managed to chase in 47.5 overs. Kohli got the Player of the Match award by scoring 183 on 148 balls.

    2014:

    Pakistan won by 1 wicket. This match took a lot of turns. In the final over, Pakistan needed 9 runs in the last over with 2 wickets in hand. Pakistan lost their ninth wicket on Ashwin’s first ball. On the next ball, Junaid khan took a single followed by two maximums by Afridi. Hafeez became Man of the Match with 75 runs and two wickets to his name.

    2016:

    India beat Pakistan by five wickets. This was the first T20I edition of Asia Cup. India defeated Pakistan with Kohli scoring 49 on 51 balls.

    2018 Group Stage:

    India won with eight wickets in hand. Pakistan scored 162 while India achieved that target in 29 overs.

    2018 Super 4s:

    India once again defeated Pakistan with a tremendous knock of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma of 114 and 111 respectively.

  • Asia Cup: Everything you need to know

    Asia Cup’s 15th edition began today (August 27). In the first match, Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka.

    Pakistan will play India tomorrow (Sunday, August 28).

    Here’s a look at the history of Asia Cup.

    The first Asia Cup was played in 1984 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India became the first team to win the Asia Cup. Only three matches were played in the tournament.

    The next edition was held in Sri Lanka in 1986 while India opted out of playing because of unstable diplomatic relations and were replaced by Bangladesh. India came back in action in the third edition when hosting rights were given to Bangladesh in 1988.

    Out of these 14 editions, India won seven times. Sri Lanka won five times while Pakistan has won the title twice.

    So far, 14 editions have been played. Among them, 13 took place in the 50-over format while the first T20I edition was played in 2016.

    In 2016, Asia Cup took place in T20I format to provide teams an opportunity to prepare for the 2016 T20 World Cup.

    This year, the second T20I format is being played at the Asia Cup 2022. This will once again provide the Asian teams an opportunity to prepare for the next T20 World Cup, which is scheduled for October-November.

  • Asia Cup 2022: Hasan Ali to replace Wasim Jr

    Asia Cup 2022: Hasan Ali to replace Wasim Jr

    The Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Friday that fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr has been ruled out of Asia Cup 2022 due to a side strain. “He had picked up the injury while bowling in Pakistan’s practice session on Wednesday. The bowler was assessed by the team medical staff, and MRI scan in Dubai confirmed the diagnosis,” said the PCB.

    The findings were discussed with PCB Medical Advisory Committee. The medical team will closely monitor Wasim and his return to competitive cricket will be reassessed before series against England.

    Hasan Ali has been named as Wasim’s replacement

    Hasan will depart for the UAE after an approval by the Event Technical Committee (ETC).

    Pakistan will be playing against India on August 28 (Sunday). Losing another pacer would be a huge blow for Pakistan.

    Earlier this month, Shaheen Shah Afridi had been ruled out of the Asia Cup because of a knee injury. He was replaced with Mohammad Hasnain.

    Read more: Mohammad Hasnain to replace Shaheen Shah Afridi in Asia Cup 2022

    Shaheen Shah Afridi is still part of Pakistan cricket team’s travelling squad and is currently undergoing on-tour rehabilitation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared a video yesterday in which Indian cricketers, including Virat Kohli, met Shaheen Shah Afridi and inquired about his health.

  • Pakistan or India: Shane Watson predicts who will win Asia Cup 2022

    Pakistan or India: Shane Watson predicts who will win Asia Cup 2022

    Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson predicted the winner of the upcoming Asia Cup 2022, which starts on August 27 (Saturday).

    There will be eight teams in two groups competing against one another in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. The most awaited-match between Pakistan and India will take place on August 28 (Sunday).

    There are many strong contenders – India and Pakistan favoured most among them – but Watson picked India to win the tournament. 

    “My predicted winner is India,” said Watson in the latest episode of The ICC Review. “They’re so strong and depending on what the conditions are, they adapt easily to conditions.”

    “Pakistan,” said Watson when asked about the biggest threat to India’s success. He said the winner of the India-Pakistan clash on Sunday (August 28) would go on to win the Asia Cup.

    “That first game is going to be very special to watch because Pakistan have full belief now that they can beat this Indian team,” said Watson. “I think, really, whoever wins that game is going to go on and win the Asia Cup.”

    Pak-India clash

    “I’m sitting on the fence a little bit!” Watson laughed. “But I think Pakistan have a chance to win that game because of the confidence they’d have got out of winning for the first time in a long time against India.”

    Watson added that Pakistan’s “confidence is going to be flying high”.

    “India is hard to contain, especially their batting. But Pakistan, and as I’ve always known playing against them, when their confidence is high, they’re nearly unstoppable. And their confidence is high now that they know they can beat India in a big tournament.”