Tag: Babar Azam

  • Babar Azam reportedly not happy with Pakistan’s T20 squad selection

    Babar Azam reportedly not happy with Pakistan’s T20 squad selection

    Pakistan captain Babar Azam is reportedly amongst the many who are disappointed with Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) squad selection for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

    Read More – Pakistan squad for New Zealand, England and ICC T20 World Cup announced

    According to Geo News, the skipper was not informed about the selection of the team for the mega-event.

    Moreover, it was revealed that he is reportedly not pleased with inclusion of Azam Khan and Sohaib Maqsood, who were added by the chief selector after discussion with PCB chairman-in-waiting Ramiz Raja.

    The power-hitter wanted to include Fakhar Zaman and Faheem Ashraf in the team, per the insiders, who added that Babar contacted Raja to discuss the selection but his suggestions fell on deaf ears.

    The report also revealed that the selection of the 15-man squad sent a message to Babar about directing his focus solely on playing rather than selection of the players.

    Babar isn’t the only one who is reportedly dismayed by the players selected for the World Cup. Former skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, who resigned on Monday as the head coach, also had doubts over the selection of Azam Khan.

  • Pakistan squad for New Zealand, England and ICC T20 World Cup announced

    Pakistan squad for New Zealand, England and ICC T20 World Cup announced

    Pakistan cricket selectors have named the 15-player squad for the upcoming Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) against New Zealand and England, and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

    The seven home T20Is in Lahore and Rawalpindi will be played from September 26 to October 14, while Pakistan will proceed to take on India in a battle of former champions in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup opener in Dubai on October 24.

    Domestic performers Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah have been drafted into the side to provide more firepower in the middle-order.

    The 15-player squad includes five batters (Asif Ali, Babar Azam, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez and Sohaib Maqsood), two wicketkeeper-batters (Azam Khan and Mohammad Rizwan), four all-rounders (Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Shadab Khan) and four fast bowlers (Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Shaheen Shah Afridi).

    Travelling reserves are Fakhar Zaman, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir.

    Announcing the squad at a presser, Chief Selector Muhammad Wasim said: “While selecting the squad, we have tried to cover all our bases by catering for the modern day brand of T20 cricket that will be required to perform impressively in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. This includes trusting the abilities, skills and experience of the players to perform in a high-pressure global tournament in conditions that are familiar to us, as well as looking at the teams we will play in Group-2 matches.”

  • Babar Azam praises Fawad Alam after a comfortable win against West Indies

    Babar Azam praises Fawad Alam after a comfortable win against West Indies

    Pakistan captain Babar Azam praised his teammate and experienced batsman Fawad Alam after his side defeated West Indies by 109 runs in the second Test to level the two-match series.

    Taking to Twitter, he wrote: “A remarkable victory to draw the series. Absolutely brilliant game from @iShaheenAfridi, @iamfawadalam25, and @RealHa55an. Most importantly everyone from the team chipped in and tried to give their best. More power to you guys!”

    Fawad had scored an unbeaten 124 in the first innings of the Test to help Pakistan recover from 2/3 and post 309/9 in the first innings. Fawad’s inning was also backed by Babar who had scored 75.

    In a post-match statement released to the media, the Pakistan captain said that his partnership with Fawad laid the foundation for Pakistan’s success in the game.

    He also hailed the 35-year-old batsman and advised that all batsmen in the team should learn from him.

    “It was a great team effort specially after losing quick wickets on day one. Fawad and I managed to fight back through our partnership and then Shaheen Shah bowled outstandingly to put pressure on West Indies. We played according to our plan in the second innings and added quick runs to take advantage of the last session on day 4,” Babar said in the presentation ceremony.

    “Fawad Alam is an experienced player. He has scored tons of runs in first class cricket. He has handled the conditions and pressure well and set an example for all batsmen. We all must learn from him. He has proved himself which is an outstanding thing,” the Pakistan captain added.

    Babar also praised young fast bowler Shaheen Shah, saying that the 21-year-old left-arm fast bowler is improving every day and showing great confidence.

    “I am lucky to have a bowler like him in my squad,” he said.

    “Winning a match always give you confidence as a captain. The players gave their 100 per cent and remained confident throughout the Test,” said Babar.

  • ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 schedule announced

    ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 schedule announced

    Oman will take on Papua New Guinea in the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground on October 17 while the Super 12 stage commences with a fixture between Australia and South Africa at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

    Read More – Pakistan, India placed in same group in T20 World Cup

    The complete schedule was announced on Tuesday by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which confirms the highly anticipated match between former champions India and Pakistan. It will take place on October 24 at the Dubai International Stadium while Ashes rivals England and Australia play at the same venue six days later.

    The final will be played in Dubai on November 14, with November 15 marked as a reserve day.

    This will be the first time in over two years India and Pakistan will play each other, the last meeting being at the 50-over World Cup in England in 2019.

    Earlier, T20 World Cup moved away from India due to Covid. The ICC has moved the Twenty20 World Cup from India to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman because of the pandemic. India will remain the host of the event scheduled from October 17 to November 14, the ICC said in a statement.

  • ‘Stop giving lame excuses’: Shoaib Akhtar tells Captain Babar Azam

    ‘Stop giving lame excuses’: Shoaib Akhtar tells Captain Babar Azam

    Legendary Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar has told the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, Babar Azam, to stop giving lame excuses.

    This comes after Pakistan was whitewashed 3-0 by England in the recent ODI series. Pakistan also lost the T20 series 2-1.

    “It is all lame excuses. There was nothing on the wicket like extraordinary bounce. A little seam movement is expected in England. If you can’t handle that seam, then what will you do?” Akhtar said PTV Sports as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

    While in another interview with Sports Tak, Akhtar said: “Virat has what … 70 centuries in international cricket right. So in the next five years, he will get 30 more and I want him to get 120 centuries, or at least 110. See, with these many runs, who can be compared to him? The debate in itself is wrong. And Babar is now coming through. It’s really good that there is healthy competition.”

    “If Babar needs to beat Virat and surpass him, he will have to score more runs chasing and play the kind of innings Kohli has. There is no doubt that Babar Azam can probably be the greatest batsman of Pakistan, but it will take time. We will judge Kohli and Babar after 10 years where they stand,” Akhtar added.

    “I have a feeling Pakistan and India will play in the T20 World Cup final and India will lose to Pakistan. Conditions in UAE will favour both India and Pakistan,” said Akhtar while talking about the India-Pakistan face-off in the T20 World Cup.

    Azam was in fine form during the three ODIs as he accumulated 177 runs, which included a career-best 158, at an average of 59.

    As for the T20 series, he scored 118 runs in three matches, which included a top score of 85, at an average of 39.33 and a strike-rate of 151.28.

  • ‘Massively disturbing this 3-0 score line’: Ramiz Raja reacts to Pakistan getting whitewashed

    ‘Massively disturbing this 3-0 score line’: Ramiz Raja reacts to Pakistan getting whitewashed

    Former captain of Pakistan cricket team Ramiz Raja has reacted to Pakistan’s “disturbing” 3-0 whitewash by England in the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series on Tuesday.

    Taking to Twitter, he wrote: “What started off as an aberration, a momentary glitch became a norm! Massively disturbing this 3-0 scoreline!!”

    Pakistan’s Babar Azam-led unit suffered a three-wicket defeat in the third ODI despite posting a gigantic 331-run total on the scoreboard.

    On the other hand, he was angrier while giving his views on his YouTube Channel. “I’m not surprised with the result in today’s game. This was on the cards as this team had already mentally disintegrated.”

    He said that Pakistan never recovered from the shocking defeat in the first ODI, which led to bad headlines about the team across the globe.

    “It has become a trend that we have stopped learning from our mistakes,” Raja said. “Whenever there is added pressure, we make more mistakes. As in today’s game, we made fumbles and dropped catches on the field. Similarly, our bowling was below par due to the added pressure.”

    “They started bowling half-trackers and shorter lengths on a straight pitch, which is nothing less than inviting batsmen to hit you all around the park,” he added.

    Meanwhile, Azam became the quickest to reach 14 ODI centuries milestone in just 81 innings. This also makes Azam the first-ever Pakistan skipper to score an ODI century against England in England.

    On the list of quickest to 14 ODI centuries, the 26-year-old is followed by Hashim Amla (84 innings), David Warner (98 innings), Virat Kohli (103 innings) and Quinton de Kock (104 innings).

  • Shahid Afridi, Babar Azam saddened by the demise of Dilip Kumar

    Shahid Afridi, Babar Azam saddened by the demise of Dilip Kumar

    Pakistani veteran cricketer Shahid Afridi and the current captain of Pakistan’s cricket team Babar Azam are saddened by the demise of the legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar.

    “Indeed to Allah we belong and to Allah we shall return. A huge loss for Yousuf Khan sahib’s fans from KPK to Mumbai and across the globe. He lives on in our hearts. Deepest condolences to Saira Banu Sahiba”, wrote Afridi while sharing his thoughts on social media.

    Azam also took to social media and wrote: “A legend who will be remembered forever and will always be an inspirational figure in the world. From Qissa Khawani Bazar Peshawar, Pakistan to Mumbai, India – your fragrance has surrounded everyone. You will be missed, sir. A huge loss indeed.”

    Social media is flooded with tributes from every corner of the subcontinent for the legendary actor’s demise.

    Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez also paid tributes to “the quintessential tragedy king.”

  • Kinza Hashmi thinks Babar Azam is better than Imad Wasim and Shaheen Afridi

    Kinza Hashmi thinks Babar Azam is better than Imad Wasim and Shaheen Afridi

    Ishq Tamasha actress Kinza Hashmi appeared on Geo’s Jashan-e-cricket where the host Shahzad Iqbal asked her to choose the best cricketer amongst four players. The options included, Imad Wasim, Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab khan, Kinza chose Babar in terms of his talent and cricketing skills over others.

    On the work front, Kinza is currently being seen in ARY’s Azmaish and Geo entertainment’s Mohlat, the talented actress is playing two contrasting roles in both her plays.

  • Babar Azam to reportedly marry cousin next year

    Babar Azam to reportedly marry cousin next year

    Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam will reportedly be marrying his cousin next year.

    Read more – VIDEO: Babar Azam trains in isolation

    As per details, it has been agreed between the families of Azam and his cousin that the two will get married next year.

    The skipper will be marrying his paternal uncle’s daughter.

    Interestingly, a day earlier, former Pakistan cricket captain Azhar Ali had advised Azam to tie the knot.

    Ali was hosting a question-answer session on Twitter.

    A fan asked Ali whether he had any advice for Babar to which he responded: “Shadi ker lay” (get married).

    Meanwhile, the skipper, who is recently in Abu Dhabi for the remaining matches of Pakistan super League’s (PSL) sixth edition, hasn’t officially announced the news yet.

  • VIDEO: Babar Azam trains in isolation

    VIDEO: Babar Azam trains in isolation

    Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam is seen training as he is in quarantine for remaining matches of Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) sixth edition in Abu Dhabi.

    “Training must go on,” wrote Babar while sharing the video on social media.

    The captain in the video can be seen doing dips, running, and other fitness-related exercises.

    Earlier, Imam ul Haq had posted a picture of a video conference of himself and other players, who are residing on the same floors of a hotel can’t meet each other for several days on end.

    Haq shared a screenshot of a video call in which the cricketer can be seen interacting with Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Babar and Shoaib Malik.

    It seems as if the screenshot has been taken while the players were having a hearty laugh as everyone, from Azam to Malik, can be seen smiling in the picture.

    “So close, yet so far. Bio-secure bubble at its full flow. We’re all in close proximity. Some even on same floors but still not meeting.

    “Keeping ourselves entertained with video calls, so that we can all entertain you from the ground in a few days,” wrote Imam.

    Meanwhile, Sania Mirza commented on his post and said: “All that is fine but where are your clothes?”

    A few days ago, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had confirmed receiving all the necessary permissions to hold 20 remaining matches the PSL 6 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under strict precautionary measures.