Interim head coach of the national cricket team, Saqlain Mushtaq, recently shared a video on his social media in which he can be seen sitting on a couch and his daughters are putting small clips on his beard and hair.
Sharing the video on Twitter, the former Pakistan spinner wrote: “Clearly… I’m home after a long three months of cricket serving the great Pakistan.”
Clearly…I’m home after a long 3 month’s of cricket serving the great Pakistan pic.twitter.com/gtG76pzoFJ
The former Test off-spinner was appointed as the interim head coach after Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis resigned from their posts. He was appointed only for the New Zealand home series, which was cancelled after the visiting team left Pakistan before playing any match. The Black Caps backed out of its tour due to security concerns minutes before the first match was scheduled to start at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Mushtaq was asked to continue in his role for the T20 Men’s World Cup as well as the series against Bangladesh and West Indies.
Under Mushtaq’s tenure, Pakistan began an unbeaten run in the T20 World Cup till they were eliminated in the semi-final. Recently, the Men in Green also defeated Bangladesh on their home ground. While the national side also defeated West Indies with a clean sweep in the three-match T20I series in Karachi.
Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has gifted an English translation of the Holy Quran to consultant coach Matthew Hayden.
Hayden has revealed in his latest interview that he was curious about Islam and Rizwan gifted him the Holy Quran with English translation.
“It was Rizzy (Mohammad Rizwan) and I have to say it was a beautiful moment I will never forget. I am curious about Islam even though I am a Christian. One follows Christ and the other Muhammad and in a sense never shall meet but he presented me with an English version of the Quran. We sat on the floor for half an hour and talked through it. I am reading a bit of it each day. Rizzy is one of my favourite individuals, a champion human being,” Hayden said.
As per reports, Matthew Hayden has been impressed by the humbleness of the Pakistan cricket team, saying that they connect to a higher level.
“I was taken aback by how neutral and humble these guys are. How everything is just meant to be. It has been great fun. They are really coachable athletes as well. It stems from a deep sense of spirituality. As a westerner, you don’t realise the implications of having that commitment and faith. Even their salat – their five different prayer sessions a day. You can be outside a lift or even in a lift and if it is time for salat, that is what happens. These guys connect at a higher level. It’s not like ‘how ya going, today mate?’” Hayden added.
“Inside the changing room I’ve never seen a more disciplined and more humble approach to winning,” he added.
The former Australian cricketer also lauded Babar and Rizwan in a previous interview, saying: ” Babar and Rizwan have created a unique opening for themselves.”
In 2021, skipper Babar and Rizwan have amassed 826 runs in 14 Twenty20 international partnerships. They put on an unbroken 152-run stand, their third as an opening pair, as Pakistan trounced India in Dubai by 10 wickets. This is their first win over their arch-rivals in 13 World Cup matches.
Now both Babar and Rizwan are the heart and soul of the Pakistan team as they target a second T20 World Cup title.
The Green Shirts will be facing Australia in the second semi-final of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. If they’ll win this match, they will be playing against New Zealand in the finals.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja on Friday got angry at provincial coach Basit Ali for calling him “Rambo” in a virtual meeting.
According to 24 News, Raja held a virtual meeting with the six provincial coaches in which some of his old colleagues were also included.
During the meeting, the head coach of the Sindh province and former Pakistan Test batsman, Basit Ali, who was also a friend of Ramiz, called him “Rambo”.
Ramiz strongly reacted to this with some aggression and said, what happened Mr Basit, I am the chairman of the PCB. You should speak consciously, he sternly replied to him.
After Ramiz’s aggressive reply to Basit, all the coaches got serious.
In the meeting, the PCB chairman also slammed another coach Shahid Aslam on his friendly attitude and advised him strictly that he should coach and don’t try to pay for friendships.
Meanwhile, he also warned the coaches that either they perform well or go home.
West Indies cricket great Daren Sammy has shared that Shoaib Akhtar made him question himself on his debut that whether he wanted to play cricket again or not.
In an exclusive interview with The Current, Sammy shared many things about his experience with Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) franchise Peshawar Zalmi, Pakistan’s tour and hospitality, PSL memories and his debut.
Talking about his first encounter with Akhtar, he said: “When I made my debut for the West Indies in the Champions Trophy, I remember Pakistan playing West Indies at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire and they were opening with Mohammad Sami, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar.”
“I saw Shoaib Akhtar bowling a bouncer to Brian Lara and hit him in the head. Brian Lara fell back probably almost unconscious. I was sitting and I was 19 years old next to Dwayne Bravo. I literally questioned whether I wanted to play cricket again. Shoaib Akhtar did that to me,” said Sammy.
The former all-rounder further revealed that he told this story to Shoaib Akhtar himself a few days ago in Islamabad.
“I met him four days ago in Islamabad and I gave him that story. He said ‘Brian clipped him for four on the first ball’ and I guess that was his response. It was a joy to watch the Rawalpindi Express coming down with his hair flying. Shoaib Akhtar with his pace. In the current day, even though I am not playing I would pad up easily against any bowler and try to hit them out of the park,” he said.
Sammy further revealed that players touring Pakistan now ask about golf courses instead of questioning the security situation of the country.
Peshawar’s coach stated that bringing the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to Pakistan was the first step that paved the way for cricket’s revival in the country.
“I am not sure [when West Indies will visit Pakistan next], I have not checked the calendar. But I think we were about to a year before last year. I think now the teams are coming. I remember us taking a small step in the PSL two and getting to the finals in Lahore. I think that was a small step in the right direction,” Sammy said.
He believed that the questions regarding security are slowly diminishing from players’ minds while visiting Pakistan.
“Now Hashim Amla and I were having a conversation and I think Javed asks what the difference is between now and five years ago. I think the major difference coming to Pakistan now, four years ago players would be calling me and go ‘Darren, I am going over there [Pakistan], do you think we should go?’ When West Indies was coming the captain had to call me and go, ‘Man should I go on this tour?’. Now players asking where they can play golf and questions like can we go to dinner in these or these places. The quote-unquote threat of security, that is slowly diminishing from people’s minds and I think that is what we want,” he concluded.
Talking about his favourite memory from the PSL, Sammy shared that his favourite memory was when they clinched the the cup in the second season of PSL.
For more interesting revelations, watch the video here:
