Tag: Cricket

  • ‘Become an example for others’: Afridi congratulates Ahmad Shahzad for being appointed as captain of a KPL team

    ‘Become an example for others’: Afridi congratulates Ahmad Shahzad for being appointed as captain of a KPL team

    Ahmad Shahzad has been appointed captain of defending champions Rawalakot Hawks for Season 2 of the Kashmir Premier League (KPL).

    Ahmad took to Twitter to thank the management of Rawalakot Hawks for selecting him.

    “I am very thankful to the management of Rawalakot Hawks & especially Mr Jan Wali for trusting in me Looking forward to LeadDefending Champions of KPL,” wrote the right-handed opening batter.

    Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi congratulated him.

    “Yes, for sure you can lead, work hard and become an example for others. All the best Ahmad,” tweeted Afridi.

    Recently in a TV programme, Shahzad complained about not being selected for domestic and national squads.

    Opener batter Ahmad Shahzad in July made an appearance on Samaa News along with Shahid Afridi. During the show, Afridi advised Shahzad to enjoy his life.

    “Ahmad was targeted because of me because I supported him a lot. I gave him a lot of chances, which turned out to be a negative thing for him when I left captaincy. I think people thought he was my favourite,” Afridi said while extending his support for Ahmad.

    “I supported him a lot because I wasn’t able to find an opener of his ability in Pakistan. He was performing as well. Obviously, he couldn’t perform in all games but he was targeted because of me as well.” he added.

    “I want you to score runs, and enjoy your life with your wife and kids. Allah has made life beautiful for you,” Afridi added.
    Shahzad while replying to Afridi said, “I keep saying that. I want to score runs, but at least don’t deny me the platforms where I can score. I will ask you when sides in PSL want to pick me, who comes in and says no? “
    “You tell me, where do I score runs? At my home?” he questioned Afridi.

    Kashmir Premier League (KPL) Season 2 will take place from August 11 to 26 in Muzaffarabad, Jammu, and Azad Kashmir.
    Seven teams including Hawks, Janbaz, Mirpur Royals, Muzaffarabad Tigers, Kotli Lions, Overseas Warriors, and Bagh Stallions will compete against each other.

  • Asia Cup 2022: Shoaib Malik not part of Pakistan squad

    Asia Cup 2022: Shoaib Malik not part of Pakistan squad

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced a 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2022.

    The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced last month that the Asia Cup 2022 will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from August 27 to September 11. However, Sri Lanka will still officially have hosting rights.  The Asia Cup, which was last played in 2018, will be played in the T20 format, with nine teams participating.

    Shoaib Malik and Shan Masood are not part of Pakistan’s batting squad while fast bowler Naseem Shah has replaced Hasan Ali.

    Shoaib Malik is Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in Asia Cup. He has scored 907 runs in 21 matches with an average of 64.78.

    Shoaib Malik was part of the T20 World Cup 2021 and scored 101 runs in the tournament with a match-winning knock of 54 on 18 balls against Scotland.

    “It’s been 25 years but Pakistan has not found a replacement for Shoaib Malik,” said former Pakistani cricketer Aaqib Javed said in an interview.

    Read more – Asia Cup 2022 to be held in UAE

    People are expressing their disappointment over the decision to drop Shoaib Malik and Shan Masood.

    Have a look at some of the tweets:

    https://twitter.com/aleeybae/status/1554740957286785024

    Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2022: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir

  • Aima Baig, Sahir Ali Bagga collaborate for KPL 2 anthem

    Aima Baig, Sahir Ali Bagga collaborate for KPL 2 anthem

    The much-anticipated official hymn for the second edition of the Kashmir Premier League (KPL), which will take place from August 11 to 25, was unveiled on Saturday.

    The anthem, which is sung by superstar singers Aima Baig and Sahir Ali Bagga, also includes notable Pakistani athletes, including Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Sharjeel Khan, and Azam Khan.

    The KPL administration also took sure to promote Kashmiri music in the writing of the song and included some magnificent images of the magnificence of the valley.

    The opening match of the second KPL season will take place on August 11 at Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium, while the championship game will follow on August 25 at the same location.

    Fans of cricket will be able to watch some of Pakistan’s most well-known cricketers, such as Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Amir, and Sharjeel Khan, play in the KPL this year as icon players.

  • Sri Lanka defeats Pakistan in second Test to end the series 1-1

    Sri Lanka defeats Pakistan in second Test to end the series 1-1

    After losing the second Test match against Sri Lanka, Pakistan dropped to fifth place in the most recent World Test Championship points standings.

    Both sides won one match each in the two-Test series between the two countries, which has been entertaining. With a four-wicket victory in the first Test, Pakistan took a 1-0 lead in the series. By chasing 342, the visitors improved their hopes of competing in the World Test Championship final the following year, moving up to third place in the standings, while Sri Lanka fell to No. 6.

    After their victory over the Men in Green to tie the series, Sri Lanka rose from sixth to third place. Australia holds down the coveted second slot in the league while South Africa continues at the top.

    Pakistan’s heroics from the first Test were not repeated as they lost in the second innings despite attempting to reach a record-breaking 508-run mark. The Men in Green gave Sri Lanka a 147-run lead going into the second innings by being dismissed for 231 in their first innings.

    In the second innings, Sri Lanka made the most of their advantage by completely dominating Pakistan’s bowling attack. In the last innings, Pakistan was given a target of 508 after Dhananjaya de Silva’s brilliant century.

    Despite having a strong beginning to their innings, Pakistani hitters lost their way halfway through. Before Pakistan’s mini-collapse stopped them and secured a draw, captain Babar Azam produced yet another half-century. Sri Lanka destroyed the batsmen as they defeated their opponent by 246 runs.

  • Not in a position of hosting Asia Cup 2022, says Sri Lanka Cricket

    Not in a position of hosting Asia Cup 2022, says Sri Lanka Cricket

    Amid the ongoing economic and political crisis, Sri Lanka has withdrawn from hosting the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. This news came after Sri Lanka decided to postpone the third edition of the Lankan Premier League (LPL).

    Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) informed the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) about their decision that they are not in a position of hosting the Asia Cup because of the current political situation.

    The venue is yet to be decided. It could either be the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or any Asian country, including India.

    Sri Lanka will reportedly consult the UAE Cricket Board, requesting them to provide a venue to host the event. Sri Lanka Cricket will remain the official host of the Asia Cup, but the tournament is set to be played in Dubai and Sharjah between August 27 and September 11, according to ESPNcricinfo.

    The 2022 edition of the Asia Cup is scheduled to be a T20I tournament. Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and one other team from the qualifiers will be competing against each other in the T20 format at the Asia Cup 2022. UAE, Kuwait, Singapore, and Hong Kong will compete with each other in the qualifier rounds to get the spot as the sixth team in the tournament.

    Since 1984, 14 Asia Cups have taken place. India won the Asia Cup title seven times. Sri Lanka is second to India with five cups to their name while Pakistan has won this title two times.

  • Babar Azam outpaces Virat Kohli as the fastest Asian batsman to make 10,000 international runs

    Babar Azam outpaces Virat Kohli as the fastest Asian batsman to make 10,000 international runs

    Pakistani team’s captain, Babar Azam, became the fastest Asian batsman to reach 10,000 runs in international cricket on Sunday by surpassing Virat Kohli’s previous mark.

    At the Galle International Stadium, Babar reached the milestone during Pakistan’s opening Test match against Sri Lanka. Contrasted to Kohli’s 232 innings, the top ODI and T20I batter only needed 228 innings to reach 10,000 runs.

    Javed Miandad, a legendary Pakistani batsman, had previously accomplished this feat in 248 innings, making him the fastest Pakistani batter to reach 10,000 runs in international cricket.

    The 27-year-old accomplished another milestone by scoring 10,000 runs in international cricket, making him the 11th Pakistani batter to do so.

    It is worth noting that the right-handed batter is ranked fourth in Test batting thanks to Babar’s consistency, and he is the top T20I and ODI batsman.

    He is comfortably at the top of the list for Pakistani batters and ranks fifth all-time among batters, just behind Sir Vivian Richards (206), Hashim Amla (217), Brian Lara (220), and Joe Root (222), but ahead of players like Virat Kohli and Steve Smith (both 232).

    Babar Azam has also hit the headlines for encouraging Virat Kohli on Twitter while he was having a rough stretch with the bat. Kohli is currently going through a difficult period of form.

    Finally responding to Babar’s tweet, the 33-year-old Kohli said, “Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best.”

  • Tendulkar claims Bumrah best bowler, Salman Butt disagrees

    Tendulkar claims Bumrah best bowler, Salman Butt disagrees

    Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah was declared Man of the Match for his career best figure of 6 for 19 after India’s phenomenal victory in the first One Day International (ODI) against England in a three-match ODI series.

    Former Indian captain and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar tweeted: “Bumrah is the best bowler across all formats.”

    Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt does not agree with Sachin.

    “Shaheen has not played much but is among the very best. He is no less than him (Bumrah). Shaheen with experience will only get better and then he has more pace and offers a different angle,” said Salman Butt on his YouTube channel.

    Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi made his debut in 2018 with 204 wickets in 96 international matches. He has been named as ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year. He is the first Pakistani and the youngest ever player to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

  • Gang caught running fake IPL to scam Russian gamblers

    Gang caught running fake IPL to scam Russian gamblers

    In a betting fraud similar to the 1973 movie The Sting, a gang staged a phony “Indian Premier League” competition with farmers serving as the participants.

    Before Indian police broke the scheme, the so-called “Indian Premier Cricket League” advanced to the quarterfinal round.

    Police claim that the tournament started three weeks after the original IPL ended in May, but that did not stop the gang, which they claim rented a secluded farm in the western state of Gujarat.

    According to Insp. Bhavesh Rathod, they set up a cricket field replete with “boundary lines and halogen lamps.” In addition, the accused had mounted high-definition cameras to the ground and employed computer-generated graphics to show results on a live-streaming screen.

    The group allegedly paid unemployed youth and labourers Rs1,054 (£4.20) per game to broadcast the matches live on the “IPL” YouTube channel.

    According to the authorities, players followed the orders of the “Russia-based mastermind” and alternately wore the jerseys of the Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, and Chennai Super Kings.

    To give the competition an authentic feel, crowd noise sound effects were downloaded from the internet and a speaker with a talent for impersonating an Indian commentator from the real IPL was employed, according to Fox Sports.

    The cameraman simultaneously made cautious not to show the full field, beaming close-ups of the players instead.

    Russian gamblers were duped into placing bets on a Telegram channel the gang had set up, and the group would then use walkie-talkies to warn the phony umpire on the field.

    According to Rathod, the fictitious official “would signal the bowler and batsman to strike a six, four, or get out.”

    The policeman said, “We got a tip-off and we busted the racket while a ‘quarter-final’ match was being played.

    In the first instalment, the Russian gamblers gave the accused more than 300,000 rupees, according to Rathod.

    A gangster is duped by a bunch of con artists who set up a fictitious betting enterprise in the movie The Sting with Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

  • Ahmad Shahzad wants Brad Pitt to do his biopic?

    Ahmad Shahzad wants Brad Pitt to do his biopic?

    Cricketer Ahmad Shahzad recently indulged in a conversation with anchor Syed Yahya Hussaini on his show. When Yahya asked him that which actor does he wants to play his role in his biopic, the 30-year-old athlete replied that he wants Hollywood legend Brad Pitt to essay him on the big screen.

    Netizens gave a polarised reaction to his desire.

    Public Makes Fun Of Ahmad Shahzad For His Expectations From Brad Pitt
    Public Makes Fun Of Ahmad Shahzad For His Expectations From Brad Pitt

    Last year Shahzad was blessed with a baby girl, He tweeted,  “I have been blessed with a daughter. Allah is great.”

    Following the good news, friends and fans extended their best wishes to Shahzad. Former Pakistan captains Shahid Afridi and Sarfaraz Ahmed congratulated Shahzad.

    Read More: PSL set to resume on June 9, final on June 24

    Cricketers Fakhar Zaman, Umar Amin, Shadab Khan and other players also congratulated Shahzad on the birth of his baby girl.

    Shahzad got married in 2015 with his childhood friend Sana. The couple had a baby boy, Ali Ahmad Khan, in 2017.

  • Babar Azam still No 1, Imam-ul-Haq jumps past Kohli to No 2 in ODI rankings

    Babar Azam still No 1, Imam-ul-Haq jumps past Kohli to No 2 in ODI rankings

    Pakistan is ruling the ICC One-Day International (ODI) batter rankings with skipper Babar Azam on the top while opener Imam-ul-Haq jumped past Virat Kohli to get to the second spot. Earlier, Imam was in the third place in the rankings just below Babar Azam and former India skipper Virat Kohli.

    Very well deserved, Babar Azam: ICC

    Babar Azam tweeted a picture with his ODI and T20I caps after being named ICC 2021 Team of the Year in both formats.

    Meanwhile, Pakistani pacer Shaheen Afridi jumped two places to fourth in the ICC ODI bowling rankings.