Tag: Cricket

  • Fakhar Zaman rewarded with iPhone 14 and plot for a brilliant performance against Zalmi

    Fakhar Zaman rewarded with iPhone 14 and plot for a brilliant performance against Zalmi

    On Sunday at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Fakhar Zaman struck a jackpot with his impressive 96-run innings against Peshawar Zalmi.

    The explosive knock featured three boundaries and 10 maximums, propelling Lahore Qalandars to a 40-run victory.

    In recognition of his match-winning performance, the franchise awarded him a plot of land and an iPhone 14. Sameen Rana, the Chief Operating Officer of Lahore Qalandars, noted that Fakhar had been eagerly anticipating this reward and praised his exceptional play.

    Fakhar’s 96 runs were scored off 45 deliveries, and he was dismissed on the final delivery of the 18th over by Rovman Powell.

  • PSL 8: Karachi emerges as potential host city amid bill dispute

    PSL 8: Karachi emerges as potential host city amid bill dispute

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued an ultimatum to the Punjab government regarding the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight matches scheduled to be held in the province.

    Sources indicate that the PCB is contemplating relocating the Punjab-leg of PSL 8 to Karachi after receiving a bill of Rs450 million from the provincial government, which the PCB and PSL franchises have unanimously decided not to pay.

    If the bill is not waived before the deadline tomorrow, the matches will be officially moved to Karachi. A meeting between PCB and the Punjab government is scheduled for later today to address the matter.

    The PCB has reportedly started preparations for holding additional matches in Karachi, and the revised schedule has been discussed with the franchises. The deadlock may also result in white-ball matches between Pakistan and New Zealand in April and May being moved out of Punjab.

    Currently, Rawalpindi is set to host 11 fixtures and Lahore nine matches, including the closing ceremony, playoffs, and the final. The victorious team will not only lift the Supernova Trophy but will also receive a cheque of Rs120 million, while the runners-up will receive Rs48 million.

    Lahore Qalandars will attempt to achieve a back-to-back title win, while Islamabad United will strive to become the most successful side by winning the trophy for the third time.

  • ‘Grow up’: Twitter users are furious with Shoaib Akhtar after comments about Babar Azam go viral

    ‘Grow up’: Twitter users are furious with Shoaib Akhtar after comments about Babar Azam go viral

    Twitter is furious with Shoaib Akhtar after a clip of his comments about Babar Azam went viral.
    The former fast bowler gave an interview to Suno TV, where among many things he criticized current captain Babar Azam for not being able to communicate well with the media.
    “Babar Azam should be one of the biggest names of Pakistan. Why is he not one of the biggest names? It’s because he is not able to communicate.”

    He stressed that cricket is one job, and being able to communicate with the media is an important aspect. He then cited that as the reason he is still relevant along with other former cricket stars.

    “Cricket is one job, and media is another job…If you can’t speak, then I’m sorry you’re not going to be able to express your performances on the tv.. Why is it only me, Waseem bhai and Shahid bhai who are able to appear in ads?”

    As soon as this interview went viral on social media, fans came in defense of Azam and criticized the former player for his toxic and demoralizing comments for the current cricket team.

    Public speaking can be an essential part of your career but it shouldn’t completely define the kind of person you are. Users believe the Azam’s cricket career speaks volumes about the kind of person he is.

    “Narcissism and superiority complex at its best. Babar azam IS a brand despite his introverted nature. Go cry cuz that’s all you can do about it” another user wrote.

    https://twitter.com/Beybuspaki/status/1627653565832462336?s=20

    “He is already biggest brand, he is cricketer not actor , and he doesn’t need to do that useless things because his job is cricket and he is world no 1 in his job”, another user wrote in defence of the former “Men’s ODI ricketer of Year Award” winner

  • Nida Yasir can’t remember what year the ’92 world cup took place in this viral interview

    Nida Yasir can’t remember what year the ’92 world cup took place in this viral interview

    Nida Yasir surely knows how to make an interview memorable. She went viral last year for not knowing how Formulae 1 cars work but this time, her gaffe is even more hilarious.

    In an interview on ‘The Shoaib Akhtar Show’ on Urduflix, host Shoaib Akhtar conducted a round where he asked quick questions from guests Nida Yasir and Shahista Lodhi. When it was Yasir’s turn, she was asked: “What year did Pakistan win the ’92 world cup?” And Yasir’s reaction went viral

    Soon a string of memes launched after Twitter got hold of this clip.

    https://twitter.com/humatabassum/status/1625782121926098946?s=20&t=UJM6goprUS9TFzEndmeqxQ

  • Najam Sethi wants Wahab Riaz to take oath as Punjab sports minister after PSL

    Najam Sethi wants Wahab Riaz to take oath as Punjab sports minister after PSL

    Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi has called Punjab caretaker Chief Minister (CM) Mohsin Naqvi to request him to delay the oath-taking ceremony of left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz as the caretaker Sports Minister of Punjab.

    The chairman was of the view that Riaz needs concentration as he is the only bowler to complete a century of wickets.

    Subsequently, Naqvi accepted Najam’s request, hence Riaz will take oath after the PSL’s eighth edition, which is going to start on February 13.

    Wahab Riaz is the new Punjab sports minister

    Last month, Riaz was named as the sports minister.

    The left-arm bowler has 237 wickets in 156 matches across cricketing formats. It is important to note that the 37-year-old bowler played for his country in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy

  • Mega event set to start: Franchises finalise their squads for PSL 2023

    Mega event set to start: Franchises finalise their squads for PSL 2023

    The replacement draft of Pakistan Super League (PSL) eighth edition was held online on Wednesday. All six franchises in the league finalised their squads for the mega event, scheduled to take place from February 13 to March 19.

    The franchises picked their replacements against the cricketers who are fully or partially not available for the tournament. In the draft, each side could pick a maximum of one foreign cricketer in the two supplementary rounds.
    Last year, player retentions for the sporting event were announced in November, while the draft took place on December 15.

    Pakistan’s mega cricket tournament will begin with defending champions Lahore Qalandars taking on the 2021 champions Multan Sultans in the inaugural game at the Multan Cricket Stadium following a celebratory ceremony.

    Fixtures will be staged across four venues in Pakistan with 11 in Rawalpindi, nine matches each in Karachi and Lahore, while Multan will host five games.

    Partial replacements of all teams HBL PSL 8:

    Lahore Qalandar:
    Shane Dadswell and Sam Billings, Kusal Mendis

    Peshawar Zalmi:
    Richard Gleeson

    Quetta gladiators:
    Dwaine Pretorius, Will Jacks and Nuwan Thushara

    Multan Sultans:
    Wayne Parnell and Izharulhaq Naveed

    Karachi Kings:
    Faisal Akram

    Islamabad United:
    Tymal Mills and Gus Atkinson

  • Babar Azam becomes ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for consecutive second time

    Babar Azam, captain and standout batsman of Pakistan team, was named the International Cricket Council (ICC) One Day International (ODI) Player of 2022 on Thursday, taking home the prestigious title for the second year in a row.

    In the year 2022 Azam amassed 679 runs from just nine games at an average of 84.87, including three hundreds in ODI matches.
    Adam Zampa of Australia, Shai Hope of the West Indies, and Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe were also contenders for the honour.

    “If you thought the Pakistan skipper had a year to remember in ODI cricket in 2021, then what he produced during 2022 was even better as the ultra-consistent right-hander maintained his lead as the No.1 ranked batter on the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings,” the ICC said in a press release.

    Stating that the Babar has firmly held on to the title since July 2021, ICC said that in his current form, the batsman has no intention of letting go easily.
    “It might be surprising to note that Babar only played nine ODI matches in 2022, but the 28-year-old made them count as he smashed three centuries, a further five half-centuries and only really failed with the bat on one occasion,” the cricket governing body said, lavishing praise on the Pakistani batsman.

  • ‘Doors are open’ for Ben Stokes, says England coach Mathew Mott

    ‘Doors are open’ for Ben Stokes, says England coach Mathew Mott

    English All-Rounder Ben Stokes is likely to return to England’s One Day International (ODI) Team to play for the 2023 World Cup. The 31-years-old England Test captain took retirement from ODIs last summer to manage his workload, however, his decision was criticized by many. Stokes took his team to the final and won the title of men’s T20 World Cup.

    The “door is open” for Ben Stokes to come out of 50-over retirement and play at the World Cup in India later this year, England coach Matthew Mott has said.

    Mott said England is happy to wait on a decision.

    “The door is always open for a player of that quality but we are also very aware that his main focus is red-ball cricket as the captain,” Mott said, speaking before England’s three-match ODI series against South Africa begins on Friday.

    England is currently building its team for defending its title. The World Cup will be played in October and November by which time England will not have played a Test for more than two months.

    Ben Stokes was the man of the match in the 2019 World Cup when England won the coveted trophy for the first time after a dramatic super over against New Zealand.

  • ‘Tuttay huey dil jayein kahan?’ Shadab Khan is a married man now

    ‘Tuttay huey dil jayein kahan?’ Shadab Khan is a married man now

    Shadab Khan announced on social media platforms on Monday that he has gotten married with the nikah taking place yesterday.
    The cricket player went on to reveal that his wife was his mentor Saqlain Mustaq’s daughter. He requested the media and fans to respect his privacy.

    ‘Salaam everyone. Alhumdulillah today was my nikkah. I am becoming part of my mentor Saqi bhai’s family. When I started playing cricket, I wanted to keep my family life seperate, my family has also opted to stay out of public life. My wife has asked for the same, she wants her life to remain private. I would kindly request everyone to respect her choice and our family’s choice. However, if you want to send salami, I will send an account number.”

    As shaadi season goes on, the list of broken heart girlies keeps growing on and on. The past weeks have seen Haris Rauf, Shan Masood and now Shadab getting married in quick succession. Soon Shaheen Shah Afridi will also be tying the knot. Sending our condolences to fan girls everywhere.

    https://twitter.com/CuteHunYar/status/1617764272096018432?s=20&t=ePTRkqxMFwsLRzhMO7-mLg

  • ICC rescinds ‘below average’ rating for Rawalpindi pitch

    ICC rescinds ‘below average’ rating for Rawalpindi pitch

    The Rawalpindi pitch’s demerit point after the ICC World Test Championship series between Pakistan and England’s first game has now been rescinded.

    Following a Pakistan Cricket Board appeal, the decision was made. After the first Test of the series in early December, the pitch grade at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium was deemed to be “below average.”

    England won the Test by 74 runs after some exciting batting. The pitch was later described as “embarrassing” by PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja, and Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees agreed.

    “It was a very flat pitch which gave almost no assistance to any type of bowler,” Pycroft said. “That was the main reason why batters scored very fast and both sides posted huge totals. 

    “The pitch hardly deteriorated during the course of the match. Since there was very little in it for the bowlers, I found the pitch to be ‘below average’ as per the ICC guidelines.”

    The ICC appeal panel, however, came to the unanimous conclusion that the pitch had some “redeeming features” after studying the Test Match film, including the fact that a result was feasible and that 37 out of 39 wickets were taken.

    The appeal panel concluded that the pitch did not deserve the “below average” grade it had previously received.

    The venue had previously faced the possibility of having its right to hold international cricket matches suspended due to the number of demerit points it had received.