Tag: ECB

  • Har maidan main Fateh; King Babar is just one win away from breaking T20I record

    Har maidan main Fateh; King Babar is just one win away from breaking T20I record

    Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is just one win away from breaking another record in T20 internationals.

    Babar will have the opportunity to write his name in history as the captain with the most number of wins when his side meets New Zealand in the fourth T20I at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday (today).

    Currently, Babar is the joint-holder of this record with Afghanistan’s Asghar Afghan and England’s Eoin Morgan after 42 wins. The 28-year-old has captained the Green Shirts in 69 T20 Internationals.

    Under his captaincy, Pakistan reached the semifinals of two successive T20 World Cups — 2021 and 2022 — and finished as runner-ups in the latter.

    During the second T20I against the Black Caps, Babar scored his third T20I century at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

    Babar is close to breaking the record of Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma, who currently tops the International Cricket Council (ICC) list with four centuries.

    He is the only Pakistan batter with more than one ton in the format. The hundred puts Babar close to the top of the list of batters with the most T20I tons.

    During the match, Babar managed to score a half-century on merely 36 balls and then slammed 51 runs off the next 22 deliveries, including 36 runs off the last three overs.

    Babar smashed James Neesham for two fours and a six in the last over, completing 100 runs off the final ball of the innings.

  • ‘England will miss him,’ Twitter is sad over Ben Stokes’ sudden ODI retirement

    ‘England will miss him,’ Twitter is sad over Ben Stokes’ sudden ODI retirement

    England cricket team all-rounder Ben Stokes announced his shocking retirement from One-Day International (ODI) cricket on Monday citing the “unsustainable” rigour of playing all three formats of the game.

    Stokes was recently appointed as the captain of the England Men’s Test side.

    Today’s (Tuesday) match against South Africa at his home ground will be Stokes’ last ODI. However, he will continue to play Twenty20 Internationals and Test cricket.

    The 31-year-old said, “This has been an incredibly tough decision to make. I have loved every minute of playing with my mates for England. Hard as this decision was to come, it’s not as hard as dealing with the fact I can’t give my teammates 100% of myself in this format anymore. The England shirt deserves nothing less from anyone who wears it.”

    Ben Stokes has not played a T20 international for 16 months. He missed the World Cup last autumn while he was taking a break from the game to prioritise his mental health.

    Following the news, cricket fans couldn’t hold themselves from expressing their sadness over Stokes’ retirement while some of his fans and fellow cricketers wished him luck.

  • ‘Made zero sense to me’: Alex Hales on England cancelling Pakistan tour

    ‘Made zero sense to me’: Alex Hales on England cancelling Pakistan tour

    England’s opening batter Alex Hales has criticised the English Cricket Board for cancelling their scheduled tour to Pakistan last year, saying that the cancellation made zero sense to him.

    Hales, who last represented England in 2019, is currently playing for Islamabad United in the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He said that Pakistan helped England in challenging times during the pandemic but the ECB did not reciprocate.

    “Pakistan came to England during Covid, helped out the ECB massively, so for them to cancel that tour made absolutely zero sense to me whatsoever,” he said.

    Hales, who has toured the country numerous times, said ‘it’s a great place to come and play cricket’, and also lauded the hospitality and passion of the people.

    “I have been here four or five times now and get looked after really well,” he said.

    “Every time we come here, the people are very hospitable and the cricket is always really good. The fans here are crazy for it. So it’s a great place to come and play cricket,” he added.

    It is should be noted that both England’s men’s and women’s sides were set to play two T20Is, with the latter staying on for three ODIs in September 2021.

    The ECB cited protecting ‘the mental and physical well-being’ of its players and staff as well as “increasing concerns about travelling to the region” as reasons for opting out in a statement explaining the cancellation.

    Earlier, it was announced that England will play two additional Twenty20s during their tour to Pakistan this year. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive Tom Harrison promised in his tour to Pakistan.

  • Shaniera Akram tells Australia, England what they should be worried about when touring Pakistan

    Shaniera Akram tells Australia, England what they should be worried about when touring Pakistan

    Shaniera Akram, who is a humanitarian, environmentalist and wife of legendary Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram, has told Australian and English cricket teams what they should be worried about when touring Pakistan.

    Taking to Twitter, Shaniera wrote: “The only thing Australia & England should be worried about when coming to play cricket in Pakistan is The Pakistan Cricket Team!”

    “Thank you @CricketAus and @ECB_cricket for this opportunity,” she wrote, adding, “Like we always do, Pakistan & @TheRealPCB will welcome both teams with open arms & hearts!”

    Australian and English Boards have announced a visit to Pakistan. Yesterday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja met England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman. The series was discussed. Two additional matches were also announced after the meeting.

    The schedule of Australia’s visit to Pakistan has also been released two days ago, this will be Australia’s first visit to Pakistan after 1998.

    Fans are eager to know whether Shaniera, who lives in Pakistan but is of Australian origin, will be supporting Pakistan or Australia during the T20 World Cup semi-final.

    “Million dollar question: I’m deeply interested in knowing that who would @iamShaniera Bhabhi be supporting at #PAKVSAUS in the 2nd #SemiFinal of #T20WorldCup?” asked Twitter user Samra Tariq.

    At this, Shaniera did not give a clear response.

    “I want to know from all of you ??? Which team do you guys think I will cheer for???” Shaniera said.

    Pakistan will face Australia in the semi-final in Dubai on November 11. Pakistan remained undefeated in the Super 12 and ended the stage on a high.

  • England to play two additional T20Is during their tour to Pakistan in 2022

    England to play two additional T20Is during their tour to Pakistan in 2022

    England will play two additional Twenty20s during their tour to Pakistan next year, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive Tom Harrison announced on Tuesday.

    Pakistani cricket fans were infuriated by ECB’s decision to unilaterally cancel their joint men’s and women’s trip to Pakistan, which had been planned for October, with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja saying that his nation had been “used then binned” as part of a “West versus rest” mentality.

    That visit would have been England’s first since 2005 and came against the backdrop of New Zealand’s prior withdrawal from Pakistan, citing a specific and credible security threat.

    Harrison travelled this week in an apparently successful bid to repair relations, agreeing to extend what had been a five-match T20 series to a bumper seven-match rubber next September and October.

    England will also return for a three-Test series starting in November, after the T20 World Cup in Australia.

    Announcing the deal, Harrison said: “Myself and ECB’s senior director Martin Darlow visited Lahore to talk face to face with the PCB around some of the things that have happened over the past few weeks, leading to the cancellation of our tour in October.

    “We also wanted to discuss the future as the two boards have a historic relationship and want to move the agenda towards a forward-looking one as opposed to one looking back.

    “This is just to reaffirm our commitment to Pakistan cricket to getting England teams, men’s and women’s teams, eventually playing in Pakistan at home.

    “I don’t think there’s a cricketer in England who doesn’t want to test their abilities against the huge talent this country has and in the conditions they know best.”

    It was announced earlier this week that Australia would tour Pakistan for the first time since 1998 when they visit the country in March and April 2022 for three Tests, three ODIs and a T20 international.

    “The ECB have shown their large heartedness to be here for which I am thankful to Tom and Martin. It means a lot to us,” said Ramiz Raja.

  • ECB chief Tom Harrison flies to Pakistan in bid to repair relations between England cricket and PCB

    ECB chief Tom Harrison flies to Pakistan in bid to repair relations between England cricket and PCB

    England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison will meet with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, as well as Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja, in a bid to repair relations with Pakistan in the wake of last month’s cancelled T20I tour.

    Read More – New Zealand cancels Pak series due to ‘security concerns’ despite PM Khan’s call to NZ PM

    Officials at the PCB were enraged when England pulled out of the two-match tour at short notice a few weeks ago.

    Now Harrison has flown in to assure Ramiz, the new chairman of the PCB, that England remain committed to their Test tour of the country at the end of 2022. England have not toured Pakistan since late 2005.

    He is also set to meet with PM Khan, Pakistan’s greatest allrounder and World Cup-winning captain, prior to his move into politics, who also serves as patron-in-chief of the PCB.

    Speaking in the wake of the cancelled T20I tour, which followed hot on the heels of New Zealand’s abandonment of their own tour on the morning of their opening ODI in Rawalpindi, Ramiz hit out at what he called cricket’s “western bloc”, and said that the PCB would be making contingency plans to protect their home itinerary in the event of another England pull-out next year.

    Reportedly, Harrison’s trip is only expected to last a couple of days. He is due in the UAE later in the week as the ICC hold their first in-person chief executives’ meeting since the start of the pandemic.

    The news came after Cricket Australia announced its plans for a three-Test, three-ODI and one T20I tour in March-April 2022. If it goes ahead as planned, it will be their first tour of the country since 1998.

  • ‘Selfishness, treachery of English cricket’, Peter Oborne schools ECB after Pak win

    ‘Selfishness, treachery of English cricket’, Peter Oborne schools ECB after Pak win

    English author and journalist Peter Oborne, who is very vocal about the mistreatment of Pakistan cricket by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and other cricket boards, has schooled the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after they made a joke on their Twitter account about India and Pakistan match.

    “Not your typical Monday morning! How are you feeling in one word,” ECB posted on Twitter with a smiling face.

    Replying to the English board, Peter wrote: “I am thinking Pakistan pulled off their great victory last night despite their preparation schedule being cruelly disrupted by the selfishness and treachery of English cricket.”

    Earlier, the English author had assailed the English Board for calling off their tour of Pakistan, terming the decision “a kick in the teeth” of Pakistan, to whom English cricket owed a great deal.

    New Zealand also abandoned their tour minutes before the opening fixture in Rawalpindi following a “security alert” from their government.

    The England men’s and women’s teams were each scheduled to play two Twenty20 international matches on October 13 and 14 in Rawalpindi, with the women’s side due to stay on for a three-match One-day International series from Oct 17-21.

    The historic trip would have been the first ever by an England women’s team and the first by their male counterparts since 2005.

  • ‘They would not have done this to India’: Holding criticises ECB’s decision over not touring Pakistan

    ‘They would not have done this to India’: Holding criticises ECB’s decision over not touring Pakistan

    Former West Indies pacer Michael Holding has strongly criticised England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over the cancellation of the scheduled tour of Pakistan, saying it smacks of ‘western arrogance’.

    “What that signal sends to me is the same western arrogance,” said Holding while receiving Peter Smith Award.

    Read More – ‘Mujhe afsos hai, England’s tour not cancelled over security’: British High Commissioner

    “I will treat you how I feel like treating you – it doesn’t matter what you think, I will just do what I want.”

    “Four days in Pakistan [was all they would have spent], I am absolutely sure they would not have done that to India.”

    “You know why? Because India is rich and powerful. I am in total agreement with Mike Atherton and [cricket writer] George Dobell, who wrote articles condemning England and the ECB,” he added.

    Holding reminded ECB about Pakistan’s last tour of England during Covid-19 peak.

    The former cricketer further said: “They were going for four days. Pakistan went to England [in 2020] before vaccines were available for six, seven weeks, something like that. They stayed, they played their cricket, they were in that bubble.”

    Read More – ‘Decision of England board is cowardly, was made out of fear of the players and India’: British author

    “I was in that bubble and it wasn’t fantastic but it was better than going out into society, where we know Covid was and without any vaccinations available to anyone.”

    “They stayed, they played, and honoured what England wanted them to honour, and now you have an opportunity to try and repay them to a small degree,” he concluded.

  • ‘ECB announcement to visit Pakistan a welcome step forward’: Fawad

    ‘ECB announcement to visit Pakistan a welcome step forward’: Fawad

    Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has said that the announcement by the English Cricket Board (ECB) to visit Pakistan next year is a welcome step.

    Taking to Twitter, Fawad said that he would like to thank stars of the cricketing world, diplomatic community, media and cricket lovers around the world for their support for Pakistan Cricket. Fawad Chaudhry has taken the opportunity to claim it a victory for the nation as he tweeted, “Yet again Pakistan has emerged as a strong and resilient nation.”

    Earlier today, after a prolonged silence, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has finally apologised for cancelling Pakistan’s scheduled tour.

    England had to play two T20Is at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on October 13 and 14.

    Read More – ‘Mujhe afsos hai, England’s tour not cancelled over security’: British High Commissioner

    ECB Chairman Ian Watmore, in his first public comments since the ECB pulled out its scheduled tour to Pakistan, offered an apology for last week’s late withdrawal.

    According to a sports journalist Alison Mitchell, Ian has said that the Board took advice on security and player welfare (British High Commissioner confirmed security advice hadn’t changed, despite NZ incident). “The board took the decision based on its own judgments & it didn’t go out to wider consultation.”

    She shared that he said: “We need to rebuild our relationship with Pakistan. This was not the right time, we will do whatever we can regarding Pakistan’s scheduled tour next year.”

    Watmore also confirmed that the decision was not made by the players and said no wider consultations were held. “The board took the decision based on its own judgments and it didn’t go out to wider consultation. Had we decided to go forward with the tour, we’d have had to put the proposals to TEPP (the body that represents England players) and the PCA, but it didn’t reach that point.”

  • Threatening e-mail was sent to New Zealand cricket team from India: Fawad

    Threatening e-mail was sent to New Zealand cricket team from India: Fawad

    Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry held an important press conference on New Zealand’s withdrawal from the recent cricket series in Pakistan, revealing that a threatening e-mail was sent to New Zealand from India.

    Accompanied by Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, the Minister of Information talked about the strict security measures for New Zealand squad.

    The information minister said Pakistan was facing a hybrid and fifth-generation war.

    Fawad spoke about a fake social media post that was shared with former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander Ehsanullah Ehsan’s name in August, adding that the post had warned the New Zealand cricket team against touring Pakistan.

    “The post stated that New Zealand cricket team should not go to Pakistan as Daesh would attack it,” revealed the information minister.

    Chaudhry said that an article was published in The Sunday Guardian two days later, on August 21, by the paper’s bureau chief Abhinandan Mishra, who wrote the same thing: that the New Zealand cricket team could get attacked in Pakistan.

    “The article published in The Sunday Guardian centred around Ehsanullah Ehsan’s post,” he said. “Indian journalist Abhinandan Mishra has close relations with former Afghan vice-president Amrullah Saleh,” he added.

    The information minister revealed that five days later, on August 24, a threatening e-mail was sent to New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill’s wife from an ID using the Tehreek-e-Labbaik alias. In the e-mail, Fawad Chaudhry revealed that a death threat was issued to – New Zealand batsman.

    “The e-mail said that Guptill will be killed while on tour in Pakistan,” he said. “After we investigated the ID, it was found that it was created on August 24, 2021 at 01:05am while the e-mail was sent at 11:59am on August 25,” he disclosed.

    He said the e-mail was sent using ProtonMail, adding that those who knew about the service were aware that it is a secure e-mail service. He said Pakistan had asked Interpol to assist it further in probing the e-mail and the perpetrator behind it.

    He said that despite “all these threats”, the Black Caps did not cancel their tour and arrived in Pakistan.

    Read More – ‘Pakistan provided more security to New Zealand’s team than their armed forces combined’: Sheikh Rasheed

    Chaudhry said that a chartered flight had brought the New Zealand team on September 11.

    “A detailed programme containing their protocols and security was issued by the interior ministry, which included the squad being accompanied by two helicopters,” shared the information minister.

    Chaudhry said that the New Zealand squad, on September 13, travelled from their hotel to the Rawalpindi cricket stadium along with the Pakistani players, where they held a “full practice session”.

    “I would just like to remind you that both Pakistan and New Zealand’s security agencies had probed and arrived at the conclusion that the threats issued on August 19, 21 and 24 were all fake,” he noted.

    He said the team again travelled to the same stadium on September 14 and held another training session there, with the same security protocols in place.

    Meanwhile, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Sarwar was asked how he feels about England and New Zealand’s tour abandonment, he said that it is not abig deal. Many businessman cry when everything is closed because of matches. So, there is no need to cry over it.