Tag: Inzamamul Haq

  • VIDEO: Babar Azam recalls the time when his cousins refused to lend him shoes

    VIDEO: Babar Azam recalls the time when his cousins refused to lend him shoes

    A video of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is being widely shared on Twitter from an interview with former Pakistan Cricket team captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, in which he can be seen talking about his past and recalled an incident when he requested his cousins to lend him an extra pair of shoes and they refused to give them to him.

    While in conversation with Inzamam, Babar said that he used to play cricket in the streets and then he joined a cricket club. He said: “When you join a club, you need kits for that. Firstly, I used to borrow kits from fellow trainees but after a month I realised that I also need one. I told my papa that I need a kit but he said that he can not afford it. My mother got to know about this and told me she has saved some money. She gave me about 3500 rupees and I bought a bat worth rupees1500. That was the best moment for me.” Babar shared he still has that bat in his old house.

    He further shared: “When I was first selected for under 15, I asked my cousins if they have extra pair of shoes for me but they said ‘No, we don’t’. That is when I decided not to borrow anything and will do everything on my own from here.”

    He made his Test debut for Pakistan against the West Indies in Dubai on 13 October 2016 and scored 69 runs in his first innings. He was the first player to score a fifty on his Test debut through a day/night Test.

    In September 2019, before the home series against Sri Lanka, he was named as the vice-captain of Pakistan cricket team in both ODIs and T20Is, on the back of his consistent performances in these formats. In October 2019, he was named captain of the Pakistan cricket team in T20Is, ahead of a series with Australia.

    Recently, the all-format captain was also given the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ODI Player of the Year award.

  • Babar vs Kohli: Who is the better player? Pak-Ind experts weigh in

    Babar vs Kohli: Who is the better player? Pak-Ind experts weigh in

    As cricket fever reaches its peak, fans around the world are looking forward to the upcoming Pakistan-India blockbuster T20 World Cup match.

    Geo News brought together cricketing legends from both countries for two high-octane exchanges on Saturday.

    Veterans like Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Sohail Tanveer where Pakistani panelists and host was Shahzad Iqbal, while Indian side had Sunil Gavaskar, Harbhajan Singh and Madan Lal on the Geo News/Aaj Tak ‘taakra’.

    When the question was asked by Shahzad that who is the better player among both skippers Babar Azam and Virat Kohli in T20 cricket, all the panelists gave their opinions on it.

    Madan Lal said: “Virat is way ahead than Babar as we all have witnessed his performance in all three formats of cricket and it has always been better than Babar.”

    While Sunil said: “Virat has played a lot of cricket so he has a better record but the talenr Babar holds, gives him a better chance to him to get more runs in the future.”

    He also added that Virat used to score 60, 70 runs but after when he scored centuries, he was also counted in great players. Babar has the potential as he is a very good batsman and easily scores 60, 70 runs but then get out after that. When he will score hundreds in Tests and One Days, he will be counted among number one batsmen. He has that potential.

    “Virat Kohli is a great player and I think he is a legend in modern day cricket. Yes Babar need some time to get to that mark but but he has that game and definitely he can become one of cricketing greats of Pakistan like Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar,” said former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh.

    Former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said: “Babar Azam and Virat Kohli are both great players, but the way Babar is batting, I think he will break all records.”

    He further added: “Kohli has given a lot of performances for his country, but Babar’s record is better than Kohli’s in terms of the amount of cricket he has played, Babar has yet to reach the heights of his career, Babar’s best game is yet to come. Babar’s hunger for runs makes him better than others. I have never seen such hunger for runs in any other batsman. Virat has a lot of aggression. If I compare the technique, Babar’s technique looks better than Kohli’s.”

    “I agree with Inzi and Sunny (Inzamam and Sunil) that both are great players. Virat’s stats are very strong and Babar is still not there but I’ll agree with Inzi that Babar can be at number one forever,” said Pakistan’s great spinner Mushtaq Ahmed.

    While Tanveer said that it took a long time for Kohli to become what he is and if we take a look at current form and performances of last three-four years of Babar, “He has that guts and he has all the skills to become world number one player and has become the number one.”
    “By the time and experience he will become more confident and his abilities will also come to the fore,” he added.

    It’s pertinent to mention here that the arch-rivals will be facing each other on Sunday 7pm PST at the Dubai International Stadium.

  • Former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq says he did not suffer a heart attack

    Former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq says he did not suffer a heart attack

    Former captain of Pakistan cricket team Inzamam-ul-Huq has clarified that he did not suffer a heart attack, as widely reported by the media.

    Inzamam, in a video message, thanked all the people across the world who had prayed for him — fans, former and current cricketers, and commentators.

    “It felt very nice being remembered, so I wanted to thank everyone,” he said.

    The former batsman said that he did not suffer a heart attack; he had gone to the doctor for a “routine checkup”.

    “They recommended an angioplasty and during the procedure, they said my artery is blocked and a stent is needed,” he explained.

    Inzamam said he gave his go-ahead, and then a procedure was done, which was a success and he is alright now.

    He said he stayed at the hospital for 12 hours and is now home.

    The batsman urged everyone to immediately go to the doctor whenever they suspect anything wrong with their health.

    “The doctors told me that had I delayed going in, I could have suffered damage,” he said.

    Inzamam’s manager had earlier today said that he had been discharged from the hospital after undergoing successful angioplasty surgery at a Lahore hospital.

    Following the news of his illness, Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Hassan Ali and others had wished Inzi a speedy recovery.

  • ‘Fighter’: Sachin Tendulkar wishes Inzamam a speedy recovery

    ‘Fighter’: Sachin Tendulkar wishes Inzamam a speedy recovery

    Indian veteran cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has extended his wishes to Inzaman-ul-Huq, who has had a heart attack on Monday.

    Taking to Twitter, the Indian great wrote: “Wishing you a speedy recovery @Inzamam08. You’ve always been calm yet competitive, and a fighter on the field.”

    “I hope and pray that you’ll come out stronger from this situation as well. Get well soon,” he added.

    As per reports, the 51-year-old cricketer had been complaining about chest pain over the last three days. After tests, it was revealed he had suffered a heart attack and needed immediate surgery.

    The former cricketer has been discharged from the hospital after a successful angioplasty.

  • Inzamam-ul-Huq undergoes angioplasty after suffering heart attack

    Inzamam-ul-Huq undergoes angioplasty after suffering heart attack

    Pakistan cricket great Inzamam-ul-Haq underwent angioplasty on Monday (September 27) after suffering a heart attack. The 51-year-old is in a stable condition in a hospital.

    His manager revealed that a stent has been placed in Inzamam’s heart. Inzamam, who had been complaining of chest pain recently, underwent tests that revealed a heart attack, following which the angioplasty had to be performed.

    Inzamam made his debut for Pakistan by the end of 1991 and was a part of their successful 1992 World Cup campaign. He went on to lead the national side and eventually finished as their most prolific batsman with over 20,000 runs by the time he retired in 2007. He was recently working with the PCB as the chief selector until July 2019.

    Several Pakistani cricketers and people from cricket fraternity extended their wishes for his quick recovery.

    https://twitter.com/Amermalik12/status/1442600487493062658?s=20

  • PCB, cricketing greats among others react to Amir’s exit

    PCB, cricketing greats among others react to Amir’s exit

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reacted to Pakistani paceman Mohammad Amir’s decision to retire from international cricket, saying it was the bowler’s personal decision.

    As per the details, Cricket Pakistan quoted a PCB representative as saying that Amir had been listening to news channels broadcasting news about how he would not be selected to play.

    “Mohammad Amir has not contacted the PCB in this regard. The fast-bowler is not a contracted player and therefore is not bound to discuss this decision with the cricket board. He is completely free to make his own decisions,” the spokesperson said.

    Meanwhile, following Amir’s announcement, reactions started pouring in from cricketing greats among others, including former skipper and selector Inzamamul Haq as well as Pakistan’s Ramiz Raja and Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle.

    Raja described Amir’s departure as an untimely exit of a potential superstar while highlighting this entire episode as a cautionary tale for upcoming youngsters.

    “Mohammad Amir retires. Sad untimely exit of a potential superstar! And a lesson for aspiring youth: Respect your talent and understand your responsibilities. Don’t mistake wealth for respect. Respect is earned by having a strong character and not by worldly glitzy sh*t!” Raja tweeted.

    Bhogle believed that the fast-bowlers career would be remembered for what could have been in the aftermath of the shocking decision.

    “I hope he is content. In cricketing terms he will be remembered for what might have been,” Bhogle tweeted.

    Former skipper Shahid Afridi said that both PCB and Amir were at fault.

    Speaking to Geo, the 45-year-old said that PCB and Amir could have handled the situation better. “Both the management and Amir are responsible. If the elders had not started this, the younger ones would not get a chance to speak,” he said.

    “Why are they communicating through media? They should sit in a room and talk it out,” he added.

    Afridi suggested that Amir should have been more patient while taking such a big decision. “Amir’s decision was also a bit harsh. There are challenges in life that every player faces. Strong and talented cricketers accept those challenges and make comeback with good performances,” he said.

    The former player added that Pakistan cricket needs Amir and that the player still has a lot to offer to the national team. “Pakistan cricket needs Amir. He still has T20 and ODI cricket left in him,” he said. “The pleasure in playing for Pakistan and representing your country is nowhere close to playing league cricket.”

    Afridi said that PCB’s prompt reaction to Amir’s retirement decision showed that they did not have the player in its future plan. “PCB should have discussed its plans with Amir, their immediate reaction showed that their future plan was to keep the player on the sidelines,” he said.

    Senior ruling party member and a close aide of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Senator Faisal Javed Khan, advised the cricket authorities to address the concerns of Amir, saying Pakistan “should not waste a talented player” like Amir.

    He suggested that both parties sit together to sort their differences, asking the cricketer to reconsider his decision to quit Test cricket.

    “No emotional decision please,” the senator added.

    Previously, the pacer had openly expressed his disappointment on social media after New Zealand tour snub besides taking digs at the head and bowling coaches in the recent past.

    “Right now I am leaving cricket. I am being mentally tortured. I don’t think, I will be able to handle this kind of torture because I have been tortured a lot from 2010 to 2015,” Amir said on Thursday.

    “My personal decision to leave Test cricket was taken in a wrong way. My retirement was attached to my desire of playing T20 leagues. I was wishing to invest everything in white-ball cricket for Pakistan. But every now and then someone or the other person came out with a statement. Our bowling coach came out and said, I ditched them, somebody says workload wasn’t properly handled,” he had added.

    mir made his debut for Pakistan in a T20I match against England in June 2009 and was part of the team which won the 2009 T20 World Cup.

    However, his career went downhill after he was found guilty of spot-fixing and was banned for five years. He made his international comeback in 2015 and went on to play an instrumental role in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy triumph in 2017.

  • Mehwish Hayat reveals her favourite cricket captain

    Mehwish Hayat reveals her favourite cricket captain

    Not Prime Minister Imran Khan, neither Wasim Akram, nor Shahid Afridi – Mehwish Hayat’s favourite cricket captain is Inzamam-ul-Haq.

    Sharing a picture of herself standing in front of the Wall of Fame at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Mehwish said that she felt a” great sense of pride” seeing the cricketing legends through the ages. The actor added that her personal favourite cricket captain was Inzamam-ul-Haq.

    A prolific batsman, Inzamam ul Haq was the captain of the Pakistan national cricket team from 2003–2007.

    Read more – Mehwish Hayat’s crush has been updated after watching ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    In a follow-up tweet, Mehwish remarked that Zaheer Abbas kind of looks like the professor from the hit Netflix series Money Heist.

    Responding to Mehwish’s tweet, several Twitter users shared their favourite captains as well.

    Imran Khan is a hot fave.

  • From Inzamam-ul-Haq to Babar Azam, here are all the Pakistani cricketers who have been part of ICC’s ‘ODI Team of the Year’

    From Inzamam-ul-Haq to Babar Azam, here are all the Pakistani cricketers who have been part of ICC’s ‘ODI Team of the Year’

    The International Cricket Council announced its ODI team of the year and Pakistan’s Babar Azam made it to the list, which also included (in batting order) Rohit Sharma (India), Shai Hope (West Indies), Virat Kohli (India, captain), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Ben Stokes (England), Jos Buttler (England, wicketkeeper), Mitchell Starc (Australia), Trent Boult (New Zealand), Mohammed Shami (India) and Kuldeep Yadav (India).

    Babar was also part of the list in 2017.

    In the 2019 calendar year, Babar scored 1,092 runs in 20 ODIs at an impressive average of 60.66. He also scored three centuries and six half centuries. His centuries came against England at Trent Bridge (115), New Zealand at Edgbaston (101 not out) during ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and Sri Lanka at National Stadium (115).

    According to a press release by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), “Since the inception of the ICC awards in 2004, Babar Azam is the eighth Pakistan player to feature in the ICC ODI Team of the Year. Other Pakistan players to find their places in the teams of the year include Inzamam-ul-Haq, Rana Naved Ul Hasan (2005), Umar Gul (2009 and 2011), Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal (both 2012), Saeed Ajmal (2013), Mohammad Hafeez (2014), Babar Azam and Hasan Ali (2017).”

    Earlier, Nida Dar was named in the ICC T20I Women’s Team of 2019.

  • CWC’19: Inzamam hopeful of Pakistan ending losing streak against India

    CWC’19: Inzamam hopeful of Pakistan ending losing streak against India

    Chief selector Inzamamul Haq is confident that the national cricket team will finally break its six-match losing streak in the World Cup against India when it takes on the arch-rivals on June 16.

    Pakistan have never won against India in a world cup match, but the former skipper feels that they can post a breakthrough victory this time around when the two teams meet in Manchester next month.

    “People take an Indo-Pak match very seriously and some even go on to say that ‘we will be happy even if only we can win against India during the World Cup’,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by a cricket website.

    The veteran of 120 Tests, however, said that the mega cricketing tournament was not just about the match against India, and “Pakistan have the potential to beat other sides as well”.

    Pakistan go into the 2019 World Cup having suffered 10 successive ODI defeats and were also beaten by Afghanistan in a warm-up match on Friday.