Tag: ODI

  • ‘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.

  • 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.”

  • ‘This too shall pass’, Pakistani captain Babar Azam backs Virat Kohli to regain form

    ‘This too shall pass’, Pakistani captain Babar Azam backs Virat Kohli to regain form

    After the batter lost form and was benched for the upcoming West Indies series, the Pakistani captain Babar Azam spoke out in favor of the former Indian captain Virat Kohli to stay strong on Thursday night.

    Due to a groin injury, Kohli missed the first ODI against England and scored just 16 runs in the second game, which India lost by a score of 100 runs at Lord’s.

    After scoring 1 and 11 in the T20I series and failing in the rescheduled fifth Test, the right-hander has now gone 77 consecutive international innings without reaching three figures.

    Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal are both resting for the same tour, so his name is also absent from India’s T20I squad to play the West Indies.

    Fans and former greats have questioned Kohli’s place in the team because of the impending T20 World Cup and the need for World Test Championship points to stay in the running for next year’s final, but his Pakistani counterpart has expressed his support on social media.

    Few players have the same understanding of the challenges of maintaining world-class form as Pakistan’s captain, who is currently experiencing a golden period.

    Babar is ranked first in the MRF Tyres ICC batting rankings for both ODI and T20I matches, as well as fourth in Test cricket, after scoring international centuries in recent series against Australia and the West Indies as well as a T20I half-century against Australia in Lahore last month.

    Prior to the England ODIs, captain Rohit Sharma stood up for his teammate, giving Kohli additional support earlier in the week.

    “When someone is scoring consistently for so long, we can’t overlook his contribution if he is not scoring in one or two series or in one or two years.”

    “We know the importance of Virat Kohli. The experts have got all the right to talk about it but for us these things don’t matter,” he added.

  • 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.

  • West Indies cricket players reach Multan for ODI series against Pakistan

    West Indies cricket players reach Multan for ODI series against Pakistan

    The West Indies Cricket Team arrived in Multan on Monday and received a warm welcome. They will play three International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup Super League One Day International (ODI) matches against Pakistan.

    The visiting squad is likely to have a training session today (Tuesday). The two teams will lock horns on June 8, 10, and 12 in Multan.

    The West Indies team just finished their series in the Netherlands, whitewashing the home side 3-0. However, Pakistan, who won their last ODI series by 2-1 at home against Kangaroos reportedly started their training on Monday.

    Under the captaincy of Babar Azam, Shaheens currently stand at tenth position with six wins out of 12. Whereas, West Indies stands at fourth position with eight wins in 18 matches.

    Earlier, the entire series was moved from Rawalpindi to Multan due to the critical political situation in Islamabad.

  • Pak vs WI ODI: Series moves from Pindi to Multan due to political situation

    The three-match Pakistan-West Indies One Day International (ODI) series has been moved from Rawalpindi to Multan due to the political situation in Islamabad.

    The first ODI between Pakistan and West Indies will take place on June 8. The West Indies team is likely to arrive in Multan next week on June 5.

    Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had sought guidelines from the federal government to decide on the future of the West Indies series, which was set to start in Rawalpindi.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the ODI series is part of the World Cup 2023 qualifying round.

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan warned Pakistan’s government to set new elections in the next six days or he will again march on the capital along with millions of people.

  • Babar Azam and Shadab Khan caught being themselves

    Babar Azam and Shadab Khan caught being themselves

    Babar Azam, the Men in Green’s all-format captain, and Shadab Khan, the white-ball vice-captain, have demonstrated their leadership talents on the cricket field, they have also demonstrated their humanitarian abilities by distributing food items for Iftar to unprivileged people on the streets of Lahore.

    Following the distribution of Iftar, both cricket stars spoke to the media. Babar and Shadab were both in good spirits as they joked around with the press. Fans praised the duo’s generous gesture as the video of them serving food to the needy went viral on social media.

    Babar joked that journalists should refrain from asking any cricket-related inquiries.

    https://twitter.com/stzarak/status/1512166793367879693?t=UGki58_mcV3eIulRTomYlg&s=08

    After a busy home season that featured the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Australia’s historic trip to the country, Pakistan’s national team players got some well-deserved respite.

    The Green Shirts’ next international assignment will be versus the West Indies in June 2022, when they visit Pakistan for a three-match One-Day International series.

  • Pak vs Aus: Imam-ul-Haq sets record

    Pak vs Aus: Imam-ul-Haq sets record

    Pakistan opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq has set a record against Australia, making a century. He has now become the fastest batsman in history.

    The opening batsman reached this record in the 48th inning of his ODI career. Hashim Amla had scored his ninth century in 52 innings, Quinton de Kock took 53 and Babar Azam took 61 innings to score their century in ODIs.

    Starting his career with a hundred on debut, Imam-ul-Haq knows how to pile on the centuries. After a remarkable century in the first ODI, Imam-ul-Haq smashed yet another hundred in the second match of the home series against Australia.

    Pakistan won the match against Australia by six wickets.

  • Fear of clash between Govt, Opposition, PCB considering moving T20I, ODIs to Lahore from Pindi

    Fear of clash between Govt, Opposition, PCB considering moving T20I, ODIs to Lahore from Pindi

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering moving the ODI’s and one T20I match to Lahore from Rawalpindi, considering the changing political situation in the capital, reports Geo News. The first ODI is scheduled to be played on March 29.

    The “changing political scenario and chance of a conflict-like situation” is causing PCB to make alternative plans for the series.

    However, PCB has yet to make a decision and has yet to cancel the hotel reservation in Islamabad, where both teams must check-in on March 26, when they come back from the Lahore test match, scheduled to take place this week.

    “All the four white-ball matches will be shifted to Gaddafi Stadium where teams are set to play the final Test of the series starting from March 21 in case the political situation in Islamabad stays the same till March 20,” a PCB official said.

    “If there is a marked change in the volatile political situation in Islamabad, we would stay with our original schedule and that is to organise all white-ball matches (from March 29-April 5) including three One-Dayers and one-off T20 at the Pindi Stadium. Otherwise, these matches will be shifted to Lahore.”

    “We cannot take even one percent risk when it comes to the safety and security of both teams. Though the room booking at a leading hotel in Islamabad is intact, there is a growing possibility that the matches will now be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on the same dates. The hotel where teams stayed for the first Test and would be staying for limited-overs matches falls within the red-zone where political parties are planning all these activities. So, no change in the political situation in Islamabad by March 20 means all the four limited-overs matches will be shifted to Lahore.”

    If the schedule is not changed the matches will be played in Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

  • Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen have a message for fans after receiving ICC awards

    Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen have a message for fans after receiving ICC awards

    Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam, wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi have a message for their fans after receiving ODI Cricketer of the Year, T20I Cricketer of the Year and ICC Player of the Year awards respectively. All three cricketers took to their social media to express their gratitude for achieving the feat.

    Read More – Babar Azam named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

    Taking to Twitter, Babar expressed his gratitude for being named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year 2021.

    “I am thankful to Almighty, my family, friends, and fans who always push me to do better with all their love and trust,” he said in a tweet.

    This is the third mention of Babar Azam in the ICC Awards 2021. He was earlier announced as the captain of the T20 and ODI teams of the year by the ICC.

    Similarly Rizwan, after being declared the T20I Cricketer of the Year, took to Twitter to thank the Almighty.

    “Alhumdulillah. Bus Allah se hota hai. Allah k ghair se nahi hota,” he wrote.

    He further added: “I am grateful to everyone for their support and love. In sha Allah, the journey has just started. This award is dedicated to Pakistan and the beautiful people of Pakistan.”

    The player aggregated a staggering 1,326 runs in only 29 matches at an average of 73.66 and a strike-rate of 134.89 last year.

    Read More – ‘Sirf Allah se hota hai’: Mohammad Rizwan after scoring 2,000 record T20 runs in a year

    According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Rizwan was “as solid as ever behind the stumps”, playing a key role in Pakistan’s run to the semi-final during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, where he ended up as the third-highest run-scorer.

    Pakistan’s “tall boy” Afridi, as noted by ICC, also joined Babar and Rizwan in expressing his joy and gratitude by posting a tweet.

    “Almighty has been very kind to me. I’m extremely grateful for all the love sent my way,” he wrote.

    Afridi took 78 wickets in 36 internationals at an average of 22.20 with the best bowling figures of 6/51.

    The 21-year-old speedster was on fire throughout 2021, knocking some of the best batters over across all three formats of the game.

    He especially had a year to remember in Tests and T20Is, reaching his peak during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in UAE where he impressed one and all with his sheer speed and skills. His exceptional spell against India in the ICC T20 World Cup was the cherry on the top for the Pakistan cricket fans. He sent Indian openers KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli to the pavillion in the clash with India. He conceded only 31 runs in his four overs.