Tag: Pakistan Cricket Team

  • ICC rates Pindi wicket below average, Babar Azam defends

    The Inter­national Cricket Council (ICC) rated the first Test match between Pakistan and Australia pitch “below average” and penalised it with one demerit point after the match ended in a dull draw earlier this week in Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

    In a report, Ranjan Madugalle, the ICC match referee for the Pak-Aus Test series said, “The pitch did not have a great deal of pace and bounce in it for the seamers nor assisted the spinners. In my view, this does not represent an even contest between bat and ball. Therefore, in keeping with the ICC guidelines, I rate this pitch as below average.”

    In response, The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) claimed that no Pakistani venue has received a demerit point before. However, it accepts ICC’s decision and has given assurance of the quality of pitches in upcoming matches.

    It is pertinent to mention that demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period. When a venue gets five demerit points, it is suspended from hosting international cricket matches for one year.

    Pakistani skipper Babar Azam has defended the Rawalpindi pitch. The cricketer said that no matter how a pitch is it is important for players to perform on it.

    However, Australian opener David Warner said that he is hopeful of a result-producing wicket in Karachi Test against Pakistan which is going to be played tomorrow (Saturday).

    After the Rawalpindi draw match, Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry criticised PCB for “choosing a dead wicket” in the historic Test Match.

  • Pakistan Test squad for Australia series to see some changes

    Pakistan Test squad for Australia series to see some changes

    Pakistan Test squad for the Australia series is reportedly to see some changes, reported Geo News.

    The report stated that the decision regarding the replacement for injured Mohammad Nawaz will be made in the next couple of days.

    Nawaz had to leave Pakistan Super League (PSL) following an injury to his foot. The left-arm spinner was representing PSL franchise Quetta Gladiators.

    It was also reported that the team management is concerned about the form of pacer Hassan Ali. Hassan is representing Islamabad United in PSL 7 and was unable to impress fans with his performance.

    Read More – Australia announces full-strength squad for Pakistan tour

    Pacer Naseem Shah, who is on the reserves list, is likely to get promoted to the original squad.

    Team Australia is set to tour Pakistan after 24 years and is scheduled to play three Tests, three ODIs and one T20I.

  • Saqlain to continue as Pakistan head coach, Shaun Tait appointed fast-bowling coach

    Saqlain to continue as Pakistan head coach, Shaun Tait appointed fast-bowling coach

    Former Pakistan cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq will continue as Pakistan’s head coach on an interim basis for another 12 months, while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also named former Australia quick Shaun Tait as fast-bowling coach for 12 months.

    Read More – Pakistan announces squad for Test series against Australia

    Former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf has been roped in as batting coach for the Australia series, which is scheduled to begin on March 4 in Rawalpindi.

    Saqlain, along with Abdul Razzaq, was appointed as interim coach following Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis’ resignations in September last year.

    The PCB had given an advertisement for five coaching positions — national high performance, batting, bowling, power-hitting and fielding — in December last year and had set a deadline for application as late January.

    As per reports, Tait is the only one to have taken up the position via this process for now, the other appointments were made on the basis of internal arrangements — instead of hiring new coaches based on the advertisement, the PCB promoted coaches from the high-performance centre to the national set-up on an interim basis. There were at least 12 applications for the various coaching roles overall but only the individuals who had applied for the role of bowling coach were shortlisted and interviewed, out of which Tait was finalised.

    Read More – Australia announces full-strength squad for Pakistan tour

    Since Ramiz Raja’s appointment as the chairman of PCB, there have been many changes in the set-up starting with Misbah and Waqar leaving their roles ahead of the home series against New Zealand. Saqlain, who was the head of international players’ development at the high-performance centre in Lahore at that time, was promoted as head coach but his initial tenure ended with the Bangladesh tour in December.

    Earlier, Saqlain had submitted his resignation following the tour but Ramiz persuaded him to continue in the role for another year, with at least eight assignments including the T20 World Cup and Asia Cup coming up. While Yousuf and Abdul Majeed (fielding coach) have been appointed just for the upcoming series, it is understood the PCB will make assessments during the Australia series before appointing anyone on a full-time basis.

    The position of a power-hitting coach is yet to be filled. While it was rumored earlier that former captain Shahid Afridi will be joining the national side for the role of power-hitting coach.

  • Pakistan announces squad for Test series against Australia

    Pakistan announces squad for Test series against Australia

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced 16 players and five reserves for the three Tests against Australia, which will be played in Rawalpindi (March4-8), Karachi (March 12-16) and Lahore (March 21-25).

    Test players who are not involved in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 will assemble in Karachi on Wednesday, February 16, for a training camp that will be held at the National Stadium.

    From the series against Bangladesh, three changes have been made in the national squad.

    Haris Rauf, who was in the side for South Africa and Zimbabwe Tests in 2021, has returned to replace off-spinner Bilal Asif, while Shan Masood, who last played in New Zealand in the 2020-21 season, has taken over from Abid Ali, who is completing his rehabilitation after being diagnosed with Acute Coronary Syndrome. Yasir Shah has been added to the reserve pool.

    Chief selector Muhammad Wasim in a statement said: “We have opted for consistency for the important home series against Australia and changes have only been made where absolutely necessary. This is to give the boys confidence, reward them for their impressive performances in the longer version of the game in 2021 and continue to build the side for the future.”

    “These are the best available, most talented and in-form players in the domestic circuit. I am confident they will put up an impressive performance against a formidable Australia side,” he added.

    Test squad:

    Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hassan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Zahid Mahmood.

    Reserves players selected for the tour are Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Yasir Shah.

    Cricket Australia announced the full-strength squad for Pakistan tour on Tuesday. While squads for the limited-overs matches that will follow the Tests are yet to be named, the fact that no Test players have pulled out is a vote of confidence for the tour.

  • Will Shaheen Afridi become Captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team? Shaheen speaks out

    Will Shaheen Afridi become Captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team? Shaheen speaks out

    Star pacer of the Pakistan cricket team Shaheen Shah Afridi praised the captaincy of the national team’s all-format skipper Babar Azam and wished for him to continue in this role for at least 10-15 years. The speedster said that he has no plan to captain the team as Babar is leading the team brilliantly.

    Read More – PM Khan predicts winning team of PSL 7

    In a pre-Pakistan Super League (PSL 7) media conference, Lahore Qalandars’ newly appointed captain Afridi was asked whether he would like to do the captaincy of the Pakistan team in the future.

    “I don’t have any plans for now as Babar is leading the side so well. Under his captaincy, the team gelled strongly and performed. I wish he continues as captain for at least 10-15 years,” he responded.

    “In the future, if any opportunity comes to me, I would love to do it for my country. But, for now, I want Babar to continue for long,” he added.

    It must be noted here that Shaheen and Babar will be leading their respective franchises Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings for the first time in PSL 7.

  • Haseebullah’s century, Awais Ali’s six-fer help Pakistan outclass Zimbabwe in U19 CWC

    Haseebullah’s century, Awais Ali’s six-fer help Pakistan outclass Zimbabwe in U19 CWC

    Pakistan Under 19 Cricket team has started it’s World Cup series with an extensive win over Zimbabwe, beating the opposition with a 115-run margin at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex in Trinidad and Tobago.

    Wicket-keeper-batter Haseebullah Khan set the tone of the win by scoring an impressive 135. In his 155-ball innings, he smacked four sixes and ten fours.

    Irfan Khan was the other prominent batter, scoring 75 off just 73 balls. He stroked six fours and a maximum.

    The Boys in Green posted a gigantic score of 315/9 after Zeeshan Zameer hit three sixes and remained not out on six-ball 21.

    Right-arm medium pacer Alex Falao bagged fifer for Zimbabwe. He conceded 58 runs in his nine overs. Mcgine Dube took three for 68 in his 10 overs.

    In reply, Pakistan pacers took wickets at regular intervals and didn’t allow Zimbabwe batters to form partnerships. Zimbabwe was bowled out for 200 in 42.4 overs.

    Awais Ali’s magnificent six wicket-haul was the cherry on the top.

    The Green Shirts will now face Afghanistan in their next clash of the U19 World Cup at the Brian Lara Cricket Ground.

  • ‘That’s me’: ‘Phuppo ki beti’ with Babar Azam revealed

    ‘That’s me’: ‘Phuppo ki beti’ with Babar Azam revealed

    A picture of a girl buttoning up Pakistan all-format cricket Skipper Babar Azam’s coat has been widely shared on social media and netizens are making assumptions about who the girl is. It has been revealed that the girl is Abeeha Mamoon, a Dubai based stylist and makeup artist.

    Commenting under The Current’s post on Instagram, the girl said: “That’s me! A stylist and makeup artist from Dubai. Was working on a shoot with him!”

    Reacting on the post, she said that “this is hilarious”.

    Babar is in Karachi and will soon enter quarantine for the upcoming seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The 27-year-old cricketer will be leading Karachi Kings in this edition.

  • Shahid Afridi believes Hafeez wanted to play more cricket for Pakistan

    Shahid Afridi believes Hafeez wanted to play more cricket for Pakistan

    Former captain of the Pakistan cricket team Shahid Afridi has said that he believes Mohammad Hafeez, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, wanted to play more cricket for Pakistan.

    While speaking on Samaa TV’s show Game Set Match, Afridi said that there is a communication gap between PCB and the players.

    “I was listening to his [Hafeez] statement and it was clear from his body language that he wanted to play more cricket for Pakistan rather than leaving early,” said Afridi.

    “I always talk about the communication gap between the PCB and players and I have a strong feeling that the same was the case with Hafeez. Although, it was good to see that he didn’t turn that into a major issue,” he added.

    Afridi also heaped praise on Hafeez over a great international career.

    “I would like to congratulate Hafeez, his family and parents. Hafeez had an outstanding career and he gave many match-winning performances,” he said.

    Hafeez announced his retirement from international cricket 18 years after making his debut in Sharjah against Zimbabwe on 3 April 2003.

    Hafeez represented Pakistan in 392 international matches, scoring 12,780 runs and taking 253 wickets, besides also captaining the side in 32 international matches.

  • U19 squad departs for World Cup after Asia Cup semi-final defeat

    U19 squad departs for World Cup after Asia Cup semi-final defeat

    The Pakistan U19 team has departed for West Indies to play the International Cricket Council (ICC) U19 Cricket World Cup after they lost to Sri Lanka in the U19 Asia Cup in Dhaka this week.

    Read More – Pakistan turns out victorious in group-stage matches of U19 Asia Cup

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) informed media that except Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, who contracted with Covid-19, all the players have departed for West Indies via Dubai. Bangalzai will remain isolated for ten days under the supervision of Emirates Cricket Board (ECB).

    Gazi Ghouri and Mohammad Zeeshan are travelling as reserves for the mega event. A replacement for Bangalzai will be made according to the need.

    It must be noted here that Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in U19 Asia Cup’s semi-final. India beat Sri Lanka to win the Asian tournament for eighth time.

    The mega event is slated to be starting from January 14.

  • ‘Can’t explain that moment’: Babar opens up about T20 win against India

    ‘Can’t explain that moment’: Babar opens up about T20 win against India

    Pakistan’s all-format cricket team captain Babar Azam has opened up about how he felt beating arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup 2021.

    Azam hailed his side’s record win against India in the event. Pakistan successfully played to a 10-wicket win, ending their World Cup drought against the Men in Blue.

    Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi was the star of the show, taking three for 31 from his four overs. Despite a 57 from former Indian T20 captain Virat Kohli, the Indians were not able to notch up an intimidating total on the scoreboard.

    Chasing 152 for victory, skipper Babar (68) and his partner Mohammad Rizwan (79) steered the national team home with 13 deliveries to spare.

    “I can’t explain that moment. We were not thinking about the past record, trying to stay in the present. The way we started and finished had a different feel and buzz to it.. and the response from fans was amazing too. We hadn’t registered a win (against India) in the World Cups and Allah helped us change that. It was a team effort. We had belief. There was no overconfidence,” said Babar in a PCB Podcast episode on YouTube.

    The Men in Green reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup after topping Group B. However, their impressive journey came to an end with a defeat to eventual champions Australia in the semis. Babar described it as a heartbreaking moment for Pakistan.

    “We had put in the effort… we had dominated the World Cup. But unfortunately, we couldn’t win that match. We made mistakes as a team but we need to learn from it and deliver a better performance next time,” said Babar, who finishes with the year with 939 runs from 29 T20 Internationals.

    “Doesn’t matter how you start when you finish well. We finished the year on an outstanding note. We played some positive cricket throughout the year and tried to leave an impact. We’ve had different Man of the Match contenders for every match. Unfortunately, we bowed out of T20 World Cup but we did learn from that defeat. We have had discussions on the mistakes and will try to improve day by day.”

    “Talking about performances, Rizwan and Shaheen were brilliant. Hasan too. Youngsters like Abdullah, Wasim and Dhani have been impressive too. It’s a plus point for us and hopefully, we carry on the momentum. We had assigned roles to players and that led to better performances. I had the belief that we had match-winners in our team and the boys proved that. Thanks to the fans too and we hope to get a similar kind of support next year,” said the 27-year-old batter.

    Babar stands on top of the table of both white-ball formats. While Rizwan stands on third position in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings for the first time in his career.

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