Tag: Pakistan Cricket

  • Kyun Nikala?: ‘Misbah Saab he bataa saktay hain,’ says Mohammad Amir

    Kyun Nikala?: ‘Misbah Saab he bataa saktay hain,’ says Mohammad Amir

    Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik and Asad Shafiq have been dropped from the 35-member squad announced for Pakistan’s upcoming tour of New Zealand, stirring up a debate on social media. The tour is scheduled to take place in December.

    According to a press release, the management wants to give a fair chance to youngsters like 20-year-old Shafique in the T20 format, which is why they decided to drop the three senior players. Babar Azam, who is now the captain across all formats, will lead both the T20I and Test sides in New Zealand.

    Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq, explaining the decision said: “There are three major omissions from the side that toured England. Shafiq has been left out due to lack of form after he managed 510 runs in his last 15 innings, including a total of 67 runs in England.”

    “Malik and Amir are not part of the white-ball matches as for this tour we have opted to invest, develop and focus on the promising and emerging players who are likely to be available to Pakistan for all formats,” he added.

    Meanwhile on the other hand, the board has shown their confidence in other senior players like Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Hafeez.

    When asked why he was left out of the team, Amir responded: “Misbah saab hi bata sakte hain, but good luck for team green.”

    Later, when a journalist remarked that this was Amir’s ‘Mujhe Kyun Nikala‘ moment, Amir said: “Hahaha, good one.”

    Later, responding to another tweet, Amir said that he has placed his trust with God and not with people.

    The three-match T20 series between Pakistan and New Zealand will start on December 18 and end on December 22.

    The ICC World Test Championship fixtures will be played in Mount Maunganui and Christchurch from December 26-30 and January 3-7, respectively.

  • Babar Azam is Pakistan’s new Test captain

    Babar Azam is Pakistan’s new Test captain

    Babar Azam has been appointed as Pakistan Test captain, which now makes him the captain across all three formats. He replaces Azhar Ali, who last captained Pakistan against England this summer.

    Babar’s first assignment will be to captain Pakistan in the ICC World Test Championship fixtures against New Zealand, which will be played in Mount Maunganui and Christchurch from December 26-30 and January 3-7, respectively.

    PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani confirmed the appointment following a meeting with Azhar on Tuesday evening in which he also thanked him for his contributions as a captain. The PCB Chairman subsequently spoke with Babar following his side’s eight wickets in the third T20I against Zimbabwe and congratulated him on his appointment.

    PCB Chairman said, “I want to thank Azhar for stepping up last year by captaining the side in what was a historic first home Test series in over a decade. I believe Azhar still has a lot of cricket left in him and Pakistan cricket can continue to make the best use of his experience and knowledge as specialist top-order batsman moving forward.”

    Mani further said, “Babar was identified at a very young age as a future leader and as part of his progression and development, he was appointed white-ball captain last year. With his consistent performance and leadership skills, he has demonstrated that he is ready to take on the additional responsibilities of a captain.”

    The chairman concluded by saying, “As we are looking into the future, it is appropriate that we appoint him the captain now so that he continues to grow stronger with every match.”

    Meanwhile, Babar while sharing his thoughts on his appointment said, “I feel truly honoured to have been appointed Test captain and join some of the most iconic players who have captained Pakistan in the purest format of the game. I can now say with conviction that dreams can come true only if you chase them with honesty, dedication and commitment.”

    “I am ready and prepared to take up the additional responsibility and the fact which gives me additional confidence is that I can do the job is the experience that is available to me in the changing room in the shape of the players and support staff,” he added.

    Babar also thanked Azhar for the way he captained the team in the last season, which according to him was a challenging task.

  • PAK v ZIM ODIs: Pakistani bowlers took fifers in each match

    PAK v ZIM ODIs: Pakistani bowlers took fifers in each match

    Three Pakistani bowlers have achieved the maiden five-wicket haul in the Pakistan vs Zimbabwe One Day International (ODIs) matches.

    In the first ODI, Shaheen Shah Afridi grabbed the fifer and returned with the figures of 5-49.

    During the second ODI, off-spinner Iftikhar Ahmed’s maiden five-wicket haul earned Pakistan a convincing six-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the second one-day international and 30-year-old Ahmed returned with 5-40.

    Meanwhile, Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain had a day to remember on Tuesday during the Pakistan vs Zimbabwe third ODI in Rawalpindi.

    The 20-year-old picked up five wickets for just 26 runs in his 10-over spell, wreaking havoc to the opponent’s top order. He picked up three wickets in his opening spell, which he shared with Shaheen.

    Today’s game was the first of the series for Hasnain. He finished with figures of 10-3-26-5 as he became the third Pakistani bowler to claim a fifer in back-to-back matches of the ongoing series.

    Apart from the outclass performance by Hasnain, Pakistan lost the match in a Super over scoring only 2 runs on the loss of 2 wickets while Zimbabwe scored 5 runs of 3 balls, winning the match with 3 balls remaining.

  • Pakistan vs Zimbabwe: PCB announces ODI squad

    Pakistan vs Zimbabwe: PCB announces ODI squad

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 15-member squad for Pakistan vs Zimbabwe One Day Internationals (ODI).

    The list includes Imam ul Haq, Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Haris Sohail, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Musa Khan.

    Meanwhile, the expected ODI Squad of Zimbabwe will be Chamu Chibhaba (c), Ryan Burl, Brian Chari, Tendai Chatara, Elton Chigumbura, Tendai Chisoro, Craig Ervine, Faraz Akram, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Wesley Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Carl Mumba, Richmond Mutumbami, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Milton Shumba, Sikandar Raza, Brendan Taylor, Donald Tripiano, and Sean Williams.

    The ODI series against Zimbabwe also marks the beginning of Babar Azam’s reign as the skipper, having appointed by the PCB in May. The men in green will start as overwhelming favorites since not only they are playing on their soil but also the lopsided head to head record. Of the 17 ODIs played between them, the men in green have won 13 of them while one resulted in a tie.

    Read more – ‘Azhar Ali’s captaincy to be reviewed’

    On the other hand, Pakistan’s newly-appointed limited-overs vice-captain Shadab Khan has reportedly been ruled out of the first ODI against Zimbabwe due to fitness issues. According to Geo News, Shadab was feeling discomfort and pain at the upper side of the thigh which restricted his movement.

    “This is not hamstring injury but muscle problems at the upper portion of the thigh. He could not attend the practice session on Tuesday as he was feeling pain and discomfort,” the official told the publication.

    Pakistan will play three ODIs with Zimbabwe and it would be the hosts’ first ODI since October 2019 when they square off against Sri Lanka in Karachi. Zimbabwe last visited the country back in 2015 when they played white-ball games.

    First ODI will be played in Rawalpindi on October 30, 2020, while the second ODI will be played on Sunday November 1 and last will be played on November 3.

  • South Africa plan first cricket tour of Pakistan in 12 years

    South Africa plan first cricket tour of Pakistan in 12 years

    Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Tuesday it will send a security assessment delegation to Pakistan this weekend with a view to playing in the country in early 2021.

    If the tour goes ahead it will be South Africa’s first visit to Pakistan since 2007/08.

    Two subsequent “away” tours were staged in the United Arab Emirates because of security concerns following a 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.

    No details of the planned fixtures were revealed but according to the International Cricket Council’s future tours programme, South Africa are due to play in two world Test championship matches as well as three Twenty20 internationals in January and February.

    Tuesday’s announcement confirmed South Africa will host Sri Lanka in two world Test championship matches over the local summer holiday period.

    The first Test will be in Centurion from December 26 to 30 and the second Test will be in Johannesburg from January 3 to 7.

    After the CSA’s entire board resigned on Monday, acting chief executive Kugandrie Govender said the matches against Sri Lanka, like those for the upcoming white-ball series against England, would be played without spectators because of Covid-19 restrictions.

    On their previous visit to South Africa in 2018-19, Sri Lanka gained an upset 2-0 series win — the first by an Asian team in a Test series in South Africa.

    CSA also announced Australia would visit South Africa for three world Test championship matches in March and April 2021, to be followed by Pakistan, who will play three one-day internationals and three T20 internationals. Dates for these tours will be announced later.

    It was previously announced South Africa will host England in three T20 and three one-day internationals in Cape Town and Paarl between November 27 and December 9.

    The South African men’s team has not been in action since a one-day tour of India was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

  • No India-Pakistan cricket till political relations normalise: PCB Chairman

    Discussions on resuming bilateral cricket exchanges between India and Pakistan cannot start between the India and Pakistani cricket boards unless political relations between the two countries become normal and stable, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani told IANS in an exclusive interview.

    “Over the years, PCB has had a number of discussions with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding bilateral cricket. Whether it is T20 cricket or bilateral, all things are in the hands of the BCCI. At this moment I don’t have any intention of playing any T20 league with India. First, they have to sort out the bilateral (political) relations with us, and then we will talk,” said PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani.

    India has not played a Test series in Pakistan for more than 14 years, and Pakistan have not visited India for almost eight years, though they have played against each other in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) events like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy all these years.

    “The ICC constitution says there should be no government interference. So, I think ICC should be talking to them [BCCI],” Mani, a former ICC president, said, referring to the mandatory permission that BCCI has to take from the Indian government to play against Pakistan.

    Read more – Afridi says he has ‘old and strong relations’ with Yuvraj, Harbhajan

    Mani also made it clear that he wouldn’t request BCCI President Sourav Ganguly to let Pakistani players compete in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, he fondly recalled the harmonious relations between the BCCI and the PCB in 1990s, when he, as the PCB representative, interacted with Madhavrao Scindia and Jagmohan Dalmiya who ruled both the BCCI and the Asian Cricket Council.

    “I had enough discussions with Mr Dalmiya; not just him but with Mr Sharad Pawar and going back to the time of Mr Madhavrao Scindia. We have had very, very good and open relations with the BCCI. Over the last 12 years, I find the relationship is not what it used to be. There has to be trust and openness on both sides — and honesty in dealing with each other,” he emphasised.

    “To find that the relationship was not what it used to be, I was surprised and disappointed when I came back (as PCB chairman in August 2018). A lot of improvement can be done on this. We could talk to anybody (in normal times), but it takes two hands to clap,” said Chairman PCB.

  • Three Pakistani cricket players test positive for COVID-19

    Three Pakistani cricket players test positive for COVID-19

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that three players – Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, and Shadab Khan – have tested positive for COVID-19.

    The board said that the the players had shown no symptoms until they were tested in Rawalpindi on Sunday ahead of the Pakistan men’s national cricket team’s tour to England.

    According to a press release, the PCB medical panel is in contact with the three who have been advised to immediately go into self-isolation.

    Imad Wasim and Usman Shinwari, who were also screened for the virus in Rawalpindi, tested negative and will travel to Lahore on 24 June.

    Read more – Mohammad Amir reveals why he backed out of England tour

    The statement further added that “other players and team officials, barring Cliffe Deacon, Shoaib Malik and Waqar Younis, underwent tests at their respective centres in Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar on Monday.”

    Their results will be announced as soon as they are received.

    “Until then, the PCB will not make any further comment,” added the statement.

    Meanwhile, PCB on June 12, had announced a 29-player squad for three Tests and three T20Is against England to be played in August-September.

    “An extended squad, including white-ball specialists, is being sent to England as the players, in accordance with series SOPs in the wake of COVID-19, will remain in England from start to finish,” stated a press release.

    According to details, the Pakistan Cricket Team is scheduled to depart on June 28 for Manchester, before driving to Derbyshire for their 14-day quarantine period during which they will be allowed to train and practice. Apart from training and practicing, there will be intra-squad matches to compensate for the lack of practice matches due to non-availability of local teams as the ECB is yet to commence its domestic season.

  • Cricket trumps all

    Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 is the fifth season of the Twenty20 cricket league established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). And for the first time, all of its matches are being held in Pakistan.

    After the Mumbai attack in November 2008, Indian franchise owners refused to include Pakistani cricketers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to pressure from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Pakistan had been working on its own premier league for a while, but the idea of PSL was only materialised under the leadership of former PCB chairman Najam Sethi.

    The first season of PSL was a huge hit and led to an interest in all cricketing countries. PSL opening and closing ceremonies, as well as all the matches, have had record-breaking numbers on the league’s digital platforms. This year, the numbers are said to be even more than the four previous seasons.

    All six teams have their unique qualities as well as strengths and weaknesses. Every cricketing fan in Pakistan has an opinion about these teams and has his or her favourites. While we’ve only had PSL semi-finals and finals in the country in the past, this year’s tournament is even more special with all matches being played here in a development that we had not seen in a long time.

    Although one would think it would lead to full houses in all stadia, only Multan has seen housefuls at matches. Karachi’s turnout has not been that bad and same goes for Rawalpindi, but the most disappointing turnout has been in Lahore.

    Whether it was due to the security arrangements and road closures, one cannot say for sure, but we think Pakistanis should come out in full force to support the PSL. There are 36 international players who are in the country and this gives Pakistan cricket a huge boost as it takes away some of the baggage that we have carried since the terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009.

    To some people, shutting down roads on match days seems like a hassle, but to be fair, this is the only way forward to bring international cricket back to Pakistan. Hopefully, in the years to come, we would not be needing this much security, but for now, we have to live with the discomfort that for the good of cricket and Pakistan, doesn’t seem much.

    Tayyar Ho? Tayyar Hain!

  • Here is everything that happened at the opening ceremony of PSL V

    Here is everything that happened at the opening ceremony of PSL V

    After a long wait, cricket, in particular, PSL has officially returned to Pakistan. The fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played entirely here and it goes without saying that excitement levels are high.

    The opening ceremony was promised to be a glittering affair with more than 350 artists expected to perform. However, Pakistanis were not impressed with the final product.

    Here’s everything that happened at the opening ceremony of PSL 5 at the National Stadium Karachi.

    The National Stadium was lit

    The ceremony was opened by Karachi-based VJ Ahmed Godil who instantly became meme material.

    Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Ehsan Mani said a few words before the performances began

    Whirling dervishes performed to the Sufi serenades of Sanam Marvi, Abu Mohammad, Fareed Ayaz, and rock band Soch

    Sajjad Ali, Abrar ul Haq, Aima Baig and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan were among those who performed at the event. However, fans did not appreciate them lip-syncing instead of performing live. Ali Azmat, Arif Lohar, Asim Azhar and Haroon sang the PSL V anthem ‘Tayyar Hain‘.

    The opening ceremony concluded with a spectacular display of fireworks which was also possibly the best part of the ceremony

    It was Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators. Quetta won the toss and opted to bowl

    Azam Khan won hearts with his performance on the field

    People were not happy with Ramiz Raja for ‘fat-shaming’ Azam

    The first day of the PSL 5 ended with Quetta Gladiators winning the match

  • ‘PCB owes me Rs40-60 million,’ report quotes Younis Khan as saying

    Former national cricket team captain Younis Khan has claimed that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) owes him Rs40 million [Rs4 crores] to Rs60 million [Rs6 crores], but he is ready to join forces with them and work towards the betterment of the sport in Pakistan.

    Khan, who is the country’s all-time leading run-getter in Tests, also said that he had never asked for money from the board as “it had never been an issue”. “In terms of money, PCB owes me 4-6 crore rupees if you look back. But I have never demanded money, money is never an issue,” he reportedly said.

    “It’s destiny from Allah, you get what is destined for you so you should never run after money, I never ran after money and have always been willing to work with PCB. I was one of the few players who retired and left, players rarely do that. I have 17-18 years of services for Pakistan and PCB.”

    “I don’t know why we can’t come on board together. I played cricket so I want to help in the field of cricket. Why we don’t come on board… perhaps PCB doesn’t change or Younis Khan doesn’t change.”

    “I don’t think anyone in Pakistan would be so personal that he wouldn’t want to work with Younis Khan. Even if I was a big critic of Younis Khan, I would like to still work with Younis Khan. What things are there with my demeanour or what is it with PCB that doesn’t allow us to come on one page,” he added.

     The statement was also tweeted by renowned sports journalist Saj Sadiq, who is also the editor of the media outlet that reported it.

    Younis also reportedly gave his thumbs up to the work done by head coach cum chief selector Misbahul Haq, whom he claims has gotten Pakistan cricket team back on track.