Tag: Pakistan Cricket

  • Hafeez ka kya scene hai?

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced Pakistan’s squad against South Africa for the upcoming three-match T20I series. While many domestic performers were happy to see their names on the list, everyone was wondering why all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was not on it.

    While the new chief selector Muhammad Wasim refrained from using typical excuses like age, bad form or that there is someone better than Hafeez in the squad, he did present an interesting reason behind Hafeez’s exclusion from the squad.

    In a press conference, Wasim said that Hafeez is playing the T10 league happening in Dubai and will not be able to return to Pakistan to join the bio-secure bubble on time.

    “Unfortunately, the scenario is such that every player has to join the bio-bubble on February 3, and if a player can’t do so, it means he is unavailable,” said Wasim during the conference.

    Talking about Hafeez, he added: “Same was the case with Mohammad Hafeez. He was not available for the bio-secure bubble, that’s why he was excluded. There’s no question on his performance.” 

    Furthermore, according to a report in The News, a PCB official had revealed that just before the first T20 against New Zealand on December 18, Hafeez through an email had communicated to the board that he would not be in a position to participate in the three-match home series against South Africa due to his prior commitment with the T10 league in the UAE.

    “We have our limitations. Though we wanted to include Hafeez for the series he was adamant to join only on February 5 after playing his last T10 League match on February 4. Since he would be travelling back to Pakistan and in between, he would be out of the bubble for almost a day and rejoining others could be a risky affair. The PCB on the other hand cannot go against the MoU so we have to stick to the agreement,” the official had said.

    As per details, the PCB and Cricket South Africa have signed an MoU through which all the selected players for the T20 series will have to join the bubble on or before February 3.

    The official added that Wasim talked to Hafeez on Saturday in an effort to convince him to join the bubble in time.

    “He was not ready for that as he said he could only join the bubble on February 5. That is the reason Hafeez has been left out of the T20 series,” stated the official further.

    The official also added that the PCB comprehended the situation well in time and that was why it had approached Hafeez in December.

    “Hafeez’s email came after PCB’s cricket operation department approached him to clarify his position. Hafeez clearly mentioned his inability to make himself available for the series,” said the official.

    Meanwhile, on January 20, Hafeez in a statement had said: “I’m fully available for the T20I series [against South Africa] as my priority is always playing for Pakistan. I was also given NOC for T10 League because it would not clash with Pakistan’s international commitments. I will also comply with all the bio-secure bubble requirements.”

    Soon after the squad was announced, Hafeez took to Twitter to express his disappointment over not being selected for the team.

    Later, in a virtual presser, head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has said that Hafeez is an important player for the team, but in certain situations, you are unable to do anything, adding that bubble date and protocols were decided by the medical panel.

    “As a coach, we will miss him but this is the opportunity for someone else to step up,” added Misbah.

    Taking a look at Hafeez’ performance in T20Is, he has four fifties to his name in the past year. The first he scored against Bangladesh in Lahore (67 not out), the second he scored against England in England (69 not out), the third came against England again in the very next T20 (an unbeaten 89), and the last one was a score of 99 not out against New Zealand recently.

    Apart from the fifties, he has been scoring with the average of at least 35 plus in T20Is in the past couple of years and there are no prizes for guessing that he has been the best with the willow for Pakistan.

    Hafeez’s inclusion in the team was the need of the hour and even senior cricket journalist, Aalia Rasheed is unable to understand the decision. In a tweet, Rasheed wrote: “Hafeez is the requirement for Pakistan.”

    “Why did you grant him NOC when you knew the final is on February 6,” she asked the board. “If a pillar player joins [the squad] after one day then what’s the issue in it? MOU is already in your hand.”

    If Hafeez has sent an email to board with his demand, the PCB should share it with media and if there isn’t any email, then this puts a big question mark on the credibility of management. Nonetheless, the truth is bound to come out sooner or later.

    Former cricketer and commentator, Ramiz Raja has slammed Hafeez, calling him ‘selfish’, he said, “International teams are now coming to Pakistan so it is imperative that everyone religiously follows Covid-19 protocols. Among those playing in T10 League, Asif Ali is coming but not Mohammad Hafeez because he doesn’t want to end his contract. This shows the level of thinking because, considering the situation, we should be prepared to follow the necessary protocols even if there are last-minute changes.”

    He further opined, “If you look at Haris Rauf, he left Big Bash League to join Pakistan’s Test squad which shows what his priority is. If Pakistan is your priority then you are headed in the right direction. If you want to serve the leagues at the cost of selection for the Pakistan team, then you are certainly not on the right path. One should think about Pakistan instead of being selfish because nobody will back you.”

    Meanwhile, the current T20 squad includes – Babar Azam (c), Aamer Yamin, Amad Butt, Asif Ali, Danish Aziz, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, M Hasnain, M Nawaz, M Rizwan, Sarfaraz, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Qadir, Zafar Gohar and Zahid Mehmood.

    The squad along with the officials will enter the bio-secure bubble from February 3 while the players, taking part in the Test series, will join the bubble at the end of the second Test, which starts in Rawalpindi from February 4.

    The three-match T20I series will commence from February 11 at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.

  • Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali help Pakistan sail past South Africa in first Test

    Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali help Pakistan sail past South Africa in first Test

    Pakistan defeated South Africa by seven wickets on day four of the first Test match in Karachi on Friday, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series that marks the Proteas’ first tour to the country in almost 14 years.

    Fawad Alam hit the winning runs with a square cut to Keshav Maharaj for four to seal what has been a remarkable comeback for him to the Test unit as Pakistan easily chased the 88 runs set by South Africa for victory.

    Pakistan, needing 88 for victory, had reached 22 without loss at lunch with Abid Ali on 10 and Imran Butt on 12. But even as the openers departed after adding just a run after lunch, there seemed to be no panic as captain Babar Azam and veteran Azhar Ali coasted to within two runs of victory.

    Maharaj trapped Babar in front for 30, Azhar was 31 not out while Alam — who hit a fighting hundred in the first innings — hit the winning boundary.

    Earlier, debutant Nauman Ali took five wickets and fellow spinner Yasir Shah grabbed four to give Pakistan a solid opportunity to take lead in the series.

    Left-arm spinner Nauman took 5-35 while Yasir finished with 4-79 after South Africa resumed at 187-4 at the start of the day. Temba Bavuma was the last man out for 40.

    On Thursday, Yasir and Nauman grabbed three wickets in the space of ten runs to halt South Africa’s fightback on the third day of the first Test in Karachi.

    When it looked like South Africa would end the day at parity after wiping out Pakistan’s big 158-run first-innings lead, Yasir struck twice and Nauman once to leave the tourists on 187-4 at close.

    Earlier, Pakistan scored 378 to take a crucial lead over South Africa’s first innings total of 220.

    Read more – Fahad Mustafa says ignoring Fawad Alam for a decade was ‘a failure of our system’

    Meanwhile, the centurion, Alam got man of the match award for getting Pakistan out of trouble.

    The two-match Test series is South Africa’s first in Pakistan for 14 years. The second Test will be played in Rawalpindi from February 4.

    The hosts have won only one of their previous seven Tests against South Africa in Pakistan, with the visitors claiming two victories to go with four draws.

    Pakistan’s bowling coach congratulated the team for a win as well as Fawad for his outclass performance in his debut match at home ground. He also congratulated Yasir and Nauman for an incredible bowling and helping Pakistan beat the visitors.

  • First day of PAK vs SA ends in distress despite ‘Super Rizwan’

    First day of PAK vs SA ends in distress despite ‘Super Rizwan’

    The Pakistan vs South Africa series kickstarted on Tuesday with a Test match at the National Stadium Karachi. While the day began with cricket aficionados witnessing some great wicketkeeping by ‘Super Rizwan’, it ended with four out after making just 33 runs. SA, on the other hand, had a score of 220-10.

    Muhammad Rizwan’s exceptional wicketkeeping abilities left everyone in awe during the first session of the first test between Pakistan and South Africa. Middle-order batsman Van der Dussen was run out by a quick throw from Babar Azam and excellent work with the gloves from Rizwan.

    With an excellent speed, Rizwan broke the wickets in seconds. The skipper’s throw in the right direction helped Rizwan run out the South African Middle-order batsman at 17 runs.

    This Test series is very important for Pakistan Cricket as the green shirts have faced a humiliating defeat in New Zealand.

    Pakistan’s 11 initially appeared strong with its two debutants, Nauman Ali and Imran Butt, but opener Imran, couldn’t do anything promising with the bat. Earlier in the day, Younis Khan and Yasir Shah had presented both Ali and Butt their first Test cap.

    The visiting team opted for batting after winning the toss. They had a strong start but lost Markram early after which they could not construct a lasting partnership. The highest individual score from a South Africa batsman came from the blade of Dean Elgar, who scored a well-made 58. The visitors could only post a total of 220.

    For Pakistan, with the ball, the spinners rose to the occasion. Yasir Shah was the highlight, with 3 wickets to his name, while debutant Nauman Ali snared two. The pacers had 3 wickets to their names. And then, Pakistan stepped out to bat, in their first innings. It was a horror start with the bat though, as they lost Abid Ali early and saw further collapses, including the skipper at 7.

    In the end, they closed out Day 1, at 33 for 4, and probably have to thank the sun for setting down, rather than any of their batsmen. However, if one exception were to be made, one can say that Azhar Ali is gritting it out there – he is the man the visiting team would hope to snare as they resume play on Day 2.

    Pakistan will need 187 runs to opt for a lead tomorrow with six wickets in hand.

  • Amir rubbishes Misbah & Waqar’s explanations over his retirement

    Amir rubbishes Misbah & Waqar’s explanations over his retirement

    Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq, and bowling coach Waqar Younis, in a recent media briefing, said that Mohammad Amir’s exclusion from the team was only due to his poor performance and refuted his claims of not selecting him due to personal dislike

    In response, Mohammad Amir hit back at the duo, saying that they are portraying a different picture to take the blame off their backs.

    Responding to cricket journalist Shoaib Jutt, who asked him to “please tell now what was that [mental] torture”, Amir said that Misbah and Waqar have twisted the whole scenario and that he will respond to their claims in due time.

    Amir recently retired from all formats of international cricket, claiming he was mentally tortured by the current team management. He said that he will not play international cricket under this management.

    Amir was dropped from the team in the series against Zimbabwe and was also not part of the 35-man squad for the tour of New Zealand.

    Misbah and Waqar said that Amir’s recent performances have been really poor and he does not warrant a place in the squad. They did, however, say that Amir will be welcomed back into the team if he is able to perform better in the domestic circuit.

    Meanwhile, according to reports, Misbah and Waqar’s future is to be decided after the South Africa series. The coaches were under fire after the Kiwis thrashed Pakistan, with the Men in Green winning only one out of three T20Is, and losing both matches of the Test series.

  • PSL 2021: Interesting picks and drops

    The Pakistan Super League (PSL) teams on Sunday confirmed their line-ups for the sixth edition of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) marquee event, which will be held in Karachi and Lahore from February 20 to March 22.

    According to a press release issued on PSL’s website, in the Platinum Category, all-rounder Hasan Ali, who played the first five seasons for Peshawar Zalmi, was picked up by Islamabad United as a wildcard pick, Australia’s Chris Lynn moved from Lahore Qalandars to Multan Sultans, world’s number one T20I bowler Rashid Khan of Afghanistan was scooped by Lahore Qalandars, Quetta Gladiators went strong and snapped up England’s explosive Tom Banton and Universe Boss, Chris Gayle, while David Miller was snapped by Peshawar Zalmi as the left-hander is now set to become the latest South African to make his PSL debut.

    In the Diamond Category, Karachi Kings opted for two all-rounders – world-ranked Mohammad Nabi and Dan Christian of Australia; Peshawar Zalmi strengthened their side by snapping up T20I bowler Mujeeb Ur Rehman of Afghanistan and then added Guyana’s all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford to their roster, while Islamabad United picked up Somerset all-rounder Lewis Gregory.

    In the Gold Category, Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings picked Samit Patel and Chadwick Walton, respectively, Peshawar Zalmi took Amad Butt, Usman Shinwari was relocated from Qalandars to Gladiators, while Islamabad United picked Phil Salt.

    In the Silver Category, Islamabad United picked Iftikhar Ahmad, Reece Topley and Rohail Nazir; Karachi Kings opted for Danish Aziz, Joe Clarke, Mohammad Ilyas and Zeeshan Malik; Lahore Qalandars snapped up Mohammad Faizan, Tom Abell, Salman Ali Agha and Zeeshan Ashraf; Multan Sultans selected Adam Lyth, Mohammad Rizwan, Sohaib Maqsood, Sohaibullah and Sohail Khan; Peshawar Zalmi went for Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Saqib Mahmood and Umaid Asif, while Quetta Gladiators strengthened their side with Abdul Nasir, Cameron Delport and Qais Ahmed.

    Final squads (in alphabetical order):

    Islamabad United – Ahmed Saifi Abdullah (emerging); Alex Hales (Platinum; traded from Karachi Kings); Akif Javed (supplementary); Asif Ali (gold); Chris Jordon (supplementary); Colin Munro (diamond); Faheem Ashraf (diamond); Iftikhar Ahmed (silver); Hasan Ali (platinum), Hussain Talat (gold, brand ambassador); Lewis Gregory (diamond); Mohammad Wasim Jnr (emerging); Musa Khan (silver, successful relegation request); Phil Salt (gold); Rohail Nazir, Reece Topley (both silver); Shadab Khan (platinum); Zafar Gohar (silver, successful relegation request)

    Karachi Kings – Amir Yamin (gold); Arshad Iqbal (emerging); Babar Azam (platinum); Colin Ingram (platinum, traded from Islamabad United); Chadwick Walton (gold); Dan Christian (diamond); Danish Aziz (silver); Imad Wasim (diamond, successful relation request); Joe Clarke (silver); Mohammad Amir (platinum); Mohammad Nabi (diamond); Mohammad Ilyas (silver); Noor Ahmed (supplementary); Sharjeel Khan (gold), Qasim Akram (emerging); Waqas Maqsood (silver, brand ambassador); Zeeshan Malik (silver)

    Lahore Qalandars – Ahmed Danyal (supplementary); Ben Dunk (gold); David Wiese (diamond); Dilbar Hussain (gold); Fakhar Zaman (diamond, brand ambassador); Haris Rauf (diamond); Maaz Khan (emerging); Mohammad Faizan (silver); Mohammad Hafeez (platinum); Joe Denly (supplementary); Rashid Khan (platinum); Samit Patel (gold); Shaheen Shah Afridi (platinum); Sohail Akhtar (silver, successful relegation request); Tom Abell, Salman Ali Agha (both silver); Zaid Alam (emerging); Zeeshan Ashraf (silver)

    Multan Sultans – Adam Lyth (silver); Carlos Brathwaite (supplementary); Chris Lynn; Shahid Afridi (both platinum); Imran Tahir (diamond, mentor); Imran Khan Snr (supplementary); James Vince (gold); Khushdil Shah (diamond); Mohammad Rizwan (silver); Mohammad Umar (emerging); Rilee Rossouw (platinum); Shahnawaz Dhani (emerging), Shan Masood (gold, successful relegation request); Sohaib Maqsood, Sohaibullah; Sohail Khan (all silver); Sohail Tanvir (Diamond, brand ambassador); Usman Qadir (gold)

    Peshawar Zalmi – Abrar Ahmed (emerging); Amad Butt (gold); David Miller (platinum); Haider Ali (gold); Imam-ul-Haq (silver); Kamran Akmal (diamond, successful relegation request); Liam Livingstone (gold); Mohammad Amir Khan (supplementary); Mohammad Irfan Snr; Mohammad Imran; Mohammad Imran Randhawa (all silver); Mujeeb Ur Rehman (diamond); Ravi Bopara (supplementary); Saqib Mahmood (silver); Sherfane Rutherford (diamond); Shoaib Malik (platinum); Umaid Asif (silver); Wahab Riaz (platinum)

    Quetta Gladiators (retained) – Abdul Nasir (silver); Anwar Ali (silver, successful relegation request); Arish Ali Khan (emerging); Azam Khan (gold); Ben Cutting (diamond); Cameron Delport (silver); Chris Gayle (platinum); Dale Steyn (supplementary); Mohammad Hasnain (diamond); Mohammad Nawaz (diamond); Naseem Shah (gold); Qais Ahmed (silver); Saim Ayub (emerging) Sarfaraz Ahmed; Tom Bantan (both platinum); Usman Khan (supplementary); Usman Shinwari (gold) and Zahid Mahmood (silver, brand ambassador)

    Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention that big names including Ahmad Shahzad, Junaid Khan and Hammad Azam have been left out of the tournament. Even the youngster, Kamran Ghulam was not picked despite his exceptional performance in domestic cricket.

    As per the PSL 6 schedule, the tournament will be fully hosted in Pakistan. Teams will play each other twice in the league format before the top four teams qualify for the playoffs. The tournament will be played between February and March 2021. This is the second time that all matches are scheduled to be played in Pakistan including the 3 playoffs and the final match. The 30-day 34-match tournament will culminate with the final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on 22 March, marking the first time the venue will stage the final since 2017.

  • Junaid Khan reportedly quitting Pakistan cricket

    Social media is abuzz with reports that Pakistani fast bowler Junaid Khan is considering quitting Pakistan cricket as he has offers from the USA and UK.

    According to numerous sports journalists, the left-arm fast bowler has offers from USA and UK for commercial cricket and he is going to meet top officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) before taking a big step.

    Another sports journalist claimed that domestic teams, KPK and Central Punjab preferred youngsters over Junaid and Kamran Akmal. Young pacers from KPK took their team into the finals this season while Akmal has been left out due to his relatively poor form.

    The pacer has represented Pakistan in 22 Test matches, 76 ODIs and 9 T20Is.

    Earlier, Kamran Akmal was also disappointed by the behavior of PCB as he was also left out of Pakistan Cup.

    Meanwhile, Mohammad Amir was not satisfied with the behaviour of PCB either and he announced his retirement from Pakistan cricket in December 2020. Sami Aslam had left Pakistan cricket in December and joined hands with USA cricket.

  • ‘I rest my case to Allah’: Kamran Akmal shocked over PCB ignorance

    ‘I rest my case to Allah’: Kamran Akmal shocked over PCB ignorance

    Veteran wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal is shocked and disappointed over ignorance by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    Taking to Twitter, Akmal expressed his feelings and wrote: “Shocked and disappointed. As a senior and season[ed] player, I have not been treated well.”

    Akmal also requested PCB and Director Domestic Cricket Nadeem Khan to look into the matter.

    “Cricket is my passion and I want to play it but…I rest my case to My Allah,” he added.

    Later, while replying to Twitter users, the cricketer further expressed his disappointment over his non-selection.

    Kamran has been left out of Pakistan Cup, which started today in Karachi. He was also not included in the Quaid-e-Azam 2020 Trophy Final.

    The 38-year-old cricketer has represented Pakistan in 53 Tests, 157 ODIs and 58 T20Is. He represents Peshawar Zalmi in Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    Read more – Hero aise zaleel nahi hotay, says Kamran Akmal

    Meanwhile, Akmal has been keeping himself busy in the gym and with his YouTube channel. He has interviewed many cricketers on his channel, including Mohammad Amir and Imam-ul-Haq.

    Fellow cricketer, Mohammad Hafeez showed his support amd wished Kamran good luck for his future.

  • Foreign coach to reportedly replace Misbah after South Africa series

    Foreign coach to reportedly replace Misbah after South Africa series

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly decided to remove Misbah-ul-Haq and bring in a foreign coach after the home series against South Africa.

    According to reports, Gary Kirsten and Grant Flower are likely to replace Misbah.

    It must be noted here that Misbah had already been removed from chief selector and batting coach’s posts. The head coach received immense backlash after Pakistan badly lost two-matches Test series against New Zealand.

    Misbah took charge in 2019 and under his coaching, Pakistan has only won home Tests against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The green shirts lost the home T20I series against Sri Lanka immediately after he took charge.

    It is pertinent to mention that the former cricketer recently parted ways with Pakistan Super League (PSL’s) team Islamabad United.

    IU’s official Twitter account said that he wanted to focus on commitments with the National side.

  • PAK vs NZ Test: Best vs worst performances

    PAK vs NZ Test: Best vs worst performances

    New Zealand bowled out Pakistan by 186 runs in the second Test match at Christchurch on Wednesday, beating by an innings and 176 runs to sweep the series 2-0 and top the world rankings for the first time.

    The home team presented their career best performances while the visitors show-cased their career worst performances. Meanwhile, Shan Masood led the board with his quacktrick.

    https://twitter.com/DennisCricket_/status/1346406792020967426?s=08

    Kyle Jamieson took three of the four dismisals after lunch as Pakistan went to tea on day four in Christchurch at 134 for seven, needing a further 228 runs to make New Zealand bat again.

    The 2.3 metre (6ft 8in) Jamieson had figures of six for 38 to go with his five for 69 in the first innings to become the first bowler to take more than 10 wickets in a Test at Hagley Oval.

    The Kiwi bowler with his 11 wickets was the nightmare for the opponent team as he became the first bowler to take more than 10 wickets in a Test at Hagley Oval, leading him to win the Player of the Match award.

    Meanwhile, the Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson with Man of the Series performance led from the front taking his team to not only a series victory but also the number one ranked Test team in the world right now.

    The 30-year-old scored 388 runs in the two Tests at a whopping average of 129 including a double ton in the same match.

    There was resistance from Azhar Ali (37), Abid Ali (26) and later Faheem Ashraf (28) and Zafar Gohar (37), but the batsmen couldn’t stitch together partnerships big enough to demotivate New Zealand, and that proved to be their undoing.

    Zafar Gohar, the debutant, resisted well thereafter, but Williamson got into the act with the ball at the other end, dismissing Shaheen Afridi (7). When Gohar then holed out off Boult, history was sealed.

    Williamson is also crowned as the first centurion of 2021.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan’s performance was the worst. Worst bowling, fielding and performances by the players except for Muhammad Rizwan, who tried his best in both the matches with his three half-centuries.

    Netizens criticised Masood for his performance in the Tests – the left-handed Pakistan opener scored a pair of ducks in the second Test against New Zealand, which when paired with his duck from the second innings of the previous Test gave him three straight failures.

    Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi also expressed his disappointment over the national squad’s hapless performance in the second Test at Christchurch, describing it as “very poor”.

    His comments come in the wake of Pakistan’s crushing defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the second Test match at Christchurch by an innings and 176 runs.

  • South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs appointed Karachi Kings’ new head coach

    South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs appointed Karachi Kings’ new head coach

    Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Karachi Kings has appointed Herschelle Gibbs as the new head coach for the 2021 edition.

    The former South Africa opening batsman Gibbs has replaced Dean Jones who passed away earlier this year due to cardiac arrest.

    Gibbs is famous for his explosive batting performances in the past for the Proteas across all formats.

    Announcing the news on social media, Gibbs wrote: “Hot out the gate this year! Excited much to work with the Karachi Kings.”

    46-year-old Gibbs has represented South Africa in 90 Tests, 248 ODIs and 23 T20Is where he collectively managed to score 14,661 runs, which included 35 centuries and 66 half-centuries.

    Meanwhile, Kings emerged the winners of the fifth edition of the PSL after beating arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars in the final.

    The player draft for the sixth edition of the PSL is expected to take place in Lahore on January 9 and the tournament is set to begin from February 20. It is likely to be played in Karachi and Lahore only due to coronavirus pandemic. It has also been reported that spectators will not be allowed in the stadiums due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic.