Tag: Pakistani Cricketer

  • ‘A little disgusting’: Shoaib Akhtar takes a dig at Australia’s celebration after T20 World Cup win

    ‘A little disgusting’: Shoaib Akhtar takes a dig at Australia’s celebration after T20 World Cup win

    Former cricketer turned analyst Shoaib Akhtar has expressed his displeasure with the way the Australian team celebrated after their T20 World Cup win.

    Read More – ICC receives criticism for not naming Babar Azam T20 World Cup ‘Player of the Tournament’

    Akhtar took to his social media accounts to react to the viral video of Aussie stars Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis chugging beer from a shoe. The former cricketer reckoned it was a ‘disgusting way of celebrating’ their most recent accomplishment.

    He wrote: “A little disgusting way of celebrating no??”

    The Australian men’s cricket made history on Sunday, November 14, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium by clinching their maiden T20 World Cup title.

    The Aussie batters showcased exemplary batsmanship against a formidable Kiwi bowling attack to chase down a stiff total of 172 in the final clash.

    Mitchell Marsh starred with the bat for Australia with his unbeaten 77 and David Warner’s 53 off 38 balls helped the team down the Black Caps’ 173-run target. Marsh bagged Player of the Match award while Warner was awarded ‘Player of the Tournament’ award.

    The Rawalpindi Express was also present at the Dubai International Stadium to witness the final between the Aussies and Kiwis.

  • Babar Azam named captain of ICC’s Most Valuable Team of the Tournament

    Babar Azam named captain of ICC’s Most Valuable Team of the Tournament

    After leading Pakistan brilliantly in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, Babar Azam was named the skipper of ICC’s Team of the Tournament for the mega event. The announcement was made by the International Cricket Council (ICC) Monday after Australia won its maiden T20 World Cup title.

    As per details, players from six teams have been named in the Official ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Upstox Most Valuable Team of the Tournament. It is for the first time that no Indian cricketer is included in the squad announced by the cricket governing body.

    Opening batter David Warner, leg-spinner Adam Zampa and seamer Josh Hazlewood all make the cut for Australia after helping steer their side to their first-ever T20 World Cup title.

    There are also spots for England ace Jos Buttler as wicketkeeper, Pakistan’s Babar Azam as captain, New Zealand left-armer Trent Boult and Sri Lanka star Wanindu Hasaranga – the tournament’s leading wicket-taker – in the line-up.

    Read More – ICC receives criticism for not naming Babar Azam T20 World Cup ‘Player of the Tournament’

    The side was pulled together by a selection panel featuring commentators, former international players and journalists Ian Bishop (Convener), Natalie Germanos, Shane Watson, Lawrence Booth – of Wisden, the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday – and Shahid Hashmi of Agence France Presse.

    Commenting on the team, Ian Bishop said: “As with any team selection there will be varying opinions, and robust discussion on the final composition of the squad. The panel respects that, and we encourage the strong debate that will ensue.”

    He said that this team was incredibly difficult to select over such a highly competitive tournament and the selections were based predominantly on the Super 12 onward to the final.

    The team of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 (in batting order) is:

    David Warner (Australia) – 289 runs at 48.16

    Jos Buttler (wk) (England) – 269 runs at 89.66, five dismissals

    Babar Azam (Captain, Pakistan) – 303 runs at 60.60

    Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka) – 231 runs at 46.20

    Aiden Markram (South Africa) – 162 runs at 54.00

    Moeen Ali (England) – 92 runs at strike rate of 131.42, seven wickets at 11

    Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) – 16 wickets at 9.75

    Adam Zampa (Australia) – 13 wickets at 12.07

    Josh Hazlewood (Australia) – 11 wickets at 15.90

    Trent Boult (New Zealand) – 13 wickets at 13.30

    Anrich Nortje (South Africa) – nine wickets at 11.55

    Shaheen Afridi – seven wickets at 24.14

    Captaining the side at No 3 is Pakistan skipper Babar, who was the only batter to break the 300-run barrier throughout the duration of the competition.

    His 68 not out against arch-rivals India powered Pakistan to a memorable 10-wicket victory, while three further half-centuries in the Super 12 stages helped book his team’s slot in the semi-final against Australia.

  • ICC receives criticism for not naming Babar Azam T20 World Cup ‘Player of the Tournament’

    ICC receives criticism for not naming Babar Azam T20 World Cup ‘Player of the Tournament’

    Several people have criticised the decision to award David Warner the ‘Player of the Tournament’ at the T20 World Cup, with Babar Azam, the competition’s leading run scorer, going unrewarded.

    Babar’s campaign ended at the hands of Australia at the semi-final stage, but he had already had a tournament to remember. An unbeaten half-century in Pakistan’s opener sealed a historic 10-wicket win against India.

    He added three more fifties, meaning he sits tied with Matthew Hayden and Virat Kohli for the most half-centuries at a T20 World Cup, while only Kohli and Tillakaratne Dilshan have scored more runs at a single edition.

    Warner was 14 runs short from Babar, and only managed three half-centuries, falling one run short of the landmark against Pakistan in the semis. But he maintained a significantly higher strike-rate of 146.70, more than 20 runs per 100 balls higher than the Pakistan opener, and arguably made his runs at more high-impact intervals.

    Former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar called the decision “unfair”.

    West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford said he was “shocked” at the “tired decision”.

    https://twitter.com/SRutherford_50/status/1459945409254768645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1459945409254768645%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwisden.com%2Fseries-stories%2Ft20-world-cup-2021%2Ftired-decision-icc-criticised-for-not-naming-babar-azam-as-t20-world-cup-player-of-the-tournament

    Leading run-scorers in Men’s T20 world cup 2021 are:

    Babar Azam: 303

    David Warner: 289

    Moahmmad Rizwan: 281

    Netizens were also unhappy that Kohli’s Player of the Tournament win in 2016 is an evidence that Babar should have been rewarded, as the Indian side was also knocked out in the semi-final, like Pakistan.

    https://twitter.com/RanaDanish92/status/1459954170958651393?s=20
    https://twitter.com/DennisCricket_/status/1460112407594868744?s=20
    https://twitter.com/michaelscottfc/status/1459943865042018304?s=20

    https://twitter.com/washimansari786/status/1459967110126333958?s=20

    Meanwhile, Australia made history on Sunday night by winning their first T20 World Cup when the Kangaroos trounced New Zealand by 8 wickets to win the final.

    Australian batter Mitchell Marsh was declared the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 77.

  • ‘We have seen tons of support’: Hassan Ali’s wife clarifies that her family is not receiving any threats

    ‘We have seen tons of support’: Hassan Ali’s wife clarifies that her family is not receiving any threats

    Hassan Ali’s wife Samiya Arzoo has clarified that the Twitter account with her name, which requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to take action against those issuing threats to her family, is in fact fake. She also added that her family is not facing any threats.

    “So many tweets circulating from this fake account that I, Hassan and my daughter are getting threats from the people of Pakistan, which is absolutely wrong. Instead we have seen tons of support,” she wrote while sharing the screenshot of the fake account.

    “Please don’t believe any such statements and don’t follow any such accounts on Twitter pretending to be me,” she added.

    “I am not on Twitter. Please report the accounts claiming to be me.” The fake twitter account has been suspend now.

    Indian media is on a propaganda spree that the pacer is receiving abuse from social media users in Pakistan after his performance in the semi-final against Australia. In reality, Pakistani social media users came forward to back Hassan Ali.

    Read more- Pak Twitter stands by Hassan Ali

  • ‘Not happy’: Shahid Afridi schools Shaheen for bad bowling in semi-final

    ‘Not happy’: Shahid Afridi schools Shaheen for bad bowling in semi-final

    Former Pakistan captain and T20 World Cup winner, Shahid Afridi is upset by the dismal performance of Shaheen Shah Afridi, as the young pacer conceded three back to back sixes off Matthew Wade, who guided Australia to their first T20 World Cup Final on Thursday.

    Read More – ‘No one should point fingers, I back everyone’: Babar Azam talks to team after losing semi-final

    The former all-rounder asserted that even if Hassan Ali dropped an important catch, it doesn’t mean that Afridi should have lost hope.

    “I am not happy with Shaheen in one area. Okay, so Hassan Ali dropped a catch but that does not mean you will bowl badly and get hit for three successive sixes,” Shahid Afridi said on Samaa TV.

    “Shaheen has so much pace and he should have used it sensibly. Even if the catch was dropped. He should have used his head and tried to bowl outside off stump fast Yorkers with his pace. He is not that sort of bowler to be hit like that,” the former Pakistan captain said.

    Shaheen set the World Cup on fire when he got rid of top players like Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul with a new ball in Pakistan’s big match against India. In the semi-final against Australia, he sent back the Australian captain Aaron Finch in the first over.

    Cracking the three balls for sixes, the Australian keeper-batter sealed their spot in the final.

    Read More – Hayden lauds ‘warrior’ Rizwan, who was in hospital the night before Pak-Aus match

    Australia will be facing New Zealand in Final of the T20 World Cup 2021 on Sunday at Dubai International Stadium.

  • ‘That’s the spirit’: President Alvi praises Mohammad Rizwan for his performance despite bad health

    ‘That’s the spirit’: President Alvi praises Mohammad Rizwan for his performance despite bad health

    President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi has praised Mohammad Rizwan for his outclass performance in the semi-final against Australia despite the fact that he was was not well and admitted in hospital for two days before the match.

    Taking to Twitter, President Alvi wrote: “That’s the spirit. This is symbolic of the emerging ‘Brand Pakistan’. And my friends it is the new Pakistan.”

    Rizwan scored a half-century against Australia in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup, beating captain Babar Azam. He became the player who scored a thousand runs in the calendar year.

    He also broke the record of England’s Jos Buttler, who had just set it for the most runs by a keeper in a Men’s T20 World Cup. Buttler broke Craig Kieswetter’s record from 2010 in this year’s edition, had scored 269 runs to his name before England crashed out Thursday night in the semi-final.

  • Hayden lauds ‘warrior’ Rizwan, who was in hospital the night before Pak-Aus match

    Hayden lauds ‘warrior’ Rizwan, who was in hospital the night before Pak-Aus match

    Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan played a sensational innings of 67 runs in a high-pressure semi-final against Australia in Dubai on Thursday.

    Ahead of the semi-final, Rizwan’s availability for the big game against Australia was in doubt due to illness.

    Thankfully for Pakistan, he was declared fit and made a massive impact after being put in to bat first by the opponents.

    After the innings, Matthew Hayden revealed just how special a performance it was from Rizwan.

    “Rizwan, you probably didn’t know was actually in hospital just a night ago suffering with some sort of lung condition. This is a warrior,” Hayden said.

    “He has been brilliant through it (the campaign) and he’s got great courage, as has Babar. Fantastic tonight from him.”

    Rizwan struggled initially to find his touch, but Babar Azam at the other end kept the scoreboard ticking. Soon, Rizwan got going after smacking Josh Hazlewood for a six in the fourth over.

    Once Babar was dismissed, he ensured that he batted as deep into the innings as possible, keeping one end tight till the 18th over. Thanks to some fiery shots by Fakhar Zaman in the end, Pakistan set a target of 177 for Australia to chase down.

    Playing in the first ICC semi-final of his career, Rizwan made his night even more memorable. En route his 67, he also became the first player in the history of the game to score 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year.

    He also broke the record England’s Jos Buttler had just set for the most runs by a keeper in a Men’s T20 World Cup. Buttler, who broke Craig Kieswetter’s record from 2010 in this year’s edition, had scored 269 runs to his name before England crashed out last night in the semi-final.

    Rizwan now has 281 and is only behind his fellow opener Babar Azam for most runs in this year’s T20 World Cup.

    Fellow cricketers and people from the cricket fraternity took to their social media to praise the 29-year-old cricketer.

    Meanwhile, Matthew Wade commended his batting partner Marcus Stoinis for the way he took on Haris Rauf in the 17th over and said that was indeed the turning point of the match. The slog overs also saw Hassan Ali dropping Wade off Shaheen Afridi in the 19th over, with the keeper-batter cracking the next three balls for sixes to seal their spot in the final.

  • Pak Twitter stands by Hassan Ali

    Pak Twitter stands by Hassan Ali

    Australia defeated Pakistan on Thursday night by 5 wickets in Dubai in the second semi-final. Hassan Ali dropped a catch of Matthew Wade at a crucial moment, which is being termed as the turning point of last night’s match. Matthew Wade scored scored 41 on 17 balls. After the match, some people directed their anger towards Hassan Ali. However, a section of fans came forward to back the pacer.

    Have a look at some of the tweets in support of Hassan Ali:

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    Australia and New Zealand will face each other in the final of the T20 World Cup on Sunday (November 14).

  • Mohammad Rizwan gifts Matthew Hayden a translation of the Quran

    Mohammad Rizwan gifts Matthew Hayden a translation of the Quran

    Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has gifted an English translation of the Holy Quran to consultant coach Matthew Hayden.

    Hayden has revealed in his latest interview that he was curious about Islam and Rizwan gifted him the Holy Quran with English translation.

    “It was Rizzy (Mohammad Rizwan) and I have to say it was a beautiful moment I will never forget. I am curious about Islam even though I am a Christian. One follows Christ and the other Muhammad and in a sense never shall meet but he presented me with an English version of the Quran. We sat on the floor for half an hour and talked through it. I am reading a bit of it each day. Rizzy is one of my favourite individuals, a champion human being,” Hayden said.

    As per reports, Matthew Hayden has been impressed by the humbleness of the Pakistan cricket team, saying that they connect to a higher level.

    “I was taken aback by how neutral and humble these guys are. How everything is just meant to be. It has been great fun. They are really coachable athletes as well. It stems from a deep sense of spirituality. As a westerner, you don’t realise the implications of having that commitment and faith. Even their salat – their five different prayer sessions a day. You can be outside a lift or even in a lift and if it is time for salat, that is what happens. These guys connect at a higher level. It’s not like ‘how ya going, today mate?’” Hayden added.

    “Inside the changing room I’ve never seen a more disciplined and more humble approach to winning,” he added.

    The former Australian cricketer also lauded Babar and Rizwan in a previous interview, saying: ” Babar and Rizwan have created a unique opening for themselves.”

    In 2021, skipper Babar and Rizwan have amassed 826 runs in 14 Twenty20 international partnerships. They put on an unbroken 152-run stand, their third as an opening pair, as Pakistan trounced India in Dubai by 10 wickets. This is their first win over their arch-rivals in 13 World Cup matches.

    Now both Babar and Rizwan are the heart and soul of the Pakistan team as they target a second T20 World Cup title.

    The Green Shirts will be facing Australia in the second semi-final of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. If they’ll win this match, they will be playing against New Zealand in the finals.

  • Fiery batter of Pakistan Asif Ali voted ICC Player of the Month

    Fiery batter of Pakistan Asif Ali voted ICC Player of the Month

    Fiery Pakistan hitter Asif Ali has been voted as the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Player of the Month for October 2021, after his match-winning performances against New Zealand and Afghanistan a few days ago.

    Asif smashed 12-balls for 27 in Pakistan’s clash with New Zealand, hitting three sixes when they mattered the most.

    In Pakistan’s next game against Afghanistan, the Men in Green were once again in trouble, struggling against Afghanistan’s spin maestro Rashid Khan.

    However, in came Asif again, with the team needing 24 runs off 12 balls. Asif did not come under pressure, hitting the ball with a straight bat and hit four sixes to ensure Pakistan’s victory.

    Read More – ‘Aik over main 25 bhi kar leinge’: Asif Ali to Shoaib Malik

    In total, he scored 52 runs without defeat across three matches for Pakistan in October at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scoring at a strike rate of 273.68.

    ICC Voting Academy member Irfan Pathan said helping Pakistan win, especially from the “jaws of defeat” is what makes Asif Ali special.

    “Although he scored considerably less than other two nominated players, the contribution he made and the pressure situations from where he snatched the victories made all the difference,” added Pathan.

    From the women’s cateogry, Irish skipper Laura Delany bagged the Player of the Month for October award.

    Delany’s performance in Ireland’s 3-1 ODI series win over Zimbabwe was brilliant. The all-rounder impressed with the bat and the ball, scoring 189 runs at 63, and taking four wickets at 27.

    Delany posted scores of 88, 35 and 68 in her three innings, scoring at a strike rate of 108.62. In the lone match where she was not required with the bat, she still contributed with the ball, taking 1/22.