Tag: Pakistani Cricketer

  • ‘Too old, should retire’: Asim Azhar slams Shoaib Malik’s trolls after his quickfire half-century

    ‘Too old, should retire’: Asim Azhar slams Shoaib Malik’s trolls after his quickfire half-century

    Singer Asim Azhar has praised cricketer Shoaib Malik after he scored a fiery 54-run spell while batting against the Scots on Sunday, making his 50 the joint-fastest of the 2021 World Cup alongside Indian cricketer KL Rahul’s, which was also against Scotland.

    Many took to Twitter to congratulate Malik for the achievement. The Tum Tum singer also lauded the all-rounder, saying: Too old, not good enough, he should retire. Shoaib Malik: the fastest 50 of the #T20WorldCup.”

    Pakistan completed the Super 12 stage with five wins in as many games with a clinical 72-run win over qualifiers Scotland in Sharjah on Sunday.

    The Green Shirts are set to face the Australian cricket team in the semi-final on Thursday, November 11.

    Earlier in July 2021, the Jo Tu Na Mila crooner tweeted a humorous post for the local team.

    'B team se aise khelte hain jaise wo A hain aur A team se aise jaise wo B hain': Asim Azhar on Pakistan's T20 win

  • Shoaib Malik has ‘butterflies’ over facing Australia

    Shoaib Malik has ‘butterflies’ over facing Australia

    Pakistan’s veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik has admitted that the semi-final match against Australia is giving him “butterflies”.

    Pakistan completed the Super 12 stage with five wins in as many games with a clinical 72-run win over qualifiers Scotland in Sharjah on Sunday.

    Shoaib smashed 18-ball 54 not out, the fastest half century of the tournament as Pakistan scored 189-2 in 20 overs before keeping Scotland down to 117-6.

    Pakistan is all set to play a semi-final against Australia in Dubai, a repeat of the 2010 T20 World Cup last-four, which the Australians won on the last ball in St Lucia.

    “Of course, we are watching Australia play good cricket and so are we, so it will be a tough match for both teams,” said the 39-year-old cricketer after his man-of-the-match knock, which contained six sixes and a four.

    “It will be a tough challenge for both teams and will give us butterflies but that is always encouraging.”

    Shoaib, who has played in all seven editions of the T20 World Cup, said: “We will take the semi-final as just another game and I think if we do that then we will be able to plan things in a better way.”

    Australia finished runners-up in Group 1, winning four of their five matches, but losing out on top spot to England on net run-rate.

    Having not won a Twenty20 World Cup yet, the Australians are peaking at the right time with opener David Warner returning to form, scoring 89 not out against the West Indies on Saturday.

    Read More – Australian Cricket team to tour Pakistan in March-April 2022

    “We will have a good rest, we are the form team so we need to plan well for the semi-final and this rest will surely help in doing that,” added Shoaib.

    “I am enjoying cricket and keeping fit, always love to come to the ground and do my best for my country and today’s innings was like that, highly enjoyable and it helped the team.”

    Shoaib, who was not part of the initial squad and was only included when Sohaib Maqsood was ruled out with a back injury, said that the omission had hurt.

    After his smashing win against Namibia, Malik took to Twitter and said that he dedicate this win to his team memebers.

    Meanwhile, Indian cricket commentator Aakash Chopra told Pakistan to “keep the trophy in the subcontinent”.

  • Fahad Mustafa sends pillows, mattress to Wahab Riaz

    Fahad Mustafa sends pillows, mattress to Wahab Riaz

    National cricket team player Wahab Riaz has thanked Pakistani actor Fahad Mustafa for sending him a mattress, two pillows and a blanket.

    The cricketer shared a screenshot of his conversation with the actor and extended love to him for the unique gift.

    He wrote: “Thank you @fahadmustafa26 bhai for the mattress, pillow and the blanket. You’re love!!”

    Fahad had asked Riaz if he needs anything. As a response, the cricketer requested the actor to send him mattress, two pillows and blanket in the studio.

    Wahab is currently doing sports transmission on A Sports with cricket greats Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq.

  • ‘Made a mistake’: Amir should apologise to Harbhajan Singh, says Saeed Ajmal

    ‘Made a mistake’: Amir should apologise to Harbhajan Singh, says Saeed Ajmal

    Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal wants former Pakistan speedster Mohammad Amir to apologise to Harbhajan Singh for “jumping in” between Shoaib Akhtar and the Indian bowler’s Twitter conversation. 

    Speaking to Cricket Pakistan, Ajmal said that players should treat each other well because cricket brings people together. 

    “I think Amir made a mistake by jumping in that conversation [between Shoaib Akhtar and Harbhajan Singh] and he should apologise for it. It was a discussion between two great cricketers and Amir made the wrong choice by getting involved in it,” he said. 

    Amir and Singh indulged in a war of words a couple of days ago when the former taunted the latter after India beat Pakistan in the T20 World Cup match on October 24. 

    Harbhajan responded to Amir, and the two had a heated exchange, bringing everything into the mix from Amir’s spot-fixing controversy to Shahid Afridi smashing Harbhajan for four consecutive sixes in a 2006 Lahore Test match.  

    During the interview, Ajmal also spoke about the Pakistan cricket team’s performance so far in the World Cup, adding that he was pleasantly surprised by the energy and performance of the team.

  • ‘It is my fault’: Dr Nauman Niaz apologises to Shoaib Akhtar

    ‘It is my fault’: Dr Nauman Niaz apologises to Shoaib Akhtar

    Pakistanm Televison (PTV) Sports anchor Dr Nauman Niaz has finally apologised to Shoaib Akhtar for his verbal spat during a live TV show.

    There was a strong backlash from Pakistani cricket fans, after Nauman Niaz had told Akhtar to leave the show during a live transmission in the presence of cricket veterans such as Sir Vivian Richards and David Gower. People demanded that Nauman be fired for insulting a cricket legend like this.

    The panel was discussing the Pakistan-New Zealand T20 World Cup match, which Pakistan won by five wickets.

    In a statement on a YouTube channel on Thursday, the TV host said that the reaction to what he did on air was justified and he said, “I apologised thousands of times over my conduct.”

    “Whatever the reason, I had no right to do all this on-air, it was my fault. Shoaib Akhtar is a star and I love his cricket,” Niaz continued to take responsibility for his actions.

    Nauman added: “Shoaib was contracted with us on the basis of exclusivity. People thought I was just a host but they don’t know that I also sign salaries of all employees, including Shoaib. It was an overlapping [on my part] and again there is no justification for it.”

    Niaz also shared how his father was also upset about his behaviour. Akhtar also stated on a programme on Geo News, ‘ Jashn-e-Cricket’ that he has forgiven Dr Niaz for the benefit of the country and state institutions.

    Earlier, PTV also launched an inquiry into the spat and took Dr Niaz and Akhtar off-air until completion of the probe. While reacting to the news, Akhtar said that he resigned on-air.

  • ‘If we win T20 WC, all players will dedicate it to my daughter’: Asif Ali

    ‘If we win T20 WC, all players will dedicate it to my daughter’: Asif Ali

    Pakistan’s hitter Asif Ali has shared that the national players have decided to dedicate T20 World Cup’s victory to his late 18-month-old daughter Noor Fatima.

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

    According to reports, Asif and his teammates have decided to name T20 World Cup’s victory after his daughter who lost her life while battling cancer.

    “If we manage to win the T20 World Cup, all players will dedicate it to my daughter,” Asif was quoted as saying.

    It must be noted here that Asif led Pakistan to two back-to-back victories against New Zealand and Afghanistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

    After beating Namibia on Tuesday, Pakistan became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing mega event. Pakistan’s last match of the Super 12 stage will be against Scotland on November 7.

  • Babar Azam becomes world’s no 1 batter after prolific performance in T20 World Cup

    Babar Azam becomes world’s no 1 batter after prolific performance in T20 World Cup

    Captain of Pakistan cricket team Babar Azam on Wednesday unseated England’s Dawid Malan to become the top-ranked T20I batter in the world according to the latest ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings.

    Babar now sits on top of ICC’s T20I batsman rankings with 834 points and Milan is number 2 with 798 points.

    Two successive half-centuries in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 have helped the batter overtake Malan and grab the number 1 position.

    Babar, who scored 51 against Afghanistan and 70 against Namibia to lead the 2009 champions into the semifinals, is at the top for the sixth time in his career. The 27-year-old had first attained the top position on January 28, 2018. He is presently also ranked No 1 in ODIs.

    Babar’s tally of 834 rating points keeps him 36 points ahead of Dawid Malan but Babar’s career best remains 896 rating points that he achieved after scoring 65 against England at Cardiff on May 5, 2019. Malan had been at the top since November 29 last year.

    Read More – ‘This is for you’: Babar Azam dedicates the win to Pakistani fans

    England’s performances in the tournament too reflect in the rankings, with both their openers Jos Buttler and Jason Roy moving up in the latest weekly update.

    Buttler has gained eight slots to reach a career-best ninth position after smashing his maiden T20I hundred against Sri Lanka while Roy is up five places to 14th.

    Meanwhile, Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has topped the bowling charts for the first time in his career after two successive three-wicket hauls against South Africa and England. He replaces South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi, who was at the top since April 10 this year.

    The top four bowlers in the rankings are all wrist spinners, with England’s Adil Rashid overtaking Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to take third place with a career-best 730 rating points. A fast bowler who has made rapid rise is South Africa’s Anrich Nortje, who has gained 18 slots to reach the seventh position.

    At the top of the all-rounders’ table, Mohammad Nabi has caught up with Shakib Al Hasan on 271 rating points. Hasaranga is fourth in this list.

  • Shahid Afridi says India needs a ‘miracle’ to qualify for T20 World Cup semi-final

    Shahid Afridi says India needs a ‘miracle’ to qualify for T20 World Cup semi-final

    Former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi has said that India have an outside chance of qualifying for the semis but with how they have played their two big games in the event, it would be nothing but a miracle to see them qualify.

    The former captain’s statement came after New Zealand crushed India by eight wickets on Sunday.

    Azhar Ali and Shoaib Akhtar also took to Twitter to express their displeasure on the performance of India.

    A timid India could only manage a below-par 110 for 7 in their crucial match and then saw New Zealand chase down the target of 111 with 33 balls to spare.

    Trent Boult took three wickets, while Ish Sodhi grabbed two crucial wickets of Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He also bagged Player of the Match award for his classic performance with the ball.

    India is still mathematically alive in this tournament but even three crushing wins against Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia would not guarantee qualification for the semi-finals.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan is on the top of the table in Group 2 with six points, Afghanistan stands second with four points, beating India with a big margin, the Black Caps are on third position with 2 points in their bucket.

    India will play Afghanistan on Wednesday in their next match of the Super 12 stage.

  • ‘Bought an old motorcycle with my first cheque’: Asif Ali’s old interview goes viral

    ‘Bought an old motorcycle with my first cheque’: Asif Ali’s old interview goes viral

    An old video clip of Pakistani hitter Asif Ali’s interview is circulating on social media in which he is sharing the story of his new Honda bike and his love for old bikes. Soon after the clip resurfaced, it was widely shared by people on social media.

    In the interview, Asif said: “My name came in the list for Faisalabad team for the first time in Karachi tournament. We defeated Sialkot in the final. I was part of this team but I did not play.”

    Asif Ali said that he had received a cheque for Rs55,000 for winning the final and at that time his salary was Rs5,000. He said that he slept with the cheque in his pocket so that it would not get stolen.

    The national cricketer said that with this money he bought a motorcycle (125) worth Rs50,000. While his love for his old Yamaha was still there, which used to get stuck anywhere on the road. It was his grandfather’s bike that he used to ride.

    He further said: “I went to play the match and came back home after a few days, but my grandfather’s motorcycle was not there. The elder brother said that he sold it for Rs5,000.”