Tag: PAKvsAUS

  • 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.

  • Pak vs Aus: Fawad Chaudhry hits out at PCB for ‘choosing a dead wicket’ in historic Test match

    Pak vs Aus: Fawad Chaudhry hits out at PCB for ‘choosing a dead wicket’ in historic Test match

    Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for “choosing a dead wicket” in the historic Test Match between Australia and Pakistan.

    “Test match after 24 years and look at the pitch,” Fawad tweeted. He said that the Pakistani pace attack did not need such dead pitches and hoped that the PCB will “give positive cricket a chance in next matches”.

    Australian leg-spinner and batter Steve Smith described the Rawalpindi wicket as “dead” and “benign”. He said it offered little to the seamers.

    Earlier, The Australian’s chief cricket writer, Peter Lalor, also remarked that the Rawalpindi pitch is “as dry as the local hotels”.

    Team Australia arrived in Pakistan for their first tour since 1998. and will play three Tests, three One Day Internationals (ODIs), and a T20I.

    The first Test match played in Rawalpindi between the two sides ended in a draw. The next Test match will begin in Karachi on Saturday (March 12).

  • ‘Historic moment in Pakistan cricket,’ says PCB CEO Faisal Hasnain as Pakistan and Australia series kicks off

    ‘Historic moment in Pakistan cricket,’ says PCB CEO Faisal Hasnain as Pakistan and Australia series kicks off

    After 24 years, Pakistan and Australia are playing the first Test match of the PakvsAus series today (March 4) in Rawalpindi. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat. Team Australia arrived in Pakistan on Sunday (February 27) for their first tour since 1998 and will play three Tests, three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and a T20I.

    “The pitch looks nice so we’ll try to put runs on the board,” said Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. He also predicted that our spinners would play a key role in the first match of the three-Test series.

    Babar Azam and Pat Cummins are leading their sides in the first Test of the three-match Benaud-Qadir ICC World Test Championship series match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) CEO Faisal Hasnain said in a press conference today (Friday) that Pakistani cricket fans have waited 24 years for this moment. He expressed gratitude to the Australian Cricket Team for their tour to Pakistan.

     Naseem Shah has been included in the squad for the first Test against Australia after bowler Haris Rauf tested positive for Covid-19.

    Test squads for Rawalpindi match

    Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (c), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah

    Australia: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

    Test schedule:
    • 1st Test, Rawalpindi: March 4-8
    • 2nd Test, Karachi: March 12-16
    • 3rd Test, Lahore: March 21-25
  • Australia prioritises Pakistan tour over IPL, players to miss a few matches

    Australia prioritises Pakistan tour over IPL, players to miss a few matches

    The Australian team will prioritise their national duty and several prominent players from Australia will miss out the first few matches of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 action due to the series against Pakistan.

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

    Australian skipper Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, David Warner and others are all included in the auction. Cricket Australia (CA) laid down a strong ruling that their players were not allowed to abandon international duty for the IPL.

    Earlier, George Bailey, Australia’s chairman of selectors had said that IPL is a good enough “development opportunity” but CA would not release players when Australia was playing.

    “We do see the IPL as a really good development opportunity when it fits, but there’s obviously a huge amount of cricket with a series (in Sri Lanka) planned for immediately-post the IPL as well.”

    He later reiterated and passed a clear ruling on the matter.

    “So, it will be about working with the individuals to ensure they’re getting the preparation they need, but we certainly won’t be releasing players to the IPL while Australia are playing.”

    The Test leg of Australia’s tour of Pakistan, featuring three matches, is scheduled to end on March 25. Australia will then play a three-match ODI series in Rawalpindi, which will also host the only T20I on April 5. In an e-mail to the franchises on Wednesday, the IPL said Cricket Australia had permitted players who were part of both the Test and white-ball leg in Pakistan, to travel from April 6.

    This is a clear statement to IPL and to world cricket that Australia has refused to surrender to BCCI’s foothold in the cricketing world.

    The series is set to kickoff with the first Test match to be played on March 4 in Rawalpindi.

  • 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.