Irish and British cricketer Eoin Morgan, who steered the England cricket team to victory in the 2019 World Cup on Sunday, has said that “Allah was with them”.
After a sensational win against New Zealand in the World Cup final held at Lord’s, Dublin-born Morgan was asked whether England team enjoyed the famed luck of the Irish.
“I spoke to Adil (England leg-spinner Adil Rashid), he said Allah was definitely with us,” he said in response.
“It actually summarises our team. Quite diverse backgrounds and cultures and guys grow up in different countries and to actually find humour in the situation we were in at times was pretty cool,” Morgan added.
Earlier, England lifted their maiden World Cup. Both the Englishmen and Kiwis scored 241 runs which led to a first-ever Super Over in the World Cup final.
Both teams scored 15 runs each, however, England was declared the winner based on boundary count in the match.
Devastated by India’s defeat to New Zealand, which kicked them out of the World Cup, Captain Virat Kohli said “forty-five minutes of bad cricket put us out”, and although we’re all secretly very happy India is out of the running, we should appreciate the fitness of the Indian team captain.
How does Kohli stay so fit?
Kohli eats home cooked food, avoids junk food, likes nuts with black coffee and is keen on the protein.
When he’s on the field he likes to snack on roasted channas (chick peas) for a protein surge.
He also only drinks Evian, imported from France to stay free of any water borne diseases.
Kohli believes in substituting snacks with healthy food, like fries for wheat crackers, and carries nuts around with him so he can snack when hes hungry.
He prefers egg white omelettes, soups and salads and high protein meals like chicken and salmon. He also believes in exercising every day, without fail.
On the other hand, Pak’s cricket captain Sarfaraz loves his biryani (in moderation) and beef korma with sheer maal. And despite Sarfaraz’s love for food and Kohli’s strict regime, Sarfaraz managed four runs against New Zealand and Kohli was out at one run.
Indian tennis star and Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik’s wife, Sania Mirza, has said she is proud of her husband, who announced retirement from ODI cricket following Pakistan’s last match of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
“Today I retire from One Day International [ODI] cricket. Huge thank you to all the players I have played with, coaches I have trained under, family, friends, media and sponsors. Most importantly, my fans. I love you all. PakistanZindabad,” the all-rounder tweeted, ending his career spanning over 20 years.
Today I retire from One Day International cricket. Huge Thank you to all the players I have played with, coaches I have trained under, family, friends, media, and sponsors. Most importantly my fans, I love you all#PakistanZindabadpic.twitter.com/zlYvhNk8n0
As soon as Malik announced his decision, Sania took to social media to congratulate the veteran on an astounding career.
“Every story has an end, but in life, every ending is a new beginning. Shoaib Malik, you have proudly played for your country for 20 years and you continue to do so with so much honour and humility. Izhaan and I are so proud of everything you have achieved but also for who you are,” she wrote.
“I am retiring from one-day cricket. I’m sad as I’m leaving the format I loved the most but this will allow me to spend more time with my family and concentrate on the Twenty20 World Cup next year,” Malik had said in a press conference after the match against Bangladesh Friday.
Malik played 287 ODIs and scored 7,534 runs with nine hundreds. His performance in the 2019 World Cup, however, left his fans disappointed.
New Zealand’s defeat against England has put a heavy dent to Pakistan’s chances of qualifying for the 2019 World Cup semi-finals, but some fans are still hopeful to see Green Shirts end up among the top four teams.
Pakistan will get through if any of the following scenarios take place in their match against Bangladesh today.
FIRST SCENARIO:
If Pakistan win the toss and opt to bat first; they will have to score 400 runs and dismiss Bangladesh for just 84 runs.
SECONDSCENARIO:
The Green Shirts can also qualify by putting 350 runs on the scoreboard and dismissing all Bangladeshi batsmen for just 38 runs; however, if Bangladesh bat first, we stand no chance of qualifying.
These two scenarios would guarantee that Pakistan overtake New Zealand on net run-rate (NRR) as both teams are still running for the final spot in the semi-finals race.
New Zealand’s defeat to England has ended their campaign at 11 points on the World Cup points table. Pakistan is currently on nine points.
Teams receive two points for a win and one point for a tie or no-result washout.
If two sides are level on points at the end of the group stage, the one that has won more games goes through. Since they remain level, the side with the superior NRR — which in this case is New Zealand — advances.
Soon after England somewhat crushed Pakistan’s dreams of reaching the semi-finals, after the former defeated New Zealand by 119 runs, the International Cricket Council (ICC) trolled the Green Shirts over “another 1992 similarity”.
Taking to Twitter, ICC aimed a cheeky dig towards Pakistan cricket fans, who had been quite vocal on social media platforms regarding the startling similarities between the 1992 World Cup triumph and the ongoing 2019 tournament.
This is the first time England have qualified for the World Cup semi-finals since ’92
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 3, 2019
“This is the first time England have qualified for the World Cup semi-finals since ’92. The similarities continue,” the tweet read.
Similar to the Pakistan cricket team’s run in the group stages of the 1992 World Cup, the Green Shirts have registered the exact same record of four victories, three losses and one washout in their 2019 campaign thus far.
However, England’s crushing victory over New Zealand on Wednesday means that Pakistan stand virtually knocked out of the tournament, unlike their fairy tale run in 1992 when Imran Khan lifted the World Cup in Melbourne.
Incidentally, England’s victory also ensures their first semi-final qualification since 1992.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved India’s request to replace injured batsman Vijay Shankar with Mayank Agarwal, who is set to fly out of India and join the rest of the squad in England.
Earlier in the tournament, Shankar was drafted in to replace Shikhar Dhawan, who sustained a thumb fracture during his match-winning century against Australia. He, however, failed to impress the team management — scoring just 58 runs in three matches.
Agarwal’s impressive domestic form, as well as his excellent record batting alongside KL Rahul, offers India a renewed hope after a campaign marred by constant injuries to their star players.
He has amassed a total of 3,964 runs in first-class cricket and has consecutive test match fifties to his name against Australia. Agarwal’s form while batting for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is also admirable.
The Bangalore born batsman has scored 332 runs in 13 games, with a formidable strike rate of 141.88. At a time when India’s batting has struggled to pile up runs in the initial overs, Agarwal’s inclusion in the line-up could accelerate the run rate and lay the foundation for a big total.
However, for their match against Bangladesh, India have opted to start Dinesh Karthik instead of the newly-arrived Agarwal. A win for India would seal their spot in the top four, while a Bangladesh victory keeps the Tigers’ hopes alive for progressing to the semifinals.
The world is coming down, the flags are up and the
similarities between the 1992 and 2019 cricket world cups are uncanny.
Back in the 1992 edition, Pakistan were hanging loosely off
the edge, having their World Cup journey on the verge of conclusion before
striking back; which is something that can be witnessed in 2019 as well.
Good thing for Pakistan? The Imran Khan-led 1992 squad
lifted the coveted trophy 27 years ago.
While not just fans and critics, but even the International
Cricket Council (ICC), observe the eerie similarities between the two
tournaments, here’s a list of players from our current squad and their counterparts
from the ’92 cup.
Mohammad Amir and Wasim Akram
Like Akram in 1992, Amir is carrying Pakistan’s bowling
attack forward in 2019.
BabarAzam andJaved Miandad
Like Miandad, Babar has stepped up to perform brilliantly and
rack up runs for his side.
Shaheen Afridi and Aaqib Javed
Like Aaqib was a second fiddle to Wasim, Shaheen is undoubtedly
that to Mohammad Amir.
Haris Sohail and Inzamamul Haq
Inzamam played some brilliant innings in ’92; quite similar
to Haris’s against South Africa and New Zealand.
Shadab Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed
Mushtaq had a huge impact 27 years ago, while Shadab has one
for Pakistan in 2019.
Hassan Ali and Iqbal Sikandar
Hassan is rather non-existent in the World Cup so far; and just
like Sikandar, not many people might even remember if he even played or not.
Shoaib Malik and Saleem Malik
Saleem was horribly out of form in 1992 and did nothing for
his side; Shoaib hasn’t done anything so far either.
Imad Wasim and Ijaz Ahmed
Just like Ijaz, Imad is an “all-rounder” who is playing in the team for the sake of his label. Does knowing a little bit about both batting and bowling really make you an all-rounder? (Ijaz quit bowling in the later days of his career)
Imamul HaqandRamiz Raja
The thing both Imam and Ramiz have in common is the strike
rate. Imam in 2019 bats at the same strike rate as Ramiz did in 1992.
Sarfaraz Ahmed and Moin Khan
Both Sarfaraz and Moin, other than being wicketkeeper-batsmen, have a role crucial for the entire team. In Shoaib Akhtar’s words, “Moin didn’t, while Sarfaraz doesn’t perform up to the mark”.
Imran Khan
Last, but undoubtedly not the least is Imran Khan – the dashing skipper who steered his ‘Cornered Tigers’ to victory in the 1992 World Cup. In all honesty, Khan has no match on the cricket field; however, he still is the captain.
Former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq has offered to coach Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya to “improve his faulty techniques”.
“Today I saw Pandya batting against West Indies and found a few issues in his foot movement, bat swing and body balance while hitting,” the former all-rounder said in a video on his official YouTube channel.
WATCH VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IXIaYFasBE
On Thursday, Pandya scored a brisk 46 and shared a crucial 70-run partnership with MS Dhoni to help India post a competitive total of 268/7 against West Indies in their ICC World Cup 2019 game at the Old Trafford.
Pandya chipped in with the ball and also took the wicket of opener Sunil Ambris. In fact, his send-off to the Windies opener became one of the talking points of the game.
However, Razzaq, who scored 5,080 runs in ODI, said Pandya’s game had weaknesses, which needed to be worked upon.
“If Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gives me just two weeks to coach Pandya, he can become world’s no 1 hitter and all-rounder,” he added.
The video of a Sikh fan cheering for the Pakistan cricket team at Edgbaston on Wednesday, has gone viral over the internet.
The unnamed fan has won hearts of Pakistani supporters all across the globe with his gesture during the must-win match against New Zealand at the packed cricket stadium.
WATCH VIDEO:
A Sikh supporting Pakistan cricket team and chanting slogans “Pakistan Zindabad” in Edgbaston yesterday. #PAKvNZ#CWC19 Via Wadood Mushtaq pic.twitter.com/MUZ6zQd0wl
In the video, he can be heard raising the slogan “Pakistan Zindabad” while thousands of other Pakistan team supporters join him.
Green Shirts defeated New Zealand by six wickets to stay in the hunt for a place in the World Cup Wednesday. They next face Afghanistan and Bangladesh on June 29 and July 5, respectively.
Head coach of the national cricket team, Mickey Arthur, has said Pakistan’s defeat against arch-rivals India was so painful that it left him “wanting to commit suicide”, Khaleej Times reported.
“Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide. But it was, you know, only one performance,” he was quoted as saying.
Pakistan faced a humiliating 89-run defeat against India in Manchester on June 16, a result which sparked a furious backlash as the country’s hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals were put in grave danger.
“It happens so quick. You lose a game; you lose another game; it’s a World Cup; media scrutiny; public expectation and then you almost go into sort of survival mode. We’ve all been there,” Arthur said.
While the head coach’s emotional comment may have been exaggerated to show how passionate he is about his job, some believed it was in bad taste considering former coach Bob Woolmer’s sudden death after Pakistan suffered a bruising defeat against Ireland during the 2007 World Cup.
Pakistan lifted Arthur’s spirits with an impressive 49-run win against South Africa at Lord’s on Sunday. They now need to win their remaining three matches and improve their inferior net run-rate to have a chance of advancing to the semi-finals.
Pakistan play New Zealand in Birmingham on Wednesday.
