Tag: #sports

  • ‘Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide,’ Pakistan head coach talks about World Cup pressure

    ‘Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide,’ Pakistan head coach talks about World Cup pressure

    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.

  • Afghanistan is better than Pakistan in all aspects of game: Afghan Cricket Board CEO

    Afghanistan is better than Pakistan in all aspects of game: Afghan Cricket Board CEO

    Interim chief executive officer (CEO) of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), Asadullah Khan, has said that Afghanistan is currently better than Pakistan in all aspects of cricket.

    According to senior sports journalist Ibrahim Momand, Asadullah in a recent television interview said that Pakistan should “seek Afghanistan’s help to improve their cricket”.

    “We are currently far better than Pakistan in cricket and they should ask us for technical, coaching and more support for the betterment of their cricket [sic],” Asadullah is reported to have said.

    Afghanistan recently beat the Men in Green by three wickets in a 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup warm-up match at Bristol.

    The Naib-led side is currently languishing at the bottom of the table after losing all of their five matches so far in the mega event.

    The Men in Green will take on Afghanistan on Saturday, June 29 at Headingly, Leeds.

  • CWC’19: Can Pakistan still qualify for the semi-finals?

    CWC’19: Can Pakistan still qualify for the semi-finals?

    A majority of fans have been left disheartened ever since Pakistan’s humiliating defeat against arch-rivals India in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

    While some hope for a comeback from the Green Shirts as witnessed in the 2017 Champions Trophy and many other times, everyone is confused over the national cricket team’s future in the tournament.

    CAN PAKISTAN STILL QUALIFY FOR THE SEMIS?

    The simple answer to this question is yes. Pakistan can still manage to secure a spot among the four teams that will be playing in the semi-finals of the World Cup.

    As per the current table, Pakistan are at number nine out of the ten teams playing in the tournament.

    The situation doesn’t look very good; however, Pakistan still has another four matches to play against South Africa on June 23, New Zealand on June 26, Afghanistan on June 29 and Bangladesh on July 5.

    In order to qualify, Pakistan need to win all four matches while maintaining a good Net Run Rate (NRR) — a statistical method used in analysing teamwork and performance in cricket.

    Other than performing well, Pakistan also has to hope that New Zealand loses all its remaining matches because considering their current forms, India, Australia and England will most probably be the top three teams that will qualify.

  • Pakistani cricketers come under fire for allegedly spending a night out before a critical match

    Pakistani cricketers come under fire for allegedly spending a night out before a critical match

    A day after members of the Pakistan cricket team faced severe criticism for their night out “right before the match against arch-rivals India”, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued a statement denying all claims.

    “So @TheRealPCB says that no team member violated curfew time before the #PakVsIndia match. According to them, the photos are from two days back,” journalist Zebunnisa Burki‏ tweeted.

    Earlier, a picture and video of cricketer Shoaib Malik, his wife Sania Mirza and other cricketers visiting a sheesha cafe on the eve of Pakistan’s match against India had gone viral.

    The media had started generating controversy as Pakistan faced a humiliating defeat in the match against India due to poor performance.

    After the match, fans alleged that Shoaib, Sania and other cricketers of the Pakistani team were at the sheesha café till 2 am in the morning, hours before the critical match.

    https://twitter.com/MurtazaViews/status/1140301732628402176

    However, according to the PCB’s statement, the video was from the night of June 14 (Friday) and not Saturday.

    “No player violated curfew and returned to their hotel rooms on-time the night before Pakistan’s match against India,” the board said, adding that players had gone out with their families two days before the match.

  • #PAKvsIND: Angry fan puts up Pakistan cricket team for sale online

    #PAKvsIND: Angry fan puts up Pakistan cricket team for sale online

    After it was humiliated by arch-rivals India in the ICC World Cup, a disheartened fan has put up the Pakistan cricket team for sale at an online marketplace.

    As per the details, India on Sunday extended their unbeaten World Cup record against Pakistan as they managed to secure an 89-run win in the rain-affected match.

    While a majority of people resorted to social media to vent out their frustration against Pakistan’s yet another disappointing performance, an annoyed fan took it all to a whole other level by putting the team up for sale.

    “Pakistan cricket team, pretty useless and cannot take any responsibilities,” the ad from an anonymous seller read.

    It, however, was removed by the hosting platform after a while.

  • All the Pak vs India news you’ve got to see

    All the Pak vs India news you’ve got to see

    With Pakistan and India gearing up to clash in a historic ICC Cricket World Cup match, excitement and tension levels are at an all-time high on both sides of the border. Die-hard cricket fans have arrived in Manchester ahead of the match and the frenzy is unmissable. Pakistan is currently on the 9th spot with three points and one win, while India is on 4th spot with five points and two wins.

    Here is some interesting news on the match.

    Pakistani fan gets a match ticket from MS Dhoni

    A Karachi-born, Chicago-based fan Mohammad Bashir, also known as ‘Chacha Chicago’ will be receiving a ticket from MS Dhoni to watch the Sunday’s high-octane Indo-Pak contest.

    India Today reported that Bashir and Dhoni’s friendship blossomed during the 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan when Dhoni gave Bashir a ticket for the sold-out match in Mohali. Their friendship has grown stronger since then and eight years later, Bashir has landed in Manchester, without a match ticket, to watch the two teams play.

    “I arrived here yesterday and saw that people are ready to pay as much as 800-900 pounds for a ticket. A return ticket from Chicago costs the same. Thanks to Dhoni, I don’t have to struggle for a match ticket,” the 63-year-old, who owns a restaurant in Chicago and is an American passport holder.

    Chacha Chicago says that he will be supporting both the teams and his match-day uniform will have both the Indian and Pakistani colours. He also met with players of both the teams in Manchester.

    Chris Gayle appears to be supporting India

    ICC shared a picture of Chris Gayle sporting a white, green and orange tie and dye suit with the caption “The #UniverseBoss is ready for #INDvPAK.”

    Wasim Akram and Virat Kohli ask fans to be calm

    Wasim Akram said the match should be enjoyed rather than used to inflame the situation.

    “This can’t be bigger,” Wasim said. “India and Pakistan playing at the World Cup with over a billion audience is the biggest thing in cricket, so my message to both sets of fans to enjoy it and stay calm.

    “One team will win, one team will lose, so stay graceful and do not take this as a war. Those who project this match as war are not true cricket fans.”

    Meanwhile, speaking to the press on the eve of the match, Kohli said, “Watch and enjoy… it’s just a cricket match.”

    Weather woes

    While everyone is trying to remain positive, the weather in Manchester is unpredictable and there are 60 percent chances of rain between 2 pm and 5 pm, with chances increasing to 80 percent at 6 pm UK time. The rains have already forced four wash-outs in the tournament and affected several training sessions as well.

    Wasim Akram, Kapil Dev think India is the stronger team

    Cricket veteran Wasim Akram believes the match is “70-30 in India’s favour because “India has depth in their batting and their bowling is also good.” Kapil Dev also shared the same thoughts.

    Meanwhile Sachin Tendulkar warned the Indian Cricket Team to be wary of Muhammad Amir and give him a tough challenge.