Tag: T20

  • Video: It used to annoy me but now I enjoy it: Iftikhar Ahmed on being called ‘Chachu’

    Video: It used to annoy me but now I enjoy it: Iftikhar Ahmed on being called ‘Chachu’

    Ifitikhar Ahmed is Pakistan’s most reliable middle order batter, and the frequent target of a chant that fans have tailored just for him.

    The batsman was recently asked by a journalist what he felt when fans chant ‘chachu chachu’ (uncle) on the field.

    He answered the question in a very sweet manner, stating:

    “See, first I used to get annoyed when people chant chachu chachu about me but I am now enjoying it. It is not a bad thing, it is not an abusive chant, it is a good thing for me.

    When Shahid Afridi steps into the ground, the crowd immediately stands up and chants boom boom and now they chant chachu chachu, so I really enjoy it.”

    Iftikhar Ahmed also said that wherever he goes to play, the crowd supports him. “Be happy and let me be happy,” he added.
    Ifitkhar Ahmed scored a crucial fifty on the finisher of One-Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand, proving himself as a reliable middle order batter.

    Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, during the post-match press conference, also mentioned feeling embarrassed that Iftikhar is known as ‘Chahcha’ because of his jokes.

    However, despite this feeling, he is happy that people enjoy it.

    Babar also praised Iftikhar’s abilities and acknowledged that he has been playing great cricket for the past few months.

    “Sometimes, I feel embarrassed that due to me Iftikhar is now known as ‘Chacha’ but I am happy that people enjoy it. He gave some brilliant performances in T20 cricket and today he took the game deep alone but unfortunately, he didn’t get support from the other end.

    “That is why we gave him a chance in ODIs because he has been playing great cricket for the last five-six months and we were struggling on those numbers so we are getting a lot of help from Iftikhar and Salman Ali Agha,” Babar said.

  • Abhi tak captaincy nahi karni aie; Kamran Akmal slams Babar Azam

    Abhi tak captaincy nahi karni aie; Kamran Akmal slams Babar Azam

    Former batsman Kamran Akmal lost his cool and lashed out at captain Babar Azam after Pakistan cricket team was defeated in the fifth T20I against New Zealand at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

    Pakistan set what seemed like a huge total of 194 runs, however, the Kiwis chased it with ease, Akmal said.

    The former wicket keeper criticized the captaincy skills of the national team skipper Babar Azam, after suffering defeat at the hands of New Zealand.

    Taking to his YouTube channel, Akmal slammed Babar, observing that after four years of captaincy, he still doesn’t know how to take a quick decision.

    “He does not even know which bowler will change the game,” Akmal stated, adding that two left handers were chewing up the bowling line-up, then asked why Azam did not give the bowling to Iftikhar Ahmed.

    “Speaking of their mistakes, they deflect and accuse us of criticism. But our focus is on their captaincy, not their performance. We’re not blind to their abilities.

    He (Babar Azam) still doesn’t know how to do captaincy after four years – he doesn’t even know which bowler to send out at what time. It’s no surprise that they lost when they continue to make the same mistakes. We didn’t control our errors, and that’s why they [New Zealand] emerged victorious,” he said.

    The 41-year-old also slammed the skipper for giving the ball to Shadab instead of Iftikhar Ahmed in the fifth T20I game. He believed it was a logical choice to go with Ahmed when both left-handed batsmen were on the crease.

    “If both the left-handed batsmen were on the crease, the logical choice would have been to give the ball to Iftikhar Ahmed. But instead, we saw the leg-spinner Shadab Khan was given the over and was being continuously beaten by the Blackcaps batters.

    It would have been wise to rest him and bring in another all-rounder to give the team a chance to regain their footing,” he concluded.

    Akmal was also of the view that Shadab Khan’s dropped catch cost the match, pointing out that he drops catches in all the important matches and still Babar is not dropping him.

  • Why was Iftikhar sent at number 8? Babar Azam reveals secret strategy

    New Zealand has won the third T20 in the bilateral series with Pakistan in front of a full capacity Gadhafi Stadium Lahore on Monday evening.

    The Kiwis set a target of 163 in 20 overs, winning the match by 4 runs in the last over.

    Pakistan’s batting line up collapsed yet again, as one by one batsmen failed to score after Fakhar Zaman and Muhammad Rizwan fell.
    Young star batter Saim Ayub also failed to hit the shots he is known by, scoring only 10 runs off 9 balls.

    Surprising many, hard hitting all-rounders Iftikhar Ahmed and Faheem Ashraf came to bat in at number 7 and 8 while full time bowler came to bat prior to them with Shadab Khan.

    Babar Azam revealed why he sent Iftikhar Ahmed in at number 8 when asked by the media. The skipper explained that the team are trying a flexible batting line up so everyone can bat according to the situation, stressing that number does not matter and Iftikhar Ahmed can bat at at any number. “There is a proper role for everyone in the team,” he said.

    Iftikhar and Faheem almost turned the game on its head, when Pakistan was 88/7 playing brilliant cricket in the death overs.
    Needing 15 to win from Neesham’s final over, Iftikhar hit a six and a four to reduce the target to five off the last three deliveries.

    But Neesham had Ahmed caught at long-on by Daryl Mitchell and then after a dot ball dismissed last man Haris Rauf in the same manner.

    Iftikhar led the fightback with Faheem as the pair added 61 for the eighth wicket, with Ashraf holing out after a 14-ball 27 studded with two sixes and as many fours.

    Iftikhar smashed six sixes and three fours.

    The victory means New Zealand trail the five-match series 2-1 after Pakistan won the first two games, by 88 and 38 runs, also in Lahore.

    The last two matches are in Rawalpindi on April 20 and 24.

  • T20 Women’s Cricket Tournament to begin in Lahore on Nov 26

    T20 Women’s Cricket Tournament to begin in Lahore on Nov 26

    The T20 Women’s Cricket Tournament, comprising of 13 matches, will begin in Lahore on November 26.

    In order to incentivise domestic performers, the best player of every match will get Rs.20,000 while the player of the tournament will bag Rs.50,000. The winning team will receive Rs.1 million, while the runner-up will get half a million rupees.

    The competition gives athletes a chance to adjust to the T20 format, and will help coaches and the selection committee in choosing squads for the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s World Cup and ICC T20 Women’s World Cup, both of which will be held in South Africa in next year.

    The second phase of the tournament will run from December 5 to December 9, while the squads of the four sides will be named in due course. The venue for the final of the tournament scheduled on 9 December will be named at a later date.
    All the matches will be played in Lahore.

  • Naseem Shah hospitalised, will miss Pak Vs Eng match tonight

    A team spokesperson announced on Wednesday that fast bowler Naseem Shah has been admitted to hospital after developing a viral infection.
    He won’t be playing the fifth Twenty20 match in Lahore against England in the ongoing series.

    The 19-year-old pacer was reportedly transferred to a hospital for treatment, where he was tested for dengue fever. According to sources, Shah has a chest infection that has led to other problems.

    Both teams will try to play at full strength today (Wednesday) in an effort to grab the lead in the seven-match series, which is now tied 2-2. After a 17-year absence, Lahore will once again play host to England.

    Naseem Shah was one of the main strike bowlers for his team in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2022. He took seven wickets in five games while maintaining an economy rate of 7.66.

  • Video: Virat Kohli gives Haris Rauf a special gift

    Video: Virat Kohli gives Haris Rauf a special gift

    Following Pakistan-India match on August 28, right arm pacer Haris Rauf met former Indian skipper Virat Kohli on field.

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video in which Virat Kohli autographed and handed over a signed jersey to Haris Rauf.

    “The match may be over but moments like these shine bright.”

    Players from both India and Pakistan have displayed positive energy on field despite their rivalry.

    Earlier, Indian players met Shaheen Afridi who was ruled out of the Asia Cup because of a knee injury.

    Read more: Indian players meet Shaheen Shah Afridi, inquire about his health

    Babar was also spotted chatting with Indian team captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

    India won the match on August 28 by five wickets.

    Pakistan-India head to head match count in Asia Cup is now 15. India won nine while Pakistan won five matches. One match ended in no results.

    Read more: History of Pakistan vs India matches at Asia Cup

    Pakistan will play its second match of the Asia Cup 2022 against Hong Kong on September 2 (Friday) at 7pm.

  • PCB to donate earnings from match against England to flood victims

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that gate earnings from the first T20I against England will be donated to the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund 2022.

    The match will be played on September 20 at the National Stadium in Karachi and will begin at 7:30pm (local time).

    The PCB has urged cricket supporters and fans to buy tickets in large quantities once they go on sale online the following week in order to show solidarity with all those affected by the floods.

     “We at the PCB express our grief and sorrow for all those affected by the extreme monsoon rainfall and floods, which has ​resulted in havoc and devastation beyond imagination, killing over 1,000 and leaving around a million homeless. As cricket unites our proud nation, we stand firmly with the victims and all those involved in​ the flood relief and rescue operations,” said PCB chairman Ramiz Raja in a statement.

    According to the data issued by the National Disaster Management Authority(NDMA), at least 1,033 people have died in floods caused by heavy rains in the country.

  • History of Pakistan vs India matches at Asia Cup

    History of Pakistan vs India matches at Asia Cup

    The cricket rivalry between Pakistan and India is known as the greatest rivalry in the world of cricket. Today, the two sides will meet once again at Asia Cup 2022.

    Pakistan and India have played 14 matches in Asia Cup since 1984. India won 8 out of the 14 matches played in total while Pakistan won five. One match ended without a result as it was rained out.

    Here is the list of Pakistan vs India matches in Asia Cup.

    1984:

    India beat Pakistan by 54 runs while Surinder Khanna was the Man of the Match; he scored 56 runs on 72 balls.

    1988:

    India once again beat Pakistan by 4 wickets. Pakistan scored 142 while India chased the target in 40.4 overs with 4 wickets in hand. Arshad Ayub was Man of the Match.

    1995:

    Pakistan broke its losing streak and defeated India by 97 runs. Aqib Javed was Man of the Match with his magical bowling spell with five wickets to his name.

    1997:

    Match was abandoned because of rain.

    2000:

    Pakistan maintained its wining streak and beat India by 44 runs. Mouhammad Yousuf became Man of the Match by scoring a century on 112 balls. Pakistan scored 295 for the loss of 7 while India managed to score 251 in chase.

    2004:

    Pakistan won the match by 59 runs. Shoaib Malik was Man of the Match. He scored 143 on 127 with 2 wickets.

    2008 Group Stage:

    India beat Pakistan by 6 wickets. Suresh Raina became Man of the Match by scoring 84 runs on 69 balls with 2 wickets to his name. Virender Sehwag also played an outstanding innings of 119 on 95 balls.

    2008 Super 4s:

    Pakistan won by 8 wickets with Younis Khan getting Player of the Match award. His outstanding knock of 123 on 117 helped Pakistan achieve a huge target of 308.

    2010:

    India beat Pakistan by 3 wickets with 1 ball remaining. India chased 267 while Gautam Gambhir became Man of the Match by scoring 83 on 97 balls.

    2012:

    India beat Pakistan by 6 wickets. Pakistan scored 329 while India managed to chase in 47.5 overs. Kohli got the Player of the Match award by scoring 183 on 148 balls.

    2014:

    Pakistan won by 1 wicket. This match took a lot of turns. In the final over, Pakistan needed 9 runs in the last over with 2 wickets in hand. Pakistan lost their ninth wicket on Ashwin’s first ball. On the next ball, Junaid khan took a single followed by two maximums by Afridi. Hafeez became Man of the Match with 75 runs and two wickets to his name.

    2016:

    India beat Pakistan by five wickets. This was the first T20I edition of Asia Cup. India defeated Pakistan with Kohli scoring 49 on 51 balls.

    2018 Group Stage:

    India won with eight wickets in hand. Pakistan scored 162 while India achieved that target in 29 overs.

    2018 Super 4s:

    India once again defeated Pakistan with a tremendous knock of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma of 114 and 111 respectively.

  • Pakistan or India: Shane Watson predicts who will win Asia Cup 2022

    Pakistan or India: Shane Watson predicts who will win Asia Cup 2022

    Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson predicted the winner of the upcoming Asia Cup 2022, which starts on August 27 (Saturday).

    There will be eight teams in two groups competing against one another in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. The most awaited-match between Pakistan and India will take place on August 28 (Sunday).

    There are many strong contenders – India and Pakistan favoured most among them – but Watson picked India to win the tournament. 

    “My predicted winner is India,” said Watson in the latest episode of The ICC Review. “They’re so strong and depending on what the conditions are, they adapt easily to conditions.”

    “Pakistan,” said Watson when asked about the biggest threat to India’s success. He said the winner of the India-Pakistan clash on Sunday (August 28) would go on to win the Asia Cup.

    “That first game is going to be very special to watch because Pakistan have full belief now that they can beat this Indian team,” said Watson. “I think, really, whoever wins that game is going to go on and win the Asia Cup.”

    Pak-India clash

    “I’m sitting on the fence a little bit!” Watson laughed. “But I think Pakistan have a chance to win that game because of the confidence they’d have got out of winning for the first time in a long time against India.”

    Watson added that Pakistan’s “confidence is going to be flying high”.

    “India is hard to contain, especially their batting. But Pakistan, and as I’ve always known playing against them, when their confidence is high, they’re nearly unstoppable. And their confidence is high now that they know they can beat India in a big tournament.”

  • VIDEO: Babar Azam meets Virat Kohli in Dubai ahead of Pak Vs India clash

    Team India landed in Dubai on August 23 and went straight to the nets to prepare for India’s match against Pakistan on August 28 (Sunday). Ahead of the much-anticipated match, players from both the teams met each other in Dubai.  The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video in which Virat Kohli could be seen meeting Pakistan skipper Babar Azam.

    In the video, Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal were also chatting with Muhammad Nabi.

    Babar Azam retained his top spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I rankings. He is at the top of the rankings with 818 points, whereas Kohli has been struggling of late.

    Comparisons between the two had started long back and gathers steam ahead of a match between the two rival sides.

    Read more: ‘This too shall pass’, Pakistani captain Babar Azam backs Virat Kohli to regain form

    Asia Cup is all set to start from August 27 and Pakistan will be playing its first match against India on August 28 in Dubai.

    Babar and Kohli’s video has drawn massive reaction of fans from both countries. Here are some tweets.