Tag: T20 WC 2021

  • ‘Can’t explain that moment’: Babar opens up about T20 win against India

    ‘Can’t explain that moment’: Babar opens up about T20 win against India

    Pakistan’s all-format cricket team captain Babar Azam has opened up about how he felt beating arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup 2021.

    Azam hailed his side’s record win against India in the event. Pakistan successfully played to a 10-wicket win, ending their World Cup drought against the Men in Blue.

    Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi was the star of the show, taking three for 31 from his four overs. Despite a 57 from former Indian T20 captain Virat Kohli, the Indians were not able to notch up an intimidating total on the scoreboard.

    Chasing 152 for victory, skipper Babar (68) and his partner Mohammad Rizwan (79) steered the national team home with 13 deliveries to spare.

    “I can’t explain that moment. We were not thinking about the past record, trying to stay in the present. The way we started and finished had a different feel and buzz to it.. and the response from fans was amazing too. We hadn’t registered a win (against India) in the World Cups and Allah helped us change that. It was a team effort. We had belief. There was no overconfidence,” said Babar in a PCB Podcast episode on YouTube.

    The Men in Green reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup after topping Group B. However, their impressive journey came to an end with a defeat to eventual champions Australia in the semis. Babar described it as a heartbreaking moment for Pakistan.

    “We had put in the effort… we had dominated the World Cup. But unfortunately, we couldn’t win that match. We made mistakes as a team but we need to learn from it and deliver a better performance next time,” said Babar, who finishes with the year with 939 runs from 29 T20 Internationals.

    “Doesn’t matter how you start when you finish well. We finished the year on an outstanding note. We played some positive cricket throughout the year and tried to leave an impact. We’ve had different Man of the Match contenders for every match. Unfortunately, we bowed out of T20 World Cup but we did learn from that defeat. We have had discussions on the mistakes and will try to improve day by day.”

    “Talking about performances, Rizwan and Shaheen were brilliant. Hasan too. Youngsters like Abdullah, Wasim and Dhani have been impressive too. It’s a plus point for us and hopefully, we carry on the momentum. We had assigned roles to players and that led to better performances. I had the belief that we had match-winners in our team and the boys proved that. Thanks to the fans too and we hope to get a similar kind of support next year,” said the 27-year-old batter.

    Babar stands on top of the table of both white-ball formats. While Rizwan stands on third position in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings for the first time in his career.

    Check out here:

  • 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”.

  • ‘This is for you’: Babar Azam dedicates the win to Pakistani fans

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

    Pakistani captain Babar Azam has dedicated the historic win against India to his fans.

    Taking to Twitter, he shared pictures of the winning moments and wrote: “This is for you, Pakistan. History made. All eyes on the next game, In Sha Allah #PakistanZindabad.”

    Babar and Mohammad Rizwan’s 152-run partnership for Pakistan was not just a match-winning stand, but also the biggest opening partnership in the history of the Men’s T20 World Cup and Pakistan’s second-biggest partnership in a T20I for any wicket.

    Azam and Rizwan’s combined efforts overtook Chris Gayle and Devon Smith’s 145 against South Africa in 2007 as the top opening stand in Men’s T20 World Cups.

    Speaking after the match, Azam explained how he and his partner approached the record run-chase.

    “The plan with Rizwan is always to keep it simple,” he said. “We tried to get deep in the crease and from about the eighth over the dew came in and the ball came on nicely.

    “This is just the start, we have confidence to build on now. It will remain match by match for us.

    “The pressure on us wasn’t that much – we weren’t thinking of the record against India at all. I only wanted to back all our players who’ve been preparing well.”

    Meanwhile, Azam and Rizwan’s 152 is the second biggest partnership for any wicket in Men’s T20 World Cup history, 14 runs shy of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene’s extraordinary 166 against West Indies in 2010.

    The partnership is also the biggest for any wicket in a T20I against India, and consigned India to their first-ever ten-wicket defeat in T20s.

    Shaheen Shah Afridi also bagged three big Indian wickets on a big night. For his performance with the ball, Afridi got Player of the Match award.

    Other team members also took to the social media to express their happiness:

    https://twitter.com/76Shadabkhan/status/1452333304997421057?s=20

    Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is in Saudi Arabia, was also watching the match and later took to Twitter to share the picture and congratulated Pakistan for this historic win.

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Qamar Javed Bajwa also congratulated the team for the “outstanding performance and comprehensive win against India.”

    Beating India by 10 wickets, Pakistan is eyeing its next victory in the match against New Zealand on Tuesday.

  • ‘Fifth Floor wala’: Hamid Mir takes a dig at Arnab Goswami ahead of Pak vs India match

    ‘Fifth Floor wala’: Hamid Mir takes a dig at Arnab Goswami ahead of Pak vs India match

    Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir has trolled controversial Indian journalist Arnab Goswami, who is also known for his misreporting.

    Taking to Twitter Mir wrote: “Arrrey… Jasoos Kabootar… and who is this Indian anchor?…. 5th floor wala?”

    The advertisement by Digi Khata, has trolled Indian media citing Indian Media’s misreporting over arresting a Pakistani pigeon 2015 terming it as a Pakistani spy.

    Meanwhile, Goswami was earlier trolled on social media when he lied about the presence of the Pakistan Army officers in Kabul Serena to fight in Panjshir Valley.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan will open their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign against arch-rivals India in Dubai (Sunday) on October 24.

  • Pakistan vs India match tickets sold out within hours

    Pakistan vs India match tickets sold out within hours

    Tickets for the much-anticipated T20 World Cup contest between Pakistan and India were sold out within hours.

    Read More – ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 schedule announced

    According to details, International Cricket Council (ICC) put the tickets for T20 World Cup up on sale on Sunday with a maximum capacity of 70 per cent crowd following Covid-19 protocols.

    Within hours, the tickets for Pakistan vs India were sold out, as expected. The high-octane clash is scheduled for October 24 at Dubai International Stadium.

    Read More – Pakistan, India placed in same group in T20 World Cup

    The arch-rivals will meet after almost three years. They last played against each other in Asia Cup 2018.

    The T20 World Cup is to be played in the UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14.

  • Pakistan squad for New Zealand, England and ICC T20 World Cup announced

    Pakistan squad for New Zealand, England and ICC T20 World Cup announced

    Pakistan cricket selectors have named the 15-player squad for the upcoming Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) against New Zealand and England, and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

    The seven home T20Is in Lahore and Rawalpindi will be played from September 26 to October 14, while Pakistan will proceed to take on India in a battle of former champions in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup opener in Dubai on October 24.

    Domestic performers Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah have been drafted into the side to provide more firepower in the middle-order.

    The 15-player squad includes five batters (Asif Ali, Babar Azam, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez and Sohaib Maqsood), two wicketkeeper-batters (Azam Khan and Mohammad Rizwan), four all-rounders (Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Shadab Khan) and four fast bowlers (Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Shaheen Shah Afridi).

    Travelling reserves are Fakhar Zaman, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir.

    Announcing the squad at a presser, Chief Selector Muhammad Wasim said: “While selecting the squad, we have tried to cover all our bases by catering for the modern day brand of T20 cricket that will be required to perform impressively in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. This includes trusting the abilities, skills and experience of the players to perform in a high-pressure global tournament in conditions that are familiar to us, as well as looking at the teams we will play in Group-2 matches.”

  • ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 schedule announced

    ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 schedule announced

    Oman will take on Papua New Guinea in the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground on October 17 while the Super 12 stage commences with a fixture between Australia and South Africa at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

    Read More – Pakistan, India placed in same group in T20 World Cup

    The complete schedule was announced on Tuesday by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which confirms the highly anticipated match between former champions India and Pakistan. It will take place on October 24 at the Dubai International Stadium while Ashes rivals England and Australia play at the same venue six days later.

    The final will be played in Dubai on November 14, with November 15 marked as a reserve day.

    This will be the first time in over two years India and Pakistan will play each other, the last meeting being at the 50-over World Cup in England in 2019.

    Earlier, T20 World Cup moved away from India due to Covid. The ICC has moved the Twenty20 World Cup from India to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman because of the pandemic. India will remain the host of the event scheduled from October 17 to November 14, the ICC said in a statement.

  • ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to be held in UAE, Oman

    ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to be held in UAE, Oman

    ICC has officially announced that Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.

    The cricket governing body announced the news on their social media accounts.

    Earlier, it was reported that the T20 WC 2021 is set to begin from October 17 in the UAE, with the final for the 16-team tournament scheduled for November 14. The tournament will start days after the Indian Premier League (IPL) final, which is likely to be held on October 15.

    As per details, the venue for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has been shifted to the UAE and Oman, with the tournament set to run from October 17 to November 14.

    The tournament was originally set to be staged in India, but had to be shifted given the deadly second wave of Covid-19 there.

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will remain the hosts of the event, which will now be held across four venues – Dubai International Stadium, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium, and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground.

    The first round of the tournament, comprising eight qualifying teams, will now be split between Oman and the UAE. Four of these teams will then progress to the Super 12s round where they will join the eight automatic qualifiers.

    “The BCCI is looking forward to hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 tournament in UAE and Oman,” said Saurav Ganguli in the official statement.

    The upcoming edition will be the first Men’s T20 World Cup played since 2016, when the West Indies beat England in the final in India.

    The eight teams competing in the preliminary stage are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman and Papua New Guinea, before the play-off stage and the Final on November 14.

  • T20 World Cup reportedly moved to UAE from India, set to begin on October 17

    T20 World Cup reportedly moved to UAE from India, set to begin on October 17

    The 2021 men’s T20 World Cup will not take place in India anymore. It is set to begin from October 17 in the United Arab Emirates, with the final for the 16-team tournament scheduled for November 14.

    Reportedly, the tournament will start days after the Indian Premier League (IPL) final, which is likely to be held on October 15. The remainder of IPL 2021 will be played in the UAE, starting September 19.

    While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to write to the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially about shifting the T20 World Cup to the UAE, it has already set the ball rolling in terms of planning for the tournament to be held in the middle east.

    As per the current plan, the first round of the T20 World Cup will be split across two groups and played in the UAE and Oman.

    Round 1, which will include 12 matches, will comprise eight teams from which four (top two from each group) would qualify for the Super 12s. Four team from this lot of eight i.e, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman, Papua New Guinea will then progress to the Super 12s, joining the top eight ranked T20I teams. The Super 12s phase, comprising 30 matches, is scheduled to start from October 24. The Super 12s, where teams will be split across two groups of six each, will be played at three venues in the UAE, i.e. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. This will be followed by three playoff games – the two semi-finals and the final.

    With Round 1 being co-hosted by one of the venues in the UAE and Oman, the BCCI is confident that will offer enough time to refresh the pitches across the main grounds in the UAE for the Super 12s.

    On June 1, the ICC granted BCCI until the end of June to give its final word on whether India will be able to host the T20 World Cup. With the Covid-19 pandemic disrupting the global cricket calendar last year, the ICC postponed the 2020 World Cup, originally scheduled to be held in Australia, and decided India would host the tournament in 2021 with Australia hosting the 2022 edition.

    However, the grim pandemic situation in India, which was flattened by a second wave this summer, forced the BCCI to abruptly suspend the IPL at the halfway stage in May.

    That development instantly cast doubts on whether India could be fit to host the multi-team World T20 after travel between cities was identified as a prime area of concern for teams getting exposed to coronavirus outside the bubble during the IPL.

    The BCCI had shortlisted nine venues for the T20 World Cup, but an ICC team, meant to carry out inspection, had to cancel its visit in April. Despite the pandemic numbers climbing down since the alarming peak of April-May period, public health experts have predicted India will face a third wave later in 2021. With the ICC deadline expiring in a few days, the BCCI is expected to make its decision public on moving the event outside to the UAE.