Sports

Twitter divided over PSL 2023 opening ceremony

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

The much-anticipated opening ceremony of the latest season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) finally took place in Multan on Monday.

Fans flocked to the stadium to witness the start of the tournament which Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi had declared to be “bigger and better” than the preceding series.

The ceremony which lasted less than an hour had mixed reviews on Twitter, with some fans blown over by the magnanimous scale of the event while others seemed rather unimpressed.

‘Best opening ceremony’

One user took to the microblogging platform and wrote: “One of the best opening ceremony in the history of PSL.”

Others noted that the stadium was full of eager spectators and devote fans of cricket. One user said: “Amazing scenes at Multan Cricket Stadium as PSL opening ceremony kicks off. Stands are almost full with crowd while the venue is buzzing at the moment.”

Yet another Twitter user commented on the augmented reality (AG) and virtual reality (VR) setup arranged for the ceremony, noting: “Ceremony of over. One of the best opening ceremony of PSL. The fireworks, AR and VR technology is super awesome. Thank You [PCB]. Pakistan Zindabad.”

Another posted: “Hello Neighbours, Are you watching this?”

Those unimpressed

However, not all fans seemed impressed by the extravagance and splendour of the event. Many users took to the platform to express their opinions in the form of cheeky jokes and memes.

Some took the opportunity to joke about the PSL anthem, with one user saying: “The only performance i was waiting for during the opening ceremony of PSL.”

Others still reacted to the match in a more serious mood, wondering if the extravaganza was all that important.

One user tweeted: “Are we not the same nation half of whose people are suffering under inflation and half by floods, which is also asking for loans from the IMF and is close to default. Where there is no such thing as justice and tongues are tied.”

Many users commented on the fact that given the weak economy of the country, the event was a tad too much, and was likely to not sit well with the IMF.

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Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam get special jerseys from PCB chairman

Published

11 hours ago

Farwa

After the victory over Ireland, Babar Azam surpassed Uganda’s Brian Masaba (44 victories) to become the most successful skipper in T20I history with 45 wins. Since taking over as captain in 2019, Azam has guided Pakistan in 78 games.

In the interim, Shaheen Afridi reached the noteworthy landmark of 300 wickets in international cricket. During the second Twenty20 International, Ireland skipper Paul Stirling became his 300th wicket.

The 24-year-old is also the fifth-youngest bowler to reach the mark.

Since making his international debut in 2018, he has played in 145 matches across all formats for Pakistan. In Test cricket, he claimed 113 wickets, while in ODI and T20I, he claimed 104 and 84 wickets respectively.

Interestingly, in the second Twenty20 International, Pakistan chose to bowl first, and in the fourth over, Afridi dismissed both of Ireland’s openers, bringing the score down to 34-2.

Nonetheless, Ireland reached 193 in their allotted 20 overs thanks to an outstanding 51 runs from 34 balls by Lorcan Tucker, which included five boundaries and two sixes. Gareth Delany also hit a rapid 28 off 10 balls.

Thanks to the half-centuries of Fakkhar Zaman and Muhammad Rizwan, Pakistan was able to successfully chase the 194-run mark with 19 balls remaining.

After early wickets from Babar Azam (0) and Saim Ayub (6), they put up a 140-run partnership in 78 balls to turn the tide of the match in Pakistan’s favour.

With an undefeated 75 off 46 balls that included six boundaries and four sixes, Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan, while Zaman was removed after making 78 runs off of 40 balls.

Another important contributor was Azam Khan, who scored an undefeated 30 off 10 with four sixes. In the seventeenth over, he blasted three sixes off Mark Adair to end the match in spectacular fashion.

Pakistan and Ireland will play their third and final Twenty20 International tomorrow, May 14.

Latest News

PCB will install floodlights for PSL matches at Quetta Stadium.

Published

5 days ago

Farwa

By installing floodlights by September, PCB will keep its word. Following stadium renovations, PSL matches would also be held in Quetta, according to Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

He stated at a press conference held at Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti Cricket Stadium that the possibility of holding Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Quetta was being considered.

In Gwadar and Quetta, he said, the PCB would do its part to promote cricket.
Quetta Stadium will soon have floodlights installed, as announced by the interior minister, which Chief Minister Bugti congratulated for the news.

The province has a wealth of skills, and installing floodlights will help promote sports and cricket in particular. He responded to a query by saying that chances will be given to the province’s youth at the federal level.

Latest News

The women’s team from Pakistan travels to England for a white-ball series.

Published

1 week ago

Farwa

The national squad left Karachi earlier today to play three Twenty20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals in the series.

Dr. Muhammad Faisal, Pakistan’s High Commissioner in England, greeted the women’s team and management.

The team will soon depart for Leicester to play a practice match on 9 May against the ECB Development XI. On May 11, in Birmingham, the first Twenty20 International will take place.

Notably, this will be Pakistan’s eighth and final series of the current event cycle. The ODIs in the series are a part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022–25.

Pakistan women squad for England tour

Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wk), Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar

Player support personnel: Nahida Khan (manager), Mauhtashim Rasheed (interim head coach), Saleem Jaffar (bowling coach), Taufeeq Umar (batting coach), Hanif Malik (fielding coach), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager), Rabia Siddiq (physiotherapist), Zubair Ahmed (analyst) and Hina Munawar (chief security officer)