Sports

Pak vs Afg: Shadab, Imam help Green Shirts set 202-run target

Published

11 months ago

Farwa

After Imam-ul-Haq’s fighting knock, Shadab Khan stood tall for Pakistan as the Green Shirts posted a 202-run target for Afghanistan in the first ODI being played in Hambantota on Tuesday.

Afghanistan bowlers rattled Pakistan’s top order on a terrific spinning track. Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up Fakhar Zaman in his first over to immediately send Pakistan on the back foot.

Pakistani skipper Babar Azam, who is the number one ODI batter, fell to Mujeeb ur Rehman’s spinning delivery right in the next over.

Mohammad Rizwan and Imam settled at the crease for a brief period of time but they both could only add 33 runs together. Mujeeb was the man who also bagged Rizwan (21) on an LBW which looked a bit doubtful and has raised questions on social media.

Iftikhar Ahmed, who usually has the finisher’s role in the team, this time had a responsibility to anchor the score. He did it so well alongside Imam who meanwhile also completed his 17th ODI half-century. They both scored 50 off 69 to somehow give Pakistan a breath of fresh air.

The right-handed smasher got out after scoring 30 runs. It was the time when Rashid Khan came and created a few chances against Iftikhar who finally fell to Mohammad Nabi in the 27th over.

Rashid and Nabi bagged two wickets each to contribute strongly to Afghanistan’s bowling.

Imam alongside Shadab built-up his third partnership of the day. This time they scored 40 runs together before Imam lost his control against Nabi and gave a catch at mid-on which was well taken by Rashid. Imam, who survived on two back-to-back dropped catches previously, scored 61 off 94 balls.

Shadab then got himself the support of tailender Naseem Shah who had a nightmare for Afghans in last year’s T20 Asia Cup. Naseem hit two consecutive sixes on the last two match-deciding balls of Fazalhaq Farooqui to notch an unbelievable victory for Pakistan.

Naseem and Shadab stitched 34 runs off 47 balls before Shadab got run out.

Rahmat Shah took the last wicket of Haris Rauf as Afghanistan bowled out Pakistan for the first time in ODIs.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and put Afghanistan to bowl.

🚨 T O S S A L E R T 🚨

Pakistan win the toss and elect to bat first 🏏#AFGvPAK pic.twitter.com/G2MphaT01D
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 22, 2023

It is a home series for Afghanistan who cannot stage international cricket in their own country due to security concerns.

Playing XI

Pakistan: Imamul Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(C), Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Aga, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zardan, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdul Rehman, Ikram Ali.

Latest News

Changes to Pakistan’s Test team could be significant for the Bangladesh series.

Published

23 hours ago

Farwa

Major changes to Pakistan’s team are anticipated ahead of the forthcoming Test series against Bangladesh, sources in Lahore have revealed.

As the team gets ready for the series, meetings with the players are planned for next week.

It is predicted that the Test squad would undergo several changes. The team’s lineup is expected to be strengthened by the likely inclusion of Muhammad Huraira. Key players like Faheem Ashraf, Wasim Jr., Saim Ayub, and Nauman Ali, whose contributions are vital to the team’s success, struggle to get a spot on the squad.

Furthermore, according to sources, Imamul Haq or Sahibzada Farhan are anticipated to be added to the team, subject to additional assessment. Furthermore, following a fitness assessment, Amir Jamal and Hasan Ali’s futures will be determined.

The ultimate selection for the Test team will take place following Red Ball head coach Jason Gillespie’s return to Pakistan. The ultimate squad that will play Bangladesh in the forthcoming Test series will be greatly influenced by his assessments and thoughts.

Pakistan is scheduled to visit New Zealand in March and April of 2025, according to the country’s official cricket schedule, which was released earlier this month.

Throughout their visit, the Pakistan cricket team will play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in an exciting series.

The T20I series, which starts at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on March 16, will serve as the tour’s opening event.

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The PCB will send Wahab Riaz to the Maldives to attend the ICC’s coaching course.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is scheduled to conduct a two-day High-Performance workshop in Maldives on 29-30 July. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that Wahab Riaz, a retired Test cricketer, and Shahid Anwar, a former international cricketer and current head coach of the National Cricket Academy, will be taking part in the next workshop.

The workshop’s objective is to offer insights into the most up-to-date coaching approaches, as well as strategies for recognising and nurturing talent starting from its early stages.

In addition, Dr. Imran Abbas, the General Manager of Academies, will participate in a four-day training course for ICC Level-2 Tutors in Malé, starting on July 24.

The workshop is an integral component of ICC’s training and education initiative aimed at providing member countries with proficient Level 2 tutors who would subsequently instruct coaches.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) appointed Iqbal Sikander, a former cricketer from Pakistan, and Amin-ul-Islam, a former captain of the Bangladesh Test team, to lead the training.

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Following Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) dismissed Abdul Razzaq and Wahab Riaz from the selection committee on July 10.

Wahab was dismissed from his role as senior team manager, and Mansoor Rana was terminated from his post as team manager.

After being removed, Wahab utilised social media to release a message, expressing his appreciation for his time on the selection committee. He emphasised that he has many thoughts to share but prefers not to engage in finger-pointing or assigning blame.

“Wahab, in the caption of his social media post, expressed that he has a lot to say but does not wish to engage in the act of assigning blame,”

“My tenure as a member of the selection committee for PCB has concluded. I want to inform my fellow countrymen that I have dedicated myself to serving the game I am passionate about with unwavering commitment and honesty. I have exerted maximum effort to improve the state of cricket in Pakistan.”

“Being a part of the selection panel has been a great privilege.” Being part of the seven-member panel responsible for selecting the national team was a privilege. Each member’s vote held equal importance, and we made decisions collectively as a team. We also shared the responsibility of the selection process equally.

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Pakistan has advanced to the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 semifinals.

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

GreenshirtsWith a 10-wicket victory over the UAE, the Pakistani women’s cricket team advanced to the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 semifinal. Target: 104 runs in 14 overs were pursued by the Greenshirts.

When playing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Pakistani women’s team won the toss and chose to field.

Captain Nida Dar of the Pakistan women’s cricket team remarked, “The bowlers’ performance in the last match was excellent, and the win against Nepal boosted morale.”

Pakistan’s starting eleven remains unchanged.

Dambulla, a town in Sri Lanka, is the site of the match.