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Pakistan, New Zealand build towards World Cup with ODI series

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  • Babar Azam confident Pakistan will do well in white-ball format.
  • Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan missing due to injuries.
  • Second and third ODIs to be played on January 11 and 13.

KARACHI: Pakistan and New Zealand will face off in the first of three one-day internationals in Karachi today (Monday), with an eye on this year’s World Cup in India.

The preceding Test series between the two teams failed to produce a result in either of the two Tests — both in Karachi — ending a miserable season for both teams.

Pakistan failed to win any of their three-Test series at home, losing four of the eight Tests, including their first-ever 3-0 whitewash at the hands of England.

New Zealand also failed to win any of their last six Tests.

But Babar Azam is confident his team will do well in the limited over matches.

“Pakistan has proved themselves to be a good white-ball team, and this series provides us a perfect launching pad to kickstart our World Cup preparations,” said Azam of the World Cup in October/November.

Azam´s team won eight one-day internationals last year, including a 2-1 series win over a formidable Australia at home.

“We are a well-rounded side with solid batters and bowlers who have proved themselves time and again so I am confident of doing well in the coming series,” said Azam.

Pakistan will miss pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is recovering from a knee injury sustained in November last year while spinning allrounder Shadab Khan is also out with a recent finger fracture.

Opener Fakhar Zaman will bolster the batting, as well as Haris Sohail — recalled after two years.

New Zealand, runners-up in the last World Cup in 2019, won ten of their 16 ODIs last year and have a strong unit led by Kane Williamson.

They have been dominant against Pakistan, having won 12 of the last 15 ODIs between the two teams.

Williamson is also concentrating on World Cup, having relinquished Test captaincy.

“I felt that continuing to captain the white-ball formats was preferable with two World Cups in the next two years,” he said last month, referring to the 2023 ODI and 2024 T20 World Cups.

The accomplished batter acknowledged Pakistan’s strengths.

“Pakistan is a very strong side and naturally know these conditions very well,” said Williamson.

“For us as a team it’s focusing on the cricket we want to play and try put out some improved performances.”

New Zealand pacer Matt Henry is also out of ODIs with an abdominal strain sustained on the final day of the drawn second Test.

For varied reasons, they are already missing pace trio Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson and Adam Milne.

The remaining matches are on Wednesday and Friday, also in Karachi.

Teams:

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Tom Latham, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Blair Tickner

Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Agha Salman, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir

Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Asif Yaqoob (PAK)

TV umpire: Ahsan Raza (PAK)

Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

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Champions Trophy 2025 will remain in Pakistan, the CEO of the ICC has said.

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Dismissing any rumors that the Champions Trophy 2025 will be moved to a different nation, International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Geoff Allardice has stated that the tournament will take place in Pakistan as planned.

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is slated to take place in Pakistan in February and March. Nevertheless, India’s participation in the competition is up in the air since the BCCI is still awaiting government sanction to travel there.

Recall that there were rumors in Indian media, backed by the BCCI, that the Indian team would not be traveling to Pakistan for the forthcoming ICC match.

Additional reports stated that the board had formally suggested Sri Lanka and Dubai as possible locations for India’s match.

According to Geoff Allardice, who denied the reports, no team has expressed reluctance to play in the competition.

Allardice voiced her appreciation over Pakistan’s hosting of the Women’s T20 World Cup during a press conference in Dubai. He went on to emphasize that Pakistan is the ICC’s choice to host the Champions Trophy.

Remarkably, Pakistan is preparing three stadiums for the Champions Trophy in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.

The PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has revealed that the stadium modifications will be finished prior to the start of the Champions Trophy.

Gaddafi Stadium’s basement will be built by September 30. It will take three weeks to finish each floor. A steel framework would make up the front building. By December 31, the primary structure of Gaddafi Stadium will be finished, according to Naqvi.

“The seats will be erected in the stadium prior to the Champions Trophy; Indi Stadium will need to be fully destroyed and rebuilt.

“The Champions Trophy will take place before the renovations at Karachi’s [National Stadium] are finished,” he said.

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In the possible return of the Afro-Asian Cup, players from Pakistan and India might go together.

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Pakistan and India were among the best sub-continent nations that competed in the Afro-Asia Cup, which was contested in 2005 and 2007. The Africa XI was comprised of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. The Asia XI was comprised of two teams.

Due to problems with broadcasting and political hurdles, the event was canceled after only two editions, despite the fact that it received a great deal of attention and appreciation from cricket lovers all over the world.

The negotiations regarding the resuscitation of the Afro-Asia Cup sprang to life a few days after Jay Shah was appointed to the position of Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC!).

The competition was played in the format of a Twenty20 match, but the next edition of the tournament might be played in the format of a Twenty20 match.

Samod Damodar, the chairman of the African Cricket Association (ACA), presented conjecture over the possibility that the idea will actually be adopted. In addition, he provided an update on the situation.

The fact that the Afro-Asia Cup did not take place is something that has left me feeling extremely upset. Despite the fact that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) did not receive sufficient momentum, it is currently being reconsidered. To a large extent, I believe that it was a lack of comprehension and a refusal to support the idea. It is something that our members deeply lament. It was necessary for Africa to be the driving force behind it,” Damodar was quoted as saying in a story published by Forbes.

With the belief that the Afro-Asia Cup has the potential to alleviate political tensions, Damodar has great hopes for the competition.

It is possible that these matches will break down political boundaries that are currently in place. Instead than driving a wedge between people, cricket can help establish bridges between them. In my opinion, I do not feel that players are hostile toward one another; therefore, I am confident that they would be willing to participate in this activity. The fact that Mahinda is now a member of the International Cricket Council board and Jay Shah is the current president of the ICC may give this cause a little bit more traction. When it comes to making this happen, both of them have always been proactive in their efforts,” he went on to say.

Claims concerning the restoration of the Afro-Asia Cup also emerged in June 2022, claiming that the competition would make its return in the middle of 2023. For those who are unaware, these claims suggested that the tournament would return.

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Champions Trophy: Pakistan will be visited by an ICC delegation next week

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Pakistan, who are also the reigning champions, will host the 50-over competition in February and March of next year.

The heads and representatives of various ICC departments are part of the visiting delegation.

Along with these topics, the inspection team will talk about the tournament’s schedule, practice matches, locations, and ticketing.

The group will receive an update on the global premium tournament’s upgraded venues from PCB executives.

Within two days, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will receive the schedule from the ICC, according to sources.

During its inspection, the ICC will visit all three of the tournament’s locations in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi and examine the arrangements for the next events.

The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, National Stadium in Karachi, and Rawalpindi International Cricket Stadium are the three sites that will stage the enormous show. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) allotted Rs 12.80 billion earlier this year for their renovations.

In the upcoming year, the ICC Champions Trophy will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and the National Stadium in Karachi, from February 19 to March 9.

The countries that make up Group B are Australia, England, Afghanistan, South Africa, and Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh.

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