Sports

Shaheen to be at his best against India in T20 World Cup: Babar

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

ISLAMABAD: Former champions Pakistan are counting on fit-again pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi to be back to his destructive best at the T20 World Cup in Australia.

The 22-year-old was on Tuesday given the green light to join the squad after recovering from a right knee injury sustained in the first Test against Sri Lanka in July.

He missed the Asia Cup, the T20 series against England and this week’s tri-series in New Zealand.

The tall left-arm fast bowler has completed an intensive period of rehab in London and will travel to Australia, where he has two warm-up games in Brisbane next week to regain his rhythm, the first against England on Monday.

Pakistan will have a final warm-up against Afghanistan next Wednesday to prepare for their blockbusting opening match against India at the cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23, which is expected to draw 90,000 spectators.

Shaheen destroyed India’s top order in the T20 World Cup in Dubai last year, dismissing Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli, returning figures of 3-31 as Pakistan romped to a 10-wicket victory.

Pakistan’s maiden World Cup win against India set up the team’s march to the semi-final, where they lost to eventual champions Australia.

“He has recovered well and we are confident that he will be at his best come the India game,” captain Babar Azam told AFP.

“We have a very good fast bowling attack which Shaheen leads.”

Top-order batsman Fakhar Zaman, who scored 55 not out against Australia in last year’s semi-final, is also on the road to recovery after a knee injury.

“Zaman, who is one of the three travelling reserves for the T20 World Cup, will travel to Brisbane with Shaheen and will complete his rehabilitation,” the country’s cricket board said Tuesday.

Fragile middle order

Since last year’s World Cup, Pakistan have swept to 3-0 T20 series wins against Bangladesh and the West Indies, lost to Australia again in a lone T20 in Lahore and reached the final of the Asia Cup in the UAE where they lost to Sri Lanka.

England edged them 4-3 in a home series. Pakistan won their first two games in the current tri-series against Bangladesh and New Zealand before losing the third to the Black Caps on Tuesday.

“Our team has done well, so I am optimistic about our chances in the World Cup,” said Azam, whose team faces India, Bangladesh, South Africa and two qualifiers in Group 2 with the top two progressing to the semi-finals.

Pakistan have a potent and varied bowling attack, with fast-improving Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain supplementing Shaheen.

Leg-spinner Shadab Khan leads the spin quartet alongside left-armer Mohammad Nawaz, off-spinner Iftikhar Ahmed and leg-spinner Usman Qadir.

Pakistan’s middle order batting has been their Achilles heel despite the presence of the prolific Azam and Mohammad Rizwan at the top of the order.

The pair set a world record for the highest chase without losing a wicket when they posted 203 to beat England in Karachi last month with Azam making an unbeaten 110 and Rizwan 88 not out, their second double-century opening stand in T20s.

But if the pair fall early then the team’s batting fragility can be exposed.

“Apart from the positives, we had some concerns and I think our middle order needs to step up,” admits Azam, who has seen Iftikhar, Shan Masood, Khushdil Shah, Haider Ali and Asif Ali all given chances but failing to make any consistent impact.

“We have tested our bench strength by sending different combinations in batting and bowling. We are working on our fielding too.”

Latest News

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

Published

18 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.