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Swashbuckling opener returns after 5 years as PAK announce probable squad for NZ ODIs
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Pakistan National T20 Cup 2022 Final: Sindh thump Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 8 wickets to seal the title
Sindh defeated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 8 wickets in the final to clinch the Pakistan National T20 Cup 2022.
Pakistan National T20 Cup 2022 Round Up, August 31
Former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed was adjudged player of the match for his flambyont knock against Southern Punjab.
When England slammed the then highest score in ODI cricket
Once Root and Hales were dismissed, Buttler (90* off 51), and Morgan (57* off 27) carried the good work and steered England to a dominant total.
PSL 2022 | Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United | Match 14 Preview, Predictions, Fantasy XI
19-year-old Mohammad Wasim Jnr makes Pakistan debut, match marred by rain
Pakistan handed out the debut T20I cap to Islamabad United fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jnr. for the team’s first match in West Indies. Wasim, who is just 19-year-old was handed his cap by bowling coach Waqar Younis in a ceremony held ahead of the start of the match in Kensington Oval, Barbados. In a video uploaded by Pakistan Cricket Board, skipper Babar Azam can be seen naming the playing XI for the first of the four T20Is against West Indies and it is during that he introduces Wasim saying that right arm fast bowler would be making his debut. Earlier in the evening, PCB had uploaded another video Babar is seen going into Wasim’s hotel room and personally congratulating him on getting the Pakistan cap. He also advised the young man not to take any pressure and perform as he has done in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League. Wasim, who has so far got 12 wickets in 11 PSL games and is a quick scorer of runs lower down the order was hugely excited for his debut. He said, “I would like to thank the almighty for this opportunity to represent my country. I would inform my mother and father back home about this and would like to thank all my coaches especially Abdul Razzaq (former Pakistan international) who always believed I was good enough to play for the country.” As far as the match is concerned, not a single ball has been bowled after the toss which Pakistan won and decided to bowl first. There are three changes in the Men in Green's playing XI from their last T20I with Sohaib Maqsood making way for Sharjeel Khan as an opener and Azam Khan coming in for Imad Wasim while Mohammad Hasnain made way for Wasim Jr's debut.
PSL 2021: Top 5 run-getters so far
The Pakistan Super League that was suspended earlier this year due to rise in Covid-19 cases within the franchise teams is now slated to begin on June 9 in Abu Dhabi. The first match after the resumption will be played between Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United. While Islamabad were sitting at number three spot in the points table, Lahore were at four before the tournament was halted. Karachi Kings were placed at the helm of the tally while Peshawar Zalmi followed them at two. We now take a look at the top five run-getters in this edition of the PSL 2021 before the competition had to be stopped. Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans) Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan is slowly making a name for himself at the top level and has performed consistently well for his PSL side Multan Sultans in this edition so far. While the Sultans haven’t had a great tournament as they have managed to win only one out of the five matches that they have played, Rizwan is placed at the top of the chart for the highest run-getter in the PSL 2021. In five matches that he had featured in, the right-handed batsman amassed 297 runs at a brilliant average of 59.40 and a strike-rate of over 140. Rizwan has also notched up three half-centuries with 76 being his personal best in the competition. Rizwan’s 76 came in a winning cause for his side against the Qalandars after he helped them chase down a target of 158 runs in just over 16 overs from a tricky situation. The Multan captain stitched a stand of 110 runs with Sohail Maqsood who remained not out on 61 to take the team over the line. Babar Azam (Karachi Kings) Table-toppers Karachi Kings’ Babar Azam is following Rizwan at number two with a total of 258 runs in 5 matches at an average of 86. Babar has so far struck three fifties including an unbeaten 90. The right-handed batsman is pipped to be the next big thing in world cricket and he is proving his worth with every passing game. Babar recently attained the top spot in the ICC Rankings for ODIs surpassing India captain Virat Kohli. Azam’s 60-ball 90* which involved 13 boundaries and a maximum came against Multan Sultans and anchored his side to win by 7 wickets while chasing a mammoth 196 with more than an over to spare. The Pakistan skipper stitched a stand of 97 runs with Joe Clarke to take his side over the line. Clarke too completed his half-century and remained not out at 54 off 26. Sharjeel Khan (Karachi Kings) Another Karachi Kings batsman has made a place for himself in this list. Opener Sharjeel Khan has so far accumulated 200 runs in 5 matches for the team at an average of 40 and an aggressive strike-rate of over 170. The left-handed batsman had a decent start to the campaign after he notched up a ton in his second match against the United team. Sharjeel scored 105 and had a partnership of 176 runs for the first wicket with Babar Azam before the Pakistan captain departed for 62 off 54 in the beginning of the 19th over. Karachi, though looking to put up a huge total at one stage were eventually restricted to 196/3 by the United bowlers. The Islamabad side didn’t really have a great start to the chase as they lost a couple of early wickets during the course but a late surge from Iftikhar Ahmed and Hussain Talat helped them chase the target by 5 wickets and with five balls the spare. Sharjeel followed his hundred with a 27, 64 and 0 before the competition was suspended. Fakhar Zaman (Lahore Qalandars) Pakistan and Lahore Qalandars opener Fakhar Zaman take the fourth spot in the tally of batsmen with most number of runs in the PSL 2021 so far. In four matches that Zaman has played for Lahore, he has scored 189 runs at an average of 63 and a strike-rate of over 143 including a couple of fifties to his name. Fakhar Zaman’s highest individual score of 83 in PSL 2021 came against Karachi Kings in a winning cause. Chasing 187, Lahore suffered few early blows before Zaman and Ben Dunk joined hands and steadied the ship for his team with a 119-run stand for the fourth wicket. Dunk remained not out for 57 as Lahore chased down the target by 6 wickets in the final over eventually. Fakhar has been a consistent performer for Pakistan especially in the ODI format and also became the first batsman from the country to score a double-century. He struck 210* against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2018. The left-handed batsman has also scored 193 against South Africa in 2021 but in a losing cause. Sarfaraz Ahmed (Quetta Gladiators) Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is at number five spot in this list. He has so far scored 185 runs in 5 matches at an average of 37 and a strike rate of 146.82 including two half-centuries. The wicket-keeper batsman had been in some good form before the tournament was stopped. Sarfaraz’s highest individual score of 81 off 40 came against Peshawar Zalmi. Gladiators rode on the skipper’s knock to put 198/7 in 20 overs on the board but his efforts went in vain as Zalmi chased down the target by three wickets and three balls to spare. Sarfaraz has arguably been one of the most successful Pakistan captains apart from Imran Khan. He has lifted the U19 World Cup while leading his side to victory in ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 against India. But the right-hander faced a lot of criticism after his side didn’t have a good time during the 50-over World Cup in 2019 in England he was subsequently sacked from the captaincy. The PSL was earlier scheduled to resume on June 1 in Karachi with all the matches to be played at the same venue including the final. The title clash had to take place on June 20. But citing the Covid-19 conditions in the country, the PSL franchises requested the Pakistan Cricket Board to move the competition out. The final will now be played on June 24 in Abu Dhabi.
We have to carry a ‘match winner’ even if he isn't the fittest guy: Babar Azam on Sharjeel Khan
The Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has finally spoken upon the inclusion of tainted opening batsman Sharjeel Khan in the national T20I side fo the South Africa tour. The talk though is centred on the latter’s fitness instead of his match-fixing wrongdoings. Speaking on the rumours doing the rounds that it was Azam who wanted Sharjeel in the side specifically, the 26-year-old skipper said, “The rumours doing the rounds about team selection ... in my opinion, these matters of meetings are better left inside the meeting. When they are brought out, it's not good.” Saying that it is not a personal call to include a player but one taken on the basis of the team’s requirement, Azam added, "This is not my team, this is our team and it's my responsibility to take the team forward. I understand the goal of selection. The endeavour is to get the best players and I welcome all the new inclusions." Azam, who has captained Pakistan for the last 18 months, feels that ‘Sharjeel can't become a Shadab Khan suddenly’, but that does not mean that he can’t be a part of the side. Singing praises of Sharjeel’s blistering form at display in the recently concluded PSL, Babar said, “We have to carry him. I agree his fitness might not be there yet. But the way he is playing, his form, he can help us. I've played with him in Karachi Kings too. He's one of the best players, he can totally change the game. Yes, he is working on his fitness.” "I'll repeat that he's a match-winner and his fielding is not an issue. He's part of the team and if we back him, it will be beneficial for us," Babar added about the 31-year-old who has played 15 T20Is and 25 ODIs for Pakistan so far. Sharjeel scored 200 runs in five innings in the recently postponed PSL.
Shahnawaz Dahani, Sharjeel Khan named in Pakistan squad; Imad Wasim shockingly excluded
Sharjeel Khan, the tainted Pakistan batsman has been named in the Pakistan squad for the upcoming limited-overs tour of South Africa. The Pakistan Cricket Board named him to the T20I squad after a great showing in the last two Pakistan Super League finals. Sharjeel, 31, was banned for five-years in August 2017 by the Anti-Corruption Tribunal of the Pakistan Cricket Board for his involvement in spot-fixing during the 2017 PSL. Later on, after several appeals, half his sentence was suspended. Apart from Sharjeel, the selection committee has rewarded young fast bowlers Shahnawaz Dahani, Muhammad Wasim Jr. and Arshad Iqbal for showing great form during the PSL6. While Dahani is the T20 squads travelling to South Africa, Dahani is in the test squad and will only travel to Zimbabwe. Fakhar Zaman has made comeback in the ODI squad as an opener. The major exclusions include Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Hussain Talat and Iftikhar Ahmed. Experienced leg spinner Yasir Shah has been kept out of the squad due to injury. Shahab Khan would be the lead leg spinner in the white ball squad while Quetta Gladiators’ Zahid Mahmood has been named in the Test squad. While the white ball squad will leave for Johannesburg on March 26 on a chartered flight, the Test specialists will land in Zimbabwe on April 12. Pakistan squads: T20: Babar Azam (Capt), Sharjeel Khan, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Muhammad Hafeez, Danish Aziz, Faheem Ashraf, Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Wasim jr, Shadab Khan (VC), Muhammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Arshad Iqbal, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Muhammad Hasnain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir. ODI: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (Capt), Danish Aziz, Imam ul Haq, Saud Shakeel, Haider Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Wasim jr, Shadab Khan (VC), Muhammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Muhammad Hasnain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir. Test: Abid Ali, Abdullah Shafique, Imran Butt Babar Azam (Capt), Fawad Alam, Azhar Ali, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Rizwan (VC), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tabish Khan, Zahid Mahmood, Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali.
David Weise, Dunk and Zaman take Lahore home in a thriller against Karachi
It was a David Wiese show at the National Stadium Karachi as he hit six boundaries in nine balls to take Lahore Qalandars home in a thriller against Karachi Kings. Wiese arrived at the crease when 34 runs were needed off 16 balls and Dan Christian had removed a settled Fakhar Zaman. He took three balls and to hit just one four and just when fans thought that the chasing would get tougher for Qalandars, the South African got going, hitting his next six balls for 25 runs. Wiese was lucky no doubt. In the Mohammad Amir over, a miss-timed hook went over the keeper’s head for four while on the very next ball, a yorker got undercut by his bat to beat a wrong-footed Joe Clarke’ diving away to his left to go for another four. Surviving these two shots, he then hit Amir for six over mid-off and tilted the game in Qlanadars favour. Just when 10 runs were needed off the last over, Wiese was offered a length ball which he hit over’s the bowler’s head for a huge six, before hitting a four of the next ball to win the 11th game in a row for a team chasing in this year’s PSL. The Qalandars did not start the chase of 187 in the right manner with skipper Sohail Akhtar failing once again, getting run out even without facing a ball. Even Mohammad Hafeez, who had been an amazing form prior to this game also got out early today. Joe Denly was cleaned up by a classic inswinger by Mohammad Amir who was on fire in his first spell. It was then that Fakhar Zaman was joined by Ben Dunk, who had been a bad form before this game. The two then added 119 runs for the fifth wicket, taking the game close, which was finished by Weise. Earlier in the evening, Karachi, who were put to bat first did not have a good start as Shaheen Afridi cleaned up Pak skipper Babar Azam with a breathtaking inswinger. Sharjeel who was dropped by Akhtar at mid-on made good use of the chance and scored a 39 ball 64 with some brilliant shots including a Nataraja six off Ahmed Daniyal. From struggling at 37-3, Karachi made it to 113-4. Mohammad Nabi and Dan Christian also made useful contributions to take the total to 182 at the end of the 19th. In the last over, Shaheen Afridi gave away only three runs and picked up two wickets to end with match figures 3-27. He was awarded Man of the Match for this performance of his. This was Qalandar’s third win in four games at the National Stadium in Karachi and it pushed them to the second spot on the Points Table.
PSL 6: With revenge on their mind, bruised Qalandars face rejuvenated Kings
Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings, the teams that played the final in the last season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would be up against each other in the high octane Sunday clash at the National Stadium in Karachi. While Karachi defeated Lahore in their last meeting and won the PSL for the first time, the bruised Qalandars, from last year’s final defeat as well as from the bashing they got from Multan Sultans in their last game, would be looking to give it back to Karachi this time around. The Qalandars have drafted in Sandeep Lamichhane as the replacement for Rashid Khan and would look to employ the leg spinner to give them some mileage wit the ball. Non-performing captain and lack of spinning option: Lahore' top concerns The Lahore team has got an amazing bowling line-up especially with the kind of form Mohammad Hafeez is in. But the problem for Qalandars has been the lack of form from their skipper Sohail Akhtar who has not been able to get into the groove even in a single of the three games he has played so far. His scores of 14, 21 and 7 have made no contribution to Lahore’ plans and it is disturbing news for the team when the skipper is unable to contribute. The other problem that the Qalandars have faced since the departure of Afghan skipper Rashid Khan for his national duties, is the lack of spinning options. Although Samit Patel and Hafeez can both throw in 3-4 overs of orthodox spin, Hafeez has not been tried so far and Patel hasn’t returned the favours when he was tried. Thus the inclusion of Nepali import Lamichhane might just give Qlanadars the much-needed balance in the side. But along with that balance, they would want their skipper to fire as well. Karachi Kings hope Babar Azam continues on his newfound form Babar Azam the star player of the Kings finally found his original form back as he played a match-winning knock against Multan Sultans in the last game. Now that he is back in form, the Kings would want him to continue his form. With him coming back in form, and Sharjeel Khan announcing his arrival with a century in a game earlier than the last one, the Kings now have a great batting lineup that gives them an advantage over the Gladiators. Imad Wasim’ side would therefore be looking to score anything in excess of 190 runs on the board, even if they lose the toss. They have got the bowling to defend the total and might be the first team to defend a total in PSL 6. Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars: Match Details Match Number- 11 Day and Date: 28th Feb, 07: 30 pm IST, 07:00 pm Local, 02:00 pm GMT Venue- National Stadium, Karachi Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony SIX, Sony LIV Pitch Report A fresh pitch is expected for this game. In the last game at the stadium, the Peshawar Zalmi showed that wickets upfront can put pressure on the batting team and it need not necessarily be a high scoring game all the time. However, the wicket was still good for batting and it was the lack of application from the Islamabad side that led to their downfall more than any role of the wicket. Thus in this game too, a wicket with true bounce, pace and ball coming on to the bat is expected to make it a thrilling, high scoring T20 encounter that the National Stadium in Karachi is known for. Weather Update As it has been for the past 10 games, the weather at Karachi would be ideal for cricket with temperatures hovering between 25 and 20 degrees. The chill in the evening might give some assistance for the fast bowlers early on, but apart from that, with dew settling in later in the evening, skippers left with no option but to bowl first. Probable XI Karachi Kings Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Joe Clarke (wk), Colin Ingram, Daniel Christian, Mohammad Nabi, Imad Wasim (c), Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Amir, Waqas Maqsood, Arshad Iqbal Lahore Qalandars Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (c), Joe Denly, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk (wk), Samit Patel, David Wiese, Ahmed Daniyal, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Maaz Khan DreamXI / Fantasy XI picks Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam (vc), Mohammad Hafeez (c), Fakhar Zaman, Joe Clarke (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Imad Wasim, Arshad Iqbal, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi
Babar Azam punishes wayward Multan as Karachi continue ‘bat second win match’ streak in PSL 6
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam finally hit form after a long lull period science the end of Pakistan’s England tour, scoring a match-winning unbeaten 91 to take his side Karachi Kings past Multan Sultans. Chasing a tough target of 196, Babar faced early hiccups as he wasn’t able to time the ball properly. Both Babar and his partner were so much cramped for room in the first two overs, that they could only score seven runs from it, with Sohail khan’s out-swinging deliveries going past Babar’s bat quite often. However luck was by the side of the openers as in the third over, Sohail was taken for 18 runs, even without bowling one bad ball as edges flew past here and there giving momentum to the Karachi batsmen. Once they had the momentum, there was no looking back for Babar. Sharejeel though was caught by skipper Mohammad Rizwan off youngster Shahnawaz Dhani in the fifth over. But even after that Babar continued his march towards the total, ably supported by Kings’ foreign import Joe Clarke. The two added 97 for the third wicket, taking the Karachi total to 153 in just the 15th over, killing the game for the Sultans to even try and make a comeback. Colin Ingram the next man in for Kings didn’t have a great time at the crease as he was caught by Dhani off Sohail Khan for just six runs. The formalities were then completed by Babar and Afghan Mohammad Nabi, completing the second win for Karachi in three games. Babar Azam was awarded Man of the Match for his performance. The Karachi batsmen didn’t give any chance to the Multan fielders but the bowling from the Sultans was average, to say the least. When they had got the two openers in a grip at the start of the chase, Rizwan and the bowlers shouldn’t have let them go at any cost. In the middle overs too, experienced Shahid Afridi was very experience and so was Khushdil Shah the part-time left-arm spinner. Between them, they gave away 60 runs in five overs without even taking a single wicket. The pacers too were wayward in their approach, as they kept bowling wither too short or too full for Babar to exploit them. Usman’s Qadir approach towards googly was also deciphered well by the Kings and it resulted in a sad performance overall from the Sultans’ bowler. Earlier in the day, Sultans couldn’t capitalise on the start given by their top-order batsmen. Put in to bat after losing the toss, Rizwan and Chris Lynn started the innings confidently for Multan. The two of them added 53 for the opening stand in just 4.1 overs. Lynn fell down, still, the scoring rate continued to soar as Rizwan added another 70 runs with James Vince, taking the team total to 123 in just 11 overs. But as Rizwan and Vince fell in quick succession, the Sultans lost the plot and could manage to score only 72 runs in the last 50 balls. Arshad Iqbal was once again the pick of the bowlers for Kings, taking two wickets for 36 runs. With this win at the National Stadium in Karachi, the streak of ‘team winning the toss, batting second and winning the game’ has remained intact even after nine games into the tournament. While Karachi have now moved up to the top of the table with four points from three games. Multan though suffered their third defeat in four games and are at second last position in the table.