pakistan cricket

Brutal! Mark Wood’s mean, unplayable bouncer to Azam Khan leaves interet wowed. Watch | Cricket News

Danijones5 months ago02 mins

NEW DELHI: England speedster Mark Wood produced an absolute snorter to leave clueless Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan taking evasive action during the fourth T20I at the Oval on Thursday.Wood’s 88.4mph rocket stunned Azam along with the commentators and the fans as the dream ball from the paceman left the batter ducking for cover.The jaffa from Wood came in the 11th over of the Pakistan innings as it caught Azam totally by surprise. As Wood dug in a quick, mean bouncer, angled in from back of length, it rose sharply and hurried onto the batter. Azam, who was on zero, could do nothing and tried to get out of the way of the ball coming straight at his face. In doing so, Azam found himself all over the place as the ball kissed his glove and then looped off the shoulder straight to England ‘keeper Jos Buttler. The unplayable delivery from Wood sent Azam packing for a five-ball duck. In the match, after restricting Pakistan to 157 all out, England powered to the target with 27 balls remaining as Buttler & Co head into the defense of its T20 World Cup title on the back of a 2-0 series victory over Pakistan.

‘Best example of nepotism’: Pakistan’s Azam Khan brutally roasted after another flop show | Cricket News

Danijones5 months ago02 mins

NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s keeper-batter Azam Khan was in the line of fire on Thursday after his side succumbed to a crushing seven-wicket defeat in the fourth and final T20I against England at the Oval. Azam, who scored a five-ball duck and then dropped a couple of sitters behind the stumps drew flak on social media as his torrid run with both bat and gloves continued.The 25-year-old has had a string of low scores recently and has been poor behind the stumps as well and after his dull outing in Pakistan’s final T20I game before the T20 World Cup, questions over his selection and spot in the side were raised on social media. With the defeat, Pakistan lost the T20 series 2-0 as the first and third games in Leeds and Cardiff were washed out. England, on the other hand, now will head into the defense of its T20 World Cup title on the back of a series win over Pakistan. In the final game, after restricting Pakistan to 157 all out, England powered to its target with 27 balls remaining largely thanks to Phil Salt’s 45 and captain Jos Buttler’s 39 in their opening stand of 82 off 38 balls. The T20 World Cup staged jointly in the United States and the Caribbean starts Saturday, with England’s opening match against Scotland in Barbados on Tuesday and Pakistan playing for the first time on June 6 against the US.

England head into T20 World Cup title defense with 2-0 series win over Pakistan | Cricket News

Danijones5 months ago03 mins

NEW DELHI: Defending champions England blew away Pakistan by seven wickets at The Oval on Thursday in their final match before commencing their defense of the T20 World Cup title.Pakistan were restricted to a modest 157, largely due to the efforts of leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who claimed 2 for 27, earning him the player-of-the-match award.England’s chase got off to a blistering start with Phil Salt (45) and captain Jos Buttler (39) putting on a rapid 82-run opening partnership in just seven overs.The match concluded with Harry Brook hitting a six off paceman Haris Rauf, who was the standout bowler for Pakistan with figures of 3 for 38. England reached their target with more than three overs to spare.The victory secured a 2-0 win for England in the four-match T20 series after the games at Headingley and Cardiff were washed out.“We have worked hard in training and there is a good feeling around the squad,” Buttler told Sky Sports.“Guys are all stepping up and performing.”Buttler was leading England after his wife gave birth to the couple’s third child following his dashing 84 in the hosts’ 23-run win in the second T20 at Edgbaston.Earlier, Pakistan had made a promising start, reaching 59 for no loss after losing the toss in overcast conditions at The Oval.However, they experienced a collapse, slumping to 86 for 5. The slide began when captain Babar Azam was caught at slip for a well-made 36 off fast bowler Jofra Archer, while fellow England quick Mark Wood claimed two wickets with well-directed bouncers.“It would have been nice to get two more games in to expose a few guys to different situations,” Buttler added.“But we have really good experience in the group and a lot of guys have been playing in the IPL (Indian Premier League), so we are not short of cricket.”England will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Scotland in Barbados on June 4 while 2009 champions Pakistan will face co-hosts the United States in Dallas two days later.

Former Pak cricketer endorses Michael Vaughan’s comment of ‘IPL better than playing Pakistan’ | Cricket News

Danijones5 months ago05 mins

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has endorsed Michael Vaughan‘s controversial remark that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is preferable to playing against Pakistan given the team’s performance in the recent past.Vaughan’s statement stirred debate, with the ex-Pakistan player aligning with his sentiment. While Vaughan’s comment drew criticism for its insensitivity towards international cricket, it also reflects the IPL’s stature as a premier T20 league.Former England skipper Vaughan’s comment was made in relation to the ongoing T20I series between Pakistan and England.He suggested that the England Cricket Board (ECB) should have permitted its players to participate in the IPL rather than returning for the Pakistan series.Vaughan argued that playing in the IPL would have provided better preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup. This perspective underscores the growing significance of franchise-based leagues like the IPL in shaping players’ skills and readiness for international tournaments, sparking discussions about the balance between league commitments and national team duties. In a recent video on his YouTube channel ‘Catch And Bat with Kamran Akmal’, he echoed Vaughan’s sentiments, expressing agreement with the notion that Pakistan’s recent performances have been disappointing. He went on to describe the IPL as “tough and quality cricket,” emphasising the competitive nature of the tournament.Akmal’s endorsement of Vaughan’s viewpoint further underscores the acknowledgment within the cricketing community of the IPL’s prominence and the challenges it presents.“Over the past few days, I have wondered why a former England captain is commenting and taking Pakistan cricket non-seriously. It has been a painful thought, but I think he was correct in his assessment,” Akmal said.“Everybody knows the level of Pakistan cricket. We are losing against smaller teams like Ireland and in that sense Vaughan said that it is not a tough series. So the fault is ours. Had it been any other team like New Zealand, South Africa and India then Vaughan would not have said it.We need to understand that in IPL, the best bowlers and batters are participating with crowds of 40 to 50,000. So it is tough cricket and quality cricket,” Akmal explained. Michael Vaughan Ki Statement se Mein Agree Karta Hon | Kamran Akmal Akmal additionally suggested that Pakistan should leverage Vaughan’s comments as ‘motivation’ heading into the T20 World Cup.“The state of Pakistan cricket may be in need of a revamp, but this also presents an opportunity for growth. How do we respond to Vaughan’s critique? By showing our mettle in the upcoming T20 series against England. Let’s use this as a catalyst to regain our confidence and competitiveness, lest even teams like the USA start to see us as an easy target.”“The Pakistan cricket Chairman is to blame for all of this as he has completely ruffled the system. For now it remains to be seen if Pakistan team rises to the situation or keeps playing in the same zone as they have done till now,” he concluded.

Pakistan’s Haris Rauf says injury lay-off a ‘blessing in disguise’ | Cricket News

Danijones5 months ago04 mins

NEW DELHI: Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf is optimistic that his three-month absence from cricket due to a shoulder dislocation might turn out to be advantageous as he prepares for the upcoming T20 World Cup.In his comeback match, the second game of Pakistan’s preparatory series against England, the reigning T20 world champions, in Birmingham on Saturday, the 30-year-old pacer displayed a promising performance, claiming a couple of wickets.“I was injured the last few months but if you believe in yourself, then the layoff can be a blessing in disguise,” he told a pre-match press conference in Cardiff on Monday ahead of the third T20.“Because you have time to recover and reassess your game-plans. I felt good coming back to cricket. When you play for your country, it makes you very proud.”As for the mental and physical strain of returning from injury for a fast bowler, Rauf said: “It’s hard. It’s a struggle during your rehab, and it’s difficult when you come back to maintain that pace and accuracy. But if you believe in yourself, it makes things easier. When I wasn’t in the team and rehabbing, I had a lot of time to think about my game and work on myself.“Thankfully I’m back now, and the World Cup is coming up.”Rauf’s return at Edgbaston could not prevent Pakistan suffering a 23-run defeat by England as they fell 1-0 behind in the four-match series with two to play following a washed-out opener.But Rauf insisted Pakistan, the 2009 T20 world champions, remained in optimistic mood ahead of their opening match at this year’s global showpiece against co-hosts the United States in Dallas on June 6.“When you lose a game it hurts, but as a team, we are confident,” he said. “We feel we can beat any opposition on any day. We’ve done it in the past, too. When you make mistakes you learn and try not to repeat those mistakes. We’re looking to play better in the next few games and make a comeback.“The camp is relaxed. We’re enjoying ourselves. We’re trying to follow our game-plans and execute them well. The results haven’t often been in our favour recently but if you stick to your plans they can sometimes follow.” (With inputs from AFP)

Watch: Former Pakistan pacer Umar Gul breaks down revealing retirement reason he didn’t even tell his wife about | Cricket News

Danijones6 months ago02 mins

Pakistan‘s former fast bowler Umar Gul broke down while appearing on a TV show when the anchor asked him if there was any such instance in his life that tore him apart.“Yes, it has happened,” said the 41-year-old who played 47 Tests, 130 ODIs and 60 T20Is for Pakistan. He retired from all forms of cricket in October 2020. However, he said that besides being overlooked by the national selectors, there was another reason behind his decision to retire, which he never told even his wife about.WATCH VIDEO “First reason was that I did not get any contract and the second, (which) honestly I haven’t even told my wife about, was one of my friends,” said Gul as his eyes started welling up and voice choked. “We became friends in 2004. (Then) Covid first year (wave), two days before Eid, he was coming from Karachi and had an accident…When he was longer there, I felt I should take retirement,” said Gul, breaking into tears.Gul was a member of the Pakistan team that won the 2009 T20 World Cup. Gul, along with former Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, serves as the bowling coach of the Pakistan men’s team.

Pakistan propose three venues to ICC for 2025 Champions Trophy: Report | Cricket

Danijones6 months ago05 mins

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly proposed three venues that can host the 2025 Champions Trophy. The PCB sent the proposal with the finalised venues after the International Cricket Council (ICC), sent a team to conduct recces. Pakistan are the defending champions of the Champions Trophy(Getty Images) According to ESPNCricinfo, Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are the three cities named in the PCB’s proposal. The board has been racing against time to upgrade the venues with the Champions Trophy expected to be held in the mid-February window. The last edition of the tournament was held in 2017 where Pakistan stunned India in the final to win the title. This was initially thought to be the last edition of the tournament but the ICC brought it back in 2022 for the 2023-27 cycle with Pakistan being awarded the hosting rights for the 2025 edition. HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now! “We’ve sent the schedule for the matches in Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said at a press conference in Lahore. “The ICC’s security team came and we had a very good meeting. They looked at arrangements here and we’ll also share stadium upgrade plans with them. We’re continuously in touch with the ICC. We are trying to ensure we host a very good tournament in Pakistan.” Question over India’s participation The biggest question continues to be whether India would agree to send a team to Pakistan for the tournament. India had refused to send a team to Pakistan last year for the Asia Cup. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) eventually adopted a hybrid model for the event with all of India’s games and a vast majority of matches overall ending up being played in Sri Lanka. The two sides have met a number of times recently in multi-nation tournaments and this has led to calls from former cricketers for India and Pakistan to play a Test series on neutral soil. India captain Rohit Sharma recently said that he would love to face Pakistan in red ball cricket. “They are a good team, superb bowling line-up, good contest. Especially if you play in overseas conditions, that will be awesome,” said the 36-year-old. “I would love to. It would be a great contest between two sides… so why not?” Rohit had said in a podcast on Youtube. IPL 2024 ABOUT THE AUTHOR At HT Sports Desk, passionate reporters work round the clock to provide detailed updates from the world of sports. Expect nuanced match reports, previews,reviews, technical analysis based on statistics, the latest social media trends, expert opinions on cricket, football, tennis, badminton, hockey,motorsports, wrestling, boxing, shooting, athletics and much more. …view detail News / Cricket News / Pakistan propose three venues to ICC for 2025 Champions Trophy: Report