Category: Sports

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Pakistan will take on India in a high-voltage clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium this Sunday, with the Virat Kohli-led side seeking to keep the unbeaten World Cup record going.

Pakistan have always failed to beat India in World Cups and cricket fans from both countries will be watching the T20 match keenly, as it is set to be the “final before the final”, as said by legendary batsman Inzimam-ul-haq.

The first encounter

Pakistan and India first met at the T20 World Cup on September 14, 2007, in Durban, South Africa, where the Men In Blue had batted first and set a target of 141 runs. Pakistan had chased the score, which led to a ball-out. In that contest, India were able to take all three wickets, while Pakistan took none.

Winner: India
The second encounter
Ten days after their first match, both teams met at the T20 World Cup in Johannesburg on September 24, where the Men In Blue, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni beat Pakistan by five runs in a nail-biting match to clinch the title.

Winner: India
The third encounter
The two sides clashed for the third time in Colombo on September 30, 2012, where India trounced Pakistan by eight wickets and chased down a 129-run target. During the match, Virat Kohli bowled three overs and picked up the wicket of “The Professor” Mohammed Hafeez.

Winner: India
The fourth encounter
In their fourth T20 World Cup match, played on March 21, 2014, in Dhaka, Pakistan batted first and scored a small 130-run target, which India won by seven wickets with nine balls in hand.

Winner: India
The fifth encounter
In their last match on March 19, 2016, Pakistan failed to put up a defendable total as they scored a scanty 118 runs in Kolkata. Mohammad Amir troubled Indian batsmen by picking up wickets, but the Men In Blue managed to come out on the top in the end and beat Pakistan by six wickets.

Winner: India
Pakistan and India are placed in Group 2 of the Super 12s of the T20 World Cup, which kicked off on October 17 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. It is set to conclude on November 14.

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

After completing her mandatory quarantine period in Dubai, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza has joined her husband Shoaib Malik with their son Izhaan in the Shaheens’ bio-secure bubble in the UAE.

According to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) protocol, the families of cricketers are allowed to stay with them in the bio-secure bubble.

The families of cricketers Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Hafeez and Hasan Ali, coach Saqlain Mushtaq and Usman Qadir are staying with them in the bio-secure bubble.

The Pakistan team management had decided to include senior and experienced cricketers in the playing XI for much of the T20 World Cup, including the blockbuster India clash scheduled to take place on October 24.

“Pakistan has decided to go with a combination of senior and experienced cricketers in the clash against India”.

Moreover, coach Saqlain Mushtaq’s family is also with him in the bio-secure bubble.  Pakistan will face arch-rivals India in their first match in the T20 World Cup on October 24, in Dubai. 

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Former captains Fazal Mahmood and Abdul Qadir have been inducted into the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Hall of Fame posthumously.

According to a statement issued by PCB on Saturday, the two stalwarts have joined Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Zaheer Abbas, who were the initial inductees to the PCB Hall of Fame by virtue of being part of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Hall of Fame.

Mahmood and Qadir were inducted following a “transparent voting process”, according to the PCB.

The PCB cricket committee — which includes Saleem Yousuf (chair), Ali Naqvi, Umar Gul, Urooj Mumtaz and Wasim Akram — was involved in finalising the short-list comprising players who were retired from international cricket for at least five years, the statement added.

Subsequently, a 13-person independent voting panel — comprising three ICC Cricket Hall of Famers, four former Pakistan captains and six respected members of the print and electronic media — was constituted to take part in the voting process, which was overseen by an internal auditor who also confirmed the results in favour of the inductees.

The formal inductions of all the eight PCB Hall of Famers will take place during the ongoing season.

Reacting to the development, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said: “It is befitting that Fazal Mahmood and Abdul Qadir, legends from two different eras, be voted by their peers and admirers into the PCB Hall of Fame for 2021.”

“This is a testament to their enormous popularity and is also a recognition of their services to this great game,” he added.

“Mahmood’s heroics in the early days introduced Pakistan cricket to the world as a force to be reckoned with and later inspired the next generations of fast bowlers,” he said, adding that the wily, crafty and magical Abdul Qadir revived and reignited the slowly vanishing art of wrist-spin bowling.

“Fazal Mahmood and Abdul Qadir are all-time greats and truly outstanding ambassadors for Pakistan and global cricket. This is just a small token of our appreciation and gratitude towards their contributions.”

Fazal Mahmood

Fazal Mahmood, considered the first superstar of Pakistan cricket, was born on February 18, 1927 in Lahore and took 139 wickets in 34 Tests from 1952 to 1962, including five wickets in an innings 13 times and 10 wickets or more in a match four times. However, his first-class career had commenced eight years earlier when he represented Northern India in the Ranji Trophy. By the time he hung his boots after the 1963-64 season, he had grabbed 466 wickets in 112 matches.

Abdul Qadir

Abdul Qadir, boasting a bouncy, enthusiastic run-up with a left elbow high and flicking the ball from hand to hand, took 236 wickets (five wickets in an innings 15 times and 10 wickets in a match five-time) and scored 1,029 runs in 67 Tests from 1977 to 1990. He also demonstrated that leg-spin could be highly effective in one-day cricket by claiming 132 wickets and scoring 641 runs in 104 ODIs from 1983 to 1993. In 209 first-class matches from 1975-76 to 1995-96, he captured 960 wickets and scored 3,740 runs, including two centuries.

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Lahore (NUT-DES)

The Pakistani T20 World Cup squad, led by skipper Babar Azam left for Dubai on Friday for the much-anticipated cricket event.

The Shaheens, as the national cricket squad is properly known, flew from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport for the UAE in a chartered plane today.

The men in green will have to stay in quarantine for a day in the UAE.

Pakistan is scheduled to play two warm-up matches against the West Indies and South Africa on October 18 and 20, respectively.

The Pakistani team, along with their family members and support staff were taken to the airport under high security.

Millions of fans will be eager to witness Pakistan begin their bid for the trophy with a high-octane clash against arch rival India on October 24 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The two neighbours will come face-to-face for the first time since their 2019, 50-over World Cup fixture at Manchester, and this will be the sixth time they will compete in the global T20 tournament.

Two days later, Pakistan, the champions of the 2009 edition, will play Kane Williamson’s New Zealand at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium, before returning to Dubai to play Afghanistan for the first time in a T20 World Cup, on October 29.

In their last two matches of the Super 12 stage, which will feature the top eight T20 teams and four teams who secure qualification from Round 1, Pakistan, who have played the most matches (36) in the UAE for an international side and have won 21 of them, will play the runner-up of Group A and winners of Group B on November 2 and 7, at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Stadium, respectively.

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will soon reveal the kit of the national squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the board announced on Wednesday via a tweet. Have a look below.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has changed the team’s training schedule, cancelling today’s scenario match scheduled at the LCCA ground, the board said in a statement Thursday.

The players will now do a two-hour net session at the Gaddafi Stadium later today as part of their preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The PCB did not share further details about the change of plan in the schedule.

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises have accepted Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s new financial model which was presented to them during last month’s Governing Council meeting on October 27.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Pakistan’s experienced all-rounder Shoaib Malik on Thursday became the first Asian cricketer to complete 11,000 runs in T20 cricket.

Malik, 39, reached this milestone while playing for Central Punjab against Southern Punjab in the National T20 match at Lahore’s Gadaffi stadium.

Malik achieved the feat during his 411th T20 inning and he is one of only four players with experience of over 400 professional T20 matches.

The 39-year-old is one of the only two active cricketers who made international debuts in the 1990s, and are still available for selection to their respective countries — the other one is Chris Gayle of West Indies.

The Pakistani all-rounder is overall the third to reach the mark. He is also the first “non-Caribbean” cricketer to achieve this feat as two others to score 11,000 T20 runs — Chris Gayle, 14,276 runs, and Keiron Pollard, 11,223 runs — are from West Indies.

With 67 scores of 50s+, Malik is also Pakistan’s leading player in the list of players with the most numbers of scores over 50 (including centuries). He is followed by Babar Azam with 65 such scores in the list.

 

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

England and Wales Cricket Board Chairman Ian Watmore has resigned after increasing pressure since the cancellation of England’s tour to Pakistan.

The 63-year-old is leaving after consultations with the board of directors this week, The Times reported.

Watmore served as the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board for only 10 months, despite having been appointed for a five-year term.

His resignation will go into effect immediately, the British publication said.

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