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Rizwan ‘most likely’ to replace Sarfaraz in Boxing Day Test

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5 months ago

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  • Tight battle between Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza expected.
  • Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique will continue to open.
  • Test will begin on December 26 in Melbourne. 

Pakistan’s Muhammed Rizwan is expected to replace Sarfaraz Ahmed as the wicketkeeper for the second Test against Australia among other crucial changes in the squad, Geo News reported Friday. 

The five-day Boxing Day Test will begin on December 26 (Tuesday) in Melbourne, a paradise for pacers.

The sources said multiple changes may be witnessed in the Pakistan playing XI in the next match, adding that there will be a tight battle between Hasan Ali and Mir Hamza to make a place in the squad after the exclusion of injured Khurram Shahzad.

There was no chance of Wasim Jr’s making inroads into the team for the Melbourne game, said the sources. Meanwhile, Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique will continue to open the innings, they added.

The sources said there was a bright chance of dropping all-rounder Faheem Ashraf and playing off-break bowler Sajid Khan.

Khurram Shahzad may take months to return

Meanwhile, Khurram Shahzad is feared to miss this entire cricket season because of an abdominal muscle tear and a stress fracture in his left 10th rib that he suffered during the Perth Test, The News reported Friday, citing the player’s medical reports.

According to the publication, he will be lucky if he can get well enough to be considered for selection for the T20 World Cup in June 2024.

Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that Shahzad will not play the ongoing Test series against Australia.

During the first Test, Shahzad reported feeling uneasy on his left side after which he was sent for an MRI scan after the match.

After speaking with an expert in Australia, the PCB will decide on a final player management protocol. He will then be sent to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore where he will continue his injury management and rehabilitation.

Back-to-back injuries in the Pakistan squad have created problems for the team management. Earlier, Abrar Ahmed was ruled out of the first Test against Australia due to a leg injury.

Captain Shan Masood’s side is already depleted in attack, with injured Naseem Shah sidelined and Haris Rauf having opted out of the series to play in Australia’s T20 Big Bash League.

Shahzad’s injury was another blow for Pakistan ahead of the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

Shahzad debuted in international Test with the December 14-17 Perth match against Australia. The 24-year-old took five wickets on debut in the 360-run loss to the Aussies.

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Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam get special jerseys from PCB chairman

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6 days ago

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After the victory over Ireland, Babar Azam surpassed Uganda’s Brian Masaba (44 victories) to become the most successful skipper in T20I history with 45 wins. Since taking over as captain in 2019, Azam has guided Pakistan in 78 games.

In the interim, Shaheen Afridi reached the noteworthy landmark of 300 wickets in international cricket. During the second Twenty20 International, Ireland skipper Paul Stirling became his 300th wicket.

The 24-year-old is also the fifth-youngest bowler to reach the mark.

Since making his international debut in 2018, he has played in 145 matches across all formats for Pakistan. In Test cricket, he claimed 113 wickets, while in ODI and T20I, he claimed 104 and 84 wickets respectively.

Interestingly, in the second Twenty20 International, Pakistan chose to bowl first, and in the fourth over, Afridi dismissed both of Ireland’s openers, bringing the score down to 34-2.

Nonetheless, Ireland reached 193 in their allotted 20 overs thanks to an outstanding 51 runs from 34 balls by Lorcan Tucker, which included five boundaries and two sixes. Gareth Delany also hit a rapid 28 off 10 balls.

Thanks to the half-centuries of Fakkhar Zaman and Muhammad Rizwan, Pakistan was able to successfully chase the 194-run mark with 19 balls remaining.

After early wickets from Babar Azam (0) and Saim Ayub (6), they put up a 140-run partnership in 78 balls to turn the tide of the match in Pakistan’s favour.

With an undefeated 75 off 46 balls that included six boundaries and four sixes, Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan, while Zaman was removed after making 78 runs off of 40 balls.

Another important contributor was Azam Khan, who scored an undefeated 30 off 10 with four sixes. In the seventeenth over, he blasted three sixes off Mark Adair to end the match in spectacular fashion.

Pakistan and Ireland will play their third and final Twenty20 International tomorrow, May 14.

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PCB will install floodlights for PSL matches at Quetta Stadium.

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2 weeks ago

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By installing floodlights by September, PCB will keep its word. Following stadium renovations, PSL matches would also be held in Quetta, according to Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

He stated at a press conference held at Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti Cricket Stadium that the possibility of holding Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Quetta was being considered.

In Gwadar and Quetta, he said, the PCB would do its part to promote cricket.
Quetta Stadium will soon have floodlights installed, as announced by the interior minister, which Chief Minister Bugti congratulated for the news.

The province has a wealth of skills, and installing floodlights will help promote sports and cricket in particular. He responded to a query by saying that chances will be given to the province’s youth at the federal level.

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The women’s team from Pakistan travels to England for a white-ball series.

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2 weeks ago

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The national squad left Karachi earlier today to play three Twenty20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals in the series.

Dr. Muhammad Faisal, Pakistan’s High Commissioner in England, greeted the women’s team and management.

The team will soon depart for Leicester to play a practice match on 9 May against the ECB Development XI. On May 11, in Birmingham, the first Twenty20 International will take place.

Notably, this will be Pakistan’s eighth and final series of the current event cycle. The ODIs in the series are a part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022–25.

Pakistan women squad for England tour

Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wk), Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar

Player support personnel: Nahida Khan (manager), Mauhtashim Rasheed (interim head coach), Saleem Jaffar (bowling coach), Taufeeq Umar (batting coach), Hanif Malik (fielding coach), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager), Rabia Siddiq (physiotherapist), Zubair Ahmed (analyst) and Hina Munawar (chief security officer)

Tour Schedule

9 May – T20 warm-up game v ECB Development XI, Uptonsteel County Ground (11.00 am local time)

11 May – 1st T20I, Birmingham (2.30 pm local time)

17 May – 2nd T20I, Northampton (6.30 pm local time)

19 May – 3rd T20I, Leeds (1.00 pm local time)

21 May – One-Day warm-up game v ECB Development XI, Northampton (11.00 am local time)

23 May – 1st ODI, Derby (1.00 pm local time) (ICC Women’s Championship)

26 May – 2nd ODI, Taunton (11.00 am local time) (ICC Women’s Championship)

29 May – 3rd ODI, Chelmsford (1.00 pm local time) (ICC Women’s Championship)

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