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Shahid Afridi calls on Babar Azam to move down the order

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Pakistan skipper Babar Azam should stand aside and give Mohammad Haris his opener slot to boost their top-order firepower in Wednesday’s T20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, former captain Shahid Afridi said.

Pakistan, the 2009 champions, looked set to exit the competition until the Netherlands pulled off a major upset by beating South Africa on Sunday.

Mohammad Rizwan and Babar went into the tournament ranked as the top two T20 batters but neither has managed a fifty in the tournament so far. Rizwan has scored at a run-a-ball rate while Babar, Pakistan’s premier batsman, has a strike rate of 61.90.

Both will have to up their game against last year’s runners-up New Zealand in the first semi-final in Sydney. India play England in the second semi in Adelaide on Thursday.

“Babar Azam needs to listen to suggestions,” former all-rounder Afridi told a private TV channel.

“We need to use Mohammad Haris with fielding restrictions. Babar Azam should drop to number three.”

Afridi said Pakistan’s top order should play with more intent and be as aggressive as middle-order batters Iftikhar Ahmed and Shan Masood.

“You look at Iftikhar or Shan Masood and you can see their intention in their body language, that they are looking to hit the ball. We need that kind of intention, that kind of cricket.

“What’s the point of scoring a run-a-ball 30 or 35 if you can’t finish the game having used up that many deliveries?” the 42-year-old added. 

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PCB will install floodlights for PSL matches at Quetta Stadium.

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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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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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Pakistan releases their England against Ireland team, and Hasan Ali is back.

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The men in green will play a three-match series against Ireland before taking on England in a four-match series.

The 18-player roster now includes Salman Ali Agha, Hasan Ali, and Haris Rauf, who were all reinstated by the national selection committee.

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Zaman Khan and Usama Mir, meanwhile, were left off the final roster.

Continue reading: Ramiz Raja selects Pakistan’s starting combination for the 2024 T20 World Cup

After the first Twenty20 International at Leeds on May 22, the team will be whittled down to 15 players for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 next month in order to meet the ICC’s deadline of May 24.

Pakistan squad for Ireland and England series:

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Irfan Khan Niazi, Iftikhar Ahmad, Usman Khan, Azam Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abbas Afridi,  Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Salman Ali Agha.

Ireland vs Pakistan T20I series:

10 May: First T20I in Dublin (7pm PST)

12 May: Second T20I in Dublin (7pm PST)

14 May: Third T20I in Dublin (7pm PST)

England vs Pakistan T20I series:

May 22: First T20I in Leeds (10:30pm PST)

May 25: Second T20I in Birmingham (6:30pm PST)

May 28: Third T20I in Cardiff (10:30pm PST)

May 30: Fourth T20I at The Oval, London (10:30pm PST)

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