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Where do Pakistan stand as World Cup gets closer?

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The Pakistan cricket team under the leadership of skipper Babar Azam failed to impress during the Asia Cup 2023 — the first substantial test of the Green Shirts in the One Day Internationals (ODIs).

Obvious flaws were seen from the very first game of the tournament, especially in batting and fielding but no improvements were made.

Pakistan’s top-order Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq and Azam could not perform in accordance with expectations in the Asian event, which has raised serious concerns among the cricketing circles.

Here are the stats of them in the Asia Cup 2023:

PlayerRunsInnings /Average
Fakhar Zaman654 / @ 16.25
Imam ul Haq923 / @ 30.66
Babar Azam2074 / @51.75

It has to be mentioned that out of the 207 runs Azam scored, 151 came against Nepal while against the rest of the three teams (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India) he only managed to score a total of 56 runs.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Shafique only got a chance to bat in one match, which was a must-win encounter against Sri Lanka but the 24-year-old delivered, playing a classy knock which included his maiden ODI half-century and making his case for the World Cup 2023 much stronger.

Another positive from Pakistan’s batting was the consistent display from Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed.

The wicketkeeper batter scored 195 runs in four innings at an impressive average of 97.50 which included a match-winning half-century against Bangladesh in the first Super Four encounter and another crucial knock of 86 runs against Sri Lanka in a must-win match.

Iftikhar also impressed with the bat, scoring 179 runs in three innings. His 47 off 40 against the Islanders were crucial as he helped the Green Shirts survive after an early collapse.

All in all, Pakistan would need to assess their options to fix their batting lineup. With Abdullah delivering and Saud Shakeel — who plays spin well — still yet to be tested, the Green Shirts, to an extent, can bring stability to their struggling batting.

Another big concern for the Pakistani team is the subpar performance of all-rounders, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf.

Shadab is the vice-captain of the team and the 24-year-old failed to step up big time when Pakistan required him the most.

In the Asian event, Shadab batted in three innings and he scored a total of 13 runs at an average of 4.33. Meanwhile, with the ball, he bowled 250 balls and conceded 245 runs while taking six wickets.

Out of his six wickets, four came against Nepal, who were the Asia Cup debutants.

Other than Shadab, Faheem batted in one inning scoring four runs. While he bowled in two innings, bowling a total of 102 balls and conceding 101 runs with only two wickets to his name.

Nawaz is another name that underperformed in spinning conditions. He batted in one inning and scored 12 runs. Meanwhile, with the ball, the left-armer bowled 102 balls and conceded 94 runs but failed to give Pakistan a breakthrough as he only bagged one wicket.

The stats are quite worrying, and with players like Usama Mir sitting on the bench and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 less than 20 days ahead, the Green Shirts need to analyse their options and fix their starting XI.

However, amid the chaos, Pakistan managed to justify the “Land of Pacers” tag as the pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah picked 26 wickets in the Asia Cup.

Shaheen, who is considered arguably the most dangerous bowler with the new ball, picked ten wickets in five innings. Haris bagged nine while Naseem got seven to his name.

Although, another big blow that must have left the already-shattered Pakistani team devastated was ESPNcricinfo’s news stating that pacer Naseem Shah is likely to miss the entire World Cup following a shoulder injury.

Pakistan have many pacers who can possibly cover for the 20-year-old with Zaman Khan and Shahnawaz Dahani leading the charts.

Pakistan are likely to announce their squad for the mega event soon and it would be interesting to see who makes the cut. 

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Champions Trophy 2025 will remain in Pakistan, the CEO of the ICC has said.

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Dismissing any rumors that the Champions Trophy 2025 will be moved to a different nation, International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Geoff Allardice has stated that the tournament will take place in Pakistan as planned.

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is slated to take place in Pakistan in February and March. Nevertheless, India’s participation in the competition is up in the air since the BCCI is still awaiting government sanction to travel there.

Recall that there were rumors in Indian media, backed by the BCCI, that the Indian team would not be traveling to Pakistan for the forthcoming ICC match.

Additional reports stated that the board had formally suggested Sri Lanka and Dubai as possible locations for India’s match.

According to Geoff Allardice, who denied the reports, no team has expressed reluctance to play in the competition.

Allardice voiced her appreciation over Pakistan’s hosting of the Women’s T20 World Cup during a press conference in Dubai. He went on to emphasize that Pakistan is the ICC’s choice to host the Champions Trophy.

Remarkably, Pakistan is preparing three stadiums for the Champions Trophy in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.

The PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has revealed that the stadium modifications will be finished prior to the start of the Champions Trophy.

Gaddafi Stadium’s basement will be built by September 30. It will take three weeks to finish each floor. A steel framework would make up the front building. By December 31, the primary structure of Gaddafi Stadium will be finished, according to Naqvi.

“The seats will be erected in the stadium prior to the Champions Trophy; Indi Stadium will need to be fully destroyed and rebuilt.

“The Champions Trophy will take place before the renovations at Karachi’s [National Stadium] are finished,” he said.

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In the possible return of the Afro-Asian Cup, players from Pakistan and India might go together.

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Pakistan and India were among the best sub-continent nations that competed in the Afro-Asia Cup, which was contested in 2005 and 2007. The Africa XI was comprised of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. The Asia XI was comprised of two teams.

Due to problems with broadcasting and political hurdles, the event was canceled after only two editions, despite the fact that it received a great deal of attention and appreciation from cricket lovers all over the world.

The negotiations regarding the resuscitation of the Afro-Asia Cup sprang to life a few days after Jay Shah was appointed to the position of Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC!).

The competition was played in the format of a Twenty20 match, but the next edition of the tournament might be played in the format of a Twenty20 match.

Samod Damodar, the chairman of the African Cricket Association (ACA), presented conjecture over the possibility that the idea will actually be adopted. In addition, he provided an update on the situation.

The fact that the Afro-Asia Cup did not take place is something that has left me feeling extremely upset. Despite the fact that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) did not receive sufficient momentum, it is currently being reconsidered. To a large extent, I believe that it was a lack of comprehension and a refusal to support the idea. It is something that our members deeply lament. It was necessary for Africa to be the driving force behind it,” Damodar was quoted as saying in a story published by Forbes.

With the belief that the Afro-Asia Cup has the potential to alleviate political tensions, Damodar has great hopes for the competition.

It is possible that these matches will break down political boundaries that are currently in place. Instead than driving a wedge between people, cricket can help establish bridges between them. In my opinion, I do not feel that players are hostile toward one another; therefore, I am confident that they would be willing to participate in this activity. The fact that Mahinda is now a member of the International Cricket Council board and Jay Shah is the current president of the ICC may give this cause a little bit more traction. When it comes to making this happen, both of them have always been proactive in their efforts,” he went on to say.

Claims concerning the restoration of the Afro-Asia Cup also emerged in June 2022, claiming that the competition would make its return in the middle of 2023. For those who are unaware, these claims suggested that the tournament would return.

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Champions Trophy: Pakistan will be visited by an ICC delegation next week

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Pakistan, who are also the reigning champions, will host the 50-over competition in February and March of next year.

The heads and representatives of various ICC departments are part of the visiting delegation.

Along with these topics, the inspection team will talk about the tournament’s schedule, practice matches, locations, and ticketing.

The group will receive an update on the global premium tournament’s upgraded venues from PCB executives.

Within two days, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will receive the schedule from the ICC, according to sources.

During its inspection, the ICC will visit all three of the tournament’s locations in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi and examine the arrangements for the next events.

The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, National Stadium in Karachi, and Rawalpindi International Cricket Stadium are the three sites that will stage the enormous show. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) allotted Rs 12.80 billion earlier this year for their renovations.

In the upcoming year, the ICC Champions Trophy will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and the National Stadium in Karachi, from February 19 to March 9.

The countries that make up Group B are Australia, England, Afghanistan, South Africa, and Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh.

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