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Asia Cup 2022: Sweltering heat welcomes Pakistan squad in Dubai

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2 years ago

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Extremely hot weather welcomed the Pakistan squad in Dubai for the T20 Asia Cup 2022, where they are set to face arch-rivals India on August 28.

The event is scheduled to kick off on August 27 with a match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, followed by a nail-biter between Pakistan and India.

An official escorting the team said the cricketers are facing extreme heat in Dubai after enjoying extremely pleasant weather in Holland.

“The weather is around 41 and 42 degrees during the day. The extreme weather is making it almost impossible for the players to have any practice early morning. Following a day’s rest, cricketers went through their paces late Wednesday evening at Dubai Academy Ground. During the evening time the temperature also stays high and the training in the nets is not all that easy,” the official said, The News reported.

Pakistan support staff is taking special measures to keep the players hydrated even during the practice session.

“Though cricketers are professionals and supposed to give their best in every condition but it will not be an easy task here. However, weather conditions are same for every team and every player,” he said.

Pakistan players, however, gave their best during the practice session that saw them training for almost three hours.

“The training session on Thursday will begin at 4pm where the main stress will be on power hitting.”

Meanwhile, Mohammad Hasnain who was seen representing Oval Invincibles in ‘The Hundred’ Tuesday at The Oval (London) has joined the team. Hasnain was seen bowling with real pace for Invincibles the other day. “He will be training along with other cricketers on Thursday.” 

The four T20 specialists Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed and Usman Qadir have also joined the team in Dubai and were seen busy training in the nets.

On the sidelines of the training session, Pakistan and Afghanistan players were seen busy exchanging views and discussing general cricket related activities. Fakhar Zaman also presented his bat to Afghanistan all around Rashid Khan. Injured Shaheen Afridi also joined the conversation and was seen exchanging friendly jokes with Afghanistan players.

Meanwhile, Umer Rashid, one of the highly-rated bowling coaches at the National High Performance Centre, has been added to the Pakistan men’s side as assistant to the fast bowling coach for the Asia Cup.

Umer has worked in the development of all the national side fast bowlers since their early days, including helping Mohammad Hasnain to return to competitive cricket. In the new role with the national side, Umer will support Pakistan fast bowling coach Shaun Tait in the United Arab Emirates.

Umer has been included in the player support personnel list on the recommendation of head coach Saqlain Mushtaq.

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Sumair Ahmad is named the 2025 Champions Trophy Director by PCB.

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3 days ago

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PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi commented on the appointment, saying, “Sumair is a highly organized professional with a wealth of administrative expertise.” He will undoubtedly give players, officials, and fans alike an amazing ICC Champions Trophy 2025, especially when combined with his unshakable love for cricket.

He continued, “The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 promises to showcase Pakistan’s ability to host world-class cricketing events, welcoming players and fans from around the globe to experience the country’s renowned hospitality and passion for the game.”

The BCCI informed the ICC earlier this month that it will not be sending a side to the event, which is set for 2025 in Pakistan during the February–March season.

After the PCB asked for clarity in its letter regarding the BCCI’s unwillingness to tour Pakistan, the ICC requested India’s justifications for not inviting Pakistan to compete for the Champions Trophy.

The broadcasters, meanwhile, reportedly pushed the ICC to make the Champions Trophy 2025 schedule available right away.

Due to the Indian government’s refusal to send a delegation to Pakistan for the event, the schedule that was supposed to be issued on November 12 was postponed.

The broadcasting rights, which were given to broadcasters for a record $3 billion until 2027, are heavily dependent on the success of the main events, especially those involving India and Pakistan, which regularly attract the largest audiences.

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India withdraws from the World Cup of Blind T20 Cricket in Pakistan

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4 days ago

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Adding to the issue surrounding the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Indian government refused to allow their squad to travel to Pakistan for the Blind Cricket T20 World Cup, which is set to start in Lahore on November 23.

According to Indian media, India, the reigning champion, would not go to Pakistan to play in the Blind T20 World Cup 2024 since the government has not given its approval.

Lahore and Multan are set to host the Blind T20 World Cup 2024 from November 23 to December 3.

The general secretary of the Indian Blind Cricket Association (IBCA), Sailendra Yadav, recently discussed the upsetting news about the blind cricket team’s upcoming trip to Pakistan in an interview with India Today.

The team was given a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Sports Ministry, but the Ministry of External Affairs finally refused to allow them to enter the border, Yadav revealed.

Yadav stated, “We have been waiting for the government to give us permission to travel to Pakistan for the past 25 days.”

“We will not be receiving any authorization to travel to Pakistan, and we can cancel your tournament,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed us over the phone.

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Aaqib Javed designated as interim head coach for white-ball formats of Pakistan

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5 days ago

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On Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the hiring of former fast bowler Aaqib Javed as the interim head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team till the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Throughout this period, Aaqib will maintain his role as a senior member of the men’s National Selection Committee and will be allocated more responsibilities upon the completion of the eight-team tournament.

The PCB will commence the recruitment process for a permanent white-ball head coach, with the objective of finalising the appointment before the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy, which is set to take place from 19 February to 9 March.

The white-ball coaching position became available with Gary Kirsten’s departure last month, prior to the current tour of Australia.

In Kirsten’s absence, red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie led the team during the tour of Australia and will now return for the forthcoming two-Test series in South Africa.

The Pakistan men’s team is set to compete in three ODIs and three T20Is in Zimbabwe from November 24 to December 5, followed by an equal number of white-ball matches in South Africa from December 10 to 22.

Prior to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan will host New Zealand and South Africa for an ODI triangular series from February 8 to 14.

Aaqib Javed had considerable coaching expertise, having formerly held the position of Pakistan’s bowling coach during their triumphant ICC T20 World Cup campaign in 2009. Earlier this year, he served as the bowling coach for the Sri Lanka men’s squad.

Before that, he managed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in achieving ODI status and qualifying for the ICC World Cup 2015 in Australia during his term as head coach.

Additionally, the right-arm fast bowler served as the coach of Pakistan’s Under-19 squad during their victory in the U19 World Cup in 2004.

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