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Asia Cup 2022: Sweltering heat welcomes Pakistan squad in Dubai

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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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The team’s failure to capitalize against India is acknowledged by Mohammad Rizwan.

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After losing to India in Sunday’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match, Pakistan captain Muhammad Rizwan acknowledged that his team did not take advantage of winning the toss.

According to Rizwan, India’s bowlers controlled the middle overs, limiting Pakistan to 240 runs after they had set a goal of 280.

“When Saud Shakeel and I were batting, our plan was to take the game deep, but our shot selection was poor, which cost us wickets at crucial moments,” Rizwan said. He admitted that India’s bowling attack limited Pakistan’s ability to reach a competitive score.

Rizwan also praised the efforts of India’s hitters, especially Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, who stole the match from Pakistan with their outstanding batting. Rizwan said, “In ODI cricket, you have to perform in all three aspects,” highlighting his team’s general inability to win the match.

The skipper of Pakistan also emphasized the necessity to strengthen their fielding by highlighting persistent errors. “We have been consistently making the same errors, particularly when fielding. Going forward, we must work on these,” he continued.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, commended his team’s teamwork in the victory and gave bowlers Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja credit for holding Pakistan to a low score.

“Our bowlers performed admirably in keeping Pakistan’s score down. Things were difficult because of Saud Shakeel and Rizwan’s alliance, but we followed our plan,” Sharma stated.

“Virat batted brilliantly today, but none of us in the dressing room are surprised by his performance,” Sharma said in reference to Virat Kohli’s game-winning innings.

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Shaheen Shah Afridi acknowledges difficulties during the death overs.

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Following Pakistan’s triumph over South Africa in the tri-nation series, Shaheen Shah Afridi acknowledged the issue of death bowling.

In response to the injury concern, the left-arm pacer stated, “My finger is fine; I underwent an X-ray.” Some swelling persists, but I anticipate improvement shortly. These matches are essential for preparation for the Champions Trophy 2025.

Commenting on his interaction with a South African batsman, Shaheen stated, “For the first time, he remained silent.” I was the one instigating him to lose his wicket.

Prioritizing collective effort over personal achievements, Shaheen stated, “This is not about Babar or Shaheen—it is about Pakistan.” “The presence of negativity will hinder progress in any context.”

During Wednesday’s match, tensions escalated when Shaheen Shah Afridi confronted Matthew Breetzke, necessitating intervention from the on-field umpire and other players to separate them.

During a crucial tri-series encounter at Karachi’s National Stadium, South African batsman Matthew Breetzke and Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi engaged in a contentious confrontation. Matthew Breetzke and Shaheen Shah Afridi were engaged in a confrontational exchange in a video that gained widespread attention on social media.

Matthew Breetzke, who scored a century in the previous match against New Zealand in Lahore, edged a delivery to the onside in the 28th over of the innings. Shaheen Afridi appeared displeased when the 26-year-old nearly collided with the left-arm fast bowler while dashing between the wickets to converse with Breetzke.

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The Champions Trophy and Tri-Nation series traffic strategy for Karachi has been released.

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While alternate routes and designated parking spots have been set up to ensure seamless traffic flow, the traffic police say Sir Shah Suleman Road would remain open for regular traffic on match days.

Travellers from Karsaz can park their cars beneath the flyover at the China Ground and National Coaching Centre.

Parking for those travelling from Millennium will also be available at China Ground and the National Coaching Centre.

The same parking lots are open to New Town visitors.

To prevent any disruption, Karachi Police have stressed that cars should only be parked in approved spots. For a hassle-free commute on match days, commuters are encouraged to plan their routes appropriately and heed traffic police instructions.

Traffic Diversions: To alleviate congestion on match days, heavy traffic will be rerouted from Sohrab Goth to Nipa and Liaquatabad No. 10 to Hassan Square. There will also be a rerouting of heavy vehicles from People’s Chowrangi via University Road.

Heavy Traffic Restricted Roads: The following roads will not be open to heavy traffic:

Millennium to New Town Stadium Signal to Hassan Square Karsaz to Stadium

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