Sports

Where do Pakistan stand as World Cup gets closer?

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

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:

Player	Runs	Innings /Average
Fakhar Zaman	65	4 / @ 16.25
Imam ul Haq	92	3 / @ 30.66
Babar Azam	207	4 / @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.

Latest News

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

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

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.

Latest News

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

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

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.

Latest News

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

Published

4 days ago

Farwa

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.