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Would’ve played with match-winning mindest if my wicket hadn’t fell: Babar Azam

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  • Babar Azam plays captain’s knock of 196 runs to draw Karachi Test.
  • “Credit to Abdullah Shafiq for the way he played,” Babar says.
  • Babar says Pakistan to learn from mistakes ahead of Lahore Test.

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has revealed that Pakistan would have gone with the mindset of chasing the mammoth target against Australia if they had not lost his wicket a post-tea.

Pakistan managed to draw the 2nd Test against Australia after surviving 171.4 overs — the most by a team to draw a five-day-Test as they scored 443-7 at the close of play chasing the target of 506.

Pakistan were earlier bowled out for 148 in the first innings and were 21 for 2 in the second innings but Babar Azam played a match-saving inning of 196 following his patient partnerships with Abdullah Shafiq and Mohammad Rizwan.

They needed 196 runs from 36 overs in the last session of play with six wickets in hands and, at that moment, there was a sight of intent before Babar lost his wicket, which was followed by wickets of Faheem Ashraf and Sajid Khan.

That moment panicked many — but Babar was unfazed.

“I didn’t panic despite our team losing back-to-back wickets because I was confident that the tail-enders are capable enough of saving this match,” Babar said after the historic draw in Karachi.

“We wanted to play normally till tea and then see the situation post-tea. I think if I had not lost my wicket, we would’ve opted for the mindset to chase the target,” he said.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam speaks to journalists after the second Pakistan-Australia Test match in Karachi, on March 16, 2022. — Photo by author
Pakistan captain Babar Azam speaks to journalists after the second Pakistan-Australia Test match in Karachi, on March 16, 2022. — Photo by author

Babar said that after a dismal show in the first innings, he tried to motivate his team and told them that what’s done is done and Pakistan can still save this match.

He said that he was focused on imparting a sense of self-belief among the players ahead of the second innings.

“Credit to Abdullah Shafiq for the way he played. He showed amazing patience and played a very important knock today which helped the team, and then towards the end, Muhammad Rizwan played a brilliant knock,” Babar said.

“I am happy to play the knock that I played, as this knock holds very value for me because the team needed it and it helped Pakistan save the Test match,” the Pakistani captain said.

He said that the pitch offered the same reverse and spin to both the bowlers, there was not much swing even in the first innings but Pakistan lost wickets to soft dismissals and by committing mistakes.

He said that team will try to learn from mistakes and will do even better in Lahore Test.

“We will try to convert our goods into our best and learn from the mistakes that we made in this match ahead of the Lahore Test,” the Pakistani captain said.

Replying to a question, Babar Azam said he hoped that the 3rd Test in Lahore would produce results.

“We will think about our strategy once we are in Lahore and see the pitch there,” Azam concluded.

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Tickets for the Pakistan-India match were sold out in a matter of minutes.

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) reports that tickets for the much awaited Pakistan-India encounter in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is set to take place in Dubai, were sold out in a matter of minutes.

The tremendous demand for the Pakistan-India match underscores the fierce rivalry and excitement surrounding the tournament, even though tickets for the semi-finals are currently on sale.

Pavilion-specific ticket prices ranged from 500 AED for regular pavilion tickets to 1,200 AED to 5,000 AED for premium seats. The price of the elite Grand Lounge VIP packages was 12,500 AED, or roughly PKR 500,000.

On Tuesday, tickets will also go on sale for India’s first semi-final in Dubai as well as their final two group matches. Tickets for general stands are available for purchase online  with prices for general stands starting at 125 AED.

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ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Today marks the start of the second phase of ticket sales.

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Today marks the start of the second phase of the ICC Champions Trophy ticket sale.
Tickets for the opening match of mega event between Pakistan and New Zealand already sold out in the first Phase.
Following the Online sale of Tickets Last week, Physical Tickets for the Eight-Team competition will go on sale from Today.
Tickets for Matches in Pakistan including Group Stage Fixtures and the second Semi-Final will be Available at 108 Outlets of courier Service across the Country.
The Physical Tickets will be available to fans in 26 Cities of Pakistan.

For the ten matches that will be held in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, general stand tickets will start at 1,000 Pakistan Rupees, while premium seats in various categories will start at 1,500 Pakistan Rupees.
Tickets for the India matches scheduled for February 20 and 23 and March 2 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will be made available as soon as possible.

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Will the Champions Trophy 2025 miss an opening ceremony?

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The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 may commence without the traditional opening ceremony or captains’ press conference due to a modified arrival schedule for the participating teams.

This year, the England and Australia cricket teams will arrive in Pakistan nearer to the commencement of the event.

Sources inside the International Cricket Council (ICC) have verified that teams, including England and Australia, will arrive in Pakistan following their separate tours.

England is set to complete its tour of India by February 12, but Australia will conclude their series in Sri Lanka on February 14.

Consequently, both teams have retracted from the warm-up matches, a decision aligned with prior ICC events, where tardy attendance hindered practice matches.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) indicated interest in staging an opening ceremony; but, logistical issues related to the teams’ arrival dates resulted in its postponement.

The PCB stated that although the occurrence was not officially verified, it has consistently been regarded as a potentiality.

Although the opening ceremony and press conference have been cancelled, the PCB is dedicated to organising an alternative event to commemorate the importance of hosting the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time in 29 years.

The inaugural match of the tournament, featuring Pakistan and New Zealand, is set for February 19 in Karachi.

The PCB has stated that a celebration for fans will be organized ahead of the match to highlight the excitement surrounding the event.

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