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  • Babar Azam named captain of ICC’s Most Valuable Team of the Tournament

    Babar Azam named captain of ICC’s Most Valuable Team of the Tournament

    After leading Pakistan brilliantly in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, Babar Azam was named the skipper of ICC’s Team of the Tournament for the mega event. The announcement was made by the International Cricket Council (ICC) Monday after Australia won its maiden T20 World Cup title.

    As per details, players from six teams have been named in the Official ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Upstox Most Valuable Team of the Tournament. It is for the first time that no Indian cricketer is included in the squad announced by the cricket governing body.

    Opening batter David Warner, leg-spinner Adam Zampa and seamer Josh Hazlewood all make the cut for Australia after helping steer their side to their first-ever T20 World Cup title.

    There are also spots for England ace Jos Buttler as wicketkeeper, Pakistan’s Babar Azam as captain, New Zealand left-armer Trent Boult and Sri Lanka star Wanindu Hasaranga – the tournament’s leading wicket-taker – in the line-up.

    Read More – ICC receives criticism for not naming Babar Azam T20 World Cup ‘Player of the Tournament’

    The side was pulled together by a selection panel featuring commentators, former international players and journalists Ian Bishop (Convener), Natalie Germanos, Shane Watson, Lawrence Booth – of Wisden, the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday – and Shahid Hashmi of Agence France Presse.

    Commenting on the team, Ian Bishop said: “As with any team selection there will be varying opinions, and robust discussion on the final composition of the squad. The panel respects that, and we encourage the strong debate that will ensue.”

    He said that this team was incredibly difficult to select over such a highly competitive tournament and the selections were based predominantly on the Super 12 onward to the final.

    The team of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 (in batting order) is:

    David Warner (Australia) – 289 runs at 48.16

    Jos Buttler (wk) (England) – 269 runs at 89.66, five dismissals

    Babar Azam (Captain, Pakistan) – 303 runs at 60.60

    Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka) – 231 runs at 46.20

    Aiden Markram (South Africa) – 162 runs at 54.00

    Moeen Ali (England) – 92 runs at strike rate of 131.42, seven wickets at 11

    Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) – 16 wickets at 9.75

    Adam Zampa (Australia) – 13 wickets at 12.07

    Josh Hazlewood (Australia) – 11 wickets at 15.90

    Trent Boult (New Zealand) – 13 wickets at 13.30

    Anrich Nortje (South Africa) – nine wickets at 11.55

    Shaheen Afridi – seven wickets at 24.14

    Captaining the side at No 3 is Pakistan skipper Babar, who was the only batter to break the 300-run barrier throughout the duration of the competition.

    His 68 not out against arch-rivals India powered Pakistan to a memorable 10-wicket victory, while three further half-centuries in the Super 12 stages helped book his team’s slot in the semi-final against Australia.

  • ‘Hoped to see Pakistan play’: Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar meet at T20 World Cup final

    ‘Hoped to see Pakistan play’: Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar meet at T20 World Cup final

    Former Pakistani cricketers Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar met at the Dubai International Stadium during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final on Sunday.

    The Rawalpindi Express shared a picture on Instagram where he and Afridi looked cheerful upon seeing each other at the stadium.

    “Ran into the crowd favourite and our very own @safridiofficial . Lovely to see you lala,” he wrote in the caption.

    Minutes before meeting Afridi, Akhtar had posted another of his pictures from the final match, saying it “would have been a different day” had Pakistan made it to the final.

    However, the cricketer said it was a lovely feeling to watch the much-anticipated match at “the Ring of Fire”.

    “Would have been such a different day. But nevertheless, what a lovely feeling being at the Ring of fire,” he wrote.

    Meanwhile, Shahid Afridi said that he was “looking forward” to winning team at the T20 World Cup final.

    Taking to Instagram, Afridi shared a picture from the Dubai International Stadium and said that he “had hoped to see Pakistan play” in the final.

    The cricketer wished both the teams playing best of luck and hoped that the “best team” wins.

    Beating Kiwis with 8 wickets, Australia became the champion of T20 World Cup 2021.

  • ICC receives criticism for not naming Babar Azam T20 World Cup ‘Player of the Tournament’

    ICC receives criticism for not naming Babar Azam T20 World Cup ‘Player of the Tournament’

    Several people have criticised the decision to award David Warner the ‘Player of the Tournament’ at the T20 World Cup, with Babar Azam, the competition’s leading run scorer, going unrewarded.

    Babar’s campaign ended at the hands of Australia at the semi-final stage, but he had already had a tournament to remember. An unbeaten half-century in Pakistan’s opener sealed a historic 10-wicket win against India.

    He added three more fifties, meaning he sits tied with Matthew Hayden and Virat Kohli for the most half-centuries at a T20 World Cup, while only Kohli and Tillakaratne Dilshan have scored more runs at a single edition.

    Warner was 14 runs short from Babar, and only managed three half-centuries, falling one run short of the landmark against Pakistan in the semis. But he maintained a significantly higher strike-rate of 146.70, more than 20 runs per 100 balls higher than the Pakistan opener, and arguably made his runs at more high-impact intervals.

    Former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar called the decision “unfair”.

    West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford said he was “shocked” at the “tired decision”.

    https://twitter.com/SRutherford_50/status/1459945409254768645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1459945409254768645%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwisden.com%2Fseries-stories%2Ft20-world-cup-2021%2Ftired-decision-icc-criticised-for-not-naming-babar-azam-as-t20-world-cup-player-of-the-tournament

    Leading run-scorers in Men’s T20 world cup 2021 are:

    Babar Azam: 303

    David Warner: 289

    Moahmmad Rizwan: 281

    Netizens were also unhappy that Kohli’s Player of the Tournament win in 2016 is an evidence that Babar should have been rewarded, as the Indian side was also knocked out in the semi-final, like Pakistan.

    https://twitter.com/RanaDanish92/status/1459954170958651393?s=20
    https://twitter.com/DennisCricket_/status/1460112407594868744?s=20
    https://twitter.com/michaelscottfc/status/1459943865042018304?s=20
    https://twitter.com/washimansari786/status/1459967110126333958?s=20

    Meanwhile, Australia made history on Sunday night by winning their first T20 World Cup when the Kangaroos trounced New Zealand by 8 wickets to win the final.

    Australian batter Mitchell Marsh was declared the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 77.

  • ‘Too old and slow’: David Warner’s wife Candice slams trolls after Australian star helps team lift WC title

    ‘Too old and slow’: David Warner’s wife Candice slams trolls after Australian star helps team lift WC title

    Autralian batter David Warner’s wife Candice Warner has slammed the trolls after his crucial 92-run stand with Mitchell Marsh to guide Australia to an 8-wicket victory against New Zealand in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.

    Warner was awarded ‘Player of the Tournament’ for his efforts as he ended the World Cup as the second highest scorer behind Pakistan captain Babar Azam, with 289 runs in 7 innings at a strike-rate of 146.70.

    Warner bagged three half-centuries in the tournament and was the biggest reason behind Australia’s maiden global title in cricket’s shortest format.

    His wife Candice taunted the critics in an Instagram post, which she captained as, “Out of form, too old and slow!”

    The post had the photo of Warner with ‘Player of the Tournament’ written on it. She also tagged her husband in it.

    She also congratulated the “champions” for achieving the milestone.

    Warner was unstoppable on Sunday as he hit four boundaries and three sixes in his 38-ball knock. His effortless stroke play also gave confidence to Mitchell Marsh, who stayed on the crease after Warner’s dismissal to finish the job for his team.

    Marsh stayed unbeaten on 77 off 50 balls to complete the job in a season that has seen him become the backbone of Australia’s batting in T20 cricket.

  • Wasim Akram disappointed with facilities provided by National Cricket Academy

    Wasim Akram disappointed with facilities provided by National Cricket Academy

    Pakistan’s former captain Wasim Akram, talking about the standards of National Cricket Academy (NCA) and its gyms, has said that he is disappointed with the facilities provided to our athletes.

    Akram, while talking to host Fakhr-e-Alam on A sports, said: “I was invited by a club in Australia, it was a football club and I saw their gym and swimming pool inside the ground where they practice. It was out of this world and the gyms in NCA Lahore, which is operational from when I used to play, has just been renovated and only a few dumbbells have been added and that too one-one set each. When you buy dumbbells, you buy two or three sets of each pair because when the team comes to practice, more people can use them instead of waiting for the other guy to finish. So, we still have the old machines installed since 2001 and look at how much we earn from cricket.”

    Pakistan national cricketer Wahab Riaz also said the place was just renovated recently and said that one or two new machines have been installed and agreeing with Akram, he said that since 2001, only one pair of dumbbells are available in the gyms provided to the players.

    The host then asked Wahab if you compare the gym of NCA with any private gym, what kind of difference do they see?

    Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq dived in and said that he would rather gym at his house than doing it there.

    Wasim Akram added: “So many chairmen came but no one thought about this issue.”

    Have a look:

  • Dr Nauman Niaz and Shoaib Akhtar reconcile after on-air dispute

    Dr Nauman Niaz and Shoaib Akhtar reconcile after on-air dispute

    Pakistan Television (PTV) host Dr Nauman Niaz and former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar reconciled after a long dispute, which occurred during a live show in the T20 World Cup transmission.

    Read More – ‘Disappointed’: Shoaib Akhtar vows to fight lawsuit after receiving recovery notice from PTV

    As per the Pakistan Television Twitter page, Dr Nauman apologised to the former cricketer and Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry called them to his house and made peace among them.

    Fawad Chaudhry shared a tweet with poetry on friendship on this occasion. “It was not so much a matter of discussion,” he said.

    “Social media is so big now that even small things become big. Anyway, all is well that ends well,” the Federal Minister of Information added.

    Senior analyst and journalist Saleem Safi was also present at the truce.

    In a video, Nauman said: “Shoaibi (Shoaib Akhtar), I am extremely sorry for whatever happened on screen and it shouldn’t have happened and the reason behind it is that we have a friendship of 30 years and that shouldn’t go down.”

    The camera then moved to Akhtar and he said: “Its okay! He should have said it long time ago.” While Nauman added: “It’s never too late.”

    Taking to Twitter, Akhtar said that he is “accepting the apology” of Dr Nauman and wants to “move on from this”.

    The two indulged in a heated exchange in PTV’s show. The host asked the veteran cricketer to leave the show, while Akhtar resigned on-air after that.

    Read More – ‘I resign from PTV’: Shoaib Akhtar, Nauman Niaz exchange hot words on air

    In an interview with Rauf Klasra, Nauman had already apologised to the former cricketer and in another show, Akhtar also said he had forgiven him.

    It should be noted that the national television had sent a legal notice worth Rs100 million to ‘Rawalpindi Express’ after he stepped down during the live transmission of ‘Game On Hai’. In response, the cricketer turned analyst vowed to fight a legal battle after Pakistan Television (PTV) sent a legal notice to him.

  • Pakistan cricket team reach Dhaka for bilateral series

    Pakistan cricket team reach Dhaka for bilateral series

    After their loss in the semi-final, the Pakistan cricket team left for Bangladesh to play a three-match T20I and a two-match Test series. The plane carrying them landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Saturday.

    Read More – ‘No one should point fingers, I back everyone’: Babar Azam talks to team after losing semi-final

    Skipper Babar Azam and veteran cricketer Shoaib Malik will join the team on November 16 after their holidays.

    The members of the Pakistan team headed straight to Hotel Sonargaon upon arrival in Dhaka. Since the beginning of Covid-19, it’s the first time a team is not serving a mandatory quarantine. The members of the visiting team can even move freely if they are Covid-19 negative and jabbed twice.

    All the players of Pakistan’s World Cup squad, barring Mohammad Hafeez, feature in their squad for the T20I series against Bangladesh. Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir who travelled with the team as reserve players in the World Cup have been called up. Iftikhar Ahmed, who missed out on a World Cup spot, has also earned a call-up.

    The T20 series will begin on November 19. The next two games will be held on November 20 and 22. All the T20Is will be held at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

    The first Test will start on 26 November in Chattogram. Then the teams will return to Mirpur to play the second Test starting on 4 December.

    The national team left the Dubai International stadium on Friday night.

    Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shoaib Malik, Usman Qadir.

  • ‘We have seen tons of support’: Hassan Ali’s wife clarifies that her family is not receiving any threats

    ‘We have seen tons of support’: Hassan Ali’s wife clarifies that her family is not receiving any threats

    Hassan Ali’s wife Samiya Arzoo has clarified that the Twitter account with her name, which requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to take action against those issuing threats to her family, is in fact fake. She also added that her family is not facing any threats.

    “So many tweets circulating from this fake account that I, Hassan and my daughter are getting threats from the people of Pakistan, which is absolutely wrong. Instead we have seen tons of support,” she wrote while sharing the screenshot of the fake account.

    “Please don’t believe any such statements and don’t follow any such accounts on Twitter pretending to be me,” she added.

    “I am not on Twitter. Please report the accounts claiming to be me.” The fake twitter account has been suspend now.

    Indian media is on a propaganda spree that the pacer is receiving abuse from social media users in Pakistan after his performance in the semi-final against Australia. In reality, Pakistani social media users came forward to back Hassan Ali.

    Read more- Pak Twitter stands by Hassan Ali

  • ‘Not happy’: Shahid Afridi schools Shaheen for bad bowling in semi-final

    ‘Not happy’: Shahid Afridi schools Shaheen for bad bowling in semi-final

    Former Pakistan captain and T20 World Cup winner, Shahid Afridi is upset by the dismal performance of Shaheen Shah Afridi, as the young pacer conceded three back to back sixes off Matthew Wade, who guided Australia to their first T20 World Cup Final on Thursday.

    Read More – ‘No one should point fingers, I back everyone’: Babar Azam talks to team after losing semi-final

    The former all-rounder asserted that even if Hassan Ali dropped an important catch, it doesn’t mean that Afridi should have lost hope.

    “I am not happy with Shaheen in one area. Okay, so Hassan Ali dropped a catch but that does not mean you will bowl badly and get hit for three successive sixes,” Shahid Afridi said on Samaa TV.

    “Shaheen has so much pace and he should have used it sensibly. Even if the catch was dropped. He should have used his head and tried to bowl outside off stump fast Yorkers with his pace. He is not that sort of bowler to be hit like that,” the former Pakistan captain said.

    Shaheen set the World Cup on fire when he got rid of top players like Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul with a new ball in Pakistan’s big match against India. In the semi-final against Australia, he sent back the Australian captain Aaron Finch in the first over.

    Cracking the three balls for sixes, the Australian keeper-batter sealed their spot in the final.

    Read More – Hayden lauds ‘warrior’ Rizwan, who was in hospital the night before Pak-Aus match

    Australia will be facing New Zealand in Final of the T20 World Cup 2021 on Sunday at Dubai International Stadium.

  • ‘That’s the spirit’: President Alvi praises Mohammad Rizwan for his performance despite bad health

    ‘That’s the spirit’: President Alvi praises Mohammad Rizwan for his performance despite bad health

    President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi has praised Mohammad Rizwan for his outclass performance in the semi-final against Australia despite the fact that he was was not well and admitted in hospital for two days before the match.

    Taking to Twitter, President Alvi wrote: “That’s the spirit. This is symbolic of the emerging ‘Brand Pakistan’. And my friends it is the new Pakistan.”

    Rizwan scored a half-century against Australia in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup, beating captain Babar Azam. He became the player who scored a thousand runs in the calendar year.

    He also broke the record of England’s Jos Buttler, who had just set it for the most runs by a keeper in a Men’s T20 World Cup. Buttler broke Craig Kieswetter’s record from 2010 in this year’s edition, had scored 269 runs to his name before England crashed out Thursday night in the semi-final.