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  • All the Pak vs India news you’ve got to see

    All the Pak vs India news you’ve got to see

    With Pakistan and India gearing up to clash in a historic ICC Cricket World Cup match, excitement and tension levels are at an all-time high on both sides of the border. Die-hard cricket fans have arrived in Manchester ahead of the match and the frenzy is unmissable. Pakistan is currently on the 9th spot with three points and one win, while India is on 4th spot with five points and two wins.

    Here is some interesting news on the match.

    Pakistani fan gets a match ticket from MS Dhoni

    A Karachi-born, Chicago-based fan Mohammad Bashir, also known as ‘Chacha Chicago’ will be receiving a ticket from MS Dhoni to watch the Sunday’s high-octane Indo-Pak contest.

    India Today reported that Bashir and Dhoni’s friendship blossomed during the 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan when Dhoni gave Bashir a ticket for the sold-out match in Mohali. Their friendship has grown stronger since then and eight years later, Bashir has landed in Manchester, without a match ticket, to watch the two teams play.

    “I arrived here yesterday and saw that people are ready to pay as much as 800-900 pounds for a ticket. A return ticket from Chicago costs the same. Thanks to Dhoni, I don’t have to struggle for a match ticket,” the 63-year-old, who owns a restaurant in Chicago and is an American passport holder.

    Chacha Chicago says that he will be supporting both the teams and his match-day uniform will have both the Indian and Pakistani colours. He also met with players of both the teams in Manchester.

    Chris Gayle appears to be supporting India

    ICC shared a picture of Chris Gayle sporting a white, green and orange tie and dye suit with the caption “The #UniverseBoss is ready for #INDvPAK.”

    Wasim Akram and Virat Kohli ask fans to be calm

    Wasim Akram said the match should be enjoyed rather than used to inflame the situation.

    “This can’t be bigger,” Wasim said. “India and Pakistan playing at the World Cup with over a billion audience is the biggest thing in cricket, so my message to both sets of fans to enjoy it and stay calm.

    “One team will win, one team will lose, so stay graceful and do not take this as a war. Those who project this match as war are not true cricket fans.”

    Meanwhile, speaking to the press on the eve of the match, Kohli said, “Watch and enjoy
 it’s just a cricket match.”

    Weather woes

    While everyone is trying to remain positive, the weather in Manchester is unpredictable and there are 60 percent chances of rain between 2 pm and 5 pm, with chances increasing to 80 percent at 6 pm UK time. The rains have already forced four wash-outs in the tournament and affected several training sessions as well.

    Wasim Akram, Kapil Dev think India is the stronger team

    Cricket veteran Wasim Akram believes the match is “70-30 in India’s favour because “India has depth in their batting and their bowling is also good.” Kapil Dev also shared the same thoughts.

    Meanwhile Sachin Tendulkar warned the Indian Cricket Team to be wary of Muhammad Amir and give him a tough challenge.

  • ‘Amir confessed to spot-fixing after Afridi slapped him’

    ‘Amir confessed to spot-fixing after Afridi slapped him’

    Mohammad Amir confessed to spot-fixing only after then ODI captain Shahid Afridi had slapped him, former all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has claimed.

    “He [Afridi] told me to leave the room and after a while, I heard the sound of a slap. Later, Amir told the whole truth,” Razzaq said while speaking to a private media outlet on Wednesday.

    Spilling the beans on Pakistan’s ill-fated tour of England in 2010, a scandal that tarnished the image of Pakistan cricket, Razzaq also said that Salman Butt was involved in corruption much before the saga.

    “Butt was deliberately getting out and playing dot balls much before the scandal broke out in England,” the former all-rounder said, also blaming the then PCB management for “bringing a bad name to Pakistan cricket”.

    Butt, Amir and Muhammad Asif were the three players eventually banned for a minimum of five years in early 2011 by the ICC’s anti-corruption tribunal after they were first suspended in September 2010.

    All three have now returned to playing cricket after completing their five-year bans. But only Amir has been picked for the national team and is currently competing in the World Cup.

  • Pakistan Cricket Team turns to food for entertainment

    Pakistan Cricket Team turns to food for entertainment

    Pretty much like the rest of us, the Pakistan Cricket Team also turns to food for entertainment. And after last night’s loss, we’re sure they will be seeking solace in food too. Yeh bhi humari tarah.

    A report in the local media, quoting a team official, shared this news bite (pun intended) adding that this team is one of the easiest to manage. The official revealed that members of the team avoid partying and breaking curfews and instead turn to food, takeaways to be specific, for entertainment. This is in stark contrast to players of the previous World Cups who were very fond of indulging in the vibrant nightlife, occasionally causing a stir.

    The team official said that this good behaviour from the boys is attributed to Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed who himself is a very religious man along with being very disciplined. Though Sarfaraz doesn’t force anyone to follow him, the official believes that it is natural that the boys will follow suit. He added that all the boys are regular with their prayers but “neither of them is over-zealous.”

  • CWC’19: Soil from Virat Kohli’s school taken to England ‘for blessings’

    Soil from Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli’s school has been taken to England “to bless him” as he leads his side in the 2019 version of the ICC World Cup.

    According to Star Sports, the soil has been collected from Kohli’s school, where the world’s best batsman first learnt to play cricket.

    “The soil from @imVkohli’s school, where he learnt to play cricket, is going to London to bless him. Reply with your blessings and wishes and share this post with five other Virat fans as #KingKohli hunts for the #CricketKaCrown,” Star Sports tweeted.

    While the rationale behind the bizarre move is “to help India reclaim the coveted trophy” it last won in 2011, it has left Twitter in disbelief as people criticise the country for validating itself as the “land of superstitions”.

    https://twitter.com/ashoswai/status/1137121368187723776
    https://twitter.com/_Khader_/status/1137040597871517696
    https://twitter.com/SavageRaptor7/status/1137040961534480384

    India have already won their opening match against South Africa. Their next match is scheduled for June 9 against Australia at The Oval in London. Kohli’s Blues will also be facing their arch-rivals, Pakistan, on June 16.

  • VIDEO: Shoaib Akhtar slams ‘fat and unfit’ Sarfaraz after defeat to Windies

    A day after Pakistan faced a humiliating seven-wicket defeat to West Indies in their opening fixture of the 2019 ICC World Cup, Shoaib Akhtar has gone on to slam skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed for being “fat and unfit”.

    Pakistan were left red-faced on Friday when their batting order collapsed and the entire team went back to pavilion for just 105 runs. Windies, on the other hand, chased the target at the loss of three wickets.

    With the cricket team being severely criticised after the match, former cricketer Akhtar, who is no new to controversies, roasted Sarfaraz for his “lack of fitness” as the captain.

    “When Sarfaraz Ahmed came for the toss, his stomach was sticking out and his face was so fat,” he said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “He’s the first captain I’ve seen who is so unfit. He’s not able to move across and he’s struggling with wicket-keeping,” he added.

    “Speechless” was Akhtar’s first reaction as the result of the match came out.

    “Okay, the match is over. Recollecting my thoughts and emotions. We have to back these boys, they are representing our nation. They need our support throughout the World Cup,” he said in a subsequent tweet.

    Sarfaraz, during the post-match press conference, said he has full faith in the team and believes that the players will come back stronger after the disappointing result.

    The Greens will next take on hosts and hot favourites England on Monday.

  • VIDEO: Malala trolls India at World Cup 2019 opening ceremony

    VIDEO: Malala trolls India at World Cup 2019 opening ceremony

    Taking a hilarious dig at Pakistan’s arch-rivals, world’s youngest Noble Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzai has trolled India at the star-studded opening ceremony of World Cup 2019 in London.

    During the ceremony held at Buckingham Palace, a short competition called the 60-second challenge was held. One cricket legend and a celebrity represented each team that had to score as many runs as possible in the given sixty seconds.

    For India, former skipper Anil Kumble and Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar took part in the game. They, however, managed to score only 19 runs, while Pakistan scored exactly the double.

    Sharing her thoughts over Pakistan maintaining the seventh place with 38 runs, Malala trolled the Indian team saying that in comparison, they came in last with only 19 points.

    “Pakistan, we were okay, not too bad, came number seven, but India came last,” she said, after which the audience broke into laughter.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “They tried their best and we appreciate their hard work,” Malala added.

    Cricketing legends like Viv Richards, Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee and Kevin Pietersen were among other notable participants.

  • VIDEO: Virat Kohli imitates Pakistan’s ‘Peechay Tou Dekho’ kid

    VIDEO: Virat Kohli imitates Pakistan’s ‘Peechay Tou Dekho’ kid

    At a time when Indian leadership is snubbing Pakistan’s efforts for regional peace, a video of Indian cricketing stalwart Virat Kohli mimicking Pakistan’s latest internet sensation — the ‘Peechay Tou Dekho’ kid — has emerged.

    Ahmed Shah has taken social media by storm ever since his “Peechay Tou Dekho”  video started making rounds over the internet.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmJuxKgUtAk

    Appearing on several TV channels, Ahmed, who belongs to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), has become a celebrity.

    Now, a video breaking the internet shows Indian skipper Kohli breaking into laughter as he tries to copy Ahmed’s way of speaking Urdu.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “Who is that behind [you]? Who is that?” he can be heard as saying in the video that shows how a Pakistani kid is winning hearts across the border.

  • CWC’19: Inzamam hopeful of Pakistan ending losing streak against India

    CWC’19: Inzamam hopeful of Pakistan ending losing streak against India

    Chief selector Inzamamul Haq is confident that the national cricket team will finally break its six-match losing streak in the World Cup against India when it takes on the arch-rivals on June 16.

    Pakistan have never won against India in a world cup match, but the former skipper feels that they can post a breakthrough victory this time around when the two teams meet in Manchester next month.

    “People take an Indo-Pak match very seriously and some even go on to say that ‘we will be happy even if only we can win against India during the World Cup’,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by a cricket website.

    The veteran of 120 Tests, however, said that the mega cricketing tournament was not just about the match against India, and “Pakistan have the potential to beat other sides as well”.

    Pakistan go into the 2019 World Cup having suffered 10 successive ODI defeats and were also beaten by Afghanistan in a warm-up match on Friday.

  • World Cup 2019: Warm-up fixtures

    World Cup 2019: Warm-up fixtures

    The ICC World Cup is just around the corner and it is time for the teams to get a bit warmed up.

    Here is the schedule for the 10 official warm-up matches to be played from Friday (May 24) to Tuesday (May 28).

    Day, DateFixtureVenue
    Friday, May 24 Pakistan vs Afghanistan Bristol
    Sri Lanka vs South Africa Cardiff
    Saturday, May 25 England vs Australia Southampton
    India vs New Zealand London
    Sunday, May 26 South Africa vs West Indies Bristol
    Pakistan vs Bangladesh Cardiff
    Monday, May 27 Australia vs Sri Lanka Southampton
    England vs Afghanistan London
    Tuesday, May 28 West Indies vs New Zealand Bristol
    Bangladesh vs India Cardiff

    The real World Cup action begins on May 30 and will be telecast in Pakistan on Ten Sports and PTV Sports.

  • ICC, PCB wish Sarfraz on his birthday

    ICC, PCB wish Sarfraz on his birthday

    With skipper Sarfraz Ahmed celebrating his 32nd birthday on Wednesday, a plethora of wishes continues to flood Twitter.

    On the occasion, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have congratulated the Pakistan cricket team captain in their tweets.

    “Happy birthday to Pakistan captain, @SarfarazA_54! Will he be lifting another at the end of #CWC19?” tweeted ICC.

    PCB, on the other hand, tweeted a video showing Sarfraz cutting his birthday cake with players and team management.

    Sarfraz is in England where he is leading his side in the ICC World Cup to be held from May 30 to July 14.