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Tag: Babar Azam

  • Babar Azam addresses fan concerns before departing for World Cup

    Babar Azam addresses fan concerns before departing for World Cup

    Before departing for India to play in World Cup 2023, Babar Azam said in a press conference today that his squad has made the Pakistan number one team. “I know who fights for me and for the team,” Azam said.

    Babar stressed that there is no pressure to play in India for the first time. “We know about the conditions, we have tried to get information from former cricketers, we are fully prepared for the World Cup, we will try to play well as a team”.

    Calling it an honor to play as captain, Babar said that his team is trying to win. “Because of these guys we have become number one, I am not convinced of many changes in the team. We didn’t play well in the two cup matches, the fielding was lacking, and we need to improve. Every match doesn’t have the same mistake, if you cover one mistake, another one happens.”

    Discussing strike bowler Naseem Shah’s injury, Azam said, “He will be missed in the World Cup, we will miss him a lot, he used to bowl with Shaheen, and he gave us a different vibe.”

    The captain said that ‘Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, in consultation with coach Mickey Arthur, has selected Hasan Ali because he has experience.”I can’t say yet who will bowl with Shaheen. He has given the same message to the national team. We have done it before and still have to do it, our focus is not on one match but on all, from 2019 we are playing eight to nine players together.”

    The captain added that spinners are very good. “I agree they have not performed but it is not that they are not good, it is not easy to play in the Pakistan team, they are good then they are in the team.”

    Regarding the central contract, Babar Azam said that it is being discussed and will be done soon, PCB has always thought well of the players, this time it will be good too.

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    Moreover Babar Azam denied rumors of a fight with Shaheen Afridi.

    “There is nothing like that, we love each other like family,” said the national team captain.

    It should be noted that after the defeat by India and then Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, there were rumors about captain Babar Azam and fast bowler Shaheen Afridi having a verbal altercation in the dressing room.

    Later, before his wedding, Shaheen posted a picture with Babar captioned “family”.

  • Muhammad Asif slams Babar Azam, World Cup squad

    Muhammad Asif slams Babar Azam, World Cup squad

    Former test cricketer and fast bowler Muhammad Asif has criticized Pakistan captain Babar Azam along with the rest of the squad selected for the upcoming World Cup.

    In a statement given on social media, Mohammad Asif slammed the Pakistani squad selected for the World Cup, attacking many players including captain Babar Azam.

    He also abuse National Cricketer Ihsanullah during a live on X.

    Mohammad Asif said that he picked Babar Azam in trials after he had only faced twi balls. “You can ask his father (Azam Siddiqui) that I picked Babar in the ZTBL trials.”

    The former fast bowler admitted that Babar is one of the best batsmen in the country but said that he plays too many dot balls and increases pressure on Rizwan. If you give him good balls, he can’t hit, the former pacer opined.


    “Almost all the bowlers we have in the squad are average, no one is special”, Muhammad Asif said.

    He also said that favoritism goes on in the team. Stating that he and Shoaib Akhtar used to be special bowlers in the team, he expressed the view that there are no special bowlers in the team now. Babar Azam’s father

    Azam Siddiqui, reacted to Mohammad Asif’s criticism, writing, “When Babar played the U-16 World Cup, there used to be a club school of cricket next to the DPS Model Town Ground. There was a match with Babar’s club, on the other side, Muhammad Asif was preparing for a comeback. He played this match and Babar used to open. Hoi Babar came out with great patience and told me that Asif Bhai said very badly.”

    Azam Siddiqui further said that Mr. Mansoor Rana helped Babar to play for ZTBL while his trial was going on in the National Academy.

    The captain’s father further said that “Babar’s first salary of 16,800 helped Babar to move forward. Your timely testimony will be of great help to us. People are requested not to talk directly about Muhammad Asif with reference to Babar”.

  • Gautam Gambhir has high praise for one Pakistani cricketer

    Gautam Gambhir has high praise for one Pakistani cricketer

    Former Indian cricket player Gautam Gambhir has high words of praise for one Pakistani player.

    In an interview with Star Sports, Gambhir was asked which player he would look out for the host asked Gautam Gambhir which player will perform brilliantly in the World Cup.

    The choices included Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, David Warner, Steve Smith and Babar Azam.

    Gambhir replied, “Babar Azam, because he has all the qualities required to set fire to this whole World Cup, I have seen very few players who have that much batting time.”

    Gautam Gambhir also said that Babar Azam has a “different level of quality.”

    It should be noted that the ICC ODI World Cup is going to start in India from October 5.

  • Here are all the celebrities who attended Shaheen Afridi’s valima

    Here are all the celebrities who attended Shaheen Afridi’s valima

    Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi’s valima to Ansha Afridi was held on Thursday in a lavish ceremony in Islamabad, where several A-list celebrities and sports stars were present to celebrate the occasion. Check out some pictures of all the big names who were at the event.

    Former cricket star Shahid Afridi shared several pictures, posing along with members of the cricket team including Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Imam ul Haq, Shadab Khan, and with former pacer Shoaib Akhtar. He thanked his friends for gracing his daughter’s valima with their presence.

    “I would like to Thank Team Pakistan, My former team mates, diplomats and dignitaries from different walk of life for gracing my daughter’s Valima. Their presence made me feel loved and honored. I am grateful that we got to celebrate this moment together.”

    Javelin champion Arshad Nadeem was also among the attendees, smiling along with the groom and the rest of the cricket team.

    Geo reports there the scrumptious menu featured biryani, lamb korma, chicken reshmi kebab, tandoori lamb chops and prawns.

    Shaheen and Ansha’s nikah was held in February at a daytime ceremony. Shaheen shared pictures on his Instagram account, requesting fans to respect the privacy of his wife and the rest of his family members, after a picture of Ansha’s face was leaked on social media.

  • EXCLUSIVE: pictures of Shahid Afridi at Shaheen Afridi’s Valima that will shock you

    EXCLUSIVE: pictures of Shahid Afridi at Shaheen Afridi’s Valima that will shock you

    Bowling sensation Shaheen Afridi’s valima reception with former captain Shahid Afridi’s daughter Ansha is being held tonight in Islamabad, and from the pictures, it looks nothing less than a star-studded gala. The Current is bringing you exclusive pictures from the event. The groom is looking incredibly dapper posing next to his father-in-law, and all of the A-list celebrities who were in attendance. Scroll for the pictures.

    We can’t tell who is the groom and who the father-in-law is from these pictures!

    Former DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Asim Bajwa can also be seen celebrating the joyous occasion and congratulating the proud father-in-law.

    Television presenters and anchorpersons Waseem Badami, Adil Abbasi and Iqrar Ul Hassan spotted along with Shahid Afridi and the groom.

    Journalist Asma Shirazi was among the attendees as she poses for a pic with Boom Boom.

    Geo anchorperson Shahzad Iqbal can be seen posing next to Shahid Afridi and the groom Shaheen.

    Shaheen and Ansha’s nikkah was held on February 3 this year in Karachi. The event was a day time ceremony attended by Shaheen’s team mates including captain Babar Azam. Ansha’s rukhsati was held on September 19 in Karachi.

  • ‘Chin up King’: Celebs rally behind cricket team after Pakistan loses to Sri Lanka

    ‘Chin up King’: Celebs rally behind cricket team after Pakistan loses to Sri Lanka

    In a exhilarating match on Thursday, the Pakistani cricket team were officially out of Asia Cup 2023 after losing to Sri Lanka by two wickets, paving the way for the island nation to face off against India in Colombo. Although many expressed their disappointment at the lack of performance, including former captain Shahid Afridi, many were still proud of the effort the boys in green displayed. Since yesterday, prominent celebrities like Shahista Lodhi and Mawra Hocane sent uplifting messages to the cricket team, especially to captain Babar Azam for his efforts to make it this far.

    The aesthetic surgeon and actress took to Instagram to express her pride at the way Babar Azam kept fighting till the end.

    “Dear skipper Babar Azam, proud of the way you fought. I will never stop supporting you no matter what. Chin up King don’t let your crown fall.”

    Hocane sisters Mawra and Urwa rallied behind the boys in green, commending them for their hard work and prayed that more achievements will arrive soon.

    Singer Falak Shabir shared a screenshot of Zaman Khan and wrote:

    “Headsup Zaman Khan you tried his best, we are proud of you. Sri Lanka well played. Pakistan hum tumharay saath hain next time In Sha Allah.”

  • Babar Azam named ICC Men’s Player of the Month

    Babar Azam named ICC Men’s Player of the Month

    Pakistan captain Babar Azam was crowned ICC (International Cricket Council) player of the month of August on Tuesday. Babar Azam was shortlisted for Player of the Month along with Pakistani all-rounder Shadab Khan and West Indian Wicketkeeper batsman Nicholas Pooran.

    Pakistan cricket captain Babar Azam and all-rounder Shadab Khan have been shortlisted for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Month award. The award is based on recent performances in the last month from day 1 to the last day of the month.

    Pakistani skipper Babar Azam is aiming to become the first men’s category cricketer to win three ICC Player of the Month awards. West-Indies Wicket keeper Nicholas Pooran is also nominated for the ICC Player of the Month Award along with Babar and Shadab.

    Babar Azam recently scored 53 and 60 runs against Afghanistan and 151 runs against Nepal in the first match of Asia Cup 2023.

    Shadab Khan is shortlisted for the first time as the ICC Player of the Month award after his recent performances with bat and ball. Shadab Khan took three wickets against Afghanistan in the last ODI match and four wickets against Nepal in the opening match of Asia Cup 2023.

    Nicholas Pooran is also nominated for the first time as the ICC Player of the Month award. He scored 176 runs against India in five T20 matches series and led the team to win the series by 3-2.

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    These shortlisted players are then voted for by fans around the world and by an independent ICC voting academy.

    The ICC Voting Academy comprises former players, well-known journalists, broadcasters, and members of the ICC Hall of Fame.

    ICC Voting Academy has 90% of the voting shares while the remaining 10% shares of the fans. Fans can register their vote on the official website of ICC. The winners of the month are announced every second Monday of each month.

  • Fact check: Is the viral Virat Kohli fan Pakistani?

    Fact check: Is the viral Virat Kohli fan Pakistani?

    After the highly anticipated cricket match between India and Pakistan on Saturday in Sri Lanka, a video went viral where a girl, allegedly a Pakistani, was seen saying that she was a huge fan of batting maestro Virat Kohli. When the video went viral, several Pakistani social media users slammed the as fake, saying that the girl’s accent was not typical of the country.

    The woman in question is indeed from Pakistan, and is fluent in Saraiki, the language of South Punjab. A user shared multiple videos where she could be speaking in both Saraiki and Urdu both.

    Her official Tiktok account is Khaani, where she can be seen showing her Pakistani passport and has the same yellow nail polish as well as the flags of both India and Pakistan painted on her cheeks as in the viral video.

    @lovekhaani ✈️ Babar Aur Kohli #srilanka #khaani ♬ original sound – Khaani
    @lovekhaani #khaani ♬ original sound – Khaani
  • After beating Nepal, Pakistani team is ready for India

    After beating Nepal, Pakistani team is ready for India

    After beating Nepal on Wednesday, captain Babar Azam has said that the Pakistani cricket team is ready to beat India on Saturday’s Asia Cup match, Dawn has reported.

    Iftikhar Ahmed scored an unbeaten 109 and Babar scored a masterful 151 runs in yesterday’s match held at Multan.

    Tournament co-hosts Pakistan bowled out Asia Cup debutants Nepal for 104 in 23.4 overs in their third-biggest victory in a one-day international.

    “This game was good preparation for the India game because it gave us confidence,” Babar, who was named Player of the Match for his 19th one-day hundred, said.

    “India-Pakistan will always bring high intensity. We want to give 100 percent in every match, and we hope to do that there as well.”

    “When I went in, the ball wasn’t coming on properly, so I was trying to build an innings with Rizwan,” Babar explained.

    “Iftikhar also played a great inning when he came on. I told him to play his natural game, and he was comfortable after hitting two-three boundaries,” the batting maestro stated.

  • Here’s why cricketer Imam ul Haq’s parents don’t go to his matches

    Here’s why cricketer Imam ul Haq’s parents don’t go to his matches

    Pakistani cricketer Imam-ul-Haq recently went on Daniyal Sheikh’s podcast where he made a heart breaking confession about his family. He said that consistent taunts by spectators during matches has prevented his family members from watching him play live at stadiums.

    The cricket star made his ODI debut in 2017 in Abu Dhabi in a match against Sri Lanka. At the time, his uncle Inzamam-ul-Haq, a former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, was the team’s chief selector. Imam’s selection sparked controversy, leading to fans of the sport taunting the player with the term ‘parchi’.

    Reflecting on the bullying comments during the podcast, Imam said during the early years of his career, people used to approach him at restaurants to taunt him with ‘parchi’

    “During 2017-2020 when I used to go to dinner with my family, people would approach me and call me ‘parchi’ to my face,” he said.

    Imam went on to explain that because of these taunts, to this day, his parents have never watched him play in cricket stadiums:

    “They really want to come and watch me play, but I’m just scared- this is the first time I’m talking about this. But when I’m standing on the boundary, I don’t want my mother to listen to the taunt ‘parchi’ in the stadium. If I was batting and I was out, it wouldn’t matter if I had played better before or not, while going back I would hear taunts of ‘parchi’.”

    Since the clip was shared by cricketandstuff on X, formerly Twitter, social media users have expressed their dismay at how the cricketer has suffered relentless bullying yet manages to remain dedicated to the game.

    Ali Tareen wrote:

    “Heartbreaking to hear such an accomplished player never being able to invite his parents to see him live. Just so he can protect them from hearing their son being abused.”