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Tag: Babar Azam

  • Umar Akmal was not selected because he plays for the country: Kamran Akmal

    Umar Akmal was not selected because he plays for the country: Kamran Akmal

    Kamran Akmal, hero of the 2009 T20 World Cup and former wicket-keeper batsman has backed his brother Umar Akmal stating that it is clear that there the criteria for team selection is not based on performance.

    There are players who have just 30 or 32 runs as their highest and they still got selected because they have strong friendships in Pakistani team, the batsman implied.

    Yesterday Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced squads for T20 and ODI against New Zealand in a series scheduled to begin on April 14. Babar Azam will be the captain and Shadab Khan will hold the vice-captaincy spot.
    PCB crushed all rumors of looking for a replacement for Shadab Khan after he lost a series as captain against Afghanistan in United Arab Emirates.

    Fans, however, are excited to see their favorite players back in the squad particularly Muhammad Rizwan, Babar Azam and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi who will lead the pace attack will be led by Shaheen Shah Afridi.

    On the other hand senior player Kamran Akmal is not so happy with the selection of the squad, lashing out at the Pakistan cricket board management and selection committee for not selecting Umar Akmal in the T20 squad.

    “I am talking about Umar. They announced the T20 team and didn’t include him in the squad. Why? He played last year’s PSL and this year’s PSL in very tough conditions He tried his best to deliver whenever given an opportunity, a chance, limited amount of balls or overs, etc.,” Akmal said.

    “I don’t need to explain or tell anyone; everyone is well aware of the reality. Yet, I still cannot comprehend why he isn’t being given a chance in the national team, particularly on the batting number where almost every player has been tried,” he added.

    Kamran Akmal stressed that his younger brother doesn’t indulge in flattery, which is why he goes unnoticed.

    “The performance of all these players is crystal clear in front of everyone; despite that, you are still not including Umar because he isn’t in the likings or good books of the selection committee? Or maybe because he doesn’t greet you guys well, doesn’t invest a lot of time in flattering – this is what I can conclude as to why he isn’t a part of the national team.”

    Continuing in the same vein, Kamran Akmal said that it is crystal clear that performance is not the criteria for the selection, adding that one has to be a foot licker or employ flattery for selection in the Pakistan team.

    The 34-year-old Umar, who last played a T20I match against Sri Lanka way back in 2019, stated that his recent performances in domestic cricket are in front of everyone, and it’s up to the selection committee to pick him in the national side.

    “I leave the decision of selection for the upcoming series against New Zealand to the PCB and the selection committee. I take cricket very seriously, be it club cricket, domestic cricket, or international cricket. As you can see, I don’t miss a single club cricket game, and I always give my 100%. I will continue to perform like this till the end,” he said.

  • A friend in need’s a friend indeed: Babar Azam saves Shadab Khan as vice-captain

    A friend in need’s a friend indeed: Babar Azam saves Shadab Khan as vice-captain

    From the last couple of weeks speculation was rife in media reports that officials of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are not happy with the vice-captain of the national cricket team, Shadab Khan. Sources had told news media that PCB are looking for a new vice-captain while considering resting Shadab Khan for the New Zealand series.

    However, the management has followed the advice of captain Babar Azam and retained Shadab as vice-captain.

    Reportedly Babar Azam excluded Imad Wasim from the ODI squad but kept him in the T20 Squad with PCB backing the captain’s decisions.

    According to media reports, PCB initially planned to give rest to Shadab Khan while Usama Mir was under consideration to play in the home series against New Zealand.

    Shadab Khan’s relations with management seem to be rocky.
    Shadab was appointed as the stand-in captain for the Afghanistan series but the team suffered a historic defeat in the matches.

    Matters got worse when in the post-match press conference, Shadab said that now the management and nation will know the importance of key senior players.
    Higher authorities were purportedly displeased with the statement.

    Rumors of removing Khan from vice-captaincy faced backlash from former Test stars and social media with the hashtag #DestroyerNajamSethi trending on Twitter against the chairman of the PCB Management Committee.

    Sources reveal that the captain has reportedly urged the board to avoid further experimentation ahead of the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 scheduled in India.

    Given the current schedule, players cannot be afforded rest, and therefore, the decision was made to retain Shadab Khan as vice-captain due to his performance.

    However, all is not well, as Imad Wasim has expressed disappointment over Babar Azam’s alleged condition of being made captain of the PSL franchise Karachi Kings, and the subsequent lack of trust shown towards him in that role.

    However, Imad has reclaimed the reins of Karachi Kings following Babar’s move to Peshawar Zalmi, and his impressive performance in Sharjah makes it difficult for the team management to leave him out of the playing eleven.

  • Babar Azam shares pictures from Masjid-e-Nabawi ahead of New Zealand series

    Babar Azam shares pictures from Masjid-e-Nabawi ahead of New Zealand series

    Skipper of the Pakistan cricket team, Babar Azam, has shared pictures from Masjid-e-Nabawi on Thursday.

    In the photos, the star batsman is standing in the courtyard of Masjid-e-Nabawi, the second holiest place for Muslims worldwide. In 2022, pictures of Babar Azam performing Umrah also went viral on social media.


    He surprised his fans by sharing recent pictures of his spiritual trip to Masjid-e-Nabawi. Babar, who was earlier scheduled to participate in a Ramadan tournament in Lahore, will perform Umrah in the ongoing holy month.

    Fans congratulated him for performing Umrah again and asked him to pray for winning the World Cup.


    Meanwhile, Babar’s teammate Haris Rauf also performed Umrah on Thursday and shared his picture on Twitter.

    Test Cricketer Muhammad Abbas also performed Umrah this year. Babar, Shaheen, and Muhammad Rizwan were on rest during the Afghanistan series, and now the Men in Green are preparing for the New Zealand series.


    New Zealand is scheduled to play four T20, five ODI’s, and three test matches in Pakistan. The current Pakistan versus New Zealand schedule is as follows:

    April 14 – 1st T20I, Lahore


    April 15 – 2nd T20I, Lahore


    April 17 – 3rd T20I, Lahore


    April 20 – 4th T20I, Rawalpindi


    April 24 – 5th T20I, Rawalpindi


    April 26 – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi


    April 30 – 2nd ODI, Karachi


    May 3 – 3rd ODI, Karachi


    May 5 – 4th ODI, Karachi


    May 7 – 5th ODI, Karachi

  • Babar Azam is the best player of Pakistan but is afraid of getting out: Simon Doull

    Babar Azam is the best player of Pakistan but is afraid of getting out: Simon Doull

    Kiwi Commentator Simon Doull has landed in hot waters after his sharp criticism of Pakistan captain Babar Azam.

    Opening up about the one on one conversation he had with Babar Azam during the Pakistan super league match between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, Doull said in a video that he thinks Babar Azam is afraid of getting out and that is where he needs to work.


    “I told Babar that you are the best player in the country but you are afraid of getting out. At some point of your innigns you need to play aggressive cricket and that was kind of the gist of my whole chat with him,” Doull said in the clip.


    “Someone texted me yesterday that Quinton de Kock slows down his innings while close to 100, did they win? Yes it’s ok to slow down the innings when you have a solid start and you are chasing at the home conditions but it’s not a good approach when there is not a set target ahead of you and you slow down the innings just for your personal milestone,” he added.


    “That was the whole crux of the comment. At times it gets blown out of proportion.

    I’ll never ever hide behind anything that I say. I said it at the time, I stuck by it, and I have no issue that I said it,” Simon concluded.

    Babar was criticised by Doull for slowing down to complete his maiden PSL century during the match between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators in PSL. Doull got a lot of flak from the star batsman’s fans.

  • Did skipper Babar Azam really perform Umrah this Ramadan?

    Did skipper Babar Azam really perform Umrah this Ramadan?

    Ace batsman and new recipient of one of the most important civilian awards, Babar Azam, is in the limelight again after a picture of him performing Umrah has gone viral.

    Netizens are claiming that the captain of the cricket team is performing umrah again this Ramadan.

    In the photo, the skipper can be seen wearing the Ahram at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca. After the picture surfaced online, fans congratulated Babar for performing another Umrah as the latter was in Saudi Arabia last Ramadan too.

    Now Geo News has said that the this is fake news and Babar Azam is not performing Umrah this year. He was resting, having skipped the Afghanistan three-match T20 series too Sources told Geo Super that Babar Azam is not in Saudi Arabia and currently he is at his home in Lahore.


    The right-handed batsman will be participating in a first-ever Ramadan Cricket Tournament in Lahore, starting tomorrow. Reliable sources said that the cricketer is planning to perform Umrah later this Ramadan.

    Meanwhile, on Monday evening Babar shared a video while playing golf in Lahore.


    The superstar is set to lead the Ghani Institute of Cricket (GIC) in a Ramadan tournament. His team will also feature Shadab Khan, Hussain Talat, Usama Mir, and Abbas Afridi.

  • Babar Azam, Behroze Sabzwari and more: List of 2023 Sitara-e-Imtiaz recipients

    President Dr Arif Alvi conferred Pakistan’s civil awards on 135 citizens as well as foreign nationals on Pakistan Day i.e. March 23, in recognition of excellence and gallantry in their respective fields.

    Among the civil awards, many renowned personalities were awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz which is the country’s third-highest civilian honour.

    Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam became the highlight of the event, becoming the youngest cricketer to hold this honour.

    Media personality Fakhar-e-Alam, actor Behroze Sabzwari and journalist Nadeem Malik were also conferred with Sitara-e-Imtiaz.

    Muhammad Afzal Javed and Zafarulah Khan (services to Pakistan), Dr Saeed Akhtar (medicine), late Humayun Khan (agriculture), Dr Sharif Malik (medicine), Mahfoozur Rehman (education), late Saghar Siddiqui (poetry), late Shama Khalid (art); late Ziauddin, Javed Chaudhry (journalist); Dr Anees Ahmed and Maulana Hanif Jalandhari (religious scholar), and Waqar Ahmed Malik (public service) were included.

    Among others who were also conferred the Sitara-e-Imtiaz award were Syed Murataz Mahmood (public service), Imdadullah Bosal (public service) and Mirza Ishtiaq Baig (social service); Lt Gen Noman Zakaria, Major General Muhammad Idris Dastgir, Brigadier Salman Rashid Hussain, Muhammad Iqbal Khan, Asim Ali Khan, Samina Chagali, Dr Amir Malik, Tahir Rai and Riazuddin Sheikh (public service) and Tariq Mahmood (art).

  • ‘Check on your loved ones’: Celebrities are praying for followers after magnitude 6.5 earthquake jolts Pakistan

    ‘Check on your loved ones’: Celebrities are praying for followers after magnitude 6.5 earthquake jolts Pakistan

    On Tuesday night, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake jolted Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

    The powerful jolts killed nine while 44 were injured, according to Al-Jazeera.

    Celebrities across Pakistan urged their followers to take necessary precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

    During an earthquake, please remember to wear proper shoes and exit your home to prevent any injuries from the jolts, and stay on open ground until the situation is safe.

    Actor Saba Qamar sent her prayers and wished for everyone to stay safe:

    Cricket captain Babar Azam urged his followers to take care of their loved ones

    Pakistan cricket player Shaheen Afridi prayed that everyone remained safe during the earthquake

    Actor Mahira Khan wrote on her Instagram stories that she was praying for everyone’s safety.

  • Babar Azam all set to receive Sitara e Imtiaz on 23rd March

    Babar Azam all set to receive Sitara e Imtiaz on 23rd March

    Pakistan’s men cricket team captain and top run scorer in the PSL Season 8, Babar Azam, will be awarded the country’s third biggest civilian award Sitara-e-Imtiaz on March 23.

    Babar Azam will be the youngest player to get the coveted award. At just 28 years of age, Babar Azam is the top run scorer in the latest PSL edition with 519 runs and also Pakistan’s top run scorer.
    Previously, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed held the record as the youngest person to be awarded the prestigious award.

    Sarfaraz, who led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy title in 2017, was given the award by then Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair at the Governor House in Karachi in 2018.

    Last year on August 14, the government announced that it will be conferring Babar with the country’s third-highest civilian honour.

    The star batter will be taking a break from cricket to attend the ceremony, as he will not be participating in the series against Afghanistan, which is scheduled to start on March 24.

    Babar Azam is not the only cricketer to get Sitara-e-Imtiaz, as many more including former captains Misbah ul Haq, Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan have received the award.

    Mohammad Yousuf received the award in 2011, Saeed Ajmal in 2015, Inzamam ul Haq in 2005 and Javed Miandad in 1992.

  • Qalandars vs Gladiators; who will win today?

    Qalandars vs Gladiators; who will win today?

    Tournament favourites Lahore Qalandars will face a team in trouble on Thursday. Quetta Gladiators are at the bottom of the points table while Qalandars are right on top.

    Lahore Qalandars fans are excited to watch Lahore vs Quetta in their home ground, but they are likely relaxed too after their team performed extraordinarily well in their first 4 games.

    Last time Lahore palyed against Quetta at the National Stadium, Qalandars thrashed the Gladiators, winning the match by 63 runs. Now Quetta Gladiators are ready to take revenge.

    Experts say that there is a strong chance of Lahore Qalandars maintaining their winning streak, with a complete batting and bowling line up. Spinner Rashid Khan can change the game single handedly, Shaheen Afridi is famous for grabbing first over wickets and the king of seam, Haris Rauf.

    Their batting line up is also strong in term of hitting in power play, with powerful hitters Fakhar Zaman and Kamran Ghulam.

    Shaheen Afridi’s team heads into the fixture after thumping Islamabad United by 110 runs in their previous outing. Quetta Gladiators have managed to win just one match in the tournament so far, with their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition looking increasingly bleak with each passing game.

  • Babar Azam is bigger diamond than Kohinoor: Shahdab Khan

    Babar Azam is bigger diamond than Kohinoor: Shahdab Khan

    Pakistan cricket team has failed to win a single test at home under Babar Azam’s captaincy however all-rounder Shahdab Khan has said that the nation is being unjust to Babar Azam.

    Babar Azam has been criticized in the past few months by former cricketers and fans for his captaincy.

    Shadab, in a recent interview with a local TV channel, defended his captain, asking Pakistanis to realize how valuable Babar is and desist from unnecessarily criticizing him.

    “I think we are doing injustice with such a diamond. Pakistan has been blessed with such a big diamond. He [Babar] is a bigger diamond than Kohinoor,” Shadab said.

    “As a nation, we are not valuing Babar for what he is worth and are pressurizing him. At the end of the day, he is human. We should respect him the way the world respects him,” he added.
    The all-rounder was also surprised by the criticism of Babar’s leadership qualities by former cricketers.

    “I am surprised when people doubt him as a captain or a leader. He is Pakistan’s biggest player. Our nation should respect him the way we respect him in the team,” he concluded.

    The Pakistan captain recently received the ICC Cricketer of the year award for his performances in the year 2022.