Current Final

Tag: Babar Azam

  • Twitterati angry at Wasim Akram for shouting at Babar Azam in match against Multan

    Twitterati angry at Wasim Akram for shouting at Babar Azam in match against Multan

    A video clip from the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) match between Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans is circulating on Twitter in which Wasim Akram can be seen going harsh on Babar Azam at the boundary line in the last over against Sultans where Karachi’s defeat was obvious.

    Twitter users were disappointed to see the all-format captain of Pakistan being treated like this by Akram. Angry social media users schooled the former cricketer for this behaviour.

    https://twitter.com/Arshadkhan_ofcl/status/1494041884817498113?s=20&t=rUVuEdFgPGjK2kLNI-S8ig

    Former cricketer Rashid Latif took to Twitter and said: “Kaptaan ghabrana nahi hai! Our support with you. @babarazam258 hold your head high.”

    https://twitter.com/iRashidLatif68/status/1494047805618503689?s=20&t=4t1osgU_CAM-9T6GJoY4DQ

    On Wednesday at the Gaddafi Stadium, Kings won the toss and opted to bat first. After the early loss of Babar, Sharjeel Khan and Joe Clarke added 72 runs for the second wicket. The team managed to set a decent total of 174 runs.

    But Multan’s skipper Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood’s partnership gave a strong start to the chase but by the time Shan (45 off 41) was dismissed by Mir Hamza in 15th over, the asking rate had climbed past 13 runs per over.

    Rizwan (76 off 56) upped the game after Shan’s departure with five fours in a space of seven balls. But the skipper departed on Jordan’s counterattack.

    It came down to 29 off the last 12 balls. Khushdil Shah played a series of sensational shots off Jordan as the experienced English bowler conceded 20 runs with Khushdil hitting two sixes and one four.

    The match was finished by a magnificent strike by Rilee Rossouw over mid-wicket off the third ball of the final over bowled by Umaid as Sultans finished the match with three balls to spare. Sultans ended-up scoring 71 runs off the last 27 balls.

    Rizwan grabbed Player of the Match award for his magnificent 76 runs.

    Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention here that this is a new PSL record by Karachi Kings. They’ve lost nine consecutive matches in the league. Eight this year and one last year. This is the longest losing streak of any team in the PSL. The previous one was eight matches between two editions by Lahore Qalandars.

  • Seventh consecutive loss: New record for Karachi Kings

    Seventh consecutive loss: New record for Karachi Kings

    Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Karachi Kings has set a new record of losing in the history of PSL. This year, the Babar Azam-led Kings lost their seventh consecutive match against Islamabad United at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Monday.

    Read More – All you need to know about today’s PSL fixtures

    Chasing 192, Kings were given a boost when two key Islamabad United bowlers, Shadab Khan and Zeeshan Zameer, were forced off the field with injuries, leading to Asif Ali needing to bowl three overs, and taking two wickets in his first over.

    It was some generous fielding from United at the death and a spirited stand between Imad Wasim and Qasim Akram that even made this game a contest.

    It came down to a nail-biting final over from Waqas Maqsood, in which Kings needed eight. A boundary off the second ball brought it down to a run-a-ball, but two wickets took the game right down to the final delivery, off which the Kings needed two. Chris Jordan spooned it back to Waqas, who somehow dropped it, but managed to gather and effect a direct hit at the non-striker’s end.

    Jordan was inches short of the crease that would have guaranteed the Kings a Super Over, and United had just about a hold on to victory in a game they should have sealed long ago.

    Karachi remains without points after seven matches in the ongoing tournament. Before this, the unwanted record of most consecutive defeats in a single edition of PSL was with Lahore Qalandars. Qalandars were beaten in six consecutive games in the 2018 season of PSL.

  • Shoaib Akhtar thinks Babar can’t break Tendulkar’s record but Kohli can

    Shoaib Akhtar thinks Babar can’t break Tendulkar’s record but Kohli can

    Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has said that Pakistan skipper Babar Azam cannot break Sachin Tendulkar’s record, but India’s Virat Kohli can surpass Tendulkar’s record.

    Talking to Geo News in ‘Jashn-e-Cricket’, Akhtar said: “I don’t think Babar can break Tendulkar’s record. Only Kohli can break Tendulkar’s record.”

    “Babar will have to work hard to get ahead of Virat Kohli,” Shoaib added.

    The legendary right-arm quick predicted that Kohli would score more than 100 centuries before retirement.

    In One-Day Internationals, Kohli has completed 43 centuries and 64 half-centuries in 259 matches, while Babar has scored 14 centuries and 17 half-centuries in 83 matches.

    Read More – Shoaib Akhtar believes Shahid Afridi will ‘100 per cent step into politics’

    Earlier, Akhtar had also said that Kohli should not have married “too soon”.

  • Pakistan announces squad for Test series against Australia

    Pakistan announces squad for Test series against Australia

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced 16 players and five reserves for the three Tests against Australia, which will be played in Rawalpindi (March4-8), Karachi (March 12-16) and Lahore (March 21-25).

    Test players who are not involved in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 will assemble in Karachi on Wednesday, February 16, for a training camp that will be held at the National Stadium.

    From the series against Bangladesh, three changes have been made in the national squad.

    Haris Rauf, who was in the side for South Africa and Zimbabwe Tests in 2021, has returned to replace off-spinner Bilal Asif, while Shan Masood, who last played in New Zealand in the 2020-21 season, has taken over from Abid Ali, who is completing his rehabilitation after being diagnosed with Acute Coronary Syndrome. Yasir Shah has been added to the reserve pool.

    Chief selector Muhammad Wasim in a statement said: “We have opted for consistency for the important home series against Australia and changes have only been made where absolutely necessary. This is to give the boys confidence, reward them for their impressive performances in the longer version of the game in 2021 and continue to build the side for the future.”

    “These are the best available, most talented and in-form players in the domestic circuit. I am confident they will put up an impressive performance against a formidable Australia side,” he added.

    Test squad:

    Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hassan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Zahid Mahmood.

    Reserves players selected for the tour are Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Yasir Shah.

    Cricket Australia announced the full-strength squad for Pakistan tour on Tuesday. While squads for the limited-overs matches that will follow the Tests are yet to be named, the fact that no Test players have pulled out is a vote of confidence for the tour.

  • Pak-Ind October T20 WC match tickets sold out within minutes

    Pak-Ind October T20 WC match tickets sold out within minutes

    Tickets of the most anticipated match of the T20 World Cup 2022 between arch-rivals Pakistan and India have been sold out minutes after the online sale started. Both the teams will kickoff their campaign in the clash against each other at Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23rd.

    According to the data available on the official website of the International Cricket Council (ICC), all the categories of the league match have been booked by the cricket fans, which shows the excitement among cricket lovers when both these countries face each other on the cricket field.

    Pakistan registered a thumping win against India in Dubai in the T20 World Cup 2021 clash, India was defeated by Pakistan by a margin of 10 wickets. But the campaign of Men in Green was cut short by the eventual champions, Australia, in the semi-finals.

    Meanwhile, tickets for the men’s T20 World Cup in Australia have gone on sale, giving fans an opportunity to secure their seats for the event scheduled from October 16 to November 13.

    Tickets are available on t20worldcup.com from Monday for all 45 matches, including the final, which will be played at the MCG on November 13.

  • Pakistan captain Babar Azam, others extend condolences on the demise of ‘unparalleled icon’ Lata Mangeshkar

    Pakistan captain Babar Azam, others extend condolences on the demise of ‘unparalleled icon’ Lata Mangeshkar

    Indian music icon Lata Mangeshkar passed away on Sunday at the age of 92. Condolence messages for the legendary singer poured in from all over the world. Pakistan captain Babar Azam along with several people from the Pakistan cricket fraternity took to social media to pay their tributes to the late singer, who touched the lives of millions across the globe.

    Read More – Fact Check: Did SRK really spit on Lata Mangeshkar’s body?

    “End of a golden era. Her magical voice and legacy will continue to live in the hearts of millions worldwide. An unparalleled icon! RIP Smt. Lata Mangeshkar Ji,” he wrote sharing a picture of Mangeshkar.

    Similarly, Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja took to his Twitter and wrote: “Lata Mangeshkar was the epitome of grace, humility and simplicity and therefore greatness.. a lesson for all. Kishore Kumar and now her death has left me music broken!”

    Sri Lanka batter Dimuth Karunaratne took to social media to mourn the loss of the legendary Indian singer.

    Former West Indies batter Darren Ganga said: “RIP Lata Mangeshkar, I grew up in the Caribbean listening to your timeless music. Your music shall live on!!!”

    Other notable cricketers also extended their condolences on their social media.

    Members of India’s senior national men’s cricket team wore black arm bands when they stepped on the field at the Narendra Modi Stadium for the first of a 3-match ODI series against the West Indies on Sunday.

    The Indian government announced two days of mourning for the legendary singer, whose fame has transcended generations. Lata Mangeshkar, who began singing during her teenage days, has worked in more than 1,000 films and sang close to 30,000 songs in a number of Indian and foreign languages.

    Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan said on Sunday that with her death, the subcontinent has lost one of the truly great singers the world has known.

    “With the death of Lata Mangeshkar, the subcontinent has lost one of the truly great singers the world has known. Listening to her songs has given so much pleasure to so many people all over the world,” Khan said in a tweet.

  • Angry Inzamam schools Babar after Karachi Kings’ fourth consecutive defeat

    Angry Inzamam schools Babar after Karachi Kings’ fourth consecutive defeat

    Former captain of Pakistan cricket team Inzamam-ul-Haq has schooled Karachi Kings captain Babar Azam for not finishing the match on Friday despite playing complete 20 overs against Peshawar Zalmi at National Stadium Karachi.

    Kings’ poor performance continued to frustrate the fans in the seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) as the Babar-led side has lost all their matches in the tournament.

    Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Jashn-e-Cricket’, former chief selector Inzamam criticised Babar for not being able to finish the match with a win.

    “If you are the world’s number one cricket player and stands on wicket throughout 20 overs, then you should be finishing the match, otherwise get out without playing complete overs,” said Inzamam after the Kings failed to achieve the target of 174.

    Azam’s 63-ball 90 included 12 fours and a six.

    The former captain was also not pleased with the home team’s selection and batting order in the PSL 2022.

    Inzamam-ul-Haq also criticised Australian authorities for declaring Mohammad Husnain’s bowling action illegal.

    “Hasnain has been playing cricket for 2-3 years and his bowling action did not seem to be illegal,” he said.

    “Why do 90% of players get banned after going to Australia?” he questioned.

    Inzamam said that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should have sorted out Hasnain’s bowling action issue before the start of PSL.

    Meanwhile, PCB has said in a statement that the board will work on the young pacer’s bowling action and get it cleared as soon as possible.

  • PPP’s Kaira reveals why Imran Khan is no longer his favourite cricketer

    PPP’s Kaira reveals why Imran Khan is no longer his favourite cricketer

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira has said that Imran Khan was his favorite cricketer but when Khan got involved in politics, Khan broke all his dreams.

    The PPP leader was invited to the Geo News programme ‘Jashan-e-Cricket’ with actor Eshal Fayyaz and talked about several things.

    Kaira added that the young cricketers are doing real good and that Babar Azam is leading the team really well. In his opinion, wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is a great batter as well and Shaheen Shah is doing really well.

    PPP leader Kaira further said that PPP needs to do a lot in Punjab.

    On another question about PPP’s stake in Lahore, he said that 25-30% of the people would think that Lahore’s government could belong to PPP.

  • Babar Azam has best cover drive in world cricket: Brett Lee

    Babar Azam has best cover drive in world cricket: Brett Lee

    Australia’s fastest pacer Brett Lee, in conversation with Pakistan’s fastest bowler Shoaib Akhtar, has said that Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam strike is the best cover drive in world cricket.

    Australian great Brett Lee has also praised the 27-year-old for his consistency and a classy cover drive.

    “Babar Azam: I mean what a technique. What an amazing technique,” Lee said in a video shared by legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.

    “When you talk about cover drives, I think he could have the best cover drive in world cricket,” the former pace added.

    Former Pakistani speedster Akhtar shared this video on his Twitter acount. “My fellow speedster @BrettLee_58 about @babarazam258 . This and more, coming soon,” he captioned.

    A few months back, International Cricket Council (ICC) conducted a poll on their official Twitter account, asking fans to pick the player who plays the best cover drive in which Babar edged former Indian captain Virat Kohli, English captain Joe Root and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.

    A total of 260,143 people voted in the poll in which the Pakistani cricketer garnered around 46 per cent votes. He was closely followed by Kohli, who finished second by a whisker.

  • Babar Azam optimistic to turn the tables after three consecutive defeats

    Babar Azam optimistic to turn the tables after three consecutive defeats

    Karachi Kings has been unable to win a single match in the seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) and their performance in the ongoing tournament wasn’t expected of them, especially after a change of leadership. But Pakistan’s all-format captain and Karachi’s first-time skipper Babar Azam is optimistic that the tables will be turned.

    Taking to his social media, Babar shared a picture of a team meeting and wrote: “Not the start we were preparing for but there’s a lot more to come and we believe we can turn this around. It’s never over until it’s over.”

    Kings have been failing miserably to defend their totals in the last matches played at the National Stadium in Karachi.

    They have lost by seven wickets to Multan Sultans, six wickets to Lahore Qalandars, and eight wickets to Quetta Gladiators.