Current Final

Tag: Pakistan Cricket Team

  • Will Shaheen Afridi become Captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team? Shaheen speaks out

    Will Shaheen Afridi become Captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team? Shaheen speaks out

    Star pacer of the Pakistan cricket team Shaheen Shah Afridi praised the captaincy of the national team’s all-format skipper Babar Azam and wished for him to continue in this role for at least 10-15 years. The speedster said that he has no plan to captain the team as Babar is leading the team brilliantly.

    Read More – PM Khan predicts winning team of PSL 7

    In a pre-Pakistan Super League (PSL 7) media conference, Lahore Qalandars’ newly appointed captain Afridi was asked whether he would like to do the captaincy of the Pakistan team in the future.

    “I don’t have any plans for now as Babar is leading the side so well. Under his captaincy, the team gelled strongly and performed. I wish he continues as captain for at least 10-15 years,” he responded.

    “In the future, if any opportunity comes to me, I would love to do it for my country. But, for now, I want Babar to continue for long,” he added.

    It must be noted here that Shaheen and Babar will be leading their respective franchises Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings for the first time in PSL 7.

  • Haseebullah’s century, Awais Ali’s six-fer help Pakistan outclass Zimbabwe in U19 CWC

    Haseebullah’s century, Awais Ali’s six-fer help Pakistan outclass Zimbabwe in U19 CWC

    Pakistan Under 19 Cricket team has started it’s World Cup series with an extensive win over Zimbabwe, beating the opposition with a 115-run margin at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex in Trinidad and Tobago.

    Wicket-keeper-batter Haseebullah Khan set the tone of the win by scoring an impressive 135. In his 155-ball innings, he smacked four sixes and ten fours.

    Irfan Khan was the other prominent batter, scoring 75 off just 73 balls. He stroked six fours and a maximum.

    The Boys in Green posted a gigantic score of 315/9 after Zeeshan Zameer hit three sixes and remained not out on six-ball 21.

    Right-arm medium pacer Alex Falao bagged fifer for Zimbabwe. He conceded 58 runs in his nine overs. Mcgine Dube took three for 68 in his 10 overs.

    In reply, Pakistan pacers took wickets at regular intervals and didn’t allow Zimbabwe batters to form partnerships. Zimbabwe was bowled out for 200 in 42.4 overs.

    Awais Ali’s magnificent six wicket-haul was the cherry on the top.

    The Green Shirts will now face Afghanistan in their next clash of the U19 World Cup at the Brian Lara Cricket Ground.

  • ‘That’s me’: ‘Phuppo ki beti’ with Babar Azam revealed

    ‘That’s me’: ‘Phuppo ki beti’ with Babar Azam revealed

    A picture of a girl buttoning up Pakistan all-format cricket Skipper Babar Azam’s coat has been widely shared on social media and netizens are making assumptions about who the girl is. It has been revealed that the girl is Abeeha Mamoon, a Dubai based stylist and makeup artist.

    Commenting under The Current’s post on Instagram, the girl said: “That’s me! A stylist and makeup artist from Dubai. Was working on a shoot with him!”

    Reacting on the post, she said that “this is hilarious”.

    Babar is in Karachi and will soon enter quarantine for the upcoming seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The 27-year-old cricketer will be leading Karachi Kings in this edition.

  • Shahid Afridi believes Hafeez wanted to play more cricket for Pakistan

    Shahid Afridi believes Hafeez wanted to play more cricket for Pakistan

    Former captain of the Pakistan cricket team Shahid Afridi has said that he believes Mohammad Hafeez, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, wanted to play more cricket for Pakistan.

    While speaking on Samaa TV’s show Game Set Match, Afridi said that there is a communication gap between PCB and the players.

    “I was listening to his [Hafeez] statement and it was clear from his body language that he wanted to play more cricket for Pakistan rather than leaving early,” said Afridi.

    “I always talk about the communication gap between the PCB and players and I have a strong feeling that the same was the case with Hafeez. Although, it was good to see that he didn’t turn that into a major issue,” he added.

    Afridi also heaped praise on Hafeez over a great international career.

    “I would like to congratulate Hafeez, his family and parents. Hafeez had an outstanding career and he gave many match-winning performances,” he said.

    Hafeez announced his retirement from international cricket 18 years after making his debut in Sharjah against Zimbabwe on 3 April 2003.

    Hafeez represented Pakistan in 392 international matches, scoring 12,780 runs and taking 253 wickets, besides also captaining the side in 32 international matches.

  • U19 squad departs for World Cup after Asia Cup semi-final defeat

    U19 squad departs for World Cup after Asia Cup semi-final defeat

    The Pakistan U19 team has departed for West Indies to play the International Cricket Council (ICC) U19 Cricket World Cup after they lost to Sri Lanka in the U19 Asia Cup in Dhaka this week.

    Read More – Pakistan turns out victorious in group-stage matches of U19 Asia Cup

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) informed media that except Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, who contracted with Covid-19, all the players have departed for West Indies via Dubai. Bangalzai will remain isolated for ten days under the supervision of Emirates Cricket Board (ECB).

    Gazi Ghouri and Mohammad Zeeshan are travelling as reserves for the mega event. A replacement for Bangalzai will be made according to the need.

    It must be noted here that Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in U19 Asia Cup’s semi-final. India beat Sri Lanka to win the Asian tournament for eighth time.

    The mega event is slated to be starting from January 14.

  • ‘Can’t explain that moment’: Babar opens up about T20 win against India

    ‘Can’t explain that moment’: Babar opens up about T20 win against India

    Pakistan’s all-format cricket team captain Babar Azam has opened up about how he felt beating arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup 2021.

    Azam hailed his side’s record win against India in the event. Pakistan successfully played to a 10-wicket win, ending their World Cup drought against the Men in Blue.

    Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi was the star of the show, taking three for 31 from his four overs. Despite a 57 from former Indian T20 captain Virat Kohli, the Indians were not able to notch up an intimidating total on the scoreboard.

    Chasing 152 for victory, skipper Babar (68) and his partner Mohammad Rizwan (79) steered the national team home with 13 deliveries to spare.

    “I can’t explain that moment. We were not thinking about the past record, trying to stay in the present. The way we started and finished had a different feel and buzz to it.. and the response from fans was amazing too. We hadn’t registered a win (against India) in the World Cups and Allah helped us change that. It was a team effort. We had belief. There was no overconfidence,” said Babar in a PCB Podcast episode on YouTube.

    The Men in Green reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup after topping Group B. However, their impressive journey came to an end with a defeat to eventual champions Australia in the semis. Babar described it as a heartbreaking moment for Pakistan.

    “We had put in the effort… we had dominated the World Cup. But unfortunately, we couldn’t win that match. We made mistakes as a team but we need to learn from it and deliver a better performance next time,” said Babar, who finishes with the year with 939 runs from 29 T20 Internationals.

    “Doesn’t matter how you start when you finish well. We finished the year on an outstanding note. We played some positive cricket throughout the year and tried to leave an impact. We’ve had different Man of the Match contenders for every match. Unfortunately, we bowed out of T20 World Cup but we did learn from that defeat. We have had discussions on the mistakes and will try to improve day by day.”

    “Talking about performances, Rizwan and Shaheen were brilliant. Hasan too. Youngsters like Abdullah, Wasim and Dhani have been impressive too. It’s a plus point for us and hopefully, we carry on the momentum. We had assigned roles to players and that led to better performances. I had the belief that we had match-winners in our team and the boys proved that. Thanks to the fans too and we hope to get a similar kind of support next year,” said the 27-year-old batter.

    Babar stands on top of the table of both white-ball formats. While Rizwan stands on third position in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings for the first time in his career.

    Check out here:

  • 2021: The year of records in Pakistani cricket

    2021: The year of records in Pakistani cricket

    The Pakistan cricket team is considered to be the most unpredictable team of all. The Men in Green have seen many ups and downs this year but the green shirts flourished with bright colours, making record breaking partnerships, personal and team records and many more. We have collected some major events that happened in cricket in Pakistan and how the year 2021 was for the Shaheens.

    Our champions reshaped the face of T20I Cricket in 2021. Have a look at their phenomenal performance.

    PSL 6 Winners

    Mohammad Rizwan, leading the Multan Sultans, won the sixth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2021. Sultans beat Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs in the final to win their maiden trophy of the tournament in June, 2021. Rizwan replaced Shan Masood as the captain of the team after he was traded from the PSL franchise Karachi Kings.

    Sultans started at the second leg of the PSL fifth on the points table, having lost four of their first five matches but led by their captain Rizwan, went on to win four of the next five to finish the league stage second. They then swatted the Islamabad United challenge in the first qualifier and lead themselves to the win in the final, a crowning glory in their magnificent UAE leg of the season.

    Pakistan beats India in T20WC

    Pakistan made history by beating arch-rival India for the first time in a T20 World Cup match in October. The green shirts’ 10-wicket win ended a decades-long defeat streak that began in 1992. Pakistan had lost all 12 of their previous World Cup matches against India.

    The two former champions clashed after more than two years in the 2021 T20 World Cup opening fixture at the Dubai International Stadium.

    Pakistani openers Azam (68) and Mohammad Rizwan (79) produced a batting masterclass to chase down the 152-run target without losing a wicket, and finishing the game in the 18th over.

    Rizwan and Babar partnership

    Babar and Rizwan made a formidable partnership for Pakistan at the top of the order. They scored a total of 6 century stands, which is the most by a batting pair in the history of T20Is. Out of these, 4 were in excess of 150 runs which is also the most for a batting pair in T20Is and came against the likes of England, India, South Africa, and West Indies.

    The duo was magnificent for Pakistan throughout the 2021 T20 World Cup. They were influential as Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India for the first time in World Cup history. The batting pair scored an unbeaten knock of 152 runs and registered the highest opening stand in T20 World Cup history.

    Babar and Rizwan’s opening partnerships were all the more impressive because of pressure situations. Out of their six century partnerships, three came while chasing a target. This also included 197 run stand against South Africa at Centurion.

    The duo also became the first batting pair in history to score more than 1,000 runs in a year. They scored 1,380 runs at an average of 57.50 in 25 innings while batting together.

    Rizwan T20 Runs

    Mohammad Rizwan rounded off a magnificent year in T20 cricket by becoming the first batter in the history of the format to cross 2,000 runs in a calendar year. The wicket-keeper batter scored 2,036 runs at an average of 56.55 and a strike rate of 132.03 in 45 innings he played in the year. Rizwan also became the highest run-scorer in T20Is in a calendar year as he became the first batter in history to cross 1,000 runs in T20Is. He scored 1,326 runs at an average of 73.66 and a strike rate of 134.89 in 26 innings.

    The star wicket-keeper batter was Pakistan’s most influential player in all formats this year. Rizwan won a total of 6 player-of-the-series awards in 2021, equaling the record of most player-of-the-series awards held by Sachin Tendulkar since 1998. Rizwan bagged 4 player-of-the-series awards in T20Is and 2 in red-ball cricket.

    Record 20 T20I wins in a year

    During the year, Pakistan played 29 matches in the shortest format and won 20 – the most by any team. They lost six while three ended with no result.

    The Men in Green played seven bilateral T20 series, and won six – against South Africa, Zimbabwe, West Indies and Bangladesh. They only lost to England.

    Pakistan also won all group matches in the T20 World Cup – against India, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Namibia and Scotland. They lost the semi-final against Australia in a thriller.

    Babar number 1 T20 and ODI player

    Babar Azam’s incredible 2021 has been capped off with a number1 T20I batting ranking.

    Combining in an opening partnership of 158 with Mohammad Rizwan against the West Indies in Karachi to set up a 3-0 series win, Babar’s 79 from just 53 balls propelled him back to the top, overtaking Aiden Markram and Dawid Malan. He now sits number1 in both the men’s T20I and ODI rankings going into the final days of the year.

    This was only the second time in history that a batter was ranked number one in both formats at the end of a year. Australian legend, Ricky Ponting, achieved the feat in 2005.

    Babar Nominated for ODI Player of the Year Award

    The Skipper of Pakistan is also nominated for the ODI Player of the Year award. He scored 405 runs in six matches in the outgoing year at an average of 67.50 with two centuries in the 50-over format.

    Alongside Azam, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, Ireland’s Paul Stirling and South Africa’s Janneman Malan have been named as contenders for the award.

    Rizwan Nominated for T20Player of the Year Award

    The star batter is also nominated for the T20I Player of the Year award for his exceptional performances with the bat.

    Alongside Rizwan, Jos Buttler, Wanindu Hasaranga and Mitchell Marsh are the four nominees for the Men’s T20 Cricketer of the Year Award.

    Two Consecutive Whitewash

    The Pakistan cricket team had a great two series against Bangladesh and West Indies. First the green shirts beat Bangladesh with a 2-0 clean sweep in Test matches and 3-0 whitewash in T20Is and the national team later triumphed a T20I series at home against West Indies.

    Meanwhile, led by the dynamic opening duo of Rizwan and Babar, Pakistan pulled off a record chase in the third and final T20 international to register a 3-0 series whitewash over the covid-hit West Indies team.

    Pakistan beats India in U19 Asia Cup

    Pakistan beat arch-rivals India by two wickets in a nail-biting match of the group stage of the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) Under-19s Asia Cup, with young stars Muhammad Shehzad and Zeeshan Zameer’s heroics leaving the Men In Blue surprised.

    Skipper Qasim Akram put India to bat after winning the toss and restricted the Men In Blue to 237 in the 50-over match at the ICC Academy Ground.

  • Shaheen Afridi ranks Rizwan ‘best’ and Babar ‘second’ best captain

    Shaheen Afridi ranks Rizwan ‘best’ and Babar ‘second’ best captain

    Pakistan’s young fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was recently appointed as the new captain of Lahore Qalandars, has revealed that he ranks Mohammad Rizwan as a better captain than Babar Azam.

    While attending a press conference where Shaheen was officially announced as the new captain of the Lahore Qalandars team, the left-arm pacer was asked about his opinion regarding Babar Azam’s captaincy.

    “Babar Azam is my favorite batsman and he is the number one batter as well. He has done fantastically well as a captain for the national team and we are reaching new heights under him,” responded Shaheen.

    Shaheen was then asked to reveal who he believes has been the best captain near him since he started playing.

    “I like [Mohammad] Rizwan’s personality. I started playing domestic competition with him from KPK’s side and I would rate him as the best. Since Babar has done a fantastic job with the national team, I will rank him second,” said the newly appointed captain of the Lahore Qalandars team.

  • ‘Clearly I’m home’: Saqlain Mushtaq shares video with daughters putting clips on his beard

    ‘Clearly I’m home’: Saqlain Mushtaq shares video with daughters putting clips on his beard

    Interim head coach of the national cricket team, Saqlain Mushtaq, recently shared a video on his social media in which he can be seen sitting on a couch and his daughters are putting small clips on his beard and hair.

    Sharing the video on Twitter, the former Pakistan spinner wrote: “Clearly… I’m home after a long three months of cricket serving the great Pakistan.”

    The former Test off-spinner was appointed as the interim head coach after Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis resigned from their posts. He was appointed only for the New Zealand home series, which was cancelled after the visiting team left Pakistan before playing any match. The Black Caps backed out of its tour due to security concerns minutes before the first match was scheduled to start at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

    Mushtaq was asked to continue in his role for the T20 Men’s World Cup as well as the series against Bangladesh and West Indies.

    Under Mushtaq’s tenure, Pakistan began an unbeaten run in the T20 World Cup till they were eliminated in the semi-final. Recently, the Men in Green also defeated Bangladesh on their home ground. While the national side also defeated West Indies with a clean sweep in the three-match T20I series in Karachi.

  • Babar Azam celebrates Pakistan’s 20th T20I win in a year, clean sweep

    Babar Azam celebrates Pakistan’s 20th T20I win in a year, clean sweep

    Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam took to his social media to celebrate the 20th T20I win of the team in a calendar year. The 27-year-old batter was also happy for winning the three-match T20I series with a clean sweep against West Indies in Karachi on Thursday.

    Taking to Twitter, the skipper wrote: “One more in the collection, Alhumdulillah.”

    He also thanked Windies team for their tour despite difficult times of Covid-19. “Special mention to West Indies team for making this tour possible in difficult times. Our whole nation graciously thank you,” he wrote.

    Babar and Rizwan, after winning the 20th T20I in a year, shared their views about the national side. Babar credited Pakistan team for their successful run in T20Is in 2021. The captain also showered praise on his opening partner.

    Calling him a wonderful human being and speaking about the way Rizwan has improved his game, Babar said: “According to me, I’m privileged to have such a talented cricketer, a wonderful human being, someone who gels everyone together and someone who is looked up to by everyone.”

    “The way Rizwan improved his game, confidence levels and belief in himself is evident for everyone to see in the last one year. I’m happy that he is the leading T20I run-scorer in 2021,” he added.

    He credited the entire team for the success and noted: “The credit goes to the team and the players for their efforts, and believing in themselves. Communication and backing the players has been quite helpful for us. Every player in our dressing room is a match-winner.”

    Mohammad Rizwan finished 2021 as the leading run-scorer in T20Is with 1,326 runs in 29 matches at an average of nearly 74. He also became the first cricketer to score over 2,000 T20 runs (2,036 runs) in a calendar year.

    Rizwan and Babar powered Pakistan to their highest successful chase in T20I cricket as well as beating West Indies by seven wickets in the third T20I in Karachi. Babar contributed 79 off 53 balls, while Rizwan was the aggressor, hitting 87 off just 45 with the help of ten fours and three sixes.

    At the end, Asif Ali hit a flurry of boundaries to level the scores and sealing the deal for the national side, scoring 21* off just 7 balls.

    All-rounder Shadab Khan, pacer Haris Rauf and power hitter Asif also took to their social media to express their joy after winning the series with a clean sweep.

    Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja also lauded both the openers and team for the achievement.