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  • 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.

  • Mai un sab se bohot behtar hoon aur zindagi mein unse aagay hoon: Azam Khan hits back at critics

    Mai un sab se bohot behtar hoon aur zindagi mein unse aagay hoon: Azam Khan hits back at critics

    Azam Khan, Pakistan’s most powerful full hard and key middle-order batsman, has hit back at critics with a heated remark in a recent interview.

    “I believe that I am better than those who criticize me and spread negativity against me. I know I am way ahead in life as compared to them,” the crowd favourite said, lashing out at the critics who compare his fitness with his form.

    The 24-year-old’s comments showcase his confidence and determination to focus on his own growth as a player, rather than getting bogged down by negative criticism.

    “Those who label me as a Pindi-pitched-based batsman should also observe my recent performances. While I respect their opinion, I do not play cricket to prove them wrong. Rather, I play cricket for my own satisfaction, and as long as that satisfaction remains within me, I will continue to play,” said Azam.

    Previously, former Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed had expressed concerns over the fitness levels of players representing Pakistan in international cricket.

    “I am not sure what sort of experiment this was. It’s clear to me that no consideration was taken when selecting the squad for this series about what standard of skills and fitness levels are needed to represent Pakistan,” said Javed.

    “If I was a player in that squad, I would have refused to play with this team. First, at least attain some levels of fitness before playing. Hopefully, they will have learned from this,” he concluded.

    Many former cricketers criticize Azam Khan’s fitness. Former Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja once said in a press conference about Sharjeel Khan and Azam Khan that “if they want to play cricket first they should be fit and be like proper athletes.”

  • #DestroyNajamSethi trends on social media amid rumors of Shadab Khan removal

    #DestroyNajamSethi trends on social media amid rumors of Shadab Khan removal

    Since the last couple of weeks there is speculation in media reports that the Vice- Captain of Pakistan Cricket Team, Shadab Khan, is going to be removed as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) searches for a competent player to replace him.

    Imad Wasim’s and Shan Masood’s names are under consideration, reportedly.

    While there has been no official confirmation, cricketing fans were quick to respond, slamming team management on social media, demanding that PCB support cricketers after defeat instead of pressurising them

    After the Afghanistan series loss in United Arab Emirates, some fans defended Shadab and criticizing management in the context of why they have rested all key senior players and some reactions were opposing Khan’s poor approach and irresponsible decisions on field.


    After the series failure, in the post-match press conference, Shadab Khan said that now management will realise the importance of master batsmen Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan.


    “We have achieved our motive,” the stand-in captain said, further murking up the waters.

    Media reports have stated that after the series failure, the Board is thinking closely about appointing a new vice-captain for the shorter format series against New Zealand in April.


    Usama Mir is likely to replace Shadab in the upcoming home series against the Kiwis.

    Former wicket-keeper batter Rashid Latif added fuel to fire by commenting on his Youtube Channel that PCB may be trying to punish Shadab for speaking truth.


    The analysis by the former cricketer put PCB management and Najam Sethi into hot waters. As soon as Latif comments on the debate showed up on social media, #DestroyNajamSethi started trending.


    Clearly, fans are not happy with speculations that Shadab Khan will be replaced. There seems to be general consensus that Shadab is a crucial player in the team and is an essential part of the team’s leadership.

    The hashtag #DestroyerNajamSethi is a straight-up depiction of the fact that Pakistan cricket fans are frustrated, exasperated and angry with the chairman and management of the cricket board.

    A large pool of fans firmly believes that such decisions are an attempt to break the national team’s bench and won’t be advantageous for the team as well as the fans.

  • ‘Zip your lips’; Rashid Latif thinks Shadab’s statement angered PCB

    ‘Zip your lips’; Rashid Latif thinks Shadab’s statement angered PCB

    Former captain and wicketkeeper batsman Rashid Latif has said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that may be trying to punish Shadab Khan for speaking the truth.

    After losing the second T20 match against Afghanistan, Shadab Khan said that team management will now realise the importance of Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan, both of whom were rested for the series.

    The statement raised eyebrows among commentators, being interpreted as Shadab blaming the management for not sending star batsmen Babar and Rizwan for the series.


    Rashid Latif thinks that the statement has angered the Board and they now want to punish Shadab Khan by removing him as Vice-Captain.


    Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, and wicketkeeper, Mohammad Rizwan were rested from the recently-concluded Afghanistan series which Pakistan lost by 1-2.

    While reacting to the aforementioned news on his YouTube channel, Latif slammed the board for mentally torturing Pakistan cricketers.

    “One person is trying to speak the truth but they [PCB] are trying to zip his lips. Disturb him so much that he leaves cricket and makes him a psycho.

    Why do 90 percent of Pakistan players become psycho after leaving cricket? They become psycho because of Pakistan Cricket Board,” Latif said.

    “I don’t understand who brings these people on the board,” he concluded.

    Babar will once again be in the driving seat of Pakistan’s cricket team, resuming his responsibilities as captain in the series against New Zealand.
    The Kiwiswill arrive in Lahore and play three T20Is from 14-17 of April before traveling to Rawalpindi, where the final two T20Is and first ODI will be played from 20-26 of April.

    The tour will culminate in Karachi, with the remaining four ODIs to be played from April 30 to May 7.

  • Najam Sethi denies talks with ICC about Pakistan’s World Cup matches

    Najam Sethi denies talks with ICC about Pakistan’s World Cup matches

    Najam Sethi has denied speaking to International Cricket Council (ICC) about playing World Cup 2023 matches in Bangladesh. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has clarified that the ‘hybrid model’ was strictly pertaining to the Asia Cup since India will not travel to Pakistan.


    “Referring to the media talk in Rawalpindi/Islamabad on Thursday, Mr. Najam Sethi said he had briefed the media on the hybrid model he had presented to the Asian Cricket Council officials for the ACC Asia Cup to end the impasse that had been created following the BCCI’s decision to not send its team to Pakistan.

    “This proposal – to play India’s matches at a neutral venue and the rest in Pakistan – is under discussions within the ACC,” a PCB media release stated.

    Sethi said that he was misquoted by a section of the media.

    “At no stage during Thursday’s media interaction, did I give any reference to the ICC or made any remarks on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which is scheduled in October. This matter has not been mooted or discussed at any ICC forum so far,” Sethi said in the press release.
    The PCB through media release gave a rejoinder to one of its local English news agency.

    “In this background, the PCB is disappointed that a leading English language newspaper has misquoted, misinterpreted, and misrepresented Mr. Sethi’s comments and gave the impression that PCB’s hybrid model was presented and discussed at the ICC, which is factually incorrect.
    “At this stage, the PCB is only in discussions with the ACC over the hosting of the ACC Asia Cup and no discussions regarding the World Cup have taken place with the ICC.” However, to pacify the country’s media, PCB in its press release did mention that the concept of a ‘hybrid model’ could be discussed later but even the bigwigs know that any such recommendation will be rejected at the onset. “This is not to say that the hybrid model will not be advocated at the proper ICC forum at the right time,” it stated in the end.

    It must be mentioned that there is very little chance that Asian Cricket Council will pass the budget to allow Pakistan to play its Asia Cup matches at home instead of UAE or Qatar.
    The only possibility will be that PCB will have to bear the entire cost, including the logistics of the broadcasters in order to host matches in their country.

  • 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.

  • BCCI sources say entire Asia Cup to be shifted to UAE or Qatar

    BCCI sources say entire Asia Cup to be shifted to UAE or Qatar

    Sources within Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have denied media reports that Pakistan will likely play their World Cup 2023 matches in Bangladesh.

    According to media reports, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has been continuously pressurised by BCCI to shift Asia Cup to a neutral venue, however Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has stuck to its stance that if they are deprived of hosting Asia Cup, then they will boycott the tournament and will not travel to India for World Cup 2023.

    PCB has dragged BCCI towards a ‘hybrid model” for the tournament.


    Under this proposed model, other teams would play their Asia Cup matches in Pakistan, while the Indian team would play their matches in another country. Now, according to media reports, Pakistan is also considering the possibility of playing their World Cup matches at a neutral location.


    However according to sources in BCCI that talked tto Press trust of India (PTI), these are just pressure tactics from PCB, while there is a probability of shifting entire Asia Cup to Qatar or United Arab Emirates.

    “We understand that this is a kind of pressure tactic applied by PCB because of the Asia Cup issue. But let me tell you, ultimately, Asia Cup will also be played in UAE or Qatar and probably Pakistan will also have to play its matches in one of these countries,” BCCI source said.

    “As far as Pakistan playing its Asia Cup games in Pakistan is concerned, the budget for the tournament is passed by the Asian Cricket Council. If ACC says that it’s not a commercially viable proposition to hold Asia Cup in two countries, how can Pakistan play its games at home? ACC, for all you know, might not pass the budget,” the BCCI source added.

  • 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.

  • Nation will understand the value of Babar-Rizwan after this series says Shadab Khan

    Nation will understand the value of Babar-Rizwan after this series says Shadab Khan

    Afghanistan thrashes Pakistan and leading the three match series by 2-0 by defeating Pakistan in the second T20 at Sharjah cricket ground. Rashid khan led Afghanistan cricket team exposed the young Pakistan cricket team’s weaknesses.

    Shahdab Khan the substitute captain for Afghan series while talking to media in post-match press conference says “Nation will now give more respect and honor yo our legends after this series.

    Whenever Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan not performing or even when they are performing the sword of strike rate is hanging on their head now when they are not with us in the team we have all seen the importance of Babar and Rizwan.”

    Shadab khan more said that nation and media was forcing to take youngster in the team who have just perform in one PSL edition and some ex-players forcing management to give rest to the senior players like Babar and Rizwan now they will know the value of our legends.