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Tag: South Africa

  • Here’s why you were stuck in traffic in Lahore despite South Africa playing Test in Rawalpindi

    Massive jams in major parts of Lahore on Thursday spelt misery for citizens on the second consecutive day with little or no public knowledge regarding the jams except assumptions that the South African cricket team was in town.

    According to the details of the jam, the city’s arteries, including Jail Road, Canal Bank Road and The Mall, remained blocked for traffic as contingents of police and rangers barred motorists from movement on the said roads.

    As a result, all routes leading to the aforementioned major roads also remained choked with traffic jams in Shadman, Shah Jamal, Gulberg, Mozang, Upper & Lower Mall, Lytton Road, Liberty Chowk, Kalma Chowk and Davis Road among other adjoining areas.

    But what could have been the cause, especially when the South African team is currently playing its second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi?

    Well, a separate Proteas T20 squad arrived in Lahore on Wednesday for three-match series against the Green Shirts.

    Security before the movement of the team was beefed up in the Punjab capital and the guests were shifted to the hotel in the fully escorted motorcade.

    Heinrich Klaasen will lead the South Africa squad in the three fixtures which will be played on February 11, 13, and 14. The first practice session is scheduled for Friday.

    The series will start at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on February 11, and so, the current traffic situation is likely to prevail until February 15, after which the Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches could add to motorists’ woes.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat in the second and final Test in Rawalpindi against South Africa on Thursday.

    Pakistan retained the playing XI which won the first Test by seven wickets inside four days at Karachi last week.

  • First day of PAK vs SA ends in distress despite ‘Super Rizwan’

    First day of PAK vs SA ends in distress despite ‘Super Rizwan’

    The Pakistan vs South Africa series kickstarted on Tuesday with a Test match at the National Stadium Karachi. While the day began with cricket aficionados witnessing some great wicketkeeping by ‘Super Rizwan’, it ended with four out after making just 33 runs. SA, on the other hand, had a score of 220-10.

    Muhammad Rizwan’s exceptional wicketkeeping abilities left everyone in awe during the first session of the first test between Pakistan and South Africa. Middle-order batsman Van der Dussen was run out by a quick throw from Babar Azam and excellent work with the gloves from Rizwan.

    With an excellent speed, Rizwan broke the wickets in seconds. The skipper’s throw in the right direction helped Rizwan run out the South African Middle-order batsman at 17 runs.

    This Test series is very important for Pakistan Cricket as the green shirts have faced a humiliating defeat in New Zealand.

    Pakistan’s 11 initially appeared strong with its two debutants, Nauman Ali and Imran Butt, but opener Imran, couldn’t do anything promising with the bat. Earlier in the day, Younis Khan and Yasir Shah had presented both Ali and Butt their first Test cap.

    The visiting team opted for batting after winning the toss. They had a strong start but lost Markram early after which they could not construct a lasting partnership. The highest individual score from a South Africa batsman came from the blade of Dean Elgar, who scored a well-made 58. The visitors could only post a total of 220.

    For Pakistan, with the ball, the spinners rose to the occasion. Yasir Shah was the highlight, with 3 wickets to his name, while debutant Nauman Ali snared two. The pacers had 3 wickets to their names. And then, Pakistan stepped out to bat, in their first innings. It was a horror start with the bat though, as they lost Abid Ali early and saw further collapses, including the skipper at 7.

    In the end, they closed out Day 1, at 33 for 4, and probably have to thank the sun for setting down, rather than any of their batsmen. However, if one exception were to be made, one can say that Azhar Ali is gritting it out there – he is the man the visiting team would hope to snare as they resume play on Day 2.

    Pakistan will need 187 runs to opt for a lead tomorrow with six wickets in hand.

  • Nine uncapped players included in 20-player Pakistan Test squad against SA

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 20-player squad for the Test series against South Africa (SA). As per details, the squad includes nine uncapped players. Haris Sohail, Mohammad Abbas, and Shan Masood have been dropped by the selection committee, while Hasan Ali has been included in the Test squad after two years.

    The 20-player squad includes:

    Openers – Abid Ali (Central Punjab), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab) and Imran Butt (Balochistan)

    Middle-order batsmen – Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Kamran Ghulam (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab) and Saud Shakeel (Sindh)

    All-rounders – Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab) and Mohammad Nawaz (Northern)

    Wicketkeepers – Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh)

    Spinners – Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Yasir Shah (Balochistan)

    Fast bowlers – Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Tabish Khan (Sindh)

    Talking about the selection of uncapped players, Chief selector Muhammad Wasim said, “I want to congratulate all the uncapped players who have made it to the 20-player Pakistan Test squad. These nine players are now just a step away from representing Pakistan in the pinnacle format of the game. As such, they have an outstanding opportunity to step-up show their class and potential and perform strongly so that they can cement their places for future international assignments.

    He further added: “Sohail, Abbas, and Masood have been dropped due to inconsistent performances. However, the PCB will not let its investment in these talented players go to waste and will invite them to the High-Performance Centre so that they can work out their technical flaws and get back into contention,”

    South Africa will tour Pakistan this month for the first time in 14 years to play two tests and three Twenty20 Internationals. The five-day matches will be staged in Karachi from January 26-30 and in Rawalpindi from February 4-8.

  • Pakistan women cricket team to tour South Africa in January

    Pakistan women cricket team to tour South Africa in January

    The Pakistan women’s national cricket team is expected to tour South Africa next month. As per details, the team will play three ODIs and three T20Is during the tour in Durban and Pietermaritzburg from 20 January to 3 February.

    This series has been organised to prepare the team for ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier to be held in July 2021.

    Women’s chief selector and head of the women’s cricket, Urooj Mumtaz, in a statement, said: “I am delighted that Cricket South Africa have agreed to host us for a full tour despite having already qualified for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022. This is yet another indicator and reflection of our relationship with the member boards who are willing to help and support each other in any possible way.”

    She added: “South Africa is ranked above us, both in the ODI and T20I formats and, as such, I am sure this series will go a long way in not only assisting us to further improve our standards but also prepare for June’s ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2021 as we aim to finish in the top three and progress to the event proper in early 2022 in New Zealand.”

    While the final squad for the tour is expected to be announced on Thursday, 31 December 2020, 27 probables for the tour include Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana Khan, Iram Javed, Javeria Khan, Javeria Rauf, Kainat Imtiaz, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali, Nahida Khan, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Saba Nazir, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz and Syeda Aroob Shah.

    The above mentioned 27 players have been invited by the women’s national selection committee for a training and preparation camp, which will be held at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi from 20 December.

    Read more – Women cricketers travel to Karachi ‘in bags’

    Tour schedule:

    11 Jan – Departure for Durban

    13-19 Jan – Training, practice and intra-squad matches, Durban

    20 Jan – 1st ODI (d/n), Kingsmead Stadium, Durban

    23 Jan – 2nd ODI (d), Kingsmead Stadium, Durban

    26 Jan – 3rd ODI (d), Pietermaritzburg Oval, Pietermaritzburg

    29 Jan – 1st T20I (d), Pietermaritzburg Oval, Pietermaritzburg

    31 Jan – 2nd T20I (d), Pietermaritzburg Oval, Pietermaritzburg

    3 Feb – 3rd T20I (d/n), Kingsmead Stadium, Durban

  • South Africa plan first cricket tour of Pakistan in 12 years

    South Africa plan first cricket tour of Pakistan in 12 years

    Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Tuesday it will send a security assessment delegation to Pakistan this weekend with a view to playing in the country in early 2021.

    If the tour goes ahead it will be South Africa’s first visit to Pakistan since 2007/08.

    Two subsequent “away” tours were staged in the United Arab Emirates because of security concerns following a 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.

    No details of the planned fixtures were revealed but according to the International Cricket Council’s future tours programme, South Africa are due to play in two world Test championship matches as well as three Twenty20 internationals in January and February.

    Tuesday’s announcement confirmed South Africa will host Sri Lanka in two world Test championship matches over the local summer holiday period.

    The first Test will be in Centurion from December 26 to 30 and the second Test will be in Johannesburg from January 3 to 7.

    After the CSA’s entire board resigned on Monday, acting chief executive Kugandrie Govender said the matches against Sri Lanka, like those for the upcoming white-ball series against England, would be played without spectators because of Covid-19 restrictions.

    On their previous visit to South Africa in 2018-19, Sri Lanka gained an upset 2-0 series win — the first by an Asian team in a Test series in South Africa.

    CSA also announced Australia would visit South Africa for three world Test championship matches in March and April 2021, to be followed by Pakistan, who will play three one-day internationals and three T20 internationals. Dates for these tours will be announced later.

    It was previously announced South Africa will host England in three T20 and three one-day internationals in Cape Town and Paarl between November 27 and December 9.

    The South African men’s team has not been in action since a one-day tour of India was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

  • Lions nap on the road during coronavirus lockdown in South Africa

    Lions nap on the road during coronavirus lockdown in South Africa

    Pictures of a pride of lions taking a nap in the middle of a road in a national park in South Africa have gone viral on social media. South Africa has been under lockdown since March 25.

    Kruger National Park, one of the largest game reserves in Africa, shared photos and videos of animals roaming the park without the intrusion of tourists.

    Park ranger Richard Sowry was out on patrol when he took the pictures of a pride sleeping on a road. Mr Sowry performs an essential service and continues to work during the lockdown, checking on the wildlife and guarding against poachers.

    He took photos with his mobile phone.

    Speaking to a news outlet, he said, “Lions are used to people in vehicles. All animals have much more of an instinctive fear of people on foot, so if I had walked up they would never have allowed me to get so close.”

  • South African army officer wins right to wear hijab on duty

    South African army officer wins right to wear hijab on duty

    The South African army dropped charges against an officer who had been charged for wearing a Muslim headscarf under her military cap.

    Major Fatima Isaacs was criminally charged in June 2018 with deliberate disobedience and failing to obey a lawful instruction after her superior asked her to remove the hijab.

    The army removed all charges at a military court at the Castle of Good Hope near Cape Town. It said it would allow her to wear a hijab provided it is a tight headscarf that will not cover her ears and must be plain in color.

    “The withdrawal of charges is subject to her obedience with certain restrictions relating to the wearing the headscarf,” the officer´s lawyer, Amy-Leigh Payne, of the Legal Resource Centre told AFP.

    However, Isaacs is planning to challenge this in the equality court over regulations confining religious wear. Isaacs has served in the army for the past 10 years as a clinical forensic pathologist.

    “While there is some relief that the criminal charges have been withdrawn, this withdrawal does not address the unconstitutional religious dress policy, said Payne. In fact, the policy remains in force”.

    The army’s spokesman in Western Cape province, Colonel Louis Kirstein, said the armed forces had held meetings with the Muslim Judicial Council, a group of Islamic clerics, over the dress code.

    The group’s deputy president Abdul Khaliq Ebrahim Allie said the council is calling for the “recognition of the wearing of the scarf by Muslim women” in the military.

  • South Africa to visit Pakistan for T20 series in March

    South Africa to visit Pakistan for T20 series in March

    Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced that it will be sending its team to Pakistan for the T20I series in March next year, a private news outlet has reported.

    According to the details, the news was revealed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Wasim Khan, during a press conference ahead of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka’s 2nd Test match in Karachi.

    The T20 series between Pakistan and South Africa is expected to take place after the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    Wasim Khan said, “The CSA has accepted our invitation and agreed to send their team to Pakistan next year to play three T20Is, most probably in March immediately after the PSL”.

    Wasim also hoped that all the top South African players will visit to the country with the team and expects good news in the next few weeks’.

    The official schedule is yet to be announced by the cricket board.

    He further informed that Australia will be touring Pakistan in 2022 for a two-match Test series, however, the board is trying to convince Cricket Australia to play three matches instead of two.