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  • ‘Every story has an end’: Sania Mirza says she is proud of everything Shoaib Malik has achieved

    ‘Every story has an end’: Sania Mirza says she is proud of everything Shoaib Malik has achieved

    Indian tennis star and Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik’s wife, Sania Mirza, has said she is proud of her husband, who announced retirement from ODI cricket following Pakistan’s last match of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

    “Today I retire from One Day International [ODI] cricket. Huge thank you to all the players I have played with, coaches I have trained under, family, friends, media and sponsors. Most importantly, my fans. I love you all. PakistanZindabad,” the all-rounder tweeted, ending his career spanning over 20 years.

    As soon as Malik announced his decision, Sania took to social media to congratulate the veteran on an astounding career.

    “Every story has an end, but in life, every ending is a new beginning.  Shoaib Malik, you have proudly played for your country for 20 years and you continue to do so with so much honour and humility. Izhaan and I are so proud of everything you have achieved but also for who you are,” she wrote.

    “I am retiring from one-day cricket. I’m sad as I’m leaving the format I loved the most but this will allow me to spend more time with my family and concentrate on the Twenty20 World Cup next year,” Malik had said in a press conference after the match against Bangladesh Friday.

    Malik played 287 ODIs and scored 7,534 runs with nine hundreds. His performance in the 2019 World Cup, however, left his fans disappointed.

  • PAKvBAN: How can Pakistan still qualify for the World Cup semi-finals?

    New Zealand’s defeat against England has put a heavy dent to Pakistan’s chances of qualifying for the 2019 World Cup semi-finals, but some fans are still hopeful to see Green Shirts end up among the top four teams.

    Pakistan will get through if any of the following scenarios take place in their match against Bangladesh today.

    FIRST SCENARIO:

    If Pakistan win the toss and opt to bat first; they will have to score 400 runs and dismiss Bangladesh for just 84 runs.

    SECOND SCENARIO:

    The Green Shirts can also qualify by putting 350 runs on the scoreboard and dismissing all Bangladeshi batsmen for just 38 runs; however, if Bangladesh bat first, we stand no chance of qualifying.

    These two scenarios would guarantee that Pakistan overtake New Zealand on net run-rate (NRR) as both teams are still running for the final spot in the semi-finals race.

    New Zealand’s defeat to England has ended their campaign at 11 points on the World Cup points table. Pakistan is currently on nine points.

    Teams receive two points for a win and one point for a tie or no-result washout.

    If two sides are level on points at the end of the group stage, the one that has won more games goes through. Since they remain level, the side with the superior NRR — which in this case is New Zealand — advances.

  • 1992 and 2019? It’s not just Pakistan’s performance that’s similar…

    1992 and 2019? It’s not just Pakistan’s performance that’s similar…

    The world is coming down, the flags are up and the similarities between the 1992 and 2019 cricket world cups are uncanny.

    Back in the 1992 edition, Pakistan were hanging loosely off the edge, having their World Cup journey on the verge of conclusion before striking back; which is something that can be witnessed in 2019 as well.

    Good thing for Pakistan? The Imran Khan-led 1992 squad lifted the coveted trophy 27 years ago.

    While not just fans and critics, but even the International Cricket Council (ICC), observe the eerie similarities between the two tournaments, here’s a list of players from our current squad and their counterparts from the ’92 cup.

    Mohammad Amir and Wasim Akram

    Like Akram in 1992, Amir is carrying Pakistan’s bowling attack forward in 2019.

    Babar Azam and Javed Miandad

    Like Miandad, Babar has stepped up to perform brilliantly and rack up runs for his side.

    Shaheen Afridi and Aaqib Javed

    Like Aaqib was a second fiddle to Wasim, Shaheen is undoubtedly that to Mohammad Amir.

    Haris Sohail and Inzamamul Haq

    Inzamam played some brilliant innings in ’92; quite similar to Haris’s against South Africa and New Zealand.

    Shadab Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed

    Mushtaq had a huge impact 27 years ago, while Shadab has one for Pakistan in 2019.

    Hassan Ali and Iqbal Sikandar

    Hassan is rather non-existent in the World Cup so far; and just like Sikandar, not many people might even remember if he even played or not.

    Shoaib Malik and Saleem Malik

    Saleem was horribly out of form in 1992 and did nothing for his side; Shoaib hasn’t done anything so far either.

    Imad Wasim and Ijaz Ahmed

    Just like Ijaz, Imad is an “all-rounder” who is playing in the team for the sake of his label. Does knowing a little bit about both batting and bowling really make you an all-rounder? (Ijaz quit bowling in the later days of his career)

    Imamul Haq and Ramiz Raja

    The thing both Imam and Ramiz have in common is the strike rate. Imam in 2019 bats at the same strike rate as Ramiz did in 1992.

    Sarfaraz Ahmed and Moin Khan

    Both Sarfaraz and Moin, other than being wicketkeeper-batsmen, have a role crucial for the entire team. In Shoaib Akhtar’s words, “Moin didn’t, while Sarfaraz doesn’t perform up to the mark”.

    Imran Khan

    Last, but undoubtedly not the least is Imran Khan – the dashing skipper who steered his ‘Cornered Tigers’ to victory in the 1992 World Cup. In all honesty, Khan has no match on the cricket field; however, he still is the captain.

  • Abdul Razzaq offers to make ‘faulty Hardik Pandya world’s best all-rounder in two weeks’

    Abdul Razzaq offers to make ‘faulty Hardik Pandya world’s best all-rounder in two weeks’

    Former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq has offered to coach Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya to “improve his faulty techniques”.

    “Today I saw Pandya batting against West Indies and found a few issues in his foot movement, bat swing and body balance while hitting,” the former all-rounder said in a video on his official YouTube channel.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IXIaYFasBE

    On Thursday, Pandya scored a brisk 46 and shared a crucial 70-run partnership with MS Dhoni to help India post a competitive total of 268/7 against West Indies in their ICC World Cup 2019 game at the Old Trafford.

    Pandya chipped in with the ball and also took the wicket of opener Sunil Ambris. In fact, his send-off to the Windies opener became one of the talking points of the game.

    However, Razzaq, who scored 5,080 runs in ODI, said Pandya’s game had weaknesses, which needed to be worked upon.

    “If Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gives me just two weeks to coach Pandya, he can become world’s no 1 hitter and all-rounder,” he added.

  • VIDEO: Sikh fan cheering for Pakistan cricket team breaks the internet

    VIDEO: Sikh fan cheering for Pakistan cricket team breaks the internet

    The video of a Sikh fan cheering for the Pakistan cricket team at Edgbaston on Wednesday, has gone viral over the internet.

    The unnamed fan has won hearts of Pakistani supporters all across the globe with his gesture during the must-win match against New Zealand at the packed cricket stadium.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    In the video, he can be heard raising the slogan “Pakistan Zindabad” while thousands of other Pakistan team supporters join him.

    Green Shirts defeated New Zealand by six wickets to stay in the hunt for a place in the World Cup Wednesday. They next face Afghanistan and Bangladesh on June 29 and July 5, respectively.

  • ‘Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide,’ Pakistan head coach talks about World Cup pressure

    ‘Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide,’ Pakistan head coach talks about World Cup pressure

    Head coach of the national cricket team, Mickey Arthur, has said Pakistan’s defeat against arch-rivals India was so painful that it left him “wanting to commit suicide”, Khaleej Times reported.

    “Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide. But it was, you know, only one performance,” he was quoted as saying.

    Pakistan faced a humiliating 89-run defeat against India in Manchester on June 16, a result which sparked a furious backlash as the country’s hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals were put in grave danger.

    “It happens so quick. You lose a game; you lose another game; it’s a World Cup; media scrutiny; public expectation and then you almost go into sort of survival mode. We’ve all been there,” Arthur said.

    While the head coach’s emotional comment may have been exaggerated to show how passionate he is about his job, some believed it was in bad taste considering former coach Bob Woolmer’s sudden death after Pakistan suffered a bruising defeat against Ireland during the 2007 World Cup.

    Pakistan lifted Arthur’s spirits with an impressive 49-run win against South Africa at Lord’s on Sunday. They now need to win their remaining three matches and improve their inferior net run-rate to have a chance of advancing to the semi-finals.

    Pakistan play New Zealand in Birmingham on Wednesday.

  • Afghanistan is better than Pakistan in all aspects of game: Afghan Cricket Board CEO

    Afghanistan is better than Pakistan in all aspects of game: Afghan Cricket Board CEO

    Interim chief executive officer (CEO) of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), Asadullah Khan, has said that Afghanistan is currently better than Pakistan in all aspects of cricket.

    According to senior sports journalist Ibrahim Momand, Asadullah in a recent television interview said that Pakistan should “seek Afghanistan’s help to improve their cricket”.

    “We are currently far better than Pakistan in cricket and they should ask us for technical, coaching and more support for the betterment of their cricket [sic],” Asadullah is reported to have said.

    https://twitter.com/IbrahimReporter/status/1141687157628780544

    Afghanistan recently beat the Men in Green by three wickets in a 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup warm-up match at Bristol.

    The Naib-led side is currently languishing at the bottom of the table after losing all of their five matches so far in the mega event.

    The Men in Green will take on Afghanistan on Saturday, June 29 at Headingly, Leeds.

  • CWC’19: Can Pakistan still qualify for the semi-finals?

    CWC’19: Can Pakistan still qualify for the semi-finals?

    A majority of fans have been left disheartened ever since Pakistan’s humiliating defeat against arch-rivals India in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

    While some hope for a comeback from the Green Shirts as witnessed in the 2017 Champions Trophy and many other times, everyone is confused over the national cricket team’s future in the tournament.

    CAN PAKISTAN STILL QUALIFY FOR THE SEMIS?

    The simple answer to this question is yes. Pakistan can still manage to secure a spot among the four teams that will be playing in the semi-finals of the World Cup.

    As per the current table, Pakistan are at number nine out of the ten teams playing in the tournament.

    The situation doesn’t look very good; however, Pakistan still has another four matches to play against South Africa on June 23, New Zealand on June 26, Afghanistan on June 29 and Bangladesh on July 5.

    In order to qualify, Pakistan need to win all four matches while maintaining a good Net Run Rate (NRR) — a statistical method used in analysing teamwork and performance in cricket.

    Other than performing well, Pakistan also has to hope that New Zealand loses all its remaining matches because considering their current forms, India, Australia and England will most probably be the top three teams that will qualify.

  • Pakistani cricketers come under fire for allegedly spending a night out before a critical match

    Pakistani cricketers come under fire for allegedly spending a night out before a critical match

    A day after members of the Pakistan cricket team faced severe criticism for their night out “right before the match against arch-rivals India”, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued a statement denying all claims.

    “So @TheRealPCB says that no team member violated curfew time before the #PakVsIndia match. According to them, the photos are from two days back,” journalist Zebunnisa Burki‏ tweeted.

    Earlier, a picture and video of cricketer Shoaib Malik, his wife Sania Mirza and other cricketers visiting a sheesha cafe on the eve of Pakistan’s match against India had gone viral.

    The media had started generating controversy as Pakistan faced a humiliating defeat in the match against India due to poor performance.

    After the match, fans alleged that Shoaib, Sania and other cricketers of the Pakistani team were at the sheesha café till 2 am in the morning, hours before the critical match.

    https://twitter.com/MurtazaViews/status/1140301732628402176

    However, according to the PCB’s statement, the video was from the night of June 14 (Friday) and not Saturday.

    “No player violated curfew and returned to their hotel rooms on-time the night before Pakistan’s match against India,” the board said, adding that players had gone out with their families two days before the match.

  • #PAKvsIND: Angry fan puts up Pakistan cricket team for sale online

    #PAKvsIND: Angry fan puts up Pakistan cricket team for sale online

    After it was humiliated by arch-rivals India in the ICC World Cup, a disheartened fan has put up the Pakistan cricket team for sale at an online marketplace.

    As per the details, India on Sunday extended their unbeaten World Cup record against Pakistan as they managed to secure an 89-run win in the rain-affected match.

    While a majority of people resorted to social media to vent out their frustration against Pakistan’s yet another disappointing performance, an annoyed fan took it all to a whole other level by putting the team up for sale.

    https://twitter.com/sfurqan92/status/1140319513944252422

    “Pakistan cricket team, pretty useless and cannot take any responsibilities,” the ad from an anonymous seller read.

    It, however, was removed by the hosting platform after a while.