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Tag: Pakistan cricket team

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Mohammad Amir says ready to play for Pakistan again, 4 years after retiring over ‘mental torture’

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has reversed his decision to call time on his Pakistan career after “few positive discussions” with the Pakistan Cricket Board. His decision in essence means that he could play at the T20 World Cup later this year in the USA and the Caribbean. “I still dream to play for Pakistan!” Amir posted in a tweet on Sunday where he made his decision public. “Life brings us to the point where at times we have to reconsider our decisions. There has been few positive discussions between myself and the PCB where they respectfully made me feel that I was needed and can still play for Pakistan after discussing with family and we’ll wishers I declare that I am available to be considered for upcoming T20 WC. I want do this for my country as it comes before my personal decisi...
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Shane Watson yet to decide on Pakistan coaching role despite PCB’s acceptance of demands | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson remains undecided on accepting the role of head coach for the Pakistan cricket team, despite the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) agreeing to his remuneration terms.Sources within the board revealed that Watson has demanded an annual salary of $2 million, roughly equivalent to 46 million rupees per month, marking the highest fee ever proposed for a foreign coach. This demand surpasses the compensations received by previous foreign coaches of Pakistan."Considering his young family in Australia and commitments in the USA Major League, he is assessing his options. The board expects him to dedicate ample time to Pakistan, aiding in talent discovery and domestic grooming," the source explained.Watson's deliberation on signing the contract is in...
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New feud brewing in Pakistan? Wasim Akram hits back at Shaheen Afridi after ‘shush’ celebration

On Sunday, Quetta Gladiators finally sealed a playoff spot in the PSL after four years as Mohammad Wasim pulled Shaheen Shah Afridi for a last-ball six and handed Lahore Qalandars a six-wicket defeat. What did we just witness⁉️ Gladiator Wasim Jnr taking Quetta to the playoffs in style 😱👊#HBLPSL9 | #KhulKeKhel | #QGvLQ pic.twitter.com/X7Yi2DtQeZ — PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 10, 2024 Akram lashed out on Shaheen for his poor bowling in the death overs against the Quetta Gladiators. “Shaheen is a very experienced bowler. He is the captain of Pakistan team as well. He is playing international cricket for five years now,” said Akram on ‘The Pavilion.’ “He wanted to bowl a length ball but instead he should have bowled full. Edge lag ke chauka jaaye (It doesn’t matter if he would ...
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Pakistan Cricket Board terminates Haris Rauf’s central contract. Find out why

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday terminated the central contract of pacer Haris Rauf as a penalty for pulling out of the recent Test series in Australia. The board also announced that Rauf will not be granted a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) to play in any foreign league up to June 30 of this year. “Fast bowler Haris Rauf has been penalised by Pakistan Cricket Board, following a probe into his refusal to join Pakistan’s Test squad for the tour of Australia 2023-24. After a thorough hearing process conducted by a PCB committee and taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders involved in the matter, Haris’ central contract has been terminated from December 1, 2023 and no NOC (No objection certificate) to play any foreign league will be granted up to June 30, 2024,...
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Pakistan players restless over team director Mohammad Hafeez’s ‘long meetings and lectures’, claim reports

After being clean sweeped by Australia in the three-match Test series, things haven’t gotten any easier for the Pakistan cricket team on their tour of New Zealand. Led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, the visitors trail 2-0 in the five-match T20I series. Amidst the defeats are reports of discontent in the Pakistan dressing room that suggest the players haven’t taken well to the new team director Mohammad Hafeez. Per media reports in Pakistan, the players are unhappy and are growing restless with “long meeting and lectures” held by Hafeez. “He holds very long meetings and gives long lectures and some of the players get restless because same things are repeated,” one of them suggested. Also doing rounds on the social media are videos of the team director having long discussions with the new keeper...
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WATCH: This Pakistan cricketer wants Brad Pitt to play him in his biopic | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Pakistan cricketers often find ways to grab attention. Recently, the out-of-favour Pakistan opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad, who has been out of the team for a while, was posed with an intriguing question: which Hollywood actor would he choose to portray him in a biopic? Without hesitation, Shehzad named veteran actor Brad Pitt as his preferred choice to depict him if a biographical film were ever made about his life.In a recent interview, Shehzad, absent from Pakistan's lineup since his last appearance in 2019 against Sri Lanka in Lahore, grabbed the headlines with his unexpected response when asked about the actor he'd envision playing his character in a biopic – a choice that even prompted laughter from the interview host.WATCH:Shehzad has played 13 Tests, 81 ODIs and 59 T20...
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Yasir Arafat named Pakistan cricket team’s high-performance coach | Cricket News – Times of India

KARACHI: Pakistan appointed former allrounder Yasir Arafat its national cricket team high performance coach on Tuesday, another staffing shake-up for the embattled side after a tumultuous year.In September, Pakistan failed to qualify for the final of the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, before crashing out of the World Cup in the first round in India just two months later.The World Cup flop already prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to replace team director Mickey Arthur and head coach Grant Bradburn, who had only taken over in April.Arafat will take the helm from Simon Helmot who is coaching Pakistan through the ongoing Test series in Australia.The PCB said Arafat will be part of team management for the upcoming five T20Is in New Zealand, slated for January 12-21.While no tenure has been ...
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‘I’ve never bowled at 150 kph…we don’t care about pace dropping rumours’: Hasan Ali bashes pace critics, says PAK ahead of AUS in Boxing Day Test

Despite the general misconceptions around Pakistani pacers, Hasan Ali isn’t overtly fond of the 150kph mark. The 29-year-old assures that none of his teammates are either. Speaking in the press conference after Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne, he says, “I don’t know whose pace has dropped as my focus has never been just on pace. I’ve never bowled at 150kph. I think it’s better to stick to the area around the top of off stump. I haven’t heard these rumours about pace dropping and we don’t care about them. Our focus is on the game & that’s where it should be.” One of the game’s better celebrators #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/jZ88kK27Bu — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 26, 2023 It was only recently that former World Cup winner with Pakistan, Waqar Youn...
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Usman Khawaja says he will contest ICC’s armband charge, claims it was for ‘personal bereavement’

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has said that he will not wear a black armband for the Test match against Pakistan at the MCG, but will challenge the charge against him by the International Cricket Council. Khawaja was reprimanded by the ICC for sporting a black armband on his arm in the first Test against Pakistan at Perth, which Australia won convincingly by 360 runs. It must be noted that the ICC reprimand does not carry a financial or playing penalty. “The ICC asked me day two (of the Perth Test) what (the black armband) was for, I told them it was for a personal bereavement. I never ever stated it was for anything else,” Khawaja told reporters on Friday. “I respect the ICC and all the regulations they have, I will be asking them and contesting them… From my point of view, that ...
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Why Usman Khawaja won’t be wearing shoes featuring human rights slogans for Palestinians in Gaza

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has decided to abort his plan to have sporting messages of support for Palestinians in Gaza written on his shoes for the first Test against Pakistan at Perth’s Optus Stadium, which will start from Thursday. The Pakistan-born opener had shown off messages like “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal”, written on his playing shoes in the colours of the Palestinian flag, during Australian cricket team’s training session on Tuesday ahead of the first Test against Pakistan. When asked by journalists if he was planning on sporting those messages on his shoes for the match against Pakistan, he had replied in the affirmative. But Australian captain Pat Cummins told journalists on Wednesday that the player has had a change of heart. “He had some w...
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Australia’s Usman Khawaja to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza with messages on shoes

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja plans to show solidarity with Palestinians by sporting shoes with slogans on them during the Test match against Pakistan cricket team at Perth. On Tuesday, as the Australian cricket team held a training session ahead of the first Test, photographs emerged of Khawaja’s shoes bearing the messages: “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal”. Israeli forces have attacked Gaza in retaliation ever since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. The cricketer then confirmed to Sydney Morning Herald that he was planning on wearing the shoes on Day 1 of the first Test in Perth. The two teams will play the second Test in Melbourne before the last match in Sydney. The batter has shared a couple of posts on social media about the Israel-Palestine conflict, mak...
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Asad Shafiq announces retirement from all forms of cricket, set to become Pakistan selector

Pakistan Test batter Asad Shafiq has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after experiencing a dip in his passion for the game.The 37-year-old made the announcement on December 10.“I am not feeling the same excitement and passion playing cricket and neither do I have the same fitness levels required for international cricket. Which is why I have decided to say goodbye to all cricket,” he told a press conference after leading Karachi Whites to the National T20 Championship title.Also read: Asad Shafiq loses his spot; Amir and Shoaib also fall out of favourAsad also confirmed he was about to sign a contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board to be a paid national selector.“I have got the contract from the board and I am looking at it and hopefully it will be processed soon.” He...
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Pakistan cricket team in Australia without a doctor

Image for representation purpose only. | Photo Credit: Getty Images Visa and passport issues have left the national senior cricket team in Australia without a doctor and the Under-19 side in the UAE without a team manager.Sohail Saleem, who was named as the official team doctor for the series in Australia and New Zealand, is yet to join the team.“The Pakistan Cricket Board is still trying to get a visa for Dr. Saleem and as soon as it comes he will join the side in Australia in time for the first Test in Perth,” a reliable source in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.He said similarly former Test batsman, Shoaib Muhammad, who was named manager of the Pakistan junior side taking part in the Asia Cup in UAE has also been unable to leave with the squad.“Shoaib had some expired passpor...
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Racist term appears on screen for Pakistan team | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: In an embarrassing broadcasting blunder, Fox Cricket used racist word 'PAKI' on live score ticker to represent Pakistan team during their warm-up match against Prime Minister XI.The unfortunate incident took place on match's opening day at the Manuka Oval on Wednesday, sparking controversy.An Australian journalist shared a TV grab on social media platform X, formally Twitter, after which the mistake was corrected and Cricket Australia also issued an apology.'PAKI' is a contemptuous term for a person from Pakistan or South Asia by birth or descent.Journalist Daany Saeed, whose post on X drew the attention on the error, in another post wrote that Cricket Australia has apologised for the error."The graphic was an automatic feed from a data provider which had not been used previo...
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Pakistan’s Naseem Shah starts ‘final stage’ of rehabilitation after missing World Cup due to injury

Pakistan cricketer Naseem Shah, who missed the recently-concluded Cricket World Cup in India, due to a shoulder injury has begun the ‘final stage’ of his rehabilitation process, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced in a press release late on Wednesday. The fast bowler is currently undergoing his rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore, under the care of a strength and conditioning coach, a physiotherapist and a doctor. PCB said that Naseem has been doing light gym exercises and partial bowling practice so far. The board’s press release added that he will start batting from Thursday. The young pacer had picked up an injury to his shoulder during the Asia Cup in September, which required him to undergo surgery in the United Kingdom. He consequently missed the entire World ...
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Did PCB drop tainted Salman Butt from selection committee role after intervention from Pakistan Prime Minister?

Salman Butt was dropped from his role as a consultant to Pakistan’s chief selector, Wahab Riaz, barely a day after he was first appointed along with former Pakistan cricketers Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum. And it appears that it took an intervention from the nation’s caretaker Prime Minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, to change minds at the Pakistan Cricket Board about the tainted cricketer. Kakar is also the Patron-in-Chief of the PCB. Former Pakistan captain Butt was named as a consultant to Riaz on Friday, but the decision had evoked sharp responses from former Pakistan cricketers like Ramiz Raja and Pakistanis media because in 2011, Butt had admitted to spot-fixing in a Test match at Lord’s. He was banned from the sport for five years and even spent time in jail in England. As ca...
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Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim retires after World Cup snub | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Pakistan's white-ball all-rounder Imad Wasim on Friday announced his retirement from international cricket following his omission from the 50-over World Cup squad.Despite being born in Wales and aged 34, Imad found himself replaced by Mohammad Nawaz for the World Cup held in India. Unfortunately, Pakistan's campaign in the tournament ended prematurely as they faced an early exit in the initial round."In recent days I have been doing a lot of thinking about my international career and I have come to the conclusion that now is the right time for me to announce my retirement from international cricket," Imad wrote on X.A left-handed middle-order batsman and a quality left-arm spinner, Imad played 55 one-day internationals and 66 Twenty20 internationals for Pakistan.He scored 986...
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Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal appointed as Pakistan pace, spin bowling coaches

Umar Gul of Pakistan during a practice session. File | Photo Credit: Bhagya Prakash Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, the members of Pakistan’s 2009 T20 World Cup and 2012 Asia Cup squad, have been appointed as the fast bowling and spin bowling coaches respectively of the Pakistan men’s team. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made the announcement through a statement. “Members of the 2009 T20 World Cup and 2012 Asia Cup winning squad, and former Pakistan cricketers Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, have been appointed as the Fast Bowling and Spin Bowling Coaches, respectively, for the Pakistan Men’s Team. Their inaugural assignments in these roles include the Test series against Australia scheduled from December 14, 2023 to January 7, 2024 and the T20I series against New Zealand from January 12-21 2024...
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Pakistan names Wahab Riaz as head of national selection committee; Sohail Tanvir to head junior selection panel

The overhaul in Pakistan cricket’s top echelons continues after the team’s ouster from the ongoing Cricket World Cup after a fifth-place finish in the group stage. Just two days after former Test captain Mohammad Hafeez was entrusted the role of Team Director for the Pakistan men’s cricket team and Shan Masood and Shaheen Shah Afridi took over the reins of the national team from Babar Azam, the Pakistan Cricket Board picked two former Pakistan pacers to lead two crucial selection committees. While former left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz was appointed as the chief selector of the national men’s selection committee, Sohail Tanvir was named as the head of the junior selection committee. Riaz’s first assignment will be the selection of the national men’s squad for the three-match Test seri...
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Days after ODI World Cup exit, Babar Azam resigns as Pakistan skipper across all formats

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has stepped down from his role of the national captain from all three formats of the game. The announcement comes days after Pakistan were knocked out of the ODI World Cup in India after just four wins from nine games – a fifth time in the last six editions of the tournament that the team has failed to qualify for the semifinals. Follow all the action from the Cricket World Cup 2023 on our special World Cup section. You can also find the latest stats, like the top scorer and the highest wicket-taker of the current edition, upcoming World Cup fixtures and the points table on the site. Taking to his social media on Wednesday, Babar wrote, “I vividly remember the moment when I received the call from PCB to lead Pakistan in 2019. Over the past four years, I’ve e...