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[ad_1] Indian batting superstar, Virat Kohli, opened up about India’s Asia Cup clash against Pakistan on Saturday in Kandy. While speaking to Star Sports, Kohli highlighted the formidable strength of Pakistan's bowling attack. He stressed that facing such a formidable bowling attack requires nothing less than a player's absolute peak performance.  “I feel bowling is their strength. And they've got some really impactful bowlers that can change the course of the game anytime based on their skill set. So, you have to be at your absolute best to face them,” Kohli told Star Sports. Reflecting on his recent batting approach, Kohli shared insights into his continuous pursuit of enhancing his game. “I only try to understand how I can better my game. Every day, every practice session, every year, every season, this is what has helped me play this well for so long and to perform for my team.” "I don't think you can perform consistently without that mindset beca...

[ad_1] Pakistan pacer, Naseem Shah, underwent successful surgery for his injured shoulder today, sidelining him from the ICC World Cup 2023 set to commence in India.  The right-arm fast bowler sustained the injury during a crucial encounter against India at the Asia Cup 2023 last month. Medical examinations indicated a muscle injury in the shoulder region, unrelated to any previous shoulder issues.  Alhamdulillah, I'm recovering well. Your prayers and well wishes have been my strength. Thank you all for your support. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/1oQUgU2KdT — Naseem Shah (@iNaseemShah) October 4, 2023 The injury necessitated surgical intervention, which took place successfully. Post-surgery, Shah has been advised a period of rest lasting four to six weeks, followed by a gradual rehabilitation process. During the 46th over of the crucial match against India, the 20-year-old had to leave the field on the reserve day due to an injury near his bowling shoulder.  The Pakistan Crick...

[ad_1] Star-studded Zimbabwe A have beaten Pakistan Shaheens by 24 runs in the first one-day match held in Harare on Wednesday. While chasing a target of 235, Shaheens suffered early blows as they lost their top-order inside seven overs. Tendai Chatara was on fire as he removed Saim Ayub (8), Imran Butt (6) and Muhammad Huraira (3) in his first spell. With Pakistan reeling at 29/3, Kamran Ghulam stitched a 48-run partnership with Hussain Talat, before Tallat was dismissed by Wellington Masakadza for 29. Ghulam also departed shortly after scoring 42, courtesy of Masakadza. With half of Pakistan side back in the dressing room, Haseebullah and Mubasir Khan took charge of the proceedings and got Pakistan back on track. Haseebullah played a gritty 45-run knock before Masakadza also had his number and picked up his third and final wicket of the match. Mubasir kept fighting as wickets fell at the other end. However, his lone battle came to end as he was bowled by experienced pac...

[ad_1] KARACHI: “I love playing cricket, I am a master when it comes to bowling,” exclaimed Nadia Athar, who is small in stature for a 13-year-old, but her gumption and spirit make her taller than her peers. And she loves to bowl and looks up to Shoaib Akhtar as her favourite cricketer. Nadia is participating in the biggest cricket tournament of her life which was taking place at the National Stadium ground, with her school The Future Academy, even though her team had finished last on their debut in the event. The event featured four schools including the Future Academy, Nasra School, Ismail Academy, and Alpha School. The Australian High Commissioner Neil Hawkins thanked the players, the officials, and the Australian Over-40 team that is visiting Pakistan to compete at the Over-40 World Cup for being a part of the event. “The AHC has been sponsoring girls’ cricket since 2016,” said Hawkins in a press statement. “Our countries share a passion for cricket and a key interest ...

[ad_1] Karachi Kings pacer, Mohammad Amir, has opened up about his on-field clash with Peshawar Zalmi captain, Babar Azam, on Wednesday. Babar played a match-winning 68-run knock from 46 balls against Kings. During the innings, he flicked Amir for a boundary, which frustrated the left-arm pacer and he threw the next ball towards Babar in desperation. “It was heat of the moment thing and it was nothing personal [against Babar]. Bowlers should show aggression on the field, to get the best out of them,” Amir said in pre-match interview on Thursday. “I was under pressure in the game, which is the beauty of this league. It helps you get better,” he added. Amir conceded 42 runs in his four-over spell and went wicketless. Left-arm pacer emphasised the need to stick to basics. “In T20, there is no guarantee for success, so you have to execute your plans. If you keep making mistakes, you can’t win the game,” he said. “I thought we did well as a team, but little things can make a hu...

[ad_1] Babar Azam faced a challenging year in Test cricket, encountering a notable downturn in his batting performance, especially in the red-ball format. Throughout the entirety of 2023, he found himself unable to secure a Test half-century in nine innings, marking the first instance since his debut that he failed to achieve this milestone in a calendar year. His struggles persisted in the second Test against Australia at the renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). In a match where Pakistan had a daunting 317-run target set by Australia, Babar managed to score 41 runs before falling victim to Josh Hazlewood's delivery, succumbing to a clean bowled dismissal. This continued a trend seen in the first innings, where Babar Azam was similarly dismissed by Pat Cummins after scoring only one run. The right-handed batsman misjudged the ball, resulting in his stumps being disturbed as he was bowled out, reflecting the challenges he faced with the bat in the match and the year a...

[ad_1] Pakistan secured a comprehensive 238-run win over Nepal in Asia Cup opener on Wednesday in Multan. Iftikhar smashed an unbeaten 109 off just 71 balls, which included 11 boundaries and four sixes. He was involved in a 214-run partnership with Babar Azam – the highest fifth-wicket stand for Pakistan in ODIs as the duo’s efforts propelled Pakistan to 342-6. Iftikhar is fondly referred to as "chacha" (uncle) by his fans. Following the game, during the press conference, a journalist playfully addressed Babar as Iftikhar's "bhatija" (nephew), and inquired about Babar's support during their partnership. In response, Iftikhar highlighted the strong camaraderie between them, stating, "Bhatija also gave confidence to chacha and chacha also gave confidence to bhatija. Babar is a world-class player. The way he handles strike rotation alleviates pressure. Consequently, we relished our time batting together."   Aik hi dill hai kitni bar jee...

[ad_1] Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has questioned Pakistan's intent after a devastating loss to India in the Super Four stage of the 2023 Asia Cup. Following Pakistan's defeat to India, Afridi took to the social media platform 'X' (formerly known as Twitter) to express his thoughts about Pakistan's intent in the game while also encouraging the players that they could deliver better performances in their upcoming matches. He also commended India for their outstanding performance in all aspects of the match against Pakistan. "Winning/losing is part of competing, but not putting up a fight, not showing intent to win is just poor. Exactly what I was referring to in my previous tweet. India played as #1 on the field, batting & bowling. Congrats @imVkohli on achieving another dream milestone of ODI runs and well-crafted 💯 by you and KL Rahul. Chin up boys, you can do better than this, next match #PakvsInd,"Afridi said on 'X.' ...

[ad_1] The HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) has placed itself as one of the most sought-after events and one of the factors that make the league so exciting for the viewers are the rivalries between the six franchises. It is not only the fans who look forward to them, but the players and coaches also enjoy being in the middle of those high intensity contests. Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan told PCB Digital: “We plan ahead of the season on how we have to approach the upcoming tournament and we have done that already. “On a personal note, I enjoy playing against Karachi. It is one of the matches that I don’t want to lose as a captain or a player. It is not like I say this in the team huddle or something. It is just my personal desire to not to lose to them, especially when we play in Karachi.” Karachi Kings captain Imad Wasim: “This rivalry [Lahore v Karachi] is good [for the HBL PSL]. It is the biggest game and now Karachi-Peshawar and Lahore-Quetta are new rivalries. “B...

[ad_1] Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has picked the teams he expects to make the semi-finals of the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup. Ganguly, who turned 51 on Saturday, named five teams that could be in contention for a semi-final spot at the World Cup in India later this year and remained hopeful about a clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan at Eden Gardens in one of the semi-finals. "It’s very hard to say [teams that could make the semi-final]," Ganguly said in an interview. "Australia, England, India. You can never underestimate New Zealand in these big matches. I will pick five, and include Pakistan also." "Pakistan better qualify so that we will have the India-Pakistan semi-final at the Eden Gardens." Eden Gardens is set to host the second semi-final of the World Cup on November 16 with Mumbai hosting the other. India play Pakistan on October 15 in the league stage, but the former skipper hoped that the teams would meet...

[ad_1] Less than six months after knee surgery threatened to rule him out of next month's ODI World Cup, the goal of captaining New Zealand in India has been the key driver in getting Kane Williamson through his recovery. The 33-year-old tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee playing for Indian Premier League side Gujarat Titans in April, which looked to have scuppered his chances of making the showpiece tournament. However, intense rehab work has meant a speedy recovery. New Zealand is set to play their first warm-up match against Pakistan on Friday. "It's [about] working through those warm-up games to get as much out of it as I can - personally and as a team - without sort of bothering too much," Williamson said on Wednesday before Kiwis departure for India.  "There is a strong desire to basically be involved in those as much as I can; we've got two of them before our first competition game. And basically, it's just wanting to progres...

[ad_1] Pakistan batter Khushdil Shah bags record while representing Comilla Victorians against Minister Group Dhaka in the ongoing match at Bangladesh Premier League 2023. The Minister Group Dhaka won the toss and chose to bowl first; Victorians scored 184 runs in the first innings. ALSO READ:  Azam Khan creates record in Bangladesh Premier League 2023 The 27-year-old Khushdil played an aggressive inning of 24-ball 64 runs, including seven fours and five massive sixes. With this innings, Khushdil Shah becomes the fastest fifty scorer in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023. He achieved this milestone after playing only 18 deliveries, leaving behind Rony Talukdar, who scored fifty runs in 19 deliveries. Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan also scored 47-ball 55 runs in the same innings. In reply, Dhaka managed to score 151 runs after losing four wickets. Ahmed Shehzad scored 17-ball 19 runs, including three boundaries. Dhaka captain Nasir Hossain played a fig...

[ad_1] Najam Sethi, the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), recently proposed the idea of hosting the Asia Cup in England. “England could be a possibility as a venue for the Asia Cup,” Najam Sethi said in a interview with an Indian media outlet. However, Salman Butt, a former Pakistani cricketer, expressed his reservations about hosting the Asia Cup in England, stating that it would not make sense to have a neutral venue for a tournament that is meant to represent the Asian continent. “A neutral venue like this [England] is not viable for Asia Cup, it will not make sense as it will mean that there is not a single venue in Asia where it could be held,” Salman Butt said. Butt argued that for the sake of giving options, you can provide as many as possible, but it is important to see if they are feasible or not. “You can include England in it and make it Euro-Asia Cup. You can also give this suggestion. In the past, Austral-Asia Cup used to take place in which Australia...

[ad_1] Skipper Rohit Sharma said he was bored of talking about India's pitches after the hosts lost the third Test to Australia on a wickedly turning Indore track on Friday. "This pitch talk is getting too much. Every time we play in India it's always about the pitch," Rohit told reporters after his side's nine-wicket loss. Rohit highlighted the first Test between South Africa and the West Indies, which ended inside three days on a fast Centurion surface on Thursday, and said that batting-friendly tracks, like the ones in Pakistan’s home Test series, produced "boring" contests. "People have to play well for the game to last for 5 days. Games are not lasting for five days even outside India. Yesterday, in South Africa, the game got over in three days. If the pitches are helping the bowlers, the batters need to try and test their skills," Rohit said. "It's not about always making sure that we are playing on flat pitches and the...

[ad_1] Former Australian cricket star Michael Clarke has landed a new opportunity as a commentator for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after a video of him in an altercation with his girlfriend went viral. The incident led to Clarke being dropped by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. ALSO READ:  Ahmed Shehzad vows to make International comeback for Pakistan Clarke, who led Australia to victory in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, expressed his excitement about the new opportunity.  “I have just been asked to commentate in the PSL, the Pakistan Super League, and you should see the internationals they have got,” Clarke said.  The 41-year-old is one of the best modern-day cricketers from Down Under. He won the 2007 and 2015 World Cups, leading Australia to the title eight years later. Clarke has apologized for his behavior and is now focusing on his commentary career.  “I’m absolutely gutted I’ve put people I hold in the highest reg...

[ad_1] The six HBL Pakistan Super League franchises beefed up their squads in the replacement draft that took place over a conference call on Wednesday. The six teams added players to their squads in the third and fourth supplementary pick rounds before naming replacements for the players who were partially or fully unavailable. Each side could pick a maximum of one foreign cricketer in the two supplementary rounds. Peshawar Zalmi, who had reserved their pick in the second supplementary round in the HBL PSL 8 Player Draft in December, picked fast bowler Khurram Shahzad. In the first pick of the third supplementary round, Peshawar Zalmi picked Haris Sohail, who recently made a comeback to the Pakistan ODI side. Lahore Qalandars, who had the second pick, named Ahsan Bhatti, a left-arm spin all-rounder and product of their player development programme. Islamabad United and Karachi Kings picked Tom Curran and Ben Cutting, who played for Peshawar Zalmi last season, respectively. Q...

[ad_1] The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had initially announced the cancellation of the Pakistan team's scheduled training session on Tuesday, indicating a strategic move to allow players adequate rest before their crucial ICC ODI World Cup encounter against Australia on October 20 in Bengaluru. However, a subsequent announcement by Pakistan's media manager was made, stating that the squad would, in fact, engage in a training session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday, spanning from 6 to 8 pm. Amidst the preparations for the pivotal clash match against Australia, Abdullah Shafique is currently grappling with an illness, marked by a fever. In addition, sources within the team disclosed that both Shaheen Afridi and Usama Mir had previously exhibited symptoms of fever, but have since recuperated. The Pakistan team's media manager elucidated on the situation, stating, " Some players got fever in the past few days and most of them have fully recovered from ...

[ad_1] The star-stubbed commentary panel for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 has been announced, featuring experienced commentators from different countries.  India contributes five, Pakistan four, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand each offer one.  Notably, former Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ramiz Raja, returning after a hiatus, joins Pakistan's lineup along with the legendary duo Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.  Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris  will also add a neutral voice to the panel. The tournament is set to commence on August 30, featuring the host team Pakistan in the inaugural match against Nepal in Multan. This year's Asia Cup will be played in the 50-overs format, featuring 13 matches. Commentary panel for Asia Cup 2023: Ravi Shastri, Sanjay Manjrekar, Russel Arnold, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Scott Styris, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Athar Ali Khan, Deep Dasgupta, Ramiz Raja, Bazid Khan. Asia Cup 2023 Schedule: 30 Aug –...

[ad_1] Naseem Shah, a key player for the Colombo Strikers, was notably absent from their crucial must-win match against the Galle Titans on Tuesday. During the toss of the aforementioned game, Chamika Karunaratne, the captain of the Colombo Strikers, said, "Naseem Shah is not playing today due to a shoulder injury." Nevertheless, Naseem has now clarified the situation, asserting that he is, in fact, not dealing with any injury. Rather, he made a deliberate choice to take a break during his team's recent LPL match. In his explanation, Naseem stated, "There is no injury or anything like that. I have been playing a lot of cricket recently, including the Sri Lanka Tests and back-to-back matches [in the LPL]. In this weather, it is very tiring, so some rest was needed. Babar also said that it would be better to take some rest because we have important matches coming up." In the Lanka Premier League standings, the Galle Titans and the Colombo Strikers hel...

[ad_1] Rashid Latif on Sunday appreciated Imran Khan's strong and timely statement about Babar Azam, the current captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. While speaking on his YouTube channel Caught Behind , Latif praised Khan's deep understanding of the game of cricket, highlighting that the former captain has an astute eye for talent and has made accurate predictions about many players in the past. According to Latif, Khan's cricketing acumen is unparalleled in the world, which makes his statement about the Pakistan captain significant. "[Imran] Khan sahab has given a very strong statement. There is no match to his cricketing acumen in the whole world. He made predictions about many players in the past and most of them came true. One or two mistakes can happen. But he keeps a keen eye on cricket, so his statement was timely," said Latif. In a recent interview, Khan lauded Babar’s batting potential, stating that he has the ability to surpass hi...