Page 31 - Pakistan Cricket Team

Inzamam slams PCB's decision to remove Hafeez, demands respect for players

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has criticised the country's cricket board for removing Muhammed Hafeez as Team Director due to recent poor results, asserting that it is unfair to "target" ex-players in administrative roles when officials are refusing to shoulder any responsibility for the side's performance. The PCB had last month parted ways with Hafeez after a 0-3 Test defeat in Australia followed by a 1-4 T20 International series loss to New Zealand. Hafeez's contract, initially short-term, concluded after the T20 series in New Zealand, following the sports ministry's recommendation against a long-term agreement. "Can someone explain the reasoning behind removing Muhammad Hafeez as team director but retaining Wahab Riaz as chief selector after the Australian and New Zealand tours?" Inzamam said on a TV show. "Weren't both appointed at same time and given same responsibilities so why has only Hafeez been held accountable and not Wahab Riaz?" he asked. The former cricket

T20 World Cup 2024: Pakistan set to host NZ in April as preparation for WC

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to host a five-match T20 international series against New Zealand in April this year. A PCB official confirmed that talks were underway with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to finalise the dates and venues for the rubber but the window would be from April 13 to 24. The official said that the series, being held in preparation for the T20 World Cup this year, would be probably staged in Lahore and Rawalpindi as Karachi would be hosting a series between the Pakistan and West Indies women's teams around the same time. Pakistan last month played a five-match T20 series, which New Zealand won 4-1. The Pakistan team, after the Pakistan Super League, will be involved in a series of T20 matches against Afghanistan, New Zealand and England ahead of the World Cup in June in the USA and the West Indies. Pakistan in the last two years has been able to host a number of international teams, including top ranked sides like Australia, England and New Zealand.

Pak team fitness was the lowest priority for Babar, coach Arthur: Hafeez

Former Pakistan cricket director Muhammad Hafeez has claimed that ex-captain, Babar Azam and foreign coaches Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn had given team fitness lowest priority in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup in India. Pakistan, under then-skipper Babar, had failed to make it to the semifinal knockout round, losing five of the nine league games and finishing fifth. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently did not renew Hafeez's contract following disastrous tours of Australia and New Zealand. Hafeez was made team director in late 2023 after Pakistan's abysmal show in the World Cup. Soon after he took charge, Pakistan were whitewashed in the three-Test series down under, while they lost the five-match T20I series against the Kiwis 4-1. "When I took over as director (in 2023) and we reached Australia, I told the team trainer to give me a report on the players' fitness standards and prepare a new fitness regimen," said Hafeez. "He told me that the former captain (Babar) and head

Pakistan cricket board terminates pacer Haris Rauf from central contract

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday terminated the central contract of fast bowler Haris Rauf in a disciplinary action for pulling out of the recent Test series in Australia. The PCB also announced that Haris will not be granted No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in any foreign league up to June 30, 2024. "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," the PCB said in a statement. "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." The PCB said its management provided Haris a chance for a personal hearing in compliance with the principles of natural justice on January 30 and his response w

ICC Under 19 World Cup winners list, winning captains, most successful team

India is the most successful team in the ICC Under 19 World Cup history. It has won the coveted trophy record five times

ICC Under 19 World Cup SF Highlights AUS vs PAK: India vs Australia final

Australia vs Pakistan Highlights, U-19 World Cup 2024 Semi-Final: Ali Raza's brilliant spell went in vain as Aussies won by one wicket in Benoni to book a ticket to the final against India on Sunday

ICC U19 World Cup semis: PAK vs AUS playing 11, live match time, streaming

People in India can live stream the Pakistan U19 vs Australia U19 semifinal in the ICC U19 World Cup 2024 on Disney Plus Hotstar

PAK vs AUS U19 World Cup SF Preview: Who will meet India in the final?

Pakistan and Australia have met six times in the U-19 World Cups and both of them have won three matches each with Australia winning in the last meeting by 122 runs in 2022

Pakistan Cricket Board appoints Syed Mohsin Naqvi as its full-time chairman

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday unanimously elected veteran administrator Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi as its chairman for a three-year term. The election was held at a special meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. I am deeply honoured and humbled to have been unanimously elected as the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board," Naqvi was quoted saying in the PCB website. "I am thankful for the trust and confidence reposed in me. I am fully committed to upgrading the standard of the game in the country and bringing professionalism in the administration of cricket in Pakistan." A Pakistani media baron, the 45-year-old Naqbi is the 37th full-time chairman of the PCB. Presently, he is serving as the incumbent caretaker Chief Minister of the State of Punjab. Former Pakistan skipper Ramiz Raja was their last full-time chairman before he was sacked one year into his tenure due to "political interference" in December 2022. Najam Sethi

PCB, players on confrontation path over NOC for foreign leagues issue

A severe discord is brewing between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the players who are unhappy at not having their NOCs extended for league appearances through this month. A well-informed source in the PCB said on Sunday that some players were upset over the inconsistent policies of the board while granting NOCs to players to play in foreign leagues. The players who are presently engaged in the ILT20 and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL 2024) had requested the PCB to extend their NOCs so that they could complete their assignments before returning home for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) which begins on February 17. But the PCB made it clear to the players that their NOCs would not be extended and they had to return as per the original schedule. The problem is that there are different conditions and return dates given to the players which has caused the problems. While the majority of players have to return by February 7, there are some players who can return on 11th and so

Inzamam blames ousted PCB chairman Zaka for mess in Pakistan cricket

A furious former skipper and chairman of selectors Inzamam ul Haq squarely blamed Pakistan Cricket Board's outgoing top boss Zaka Ashraf for being responsible for country's disastrous ODI World Cup performance in India last year. Zaka, who was named head of an Interim Management Committee to run PCB affairs in July, announced at a meeting of the committee a few days back that he was resigning immediately as Chairman and as a member of the board. Inzamam, was in fact, removed after the end of the tournament on allegations of 'Conflict of Interest' that he is managed by the same UK-based management firm that also looks after business interests of some of the active players. "Can you imagine the mindset of the players when during an important event like the World Cup in India they hear that the PCB Chairman is saying the team selected was not done by the board but by the captain and chief selector only," Inzamam said on a Pakistani television channel. Inzamam was referring to a press

After divorce with Sania Mirza, Shoaib Malik ties knot with Sana Javed

Pakistan's former captain Shoaib Malik announced on Saturday that he has married a second time to the country's popular actor Sana Javed in Karachi after getting divorced from Sania Mirza. The cricketer who was previously married to Indian tennis star, Sania, with whom he has a son, released a photograph on a social media platform with his new wife, with the words "And We created you in pairs". Their five-year-old son Izaan lives with Sania. Sania's father Imran Mirza told PTI that "it was a 'khula'", which refers to the right of a Muslim woman to unilaterally divorce her husband. There have been strong rumours since 2022 about differences between Shoaib and Sania leading to a split, and they have rarely been seen together in the last couple of years. Just a few days back Malik also unfollowed the Indian star on Instagram. Shoaib and Sania had got married in Hyderabad in the Indian player's hometown Hyderabad in April 2010 and they use to live in Dubai. Sana Javed who has starre

Arthur, Bradburn, Puttick resign from their roles in Pakistan cricket board

The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed that foreign coaches Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn and Andrew Puttick have resigned from their respective roles with the national team as well as with the board. The development came after the trio were assigned duties at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore following a change in their portfolios post the 50-overs World Cup in India. All three, along with bowling coach Morne Morkel, comprised the main support staff of the Pakistan team until the World Cup. But Pakistan's failure to advance to the knockouts saw PCB managing committee chairman Zaka Ashraf reassigning them to the NCA, to which the trio refused and instead went on vacations to their respective homes. Morkel was the only one to resign immediately after the World Cup from his incomplete contract. A reliable source in the board said negotiations were held with the trio for them to resign themselves, since as per their contracts, had the PCB terminated their contracts the b

Pakistan board asked not to offer long-term contract to Mohammad Hafeez

The sports ministry has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board not to offer a long-term contract to its incumbent director of cricket Mohammad Hafeez yet, who came into the role after the 50-overs World Cup last year. The PCB had sent a copy of the contract for approval to the ministry of inter-provincial coordination, which oversees the sports sector. The contract was for a long term period but the board was told to just continue with the short-term arrangement with Hafeez which ends after the T20 series in New Zealand, a reliable source said. According to insiders, Hafeez as well as the other new coaching staff members came on board only after the assurance of getting long-term contracts. Now it appears (that) this is not going to happen, and as it is, the performance of the team has also been very bad under Hafeez and the other coaches, as they have lost all Tests in Australia and now the T20I series in New Zealand, an insider said. Hafeez was named the director of the Pakistan team

Pakistan board issues NOC to four players returning from injury layoffs

Mystery surrounds Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to issue NOCs to centrally contracted as well as non-contracted players to participate in the International League T20 and the Bangladesh Premier League in January-February. The mystery stems from the fact that fast bowlers Naseem Shah, Ihsanaullah and Mohammad Hasnain along with experienced all-rounder Shadab Khan have all recently recovered from injuries and had sought NOCs for the BPL. Pakistan's team director Mohammad Hafeez had requested the PCB ensure players who are returning from injuries must play at least one match in the ongoing President Trophy (first-class) in Karachi. Subsequently, the four were asked to travel to Karachi and appear in the domestic matches. However, when the PCB announced issuing NOC to the players, it had no mention of Shadab, Naseem, Ihsanullah and Hasnain being approved for the BPL. Naseem suffered a shoulder injury during the Asia Cup and went for a surgery in London. He subsequently missed the

Finn Allen slams record-equaling 16 sixes; NZ beat PAK in 3rd T20

Finn Allen blasted a world-record-equaling 16 sixes in an innings of 137 from 62 balls as New Zealand beat Pakistan by 45 runs in the third Twenty20 international Wednesday to take a winning 3-0 lead in the five-match series. Allen equaled the world record set by Hazratullah Zazai of Afghanistan of 16 sixes in a T20 international innings and posted the highest score by a New Zealander in T20 internationals, beating Brendon McCullum's 123 against Bangladesh in 2012. New Zealand made 224-7 after being sent in by Pakistan for third time in the series. Pakistan again fell short in the run chase as it did when it chased 227 in the first match of the series, losing by 46 runs and 195 in the second match, losing by 21. On Wednesday Pakistan was held to 179-7. The only bright point was Babar Azam's third consecutive half century of the series, his sixth in succession batting at No. 6 in T20 internationals. Babar was out for 58 in the 16th over when the chase already was beyond ...

NZ vs PAK: Abbas Afridi to miss third T20I, Kane Williamson ruled out

Young Pakistan fast bowler Abbas Afridi was on Tuesday ruled out of the third T20I while hosts New Zealand lost the services of their captain Kane Williamson for the remainder of the five-match series. The Pakistan team management confirmed in a statement that a low grade abdominal muscle strain to Afridi will keep him out of the third T20I, with a decision on his availability for the remaining two matches to be taken later. His scan has shown no sign of significant injury, and he will be managed symptomatically. His availability for the last two games will be made at a later stage, the management statement said. The 22-year-old right-arm pacer Afridi made his international debut for Pakistan in this series. Pakistan are already without fast bowler Khurram Shahzad, who played in their opening Test against Australia last month, as well as spinners Abrar Ahmed and Noman Ali owing to injuries. The spin duo did not feature in any of their three Tests in Australia. Williamson suffered

Haris Rauf considered retirement after criticism for missing Australia tour

Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf considered retirement from international cricket late last year after he was criticised for opting out of the Test series in Australia, according to a media report. According to a Pakistani media outlet, Rauf was so disheartened by the criticism that he contemplated international retirement at one point but after being advised by his family and friends, he decided against it. Ahead of Pakistan's three-Test series in Australia, Rauf came in for criticism after it was revealed that he pulled out from the tour after chief selector Wahab Riaz and team director Mohammad Hafeez had a chat with him. Riaz claimed Rauf had agreed to be available for the Tests but pulled out later, while another report claimed through a source close to the right-arm pacer that he never made any commitment for it. Haris withdrew citing concerns over this fitness and workload management. Haris had also told former chief coach Mickey Arthur during the 50-overs World Cup in India

PCB wants to organise T10 league, former cricketers question the move

The Pakistan Cricket Board has sought permission from the ministry of sports for organising a T10 league later this month, according to sources. While there could be an issue with the availability of the players who are also set to feature in other leagues, former players are not in favour of organising such a tournament. The board's cricket management committee wants to have the T10 league from January 24-28 and wants all the contracted players to participate in the league, one reliable source aware of the details said. The problem is (that) some of the players are already committed to play in the Emirates International T20 League in UAE and some have been offered contracts for the Bangladesh Premier League, the source added. A large number of players with good contract offers for the BPL are still waiting for their NOCs. A few former cricketers, meanwhile, have questioned the purpose of organising such an event right before the Pakistan Super League which starts on February 18 i

New Zealand beats Pakistan by 21 runs in 2nd T20, leads 5-match series 2-0

New Zealand overcame the loss of its captain in an innings that faltered late to beat Pakistan by 21 runs in the second Twenty20 International Sunday, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The Black Caps failed to build on the foundation of the first half of its innings, making 194 for eight batting first after being 111 for one at the end of 10 overs. The batting slump followed captain Kane Williamson retiring hurt after 10 overs with a tight hamstring. Pakistan also stumbled in the second half of its innings and was bowled out for 173 in the 20th over. Williamson is making a managed return from a serious knee injury and New Zealand would fear any setback to his rehabilitation. But, while he didn't field, Williamson was still padded up and apparently prepared to bat at the end of the New Zealand innings. Finn Allen's 74 from 41 balls set a cracking pace early on in the New Zealand innings. Allen put on 59 in 5.1 overs with Devon Conway (20) for the first wicket and 52 in 4.9