Pakistan National Cricket Team

Matthew Wade revealed he tore his side prior to the T20 World Cup final Getty Images

India To Begin Their World Cup Campaign Against Pakistan At MCG On October 23

Published on January 21, 2022

India will face Pakistan in their first match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Melbourne on October 23 as the ICC announced the fixtures of the mega event. The Super 12 stage will begin with the re-match of the T20 World Cup 2021 final as the hosts Australia will start their title defense against New Zealand at Sydney Cricket Ground.

The tournament will begin on October 16 as Sri Lanka will take on Namibia at Geelong. The first round will be played at Geelong and Hobart as Sri Lanka, Namibia, West Indies & Scotland will be joined by 4 qualifiers.

Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, and Virat Kohli share a heartfelt moment after Ind vs Pak game | Photo: T20 World Cup / ICC

World Cup final to be played at MCG on November 13

Two semifinals will be played at Sydney and Adelaide while the final will take place at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 13.

India has been placed in Group 2 along with Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh along with two qualifiers from the first round. India will face South Africa in Perth on October 30 while they will set lock horns with Bangladesh in Adelaide on November 2.

The defending champions Australia will be in Group 1 along with New Zealand, England, Afghanistan, and two other qualifiers. The MCG will host another arch-rivalry as they will host the clash between Australia and England on October 28.

Speaking about the tournament fixtures, Australia captain Aaron Finch said that knowing the groups does help with the planning as the hosts will be defending their title.

Australia Won the World Cup 2021 — Australia- T20 World Cup 2021 winner (File pic)

“Our planning was ultra-detailed last time, knowing what the groups look like eight, nine months out is really helpful because it can help your level of detail in that planning phase. It’s a tough group though. They’re both tough, and when you throw in qualifiers like West Indies, Sri Lanka, you’ve got to play really well to get out of the group stage.” Aaron Finch said on Friday at MCG.

Last year Australia won the Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time as they beat New Zealand by 8 wickets in Dubai. Mitchell Marsh was the hero of the night as the all-rounder played a match-winning knock of 77 runs off 50 balls.

David Warne was given the ‘Man of The Tournament’ award as the left-hander scored 289 runs in 7 matches with a strike rate of 146.70 which included 3 fifties.

Also read “India Should Have Given The Ball To Venkatesh Iyer”-Zaheer Khan

Pakistan Captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan chased down India's score of 151 in 17.5 overs | Twitter | @WahabViki

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“Are You Getting Everyone Out Inside 10 Overs?”- Mohammad Rizwan Recalls A Funny Exchange With Virat Kohli

Published on January 19, 2022

Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan shared a funny exchange with Virat Kohli as he stated that players from both sides share a good bonding, unlike popular belief. Rizwan played a fine knock of 79 to form an unbeaten stand of 152 with skipper Babar Azam as Pakistan beat their arch-rivals by 10 wickets to break the World Cup jinx.

Recalling the match, Mohammad Rizwan shared a funny moment during India’s innings. As India lost three early wickets, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant were building a partnership. As Pant attempted a reverse sweep, there was an LBW shout which was dismissed by the on-field umpire so Pakistan decided to review the decision. So Kohli came up to Rizwan and cheekily said if they were trying to bowl India out inside 10 overs.

Mohammad Rizwan became the first-ever batter to score 2000 T20 runs in a calendar year

“Some things are part of tactics. No doubt Virat Kohli is world’s No. 1. When we play cricket, it’s like family. I remember when we took the review against Pant when he played the reverse sweep, he (Kohli) said… ‘what are you doing? Getting everyone out inside 10 overs?’ But like I said, these are tactics. Later, when I walked out to bat, I spoke to him then too. Rest, whatever chats took place inside the change room, I can’t disclose but I can say that he’s a very nice person,” Rizwan spoke to Paktv.tv

Rizwan has been in exceptional in the year 2021 as he shattered many records. He became the first-ever batter to score 1000 T20 International runs in a calendar year. And he also became the first batter to score 2000 T20 runs. Even in Test cricket, he played some crucial knocks.

“I haven’t really given comparisons too much importance. I am only focussed on improving my game. Initially, I used to idolise Tendulkar and then AB de Villiers, but it’s not like I would like to copy them. Yes, I have learnt a lot of things watching them play. As far as learning from Pakistani legends is concerned, I have picked certain things from Misbah, Malik, Hafeez and others,” he said.

Pakistan will host Australia in March-April for 3 Tests, 3 ODIs, and one T20I. This will be Australia’s first visit to the country since 1998.

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Irrespective Of What Virat Kohli Or Sourav Ganguly Says, This Is Battle Of Two Stalwarts – Rashid Latif

Published on January 18, 2022

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif believes that Virat Kohli stepped down from India‘s Test captaincy because of his differences with the board president Sourav Ganguly.

This has been the talk of the town if there is everything alright between Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly. It all started two months back as Virat Kohli decided to step down from the T20I captaincy so the BCCI sacked him from ODI captaincy as well, citing the reason that they want to have the same captain in both white-ball formats.

Virat Kohli

“You haven’t only unsettled Virat Kohli; you’ve unsettled Indian cricket”

Then in an interview, Sourav Ganguly said that he personally requested Virat Kohli to reconsider his resignation from the T20I captaincy but he didn’t so the selectors had no choice but to remove him from ODI captaincy since they wanted the same captain in T20Is and ODIs.

But in a pre-departure press conference ahead of the South Africa tour, Virat Kohli contradicted Ganguly’s statement. Kohli denied if any such conversation happened between him and any BCCI official as he stated that his resignation was received well.

Since then stories of tension between Virat Kohli and BCCI have been floating around. Rashid Latif also joined the bandwagon as he believes that there is a tiff between Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly as both are stalwarts of the game.

“The real reason why these things happen is because you have a tiff with the board. Irrespective of what Virat says that it’s his decision or what Sourav Ganguly tweets, this is battle of two stalwarts,” Latif said in a YouTube video on Caught Behind.

But Latif believes that the whole saga would hit Indian cricket in the longer run.

“Some people are emotional. They know when and how to provoke Kohli. When he announced that he won’t captain India in T20Is after the World Cup, he was removed as ODI captain as well. You haven’t only unsettled Kohli; you’ve unsettled Indian cricket,” he added.

In his resignation from the T20I captaincy, Kohli mentioned that he would like to continue as captain in the other two formats but things turned dramatically in the next two months.

Also read India Need To Have A Vision As Each ODI Series Is Important Before 2023 ODI World Cup, Says Jasprit Bumrah

Shahid Afridi played in 27 Tests, 398 ODIs and 99 T20Is for Pakistan.© AFP

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There Comes A Stage When You Cannot Handle Pressure – Shahid Afridi On Virat Kohli

Published on January 18, 2022

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has expressed his views on Virat Kohli’s resignation as he believes that Kohli made the right decision at this stage of his career.

On Saturday, Virat Kohli dropped a bombshell as he announced to step down as India Test captain. He had already resigned from T20I captaincy after the T20 World Cup last while the selectors sacked him from ODI captaincy as they wanted the same captain in both ODIs and T20Is. Though Virat Kohli was expected to lead the side in the longest format for a longer time.

Shahid Afridi brings out his trademark starfish celebration Pakistan Super League — Shahid Afridi (File pic)

It’s time Virat Kohli enjoys his cricket as a batsman -Shahid Afridi

Kohli captained India in 68 Test matches as India won 40 of those matches while facing defeat in 17 games. Virat Kohli never lost a home test series in his 7-year tenure.

Speaking about his tenure, Shahid Afridi said that he made the right decision to manage his workload. He also stated that Virat Kohli played enough cricket to understand what’s right for him or what isn’t. He also said that Kohli might enjoy his time as a batsman without the responsibility as captain.

“It’s fine in my opinion. Virat has played enough cricket and led the team well. And I believe this is the correct decision. There comes a stage where you can’t handle pressure, and because of it, your own performances get affected. So, I think he has captained for a long time and at a great level. As a batsman, it’s time he enjoys his cricket,” Afridi said on the show ‘Game Set Match’ on Samaa TV.

With 40 Test wins as captain Virat Kohli is 4th most successful Test captain in terms of most wins. Only Graeme Smith (53 wins out 109 Tests), Ricky Ponting (48 wins out of 77 Tests), Steve Waugh (41 wins out of 57 Tests) are ahead of him.

World Test Championship, India — Indian test team[photo: Twitter]

As far as comparison with other Indian captains is concerned, Kohli is head and shoulders above the rest. As MS Dhoni with 27 wins in 60 Tests is a distant second. When he won the series in Australia in 2018-19, he became the first-ever Asian captain to win a Test series down under.

Also read You Will Always Be My Captain – Mohammed Siraj Posts An Emotional Note For Virat Kohli

PSL 2022: Pakistan Cricket Board confirms, Pakistan Super League 7 (PSL 7) to be held in January-February window, venue not yet finalised.

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Transparency International Accuses PCB Of Several Irregularities In The PSL Broadcasting Rights

Published on January 17, 2022

Transparency International (TI) has accused the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of many illegalities in the bidding process of broadcasting rights for the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Last month the PCB announced that they signed a two-year deal with ARY and PTV for $24mn.

In a letter to PCB’s chief executive officer, Transparency International pointed out quite a few loopholes in the process as they mentioned 6 irregularities which are violations of the rules of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).

Transparency International Accuses PCB Of Several Irregularities In The PSL Broadcasting Rights 1 — Photo Credit: Getty Images.

According to the letter, TI pointed out that the bidders need to submit Rs10 million pay order with technical proposals which ARY failed to do still their bid was accepted.

“The bidders under Bid Condition Section 3.3, sub-section H, were to submit with technical proposal Bid Security in the following manner: each bidder making a bid for Television Broadcasting Media Rights must provide security of Rupees Ten Million (Rs10,000,000). For bidders incorporated outside Pakistan, payment of bid security may be made in equivalent US dollars using the conversion rate for conversion of foreign currency deposits on the website of the State Bank of Pakistan three days prior to the Bid Submission Deadline.

“The bid security must be transferred to the designated account and evidence of the transfer must be provided with the technical proposal in the form of confirmation from the bidder’s banker confirming transfer to the designated account. Bidders incorporated in Pakistan may alternatively pay the bid security in Pakistani rupees through pay order submitted as part of their technical proposal,” The letter stated.

The letter also stated that there is a violation of PPRA Rule 35.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). (Photo: Twitter)

TI pointed out 6 irregularities in a letter to PCB

“In the ARY Case, a document is submitted in SHC which states ‘Evaluation Report’. This evaluation report shows the name of the procuring agency as ARY Communications (Private) Limited and Pakistan Television Corporation Ltd, and not the Pakistan Cricket Board. Who signed it is not known, as only the PCB stamp is affixed with some signatures.

“This appears to be a false evaluation report submitted in the SHC on behalf of Pakistan Cricket Board. The consortium agreement between Pakistan Television Corporation Ltd and ARY Communications Ltd submitted in SHC is an open agreement, as it does not include the date of execution. This undated consortium agreement is not as per law,” The letter added

The letter also pointed out the violation of PPRA Rule 7 and 47 in further points. Transparency International (TI) has urged PCB to look into the matter as soon as possible.

The seventh edition of PSL will begin on January 27 as the defending champions Multan Sultans will take on Karachi Kings at National Stadium, Karachi.

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Ramiz Raja Image courtesy of: ARY Sports

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When Pakistan Plays India The World Stops To Watch- Ramiz Raja

Published on January 13, 2022

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja said that there’s a no bigger rivalry than the India-Pakistan contest. He said that if Pakistan plays India in any corner of the world, people would stop to watch it.

Earlier he suggested the idea of quadrangular series involving Pakistan, India, Australia, and England in the T20 format as each nation would get the opportunity to host on a rotation basis.

“Hello fans.Will propose to the ICC a Four Nations T20i Super Series involving Pak Ind Aus Eng to be played every year, to be hosted on a rotation basis by these four. A separate revenue model with profits to be shared on a percentage basis with all ICC members, think we have a winner,” Ramiz Raja tweeted this on Tuesday.

Hello fans.Will propose to the ICC a Four Nations T20i Super Series involving Pak Ind Aus Eng to be played every year,to be hosted on rotation basis by these four. A separate revenue model with profits to be shared on percentage basis with all ICC members, think we have a winner.

— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) January 11, 2022

“Playing five bilateral T20Is is tedious”- Ramiz Raja

Since the 2012-13 series in India, Pakistan never played a bilateral series with India. In that tour, Pakistan won the ODI series by 2-1 while the T20I series was drawn by 1-1.

“We want to move forward. Look at the numbers from the T20 World Cup. When Pakistan plays India the world stops to watch and it’s a great spectacle. We have to see what fans want and we have do what is right. We have to talk about this and elaborate what we want to do. There is a potential discussion in the works that I want to table to the ICC and see how it goes,” Ramiz Raja spoke to ESPNCricinfo

The next ICC meeting members meeting will be in March when Ramiz Raja is lily to present his idea. Raja stated that the long T20I series (like 5-match) doesn’t create that much interest as a tri-series or quadrangular series,

“There are numerous rivalries like Ashes, Pakistan-India rivalry so it can’t go wrong when four T20 sides come and play each other. We need to whet the fans’ appetite as they are getting fatigued, and we need to create something outside the FTP,” Raja said.

Ramiz Raja-Virat Kohli. Photo Credit: (ESPN Cricinfo)

“Playing five bilateral T20Is is tedious, but if three or four nations play each other rather than bilateral series, that has a massive potential in terms of generating revenue. It’s not like we need to create a parallel body like the Big Four, but it’s about generating interest and the income can go to the other boards too,” he added.

Meanwhile, There is a lot of cricket lining up for Pakistan to host in the next 18 months as Babar Azam & co. will Australia, England, West Indies, and New Zealand.

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Ramiz Raja Proposes An Annual Four-Nation Super Series Involving Pakistan, India, Australia And England

Published on January 12, 2022

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has proposed the idea of an annual quadrangular series to be played involving 4 countries- Pakistan, India, Australia, and England. The tournament would be played in the T20 format as each nation would get the opportunity to host the series on a rotation basis.

On Tuesday Ramiz Raja shared this information on Twitter that he would propose this idea to the next ICC meeting.

“Hello fans.Will propose to the ICC a Four Nations T20i Super Series involving Pak Ind Aus Eng to be played every year, to be hosted on a rotation basis by these four. A separate revenue model with profits to be shared on a percentage basis with all ICC members, think we have a winner,” Ramiz Raja tweeted.

Hello fans.Will propose to the ICC a Four Nations T20i Super Series involving Pak Ind Aus Eng to be played every year,to be hosted on rotation basis by these four. A separate revenue model with profits to be shared on percentage basis with all ICC members, think we have a winner.

— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) January 11, 2022

Notable that Ramiz Raja is trying hard to revive cricket in Pakistan as he is now eying for the India-Pakistan series. India and Pakistan haven’t faced each other in bilateral series since 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India for a series of 3 ODIs and 2 T20Is. Pakistan won the ODI series by a 2-1 margin while the T20I series was drawn by 1-1.

“A separate revenue model with profits to be shared on a percentage basis with all ICC members”- Ramiz Raja

Since then, the two teams have faced each other in only multination tournaments like World Cup, Champions Trophy, and Asia Cup. Neither Pakistan players get chances to play in the Indian Premier League.

Meanwhile, Raja arranged a quite packed schedule for Pakistan as they will host lots of cricket in Pakistan. In March-April they will host a full-fledged series against Australia as they will play a series of 3 Tests, 3 ODIs, and one-off T20I. England and New Zealand are also scheduled to visit the country in the next 18 months.

West Indies visited Pakistan last month to play a limited-overs series however the tour was cut short as there was a covid outbreak in the West Indies camp. Pakistan clean swept the T20I series by 3-0 but the ODI series has been postponed to April 2021.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will begin on January 27 and the final is scheduled to play on February 27. All games will be played in two venues- Karachi and Lahore.

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Ramiz Raja To Propose Annual Quadrangular Series Involving India, Australia And England

Published on January 11, 2022

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja is all set to propose an annual quadrangular series to revive India-Pakistan cricket. The other two teams who are likely to join the contest will be Australia and England.

According to a report in Code Sports Australia, the four-nation tournament will be played in T20 format which will be a regular annual affair. Notable that India and Pakistan haven’t faced each other in bilateral series since 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India for a series of 3 ODIs and 2 T20Is. Pakistan won the ODI series by 2-1 margin while the T20I series was drawn by 1-1.

“There is huge anticipation in Pakistan for the series against Australia”- Ramiz Raja

Since then the two teams have met only in multinational tournaments like World Cup, Champions Trophy or Asia Cup.

PCB chairman Ramiz Raja also told that there is huge anticipation in Pakistan for the series against Australia. Notable that this will be Australia’s first tour to Pakistan since 1998. In March-April, Australia is scheduled to play 3 Tests, 3 ODIs and one T20I. The test series will also be part of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23.

Meanwhile, Raja has been quite heartened by the recent comments of Pakistan-born Australia player Usman Khawaja as Khawaja urged his teammates to travel to Pakistan for the series.

Raja has been trying hard to revive cricket in Pakistan as he arranged the home series against Australia, England, and New Zealand in the next 18 months. Notable that last year New Zealand opted out of the Pakistan tour at the last minute as they received a security threat. But Ramiz Raja ensured all touring teams provide full security.

In last month West Indies also travelled to Pakistan however the tour was cut short due to a covid outbreak in the West Indies camp. Pakistan clean swept the T20I series by 3-0 while the ODI series has been postponed to April 2021.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is also searching for a foreign coach as a stand-in coach Saqlain Mushtaq is not keen to take the job on a full-time basis. Raja consulted with captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as they all are on the same page that a foreign coach would benefit Pakistan more.

Earlier in the T20 World Cup Pakistan appointed Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander as batting and bowling consultants respectively for the tournament.

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Saqlain Mushtaq Turns Down Offer For Full-Time Job As Pakistan’s Head Coach

Published on January 4, 2022

Former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq has turned down PCB’s offer to become full-time head coach for Pakistan. The 45-year old conveyed his decision to the PCB that he would be unavailable to take the role citing personal commitments.

Saqlain Mushtaq was appointed in the interim role as head coach when Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis resigned from their coaching roles right before the T20 World Cup. PCB also appointed Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander as batting and bowling consultants respectively. Pakistan performed well under him as they won all 5 games in the group stage in T20 World Cup before losing to Australia in the semifinal.

He did some stints as a spin bowling consultant with England, New Zealand, and West Indies previously.

Saqlain Mushtaq Turns Down Offer For Full-Time Job As Pakistan's Head Coach 2 — Babar Azam and Saqlain Mushtaq

Later Pakistan clean swept both T20I and Test series in the Bangladesh tour with margins of 3-0 and 2-0. Also in the home series against West Indies, Babar Azam & Co. whitewashed them by the margin of 3-0.

“Saqlain told the chairman that while he was happy to have contributed as interim head coach he wouldn’t be able to accept a long-term and permanent assignment as head coach as he had prior business and personal commitments,” A PCB source told Indian Express.

“Saqlain conveyed that already his business has been affected due to his absence with the Pakistan team as interim head coach,” The source added.

However, he would be available for short-term assignments and also continued to work as a coach at the High-Performance Centre in Lahore, the source further added.

Saqlain Mushtaq advised PCB to go for a foreign coach

Earlier PCB’s chairman Ramiz Raja said that he consulted with Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Saqlain Mushtaq as they all are on the same page that Pakistan would be benefitted from a foreign coach.

Pakistan Cricket Board has already advertised for five coaching roles- batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, power-hitting coach, and High-performance coach.

Pakistan’s next assignment will be the home series against Australia as they will travel to the country for the first time since 1998. The tour consists of 3 Tests, 3 ODIs, and one T20I in March-April 2022.

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Saqlain Mushtaq Steps Down As Pakistan’s Interim Head Coach

Published on January 3, 2022

Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq has stepped down as Pakistan’s head coach as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is all set to bring in a foreign coach.

Saqlain Mushtaq worked with the Pakistan team since T20 World Cup when Misbah-ul-Haq resigned as the head coach right before the World Cup. For the T20 World Cup, PCB also appointed Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander as batting and bowling consultants respectively for World Cup.

Under him, Pakistan played 3 series and did a brilliant job. In the Men’s T20 World Cup, Pakistan topped the group stage winning all 5 games however they lost the semifinal against eventual champions Australia. Next in the Bangladesh tour, Babar Azam & Co clean-swept both T20I and Test series with margins of 3-0 and 2-0 respectively. Then at home, they clean swept the 3-match T20I series against West Indies.

Australia will tour Pakistan in March-April

Yesterday Pakistan Board chairman Ramiz Raja revealed that Pakistan would soon hire a foreigner as a coach as he discussed it with Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Saqlain Mushtaq and all of them are on the same page.

“I discussed the future of Pakistan’s team management with Saqlain, Babar Azam and Rizwan and the general opinion is about the inclusion of a foreign coach in the Pakistan team environment,” Raja said.

However, he sees a role for a local coach as well in away tours for Pakistan.

“I firmly believe that you need someone with local knowledge on away tours. But you also need some regular coaches in order to maintain a good environment in net sessions,” Ramiz Raja said.

“I also think that we might not have the capacity to give all the responsibilities to the captain [Babar]. He is a relatively new captain which is why we don’t want to pressurize him,” he further added.

Pakistan’s next assignment will be the series against Australia at home as they will host a series of 3 Tests, 3 ODIs, and one T20I in March-April 2022. This will be Australia’s first tour to Pakistan since 1998.

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