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Yasir Shah

Haris Rauf celebrates a wicket with his team-mates AFP via Getty Images
Haris Rauf celebrates a wicket with his team-mates AFP via Getty Images
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Salman Butt Urged Babar Azam To Reveal Reason Behind The Decision To Rest Mohammad Nawaz And Haris Rauf For 2 Tests Vs Windies

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Salman Butt, former Pakistan tainted skipper has hit out at current captain Babar Azam and the team management over the move to ‘rest’ Mohammad Nawaz and Haris Rauf. Salman Butt urged Babar Azam to show some clarity in his thoughts and reveal the real reason behind the decision to send the duo home from West Indies.

Ahead of the two-match Test series against West Indies, Pakistan decided to give rest to Mohammad Nawaz and Haris Rauf so that they can spend time with their families ahead of the series against Afghanistan. Babar Azam confirmed the same at a press conference on Wednesday.

Controversial Pakistan batsman Salman Butt
Controversial Pakistan batsman Salman Butt (File Photo | AFP)

Salman Butt: Haris Rauf Hasn’t Made His Test Debut And 3 T20Is Out Of 4 In The Ongoing Tour Against West Indies Were Washed Out While Mohammad Nawas Was In The Bench Often

Lashing out at Babar Azam over the move to rest the duo, Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel that Haris Rauf, who has played 23 T20Is and eight ODIS, is yet to make his debut in the red-ball format.

“Babar Azam said Mohammad Nawaz and Haris Rauf play all three formats and that they are being rested because they have played many games. Haris Rauf has not even made his Test debut. How many matches did he play in West Indies? Three T20Is were washed out due to rain. Are you ashamed to say that this person is not in form so he is being sent back?” Salman Butt added.

“Let the boys also know that they need to work on their game. Has Haris Rauf played 150 matches? Or has he played non-stop cricket for last six months? Rauf has hardly played any games and you are saying he needs rest. You must be very clear at this level when you talk. The clarity is missing,” Salman Butt added.

Mohammad Nawaz
Mohammad Nawaz. Credits: Twitter

Applying the same logic to Mohammad Nawaz’s case, Salman Butt questioned the logic behind resting the pacer.

“How many matches did Nawaz play on the England tour? Even in West Indies, he was mostly sitting outside. If you are sending back players from a tour, it is important to reveal the real reason so everyone in the set-up knows what’s happening. The way it was announced it seemed like two seniors who will be sorely missed were being given a break. Everything was so illogical.”

Mohammad Nawaz last turned out for Pakistan in April this year, during the team’s tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Haris Rauf was selected for two T20Is against the West Indies, both of which were washed out. Mohammad Nawaz, who played his last international match in April against Zimbabwe, was benched all six limited-overs games against England and also missed the only T20I Pakistan played against West Indies.

Babar Azam Reveals The Decision To Release Haris Rauf And Mohammad Nawaz Was To Spend Quality Time With Families

Pakistan has announced a 19-man squad for the West Indies Tests. Leg-spinner Yasir Shah makes a comeback after missing the Tests against Zimbabwe earlier this year due to a knee injury.

The interesting move though was the decision to release Haris Rauf and Mohammad Nawaz from the squad to allow them to spend quality time with their families. Babar Azam said he wants the duo to be fresh ahead of the ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka, which is likely to take place in September.

Babar Azam
Babar Azam (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP) (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)

Speaking about the decision to release Haris Rauf and Mohammad Nawaz, Babar Azam explained they were released so that they can spend quality time with families.

“Looking at the likely team composition for the two Tests and giving preference to the well-being of the players, it has been agreed to release Haris Rauf and Mohammad Nawaz so that they can return to Pakistan and spend quality time with their families.

“This will also give them a few extra days to relax, regroup and recharge for the commitments ahead, which commence with the series against Afghanistan.”

1st Test Match Probable XI:-

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite ©, Nkrumah Bonner, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph

Bench: Jahmar Hamilton, Shamarh Brook, Nkrumah Bonner

Pakistan: Imran Butt, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam ©, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi

Bench: Nauman Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Sarfaraz Ahmed

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Naseem Shah- GETTY IMAGES
Naseem Shah- GETTY IMAGES
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Pakistan Recalled Mohammad Abbas And Naseem Shah For Tests And Names Azam Khan In T20Is

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Pakistan has recalled pacers – Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah – for the Test series against the West Indies. Meanwhile, Azam Khan, who is an uncapped hard-hitting batsman from Quetta Gladiators participating in PSL, has been picked in the T20I set-up that will play against England and the West Indies. The T20I squad also includes veteran all-rounder Imad Wasim.

Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah were dropped from the Test squad after the Test series in New Zealand, with the duo averaging 45 and 73 respectively.

Azam Khan, the uncapped hard-hitting batsman from Quetta Gladiators, has been picked in the T20I squad.
Azam Khan, the uncapped hard-hitting batsman from Quetta Gladiators, has been picked in the T20I squad. © Getty

Pakistan Has Recalled Mohammad Abbas And Naseem Shah And Picked Hard-Hitting Batsman Azam Khan

However, Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas had a successful time in the West Indies in 2017 picking up 15 wickets. He has also bagged 27 wickets in the County Championship in England this season.

“We have remained consistent in our selection and kept the same core of cricketers who have been in the set-up for a while. This is an extremely important and critical tour for Pakistan as we will be playing the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs against England as well as the T20Is against England and the West Indies as part of our preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The Jamaica Test will count towards the ICC World Test Championship,” Muhammad Wasim, chief selector, said.

“As such, keeping in view the above and in consultation with captain Babar Azam and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq, we have tried our best to maintain the winning combinations but at the same time recalled four experienced players and rewarded uncapped Azam Khan for his domestic performance, while also giving him the required confidence for the future challenges,” he added.

Leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who missed the Test series versus Zimbabwe because of a knee injury, also returns to the Test set-up. Yasir Shah’s inclusion though is subject to him recovering completely from the knee injury.

“Mohammad Abbas has regained his form, Naseem Shah and Haris Sohail have reclaimed the required fitness standards, while Imad Wasim has been recalled considering the T20 World Cup is likely to be held in the UAE and he enjoys an excellent record there. The return of these four players meant we had to leave some players, which is never an easy decision. But we have collectively opted for what was in the best interest of the side, taking into consideration the opponents and the requirement of the formats on the upcoming tours,” Wasim noted.

“Yasir Shah’s inclusion is subject to clearing his fitness test. He was sidelined due to a knee injury after the second Test against South Africa earlier this year and was expected to reclaim complete fitness for the West Indies tour. It, however, has not been the case, but we remain hopeful that he will complete his rehabilitation before the departure,” he added.

Naseem Shah and Mohammad Abbas have returned to Pakistan's Test squad Getty Images
Naseem Shah and Mohammad Abbas have returned to Pakistan’s Test squad Getty Images

Nauman Ali, a left-arm spinner, who has made a successful start to his Test career, retains his place in the Test set-up. Leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood and off-spinner Sajid Khan have also been retained for the two Tests to be played in Jamaica.

On the other hand, Azam Khan, who scored at a strike rate of over 144 for Gladiators, makes it to the T20I squad. Azam Khan has notched up 743 runs at an impressive strike rate of 157.41 in his T20 career so far. Imad Wasim, who hasn’t played a T20I since December last year, has also been selected.

Pakistan Has Included Saud Shakeel In ODI And Test Squad

Pakistan is also set to play three ODIs against England in July. For that series, Pakistan’s selectors have included uncapped batsman Saud Shakeel. Saud Shakeel, who is a prolific run-getter in Pakistan’s domestic cricket, missed out on the twin tours of South Africa and Zimbabwe due to a Grade-1 quadriceps tear. Incidentally, he also makes it into the Test squad.

Haris Sohail. — Photo courtesy of Haris Sohail's Twitter handle
Haris Sohail. — Photo courtesy of Haris Sohail’s Twitter handle

The experienced batsman, Haris Sohail, also finds a place in the ODI squad. Meanwhile, Tabish Khan and Salman Ali Agha have been dropped from the 21-man squad, though Salman Ali Agha is part of the ODI squad for England.

“The side since the home series against South Africa has maintained an upward movement, but still there are a few loose ends that we would like to close by the end of the England and West Indies tours so that there is absolute clarity on our compositions for the post-West Indies tour engagements. I strongly believe the changes will plug those gaps and will put us in a strong position in our endeavors to feature in the top three across all formats by the end of 2023.”

Pakistan will play three ODIs and three T20Is in England from 8-20 July, before taking on West Indies in five T20Is that will be followed by two Tests.

Squads:

ODIs: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Usman Qadir

T20Is: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Arshad Iqbal, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sharjeel Khan, and Usman Qadir.

Tests: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Yasir Shah (subject to fitness) and Zahid Mahmood.

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Yasir Shah
Yasir Shah (Image Credit: ICC Twitter)
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Frustrated Yasir Shah Hurls Abuse At Henry Nicholls

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After the early fall of openers, the New Zealand middle-order played a well-disciplined knock to frustrate Pakistan bowlers on day one of the first Test again. And, Pakistan prominent spinner Yasir Shah also could not control his temper when Henry Nicholls went lucky.

In the 77th over of the innings, the leg-spinner bowled a decent delivery which Nicholls tried to cut and missed. The wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan collected the ball but there was no edge and the batsman survived. Yasir Shah was desperate for a wicket and in frustration, he hilariously ended up yelling, “Out ho jaa bhootni ke.” (which roughly translates to- “Get out man.”)

Frustrated Yasir Shah Hurls Abuse At Henry Nicholls 1
Image Credit: Getty Images

Obviously, New Zealanders didn’t understand his language otherwise there would have been some reaction from their side.

Here is the video of Yasir Shah spelling some wrong words:

 

Earlier, Pakistan started the day well with the 20-year-old Shaheen Afridi sending Tom Blundell and Tom Latham early without allowing them to put much on the board. But Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor orchestrated a mature 120-run partnership before the latter lost his wicket for 70 runs. From there, Pakistan lost the plot.

Pakistan drops the catch of Kane Williamson:

yasir shah,
Yasir Shah. Image Credit: Getty Images.

Henry Nicholls joined hands with the captain in the middle to increase the difficulty of Pakistan bowlers. Pakistan had themselves to blame having dropped both the batsmen once each. No wonder Yasir Shah was frustrated as he was not able to provide the breakthrough despite bowling well consistently.

The day one ended with New Zealand putting 222 runs on the board for a three-wicket loss. Williamson and Taylor, who have as of now shared 89 run stands, will continue batting on day four. The New Zealand skipper is batting at 94 and is set to score another century of the season.

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England vs Pakistan: England Should Play Yasir Shah Like Anil Kumble Rather Than Shane Warne: Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain. Image Credit: Getty Images.
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England vs Pakistan: England Should Play Yasir Shah Like Anil Kumble Rather Than Shane Warne – Nasser Hussain

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Former England captain Nasser Hussain has found fundamental fault in England’s batsman’s while facing spinner Yasir Shah in the third Test against Pakistan in Southampton. He opined that the Yasir Shah balls more like India’s former leg-spinner Anil Kumble but his countrymen are treating him like Shane Warne.

Yasir Shah had trapped England batsman Dom Sibley and Ollie Pope in the decider Test match of the series. Olie Pope has also easily thrown his wicket in the second Test on Yasir’s spin bowling. England captain Joe Root was also out as the spinner bowled the beauty to pick the prized wicket. In fast-bowler friendly pitch as well, Yasir has been unplayable on several occasions.

England, Joe Root and Ollie Pope, Yasir Shah, Nasser Hussain
Joe Root and Ollie Pope. Credits: Twitter

Nasser Hussain opines the reason why England is struggling in front of Yasir’s bowling. He said that the 34-year-old does not bowl deliveries which turn extraordinarily on the opening day of a Test. Instead, he bowls slow and tosses the deliveries up, before suddenly sending down a quicker, straighter one. He opines that the batsman should treat him like Anil Kumble rather than Australian veteran Shane Warne who relayed more on turns and tossing the ball up.

“For some reason, whether it is Joe Root or Ollie Pope, England have been going back to the leg spinner and getting stuck on the crease. They are playing him as if he were Shane Warne but, in the first innings of a Test, they should play him more like Anil Kumble,” Hussain wrote in his column for The Daily Mail.

“Yasir will not bowl massive, turning deliveries on the first day. Instead, he has been setting batsmen up by going slow, slow and then producing a quicker, straighter delivery,” he wrote.

England should learn to play Yasir to face India later: Nasser Hussain

England vs Pakistan: England Should Play Yasir Shah Like Anil Kumble Rather Than Shane Warne - Nasser Hussain 2
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Nasser Hussain added that England should learn to play Yasir to prepare themselves for the coming challenges against India and Sri Lanka in winter.

“England has a winter of Test cricket in sub-continental conditions coming up against Sri Lanka and India, if those tours go ahead, they must learn from how they are playing Yasir Shah here,” Nasser Hussain wrote.

Meanwhile, England has an upper hand in the third test against Pakistan as they have just lost four-wicket with the centurion Zak Crawley still batting at Ageas Oval.

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England sealed an unlikely three-wicket victory against Pakistan in the first Test (AP)
England sealed an unlikely three-wicket victory against Pakistan in the first Test (AP)
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Pakistan And England Players Improve Test Rankings After First Test Against England

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Pakistan opener Shan Masood’s knock of 156 has lifted him 14 places to his career-best 19th position in the latest rankings of batsmen by ICC. His solid first-innings ton reflects in ICC Men’s test player rankings which have been updated Sunday after the conclusion of the first test at Manchester.

Crucial second innings knock by England pair Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler also reflected in the rankings and former top-ranked Pakistan spinner, Yasir Shah also updated his position.

Left-hander Shan Masood’s knock of 156 which helped Pakistan to take 107 first-innings lead and lifted him 14 places to his career-best 19th position in the rankings. He is now the second-highest ranked Pakistan Test batsman after Babar Azam who is placed sixth. His previous best was 32 position which was in February in 2020.

 

Shan Masood celebrates his hundred Getty Images
Shan Masood celebrates his hundred Getty Images

ICC Test Rankings: England And Pakistan Players Advance In ICC Test Rankings

Man of the match, Chris Woakes has leapt 18 places to 78th position after building a 139 run partnership for the sixth wicket with Jos Buttler which guided England a narrow win by three wickets.

Chris Woakes who scored 19 and 84 in the two innings jumped to 7th position among all-rounders while wicketkeeper Jos Buttler’s innings of 38 and 75 saw him rise from 44th to 30th while teammate Ollie Pope has attained career-best 36th position after scoring 62 and 7.

Chris Woakes, Jos Buttler lead England recovery in thriller
Chris Woakes, Jos Buttler lead England recovery in thriller Source: ICC

Pakistan leg spinners Yasir Shah who was a former top-ranked bowler has gained notably by moving up two places to 22nd position after taking eight wickets whereas Shadab Khan has re-entered rankings at career-best 69th position.

ICC Rankings: England Inches Closer To Australia In ICC Test Rankings

England’s Stuart Broad remains in 3rd position after taking 6 wickets and thereby closing the gap with New Zealander Neil Wagner to 7 points while Jofra Archer’s four wickets helped him to advance two places to 37th in the bowlers’ rankings.

In ICC World Test Championship points table, England has moved to 266 points and is within 30 points of second-placed Australia.

England's Stuart Broad. (Photo by Jon Super / POOL / AFP)
England’s Stuart Broad (Photo by Jon Super / POOL / AFP)

India leads the table with 360 points, whereas New Zealand are fourth with 180 points and Pakistan are fifth with 140 points.

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Chris Woakes, Jos Buttler
Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler (Image Credit: ICC Twitter)
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Eng Vs Pak 2020, 1st Test: Day 4 – Chris Woakes And Jos Buttler Secure A Dramatic Series Leading Victory

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On the fourth day of the opening game of the three-match Test series against Pakistan at Manchester, Chris Woakes and the wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler secured a dramatic three-wicket victory for the hosts England to secure the 1-0 lead in the series with two to go.

Starting the day on their overnight score of 137/8, Pakistan were all-out for 169 runs. Chasing down the 277 runs target, England were once battling on 117/5, but Jos Buttler (75 runs off 101 balls; 7 fours and only six) and Chris Woakes (84 not out off 120 balls; 10 fours) didn’t give up and inspired the hosts to snatch a three-wicket victory as the hosts reached the target after losing seven wickets.

Pakistan’s second innings: Yasir Shah added 21 runs off just nine balls on the morning session

While Pakistan only managed to play 16 balls on the fourth-day morning session, Yasir Shah added 21 runs off just nine balls on that morning as he fired up with 33 runs off just 24 balls (5 fours and only six) before losing his wicket.

Pakistan
Yasir Shah (Image Credit: ICC Twitter)

Among the England bowlers, pacer Stuart Broad (3/37) was the most successful bowler in that innings as he took three wickets, adding one wicket on this morning. Also, Chris Woakes (2/11) and Ben Stokes (2/11) got two wickets each while Dom Bess (1/40) and Jofra Archer (1/27) collected one wicket each.

Chasing 277 runs: English middle-order batsmen Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler controlled the game after England lost four wickets in 31 runs

In the fourth innings, after Mohammad Abbas dismissed the English opener Rory Burns (10) cheaply, another opener Dom Sibley and skipper Joe Root handled that early pressure very well. They built up the solid 64 runs partnership for the second wicket, but once their partnership was broken, English batting suffered a collapse.

At first, the Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah dismissed Sibley for 32 runs. Sixteen balls later of that dismissal, Root (42) was dismissed by Naseem Shah. Ben Stokes (9) and Ollie Pope (7) both failed to reach the double-digit mark after Yasir and Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed them respectively. At that time, England lost their last four wickets in just 31 runs.

Yasir Shah, Pakistan
Yasir Shah (Image Credit: ICC Twitter)

While the visitors were dominating at that moment as that game was well in their grip, Buttler and Woakes rescued the hosts and set up the game-changing 139 runs partnership for the sixth wicket.

Woakes, Buttler, England
Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler (Image Credit: ICC Twitter)

Though Yasir tried hard till the end of that game as he dismissed Buttler and Stuart Broad (7) at the very late moment of that chasing, it was too late for the visitors to return to the game. Yasir finished that innings with the bowling figures of 30-2-99-4.

It was England’s sixth successful fourth-innings chasing in their home Test history. It is also the highest successful chase for a team in the fourth innings of a Test match against Pakistan in the 21st century. Woakes undoubtedly won the Player of the Match award.

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Mushtaq Ahmed, Yasir Shah, England vs Pakistan, Mushtaq Ahmed,
Mushtaq Ahmed. Image Credit: Getty Images.
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England vs Pakistan 2020: Mushtaq Ahmed Reckons Yasir Shah And Shadab Khan Will Be Lethal

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Pakistan’s spin bowling consultant Mushtaq Ahmed is confident that the spinners Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan would play a key role for Pakistan in the ongoing Test series against England. He heaped praise on the duo after they demolished England’s attack in the first inning of the opening Test match.

Cricket pundits had doubted Pakistan’s success with two spinners in the playing XI but Yasir and Shadab had silenced all the critics.

The former bowled an impressive spell, picking the prized wicket of England captain Joe Root. He returned with the figure of four for 66 from 18 overs on Friday. His spinning partner Shadab Khan demolished the lower-order, picking the wicket of Jofra Archer and James Anderson. He also amassed crucial 45 runs in the first innings.

Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan can be lethal: Mushtaq Ahmed

Yasir Shah
Yasir Shah. Image Credit: Getty Images.

Pakistan had given the target of 277 runs to England which is not easy to chase at the Old Trafford pitch. And with the visitor’s bowling attack, the host would have further fewer chances to get across the line.

Mushtaq Ahmed believes that Yasir and Shadab, who haven’t played for five-six months, have got back the momentum. He added that the duo has better understood the pitch would surely guide the team to get the lead.

“Yasir and Shadab have hardly played much cricket for the last five or six months, but the way they bowled in the first innings I think they’ve got the momentum now. They understand the pitch and what pace you need to bowl on it, what fields you need to have to different batsmen.

“I think they are feeling confident in their bowling now. Yasir especially, I think he started a bit nervously but we can understand that and I think he then bowled well and now if we set a good target, they can be lethal out there,” added Mushtaq, who previously held a similar position in England’s backroom staff.

Meanwhile, as of now, Mohammad Abbas had got the wicket of Rory Burns on the fourth day before lunch break. Dom Sibley and Joe Root are at the crease as England have put 55 runs on board.

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England vs Pakistan Photo Credit: (Getty Images)
England vs Pakistan Photo Credit: (Getty Images)
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Faisal Iqbal Says Pakistan Will ‘Welcome England With Open Arms’

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Faisal Iqbal says Pakistan will welcome England with open arms. Former Pakistan batsman Faisal Iqbal says Pakistan will be happy if England decides to tour their country. Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief executive Wasim Khan is hopeful that England will play a T20I bilateral series prior to their scheduled visit in the year 2022.

England head coach Chris Silverwood has also shown excitement towards the prospect of a future tour. England has not played in Pakistan since 2005-2006. Faisal Iqbal noted that it will be one of the biggest series to be held in Pakistan for a long time.

Wasim Khan (Getty Images)
Wasim Khan (Getty Images)

Faisal Iqbal Reacted As England May Tour Pakistan

Pakistan travelled to England amidst the coronavirus pandemic and there are talks that a reciprocal series will take place anytime soon. There was a terror attack in the Sri Lankan bus carrying cricketers in 2009 killing several policemen and a few citizens. The cricketers escaped narrowly but were hurt, following which the other test-playing nations refused to tour Pakistan.

“Great news we will look forward to [welcoming] you guys,” Faisal Iqbal said on Twitter.

However, after a decade, Sri Lanka toured the nation for a short test series, but Pakistan already has suffered huge losses by not getting many chances to host other nations.

Faisal Iqbal © Getty Images
Faisal Iqbal © Getty Images

Cross-border tension and terrorist attacks in India mean that there is no bilateral series involving arch-rivals India and Pakistan. India last toured Pakistan in 2007 and the last bilateral series between the two was played in 2012-2013 in India. India and Pakistan face each other only in ICC events like World Cup, Champions Trophy, T20I World Cups, and Asia Cups.

First Test Report between England and Pakistan at Manchester:

In the ongoing first test of the three-test series between England and Pakistan, both teams have a chance to win. In Manchester, replying to Pakistan’s 326, England was all out for 219, but Pakistan has lost eight wickets already for 137 runs and has a lead of 244 runs going into the fourth day’s play.

Pakistan opener Shan Masood scored 156 in Pakistan’s first innings and Yasir Shah took 4 wickets in England’s first innings, but England came back strongly. Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, and Ben Stokes took 2 wickets each as none of the batsmen could cross even 30 runs.

England's Stuart Broad. (Photo by Jon Super / POOL / AFP)
England’s Stuart Broad (Photo by Jon Super / POOL / AFP) 

The second and third test is scheduled at the same venue — Southampton. Pakistan is also due to play three T20Is at Manchester following the commencement of the Test series.

Pakistan says it’s ready to welcome major cricketing nations like South Africa, New Zealand, England and West Indies in 2021. New Zealand is pencilled in for three ODIs and five Twenty20s in September, followed by two Twenty20s against England at Karachi. It will be England’s first tour to Pakistan since 2005. The PCB has planned a home series against West Indies in December.

England will make their first trip to Pakistan after 16 years when they play a two-match T20I series in Karachi next October as part of their preparations for the T20I World Cup in 2021 in India which will take place between October and November. England will make their first trip to Pakistan after 16 years when they play a two-match T20I series in Karachi next October as part of their preparations for the T20I World Cup in 2021.

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England, Pakistan
Image Credit: ICC Twitter
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Eng Vs Pak 2020, 1st Test: Day 3 – England Bowlers Bring Back The Hosts Into The Game

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The third day of the first game of the England vs Pakistan Test series at Old Trafford (Manchester) was full of thrilling actions. While the visitors Pakistan managed to gain 100+ lead at the end of the hosts England’s first innings, England bowlers brought the hosts back into the game strongly with the dominant bowling performances.

Starting the day on their overnight score of 92/4, England managed to score 219 runs before losing their all wickets in their first innings. Beginning their second innings with the lead of 107 runs, Pakistan ended the day on 137/8 with the lead of 244 runs.

England innings: Ollie Pope scored 62 runs; Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah picked four wickets

Overnight English batsmen Ollie Pope and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler started the day patiently. But after settling the 65 runs partnership for the fifth wicket, Pope was dismissed by the teenage Pakistan fast-bowler Naseem Shah with a superb delivery. While Pope completed his fifty in the early overs of the day, he was dismissed for 62 runs off 117 balls (8 fours).

Ollie Pope, England
Ollie Pope (Image Credit: Twitter)

Then, Buttler built up the 32 runs partnership with Chris Woakes, but the wicketkeeper-batsman was bowled by the leggie Yasir Shah after scoring 38 runs. At the very late moment, Stuart Broad once again played a crucial cameo knock of unbeaten 29 runs off 25 balls (4 fours and only six) but just failed to secure the trailing less than 100 runs.

Pakistan
Pakistan cricketers (Image Credit: ICC Twitter)

Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah bagged four wickets as he finished with the bowling figures of 18-2-66-4. Also, pacer Mohammad Abbas (2/33) and another leg-spinner Shadab Khan (2/13) took two wickets each while the fast-bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/51) and Naseem Shah (1/44) scalped one wicket each.

Yasir Shah, Pakistan
Yasir Shah (Image Credit: ICC Twitter)

Pakistan innings: Batsmen failed to reach the 30s

In their second innings, Pakistan lost their wickets at the regular intervals as the visiting batsmen failed to reach the 30 runs mark in this innings yet. Only Asad Shafiq (29), wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan (27) and opener Abid Ali (20) have managed to score the 20-run mark in this innings. At the stumps of the day, Yasir Shah (12*) and Mohammad Abbas (0*) were not out at the crease.

England, England bowlers
England cricket team (Image Credit: ICC Twitter)

England pacers Stuart Broad (2/23), Chris Woakes (2/11) and Ben Stokes (2/11) bagged two wickets each while the off-spinner Dom Bess (1/40) picked up one wicket.

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yasir shah, india national cricket team, india vs pakistan, test, virat kohli, pakistan national cricket team,

Unfortunate Yasir Shah Feels Disappointed For Not Getting The Opportunity To Play Red Ball Game Against India

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Yasir Shah, the Pakistani leg-spinner, feels unfortunate for not getting to play Test cricket against India. Shah debuted in 2011 for Pakistan in the limited-overs game. However, it took him three more years to confirm his position in the red-ball game of the team. The leg-spinner has scalped more wickets in the red-ball game than he did in the ODIs and T20Is.

However, the Pakistani cricketer never got the opportunity to play against India in Test cricket. India and Pakistan have not faced each other in a red-ball game ever since 2007. Shah feels disappointed for not getting a chance to play against the Virat Kohli-led Indian squad as he wanted to test his skills against the Indian batsmen.

“It is unfortunate and I feel disappointed when I think about the fact that I have not played a Test against India. Even the white-ball matches have been far and few against them in recent years,” he said here.

“I would like to play against them because they have some top players and for a leg-spinner, it is always enjoyable when you are bowling too or getting wickets of high profile players (like Kohli),” he said.

Yasir Shah reasoned unfavorable pitches in South Africa and Australia

yasir shah, india, pakistan, virat kohli,

The 33-years-old leg-break bowler has not been able to play his game through the Pakistan tour of South Africa and Australia. Last year in December, Pakistan toured South Africa for three Tests which ended with the visitors losing all the entire Tests. However, Shah could bag only one wicket throughout the series. Meanwhile, in the Australia tour, Shah picked four wickets from the two-Test matches receding around 400 runs.

The Pakistani bowler reasoned that the pitches in both the countries were more of batting and pacer friendly. Meanwhile, he also said that he has not played many Tests ever since Pakistan tour of New Zealand.

“People are talking about my form but how many Tests have I played since I reached 200 Test wickets against New Zealand — just three — that too on pitches which are more ideal for batting and pacers,” he said.

On the other hand, Yasir Shah was not picked by the Pakistan team selectors for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. The bowler spent his time at the National Cricket Academy of Pakistan where he sharpened his skills with Mushtaq Ahmed who is the spin consultant of the PCB.

“I was okay with the decision and I also felt it was a good idea to go down to Lahore at the National Cricket Academy and spend some time with Mushtaq Ahmed (PCB’s spin consultant). The three days he worked with me it has helped me a lot and made my mind very clear. I am now looking forward to take wickets in the second Test at Karachi,” he said.

The 33-year-old is, however, Pakistan’s seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket and the fourth-highest among the spinners. He has 207 wickets from the 69 innings of the 37 Tests.

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