Author: ali.hassan

KARACHI: Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket (PCB), visited the National Bank Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday to inspect the ongoing construction work ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is scheduled to take place in Pakistan from February to March, however, India’s participation in the tournament is uncertain as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) seeks the government’s approval to visit the country.

But Mohsin Naqvi remained and reiterated that all eight teams will visit Pakistan to participate in the ICC event.

During his visit to the stadium, Naqvi thoroughly reviewed the ongoing upgradation work. He emphasized the importance of enhancing the fan experience by directing the team to relocate the electronic score screen to a more suitable position.

This adjustment aims to ensure that the screen does not obstruct the view of the spectators, allowing everyone to enjoy the game without impediments.

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“We want fans to have an uninterrupted view of the matches, so adjusting the screen placement is a priority,” said the PCB chairman.

Furthermore, he instructed that the parking area be relocated to a spot nearer to the stadium, enhancing accessibility and ensuring greater convenience for fans attending the events.

The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) briefed the chairman about the progress of the renovations at the National Stadium. Adviser Aamir Mir and National Stadium Manager Arshad Khan were also present on the occasion.

Naqvi instructed the FWO Official to complete the stadium upgradation in time for the Champions Trophy.

“The upgradation project should be accelerated with day and night efforts for the tournament,” he stated.

READ: “Selection committee to decide Fakhar Zaman’s future,” says Mohsin Naqvi

Pakistan’s newly appointed white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan refrained from giving his verdict on the snub of Fakhar Zaman from the white-ball squads and men’s central contracts.

Rizwan addressed the media at a local hotel in Karachi, ahead of the national team’s departure to Australia where they will play a three-match ODI and T20I series.

When asked to share his stance on the Fakhar Zaman issue, Mohammad Rizwan acknowledged the left-handed batter as an impactful player but insisted that the selection committee and management are capable of making a decision in this regard.

“There is no doubt that Fakhar Zaman is an impactful player of Pakistan’s white-ball team. Because he is capable of winning matches for the team single-handedly,” said Rizwan.

“Even in high-stakes matches, Fakhar has single-handedly put us in dominant position.

“But as far as the decision is concerned, some decisions are out of our hands. The selection committee and the management are the ones to make a decision.

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Mohammad Rizwan then went on to reveal that discussions are underway between Fakhar Zaman and management before expressing his hope that the issue would be resolved soon.

“They definitely had discussions and I hope this issue gets resolved soon,” stated Rizwan.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday, announced the central contracts for the 2024-25 international season, along with the squads for the tours to Australia and Zimbabwe.

However, Fakhar’s name was missing from the central contract list and squads for the upcoming tours.

It is worth mentioning here that the left-handed batter questioned the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to exclude Babar Azam from the squad for the last two Tests of the recently concluded England series.

READ: “Selection committee to decide Fakhar Zaman’s future,” Mohsin Naqvi

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday, addressed the prospects of hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is scheduled to take place in Pakistan from February to March, however, India’s participation in the tournament is uncertain as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) seeks the government’s approval to visit the country.

But Mohsin Naqvi, in a casual interaction with the media in Karachi, reiterated that all eight teams will visit Pakistan to participate in the ICC event.

“Do not worry, all teams will come to Pakistan to play Champions Trophy,” Naqvi told reporters.

The PCB chief also provided a timeframe regarding the upgradation of major stadiums, a crucial task for the cricketing body to host the multi-national tournament.

“The upgradation of stadiums will be completed by December 15,” Naqvi said.

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Naqvi also broke silence on the exclusion of Fakhar Zaman from Pakistan’s white-ball squads and central contracts, stating selection committee will decide the batter’s future.

The PCB chief asserted that he never intervened in the selection process while addressing the concerns regarding Fakhar’s saga.

“I don’t interfere in any player’s selection. The selection committee will decide whether Fakhar Zaman will be in the team or not,” said Naqvi.

“I never told [selection committee] to select or drop a certain player,” he added.

The PCB, on Sunday, announced the central contracts for the 2024-25 international season, along with the squads for the tours to Australia and Zimbabwe.

However, Fakhar Zaman’s name was missing from the central contract list and squads for the upcoming tours.

During a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, a journalist asked the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, if Fakhar Zaman was left out due to his social media post defending Babar Azam.

In response, Naqvi acknowledged the controversy surrounding Fakhar’s social media post, which has been deemed a violation of the central contract.

However, he emphasized that the primary factor leading to Fakhar’s exclusion was due to concerns over the batter’s fitness.

READ: PCB chief meets Rizwan, Salman ahead of Australia tour

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi broke silence on the exclusion of Fakhar Zaman from Pakistan’s white-ball squads and central contracts, stating selection committee will decide the batter’s future.

In a casual interaction with the media in Karachi, the PCB chief asserted that he never intervened in the selection process while addressing the concerns regarding Fakhar’s saga.

“I don’t interfere in any player’s selection. The selection committee will decide whether Fakhar Zaman will be in the team or not,” said Naqvi.

“I never told [selection committee] to select or drop a certain player,” he added.

The PCB, on Sunday, announced the central contracts for the 2024-25 international season, along with the squads for the tours to Australia and Zimbabwe.

However, Fakhar Zaman’s name was missing from the central contract list and squads for the upcoming tours.

During a press conference in Lahore, a journalist asked the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, if Fakhar Zaman was left out due to his social media post defending Babar Azam.

In response, Naqvi acknowledged the controversy surrounding Fakhar’s social media post, which has been deemed a violation of the central contract.

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However, he emphasized that the primary factor leading to Fakhar’s exclusion was due to concerns over the batter’s fitness.

“There is the tweet issue definitely. But that doesn’t matter as much as his fitness tests. He had two issues: the fitness test and the show-cause notice, which is still pending. That is why he hasn’t been included (in the central contracts list),” Naqvi said.

“If a player is dropped by the selection committee, another player starts tweeting against it. This isn’t allowed and will not be permitted. However, the bigger issue is his fitness test.”

Remember, Fakhar Zaman expressed his disappointment through a social media post over the selection committee’s decision to drop star batter Babar Azam after the first Test against England.

Consequently, the PCB issued a show-cause notice to the left-hander over breaching the Code of Conduct.

READ: PCB chief meets Rizwan, Salman ahead of Australia tour

MELBOURNE: A total of seven members from Pakistan squad including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah touched down in Australia for the white-ball series, scheduled to commence on November 4.

Besides the trio of Babar, Shaheen and Naseem, three more players including Muhammad Irfan Khan, Haris Rauf and Faisal Akram reached Melbourne.

The second group of Pakistan’s white-ball squad will depart for Melbourne from Karachi later today. Ahead of the departure, the newly-appointed white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan will address the media at a local hotel in Karachi.

The Australia tour will run from 4-18 November, followed by a white-ball series in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, which will be played from 24 November to 5 December.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the squads for the tours to Australia and Zimbabwe yesterday.

The cricket board also appointed wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan as the captain for Pakistan’s white-ball team ahead of the upcoming tours of Australia and Zimbabwe.

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Babar Azam, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who were given a break from the last two Tests against England, returned for the Australia matches but will be rested for the Zimbabwe tour.

Similarly, Mohammad Rizwan will be available for the Australia matches and Zimbabwe ODIs, but will be rested from the Zimbabwe T20Is.

All-rounder Salman Ali Agha, who has been appointed as the vice-captain, will lead the team in Rizwan’s absence during the T20I series against Zimbabwe.

Pakistan Squad for Australia Tour

ODI SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (vc) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

T20I SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan.

READ: Shahid Afridi backs Mohammad Rizwan’s appointment as white-ball captain

Cricket Australia (CA) has decided to rest key players for the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan as they unveiled a 13-member squad on Monday with the captain to be named in due course.

Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson have returned to the T20I team following their returns from injury.

However, some key players including Travis Head, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will miss the T20I series against Pakistan as they prepare for the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India in Perth.

The chairman of selectors George Bailey has shared that the captain of the squad will be announced in due course.

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“I think there’s a number of players with the ability to captain and some that have had some captaincy experience as well,” Bailey said. “We’ll work through that.”

“This group of players have all represented Australia in T20 cricket, so we look forward to them continuing to enhance their international experience throughout this series.

“We are excited by the mix of experience combined with those closer to the start of their international journeys.

“It is particularly encouraging to have Xavier, Spencer and Nathan back in the national setup. It’s another opportunity for them to continue to show their ability on the international stage, as they have done in the past.”

Australia squad for T20I series against Pakistan

Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

READ: Gary Kirsten resigns as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach: sources

Perth Stadium is preparing for an exciting summer of cricket with the installation of a drop-in pitch for the upcoming white-ball series between Pakistan and Australia.

Pakistan is set to tour Australia in November for a six-match white-ball series, which will embark with the ODI series on 4 November.

The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will host the series opener, while Perth will host the third ODI on 10 November. The ODI series will be followed by a three-match T20I series, starting on November 14.

The ODI between Pakistan and Australia will be the first match of the season at Perth Stadium, which will later host the West Test from 22-26 November during the iconic Border-Gavaskar series against India.

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This will be followed by five home matches of Perth Scorchers during the Big Bash League (BBL) 14 home matches, including the blockbuster season-opener on December 15 against Melbourne Stars.

The drop-in pitch, in collaboration with HG Turf, was carefully transported onto the Perth Stadium playing surface using a unique 30-meter-long, 40-tonne cricket wicket transporter. This remarkable machine is the sole one of its kind in Western Australia.

It’s worth noting that Cricket Australia (CA) announced a 14-member squad for the three-match home ODI series against Pakistan.

The reigning world champions will be without Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh as both key players will be on paternity leave. The duo has been replaced by Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short, who are likely to open the innings together.

Australia Squad for ODI series against Pakistan: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

READ: South Africa cruise to seven-wicket win in first Bangladesh Test

Pakistan Shaheens’ captain Mohammad Haris has revealed that the players are not allowed to discuss the match against India in the dressing room during the upcoming ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup, commencing in Oman on 18 October.

Haris-led Shaheens will take on last year’s finalists India ‘A’ in their opening match on 19 October.

The Pakistan captain shared that he is keen on ensuring that his players do not succumb to pressure ahead of the match against India.

As a result, he has instructed the players not to engage in discussions regarding the blockbuster match.

“Talking about India is banned in the dressing room,” said Haris. “Players feel pressure when thinking about the match against India and we don’t want to put them under pressure.”

Haris also shared that the team is not only focusing on India but other opponents as well and is preparing for each team according to their strengths and weaknesses.

“The preparations for the tournament are in full swing,” he added. “Our focus is not only on India, we have matches against other teams too and we will have different plans for each team.”

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Mohammad Haris then went on to claim that the experience of leading Stallions in the Champions One-Day Cup will come in handy in the upcoming ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024.

“PCB has appointed me as captain for different teams. Captaining the emerging team is a different experience. I have previously captained senior players in the Champions One-Day Cup,” said Haris.

Pakistan Shaheens’ second outing in the tournament will be against hosts Oman on 21 October, followed by their final group match will be against the UAE on 23 October.

The top two sides from each group will qualify for the semi-finals scheduled to take place on 25 October. The final will take place on Sunday, 27 October.

Pakistan Shaheens’ Squad

Mohammad Haris (c), Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Moqim, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan

Team management: Umar Rasheed (head coach-cum-manager), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Riffatullah Mohmand (fielding coach), Usman Hashmi (analyst) and Syed Mohammad Asad (physiotherapist)

READ: Ramiz Raja calls dropping Babar Azam a ‘knee-jerk reaction’

Brisbane-based Pakistani cricket fan, Tariq Naveed, has exhibited his patriotism by purchasing 800 tickets for the upcoming Pakistan-Australia T20 match at The Gabba.

The Green Shirts are currently on a tour of Australia for a six-match white-ball series under the newly appointed white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan.

Pakistan defeated Australia in the third ODI by eight wickets in Perth last week to win their first series Down Under since 2002. The visitors lost the first match of the three-match series by two wickets, however, they staged an impressive comeback to win the series 2-1.

Rizwan-led side is now aiming to continue their winning run and create history with a T20I series victory over Australia, which will kick off on 14 November 14 at The Gabba in Brisbane.

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Remember, Cricket Australia had designated these 800 tickets for a special Pakistan Fan Zone, creating an exclusive space for passionate supporters.

In a bold move, Tariq Naveed announced plans to form a human flag in the Pakistan Fan Zone on match day. This patriotic gesture is aimed at encouraging the visiting Pakistan team, particularly during challenging times for the country’s cricket heroes.

“I’ve taken this step to show our support and lift the spirits of our players. These heroes from Pakistan are our guests here in Australia, and we’ll make sure to give them a rousing reception in Brisbane,” Tariq shared, reflecting the enthusiasm and warmth of the local Pakistani community.

This story highlights the passion of overseas Pakistanis and how they are rallying behind their national team, turning the Gabba into a sea of green and white, making sure the cricketers feel at home away from home.

Pakistan vs Australia T20I series schedule

November 14: First T20I at The Gabba, Brisbane
November 16: Second T20I at SCG, Sydney
November 18: Third T20I at Bellerive Oval, Hobart

Squads for Pakistan-Australia T20I series

Australia: Josh Inglis (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Josh Philippe, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.

READ: Joe Root surpasses Alastair Cook to claim all-time England record

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has labelled Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi as major threats for the home side in the upcoming white-ball series.

Pakistan is set to tour Australia in November for a six-match white-ball series, which will embark with the ODI series on 4 November.

The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will host the series opener, while the subsequent matches are scheduled on November 8 and 10 in Adelaide and Perth, respectively.

The ODI series will be followed by a three-match T20I series, scheduled to commence on November 14.

Glenn Maxwell, while talking to the media in Melbourne, highlighted the unpredictability of Pakistan and labelled the Green Shirts as a dangerous opposition.

“The Pakistan team can be very dangerous at different times. They have been challenging opponents for us in the past,” stated Maxwell.

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“When you’re playing against a team like Pakistan, they can be unpredictable, which makes it so hard to play against them, you never know what to expect from them.”

Maxwell then heaped praise on Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam and pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi. He emphasized that the Australian team should effectively deal with the challenge posed by Babar and Shaheen in the upcoming series.

“They’ve got some world-class players, we’ve got to keep an eye on Babar Azam, he is a superstar player, and Shaheen Afridi, he is a magician with the new ball,” the all-rounder said.

“We are not taking this series lightly. We are preparing for the series; we need to deliver our best to get the upper hand against Pakistan.”

Schedule of Pakistan’s white-ball tour to Australia

Pakistan vs Australia ODI series schedule:

November 4: First ODI at MCG, Melbourne
November 8: Second ODI at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
November 10: Third ODI at Perth Stadium, Perth

Pakistan vs Australia T20I series schedule:

November 14: First T20I at The Gabba, Brisbane
November 16: Second T20I at SCG, Sydney
November 18: Third T20I at Bellerive Oval, Hobart

READ: England captain wary of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah threat in first Pakistan Test