Author: ali.hassan

Gladiators’ players meet young cancer patients ahead of United clash

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KARACHI: Quetta Gladiators’ players paid a visit to the young cancer patients here ahead of their Pakistan Super League (PSL) fixture against Islamabad United on Friday.

According to the details, Gladiators’ captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, alongside Mohammad Hafeez, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz and Naseem Shah met the young patients and extended their support for the children.

The young patients were over the moon by meeting their favourite stars. The Gladiators took pictures with the children and gave their autographs.

Furthermore, the players also gave the children their signed bats and Gladiators’ jerseys.

Taking to Twitter, the Gladiators share footage of their players paying a visit to a local hospital here.

“Little warriors met their favourite Gladiators,” wrote the franchise.

Earlier, PSL 8 observed childhood cancer awareness day on February 16.

The day was observed when 2020 PSL champions Karachi Kings played Islamabad United in the fourth match of PSL 8 at National Bank Cricket Arena here. Players from both sides donned golden caps and ribbons to promote awareness of the disease.

It is pertinent to mention that the Gladiators will lock horns with Islamabad United in their fifth fixture of the ongoing PSL 8.

The side is currently at the bottom of the points table with just two points in four matches, while the United are in the second spot with four points in three matches.

READ: Gurbaz credits pre-match chat with Babar for solid performance

Gurbaz credits pre-match chat with Babar for solid performance

Posted on by ali.hassan

KARACHI: Islamabad United batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz has credited the useful tips shared by Babar Azam before the game for his sensational knock against Peshawar Zalmi on Thursday.

Aghanistan’s Gurbaz struck a quickfire half-century and bolstered Islamabad United to thrash Peshawar Zalmi by six wickets in the 12th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

He claimed that the pre-match chat with the Pakistan captain helped him a lot to change the way he used to bat.

“I changed one thing in my batting today. I also focused on some strike rotation. Before this, I just try to hit too hard but today my focus was also to play some good cricketing shots,” he said in a post-match press conference.

“I spoke to Babar before the match and asked about his mindset. He shared his experience with me and I applied that to my batting and it helped.”

“Earlier, I was just keen on hitting every ball but today I saw his (Babar’s) batting as well and observed how he rotates strike and hit boundaries,” he added.

The right-hander scored 62 in just 31 balls, smashing seven fours and four sixes, to put United in command before he was dismissed in the ninth over off Usman Qadir.

The 21-year-old also hailed the PSL for the quality it offers and claimed that he would share the experience with his teammates back home.

READ: Australia captain Cummins out of third Test against India

 

 

‘We kept losing wickets,’ Babar on his cautious approach in death overs

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KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam commented on his defensive approach in the death overs amid his side’s Pakistan Super League (PSL) fixture against Islamabad United, stating that his side kept losing wickets.

Zalmi’s skipper Babar, who amassed his half-century in just 33 deliveries, struggled in the second phase of his knock as the right-handed batter could score 25 runs in as many deliveries, on his way to an unbeaten 75.

Babar struggled against a disciplined United bowling attack in the death overs and could not power his side to a defendable total as Zalmi could amass 156/8 in 20 overs despite a flying start.

Meanwhile, Babar interacted with the media here following his side’s six-wicket defeat against Islamabad United and revealed the reason behind his defensive approach in the death overs of the first innings.

“We started off well but could not finish it in the same way. Our goal was to execute our plan in the first six overs. But, we lost back-to-back wickets after that and I decided to take the match deep,” said Babar.

“But, whenever I thought of charging [on the bowlers], we lost wickets. My strive was to just take the match to the end. There is no such thing as that I wasn’t being able to middle the ball but as I said, we could not finish off well,” he added.

The Zalmi captain then went on to term Hasan Ali’s spell a game-changer as his twin strikes halted his side’s march towards a big total.

“That spell of Hasan Ali was a game changer. The wickets that he took totally changed our momentum and all of those strikes were crucial,” praised Babar.

It is pertinent to mention that the dominating triumph over Zalmi, propelled United to occupy the second spot in the PSL 8 standings.

PSL 8: Kings, Sultans depart for second clash in Karachi

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MULTAN: After a nail-biting first clash on Wednesday, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans departed for the former’s home city to lock horns with each other for the second time in the Pakistan Super League season 8.ย 

Multan Sultans defeated Karachi Kings by three runs in a nerve-wracking contest yesterday, despite fighting knocks by James Vince and captain Imad Wasim.

The Kings will play in front of their home crowd for one last time in the tournament when they host the Sultans on Sunday.

The match will also mark the end Karachi-Multan leg of the megaevent and the action then gets shifted to Lahore and Rawalpindi.

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POA includes Women’s cricket in National Games

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LAHORE: Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has included women’s cricket as one of the three exhibition sports in the upcoming National Games, scheduled to take place in Quetta from May 15 to 23.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, POA finalized 31 disciplines for the 34th chapter of the National Games alongside three exhibition sports which also include futsal and tug of war.

Moreover, there will only be a single exhibition match for women’s cricket and men’s tug of war.

Details further suggest that a large number of male and female athletes will participate in the event for which POA requested provincial Olympic associations, Islamabad Olympic Association, services,ย departments and concerned sports federations to take appropriate action for theย preparation, participation and conduct of the games in a befitting manner.

Disciplines: Archery (Men & Women), Athletics (Men & Women), Badminton (Men & Women), 4 Baseball (Men), Basketball (Men & Women), Bodybuilding (Men), Boxing (Men & Women), Cycling (Men & Women), Football (Men & Women), Golf (Men & Women), Gymnastics (Men), Handball (Men & Women), Hockey (Men & Women), Judo (Men & Women), Kabaddi (Men), Karate (Men & Women), Rugby (Men & Women), Rowing (Men & Women), Sailing (Men & Women), Shooting (Men & Women), Squash (Men & Women), Softball (Women), Swimming (Men & Women), Table Tennis (Men & Women), Taekwondo (Men & Women), Tennis (Men & Women), Volleyball (Men & Women), Weightlifting (Men & Women), Wrestling (Men), Wushu (Men & Women), Fencing (Men & Women).

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Lahore Qalandars’ Liam Dawson ruled out of PSL 8

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KARACHI: Lahore Qalandars’ all-rounder Liam Dawson has been ruled out of the remainder of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight due to an injury.

According to the details, Dawson suffered an ankle injury amid his sideโ€™s clash against Karachi Kings on Sunday.

The all-rounder was then taken to a local hospital here and after examining him, the doctors advised Dawson to a four to six weeks rest.

Taking to Twitter, Dawsonโ€™s PSL franchise Qalandars confirmed that the all-rounder sustained an ankle injury due to which he has been ruled out of the ongoing season.

“Liam Dawson ruled out from [PSL 8] due to an ankle injury. We wish him a speedy recovery,” wrote Qalandars on Twitter.

 

Consequently, Dawson will travel back to England where he will undergo his rehabilitation. His PSL franchise Qalandars are yet to announce his replacement for the remainder of the extravaganza.

It is pertinent to mention that Qalandars will take on Sarfaraz Ahmed-led Quetta Gladiators on Tuesday. The defending champions are currently at the bottom of the PSL 8 standings with two points, while Gladiators hold the fifth spot.

READ: Karachi Kingsโ€™ squad reaches Multan for first away PSL 8 clash

Karachi Kings’ squad reaches Multan for first away PSL 8 clash

Posted on by ali.hassan

MULTAN: Karachi Kings squad has reached here ahead of their first away Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight clash with home side Multan Sultans, scheduled on Wednesday.

The Kings, who get to the winning track following their dominating 67-run victory over Lahore Qalandars on Sunday, are up for the toughest challenge as they take table-toppers Sultans in their fifth match of the season.

Upon their arrival here, the Kings’ squad received a warm welcome from cricket fans.

“Thank you for the wonderful welcome Multan!” wrote Kings on Twitter as the franchise shared pictures of their squad’s arrival here.

 

According to the details, the Kings will hold a practice session at Multan Cricket Stadium tomorrow.

It is pertinent to mention that the Kings hold the third spot with two points, behind Peshawar Zalmi, while the Sultans lead the standings with six points in four matches.

READ: Mandhanaโ€™s 87 fires India into Womenโ€™s WC semis as Pakistan crashed outย 

Karachi Kings’ squad departs for Multan for Sultans clash

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KARACHI: Karachi Kings squad has departed for Multan ahead of their Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight clash against home side Multan Sultans, scheduled on Wednesday.

The Kings, who get to the winning track following their dominating 67-run victory over Lahore Qalandars on Sunday, are up for the toughest challenge as they take table-toppers Sultans on Wednesday.

Consequently, the Kings’ squad have departed for Multan from Jinnah International Airport on Monday evening.

Taking to Twitter, the Kings shared the pictures of their squad’s departure for Multan.

 

It is pertinent to mention that the Kings hold the second spot in the PSL 8 points table, behind the Sultans, who lead the standings with six points.

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WATCH: Imran Tahir teaches Rashid Khan’s googly to Sikandar Raza

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KARACHI: Karachi Kings’ spinner Imran Tahir taught Rashid Khan’s googly to Lahore Qalandars’ Sikandar Raza following their sides clash here at National Bank Cricket Arena on Sunday.

Following the conclusion of the much-hyped clash of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight between arch-rivals Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars, the Zimbabwean all-rounder Raza, who is representing Qalandars approached seasoned spinner Tahir to learn valuable skills regarding leg spin.

Upon Raza’s request, Tahir taught him the googly which he learned from Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.

Taking to Twitter, the Qalandars shared footage of Tahir teaching Raza how to bowl Rashid’s style of googly.

“Learn the art of [Rashid Khan] googly from [Imran Tahir], [Sikandar Raza],” wrote Qalandars.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Raza termed franchise cricket a vital opportunity for him to learn different valuable skills from top stars.

“If there was no franchise cricket, I would not have had such opportunities to improve my skills. You don’t get all that in international cricket,” said Raza.

“Franchise cricket gives you an opportunity to learn a lot from the top stars of the world,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that dominant Kings thrashed arch-rivals Qalandars by a massive margin of 67 runs to mark their comeback on the winning track in the ongoing PSL 8.

READ: Nida Dar becomes joint-highest wicket-taker in Womenโ€™s T20Is

Shahid Afridi applauds Karachi Kings after first PSL 8 win

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KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi congratulated the players and management of the Karachi Kings after they sealed their maiden win of the Pakistan Super League season 8 on Sunday.

Star ex-cricketer Afridi visited the Karachi Kings dugout after the match and warmly greeted the players following a sensational 67-run victory against arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars.

Afridi, who attended the high-voltage clash of the PSL 8 at National Bank Cricket Arena, expressed that the win was crucial for Karachi Kings after back-to-back defeats.

“It is essential for the PSL that Karachi Kings stay in the tournament,” he said in an informal talk to reporters.”They played well today and won against a good side.”

When asked about the emerging stars in the ongoing PSL, especially Peshawar Zalmi’s Saim Ayub, the former all-rounder opined that one should judge the youngsters with such haste.

“Let the tournament concludes first and then we should judge their overall performance,”ย  he said. “We should not overrate them after one or two matches. This adds additional pressure on them.”

“Let the players enjoy their cricket,” he remarked.

It may be noted here that Karachi Kings’ victory against defending champions Qalandar came after three consecutive defeats in the first three matches of the PSL season 8.

James Vince and captain Imad Wasim led the Kings to pile a mammoth 185/5 before Akif Javed impressed with the ball by grabbing four wickets to bundle out Qalandars for 118.

READ: Aamer Yamin appeals Multan crowd to support Kings in Sultans clash