Author: ali.hassan

KARACHI: Fast bowler Haris Rauf disclosed that he had planned beforehand how to bowl Liam Dawson and other tail-enders in the 19th over and turn the game into Pakistan’s favour. 

The right-arm pacer powered the Green Shirts to a thrilling win in the fourth T20I against England as he bowled a match-winning second-last over when the game was just slipping away from the hosts’ hand.

Speaking to a post-match press conference, Haris revealed that he had started making plans in the 18th over, when Dawson was storming Mohammad Hasnain and scored 24 runs, that how he would be bowling to him in the next over.

“I had an idea where to bowl him and obviously the target was to take his wicket at that moment and turn the game,” he said.

“I had confidence that if I bowled my best deliveries to the tail-enders, we would win the match,” he added.

England fell just three runs short in the final over, courtesy of a brilliant 19th over from Haris, who struck twice to remove the danger man Liam Dawson and Olly Stone to bring the hosts back in the game after an expensive 18th over from Hasnain.

With the astounding win, Pakistan have levelled the historic seven-match T20I series against England by 2-2 with the remaining three matches to be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

READ: Haris trumps Dawson’s brilliance as Pakistan sink England in fourth T20I  

KARACHI: England’s right-handed batter Harry Brook shared his affiliation with Pakistan and termed it almost like a home to him.

Brook, who played a quickfire match-winning knock of 81 runs to aid England’s resounding victory over Pakistan in the third T20I shared that the right-handed batter likes Pakistan and partaking in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) helped him a lot.

“I like Pakistan. Obviously, I had a bit of success in the PSL so, it feels like I’m almost at home here. It’s been good and I really enjoyed batting out there,” said Brook.

The right-handed batter then went on to reveal that he had no certain plan for his knock and was just playing according to the situation.

“I was just playing according to the situation. I didn’t plan anything and just enjoyed my knock and thankfully it proved out to be beneficial for the team,” he shared.

It is pertinent to mention that Brook’s quickfire 81-run knock bolstered England to a massive total of 221/3 in 20 overs before England bowlers displayed combined effort to restrict Pakistan to 158/8 and guide their side to a convincing 63-run victory.

For his magnificent knock and two catches, Brook was awarded the player of the match.

READ: ‘These are our best players, keep faith in them’ Saqlain on Pakistan’s loss 

KARACHI: The head coach of the Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team Saqlain Mushtaq once again backed the national cricketers following their defeat at the hands of England in the third T20I of the historic seven-match series.

Saqlain, while talking to the post-match press conference after Pakistan’s 63-run loss to England in the third T20I, displayed his support for the national team and coined them as the best available players.

“We’ve picked the best available players so we should keep faith in them. Winning and losing are parts of the game, who does not want Pakistan to win,” said Saqlain.

In a query to the team’s struggling middle-order, Saqlain urged the media to stop repeating the same thing and creating doubts.

“I think, being Pakistani, we should support our team. See, we are in a preparation phase for the World Cup, so, I think, we should not be creating doubts as they put psychological pressure on the players even if they are doing well,” Saqlian stated.

The head coach then went on to laud left-handed batter Shan Masood, who put on a fight for Pakistan in a one-side clash with a gritty knock of 66 and said, “Shan Masood played tremendous cricket.”

It is pertinent to mention that England’s middle-order batters Harry Brook and Ben Duckett charged Pakistan bowlers with blistering hitting and powered the touring side to a mammoth 221/3 in 20 overs before Mark Wood-led England bowling attack restricted Pakistan to 158/8 to hand their side a resounding 63-run victory to lead the seven-match series 2-1.

READ: Brook, Wood star as England sink Pakistan by 63 runs in third T20I

KARACHI: After sealing a clinical 10-wicket win over England in the second T20I, Pakistan captain Babar Azam refrained from engaging in a bout of words with the team’s detractors and analysts who hurled severe criticism over its batting strategy. 

“I am no one to give them (critics) a reply,” said Babar in a post-match press conference. “Things which are beyond our control we simply don’t listen to them and don’t even let those to enter into the team.”

Babar smashed a magnificent 110 off 66 balls laced with 11 fours and five sixes, guiding the national team to a perfect win on Thursday here at National Stadium, Karachi.

Wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan combined excellently with Babar as he scored 88 off 51 and the opening pair chased down a massive 200-run target without the loss of a wicket.

“Obviously we play and gear things up according to the situation. Everyone has their own point of view. Our job is to give performances and win matches for Pakistan” he added.

Talking about the brilliant chemistry between the two openers as they recorded the highest-ever run chase in the T20I history without losing a single wicket, Babar stated they had already chased down massive targets in the past as well.

“I think our communication is quite good. Sometimes we don’t even call and take a run because we have built a kind of trust level, which is indeed necessary,” he maintained.

Furthermore, the skipper explained that the decision to replace Mohammad Hasnain with Naseem Shah in the playing lineup—which proved counter-productive because the speedster went for 51 runs in his four overs—was taken to assess the team’s bench strength.

With the phenomenal win, Pakistan have levelled the historic seven-match T20I series 1-1 against England.

READ: ‘We’ll make changes in third T20I’ Moeen after England’s loss  

KARACHI: England captain Moeen Ali announced to make changes in the touring side’s Playing XI for the third T20I of the historic seven-match series following their 10-wicket defeat against Pakistan in the second T20I on Thursday.

Moeen, while talking to the media after England’s 10-wicket loss to England in the second T20I, acknowledged the blunders made by the touring side in the match and also announced that the side would consider making changes for the next match, scheduled on Friday.

“We did not play well and also dropped a few catches. We tried to break the partnership but credit goes to Babar and Rizwan as they did not let it happen,” said Moeen.

“But, we also played good cricket overall and scored more runs which was quite a positive for us. We will make changes in the third match,” Moeen confirmed.

The English captain further opined regarding his Pakistan counterpart Babar Azam, who had been facing a lot of criticism for a paltry strike rate and shared that the former thinks the opposite.

“Babar was facing a lot of criticism for an allegedly lower strike rate. But, I don’t think his strike rate is bad,” said Moeen.

Moeen then went on to comment on the pitch and the playing conditions and acknowledged that the touring side was expecting it to be more favourable for the spin.

“We were hoping that the wicket would be more favourable for the spinners. Karachi’s wicket seemed normal to us,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan cruised to a perfect 10-wicket victory in the second T20I courtesy of an astounding performance from their openers Babar and Mohammad Rizwan, who proved lethal for the English bowling attack.

READ: Centurion Babar, Rizwan cruise Pakistan to a perfect win in second T20I 

LAHORE: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) set up a state-of-the-art Global Positioning System (GPS) system to train the national footballers for upcoming international commitments.

Commonly used for athletics worldwide, the GPS technology and VO camera will now be installed at the national footballers’ ongoing training camp here.

The newly installed technology would benefit the national coaches in evaluating and assisting each athlete in enhancing their fitness in accordance with their requirements.

VO camera assistance will also be used throughout the training. 36 players were shortlisted to prepare for the upcoming international engagements, who will undergo several workouts to improve both their physical and game-playing skills.

Details further suggest that the foreign physical trainer Rodrigo Steves put the footballers through an enduring VO2max test on Tuesday, which evaluated the data on the stamina and strength of the players.

Speaking on the occasion, the head coach of the Pakistan Men’s Football team – Shahzad Anwar – stated that the federation is paying attention to each player in order to improve their fitness and skills.

“We are trying to improve the abilities of each player by paying attention, for this purpose we are also taking help from the latest technology,” said Anwar.

“So, we are hoping that by improving the skills and fitness they will be able to prepare for important challenges, in the next phase there will be more physical tests, in the light of which each player will be given a training plan according to his needs,” he concluded.

READ: Nashra Sandhu replaces injured Fatima Sana for Women’s T20 Asia Cup

KARACHI: England returning opener Alex Hales expressed his admiration for the cricket fans of the city who came out in number and packed the National Stadium to witness the first T20I between England and Pakistan on the latter’s home soil. 

Hales shone with a brilliant half-century on his return to England side after three years and guided his team to a comprehensive six-wicket win in the opening encounter of the historic T20I series.

Speaking at a post-match press conference, Hales stated that it was a very special feeling for him to play in front of the full house at Karachi’s National Stadium, terming it ‘one of the best atmospheres in world cricket.’

“I have played in front of full houses at Karachi but this is very different,” said Hales, who featured in the Pakistan Super League as one of the key overseas players and represented Karachi Kings and Islamabad United, respectively.

“You couldn’t believe the noise and the atmosphere. Karachi put up a show tonight,” he expressed.

Talking about his prior experience of playing in Pakistan, the England opener said he had spent a lot of time here over the last few years and had some fantastic memories on and off the field.

“It’s a place which means a lot to me,” he said. “So to be a part of the England tour, the first one in such a long time is an incredibly special feeling.”

Furthermore, Hales called his phenomenal comeback – a dream return – saying that it felt like a debut to play for England after three years.

“It’s a very special feeling to get back out on the park for England – three years felt like forever but to get a fifty on my return in a winning team is the stuff dreams are made of,” said Hales.

“There are always nerves and pressure after having not played for England for three years, it felt like a debut again, so a very special night,” he maintained.

It is apropos to mention here that England are currently on their first tour of Pakistan after 17 years. The touring side took a 1-0 lead in the seven-match T20I series with the second match to be played on September 22 at National Stadium Karachi.

READ: Green, Wade guide Australia to four wicket win over India in first T20

KARACHI: Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan responded to former captain Moin Khan’s statement regarding him and asserted that he does not need to play on the offside.

Rizwan, while talking to the media after Pakistan’s six-wicket loss to England in the first T20I, responded to a question regarding Moin’s statement, who called him a one-dimensional player, by stating that there is no problem if he can play on the leg side.

“If I can hit the off-stump delivery on the leg side then I think there is no problem in that. May Allah rewards those who are talking about my command on the offside,” Rizwan stated.

“I don’t need to play on offside although If I can play a shot on the leg side from off stump, I can also play from off stump to cover,” he maintained.

It is apropos to mention that Moin while speaking on ARY News’ show Bouncer highlighted a weakness in the batting approach of wicketkeeper batter Rizwan and alleged that the latter is a one-dimensional batter and prefers to score on the on-side.

“Rizwan, on the other hand, plays on one side only and he needs to score on the other side as well or else he will be trapped,” Moin stated.

Rizwan then also commented on Pakistan’s dismal performance against England in the series opener and asserted that the management is trying to make a combination for the World Cup.

“Everyone knows that little changes are being made. We are trying to make a combination for the World Cup so if you make changes, there will be an error,” Rizwan said.

The top-ranked T20I hitter responded to a question about playing too many dot balls by acknowledging the criticism and saying he and Pakistan captain Babar Azam are striving to address the issue.

“We are playing too many dot balls, we will work on it and also inform the players further,” Rizwan said.

It is pertinent to mention here following the series opener triumph, England lead the seven-match T20I series 1-0.

The action-filled T20I series is being streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

READ: Hales, bowlers power England to seal series opener against Pakistan

KARACHI: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) – Ramiz Raja claimed that the cricket board put a lot of effort into persuading the English cricket team to visit the nation after they cancelled their planned tour last year.

Ramiz, upon his arrival at the National Stadium Karachi to witness the first T20I of the seven-match series between Pakistan and England, interacted with the media and asserted that the PCB put in a lot of effort to successfully hosting the side after a gap of almost 17 years.

“This is an important series for the preparation of the World Cup. We tried to bring England back when they were frowned upon and withdrew from the tour, we made it possible with great efforts,” stated Ramiz.

The PCB chairman further commented on the national team’s performances and revealed that he told Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam to try to win every match to keep cricket fans happy.

“First of all, remember that we played the final of the Asia Cup and also beat India. Give this team some room to make errors,” said Ramiz.

“I tell Babar Azam the same thing, saying that supporters have short memories and that you must win every game to win their favour,” he maintained.

It is pertinent to mention here that England set foot in Pakistan to partake in the historic T20I series after a gap of almost 17 years. The side withdrew from their scheduled tour last year following the abandonment of the tour of New Zealand.

READ: Netizens troll Indian-owned SA20 franchise for copying PCB 

KARACHI: The assistant coach of England’s men’s national cricket team Richard Dawson withdrew from the historic Pakistan tour after suffering an injury, sources claimed.

According to the details, Dawson sustained a groin injury during England’s training session on Saturday evening.

Following the assessment of his injury, the medical board advised Dawson to withdraw from his team’s ongoing tour to Pakistan and as a result, will fly to the United Kingdom (UK) on Wednesday.

The injury has also ruled Dawson out of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022, scheduled later in October in Australia and his replacement will be announced in a due course.

It is pertinent to mention here that England will lock horns with Pakistan in the first T20I of the seven-match series today at National Stadium Karachi.

The action-filled T20I series will be streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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