Author: shoaib.jatt

KARACHI: Former Pakitan captain Javed Miandad has been shifted to a local hospital in Karachi on Friday after suffering a health complication. 

According to the details, Miandad, 65, was moved to the hospital after his health suddenly deteriorated.

Legendary batter Miandad was Pakistan cricket’s heartbeat from 1975-1996, during which he scored 16,213 international runs with 31 centuries in 357 matches. In a 402-match first-class career from 1973-74 to 1993-94, Miandad scored 28,663 runs at an average of over 53 with 80 centuries and 139 half-centuries.

Miandad played in the 1975 World Cup as an 18-year-old and then went to participate in five more World Cups, winning the 1992 event in Australia under Imran Khan. In 33 World Cup matches, Miandad scored 1,083 runs at an average of over 43.

Miandad scored a century (163) on Test debut in Lahore in the first Test against New Zealand in 1976 and then scored first of his six double-centuries (206) in the third Test in Karachi. In his 100^th Test in Lahore in 1989, Miandad scored 145 to become only the second batter (other being Gordon Greenidge) to score centuries in debut and 100^th Test.

Miandad scored over 1,000 Test runs against Australia (1,797 in 25 Tests), England (1,329 in 22 Tests), India (2,228 in 28 Tests) and New Zealand (1,919 in 18 Tests), while he scored over 1,000 ODI runs against Australia (1,019 in 35 matches), India (1,175 in 35 matches), Sri Lanka (1,141 in 35 matches) and West Indies (1,930 in 64 matches).

READ: New Zealand-England finely poised after Blundell century

KARACHI: Islamabad United all-rounder Faheem Ashraf went berserk in the practice session ahead of his side’s scheduled clash against Karachi Kings as one of his powerful shots smashed the side window of an SSU van.

According to the details, Faheem’s belligerent shot went all the way into the parking area where the SSU van was parked and blasted into the driver-side window of the vehicle.

The incident soon caught the attention of cricket fans and the pictures of the van began to surface on social media platforms.

Meanwhile, the SSU monitoring van was then taken away from the practice area to avoid any further damage.

It is pertinent to mention that the two-time PSL champions United will start their season eight campaign against home side Karachi Kings on Thursday (February 16).

Whereas, the Kings will lock horns with Babar Azam-led Peshawar Zalmi in their opening fixture of the PSL 8 today.

READ: PSL 8: Shakib, Neesham join Zalmi ahead of Karachi Kings clash

KARACHI: Karachi Kings’ fast bowler Mohammad Amir has downplayed the hype of a matchup between him and Babar Azam in the upcoming Pakistan Super League season 8, saying his job is to take wickets for the team be it any batter. 

Amir, who spearheads Karachi Kings’ bowling attack, will face Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar when his side plays their opening match against Peshawar Zalmi on Febraruraty 14 at National Bank Cricket Arena.

An enthralling contest between bat and ball is being anticipated by the cricket fans between the two players, who were teammates at Karachi Kings till the last PSL season.

“These kinds of matchups and player rivalries, keep players on their toes,” said Amir on the ARY News programme PSL Special.

“I personally like these sort of challenges because it keeps me focused.”

When asked about his opinion on his face-off against Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar, the fast bowler said: “My job is to take wickets and win matches for my team, so for me, facing Babar or a tailender batting at number 10 will be the same”

It may be noted that PSL 8 will kick off in Multan with a grand opening ceremony followed by the curtain-raiser between defending champions Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans.

The Kings, on the other hand, will play their first match on February 14 against Babar Azam-led Peshawar Zalmi at National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi.

READ: PSL 8: Hafeez to replace injured Ahsan Ali in Quetta Gladiators’ squad

KARACHI: Pakistan’s newly-appointed chief selector, Haroon Rashid gave a green signal to experienced pacer Mohammad Amir for his potential return to international cricket, stating that the doors are open for everyone.

Rasheed, while talking to the media at a private event here on Sunday, stated that the left-arm pacer should take back his retirement first in order to be considered for selection in the national team.

“Amir is an outstanding pacer but the ball is in his court, not ours. If he wants to serve Pakistan Cricket again then the doors are open for him,” said Rasheed.

“But, he will have to take his retirement back first, so we are aware of which players are available for selection,” he added.

The chief selector further clarified that the left-handed explosive opening batter Sharjeel Khan and all-rounder Imad Wasim can also make their way to the national team by improving their fitness and solid performances in the domestic circuit.

“Similarly, Imad Wasim and Sharjeel Khan will also have to follow the fitness standards set and perform in domestic and PSL to make a comeback,” stated Rasheed.

Rasheed then went on to term the upcoming eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 8 an important platform for the players to make a strong platform for their berth in the national team.

“There would be huge responsibilities on me, Mohammad Sami and Yasir Hameed. I will try to keep an eye on the players who are performing well in PSL,” said Rasheed.

“We all want to improve Pakistan cricket. We are aiming to strengthen our bench strength and also to make a pool of 25-30 players before the 2023 Cricket World Cup,” he concluded.

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Lahore Qalandars head coach Aqib Javed has expressed his wish to see his team competing against Karachi Kings in the final of the upcoming eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League, starting from February 13. 

“That will be the icing on the cake,” said Aqib about the supposed Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandar final on the ARY News programme PSL Special. 

Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars have been enjoying a healthy rivalry since the inception of the PSL in 2016. The contest always attracts a wide viewership across the country and a full house at the stadiums. The two sides had already met in the PSL final back in 2020 when Karachi King defeated Qalandars to lift their maiden PSL Trophy.

“Without this rivalry and excitement, the game will be worthless” Aqib expressed. “This (PSL) is a community-based competition where people from each city have deep attachment with their respective teams” he added.

Talking about the Lahore Qalandars’ quest to defend their title in the upcoming season, head coach Aqib said his side had a core group of around nine players which gave them an edge over other competitors.

“We faced severe criticism in the earlier seasons, but we always used to say this there will be no stopping once we get on winning ways”

“We have a core group of nine players – like Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman and others – who have been with us since the start. This is what gives us an already set combination”

It is pertinent to mention here that PSL season 8 will take place across four venues. The grand ceremony followed by the opening match between defending champions Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans will be held in Multan on February 13.

The final will be staged in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on March 19.

READ: Australia shocked by Ireland in T20 World Cup warm-up

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Sports Board on Monday constituted a five-member committee to carry out the performance audit of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for the period between 2015 and 2022. 

As per the details, former team manager and Olympian Khawaja Junaid, who recently received a lifetime ban from the PHF, has been named a member of the committee led by the Director General (DG) PSB.

Olympians Akhtar Rasool,  Islah-ud-din Siddique and Shahnaz Sheikh are the other three members on the committee.

According to the notification issued by the PSB, a copy of which is available with ARY News, the committee will evaluate the performance of the PHF as per the PHF constitution 2015, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the PHF as a national sports federation covered in the PSB constitution.

The committee will prepare its report on the performance of the national hockey team for the period of August 2015 to May 2022, the notification added.

The committee will submit its reports within 60 days.

It is pertinent to mention here that PHF imposed a life ban on Junaid last week following an inquiry into the Pakistan team’s costly error during the Asia Cup match against Japan in 2022 when the green shirts fielded 12 players instead of 11.

“Pakistan faced a lot of embarrassment due to Khawaja Junaid. Due to his misconduct, Pakistan failed to qualify for the World Cup,” PHF had said.

READ: PSL’s bowling standard has no match with other leagues: Amir

ISLAMABAD: Equestrian Federation of Pakistan (ECP) has finalized a five-player team for the Tent Pegging World Cup qualifiers scheduled to take place in Pakistan from February 15. 

Irfan Wattoo, Wajahatullah Khan, Nasir Abbas, Tasawur Abbas Lak and Fazeel Amjad Bhatti have been selected, following rigorous trials, to represent Pakistan at the event.

Meanwhile, Haroon Bandial was named head coach of the team.

“We have done complete preparations since Pakistan is hosting such a big event for the very first time,” said President EFP Sultan Mohammad Ali.

“Pakistani horses are admired worldwide. We hope we live up to this expectation through our performances” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan was given the opportunity to host the Tent Pegging World Cup Qualifiers after India lost the hosting rights of the event last year for letting Indian players play for Nepal’s team illegally.

Six teams will participate in the event which includes hosts Pakistan, Egypt, Libya, Belarus, Iran and Syria.

READ: ‘Unbelievable shots’ reacts Wahab after Iftikhar smacks six 6s off his over

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday, announced the selection committees for the men’s national senior and U19 sides.

According to the PCB, the selection committee for the national men’s senior side consists Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Sami and Yasir Hameed and is headed by Haroon Rashid.

Meanwhile, Akmal chairs the selection committee for the national men’s U19 side and includes Tauseef Ahmed, Arshad Khan, Shahid Nazir and Shoaib Khan.

Speaking on the occasion, the chairman of the PCB management committee Najam Sethi asserted that the newly-announced selection committee involves individuals who understand the demands of the modern game.

“These selection committees comprise individuals who have served Pakistan cricket for decades and understand the demands of the modern game,” said Sethi.

“I am sure that their selections will be based on merit and help us attain the mission of taking Pakistan cricket to newer heights,” he added.

READ: More English cricketers likely to prioritize PSL over Bangladesh Tour

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board’s interim chief Najam Sethi has requested his friends and superiors not to ask for free passes to the Pakistan Super League matches. 

Taking to Twitter on Friday, the head of the PCB Management Committee, asked high-ups as well as his friends not to request free tickets during the upcoming PSL season 8, saying that the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly warned the board to desist from the practice. 

“I am making a personal request to all friends and high-ups NOT to ask for free tickets/passes to PSL matches starting next month. The Public Accounts Committee of National Assembly that audits PCB has warned us to desist from this practise!” he tweeted. 

Moreover, he also requested them to refrain from seeking undue favours for any player, coach or undeserving person for a position in the board or cricket team.

“I am also requesting friends and high-ups not to do sifarish for selection of any player or coach, etc, or to give employment or facilitation to any undeserving person. PCB competes with top professional organisations in the world and cannot afford to be inefficient.” he added.

1) I am making a personal request to all friends and high-ups NOT to ask for free tickets/passes to PSL matches starting next month. The Public Accounts Committee of National Assembly that audits PCB has warned us to desist from this practise!

— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) January 20, 2023

 

It is pertinent to mention that the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League will be held next month. PCB will reveal the complete schedule of the marquee league today.

READ: India fined 60 pc of match fee for slow over-rate in first New Zealand ODI

KARACHI: The second-youngest International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Snooker Champion Ahsan Ramzan tied the knot in a close wedding ceremony a few days ago here.

According to the details, the wedding ceremony of the young cueist was held here a few days ago and was attended by Ahsan’s close friends and relatives.

The details further suggested that Ahsan’s bride Romaisa is currently a matriculant.

https://twitter.com/Shoaib_Jatt/status/1613581148973666321

 

It is pertinent to mention that the young snooker sensation Ahsan impressed with his precision in the IBSF Snooker World Championship 2022 as he scripted an astounding comeback in the final against Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh from 4-2 down to eventually triumphing 6-5 and became the second-youngest cueist to seize the prestigious title.

Furthermore, Ahsan is only the third snooker player from Pakistan to win the international amateur world title after Muhammad Yousaf, who achieved the feat in 1994.

Notably, Ahsan has already won the national U17, U18 and U19 titles, while he ended up as runner-up in the U21 championship.

READ: Former England batter Ballance makes winning debut for Zimbabwe