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TAROUBA: The West Indies beat Pakistan by five wickets on Sunday as Roston Chase and Justin Greaves led the charge with the bat to level the ODI series between the sides.

Chase had 49 runs, and Greaves was not out for 26 with a thrilling selection of fours and sixes in a game shortened by rain delays in Tarouba.

Earlier, West Indies’ poor start was steadied by Sherfane Rutherford’s 33-ball 45 to put the home side back in the driving seat.

Chase sealed the deal by steering a delivery from Hasan Ali through cover for four, and he punched the air in celebration.

“I’m happy with the win. We had to come in and level the series, so I’m very pleased,” Chase, who was named man of the match, said.

Earlier, Hasan Nawaz’s brisk knock took Pakistan to a fighting total against the West Indies in the rain-affected second ODI.

Put into bat, Pakistan scored 171-7 in 37 overs, thanks to Hasan Nawaz’s 36 off 30 balls with the help of three sixes.

The Pakistan-West Indies match was eventually reduced to 35 overs, with the hosts requiring 181 runs to win according to the Duckworth-Lewis (DLS) method.

The Green Shirts’ openers started cautiously as the scorecard read 37-0 in eight overs.

However, Jayden Seales ‘ double-wicket maiden over pegged the visitors back. Saim Ayub (23 off 31 balls) was the first to go, caught at well-placed third slip, followed by a three-ball duck from ace batter Babar Azam.

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As a result, Pakistan were 37-2 at the end of the ninth over. Following the loss of the two key batters, Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan partnered in a bid to rescue Pakistan.

However, the pair could only manage to add 27 more runs as Shafique perished in the 17th over.  The right-handed batter made 26 from 40 balls with the aid of three fours.

The West Indies maintained their disciplined bowling and did not allow Pakistan to score freely, which resulted in the wicket of skipper Mohammad Rizwan. His sluggish knock off 16 runs from 38 balls included only two boundaries.

Consequently, Pakistan were in further dire straits with 88-4 in 22 overs. Hussain Talat played well for 31 off 32 deliveries, but was eventually caught behind off Roston Chase’s bowling.

However, it was Hasan Nawaz again who accelerated Pakistan’s scoring with some clean hitting towards the back end of the innings.\

For the West Indies, Jayden Seales scalped three wickets in his seven overs.

Playing XIs

TAROUBA: West Indies have won the toss and opted to bowl first in the second One Day International (ODI) of the three-match series against Pakistan at Brian Lara Stadium on Sunday.

Playing XIs

Pakistan won the opening game of the series by five wickets, with debutant Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Talat, who was playing in only his second ODI, starring for the Men in Green.

Nawaz scored an unbeaten 63 off 54 balls, whereas Talat made 41 off 37 deliveries.

HEAD TO HEAD

Pakistan and the West Indies have played a total of 138 matches, with the West Indies leading the head-to-head with 71 victories. Pakistan has won 63 matches, while three games ended in a tie.

Matches 138, Pakistan 64, West Indies 71

Squads

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.

West Indies: Shai Hope (c), Jewel Andrew, Jediah Blades, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Johann Layne, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.

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TAROUBA: Pakistan middle-order batter Hasan Nawaz expressed delight after making his debut match a memorable one, guiding his side to victory in the first ODI against the West Indies on Friday.

The 22-year-old scored an unbeaten 63 off 54 balls to steer Pakistan to a five-wicket win at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

Speaking in a video message released by the PCB after the match, Hasan revealed he had set himself the goal of marking his debut with a match-winning performance.

“This was my debut match, and I had said to myself that I would make it memorable by becoming Player of the Match,” Hasan said.

“Rizwan told me before the game, ‘It’s your debut match, you have to finish it.’ Even when he was walking back after getting out, he reminded me again to finish the job.”

Hasan Nawaz credited his Pakistan Super League (PSL) experience for giving him the composure to see the game through.

“I was confident in my hitting, just like I’ve finished matches in the PSL. I’ve also played on challenging pitches in domestic cricket, so I believed I could do it here as well,” he said.

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The debutant also spoke about the conditions in Tarouba, noting that rain had made the surface tricky.

“Because of the rain, the ball was gripping, so I took some time. Hussain Talat and I planned that if we batted till the end, we could finish the match comfortably,” he stated.

“The plan was to build a partnership because both of us can hit big shots.”

Hasan also praised the influence of senior teammates.

“I learn a lot from Babar Azam, Rizwan, and Salman Ali Agha,” he said. “Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah bowled really well. We did have some fielding lapses, which West Indies took advantage of.”

Pakistan lead the three-match ODI series 1-0, with the second game scheduled for August 10 at the same venue.

READ: Debutant Hasan Nawaz sparks Pakistan to victory over West Indies

TAROUBA: Pakistan have won the toss and opted to bowl first in the first One Day International (ODI) of the three-match series against West Indies at Brian Lara Stadium on Friday.

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan and ace batter Babar Azam are back in the mix after the Green Shirts’ series win in the T20I series.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), 5 Salman Agha, 6 Hasan Nawaz, 7 Hussain Talat, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Naseem Shah, 11 Sufiyan Muqeem

West Indies: 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Shai Hope (Capt, wk), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Gudakesh Motie, 9 Shamar Joseph, 10 Jayden Seales, 11 Jediah Blades

HEAD TO HEAD

Pakistan and the West Indies have played a total of 137 matches, with the West Indies leading the head-to-head with 71 victories. Pakistan has won 63 matches, while three games ended in a tie.

Matches 137, Pakistan 63, West Indies 71

It’s worth noting that after the series opener today, Pakistan and West Indies will play subsequent ODIs at the same venue on August 10 and 12, respectively.

Squads

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.

West Indies: Shai Hope (c), Jewel Andrew, Jediah Blades, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Johann Layne, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.

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TRINIDAD: Pakistan star batter Babar Azam is on the verge of achieving two major milestones during the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies, starting today here at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

The former captain has scored 19 centuries in ODI cricket, with the last one occurring in 2023 against Nepal.

He is only one century away from equalling the record for the most centuries in ODI cricket by a Pakistani batter, currently held by the legendary Saeed Anwar, who scored a total of 20 centuries.

Saeed scored 20 centuries during his illustrious career, which spanned 247 matches and 244 innings. Meanwhile, Babar has played 131 ODI matches so far.

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In the upcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies, he has the opportunity to equal or even break Saeed’s record if he scores two centuries.

Most ODI Centuries for Pakistan

• Saeed Anwar – 20 centuries in 247 matches
• Babar Azam – 19* centuries in 131 matches
• Mohammad Yousuf – 15 centuries in 281 matches
• Fakhar Zaman – 11 centuries in 82 matches
• Mohammad Hafeez – 11 centuries in 218 matches

Moreover, Babar Azam has the opportunity to become the second-fastest batsman in ODI history to score 20 centuries.

The record for the fastest to reach this milestone is held by South Africa’s Hashim Amla, who accomplished it in 108 innings.

He is followed by Indian batting legend Virat Kohli, who reached 20 centuries in 133 innings.

Currently, with 19 centuries in 128 innings, Babar stands a good chance of breaking Kohli’s record if he scores his 20th century within his next four innings.

Fastest Players to 20 ODI Centuries

• Hashim Amla – 108 innings
• Virat Kohli – 133 innings
• AB de Villiers – 175 innings
• Rohit Sharma – 183 innings

READ: Haider Ali barred from leaving UK after police custody

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has provisionally suspended middle-order batter Haider Ali following an incident that reportedly occurred during the Pakistan Shaheen’s recent tour of England.

According to the report, the board has been informed of an ongoing criminal investigation currently being conducted by the police against Haider Ali.

“The PCB has been made aware of a criminal investigation currently being conducted by the Greater Manchester Police involving cricketer Haider Ali,” the board said in a statement.

“The investigation pertains to an incident that reportedly occurred during the Pakistan Shaheens’ recent tour of England,” it added.

The PCB mentioned additional steps to provide legal support to safeguard Haider Ali’s rights.

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“In line with its duty of care and responsibility to ensure the welfare and legal rights of all its players, the PCB has ensured that Haider Ali has received appropriate legal support to protect his rights throughout this process,” the board said.

The board further stated that it fully respects the legal procedures and processes of the United Kingdom and acknowledges the need for the investigation to unfold properly.

As a result,  Haider Ali is under immediate provisional suspension pending the outcome of the current investigation.

Notably, the 24-year-old has represented Pakistan in two ODIs and 35 T20 Internationals, with his last appearance for the Green Shirts coming in 2023 against Afghanistan during the Asian Games.

READ: Shahid Afridi reveals key factors behind Pakistan’s decline in Test cricket

DUBAI: Pakistan players have made major gains in the latest ICC Men’s T20I Rankings following their 2-1 series win over the West Indies, with Saim Ayub leading the charge.

Saim, who finished as the series’ top scorer with 130 runs including two half-centuries, climbed 25 places to break into the top 40 for the first time.

The left-hander now sits at 37th spot in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings with 559 rating points.

Opener Sahibzada Farhan also impressed with 91 runs across three innings, gaining 34 spots to reach 63rd.

Skipper Salman Ali Agha and experienced left-hander Fakhar Zaman moved up to 76th and 78th, respectively.

The biggest leap came from middle-order batter Hassan Nawaz, whose explosive 79-run tally pushed him up 24 places to 30th overall with 569 points.

However, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who haven’t featured in T20Is this year, both dropped three places to 17th and 19th, respectively.

Mohammad Haris also slid down 21 spots to 86th after a disappointing series.

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India’s Abhishek Sharma continues to lead the T20I batting charts, followed by Australia’s Travis Head and India’s Tilak Varma.

In the ICC T20I Bowling Rankings, no Pakistani bowler features in the top 20.

Haris Rauf retained 26th place, while Abbas Afridi slipped to 27th. The standout mover was left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, who jumped a massive 69 places to 34th.

Shaheen Afridi fell to 36th, while Mohammad Nawaz surged 51 spots to 56th. Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan slipped to 60th and 72nd, respectively.

Among all-rounders, Saim Ayub was again the biggest gainer, climbing 70 places to 24th in the ICC T20I All-Rounder Rankings after being credited for his part-time spin and all-round contributions.

Nawaz rose to 36th, but Shadab dropped to 19th. Iftikhar Ahmed and Faheem Ashraf now sit at 70th and 77th.

India’s Hardik Pandya leads the all-rounders’ list, with Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee and Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi in second and third.

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LAHORE: Sadia Iqbal, currently ranked at the top of ICC T20I bowling rankings, has been awarded a Category ‘A’ as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces the Women’s Central Contracts for the 2025-26 season.

The PCB has also introduced an ‘E’ category, designated as the Emerging category, to encourage young and budding cricketers.

Eyman Fatima (uncapped) and Shawaal Zulfiqar (three ODIs, seven T20Is) are part of the newly introduced Emerging category.

Both players are members of the Ireland-bound Pakistan women’s squad, which is set to play three T20Is from 6 to 10 August in Dublin.

Also, both players were part of the inaugural edition of the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup held in South Africa in January 2023.

A total of 20 players have been awarded contracts across five categories, with 10 players placed in Category D.

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The contracts, which run from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, see a substantial 50 per cent increase across all categories in player retainers.

The central contracts were finalised by the Pakistan women’s selection committee in consultation with head coach Muhammad Wasim.

Over the next 12 months, the Pakistan women’s team will participate in two ICC events, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (September-October 2025) and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (June 2026), in addition to playing bilateral series both at home and away.

Among the 20 contracted players, Aliya Riaz (Category B), Natalia Parvaiz (Category D), Sidra Nawaz (Category D), Waheeda Akhtar (Category D), Eyman Fatima, and Shawaal Zulfiqar (both Category E) are new inclusions.

In addition to Sadia Iqbal, Diana Baig (promoted from Category C to B) and Rameen Shamim (from Category D to C) have earned upgrades.

Category A: Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin

Category B: Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Nashra Sundhu

Category C: Rameen Shamim

Category D: Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Nawaz, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, and Waheeda Akhtar

Category E: Eyman Fatima and Shawaal Zulfiqar

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Pakistan’s star javelin thrower, Arshad Nadeem, has been ruled out of the upcoming Diamond League due to his fitness issues.

According to details, Arshad’s medical team has advised him against participating in the elite event as he continues his recovery from a serious leg injury.

The Olympic medalist is currently undergoing an intensive rehabilitation program in England, where he has gradually started to put weight on his injured leg after surgery, an encouraging step forward in his recovery journey.

However, according to Dr. Ali Sher Bajwa, who performed Arshad’s surgery in Cambridge last month, Arshad has not yet completed his rehabilitation, and the nature of his injury is serious, which means recovery will take time.

Dr. Bajwa revealed that the injury involved partial muscle damage and required immediate medical intervention.

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“Arshad’s latest injury is entirely new and extremely serious,” Dr. Bajwa confirmed.

Post-surgery, Arshad Nadeem has been based in the UK, where his rehab continues under the supervision of British specialists. While the early signs of progress are encouraging, the timeline for his full recovery remains uncertain.

Importantly, Arshad Nadeem’s participation in the upcoming World Athletics Championship will also depend entirely on the outcome of his rehabilitation programme.

A final decision regarding his involvement in the prestigious event will only be taken once his rehab is successfully completed.

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LAUDERHILL: A disciplined all-round performance powered Pakistan to a 13-run win over West Indies in the third T20I at Central Broward Regional Park on Monday, sealing the three-match series 2-1.

Set a challenging target of 190, the hosts began with intent as they hammered 16 runs off Hasan Ali in the opening over.

The aggressive start saw openers Jewel Andrew and Alick Athanaze add 44 for the first wicket before Haris Rauf removed Andrew for 24 off 15 balls in the fifth over.

Athanaze kept the pressure on Pakistan’s bowlers, reaching his maiden T20I half-century off just 31 balls.

He stitched a 30-run partnership with captain Shai Hope (7) and followed it up with a 36-run stand alongside Sherfane Rutherford.

With West Indies cruising at 110-2 inside 13 overs, Saim Ayub provided a much-needed breakthrough for Pakistan by removing Athanaze for a well-compiled 60 off 40 deliveries.

Rutherford and Roston Chase kept the chase on course with a 39-run partnership, but the momentum shifted dramatically in the final overs.

Chase was retired out, and Sufiyan Muqeem dismissed Jason Holder for a golden duck, leaving the home side reeling at 149-5.

Rutherford’s late counterattack kept West Indies in the hunt, but with 26 needed from the final seven balls, his dismissal for a fighting 51 off 35 all but ended the contest. West Indies eventually fell short, finishing at 176-6.

Pakistan’s bowling unit shared the spoils, with Hasan Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, and Sufiyan Muqeem all chipping in with a wicket each.

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Earlier, after opting to bat, Pakistan’s opening pair of Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan provided a solid platform.

The left-right Pakistan duo negotiated the powerplay effectively, reaching a score of 47 without losing any wickets, much to the frustration of the West Indies bowlers.

Both batters reached their respective half-centuries and combined for a 138-run opening stand, the highest of the series.

Farhan was eventually dismissed in the 17th over for a fluent 74 off 53 balls, laced with three boundaries and five sixes.

Hassan Nawaz followed with a quick cameo of 15 off 7 before falling to Roston Chase, while Mohammad Haris was run out cheaply.

Ayub’s fine knock ended on 66 off 49 when he fell to Jason Holder, but the finishing touches were provided by Khushdil Shah (11* off 6) and Faheem Ashraf (10* off 3), lifting Pakistan to 189-4.

Holder, Chase, and Shamar Joseph picked up a wicket each for the West Indies.

Pakistan and West Indies will now turn their focus to the three-match ODI series, which gets underway on Friday in Trinidad.

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