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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha has urged the batters to step up after defeat against South Africa here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

South Africa outplayed Pakistan in the first T20I of the three-match series by a hefty margin of 55 runs. The home side faltered while chasing 195-run target.

For Proteas, George Lined starred with the bat and ball. He made 36 from 22 balls with the help of four boundaries and a six. The left-hander backed his batting by crucial spell of three wickets, hence earning him player of the match award.

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For Pakistan, besides Mohammad Nawaz all-round performance there was nothing much to cheer. Nawaz bowled an excellent spell of four overs, scalping three wickets which stem the visitors runs flow. He backed his bowling by an impressive batting, scoring 36 from 20 balls.

Speaking in the post match presentation, Agha highglighted the shortcoming of the match and lamented poor bowling in the opening overs.

“We didn’t start well with the ball, but we pulled things back. With the batting, we are losing wickets quickly, and we need to have a quick turnaround,” he said.

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Regarding aggressive batting approach, he stressed the need of buidling partnerships and sensible batting.

“We just need to bat properly, do singles and doubles, and build partnerships,” he continued.

The skipper noted that they can chase big total if they can bat long while admitting the vivid bowling in the first 10 overs.

“If we have partnerships we can chase such totals. We didn’t bowl well in the powerplay. Bowling top of off stump would’ve been good enough, but the positive is how we pulled it back later,” he conclulded.

READ: Warner backs ‘super fit’ Kohli to play until 50

Former Australia opener David Warner has lavished praise on India ace batter Virat Kohli and backed him to play until the age of 50.

During the last ODI between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Warner was seen chatting with Kohli.

Warner has now shared a video on social media, revealing the details of the conversation with the legendary batter.

“I hadn’t seen Virat in quite a while, so I just embraced him, gave him a handshake and a hug, and asked how he and the family were doing, said Warner.

We spoke a little about cricket, and I told him he looks super fit and can play until he’s 50,” Warner revealed.

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This comes after the speculation and debate regarding Virat’s retirement from International cricket. The right-hander has already hung up his boots in T20Is and Test cricket.

The uncertainty cloud regarding his future grew after he had bagged back-to-back ducks in the first two ODIs.

However, the veteran batter returned to form in style in the final match, where he struck an unbeaten 74, which guided India to a nine-wicket victory over Australia.

He partnered with Rohit Sharma, who also scored a sublime century and took his side home, eventually avoiding Australia a clean sweep.

Virat Kohli is now set to feature in the forthcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, which will commence on November 30 in India.

READ: Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen proposes reforms to take PSL to next level

RAWALPINDI: South Africa made a triumphant start to the T20I series against the hosts Pakistan with a comprehensive 55-run victory here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Set a daunting 195-run target, Pakistan’s batting line faltered and were bowled out for 139 in 18.1 overs.

Sahizbada Farhan and Saim Ayub provided a good start with a 31-run stand in 4.5 overs. Farhan was bowled after making 24 from 19, whereas Saim got going after being dropped for nought earlier in the innings.

Once Farhan departed, the Proteas bowler tore through the home side’s middle order. Babar Azam could do much on his return to the shorter format, as he was caught for a duck.

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Salman Ali Agha followed him after and could only manage two. Consequently, the Green Shirts were reduced to 3-43 in 7.2 overs.

Following the early hiccups, Saim then partnered with Usman Khan for a 39-run partnership. The duo’s brief stand somehow managed to arrest the slide.

Pakistan were gaining momentum; however, Saim’s wicket sparked a collapse that Pakistan could not recover from. The southpaw went back after scoring 37 from 28 balls, studded with a boundary and four sixes.

As a result, the home side slumped to 89-7 in 12.5 overs and were bowled out for a mere score.

For South Africa, Corbin Bosch starred with the ball, scalping four wickets in his quota of four overs. George Linde was equally good with three wickets.

Earlier, Reeza Hendricks’ 60 from 40 balls powered South Africa to a strong total.

Put in to bat, South Africa put on a strong batting display, racking up 194-9 in their 20 overs.

Openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks were off to a flyer, posting 44 in just 3.5 overs. The former rolled back the clock with his elegant stroke play, while the latter rose to the occasion with fine shots.

The dangerous stand eventually culminated in the introduction of Saim Ayub, removing De Kock after scoring 23 off 12 with the aid of five cracking fours.

Despite the wicket, the Proteas continued on their merry way with Tony de Zorzi taking Pakistani bowlers to the cleaners. The left-hander belted Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed for five fours and ended the powerplay with his side 74-1.

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However, once Mohammad Nawaz was introduced into the attack, the scoring rate went down, and De Zorzi was stumped due to a clever piece of bowling. He made 33 from 16, striking five fours and a maximum. As a result, South Africa were 2-93 in 7.4 overs.

Mohammad Nawaz kept mounting pressure with an excellent bowling spell. He cut through the Proteas’ middle order, which pegged them back and allowed Pakistan to squeeze their scoring rate.

However, Hendricks held the innings together and struck a half-century, with wickets tumbling around him. He hit five fours and a six in his knock.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz remained the standout bowler, picking up three wickets in his quota of four overs.

READ: Chelsea boss Maresca vows to ‘protect players’ with rotation

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says he will continue to rotate his side as they attempt to compete on four fronts this season.

The Blues visit Wolves in the League Cup fourth round on Wednesday, looking to bounce back from a 2-1 home loss to Sunderland in the Premier League.

Maresca has been using the depth of his large squad this season, making 10 changes for their 5-1 Champions League win over Ajax last week.

“We need to rotate,” Maresca said on Tuesday. “We need to protect the players because if we go with the same XI, we are going to struggle during the season.

“We probably will make some changes against Wolves, I don’t know how many, but we will make changes.

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“I don’t know if it’s going to be nine or 10 like it was from (Nottingham) Forest to Ajax, but for sure, we need to make some to rotate and help protect the players.”

Striker Liam Delap, signed from relegated Ipswich, could return for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in August.

“Liam completed the whole session with us yesterday with no problems, and he is available for tomorrow,” Maresca said.

“We have to be careful with Liam and (it is unlikely he will play) 90 minutes, no. He has been out for two months, so he needs to be gradually brought back up to 100 percent.”

READ: Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen proposes reforms to take PSL to next level

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan have won the toss and decided to bowl first against South Africa in the opening T20I of the three-match series here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Head to Head

Both teams have met 24 times in the shorter format, with each team winning an equal number of matches.

Matches 12: Pakistan 12, South Africa 12

Playing XIs

South Africa XI: Q de Kock†, RR Hendricks, T de Zorzi, D Brevis, MP Breetzke, D Ferreira*, GF Linde, C Bosch, LB Williams, N Burger, L Ngidi.

Pakistan XI: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Agha Salman*, Usman Khan†, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed

READ: Mohammad Rizwan refuses to sign central contract: sources

LAHORE: Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen have submitted a proposal to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to strengthen the tournament through better governance, transparency, and partnerships.

This comes after the rift between PCB and Multan Sultans. The board had accused Tareen of breaching several clauses of the 10-year contract and demanded a public apology and retraction of his statements.

Following the PCB notice, Ali Tareen responded with a sarcastic apology video, criticising the board’s management and communication approach.

Now, Tareen has written a letter to PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, acknowledging the recent tensions and aiming to rebuild trust through structural reforms.

Tareen reasserted the franchise’s long-standing commitment to the league and highlighted the concerns regarding ad hoc decision-making.

He further stressed the need for better management experience and called for institutional processes and accountability.

Among the four key reforms are franchise representation on PSL committees and working groups. Moreover, the letter also mentions Formal inclusion of every franchise so policies reflect the league’s collective experience across scheduling, recruitment, ticketing, marketing, and match-day operations.

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The proposal also notes the need to establish a structured approach for franchises to add value to each part of the PSL’s planning and implementation.

Ali Tareen also urged the board to look at franchise participation in defining roles, vetting candidates, and providing input prior to selection to improve merit-based recruitment and professional standards.

“The PSL can attract top regional talent and should not rely primarily on current or former PCB employees,” the letter read.

“A clear organizational chart with defined departments for operations, marketing, fan engagement, player affairs, and finance, led by a qualified executive team,” it added.

Tareen also emphasized monthly meetings in the proposal to increase mutual collaboration.

“Monthly meetings on fixed dates with agendas circulated in advance, minutes recorded and shared, and action points tracked across finances, operations, marketing, ticketing, player affairs, and fan engagement. This will increase accountability and collaboration.”

The franchise aimed to take PSL to the next level by aligning with all stakeholders.

“The proposal emphasizes partnership over control and aligns all stakeholders around the shared goal of building a globally respected league for Pakistan and its fans.

After a successful decade, Multan Sultans feel it is time to take the PSL to the next level,” it concluded.

READ: Travis Head issues bold statement ahead of T20I series against India

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has reportedly declined to sign his central contract, making him the only player among the 30 contracted cricketers who has yet to do so, sources revealed on Tuesday.

According to details, all other players have signed their respective contracts, but Rizwan has withheld his signature after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) allegedly turned down a few of his personal demands.

“There’s currently no indication that the PCB will revisit Rizwan’s requests,” said one source familiar with the development.

For the unversed, Rizwan was included in Category B of the new central contracts, which also features nine other players, including star batter Babar Azam.

Notably, no cricketer was placed in Category A this time around.

The development comes shortly after Rizwan’s removal as Pakistan’s ODI captain, with Shaheen Shah Afridi taking charge ahead of the upcoming home series against South Africa.

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Mohammad Rizwan was appointed Pakistan’s white-ball captain in October 2024, replacing Babar Azam.

He initially impressed with a series of strong results, including ODI series victories against Australia and South Africa away from home.

However, his stint in the T20I format faltered as Pakistan lost all four matches under his leadership, prompting the PCB to strip him of that role while retaining him as ODI captain.

His ODI captaincy tenure also came under scrutiny after Pakistan failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, followed by a 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand and a 2-1 series defeat to the West Indies.

In total, Rizwan captained Pakistan in 20 ODIs, winning nine and losing 11, finishing with a 45% win ratio.

READ: Suryakumar Yadav provides update on Shreyas Iyer’s injury

Australia’s explosive opening batter, Travis Head, has sent a strong message to India ahead of their five-match T20I series, stating that they can score any total.

The series between two power-packed sides will begin tomorrow at the Manuka Oval. Mitchell Marsh will captain the Australia side while Suryakumar Yadav will lead India.

Speaking to Cricket Australia on the eve of the opening match, Head named the big power hitters in the lineup and stressed an aggressive approach.

“When you’ve got the power that we’ve got behind us, you’ve got to get a move on,” the left-hander remarked.

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“You don’t want to be chewing up balls at the start when you’ve got guys like Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, and Glenn Maxwell behind you. It’s huge power,” he continued.

Travis Head expressed confidence in scoring above par totals and to go all out from the onset as per the modern-day cricket demands.

“We can score anything if we get going,” Head said. “For Mitch (Marsh) and me, the plan is to make the most of the Powerplay. It’s been a strength of ours in both ODIs and T20s. We try not to be reckless, but sometimes it might look that way. The goal is to get as many runs as possible early on.”

READ: Kamran Akmal predicts Pakistan’s playing XI for first T20I

Suryakumar Yadav, captain of India’s T20I team, announced on Tuesday that middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer is stable and has been in communication with the team from the hospital after suffering a lacerated spleen.

Iyer, 30, sustained the injury as he pulled off a sensational catch to remove Alex Carey, a key moment in the third one-day international against Australia that India won by nine wickets in Sydney.

The Indian ODI vice-captain was forced off the field and hospitalised.

“I have been talking to him over the last two days, he has been replying,” Suryakumar told journalists ahead of the team’s first T20 international in Canberra on Wednesday.

“It’s looking good,” Suryakumar said. “They will keep him under observation for a few days.”

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He added that doctors and physiotherapists described the injury as “rare”.

“But rare things happen to rare talent. God is with him, and he will recover soon, and we will take him along with us.”

Iyer is being closely monitored by the medical team of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

He is not part of India’s T20 squad, which will play five matches in Australia that will serve as a tune-up for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February-March.

He has scored 2,917 runs from 73 ODIs at an average of 47.81 since his ODI debut in 2017.

READ: Kamran Akmal predicts Pakistan’s playing XI for first T20I

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has unveiled his predicted playing XI for the national team’s opening T20I against South Africa, scheduled later today at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Akmal announced his playing XI on his official X account, featuring uncapped spin bowler Usman Tariq and excluding leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed from the lineup.

He also included pacer Mohammad Wasim Jr, who has featured in 29 T20Is for Pakistan and claimed 36 wickets at an economy of 8.14.

Catch Pakistan vs South Africa news updates here!

He has been part of several recent squads of Pakistan but has struggled to lock down a permanent spot in the playing XI. His last appearance came against New Zealand in Christchurch in January 2024.

Tariq has garnered attention for his impressive performances in franchise leagues. He represented the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he took 12 wickets in 10 matches.

Following that, he made a strong impact in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025, finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker with 20 wickets in 10 matches for the champion team, Trinbago Knight Riders.

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Akmal’s predicted XI also includes Babar Azam, who is set to make his long-awaited return to international cricket.

The prolific right-hander stands just shy of surpassing India’s Rohit Sharma to become the leading run-scorer in T20I history.

Kamran Akmal’s predicted XI for the first T20I

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hassan Nawaz, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Usman Tariq.

READ: Rizwan looks forward to ‘competitive’ BBL stint with Melbourne Renegades