Tag: Asia Cup 2022

Pakistan bowlers decimated the Hong Kong batting line-up for a paltry 38 before batters displayed combined effort as the Green Shirts outclassed Hong Kong by a massive margin of 155 runs and secured Super Fours berth in Asia Cup 2022.

HKG 38 (10.4 Overs)

10.4: There wasn’t much of a turn there, as he got his front leg out of the way to try and tried to poke at it but missed. Replays show there is an umpire’s call on impact, and also the umpire’s call on clipping the off stump. Hong Kong cleaned up for 38.

10.1: This was tossed up, and was a wrong ‘un. It spent a good few seconds wobbling in, and pitched full outside off, before turning in to strike off stump as Shukla missed his slog.

Shadab comes again

HKG 38-8 (10 Overs)

9.1: Steps out of the crease looking to hit a six, but is not quite to the pitch of it, and the turn away means he doesn’t get enough into the shot. Caught at long-on.

Nawaz comes again

HKG 36-7 (9 Overs)

8.6: Haroon looks to go down for a sweep, sees the length is not quite there, then tries to just guide it behind square on the leg side, and gets too far inside the line. The wrong’un does the rest.

Shadab continues

HKG 32-6 (8 Overs)

7.5: Bowled between the legs, premeditates a sweep and this is really full. The ball squeezes between his legs to knock the stumps over.

7.3: Nawaz is bowling from round the wicket and bowls it full. Shah is beaten on the slog sweep and hit on the pad.

Nawaz replaces Rauf

HKG 29-4 (7 Overs)

6.2: Goes back to look to late-cut this length ball, but it pitches on off and turns back in. Too full to cut anyway, and then the turn in does him completely.

Shadab comes into the attack

HKG 25-3 (6 Overs)

Haris Rauf comes into the attack

HKG 19/3 (5 Overs)

4.5: Dahani gets it head high, and Murtaza manages just a soft top edge. Khushdil charges in from mid-on and dives to take the low catch.

Dahani replaces Naseem

HKG 19-2 (4 Overs)

Iftikhar Ahmed replaces Dahani

HKG 16-2 (3 Overs)

2.5: No foot movement. Deep in the crease and heaves at this length ball. It nips back in a little and kisses the top of off.

2.1: Looks to drive this over square again, but this time he gets just the toe end. Looks like it has arrived before he is through the shot.

Naseem continues

HKG 15-0 (2 Overs)

Shahnawaz Dahani to bowl from the other end

HKG 6-0 (1 Over)

Nizakat Khan and Yasim Murtaza come out to bat for Hong Kong in the run chase. Naseem Shah to bowl the first over.

PAKISTAN vs HONG KONG (2nd INNING)

Khushdil Shah’s late onslaught in the final over bolstered Pakistan to finish at a massive 193/2 in the allotted 20 overs after the important half-centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman.

PAK 193-2 (20 Overs)

Aizaz to bowl the final over

PAK 164-2 (19 Overs)

Ehsan comes to bowl his last

PAK 156-2 (18 Overs)

Shukla comes back into the attack

PAK 138-2 (17 Overs)

16.1: Slices this to the man placed at the edge of the circle. The ball was a lowish full toss which was angling into him from the angle from around the wicket, as it was also tossed up. Fakhar made room early, and also skipped down. Ended up finding the fielder since he had to play at it once he was down the pitch.

Ehsan comes back into the attack

PAK 129-1 (16 Overs)

Yasim continues

PAK 116-1 (15 Overs)

Ghazanfar continues

PAK 104-1 (14 Overs)

Yasim replaces Aizaz

PAK 93-1 (13 Overs)

Ghazanfar comes again

PAK 83-1 (12 Overs)

Aizaz replaces Yasim

PAK 76-1 (11 Overs)

Ghazanfar continues

PAK 64-1 (10 Overs)

Yasim continues

PAK 58-1 (9 Overs)

Mohammad Ghazanfar comes into the attack

PAK 54-1 (8 Overs)

Yasim Murtaza comes into the attack

PAK 48-1 (7 Overs)

Aizaz Khan comes into the attack

PAK 40-1 (6 Overs)

Ehsan replaces Haroon

PAK 36-1 (5 Overs)

Shukla comes back

PAK 26-1 (4 Overs)

Haroon comes back

PAK 14-1 (3 Overs)

2.5: Slower in the air, Babar goes down the ground but fails to keep it down. Offers a return catch while looking for a single. Ehsan takes a good low catch to his right even as the ball swerves away.

Ehsan Khan replaces Haroon

PAK 7-0 (2 Overs)

Ayush Shukla comes to bowl from the other end

PAK 3-0 (1 Over)

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan come out to bat for Pakistan. Haroon Arshad to bowl the first over.

PAKISTAN vs HONG KONG (1st INNING)

SHARJAH: Hong Kong won the toss and opted to field first against Pakistan in a must-win group fixture of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani

Hong Kong: Nizakat Khan (c), Babar Hayat, Yasim Murtaza, Kinchit Shah, Scott McKechnie (wk), Haroon Arshad, Aizaz Khan, Zeeshan Ali, Ehsan Khan, Ayush Shukla, Mohammad Ghazanfar

SHARJAH: Hong Kong have won the toss and opted to field first against Pakistan in a must-win group fixture of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani

Hong Kong: Nizakat Khan (capt), Babar Hayat, Yasim Murtaza, Kinchit Shah, Scott McKechnie (wk), Haroon Arshad, Aizaz Khan, Zeeshan Ali, Ehsan Khan, Ayush Shukla, Mohammad Ghazanfar

HEAD TO HEAD

Asia Cup: Matches-3, Pakistan-3, Hong Kong-0

DUBAI: Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 due to a knee injury, his counterpart Axar Patel is named as his replacement.

Jadeja, who played a crucial knock in India’s successful run chase against Pakistan in the high-octane clash of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, has now been ruled out of the continental event due to an injury.

“Ravindra Jadeja has sustained a right knee injury and is ruled out of the tournament,” the BCCI said in its statement.

Patel, on the other hand, who has been named as Jadeja’s replacement, was previously named as one of the standbys in the squad and will join the team in Dubai soon.

It is pertinent to mention here that the defending champions India have already booked their place in the Super Fours of the Asia Cup 2022 by defeating Pakistan and Hong Kong in group matches.

READ: Masood stars with fifty to help Balochistan beat Sindh in National T20 Cup

SHARJAH: Pakistan are set to lock horns with the lesser-ranked Hong Kong today in a crucial do-or-die encounter of Asia Cup 2022. Both teams will play their first game against each other in the shortest format. The winning team will join India, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in the Super 4s stage of the tournament while the other team gets eliminated. 

Left-handed batter Fakhar dismissed the impression of taking the opponents lightly as he stated that Hong Kong had been performing well since the qualifiers.

“You cannot take any opposition easy in the T20 format and Hong Kong Hong Kong has played good cricket in the qualifiers so we will try to stick to our plans,” he said in a video shared by Pakistan Cricket Board on its official Twitter account.

🗣️ Fakhar Zaman talks about the morale of the team and preparations ahead of tomorrow's game

📒 https://t.co/CUkkGbl59a#AsiaCup2022 | #PAKvHK pic.twitter.com/PpOc2lumJ2

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 1, 2022

 

“T20 is a short format which provides an equal opportunity for both teams to showcase their strengths. We will ensure to minimise our errors and put up a good show as we are aiming for the Super 4s” he added.

Commenting on players’ fitness Fakhar believed that injuries and cramps were part of the game and the team’s medical team had been doing a great job with the players. Pakistani pacers Naseem and Haris Rauf were seen struggling with cramps during the last match against the arch-rivals India.

“Cramps and injuries are part of the game, however, what matters is the way you deal and recover from those injuries. I hope our players will be fully fit before the next game” he said.

Talking about the team’s morale after the narrow defeat in the nail-biting game against India last Sunday, the 32-year-old stated that the close encounter helped the team in raising the confidence level of the players.

“It was a tight game against India, the morale is high in the camp and all our players are confident of doing better in the upcoming game,” he said.

READ: Emotional Bangladesh need more head than heart, says skipper Shakib

DUBAI: Skipper Shakib Al Hasan warned Bangladesh that they must keep their emotions in check after rivals Sri Lanka dumped them out of the Asia Cup cricket following a bitter war of words.

Sri Lanka won a do-or-die match in Dubai by two wickets and with four balls to spare on Thursday to move into the Super Four stage of the tournament, a prelude to the T20 World Cup.

Before the clash the two sides exchanged verbal volleys in media conferences with Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka saying Bangladesh lacked a world-class bowler other than Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib.

Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud hit back, saying: “I don’t see any (world-class) bowler in Sri Lanka as well… we have at least two.”

The battle of words moved to social media with former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene tweeting: “Looks like it’s time for (our) bowlers to show the class and batters to show who they are on the field.”

Shakib denied after the defeat that ended their Asia Cup hopes that the off-field chatter had affected them, but admitted his Bangladesh team needed to play more with their heads.

“We are very emotional. That is the other area we need to improve,” Shakib said, with the World Cup in Australia on the horizon in October-November.

“Keep our emotions on the side and play the way we need to play. More looking to give our head in the game than our heart in the game.”

Sri Lanka batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa offered an olive branch to the Bangladesh players and said Shanaka’s words were misconstrued.

“The statement that the captain made, I don’t think he meant any wrong,” Rajapaksa told reporters.

“Of course, when you compare the (dangerous) Afghanistan bowlers, what we meant was we had a slight advantage facing the Bangladeshi bowlers.”

Rajapaksa added: “Like India-Pakistan, Sri Lanka-Bangladesh is also a good rivalry, but we are friends off the field.

“Some words could hurt the players and hurt the staff. But what the captain meant was not what went through the media.”

After a tempestuous build-up, Bangladesh posted 183-7, a total their bowlers failed to defend.

The Sri Lankan lower-order needed to get 25 runs from the final two overs and gained from the extra runs which came through wides and no-balls by the opposition bowlers.

Both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh lost their opening matches to Afghanistan, who sailed into the Super Four from the group.

Rajapaksa said his team went into hiding after their eight-wicket hammering to Afghanistan — the team they face once more in the next round on Saturday.

“It was quite shameful for us, the 11 who played this game, and we were not expecting to be bowled out for 105,” said Rajapaksa.

“Of course, Afghanistan is a pretty decent side when it comes to T20s but after the loss we went into a small shell for a couple of days, but we knew how to overcome that situation.”

The hard-hitting left-hander said Sri Lanka are relishing having another crack at Afghanistan, who have emerged as genuine title contenders.

“What we planned was to beat Bangladesh by hook or by crook,” he said.

“We managed to win and the motivation that the players have is immense, so going forward into Super Fours it will be quite interesting.”

READ: Pakistan pacer Mohammad Sami ‘unhurt’ in Karachi’s car accident

DUBAI: Sri Lanka’s wicket-keeper batter Kusal Mendis led the way with a magnificent half-century while captain Dasun Shanaka scored an important 45 to propel their side to beat Bangladesh by two wickets and qualified for the Super Fours of Asia Cup 2022.

Set to chase a mammoth 184, Sri Lanka steered to the victory in the final over with two wickets to spare, thanks to the fifty from Mendis and an anchoring knock from their captain Shanaka.

Sri Lankan openers Mendis and Pathum Nissanka provided a solid start to the run chase as they began to pile up runs at a quick rate. Nissanka, however, who was struggling to get going, fell victim to the debutant Ebadot Hossain in the sixth over after scoring 20 off 19.

Charith Asalanka’s stay at the crease remained brief as he also departed for a paltry score of one in the same over while attempting to slog the ball.

The hosts then lost two more wickets in quick succession and were soon reduced to 77/4 in the ninth over.

Following the slump, Mendis and Shanaka scripted an astounding recovery as the pair put on an important 54-run partnership for the fifth wicket and made sure to score according to the mounting required run rate before Mendis perished in the 15th over.

The right-handed batter top-scored for the side with a brilliant 60 off 37 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and three sixes.

Shanaka, on the other hand, held his ground firm and anchored the run chase with a valiant knock of 45 off just 33 balls with the help of three boundaries and two sixes.

The high-scoring thriller took a sharp twist in the 18th over when Shanaka fell to Mahedi Hasan while attempting to muscle the ball over the long-on fence.

Sri Lanka’s batting tail – Chamika Karunaratne and Asitha Fernando, however, denied the twist and Bangladesh’s comeback in the game as the two batters batted sensibly at the death and clinched the victory out of Bangladesh’s grasp.

Karunaratne scored an important 16 off just 10 deliveries before being run out in the 19th over, while Fernando remained unbeaten with his 10 and steered Sri Lanka over the line and into the Super Fours.

For Sri Lanka, Ebadot led the way with three wickets, while Taskin Ahmed claimed two. Mustafizur Rahman and Mahedi, on the other hand, struck out a batter each.

Sri Lanka, after winning the toss, invited Bangladesh to bat first. The decision, however, did not seem to go in the hosts’ favour as their opponents piled up a massive 183/7 in the allotted 20 overs.

Batting first, Bangladesh were off to a dismal start as they lost their first wicket in the third over at a combined score of mere 19 with Sabbir Rahman walking back to the pavilion in disgust after managing to score only five.

Opening batter Mehidy Hasan Miraz and skipper Shakib Al Hasan then anchored the inning with an important 39-run partnership for the second wicket.

The partnership was majorly dominated by the opener, who scored at a quick pace for his 38. He faced 28 deliveries and smashed four boundaries including two sixes to give his side a solid start.

Shakib, on the other hand, held his ground firm with an anchoring knock while wicket-keeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim fell cheaply for a mere four in the next over and Bangladesh, as a result, slipped to 63/3 in eight overs.

Following the slump, middle-order batter Afif Hossain then took on the Sri Lankan bowlers and raced up the proceedings with his blistering knock and remained unaffected by Shakib’s dismissal in the 11th over, who scored a snail-paced 24 off 22 deliveries.

Afif, however, top-scored for Bangladesh with a quickfire 39 off just 27 balls with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.

A late onslaught from all-rounder Mosaddek Hossain then bolstered Bangladesh to breach the 180-run mark as the side finished at 183/7 in 20 overs. He scored a quickfire 24 off just nine balls including four boundaries.

For Sri Lanka, Chamika Karunaratne and Wanindu Hasaranga bagged two wickets each, while Asitha Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana, and Dilshan Madushanka struck out a batter apiece.

READ: Pakistan pacer Mohammad Sami ‘unhurt’ in Karachi’s car accident

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez made a major assertion regarding India’s all-format skipper Rohit Sharma by stating that the latter looked scared and confused.

Rohit, on Wednesday, led India to a second consecutive win in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, following which the defending champions booked their place in the Super Fours of the continental. The victory against Hong Kong was Rohit’s 31st as the captain – the second most by an Indian after MS Dhoni.

Former Pakistan captain Hafeez, however, did not look impress with the Indian captain and questioned his body language while walking out for the toss for the Hong Kong clash.

“Look at his expression. This was after the match was over, India won by 40 runs. I am talking about the body language when Rohit Sharma walked out for the toss. I thought it was a very weak body language. He looked scared and confused. From what I have observed during the match, captaincy is adding a lot of pressure on Rohit Sharma. He is facing a lot of problems,” said Hafeez.

“IPL did not go well for him and after IPL, he hasn’t been able to regain the flow in international cricket,” he added.

https://twitter.com/MHafeez22/status/1565325895468032002

 

The former Pakistan all-rounder also claimed that captaincy is adding a lot of pressure on Rohit. Whereas, the supposed new approach from India is not reflected by their captain’s body language.

“Also, the pressure of leading India. He has been saying a lot of things about the brand of cricket, we will play positively… this and that, but it’s not reflected in the way the team is playing,” Hafeez claimed.

“It’s not reflected by his own body language. It’s easy to talk but to do it and show it on the field is difficult,” he maintained.

Hafeez then went on to make a major prediction regarding Rohit’s future as India’s captain and claimed that the latter will not be continuing to lead the side for long.

“He won’t continue as captain for long. His form and all things that are going on with him, from what I can see… I was also a captain, so if you are under pressure when leading the side. I have seen Rohit on a lot of occasions, he enjoys himself but now he is not expressing himself. A lot of things are going on in his mind, he is under pressure and I feel sorry for him,” Hafeez concluded.

READ: ‘Pakistan should adopt revision policy for their pacers’ says Umar Gul

DUBAI: Former Pakistan pacer and current Afghanistan bowling coach Umar Gul advised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to adopt a rotation policy for their fast bowlers.

Gul, who is accompanying the Afghanistan cricket team here in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, interacted with the media, heaped praises on Pakistan’s fast bowling attack and shared a piece of advice for the pacers.

“I think Pakistan’s fast bowlers need to be taken care of a lot and for this, a rotation policy needs to be adopted,” stated Gul.

“Pakistan has very good fast bowlers, the bench strength is also good. So, they have to be taken care of,” he maintained.

The former right-arm Pakistan pacer also opined regarding the ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and termed the latter a key player for the country in the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022.

“Shaheen Shah Afridi will be very important in T20 World Cup, he must regain his fitness before the global event,” Gul said.

“Everyone expressed their concerns about Shaheen Afridi that he is being overloaded but he kept playing continuously but, we must agree that he also performed really well,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Gul’s Afghanistan have stormed into the Super 4s of the Asia Cup 2022 by defeating Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Group B fixtures. Besides Afghanistan, India have also made their way into the final four.

READ: KP beat Northern in a thriller to secure second win in National T20 Cup 

DUBAI: Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Bangladesh in a must-win Group B fixture of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022.

PLAYING XIs

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka

HEAD TO HEAD

Asia Cup: Matches-12, India-8, Pakistan-4, NR-0

DUBAI: Pakistan cricket team has cancelled their final training session for the must-win Group A fixture of Asia Cup 2022 against Hong Kong, scheduled on Friday.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the national contingent has been given rest today. The Green Shirts will lock horns with Hong Kong on Friday in a bid to seal a Super 4s berth.

Earlier, on Wednesday, Pakistan left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman, wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan, and head coach Saqlain Mushtaq did not partake in the scheduled training session.

Whereas, pacers – Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Shahnawaz Dahani – enjoyed a rest day on Tuesday before rejoining the squad in Wednesday’s training session.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan pacers Haris and Naseem suffered from cramps during the high-octane clash against the arch-rivals India on Sunday. The men in blue edged past Pakistan by five wickets in a final-over thriller.

READ: Azhar Ali prolongs stay with Worcestershire for county season 2023