Tag: Asia Cup

LAHORE: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee Najam Sethi on Saturday, revealed that he will be meeting Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah in the ICC Board Meeting to discuss the deadlock about this year’s Asia Cup and World Cup participation.

Sethi interacted with the media here ahead of the closing ceremony of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight and provided the latest update regarding the long-running conflict between PCB and BCCI.

“Tonight after the award distribution ceremony, I am going to Dubai for ICC Board Meetings which will start tomorrow morning which is about Asia Cup, World Cup and Champions Trophy,” shared Sethi.

“I have taken the official stance and some things will be done on negotiations there. So, for now, I can’t comment further regarding this matter as I want to be aware of all the options there” he added.

Sethi then further disclosed that the legal opinion regarding Pakistan’s stance on the conflict has also been noted. Whereas, the PCB officials have several formal and informal meetings scheduled with ICC officials, BCCI secretary Jay Shah and ACC senior members.

“Our meetings are scheduled there with ICC officials. Some are formal and some informal. We have a formal and informal meeting with Jay Shah as well,” shared Sethi.

“I had a discussion with some of the senior ACC members and I made them aware of my reservations and the issues we are facing. So, by the will of Allah, we will take up the issues and try to find honourable and good solutions,” he concluded.

Notably, the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup and Pakistan’s participation in the Men’s ODI World Cup has been in jeopardy after BCCI refused to tour Pakistan for the aforementioned tournament on political grounds.

The BCCI has maintained their stance of not touring Pakistan for the Asia Cup, while the PCB is adamant that if they do not, then Pakistan might not travel to India for the World Cup in October-November.

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LAHORE: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee Najam Sethi on Monday, shared an update regarding Asia Cup 2023, scheduled to be held in Pakistan this year.

The upcoming edition of the Asia Cup has been in jeopardy briefly after Pakistan was rewarded the hosting rights for the event in October as the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) refused to tour the country on political grounds.

Meanwhile, Sethi, who held a press conference here at Gaddafi Stadium alongside chief selector Haroon Rasheed to announce the squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, was asked to provide an update regarding the future of the Asia Cup.

“The situation is still the same. India will not come to Pakistan for Asia Cup. This is a very difficult and tricky situation which is still unresolved,” shared Sethi.

“There are two different matters, one is of ICC and the other is of ACC. This is not only about Asia Cup because we also have to host the Champions Trophy. I will go and talk with both ICC and ACC on this matter,” he added.

Sethi then shared that PCB sought advice from the federal government regarding this matter and stated that the cricket board will consider the decision of their patron – Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr Shehbaz Sharif – regarding this issue.

“I have approached our government to take their point of view on this matter. If our patron [PM Shehbaz Sharif] asks us to go and play World Cup India regardless of whether they come here to play Asia Cup or not, we will have to consider it,” he said.

“So far, our government’s point of view is also the same, if India do not come here, we will also not go there in World Cup. I believe that we have more security concerns in India due to the ongoing communal issues there,” he highlighted.

“So, we need to keep our government and security agencies in loop while making any decision regarding Asia Cup in Pakistan and World Cup in India,” Sethi concluded.

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KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain and legendary batter Javed Miandad lashed out at arch-rivals India amid the ongoing controversy regarding the hosting of this year’s Asia Cup.

The controversy came to light last year amid the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup when the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) announced that their national men’s team will not tour Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023.

According to the Indian, the decision was taken following the 91st BCCI Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the reports further suggested that BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, who is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) hinted at shifting the tournament to a neutral venue.

“Neutral venue for Asia Cup is not unprecedented and we have decided that we will not travel to Pakistan,” Shah stated.

“I have decided that we will play at a neutral venue,” he maintained.

Following BCCI Secretary’s unilateral decision, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wrote a formal complaint to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and requested the ACC to call an emergency meeting in light of the current situation.

The PCB management then also hinted at pulling out of the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, scheduled in India as an act of protest against Shah’s remarks.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s batting great Miandad reacted to the ongoing controversy and did not mince his words as he lashed out at the arch-rivals India.

“I have always been saying, if India doesn’t want to come, we don’t care. They can go to hell. We are getting our cricket. It’s ICC’s job to control such things, else there’s no point of having a governing body,” Miandad said while speaking to the media.

“ICC should have one rule for every country. If such teams don’t come, no matter how strong they are, you should remove them.

“They should play, why aren’t they playing? They are afraid of consequences.

“Even in our times, they would not play because they were afraid of consequences. India’s crowd is ‘nasty’. Whenever India would lose, no matter against whom, they would burn houses. That’s what they are afraid of.”

It is pertinent to mention here that India last toured Pakistan in 2008 to partake in the Asia Cup.

The two sides last played a bilateral series in 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India for three T20Is and as many ODIs.

Since then, the two arch-rivals did not play a bilateral series and only met in ICC and ACC events.

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The Asian Cricket Council meeting in Bahrain ended inconclusively with the decision to give final nods to Pakistan to host Asia Cup 2023 has been delayed till the Council’s next meeting in March. 

The uncertainty around the 2023 Asia Cup began in October last year when the ACC president, and BCCI secretary, Jay Shah refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan and has since been trying to shift the tournament to a neutral venue.

An emergency meeting of the Asian Cricket Council was held in Bahrain on Saturday which was also attended by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi.

No breakthrough was reached during the meeting regarding the fate of the Men’s ODI Asia Cup venue. scheduled in September this year.

“The ACC had a constructive dialogue on the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. The Board agreed to continue discussions on operations, timelines and any other specifics with a view to ensure the success of the tournament. An update on the matter would be taken on the next ACC Executive Board meeting to be held in March 2023,” said the ACC statement following the meeting.

According to the sources, Pakistan took a firm stance in the meeting with respect to its hosting right of Asia Cup 2023 while the Indian board was insistent on shifting the venue to UAE.

MUMBAI: The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) have decided that their men’s cricket team will not tour Pakistan for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023, Indian media reported.

According to the Indian, the decision was taken following the 91st BCCI Annual General Meeting (AGM) here on Tuesday.

The details further suggest that BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, who is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said that the Asia Cup 2023 may be played at a neutral venue instead of Pakistan.

“Neutral venue for Asia Cup is not unprecedented and we have decided that we will not travel to Pakistan,” Shah confirmed.

“I have decided that we will play at a neutral venue,” he maintained.

It is pertinent to mention here that India last toured Pakistan in 2008 to partake in the Asia Cup.

The two sides last played a bilateral series in 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India for three T20Is and as many ODIs.

Since then, the two arch-rivals did not play a bilateral series and only met in ICC and ACC events.

DUBAI: The thrilling Asia Cup 2022 Super Four fixture between the arch-rivals – India and Pakistan – became the most watched T20 International outside of the World Cup, the official broadcaster of the tournament, Star Sports announced.

The recently-concluded 15th edition of the Asia Cup was a treat for the cricket fans as the continental event featured two matches between one of the biggest rivals in cricket – Pakistan and India – in a span of just one week.

The traditional rivalry lived up to the expectation as both Pakistan-India matches set new heights of viewership as the two rivals came face to face in back-to-back thrillers on August 28 and September 4.

Star Sports had recently announced the Asia Cup 2022 group match between Pakistan and India as the most-watched T20I apart from the World Cup, however, the Super Four clash surpassed the record with a staggering 57.4 million AMA.

The highly competitive edition of the Asia Cup kept cricketing fans glued to their television sets as 243 million viewers tuned in to watch the Asia Cup 2022 (excluding the finals). The high-voltage tournament clocked a total of 58.8 billion minutes (excluding the finals).

It is pertinent to mention here that India edged Pakistan in a final-over thriller in the group stage by five wickets before Pakistan returned a similar outcome in the Super Fours.

India then lost to Sri Lanka in their next fixture and crashed out of the tournament, while Pakistan advanced to the final of the continental event after edging Afghanistan in another final-over thriller.

The Green Shirts, however, failed in the final against Sri Lanka, who defeated them by 27 runs to lift their sixth Asia Cup title.

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COLOMBO: Thousands of cricket fans gathered and flooded the streets on Tuesday to celebrate Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup win as the team went on a victory parade on an open-air bus after its return to the homeland. 

Sri Lanka lifted their sixth Asia Cup title on Sunday after defeating Pakistan by 23 runs in the final thanks to an inspirational display of teamwork.

Taking to Twitter, Sri Lanka Cricket shared photos of the jubilant players travelling on a double-decker bus, with fans queued up on both sides of the roads cheering their cricket heroes.

📸 A grand welcome for the victorious Sri Lanka Team! #AsianChampions

More Images: https://t.co/rXjBuTk3Q6#AsiaCup2022Final #RoaringForGlory pic.twitter.com/EPGnmOZxI5

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) September 13, 2022

The Sri Lankan cricket team arrived at Katunayake international airport, on the outskirts of the capital Colombo, early in the morning. From there to Colombo, the players received a warm welcome from the crowd lined up in a continuous chain, holding Sri Lankan flags and singing victory songs.

The Asia Cup triumph came amid the ongoing economic crisis in the country due to which the tournament had also been shifted from Sri Lanka to UAE.

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DUBAI: Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan took the blame upon himself for the team’s defeat in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka on Sunday and extended apologies to the fans as he dropped two crucial catches in the match. 

Taking to Twitter, the 23-year-old spinner regretted the chances that he missed during the final as he dropped Bhanuka Rajapksa twice, who then led the way for Sri Lanka with a magnificent knock of 71 runs.

“Catches win matches. Sorry, I take responsibility for this loss. I let my team down,” he wrote.

“Positives for team, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz and the entire bowling attack was great. Mohammad Rizwan fought hard. The entire team tried their best. Congratulations to Sri Lanka,” his tweet added.

The national side lagged on many fronts as Sri Lanka defied the toss factor and set a respectable 171-run target after being down to 58/5 in the 9th over.

Pakistan’s batting line-up failed completely and could only manage to score 147 before being bowled out on the final delivery, thus handing Sri Lanka a resounding 23 runs victory in the final.

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DUBAI: Bhanuka Rajapaksa led the way with a magnificent knock of 71 runs before Sri Lankan bowlers displayed combined effort to defy the toss factor and defended 171 runs in the final against Pakistan to lift their sixth Asia Cup title.

Set to chase 171, Pakistan’s batting line-up failed completely and could only manage to score 147 before being bowled out on the final delivery, thus handing Sri Lanka a resounding 23 runs victory in the final.

The Green Shirts had a dismal start to their run chase as Sri Lanka’s young pacer Pramod Madushan removed Pakistan captain Babar Azam and left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman cheaply for five and a duck respectively and caused Pakistan to slip to 22/2 in the fourth over.

Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed then anchored the run chase with a gritty 71-run partnership for the third wicket. The pair stopped the flow of wickets but remained a touch too slow in the run chase as the required run rate mounted.

Iftikhar then looked to change the momentum in accordance with the rising run rate and as a result, fell victim to Madushan in the 14th over. He scored 32 off 31 deliveries with the help of two boundaries and a six.

The side then ran into a match-defining collapse, triggered by star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, who made three scalps in the 17th over including Rizwan, who top-scored for the side with 55 off 49 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and a six.

Following the slump, Sri Lankan bowlers then dominated Pakistan batting tail to bundle out the men in green for 147 on the final delivery, while Haris Rauf remained only the third batter to get into the double-figures.

Madushan was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka as he led the way with four wickets, while Hasaranga bagged three. Chamika Karunaratne picked two wickets.

Batting first on the invitation from Pakistan captain Babar, Sri Lanka managed to finish at a commendable 170-6 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the gritty and anchoring knock of Rajapaksa, who remained unbeaten with his 71.

The hosts had a poor start to their inning as the side lost two wickets at a paltry 23 as Pakistan pacers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf removed both openers Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka cheaply for a duck and eight respectively.

All-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva attempted to take on Pakistan bowlers and scored at a decent pace for his important knock of 28 runs off 21 deliveries, laced with four boundaries.

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka had a forgetful outing with the bat as Shadab Khan castled the right-handed batter for a mere two and Sri Lanka, as a result, slipped to 58/5 in the ninth over.

Sri Lanka’s hero with the bat Rajapaksa then joined hands with Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva and scripted an astounding recovery for his side in the final. The pair turned the dimension of the game with a brilliant 58-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Haris struck in the 15th over to provide a much-needed breakthrough to Pakistan as he removed Hasaranga, courtesy of a caught-behind. He chipped with a valiant cameo of 36 off 21 deliveries with the help of five boundaries and a six.

Hasaranga’s departure did not bother Rajapaksa much as he held his ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking with assistance from Chamika Karunaratne, who scored a run-a-ball 14.

Rajapaksa top-scored for Sri Lanka in the final with a magnificent knock of 71 off 45 deliveries including six boundaries and three sixes.

Haris led the bowling attack for Pakistan with three wickets, while Naseem, Shadab, and Iftikhar Ahmed made one scalp each.

DUBAI: Sri Lankan bowlers – Pramod Madushan and Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva – decimated Pakistan’s batting line-up and defended 171 runs in the final against Pakistan to lift their sixth Asia Cup title.

Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 23 runs to lift their sixth Asia Cup title

PAK 147 (20 Overs)

Karunaratne to bowl the final over

PAK 139-9 (19 Overs)

Madushan comes to bowl his last

PAK 120-8 (18 Overs)

Theekshana comes back

PAK 112-7 (17 Overs)

Hasaranga comes back

PAK 110-4 (16 Overs)

15.2: Short ball, on leg stump. Nawaz tries to pull but the ball gets somewhat big on him. Nonetheless, he’s got some connection, but clearly not good enough!

Karunaratne replaces Madushan

PAK 101-3 (15 Overs)

Dhananjaya de Silva comes into the attack

PAK 97-3 (14 Overs)

13.2:  A 127kph delivery, full on off. Iftikhar clears the front leg and tries to hammer it for half a dozen, but he’s sliced the shot. The fielder at deep backward square leg got under it, then waited nervously for the ball to come down, and then took a catch before taking a tumble onto the ground.

Madushan comes back into the attack

PAK 91-2 (13 Overs)

Theekshana replaces Karunaratne

PAK 88-2 (12 Overs)

Hasaranga continues

PAK 74-2 (11 Overs)

Karunaratne comes back

PAK 68-2 (10 Overs)

Hasaranga comes to bowl his second

PAK 63-2 (9 Overs)

Theekshana comes back

PAK 53-2 (8 Overs)

Chamika Karunaratne comes into the attack

PAK 43-2 (7 Overs)

Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva comes into the attack

PAK 37-2 (6 Overs)

Madushan continues

PAK 32-2 (5 Overs)

Madushanka comes again

PAK 24-2 (4 Overs)

Pramod Madushan comes to bowl his first

PAK 20-0 (3 Overs)

Madushanka continues

PAK 16-1 (2 Overs)

Maheesh Theekshana comes to bowl from the other end

PAK 12-0 (1 Over)

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan come out to run chase for Pakistan. Dilshan Madushanka to open the bowling attack.

PAKISTAN vs SRI LANKA (2nd INNING)

Bhanuka Rajapaksa played an anchoring knock of 71 not-out in the all-important final of the Asia Cup 2022 and bolstered Sri Lanka to finish at 170-6 in 20 overs despite a dismal start.

SL 170-6 (20 Overs)

Naseem to bowl the final over

SL 155-6 (19 Overs)

Hasnain comes to bowl his last

SL 147-6 (18 Overs)

Haris comes to bowl his last

SL 136-6 (17 Overs)

Naseem replaces Haris

SL 120-6 (16 Overs)

Mohammad Nawaz comes into the attack

SL 117-6 (15 Overs)

14.5: Overpitched ball just outside off. Hasaranga backs away to play a square drive, but the ball moves away slightly, takes the outside edge of the bat, and Rizwan gobbles it up!

Haris replaces Hasnain

SL 106-5 (14 Overs)

Shadab comes to bowl his last

SL 99-5 (13 Overs)

Hasnain comes back into the attack

SL 85-5 (12 Overs)

Iftikhar comes again

SL 77-5 (11 Overs)

Shadab comes again

SL 67-5 (10 Overs)

Iftikhar continues

SL 62-5 (9 Overs)

8.5: Tried to sweep it across the line, and the ball was much too full to be pulled. Ends up missing it by a long, long way and it cleans him up.

Shadab continues

SL 55-4 (8 Overs)

7.4: Dhananjaya de Silva tried to slap it over the bowler’s head. But he never found the elevation, and Iftikhar takes a splendid reflex catch to send de Silva packing.

Iftikhar Ahmed comes into the attack

SL 47-3 (7 Overs)

Shadab Khan comes into the attack

SL 42-3 (6 Overs)

Haris continues

SL 36-2 (5 Overs)

Hasnain replaces Naseem

SL 28-2 (4 Overs)

3.2: Tried to swipe it back down the ground, but it ends up flying up towards mid-off, where Babar Azam takes a good catch running backwards. Nissanka miscued the shot, getting it out of the outer half of the bat, which meant it never got the distance on it he intended.

Haris Rauf comes into the attack

SL 23-1 (3 Overs)

Naseem continues

SL 16-1 (2 Overs)

Mohammad Hasnain comes to bowl from the other end

SL 4-1 (1 Over)

0.3: Tailing in at 142 kph, seaming in, clips the pads and uproots off stump. Enthralling start from Pakistan and Mendis is gone for a golden duck.

Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis come out to bat for Sri Lanka. Naseem Shah to open the bowling attack for Pakistan.

PAKISTAN vs SRI LANKA (1st INNING)

DUBAI: Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first against Sri Lanka in the much-anticipated final of the Asia Cup 2022.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan made two changes in the Playing XI as Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan replace Hasan Ali and Usman Qadir, while Sri Lanka remain unchanged.

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

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Pramod Madushan, Dilshan Madushanka.

HEAD TO HEAD (Asia Cup)

Matches-16, Sri Lanka-11, Pakistan-5