Tag: Australia vs Pakistan

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket Australia (CA) announced the introduction of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy, here on Wednesday.

In a PCB released statement, the cricket board announced the introduction of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy to celebrate Australia’s first Test series in Pakistan in 24 years. This will be a perpetual Trophy and will be presented at the end of each men’s Test series played between the Pakistan and Australia cricket teams.

This is a perennial trophy that will be given out at the conclusion of each men’s Test series between Pakistan and Australia.

Richie Benaud and Abdul Qadir were two skilled, illustrious, and well-respected cricketers who served the game with honor, pride, and distinction in different eras.

Benaud took 248 wickets in 63 Tests from 1952 to 1964, while Qadir debuted in Test cricket in 1977 and concluded with 236 wickets in 67 Tests by 1990. Benaud was recognized in the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009, and Qadir was inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame in 2021, for their individual heroics, achievements, and accomplishments.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Babar Azam and his Australian counterpart Pat Cummins unveiled the Benaud-Qadir Trophy at the Pindi Cricket Stadium ahead of the first Test, which commences on Friday.

At the unveiling of the inaugral Benaud-Qadir Trophy, Pakistan captain Babar said it will be an honor for him to lead Pakistan in the Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

“I am honoured that I will be leading the Pakistan team in the Benaud-Qadir Trophy, we will try and give performances that will be a tribute to these two legends who will always remain legends of the game,” he said.

Babar’s Australian counterpart Cummins on the other hand, said it will be a huge honour for him as well to compete for the first ever Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

“To be able to compete for the Benaud-Qadir Trophy for the first time is a huge honour. As current players, we really are standing on the shoulders of these greats of the past who helped to grow and popularize the game in years gone by, and if my team can collect that trophy at the end of this series then it really would be the perfect end to the Test part of this historic tour,” he remarked.

Taking to Twitter, PCB also shared the introduction of the historic Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

.@TheRealPCB and @CricketAus introduce Benaud-Qadir Trophy for #PakvAus Test series
Cummins: To be able to compete for the Benaud-Qadir Trophy for the 1st time is a huge honour
Babar: I am honoured that I will be leading the Pakistan team in the Benaud-Qadir Trophy#BoysReadyHain pic.twitter.com/B7ki5hCNJs

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 2, 2022

 

On this occasion CEO of PCB, Faisal Hasnain said there could be no better way to mark the revival of Pakistan-Australia Test rivalry in Pakistan.

“There can be no better way to celebrate and mark the revival of Pakistan-Australia Test rivalry in Pakistan by launching the trophy in the names of two absolute legends and icons of this great game – Richie Benaud and Abdul Qadir,” he said.

“The launch of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy will add further context and spice to the Pakistan-Australia Test series, which historically have been well-contested and hard-fought. I am confident that players from either side will draw further inspiration from this initiative and would want to be the first to put a hand on the trophy,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Benaud-Qadir Trophy will commence on March 4 to March 25 in Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Lahore.

READ: Trophy for Pakistan-Australia Test series unveiled

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan-born Australian opening batter Usman Khawaja said it is an honor for the left-handed batter to be a part of Australia’s historic tour to Pakistan.

Usman, while talking to a virtual press conference revealed that he feels ‘very honored’ to be a part of the historic tour.

“It is an honor for me to play this historic series and tour Pakistan as I was born there, so yeah, it is a very special moment for me,” he said.

“Playing in Pakistan is an important moment for me, as I have always dreamt of playing in the country where I was born,” he added.

Usman, who was born in Pakistan but later moved to Australia and currently represents the latter in the longest format of the game, said that it will be his home crowd during the first Test.

“Rawalpindi crowd will be my home crowd but I will be representing Australia. I am hopeful of getting the chance to open the innings for the Aussies,” he said.

“I have always received immense support in Pakistan. The cricketing fans here appreciate good quality cricket,” he added.

Usman further commented on the Test series and said that the experience of playing cricket in the subcontinent will help him in the series.

“I have quite an experience of playing cricket in the subcontinent in the past which will help me to play in Pakistan,” he said.

“Most of the pitches of the sub-continent favor the spin but Rawalpindi is favorable for fast bowlers but we can expect a different pitch too,” he added.

The 35-years-old then revealed that he is currently enjoying playing Test cricket, while is also hopeful of performing well in all three matches against Pakistan.

The left-handed batter also recalled his childhood in Pakistan, revealing that he had attended a match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and had photographs of it. He also disclosed that after moving to Australia, he and his family have visited the country four times.

RAWALPINDI: The captain of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) – Iftikhar Ahmed and fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr, has replaced Hassan Ali and Faheem Ashraf in Pakistan’s Test squad for the first match of the three-match series against Australia.

Iftikhar and Wasim Jr, who are chosen due to their all-round ability will replace Hasan and Faheem in the Rawalpindi Test squad as the latter two have been ruled out of the first Test due to injuries.

Both Wasim and Iftikhar will reach Islamabad tonight and will only be able to join the squad after completing a mandatory three-day isolation period. Whereas, Hasan and Faheem will rejoin the squad in the coming week after following the same protocols.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s released statement, Hasan and Faheem are expected to regain full fitness before the second Test that will be played in Karachi from March 12 to March 16.

15-player squad: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Haris Rauf (Northern), Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shan Masood (Balochistan) and Zahid Mahmood (Sindh)

READ: Babar Azam joins practice session for the home series against Australia

RAWALPINDI: A 35-members Australian squad has reached Pakistan after a gap of 24 years, for the historic tour, which will roll into action on the fourth of March at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The touring side will undergo on-arrival COVID-19 testing and will also undergo mandatory room isolation.

After the completion of the quarantine period and negative COVID-19 results, the team will then be able to hold practice sessions for the historic tour.

The Director of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Zakir Khan welcomed the Aussie squad and the CEO of Cricket Australia Nick Hockley.

On the other hand, Australia’s middle-order batter Steve Smith tweeted the picture of the team landing in the country.

Arrived in 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/pnis0ckFeO

— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) February 27, 2022

 

It is pertinent to mention here that Australia is coming to Pakistan after 24 years to play three Tests, as many ODIs and one-off T20I in March and April this year. Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi will host a Test each while the white-ball series will only be played in Rawalpindi.

MELBOURNE: Australia’s Test squad has left for Pakistan to play three-match series which will roll into action on the fourth of March at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Australia’s Test squad, which left for Pakistan for the historic tour, is expected to land in the country in the wee hours tomorrow. The squad will then undergo on-arrival testing of the COVID-19.

The touring team will remain in the bio-secure bubble and will only be allowed to practise after they return negative COVID-19 results.

Australia’s middle-order batter Steve Smith and Pakistan-born Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja, on the other hand, tweeted photos of their departure for the historic tour.

🇦🇺—->🇵🇰 ✈️ #inshaallah https://t.co/gbcsJ50wJN

— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) February 26, 2022

🇦🇺 ➡️ 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/rarLO6rJB6

— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) February 26, 2022

 

It is pertinent to mention here that Australia is coming to Pakistan after 24 years to play three Tests, as many ODIs and one-off T20I in March and April this year. Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi will host a Test each while the white-ball series will only be played in Rawalpindi.

READ: ‘Will give tough time to Pakistan Blind Cricket Team’ South Africa’s Captain

KARACHI: Australia’s middle-order batter Steve Smith is having condition-based batting practice ahead of their first-ever Pakistan tour in the last 24 years. 

In a video shared by former Pakistani captain Rashid Latif, Smith can be seen batting on a pitch having rough spots.

https://twitter.com/iRashidLatif68/status/1497075106723549184

It is pertinent to mention here that Australia is coming to Pakistan after 23 years to play three Tests, as many ODIs and one-off T20I in March and April this year. Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi will host a Test each while the white-ball series will only be played in Rawalpindi.

READ: ‘Watched Australia from stands last time’ shares Fawad Alam

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani skipper Babar Azam, Test opener Azhar Ali, and former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed have reached here on Friday to feature in the historic Test series against Australia.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to keep traveling reserves Sarfaraz and Naseem Shah with the squad for the Australia series.

Earlier, Sajid Khan, Nauman Ali, Saud Shakeel, Imam-ul-Haq, Fawad Alam, head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and batting coach Mohammad Yousaf reached here for the series.

Players, who are busy in Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7, will join the squad here after they are released from their commitments. PSL 7 will end on February 27 at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.

The historic Test series will start on March 4 with Pindi cricket stadium hosting the first Test between the two sides. Karachi and Lahore will host second and third Tests, respectively.

READ: Blind Cricket to roll into action before PSL 7 Eliminator 2

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has kept the cheapest price for tickets to help maximum fans watch the historic home Test series against Australia. 

In a bid to fill grounds at all three venues where Australia is scheduled to play Test series, PCB has locked tickets price as low as PKR100. The VIP tickets will be available for PKR500.

For the Rawalpindi Test, the PKR500 VIP enclosures comprise Imran Khan, Javed Akhtar, Javed Miandad and Azhar Mahmood, whereas Premium enclosures include Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Miran Bakhsh and Yasir Arafat, and the price per ticket has been fixed at PKR100.

There will be four enclosure categories in Karachi and Lahore, the ticket prices are as following:

o General – PKR 100 each
o First Class – PKR 200 each
o Premium – PKR 350 each
o VIP – PKR 500 each

Tickets are now available online at pcb.bookme.pk as well as from the nearest M&P Courier outlets from Friday 1100 PKT. All ticket-holders will also have to display their Covid immunisation certificates and CNIC at the time of entering the venues.

Enclosure categories for Karachi and Lahore:

National Stadium, Karachi – Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Javed Miandad, (VIP enclosure), Imran Khan, Quaid, Wasim Akram (Premium enclosure), Asif Iqbal, Intikhab Alam, Iqbal Qasim, Mohammad Brothers, Nasim-ul-Ghani (First-Class enclosures), and Majid Khan, Waqar Hasan, Wasim Bari, Zaheer Abbas (General enclosure)

Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore – Fazal Mahmood, Imran Khan (VIP enclosure), Rajas and Saeed Anwar (Premium enclosure), Abdul Qadir, AH Kardar, Javed Miandad and Sarfraz Nawaz (First-Class enclosure) and Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Majid Khan, Nazars, Quaid, Saeed Ahmad, Zaheer Abbas (General enclosure)

READ: Starc, Warner, Cummins to miss white-ball series in Pakistan

LAHORE: Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza have been appointed as on-field umpires in all three Tests of historic Pakistan vs Australia series in March. 

ICC Elite panelist Aleem and PCB International panelist Ahsan will be accompanied by Asif Yaqoob (1st, 3rd Test) and Rashid Riaz (2nd Test) as Tv umpires. ICC Chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle will lead the Playing Control Team during the Test series.

Ahsan, Aleem, Asif and Rashid will share on-field umpires’ responsibilities, while Muhammad Javed Malik will be the match referee for the three ODIs, which will be played on 29 March, 31 March and 2 April in Rawalpindi.

Aleem and Ahsan will reunite for the one-off T20I and Javed will be the match referee. The only T20I will be played on April 5 at Pindi Cricket Stadium.

READ: Dar, Illingworth, Gough included in match officials for PSL 7 playoffs

KARACHI: Mohammad Nawaz sustained a foot injury, hence he has been ruled out of Pakistan’s Test squad for the historic home series against Australia in March. 

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared that Nawaz will not participate in Australia series due to injury.

Naseem Shah and Sarfaraz Ahmed will be traveling reserves for the series whereas Mohammad Haris has been added to the reserve players list. He, along with Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, and Yasir Shah have been advised to participate in the Pakistan Cup, which commences on 2 March.

Test players who attended a training camp in Karachi and those not involved in HBL PSL 2022 playoffs will arrive in Islamabad later tonight. After observing three-day room isolation, they will hold a training session on 27 February

Test players involved in the HBL PSL 2022 playoffs will travel to Islamabad in a bubble on 28 February and will participate in a training session on 1 March

Pakistan’s 15-men squad

Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shan Masood (Balochistan) and Zahid Mahmood (Sindh)