Tag: Australia vs Pakistan

LAHORE: The trophy of the historic ODI series between Pakistan and Australia, has been unveiled, here at Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.

The trophy for the Test series was revealed by Pakistani skipper Babar Azam and his Australian counterpart Aaron Finch.

Earlier, both teams held practice sessions for the first ODI; scheduled on March 29. Players from both teams participated in batting, bowling, and fielding drills.

Taking to Twitter, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also shared pictures of the two captains posing with the glittering trophy.

Trophy unveiled! 🤜🏼🤛🏼

• TIKTOK presents KFC Pakistan vs Australia ODI Series 2022 •#PAKvAUS I #BoysReadyHain pic.twitter.com/HSAC7UZkih

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 28, 2022

It is pertinent to mention here that Australia is playing an ODI series in the country after a gap of 24 years. The touring side will play three ODIs, followed by one-of T20I.

READ: Kamran’s century propel KPK to beat CP and qualify for Pakistan Cup Final

LAHORE: Pakistan’s left-handed batsman Fakhar Zaman has hailed Australia as a dangerous team, claiming that the squad never treats them lightly.

Fakhar, while talking to the virtual presser ahead of the first ODI, hailed the Aussies as tough opponents and also revealed that the green shirts do not take them lightly.

“Despite lacking the services of some big names, the Australian team can not be taken as lightly. I think they are a tough team,” he said.

The left-handed batter then opined about the playing conditions here at Gaddafi Stadium and claimed the team needs to amass a 300 plus total on this wicket.

“There is a lot of due in Lahore but, it will not make much difference. I think we need to score more than 300 on this pitch,” he said.

Fakhar then went on to discuss his performance and proclaimed his goal to sweep Australia for full points.

“It is an important series for us against Australia and we will try to improve World Cup League points,” he said.

“We also have home advantage, so I think we should get full points by sweeping Australia,” he concluded.

READ: ‘This series is a part of World Cup 2023 preparations’ Aaron Finch

LAHORE: Australia beat Pakistan by 115 runs in the third and deciding Test of the recently concluded Benaud-Qadir Trophy at the back of Nathan Lyon’s heroics, who bagged five wickets in the fourth innings, here on Friday.

In the final session of the final day, Pakistan were jolted by a massive blow as the skipper Babar Azam, who was fighting hard with his gritty knock also fell victim to Lyon. He perished in the 84th over after scoring 55 off 104 balls with the help of six boundaries.

Following his dismissal, the batting tail could not do much against the strong Australian bowling attack and the home side, in the end, bowled out for 235; handing the touring side a resounding 115 runs victory.

Earlier, the home side Pakistan experienced a disastrous second session as the side collapsed from 142/2 to 167/5 with the top-scorer Imam-ul-Haq, alongside Fawad Alam, and Mohammad Rizwan making their way back to the pavilion.

Imam remained the top scorer for the home side with 70 runs in 199 deliveries, while Babar followed back with a gritty 55. The rest of the batters, on the other hand, could not manage to score significantly.

In the morning, Pakistan resumed at an overnight score of 73/0, the set pair of Abdullah Shafique and Imam broke as the former walked back to the pavilion without scoring a run on the fifth day.

Abdullah scored 27 off 80 balls with the help of three boundaries and a six before Cameron Green dismissed him in the fourth over of the morning session.

Azhar Ali then arrived at the crease and put on a brief partnership with Imam. The pair could only add 28 runs for the second wicket before the former perished on Nathan Lyon’s delivery. The right-handed batter scored 17 off 47 deliveries.

READ: Sarfaraz Ahmed opts to leave Test squad to join Sindh in Pakistan Cup

LAHORE: Pakistan’s experienced batter Azhar Ali, who recently became fifth Pakistani and 54th overall batter to reach the milestone of scoring 7,000 runs in Test cricket, said he is happy that he achieved the milestone in his home ground.

Azhar, while talking to the virtual press conference, expressed happiness for completing the remarkable feat in his first Test at his home ground.

“I am happy to complete 7,000 runs in Lahore. But unfortunately, I could not stay at the crease for long and score big,” he said.

The right-handed batter then commented about Pakistan’s collapse in the third session of day three, said it happens in Test cricket, while at the same time lauded Australian captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc for the brilliance with the ball.

“It happens in a Test match. But, the credit must go to Cummins and Starc, who bowled really well,” he said.

“Their bowlers are world-class, and the way they bowled in these conditions is simply outstanding,” he added.

The former Pakistan captain also opined about the pitch and the playing conditions, commented it is not easy to score runs in these conditions.

“It is not so easy on such pitch. It is difficult for new batsmen to get set and score freely,” he said.

“It is unfortunate that our batters could not set and as a result wickets tumble one after the other. But, we trust the abilities of our batters, it happens sometimes that the batting line-up flops. I think we should not doubt the ability of our players,” he said.

The right-handed batter went on to comment about the match situation, shared that now the target is to take early wickets of the opposition.

“We are having a hard time at the moment, now the aim is to get Australia out early,” he said.

“Tomorrow is an important day for us and we need to bowl well. No target is easy in the fourth innings as Australia are already leading by more than 130 runs,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Australia have scored 11/0 at the stumps on day three. The touring side is currently leading by 134 runs as Pakistan bowled out for 268 in response to Australia’s 391.

READ: Cummins, Starc star to put Australia in the commanding position 

LAHORE: Australian pacers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc wreaked havoc over the Pakistan batting line-up dismissing the home side on 268 to hand their team a massive lead of 123 runs before the openers take the touring side to 11/0 at the stumps on day three of the ongoing third Test.

After bowling out Pakistan on 268, Australian openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner could only bat for three overs. The openers took their side to 11/0 before the umpire dislodged the bails to call off the day.

Khawaja (7*) and Warner (4*) will now resume the proceedings for the touring side on the fourth day of the third Test. The touring side currently has a massive lead of 134 runs.

On the other hand, Pakistan had a forgetful third session as the touring bowlers wreaked havoc over their batting lineup. The home side lost all their remaining seven wickets and could only manage to add 41 runs after the Tea break.

Australian captain Cummins led the way with a five-for, while Starc followed back with four. Nathan Lyon, on the other hand, made one scalp.

Coming out to bat after tea, the home side soon lost their fourth wicket as the left-arm pacer Starc castled Fawad Alam on 13.

Following his departure, the side began to lose wickets at an alarming rate. Babar Azam, who was standing firm at the other end, also became the victim of the collapse as he lost his wicket to Starc after scoring 67.

The home side’s batting tail had no answers to the Australian bowling attack as Nauman Ali, Hasan Ali, and Naseem Shah bagged ducks. Mohammad Rizwan and Sajid Khan, on the other hand, scored one and six respectively.

Following the match-defining collapse, Pakistan bowled out on 268; handing a massive 123-runs lead to the Kangaroos.

The second session of the third day turned out to be an eventful one as the visitors removed both set batters Abdullah and Azhar, while the home side added 68 runs at 2.7 runs per over.

The top-scorer for the home side – Abdullah walked back to the pavilion in the fourth over of the second session as Nathan Lyon removed the former for 81. He faced 228 balls and smashed 11 boundaries.

Later, Azhar also made his way back a few overs before the Tea break as Australian captain Pat Cummins took a screamer off his bowling to remove Azhar for 78. The right-handed batter 208 deliveries and hit eight boundaries including a six.

In the morning session, the set pair of Abdullah and Azhar resumed at an overnight score of 90/1, extending their important partnership by adding a further 69-runs; making sure that the home side do not lose any wicket. Pakistan added 69 runs at a decent rate of 2.4.

READ: Balochistan crush Northern by seven runs to top Pakistan Cup points table

LAHORE: Australian all-rounder Cameron Green opened up about missing on a chance to score his maiden Test century, said nobody wants to miss out on the milestone.

Green while talking to the post-day virtual press conference expressed his disappointment in missing out on an opportunity to score his maiden ton.

“Nobody wants to be out close to hundred. Unfortunately, I couldn’t play more,” he said.

“A century has its own significance in Test cricket. I would have always remembered this feat if I ended up getting a ton,” he added.

The right-handed batter also praised Naseem Shah for his brilliant performance with the ball, while termed his dismissal ‘unfortunate’.

“Naseem bowled really well, we were looking for a long partnership, it is unfortunate for me to get out,” he said.

“Naseem made good use of the old ball. Hopefully, we too can get the ball to reverse swing when the ball gets old,” he added.

The Australian all-rounder further shared about his experience of batting on a sub-continent pitch, said he is learning to play according to the pitch condition here.

“I am still learning to play according to the conditions of the subcontinent pitches. We have to stay long at the crease here and the ball gets a low bounce,” he concluded.

READ: ‘Naseem Shah is the future of Pakistan’ Shaheen Shah Afridi

MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia (CA) have confirmed that the left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis has replaced right-arm speedster Kane Richardson in the white-ball series squad for the away series against Pakistan.

In a statement, released on the official website of the CA, the cricketing body has confirmed that the left-arm pacer Dwarshuis has replaced Richardson in the white-ball series.

Richarson, who sustained a hamstring injury could not recover in time and has been ruled out of the Pakistan tour.

With him ruling out of the tour, the Aussies will now field one of their most inexperienced pace attacks in more than 50 years of one-day international cricket.

According to the CA, Richarson’s hamstring injury was only considered minor but he will not be travelling to the country for a series featuring four games in just eight days.

“Richardson’s hamstring twinge is only considered minor, the Aussies decided it was not worth putting him on the plane for a series featuring four games in just eight days,” the statement read.

It is pertinent to mention here that the white-ball series between Pakistan and Australia will roll into action from March 29 in Lahore.

READ: Women’s WC: Lanning’s century propel Australia to thump South Africa

LAHORE: Pakistan’s opening batter Abdullah Shafique and top-order batter Azhar Ali stood firm and took the home side to 90/1 at the conclusion of the second day of the third Test, here on Tuesday.

In response to Australia’s 391, the home side managed to score 90/1 at the stumps on the second day. Opener Abdullah and Azhar anchored the innings with an unbeaten 70-runs partnership and will now resume the proceedings on the third day for Pakistan.

Abdullah is just five away from his half-century, while Azhar has scored an unbeaten 30 off 79 balls.

Earlier, Pakistan were off to a poor start as the home side lost their first wicket in the form of Imam-ul-Haq for a combined score of 20. The left-handed batter managed to score 11 before Pat Cummins trapped him in his legs.

Earlier, Pakistan bowled out Australia for 391, thanks to the four-wicket hauls each from Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

After a frustrating first session, Pakistan’s pacers fired back at the opposition in the second session; taking five wickets and conceding only 71 runs.

Australia’s set pair of Alex Carey and Cameron Green fell in the quick successions after the Lunch break, while the batting tail had no answers to Pakistan’s bowling attack.

Carey scored an important 67, while Green starred with his 79. The left-handed opener Usman Khawaja, however, remained the top scorer for his side with a brilliant 91.

For Pakistan, Shaheen and Naseem picked four wickets each, while Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali struck out a batter apiece.

At the resumption of day two, Australia, resuming at an overnight score of 232/5, the visitors completely dominated the first session of day two. The pair of Carey and Green added 88 runs into their side’s overnight score at a decent run-rate of 3.14.

READ: Smith, Khawaja’s dismissals put Pakistan in commanding position

LAHORE: Pakistan’s right-arm speedster Naseem Shah has expressed his desire to bowl out Australia under the 300 mark on the second day of the third Test of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

Naseem, while talking to the virtual press conference after the conclusion of the opening day of the Lahore Test, has expressed his desire to bowl out the touring side under 300.

“The late wickets have shifted the momentum in our favour. We will now try to get Australia out within three hundred,” he said.

The right-arm pacer, who took two wickets on the opening day, revealed that he always try to give his best. Whereas, also revealed that Steve Smith’s wicket has given a lot of confidence to him.

“I always try to give my best whenever given the opportunity. I did the same today and fortunately, get the ball to reverse swing. The pitch was a bit slow so I tried to bowl a little quicker,” he said.

“I am quite happy with my performance today. The wicket of Steve Smith means a lot to me and it has given me a lot of confidence,” he added.

Naseem further claimed that he does not get frustrated over the slow pitch and always focus on his input.

“I do not get angry if the pitch is slow. This is something that is not in our hands. We can work hard and we do that,” he said.

“I feel a bit frustrated about not getting wickets in such hot weather. But, I always try to keep myself relaxed,” he concluded.

It is apropos to mention here that Pakistan have bowled well on the first day of the Lahore Test to restrict Australia to 232/5 at the stumps. Naseem, alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi, bagged two wickets, while Sajid Khan made one scalp.

READ: Smith, Khawaja’s dismissals put Pakistan in commanding position

LAHORE: Australia’s set pair of Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith fell in the last session of the opening day of the ongoing third Test to put Pakistan in a commanding position, here on Monday.

The last session of the opening day turned out to be an eventful one as the home side picked up three wickets, while the visitors managed to add 87 runs and took their score to 232/5 at the stumps.

Resuming the score at 145/2 after the Lunch, Australia’s set batter Smith could not carry his bat for long as he walked to the pavilion in the third over of the last session. Pakistan’s speedster Naseem Shah bowled a magnificent reverse swing to trap him in legs.

The right-handed batter scored 59 off 169 deliveries with the help of six boundaries. His partner, Khawaja on the other hand, stayed a little longer at the crease but fell short to his 12th Test century by a mere nine runs. Babar Azam took a sharp catch off Sajid Khan’s delivery at slip to dismiss the left-hander.

Soon after Khawja’s exit, the left-handed batter Travis Head also made his way back to the pavilion after he managed to score 26 off 70 balls.

Alex Carey (8*) and Cameron Green (20*) will now resume the proceedings for the touring side at 232/5 on the second day.

For Pakistan, Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi bagged two wickets each, while Sajid managed to make one scalp.

In the second session, Australia took control after losing two quick wickets in the third over of the day. The opening batter Khawaja and Smith then anchored the innings with an astonishing 137-runs unbeaten partnership.

The pair scored added a further 75-runs before the Tea break and made sure that the touring side do not lose further wickets.

Earlier, Australia, after opting to bat first, were off to a poor start as Pakistan’s leading pacer Shaheen struck the opener David Warner and the top-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne in his second over.

With Shaheen’s quick strikes, Australia lost their first two wickets for a mere eight runs. The left-hander Khawaja and experienced Smith then anchored the innings with an unbeaten 62-runs partnership and took Australia to 70/2 at the conclusion of the first session.

READ: Zahid Mahmood replaces Mohammad Nawaz for white-ball series