Tag: Babar Azam

Pakistan all-rounder Aamer Jamal drew a comparison between the captaincy styles of Babar Azam and Shan Masood.

Jamal, in an interview with a local news outlet, was asked to share his take on the captaincy of Babar and Shan.

In response to the question, the all-rounder, who made his T20I and Test debut under Babar Azam and Shan Masood’s leadership respectively, stated that both the captains have different mindsets and approach the game differently.

He claimed to have a good bond with both of them before explaining that Babar’s style of captaincy is a bit defensive while Shan is someone who thinks aggressively.

“When it comes to captaincy, both have their own different mindsets. Shan Bhai’s approach is different, and Bobby Bhai’s approach is different. I have very good terms with both of them,” said Jamal.

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“I have had good terms with Shan Bhai since the time I played first-class cricket. When I joined the Pakistan team for practice bowling, he treated me very well.

“Both have different mindsets. I believe Bobby Bhai is a bit defensive. He thinks about securing the team first. Shani Bhai is a bit aggressive as he belives if somebody throws punch, you should too.

“As captains, both of them understand you and ask about your needs and what you require,” he concluded.

Remember, Aamer Jamal has been recovering from a back injury he sustained in the ongoing County cricket season.

Jamal joined Warwickshire after a sensational Test debut on Pakistan’s tour to Australia where he picked up 18 wickets in three matches.

However, the Pakistan all-rounder could only represent Warwickshire in two County Championship matches and one Vitality Blast fixture.

He was last seen in action for the side on June 8 and has been sidelined since then as he suffered a back injury.

READ: Jason Gillespie rates Pakistan Shaheens’ performance in red-ball series

Pakistan’s newly-appointed Test coach Jason Gillespie backed the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) stance to ensure the workload management of the all-format players.

Earlier, the cricketing body denied the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to Naseem Shah for the Hundred and also to Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi for the Global T20 Canada 2024.

Meanwhile, Gillespie, in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, said that the centrally contracted players are compensated well and thus the management has the right to instruct the players to rest, considering their availability for the national team.

“Players are centrally contracted and getting compensated really well. We have the right to be able to say, ‘Look, in this situation, we need you to rest or have some downtime to give your body and mind a break, be ready for the next challenge for Pakistan’” Gillespie said.

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Jason Gillespie, however, acknowledged the importance of the franchise leagues for the players to get exposure but if that participation impacts a player’s readiness for national duty then a discussion and a decision would be essential.

“We want players to go and play in these leagues and have these great experiences. But if we believe it’s going to be to the detriment of representing Pakistan in an upcoming series, then we’ll have a discussion and have a decision to make.

“These are honest and difficult conversations. Ultimately, we’re tasked with doing what’s right by Pakistan cricket.”

“If being honest is telling a player something they might not want to hear, well, then I’m willing to do that. I want to help them be the best player and person they can be.”

It is worth mentioning here that the Pakistan men’s team will embark on a busy international calendar 2024-25 with a two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, scheduled to take place from August 21 to September 3.

READ: Shoaib Malik wants India to visit Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025

Former Pakistan Younis Khan has thrown his weight behind current national white-ball captain Babar Azam, pointing out the lack of captaincy options in the country.

Babar Azam has been under fire following Pakistan’s lacklustre ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, where they got knocked out from the group stage.

Many fans and critics have attributed the Green Shirts’ disastrous performance to Babar’s captaincy and called for his removal as captain.

However, Younis Khan disagreed with the notion, highlighting the country’s inadequate cricket infrastructure. He blamed it for not preparing backup players to replace the struggling players.

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“We give our views very quickly. If we talk about our current team, the players don’t have a fault. Instead, I will blame the infrastructure. If we don’t have the back-up, how will you replace the (out of form) players?” Younis said during an interview with a local news channel.

He defended Babar and shifted the blame on previous management and selection committees for not building players who could lead the team.

“We generally speak that Babar Azam should not be the captain. If not Babar Azam, who else should be the captain? That’s not Babar Azam’s fault,” he added.

“Neither this is the current selection committee’s fault. This is the fault of something that happened 5-6 years back. We should have built our bench strength,” Younis Khan concluded.

It is worth noting that in the aftermath of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup debacle, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sacked Abdul Razzaq and Wahab Riaz from selection committee, while the latter also lost his job as senior team manager. Meanwhile, team manager Mansoor Rana was also removed from the post.

READ: Former Pakistan pacer calls Gautam Gambhir ‘parchi’ case

DUBAI: Pakistan white-ball captain and star batter Babar Azam has lost one place in the latest ICC Test Batting Rankings on Wednesday.

The latest ranking updates saw England batters making significant gains on the back of their impressive performance against West Indies in the second Test.

England top-order batter Joe Root played a solid 122-run knock in the second innings to set up a 241-run victory for the hosts.

Root gained 12 rating points and is now in striking distance of New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, who is sitting on top with a difference of seven points.

Another centurion in England’s second innings, Harry Brook jumped four places to reach his career-best third position in the ICC Test Batting Rankings.

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Brook’s four-spot jump resulted in Babar Azam, New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, Australia’s Steve Smith and Indian skipper Rohit Sharma all dropping one place each.

Other notable gainers from England are Ben Duckett (up six spots to 16th) and Ollie Pope (up eight places to 21st).

Meanwhile, West Indies batters Kraigg Brathwaite gained two places to 40th, Joshua Da Silva jumped seven spots to 61st and Kavem Hodge rose 21 rungs to 75th.

On the other hand, England bowler Chris Woakes jumped four places to enter the top 20 in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings for the first time since September 2021. He picked six wickets in the second Test against West Indies.

Young spinner Shoaib Bashir made a significant jump as he rose 18 places to reach 53rd after taking a five-wicket haul in the second innings, helping England seal the victory.

WATCH: Mohammad Amir’s fiery spell reminds Nasser Hussain of Champions Trophy

Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam recently revealed that Australia’s Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins is the toughest bowler he has ever faced.

Azam appeared on former South Africa captain AB de Villiers’ official YouTube channel, where he was asked to name the toughest bowler he has ever faced.

The Pakistan captain quickly responded, “Pat Cummins.”

De Villiers also agreed with Azam, saying, “Yeah, I agree with that. He’s very close. He’s one of the toughest bowlers I have ever faced.”

It is worth noting that Cummins has dismissed Babar Azam thrice in Test cricket and only once in white-ball cricket.

The top-order batsman also mentioned that he consults with Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root to seek help in improving his batting.

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“I talk a lot to Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Joe Root. They are always ready to give you advice which helps you a lot. I have learned a lot from these players” he stated.

The star batter also shared that his family faced financial hardships during his childhood, but they provided him with unwavering support on his journey to success.

“I don’t come from a rich family, and we didn’t have money all the time. But my parents supported me a lot. I used to play street cricket growing up, and playing cricket with a hard ball was very difficult,” he added.

Babar Azam is currently gearing up for the upcoming two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, scheduled to be played in August.

READ: Dale Steyn hails former Pakistan pacer for best yorker in history

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided against issuing the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi to participate in the Global T20 (GT20) Canada 2024.

According to the cricketing body, the three all-format players were denied NOCs, in light of Pakistan’s busy and packed cricket calendar in the period from August 2024 to March 2025 which includes ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

“The PCB had received NOC requests from Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi for the Global T20 event, amongst other players. After taking into consideration Pakistan’s busy and packed cricket calendar in the period from August 2024 to March 2025, which includes nine ICC World Test Championship matches and next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and following consultations with the three players as well as the national selection committee, it has been decided to decline their requests,” stated PCB.

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“The three are all-format cricketers and their services are expected to be required in the upcoming eight months during which Pakistan will play nine Tests, 14 ODIs, and nine T20Is.

“As such, and in line with the PCB’s workload management policy, it is in the best interest of Pakistan cricket and the players that they skip the upcoming event in Canada so that they are in their best mental and physical shape for the season, which commences with the two-Test series against Bangladesh.”

Earlier, the PCB had also declined permission to Naseem Shah for The Hundred on the same grounds.

However, the PCB has approved NOCs for Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, and Mohammad Nawaz as the four players are predominantly white-ball cricketers, while Iftikhar and Nawaz are centrally contracted players.

READ: GT20 Canada awaits approval from ICC for upcoming edition

Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif offered a piece of advice to Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam, stating that the star batter should not run after captaincy and refrain from being a part of the politics.

Asif, known for his blunt remarks, appeared in a YouTube podcast and spoke highly of Babar, terming him the only proper player in the national team.

Mohammad Asif, however, opined that Babar Azam should not run after captaincy as he is above the leadership role.

“To be honest, we only have Babar Azam at this point. He is above captaincy, and he shouldn’t run after it. I don’t know why he is after captaincy. Babar Azam is currently the backbone; even if he steps out of the circle, he will manage,” stated Asif.

“He is the only proper player right now. I don’t know why he is being dragged into politics, or if he is getting involved in it, he shouldn’t do that.

“He is above the captaincy and needs to carry the young players in his circle along with him. Such politics could damage his career,” Asif concluded.

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Last year, Mohammad Asif made a massive claim, asserting that he could bowl a maiden over to Babar Azam, highlighting his struggle with power-hitting.

“I can bowl a maiden over to Babar Azam in T20 cricket even today,” stated Asif in the X space. “He cannot hit the ball if you bowl good deliveries to him.’

It is worth mentioning here that the Babar Azam-led Pakistan, in a first, were knocked out from the group stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The former champions failed to advance to the Super Eights stage, mainly due to their upset defeat against co-host United States of America (USA) in the campaign opener, followed by a gut-wrenching defeat against arch-rivals India.

The Green Shirts, since then, have been under stiff scrutiny and are on the receiving end of the fans’ enrage.

READ: Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman struggle against Naseem Shah’s brother

Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam and top-order batter Fakhar Zaman were recently seen struggling against young pace bowler Ubaid Shah during a practice session.

Ubaid, who is the younger brother of star pace bowler Naseem Shah, has represented the Pakistan Under-19 team as well as the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United. Hunain Shah, their third brother, is also part of the United franchise.

In a viral video, Ubaid is seen bowling to Babar and Fakhar in the nets, making them struggle to play with his pace and swing.

The young pacer bowls an outside off-stump delivery to Babar Azam, which the batter leaves, but the ball comes back sharply and goes over the stumps.

The star batter then attempts to play the hook shot against a short-pitched ball, but the ball hits him on the chest.

 

Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman attempts a defensive shot but misses the ball, which narrowly misses the bat and goes into the wicketkeeper’s safe hands.

For the unversed, Ubaid Shah was the second highest-wicket taker in the Under-19 World 2024 in South Africa with 18 wickets. He was also named in the team of the tournament.

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Babar Azam is currently gearing up for the upcoming two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, scheduled to be played in August.

Fakhar Zaman, on the other hand, is not part of Pakistan’s red-ball team and will be in action during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024, starting from August 29.

READ: Ben Stokes backs Chris Woakes to help fill James Anderson’s void

Former Pakistan captains will resolve the alleged dispute between Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam, wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, sources claimed Saturday.

According to the sources, the former captains contacted all three senior members of the Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team and extended an offer to mediate between them.

Details further suggested that a meeting involving Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi would be held at a former captain’s residence upon the pacer’s return to the country.

For the unversed, Shaheen has been in hot water lately after reports emerged that the left-arm pacer was involved in a heated argument with batting coach Mohammad Yousuf during Pakistan’s tour to Ireland and England ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Sources asserted that the incident occurred during Pakistan’s net practice at Headingley when Shaheen engaged in a verbal exchange with the former batter.

The batting coach pointed towards Shaheen Afridi’s continuous no-balls in the nets, they added.

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However, the pacer got furious and told Mohammad Yousuf to let him practice and not intervene in his bowling.

According to sources, Shaheen later apologised to the batting coach while the team management also reprimanded him for his misconduct.

However, the incident was termed the heat of the moment and the chapter was closed after Shaheen Afridi apologised to Mohammad Yousuf.

The left-arm pacer then posted a cryptic message amid reports regarding his altercation with coaches.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Shaheen shared a video of himself bowling in nets with the caption reading, “Rise Above” with an eagle emoji.

It is pertinent to mention that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) axed former pacer Wahab Riaz from the position of senior team manager and as a member of the selection committee after Pakistan’s early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024.

Former all-rounder Abdul Razzaq was also sacked from the PCB selection committee.

READ: PCB denies NOC to Naseem Shah for The Hundred – reports

Pakistan white-ball captain and ace batter Babar Azam penned a wholesome note to pay tribute to exceptional pacer James Anderson, who concluded his glittering Test career on Friday.

Anderson, playing his 188th and last Test for England, bowed out with 704 wickets, the most by any pacer in the history of the format.

“It’s been an amazing week, been overwhelmed with the reaction of the crowd and everyone around the ground,” Anderson told Sky Sports.

“I’m just proud of what I’ve achieved,” he added.

The right-arm pacer, who has a plethora of records to his name in the longest format of the game, received massive praise from the notable figures of the sport.

Among them was Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who said it was a privilege to face James Anderson’s cutters and called him the Greatest of All Time (GOAT).

“It was a privilege to face your swing, Jimmy!” wrote Babar on X, formerly Twitter.

“The beautiful game will now miss one of its greatest. Your incredible service to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable. Huge respect for you, GOAT,” he concluded with a salute emoji.

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Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi also spoke highly of James Anderson and called the 41-year-old a motivation for the emerging pacers.

“Thank you for serving this sport for over 21 years James,” wrote Shaheen.

“You have been a source of motivation to many of us. Best of luck for your journey ahead,” he added.

Another Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali, who played alongside James Anderson for Lancashire in the County Championship, congratulated the veteran on an incredible journey.

“Huge respect to [James Anderson] on an amazing test career. You were a beast on the pitch, always keeping the batters on their toes, 704 wickets is insane. Congrats on an incredible journey bhai. You’ll be missed,” wrote Hasan.

READ: Anderson gets dream farewell as England rout West Indies in Lord’s Test