Tag: Babar Azam

Former Pakistan Test cricketer Rashid Latif shared a piece of advice for Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to run from June 1 to 29 in the United States of America (USA) and the West Indies.

Rashid Latif, a former wicketkeeper himself, advised Babar Azam to assign Mohammad Rizwan with gloves behind the stump.

“One of the biggest issues being faced by Pakistan is the Azam Khan’s wicketkeeping. The team has two wicketkeepers, Usman Khan and Muhammad Rizwan. Babar Azam should go with Mohammad Rizwan for the wicket-keeping slot as he is the most senior,” Rashid Latif said after Pakistan’s defeat against England in the T20I series.

He said that Muhammad Rizwan had been keeping the wicket for the last four years but he was suddenly removed.

“Pakistan are not getting their combination right, which is their biggest problem. Not only shuffle, but players need to be prepared to play at floating roles now in T20 cricket as per the match situation,” Rahid Latif added.

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The former skipper said that the captain of any team needs a wicketkeeper’s advice the most.

“Myself and Moin Khan have done wicketkeeping in many matches and used to oversee the match from behind the wicket. If the man standing behind the stumps (wicketkeeper) starts dropping catches, how would he advice the captain,” he added.

Rashid Latif also criticised the management for changing the opening pair, saying that first, they broke the pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan then the spinners were changed and now Rizwan is removed from the wicketkeeping role.

It is pertinent to mention here that wicketkeeper Azam Khan did not have the best of the series against England either with the bat or with the gloves.

He dropped catches and could not score big and since then he has been criticized by former cricketers.

READ: Misbah-ul-Haq reveals his top two teams for T20 World Cup 2024

LONDON: Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam on Thursday, asserted that the national team is on track despite succumbing to a 2-0 series defeat against England.

Babar, while addressing the post-match press conference here after Pakistan’s seven-wicket defeat against England in the fourth T20I, reflected on the national team’s journey since the Asia Cup 2023 and reiterated that the team could not click.

“We are on track. But, as a team, we are not being able to click. When things change, you need some time to get back on track.

“[We have] a different support staff so we need some time to communicate with them.

“We are used to playing under different managements and we are performing as an individual but not as a team. I want us to perform as a team.”

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Babar Azam also termed the series defeat against England “disappointing” but remained confident that the team would perform well in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

“It is disappointing to lose the series,” Babar said.

“We needed to win the series to go into the T20 World Cup with high spirits. The World Cup is a completely different game; we will deliver better results in it,” he added.

In the fourth T20I against England, Pakistan had a decent start to their innings as the returning opening pair of Babar and Mohammad Rizwan added 59 runs for the first wicket before the captain perished on the final delivery of the batting powerplay.

Despite a good start, the touring side’s middle-order failed to continue the momentum and crumbled against a disciplined England bowling attack.

“Undoubtedly, the batsmen were not responsible in the middle overs and lost wickets. Due to the successive fall of wickets, we couldn’t achieve a big score,” Babar admitted.

“The bowlers also didn’t bowl well and conceded too many runs,” Babar Azam added.

READ: West Indies thump Australia in T20 World Cup warm-up run-fest

LONDON: Pakistan captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan on Thursday, became the most successful pair in the history of T20 cricket.

Babar and Rizwan, who are considered one of the greatest pairs of the format, became the first to score 24 50-plus scores in the shorter format, 10 out of which were converted into century partnerships.

The fourth T20I between Pakistan and England marked the return of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as the opening pair.

The decorated opening pair did justice to their legacy and provided Pakistan with a solid start with a brisk 59-run partnership.

Their opening partnership against England saw them surpass the likes of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, who had 23 fifty-plus scores for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Babar and Rizwan now have 3,227 runs as a pair in T20s and are only behind Kohli and AB de Villiers, who scored 3,175 runs as a duo for the RCB.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Babar Azam became only the second batter to complete 4000 runs in T20Is.

Babar achieved the landmark in the fourth T20I against England in the aforementioned fixture. He joined India’s batting star Virat Kohli on the elusive list, who has 4,037 runs in the shortest international format.

The right-handed batter scored a blistering 36 off 22 with the help of five fours and a six.

Most runs in T20Is

Virat Kohli- 4,037
Babar Azam – 4,023
Rohit Sharma – 3,974
Paul Stirling – 3,589

Furthermore, Babar also became the first captain to score 2,500 runs in the format.

READ: Babar Azam claims multiple records in T20 Internationals

LONDON: Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Thursday, became only the second batter to complete 4000 runs in T20Is.

Babar achieved the landmark in the fourth T20I against England when he scored his 13th run. He joined India’s batting star Virat Kohli on the elusive list, who has 4,037 runs in the shortest international format.

The right-handed batter scored a blistering 36 off 22 with the help of five fours and a six.

Most runs in T20Is

Virat Kohli- 4,037
Babar Azam – 4,023
Rohit Sharma – 3,974
Paul Stirling – 3,589

During the ongoing T20I against England, Babar Azam also became the first captain to score 2,500 runs in the format.

Earlier, England captain Jos Buttler won the coin toss and put Pakistan into bat first.

With young left-handed opener Saim Ayub dropped, Pakistan captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan opened the innings for the touring side.

The decorated opening pair provided a solid start to Pakistan, adding 59 runs for the first wicket before Babar fell victim to Jofra Archer on the final delivery of the batting powerplay.

Babar smashed five fours and a six on his way to a 22-ball 36.

Rizwan was quick to follow as he was cleaned up by Adil Rashid in the next over. He scored 23 off 16 deliveries with the help of three boundaries.

Coming as Saim Ayub’s replacement, Usman Khan then put together a brief partnership with Fakhar Zaman, who fell in the ninth over after scoring a run-a-ball nine.

Pakistan then lost two more wickets in quick succession as Shadab Khan and Azam Khan both perished for ducks.

The touring side was 91/5 in 10.4 overs when the on-field umpires decided to stop the proceedings and the covers were brought on.

Notably, the first and third T20I of the ongoing four-match series between Pakistan and England were also washed due to rain.

England lead the four-match series 1-0 as Jos Buttler and bowlers led them to a convincing 23-run victory in the second T20I.

The ongoing four-match T20I series between Pakistan and England, scheduled to run from May 22 to 30, is a final opportunity for both sides to gear up for the T20 World Cup 2024 as the previous edition’s finalists will skip the warm-up matches for this year’s mega event.

PLAYING XIs

England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (c), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam (c), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah.

READ: Saim Ayub dropped as Babar-Rizwan opening pair returns

LONDON: Left-handed young opening batter Saim Ayub has been dropped from Pakistan’s Playing XI for the fourth T20I against England, paving the way for the return of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s opening pair.

Saim, who made his debut in March 2023 against Afghanistan on the back of strong performances in domestic and franchise league cricket, could not make an impression in the international circuit.

The left-handed batter represented Pakistan in 21 T20Is and only managed 286 runs at a dismal average of 15 with the highest score of 49.

He was replaced by right-handed batter Usman Khan, poised to bat at No.3.

More to follow…

LEEDS: Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam on Tuesday, stated that his team have a “golden opportunity” to win the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to commence on June 1.

Babar, in a press conference here ahead of Pakistan’s four-match T20I series against England, responded to a question regarding his reinstatement as Pakistan captain, just months after he stepped down from the role.

“To be honest, [I returned as the captain] because of the World Cup. In the past, we have played semi-final and final but this time I have the opportunity to win the World Cup,” Babar said.

“Second thing is that we have good bunch of players. We have a good batting lineup and specially our bowling is good because Amir is back. [We have] Shaheen, Haris and Naseem, they are good fast bowlers so yeah, we have a golden opportunity to win the World Cup,” he added.

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Babar further shared that Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan will continue to open the innings for Pakistan while the skipper will bat one down.

“Look, as you might have noticed we did not make many experiments in the Ireland series. We fielded the same lineup we foresee [to utilise] in the World Cup.

“We are planning to go with which combination and we have almost decided what should be our batting and bowling lineup.

“You’ll see our planning in this series but yes, we can make one or so changes according to the conditions or what is required. But, mostly I’ll be batting at one down.

The Pakistan skipper also provided an update regarding Haris Rauf’s fitness and revealed that the right-arm speedster is completely fit.

“We’ve received clearance for Haris Rauf. He’s available for this series. So, by the will of Almighty Allah, he will surely be seen in action in the series.”

For the unversed, the four-match T20I series between Pakistan and England, scheduled to run from May 22 to 30, will serve as a warm-up for both teams heading into the T20 World Cup 2024 as the previous edition’s finalists will skip the warm-up matches for this year’s mega event.

Pakistan squad:

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.

England squad:

Jos Buttler (c), Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Tom Hartley, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Reece Topley.

Pak vs Eng T20I series schedule:

1st T20I: Wed, May 22nd
2nd T20I: Sat, May 25th
3rd T20I: Tue, May 28th
4th T20I: Thu, May 30th

READ: England captain Jos Buttler upbeat for Pakistan’s bowling challenge

LEEDS: Pakistan’s white-ball captain and ace batter Babar Azam played down the hype of returning England pacer Jofra Archer for the four-match T20I series between last edition’s runners-up before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Babar, while speaking at the pre-series press conference, was asked to share his views on Jofra Archer’s return to the England side and whether the right-arm speedster would trouble Pakistan batters in the forthcoming series.

“We are looking forward. I think he’s coming back after one year, but I am not sure. As a team, we are very excited to play Archer because we played [well against him] in the past, stated Babar.

“If you look, we have bowlers with similar pace like Haris Rauf, Shaheen and Amir. We are facing them every day so, we are not [afraid], we are excited,” he added.

The Pakistan skipper also provided an update regarding Haris Rauf’s fitness and revealed that the right-arm speedster is completely fit.

“We’ve received clearance for Haris Rauf. He’s available for this series. So, by the will of Almighty Allah, he will surely be seen in action in the series.”

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Babar Azam further acknowledged England as one of the best teams in the world and termed the four-match series against reigning champions as a golden opportunity to fine-tune their preparations for the T20 World Cup 2024.

“[We are] very excited before the World Cup, we have a good series and it will help a lot.

For the unversed, the four-match T20I series between Pakistan and England will run from May 22 to 30 and will serve as a warm-up for both teams heading into the T20 World Cup 2024.

Pakistan squad:

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.

England squad:

Jos Buttler (c), Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Tom Hartley, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Reece Topley.

Pak vs Eng T20I series schedule:

1st T20I: Wed, May 22nd
2nd T20I: Sat, May 25th
3rd T20I: Tue, May 28th
4th T20I: Thu, May 30th

READ: Babar Azam settles opening pair debate for T20 World Cup

LEEDS: Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam on Tuesday, cleared the air regarding the team’s opening pair for the four-match T20I series against England and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Babar, while addressing the pre-series press conference here, shared that Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan will continue to open the innings for Pakistan while the skipper will bat one down.

“Look, as you might have noticed we did not make many experiments in the Ireland series. We fielded the same lineup we foresee [to utilise] in the World Cup.

“We are planning to go with which combination and we have almost decided what should be our batting and bowling lineup.

“You’ll see our planning in this series but yes, we can make one or so changes according to the conditions or what is required. But, mostly I’ll be batting at one down.

The Pakistan skipper also provided an update regarding Haris Rauf’s fitness and revealed that the right-arm speedster is completely fit.

“We’ve received clearance for Haris Rauf. He’s available for this series. So, by the will of Almighty Allah, he will surely be seen in action in the series.”

Babar Azam further acknowledged England as one of the best teams in the world and termed the four-match series against reigning champions as a golden opportunity to fine-tune their preparations for the T20 World Cup 2024.

“[We are] very excited before the World Cup, we have a good series and it will help a lot.

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For the unversed, the four-match T20I series between Pakistan and England will run from May 22 to 30 and will serve as a warm-up for both teams heading into the T20 World Cup 2024.

Pakistan squad:

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.

England squad:

Jos Buttler (c), Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Tom Hartley, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Reece Topley.

Pak vs Eng T20I series schedule:

1st T20I: Wed, May 22nd
2nd T20I: Sat, May 25th
3rd T20I: Tue, May 28th
4th T20I: Thu, May 30th

READ: Imad Wasim terms England series crucial for T20 World Cup preparations

Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam is close to breaking a significant T20I record, currently held by Indian star batter Virat Kohli, during the upcoming series against England.

Kohli is the highest run-scorer in T20I history with 4037 runs in 109 innings, however, Azam needs only 83 runs to claim the record.

The Pakistan captain is currently in third position among the highest run-scorers in T20I cricket with 3955 runs, behind Kohli and Indian captain Rohit Sharma (3974).

The four-match T20I series against England will provide Azam with an ideal opportunity to break the record and become the first Pakistani batter to score 4000 T20I runs.

The star batter, who is also the most successful captain in T20I history with 46 victories, also holds the record for scoring the most runs as captain in T20I cricket.

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He has scored 2452 runs as captain and with 48 runs in the upcoming series, he will become the first to score 2500 runs as captain.

Babar Azam-led Pakistan will commence the four-match T20I series against England on May 22 at Headingley, Leeds. The series will conclude on May 30 at The Oval, London.

After the conclusion of the England series, the Pakistan team will depart for the United States of America (USA) to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

The 2009 champions will start their campaign against co-host USA on June 4 before taking on arch-rivals India on June 9.

READ: Gary Kirsten joins Pakistan team in Leeds ahead of first England T20I

Pakistan’s white-ball head coach, Gary Kirsten, has expressed his aim to support national team’s white-ball captain, Babar Azam, in reaching his full potential as a batter.

During an interview with TalkSport Cricket, former South African cricketer Kirsten praised Azam’s recent batting performance but suggested that he needs to play his natural game more often.

“I have been in touch with Babar. He has done remarkably well as a cricketer and sort of carries a lot of the weight of that team on his shoulders,” said Kirsten.

He also opened up about his plan as head coach to help Azam play his natural game.

“What we would try to do as a coaching staff is to lift that a little bit and to realize he’s just one of a whole group of players and then he can just free himself up to play with his natural talent.

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“We certainly saw that in the last game against Ireland and I think he played an outstanding inning and hopefully we see kind of a lot more of that Babar Azam rather than the one that feels that he has to be contributing all the time to a team.

Kirsten emphasized that T20 cricket demands more than one match winner in a team. He stated that he and his coaching staff are committed to establishing a team dynamic where multiple players can step up and deliver match-winning performances on any day.

“That’s not fair on any player but I think that we can unlock that and feel like there’s a big group of guys that can make match-winning contributions, especially in T20 cricket, that will take a lot of pressure off him and I think he’s happy to be back as a captain, so I am looking to working in that relationship with captain and coach.”

Kirsten is set to join Pakistan team on May 19 in Leeds, where the Green Shirts will play the first of the four-match T20I series against England on May 22.

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