Tag: Babar Azam

RAWALPINDI: Numerous records bite the dust as Quetta Gladiators downed Peshawar Zalmi in the must-win Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight clash on Wednesday.

After struggling with the bat in the initial fixtures, Gladiators’ hard-hitting opener Jason Roy announced his comeback in style as the right-handed batter powered his side to pull off a miraculous victory over Zalmi with a marathon 145-run knock in the run chase.

With his scintillating match-winning knock, Roy registered the highest-ever individual score in PSL history, trumping Karachi Kings’ Colin Ingram’s 127 not out against Gladiators in 2019.

Roy also became the first overseas player in PSL to score two centuries in the league’s history. His century was also the second-fastest in the league’s history.

English opener’s astonishing knock powered Gladiators to pull off the highest-ever run chase in PSL history, breaking the previous record of Multan Sultans, who successfully chased down 209 against Lahore Qalandars in the previous edition.

The historic pursuit was also the second-highest successful chase in domestic T20s and the fourth-highest in all T20s.

The Gladiators also bettered the third-highest total of PSL history by scoring 243/2 which Zalmi put up in the first innings as they finished at 240/2.

Meanwhile, despite being a forgetful night for him as a captain, Babar Azam unlocked a long-awaited achievement for himself as the star batter struck his maiden century in the extravaganza.

With his magnificent knock, Babar scored his eighth century in T20s and is only behind T20 great Chris Gayle, who scored 22 tons in his iconic career.

READ: Roy ton pulls off miraculous win over Zalmi as Gladiators stay alive

RAWALPINDI: Hard-hitting opener Jason Roy’s marathon 145-run knock trumped Babar Azam’s maiden Pakistan Super League (PSL) century as Quetta Gladiators pulled off the highest run chase to down Peshawar Zalmi by eight wickets and stayed alive in the playoff contention.

The Gladiators had a mountain to climb to stay alive in the tournament as the former champions needed to pull off the highest-ever run chase and eventually they did so with 10 balls to spare at the back of a scintillating knock by Roy.

In pursuit of 241, the Gladiators’ openers Martin Guptill and Roy gave their side a flying start as they straight away charged on Zalmi bowlers; raising 40 runs in the third over.

Roy was the core aggressor of the Gladiators’ counterattack but his partner Guptill also began to catch up before Wahab Riaz outdid him with a short-pitch delivery. He scored a brisk eight-ball 21 including three boundaries and a six.

Following the early setback, Will Smeed joined his countrymate in the middle and the pair stitched a match-defining 109-run partnership for the second wicket and made sure to score at a rapid pace.

Roy once again led the charge of yet another partnership while Smeed anchored the run chase before falling victim to Mujeeb Ur Rehman in the 12th over. He scored 26 off 22, hitting a boundary and two sixes.

The Gladiators needed 91 off the last eight overs when Mohammad Hafeez came out to bat.

The experienced batter wasted no time in settling down and opened his account with a boundary on the first ball. The right-handed batter then brought all his experience in play to support Roy, who was turning it into a nightmare for Zalmi.

The pair then prevailed in steering their side to victory and pulled off the highest run chase with 10 balls to spare as Zalmi bowlers remained clueless.

Roy played a marathon knock and registered the highest individual score in PSL history with a 63-ball 145, beefed up whopping 20 boundaries and five gigantic sixes.

Hafeez, on the other hand, also played a crucial cameo; scoring brisk 41 runs in 18 balls with the help of six boundaries and two sixes.

For Zalmi, Wahab and Mujeeb could pick up a wicket as the rest went for plenty and wicketless.

Opting to bat first against Gladiators, who took the field without their regular captain Sarfaraz Ahmed in a must-win clash, Zalmi openers Saim Ayub and Babar gave their bowlers a ruthless thrashing as the pair recorded the second-highest PSL partnership for any wicket.

Saim remained the core aggressor of his record partnership with Babar – who was by no mean sparing any delivery in his zone – and smashed the Gladiators’ bowlers all over the park with clean hitting.

The pair looked in great control to tumble the long-standing record of the then Karachi Kings’ opening pair of Babar and Sharjeel Khan’s 176 against Islamabad United but Dwaine Pretorius provided a much-needed breakthrough for the Gladiators by dismissing Saim with a slower ball.

Saim fell 15 runs short of what could have been his maiden PSL century as he played a quickfire 85-run knock in just 34 deliveries, smashing six boundaries and five sixes.

Zalmi promoted Rovman Powell up the order to continue the flow of runs and the hard-hitting batter justified his move as he supported Babar brilliantly with his cameo.

Meanwhile, Babar continued his utter domination with his strokeplay and brought up his long-awaited maiden PSL century when he clobbered Naseem Shah’s length delivery through wide cover to reach the milestone.

The Zalmi skipper continued his centurion knock till the final over thanks to some sloppy efforts by the Gladiators’ fielders in the deep before Aimal Khan finally ran him out.

Babar top-scored for the Zalmi with an astounding knock of 115 runs in just 65 balls, laced up with 15 boundaries and three sixes.

Powell then made sure of a strong end to a dominating effort as he, with some help from Tom Kohler-Cadmore (seven off three), powered Zalmi to their highest total in PSL history.

The right-handed batter played a vital cameo of 35 runs off 18 deliveries, which featured three boundaries and two sixes.

For the hapless Gladiators’ bowling attack, only Pretorius could pick up a wicket.

LAHORE: Middle-order batter Iftikhar Ahmed took exception to the criticism hurled at Pakistan captain Babar Azam, calling it a ‘sin’. 

Iftikhar, who represents Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing Pakistan Super League season 8, comes out in support of star batter Babar, saying the ones who criticize him ‘should look at their stature first,’ without naming anyone.

“I believe criticising a player like Babar is just like committing a sin,” he said in an interview with a local news channel on Wednesday.

“Everyone knows that there is no other player like Babar in the world,” he claimed.

“See your level first before passing comments on Babar. First, make yourself a cricketer like him and then criticise. I believe criticising Babar is a sin,” he reiterated.

It may be noted here that Babar is often criticised for his low strike rate in the shortest format of the game. Some cricket analysts and fans also point fingers at his on-field decisions as a captain.

However, the right-handed batter led Pakistan to the semifinals in two successive T20 World Cups -2021 and 2022 – and finished as runner-ups in the latter.

READ: Malan ton gives England thrilling win over Bangladesh

DUBAI: England’s Joe Root has taken over Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam as the third-ranked player in the ICC Test batting rankings. 

According to International Cricket Council’s latest ranking updates, Root jumped ahead of Babar and Australia’s Travis Head to the third spot after his superb comeback in the second Test against New Zealand.

Babar dropped one spot to fourth with 862 rating points as Root went nine points ahead of him.

However, Australian duo Marnus Labuschagne (912) and Steve Smith (875) remain first and second respectively on the list.

Former skipper Root scored 153 and 95 respectively during Enland’s stunning loss to New Zealand by one run in the recent Wellington Test.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Tom Blundell stepped into the top 10, moving four places to the seventh after he helped the Black Caps with a crucial 83 during the follow-on innings in the same Test.

Young Englishman Harry Brook, however, continues his impressive run with bat as well as on the rankings charts as he climbed 15 places to draw level with Virat Kohli in 16th after another brilliant century.

READ: Man City stroll into FA Cup quarters, Leicester crash out 

LONDON: Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and a host of other top-performing T20I players from Pakistan have signed up for the upcoming draft of ‘the Hundred’ – England’s first of its sort league. 

A total of 57 players – international as well as local – from Pakistan registered themselves for the draft, which will take place on March 23. Apart from Babar and Shaheen, the list also includes Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Fakhar Zaman, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Diana Baig to name a few.

According to the ‘the Hundred’ media release, a total of 881 players from 28 countries will be up for grabs ahead of the third year of the competition. The women’s competition is to stage a draft for the first time.

Moreover, 113 players were retained by their respective franchises across the men’s and women’s tournaments, which means The Hundred Draft and the open market process in the women’s competition will fill up a further 135 spots.

Among the other standout names hoping to earn a slot in this year’s season include India’s Harmanpreet Kaur, Ben Duckett, Danni Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Sarah Glenn, Reece Topley and Kate Cross from England, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, West Indies’ Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi.

Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Kane Williamson and Trent Boult from New Zealand, and  Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Grace Harris and Amanda-Jade Wellington from Australia will also be in contention for the spots. South Africa’s Anrich Nortje, Dane van Niekerk and Shabnim Ismail are also included on this list.

The tournament will kick off at Trent Bridge on August 1 with a double-header between Trent Rockets and Southern Brave – the first of 68 games across the third year of The Hundred.

READ: Imad sets eyes on playoffs with shift in Kings’ momentum

LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars’ captain Shaheen Afridi has revealed his plans to get the crucial wicket of Babar Azam in his side’s first home game in the Pakistan Super League season 8 against Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday. 

Pace spearhead Shaheen said he would bowl his signature yorker deliveries to the  Peshawar Zalmi captain and try to get an early breakthrough for the side in his face-off against Babar.

“Babar is a world-class player and he is everyone’s favourite. I mentioned this earlier as well, I enjoy bowling him in the nets,” he said in a scheduled press conference in Lahore on Saturday.

“Babar and Rizwan are the players whom I enjoy bowling to, but it’s a challenge too. It’s not easy. Even coaches are giving an example of Babar’s cover drive while teaching. Of course, we will plan for him and do well” he said

When asked if he had his yorkers loaded for the Peshawar Zalmi captain, Shaheen replied in affirmation and said: “As a player and a captain, I will try to give my team an early breakthrough. This is what I try to do, not only in franchise cricket but in the Pakistan team too. You will get to see a good competition,”

Qalandars’ captain, however, debunked the perception that his side was reliant solely on Harry Brook in the batting and with his absence it turned fragile.

“We already knew that Brook won’t be able to play this season. He is doing a great job for  England in New Zealand” he said  ”

“I don’t think we are weak in any department. We scored 190+ in the last game. Of course, it’s cricket, you have to improve a lot of things.

When asked why Abdullah Shafique was yet not given a chance despite being an integral part of the Qalandars’ PSL winning team in PSL 7, Shaheen disclosed he was not feeling well and might get a chance keeping the team combination in consideration.

“I personally like him [Abdullah Shafique]. He is the second classy batter after Babar Azam. He wasn’t feeling well due to flu but he is feeling better now and batting in the nets. Our opening partnership is doing well, we will look at our combination before making a decision [about his inclusion in the squad],” he concluded.

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KARACHI: Islamabad United batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz has credited the useful tips shared by Babar Azam before the game for his sensational knock against Peshawar Zalmi on Thursday.

Aghanistan’s Gurbaz struck a quickfire half-century and bolstered Islamabad United to thrash Peshawar Zalmi by six wickets in the 12th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

He claimed that the pre-match chat with the Pakistan captain helped him a lot to change the way he used to bat.

“I changed one thing in my batting today. I also focused on some strike rotation. Before this, I just try to hit too hard but today my focus was also to play some good cricketing shots,” he said in a post-match press conference.

“I spoke to Babar before the match and asked about his mindset. He shared his experience with me and I applied that to my batting and it helped.”

“Earlier, I was just keen on hitting every ball but today I saw his (Babar’s) batting as well and observed how he rotates strike and hit boundaries,” he added.

The right-hander scored 62 in just 31 balls, smashing seven fours and four sixes, to put United in command before he was dismissed in the ninth over off Usman Qadir.

The 21-year-old also hailed the PSL for the quality it offers and claimed that he would share the experience with his teammates back home.

READ: Australia captain Cummins out of third Test against India

 

 

KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam commented on his defensive approach in the death overs amid his side’s Pakistan Super League (PSL) fixture against Islamabad United, stating that his side kept losing wickets.

Zalmi’s skipper Babar, who amassed his half-century in just 33 deliveries, struggled in the second phase of his knock as the right-handed batter could score 25 runs in as many deliveries, on his way to an unbeaten 75.

Babar struggled against a disciplined United bowling attack in the death overs and could not power his side to a defendable total as Zalmi could amass 156/8 in 20 overs despite a flying start.

Meanwhile, Babar interacted with the media here following his side’s six-wicket defeat against Islamabad United and revealed the reason behind his defensive approach in the death overs of the first innings.

“We started off well but could not finish it in the same way. Our goal was to execute our plan in the first six overs. But, we lost back-to-back wickets after that and I decided to take the match deep,” said Babar.

“But, whenever I thought of charging [on the bowlers], we lost wickets. My strive was to just take the match to the end. There is no such thing as that I wasn’t being able to middle the ball but as I said, we could not finish off well,” he added.

The Zalmi captain then went on to term Hasan Ali’s spell a game-changer as his twin strikes halted his side’s march towards a big total.

“That spell of Hasan Ali was a game changer. The wickets that he took totally changed our momentum and all of those strikes were crucial,” praised Babar.

It is pertinent to mention that the dominating triumph over Zalmi, propelled United to occupy the second spot in the PSL 8 standings.

Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam has responded to Ricky Ponting’s remarks in which he praised the former for his batting prowess. 

Babar said it was an honour to hear such compliments from the Australian great, who believes that the star Pakistan batter is yet to achieve his peak as a batsman as well as a captain.

“You get confidence when a legendary player gives you a compliment and you try to be better,” Babar told ICC Digital.

“When such a huge player passes positive comments, it adds to your confidence and you have it in your mind that such a huge player is talking good about you.

“Because these players have been through a similar stage so they know what mindset I have. They have been through similar scenarios and have knowledge of the game.

“So yes, I try to take these comments in a positive way and try to produce my best.”

Ponting heaped praises on Babar last month in an episode of ICC Review, highlighting his sound foundation and adaptability as factors that contributed to his meteoric rise across each format

“He plays spin bowling very well, he plays fast bowling really well, and he’s been able to adapt to different conditions across the world – which is what separates the great players from the good players.” he had said.

“I love watching him play. I think there’s some room for improvement, let’s hope we see it.”

Pakistan skipper Babar, who enjoyed a remarkable year with the bat in all three formats,  claimed the ICC ODI Men’s Cricketer of the Year Award before getting his hand on the most coveted Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year for 2022.

Ponting also believed Babar had a lot to improve on the captaincy front especially his ability to handle pressure in tense encounters.

“I’m sure with a bit more experience under his belt, like he’s done with his batting, I’m sure he’ll find the right way to lead and be a very successful captain of Pakistan,” he had remarked.

Babar also responded to the questions about his captaincy style, saying he focuses on getting the best out of his teammates.

“Play the team that is best for Pakistan and go with the right players.”

“When you are on the field, you have to give confidence to your players. The more you give confidence the better you can get out of them.”

“What a player is thinking and how can you put him in his comfort zone, that is what matters to me,” he concluded.

READ: WATCH: Imran Tahir teaches Rashid Khan’s googly to Sikandar Raza

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who is set to represent former champions Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight has his sights set on trying something new with the bat in this year’s marquee league.

While talking to a press conference here ahead of their anticipated clash against hosts Karachi Kings, Babar revealed that the right-handed batter did some experiments with his batting style amid practice and is determined to execute them in the PSL season 8.

“I’m trying something new in batting. I have done some experiments in practice and will try to replicate them in the upcoming matches,” said Babar.

Zalmi’s newly appointed captain Babar, who was previously linked with the Kings, is excited to play against his former PSL franchise, stating that playing against each other is a different kind of fun.

“We [Zalmi] have a match against Karachi Kings, who have a very strong bowling attack. I was associated with Karachi Kings as a family for six years but playing against each other is a different kind of fun,” said Babar.

“This is my first year with the Zalmi so my goal is to win,” he added.

Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar further commented on the lineups of all PSL teams, stating that all sides look solid on paper while also sharing that he will be reviewing the performances of the players.

“The PSL 8 is starting today so I would like to say best of luck to all the teams. I think, on paper, all sides look really good,” Babar shared.

“I will also be reviewing the performance of some players,” he concluded.

The eighth edition of Pakistan’s marquee league is all set to kick off with a grand opening ceremony today in Multan followed by the inaugural match between defending champion Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans.

Babar-led Zalmi, on the other hand, will play their first game against home side Kings on February 15 in Multan.

READ: PSL 8: Hafeez to replace injured Ahsan Ali in Quetta Gladiators’ squad