Tag: Babar Azam

DUBAI: India’s hard-hitting batter Suryakumar Yadav retained the top spot in the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings, while Pakistan captain Babar Azam jumped to the third rank in the latest rankings, announced on Wednesday.

Following his magnificent half-century against New Zealand in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup, Azam made significant raise in his ratings, which bolstered him to clinch the third spot.

Whereas, following a dismal show in the semi-final against Pakistan, New Zealand’s Devon Conway slipped a spot to take the fourth position.

Yadav, on the other hand, who became the No.1 T20I batter after a superb showing in the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, smashing three half-centuries in five innings managed to amass his career-best ratings of 869 points.

The right-handed batter’s ratings, however, dropped to 859 points following his 14-run knock against England in the second semi-final.

Despite a dip in the rating points, Yadav managed to retain his top spot as the rest of the batters in his vicinity failed to produce an extraordinary knock.

Besides Yadav, Babar and Conway, Mohammad Rizwan and Aiden Markram are the remaining batters in the top five as the latter two managed to hold on to their second and fifth positions respectively.

In the bowling charts, England’s spinner Adil Rashid made a significant rise as the leg-spinner gained five spots to move up to No 3, while his compatriot Sam Curran jumped two spots to claim the fifth position.

READ: WATCH: Haris Rauf receives warm welcome on reaching hometown

MELBOURNE: Pakistan captain Babar Azam revealed the reason behind the national team’s defeat at the hands of England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.

Babar, while speaking to the post-match ceremony, raised the batting line-up’s falter and asserted that Pakistan were 20 runs short in the first innings.

The skipper also coined Shaheen Shah Afridi’s injury as another key factor behind the team’s shortcoming in the mega final.

“First of all I would like to congratulate the England team, it almost felt time like home as everyone came here to support us,” said Babar.

“The way the team has gone in the last four matches [was] incredible. I told the boys to play their natural game, with freedom.

“We were 20 runs short [in the final] but the fight to the last over was unbelievable. Our bowling is one of the best but unfortunately, Shaheen’s injury cost us a different result, but that’s part of the game.”

Meanwhile, the winning skipper Jos Buttler was ecstatic and lauded their veteran all-rounder Ben Stokes’ heroics that guided England to their second T20 World Cup title.

“This is the icing on the cake, to win the T20 World Cup, just immensely proud. A long journey and a few changes, but we’re reaping the rewards. Fantastic tournament,” said Buttler.

“He [Stokes] is the ultimate competitor. In anything he does, a hell of a lot of experience to bank on, he timed it perfectly, the impetus he and Moeen had taken it away from Pakistan,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that England edged Pakistan by five wickets in the final of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the back of Stokes’ gritty half-century.

Pakistan bowlers fought hard and took the match close but Stokes held his nerves calm to redeem his 2016 World Cup heartbreak into exciting glory.

READ: ‘Well Played’: President Alvi, PM Shehbaz back Pakistan following WC loss

Our all-rounder orthodox is retained @simadwasim will continue to be the #King in the #HBLPSL8#HBLPSLDraft #HBLPSL #YehHaiKarachi #ImadWasim pic.twitter.com/ZxW5YNY1Bc

— Karachi Kings (@KarachiKingsARY) November 11, 2022

 

Lahore Qalandars, the defending champions, have kept retained Shaheen Afridi, their captain, and Rashid Khan in the Platinum category. All-rounder David Wiese stays in Diamond category. While Lahore have retained seven players, they will announce their eighth retention in due course.

Multan Sultans, the winners of the 2021 edition and the finalists in the last one, have retained middle-order batters Khushdil Shah and Rilee Rossouw in Diamond category and Tim David in Gold. Their captain Mohammad Rizwan, the highest run getter in T20 Internationals since the beginning of 2021 and the player of HBL PSL 2021, is their only retention in the Platinum. Fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani, named Multan Sultans’ Brand Ambassador, he joins David in Gold category.

Islamabad United, the winners of the inaugural and third editions in 2016 and 2018, have retained their captain Shadab Khan in the Platinum category. They have kept two players in the Diamond with Asif Ali being named as the Brand Ambassador and Mohammad Wasim Jnr. Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali will continue with United in Gold.

Quetta Gladiators have retained Mohammad Nawaz, who has been with them since the inaugural edition, in the Platinum. Jason Roy and Iftikhar Ahmed are retained in Diamond category. Their captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mohammad Hasnain (Brand Ambassador) are in the Gold category.

As it was last year, each of the six sides will have the Right to Match Card that will allow them to pick any player released from their roster during the draft.

Complete list of retained players:

Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (Platinum). Asif Ali (Brand Ambassador) and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Diamond). Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali (Gold). Colin Munro and Paul Stirling (Silver).

Karachi Kings: Haider Ali (Platinum). Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir and Shoaib Malik (Diamond). Aamir Yamin, Mir Hamza and Sharjeel Khan (Silver). Qasim Akram (Emerging)

Lahore Qalandars: Rashid Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Platinum). David Wiese (Diamond). Abdullah Shafique (Gold). Harry Brook and Kamran Ghulam (Silver). Zaman Khan (Emerging). Eighth retention to be announced in due course.

Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (Platinum). Khushdil Shah, Rilee Rossouw and Shan Masood (Diamond). Shahnawaz Dahani (Brand Ambassador) and Tim David (Gold). Abbas Afridi and Ihsanullah (Emerging).

Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (Platinum). Sherfane Rutherford and Wahab Riaz (Diamond). Mohammad Haris (Gold). Aamir Jamal (Brand Ambassador), Salman Irshad and Tom-Kohler Cadmore (Silver).

Quetta Gladiators: Mohammad Nawaz (Platinum). Iftikhar Ahmed and Jason Roy (Diamond). Mohammad Hasnain and Sarfaraz Ahmed (Gold). Naveen ul Haq, Umar Akmal (Mentor) and Will Smeed (Silver)

Meanwhile, leading T20 cricketers from around the globe have registered themselves for the HBL PSL Player Draft 2023. Four hundred and ninety-three players, of which 29 are in the Platinum category and 81 in Diamond (names below), from both full member and associate nations, have made themselves available for the player draft.

The maximum number of foreign players to register are from England (140). The next on the list – from full members – are Sri Lanka (60), Afghanistan (43), West Indies (38), Bangladesh (28), South Africa (25), Australia (14), Zimbabwe (11) and Ireland (nine).

PSL Tournament Director Usman Wahla: “Today we have checked another box on our journey towards the HBL Pakistan Super League 8. It gives me immense pleasure that the HBL PSL has transformed into one of the most successful and sought after leagues, and the interest and willingness of the T20 superstars from around the world to be a part of it is a testimony.

“Foreign players, from time to time, reflect on how the quality and competitiveness of the HBL PSL has helped them in enhancing their skillset. With every passing day, we are stepping up our efforts to ensure that the upcoming edition goes down as the best to have taken place. The presence of these superstars will light up the stadiums in Lahore, Karachi, Multan and Rawalpindi.”

The details of PSL Player Draft 2023 will be announced in due course.

Foreign players registered in the top two categories

Platinum – Aaron Finch, Adil Rashid, Akeal Hosein, Alex Hales, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Colin De Grandhomme, Dasun Shanaka, David Miller, Dawid Malan, Evin Lewis, Jimmy Neesham, Lungi Ngidi, Martin Guptill, Moeen Ali, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rehman, Nicholas Pooran, Odean Smith, Rahkeem Cornwall, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, Rassie van der Dussen, Reece Topley, Saqib Mahmood, Shakib Al Hasan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tom Curran, Tymal Mills and Wanindu Hasaranga De Silva

Diamond – Adam Hose, Andre Fletcher, Andrew Tye, Angelo Mathews, Avishka Fernando, Bas de Leede, Ben Mike, Benjamin Cutting, Bjorn Fortuin, Brandon King, Cameron Delport, Carlos Brathwaite, Chadwick Walton, Charith Asalanka, Craig Overton, Daniel Sams, Daniel Worrall, David Wiese, Dominic Drakes, Dushmantha Chameera, Dwaine Pretorius, Evan Jones, Fabian Allen, Fazalhaq Farooqi, George Dockrell, Gulbadin Naib, Hayden Walsh, Hazratullah Zazai, Imran Tahir, Jacques Snyman, James Bracey, James Fuller, James Vince, Jamie Overton, Janneman Malan, Jason Roy, Johnson Charles, Josh Little, Keemo Paul, Kevin Sinclair, Kieran Powell, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Laurie Evans, Lendl Simmons, Lewis Gregory, Lewis McManus, Liam Dawson, Liam Norwell, Luke Wood, Maheesh Theekshana, Mahmudullah Riyad, Marchant De Lange, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Michael Rippon, Migael Pretorius, Mushfiqur Rahim, Najibullah Zadran, Nkrumah Bonner, Ollie Pope, Olly Stone, Oshane Thomas, Patum Nissanka , Paul Walter, Qais Ahmad, Rehan Ahmed, Richard Gleeson, Rilee Rossouw, Roelof van der Merwe, Roston Chase, Ryan Gibson, Shai Hope, Shane Dadswell, Sherfane Rutherford, Sikandar Raza, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed, Thisara Perera, Thomas Kaber Phillip, Wayne Parnell and Will Jacks.

SYDNEY: Pakistan captain Babar Azam participated in the optional training session ahead of his team’s scheduled semi-final clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 against New Zealand.

According to the details, the rest of the national team preferred to rest before the all-important semi-final against New Zealand, scheduled for tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Babar, who is going through a rough patch, practised alone in the nets to regain his form.

The right-handed batter trained for a gruelling one and a half hours, while team mentor Matthew Hayden accompanied him.

It is pertinent to mention that Babar could manage to score 39 runs in five innings at a dismal average of 7.8 and a strike rate of 48.03.

READ: T20 WC: Rohit gets hit on forearm during net session ahead of semi-final 

SYDNEY: Pakistan team mentor Matthew Hayden has put his weight behind out-of-form skipper Babar Azam and has cautioned the opposing teams that they are about to witness some very special knock from the Pakistan captain in the final phase of the T20 World Cup.

Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday ahead of the first semifinal between the Green Shirts and New Zealand tomorrow at the Sydney Cricket Ground, former Australian cricketer has backed Pakistan’s opening pair, Babar and Mohammad Rizwan, to bounce back from the dip, saying that such special players do not stay down for long.

Hayden supported both of the openers and compared their predicament to that of Adam Gilchrist during the 2007 ODI World Cup.

“Babar and Rizwan rightly are the number one combination,” he said. “Adam Gilchrist… had quite a lean World Cup…(And) that last match against Sri Lanka, he went on to score an incredible hundred and realized his potential in that tournament and awakened the world once again to the fact that he was such a premium player. ”

He further went on to say we all felt the pressure at any given time in our careers and that was no different for the No.1 combination.

Talking about Babar’s form in the current T20 World Cup, Hayden said: “You can’t continue to punching out the fifties and hundreds and the strike rates of 140 plus. There’s got to be moments in time when there’s a lull.”

“As well know about the weather when there’s a lull, there’s often a storm that follows. So look out, the rest of the world because I think you’re about to see something very special from Babar,” he warned.

It is pertinent to mention here that No.4 ranked T20I batter Babar remained unimpressive with the bat in the ongoing mega event as he was dismissed within the single digits four out of five times while he managed an overall 39 runs in the tournament so far.

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KARACHI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam revealed the bowler he wants to hit for a six as the International Cricket Council (ICC) shared footage of him answering the rapid-fire questions.

In the video, released by the ICC, the host asked Babar several questions regarding his nickname and the cricketer he idolized, before asking about one bowler, the Pakistan captain wants to hit for a six.

In response, Babar named England speedster Mark Wood as the bowler he would like to hit for a maximum.

 

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Pakistan’s top batter then went on to reveal that shopping and playing Snooker as his hobbies besides cricket.

It is pertinent to mention that right-arm speedster Wood dismissed Babar twice in the recently-held seven-match T20I series between Pakistan and England.

READ: T20 WC: Buttler, Hales power England to post 179/6 against New Zealand 

MELBOURNE: Pakistan captain Babar Azam asserted that he will try to keep things simple in the much-anticipated clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 between two arch-rivals – Pakistan and India.

Babar, while talking to the media ahead of the high-octane clash of the T20 World Cup Super 12s against India is hopeful to take less pressure off the big match against India.

“No doubt it’s a high-pressure game but we will try to keep it simple and keep faith in our abilities and the practice we’ve done,” said Babar.

“It is going to be a good game of cricket while I am unsure about how the wicket would react,” he added.

Skipper Babar then requested the Pakistan cricket fans for their support and is hopeful of doing well in the mega event.

“We request our fans for their support and at the same time we will try to give our best and do well for our country,” he said.

The right-handed batter then opined regarding a heart whelming moment on captains’ day ahead of the commencement of the T20 World Cup when his Australian counterpart presented him with a cake on his 28th birthday.

“I felt really humbled by his gesture,” he stated.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan will start their T20 World Cup campaign on Sunday (October 23) as they take on their traditional rivals India.

READ: Australia win toss, elect to bowl against New Zealand in first Super 12s fixture

MELBOURNE: Indian captain Rohit Sharma opened up regarding the conversations between the players of two-arch rivals – India and Pakistan – whenever they come face to face against each other.

The captains of all 16 teams participating in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, took part in the captains’ day media event on Saturday and discussed the preparations of their respective teams ahead of the mega event.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam and his Indian counterpart were all praise for each other during the event, and brilliantly explained the bond the players of the two teams share, in response to a journalist’s question.

“Rohit Sharma is older than me. I try to take as much experience as possible from him as he has been playing for a long time,” said Babar.

Rohit, on the other hand, asserted that both teams’ players often talk about how are things back home and how the families are.

” We understand the game against Pakistan, but there is no point in talking about it every time and creating that pressure within yourselves,” Rohit said.

“Whenever we meet against the Pakistan players, we met them in the Asia Cup and now… we talk about how are things back home, how the families are. Even our previous generation cricketers also told us the same thing. We just talk about what is going on, how is life and what new car they have bought or they are about to buy,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan will lock horns with arch-rivals India on October 23 in the most-talked clash of the upcoming T20 World Cup.

READ: Babar Azam celebrates birthday with counterparts ahead of T20 WC

MELBOURNE: Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam celebrated his 28th birthday with all teams’ captains participating in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

Following a joint press conference ahead of the commencement of this year’s mega event, all teams’ skippers celebrated the Pakistan captain’s birthday.

Babar was having a conversation with Scotland’s captain Richie Berrington when Australia’s Aaron Finch surprised Babar with the birthday cake.

Taking to Twitter, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also shared glimpses of the memorable 28th birthday of skipper Babar.

Special guests for the birthday of [Pakistan captain], the PCB wrote.

“We invited all the team captains at the [T20 World Cup] to celebrate Babar Azam’s birthday,” the caption added.

Special guests for the birthday of 🇵🇰 ©️! 🎊😊

We invited all the team captains at the @T20WorldCup to celebrate Babar Azam's birthday 🎂🙌 pic.twitter.com/WZFzYXywsO

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 15, 2022

 

Pakistan will begin their T20 World Cup 2022 campaign against arch-rivals India on October 23.

In last year’s edition, Babar-led Pakistan ended the jinx of not beating India in a world game when he partnered strongly with Mohammad Rizwan and powered the Men in Green to a massive 10-wicket victory.

The right-handed batter continued to enjoy a remarkable tournament as he ended as a top scorer with 303 runs in six games.

Pakistan captain also equalled an astounding record of his then counterpart Virat Kohli and Australia’s legendary opener Matthew Hayden of scoring the most half-centuries in a single edition of the T20 World Cup (4).

READ: India lose to Morocco 3-0, crash out of FIFA U-17 Women’s WC

CHRISTCHURCH: Pakistan’s dynamic opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan amassed yet another milestone in T20Is as the duo became the first to accumulate 1000 runs in successful run chases.

Babar and Rizwan put on a match-defining 101-run partnership while chasing 174 against Bangladesh in the ongoing T20I Tri-series.

Following their brilliant partnership, the duo has become the first to add 1000 runs in terms of partnership in successful T20I run chases.

Their 101-run partnership against Bangladesh today marked their fifth century-plus in run chases in T20Is.

The pair has put on eight century-plus partnerships overall in T20Is. They also have scored 16 fifty-plus partnerships.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan sank Bangladesh in a thriller by seven wickets with one ball to spare.

Wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan, who top-scored for the side with 69 off 56, adjudged the player of the match for his anchoring knock, while Babar scored 55 off 40.

READ: Babar Azam breaks Virat Kohli’s yet another record