Tag: Babar Azam

KARACHI: Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam gave an update regarding the ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and revealed that the left-arm speedster is on a road to recovery and will start bowling soon.

Babar, while talking to the media here responded to a question regarding the unavailability of their ace pacer Shaheen and acknowledged that the team missed his services in the recently-held Asia Cup 2022, while also sharing that the latter will start bowling soon.

“We’ll definitely miss Shaheen as we did so in Asia Cup. I talked to him and he has improved a lot recently,” shared Babar.

“He has started training and will start bowling in the first week of October. So, we are hoping that he will achieve complete recovery soon,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that Shaheen is not a part of the Green Shirts’ squad for the home T20I series against England as a result of his knee injury, which he sustained during the first Test against Sri Lanka.

The National High Performance Center (NHPC) Coach Umar Rasheed will accompany the left-arm pacer to the UK where he is now receiving rehabilitation treatment. Coach Rasheed will be in charge of the pacer’s recuperation.

READ: Pakistan to wear special kits in first T20I in solidarity with flood victims

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam threw his weight behind the opening pair of Pakistan in T20Is and stated that the duo won many matches for Pakistan in the last two years.

Babar, while talking to the media here at National Stadium Karachi ahead of the historic home T20I series against England and responded to a question regarding the struggling opening pair by claiming the opening pair has been very successful in the last couple of years.

“Our opening partnership has been very successful for the last two years. Look, there are different situations and scenarios, what the team requires, and what are the conditions. So, it depends on the planning,” said Babar.

“So, in my opinion, the way our opening partnership had been in the last two-year period, helped our team and gave Pakistan many victories. So, the momentum our opening pair establish is later on continued by the middle-order,” he added.

Babar continued by saying that he was probably concerned about his form but said that he was content with the middle-order, denying that middle-order failures were the cause of the decline in his performance.

“I was concerned about my own performance but was happy for the middle-order as it performed and won us crucial matches in Asia Cup as well,” claimed Babar.

“The middle order is not a cause for concern, and since it is cricket, your graph will fluctuate up and down. Therefore, our goal is to support those that are underperforming,” he maintained.

In response to a question regarding overcoming the bad patch of his career, Babar stated that he always tries not to overthink in such circumstances and always try to believe in himself to come out of it.

“Look, in a rough patch, all you can do is to avoid overthinking and keep things simple. And the most important thing is to keep faith in yourself,” he shared.

“You’ve done it in the past and you’ll do it again. Sometimes you achieve something and sometimes you don’t. So, I always try to remember the positives I have done,” Babar added.

READ: Trophy unveiled as Pakistan to take on England in historic T20I series

DUBAI: After his dismal run in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2022, Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam dropped to the third spot on the latest ICC T20I rankings while wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan retained his top position.

Babar lost his spot to South Africa’s Aiden Markram, who claimed second place on the T20I batters’ list with 792 rating points while the stylish Paksitani batter plunged to 771 points, according to the latest rankings released by the International Cricket Council on Wednesday.

Rizwan, on the hand, stayed at the No.1 spot with 810 rating points after being the top scorer in the Asia Cup 2022.

Meanwhile, the other top performers of the event, Indian star-batter Virat Kohli and Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, made giant strides in the rankings.

Kohli jumped 14 spots to secure the 15th position on the T20I batters’ rankings as he regained his form during the Asia Cup, scoring 276 runs in the tournament including a brilliant century against Afghanistan that ended his three-year wait for the 71st international ton.

Hasaranga’s heroic performances for the winning team earned him a fourth position on the all-rounder rankings and sixth on the bowlers’ list.

Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi lost his top spot as Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan overtook him to become the new No.1 T20I all-rounder.

READ: Pakistan win inaugural Over-60s Cricket World Cup in Australia

KARACHI: Pakistan all-format captain and top-ranked batter Babar Azam’s trademark shot – cover drive, has been added to the ninth-grade Physics Textbook.

Pakistan captain Babar, renowned for his magnificent cover drives, has once again been honoured for his signature stroke as a word problem in the ninth-grade federal board physics textbook dedicated to the right-handed batter’s cover drive.

Cricket fans are ecstatic as the image of the Babar’s cover drive-related word problem circulates on social media.

“It’s the first numerical in physics whom nobody hates,” a user wrote while sharing the picture of the word problem.

https://twitter.com/Sehrish56161026/status/1569661695311634439

 

“New Syllabus and Physics Book. Babar Azam is everywhere. Waiting for his comeback,” another user wrote.

New Syllabus and Physics Book 🌝🔥👑 .
Babar Azam everywhere. Waiting for his comeback. @babarazam258 #BabarAzam #PakistanCricket #WorldCup2022 pic.twitter.com/1LTf5onLTn

— 𝗫 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (@CivilEngr5607) September 13, 2022

Babar is considered one of the most elegant batters in the cricketing world currently and has often been praised by legendary cricketers for playing the best cover drives.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain also praised Babar’s cover drives and said if he was teaching any young boy how to play cover drives, he would ask them to watch Babar play it.

“I’m going to be biased. Sorry Indian fans but I’m gonna go with Babar Azam. I nearly went Kohli because I think Kohli is slightly different. Kohli has a bit more of a flick of the wrist of it. Babar Azam has just a lovely little [touch],” Nasser stated.

It is pertinent to mention here that Babar is the only batter in the world currently to feature in the top five across all formats.

READ: Pakistan women’s football team claims historic victory after eight years

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed excitement for leading his side in the final of the Asia Cup 2022 and claimed the men in green are now just one step away from lifting the trophy.

Babar, in a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released video, opined regarding leading the side in the final of the continental event, while also claiming that his team is keen to perform well and win the tournament.

“As a captain leading a side in a final, it is exciting,” Babar stated. “We are now just one step away from our goal of winning the trophy. Every captain and team, dreams of winning the trophy. As a team, our goal is to perform well and win the tournament.

The all-format captain heaped praises on his teammates, who stood up for the team and won matches for Pakistan in this year’s Asia Cup, while also claiming that it helps pave the path for future success for the team as well.

“Looking back at this tournament, we have had some great matches and some tough contests. We have seen some great performances and different players have shone and won Player of the match awards,” Babar stated.

“When building a team, it is great for us that different players have stood up when it counts and helped the team win matches. As a captain, this is important for me, and it helps pave the path for future success for the team as well,” he concluded.

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka, on the other hand, is confident in his team to do well in the Asia Cup 2022 Final against Pakistan and asserted that this has been one of the best Asia Cups for Sri Lanka Cricket.

“As a team, we are very excited to play the final, and Pakistan is a very good team, all the matches have been nailbiters and we are looking forward to the final,” Shanaka stated.

“As a tournament looking back this has been one of the best Asia Cups we have had, and we are looking forward to the final,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan will lock horns with five-time Asia Cup champions, Sri Lanka, in this year’s final, scheduled on Sunday, in a bid to lift the trophy for the third time. Pakistan last won the title in 2012 under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq.

READ: Alcaraz to face Ruud for US Open title after epic semi-final triumph 

DUBAI: Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has surpassed the skipper Babar Azam to become the new No.1 ranked T20I batter in the world after the latter retained the top spot for 1155 days.  

According to the latest released rankings by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday, Rizwan has scaled to the top of the T20I rankings for the very first time in his career with 815 points, thanks to his sublime form in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, where he has amassed 192 runs in 3 matches, including a scintillating 71-run knock against India on Sunday.

Rizwan became the third Pakistani batter to achieve the top rank in the T20Is as previously Mishah ul Haq and Babar were the only two Pakistani batters to do so.

Babar, on the other hand, lost the spot to his compatriot and opening partner as he slipped to the second position with 794 rating points. So far, Babar failed to impress with the bat in the ongoing tournament.

Babar’s stay at the top position was the longest by any batter in the T20I rankings.

Meanwhile, India’s Suryakumar Yadav slid to the fourth position as South Africa’s Aiden Markram claimed the third spot with 792 rating points.

READ: Khachanov downs Kyrgios to set-up Ruud duel for US Open final spot 

DUBAI: Afghanistan bowling coach Umar Gul revealed that the management has made a strategy against Pakistan captain Babar Azam while also expressing that the plan goes well in their favour.

Bowling coach Umar talked to the pre-match press conference ahead of Afghanistan’s upcoming Asia Cup Super Four fixture against Pakistan and expressed his hopes regarding the strategy against top-ranked T20I batter Babar to go as per plan.

“Babar and Rizwan are world-class players. Definitely, we have planned against them as professionals as we do for the other teams. So obviously, we are hoping that our players can execute those plannings against them,” said Umar Gul.

On a question regarding Pakistan speedster Naseem Shah, who impressed the cricketing world with his brilliant performance in the ongoing Asia Cup, Umar praised Naseem’s Pakistan Super League (PSL) performance and termed it a turning point in his success.

“I have worked with Naseem for two years during my coaching tenure for Quetta Gladiators and the way he performed in the last PSL was quite superb and you may call it a turning point for his international career as he made his debut in the white-ball cricket as well,” Umar stated.

“So in my view, he has improved quite well so far physically and also his cricketing skills. Definitely, he is a good bowler and an asset for Pakistan so I wish him good luck in the future. He is improving day by day and the responsibility is also mounting on him,” he added.

The former Pakistan pacer then expressed his desire to witness a good game of cricket between the two sides while also hoping the crowd to come out in numbers to watch the important match.

READ: ‘No doubt on his abilities, he’ll come back stronger’ Saqlain backs Fakhar

DUBAI: Former Indian captain Virat Kohli heaped praises on the top-ranked white ball batter Babar Azam and coined him the best batter in the world currently across all three formats of the game.

Virat, while featuring in the Star Sports’ Heart to Heart episode, lauded the Pakistani skipper Babar and recalled his first conversation with the top-ranked batter in limited overs cricket.

“The first talk with Babar Azam was after the 2019 World Cup, we sat down and talked a lot, he had a lot of respect that hasn’t changed even after doing so well in world cricket,” Virat stated.

The former Indian captain then termed Babar a ‘down-to-earth character’ and predicted the latter to succeed as a player before claiming to enjoy his batting.

“He is so down to earth character, he will go long way as a player. He is probably the top batsman right now across all formats. I have enjoyed watching him bat,” Virat concluded.

Earlier the two batters met on the sidelines of the teams’ training sessions for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 and had a overwhelming moment.

Furthermore, the two cricketers displayed mutual respect in July this year when Babar came out in support of Virat with a motivating tweet, “This too shall pass. Stay strong” and received an overwhelming response from the cricket fans.

A number of speculations also began to arise about whether the Indian batter will respond to the Babar’s message. Virat, however, proved the speculations wrong and responded to Babar’s supportive tweet for him in a challenging phase of his career, while also wishing latter the luck.

“Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best,” Virat replied to Babar on his tweet.

It is pertinent to mention here that the 15th edition of the Asia Cup will embark on August 27 with the hosts Sri Lanka taking on Afghanistan in the curtain raiser. The most anticipated clash of the tournament between India and Pakistan, however, is scheduled for August 28.

READ: ‘First time in 10 years I didn’t touch my bat for a month’ claims Virat

DUBAI: Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam met his Indian counterpart, Rohit Sharma, on the sidelines of the training session for the Asia Cup 2022.

Taking to Twitter, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared the footage of the two captains’ meet and greet, which received a lot of attention from cricket fans.

©️ meets ©️#AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/OgnJZpM9B1

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 27, 2022

 

Pakistan and India captains interacted on Friday night before coming face to face at the toss of the high octane clash, scheduled on August 28.

Earlier, former Indian captain Virat Kohli, current vice-captain KL Rahul, and wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant met the injured ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and wished him for his quick recovery as the latter was ruled out of the Asian tournament, owing to a knee injury.

The 15th edition of the Asia Cup will commence on August 27 (today) as the hosts Sri Lanka will take on Afghanistan in a curtain raiser.

READ: Maria to lead Pakistan in SAFF Women’s Championship 2022

DUBAI: Australia’s legendary all-rounder Shane Watson heaped praises on Pakistan’s top batter Babar Azam and ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi as he revealed the top five players in World T20I.

Watson, while featuring in the latest episode of ICC Review, unveiled the five players he would select first if given a task to select a World XI in the shortest format of the game to a query from the host Sanjana Ganesan.

“First one I’d pick would be Babar Azam,” Watson said. “He’s the No.1 T20I batsman in the world, and he just knows how to dominate.

“It’s like he’s not even taking any risks, and he scores incredibly quickly against the best bowlers in the world.

“He’s going to do very well in Australian conditions (during the T20 World Cup) as well, as his technique is very much built for Australian conditions.”

The world cup-winning all-rounder then went on to pick Pakistan ace pacer, Shaheen and praised his wicket-taking ability while referring to his performance in last year’s ICC World T20.

“And the last one is Shaheen Afridi,” Watson said. “His wicket-taking ability is something special.

“We saw in the last men’s T20 World Cup his ability to be able to get the best batsmen out with that brand new ball. I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t really dominate in Australian conditions, with the ball swinging around and fast, bouncy wickets,” Watson maintained.

The right-handed all-rounder also expressed his concerns over Shaheen getting a bit erratic if he does not get early wickets, while at the same time hoping that the left-arm pacer would be working on it.

“My only little concern with him is, if he doesn’t take wickets to start with, then he can tail off a little bit.

“But I’m sure he’s been working on that. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t dominate here.”

It is pertinent to mention here that Shaheen was the only bowler that Watson picked in his first top five players. Whereas, the three batters beside Babar were England’s Jos Buttler, Australia’s David Warner, and India’s Suryakumar Yadav.

READ: Pakistan Army to assist Qatar for FIFA World Cup 2022 security