Danish Kaneria Archives

“He doesn’t score runs when it matters,” Former Pakistan cricketer criticizes Rizwan

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has raised questions over the performance of wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan in crucial matches.

During a recent interview, Kaneria criticised Rizwan’s ability to perform in tough situations, citing the example of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 clash against arch-rivals India.

During the match against India, Pakistan only managed 113 runs for the loss of seven wickets while chasing a modest 120-run target.

Mohammad Rizwan was Pakistan’s top-scorer with 31 runs off 44 balls, however, he failed to take the team across the line as he got out at a crucial moment.

Danish Kaneria was asked to choose between Rizwan and Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. The former leg-spinner preferred Pant, owing to Rizwan’s inability to score in crunch situations.

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“He [Rizwan] doesn’t score runs when it matters, that’s the only problem. In the T20 World Cup, when Rizwan was on strike, Rohit Sharma deliberately brought in Jasprit Bumrah into the attack because he knew that he would get him out. It was very obvious,” he said.

Kaneria then questioned Rizwan’s shot selection against Bumrah, raising questions over his game awareness.

“How could you sweep the first ball? I mean what is this? You couldn’t score runs against Axar Patel, taking singles and doubles and putting pressure on your partner,” he added.

“Then, when you knew that a skipper has brought a fast bowler to get your wicket, you say, ‘Here, take my wicket’.”

Notably, Pakistan crashed out from the group stage of the tournament, majorly because of their upset defeat against the USA, followed by a gut-wrenching defeat against arch-rivals India.

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‘Slightly overweight and bulky’ Kaneria shows concerns over Pant’s fitness

KARACHI: Pakistan’s former leg spinner Danish Kaneria has raised concerns over Indian captain Rishabh Pant for his fitness while calling him slightly overweight and bulky.

Kaneria raised concerns over Pant’s wicketkeeping stance and claimed that the issues with his keeping were due to his weight.

“I have noticed one thing that when a fast bowler is bowling, he doesn’t crouch and sit down. He keeps standing,” said Kaneria in a video posted on his Youtube Channel.

“Maybe because he is slightly overweight and bulky, he can’t come up that quickly, and he doesn’t have that much time. He just stays bent back and low, he doesn’t sit down properly,” he claimed.

Kaneria opined his concerns over the Indian skipper’s physical fitness and questioned whether he was fully fit.

“I think that shows a little concern over his fitness. Is Rishabh Pant fully fit?” he questioned.

The 41-year-old spinner also criticized the left-handed batter for his batting and asked him to take a break to improve his batting skills.

“Rishabh Pant will have to improve his batting style. There is KS Bharat available and I don’t see any wrong in bringing in Wriddhiman Saha. Just give a break to Rishabh Pant,” he concluded.

Pant, who is currently leading the Indian side in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, has been under enormous pressure for his batting form as he has scored just 57 runs in four matches at an average of 14.25.

Meanwhile, he has been praised for his captaincy for making a comeback in the series after being defeated in the first two games against the host.

The tie-breaker final T20I match of the five-match series between the two teams will be played today.

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‘Shahid Afridi was a liar, conspired against me’ Danish Kaneria

KARACHI: Danish Kaneria, a former Pakistani leg-spinner, has called the star all-rounder Shahid Afridi a liar and accused him of mistreatment during his time with the national team.

Kaneria, during an interview with an Indian Newswire – Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), accused that the then Pakistani captain Shahid was against him and used to go to the teammates to conspire against the former.

“I was always degraded by Shahid Afridi. We used to play together for the same department, he used to keep me on the bench and didn’t let me play the one-day tournament,” the IANS quoted Kaneria.

“He didn’t want me to be in the team. He was a liar, manipulator… because he’s a characterless person. However, my focus was only on cricket and I used to ignore all these tactics. Shahid Afridi was the only person who would go to other players and provoke them against me. I was performing well and he was jealous of me. I am proud that I played for Pakistan. I was grateful,” IANS further quoted Kaneria.

Kaneria then requested the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), to lift the ban in spite of him not even playing any international cricket.

“There are several fixers who got out of the ban. I don’t know why I am not able to get that treatment. I have played for my country and I should be given a chance like others as well. Now I am not even playing any international cricket. I am not asking the PCB for any job, but please lift this ban so that I can live peacefully and do my work with respect,” Kaneria concluded.

It must be noted here that Kaneria has made several accusations in the past and is known for his rift with the PCB for the alleged mistreatment of him.

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