England vs Pakistan Archives

Brook’s century takes England on top as Pakistan trail by 29 runs

KARACHI: Centurion Harry Brook and Ben Foakes played astounding knocks to help England gain a vital lead in the first innings as they were bowled out for 354 before the close of the second day’s play, here at National Bank Cricket Arena on Sunday.

Brook smashed his second hundred in consecutive innings to help England close in Pakistan’s first innings total of 304 and stitched a valiant 117-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Ben Foakes to elevate the batting side after were stuck at 145 for the loss of five wickets.

Wicket-keeper Foakes contributed 64 from 121 balls while tailenders Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson chipped in with 35 and 29, respectively to help England finish on a 50-run lead in the first innings.

Pakistan openers, on the other hand, trod very cautiously and denied England a breakthrough before the day’s end as Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood remained unbeaten on 14 and 3, respectively.

At 21 without loss, Pakistan will resume the play on day 3 with a deficit of 29 runs.

With Brook and Foakes on the charge for the most part of the day, spinners topped the bowling charts for Pakistan as Abrar Ahmed and Nauman Ali bagged four wickets each while Mohammad Wasim took one wicket.

After finding three key wickets in the morning session, Pakistan went through a submissive second session with Ben Stokes’ chaotic run-out proving to be the lone cherishing moment for the team.

Stokes and Brook ended up on the same end of the wicket following a miscommunication for the third run.

Earlier, Ollie Pope starred with an impressive half-century in a spin-dominated first session that helped Pakistan keep England under control.

Nauman Ali struck back-to-back wickets, dismissing Ben Duckett and veteran Joe Root on consecutive deliveries to jitter England’s top order and aided Pakistan to contain England on 140/4 before Lunch.

At 58 for three, overnight batter Pope and Harry Brook braced England for a while before Abrar Ahmed provided a breakthrough to Pakistan and dismissed Pope soon after he made his fifty.

England, who are already 2-0 up in the series, were petrified by the mystery spinner Abrar when he removed Zak Crawley on the stroke of day close after Pakistan were bowled out for 304 in the first innings.

Skipper Babar Azam and Salman Agha notched-up fifties while retiring Azhar Ali managed 45 on the opening day of the Karachi Test when England spinners were on the charge.

Jack Leach and debutant Rehan Ahmed shared six wickets between them with a wicket to part-time Joe Root’s credit as well.

Ramiz suggests fast bowlers ‘to achieve fitness for five-day cricket first’

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ramiz Raja has suggested the fast bowlers of the country improve their fitness to the levels needed for red-ball cricket, saying, unlike other teams, Pakistan are bringing players from the T20 side to Test cricket

“We are asking our fast bowler to achieve the five-day fitness first,” he told reporters on Saturday during the opening day of the final Test between England and Pakistan.

“We are not only the team who are facing these concerns, the players all around the world are getting injured because of busy schedules,” he replied when asked about the growing number of injuries among the fast bowlers of the national team.

Speedsters Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah have been ruled out of the series due to injuries after playing the first Test in Rawalpindi. Meanwhile, star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi was not included in the Test squad since he was going through a rehabilitation program after pulling a knee strain in the final of the T20 World Cup.

Chairman PCB also expressed his displeasure over the fact that Pakistan was bringing fast bowlers to the Test side from the T20 team.

“Ideally we have to take players from five-day cricket to white ball, but what we are doing is taking them from One-days and T20s to the Test,” he said.

Moreover, Ramiz dispelled the impression that team management forced the veteran batter to take retirement on the pretext of bringing radical changes to the team’s approach, saying if our strength is occupying crease then we should continue with our strength.

“We knew beforehand that England were coming with a different mindset after they selected Liam Livingstone, a T20 specialist in the squad,” he said.

He added Pakistan had a very limited pool of players in Test cricket and we had to work to increase that pool.

“Home series is your best shot to try new players,” he replied when asked why Pakistan went with a number of debutants during the ongoing Test series against England.

READ: ‘Greatest’ Messi ready for fitting World Cup farewell

Abrar hunts Crawley on day close after Pakistan bowled out for 304

KARACHI: Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed petrified England with an early breakthrough on the stroke of day close after Pakistan were bowled out for 304 in the first innings on the opening day of the final Test, here at National Bank Cricket Arena on Saturday.

Abrar took down opener Zak Crawley in the very first over as England ended day one on 7/1 with Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett on the crease.

Skipper Babar Azam and Salman Agha notched-up fifties while retiring Azhar Ali managed 45 from 68 balls on a surface which proved equally helpful for the bowlers as well as batters.

Babar scored a blistering 78 from 128 balls and looked promising before a chaotic call for a single cut short his remarkable knock after the tea interval.

Salman Agha, however, prolonged his stay on the crease and raised his third Test fifty before he fell prey to Jack Leach after Pakistan went past the 300 mark.

In the final session, however, England spinners ran through the lower order with Leach dismissing three out of the bottom four batters while debutant Rehan removed Faheem Ashraf cheaply on 4.

Pakistan added 87 runs and lost two wickets in the Babar-dominated afternoon session as Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan fell prey to Rehan and Joe Root, respectively.

The 18-year-old leg spinner Rehan earned his first Test wicket for England when he dismissed Saud on 23 off 56, caught at short leg by Ollie Pope.

Wicket-keeper batter Rizwan hit three fours amid his quick 19 off 24 and tried to be on charge but found a toe-end of the bat off Root’s low full toss and was caught a deep-midwicket by Ben Stokes.

Earlier, retiring Azhar Ali looked in perfect shape to make his penultimate outing on the crease a memorable one before a leg-side strangle off Robinson with the original being overturned by the TV umpire ended his fine knock on 45 from 68 balls.

Unlike the opening sessions of the previous two Tests – Rawalpindi was dominated by English openers and Multan to the Abrar’s magical five-wicket haul – Karachi’s wicket seemed to strike a perfect balance between bat and ball.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan had an unwanted start as first Test centurion Abdullah Shafique was made to depart early without even crossing double figure when spinner Jack Leach plummed him with a new ball.

Shan Masood, who was appearing for the first time in the series replacing injured Imam-ul-Haq, played an exquisite knock of 30 off 37 laced with five boundaries before pace spearhead Mark Wood removed him.

Skipper Babar then joined Azhar on the crease and the two gathered 71 runs for the third wicket before England earned a vital breakthrough on the stroke of Lunch.

England squad carries out six-hitting practice for Karachi Test

KARACHI: England’s Test squad looked determined to continue their aggressive approach as all the players partook in the robust six-hitting batting drill ahead of the Karachi Test, scheduled to commence on December 17.

A video is making rounds on social media, in which the English squad can be seen participating in a six-hitting practice session at the National Bank Cricket Arena here.

In the video, England’s Test head coach Brendon McCullum was standing behind the stumps, while each English player came out at the crease to slog the ball out of the park off Paul Collingwood.

English players are ready to play Karachi Test in T20 style#Karachi #PakvsEngland pic.twitter.com/F0Kcvhxyeq

— Ali Hasan 🏅 (@AaliHasan10) December 16, 2022

It is pertinent to mention that the England Test team adopted an aggressive approach following the appointment of their head coach McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, often called “BazBall”.

The touring side continued to trouble Pakistan with their ruthless style of playing Test cricket and also created a record for making the most runs on the first day of a Test match in the first match.

The aggressive approach of the English side, has thus far, benefitted them well as they lost just one out of their last eight matches since McCullum and Stokes took reigns.

England also lead the three-match historic Test series against Pakistan 2-0 and will lock horns with the Babar Azam-led Pakistan in the final Test from December 17-21 with Stoke’s sight set on the whitewash.

READ: Imam-ul-Haq ruled out of Karachi Test

Imam-ul-Haq ruled out of Karachi Test

KARACHI: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq has been ruled out of the Karachi Test due to a hamstring injury, Pakistan captain Babar Azam confirmed on Friday.

Babar, while talking at the press conference ahead of the final Test, commented on Imam’s hamstring injury and confirmed that the latter will not be available for the final Test.

“Imam is suffering from a hamstring injury and he will not play tomorrow’s Test,” confirmed Babar.

The left-handed opener was seen limping off the field during the team’s training session, presumably feeling discomfort in his right hamstring.

Notably, Imam was taken to a local hospital in Rawalpindi for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans amid the second Test and did not bat at his usual batting position.

The left-handed opener, however, came out to bat at number five and scored an important half-century in the run chase, which went in vain as England sealed a dramatic victory to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

It is pertinent to mention that the final Test of the historic series between Pakistan and England will commence on December 17 here.

READ: ‘We’ll decide it later,’ Babar Azam on Azhar Ali’s farewell Test

‘We’ll decide it later,’ Babar Azam on Azhar Ali’s farewell Test

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam commented on Azhar Ali’s retirement from Test cricket and the possibility of giving him a farewell, said the Playing XI for the Karachi Test will be decided later.

Babar, while talking at a pre-match press conference responded to a question regarding Azhar, who announced to hang his boots from red-ball cricket ahead of the final Test.

“First of all, I would like to congratulate Ajju bhai for such a decorated career. His career is quite an inspiring thing for us and for the youngsters and the performances he delivered throughout it,” said Babar.

“When we came, he was a senior player and he gave us confidence and we learnt a lot from him. He has played in different situations and the way he performed helped us as a youngster. He always backed players and brought positive energy to the dressing room.

“We will decide [Playing XI] at night, so let’s see.”

It is pertinent to mention that the final Test of the historic series between Pakistan and England will commence on December 17 here.

READ: Rehan Ahmed to debut as England unveil Playing XI for Karachi Test

Rehan Ahmed to debut as England unveil Playing XI for Karachi Test

KARACHI: England and Wales Cricket Board on Friday announced the Playing XI for the upcoming Karachi Test against Pakistan, 18-year-old British-Pakistani Rehan Ahmed to make his debut.

The touring side, who have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, made two changes to their Playing XI for the final Test as Ahmed will make his debut by replacing Will Jacks, while Ben Foakes would replace seasoned pacer, James Anderson.

“The Three Lions make two changes as 18-year-old Rehan Ahmed makes his debut replacing Will Jacks, while Ben Foakes comes in for Jimmy Anderson,” said ECB in a press release.

Following his debut, Ahmed will become the youngest player to make the Test debut for England and will break Brian Close’s record.

Ben Stokes-led England came from behind to seal a dramatic victory in the Rawalpindi Test to clinch the series with a game to spare.

ENGLAND PLAYING XI

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, Mark Wood

READ: Imam-ul-Haq walks off from team’s training session ahead of Karachi Test

Imam-ul-Haq walks off from team’s training session ahead of Karachi Test

KARACHI: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq walked off from the national men’s team’s ongoing training session ahead of the Karachi Test of the historic home series against England.

According to the details, Imam, who had been suffering from a hamstring injury, walked off from the team’s training session.

The left-handed batter was seen limping back to the dressing room after presumably feeling discomfort in his right hamstring.

Notably, Imam was taken to a local hospital in Rawalpindi for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans amid the second Test and did not bat at his usual batting position.

It is pertinent to mention that the final Test of the historic series between Pakistan and England will commence on December 17 here.

The Karachi Test is likely to be Pakistan veteran batter Azhar Ali’s last international match as the 37-year-old announced his retirement from red-ball cricket in a press conference here today.

READ: Azhar Ali announces retirement from Test cricket

Azhar Ali announces retirement from Test cricket

KARACHI: Pakistan top-order batter and former Test captain Azhar Ali has announced his retirement from red-ball cricket.

Azhar Ali, Pakistan’s one of the most successful batters, will hang his boots following the third Test against England, which begins on Saturday.

“It has been a great honour and privilege for me to represent my country at the highest level. Deciding on when to call it a day is always tough, but, after contemplating deeply, I realised that this is the right time for me to retire from Test cricket,” the 37-year-old batter said while addressing a news conference at National Bank Cricket Arena.

“There are many people who I am grateful to in this strenuous, yet beautiful journey. I want to make a special mention of my family without whose sacrifices; I would not have been where I am today. My parents, wife, siblings, and children have been my strength throughout.

“I have been blessed to share dressing room with some of the most outstanding cricketers with whom I share a strong bond. I feel much richer by calling these people my friends. I am also blessed to have played under some wonderful coaches to whom I will always remain grateful.

“I retire from international cricket as a fulfilled cricketer who ticked most of the goals he had set for himself. Not many cricketers go on to lead their countries, and that I was able to captain Pakistan is a matter of great pride for me. From being a kid who started as a leg-spinner to becoming a mainstay in the Test batting line-up, I had the loveliest moments of my life that I will cherish forever,” he added.

In a statement, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “Azhar Ali has been one of the most committed and loyal servants of Pakistan cricket. His grit and determination have been an inspiration for many young cricketers and he is a role model for up and coming cricketers.

“I hope to see Azhar continuing to play a role in the development of Pakistan cricket and sharing his vast knowledge and experience with budding cricketers,” PCB chief said.

A LOOK AT HIS TEST CAREER

Azhar made his Test debut at the age of 25 in England against Australia at Lord’s cricket stadium and scored his maiden Test half-century in only his second match. He scored 34 half-centuries and went past the 100-run mark on 19 instances.

With 7,097 runs in 96 matches at an average of 42.49, Azhar is Pakistan’s fifth leading Test run-getter behind Younis Khan (10,099), Javed Miandad (8,832), Inzamam-ul-Haq (8,829) and Mohammad Yousuf (7,530).

Azhar, 37, is the only Pakistan batter to score a triple-century in a pink-ball Test – a feat that he achieved against the West Indies in Dubai in 2016. That unbeaten 302 remains his highest score in Test cricket.

Over the course of his 12-year career, Azhar also made 2 double-centuries – 226 against Bangladesh in Dhaka (May 2015) and 205 not out against Australia in Melbourne (December 2016) – and has, at least, one century in Australia, Bangladesh, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

It is pertinent to mention here that the top order batter retired from One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in 2018 – a year after helping Pakistan win the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

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‘Own mistakes, not England’s brilliance cause defeats’ argues Imam

KARACHI: Opener Imam-ul-Haq believed that the Pakistan team lost the first two matches of the Test series against England because of its own mistakes rather than anything extraordinary from England’s side.

Speaking to a scheduled press talk on Thursday after Pakistan’s first training session in Karachi, which will host the third and final Test from December 17, Imam said at present England were the only team playing a T20-style and fast-paced Test cricket, arguing Pakistan would continue with their own approach.

“England are the only team who are playing that way. We will play (Test) in our own way. In the end, what matters is if you are winning or not,” he said.

“If we are losing, it is because of our own mistake, not because England are playing too well”

Pakistan have already lost the three-match series by 2-0 after consecutive defeats against the Ben Stokes-led English side following dramatic finishes in both, Rawalpindi and Multan Tests.

Pakistan opener added England had struggled a lot under the captaincy of Joe Root in the past which took them to sixth and seventh position on the ICC Test Championship standings.

“They have changed their style since then and it is yet to be seen if they can continue with this (aggressive) style, especially when they have Ashes and other tours in the next year,” he said.

Talking about England’s tense victories in the first two Tests, Imam said both the games were in our hands at one point but then they slipped away owing to our own errors, adding they would try to keep those mistakes on the backseat and play Karachi Test with new and positive energy.

” We have performed well in Karachi in past as well. We will try not to repeat the same mistakes here” he said.

“Karachi is a bit warmer than Multan and Rawalpindi but the wicket seems similar to that of Multan” he expressed.

He insisted that a win in Karachi was crucial to uplift the team’s morale as it would be playing Test series against New Zealand later in December as well.

New Zealand are scheduled to tour Pakistan for two Tests and three ODIs with the first Test set to commence on December 26 in Karachi.

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