Tag: England’s Test tour of Pakistan

KARACHI: England’s Men’s cricket team has left for their country from Jinnah International International Airport after the conclusion of the historic three-match Test series against Pakistan.

According to the details, the remaining squad members and officials of the English squad left for England on Thursday morning after concluding the historic Test series against Pakistan on a perfect note.

The remaining contingent will first travel to Dubai and then will depart for London.

Meanwhile, several members of the touring side had already returned back on Tuesday night.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan endured their first-ever clean sweep at home by Ben Stokes-led England after the touring side.

READ: New Zealand squad set foot in Pakistan for historic tour 

LAHORE: Young right-arm pacer Naseem Shah has been ruled out of the Karachi Test of the ongoing historic series between Pakistan and England due to a shoulder injury, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed.

According to the PCB, a niggle in his right shoulder resulted in him missing the last match of the historic home series against England.

Notably, discomfort in his shoulder also barred Naseem from partaking in the recently concluded Multan Test.

The PCB also shared that the right-arm pacer will now get rehabilitation at the National High Performance Centre (NHPC), while the team management had not requested his replacement as of yet.

“The fast bowler will travel to Lahore where he will undergo further assessment at the National High Performance Centre before beginning rehabilitation,” PCB stated.

“The team management has not requested for his replacement at this stage,” PCB added.

It is pertinent to mention that the squads of Pakistan and England will land in Karachi tomorrow afternoon to lock horns in the last Test of the series, scheduled to take place from December 17 to 21.

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MULTAN: Pakistan batting coach Mohammad Yousuf asserted Multan Test to be equally balanced between the two sides as Pakistan finished at 198/4 at the conclusion of the third day’s action.

Yousuf, while talking to the media following the conclusion of the third day’s play and predicted the outcome of the ongoing Multan Test.

“What I’m seeing right now is that this match is 50-50. Look, a Test match goes this way, in the first session we lost three wickets and in the next session we got a partnership between Imam and Saud, both played very well and put England under pressure,” said Yousuf.

“But, the wicket that fell four overs before the stumps, brought England back in the game. Otherwise, if you look at the situation of this match, if Imam didn’t get out then England would be under even more pressure and even it will not be a 50-50 situation.

“It is a part of the game and the beauty of Test cricket is that it goes session by session and more importantly, such tense matches are important to keep Test cricket alive.”

On a question regarding whether it was a conscious effort from the hosts to play with a better run rate, Yousuf claimed that it has always been discussed in the camp but in the end, we have to play according to the situation of the match.

“Look, it is often discussed in the camp with the players and we offer them since they all are professional players but sometimes the situation or wicket is such that you can not score freely,” Yousuf shared.

“If you look at this series, for example, they have been playing at a much higher rate than us but if we consider our requirements then we’ve been going accordingly in the last four innings and that is a good sign for everyone,” he maintained.

On a question regarding wicket-keeper batter, Mohammad Rizwan’s struggling patch in his last five Tests and whether he should be rested for the Karachi Test and replaced by former captain Sarfaraz Ahmer, batting coach Yousuf claimed it is not in his domain.

“Since I started working with the cricket board, around two years ago and have been with the team for the last eight to ten months, so one thing is really clear that everyone would work by staying in his domain,” answered Yousuf.

“And that is a good thing, I won’t go in anyone’s domain, no one would come into mine. So, I do not think that this question belongs to my domain,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that a vital 108-run partnership between Imam-ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel anchored Pakistan to 198/4 at the stumps on day three, requiring another 157 runs to square off a series-levelling victory.

Pakistan opener Imam, who came out to bat at number five perished in the closing minutes of the third day’s action after scoring a fighting half-century.

Whereas, Saud stood firm with his unbeaten 54 and will resume the run chase with Faheem Ashraf (3*) on an anticipated decisive day of the second Test.

READ: Imam, Saud anchor Pakistan to 198/4 at stumps after brief collapse 

MULTAN: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq was taken to a local hospital here for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans on Sunday.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Imam “felt unease in his right hamstring” during the ongoing third Test.

Following Imam’s absence, wicket-keeper batted Mohammad Rizwan opened the innings for Pakistan with Abdullah Shafique.

Meanwhile, in the first session of Day 3, England bundled out for 275 and managed to set a decent 355-run target for the hosts.

Left-handed batter Harry Brook led the way for the touring side as he brought up his second Test century to power England to set a commendable total for Pakistan.

He top-scored with a magnificent 108 off 149 deliveries, laced with 14 boundaries and a six.

READ: Rizwan, Abdullah script decent start to Pakistan’s run chase 

MULTAN: Imam-ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel put on a fighting 108-run partnership for the fourth wicket to bolster Pakistan to finish at 198/4 before the conclusion of the third day of the ongoing second Test.

Pakistan opener Imam, who came out to bat at number five perished in the closing minutes of the third day’s action after scoring a fighting half-century.

Earlier, the duo of Imam and Saud took the charge of the English bowlers in the final session and neutralized the top-order collapse with a gritty 108-run partnership as both scored half-centuries.

The pair appeared solid and likely to carry their bat through till the stumps before Jack Leach provided England with a much-needed breakthrough in the form of Imam, who walked back after scoring 60 off 104 balls with the help of seven boundaries.

Saud, on the other hand, stood firm and carried on his unbeaten half-century knock as he finished not out on 54 and added seven runs for the fifth wicket with Faheem Ashraf before the stumps.

Saud (54*) and Faheem (3*) will now resume the run chase for Pakistan on the fourth day. The hosts need 157 runs to level the series, while England need six wickets to claim a historic series triumph.

James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Jack Leach all picked up a wicket apiece for England in the final innings.

The touring side enjoyed an eventful second session of the third day as they removed Pakistan’s key batters, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique in quick successions to halt their march despite openers providing a solid start.

Pakistan, on the other hand, could only add 72 runs for the loss of three wickets and needed a further 219 runs with more than two days remaining.

Pakistan openers Abdullah and Rizwan, who seemed exceptional in the first session, failed to carry on their momentum as Anderson took just five deliveries after the break to split the opening stand.

The veteran pacer deceived Rizwan with an outstanding outswinger that castled the latter’s off-stump and put an end to his 30-run knock.

Pakistan then endured a major setback when captain Babar perished cheaply as he could score a mere one run before being castled by Robinson.

Following two back-to-back dismissals, Abdullah attempted to anchor the run chase but could only add 17 runs with Saud Shakeel for the third wicket as Wood brought an end to his fighting knock and Pakistan consequently, slipped to 83/3.

The right-handed opening batter scored 45 off 94 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and four sixes.

Following the slump, however, Saud and Imam-ul-Haq put on a brave fight as they kept English bowlers at bay and ticked the scoreboard to take Pakistan to 136/3 at the stroke of Tea.

Saud was unbeaten on 32 while Imam had made 25 not out.

Earlier, Pakistan openers Abdullah and Rizwan managed to provide a decent despite the absence of full-time opener Imam, who was taken to a local hospital here for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans as he felt unease in his right hamstring.

Their unbeaten partnership bolstered Pakistan to finish at 64/0 at Lunch on the third day of the ongoing second Test.

The duo appeared solid and scored at a decent rate of more than four runs per over to push English bowlers at the backfoot.

At the time of the lunch break, Abdullah was unbeaten on 34 while Rizwan had made 28 not out.

Earlier, England bundled out for 275 in the second innings and managed to set a decent 355-run target for the hosts.

Left-handed batter Harry Brook led the way for the touring side as he brought up his second Test century to power England to set a commendable total for Pakistan.

READ: Brook’s century powers England to set 355-run target for Pakistan 

MULTAN: England Harry Brook brought up his second Test century against Pakistan and powered his side to set a commendable 355-run target for Pakistan on Day 3 of the second Test.

England, resuming at an overnight score of 202/5, managed to accumulate a further 73 runs at the cost of their remaining wicket.

Left-handed batter Brook led the way for England, who brought up his second Test century against Pakistan in as many matches after he resumed his overnight 79-run knock.

The touring side had an unwanted start to their proceedings as they lost their skipper Ben Stokes for a vital 41-run knock and could add 54 runs on the third day with Brook.

Following Stokes’ dismissal, England began to lose wickets at a frustrating pace and soon slipped to 270/8.

Brook, however, stood firm and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly and went on to smash his second Test century.

The left-handed batter also fell victim to England’s batting collapse and was dismissed by Zahid Mahmood in the 65th over.

Brook top-scored for England in the second innings with his magnificent knock of 108 off 149 deliveries, laced with 14 boundaries and a six.

Besides him, Ben Duckett (79) and English captain Stokes (41) were the notable run-getter for England in their last innings.

Debutant Abrar Ahmer once again was clinical with the ball as he returned with brilliant bowling figures of 4/120, while Zahid picked up three wickets, followed by Mohammad Nawaz, who bagged one.

READ: Kane misses penalty as France oust England to book semifinal berth 

MULTAN: Pakistan’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed, who made headlines in his dream Test debut; picking up seven wickets — five of which came in the first session — chose Ben Stokes’ wicket as his favourite.

Abrar, while talking at the post-match press conference after the conclusion of Day 1 of the ongoing Multan Test responded to a question regarding his favourite wicket among the seven wickets he took in his debut Test.

“As I said before making my debut, Joe Root and Ben Stokes’ wicket would be my favourite and by the will of almighty Allah, I was able to achieve it,” said Abrar.

“Meanwhile, I can not describe my happiness in words,” he maintained.

Regarding his goal for the second innings, Abrar shared that he is eyeing to take another five-fer in the second innings.

“Yes, I have a goal for the second innings and that is to take another five-fer and with my performance, my team wins,” Abrar stated.

“International cricket is a bit different but if you keep hitting good areas, it would eventually reward you in the form of wickets,” he maintained.

The debutant then went on to respond to a question regarding how former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed gave him confidence in first-class cricket and stated that the latter has always motivated him.

“Yeah, I have a really good relationship with Saifi bhai, he’s really close to me. So, he was guiding me that whenever I will play, I should not get nervous and perform the way I did for Sindh,” shared Abrar.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan skipper Babar Azam raised a valiant half-century to anchor Pakistan to 107/2 at the stumps on the opening day after Abrar stormed through the English batting line-up, who claimed his maiden five-wicket haul and played a significant role in restricting England to 281.

READ: Babar, Saud solid after debutant Abrar cracks England on Day 1 in Multan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated England Cricket Team for outplaying Pakistan in their first Test played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

He was speaking at the dinner arranged in the honor of visiting the English team, in Islamabad on Monday night.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said, “This is a historical moment after 17 years we are having English team in Pakistan. Unfortunately, the last visit was in 2005 when Pakistan was facing unbearable extremism and terrorist attacks”

He said, “We were able to beat terrorism after paying huge sacrifices as thousands of Pakistanis laid their lives including soldiers and civilians.”

📸 Dinner hosted for the Pakistan and England teams at the PM House in Islamabad#PAKvENG pic.twitter.com/nTXeCn6DB3

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 5, 2022

The premier said Pakistan enjoys wonderful relations with Britain and cricket is one of the factors. He said Britain has always supported the people of Pakistan and their well-being. He expressed hope that this visit will go a long way in building bridges between Pakistan and United Kingdom (UK).

PM Sharif expressed gratitude to British High Commissioner and the British government for supporting Pakistan Cricket, Radio Pakistan reported.

The prime minister also appreciated Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja for his efforts to restore cricket in Pakistan. He also appreciated the English team’s capacity and wonderful cricket spirit.

Shehbaz Sharif, on the occasion, paid tribute to Pakistan’s cricket legends including Fazal Mahmood, the hero of Oval and Hanif Muhammad known as Little Master.

In a Twitter message, the premier wrote, “It was great to host England & Pakistan cricket teams at the PM House this evening. Cricket is a shared passion that binds our two countries in a close relationship. Congratulations to England for winning the first Test, but the true winner was the glorious game itself.”

It was great to host England & Pakistan cricket teams at the PM House this evening. Cricket is a shared passion that binds our two countries in a close relationship. Congratulations to England for winning the first Test, but the true winner was the glorious game itself.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) December 5, 2022

 

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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan all-rounder commented on his side’s approach towards the ongoing Rawalpindi Test after England captain Ben Stokes’s brave decision of declaring the second innings set the hosts a 343-run target.

Agha, while talking at the post-match press conference following the conclusion of an eventful fourth day of the first Test as Pakistan need a further 263 runs on the final day and shared that the team’s top priority would be to save the match but also asserted that the home side’s camp is eyeing to win.

“Top priority is to save the match. We are very excited to bat and if found the opportunity I will try my best to win it for my team,” Agha shared.

“Everyone in the camp is discussing winning this match but we must give credit to England for the way they played,” he added.

In a query regarding his style of play and the instructions from the team’s management, the all-rounder shared that he has been given the liberty to play in his comfort zone.

It is pertinent to mention that the fiery England side turned the dull Rawalpindi Test into an enthralling contest as they put Pakistan to bat again on the same day and took wickets to put the home team under pressure.

Pakistan, however, are perfectly positioned to win the first Test as they require 263 runs on the final day to take a lead in the three-match series.

READ: Imam, Saud lead Pakistan chase after England brave declare 

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq commented on the team’s batting approach in response to England’s mammoth total of 657 in the first innings of the ongoing Rawalpindi Test.

Pakistan batters had a tough task ahead of them when England batters finished at a massive 657 at the back of four centuries from Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook.

The hosts, however, did not hold back on what is considered to be a batting paradise as centuries from Imam, Abdullah Shafique and captain Babar Azam put Pakistan in a fighting position as they finished at 499/7 and are still 158 runs behind.

One of Pakistan’s centurions Imam then talked to the media after the conclusion of the third day, which too remained majorly dominated by the batters and shared how Pakistan’s batters approached England’s massive total.

“Sometimes, when you see the opposition team scoring 650 runs it gives you a really tough time mentally as the expectations from us also mount that we too, will play longer,” said Imam.

“Since they have played the first innings and scored a massive total so we were not left with many chances, we can’t take risks and also need to save the team,” he added.

The left-handed opener then responded to a question regarding Pakistan’s approach towards the outcome of the high-scoring match and shared that the team is not thinking yet to go for the draw.

“Again when there are 650 runs on the board, so obviously, first of all, we have to save ourselves. But, we did not think about going for the draw as of yet because their total was around 650 so we had to play four to five sessions at least to get closer to them,” Imam shared.

Imam then went on to predict the nature of the pitch in the last two days by sharing that it has already started breaking and he also experienced a little uneven bounce on the third day.

“I noted the variations in the pitch today. It started to break and bowlers were getting a little more bounce but sometimes it kept low,” shared Imam.

“It was the third-day wicket so in upcoming days it would definitely change and might no longer be a batting paradise,” Imam stated.

“But again I would say, we would play as per the situations we get and play in the present and once we get in a certain situation then we will also be looking at the future that either we have to go for the chase or to fight for the draw,” he maintained.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan gave a befitting response to England’s record 657-run total as the home side raised 499/7 before stumps with help of Imam, Abdullah and Babar’s centuries.

READ: Pakistan even response with three tons hangs Rawalpindi Test in balance