Tag: Imam Ul Haq

CHENNAI: Left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq asserted that the Pakistan cricket team has analyzed its situation and also that a “different team” will take on Afghanistan in Monday’s ICC World Cup 2023 fixture.

Imam-ul-Haq, while speaking at the pre-match conference here accepted the national team’s struggle to convert solid knocks into bigger ones.

“When you are chasing 367, you have to take risks. I agree we are not able to play big innings, I also agree that we haven’t played well in the last two matches,” said Imam.

“We have analysed our situation, you’ll see a different team tomorrow [against Afghanistan],” he added.

The left-handed opener also acknowledged that the consecutive defeats in the ICC World Cup 2023 had taken a toll on the team’s morale but expressed his confidence that they could be back on the winning track.

“Yes, losing matches back-to-back downs your morale but we back each other and the management is backing the players as well.

“We are confident that we can get back on track after winning against Afghanistan. We aren’t able to convert the 70s or 80s into a century, we have talked to our coach about it.

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In a query regarding the misfiring Pakistan bowling attack, Imam-ul-Haq claimed that every team’s bowlers are being taken for plenty before taking a leaf out of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s five-fer against Australia to back his remarks.

“Bowlers of all the teams are conceding runs, it’s not only happening with us. Shaheen bowled well against Australia,” Imam said.

For the unversed, Pakistan, after starting their ICC World Cup 2023 campaign with back-to-back wins are now on a two-match losing streak, succumbing against India and Australia.

The Babar Azam-led side now sit fifth in the World Cup standings with four points in as many matches.

READ: Afghanistan coach looks for more ‘passionate’ rivalry with Pakistan

DUBAI: Indian opening batter Shubman Gill has claimed a career-best second position, only behind Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Shubman Gill has scored 154 runs, with the help of two half-centuries in the ongoing ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 and has been rewarded in the latest ICC ODI Rankings, jumping one spot to reach the second position.

Indian opener has closed the gap at the top down to only 103 rating points now with Babar Azam leading with 863 rating points, while Gill with 759 points.

Along with Shubman Gill, India’s captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli also improved their rankings after India’s dominant batting display in the Asia Cup 2023, which cruised them to the final without a single defeat in the tournament.

Kohli and Sharma jumped two spots to reach eighth position and ninth position in the latest ODI batting rankings respectively.

One the other hand, Pakistani opener Imam-ul-Haq dropped one place to fifth and fellow opener Fakhar Zaman lost three spots and is now sitting at 10th spot.

Meanwhile, in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings, Pakistani pace bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah made substantial gains after their impressive performance in the Asia Cup 2023.

Haris Rauf is the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with nine wickets, consequently jumping eight places to reach 21st position, while Naseem Shah picked seven wickets and jumped 11 spots to 51st.

Indian left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who is also the joint-highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup 2023, bore fruits for his performances and rose five places to reach the seventh spot.

Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood solidified his position at the pinnacle of ODI Bowling Rankings after a three-wicket haul in the first match of their ongoing series with South Africa.

READ: Asia Cup 2023: Zaman Khan links up with Pakistan squad in Colombo

DUBAI: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq jumped a spot to claim the third position in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Imam-ul-Haq, who scored a fighting half-century in the first ODI of the three-match series against Afghanistan got the reward of his sensible knock as he received a promotion in the batting rankings.

The left-handed opener scored a gutsy 61 off 94 deliveries with the help of two boundaries.

For his anchoring performance, Imam improved seven rating points and moved 11 clear of the third-ranked batter Shubman Gill.

Meanwhile, it was a contrasting outcome for the other Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman, who slipped two spots to fifth in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Notably, Fakhar could score a mere two runs in the aforementioned match and consequently dropped 15 rating points.

Fakhar’s demotion paved the way for his opening partner Imam-ul-Haq and India’s Gill to climb up.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam continued his hold on the supreme position but lost six rating points after falling for a three-ball duck in the first ODI against Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s star with the ball, Haris Rauf, who claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in the format, jumped seven places to 36th in the ODI Bowling Rankings while Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s 3/33 propelled him to earn the third rank.

It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan kicked off their preparations for the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s World Cup in India with a dominating 142-run victory over Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan could raise a modest 201 despite Imam-ul-Haq’s fighting half-century as Afghanistan spinners dominated the first half.

Besides Imam, Shadab Khan (39) and Iftikhar Ahmed (30) made notable contributions.

Set to chase 202, the Afghanistan batting lineup failed completely against a ruthless pace-packed Pakistan bowling attack.

Haris Rauf spearheaded Pakistan’s bowling charge as they booked Afghanistan for a paltry 59, steering their side to a statement victory.

For his bowling exploits, Haris Rauf was adjudged the Player of the Match.

READ: Nepal team reaches Karachi for Asia Cup

Left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq joined his national captain Babar Azam and teammates in the Colombo Strikers’ squad for the upcoming edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL).

Imam-ul-Haq is set to make his first-ever foreign T20 franchise league appearance after Colombo Strikers signed the opener as a replacement for Ireland’s Lorcan Tucker.

Strikers, led by Babar Azam, now feature five Pakistani cricketers in their set of overseas players besides the Pakistan captain.

Imam-ul-Haq will join up with his Pakistan teammates Wahab Riaz, Naseem Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz.

Before his inclusion in the Colombo Strikers’ squad for the upcoming edition of the LPL, Imam-ul-Haq had only featured in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The left-handed batter has featured in 22 PSL fixtures and has 542 runs under his belt with the help of five half-centuries.

It is pertinent to mention that the fourth edition of LPL, the T20 franchise cricket tournament in Sri Lanka, is scheduled to be played between five teams, from July 31 to August 22.

A total of 13 Pakistan cricketers were roped in for the upcoming fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in the player auction which took place last month.

Notably, before the auction took place, some of Pakistan’s notable cricketers had already found new homes in the LPL. Leading the charge is the formidable Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, who will be representing the Colombo Strikers.

Joining Babar in the LPL was the young and fiery fast bowler, Naseem Shah, who had also been acquired by the Colombo franchise.

Another key addition to the LPL is the explosive batsman, Fakhar Zaman, who will be donning the colours of the B-Love Kandy team.

Pakistan Players to participate in LPL 2023

B-Love Kandy: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal

Colombo Strikers: Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Wahab Riaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz

Jaffna Kings: Shoaib Malik, Zaman Khan.

READ: Misbah-ul-Haq meets women’s football team ahead of Singapore tour

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq, shared his goals for the upcoming PAK vs NZ five-match ODI series and expressed his wish to propel his side to the top spot in team rankings by beating New Zealand 5-0.

Imam-ul-Haq, in the pre-series, press conference here on Wednesday, emphasized the significance of the team’s triumphs over personal rankings before asserting that the left-handed opener was not aiming for individual milestones but wanted his team to top the ODI rankings.

“I do not have a plan for a personal record but as you know if we beat New Zealand 5-0 we will top the ODI rankings and I have always thought that it’s a team game,” said Imam.

Imam continued by employing an example from his and Babar Azam’s individual rankings to argue that his rating is insignificant if his national team is not on the number one spot.

“I am on third in individual batting rankings and Babar is at number one, but our team is not on number one spot, which is not a good thing to me,” Imam maintained.

The left-handed batter further weighed in on his goal by asserting that it would boost the team’s confidence if they head into the upcoming ODI World Cup in India as the top-ranked side.

“If we win the series by 5-0, the collective confidence that we will get will be more important than personal records,” he added.

Imam also termed the upcoming PAK vs NZ ODI series as an important stepping stone for the world cup preparation before lamenting the lack of time and matches ahead of the mega event.

“It is true that we only have seven matches to prepare for the world cup but since we are professionals so there should be no excuse,” stated Imam.

“These five matches are very important for our finalized Playing XI and for our confidence. I think we should be ready for the Asia Cup by the end of this series as there won’t be much time in World Cup after the Asia Cup,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan will be eyeing to shrug off the T20I series heartbreak – which was ended in a 2-2 draw after Mark Chapman‘s heroics – before heading into the five-match ODI series against New Zealand, commencing on April 27.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq opened up on his mix-up between the wicket with skipper Babar Azam and asserted that the latter could not hear his call.

Babar fell prey to miscommunication in the 25th over when Pakistan were struggling to overcome the horrible start. Imam worked through Michael Bracewell’s delivery with Henry Nicholls chasing.

The skipper wanted to make it three and ran desperately after completing the second. Imam, on the other hand, started off but soon stopped with Babar already more than halfway down with Imam returning to his crease and Bracewell did no mistake to dislodge the bails.

Imam in an interview following the conclusion of the second day’s play of the second Test responded to a question regarding Babar’s frustrating run-out after both batters ended up at the same end and termed it miscommunication.

“Look it is cricket and run-outs happen. Unfortunately, we have been in such a situation two-three times before and I also got run-out against West Indies and today he got run-out,” said Imam.

“It is a part of the game and now will try to console him,” Imam added cheekily.

“Once again, it is cricket. But, I think it was a misunderstanding and he could not listen to my call of ‘No’ so he kept running and when I saw him he was standing right beside me and it was too late then,” Imam shared.

“So, such miscommunication occurs in cricket sometimes,” he concluded.

It is worth mentioning here that New Zealand pushed Pakistan to the backfoot by dismantling the hosts’ top order after posting a mammoth 449 runs in the first innings of the ongoing second Test.

Left-handed batters Imam and Saud Shakeel, however, launched a counter-attack as they raised a 55-run partnership for the fourth wicket before stumps.

Imam (74*) and Saud (13*) will now resume Pakistan’s first innings at 154/3 as they are still 295 runs behind.

READ: ‘Biggest New Year’s resolution is to win the World Cup,’ says Pandya

LONDON: World’s top-ranked ODI batters Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq have been named in Wisden’s men’s ODI team of the year 2022.

Wisden – a renowned cricket publication – picked a combined world team in the men’s ODIs featuring players who enjoyed a scintillating year in the 50-over format.

Consequently, Pakistan’s opening batter Imam, alongside his captain and top-ranked batter Babar was featured in the team of the year as they both had a remarkable year in the ODIs.

Apart from the duo of Babar and Imam, the combined XI features Travis Head (Australia), Shreyas Iyer (India), Tom Latham (New Zealand), Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh), Alzarri Joseph (West Indies), Mohammed Siraj (India), Adam Zampa (Australia) and Trent Boult (New Zealand).

The second-ranked T20I batter Imam had another remarkable year with the bat in ODIs as he 505 runs at 72.14 in eight ODIs with the help of two centuries that came in the home series against Australia.

“In each of his first six innings this year, Imam-ul-Haq made it to 60, demonstrating the consistency that has delivered him a record-breaking start to his ODI career,” wrote Wisden about Imam.

Meanwhile Pakistan’s star batter and captain Babar, too, had another scintillating year with the bat in ODIs. The top-ranked batter continued to pile runs in the shorter format and perhaps amassed 679 runs in just nine matches at an astounding average of 84.87, laced with three centuries.

Meanwhile, the right-handed batter also has five fifties to his name in ODIs this year.

“By now established as perhaps the pre-eminent ODI batter of his era, 2022 was another bumper year for Babar Azam,” wrote Wisden.

“He reached fifty in eight of his nine innings, with three consecutive hundreds against Australia and West Indies making him the first batter to make a trio of tons in a row twice,” the statement added.

It is pertinent to mention that having won the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award last year, Babar is once again in the race for the title as he was among the nominees announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday.

READ: Shahid Afridi’s eldest daughter Aqsa Shahid Afridi gets married

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 

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.

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.

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 

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