Tag: Noman Ali

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday unveiled the nominees for the Player of the Month Awards for January 2025, including Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Noman Ali.

The ICC Player of the Month award recognizes outstanding individual performances on the international stage.

The nominees for January are all spinners who excelled across various formats.

In addition to Noman Ali, the shortlisted players include West Indies’ left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican and India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy.

Warrican delivered a career-best performance and helped the West Indies draw the two-match away Test series against Pakistan.

In the first Test, he claimed career-best bowling figures of 10/101 and scored an unbeaten 31*. Meanwhile, in the second Test, he took four wickets in the first innings and followed up with a five-wicket haul in the second, bringing his match figures to an impressive 9/70.

In addition to his wickets, he contributed 54 runs as West Indies secured a victory in the second Test, ensuring the series ended in a draw.

Overall, Jomel Warrican scored 85 runs at an average of 42.50 and claimed nine wickets at an exceptional average of nine, earning him the Player of the Series award.

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Meanwhile, Noman Ali continued his outstanding form for Pakistan, serving as their main strike bowler against the West Indies.

In the first Test, he claimed six wickets, conceding 81 runs. However, it was in the second Test that he truly showcased his skill.

Noman took six wickets in the first innings of the second Test, which included a historic hat-trick, making him the first Pakistan spinner to achieve a Test hat-trick.

He followed it up with another impressive performance, taking four wickets in the second innings to finish with match figures of 10/121. In total, Noman took 16 wickets at an average of 12.62.

The third nominee for the ICC Player of the Month award, Varun Chakravarthy continued his brilliant form in four home T20Is against England at home in January.

In the first match at Eden Gardens, Chakravarthy impressed with figures of 3-23, earning him the Player of the Match award. In Chennai, he conceded 38 runs but claimed the crucial wickets of Harry Brook and Jamie Overton.

It was in Rajkot, during the third T20I, where he truly showcased his class, spinning through the English batters to take five wickets for just 24 runs. He added another two wickets in the fourth T20I in Pune.

In total, Varun Chakravarthy took 12 wickets at an average of 9.41 and an exceptional economy rate of 7.01.

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DUBAI: Pakistan players, including star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as well as spinner Noman Ali, made significant movements in the latest ICC Test Rankings released on Wednesday.

Pakistan suffered a 120-run defeat in the second Test of the two-match series against the West Indies earlier this week.

Noman Ali claimed bowling figures of 6-41, including a hat-trick, in the first session of the second Test to bundle West Indies for 163 in the first innings.

He took four more wickets in the second innings to complete his ten-wicket haul, which helped him jump four spots in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings to claim his career-best fifth place.

His spin partner Sajid Khan, who took six wickets in the match, also made a two-place jump to reach the 21st spot with 644 rating points.

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Meanwhile, Pakistan pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah, who did not participate in the Test series, dropped to 22nd, 27th and 40th spot respectively.

Babar Azam continued his ongoing struggles as he managed just one run off five deliveries in the first innings, and scored 31 runs off 67 balls in the second innings.

Overall, he scored 45 runs across four innings in the series, consequently losing three places to the 19th spot in the ICC Test Batting Rankings.

On the other hand, Mohammad Rizwan jumped two places to 15th, courtesy of his fighting knock of 49 runs in the first innings, which was followed by a cautious 25 in the second innings.

Saud Shakeel, who managed 45 runs across two innings, dropped one spot and is now sitting in 10th place with 739 rating points.

READ: Steve Smith achieves major milestone during first Test against Sri Lanka 

DUBAI: Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel and spinner Noman Ali made their way to the top ten in the ICC Test Rankings owing to their brilliant performance in the first Test victory against West Indies.

Pakistan thumped West Indies by 127 runs on the third day of the first of a two-match Test series earlier this week.

Noman Ali claimed a five-wicket haul in the first innings, followed by a solitary wicket in the second innings.

This performance helped the left-arm spinner to jump back into the top ten of the ICC Test Bowling rankings as he gained two places to reach ninth with 761 rating points.

Noman’s fellow spinner Sajid Khan, who took nine wickets and won the Player of the Match award, also made notable gains in the bowling rankings. Sajid made an impressive 18-place leap to reach the 23rd spot with 621 rating points.

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Meanwhile, Abrar Ahmed made an immediate impact on his return to Pakistan’s Test team, taking five wickets, including a 4-27 in the second innings. He jumped six places to 52nd with 406 rating points.

On the batting front, Pakistan’s vice-captain Saud Shakeel returned to the top ten after his gutsy 84-run knock in the first innings against West Indies.

The southpaw rose three spots to reach the eighth place in the ICC Test Batting rankings with 753 rating points.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 71 runs in the first innings and stitched a 141-run stand with Saud, also jumped two places to the 17th position with 662 points.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood also made gains after his half-century in the second innings as he rose three places to 42nd spot.

READ: Former Pakistan captain compares Babar Azam’s popularity with Shahid Afridi

DUBAI: Pakistan left-arm spinner Noman Ali was crowned ICC Men’s Player of the Month for October 2024, owing to his brilliant performance during the Test series against England.

He claimed the prestigious award after beating off stiff competition from South African pacer Kagiso Rabada and New Zealand left-arm spinner Mitchel Santner.

Noman was included in the Pakistan Test squad after a thumping defeat in the first match of the series against England.

Pakistan’s decision to make four massive changes after the first Test thrashing paid off as their spin duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, coming in as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah’s replacement, gave a new life to the struggling hosts.

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The spin duo claimed 39 out of 40 England wickets to fall in the remaining two Tests, coupled with handy and timely cameos to further traumatize the touring side. Their mastery of spin steered Pakistan to their first home Test series victory since 2021.

Noman took 20 wickets in two Tests at an astounding average of 13.85, which earned him the coveted award.

“I am delighted to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month and deeply grateful to all my teammates who helped me put my best performances forward to help Pakistan win a historic home Test series against England,” the spinner said after wining the award.

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DUBAI: Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel and spinner Noman Ali earned rewards for their performances in the recently concluded Test series against England as they entered the top ten in the latest update of the ICC Test Rankings on Wednesday.

Pakistan’s decision to make four massive changes after the first Test thrashing paid off as their spin duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, coming in as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah’s replacement, gave a new life to the struggling hosts.

The spin duo claimed 39 out of 40 England wickets to fall in the remaining two Tests, coupled with handy and timely cameos to further traumatize the touring side. Their mastery of spin steered Pakistan to their first home Test series victory since 2021.

Noman took 20 wickets in two Tests, which earned him an eight-spot jump to his career-best ninth position in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings with 759 rating points.

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Meanwhile, Sajid, who took 19 wickets, also claimed his career-best 38th place after a big leap of 12 spots in the bowling rankings.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s vice-captain Saud Shakeel scored a gutsy 134 in the third Test against England, which helped him jump a massive 20 spots to claim seventh rank in the ICC Test Batting Rankings.

Saud is now Pakistan’s highest-ranked batter in the ICC Test Rankings with 724 points. Meanwhile, Babar Azam gained one spot to 18th with 670 points.

Pakistan’s newly-appointed white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan and vice-captain Salman Ali Agha dropped one and six places to 22 and 21 respectively in ICC Test Batting Rankings.

READ: ‘It’s not great news’: Ramiz Raja on Gary Kirsten’s resignation as Pakistan head coach

England Test captain Ben Stokes acknowledged the spin duo of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan that powered Pakistan to a drought-ending Test series victory at home.

Pakistan’s decision to make four massive changes after the first Test thrashing paid off as their spin duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, coming in as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah’s replacement, gave a new life to the struggling hosts.

The spin duo claimed 39 out of 40 England wickets to fall in the remaining two Tests, coupled with handy and timely cameos to further traumatize the touring side.

Their mastery of spin steered Pakistan to their first home Test series victory since 2021.

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The spin duo also received words of acknowledgement from England captain Ben Stokes, who termed them too good to tackle by his aggressive batting lineup, which racked up a humongous total of 823/7d in the first innings of the opening Test against Pakistan.

“You’ve got to hold your hands up to say that those two in particular were obviously too good for our batting line-up in those last two games,” Stokes said.

“Credit to Noman and Sajid, the way in which they bowled in the second Test match and in this game, you know it was very good and challenging,” he added.

Reacting to the series defeat, Ben Stokes shared that it is hurtful and disappointing to lose games for England before highlighting the need for consistency.

“Losing games for England hurts so it’s disappointing,” said Stokes.

“We need to do things for longer. As I said, we did good things in very small amounts of times at certain points throughout the second game and this game.

“But when you don’t sustain that, you know you’re always going to start falling away.”

READ: Babar, Shaheen react to Pakistan’s drought-ending Test series win

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi lauded the spin duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali for leading Pakistan to a 2-1 series victory over England on Saturday.

Pakistan’s decision to make four massive changes after the first Test thrashing paid off as their spin duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, coming in as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah’s replacement, gave a new life to the struggling hosts.

The spin duo claimed 39 out of 40 England wickets to fall in the remaining two Tests, coupled with handy and timely cameos to further traumatize the touring side.

Their mastery of spin steered Pakistan to their first home Test series victory since 2021.

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For their unmatched grit and character, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi heaped praise on Sajid Khan and Noman Ali alongside first innings centurion Saud Shakeel.

“The national players won by playing the best game. Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali proved their skills by bowling brilliantly. Saud Shakeel scored a century and showed excellent batting. The team put up a brilliant performance and won the Test series,” said Naqvi.

“This win will boost the morale of the players. The players along with the nation were waiting for such a glorious victory. The new players justified their inclusion in the team with performances,” he added.

England had a flying start to the three-match series as they blew Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs in the opening fixture before the home side scripted an astounding comeback with a 152-run victory in the second Test, followed by a series-clinching nine-wicket victory in the decider.

READ: Shan Masood reacts after “special” Test series victory over England

LAHORE: Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz replaced injured Noman Ali for the remainder of the Test series against Australia, sources claimed.

According to the details, the chair of the Pakistan Men’s Selection Committee Wahab Riaz approved Mohammad Nawaz as Noman Ali’s replacement for the series remainder.

Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that left-arm spinner Noman was ruled out of the series due to acute appendicitis.

“Noman Ali has been ruled out of the Test series against Australia due to acute appendicitis,” stated PCB.

“Noman Ali complained of sudden and severe abdominal pain yesterday, leading to examinations and scans in emergency that confirmed a diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

“On Surgeon advice; he underwent Laparoscopic Appendectomy today in the morning. Post-surgery he is stable and doing fine. He will be discharged later this afternoon,” PCB concluded.

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Earlier today, the two-day practice match between Pakistan and Victoria XI ended in a draw.

The previous day saw Pakistan declare their first innings at 323-8, helped by half-centuries by Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha.

In reply to Pakistan’s 323, Victoria XI posted 272-4 before declaring.

Pakistan then posted 57-3 in their second innings, when stumps were called.

Following their practice match against Victoria XI, Pakistan will enjoy a rest day before resuming their training at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on December 25.

Meanwhile, the Australia team will report to Melbourne on December 23 and partake in the training session for two days before kicking off the Boxing Day Test on December 26.

Pakistan Test squad

Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sajid Khan.

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MELBOURNE: Left-arm spinner Noman Ali has been ruled out of the ongoing three-match Test series against Australia due to acute appendicitis, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Saturday.

In an official statement, the PCB shared that Noman complained of severe pain in his abdomen and thus was taken for scans that confirmed the diagnosis.

“Noman Ali has been ruled out of the Test series against Australia due to acute appendicitis,” stated PCB.

“Noman Ali complained of sudden and severe abdominal pain yesterday, leading to examinations and scans in emergency that confirmed a diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

“On Surgeon advice; he underwent Laparoscopic Appendectomy today in the morning. Post-surgery he is stable and doing fine. He will be discharged later this afternoon,” PCB concluded.

Earlier today, the two-day practice match between Pakistan and Victoria XI ended in a draw.

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The previous day saw Pakistan declare their first innings at 323-8, helped by half-centuries by Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha.

In reply to Pakistan’s 323, Victoria XI posted 272-4 before declaring.

Pakistan then posted 57-3 in their second innings, when stumps were called.

Following their practice match against Victoria XI, Pakistan will enjoy a rest day before resuming their training at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on December 25.

Meanwhile, the Australia team will report to Melbourne on December 23 and partake in the training session for two days before kicking off the Boxing Day Test on December 26.

Australia Test squad

Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner.

Pakistan Test squad

Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sajid Khan.

READ: Pakistan’s two-day practice match against Victoria XI ends in a draw