Tag: Pakistan Tour of Sri Lanka

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Test opener Abdullah Shafique has praised the Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for bolstering the confidence of team members while proclaiming him one of his favorite batters, here at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Speaking to a scheduled Press conference during the underway training camp for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, Shafique hailed Babar as a world-class batter and an inspiration for other members of the team.

“Babar Azam is a world-class batter from whom I get the opportunity to learn a lot,” he said while pronouncing him as one of his favorite batsmen along with Ricky Ponting and Mohammad Yousuf.

Shafique also disclosed his feelings when he was been compared to the Indian legendary Test batter Rahul Dravid.”It felt good when Babar compared my batting with Rahul Dravid,” he expressed.

Talking about playing conditions in Sri Lanka, Shafique claimed it to be similar to the conditions in Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan will tour Sri Lanka to play a two-match Test series, scheduled from July 16 to July 28.

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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam and the left-handed batter Fawad Alam put on an unbeaten 181-run partnership as their side frustrate Sarfaraz XI on the first day of the intra-squad scenario-based practice match on Monday.

In the scheduled two-day intra-squad scenario-based practice match, Babar XI put on a fine show with the bat as the side amassed 274-3 on the first day.

Batting first, the left-handed batter Imam-ul-Haq laid a solid foundation for a decent total with a brilliant half-century before the skipper Babar took control of the innings by himself and displayed class before going on to score a magnificent century.

The left-handed batter Fawad, on the other hand, who had a series to forget amid Australia’s historic tour to Pakistan, seemed to have reclaimed his form as he supported his skipper with a gritty half-century.

The duo of Babar and Fawad displayed resilience and scored runs on a positive approach.

Babar remained unbeaten with his astounding 111 off 181 balls with the help of 13 boundaries, while Fawad remained at the crease with his gritty 75 at the conclusion of the day’s play.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, Yasir Shah, and Salman Ali Agha claimed a wicket apiece for Sarfaraz XI, while the rest of the bowlers remained unable to find success.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan will tour Sri Lanka to play a two-match Test series, scheduled from July 16 to July 28.

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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Test squad for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka, participated in a scenario-based two-day practice match to race up the preparations, here at Pindi Stadium on Monday.

The 17-member contingent splitter into two sides as the players raced up the preparations for the upcoming away Test series against Sri Lanka.

The scenario-based practice match will feature 90 overs each day and the players will be given a target by the coaches to train the players to perform according to the requirement.

Pakistan’s opening pair of Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq opened the innings for their side while the pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali led the bowling attack.

The left-handed batter Fawad Alam, on the other hand, has also joined the squad and took part in the match.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan will tour Sri Lanka to play a two-match Test series, scheduled from July 16 to July 28.

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RAWALPINDI: Preparations for the Pakistan cricket team’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka have kicked off with the commencement of the training camp of the 18-member national Test squad, here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released the photographs of the underway training camp on its official Twitter handle.

Back to business 🏏

Preparations are 🔛 for the Test series against Sri Lanka as players take part in the Rawalpindi camp 👊#BackTheBoysInGreen | #SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/pBxXIRHpxa

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) June 26, 2022

According to details, the six-day training camp of the national Test squad will be comprised of two two-day warm-up matches.

The first practice match will take place on June 26 and 27, meanwhile, the second match will be held from June to July 1.

Following the conclusion of the training camp, head coach Saqlain Mushtaq will hold a press talk, intimating the media about the team’s preparation for the tour.

Pakistan are set to lock horns against the hosts Sri Lanka in two Tests in their upcoming tour. The first Test will commence on July 16 at Galle, while the second Test will be staged at Colombo from July 24 to July 28. The national team will also be playing in a three-day warm-up from July 11 to July 13 before the two Tests.

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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan leg spinner Yasir Shah has underlined his desire for a powerful comeback in the team after returning to the recently announced national Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour. 

While speaking to a scheduled press conference on the commencement of the training camp here at Pindi Stadium for the upcoming tour, Yasir claimed that he had worked extensively on his googly with head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed.

“I’ve put in a lot of effort at National High Performace Centre in the meantime,” said Yasir. “I’ve worked on my googly with Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq.”

The 36-year-old Yasir praised national team skipper Babar Azam for boosting his morale while claiming that the skipper instructed him to be consistent with his line and length.

“After my comeback, I get to converse with Babar Azam which gives me confidence,” he stated.”He tells me to stick to the same line and length.”

The 36-year-old leg-spinner, who has represented the Green shirts in 25 ODI matches and produced career-best figures of 6/26, revealed that he wished to make a comeback in the limited-overs format as well.

“I gave performances in the domestic white-ball cricket and I am striving to play every format,” he stated.

He further expressed his hope to make a mark with his performance after being out of the team for a while due to an injury.

“It takes time to recover from the injuries but I am hopeful to perform well in the future” he added. “I’ve done well in Sri Lanka before, and I’m sure this time too,” he concluded.

It is worth mentioning here that the national Test squad will depart for Sri Lanka for two Tests.  The first Test will commence on July 16 at Galle, while the second Test will be staged at Colombo from July 24 to July 28.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will announce the national squad for the home ODI series against West Indies on May 23.

In a statement released by the PCB, the cricket board shared that the discussions on finalizing the squad are underway and the final squad will be announced on May 23.

The training camp for the forthcoming series will then be held from May 29 to June 01 in Rawalpindi and only selected players will be called from England.

The PCB will later announce the squad for the upcoming Netherlands and Sri Lanka tours on June 13. The green shirts will fly to the Netherlands to compete in a three-match ODI series and a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

The cricket board also confirmed Rawalpindi as the first option for the home ODI series against West Indies. Whereas, Multan is the only backup option as the pitches are being prepared in Karachi and Lahore.

It is pertinent to mention here that the home series against West Indies will be played without the bio-secure environment and any COVID-19 protocol.

Furthermore, the cricket board also confirmed that the certainty of the national team touring Sri Lanka for the Test series, depends solely on the Sri Lanka Cricket and Pakistan itself will not deny the tour since the country has strong ties with the Island and the tours have been complete even in tense situations in the past.

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