Tag: Pakistan vs Australia

LAHORE: Head Coach Pakistan Cricket Team – Saqlain Mushtaq acknowledged the green shirts’ performance in the recently concluded Karachi Test and said he is proud of the way the whole team made history.

Saqlain, while talking to the media via a virtual press conference heaped praises on the Pakistan cricket team for pulling off a rearguard draw against Australia in the second Test of the ongoing series.

“History was made in the second Test against Australia and I am extremely proud of the way the whole team showed character,” he said.

“The players made the impossible possible. I am proud of the way the whole team has made history,” he added.

Saqlain further praised the players for putting on brilliant performances against a top team like Australia, while also claiming the National Stadium Karachi (NSK)’s pitch has all the elements for Test cricket in it.

“The pitch for the second match had all the elements for the Test cricket. The weather affected the action during the first Test, while Australia also played technically. I think that is the reason why the Pindi Test was drawn,” he said.

Pakistan head coach also backed the middle-order batter, Fawad Alam, for his below-par performance in the second test, saying he performed in his way.

“I think Fawad performed in his way. He could not get a chance to bat in the first Test, while a couple of good balls resulted in his dismissals in the second Test,” he said.

Saqlain then also commented on Yasir Shah’s inclusion and revealed lack of match fitness halted Yasir from making it to the Playing XI.

“We did not include Yasir into the Playing XI following his lack of match fitness,” he stated.

Furthermore, Saqlain also revealed that the home side is confident to win the series by winning the third Test. He further claimed that the green shirts will play strong cricket.

READ: Blind Cricket: Pakistan blunt Bangladesh ahead of Triangular series final

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the ODI and T20I squad for the home series against Australia, starting from March 29 in Rawalpindi.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)’s all-rounder Asif Afridi earned a maiden call-up for the white ball series, while young wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Haris earned a second one as the home series against New Zealand was cancelled last year in September.

For the series against Australia, the ODI team consists of 20 players, while the T20I squad consists of 17 players, leaving Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, and Saud Shakeel out.

Pakistan name ODI and T20I squads for Australia series#BoysReadyHain l #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/1K73OaGqZj

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 17, 2022

 

ODI Squad 

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-Ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir

T20I squad

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir

READ: Sharjeel’s double century propels Sindh to seventh-round victory over KPK

KARACHI: Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam and the wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan scored centuries to propel Pakistan to save the second Test against Australia, here on Wednesday.

The historic second Test between Pakistan and Australia resulted in a draw after an eventful final session. Pakistan needed 196 runs to pull off the highest-ever run chase, while the visitors needed six wickets.

Pakistan, in the end, managed to bat through and scored 443/7 before the conclusion of the second Test.

The wall for the hosts Babar tumbled various records with his brilliant knock of 196. The right-handed batter missed on his maiden double hundred as he fell short to Nathan Lyon. The skipper faced a record 425 balls and hit 26 boundaries including a six.

His partner, Rizwan, however, carried his bat till the stumps on the final day and amassed his second Test century in the closing minutes. He scored 104* off 177 balls, laced with 11 boundaries and a six.

His heroic knock bolstered the home side to hang on for the draw despite quick wickets.

The second session of the final day of the second Test turned out to be an interesting one as the visitors made one scalp. Aussie skipper Pat Cummins removed Fawad Alam in the opening minutes of the session.

Resuming at an overnight score of 192/2, the pair of Babar and Abdullah Shafique propelled the home side’s score in the run chase at a decent rate in the first session of the final day. The pair added a further 57 runs into their overnight third-wicket partnership before the Australian captain dismissed Abdullah for 96.

The right-handed batter missed on his second Test century by a mere four runs. He faced 305 balls and smashed seven boundaries including a six.

After a valiant 228-runs partnership with Abdullah, Babar joined hands with the newly joined Fawad Alam and made sure that the side do not lose any more wickets. The pair of Babar and Fawad managed to put on a brief five-runs partnership before the lunch.

For Australia, Lyon led the way; taking three wickets, while Cummins bagged two. Cameron Green, on the other hand, made one scalp.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s right-handed opener Abdullah Shafique shared that the team will surely go for the victory if the situation builds up on the final day of the ongoing second Test against Australia.

Abdullah, while talking to the presser after the conclusion of the fourth day of the Karachi Test, expressed satisfaction with his performance and claimed that the home side will go for the victory if the situation remained favourable.

“The batting remained satisfactory in the last two sessions. We will try to play according to the situation and to keep the momentum in our favour,” he said.

“The team will surely go for the victory if the situation remained suitable for us,” he added.

Abdullah then heaped praises on his captain Babar Azam, said he is a world-class batter and he always tries to learn from him.

“I think Babar Azam is a world-class batter and I always try to get help from him,” he said.

The right-handed batter then went on to reply to a reporter, who asked about him scoring a second century in a row, said the team performance is always his first priority.

“Team performance is before my personal achievement. Our focus tomorrow will be to do what is best for our team, and, I will try my best to win this game for them,” he replied.

Abdullah then acknowledged Australia’s bowling attack and revealed how he, alongside Babar nullified their attack.

“The Australian bowlers were taking advantage of the rough areas. Their strategy seemed to trap us on the leg side, but Babar Bhai and I decided to play defensively instead to wave off the threat,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan finished at 192/2 at the stumps on the fourth day of the ongoing Test. The home side needs further 314 runs to pull off the victory by chasing a world record.

READ: Pakistan’s Tayyab proceeds in GFS Karachi Open Squash Championship

KARACHI: Pakistan’s former Test captain Javed Miandad lashed out at the performance of the Pakistan Cricket Team, also recalled his playing days, said that we used to finish the game within two to three days in our time.

Javed, while talking to the media, during a local event, said Pakistan used to win within two to three days on the spinning wickets.

“We used to dominate in our home grounds by making spin wickets. When I was playing, we have also finished Tests in two three days,” he said.

Javed further stated that he believes Pakistan should win at home.

“Pakistan made pitches according to their strength. Now, I think they need to win here because if they lose at home, they will lose everywhere in the world,” he said.

“400, 500 runs are normal in Test cricket. You are playing for Pakistan so you have to soak the pressure and show the intent,” he added.

Javed then went on to comment about the pitches of Pakistan and said the pitches here do not support fast bowling.

“Spin pitches can be made in Pakistan, the soil here is not suitable for fast pitches,” he said.

“Lahore’s pitch is a little fast, but not as fast as they are made in different parts of the world,” he added.

Pakistan’s batting great then furthered expressed his desire that the ongoing second Test between Pakistan and Australia here, concludes a result.

It is pertinent to mention here that Australia set Pakistan a massive target of 506, while Pakistan have managed to score 94 for the loss of two wickets in 44 overs.

READ: Women’s WC: Bowlers, Haynes shine as Australia thump West Indies

KARACHI: Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam and the opening batter Abdullah Shafique carried their bat till the stumps of day four of the ongoing second Test to keep Pakistan in the hunt as they need 314 runs to win.

Pakistan enjoyed a delightful last session of the fourth day as the home side added 88 runs without losing any wicket as they finished at 192/2 at the stumps on day four.

Pakistan’s skipper Babar notched up his sixth Test century in the closing minutes and remained unbeaten. He has faced 198 deliveries and smashed a dozen boundaries.

His partner Abdullah, on the other hand, also batted exceptionally well as he remained unbeaten on 71 with the help of four boundaries and a six.

The pair have put on a 171-runs partnership for the third wicket and will now resume the proceedings for Pakistan at 192/2 on the final day.

After a series of frustrating sessions, Pakistan got hold of the second session of day four as they added 86 runs for the loss of just one wicket.

In the first session, resuming at an overnight score of 81/1, Australia’s top-order batters Marnus Labuschagne and the left-handed opener Usman Khawaja managed to add just 16 runs into their overnight partnership.

Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi managed to break their partnership in the 24th over as he castled Labuschagne for 44.

With his dismissal, Australian captain Pat Cummins decided to declare the innings at 97/2, Khawaja remained unbeaten with 44.

Set to chase a mammoth 506, Pakistan were off to a poor start as they lost their in-form opening batter Imam-ul-Haq for a combined score of two. Imam made his way back after managing to score just one as Nathan Lyon trapped him in his legs.

Pakistan’s young opening batter Abdullah Shafique and Azhar Ali then anchored the innings and made sure that the home side do not lose any further wickets. The pair batted for 15 overs and add 18 runs to the team’s total.

KARACHI: Australia’s left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc has revealed that Australia’s decision of not enforcing the follow-on in the ongoing second Test against Pakistan was unanimous.

Starc, in a media interaction after the conclusion of the third day of the Karachi Test, revealed that it was the touring side’s unanimous decision of not enforcing the follow-on.

“I think we bowled pretty well in the afternoon session. The decision of not enforcing the follow-on was unanimous and everybody was quick to agree on that,” he said.

Starc further claimed the cracks have started to appear on the pitch and the wicket is now helping the ball to reverse swing.

“Cracks have started appearing in the pitch which is supporting the bowling. The bowlers are also getting the reverse swing,” he said.

The left-arm pacer went on to comment on his performance, also lauded the youngsters for their ‘exceptional’ performance on their first tour to Pakistan.

“I am pretty satisfied with my performance. Also, there are a lot of youngsters in our side, who did well on their first tour to Pakistan,” he said.

It is worth mentioning here that the touring side is in control in the ongoing second Test against Pakistan. The Aussies are leading by a mammoth 489 runs as Pakistan could only score 148 in response to Australia’s 556 in the first innings.

READ: Torres scores twice as Barca thrash Osasuna, Sevilla slip again

KARACHI: Australia’s left-handed opener Usman Khawaja and the top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne stood firm as Australia extended their lead to 489 before the stumps on day three of the second Test, here on Monday.

Before the conclusion of the third day of the Karachi Test, Australia finished at 81/1 as Khawaja and Labuschagne made sure that the touring side do not lose any wicket. Khawaja scored an unbeaten 35, while Labuschagne remained not out with his 37.

David Warner, on the other hand, fell short after scoring just seven.

Australia continued their momentum with the ball in the third session as the touring side bowled out Pakistan for 148 to take a massive lead of 408 runs.

Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam remained the lone-warrior for the home side; scoring 36, while the rest of the batters could not manage to score much.

Earlier, Australia experienced a resounding session as they put the hosts on the backfoot by taking six wickets. In the eventful second session, Pakistan, on the other hand, could only add 62 runs.

Pakistan’s last-match centurion Imam-ul-Haq fell in the first over after Lunch as the left-handed batter threw his wicket to Nathan Lyon after attempting to slog the ball. He scored 20 off 64 balls and hit three boundaries.

Following his departure, Azhar Ali put on a brief 15-runs partnership with Babar before the former made his way back after edging the ball to the slip. He scored 14 off 37 balls.

Azhar’s dismissal sparked the collapse which reduced Pakistan to 97/7 as Fawad Alam bagged a golden duck, while Mohammad Rizwan, Faheem Ashraf, and Sajid Khan scored cheaply and could not get to the double-figures.

The first session of the third day was also an eventful one as the touring side first declared their innings at 556/9 and then an early wicket of Abdullah slightly tilted the game in the favour of the Aussies.

The right-handed batter scored 13 before a direct hit from Swepson stopped his stay at the crease.

Resuming at an overnight score of 505/8, Australian skipper Pat Cummins’s fiery cameo of 34 runs bolstered the visitors’ score to 556/9 as his partner Mitchell Starc could only face two balls on the ongoing third day and walked back without adding to his overnight score of 28.

Cummins, on the other hand, added a valuable 51 runs with the debutant for the 10th wicket as Swepson also chipped in with his unbeaten 15.

For Pakistan, Faheem and Sajid bagged two wickets each, while Nauman Ali, Babar, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Hasan struck out a batter each.

READ: Pakistan Cup: Sindh, KPK, SP secure sixth-round triumphs 

KARACHI: Australia’s wicket-keeper batter Alex Carey missed on his century after Usman Khawaja’s 160 but the touring side finished at 505/8 on the stumps of the second day of the Karachi Test, here on Sunday.

Australia added 98 runs in the final session of the second day, while Pakistan managed to take one wicket.

Australia’s wicket-keeper batter Carey, who notched up his half-century in the opening minutes of the third session, missed on his well-deserved century by just seven runs as Babar Azam castled the left-handed batter for 93.

His partner Mitchell Starc, stood firm and carried his bat till the stumps. Starc (26*) and Cummins (0*) will now resume the proceedings at 505/8 on the third day.

For Pakistan, Faheem Ashraf and Sajid Khan bagged two wickets each, while Babar, Hasan Ali, and Nauman Ali managed to make one scalp apiece.

After four sessions in favour of Australia, Pakistan managed to dominate the fifth. The home side managed to take three wickets in the eventful second session of the second day; taking three wickets including a big one of Khawaja.

Khawaja, who was looking exceptional, fell short to Sajid Khan in the 131st over as the right-arm spinner castled the left-hander to provide a major breakthrough to the home side. Khawaja scored a splendid 160 off 369 balls with the help of 15 boundaries and a six.

Before, Khawaja’s dismissal, Head also perished earlier in the second session as Nauman Ali trapped him in his legs for 23. Furthermore, in the last over before the Tea break, Nauman provided another success to Pakistan in the form of Cameron Green’s wicket.

The right-handed batter 28 off 73 balls including two boundaries and a six.

Earlier in the morning session, Australia, resuming at an overnight score of 251/3, managed to pile a further 81-runs to set their sights on a 450 plus mark.

The nightwatchman acted as the aggressor during his valuable fifty-plus partnership with Khawaja and assisted the touring side to score at a quick rate.

Lyon’s cameo however came to an end in the 106th over as Faheem Ashraf delivered a peach to castle the right-handed batter for 38. He faced 62 balls and smashed five boundaries.

Khawaja, on the other hand, batted sensibly before and after Lyon’s dismissal and became the third opening batter to score 150 against Pakistan.

It was a frustrating session for Pakistan as they leaked 81 runs in 27 overs and managed to get just one wicket.

READ: Blind Cricket: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh to compete in a tri-series

KARACHI: Australia’s centurion on the opening day of the second Test of the ongoing Benaud-Qadir Trophy Usman Khawaja revealed that the touring side has set their sights on a score of 450 to 500, here on Saturday.

Usman, while talking to the media after the conclusion of the opening day of the Karachi Test, has revealed the team’s plan to score more than 450 runs in the first innings.

“We will have to score anything more than 450 to keep the match in our favour and exert the pressure on the opposition batters,” he said.

Usman, who notched up his first century in Pakistan – his country of birth – said it is special for the left-handed batter.

“I think every century is special so does it. I felt really happy to hear the crowd chanting my name,” he said.

The left-handed batter further revealed that some of his relatives were present in the stadium and witnessed him scoring the century.

“Some of my relatives were in the stand. My mother also belongs to Karachi, so I am happy for her as well,” he said.

Australia’s centurion further acknowledged Pakistan’s bowling attack for keeping things tight for the batters and scored the flow of runs.

“I think it is hard for the pacers to bowl in hot weather conditions. But, I think they did exceptionally well to stop the flow of runs by tight bowling,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Usman notched up his first century in his country of birth here today and his 11th combined in Test cricket. The left-handed batter is country unbeaten with 127 and will resume Australia’s innings at 251/3 alongside the nightwatchman Nathan Lyon.

READ: ‘Australia got the upper hand by winning the toss’ Mohammad Rizwan