Tag: Pakistan vs Bangladesh

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday, announced releasing fast bowling all-rounder Aamer Jamal from their squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

“Right-arm fast bowler Aamir Jamal has been released from the Test squad ahead of the series against Bangladesh,” shared PCB in a statement.

“Aamir, who was earlier included in the squad subject to fitness clearance, has been advised to work on his fitness at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

“Aamir is recovering from a back injury which he sustained while playing county cricket this year.”

For the unversed, Aami Jamal was last seen in action for the Warwickshire County Cricket Club on June 8 and has been sidelined since then as he suffered a back injury.

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Jamal’s contract with Warwickshire was originally supposed to expire on July 19 but his rehabilitation progress indicated that he would not be able to attain complete fitness by then and thus the contract was mutually terminated prematurely.

Despite being on the road to recovery, the selectors named Jamal in Pakistan’s squad for the Bangladesh Tests, subject to fitness. However, the all-rounder failed to attain the required match fitness and was consequently released.

Pakistan Squad for first Test against Bangladesh: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Bangladesh Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mahmudullah, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Khaled Ahmed.

Series schedule

First Test: August 21 – 25 at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Second Test: August 30 – 4 September at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

READ: Jay Shah congratulates Virat Kohli on 16 years in international cricket

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha expressed his readiness and excitement to take the challenge as the team’s sole spinner in the first Test against Bangladesh.

The series between Pakistan and Bangladesh is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, with the first Test commencing at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 21-25 August.

Pakistan selectors have opted to go with an all-pace attack in the first Test, with Salman being the only spinner in the squad.

While addressing a press conference at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday, Salman shared that he is not under pressure to play as the sole spinner.

“I have played as a sole spinner in Australia and did well there,” said Salman Ali Agha. “There is no pressure and I am ready to take the challenge.”

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Salman noted that due to the favourable conditions for fast bowlers on Rawalpindi’s pitch, the selectors decided not to include a specialist spinner in the team.

“The pitch in Rawalpindi looks green and seems to favour fast bowlers more,” he commented.

The all-rounder also shed light on the team environment and shared that the players don’t pay much attention to social media.

“The atmosphere in the team is healthy. All players back each other like brothers and friends. We have nothing to do with whatever is going on social media,” he added.

Notably, the second Test of the series, which was originally scheduled in Karachi from 30 August to 3 September, has been moved to Rawalpindi due to the ongoing construction work at the National Bank Stadium.

Pakistan squad for first Test against Bangladesh: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi.

READ: Abbas Afridi’s heroics in vain as Pakistan Shaheens falter in Top End T20 semi-final

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced to move the second of the two-match Test series between Pakistan and Bangladesh from Karachi to Rawalpindi.

The cricket board took this decision owing to the ongoing construction work in the National Bank Stadium in Karachi to prepare for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.

“Due to the deployment of heavy construction equipment and the need to adhere to tight redevelopment schedules for the National Bank Stadium, which is being prepared for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Pakistan Cricket Board, in consultation with the Bangladesh Cricket Board, has decided to move the second ICC World Test Championship fixture to Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium,” the PCB stated in a press release.

“This decision allows cricket spectators and fans to watch the live action of both the Tests, which serve as a preview of a busy and hectic international season for Pakistan cricket. During this period, the national side will play a total of nine Tests, 14 T20Is, and at least 17 ODIs from 21 August to 5 April.

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“We have been guided by the construction experts on the timelines for the readiness of the venue. They advised that while construction could continue during playing hours, the resulting noise pollution would disturb the cricketers.

“Additionally, the dust from the construction work could also affect the health and well-being of the players, officials, broadcasters, and media.

“Given that construction must continue uninterrupted to ensure the venue is operationally ready for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the PCB, after consulting all stakeholders and reviewing operational and logistical matters, has decided to hold both Tests in Rawalpindi.

“At this stage, we will not like to speculate on the hosting of the second Test in Karachi from 15-19 October and will continue to work closely with the architects and construction experts on the safe and secure hosting of the match, while keeping the England and Wales Cricket Board updated.”

The Test series will commence in Rawalpindi, with the first Test scheduled to begin on 21 August. Meanwhile, the second Test match is scheduled to be played from 30 August to 3 September.

READ: Pakistan set for rare feat after 28 years in Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh

Pakistan’s ace batter Babar Azam is on the verge of a major World Test Championship (WTC) milestone during the two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, scheduled to commence on August 21.

Babar, one of the most consistent batters across formats in the world currently, is just 339 runs away from joining an elusive list of batters, having breached the 3000-run barrier in WTC history.

The right-handed batter has thus far scored 2,661 runs in WTC, the most by a Pakistani batter. He, however, could become the fifth batter to score 3000 runs in the WTC history to amass the milestone.

England’s Joe Root leads the way with 4,598 WTC runs, followed by Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne with 3,904.

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The four batters, who have breached the 3000-run barrier are either from Australia or England as the two cricketing nations play the most number of Tests.

Meanwhile, if Babar Azam manages to score 339 runs in the two-match series against Bangladesh, he will become the first Asian batter to amass 3000 WTC runs as he is ahead of India’s senior batting duo of Rohit Sharma (2,552) and Virat Kohli (2,235).

The Test series will commence in Rawalpindi, with the first Test scheduled to begin on 21 August. Following that, the action will shift to the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, where the second Test match will be held from 30 August to 3 September.

Pakistan squad for first Test against Bangladesh: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi.

READ: Frustrated Babar kicks stumps after being dismissed during practice

Pakistan’s ace batter Babar Azam on Saturday, kicked the stumps after being dismissed in the net session for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting from August 21.

In a video that went viral on social media, Babar can be seen visibly frustrated after being dismissed by a net bowler.

The right-arm pacer bowled a shorter delivery wide outside off. Babar tried to reach the ball but only managed to edge it behind, prompting a celebration from the bowler, who raised his hands during his follow-through.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam lost his cool as he turned back and kicked the off-stump, which went for a cartwheel.

However, the star batter picked up the stump and put it in its place and continued to practice.

 

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Earlier, Babar was seen having a hard time facing the Test pacer Khurram Shahzad during a practice session ahead of the Bangladesh series.

During a recent training session in Pakistan, a video captured the moment when Babar Azam was hit in the groin by Khurram Shahzad’s delivery.

The star batter appeared to be in some discomfort as Khurram reached out to him, asking if he was fine. After taking a moment to recover and performing some stretches, Babar returned to his practice.

However, Khurram subsequently bowled an unplayable delivery that Babar failed to make contact with, resulting in the ball striking his stumps.

Pakistan squad for first Test against Bangladesh: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi.

READ: Pakistan set for rare feat after 28 years in Rawalpindi Test

Pakistan men’s cricket team will field an all-pace attack only for the second time in a home Test match in 28 years during the upcoming Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh, scheduled to commence on August 21.

Earlier today, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed releasing sole specialist spinner Abrar Ahmed from their squad for the opening Test against Bangladesh and also that the home team will field an all-pace attack.

“The decision has been made after the selectors have opted to go with an all-pace attack in the first ICC World Test Championship match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, 21 August,” said PCB in a statement.

“Instead of benching him for the Test, the selectors named him in the Shaheens squad so that he can gain some match practice ahead of the second Test, which will start in Karachi on 30 August.”

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Abrar’s exclusion means Pakistan will go with an all-pace attack only for the second time in a home Test, including their United Arab Emirates’ stint, since September 1995 when they hosted Sri Lanka.

The only such instance during the period was when Pakistan rested their then key spinner, Yasir Shah, from the Playing XI for the opening match of the series against Sri Lanka in 2019 at the same venue.

The reason behind Pakistan going with an all-pace attack is that the Pindi Cricket Stadium pitch is assumed to have some patches of grass and will support pace and bounce.

As a result, the responsibility of providing a spin option now lies only on Salman Ali Agha, who in his last six Tests, has bowled an average of 12 overs per innings and twice bowled more than 20 overs.

“You can look into whatever you want. But to start, I think we’ve got two special spinners. Salman Ali Agha is good enough to be classified as a specialist spinner,” said Pakistan Test head coach Jason Gillespie during PCB Podcast last week.

READ: Abrar Ahmed released from Pakistan squad for first Bangladesh Test

Bangladesh’s right-handed top-order batter Mahmudul Hasan Joy has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan, scheduled to commence on August 21, Cricbuzz reported Saturday.

Joy was a part of the Bangladesh A team that played a four-day match against Pakistan Shaheens, which concluded on Friday in Islamabad.

The report suggested that Joy sustained a groin injury while fielding in the aforementioned fixture and as a result could not bat in the second innings.

Mahmudul Hasan Joy was in good touch ahead of the crucial two-match Test series against Pakistan. He scored a brilliant half-century in the first four-day match against Pakistan Shaheens.

He also scored two half-centuries against the same opposition amid Bangladesh’s High Performance Unit’s tour to Darwin.

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“We have received a mail regarding Mahmudul where it is stated that he sustained injury to his right groin and as a result, he is being rested for three weeks,” Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief physician Debashish Chowdhury confirmed to Cricbuzz.

The two-match series between Pakistan and Bangladesh, which is a part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) will run from August 21 to September 4.

Pakistan: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mahmudullah, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Khaled Ahmed.

Series schedule

First Test: August 21 – 25 at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Second Test: August 30 – 4 September at National Bank Stadium, Karachi

READ: Abrar Ahmed released from Pakistan squad for first Bangladesh Test

Wrist spinner Abrar Ahmed and Kamran Ghulam have been released from the Pakistan squad for the first Test and he will now represent Pakistan Shaheens in the second four-day match against Bangladesh ‘A’, which will start at the Islamabad Club on Tuesday, 20 August.

The decision has been made after the selectors have opted to go with an all-pace attack in the first ICC World Test Championship match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, 21 August.

“Instead of benching him for the Test, the selectors named him in the Shaheens squad so that he can gain some match practice ahead of the second Test, which will start in Karachi on 30 August,” stated PCB.

Uncapped top-order batter Kamran Ghulam is the other player to be released from the Pakistan Test side and has been retained in the Pakistan Shaheens side for the second four-day match. He has also been appointed as the captain.

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This means the Pakistan Test squad has been trimmed to 15 players, but will be back to its original 17-player strength after the conclusion of the second four-day match when Abrar Ahmed and Kamran Ghulam will rejoin the side for the Karachi Test against Bangladesh.

Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Saud Shakeel, who were part of the Pakistan Shaheen side, have now joined the Test side, while Mohammad Rameez Jnr has been left out for the second four-day match.

These eight players have been replaced in the Shaheens side by Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab Asif, Awais Anwar, Imam Ul Haq, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir and Sharoon Siraj.

Pakistan Shaheens squad (for second four-day) – Kamran Ghulam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab, Ghulam Mudassar, Imam-ul-Haq, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Awais Anwar, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir (wicket-keeper), Saad Baig (wicket-keeper), Saad Khan, Sharoon Siraj and Umar Amin.

READ: Salman Butt names three fittest players in Pakistan team

The upcoming first Test of the two-match series between Pakistan and Bangladesh, scheduled to be held at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi is likely to be affected by rain.

According to Weather.com, Rawalpindi is likely to receive rain on the first, second and fifth day of the aforementioned Test.

Furthermore, Rawalpindi’s weather has been far from the best for the preparation of the first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh as the ground staff is yet to start working on the pitch.

Reports further suggested that the decision regarding which pitch to be used for the opening Test is also facing delay.

Earlier today in Islamabad, coined as the twin city of Rawalpindi, the first four-day match between Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh A ended in a draw after being majorly affected by rain.

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The match which was largely affected by rain, saw only 39.2 overs bowled on the fourth day, as play resumed at 2 pm PKT today. The third day’s play on Thursday was completely washed out due to rain.

Pakistan: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mahmudullah, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Khaled Ahmed.

Series schedule

First Test: August 21 – 25 at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Second Test: August 30 – 4 September at National Bank Stadium, Karachi

READ: Pakistan Shaheens complete hat-trick of victories in Top-End T20I series

The first four-day match between Bangladesh ‘A’ and hosts Pakistan Shaheens ended in a draw at the Islamabad Club on Friday.

The match which was largely affected by rain, saw 39.2 overs bowled on the fourth day, as play resumed at 2 pm PKT today. The third day’s play on Thursday was completely washed out due to rain.

Earlier, Pakistan Shaheens declared their first innings at the overnight score of 367 for four with a lead of 245 runs, courtesy of Umar Amin’s 32nd first-class century.

Umar fell 23 runs short of a double-century, and was dismissed for 177 off 211 balls, smashing 23 fours and three towering sixes.

Besides Umar, Saud Shakeel remained the notable run-getter for Pakistan Shaheens with an anchoring 76. His knock included nine boundaries across 132 deliveries.

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In their second innings, Bangladesh ‘A’ managed to score 153 for five when play was stopped due to bad light ultimately resulting in a draw.

For Pakistan Shaheens, fast bowlers Mir Hamza and Mohammad Ali bagged two wickets apiece, while Mohammad Rameez Jnr grabbed one wicket.

For the visiting team, Nayeem Hasan was the top run-getter, scoring 55 off 69 balls, laced with 11 fours. Opening batter Zakir Hasan scored a 45-ball 33, which included three fours and a six.

Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh A will now feature in the second four-day game on 20 August, which is scheduled at the same venue. The toss will take place at 09.30 am, with the first ball to be bowled at 10.00 am.

READ: Pakistan Shaheens complete hat-trick of victories in Top-End T20I series