Qasim Akram Archives

Pakistan Shaheens captain Qasim Akram aims for Asian Games 2023 medal

Pakistan Shaheens’ captain Qasim Akram banked on his team’s recent performance in the ACC Emerging Asia Cup, heading into the Asian Games 2023.

Qasim Akram-led Pakistan Shaheens will depart later tonight for China to feature in the 19^th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

The T20 format will see Pakistan Shaheens starting their journey from the quarter-final stage, after having directly qualified by virtue of being one of the top four ICC-ranked sides in the continent.

The quarter-finals are scheduled to take place on 3 and 4 October, with Pakistan playing their quarter-final on 3 October at Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field in Hangzhou.

The semi-finals will take place on 6 October, while the final and the bronze medal match are scheduled to take place on Saturday, 7 October.

Pakistan Shaheens underwent a five-day camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore where players, under the guidance of coaches, engaged in training sessions and featured in match scenarios to get ready for the tournament.

The squad includes 15 players of which seven have already represented Pakistan in international cricket. These include Aamir Jamal (2 T20Is), Arshad Iqbal (1 T20I), Asif Ali (21 ODIs, 55 T20Is), Haider Ali (2 ODIs, 33 T20Is), Khushdil Shah (10 ODIs, 24 T20Is), Shahnawaz Dahani (2 ODIs, 11 T20Is) and Usman Qadir (1 ODI, 23 T20Is).

Pakistan Shaheens’ captain Qasim Akram, ahead of his team’s departure for the Asian Games 2023, termed it an honour to lead the side in the event while expressing hope that his players would continue to perform for the team.

“It is an honour for me to lead the side in the Asian Games. The players have performed well in the past, winning the ACC Emerging Asia Cup recently and I am looking forward to the same performance from the players in the upcoming games,” stated Qasim Akram.

“We have a good combination and have undergone rigorous training, preparing for whatever challenges spinning wickets may present. So, we are ready for the challenge.

“This will be our first tour to China, so we will keep things very simple and aim to win matches for the country.

“I will urge the fans to keep supporting the Shaheens side in the Asian Games.”

Pakistan Shaheens squad for Asian Games 2023:

Qasim Akram (captain), Omair Bin Yousuf (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Rohail Nazir (wk), Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Muqeem and Usman Qadir

Player Support Personnel – Shahid Aslam (head coach-cum-manager), Umar Rasheed (bowling coach), Hanif Malik (batting and fielding coach) and Hafiz Naeem ul Rasool (physiotherapist)

READ: Asian Games 2023: Pakistan lost to India, bag Silver in Squash

Qasim Akram’s six-fer leads Shaheens to thump UAE in Emerging Asia Cup

Qasim Akram’s six-wicket haul and half-centuries by Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Haris, Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub led Pakistan Shaheens to a commanding 184-run win over UAE A in the ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup.

This was Pakistan Shaheens’ second successive win in the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup after the defending champions defeated Nepal by four wickets on Friday at the Colombo Cricket Ground.

Chasing 310 to win, the spin duo of Qasim and Sufiyan Muqeem were all over the UAE A batters after openers Aryansh Sharma (37, 34b, 8x4s) and Jonathan Figy (25, 50, 4x4s) stitched a 59-run partnership for the first wicket.

After the departure of both opening batters, only Nilansh Keswani (17, 30b, 2x4s) and Ethan D’Souza (10,19b, 2x4s) managed to enter into double figures.

Qasim, with his right-arm off-spin bowling, bagged six wickets for 26 runs from 10 overs while left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan ended up with match figures of 8.5-1-36-3.

Earlier, after being put into bat, Pakistan Shaheens’ opening pair of Saim and Sahibzada provided a solid 98-run start to the innings.

Right-handed Sahibzada was the first one to return back to the hut after scoring 63 off 55 balls, which included 10 fours and one six. Left-hander Saim was soon to follow Sahibzada, not before smashing five fours and two sixes of his 63-ball 56 innings.

Following the dismissals of both openers, Omair Bin Yousuf (24, 39b, 2x4s) was next to go with the scorecard reading Pakistan Shaheens three for 160 in 27.4 overs.

At that important juncture of the match, Kamran Ghulam was joined by skipper Mohammad Haris and the pair knitted an 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Haris (55, 46b, 9x4s) returned back to the pavilion in the 40^th over, while Kamran (63, 53b, 4x4s, 4x6s) followed his captain as Shaheens were 284 for five in 43.4 overs.

The late middle-order then failed to contribute significantly as Shaheens were dismissed for 309 in 49.2 overs – losing five wickets for 24 runs.

For UAE A, Jash Giyanani was the most successful bowler, taking four wickets for 50 runs in 10 overs.

Pakistan Shaheens will now face India A in their third fixture of the ongoing ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup on 19 July at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. The first ball of the match will be bowled at 1330 PKT.

READ: Saud, Salman rescue Pakistan before rain forces early stumps

Qasim, Shoaib lift CP in National T20 Cup clash against Northern

MULTAN: Central Punjab (CP) captain Qasim Akram and veteran batter Shoaib Malik led the charge in their final group stage encounter of the ongoing National T20 Cup 2022 against Northern with a fifty each, helping the side finish third in the standings.

Set to chase 163, the fifties from Qasim and Shoaib powered CP to seal a much-needed victory to finish the group stage of the tournament on a high after a dismal start.

The CP were off to a poor start to the run chase as the side lost both openers Faizan Khan and Muhammad Akhlaq at a mere 33 in the fifth over.

Top-order batter Tayyab Tahir, who had a remarkable tournament thus far, kept scoring at a rapid pace but failed short at the cusp of the batting powerplay as he fell to Salman Irshad for 23.

Following the slump, Shoaib and Qasim stood up for their side and put on a match-defining 100-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

The pair appeared solid and were looking confident to steer the CP over the line before Zaman Khan struck in the 18th over to remove Qasim for 58. He faced 37 deliveries in the course of his brilliant knock and smashed eight boundaries.

Right-handed experienced batter Shoaib, on the other hand, remained unbeaten and top-scored for the side with 62 off 39 deliveries, laced with six boundaries and two sixes.

For Northern, Mehran Mumtaz, Sohail Tanvir, Zaman, and Salman made one scalp each.

Batting first, Norther finished at a below-par 162/5 in the allotted 20 overs despite a magnificent knock from the opening batter Nasir Nawaz. He top-scored for the side with 82 off 57 deliveries, laced with six boundaries and four sixes.

Besides Nasir, none of the Northern batters could contribute significantly and the side, as a result, failed to amass a massive score. Skipper Umar Amin chipped in with 31 but remained a touch too slow as he faced 29 deliveries in the proceedings.

For CP, Aamer Yamin led the way with three wickets, while Hunain Shah and Faizan Khan struck out a batter each.

READ: Chameera, Kumara return as Sri Lanka unveils squad for T20 World Cup

Amir, Imad among Pakistan players as CPL pre-draft concludes

KARACHI: Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir and all-rounder Imad Wasim will represent Jamaica Tallawahs in the forthcoming Caribbean Premier League 2022, scheduled to commence on August 31.

The league will feature four Pakistan players including Imad, Amir, Azam Khan, and Qasim Akram.

The left-arm pacer Amir, who represented Barbados Royal in the previous season, will be joining countrymate all-rounder Imad in Jamaica Tallawahs as the latter has been retained by the franchise.

Explosive wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan will represent Barbados Royal in the second consecutive season, having made his debut for the team in 2021.

Meanwhile, young all-rounder Qasim Akram will represent St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the forthcoming season and will be acting as the substitute for Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who will be unavailable to the team for the first few matches.

The league, which features six teams, will commence on August 31, while the final will be contested on September 30.

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‘I look forward to be the next Babar Azam’ U-19 Captain Qasim Akram

LAHORE: Pakistan’s under-19 captain in the recently concluded ICC U-19 World Cup 2022, Qasim Akram, admired Pakistan’s national team skipper Babar Azam for his batting skills, proclaiming him to be a role model.

The 19-year-old all-rounder claimed Babar to be his favorite cricketer while expressing his desire to establish a name in international cricket like him.

“Babar Azam has set the standard of Pakistan cricket around the world through his batting skills. I wish to achieve those standards,” said Qasim.

“Babar Azam has showcased phenomenal batting all around the world. I am a fan of his batting capabilities,” he added.

The young Qasim played under the captaincy of Karachi King’s skipper in the last edition of PSL while also playing for Central Punjab in the National T20 Cup under his leadership.

“It was a wonderful experience sharing the dressing room with the national team skipper. I sought useful tips from him to improve my cover drives and pull shots,” claimed Qasim.

The U-19 skipper Qasim Akram hails from Lahore and started his cricket career as a middle-order batsman and off-spin bowler like the national team captain.

The young all-rounder has taken everyone awe-struck with his outstanding performances in the U-19 World Cup and domestic tournaments. He scored 203 runs while taking 10 wickets in the World cup.

Currently, Qasim is a part of PCB’s pathway program designed to train talented young cricketers. The three-weeks training camp under the program will start on June 14.

READ: ‘Asif was a magician, made me look like an ordinary bowler’ Shoaib Akhtar

Qasim registers record as Pakistan secure fifth position in U19 World Cup

NORTH SOUND: Qasim Akram scored 135 not-out and picked up five wickets to help Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by huge margin of 238 runs to secure fifth position in ICC U19 Cricket World Cup.

With the bat, Qasim smashed 135 runs off 80 balls including six maximums and 13 boundaries followed by his five-wicket haul which set a record in U19 World Cup’s history. Qasim became the only cricketer to score a hundred and take five wickets in an U19 World Cup’s match.

Sent into bat first, Pakistani openers Mohammad Shehzad and Haseebullah Khan scored 134 runs to provide a strong start to their team who scored 365-3 in 50 overs. Shehzad got out after scoring 73 including seven boundaries and two sixes.

Shehzad’s wicket brought in skipper Qasim at the crease. Qasim played captain’s knock and alongside Hasebullah scored 229 runs. Hasebullah smashed 136 runs laced with seven boundaries and two sixes.

Matheesha Pathirana bagged two wickets while Raveen de Silva took one for Sri Lanka.

In reply, Sri Lankan batting line was completely failed against Qasim’s spin attack. Vinuja Ranpul (53*) and Dunith Wellalage (40) resisted for their team and showed fight.

Apart from Qasim, Awais Ali, Zeeshan Zameer, Abbas Ali and Mehran Mumtaz bagged a wicket each.