Tag: Shaheen Afridi

KARACHI: Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has come out in support of Shaheen Shah Afridi amid uncertainty surrounding his future as the T20I captain of the national cricket team.

Shaheen succeeded Babar Azam as the T20I captain of the national team, following their dismal campaign at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

But the left-arm pacer had an unwanted start to his captaincy reign, which started with a five-match away series against New Zealand in January this year.

Pakistan succumbed to a 4-1 series defeat and Shaheen’s future as a captain straightaway came under scrutiny.

Things worsened for the 23-year-old in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine as two-time champions Lahore Qalandars, under his captaincy, managed to win only one out of 10 matches and finished at the bottom of the table.

The Qalandars’ disastrous PSL 9 campaign ignited speculations that Shaheen Afridi may get replaced as the T20I skipper.

Meanwhile, the newly-appointed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi addressed the ongoing captaincy saga and revealed that the new selection committee would decide regarding the national team’s leadership.

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On the contrary, former chief selector Shahid Afridi threw his weight behind Shaheen and stated that a captain should be given ample time to prove his mettle.

“I think that if you have appointed someone as captain (Shaheen) and given him the responsibility then give him time as well,” Afridi told the media on Tuesday.

“If you change the captain then either the decision to appoint him was wrong or the decision to change him now is wrong,” he added.

Commenting on the retirement reversals by Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir, Shahid Afridi advised the duo to prove their fitness in the ongoing camp at Kakul, Abbottabad and also to prioritize domestic cricket.

“In my opinion, their decision to retire was not right. They had enough cricket left in them and obviously, the thrill to play for Pakistan is nowhere else,” said Afridi.

“They both are talented but firstly, they have to show their fitness and then become a part of the domestic circuit because Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir are such senior and experienced players that their presence in the dressing room would benefit our youngsters,” he added.

READ: ICC delegation meets PCB chief after inspection for Champions Trophy

Pakistan’s T20I captain Shaheen Afridi, as well as star batters Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan, have made late entries to The Hundred 2024 Draft, scheduled to take place on March 20 (today).

These three players have set a reserve price of £100,000 and will be available for selection by the eight teams participating in The Hundred.

Former Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof has also been added as a last-minute inclusion along with Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

Meanwhile, young batter Saim Ayub, who ended the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 with 345 runs in 11 games, has withdrawn his name from the The Hundred 2024 Draft.

Earlier this month, a total of 65 Pakistan players, including five women cricketers signed up for the The Hundred 2024 Draft.

Leg-spinner Usama Mir was retained by Manchester Originals while Welsh Fire retained right-arm speedster Haris Rauf.

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Pakistan’s first-choice pacers Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah registered for The Hundred draft at a reserved price of £100,000. Whereas, Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed set their reserve prices at £75,000.

Mohammad Amir, Aamir Jamal, and Abdullah Shafique have set their base price at £60,000.

Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, and Imad Wasim signed up for the draft with a reserve price of £50,000 while Mir Hamza, Mohammad Hasnain, and Azam Khan entered with a £40,000 reserve price.

Furthermore, 46 Pakistan players signed up for The Hundred draft without a reserved price including Haider Ali, Umar Amin, Faheem Ashraf, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zaman Khan, Shan Masood, Mohammad Nawaz, Roman Raees, Saud Shakeel, Haneen Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr.

In the women’s category, Pakistan captain Nida Dar, alongside Iram Javed and Fatima registered with a reserved price of £17,500 while all-rounder Aliya Riaz and Javeria Rauf entered the draft without a specified reserve price.

READ: Stadium upgradation plan presented to PCB Chairman

Lahore Qalandars’ captain Shaheen Afridi joined an elusive list of bowlers with 100 wickets in the history of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Shaheen Afridi became only the third bowler to claim 100 wickets during the PSL 9 match against Islamabad United in Rawalpindi yesterday.

He bowled fellow Pakistani pacer Naseem Shah to reach the historic landmark.

Notably, Peshawar Zalmi’s Wahab Riaz was the first player to breach the 100-wicket mark in PSL history.

He is currently the highest wicket-taker in the league’s history with 113 wickets.

Meanwhile, Karachi Kings’ pace bowler Hasan Ali became the second bowler to claim 100 wickets during the ongoing PSL 9.

The right-handed pacer achieved the historic feat when he dismissed Alex Hales during his side’s clash against Islamabad United last week.

Ali is closing on the record for the most wickets in PSL history as he needs only seven wickets to surpass Riaz’s record.

Meanwhile, Afridi-led Lahore Qalandars claimed their first victory in the PSL 9 yesterday by defeating Islamabad United by 17 runs.

Zaman Khan’s four-wicket haul after Rassie van der Dussen’s gutsy half-century helped the defending champions end their winless streak in this season.

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Van der Dussen remained the top-scorer for the Qalandars with 64 off 44 deliveries, featuring four boundaries and as many sixes.

Later, David Wiese bolstered Lahore Qalandars’ total to 162 with an unbeaten 24-run cameo. His 11-ball knock featured three boundaries.

In response, Islamabad United’s batting unit unfolded on 145 in 18.5 overs despite Faheem Ashraf’s unbeaten 41.

The home side had a disastrous start to the run chase as they lost six wickets inside seven overs with just 38 runs on the board.

Following the slump, Azam Khan partnered briefly with Faheem Ashraf for an anchoring 35-run partnership which lasted with the former’s departure in the 11th over.

Faheem then put together an important partnership with Naseem Shah when the duo added 42 runs for the eighth wicket.

Naseem scored a brisk 27 off 16 deliveries before falling victim to Afridi in the 16th over.

But Faheem kept the scoreboard ticking and brought United in touching distance to a thrilling victory when they needed 18 off eight deliveries.

However, Zaman Khan trapped Rumman Raees lbw with a ferocious yorker and United, as a result, bundled out on 145 in response to Qalandars’ 162.

READ: Najmul Hossain steers Bangladesh to series-equalling win over Sri Lanka

MELBOURNE: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi came out in support of Babar Azam during the latter’s rough patch with the bat in 2023.

Ace Pakistan batter Babar Azam has been out of form, especially in Test cricket since the start of the year 2023.

The right-handed batter played five matches in the ongoing year and could only yield 204 runs at a dismal average of 22.66 with the highest score of 41.

He also could not score a single half-century in the longest format in 2023.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi was unfazed by Babar Azam’s dismal Test stats this year and asserted that he is one of the most consistent batters ever produced by the country.

I rate Babar Azam very highly and so does the world,” stated Afridi.

“He is the backbone of Pakistan’s batting lineup. The best batters lose form, but I have seen such consistent batters very rarely in Pakistan cricket,” he added.

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Shahid Afridi also refuted concerns regarding Shaheen Afridi carrying an injury despite a significant pace drop in the left-arm pacer’s bowling while also highlighting the need to invest in the team’s bench strength rather than in individuals.

“I’ve never got the impression that Shaheen has an injury. If you’re injured you can’t play as a fast bowler. He knows his responsibility and how important he is to the team. The fast bowlers, we are expecting a lot from them because they’ve done well in the past.

“Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen etc. have performed so well we expect them to perform in every match. Relentless consistency is challenging in cricket.

“I have always said that unless our bench is strong we won’t be able to take the best decisions.

“The A team should be as strong as the main team, so if Shaheen or Babar or Rizwan aren’t strong, we shouldn’t have the excuses of players being unavailable, like we do with Naseem now. When our bench is strong, we will no longer have excuses.”

The former all-rounder also commented on Haris Rauf’s self-imposed absence from the Australia tour and stated that he should have been a part of this Pakistan team.

“I think Haris [Rauf] should be part of this side instead rather than [the BBL],” Afridi, speaking to media at the MCG, said.

“In these conditions, the kind of pace he has, he would have performed well and enjoyed himself on the kinds of pitches Australia prepared in Perth and here.”

READ: Babar Azam, Steve Smith share a funny interaction in Boxing Day Test

MELBOURNE: Pakistan’s ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi sledged and repeatedly stared at Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne during the entertaining opening day of the Boxing Day Test.

Australia were on the back foot as their batters found it difficult to counter Pakistan pacers under seam-friendly conditions.
Shaheen Afridi created opportunities, but fielders failed to capitalize on them. Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam dropped simple catches against opener David Warner.

Then, the floodlights got turned out due to dark clouds over the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The cloudy conditions along with Shaheen Afridi and his fellow pacer Hassan Ali’s aggressive approach troubled Australia at both ends.

Marnus Labuschagne’s innings was one of the talking points on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test. Things got heated when the right-handed batter asked the on-field umpire to stop play citing “substandard playing conditions” as his reason. 

Marnus Labuschagne was on the back foot in the 40th over as he faced Shaheen Afridi’s thunderbolts. The viral video of the battle showed the right-handed batter finding it difficult to counter the left-arm pacer.

How did Marnus labuschagne survived this spell of Shaheen Shah Afridi🔥? #PAKvsAUS #BabarAzam #ShaheenShahAfridi pic.twitter.com/EtqgAAD1pJ

— Amir Zafar (@amirzafar381) December 26, 2023

 

It is pertinent to mention that the second Test between Australia and Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground had a captivating start with the visitors restricting the hosts to 187-3 on the first day with their spirited performance.

The second Test was interrupted by rain in the latter half of the day, consequently allowing only 66 overs of play.

Australian batters Marnus Labuschagne (44) and Travis Head (9) will resume the batting against Pakistan on the second day.

Australia managed to score 90-1 in the first session on the first day of the Boxing Day Test on the back of a solid opening partnership between Usman Khawaja and David Warner.

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The 90-run partnership was broken at the stroke of lunch as Warner was caught by Babar Azam off Salman Ali Agha after being dropped earlier by Abdullah Shafique.

Warned played an innings of 38 off 83 with three boundaries.

Australia could only add 23 runs from 15 overs in the second session before rain interruption halted the play, while Pakistan removed Usman Khawaja, who was caught by Salman Ali Agha in slips on Hasan Ali’s bowling.

Khawaja scored 42 runs from 101 balls with five boundaries.

The rain prompted umpires to take an early Tea break with the scoreboard reading 114-2.

Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith resumed their innings in the last session as they added 46 runs for the third wicket before the latter was dismissed.

Smith was caught behind off Aamer Jamal after scoring 26 runs.

Travis Head then joined Labuschagne and together they took Australia’s total to 187-3 at the end of the first day’s play during the Boxing Day Test.

READ: Hasan Ali opens up on Pakistan’s pace dip

PERTH: Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi has been appointed vice-captain of the Pakistan Test Team for the series against Australia on Wednesday.

Earlier, Shaheen was also appointed captain of the Pakistan Men’s T20 Cricket Team.

Shaheen Afridi has represented Pakistan in 27 Test matches and picked 105 wickets at an impressive average of 25.58, including four five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket haul.

He has also featured in 53 ODIs and 52 T20Is for Pakistan, picking 104 and 64 wickets respectively.

Earlier today, Pakistan announced their playing XI for the first Test of the three-match Test series against Australia, which is scheduled to be played at Perth Stadium from tomorrow.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) unveiled the playing XI for the Perth Test.

The lineup features Pakistan captain Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Khurram Shahzad.

This match will be Shan Masood’s first match as the captain after being appointed the Test captain last month following Babar Azam’s resignation as captain.

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Notably, all-rounder Aamir Jamal and pace bowler Khurram Shahzad will make their Test debuts against Australia.

The 23-year-old Khurram Shahzad was the highest wicket-taker of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24 with 36 wickets in eight matches at an average of 20.31 and picked up 13 wickets at 16.62 in the recently concluded Pakistan Cup.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Aamir Jamal has previously represented Pakistan in four T20I matches.

Australia have also announced their playing XI for the first Test under the leadership of Pat Cummins, with Steve Smith and Travis Head serving as co-vice-captains.

Steve Smith will be the senior vice-captain and the first choice to stand in as captain in the absence of Cummins.

Pakistan Playing XI for the first Test

Shan Masood (c), Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Khurram Shahzad.

Australia Playing XI for the first Test

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

READ: Shan Masood named Karachi Kings’ captain for PSL 9

Pakistan’s left-arm pace bowler Shaheen Afridi expressed his desire to spoil Australian opening batter David Warner’s final Test series, starting with the Perth Test on December 14th.

David Warner was in scintillating white ball form at the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2023, scoring 535 runs at a 48.63 average for his side which won their sixth World Cup title.

However, Warner has scored just one Test century since early 2020 and averages only 28 since the 2019-2020 summer.

The 37-year-old batter has indicated he plans to quit the five-day game after the third Test against Pakistan at his home Sydney Cricket Ground.

Shaheen Afridi, while talking to the media before his side’s practice session in Canberra praised Warner for his stellar career but predicted that the southpaw will not have a ‘good end’ to his Test career.

“We would wish him good luck but we are not hoping for a good end for David Warner in his last Test series against us,” said Shaheen Afridi.

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Afridi also stressed the importance of the Australian series for Pakistan to hold on to their top spot in the World Test Championship’s points table.

“This is an important series for Pakistan as we are leading the World Test Championship’s point table at the moment,” he further added.

He further expressed his side’s readiness to take the challenge of facing Australia in their tough home conditions.

“We have played against the recently announced Australia’s 14-member squad, and we are all up for this challenge,” he affirmed.

Pakistan and Australia will square off in the first Test match in Perth from 14-18 December 2023.

The second Test match will be played in Melbourne, from 26 to 30 December, while Sydney will host the last game of the tour from 3 to 7 January 2024.

Pakistan squad

Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Australia squad

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

READ: Fatima, Shawaal lead Pakistan women to historic win over New Zealand

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday, appointed Shan Masood and Shaheen Shah Afridi as Test and T20I captains respectively.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the PCB shared the new captains of the national team for the Test and T20I format.

“Presenting our captains. [Shan Masood] has been appointed Test captain while [Shaheen Shah Afridi] will lead the T20I side,” PCB wrote.

Presenting our captains 🇵🇰@shani_official has been appointed Test captain while @iShaheenAfridi will lead the T20I side. pic.twitter.com/wPSebUB60m

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 15, 2023

 

Shan Masood’s first assignment will be a three-match away Test series against Australia, starting on December 14.

Whereas, Shaheen Afridi’s first challenge as the T20I captain will be a five-match series against New Zealand, scheduled for January.

Meanwhile, the PCB will appoint the ODI captain in due course. Notably, Pakistan’s next ODI fixture is scheduled in November 2024 when they tour Australia for a three-match each ODI and T20I series.

Furthermore, the PCB has appointed former Test captain Muhammad Hafeez as Team Director – replacing Mickey Arthur, who was named recently after Najam Sethi-led management came into power.

The development came after star batter Babar Azam announced to step down as all-format captain following the team’s dismal performance in the ongoing World Cup 2023.

“Today, I am stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats. It’s a difficult decision but I feel it is a right time for this call,” the right-handed batter said in a statement issued on X (Formerly Twitter).

pic.twitter.com/8hZqS9JH0M

— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) November 15, 2023

Babar’s resignation came shortly after he met Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

Sources told ARY News that the PCB decided to retain Babar Azam as captain for the upcoming Test series against Australia scheduled to commence on December 14 next month.

The right-hand batter was apprised that the PCB would bring in a new captain for the white-ball format.

However, sources claimed, Babar was not in favour of retaining captaincy for any one format.

It is pertinent to mention here that the star batter was appointed white-ball captain in 2019 and as Test skipper in 2021.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam – in a statement – said that he will continue to represent Pakistan as a player in all three formats.

“I vividly remember the moment when I received the call from PCB to lead Pakistan in 2019. Over the past four years, I’ve experienced many highs and lows on and off the field, but I wholeheartedly and passionately aimed to maintain Pakistan’s pride and respect in the cricket world,” the right-handed batter said.

He pointed out that Pakistan cricket team reached the number 1 spot in the white-ball format due to “collective efforts of players, coaches, and management”.

Azam also expressed gratitude to passionate Pakistan cricket fans for their “unwavering support during this journey”.

“I will continue to represent Pakistan as a player in all three formats. I am here to support the new captain and the team with my experience and dedication,” he said, acknowledging PCB for “entrusting me with this significant responsibility”.

Babar Azam’s captaincy and his future in the role came under question following the national team’s below-par performance in the World Cup 2023.

READ: Morne Morkel steps down as Pakistan bowling coach

DUBAI: Indian opening batter Shubman Gill has replaced Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam, ending his more than two-year reign at the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Shubman Gill became the fourth Indian player to become the No. 1 ODI batter after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, on the back of his solid performance in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam has scored 282 runs from eight outings in the mega event and lost six rating points, hence slipping to the second position for the first time after occupying the top spot for more than two years.

Shubman Gill has accumulated a total of 219 runs from six innings at the tournament including a 92 against Sri Lanka.

Overall, Indian players gained substantial rewards in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Rankings, owing to India’s undefeated run in the ICC World Cup 2023.

India’s star batter Virat Kohli jumped three places to reach the fourth spot, with a difference of a mere one rating point from South African Quinton de Kock, who is ranked third.

Kohli is currently the second-highest run-getter in the ICC World Cup 2023 with 543 runs from eight innings, only behind De Kock, who has scored 550 runs in as many innings with four centuries.

India’s Shreyas Iyer also made a big leap of 17 places to reach 18th position after amassing 293 runs from eight innings, while Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman jumped three spots to 11th and Afghanistan’s opener Ibrahim Zadran reached 12th after jumping six spots.

Shubman Gill’s opening partner and India’s captain Rohit Sharma is placed at the sixth spot with 739 rating points.

On the other hand, the Indian bowlers also earned a place in the top ten of the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings, after wreaking havoc throughout the ICC World Cup 2023.

Pace bowler Mohammed Siraj regained his top spot in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings after jumping two spots, whereas fellow pacer Mohammed Shami climbed seven spots to tenth, after picking 16 wickets in four games in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav and Jaspirt Bumrah gained three places to reach the fourth and eighth positions respectively.

Pakistan’s pace bowler, Shaheen Afridi, who became the number one ODI bowler last week, lost his place and slipped four places down to fifth position, equalling Australia’s Josh Hazlewood with 658 rating points.

Australia’s Adam Zampa, who is currently the second leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 20 wickets jumped six places to reach third position, whereas, the leading wicket-taker Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka climbed 31 places to 45th.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan continues to lead the ICC ODI All-Rounder Rankings, however, Australia’s Glenn Maxwell gained two spots to sixth after his match-winning double-hundred against Afghanistan yesterday

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DUBAI: Pakistan’s left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi made a big leap to top the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings.

Shaheen Afridi, the spearhead of Pakistan’s pace attack, jumped nine places to claim the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings, owing to his impressive showing in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.

He has taken the joint most wickets in the tournament alongside Australia leg spinner Adam Zampa, with both bowlers taking 16 wickets each.

He added three wickets to his tally yesterday during Pakistan’s thumping seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Kolkata, helping his side remain in contention for the semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2023.

Shaheen Afridi also became the fastest pacer to take 100 wickets in ODI cricket during the match against Bangladesh. He achieved the milestone in 51 innings, piping previous record-holder Mitchell Starc, who conceded 52 innings.

Shaheen Afridi overtook the likes of Australia’s Josh Hazlewood (second), India’s Mohammed Siraj (third) and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj (fourth) in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings, who lost one place courtesy of his big leap.

He has occupied the number one ranking in any format for the first time, meanwhile, his teammate and Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam has clung to his number one spot in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings by the barest of margins.

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Babar Azam is holding onto his position with 818 rating points, however, right-handed Indian batter Shubman Gill is ranked second with a difference of a mere two rating points.

Azam has accumulated a total of 216 runs from seven innings in the ICC World Cup 2023, while Shubman Gill has managed only 104 runs in four innings.

Moreover, Australian opening batter David Warner, who is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the ICC World Cup 2023 jumped one spot to fourth. Warner has scored 413 in six innings at an average of 68.83.

Netherlands’ skipper Scott Edwards also made a big leap of 11 places to equal 16th position after scoring 204 runs from six innings at the ICC World Cup 2023.

South Africa’s Marco Jansen moved two places to ninth in the ICC all-rounders rankings, while New Zealand youngster Rachin Ravindra climbed 14 spots to 17th.

READ: Shaheen Afridi becomes fastest pacer to 100 ODI wickets