AL AMERAT: Shakib Al Hasan showed all-round performance as Bangladesh beat Papua New Guinea (PNG) by 84 runs to qualify for T20 World Cup’s Super 12 stage.
Shakib bagged four wickets for just nine runs to help Bangladesh bowl out PNG for 97. Mohammad Saifuddin and Taskin Ahmed bagged two wickets each for Bangladesh.
Kiplin Doriga scored highest 46 runs off 34 balls with the help of two boundaries and as many sixes for PNG.
Earlier, Mahmudullah set the tone for Bangladesh despite exceptional fielding by Papua New Guinea (PNG) as they scored 181-7 in their last qualifying round match in T20 World Cup.
A good fielding display by PNG helped them take a couple of quick wickets but Mahmudullah stood firm and scored 50 runs off 28 balls with the help of three boundaries and as many maximums.
Experienced Shakib Al Hasan made 46 off 37 balls with the help of three boundaries. Mohammad Saifuddin struck quick 21 runs including a boundary and two sixes to race Bangladesh’s score to 181 for the loss of seven wickets.
For PNG, Kabua Morea, Damien Ravu, and Assad Vala bagged two wickets each whilst Simon Atai managed to take a scalp.
DUBAI: Pakistan team’s batting consultant Matthew Hayden is keen to share his observations regarding Indian players with the Green Shirts before their highly-anticipated contest with arch-rivals in T20 World Cup on October 24.
In a virtual media session conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday, Hayden, who commentated in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, said India has some really good players such as KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant who can rattle the opposition on their day.
“I have closely watched Indian players in recent times. They have KL Rahul who has grown up with a strong cricketing mind. Then they have Rishabh Pant who has a cheeky smile and good sense of cricket,” he shared.
“Overall, the Indian squad is strong but we also have some really good cricketers in Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and others. See, it’s obviously a pressure game, the team who will execute their plan strongly will win, as simple as that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hayden also talked about his short stint with the Pakistan team and shared that he hasn’t thought about a long-term stay. “I have never thought of things that are too far in my life ever. I plan things when they come to me. I am here with the Pakistan team for T20 World Cup, and I am just sticking to it and want this team to win mega event. Rest is just the future and I can’t predict it,” he added.
The batting consultant further said that calmness will be the key for his team to do wonders in the multi-nation tournament.
“One thing I would say to my players is ‘be calm’. Calmness can do big things for you. If you create panic in any situation, you lose things,” he shared.
DUBAI: India and England teams arrived on the ground just when Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam was leading his team towards victory against West Indies in the warm-up game of the T20 World Cup here on Monday.
Indian cricketers glued at their places alongside some English team players to watch Babar bat closely. It was not too late for the cricket fans to notice this happening and start discussing it on social media.
The pictures from live streaming went viral on the internet in which Indian players can be seen watching Babar’s batting. Here’re some of the interesting comments made by the fans.
https://twitter.com/Anfalyasmin123/status/1450086958101786625
https://twitter.com/danesh_kaleem/status/1450083528134250496
It is pertinent to mention here that Babar scored fifty to lead Pakistan to seven-wicket victory over West Indies in the warm-up match.
DUBAI: Babar Azam scored fifty to lead Pakistan to seven-wicket victory against the West Indies in the warm-up game of T20 World Cup here on Monday.
The skipper tackled the situation well as they set to chase a small target after commendable efforts from the bowlers.
Pakistani bowlers dominated first inning as they restricted West Indies to 130-7.
Starting off with Hasan Ali bagging Andre Fletcher earlier, Pakistani bowlers hold two-time T20 World Cup champions tightly. The Men in Maroon kept losing wickets after regular intervals.
The survival seemed difficult for the batting side as Hasan, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi bagged two wickets each.
Chris Gayle scored 20 runs followed by Shimron Hetmyer (28). Skipper Kieron Pollard stood firm in the end and smashed 23 off 10 balls including five boundaries to take West Indies to a defendable total. He smashed Haris for five boundaries in last over.
In reply, Pakistani openers Babar and Mohammad Rizwan were looking in good touch with scoring 36 runs in 5.2 overs. Ravi Rampaul provided a breakthrough to his team as he bowled Rizwan. The wicket-keeper batter scored 13 off 17 balls.
Babar carried the inning from there with left-handed Fakhar Zaman who ended up as not-out for 46 runs. They both scored 58 runs together before Babar walked off following his wicket to Hayden Walsh just after completing his half-century.
He smoked 50 runs off 41 balls laced with six boundaries and a six whereas Fakha accounted for four boundaries and two sixes in his 46-run knock. Shoaib Malik contributed 14 runs including two boundaries.
For West Indies, Walsh picked up two wickets while Rampaul bagged one.
Al Amerat: Co-hosts Oman have convincingly defeated Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets in the opening match of the 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup.
Oman chased down the 130-run target in 13.4 overs after restricting PNG to 129/9. Jatinder Singh batted flawlessly for his unbeaten 42-ball 73. He stroked seven fours and four sixes.
On the other hand, Aqib Ilyas played his part in the run chase by scoring 43-ball 50*. He hit five fours and a six.
Earlier, captain Zeeshan Maqsood starred for Oman as he took four wickets for just 20 runs. Bilal Khan and Kaleemullah also took two wickets each.
PNG’s captain Assad Vala rescued his side after they were struggling at 0/2. He paired up with Charles Amini and added 81 runs. Assad scored 56 off 43 balls, first fifty of the competition while Charles made 37 off 26 balls.
It must be noted that eight teams are competing in Round 1 of the competition. They are divided into two groups with the top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 12s, starting from October 23.
KARACHI: The CEO and President of ARY Digital Network, Mr. Salman Iqbal pledged to promote every single sport in the country through Pakistan’s first-ever HD Sports Channel, A-Sports.
Speaking at the launching ceremony of A-Sports, Mr. Salman said he always wanted to promote local sports and talented athletes on a bigger platform.
“I always wanted to promote sports and our athletes locally, to give them ample opportunity to showcase themselves at a bigger platform. A-Sports is behind this cause, through this channel, we will try to promote every single sport in the country,” he said.
Mr. Salman shared that A-Sports will not only telecast this year’s T20 World Cup, but also next year’s mega T20 event in Australia and 2023’s ICC World Cup which is scheduled to be played in India.
“We partnered with PTV to win the bid of three mega ICC events in the next three years. Not only this year’s T20 World Cup, but A-Sports will also telecast next year’s T20 World Cup and ICC World Cup 2023,” he disclosed.
DUBAI: Pakistani skipper Babar Azam is looking forward to watching the performance of his compatriot Hasan Ali and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson in the T20 World Cup which rolls into action on Sunday in Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In a virtual captains’ session released by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Babar said T20 World Cup is the biggest event of his career so far.
“It’s a big event for me, my team, and everyone participating in it. I am really looking forward to this event which brings exciting competitions for cricket fans across the world,” he said.
“Personally, I am looking forward to Hasan and Williamson performing in the event. I believe these two are doing well in their respective departments,” he added.
Speaking about the Pakistan team’s combination for the extravaganza, Babar said they made few changes following their domestic National T20 Cup.
“We have a quite balanced team with the likes of experienced and young blood. We brought in Shoaib Malik who has immense experience of playing ICC events. We included Fakhar Zaman who gave us a depth option in batting. Haider Ali is an exciting player to watch and I hope his inclusion will make our batting strong,” he explained.
“See, our couple international series were cancelled just before this event. We were highly dependent on that series from a preparation point of view. After that, we had left with only option to try the players in National T20 Cup. Unfortunately, some of our selected players didn’t perform well so we went for some changes,” he explained.
Pakistan vs India
The young skipper Babar is excited to face India in the heated contest at the T20 World Cup and want to start the event on a high note. “See, the match against India has always been a high-pressure contest. Everyone wants us to win against them. I hope we plan things strongly to beat India and start the tournament on a winning note,” he said.
KARACHI: Former Test cricketer Bazid Khan will be representing Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cup’s commentary panel.
Bazid will join the star-studded commentary team which includes former England cricketers Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton and Mark Nicholas, Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle, former West Indian cricketer Ian Bishop, Greek cricket broadcaster Natalie Germanos, former Indian cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Murali Kartik, New Zealand commentators Simon Doull and Preston Mommsen, former Sri Lankan cricketer Russel Arnold, former Bangladeshi cricketer Athar Ali Khan, Zimbabwe former cricketer Mpumelelo Mbangwa, New Zealand’s former cricketer Danny Morrison, Irish former cricketer Niall O’Brien and Alan Wilkins.
The mega event is all set to start from tomorrow [October 17] in Oman with qualifying teams locking horns to get a place in the main event, scheduled to start from October 23.
DUBAI: India’s former international cricketer Harbhajan Singh has challenged ex-Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar that Pakistan will not be able to beat India in their T20 World Cup contest on October 24.
Harbhajan, who is currently playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, told Indian media about a challenge to his former counterpart.
“I have already told Shoaib Akhtar that Pakistan has no chance against India in T20 World Cup. I told him that Pakistan should give a walkover to India as they will surely face another defeat in the mega event,” he shared.
https://twitter.com/imransiddique89/status/1448632841198243843
It must be noted here that Pakistan has never won a match against India in ICC T20 World Cup. The arch-rivals will meet in a much-anticipated T20 World Cup contest on October 24. All tickets for the contest were sold out within an hour.
DUBAI: Pakistan’s contingent has reached here this evening to participate in the T20 World Cup, starting from October 17.
An 18-member squad alongside supporting staff have reached here and now they will undergo COVID-19 testing. The squad is accompanied by their families, they will go in quarantine for a day before starting preparations.
The national team did practice sessions in Lahore and played scenario matches to prepare themselves for the mega event under the supervision of interim head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and bowling consultant Vernon Philander. Batting consultant Mathew Hayden will join the team in the UAE.