Tag: T20 world cup

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

The Bangladesh Men’s Cricket Team will tour the United States of America (USA) for a three-match T20I series ahead of this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced Thursday.

Bangladesh’s historic tour to the USA meant that the two teams would face each other in the shortest format for the first time.

The BCB sees the three-match series as an opportunity to prepare for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA.

“For the Bangladesh Team, this tour serves as an ideal platform to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” Nizam Uddin Chowdhury, CEO, Bangladesh Cricket Board, said.

“We recognise the significance of this preparatory phase and are committed to making the most of this invaluable experience.”

Bangladesh have thus far played only two T20Is in the USA, both against the West Indies in 2018.

The Asian Tigers will start their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in the country, taking on Sri Lanka and South Africa in Dallas and New York respectively.

Prior to the historic series against Bangladesh, the USA will host Canada for a five-match T20I series,

All eight matches of the two bilateral series will be played at Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston, Texas.

“Ahead of the important Men’s T20 World Cup, these games will be vital for our team to get their working combinations, build team cohesion, and fine-tune strategies,” said Venu Pisike, Chairman of USA Cricket.

Notably, Bangladesh are placed in group D of the T20 World Cup 2024, alongside Sri Lanka, South Africa, Nepal and the Netherlands.

Whereas, the USA are part of Group A which also features India, Pakistan, Canada and Ireland.

READ: Bowlers-led Sultans restrict Zalmi on 146/7 in PSL 9 Qualifier

Organizers of June’s T20 Cricket World Cup games in the United States say that early ticket sales have shown there is a huge demand for the sport among cricket lovers in the country.

The highly anticipated clash in New York between cricket rivals Pakistan and India was over-subscribed by 200 times in the public ballot for tickets, the International Cricket Council said.

The 34,000-seat temporary venue, Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Long Island, has yet to be completed but is already assured of a sell out crowd for the June 9 encounter.

The tournament is being co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States.

While big crowds are expected in the traditional cricket countries in the Caribbean, this will be the first time that an international tournament is held in the United States with the 16 games in the country also including matches in Lauderhill, South Florida and Grand Prairie Stadium, near Dallas.

“We had amazing ticket interest. The ballot process showed there’s a really big demand,” T20 World Cup USA, Inc. chief executive Brett Jones told AFP on Friday.

“India-Pakistan is obviously a game that at every World Cup carries great interest. I think it’s really pleasing to see those two countries come to the USA,” he added.

Powerhouses India and Pakistan will play all their group games in the USA and are sure to attract packed crowds from the diaspora living in the country.

While organizers hope that they can “convert” some Americans to the game, they are well aware that there is already huge interest among immigrant populations and their focus is on serving those fans.

“I think, number one, we want to celebrate those that are already fanatical lovers of cricket. They deserve to see the best players in the world come into their backyard and have that chance,” said Jones.

“So, number one, we want to make sure that happens and they get to feel like they’re close to a game they love. Number two, I think it’s about spiking curiosity in the game,” he said.

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Americans have never fallen for the charms of cricket, preferring baseball for their bat and ball action, but the sport is set to get an unprecedented platform in the country with the T20 format, including in the Los Angeles Olympics in four year’s time.

“Obviously there’s a great runway to the Olympics in LA in 28 and then on into Brisbane in 2032 for cricket, which again will keep it in the global view and the consciousness of a big country like the US. I think we’ve got those two things working for us,” said Jones.

“We’re saying we want to reward our cricket fans and lovers of cricket in the US, which is a huge market.

“Then we want to spike curiosity and really hopefully start a bigger conversation about the game and its benefits at the community level,” he added.

Ireland, Sri Lanka, South Africa, the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Canada will also play in the USA along with the host nation themselves.

While there is no lack of interest, organizers still have plenty to do to create the facilities and infrastructure needed for a global tournament.

Lauderhill, just outside Fort Lauderdale, has already played home to international cricket matches but is undergoing significant upgrades.

Grand Prairie opened last year as the venue for the new domestic tournament, Major League Cricket, but is also being enhanced for the T20 World Cup.

“We’re still going to have a lot of work to do to make sure we can provide access to our cricket fans,” Jones said.

“We want to show people that in a sports-mad country that demands entertainment, cricket is a great entertainment product,” he added.

The tournament will start on June 1 with the USA facing Canada in Texas.

USA vice-captain Aaron Jones says he hopes the team’s performances will offer inspiration to youngsters starting out in the sport.

“We want to show everybody in the world that the USA can be a cricketing country as well and be a role model for kids coming up,” he said.

READ: England’s Shoaib Bashir rattle India after Joe Root’s unbeaten 122

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has finalised the schedule for the T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be co-hosted by the United States of America (USA) and West Indies, ESPN Cricinfo reported.

According to the report, the next edition of the T20 World Cup will run from June 4 to 30.

It further revealed that the ICC had shortlisted venues in the USA which include Lauderhill in Florida, Morrisville, Dallas and New York, for tournament matches and warm-ups.

Notably, Florida has already hosted international matches and is and is set to host the second ODI between West Indies and India.

Morrisville and Dallas — currently hosting the inaugural edition of the Major League Cricket — are yet to get international status, which is mandatory as per ICC rules.

“The grounds in Dallas (Grand Prairie Stadium), Morrisville (Church Street Park) and New York (Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx) are yet to get international venue status, which is mandatory as per ICC rules,” the report stated.

“A final decision on the venues will be taken by the ICC together with Cricket West Indies (CWI) and USA Cricket (USAC) in the next few months,” it added.

Ireland, Scotland, and Papua New Guinea qualified for the 20-team T20 World Cup this week through the ICC’s pathway of regional qualifiers.

Papa New Guinea (PNG) won the East Asia-Pacific Region Qualifier while Ireland and Scotland secured the top two positions in the Europe Region Qualifier, which concluded earlier this week.

Notably, a total of 12 teams had already booked their spot in the T20 World Cup 2024 before the regional qualifiers including hosts West Indies and US, and the top eight teams at the 2022 T20 World Cup — Australia, England, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan and Bangladesh qualified for the next year’s mega event on the basis of superior team ranking.

It is pertinent to mention that the next edition of the T20 World Cup will feature a record 20 teams and will be played using a different format.

“The top two teams in each of the four groups of five will move to a Super Eight phase, where the remaining sides will be split into two groups of four,” ICC said in a statement.

“The top two in each group will then make their way to the semi-finals,” the statement added.

READ: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr draw with Inter Milan in Osaka friendly

Pakistan’s ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi commented on his heart-breaking injury in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 final against England and pointed at the possibility of Pakistan triumphing had he not been injured.

In the enthralling T20 World Cup final, Pakistan, batting first, set England to chase a mere 138 on a tricky Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) surface, which was making it difficult for the batters to score freely.

Pakistan’s pace attack, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, showcased determination not to let England run away with an easy victory as they rattled their top-order and restricted them to 45/3 in the sixth over.

Following the early setback, Ben Stokes and Harry Brook launched England’s recovery as the pair anchored the run chase with a crucial partnership.

Pakistan were in dire need of a breakthrough and they got it; courtesy of Shadab Khan, who deceived Brook with a loopy delivery outside off and the latter fired it straight to long-off where Shaheen Shah Afridi dove forward to gobble it.

The breakthrough, instead of a success, turned into a massive blow for the green shirts as they lost the services of their ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who hurt his injured knee in the process.

Shaheen then walked off the field briefly, returned to roars and raced in to bowl the 16th with England still requiring a tough 41 from 30 balls, but pulled up after one ball.

Ben Stokes then smashed a four and six off Iftikhar Ahmed, who was given the ball to complete the 16th, and it was over for Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi has finally opened up on the heartbreaking incident in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo and also opined that Pakistan may have won if he did not get injured in such a clutch situation.

“And in this tournament [2022], if I didn’t get injured at such a crucial moment, maybe we could’ve won. Maybe if I had stayed fit and bowled…” he trails off. “Injuries can happen at any time,” said Shaheen.

The left-arm pacer also recalled the thrashing, he received from Matthew Wade in the previous edition, which ultimately steered Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title.

“Obviously, it’s every player’s dream to win a World Cup for his country and I still remember 2021, how that ended,” he said.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, however, shared that he is trying to forget the past in order to be able to move forward.

“If I think too much about them then I won’t be able to move ahead,” Shaheen stated.

The left-arm pacer also responded to a question regarding a dip in his bowling speed post-injury and termed taking wickets more important than the pace.

“Everyone has a view about it [the pace], but I’ve been feeling good. You look at yourself, even if you are bowling 110kmph and taking wickets, you’re feeling good. I took wickets. I gave 100% in the field, that matters more. Speed doesn’t matter as much but if there has been a dip, it will improve with time.

“[I was injured] two months out before the [T20] World Cup, two-three months after the [T20] World Cup also. So it will of course take time to get back. That match energy or fitness, you only get it from playing matches. Since the PSL I’ve been feeling better, I got better through it and then played internationals for Pakistan as well. With time I’ll improve and the more I play the more I’ll improve.”

READ: Former Burnley youngster Rahis Nabi rejoins Pakistan Football team

Watch HD Live Streaming on ARY ZAP: https://aryzap.com/icc-mens-t20-worldcup-2022/

ENG 138/5 (19 Overs)

Mohammad Wasim Jr to bowl his last

ENG 131/4 (18 Overs)

Haris comes back to bowl his last

ENG 126/4 (17 Overs)

Wasim Jr comes back

ENG 110/4 (16 Overs)

Shaheen comes back, bowls a dot ball but leaves the field due to the injury. Iftikhar Ahmed takes over.

ENG 97/4 (15 Overs)

Haris comes back into the attack

ENG 89/4 (14 Overs)

Naseem comes to bowl his last

ENG 87/4 (13 Overs)

Shadab comes to bowl his last

ENG 82/3 (12 Overs)

Naseem comes back

ENG 79/3 (11 Overs)

Shadab comes again

ENG 77/3 (10 Overs)

Wasim Jr continues

ENG 69/3 (9 Overs)

Shadab continues

ENG 61/3 (8 Overs)

Mohammad Wasim Jr comes into the attack

ENG 54/3 (7 Overs)

Shadab Khan comes to bowl his first

ENG 49/3 (6 Overs)

Haris continues

ENG 43/2 (5 Overs)

Naseem comes back

ENG 32/2 (4 Overs)

Haris Rauf comes into the attack

ENG 28/1 (3 Overs)

Shaheen continues

ENG 21/1 (2 Overs)

Naseem Shah to bowl from the other end

ENG 7/1 (1 Over)

Jos Buttler and Alex Hales come out to bat for England. Shaheen Shah Afridi to open the bowling attack for Pakistan.

PAKISTAN vs ENGLAND (2nd INNINGS)

MELBOURNE: Sam Curran starred with impressive bowling figures of 3/12 as England bowlers ran through the batting line to restrict Pakistan to 137/8 in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, here at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

PAK 137/8 (20 Overs)

Jordan comes to bowl the final over

PAK 131/7 (19 Overs)

Curran to bowl his last

PAK 127/6(18 Overs)

Jordan replaces Stokes

PAK 122/5 (17 Overs)

Curran replaces Jordan

PAK 119/4 (16 Overs)

Stokes comes to bowl his last

PAK 106/4 (15 Overs)

Jordan replaces Stokes

PAK 98/4 (14 Overs)

Adil comes to bowl his last

PAK 90/4 (13 Overs)

12.2: Nibbles outside off, thin edge to Buttler! Line and length from Stokes, extra lift off the seam, a thin but audible nick and Iftikhar bags a duck.

Stokes comes back

PAK 84/3 (12 Overs)

11.1: It’s another googly, another big wind-up from Babar, looking to take it on in the second half of the innings, but the ball gripped and turned back into his attempted cut/slash through the off-side, and looped back to the bowler off the splice.

Adil comes again

PAK 84/2 (11 Overs)

Liam Livingstone comes to bowl his first

PAK 68/2 (10 Overs)

Adil continues

PAK 59/2 (9 Overs)

Chris Jordan comes into the attack

PAK 50/2 (8 Overs)

7.1: Tossed up fairly slow, and Haris steps out and tries to take on Stokes, who seems to be stationed a good few yards inside the rope at long-on.

Adil Rashid comes in

PAK 45/1 (7 Overs)

Stokes comes back

PAK 39/1 (6 Overs)

Woakes comes again

PAK 29/1 (5 Overs)

4.2: Rizwan’s dragged on! Fullish, slanting into a wide-ish line, inviting the cover drive. Nips back in off the pitch, and Rizwan, going hard with a diagonal bat, can only get his inside edge to it.

Curran continues

PAK 28/0 (4 Overs)

Woakes continues

PAK 16/0 (3 Overs)

Sam Curran comes into the attack

PAK 12/0 (2 Overs)

Chris Woakes to bowl from the other end

PAK 8/0 (1 Over)

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan come out to bat for Pakistan. Ben Stokes to bowl the first over.

PAKISTAN vs ENGLAND (1st INNINGS)

MELBOURNE: England have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi

England: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid

HEAD TO HEAD (T20Is)

Matches 28, England 18, Pakistan 9, NR 1

FORM GUIDE

Pakistan: W, W, W, W, L
England: W, W, W, L, NR

MELBOURNE: England have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi

England: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid

HEAD TO HEAD (T20Is)

Matches 28, England 18, Pakistan 9, NR 1

FORM GUIDE

Pakistan: W, W, W, W, L
England: W, W, W, L, NR

INDIANAPOLIS: Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstar and current commentator Stu Bennett aka Wade Barrett hyped up the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Final between Pakistan and England during a live show on Friday.

During WWE’s professional wrestling television program Smackdown and the first round match of the ongoing Smackdown World Cup on Fox, English professional wrestler Barett mentioned the upcoming Cricket World Cup final between two former champions Pakistan and England.

“Well, the World Cup is going on right now, Cole. We’ll be watching on Sunday, the cricket world cup final – England vs Pakistan,” said Barrett during the commentary on Friday night Smackdown.

The cricket fans were quick to notice the hype of the ongoing T20 World Cup final in the professional wrestling show and took to their Twitter to share the footage of Barett talking about it during the commentary.

“[ICC T20 World Cup 2022] vibes on [Smackdown],” a user wrote.

#ICCT20WorldCup2022 vibes on #SmackDown #WWE #EngvsPak pic.twitter.com/WLMf7fFSH0

— Abdullah (@AbdullahGilani) November 12, 2022

 

“Wow! [T20 World Cup] fever has reached the USA as former WWE Superstar Wade Barett mention the mega event final during a live show,” another user wrote.

Wow! #T20WorldCup fever has reached USA as former WWE Superstar #WadeBarett mentions the mega event final during the live show.#T20WorldCup #PAKvENG pic.twitter.com/dK7b4hmxgV

— Farooq Mateen Sheîkh (@Beingfarooq12) November 12, 2022

It is pertinent to mention that Barrett was among 20 professional wrestlers, who visited Pakistan in 2017 to partake in the local wrestling event in the country.

The hospitality he received from Pakistan fans left the former Intercontinental champion amused due to which he expressed the desire to visit the country again.

“I have been to many countries but the warm welcome and hospitality we received in Pakistan was amazing,” Barrett said.

READ: Pakistan confident to repeat 92′ magic against England in T20 WC Final 

MELBOURNE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday, revealed the match officials for the highly-anticipated final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, scheduled to take place on November 13 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Experienced South African umpire Marais Erasmus and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena will serve as the on-field umpires amid the mega final.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Chris Gaffaney and Australia’s Paul Reiffel will assume the duties of the third and fourth umpires respectively.

The final will be supervised by Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka).

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan and England will be up against each other in a World Cup final after 30 years. The two sides last locked horns in 1992 World Cup, which Pakistan won under the captaincy of Imran Khan.

READ: ‘Quality fast bowling vs quality batting’ Hayden on Pakistan-England final 

ADELAIDE: England have won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the second semi-final of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh

England: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 22, India 12, England 10

FORM GUIDE

India: W, W, L, W, W
England: W, W, L, W, NR