Tag: World Cup 2023

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar expressed his disappointment over the absence of Babar Azam from the recently-unveiled promo for the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday, released a promo video for the mega event featuring superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

The promo, released on all ICC social media platforms, became cricket fans’ attention within minutes but it did not go well with Pakistan fans.

The two-minute-long video promo was alleged to under-represent Pakistan and also did not feature the top ODI batter, Babar Azam.

Besides being the top-ranked batter in the 50-over format, Babar Azam is the current ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year and Sir Garfield Sobers ICC Player of the Year.

He is also currently the only batter to feature in top-three of all-format ICC rankings.

Consequently, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar, known for his blunt opinions, did not mince his word while criticising the promo for under-representing Pakistan and the absence of Babar Azam.

“Whoever thought that World Cup promo will be complete without Pakistan & Babar Azam’s significant presence, has actually presented himself as a joke. Come on guys, time to grow up a bit,” wrote Shoaib Akhtar.

Whoever thought that World Cup promo will be complete without Pakistan & Babar Azam's significant presence, has actually presented himself as a joke.
Come on guys, time to grow up a bit.

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) July 22, 2023

 

To hype the ICC Men’s World Cup, the cricketing governing body produced a promotional video for their forthcoming extravaganza and called one of India’s most famous stars Khan to be the face of their advertising.

The 2-minute long video, centred on the tournament’s ethos and tagline — ‘All it takes is one day’, is narrated by Shah Rukh Khan.

“The difference between making history and being history: one day. Jerseys will be worn, and chests will swell with pride, on that one day. Passion will triumph logic, and memories will be etched, on that one day. Fears will be conquered, and odds will be braved, on that one day. From the highs of joy, to the lows of anguish, it will all be embraced, on that one day,” narrates Khan.

“Rivalries will be redefined on the pitch, and respect reimagined in the stands. The power of belief will emerge from the hearts of a billion. Songs will be sung, dances will be danced, and eyes will widen in wonder, on that one day. And when that day comes, and when that day finally comes, glory will be immortalized,” continued Khan.

“This is the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, for everything ever dreamt for, pushed for, lived for, it takes one day,” concludes the movie star in the video.

The video features montages of iconic moments from the previous editions of the World Cup.

It also stars guest appearances from 2019 World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Jonty Rhodes, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shubman Gill and Jemimah Rodrigues dancing with cricket fans.

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday, spiced up the hype for the upcoming Men’s Cricket World Cup by releasing a promo video for the mega event featuring superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

To hype the ICC Men’s World Cup, the cricketing governing body produced a promotional video for their forthcoming extravaganza and called one of India’s most famous stars Khan to be the face of their advertising.

The remarkable 2-minute long video, centred on the tournament’s ethos and tagline — ‘All it takes is one day’, is narrated by Shah Rukh Khan.

“The difference between making history and being history: one day. Jerseys will be worn, and chests will swell with pride, on that one day. Passion will triumph logic, and memories will be etched, on that one day. Fears will be conquered, and odds will be braved, on that one day. From the highs of joy, to the lows of anguish, it will all be embraced, on that one day,” narrates Khan.

“Rivalries will be redefined on the pitch, and respect reimagined in the stands. The power of belief will emerge from the hearts of a billion. Songs will be sung, dances will be danced, and eyes will widen in wonder, on that one day. And when that day comes, and when that day finally comes, glory will be immortalized,” continued Khan.

“This is the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, for everything ever dreamt for, pushed for, lived for, it takes one day,” concludes the movie star in the video.

The video features montages of iconic moments from the previous editions of the World Cup. It also stars guest appearances from 2019 World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Jonty Rhodes, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shubman Gill and Jemimah Rodrigues dancing with cricket fans.

A total of 10 teams will participate in the ICC Men’s World Cup – featuring 45 matches – and compete for the prestigious silverware across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19.

Like the previous edition, the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 will also be played in a round-robin format – each team playing nine matches with the rest of the opponents.

The top four teams by the end of the group stage will qualify for the semi-finals, scheduled to be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16.

Whereas, the final of the tournament will take place on November 19 at the grand Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Notably, all three knockout matches of the ICC Men’s World Cup will have a reserve day.

READ: Rohail Nazir to lead Pakistan Shaheens in six-tournament in Australia

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain and star all-rounder Shahid Afridi expressed his confidence in the current national team’s ability to beat any team in the upcoming ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 in India.

Shahid Afridi, while speaking to the media after the MoU signing ceremony of Sindh Premier League (SPL)’s franchise Benazirabad Lals, praised the Babar Azam-led side’s current form and claimed that they can beat any team.

“Pakistan team is in good form. They are strong in every department and they have the ability to beat any team,” said Afridi.

Meanwhile, Pakistan players have a rigorous task of dealing with a packed before heading into the World Cup.

The national team are currently in Sri Lanka for a two-match series and will return home for the initial fixtures of the Asia Cup at home before travelling back to the Island for the continental event.

Consequently, Shahid Afridi thinks it will be crucial for the players to retain their fitness for the World Cup.

“They have to play continuous cricket for which they’ll have to maintain their fitness. There will be a lot of cricket with Test series, Asia Cup and World Cup,” said Afridi.

Shahid Afridi further called for the need of preparing two teams in a bid to get back up if the national team loses the services of any first-choice player due to injury.

“If the main bowlers are not in the team, who will be their backup? Therefore, I’ve been saying for a long period of time that we should focus on building two teams,” Afridi said.

“Our bench strength should be strong. Pakistan team should run even without Babar and Shaheen,” he reiterated.

It is pertinent to mention that Shahid Afridi will participate in the inaugural edition of the Sindh Premier League, scheduled to commence on September 19.

The star all-rounder will lead Benazirabad Lals while another veteran Shoaib Malik will lead Hyderabad Bahadurs.

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Pakistan captain Babar Azam commented on the Pakistan-India clash and asserted that his team’s focus in the World Cup will not remain on a single team.

Pakistan’s Test squad is currently engaged in the pre-series training camp at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi from 4-7 July. Following the conclusion of the camp, the team will depart for Sri Lanka on 8 July.

The two-match Test series in Sri Lanka marks Pakistan’s first assignment in the third cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. The first match is scheduled to take place on 16 July at Galle International Cricket Stadium while the second Test will be held at Singhalese Sports Club in Colombo from 24 to 28 July.

Pakistan, ranked sixth in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings, previously toured Sri Lanka in July 2022 with the two-Test series drawn 1-1. They played their last Test series against New Zealand at home from 26 December 2022 to 6 January 2023 with both matches drawn.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam in the pre-departure press conference, played down the hype of the Pakistan-India World Cup clash, stating that his team’s focus in the mega event was not glued to a single team.

“Our focus in the World Cup later this year is not just team India but all of the sides participating in the tournament. We will be able to reach the finals only if we defeat the other teams. Our plan is to be equally competitive with every opponent,” said Babar.

“As a professional, our stance is to play cricket regardless of the venues and be ready to overcome all the challenges that come with different conditions. The goal is to represent Pakistan and help the team succeed by adapting to the different environments.

“Pakistan’s batters have dominated spin bowlers in the past so it will not be correct to suggest that our players fear playing against spin in conducive conditions. A batter is expected to do something different whenever he faces tough time against a bowler.

“Pakistan team will benefit from the input of Mickey Arthur [Director – Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team] as he was Sri Lanka’s head coach for a couple of years. He will have knowledge of the conditions in Sri Lanka and his experience with the side will further help us prepare for the upcoming series.”

Speaking on the likely lineup for the Test series against Sri Lanka, Babar Azam revealed that he will be preferring Sarfaraz Ahmed as his first-choice wicketkeeper batter before asserting that it is not necessary for the vice-captain to feature in the Playing XI, while referring to Mohammad Rizwan.

“It’s too early to say but I’ll try to prefer to have Sarfraz as my first choice. It’s not necessary for the vice-captain to play, it doesn’t affect anything. We will go with the best XI according to the conditions at play,” Babar Azam concluded.

READ: Zaka Ashraf assumes charge as PCB Management Committee chairman

BULAWAYO: Bas de Leede followed up his five-wicket haul with a brisk century and propelled Netherlands to qualify for the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 with a four-wicket victory over Scotland.

Set to chase 278, the Netherlands had a challenging task to book their spot in the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 as they had to amass the total in 44 overs to leapfrog Scotland in the CWC Qualifier Super Six standings.

The Dutch, however, pulled off an astonishing entry into the World Cup by completing the run chase in 42.5 overs courtesy of a brisk century by de Leede.

The all-rounder smashed seven boundaries and five sixes on his way to top score for the Netherlands with a 92-ball 123.

Netherlands had a cautious start to the run chase and they were 72/2 in the 15th over when de Leede walked into bat.

The right-handed batter spearheaded Netherlands’ pursuit and stitched brief partnerships with Wesley Barresi (11), Teja Nidamanuru (10) and skipper Scott Edwards 25 before finally received subtle support at the other end in the form of Saqib Zulfiqar.

The duo then stitched a match-defining partnership for the sixth wicket and added 113 runs in 69 deliveries to put their side in complete command.

Bas de Leede got run out in the 43rd over when his side needed only two more runs.

Zulfiqar, on the other hand, carried his bat all the way through and remained unbeaten with a 32-ball 33 which featured three boundaries and a six.

Put into bat first, Scotland raised a decent total of 276/9 in the allotted 50 overs.

Top-order batter Brandon McMullen was the star for Scotland with the bat as he scored an anchoring century.

He scored 106 off 110 balls, laced up with 11 boundaries and three sixes.

Skipper Richie Berrington also played a cautious 64-run knock from 84 deliveries.

Tomas Mackintosh’s brisk 38-run cameo at the backend lifted Scotland to a commendable total, which in the end, turned out insufficient for their bowlers to defend.

Bas de Leede was the hero for the Netherlands with the ball also as he returned with 5/52 in his 10 overs.

Ryan Klein bagged two wickets while Logan van Beek made one scalp.

BULAWAYO: Tournament favourites Zimbabwe have been knocked out of the World Cup qualification race after the hosts succumbed to a shocking defeat against Scotland in the Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier Super Six clash.

Set to chase a modest 235-run, the home side could only raise 203 before being bundled out in the 42nd over despite Ryan Burl’s fighting 83-run knock.

The hosts had a dismal start to the pursuit as they lost four wickets in the eighth with just 37 runs on the scoreboard with in-form batter Sean Williams (12) and skipper Craig Ervine (0) also falling victim to the early debacle caused by a ruthless Chris Sole’s opening spell.

With Zimbabwe reeling at 37/4, in-form Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl attempted to anchor the run chase and put on a valiant 54-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

The pair appeared to have settled down and had put Scotland bowlers in dire need of a breakthrough which they eventually found in the 18th over when Raza miscued one off Chris Greaves and handed an easy catch to Tomas Mackintosh at long-off.

Raza could score 34 off 40 deliveries, laced with two boundaries and a six.

Wessley Madhevere joined Ryan Burl in the middle after Raza’s dismissal and put on another crucial partnership for their side in a daunting run chase.

The pair of Madhevere and Burl added a brisk 73 runs during their sixth-wicket partnership and had pulled Zimbabwe out of danger but Scotland once again managed to find a breakthrough at the perfect time when Brandon McMullen removed the former in the 31st over.

Madhevere scored a quick 40 off 39 deliveries with the help of three boundaries and a six.

Click to watch CWC Qualifier Live on ARY ZAP

Zimbabwe then lost two more wickets in quick successions as Wellington Masakadza and Richard Ngarava perished in successive overs to leave Zimbabwe in heaps of trouble at 182/8.

Ryan Burl, who was hanging on for Zimbabwe with a gritty knock finally perished in the 39th over as he failed to time his slog sweep of Michael Leask and put Scotland in complete command.

He remained the top scorer for Zimbabwe with an 84-ball 83 which featured eight boundaries and a six, receiving massive applause from the dejected home crowd as he walked off.

Right-arm pacer Safyaan Sharif wrapped up an astonishing victory for Scotland in the 42nd over when he castled Tendai Chatara, who could score a mere two.

Scotland could score 234/8 in the allotted 50 overs after they were put into bat first.

All-rounder Michael Leask led the batting charge for Scotland with a quickfire 48-run knock on 34 deliveries which featured three boundaries and two sixes.

Before Leask’s blitz, Scotland’s top four – Christopher McBride (28), Matthew Cross (38), Brandon McMullen (34) and George Munsey (31) – made significant contributions up the order to lay a solid foundation for a defendable total.

Bowling all-rounder Mark Watt also lent a helping hand with a 21-run cameo at the backend and bolstered his side’s total alongside Leask.

Sean Williams led the bowling attack for Zimbabwe with 3/41, followed by Tendai Chatara who returned with 2/46.

READ: Pakistan kick off training for Sri Lanka Tests

HARARE: Vikramjit Singh’s maiden century, paired up with Aryan Dutt’s 3/31 kept the Netherlands in contention to qualify for the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 with a statement 74-run victory over Oman in the CWC Qualifier on Monday.

Put into bat first, the Netherlands accumulated a massive total of 362/7 in a must-win CWC Qualifier match against Oman at the back of sensational knocks by Vikramjit Singh and Wesley Barresi.

The Dutch openers Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd laid a solid foundation for a massive total as they raised 117 runs for the first wicket.

Their calculated opening partnership lasted in the 22nd over when Ayaan Khan finally get rid of O’Dowd, who played a cautious 35-run knock from 64 deliveries.

Singh then joined forces with Barresi and added a further 80 runs to the Netherlands’ total before perishing in the 34th over briefly after amassing his maiden ODI century, which came in 102 deliveries.

He smashed 11 boundaries and two sixes on his way to a 109-ball 110 and remained the top-scorer for the Netherlands.

Following Singh’s departure, Barresi put on a brief partnership with skipper Scott Edwards (4) before receiving subtle support at the other end in the form of Bas de Leede.

The fourth-wicket partnership between Barresi and de Leede saw them adding 57 runs to the total before the latter fell after a quickfire cameo of 39 runs from just 19 deliveries.

Barresi then also accelerated and bolstered the Netherlands’ score in the last phase of the innings but had a heartbreaking end to his brilliant knock as he fell just three runs short of his second ODI century.

Click to watch CWC Qualifier Live on ARY ZAP

He scored 97 off just 65 balls, laced up with 10 boundaries and three sixes.

Saqib Zulfiqar’s quickfire 33 off 17 deliveries lifted the Netherlands to put on a massive total on the scoreboard.

Bilal Khan led the bowling attack for Oman with three wickets but was expensive while Mohammad Nadeem picked two wickets.

Set to chase a mammoth, Oman could only accumulate 246/6 in 44 overs before bad light forced an early closure of the action and thus, the Netherlands, registered a resounding 74-run victory in a must-win game.

Ayaan Khan waged a lone battle for Oman with a gutsy century and remained unbeaten when umpires called off the action due to bad light.

He scored 105 from 92 balls, hitting 11 boundaries and two sixes.

Shoaib Khan (46 off 61) was the other significant contributor for Oman while the rest failed to score freely against the Dutch bowling attack.

Aryan Dutt was the pick of the bowlers for the Netherlands with 3/31, followed by Ryan Khan, who bagged two.

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BULAWAYO: Maheesh Theekshana’s astonishing figures of 4/25, followed by Pathum Nissanka’s century muscled Sri Lanka to crush Zimbabwe by nine wickets and qualify for the ICC Men’s World Cup.

Put into bat first, Zimbabwe’s batting lineup faced a major challenge in the form of a spin-packed Sri Lankan bowling attack.

The host batters, however, failed against Sri Lankan bowlers and could only raise 165 before being bundled out in the 33rd over.

In-form batter Sean Williams waged a lone battle against Sri Lanka and scored a gutsy half-century.

He scored 56 off 57 deliveries, laced up with six boundaries and a six and top scored for Zimbabwe.

Another in-form batter Sikandar Raza was the second top-scorer in Zimbabwe’s dismal batting display with a 51-ball 31.

The rest of the Zimbabwe batters seemed clueless against dominant Sri Lankan bowlers and made meagre contributions.

Maheesh Theekshana led the bowling attack for Sri Lanka with 4/25, followed by Dilshan Madushanka’s 3/15 and Maheesha Pathirana’s 2/18.

In response, Sri Lanka comfortably completed the pursuit for the loss of just one wicket and 101 balls to spare, thanks to a magnificent century by Pathum Nissanka.

He struck 14 boundaries on his way to a 102-ball 101 and carried his bat all the way through.

His fellow opener Dimuth Karunaratne (30) and Kusal Mendis (25) made valuable contributions in the run chase and powered Sri Lanka into the World Cup.

For Zimbabwe, only Richard Ngarava could pick up a wicket.

HARARE: Two-time champions West Indies have failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time ever following their shocking defeat against Scotland in the Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier.

Put into bat first, the West Indian batting lineup faltered and could only pile a meagre total of 181 on the scoreboard before bundling out in the 44th over.

West Indies got off to a dismal start to their innings as the side lost wickets at an alarming rate right from the start and was soon reduced to 81/6 in the 21st over.

Veteran all-rounder Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd attempted to anchor their side’s batting charge by putting on a gutsy partnership for the seventh wicket.

Both Holder and Shepherd appeared to have settled down and were ticking the scoreboard relatively easier until both perished in the span of just three deliveries.

Their 77-run partnership ended with Safyaan Sharif taking a blinder off Mark Watt’s bowling to remove Shepherd, who scored 36 off 43 deliveries, hitting five boundaries.

Following a much-needed breakthrough, Chris Greaves put Scotland in complete command when he trapped Jason Holder in his legs on the first delivery of the 38th over, forcing West Indies to slip to 158/8.

Click to watch CWC Qualifier Live on ARY ZAP

Holder top-scored for the West Indies with a cautious 45 from 79 balls with the help of three boundaries and a six.

Chris Sole and Greaves then concluded a dominant display of bowling from Scotland by claiming the remaining two wickets – Kevin Sinclair (10) and Alzarri Joseph (6) respectively.

Brandon McMullen led the bowling attack for Scotland with 3/32, followed by two each from Sole, Watt and Greaves.

In response, Scotland comfortably chased down the total for the loss of just three wickets and 39 balls to spare, thanks to brilliant half-centuries by Matthew Cross and Brandon McMullen.

Scotland had the worst possible start to the pursuit as they lost their opener, Christopher McBride, on the very first delivery of the innings.

Wicketkeeper batter Matthew Cross and Brandon McMullen, however, soon anchored the run chase and raised 125 runs for the second wicket until Shepherd removed the latter in the 30th over.

McMullen scored 69 off 106 deliveries, smashing six boundaries and a six.

Cross, on the other hand, stood his ground firm and carried his bat all the way through to drive Scotland to a famous victory.

He played a match-winning 74-run knock from 107 deliveries and hit seven boundaries.

For West Indies, Akeal Hosein, Shepherd and Holder could pick up a wicket.

READ: PCB to send security team to assess World Cup arrangements in India 

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to send a security team to India to assess the arrangements ahead of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the anticipated schedule of the Men’s World Cup 2023 last week, creating a buzz around the highly anticipated Pakistan vs India clash.

The arch-rivals are set to face each other on October 15 at the renowned Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which happens to be the largest cricket stadium in the world.

However, unlike the other nine participating teams, Pakistan will only play matches at five venues across the country, while the remaining teams will compete across the ten venues selected for the tournament.

In a recent development, it has been reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to send a security team to India to assess the arrangements ahead of the World Cup.

The Pakistani government intends to approve Babar Azam and his team’s participation only after the security team has visited all the venues and submitted a report to the board.

The security team from PCB is scheduled to visit all five venues including Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata.

It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan had initially expressed reservations about playing matches at specific venues and they had raised this concern with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

This delay in announcing the schedule was attributed to the discussions and negotiations regarding venue preferences. However, the schedule was finally revealed on June 27 with key BCCI and ICC office-bearers in attendance along with legends Virender Sehwag and Muttiah Muralitharan.

The former PCB chief Najam Sethi had previously highlighted the board’s request to the ICC regarding Pakistan vs India match being held at the Narendra Modi Stadium. However, the request was denied, and the schedule allocated the same venue for this much-anticipated match.

It is worth noting that after months of deliberation, the PCB agreed to forego hosting the Asia Cup, which was originally intended to include matches against India. The Pakistani board has expressed mixed feelings about the tournament being played in a hybrid model.

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