Pakistan

Pakistan have recalled fast bowler Hasan Ali and picked uncapped middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand at home. Shaheen Shah Afridi continues to miss out as he recovers from a knee injury he picked up in the 2022 T20 World Cup final. Naseem Shah, who missed the last

England 354 (Brook 111, Foakes 64, Pope 51, Nauman 4-126, Abrar 4-150) and 170 for 2 (Duckett 82*) beat Pakistan 304 (Babar 78, Salman 56, Leach 4-140) and 216 (Babar 54, Shakeel 53, Rehan 5-48) by eight wickets England needed 38 minutes to complete a resounding eight-wicket win on the fourth morning in Karachi, eventually

Brendon McCullum, England’s Test coach, says it is “scary” to think how good a leader Ben Stokes could become after his transformative influence in the year just gone, having secured a historic 3-0 clean sweep in Pakistan with a ninth Test victory in the space of ten games. Speaking to Sky Sports in Karachi, in

Inexperience. That was the word Babar Azam kept returning to. In the wake of Pakistan’s fourth successive home Test defeat, and a 3-0 home series defeat – both unprecedented. “There have been several debutants this series,” Babar said. “You need experience in Test cricket, and our experienced players were either unfit or not in form.

It says a lot that, even given how things have gone in Ben Stokes’ first nine games in charge as full-time Test captain, No.10 will carry a unique excitement. Rehan Ahmed will become the youngest debutant for the men’s side when he takes to the field on Saturday for the third and final Test of

Azhar Ali will retire from Test cricket after the Karachi Test against England, bringing to an end one of modern Pakistani cricket’s more accomplished careers. If he does play – and captain Babar Azam was unwilling to confirm that he would – he will finish three Tests short of 100 Tests (becoming only the sixth

Rehan Ahmed could make his debut in the third Test against Pakistan as England look to complete a 3-0 series sweep. Ahmed, the 18-year-old legspinning allrounder, would become the youngest debutant for the men’s team if selected. After being added to the squad during the pre-tour camp in Abu Dhabi, he has not been directly

Nearly 200 of Pakistan’s domestic cricketers are still awaiting payments for participating in a domestic season that is less than a month from its conclusion. ESPNcricinfo understands that 192 players who have taken part in a number of domestic tournaments – including the National T20 Cup and the Quaid-e-Azam trophy – have not been paid

Babar Azam will replace Wahab Riaz as Peshawar Zalmi’s captain for the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League. After trading in Babar from Karachi Kings in exchange for Shoaib Malik and Haider Ali, the franchise continues a transformation that started in 2021 in the hope to form a new core. Zalmi won the title

Naseem Shah has been ruled out of Pakistan’s plans for the third Test in Karachi, after failing to recover from the shoulder niggle that caused him to miss this week’s 26-run defeat in Multan. Naseem was in visible discomfort during the Rawalpindi Test, particularly while throwing the ball in from the outfield. However, he still

In March, when Rawalpindi hosted the first Test of Australia’s tour of Pakistan, bat dominated ball to the extent that 1187 runs were scored for the loss of only 14 wickets over five days. That pitch had earned a “below average” rating too, with match referee Ranjan Madugalle noting that the Test match did not

Ollie Pope‘s diving catch down the leg-side to dismiss Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel cost Pakistan and shouldn’t have been given out, according to Pakistan captain Babar Azam. Speaking after Pakistan succumbed to a 26-run defeat in Multan that confirmed a series loss to England, Babar said it appeared as if the ball had touched the

Lunch England 180 for 5 (Stokes 14*, Jacks 0*, Abrar 5-70) vs Pakistan Abrar Ahmed provided the mystery that Pakistan’s attack had been lacking in last week’s first Test, to claim a five-for on his first morning as a Test cricketer, as England’s top-order opted not to die wondering in spinning conditions in Multan. From

Naseem Shah‘s availability for the second Test against England in Multan is in significant doubt with an ongoing shoulder niggle, first sighted during the Rawalpindi game. This has put a further strain on Pakistan’s pace bowling resources, as they are already without Shaheen Shah Afridi and Harris Rauf, who debuted in the first Test but

Ollie Pope could keep his spot behind the stumps at the expense of Ben Foakes, while Mark Wood is primed for a return as England address selection conundrums ahead of the second Test against Pakistan. Following a historic 74-run victory in the first Test, England arrived in Multan on a high but with considerations over

ESPNcricinfo understands Pakistan will call upon a fast bowler from outside the original 18-person squad for the second Test, starting in Multan on Friday. The only specialist fast bowler who didn’t play the first Test for Pakistan was Mohammad Wasim Jnr. But Wasim Jnr is yet to play a Test match, while three of the

Pakistan’s cricket team has been denied visas to travel to India for the ongoing T20 World Cup for the Blind. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) said that the team could not get clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs in India. “This unfortunate incident has left the Pakistan

Haris Rauf has been ruled out of the second Test in Multan, with his participation in the series in doubt. The 29-year old, who made his Test debut in the ongoing match against England, stepped on the ball while fielding, leading to an injury in his right quad. Rauf was sent for MRI scans, and

England allrounder Liam Livingstone has been ruled out of the ongoing Test series with Pakistan after sustaining a right knee injury during the first Test. Livingstone, who was making his debut in the format, jarred his knee while fielding a ball on the boundary on day two, after England had posted 657 in their first

Stumps Pakistan 499 for 7 (Babar 136, Imam 121, Shafique 114, Salman 10*, Zahid 1*, Jacks 3-132, Leach 2-160) trail England 657 by 158 runs Four late wickets rewarded England for some hard graft on a pitch where runs have ruled, keeping their prospects of pushing for victory over Pakistan in this first Test alive.

After scoring 506 for four on the opening day of the first Test in Rawalpindi, Ben Stokes had one last word for his charges ahead of day two. “We’ve broken some records yesterday, let’s try and break some more today.” Harry Brook took those words to heart. In a remarkable morning session that saw England

England might be preparing a longer-term project with their Test side, but for Babar Azam and Pakistan, the goal is more immediate: qualification for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Pakistan remain firmly in the hunt for the top-two finish, but find their margins for error dwindling rapidly – they will need to win four

Ben Duckett admitted that the vibe within England’s Test team was everything he had hoped it would be while looking on from the county circuit last summer, as he marked his Test comeback with one of England’s four centuries in an extraordinary day of record-breaking in the first Test at Rawalpindi. Even the loss of

Toss England chose to bat vs Pakistan Illness-hit England won a crucial toss and opted to bat in their first Test in Pakistan for 17 years to begin the three-match series in Rawalpindi. Play was set to start as scheduled despite England being struck down by a sickness bug on the eve of the match

“If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.” On Tuesday, Ben Stokes announced Liam Livingstone will be making his Test debut against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. Just 24 hours later, with the start of the first Test up in the air as a virus coursing through the England squad threatened to leave them shy of 11 fit

If you’ve been paying even vague attention, you’ll have heard that James Anderson is the only member of this England touring party to have played international cricket in Pakistan prior to this winter. Back in the winter of 2005, a younger, sprightlier but no less downbeat Anderson was part of the squad that last played

Northern 593 (Hurraira 221, Amin 114, Waheed 109, Rohail 94, Aaliyan 4-96, Umar 4-116) beat Sindh 284 and 254 (Fawad 113, Musa 3-49, Jamal 3-63) by an innings and 55 runs Northern fast bowlers Aamer Jamal and Muhammad Musa shared six wickets between them to wipe out the second Sindh innings inside two sessions on

Northern, who resumed with Hurraira on 193 and Amin on 79, didn’t lose any wickets in the opening session but Danish Aziz broke through with Hurraira’s wicket after lunch, and Aaliyan then sent back Amin not long after to raise Sindh’s hopes. But Waheed, playing only his fourth game of the season, and Rohail ensured

Northern 296 for 2 (Hurraira 193*, Amin 79*, Umar 2-56) lead Sindh 284 (Mehmood 78, Alam 61*, Musa 3-61, Jamal 3-76) by 12 runs Muhammad Hurraira scored his third hundred in four matches as Northern took command over Sindh in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final on the second day. This one was the most impressive of

Sindh 230 for 7 (Mehmood 56*, Alam 38*, Musa 2-53, Mubasir 2-59) vs Northern Cometh the hour, cometh the man – with some help. Fawad Alam has not had a bad season, certainly not poor enough to have been dropped from the Pakistan Test side. But it has not been as prolific, perhaps, as previous