Pakistan

If you ever need a reminder of Pakistan’s fast-bowling culture, a quick glance at the honours board of five-wicket hauls in ODIs at Karachi’s National Stadium provides it. The first three names engraved read as follows: Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar. Mark Wood‘s name is not on that list just yet but his first

Big picture The shapeshifting nature of a seven-match T20I series makes it difficult to capture the big picture in words that age well, so the first rule of doing this is accepting that. England, after all, have a seemingly bottomless pit of explosive T20 cricketers, and as Harry Brook and Will Jacks – who debuted

The PCB has announced an increment in its domestic players’ retainer and match fee, across all formats and levels, for the 2022-23 season. As per the new financial model, a player featuring in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will now get a match fee of PKR 100,000 as opposed to the previous PKR 60,000. Those playing the

The conference room in Karachi is a cosy little place, one that feels overcrowded when a high-profile press conference is imminent. There’s a flurry of activity as journalists scramble to get themselves to one of the black leather sofas, demand for which far outstrips supply. On a muggy September evening under the glare of the

Pakistan fast bowler Fatima Sana has been ruled out of the Women’s Asia Cup due to a twisted ankle. A PCB release said Sana had picked up the injury during the Women’s CPL, which was played in early September. She has been advised four weeks’ rest by the PCB’s medical panel. The Women’s Asia Cup

When Mickey Arthur‘s tenure as Pakistan coach started in 2016, he made an understandable judgement on Shan Masood as a batter. “I thought he was just a Test player,” Arthur told ESPNcricinfo. “Nice and compact, with a really good technique.” Masood had hardly played T20 cricket and in his sporadic appearances, he struggled to get

Pakistan chief selector Mohammad Wasim gave his vote of confidence to the under-fire opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, saying he “wasn’t even thinking about a back-up opener” for the T20 World Cup next month. When asked if there was an intent to break up the opening pair in favour of a batter

Shaheen Afridi‘s recovery from a knee injury has made encouraging progress, with expectations that he will be fit enough to play for Pakistan at the T20 World Cup in Australia. Afridi is recovering from a ligament injury to his right knee sustained while fielding during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in July.

A knee injury has seen Fakhar Zaman miss out on Pakistan’s squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup, while Shan Masood, who is yet to play a T20I, has been called up. Fakhar was named as one of the travelling reserves instead. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is currently sidelined with a knee injury, was named

He was a popular figure on the circuit who, alongside Aleem Dar, did his bit in improving the reputation of Pakistani umpires before the neutral umpires era. But his career came to an abrupt halt in 2013 when he was named as a “wanted accused” by Mumbai police in their investigation into the IPL spot-fixing

Earlier this year, Asif had earned a call-up to the Pakistan side for the home series against Australia, but did not make the XI. He had been rewarded for an impressive PSL season during which he picked up eight wickets in five matches for Multan Sultans while returning an economy rate of 6.5, and was

Saqlain Mushtaq, the Pakistan head coach, is a philosophical man at the best of times. On Sunday night, after Sri Lanka had won the Asia Cup final, the hope in his words, however, struck a note of misplaced optimism. No team had won after losing the toss in Dubai at the tournament before the final.

Sri Lanka 170 for 6 (Rajapaksa 71*, Rauf 3-29) beat Pakistan 147 all out (Rizwan 55, Madushan 4-34, Hasaranga 3-27) by 23 runs A tournament that began for Sri Lanka with tumult at home and turbulence in the UAE has ended with them taking home the Asia Cup trophy. Pakistan were the side at the

Big picture It is a tournament Pakistan love but a tournament that hasn’t always loved them back. Pakistan’s lack of success over this competition’s four-decade history has been baffling, given, if history is a guide, there are only three possible destinations for this trophy. For the first half of the tournament’s existence, India and Sri

Sri Lanka 124 for 5 (Nissanka 55*, Rauf 2-19, Hasnain 2-21) beat Pakistan 121 (Babar 30, Hasaranga 3-21, Theekshana 2-21, Madushan 2-21) by five wickets Yes, it was another chasing side winning in Dubai, the venue now having seen 17 victories for chasing sides in the last 20 T20Is. But this time, Sri Lanka’s bowlers

Former Australia batter Matthew Hayden has been named Pakistan’s team mentor for the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. He had served as the side’s batting consultant in the 2021 edition played in the UAE. According to PCB, Hayden has inspired the team with his presence in the dressing room as Pakistan qualified for

Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan underwent an MRI scan on his right knee last night, soon after Pakistan beat India by five wickets in their Asia Cup Super 4 game in Dubai. It is understood that Rizwan felt fine after the game, and the scan is a precautionary measure. The injury occurred in the 15th over of

Big Picture Both economies are on the verge of collapse – Sri Lanka’s, it might be argued, is collapsing already; both nations are straining under outsized external debt; and both are negotiating with the IMF for relief. It is the first of two Pakistan vs Sri Lanka matches to finish the Asia Cup off. Welcome

The PCB will write to the ICC to “lodge a protest” over the crowd trouble and “gruesome visuals” that followed the Afghanistan-Pakistan game at the Asia Cup. Addressing the media, PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said: “You can’t link hooliganism with cricket and this environment makes you sick. We will write to ICC, raise concerns, and

“At the back of the mind, I thought this is T20 cricket, and I have seen Naseem bat like this, so I had a little bit of belief,” Babar said at the post-match presentation. “This reminded me of Javed Miandad’s six in Sharjah.” Ravi Shastri, who was doing the post-match honours, broke into a laugh,

Pakistan 131 for 9 (Shadab 36, Fareed 3-31, Farooqi 3-31) beat Afghanistan 129 for 6 (Ibrahim 35, Rauf 2-26, Naseem 1-19) by one wicket Pakistan won a seesawing, low-scoring thriller to beat Afghanistan by one wicket in Sharjah, thus booking their date with Sri Lanka in the final of the 2022 Asia Cup. The result

Pakistan’s dressing-room celebrations had to wait, because Mohammad Nawaz was missing. Nawaz, the Player of the Match in the win over India, first had to oblige screaming fans across the boundary boards. After that, even as the presentation ceremony began, he turned his attention to the groundstaff and security personnel, who were asking for photographs

It wasn’t until Friday night that this fixture was officially confirmed, but make no mistake, the second instalment of India versus Pakistan had long been pencilled-in in the minds of supporters, organisers and players for this Sunday. Its proximity to the sides’ most recent contest, just a week ago, gives it that added layer of

The PSL is looking to hike its salary cap as it begins to deal with the impact of the two new cash-rich T20 leagues on the circuit – the ILT20 and the SA20. The PCB has also proposed a hybrid model of a draft plus an auction to acquire players for the upcoming season, though

Pakistan 193 for 2 (Rizwan 78*, Fakhar 53*, Khushdil 35*, Ehsan 2-28) beat Hong Kong 38 (Shadab 4-8, Nawaz 3-5) by 155 runs Pakistan made it to the Super 4s with a 155-run win over Hong Kong, who were bowled out for 38, the lowest total against a Full Member in T20 internationals. It will

It still feels like early days in the Asia Cup, but one of Hong Kong or Pakistan will see their tournament draw to a close on Friday. The format for the first round means one defeat can place any side under instant pressure. With India having pulled clear through wins over both opponents, there is

Former Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Hafeez has criticised the PCB for its delay in sending fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi to London for treatment of his knee injury, calling the board’s handling of the situation “criminal”. Speaking on PTV Sports, Hafeez called his Pakistan and Lahore Qalandars team-mate Afridi “not just a Pakistani product, but an

The PCB has been forced to abandon the franchise model for the Pakistan Junior League (PJL – its T20 league for Under-19 cricketers) after bidders failed by a considerable distance to match the base price the PCB had set for franchise ownership. The board has now taken ownership of the inaugural edition and on Tuesday

The PCB will donate gate receipts from Pakistan’s first T20I against England, in Karachi on September 20, to flood-relief efforts as Pakistan struggles to deal with the catastrophic situation that has caused over 1000 deaths across the country. The floods were caused by the highest rainfall in the country in more than three decades, an

Injured Pakistan quick Shaheen Shah Afridi will complete rehabilitation for his knee injury in London. The PCB has said he is expected to regain complete fitness before the T20 World Cup in October though his return to cricket will be decided by the board’s medical advisory panel. The decision represents a reversal of the PCB’s