Pakistan

News Captain hails Swepson despite the debutant legspinner going wicketless and conceding 156 in the fourth innings Not for the first time in recent memory, Australia were left to rue missed chances on the fifth day of a Test that they had controlled throughout but were unable to take victory from. It was difficult to

News Pakistan’s captain was thrilled by the crowd that showed up at the National Stadium to watch the final day unfold Babar Azam batted for just over 10 hours while compiling his fourth-innings 196  AFP/Getty Images Babar Azam has acknowledged that Pakistan’s pragmatic approach to the final day in Karachi had been shaped by the

Report Pakistan’s third-wicket stand extend to 228 before it was broken on the stroke of lunch Pakistan 148 and 254 for 3 (Babar 133, Alam 3*) need 252 more runs to beat Australia 556 for 9 dec and 97 for 2 dec Abdullah Shafique fell for 96 on the stroke of lunch to end an

Report The visitors had declared their second innings on 97, and asked the hosts to survive 172 overs Pakistan 148 and 192 for 2 (Babar 102*, Shafique 71*, Green 1-15) need another 314 runs to beat Australia 556 for 9 dec and 97 for 2 dec (Khawaja 44*, Labuschagne 44, Afridi 1-21) Captain Babar Azam

News Reasons behind the impending renaming are purely financial rather than political The PCB is set to change the name of Lahore’s iconic Gaddafi Stadium, nearly 50 years after it was named in honour of former Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi. The reason, however, is not political. PCB chairman Ramiz Raja told ESPNcricinfo that the board

News He also defended Pakistan’s performance at the Women’s World Cup, and called for a stronger domestic women’s structure The Pakistan Super League could ditch the draft system, which it has operated under since its inception, as early as next year, with PCB chairman Ramiz Raja keen to replace it with an auction. At the

News Pakistan batting coach was full of praise for Starc and Cummins’ bowling, but believes the hosts can “fight and try and take it to the end” They had been kept out in the heat for 189 overs. Twelve overs into the second innings, they still trailed by more than 530 runs. There were almost

Report Usman Khawaja’s marathon innings was finally ended on 160 as the spinners started to have an impact Tea Australia 407 for 7 (Carey 26*, Starc 1*) vs Pakistan Usman Khawaja‘s marathon knock finally ended on 160, but Australia moved past 400 in their first innings to remain in the driver’s seat against Pakistan on

News “I didn’t tell the curator to make a pitch according to me. It was the same for Australia, yet we got their 10 wickets” Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq has dismissed the debate surrounding the Rawalpindi pitch, insisting that the hosts were simply playing to their strengths, and that the pitch was the same for both

Preview Legspinner Mitchell Swepson will debut for Australia while Pakistan are expected to welcome back Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali Big Picture Shall we try that again? To be blunt, there were not too many redeeming qualities from the opening Test of this much-anticipated series with a docile surface – which has since been deemed

Report South Africa leave out Lara Goodall; Pakistan bring in Ghulam Fatima in place of Anam Amin Toss Pakistan chose to bowl against South Africa Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof chose to chase on a new pitch at the Bay Oval with her team in search of their first points at the Women’s World Cup 2022.

News He had tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, but is now clear to play the Karachi Test Faheem Ashraf has cleared his rapid antigen test for Covid-19, less than 24 hours after he was found positive for the virus. Faheem, who had tested positive on Wednesday, was initially supposed to undergo a five-day isolation

News The PCB chairman, however, more or less confirmed that the pitch had been prepared to nullify Australia’s fast-bowling strength Ramiz Raja, the PCB chairman, has conceded that the drawn Rawalpindi Test was not a good advertisement for Test cricket. He reiterated the claim he made when he first took over the post that Pakistan

News The allrounder returned a positive result when he was tested upon arrival at the team hotel in Karachi Pakistan’s selection frustrations in the Australia series are set to continue after allrounder Faheem Ashraf tested positive for Covid-19, days away from the second Test against Australia in Karachi. That rules out Faheem for another Test

Report Australia have opted for three spinners on a used surface Toss Australia chose to bowl vs Pakistan Australia bolstered their spin resources in the XI, adding a second wristspinner in Amanda-Jade Wellington, as they opted to bowl on the used Bay Oval surface against Pakistan in Mount Maunganui. In inserting Pakistan, they unsurprisingly reduced

News The offspinner ended a 156-run stand at a time when the Australia opener offered no real chances It’s hard to put any spin on it. Not the ball (though that, too), but the fact this Test won’t rank among Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium’s finest moments. The cricket hasn’t been especially engaging – even if the

News Due to non-cricketing reasons, the two teams have almost no experience of playing each other Four of six innings at the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup so far have had totals in excess of 250, with at least one batter scoring a hundred in them. Mithali Raj, whose India will begin their campaign on

News Former Australia allrounder Watson also played a key role in Australia’s eventual trip Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said Australia’s pre-tour reconnaissance trip during West Indies’ visit in December was “the pivotal moment” that set the wheels in motion for Australia’s first visit of Pakistan since 1998. Calling the hesitation surrounding the visit

News Overcast conditions, no useful recent ground information among challenges for both sides There remains little clarity, just over 12 hours out from the start of the first Test against Australia, of the combination Pakistan will field. The absence of Faheem Ashraf appears to have plunged Pakistan into something of a selection dilemma, with uncertainty

Preview Both sides were still mulling the balance of their attacks as rain hit the build-up Big Picture Australia’s arrival in Pakistan for their first Test tour of the country in 24 years has been billed as a momentous occasion for world cricket and it is certainly important. However, they are the sixth nation to

News Three quicks and two spinners in prospect, but stiff challenge could await debutant at No.7 Pakistan are seriously considering giving a Test debut to Mohammad Wasim Jr at Rawalpindi, potentially as part of a five-man bowling attack. The home side’s preparations for the first Test of the historic series against Australia – the tourists’

News Australia offspinner expects UAE-like decks in Pakistan As he braces to bowl on surfaces reminiscent of those that have anguished them in the UAE previously, Nathan Lyon has summoned his trademark bravado and backed a “young and exciting” Australia to sweep the historic Benaud-Qadir series in Pakistan. Three days before their first Test in

News Fast bowler becomes ninth Pakistan player to sign county contract for 2022 Hasan Ali will play county cricket for the first time in his career after signing a contract with Lancashire for six County Championship fixtures. Hasan, 27, was the third-highest Test wicket-taker in 2021 with 41 wickets at 16.07 and is the ninth

News Rauf is yet to play a Test but was in the running for selection after injuries to Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf Pakistan have been dealt another blow ahead of the first Test against Australia with Haris Rauf testing positive for Covid-19. He has been put in isolation for now and is likely to

Report Kings’ forgettable season came to an end as Quetta finished with a win though they are unlikely to progress Quetta Gladiators 166 for 4 (Roy 82, Gregory 1-22, Wasim 1-27) beat Karachi Kings 143 for 8 (Clarke 52, Azam 36, Shahzad 4-22) by 23 runs The first match of Sunday’s double-header in the PSL

Report Rizwan’s half-century helped Multan canter to a six-wicket win despite a brief early stutter against a depleted United Multan Sultans 111 for 4 (Rizwan 51*, Dawson 3-16) beat Islamabad United 105 for 7 (Tahir 2-8, Afridi 2-21) by six wickets There was very little riding on this game, and perhaps that shone through in

News He was the only one of the five Mohammad brothers to not play for Pakistan Raees Mohammad, the only one of the five Mohammad brothers to not play for Pakistan, died on Monday in Karachi. He was 89. Sadiq Mohammad, his younger brother who opened the batting in 41 Tests and 19 ODIs, confirmed

News Allrounder says he has been coping with the condition for the last 15-16 years Chronic back pain has forced Shahid Afridi to end his Pakistan Super League season early. The 41-year old allrounder, who has been in rehab, said he only chose to take the field this year “for the fans” but the pain

Report Iftikhar Ahmed’s fifty in vain as Qalandars tightened their grip on second spot Lahore Qalandars 143 for 2 (Fakhar 53, Ghulam 55*) beat Quetta Gladiators 141 for 7 (Iftikhar 52, Afridi 2-27, Wiese 2-25) by eight wickets Top-order runs and a ruthless new-ball bowling performance from Lahore Qalandars saw Shaheen Shah Afridi‘s side coast

Report A 97-run opening stand from Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Haris took Zalmi to 193, and Kings never got going in the chase Peshawar Zalmi 193 for 6 (Zazai 52, Haris 49 , Jordan 3-41) beat Karachi Kings 138 for 6 (Babar 59, Irshad 2-24) by 55 runs Lahore Qalandars have had a few shocking