Cricket - Int News
Pakistan name squads for West Indies series
Saad Kayani
KARACHI (December 2, 2021):-Pakistan cricket selectors today announced the T20I and ODI squads for the home series against the West Indies, which will be played in Karachi from 13-22 December. The 20-over matches will count towards the ICC T20I Rankings, while the 50-over games will be part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League.
From the 18 players who were part of the recently-concluded T20I series against Bangladesh, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik have been left out, while fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain has been added to the 15-man squad.
Likewise, from the 17 players who were available for selection for the England ODIs in July, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jnr have replaced Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Salman Ali Agha and Sarfaraz Ahmed in the 17-member side, while Abdullah Shafique has been named as a traveling reserve.
Chief selector Mohammad Wasim: “As we have been playing T20Is since October and now have a pretty settled and balanced side, we have decided to reduce the number of players to 15. As such, we have not included Imad Wasim, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik.
“For the ODIs, which we last played in July, we have accepted the team management’s request and provided them two additional resources.
“In consultation with Hasan Ali and taking into consideration that he has been playing non-stop cricket since returning from a back injury, we have decided to give him time off from this series.”
Names of players for T20Is:
Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain, Northern), Asif Ali (Northern), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern), Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh), Usman Qadir (Central Punjab),
Names of players for ODIs:
Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain, Northern), Asif Ali (Northern), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern), Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh), Usman Qadir (Central Punjab)
Traveling reserve: Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab)
Player Support Personnel: Mansoor Rana (manager), Saqlain Mushtaq (interim head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant to head coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saaiman (strength and conditioning coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Talha Ejaz (team analyst), Col (retd) Muhammad Imran (Security Manager), Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi (media and digital manager), Dr Najeeb Soomro (team doctor) and Malang Ali (Masseur)
Series schedule
13 Dec – 1st T20I, Karachi
14 Dec – 2nd T20I, Karachi
16 Dec – 3rd T20I, Karachi
18 Dec – 1st ODI, Karachi
20 Dec – 2nd ODI, Karachi
22 Dec – 3rd ODI, Karachi
Afridi reaches in top five of ICC Test Rankings
Aamir Ali Janjua
Dubai (December 1, 2021):-Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi has made it to the top five of the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings for the first time in his career after a fine show in the first Test against Bangladesh which Pakistan won by eight wickets.
The 21-year-old left-armer, who grabbed seven wickets including a haul of five for 32 in the second innings of the Chittagong Test, has moved up three places to fifth position after overtaking James Anderson, Kagiso Rabada and Neil Wagner.
Shaheen’s new-ball partner Hasan Ali too is at a career-best position after finishing with a similar seven-wicket match haul that included a five-for in the first innings. Hasan has advanced five places to 11th place. His previous best in Tests was 14th, reached in May this year.
Pakistan’s opening batters were not the ones to be left behind. Abid Ali may have missed out on a century in each innings but his scores of 133 and 91 helped him shoot up 27 slots to a career-best 20th position while Abdullah Shafique enters the rankings at 83rd with scores of 52 and 73.
For Bangladesh, Mushfiqur Rahim is up four places to 19th with scores of 91 and 16 while Liton Das has moved up 26 places to a career-best 31st position after accruing 114 and 59. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam has progressed two places to 23rd after an eight-wicket match haul that included seven scalps in the first innings.
The thrilling draw in Kanpur between India and New Zealand had quite a few performances from either side that reflect in the latest weekly update that also includes the first Test between Sri Lanka and the West Indies at Galle, which the host side won by 187 runs.
Debutant Shreyas Iyer’s Player of the Match effort of 105 and 65 helped him enter the rankings in 74th position while opener Shubman Gill (up six places to 66th) and Wriddhiman Saha (up nine places to 99th) also made notable progress after notching half-centuries.
Ravindra Jadeja is up two places to 19th among bowlers with five wickets in the match and is also up one place to second among all-rounders. Ravichandran Ashwin is the third-ranked all-rounder and 79th among batters.
For New Zealand, Tom Latham’s knocks of 95 and 52 place him back in the top 10 as he goes up from 14th to ninth. Fast bowler Kyle Jamieson is ninth among bowlers, his three wickets in each innings resulting in a gain of six places. Tim Southee has gained 15 rating points to reach within one point of second-placed Ashwin (840) after his eight-wicket match haul.
Sri Lanka, whose win in their first match of the ICC Men’s Test Championship put them on top of the table powered by MRF (on percentage points), also had some improvements after the Galle Test.
Captain Dimuth Karunaratne’s Player of the Match effort of 147 and 83 has lifted him four places to seventh, just one below his career-best sixth position attained in August 2019. Former captains Angelo Mathews (up two places to 23rd) and Dinesh Chandimal (up four places to 46th) have also advanced.
Left-arm spinners Lasith Embuldeniya (up four places to 37th) and Praveen Jayawickrama (up six places to 44th) and off-spinner Ramesh Mendis (up 28 places to 57th) have improved in the rankings for bowlers.
PCB names officials for Pakistan v West Indies series
Karachi (Sports Report):-Aleem Dar, member of ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, will team up with Ahsan Raza, who is one of the four Pakistani umpires in the ICC International Panel of Umpires, for the on-field umpiring duties of the first of the three T20I between Pakistan and the West Indies at the National Stadium, Karachi.
The experienced umpire Aleem Dar will also be the on-field umpire for the three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League fixtures between the two teams, and will be joined by Asif Yaqoob, Ahsan Raza and Rashid Riaz at the other end for the first, second and third ODIs, respectively.
Match referee Mohammad Javed Malik will be lead the playing control teams for all six matches.
Match schedule (all matches to be played at National Stadium, Karachi):
13 Dec – 1st T20I: Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field umpires), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire). Mohammad Javed Malik (match referee)
14 Dec – 2nd T20I: Ahsan Raza and Asif Yaqoob (on-field umpires), Rashid Riaz (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire). Mohammad Javed Malik (match referee)
16 Dec – 3rd T20I: Aleem Dar and Rashid Riaz (on-field umpires), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire). Mohammad Javed Malik (match referee)
18 Dec – 1st ODI: Aleem Dar and Asif Yaqoob (on-field umpires), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire). Mohammad Javed Malik (match referee)
20 Dec – 2nd ODI: Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field umpires), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire). Mohammad Javed Malik (match referee)
22 Dec – 3rd ODI: Aleem Dar and Rashid Riaz (on-field umpires), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Asif Yaqoon (fourth umpire). Mohammad Javed Malik (match referee)
BCB names 20-plyer squad for Dhaka Test: Shakib includes
Dhaka, Bangladesh (SB Report):-Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) named the 20-player squad for the 2nd Test match against Pakistan regarding the ICC Test Championship, starting from December 4, 2021 at Dhaka, as top all-rounder Shakib-ul-Hasan included after showing acceptable fitness.
Left-arm batsman, Shakib had missed the first Test at Chittagong, won by Pakistan comprehensively by 8 wickets despite of going first innings deficit, has now included in the squad. Shakib passed a fitness test in Dhaka on Monday, which brought him back into a team.
Name of players: Mominul Haque (captain), Shadman Islam, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Abu Jayed, Nayeem Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Khaled Ahmed, Shohidul Islam, Mohammad Naim.
Pakistan secure 8-wicket win over Bangladesh
Chittagong, Bangladesh (SB Report):-Pakistan earned 1-0 lead in the two-test match series against hosts Bangladesh after registering a comprehensive win by 8 wickets in the morning session of the final day’s play of the first Tests at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong on Tuesday. With the win, Pakistan collected 12 World Test Championship points and jumped to the second spot on the points table with 66.66 percentage of points – which is a percentage of the points gained from the total available in matches a side has feature.
Pakistan openers Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique dominated the first half hour as the pair stroked the ball around the ground with ease and grace. Abdullah added 20 more to his overnight 53 before he was LBW off Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Abid Ali, not out on 56 yesterday, fell nine runs short of becoming the 10th Pakistan batter in men’s Tests to record a century in both innings of a match, when he was plumb in front off Taijul Islam. For his fighting 133 in the first innings and an elegant 91 in the second, Abid was named player of the match.
The experienced pair of Azhar Ali and Babar Azam took Pakistan over the line, as they were unbeaten on 24 and 13.This marked the third instance of Pakistan successfully completing a 200-plus run chase away from home. The two teams will face off the final Test in Dhaka from 4 December.
Scores in brief:
Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70) and 157 all out, 56.2 overs (Liton Das 59, Yasir Ali 36; Shaheen Shah Afridi 5-32, Sajid Khan 3-33)
Pakistan 286 all out, 115.4 overs (Abid Ali 133, Abdullah Shafique 52, Faheem Ashraf 38; Taijul Islam 7-116, Ebadot Hossain 2-47) and 203-2, 58.3 overs (Abid Ali 91, Abdullah Shafique 73, Azhar Ali 24 not out)
Player of the match – Abid Ali (Pakistan)
Day-4: Chittagong Test: Pakistan reach close to win
Chittagong (SB Report):-A brilliant century stand for the undefeated first wicket between Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique had Pakistan on the verge of victory in the first Test against Bangladesh before fading light resulted in early stumps on the fourth day.
Pakistan, chasing 202 to win the first of the two Tests, were 109 for none in 33 overs with Abid Ali, fresh from a century in the first innings, and Abdullah Shafique, who made 52 on day two, scoring solid half-centuries.
This was only the second time in Pakistan’s Test history, which stretch 440 matches, that an opening pair recorded two century stands in a match.
Imran Farhat and Taufiq Umer did it first time against South Africa in Lahore in 2003, when Pakistan came out victorious by eight wickets.
Abid and Abdullah were unbeaten at 56 and 53 and will resume Pakistan’s pursuit of the remaining 93 runs on Tuesday.
Earlier, a sizzling Shaheen Shah Afridi recorded his fourth Test five-wicket haul, which restricted Bangladesh to 157. The left-arm pacer returned five for 32, sending Liton Das (59) and Abu Jayed back in the hut after he had taken three wickets for six runs last day.
Liton scored a fighting 59 off 89 to keep Bangladesh’s innings alive, after debutant Yasir Ali had to walk off the field after a scorching bouncer by Shaheen hit the flesh of his helmet.
Bangladesh took Nurul Hasan Sohan as Yasir’s concussion replacement.
Off-spinner Sajid Khan was also amongst the wicket takers as he accounted for Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nurul Hasan and Taijul Islam.
Scores in brief:
Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70) and 157 all out, 56.2 overs (Liton Das 59, Yasir Ali 36; Shaheen Shah Afridi 5-32, Sajid Khan 3-33)
Pakistan 286 all out, 115.4 overs (Abid Ali 133, Abdullah Shafique 52, Faheem Ashraf 38; Taijul Islam 7-116, Ebadot Hossain 2-47) and 109-0, 33 overs (Abid Ali 56 not out, Abdullah Shafique 53 not out)
Pakistan Vs Bangladesh Test (Day-3): Afridi leaves Bangladesh limping
Chittagong (SB Report):-A searing opening spell from Shaheen Shah Afridi left Bangladesh ruing a squandered opportunity to build on the first innings lead as the hosts, batting for the second time in the match, finished the third day of the first Test against Pakistan on 39 for four.
Shaheen struck in the fifth over and sent Shadman Islam and Najmul Hasan Shanto packing in space of three balls before Hasan Ali got the Bangladesh skipper, Mominul Haque, in the next over as the hosts found themselves reduced to 15 for three in just two overs.
Soon, a scorching bouncer from Shaheen induced a caught and bowled opportunity that the pacer grabbed safely as Saif Hasan walked back to the pavilion with the scoreboard reading 25 for four. This was his 42nd scalp in 2021 – the most in the year for a bowler.
Bangladesh were 44 runs ahead Pakistan after the tourists were bowled out for 286 and as such have an 83-run lead. Experienced Mushfiqur Rahim and debutant Yasir Ali will resume the proceedings for the hosts on the fourth day, Monday.
Earlier, left-arm orthodox Taijul Islam recorded the best figures for a Bangladesh bowler against Pakistan in Tests as he returned seven for 116.
Pakistan, after resuming the day on 145 for none, had to face early blows as Abdullah Shafiq (52) and Azhar Ali (0) were trapped LBW in consecutive balls by Taijul.
Soon, Pakistan captain Babar Azam (10) followed them, but Abid Ali remained undeterred as he went on to convert his overnight 93 into 133 to record his fourth Test century. This was also his fourth first-class century in the last five matches.
With the wickets tumbling regularly, Fahim Ashraf delayed the inevitable with his steady 80-ball 38. He was the last batter to be dismissed.
Scores in brief:
Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70) and 39-4, 19 overs (Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-6)
Pakistan 286 all out, 115.4 overs (Abid Ali 133, Abdullah Shafique 52, Faheem Ashraf 38; Taijul Islam 7-116, Ebadot Hossain 2-47)
Pakistan Vs Bangladesh Test (Day-2): Abid, Abdullah score solid fifties
Chittagong (SB Report):-Solid half-centuries by Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique saw Pakistan to a comfortable 145 for none in 57 overs against Bangladesh before fading light forced early stumps on day two of the first Test.
Abid was unbeaten on 93 and Abdullah, on his debut, brought up his maiden Test fifty awith 52 not out. Abid’s had struck nine fours and two sixes off the 180 balls he faced, while Abdullah smashed two fours and as many sixes from 162 balls.
When the young debutant charged down the wicket to smoke Taijul Islam for a towering six down the ground to cross the 50-run mark, he became the only Pakistan opener to hit two maximums on Test debut.
Earlier, a searing spell from Hasan Ali restricted the hosts to 330 as the pacer picked up his fifth five-wicket haul at this level in 2021. He became the third Pakistan pacer to record five five-fors in a calendar year after the great Imran Khan (1982) and Waqar Younis (1990).
Hasan sent Liton Das packing at the start of the day and then wrapped up the tail inside the morning session as Bangladesh lost their remaining six wickets in the first session.
Pakistan’s Abid Ali will be eying his fourth first-class century in the last five outings, when the third play’s day begins on Sunday. Pakistan are 185 runs behind Bangladesh.
Scores in brief:
Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70)
Pakistan 145-0, 57 overs (Abid Ali 93 not out, Abdullah Shafiq 52 not out)
Cricket West Indies announces squads for Pakistan tour
ST JOHN’S, Antigua (SB Report):-The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel today announced the squads for the West Indies Men’s team tour of Pakistan. The series will feature three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is) from December 13 to 22 at the National Stadium in Karachi.
The panel named a number of uncapped players in both formats. For the ODIs, the newcomers are batters Justin Greaves, Shamarh Brooks, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie and fast bowling allrounder Odean Smith. Smith and Motie are also selected in the T20I squad for the first time, along with left-arm fast bowling allrounder Dominic Drakes. Motie was a travelling reserve for the recent ICC T20 World Cup, while Drakes and Smith were net bowlers before the start of the tournament.
Lead Selector, Roger Harper said: “There are a number of talented newcomers in each format that will have the opportunity to show what they are capable of at the international level. Justin Greaves is a very talented player, had a good CG Insurance Super50 tournament and performed well in the President’s XI match against Ireland in 2020. Odean Smith really grabbed our attention in the last CPL. His pace was never in question, however he has added greater control and has displayed the ability to be a wicket-taker.
“Shamarh Brooks batted well in the CG Insurance Super50 Cup and followed that up with good performances in the CPL. He will lend greater depth to the batting line-up. Gudakesh Motie has been rewarded for his outstanding performance in the CG Insurance Super50, followed up by his showing in the CPL. Dominic Drakes has the potential to be an outstanding all-rounder as he displayed during the last CPL.”
Harper added: “The ODIs in Pakistan are part of the ICC ODI Super League where points gained work towards qualification for the ICC World Cup 2023. So these ODI’s are very important to us and are being treated as such.”
The ODI Series will be West Indies fourth series of 12 in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League in which the top seven teams can secure automatic qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. West Indies currently lie in eighth position out of 13 teams and have the opportunity to move above Pakistan into seventh position.
Names of Players:
One-Day Internationals
Kieron Pollard (Captain), Shai Hope (Vice Captain), Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Anderson Phillip, Nicholas Pooran, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Junior,
T20 Internationals
Kieron Pollard (Captain), Nicholas Pooran (Vice Captain), Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Junior.
Schedule:
December 13 – 1st T20I, Karachi
December 14 – 2nd T20I, Karachi
December 16 – 3rd T20I, Karachi
December 18 – 1st ODI, Karachi
December 20 – 2nd ODI, Karachi
December 22 – 3rd ODI, Karachi
PCB bans Junaid Ali for three matches
Karachi (Sports Report):-Central Punjab’s wicketkeeper Junaid Ali has been banned for three matches for a level 3 offence for attempting to take an unfair advantage during the sixth-round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 match against Southern Punjab at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium.
Junaid was found to have claimed an unfair catch in violation of Article 2.15 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, after the match officials reviewed the video footage during Southern Punjab’s first innings on day-one of the four-day fixture. The incident occurred in the 72nd over of the innings with Muhammad Imran the batter dismissed.
On-field umpires Waleed Yaqub and Imtiaz Iqbal levelled the charge on the wicketkeeper, who accepted imposition of the three-match ban sanction proposed by match-referee Iftikhar Ahmed from the range of applicable sanctions pursuant to the Code.
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