Pakistan’s fast bowler Haris Rauf has been retained for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup squad.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Pakistan retained fast bowler Haris Rauf when announcing on May 24 their 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup, despite doubts over his fitness and lack of match practice.

The 30-year-old injured his shoulder during Pakistan Super League in February and is expected to play in the second Twenty20 international in Birmingham on Saturday — his first outing since recovery.

Pakistan Cricket Board’s selection committee said Rauf is fit and raring to go.

“Rauf is full fit and bowling well in the nets,” said a PCB release. “It would have been nice if he had gotten an outing in the first match at Headingley but we remain confident that he will continue to maintain an upward trajectory in the coming matches.”

The Headingley match between Pakistan and England was abandoned due to rain.

Pakistan is the 20th and the last team to announce the squad as they continued to search for combination since their 2-2 series draw at home against New Zealand last month.

Babar Azam will lead the squad in the World Cup, his third T20 World Cup as skipper.

The tournament will run from June 1 to June 29 and be jointly hosted by the United States and West Indies.

Teams are divided in four groups of five with the top two teams qualifying for the Super Eight Stage in which all matches will be played in the West Indies.

Pakistan’s Group A includes arch rivals India as well as Canada and Ireland.

Pakistan will face United States in their first match in Dallas on June 6.

Fast bowler Hasan Ali, as well as batters Agha Salman and Muhammad Irfan Khan were left off the squad.

Fast bowler Mohammad Amir — the only survivour of Pakistan’s 2009 Twenty20 World Cup triumph — is meanwhile staging a comeback after coming out of retirement two months ago.

He is part of a strong pace attack spearheaded by Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rauf, Naseem Shah and Abbas Afridi.

Pakistan lost in the semi-final of the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and in the final in Australia in 2022.

The squad

Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.

Pakistan’s cricket team skipper Babar Azam addresses a press conference ahead of the T20 series against Ireland, England and the T20 World Cup, in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan limited overs skipper Babar Azam is optimistic that Gary Kirsten’s appointment as head coach of Pakistan’s white ball side will certainly improve its performance.

The South African was roped in as the team’s limited overs head coach last month on a two-year contract, and this would be his third outing as an international coach, having guided India (2008-11) and South Africa (2011-13).

“He (Kirsten) is a very experienced coach, and his presence should be beneficial for us all. He is already taking a lot of interest in the planning for the World Cup and discussing strategy with the team management,” Babar told a media conference in Lahore on Monday.

Babar said Kirsten was in touch with the side daily, receiving reports about what they were doing and how they were planning things.

“He (Kirsten) shares his plans with us, discussions are happening with coaches about our planning, and we update him on net practice plans, like how the bowling practice went today,” he said.

Babar said there was already steady line of communication between him and Kirsten and he is looking forward to his arrival.

The Pakistan skipper also dismissed concerns over some selections as the squad leaves for Ireland.

Pakistani selectors will finalise the final 15-member squad for the global tournament from the same 18 players based on the form and fitness of players in Ireland and England. Kirsten is expected to join the team in England.

“There is no issue about the top order as to who will open from amongst me, Rizwan, Saim or Fakhar. All decisions will be based on keeping in mind the team’s interests. There is no confusion there,” Babar said.

He clarified that young and new players like Ayub, Azam, Irfan Khan and Usman Khan would require time to settle down in international cricket, and the management would back them completely in the lead-up to the World Cup.

“I think there is little time for rotation now because the World Cup is around the corner, and in the remaining matches. We will try to give the team we want to play with in the World Cup a proper opportunity,” Babar continued.

“We will sort out whatever our bowling and batting combination is, and we have almost done that. We will play with our best possible XI in the remaining matches.”

Will plan against Kohli

Asked if Pakistan was specifically strategizing to stop India’s in-form batter Virat Kohli from scoring against them, Babar said that as a team, one always looked at the best players in an opposing team as the aim was to win against eleven players.

“The thing is, we plan against all eleven players of a team, and we don’t know much about how the conditions will be in New York. But yes, he [Kohli] is one of the best players, and we will plan against him as well,” Babar said.

No rifts in team

Babar also made it clear there were no internal rifts in the team over the captaincy issue, and he was also excited about his second stint as Pakistan captain.

“Whatever success I achieved previously as captain was because of the players who supported me, and the same is true now. Important is the board is backing us completely to do well,” he concluded.

Pakistan’s Babar Azam rewrote history by scoring 409 fours in 107 innings eclipsing Ireland’s Paul Stirling record of 407 boundaries.
| Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan captain Babar Azam rewrote history by breaking the record for the most number of fours in men’s T20I history.

During Pakistan’s thrilling win in the final over against New Zealand in the fifth T20I in Lahore on April 27, Babar played a splendid knock of 69 off 44 balls, which helped Pakistan’s stalwart batter break the record for most fours in men’s T20I. In his effortless display with the bat, Babar struck six fours before Ben Sears castled him with a 145kph searing yorker.

With a tally of 409 fours in 107 innings, Babar eclipsed Ireland’s experienced batter Paul Stirling’s record of 407 in 136 innings. Babar and Stirling are the two players who have managed to cross the 400 mark in the history of men’s T20I cricket.

Virat Kohli comes close to the duo with 361 fours in 109 innings, followed by skipper Rohit Sharma with 359 fours in 143 innings.

On a tricky surface, Babar played a significant role in propelling Pakistan to a competitive total of 178/5. In the second innings, Shaheen Shah Afridi left the New Zealand batters baffled with his remarkable four-over spell. His figures of 4/30 significantly swung the momentum in Pakistan’s favour. He made his presence felt right at the beginning of New Zealand’s 179-run chase. On the fifth ball of the first over, Shaheen deceived Tom Blundell and knocked over the bails off his stumps. New Zealand regrouped after the early blow and managed to make a comeback in the game.

Shaheen turned the flow of the game yet again by claiming two wickets in consecutive deliveries. The Blackcaps failed to regroup after that point as Pakistan went on to seal a 7-run win to level the five-match T20I series on 2-2.

After the conclusion of the New Zealand series, Pakistan will tour England for a four-match T20I series which will kick off on May 22 to bolster their preparation for the T20 World Cup..

Pakistan captain Babar Azam replaces fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20 captain. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was on March 31 reappointed as the white-ball captain, two months ahead of the T20 World Cup.

The decision was taken after a unanimous recommendation from the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) selection committee.

“Following unanimous recommendation from the PCB’s selection committee, Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has appointed Babar Azam as white-ball (ODI and T20I) captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team,” the PCB said in a media release.

Also Read | We will try to finish on a good note and then see: Babar

Babar had stepped down as captain from all three formats for Pakistan after a disappointing outing at the ODI World Cup in India in November last year.

Babar had relinquished his role after the then PCB chief Zaka Ashraf told him he would no longer be captain in white-ball formats and would only lead the Test team.

Babar replaces fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20 captain, who led Pakistan in the 1-4 series loss against New Zealand in January.

The T20 World Cup will begin from June 1 in the USA and the West Indies.

Babar Azam set down conditions to PCB for accepting captainship in white ball formats including having a say in appointment of coaches.
| Photo Credit: The HIndu

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has offered Babar Azam captaincy in the white ball formats but the star player has not yet made his decision, sources have claimed.

It has been learnt that Babar has set down conditions for accepting the captaincy, including having a say in appointment of coaches. Babar has conveyed that he should given the reins of the side in all three formats.

The national selection committee, though is divided on the issue. A former Punjab caretaker minister, who apparently has no cricket background, is not in favour giving back absolute power to Babar.

“Some members of the selection committee now feel the best thing is to let Shaheen Shah Afridi continue as captain for the home T20 series against New Zealand in April and give him a chance to prove his credentials,” one well-informed source said.

He said there was a feeling among some selectors it would be best to wait for a series or two before taking a final decision to bring back Babar as captain.

The interesting part is that the selectors including Muhammad Yousuf, Asad Shafiq, Abdul Razzaq, Wahab Riaz and the former minister, Bilal Afzal after meeting with Mohsin Naqvi asked him to make the final call.

“They made their opinions clear to the PCB chief and have now asked him to make a final call and Naqvi has told them to convince Babar to accept the white ball captaincy for now and the Board will take a call on the red ball captaincy after the T20 World Cup,” the source added.

This despite the fact that the PCB chief gave clear mandate to the selectors while appointing them to select the captain.

The Test captaincy is with Shan Masood.

Similarly there is also no clarity on what the PCB is doing about the appointment of foreign coaches with the national team.

“As of now the PCB has met with refusals from several foreigners including Adam Voges, Luke Ronchi, Shane Watson and Mike Hesson,” the source said.

He said presently the PCB is hoping that their negotiations with Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillispie are successful as they want them to take over as white ball and red ball coaches.

“The only catch is that both Kirsten and Gilliepie are adamant they will bring their own support staff while the PCB wants to make the other appointments as it wants some of its local players on the support staff as assistant specialist coaches,” he said.

File picture of chief selector of the Pakistan cricket squad Inzamam-ul-Haq
| Photo Credit: AP

Former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has stepped down as Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chief selector on Sunday after allegations of a conflict of interest.

His resignation comes after Pakistani media reported one of his co-directors in a U.K.-based company, Yazoo International Ltd, is managing director of Saya Corporation, an agency representing some major Pakistani cricketers.

The players include captain Babar Azam, bowler Shaheen Afridi and wicketkeeper and batter Mohammad Rizwan, who is also a director at Yazoo, according to U.K. public sector database gov.uk.

“I am stepping down from the post to offer the PCB the opportunity to conduct a transparent inquiry,” Inzamam said in a statement released by the board. “If the committee finds me not guilty, I will resume my role as the chief selector.”

The PCB said it had set up a five-member fact-finding committee to look into the allegations.

The allegations surfaced in the middle of Pakistan’s struggling World Cup campaign, where they sit seventh in the points table after four successive defeats. It is their worst losing streak in tournament history.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has scored only two fifties in this World Cup. His captaincy has been questioned and he has faced accusations of lacking aggression in field settings
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Pakistan’s chances of making the semifinals of the Cricket World Cup are on a knife-edge after their eight-wicket defeat to Afghanistan.

It was the team’s third successive loss at the tournament after two opening wins.

AFP Sport looks at three problem areas for Babar Azam’s faltering team:

World class bowling looks ordinary

Pakistan’s bowling was touted as world class before the Asia Cup and when they restricted a strong India side to 266 all out in a washed out game at Pallekele, commentators saw it as a major warning to World Cup rivals.

But two weeks before the showpiece event, key fast bowler Naseem Shah was ruled out with a shoulder injury.

Spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi has 10 wickets in five games in India but has failed to make an early impact — his 2-36 against India and 5-54 facing Australia came in losing causes. In the opening wins over Netherlands and Sri Lanka, he managed two wickets at a combined cost of 103 runs.

Haris Rauf has leaked runs, conceding 286 in five games for eight wickets while the spinners have lacked bite on the slow and turning pitches of India. Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz and Iftikhar Ahmed have just six wickets in five matches between them, conceding 502 runs.

Captaincy in question

Babar Azam is one of the top batsmen in white ball cricket — he has two fifties at the World Cup — but his captaincy has been questioned and he has faced accusations of lacking aggression in field settings.

Pakistan media have consistently accused him of favouring his friends in selection.

“As far as captaincy is concerned, I don’t have much pressure on me or on my batting. I try to give my best in batting,” Babar said after Monday’s loss to Afghanistan.

“During fielding, I think about captaincy and during batting I just think about the batting.”

Babar has won some sympathy in India for his team having to play in front of crowds where Pakistan fans have been effectively banned.

Tight security has also meant that the squad is virtually confined to their hotels once their playing and training commitments are completed.

Lack of planning

There have been frequent, unsettling changes in the the Pakistan Cricket Board set-up — three chairmen in the past year — which hurt planning for the World Cup.

Former chairman Najam Sethi brought in Mickey Arthur as team director but he also kept his Derbyshire county job in England.

Directing the team from the UK, he was criticised in some media as a “Zoom coach.”

Pakistan officials have also been accused of failing to manage the workload of their fast bowlers with Naseem and Shaheen playing all three formats.

Naseem’s most obvious replacements, Ihsanullah and Mohammad Hasnain were also unfit, forcing Pakistan to recall Hasan Ali.

“You were not able to find a coach and since you liked foreign ones you hired an online coach. We change our system frequently and that is showing in our performance in the World Cup,” said former Pakistan great Wasim Akram.

Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam reacts after his team’s defeat during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Afghanistan in Chennai on October 23, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

A disappointed Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Monday admitted that his side’s bowling attack was not up to the mark after Afghanistan beat them by eight wickets in yet another World Cup upset in Chennai.

Afghanistan chased down the target of 283 with six balls to spare with openers Ibrahim Zadran (87 off 113 balls) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65 off 53 balls) setting up the win.

One-down Rahmat Shah and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi chipped in with 77 not out and 48 not out respectively as Afghanistan continued their giant-killing spree. They had shocked defending champions England earlier in the tournament.

The stunning loss literally pushed Pakistan on the brink of elimination.

“We had a good total, but in bowling, we were not up to the mark because we weren’t taking wickets in the middle overs,” Babar said at the post-match presentation.

“In a World Cup, if you are not good even in one department, you lose. We started well while bowling, but we couldn’t take wickets.” He gave credit to Afghanistan for the win.

“We are not playing good cricket, (especially) in bowling and fielding,” he said.

“The pitch was helping the spinners even in the second innings. There was no pressure on their batsmen.” Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said the win “tastes nice”.

“The way we chased today, was very professional. We have been quality cricket from a couple of years. We will try our best to play positive cricket, and do a lot for our country.

“Today, bowling was very good, especially spin bowling. We gave a chance to Noor, and he showed. The game was in our hands from the beginning till the end.” Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his 87 in Afghanistan’s run chase, said he played with a positive intent.

“Thankful that I performed well in this event. I wanted to play with a positive intent,” he said.

“Many times Gurbaz and I have done a brilliant partnership together. We have played a lot of cricket together, right from the Under-16 days. I am feeling very glad for myself and for my country.” Former captain and senior player Mohammad Nabi said the win was a big moment for the whole of Afghanistan, having lost every game that they played against the bitter rivals from 2012.

“We have played eight games against Pakistan, and won in a big event. It’s a lovely moment today. We beat England as well, and now Pakistan. The team is confident now.

“(Earlier) in the last moments, we used to lose the game (to Pakistan). We thought it was the same wicket like against New Zealand, but it was totally changed.

“A lot of close games, and this is a fantastic feeling. We shouldn’t have lost against Bangladesh. But now half the tournament is gone.”

Babar Azam plays a shot during the World Cup 2023 match between Pakistan and Afghanistan at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai October 23, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Opting to bat, Pakistan scored 282 for 7 in their World Cup match against Afghanistan here on Monday.

Captain Babar Azam top-scored with 74 off 92 deliveries while opener Abdullah Shafique contributed 58. Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed made 40 each down the order to take the score past 280.

Noor Ahmad was the most successful Afghan bowler with figures of 3/49 while Naveen-ul-Haq chipped in with 2/52.

Scoreboard:

Pakistan Innings: Abdullah Shafique lbw b Noor Ahmad 58 Imam-ul-Haq c Naveen-ul-Haq b Azmatullah Omarzai 17 Babar Azam c Mohammad Nabi b Noor Ahmad 74 Mohammad Rizwan c Mujeeb Ur Rahman b Noor Ahmad 8 Saud Shakeel c Rashid Khan b Mohammad Nabi 25 Shadab Khan c Mohammad Nabi b Naveen-ul-Haq 40 Iftikhar Ahmed c Azmatullah Omarzai b Naveen-ul-Haq 40 Shaheen Shah Afridi not out 3 Extras: (LB-4 NB-1 W-12) 17

Total: (For 7 wickets in 50 overs) 282

Fall of wickets: 1/56 2/110 3/120 4/163 5/206 6/279 7/282

Afghanistan bowling: Naveen-ul-Haq 7-0-52-2, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 8-0-55-0, Mohammad Nabi 10-0-31-1, Azmatullah Omarzai 5-0-50-1, Rashid Khan 10-0-41-0, Noor Ahmad 10-0-49-3. 

Pakistan’s Babar Azam, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi, during a practice session ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match against Australia, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru on October 19, 2023.
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali exuded confidence that his side can recover from the dispiriting loss to India, ahead of the World Cup encounter against Australia.

“We agree that we didn’t play to our calibre, but it’s not the end of the world,” Ali said, on Thursday. “I will say this — nothing has changed.”

Make or break

“India – Pakistan match is such that it can make or break your career. Maybe if it was against some other team or if we had won, you wouldn’t be asking us this. We sat together and had a healthy discussion about the things that need improvement.”

The Men in Green will be well-served if the betterment touches the bowling department first. With Naseem Shah injured (replaced by Ali) and Shaheen Afridi not in top form, Pakistan appears to have lost a bit of its edge.

Optimistic

“Only one bowler has changed, the rest all are the same. I think you guys don’t like my wild card entry. But I feel proud.”

“Shaheen has won us many matches. I know he is not fit right now but very soon he will be there. The games here are very high scoring. But this is not an excuse. You have to find a way and our effort will be to perform.”

Australia captain Pat Cummins was mindful of the standard of cricket Pakistan is capable of playing.

Really strong side

“They’re a side that always seems to be right up there,” Cummins said. “Pretty well structured. Some really good quick bowlers, some spin bowlers who can bowl 20 of their overs.”

“I think [Mohammad] Rizwan is the leading run-scorer. Babar Azam is always good. They’re a really strong side pretty much in all facets.”

The 30-year-old hoped his batters would rediscover their hunger for runs after a quiet start to the tournament.

“Especially here in Bangalore, I dare say it’s going to be high scoring. I think the way Mitchie [Mitchell Marsh] and Davey [David Warner] started by taking the game on [vs. Sri Lanka]… that’s what we want. I’m sure runs are around the corner.”