File image of new Pakistan chief curator Tony Hemming.© X (Twitter)

One of the finest seam bowlers the world has seen, England’s James Anderson drew curtains to his illustrious career on Friday, as his team defeated England in at lopsided Test match. Anderson concluded his career with 704 scalps in the longest format of the game, a mark not matched by any pace bowler in the world. As Anderson said goodbye to the Gentleman’s Game, wishes poured in on social media, as cricketers and fans congratulated the GOAT pacer. However, Pakistan captain Babar Azam committed a blunder as he extended greetings to Anderson on retirement. Babar said that it was a privilege to face Anderson’s “cutters”.

“It was a privilege to face your cutters, Jimmy! The beautiful game will now miss one of its greatest. Your incredible service to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable. Huge respect for you, GOAT,” Babar posted on X (formerly Twitter), then deleted it.

it is a privilege to face Babar Azam’s reverse swing pic.twitter.com/QDegwq9IQ7

— Sunil the Cricketer (@1sInto2s) July 12, 2024

He later wrote the correct version, which was: “It was a privilege to face your swing, Jimmy!

The beautiful game will now miss one of its greatest. Your incredible service to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable. Huge respect for you, GOAT”.

It was a privilege to face your swing, Jimmy!

The beautiful game will now miss one of its greatest. Your incredible service to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable. Huge respect for you, GOAT pic.twitter.com/fE2NMz4Iey

— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) July 12, 2024

Anderson concluded his legendary Test career spanning 188 Test matches and more than two decades on a high note as England beat West Indies by an innings and 114 runs on Friday.

Speaking after the match, Anderson said that it was an amazing 20 years journey with the England Cricket. The veteran seamer added that it was he was overwhelmed to see the crowd’s reaction.

He further added that it was his familys journey as well.

“It’s been an amazing 20 years. Overwhelming to see the crowd reaction. It has been pretty special. Every time I wear this shirt I tried to win games for England. Has been different. Emotions have been up and down. Seeing my girls ring the bell on Day 1. It has been an amazing 20 years. You can’t have a long career without the support network behind you. It’s the familys journey as well as it is ours,” Anderson said.

Recapping the first Test match between England and West Indies, Anderson took the first wicket of the day at Lord’s sending back Joshua Da Silva to all but put an end to West Indies’ fight.

But while Anderson showcased his wares one final time, there was Gus Atkinson, on Test debut, who etched his name onto the Lord’s honours board with a ten-wicket haul – a proper handing over of the baton if ever there was one.

With ANI Inputs

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and coach Jason Gillespie have reposed faith on Shan Masood to continue as national team’s Test captain ahead of a packed international season, but a decision on the leadership role of Babar Azam in white ball formats has been put on hold. Pakistan is scheduled to host England in a three-match Test series in October this year, while rubbers against Bangladesh, South Africa and the West Indies are also on the calendar.

The PCB held a meeting here on Wednesday, which was attended by senior board officials, national selectors, Gillespie, white ball formats coach Gary Kirsten and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, to discuss Pakistan’s meek outing in the recent T20 World Cup in the Americas.

“The meeting was held to discuss ways to move forward with a comprehensive blueprint for the national team in red and white ball formats,” indicated a source aware of the developments.

Masood, who took over as Test captain ahead of the tour to Australia earlier this year, received a complete vote of confidence.

“Shan got the support at the meeting to continue as Test captain for the upcoming series against Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies between August and January,” he said.

However, no decision was taken on Babar’s white ball captaincy although his performance as captain and batsman came under a lot of discussion.

Babar, according to the source, came under criticism for his lack of strength and leadership skills when the chips were down, especially during the T20 WC.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan pacer Sarfraz Nawaz asked to sack the entire selection committee as they had shown collective incompetence in the ICC showpiece and in the build up to it.

“The selection committee has worked collectively and should be sacked collectively for their failure and incompetence,” said Nawaz.

Nawaz said he had told PCB officials several times not to give any administrative role to sacked selector Wahab Riaz.

“I am on record to have written letters to Zaka (Ashraf) and (Mohsin) Naqvi regarding Wahab’s suspected past and his lack of abilities as an administrator. Nobody paid heed to my suggestion.

“I knew well that Wahab was not capable of delivering in any capacity yet he was made selector, advisor and manager. On all fronts he failed,” he said.

Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi has made another scathing attack at current Pakistan captain Babar Azam, stating that it is time for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to look at a new captain. In a video that has gone viral on social media, Afridi stated that enough time has been given to Babar as captain, and that now a new captain should be appointed and backed. Afridi stated that Babar has already received a lot more backing than any captain during his own era, but with little success to show for it.

“As far as Babar is concerned, no captain has received such a prolonged opportunity. I’ve captained Pakistan, as has Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, none of us got such a long chance to captain. As soon as a World Cup would get over, we would be removed from captaincy,” said Afridi.

Recent reports surrounding Pakistan cricket has stated that PCB chairman is unlikely to introduce the ‘major surgery’ that he had earlier promised in order to avoid conflicts with senior players.

Babar has received significant criticism from several former cricketers, experts and fans after Pakistan exited the 2024 T20 World Cup in the group stage. Now, Afridi has pointed out that a new captain should be elected and stuck with.

Shahid Afridi : “Jitne chances @babarazam258 ko as a captain milay hain, aur kisi ko nahi mile Aur Selection Committee 6/7 Logon Ki Thi, @WahabViki Aur @ARazzaqPak Ki He Surgery Kun Huwi” pic.twitter.com/JSY29zykiB

— Thakur (@hassam_sajjad) July 9, 2024

“Babar Azam has gotten plenty of opportunities: two or three World Cups, two or three Asia Cups. In my opinion, whoever you bring in now should be fully backed,” said Afridi.

“I believe that any decision that is taken should be given a lot of time, be it the captain, coach or system,” said Afridi.

Babar Azam had resigned from captaincy after Pakistan failed to make the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, new white-ball captain Shaheen Shah Afridi was given only a few months, after which Babar was reinstated by the PCB.

Shaheen Afridi also happens to be Shahid Afridi’s son-in-law, having married his daughter Ansha in 2023.

Shahid Afridi also expressed confusion at the PCB’s decision to sack only Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq from the selection committee, when the entire committee consists of seven members.

Star batter Suryakumar Yadav stayed put on second position in the latest ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings, which also features Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made significant progress following his exploits in the ongoing away series against Zimbabwe. Suryakumar is placed second with 821 rating points behind Australia’s Travis Head, who has 844 rating points. Phil Salt of England is paced third with 797 points, ahead of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam (755), Mohammad Rizwan (746) and Jos Buttler (716). Gaikwad has gained 13 places to climb to the seventh spot in the rankings on the back of a stellar 77 not out off 47 balls in a comprehensive 100-run win for India in the second T20I against Zimbabwe.

With most of India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024-winning squad rested for the Zimbabwe tour, the five-game series has allowed India’s back-up players to showcase their talent, and with the retirement of stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, the upcoming players can make a good case for a regular place in the side.

Apart from Gaikwad, Rinku Singh and Abhishek Sharma also made solid gains among the India batters.

Rinku, who was among the reserves for the T20 World Cup, jumped four places to reach the 39th spot on the back of an attacking 48 not out from 22 balls in the second T20I.

And after a duck in the first game, all-rounder Abhishek smashed a stunning 100 from just 47 balls in the second game. With this spectacular knock, he entered the rankings for the first time at 75th spot.

Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett gained 25 places to finish at the 96th position courtesy of his two attacking cameos, making 22 off 15 and 26 off nine in the two matches.

In the bowlers’ T20I chart, left-arm spinner Axar Patel dropped two places to be the lone Indian in top-10 at the ninth position with 644 rating points.

Fellow left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav also dropped three places to the 11th spot, while T20 World Cup’s player-of-the-tournament Jasprit Bumrah also slid two rungs to 14th position.

Besides, there were some movements in the top 10 positions of the bowling rankings, with Adam Zampa (7th), Fazalhaq Farooqi (8th), and Maheesh Theekshana (10th) gaining positions.

India’s Ravi Bishnoi, with his six scalps in the first two games against Zimbabwe, jumped eight places to move to the 14th spot.

Blessing Muzarabani also gained eight positions after the first two matches, up to 55th, with his spell of 1/17 instrumental in Zimbabwe winning the first T20I.

India vice-captain Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, dropped a place to the second position in the T20I all-rounders’ rankings.

Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka moved to pole position.

India’s Washington Sundar entered the top 50 on the back of his quickfire 27 in the first game, as well as his three wickets in two outings.

Axar is placed 12th in the all-rounders’ rankings.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi summoned white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten to talk about the team’s future according to Geo News. The meeting is being held in light of the recent criticism by some sections of fans and former Pakistan cricketers on the Men in Green’s performance in the T20 World Cup. In the marquee event, the Babar Azam-led side had a woeful campaign that saw them crash out in the group stage itself.

Last week, ESPNcricinfo reported that white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten and selector Wahab Riaz submitted their tour reports to Naqvi.

Sources informed Geo News that Naqvi would review the report that Kirsten submitted. The report highlights players’ discipline, game awareness, fitness and many other things.

It was also reported that the most important part of the discussion would be the future of Babar Azam as the white-ball skipper of the Pakistan team.

After Pakistan’s latest setback, Babar’s white-ball captaincy also became a subject of scrutiny. Former Pakistan cricketers criticised Babar’s leadership and captaincy skills.

Last Thursday, Naqvi shed light on Babar’s future as Pakistan’s captain and stated that no decision had been made on him.

“There is, however, no decision taken so far related to Babar Azam,” the top cricket official, who also serves as the country’s interior minister, told reporters in Lahore, as quoted from Geo News.”I’m only speaking to those former cricketers who are interested in the betterment of Pakistan cricket,” he added.

Last week, Geo News also reported that around 30-35 international cricketers will meet the PCB chairman on Monday. They will give their feedback and suggestions to improve the domestic cricket structure in the country.

Pakistan kicked off their T20 World Cup campaign with a Super Over defeat against the co-hosts, the USA. Pakistan’s arch-rival, India, further increased their woes by getting the better of them in the low-scoring thriller, where they failed to chase down the 120-run target.

Pakistan returned to winning ways by securing victories in their remaining two games against Canada and Ireland. However, their late surge wasn’t enough to seal their tickets for the Super 8 stage in the Caribbean.

As there is a huge gap in Pakistan’s next white-ball series, Pakistan management will have ample time to make the necessary changes for the betterment of their cricket.

After the T20 World Cup heartbreak, Pakistan will play their next white-ball series against Australia in November.

Pakistan Test coach Jason Gillespie highlighted the importance of fitness in the team ahead of their two-match red-ball series against Bangladesh in August. In the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024, Pakistan crashed out of the group stage and received massive backlash from former Pakistan cricketers and some sections of fans. Fielding and inconsistency were the two aspects of the Pakistan team that were heavily criticised. Apart from that, the fitness level of the players also turned out to be another point of backlash for the players.

Some sections of fans, along with former Pakistan cricketers including Wasim Akram, Kamran Akmal and many more stars, have been critical of the players’ fitness.

Gillespie is looking to improve the fitness level within the team and said, as quoted from Geo News, “In international cricket, you have to remain fit, there are no questions on that. In international cricket, everyone should know about the importance of fitness. It is the main component of a sportsman.”

After Babar Azam was reinstated as the white ball captain in place of Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood is expected to lead the side in the two-match Test series.

Gillespie disclosed that he has had conversations with the Test skipper and will hold talks with the players about the brand of cricket that they want to play.

“I have talked to Shan Masood [Pakistan’s red-ball capain] one or two times, I’m hoping we will play positive cricket. I will [also] discuss with the players about what brand of cricket they want to play, the team will be selected while taking the opposition and conditions in mind,” he said.

“If a player is good for the team, he will definitely be selected. I’m in contact with Gary Kirsten [Pakistan’s white-ball coach] for players’ workload management,” he added.

The former Australian pacer asserted that his focus is on red-ball cricket and he has had conversations with previous coaches as he aims to improve the team.

“My focus is red-ball cricket. I will also travel to Australia and watch their players. I have talked with Jeff Lawson and Shaun Tait [Pakistan’s former bowling coach] on the Pakistan cricket team,” Gillespie said.

Pakistan’s Test series against Bangladesh will begin on August 21 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second Test will be played on August 30 at National Stadium Karachi.

Pakistan World Cup winner Mushtaq Ahmed praised under-fire Pakistan captain Babar Azam, and stated that he requires contributions from the rest of the players. He went on to ask that more respect be shown towards Babar. Babar and the rest of the Pakistan team were heavily criticised by former players, experts and fans as Pakistan crashed out of the 2024 T20 World Cup after the group stage. However, Mushtaq Ahmed rushed to Babar’s defence, stating that he has increased his aggression.

“Babar’s intent has definitely changed in the past year. He has shown aggression in his batting. If a person can improve so much, I think that’s enough,” Mushtaq said to Cricket Pakistan.

“Other players also have a duty to score runs; they have a role to play too. If one person gives you a score, but the rest of our players don’t go on to score in the remaining 7-8 overs, then there’s a problem,” he added.

“This has been happening for 3-4 years. They (other players except Babar) only score when it doesn’t make a significant impact,” stated Mushtaq.

Babar was Pakistan’s top runscorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup, scoring 122 runs in four games, but at a strike rate of just 101.66. Mohammad Rizwan, who scored the second-most runs, had a strike rate of just 90.90.

Mushtaq called for people to respect Babar more, and not forget his contributions to Pakistan cricket.

“If we talk about Babar, there’s a reason why people respect him worldwide. He brings honour to Pakistan. I think sometimes people are very hard on him,” said Mushtaq.

Babar Azam currently ranks among ICC’s top 5 batsmen in all three formats; No. 1 in ODIs, No. 3 in Tests and No. 4 in T20Is.

Despite a rocky T20 World Cup campaign, Babar is expected to retain captaincy, with the ‘major surgery’ earlier promised by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi reportedly unlikely.

Pakistan cricket team batting stalwarts Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed are in the news again for the wrong reasons. After the nation’s group stage exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup, many former players, experts and fans have called for a major reshuffling in the team, and for many senior players to be chopped off. Whilst no major changes are likely to be made yet, a video has resurfaced across X, showing Rizwan and Iftikhar struggling against a Pakistani net bowler in a practice session.

In the video that has rapidly gone viral, Rizwan and Iftikhar are being beaten by pace and bounce multiple times. The bowler, however, is not Shaheen Shah Afridi or Naseem Shah, but local bowler Nouman Khan Khaira.

Fans gave no mercy to Rizwan or Iftikhar.

“These local boys should be taken into the Pakistani team and those playing for the side should be rested,” said one user on X.

“They even struggled against part time software engineers of USA,” joked another user on Instagram.

These local boys should be taken into Pakistani teams and those playing for the side should be rested.

— Umar (@umartweets_) July 5, 2024

Rizwan struggled for form during the 2024 T20 World Cup. Despite finishing as Pakistan’s second-highest run-scorer, he batted at a disappointing strike rate of just 90. Most notably, Rizwan failed to guide Pakistan to a victory against India despite being well set during the run chase.

Iftikhar, on the other hand, made just 23 runs in two games, and was dropped from the playing XI.

Pakistan’s early exit

Pakistan exited the 2024 T20 World Cup in the group stage, after back-to-back losses to co-hosts USA and then arch-rivals India in their opening two games. The results led to many criticising Pakistan captain Babar Azam and the rest of the unit, with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi promising a “major surgery”.

However, recent reports have suggested that Naqvi is unlikely to make large-scale changes in order to avoid conflict with the senior players.

Former Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has gone viral numerous times over the course of the 2024 T20 World Cup with his fiery, no-nonsense opinions, and he has capped off the tournament with yet another strong take. While heaving praise on Virat Kohli for his match-winning knock in the T20 World Cup Final vs South Africa, Shehzad said that Kohli cannot be compared to anyone. Shehzad said that comparisons should not be made between Kohli and Pakistan star Babar Azam either.

At first, Shehzad, 32, was asked whether he remembers comparisons made between him and Kohli during their early playing days due to similarity in their appearance. Shehzad admitted that Kohli’s legacy remains incomparable, not only with him, but also with Babar Azam.

Shehzad made a reputation of launching scathing attacks on Babar’s batting and captaincy during the 2024 T20 World Cup.

“Comparisons are fine when it comes to appearances, but let’s be honest, Virat Kohli has gone far ahead with his career and records,” said Shehzad, appearing on Bol India News.

“There’s no one like Virat Kohli, let alone me or anyone else. Many like to compare Babar Azam with him, but even those don’t make sense,” said Shehzad.

After a match-winning knock of 76 in the final, Kohli announced his retirement from T20Is. Shehzad said that Indian cricket would find it difficult to replace him.

“In my opinion, Virat Kohli is leaving behind a huge legacy for India and for the rest of the world,” said Shehzad. “Good luck to the Indian cricket team to fill his shoes,” he added.

Despite staring at defeat, as South Africa needed 30 runs in 30 balls, India ended up winning by 7 runs after a superb final bowling effort from Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya, to lift a second T20 World Cup title, and the first of Kohli’s career.