Flamboyant allrounder and former captain, Shahid Afridi believes that Pakistan cricket think-tank has erred by having too many expectations from out of favor batsmen, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal. "I don't know but it was wrong to expect them to be like Virat Kohli or Ab de Villiers and perform like them," Afridi said on Geo News channel on Monday. Shehzad and Umar considered to be two of the country's best young batting talent have been axed for the tour to England on disciplinary grounds and were not called for the training and skills camps set up by the cricket board. PCB Chairman, Shaharyar Khan made it clear that it was the decision of the new selection committee to sideline the two youngsters. Afridi said there was no doubt that Shehzad and Umar needed to work hard on their cricket and approach. "I also agree there should be no compromise on discipline. But I think it is best if we stop expecting too much from them and just let them be and let them play the way they do. With more experience I am sure they will be much better," he added.
Pakistan Test opener Ahmed Shehzad knows he had a lucky escape when a short-pitched ball cracked his cheekbone earlier this month and says he 'froze' when he heard the news of Australian batsman Phil Hughes' death on Thursday.
Pakistan smashed their third highest One-day total of 364 in a crushing 147-run win over New Zealand to move 2-1 up in the five-match series on Sunday.
Rangana Herath again put Pakistan in a spin with a five-wicket haul but half-centuries from Sarfraz Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad guided the tourists to 244 for six at the close of the second day of the second Test on Friday.
The Delhi assembly results have underscored that a section of Arvind Kejriwal's committed supporters abandoned him because they were let down by his refusal to take a stand on crucial issues that impinge on the security and Constitutionally enshrined rights of the people, notes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The Mumbai police's crime branch says that Imran Shehzad also helped Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed conduct a survey of likely targets in Mumbai.
Fast bowler Mohammad Amir was named in the Pakistan squads on Friday for the limited over New Zealand tour, marking a return to the national team after serving a five-year ban for spot-fixing.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews and debutant Dilruwan Perera narrowly missed centuries but guided Sri Lanka to a solid first innings total on the second day of the third and final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah on Friday.
Pakistan won a bilateral one-day international series against South Africa for the first time when they claimed a one-run victory in a thrilling finale in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday.
Images from the Asia Cup match between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Yasir Shah promoted, Shoaib Malik retained in top category
Pakistan grabbed a World Cup quarter-final berth on Sunday following their seven-wicket victory against Ireland that also cleared West Indies' last eight passage from Pool B.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had asked to move its match against Afghanistan from Chennai to Bengaluru and the game against Australia from Bengaluru to Chennai.
Former leg-spin great, Abdul Qadir has advised flamboyant Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi to say goodbye to cricket and slammed Umar Akmal, saying he lost his place in the national team because of his own mistakes. Qadir, known for his candid comments, said at a function in Lahore that Afridi had aged and was no longer fit for top level cricket. "I don't think cricket is any longer the forte of Afridi and he should say goodbye," Qadir said. He also didn't mince any words on the exclusion of batsmen Ahmed Shehzad and his son-in-law Umar Akmal from the list of probables for the tour to England. "To me Shehzad is simply more of an actor than a cricketer while Umar Akmal has lost his place in the team because of his own mistakes," he added. Umar, who is married to Qadir's daughter, has in recent months been at the centre of controversies raising questions over his commitment to the game.
Former Pakistan skipper Javed Miandad has slammed the newly-appointed Inzamam-ul-Haq led national selection committee by describing it as a 'one-man show'. Inzamam was appointed as the Pakistan chief selector in a major overhaul of the team after Haroon Rasheed-led committee was sacked by the country's cricket board following the team's dismal World T20 performance in India. 46-year-old Inzamam had shortlisted former cricketers Tauseef Ahmed, Wasim Haider and Wajahatullah Wasti as a part of the new selection panel. According to Miandad, Inzamam has roped in all the yes men in his committee, the Dawn reports.
Pakistan beat World XI by 20 runs to go 1-0 up in the three-match series, at Gaddafi stadium, in Lahore, on Tuesday.
Suspended from international cricket for an illegal bowling action, Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal on Friday returned to the national side.
Statistical highlights of the second match in the T20 World Cup between the West Indies and Ireland, at Providence
Images from Pakistan's 129-run victory over the UAE in Wednesday's World Cup Group B match in Napier.
Pakistan's experienced wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed laid out the team's plans to ruin Australia's star batter David Warner's farewell Test series.
Michael Clarke produced a brilliant all-round performance as Australia staged a dramatic recovery to beat Pakistan by 27 runs and take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series at the Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi on Monday. The captain smashed a solid 66 and then bowling for the first time in the series, snared three wickets to seal victory in the 48th over.
World XI beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the second Twenty20 international to level the three-match series at 1-1 at Lahore's Gaddafi stadium, on Wednesday.
Pakistan national selectors have delayed announcement of the national squad for the Asia T20 and World T20 after some sterling performances in the ongoing Pakistan Super League in Dubai. A source told PTI that chief selector Haroon Rasheed had sent a 15-member squad to the chairman of the cricket board for final approval but then asked for some more time to revise the squad. "Haroon has held consultations with head coach Waqar Younis and captain Shahid Afridi over the selection of the squad and apparently the biggest issues are the selection of Ahmed Shehzad, Khurrum Manzoor, Kamran Akmal, Muhammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan, Rumman Raees and uncapped left arm spinners, Muhammad Nawaz and Muhammad Ashgar," a source said.
Experienced Pakistan batsmen Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq both scored centuries to put their team firmly in control of the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Pakistan wrapped up their tour of the West Indies with an 11-run win in the second Twenty20 international in St Vincent on Sunday to complete a One-day double over the world T20 champions.
Kane Williamson hit a brilliant 123 as New Zealand staved off Pakistan's spirited challenge to eke out a series-levelling seven-run victory in the fourth one-day international in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Azhar's obdurate 193-ball stay at the crease helped his side plod slowly towards the hosts' first-innings total of 312 at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown to stand 140 runs behind with seven wickets in hand at the close.
India and Pakistan meet in their opening World Cup match at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday. Ahead of what promises to be a thrilling contest here's a fact-file on the teams.
Pakistan continued their impressive tour of Sri Lanka by comprehensively beating the hosts by 29 runs in the first Twenty20 International of the two-match series on Thursday.
Pakistan's flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi has ruled out any chance of making a comeback to ODIs.
Pakistan's Test stalwart Younis Khan, who led the national team to its only World T20 title in 2009, remained unsold while captain Misbah-ul Haq was snapped up by the Islamabad franchise on the first day of the Players' Draft for the Pakistan Super League, on Monday.
Shakib Al Hasan's fine all-round showing powered Bangladesh to a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan on Friday, their first Twenty20 international win over their Asian rivals.
Kamran Akmal, the leading run scorer in the Pakistan Super League, is left out of the 15-strong squad after scoring just 68 runs in three ODIs against the West Indies earlier this month.
Sri Lanka registered a 35-run victory over Pakistan in the second T20I
Pakistan have axed senior batsman Younis Khan for next month's One-day series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates as they announced their ODI and Twenty20 squads on Wednesday.
Umar Akmal has been dropped from the Pakistan Twenty20 squad to face England as he is under investigation for bringing the sport into disrepute in an off-field incident, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reported on Thursday.
The Pakistan cricket team, sans captain Shahid Afridi, returned to a hostile reception in Lahore and Karachi after their disastrous World Twenty20 campaign which also included a loss to arch-foes India. The team returned home in batches in Lahore and Karachi on Saturday night. Afridi, on the other hand, has decided to stay back in Dubai for a few days. The flamboyant all-rounder is expected to take a call on his future in the next few days after drawing massive criticism for his poor form in the tournament and the comment that he and his team get more love in India than Pakistan. A group of players including manager Intikhab Alam, Muhammad Hafeez, Muhammad Irfan, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Ahmed Shehzad and others had to face chants of "shame shame" when they landed at the Allama Iqbal international airport in Lahore.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews was vindicated for surprisingly deciding to field after winning the toss when his fast bowlers skittled Pakistan for 165 in the first innings of the second Test in Dubai on Wednesday. Sri Lanka then lost opener Dimuth Karunaratne (32) before reaching 57 for 1 when bad light brought an end to the day's play.
Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq steadied the Pakistan second innings with an unbroken 113-run stand after their team appeared to be heading for a heavy defeat by losing three quick wickets in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Dubai on Friday.
Gunathilaka's knock of 57 runs helped Sri Lanka post a score of 165/5 in the allotted twenty overs after being asked to bat first.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances