Pakistan to field unchanged XI against India in Asia Cup
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If rain leads to a shortened game, Babar and his boys are ready.
Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan believes it is at least five years too early to compare Virat Kohli and Babar Azam as the Indian skipper has proven himself in "every kind of situation" while the latter has not. Younis believes the young Babar still has a long way to go.
Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan hit unbeaten half-centuries to help Pakistan overcome Jayden Seales' three-wicket burst
Pakistan named Babar Azam as their new captain in one-day internationals, putting the elegant batsman in charge of both their limited-overs teams after a stellar year with the bat. The top order batsman, who took over Twenty20 captaincy earlier this year, succeeds Sarfaraz Ahmed as Pakistan's white-ball leader while Azhar Ali also got an extension as skipper of the Test side for the 2020-21 season.
Saim Ayub and Khurram Shahzad received their debut call-ups to Pakistan's squad for the three-match Test series against Australia.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said the massive 238-run win over Nepal in the Asia Cup opener will give his side confidence.
2009 champions Pakistan were stunned by debutants USA in the Super Over.
Virat Kohli became the first Indian to complete 13,000 runs in T20 cricket, during the IPL 2025 match against MI on Monday.
In the longest format of the game, Babar is ranked fifth in the world, behind Australia's Marnus Labuschagne and the 'Big Four' of India's Virat Kohli, England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie will no longer have a say in selection matters after the PCB selectors cut down their powers, according to a source.
Spinners of both sides will have a significant role to play considering that Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the only specialist pacers who will be seen in action in Sunday's match.
While Kohli has slipped to 10th on the ICC rankings, the Indian great continues to hold a remarkable Test batting record. He has scored 27 Test centuries and 28 half-centuries and currently has a Test batting average of just under 50.
Babar's injury came a day after top-order batsman Imam-ul-Haq fractured his left thumb, also during a practice session.
The Pakistan cricket team left for Dubai for the marquee Champions Trophy clash against arch-rivals India without opener Fakhar Zaman, who suffered an injury during the opening match against New Zealand in Karachi on February 19. The left-handed batter has been replaced by Imam-ul-Haq in Pakistan's squad.
Former captain Shahid Afridi has proposed couple of changes to the Pakistan playing eleven following the dramatic loss to India in the T20 World Cup
Babar also made it clear he had no issues with the interim chief selector Shahid Afridi on selection of players and said he and the head coach were giving their input and outlining their plans to the selectors regularly and in meetings.
Babar Azam acknowledged that Sri Lanka outperformed his team
Pakistan left-handed batter Fawad Alam and left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi have achieved career-best positions in the ICC Men's Test Player Rankings after helping Pakistan win the second Test against the West Indies in Kingston to draw their two-match ICC World Test Championship series 1-1.
Babar Azam said that the partnership between Mohammed Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz was the turning point of the match
Babar Azam has led Pakistan team well in the ongoing T20 World Cup and doesn't need to do anything differently in the semi-final against Australia on Thursday, PCB chairman and former skipper Ramiz Raja said on the eve of the game.
'Agar chache ke puttar ne keh diya hai ki t-shirt chahiye Kohli ki, then do it after the game in the dressing room.'
Pakistan's batting mainstay Babar Azam knows he might be a bit rusty after the extended break from competitive cricket during the coronavirus shutdown but he is confident his strong basics will help him quickly get back up to speed. The elegant right-hander has been cooling his heels at home since playing a Pakistan Super League match last month as professional cricket remains suspended due to the pandemic.
Latif said India have superior spinners and based on current form, Rohit Sharma's men are favourites for a win on Sunday.
'Pakistani players think that if they don't perform well, the coaches will be sacked, and nothing will happen to them.'
'There was no need for him to interfere with the progress of the ball.'
Pakistan and Bangladesh will face off in a dead rubber match in the Champions Trophy on Thursday, both teams looking to salvage some pride after disappointing tournament performances. Both teams have suffered heavy defeats to New Zealand.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday demoted premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to Category B from Category A, and did not offer central contracts to senior players Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Osama Mir for the 2024-25 season.
Slamming the move of breaking the worldwide famous opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan following the team's loss in the T20I series against New Zealand, former Pakistan cricketer and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja asked the selectors what benefit they gained out of it.
'No one told me if I was part of the future plans.'
Pakistan mentor Matthew Hayden is backing struggling captain Babar Azam to produce something special in the knockout stages of the Twenty20 World Cup, starting in Wednesday's semi-final against New Zealand.
'As players, you need to stay calm, try and block that noise out, and just play with the same intensity as you would play Australia or any other team.'
Pakistan batsman Babar Azam's sparkling form has earned him comparisons with Virat Kohli but the elegant right-hander says he has a long way to go before he can be considered the Indian skipper's equal. Both top-order batsmen score freely and play the cover drive particularly well. Babar averages above 45 in Tests and 50-plus in both One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals, putting him in the top five of all three formats.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was relieved after the team's first victory in the T20 World Cup in New York on Tuesday, but lamented that they couldn't complete their chase of 107 in fewer overs because the pitch was difficult to bat on.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood termed their series-levelling victory in the second Test against England "special" as the hosts snapped their nearly four-year winless run on home soil in this format.
Babar Azam does not believe that the outcome of the much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash in World Cup on Saturday will have an impact on his captaincy.
Babar capitalised on an early reprieve to score a career-best 143 not out when bad light forced early stumps with Pakistan 109 ahead with seven wickets remaining.
Shinwari rattled the top order as he scalped three of the opening five wickets.
Former captain Shahid Afridi is confident that Pakistan will again reach the final of the T20 World Cup, but expressed apprehension about the batters' sluggish strike rate in the middle overs.
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