Pakistan captain Babar Azam was named the International Cricket Council's ODI Cricketer of the Year following his exploits in 2021 when he scored 405 runs in six games at an average of 67.50.
'India is a strong team. Pakistan is inconsistent.'
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.
The left-handed batter suffered a muscular strain while fielding in the opening over against New Zealand at Karachi's National Bank Stadium on February 19.
The home side are chasing a modest target of 148 after bowling out Pakistan for 237 and if they win will be assured a place in the WTC final at Lord's.
Pakistan's Shan Masood is likely to be retained captain for the upcoming home Test series against England, while Babar Azam is also assured of keeping his white-ball captaincy when the team flies to Australia and South Africa later this year.
Babar said the pressure on him for tickets for the match against India was more than the match itself.
India captain Rohit Sharma, who led the team to their second ICC T20 World Cup title last June, has been named skipper of the ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year 2024.
While India are on a high after a measured six-wicket win over a sprightly Bangladesh, Pakistan are evidently tense after the 60-run loss in the tournament-opener to New Zealand.
India ended an 11-year-long ICC Trophy drought, beating South Africa by seven runs to claim the ICC T20 World Cup title for the second time on June 29 last year, in Barbados.
'I have a deep affection for Indian cricket. If someone asked me to come back, I wouldn't say no.'
Former cricketer Basit Ali disclosed that Gary Kirsten was displeased with Mohammad Rizwan's appointment as Pakistan's white-ball captain
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.
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.
The Pakistan opener was out for 39 off 34 balls, including five fours, caught by David Warner off Adam Zampa's bowling in the tenth over, in the second T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia.
According to sources aware of developments in the Board, a few players are contemplating if they should travel to New Zealand.
Raina also laid emphasis on how Kuldeep Yadav could be a lynchpin in India's success.
Pakistan completed a clean sweep of their One-day International series in South Africa with victory by 36 runs in the third and final clash at The Wanderers on Sunday.
With this, the Shiv Sena has become the second major political party to release its list of candidates for the state assembly polls. Its ally BJP released a list of 99 candidates on Sunday.
Pakistan's batting crumbled against New Zealand's pace attack and they were all out for 91 in 18.4 overs. In reply, New Zealand easily chased down the total, getting to 92 for 1 in just 10.1 overs.
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.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy Group A match played between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.
A fiery century by Hasan Nawaz and top-class performances from pacers helped Pakistan keep the series alive
India's pace talisman Jasprit Bumrah's absence will certainly hurt India, but the team's quality batting and spin bowling make them title contenders alongside South Africa and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.
He is the first Indian to achieve the feat of scoring a century in all three formats in international cricket at a single venue.
Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Abbas have been named in Pakistan's team for the first Test starting on Thursday in Centurion - the first red-ball assignment for newly-appointed interim coach Aqib Javed.
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.
Ponting believes Saim Ayub is worth keeping an eye on during the T20 World Cup.
Varma's current rating of 832 points is the fourth-highest ever achieved by an Indian batter in T20I history, behind only Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul.
The run-up to the marquee event has been chaotic to say the least with change in captaincy, shuffling of the top-order and players coming out of retirement.
Captain Shan Masood smashed 153 and forged a 253-run partnership with fellow centurion Abdullah Shafique as Pakistan dominated Day 1 of the first Test against England on Monday.
In the bowling department, pacer Mohammad Abbas (13th) and experienced leg-spinner Yasir Shah (24th), who have in the past, been ranked third and first, respectively, and left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi (32nd) are other Pakistan players to watch.
Babar Azam provided 73 in 95 deliveries with the visitors profiting from some sloppy South African fielding as they dropped numerous catches and were not accurate enough with the ball.
Test coach Jason Gillespie will fill in for Gary Kirsten in their limited-overs tour of Australia beginning next week
'The team expected me to bowl fast and used me as an attacking option. I tried to repay the faith by sticking to my strengths and staying humble.'
Babar Azam and five other players will prolong their stay in the United States
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting says he has not seen a "better player" than Virat Kohli in ODIs, and backed the Indian batting star to go past the legendary Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-getter in the 50-overs' format.
Ali's five-wicket haul followed Khan's destructive spell through the visitors' top order, with the off-spinner taking four wickets in his first three overs to leave West Indies struggling at 22-4.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam rued the mistakes his side made against India and the United States of America in their earlier Group A matches, even as the former champions bid adieu to the T20 World Cup with a consolation three-wicket victory over Ireland at Lauderhill, Florida, on Sunday.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has moved up a spot to seventh.
