'With all outlets of public expression virtually choked for the last five years, suppressed anger and frustration is looking for an opening via the ballot box.' 'There is no escape from the inevitability of the 'Engineer Rashid' factor surfacing in a big enough way to upset everyone's applecart,' alerts Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the veteran commentator on Kashmir affairs.
Afridi added that players in The T20 squad should be given a long run ahead of the World Cup later this year.
The selectors have also put Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz on standby to cover for any player who fails pre-tour COVID-19 Testing scheduled later this month.
'If, as happened in Baramulla during the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the youth in the Valley get triggered enough to jump into the wider fray, the end result would be difficult to predict, especially as the state's post-August 5, 2019 political format remains substantially fragmented and foggy,' points out Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the veteran commentator on Kashmir affairs.
Without bigger contributions from their senior players -- Masood and Babar Azam among them -- Pakistan may struggle to prevent the losing streak from stretching to 16 in Melbourne, for all of Hafeez's fighting words.
Pakistan to field unchanged XI against India in Asia Cup
The Special Investigation Agency (SIA) has arrested two more persons, including a policeman, for allegedly being part of a cross-border narcotic syndicate involved in terror funding in Jammu, officials said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the sports ministry has asked the PCB not to offer a long-term contract to its incumbent director of cricket Mohammad Hafeez yet, who came into the role after the 50-overs World Cup last year.
Set 183 for victory, Andrew Balbirnie produced a stunning knock to take Ireland over the line with five wickets and a ball to spare in front of a sell-out crowd.
In red-hot form, two-time former champions Kolkata Knight Riders will look to seal an IPL playoff berth for the first time in three years when they take on the struggling Mumbai Indians in their final home match of the season, in Kolkata on Saturday.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta, which had allowed anticipatory bail to Surat resident Tusharbhai Rajnikantbhai Shah in a cheating case, got irked when it was informed that the businessman was remanded in police custody.
A massive manhunt is underway for three foreign terrorists, possibly of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, responsible for the deadly attack on pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi that resulted in the loss of nine lives, including a two-year-old, officials involved in the investigation said on Monday.
Pakistan does not have any injury concerns but they are one of the most undercooked ODI sides at the moment. Since the 2019 World Cup, the 'Green Brigade' has played just 29 ODIs, whereas India have played 57 matches in the same period. - Asia Cup 2023
Six of the 10 Pakistan cricketers bound for England who tested positive for COVID-19 have now registered negative results on re-testing, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday. Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz, however, must return a second negative result before they can join the main squad of 20 players who will leave for England on Sunday.
Ahead of the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023, here's a full list of the final squads of all ten teams.
Pakistan expected to give all in must-win World Cup clash against Bangladesh
All-rounder Karim Janat on Sunday returned to Afghanistan's ODI squad after a gap of six years and the selectors also included seasoned left-handed batter Najibullah Zadran in the 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Australia's cricketing DNA is constructed by meticulousness and Pakistan's by explosiveness.
On her 50th birthday on June 25, Sukanya Verma celebrates some of her most significant works.
IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match played between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Chennai on Monday.
Bangladesh eye an improved performance from their batters in their 2nd group match against Afghanistan on Sunday in the Asia Cup 2023.
Will the young gun survive Virat Kohli's comeback?
England will hope that the likes of Joe Root, Harry brook and skipper Jos Buttler also get some runs and end their a disastrous World Cup campaign on a high.
KL Rahul has struggled at the top of the order, managing just 36 runs at a strike rate of 90 in the first two matches against Pakistan and Hong Kong.
Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 14 years in prison on Wednesday in a corruption case for retaining expensive state gifts when he was in power, dealing another blow to the jailed former premier, a day after he was handed a 10-year jail term for leaking sensitive state secrets.
Coming off a socio-economic crisis and the worst turmoil in its country's history, the Sri Lankan cricket team would like to provide the island nation with an emotional catharsis by beating fancied Pakistan in the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday.
Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis have stepped down from their respective roles, the country's cricket board (PCB) said on Monday.
Asia Cup: Injury scare for Pakistan''s Naseem Shah versus Bangladesh
PHOTOS from a memorable chase and a famous win...
South Africa broke their 24-year World Cup jinx against Pakistan with a nervy one-wicket victory and inched closer to securing a semi-final place with their fifth win in six matches.
The RJD polled the highest vote share in Bihar, but it was not reflected in the number of seats it won.
Shivam Dube smashed a quickfire half-century to power India to a thumping six-wicket victory against Afghanistan in the first T20 International.
Hasan Ali, who last played a Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in July, has picked up 77 wickets in 21 Tests.
Pakistan needs to win all its matches and expect Australia to falter in at least two of their remaining four games.
With the series already in the bag, India will be eager to perfect their freshly-baked T20 template as a team and hope that skipper Rohit Sharma's bat finally fires when they face Afghanistan in the third and last match of the rubber in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
'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.'
De Leede ripped through the Pakistan line-up taking 4-62 and Colin Ackerman claimed 2-39 after the Netherlands won the toss and decided to bowl, but Rizwan (68) and Shakeel (68) ensured the Asian side made 286 in 49 overs.
Pakistan would be desperate to plug the gaping holes and hope their star players regain form when they open their World Cup campaign against a free spirited Netherlands in Hyderabad on Friday.
Navigating their way through extreme pressure moments in their tournament opener, India will be eyeing a perfect game against a sprightly Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup match in Delhi on Wednesday.
Teammates have advised Babar Azam not to step down: PCB sources
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