'We had a lot of communication today while we were batting, slowly we will build on it, now that I know he's going to open for the next few games as well'
Despite losing their first Asia Cup encounter against arch-rivals India, Pakistan's former T20 captain Misbah-ul-Haq feels Shahid Afridi's boys look in good shape for the crucial World T20 to be held in India in March. "Pakistan's bowlers made 83 look difficult against a strong batting team like India. It is something that will encourage them in the next games. They shouldn't lose hope because of the defeat against India," said Misbah in his blog for cricket.com.au. "After this bowling performance I think the pressure on our batsmen will be less. The batsmen need to understand that the pitches in the Asia Cup are different from the Pakistan Super League and even if they score 130 or 140 their bowlers can defend it," the skipper of Pakistan's Test side added. Misbah also hailed India's performance against Pakistan on Saturday and called them one of the favourites to lift the World T20 title.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews blamed his butterfingered fielders for the three-wicket loss against Pakistan which ended their campaign at the ICC Champions Trophy in Cardiff on Monday.
Mohammed Amir needed a closure. The Oval gave him a perfect platform and boy he grabbed it as if there wasn't a tomorrow.
Pakistan go into the World Cup having suffered 10 successive ODI defeats and were also beaten by Afghanistan in the warm-up match of the World Cup.
Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq says Hardik Pandya is nowhere near the league of Kapil Dev and needs to work harder to become a world-class cricketer. One of the most prolific all-rounders to have come out of Pakistan, the 40-year-old also said India will continue to enjoy an unbeaten record against his team at the World Cups, as Indians handle the pressure of the big game much better.
Sri Lanka trounced top-ranked Pakistan 3-0 after a 13-run victory in the third and final Twenty20, in front of 27,000 fans at the Gaddafi Stadium, in Lahore, on Wednesday. Needing 54 runs off the last five overs, with eight wickets in hand, Pakistan again stumbled in its run-chase for the third successive time in the series and were restricted to 134-6.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum says convicted spot-fixer Mohammad Amir should be given 'the benefit of the doubt' and allowed to play for Pakistan in limited-overs matches in New Zealand this month.
An inspired Pakistan hammered a blundering India by 180 runs to lift the ICC Champions Trophy, riding on a scintillating hundred from rookie opener Fakhar Zaman and a sensational bowling spell from Mohammad Amir.
A century opening stand between Abid Ali and Fakhar Zaman guided Pakistan to a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the third and final One-Day International in Karachi on Wednesday. The victory enabled the hosts clinch the series 2-0.
Sri Lanka's top cricket administrators say it is difficult to believe allegations of pitch-fixing in a 2016 Test match against Australia which have triggered a probe by the International Cricket Council.
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who is set to make his Test return after completing a five-year ban for spot-fixing last year, has agreed that match-fixers should be banned for life. Amir's comments came in the wake of England skipper Alastair Cook's demand to impose a life ban on those caught in match-fixing. The 24-year-old, who served a prison sentence in the UK and a five-year suspension for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing case, will make his return to the Test cricket against England next month at Lord's-- the scene of the fixing scandal.
A strong fourth innings fightback that had nearly clinched a remarkable record run chase in the first Test loss to Australia in Brisbane had given Pakistan the confidence they needed for the rest of the series, captain Misbah-ul-haq has said. The visitors, who were dismissed for 142 in their first innings, had Australian cricket fans chewing their fingernails to the quick as they counter-attacked in chasing 490 for victory.
Beijing's political risks are also escalating because of a renewed wave of public anger in many parts of Balochistan against human rights abuses by Pakistani troops deployed to crush the low-intensity insurgency in the province, the report said.
Former Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis believes that tainted left-handed batsman Salman Butt, who served a five-year ban for his involvement in 2010 spot-fixing scandal, should be recalled to the national team on the basis of his current form. Waqar, who was Pakistan's coach during the infamous Lord's Test in 2010, when Butt was found guilty of orchestrating the delivery of no-balls from fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, said he was he was in favour of Butt returning based on his recent domestic form.
'Credit goes to the bowlers. We really bowled well'
Pakistan will not only have to win the remaining three matches, starting with New Zealand, but also hope that the results in other matches favour them to salvage any hopes of a semi-final berth.
With both teams virtually out of the semi-final race, South Africa and Pakistan will be battling it out for a consolation win in their World Cup match at Lord's.
Pakistan crashed out of the final of the Asia Cup cricket tournament after losing by five wickets to hosts Bangladesh here and skipper Shahid Afridi conceded that his side committed "too many mistakes" which cost them dearly.
Pakistan will meet Group A toppers England in the first semi-final on Wednesday at the same venue.
Put into bat in a stop-start, rain-hit match, India posted a commanding 336-5, with Rohit Sharma (140) smashing his second century of the tournament.
Pakistan resumed their second innings needing a further 228 for victory with seven wickets in hand, but their chances faded when Olivier removed the dangerous Babar Azam (21) and captain Sarfraz Ahmed (0) in consecutive balls.
Australia are yet to hit their stride, but that's exactly why the rest should worry, says former Aussie great Allan Border.
A petition has been filed in a Pakistani court seeking registration of a criminal case against disgraced cricketer Salman Butt.
Their arrival itself was mired in drama and a mercurial Pakistan would look to bring the focus back on their cricket when they take on an enigmatic Bangladesh.
New Zealand pacemen Trent Boult and Grant Elliott shared seven wickets as the hosts bundled out Pakistan for 210 to win the first one-day international at the pacy Basin Reserve by 70 runs on Monday.
Indian cricket team stands a chance of making big gains in terms of International Cricket Council (ICC) Test ranking if they manage to register a 3-1 victory over Australia in their ongoing four-match series.
Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis has admitted that he is impressed by Mohammad Amir in training but expressed that he doesn't expect the tainted fast bowler, who has been named in the national squad for the upcoming New Zealand tour, to make an immediate impact.
Pakistan dominated the first day of the opening Test after bowling out England for 184 and battling to 50 for one in overcast conditions at Lord's in London on Thursday.
Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali says pressure will be on arch-rivals India in the upcoming Asia Cup because of the ICC Champions Trophy final defeat last year.
Pakistan's stand-in captain Mohammad Hafeez hit a fighting fifty to set up a comprehensive six-wicket victory against Australia in the second one-day international on Sunday that levelled the five-match series.
Australia's Matthew Wade struck his maiden one-day century to help secure a comprehensive 92-run victory over a disjointed Pakistan in the first one-day international in Brisbane on Friday.
Involving the tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir will be 'extremely dangerous' for the reputation of the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL), former captain Ramiz Raja has said.
'Making a connection between the bowler now and then would be wrong. But had he not had those five years out of the game, I think he would be up there with the very best Pakistan have ever had'
Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has opened the door to a return for disgraced opener Salman Butt, who was jailed for 30 months in 2011 for his role in a spot-fixing scandal. The 31-year old Butt, 31 was suspended in the 2010 Lord's Test against England at Lord's along with fast-bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif for conspiring to deliberately bowl no balls during the match. However, Amir made a comeback to the international stage and also played in the recently concluded T20 World Cup for Pakistan. Having served a five-year ban, the former captain returned to domestic cricket at the start of the year and his early form indicates he's lost none of the ability that saw him score more than 5000 runs at international level between 2003 and 2010. The southpaw was in terrific form in Pakistan's domestic circuit scoring 135, 99no, 6, 30, 81no, 95 and 90 in the space of just 12 days in January.
The Captain of the Year award was given to England's World Cup-winning, Heather Knight, the first for a women skipper
But nightwatchman Dominic Bess (40 not out) and Dawid Malan (27 not out) saw out the session to take England to 199 for three in reply to Pakistan's first-innings total of 174.
Yasir Shah proved Pakistan's match-winner as they ended a six-Test losing streak to beat West Indies by seven wickets in the first Test in Jamaica on Tuesday.
Younis, who became the first Pakistan player to complete 10,000 Test runs, made 58 while Azam stroked 72 in dominating a 131-run third-wicket partnership which gave the tourists an upper hand into the final session of the day.
Pakistan came out buzzing on Sunday as they kept alive their Cricket World Cup hopes with a morale-boosting 49-run win over South Africa.
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