Sarfaraz says Pak ready for World Test Championship challenge
Pakistan's legendary batsman Javed Miandad said that he was the captain of current Prime Minister Imran Khan and will join politics to "challenge" him.
Sarfaraz was removed as captain from all three formats last year in a sudden move by the Pakistan Cricket Board but made a comeback to the national squad for the tour of England due to the unusual circumstances arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pakistan cricket squad was allowed to leave their managed isolation facility in Christchurch after getting clearance from New Zealand's Health Ministry on Tuesday.
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.
Pakistan's weakened pace attack in the absence of injured Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, didn't offer a challenge to Conway and Latham with the new ball as both batters took New Zealand to 41-0 by tea before adding 124 more runs in the final session.
Some in the Pakistan media questioned whether Sarfaraz got the support he needed from his senior players.
There were fears the decisions by New Zealand and England would again dampen the prospects of international cricket in Pakistan but Australia confirmed this month they would tour next year for the first time since 1998.
Rajneesh Gupta lists the Pakistan players's T20 Internationals records updated after the game against Scotland in the T20 World Cup.
In the absence of Afridi, vice-captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa could lead the Gladiators in the first few matches.
South Africa play three ODIs against England, starting at the weekend, following on three Twenty20 Internationals.
Arthur, 51, took charge of a mercurial Pakistan side in 2016 following his stints with the national teams of South Africa and Australia and, according to local media reports, was keen on an extension.
Rajneesh Gupta lists the Pakistan players at the T20I World Cup and their T20 Internationals records.
Azhar Ali to lead the Test side, Babar Azam to lead T20s
India need to change its policy of mixing sports with politics.
The PCB has already donated around 10 million to the Prime Minister's Covid-19 Pandemic Relief Fund.
Amid a raging controversy over allotment of a 'namaaz' (Islamic prayer) room in the Jharkhand Assembly, speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto on Thursday formed an all-party, 7-member panel, on the last day of the Monsoon session to look into the issue and come out with a report within 45 days.
'We have the belief that we will win our next two games and then look ahead'
"He (Sarfaraz) has shown himself to be a fine captain and yes he was struggling a bit for form but when a senior player is under pressure you have to encourage and back him, not dump him like this".
Sri Lanka registered a 35-run victory over Pakistan in the second T20I
"It doesn't get more exciting," Arthur said of the hotly-anticipated contest at Old Trafford.
'Eventually it's a game of bat and ball and that's what you need to focus on'
Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is adamant that his side will pick up next week where they brilliantly left off before heavy rain held up their charge.
Pakistan's new head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq said he is hopeful of working well with Sarfaraz to take the team forward.
According to ICC rules, a player can be banned for life for on-pitch racist abuse if he breaches the anti-racism code three times. A first offence results in four to eight suspension points.
With the semi-final spot assured, Pakistan might look to rest a few players and give others opportunities in the inconsequential match.
Sarfaraz Ahmed said that the PCB left it to the players to make the final call on travelling to England for the Test and T20 series.
With this win, Pakistan are now in the sixth spot with seven points, keeping their hopes alive of reaching the knock-out stage.
The road to the knockout stage for Sarfaraz Ahmed and his men is just an improbable mathematical calculation and that too provided Pakistan win the toss and bat first.
Sarfaraz, Imad Wasim dropped from Pakistan white-ball squad vs Australia.
Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was also fined 20% of his match fee for a slow over-rate offence while his team mates saw their match fees reduced by 10% each after the side was ruled to be one over short of their target.
The fast bowler missed the 2011 and 2015 World Cups as a result of a five-year ban for match-fixing.
Pakistan will aim to maintain their remarkable consistency against a spirited Namibia and seal a semi-final spot in the T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Babar Azam was named as Pakistan ODI captain by the Cricket Board. The right-handed Azam, who has been one of the world's leading batsmen across formats over the last year, replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed
Kaverappa (3/20) and More (3/31) started it all with a perfect bowling display inside the Powerplay overs before Venkatesh (3/51) seized control in the middle overs to wrap up Jharkhand innings for 187 in 47.1 overs.
Pakistan come into the main draw of the T20 World Cup with 10 wins in a row in the UAE and the 27-year-old said the mood in the camp is very positive.
Pakistani selectors are under pressure from skipper Misbah ul Haq to include glovesman Adnan Akmal and an extra pacer in the touring squad for the Test series in South Africa.
"They lacked imagination, lacked out of the box thinking."
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.
