Tag: Sports

Former Pakistan captain and head coach, Javed Miandad, has a piece of advice for Green Shirts ahead of their T20 World Cup encounter against their arch-rival India on 24 October at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Speaking at a news channel, Miandad said that the team will have to play as a single unit to beat India and that the team’s reliance on a few individual players will only hurt the cause.

“The team needs to play with coordination. Each player needs to chip in with what they can because relying on 1 or 2 players will hurt Pakistan’s chances in the World Cup,” said Miandad.

Miandad pointed out that there is a chance that players who generally perform well will also do so during the crucial match. He said that consistency would be key to beat India.

He suggested the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja should focus on cricket and winning matches as it will boost Pakistan’s image in the cricket world.

Pakistan cricket team is currently preparing for the mega event at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) under the interim head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and the bowling consultant Vernon Philander.

The Men in Green will depart for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 15 October, where the T20 World Cup will be played from 17 October to 14 November.

Batting Consultant, Mathew Hayden, will join the Pakistan cricket team in the UAE ahead of their encounter with India on the 24th of this month.

Before that, Pakistan will play two warm-up matches against West Indies and South Africa on 18 and 20 October, respectively. Both matches will be broadcast live on PTV Sports.

Source: Pro Pakistani

The uncertainty that loomed over the Pakistan Super League (PSL) due to the financial model has finally come to a close as franchise owners have accepted Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new financial model.

Earlier, PCB had presented a new financial model to the PSL franchise owners, which included a greater share of the central revenue pool, a fixed USD to PKR exchange rate, and financial relief for the COVID-19 struck PSL 5 and 6. The terms and conditions have been agreed upon by the PSL owners after a lot of deliberation amongst themselves.

Newly-elected PCB Chairman, Ramiz Raja, confirmed the news and expressed his delight at resolving the matters with the PSL franchise owners.

“I am delighted that all matters have finally been resolved, which is a big step forward in building a stronger relationship with the franchise owners as we look forward to working with them to take the PSL to greater and unprecedented heights,” Ramiz stated.

According to the new financial model, the franchises will receive 95 percent of the revenue generated from all revenue streams, including broadcasting rights, sponsorship rights, and ticket sales. Previously, the PSL franchises received around 85-90 percent of the total revenue generated.

PCB has also assured the PSL franchises that no new franchises will be brought into the competition until at least the tenth season of the competition. This will help the existing franchises receive the maximum amount from the revenue generated.

PCB has also offered a lucrative package to attract top-quality players to the league. Additional money will be allocated to procure the best players in the world as PCB has decided to allocate any additional revenue from broadcast revenues to bring in the best players. Broadcast revenue in excess of PKR 3 billion will be used exclusively to attract the best talent in world cricket.

In addition to this, PCB has also altered the franchise fee payment structure, which will prove beneficial for the PSL franchises. The franchises will have to pay 50 percent of the fees two months in advance of every PSL season, 25 percent of the fees will have to be paid before the start of the first match, and the remaining 25 percent will be paid before the final of the competition. Previously, the PSL franchises had to put forth a bank guarantee. This condition has now been removed as well.s

Source: Pro Pakistani

Former Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, believes that the explosive opening batters, Sharjeel Khan and Fakhar Zaman, should be the openers for the national T20 team. Afridi opined that the power-hitting ability of the duo should be utilized in the powerplay as they possess the ability to take the game away from the opposition in the first six overs.

Afridi talked about Pakistan’s T20 team in a video on his official YouTube channel. Afridi said that both the openers should be properly used in T20 cricket as both of them are match-winners.

“Everyone has their opinion, but I think that Fakhar Zaman and Sharjeel Khan should be Pakistan’s openers in T20 cricket. Even if one of them clicks, we will win the game inside the first six overs,” Afridi stated.

The legendary all-rounder said that Pakistan’s decision to use Fakhar in the lower middle-order does not make sense as Fakhar has played as an opener throughout his career. He said that Fakhar has the ability to take on the opposition and should be played in his natural position as he can shift the momentum towards Pakistan in the powerplay.

Fakhar has been demoted down the order to accommodate an opening partnership of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, both of whom have been in sublime form. The two batters have been Pakistan’s most successful batters over the past year and have scored heavily as an opening pair.

The 44-year old also commented on wicket-keeper batter Azam Khan’s exclusion from the 2021 T20 World Cup squad. Afridi said that Azam is not ready for international cricket and advised him to work on his batting and fitness to make a comeback to the national T20 side.

Source: Pro Pakistani

Pakistan has suffered a huge blow ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup as their explosive middle-order batter, Sohaib Maqsood has been ruled out of the mega event due to a back injury. Sohaib suffered a back injury during Southern Punjab’s encounter against Northern in the ongoing 2021 National T20 Cup.

Sohaib was recently recalled to Pakistan’s T20 setup after a sublime run of form in domestic cricket in the past year. He was named player of the tournament in the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and scored heavily in the previous edition of the National T20 Cup and Pakistan One Day Cup.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that Sohaib will not be a part of the T20 World Cup squad and the announcement of his replacement is expected to be announced soon. It is expected that one of Azam Khan or veteran middle-order batter, Shoaib Malik will make their way into the squad in place of Sohaib.

PCB has already made three changes to their initial 2021 T20 World Cup squad with former captain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, and Haider Ali coming into the squad at the expense of Azam Khan, Khushdil Shah, and Mohammad Hasnain.

The deadline to announce the official 15-man squad for the tournament is 10 October as set by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Source: Pro Pakistani

Renowned cricket commentator, Mike Haysman, talked about his journey as a cricket commentator and his experience in Pakistan in a video interview released by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on various social media platforms.

Haysman said that he has always loved to travel to Pakistan and appreciated the hospitality he has received in the country over the last couple of weeks.

The former cricketer said that he toured the country for the first time for commentary duty during the 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup, and he was so excited to come to Pakistan because the country had always fascinated him.

He added that this is his seventh tour of the country, and he has always felt the love the fans have for cricket in the country. He added that the people in the country are always hospitable, and they go out of their way to make him feel at home.

The 60-year old also talked about his friendship with the newly elected Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Ramiz Raja. He revealed that he really enjoys Ramiz’s company, and both the commentators were traveling buddies whenever Ramiz came to South Africa for his commentary duties.

Haysman said that Ramiz’s appointment as PCB’s chairman is a positive sign for Pakistan Cricket as Ramiz has a set idea on how to take the cricket in the country forward. He added that Ramiz will rattle a few cages as he is a determined man, and that will help in developing cricket in Pakistan.

Source: Pro Pakistani