Tag: Cricket

Babar Azam named Player of HBL PSL 2020

KARACHI:Babar Azam was named Player of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 after Karachi Kings defeated Lahore Qalandars by five wickets to win their maiden title since the inception of the PCB’s marquee event in 2016.

 

Babar finished the tournament with 473 runs, including three player of the match awards that also helped him to win the award for Best batsman of the HBL PSL 2020 award.

 

Babar is the second Karachi Kings’ player to win the prestigious award after Ravi Bopara was declared Player of the HBL PSL 2016 after aggregating 329 runs and taking 11 wickets.

 

Babar’s Pakistan team-mate Shaheen Shah Afridi won the Best bowler of the HBL PSL 2020. He took 17 wickets, at a strike-rate of 16.4 and economy-rate of 7.11.

 

Shaheen’s Lahore Qalandars’ team-mate Ben Dunk lifted the award for Best wicketkeeper of HBL PSL after accounting for nine batsmen behind the wickets.

 

Haider Ali was declared the Emerging Player of the HBL PSL 2020. The 20-year-old justified his category by first making an impression in the first half of the tournament that earned him a Pakistan call-up before finishing the competition with 239 runs at a strike-rate of 157.23.

 

Fakhar Zaman was named as the Best Fielder of the HBL PSL 2020 when his fitness and agility not only helped him to save critical runs and create run-out opportunities, but also finished with 10 catches.

(Cricket): Karachi Kings claim maiden PSL title

KARACHI:Karachi Kings have clinched Pakistan Super League title for the first time in Pakistan Super League after beating Lahore Qalandars by five wickets here at the National Stadium.

 

Chasing a modest target of 135 runs, Babar Azam’s unbeaten 63 helped his side easily achieve the target in 18.4 overs. Babar claimed man of the match title. He also claimed batsman of the tournament as well as the player of the tournament awards.

 

Earlier, Waqas Maqsood, Arshad Iqbal and Umaid Asif bowled some tight overs for Karachi Kings picking two wickets each and restricting Lahore Qalandars to a modest total of 134-7.

 

Opener Tamim Iqbal was the top scorer for Lahore Qalandars with 35 runs. Fakhar Zaman could contribute only 27 runs.

 

Seasoned Mohammad Hafeez didn’t had his day in the final as he could score only two runs. Ben Dunk also struggled and lost his wicket after scoring only 11 runs.

 

With a modest score on board, opener Babar remained in command despite losing partners at regular intervals.

PCB announces Super League fixtures against England

KARACHI:Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Wednesday the schedule of its men’s national cricket team’s tour to England and Wales in July 2021 that will comprise three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs and as many T20Is.

 

The ODIs will be played in Cardiff, London (Lord’s) and Birmingham on 8, 10 and 13 July, respectively while the T20Is will be held in Nottingham, Leeds and Manchester on 16, 18 and 20 July, respectively.

 

England lead the points table of the qualification league for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 with 30 points from two three-ODI series. Pakistan share second spot with Australia on 20 points following a 2-1 series win over Zimbabwe, while Zimbabwe and Ireland are on 10 points each.

 

The remaining eight sides in the 13-team competition are yet to play their opening fixtures in the Super League from which the seven top-ranked sides and World Cup hosts India will progress directly for the event proper to take place in October/November 2023.

 

The ODI series against England will be one of Pakistan’s three away fixtures in 2021 with the other two being against South Africa (April 2021) and Afghanistan (September 2021). In addition to these away series, Pakistan will play two home Super League fixtures against New Zealand and the West Indies in October and December 2021, respectively.

 

This will be Pakistan’s sixth consecutive tour to England. In 2016, Pakistan drew the four-Test series 2-2, won the ICC Championship Trophy in 2017, drew the two-Test series 1-1 in 2018, missed out on a place in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 semi-finals by a fraction of a point and lost the three-Test series 1-0 in 2020.

 

Pakistan captain Babar Azam said: “England and Wales is our second home as we have been visiting it regularly since 2016. Apart from building relationships and understanding the culture, these tours have helped us to enhance and improve our cricket skills and knowledge, as we now have a good understanding of the conditions and wickets in that part of the world.

 

“England are the world champions and the number-one ranked side in ODIs, while they sit second in the T20I table. Besides trying to collecting valuable Super League points, our overarching objective is also to improve our white-ball rankings. The series against South Africa, England and New Zealand provides us with opportunities to improve our rankings as lower-ranked sides are awarded more points if they win a series against the side that is ranked above them on the rankings table.

 

“England boasts some outstanding and world-class cricketers, which is reflected in their team results in the past couple of years. But if we have to qualify directly for the World Cup and also improve our ranking, we have to play and beat stronger oppositions, and I know we are capable of doing this.”

 

Pakistan is presently sixth in ODIs behind England, India, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, while Babar Azam’s side is ranked fourth behind Australia, England and India in T20Is. Pakistan sits seventh in Tests.

 

Sarfaraz says Karachi Kings favorite to lift the title

KARACHI:Former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, who has been leading Quetta Gladiators in Pakistan Super League since its inception, is now supporting Karachi Kings to win Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 title.

 

Former PSL champions Gladiators failed to make it to the knockouts along with Islamabad.

 

The wicketkeeper-batsman from Karachi also congratulated Lahore Qalandars for reaching the final but said that Karachi Kings were favorite claim the title on Tuesday night at its home turf at National Stadium.

 

“(Mohammad) Amir bowled well in the last match,” Sarfaraz said. “Imad Wasim and Babar Azam have also played well. They have good momentum.”

 

Sarfaraz lamented that the people of Karachi wouldn’t be able to enjoy the final game at the stadium despite it’s happening in their city.

Rain disrupt third round matches National U19 Three-Day tourney

KARACHI:The National U19 third-round match between Central Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at Shalimar Ground in Islamabad and Balochistan and Northern at Ayub Park Ground in Rawalpindi ended in a draw.

 

The third day’s play could not take place due to rain and the matches ended in draw.

 

Central Punjab scored 160-5 in 51 overs wit Shawaiz Irfan scoring 66 runs. Zeeshan Ahmed picked five for 49 runs for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

 

Northern were playing 100-3 in 21 overs with Abdul Faseeh standing on the crease with 40 runs.

Karachi and Lahore chase history in dream HBL PSL 2020 final clash

KARACHI:A dream final line-up of Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars, a wish of millions of HBL Pakistan Super League fans since its inception, is now true as the two rivals play for the coveted and prestigious trophy at the National Stadium in what should be an epic final on Tuesday night.

 

After an eight-month Covid-19-enforced break following the end of the group-stage, the HBL PSL playoffs began on Saturday with a thrilling Qualifier, between table-toppers Multan Sultans and Kings. Kings, helped by a stunning bowling performance of Mohammad Amir in the Super Over, held their nerves to book a place in the final.

 

Qalandars brushed aside Peshawar Zalmi by five wickets in the Eliminator 1 on the back of an unbeaten 74 by Mohammad Hafeez after which David Wiese’s all-round exploits helped the side, who had finished at the bottom of the table in each of the first four seasons, seal a berth in the final with a convincing 25-run win over Sultans in Eliminator 2.

 

This is the first time these two sides are featuring in a HBL PSL final.

 

Both sides flaunt top T20 cricketers who have played an integral role in their progression over the course of the tournament.

 

Karachi Kings’ Babar Azam dominates the chart for the highest run-getters. He sits at the top with 410 runs at a staggering average of 51.25. He has the most fifties in the tournament to date and his 48 fours are the most hit by any batsman in this edition. Babar also holds the distinction of being the highest run scorer in T20 cricket this year with 1,179 runs at 53.59.

 

Alex Hales is another batsman who has been at his destructive best as he has stroked 261 runs at an average of over 52 and a strike rate just under 152.

 

Mohammad Amir, fresh after delivering an immaculate Super Over, will spearhead Kings’ bowling attack. With 10 wickets in a many matches, he is his side’s leading wicket-taker this edition. The left-arm pacer has an economy rate of 7.44.

 

Qalandars pace attack is led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has had an impressive run in the shorter format in T20 cricket. The left-arm quick leads the list of bowlers with most wickets with 17 scalps at just 17.70 runs per dismissal and an impressive economy of seven.

 

He is joined by pace-sensation Haris Rauf, who has the most T20 wickets – 50 at an average of 19.48 – in 2020. All-rounder David Wiese and Dilbar Hussain with 12 wickets each are locked at the fourth spot.

 

Qalandars boast a strong batting unit with Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman and Ben Dunk -placed second, third and fourth, respectively, in the list of top run-getters this season. All three batsmen have scored two half-centuries.

 

Hafeez has 310 runs at 44.28, while Fakhar Zaman has scored 298 runs at 27.09. Dunk, who has struck most sixes this edition (23), has scored 289 runs at a blistering strike rate of 175 and an average of over 41.

 

The eagerly anticipated final that will determine a new champion is set to be watched and followed by millions of fans across the globe and in Pakistan on PTV Sports and Geo Super. Around the world, the broadcast will be beamed on Hum Masala in the UK, Sky New Zealand and Eurosport India.

 

Live streaming will be available on the official PSL YouTube channel in all regions outside Pakistan, while fans in Pakistan can live stream the playoff stage games on bsports.pk, tapmad.com, tv.jazz.com.pk and goonj.pk

 

Both captains are eagerly looking forward to the historic occasion.

 

“It is going to be a big game,” said Karachi Kings captain Imad Wasim. “I am sure it is not only me, but players in both teams are excited for this contest.”

 

“We played good cricket in the Qualifier but couldn’t finish it off how we wanted to but we are glad that we are in the finals. We are going to go out there express ourselves and I am hopeful we will win the trophy.

 

“We are going to play the final for Dean Jones who was a father-like figure in our dressing room and a great influence on our team. We want to dedicate the trophy to him, which is an additional motivation for the entire squad.

 

“We are really looking forward to what is our first HBL PSL final.”

 

Lahore Qalandars captain Sohail Akhtar said: “It’s a big achievement to reach the final. The belief that was there for five years has paid off. Our fans have stood by us for five years and now is the time to give them the best possible gift by winning the trophy.

 

“We will try to build on the momentum we have had and the key for success in the final will be to stick to the basics in both batting and bowling departments.

 

“Playing the final against Karachi in their own backyard is a massive occasion and I am sure it will have a huge following on TV and social media. We are really excited and looking forward to the game.”

 

History favours Kings in the Head to Head between the two sides.

 

Kings and Qalandars have met on 10 occasions in the HBL PSL with Kings winning six matches.

 

Qalandars have won three matches plus have an additional victory under their belt, courtesy an exciting Super Over finish in a 2018 edition group-match played in Dubai.

 

This edition, the two sides shared their two games with Qalandars winning at home (Gaddafi Stadium) by eight wickets and Kings recorded a crushing 10-wicket win at the National Stadium in the return group-stage fixture.

David Wiese all-round performance takes Qalandars into final

KARACHI:An all-round performance by David Wiese carried Lahore Qalandars to the final of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 as they defeated Multan Sultans by 25 runs in the Eliminator 2 at the National Stadium on Sunday night.

 

Qalandars will face arch-rivals Karachi Kings in the final on Tuesday. This will be the first time these two teams will feature in the final of the tournament.

 

Wiese took three crucial wickets of Adam Lyth, Ravi Bopara and Sohail Tanvir as Sultans were bowled out for 157 with five balls spare in their pursuit of 183.

 

Sultans were provided a solid start as Lyth smashed a 29-ball 50. The 33-year-old struck four fours and three sixes as he stitched a 47-run first wicket partnership with wicketkeeper-batsman Zeeshan Ashraf (12 off nine) and 33-run stand for the second wicket with his captain Shan Masood, who scored 27 runs from 22 balls.

 

Lyth, in red-hot form, was stopped in his tracks by Wiese in the ninth over. The dismissal dried the flow of runs and then sparked a collapse which saw Sultans lose five wickets for just 20 runs.

 

Late blows by Khushdil Shah, who hit two sixes and as many fours in his 19-ball 30, instilled a ray of hope amongst the Sultans’ fans. But, his dismissal on the third ball of the penultimate over – with still 28 runs left in the run chase made the victory certain for Qalandars.

 

Pace bowlers took sultans’ all 10 wickets. Wiese and Haris Rauf took three wickets each, while Dilbar Hussain and Shaheen Shah Afridi shared the other four wickets equally.

 

Qalandars had posted an imposing 182 for six as their batsmen made the most of the powerplay overs and the death overs after they were asked to bat by Sultans’ captain Shan.

 

Qalandars openers Tamim Iqbal and Fakhar Zaman stitched a 46-run partnership in 4.5 overs before left-arm pacer Junaid Khan struck in his first over to dismiss the former.

 

Qalandars’ Bangladesh import Tamim made 20-ball 30, in which he struck five fours.

 

Sohail Akhtar, the Qalandars captain, followed the left-handed opener back in the pavilion on the penultimate ball of the powerplay as he was caught off Mohammad Ilyas’ bowling at deep square leg. Qalandars accumulated 54 runs at the loss of two wickets in six overs.

 

Fakhar made 46 off 36, studded with four fours and two sixes.

 

Shahid Afridi’s immaculate leg-spin bowling tightened the screws and yielded crucial wickets of Mohammad Hafeez (19 off 21) and Ben Dunk (three off three). Shahid returned the match figures of 4-0-18-2.

 

Following the dismissal of Dunk, Qalandars were tottering at 111 for five in 14.2 overs. But, Wiese’s scintillating knock at death not only pulled his team out of trouble but lifted them to a daunting total.

 

The South African all-rounder crunched five fours and three sixes in his 21-ball 48 not out, which helped Qalandars pile 67 runs in the last five overs.

 

Over the course of his undefeated stay at the wicket, Wiese partnered with Samit Patel (26 off 16, four fours) for a remarkable 59-run partnership from 5.2 overs.