Babar Azam

PAK vs ZIM: Zimbabwe stun Pakistan in rain-affected ODI opener on Sunday

All-rounder Sikandar Raza inspired Zimbabwe to a stunning 80-run win on the DLS method in the rain-affected first one-day international against a new-look Pakistan white-ball team on Sunday. Raza made a crucial 39 runs and lifted Zimbabwe from a precarious 125-7 to 205 all out by sharing a 62-run eighth wicket stand with No. 9 batter Richard Ngarava, who top-scored with 48. Under overcast conditions, Raza (2-7) picked up two wickets in one over as Pakistan limped to 60-6 in 21 overs before it rained and denied further play as Zimbabwe took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Pakistan's second-string new ball bowlers debutant Aamer Jamal and Mohammad Hasnain couldn't make an impact on Zimbabwe's openers after the visitors had rested frontline pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for the white-ball series in Zimbabwe. Pakistan also rested its ace batter Babar Azam for the first time in an ODI since 2019 as it experimented with its bench strength ahead of next year's Champio

Kirsten's observations after T20 WC led Babar Azam to step down as captain

Premier batter Babar Azam had lost his interest in captaining the national white ball teams after a critical report submitted by the limited overs head coach Gary Kirsten to the Pakistan Cricket Board. In discussions with insiders in the cricket board and those close to the Pakistan team, it was apparent that Babar had lost his mojo after the T20 World Cup in July in which the team fared poorly under his captaincy. "Babar was not happy with the observations and recommendations of Kirsten and even assistant coach, Azhar Mahmood and felt he was solely being blamed for the disappointing performances,"one insider said. "He had indicated to the cricket board after some parts of Kirsten's report became public that he was not interested in remaining captain." The insider said Babar had complained to some board officials, who had worked a lot with him that it was unfortunate the PCB didn't take his past performances and results into their consideration nor showed the required confidence an

Babar Azam steps down as Pakistan cricket team's white-ball captain

Babar Azam led Pakistan for 43 One Day Internationals out of which he won 26 and lost 15 matches. His T20I record as Pakistan skipper saw him win 48 matches out of the total 85 while the 29-year-old l

Babar and Masood included in the list of senior players for PCB workshop

Captains Babar Azam and Shan Masood, along with other senior players, will attend a day-long workshop on Monday, convened by the PCB to outline the future vision for Pakistan cricket. The Pakistan Cricket Board has named the day-long workshop the "Strategic Connection Camp," to be held at a local hotel. Along with captains Babar Azam and Shan Masood, senior players Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi will be in attendance. The meeting will also be joined by national team head coaches Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, and High Performance specialist David Reid. We aim to identify key issues, foster open dialogue and collectively agree on a strategic path forward to successfully reshape Pakistan cricket. PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement. The Connection Camp is a critical step toward unifying our approach to restore Pakistan cricket to its former glory. Our aim is to ...

Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2nd Test Playing 11, live timings, streaming

Pakistan vs Bangladesh Playing 11: Pakistan made two changes for the second Test, while Bangladesh also had to make one forced change.

Mehidy, Mushfiqur help Bangladesh script history against Pakistan

Bangladesh beat Pakistan for the first time in Test cricket on Sunday, August 25

Mushfiqur, Mehidy help Bangladesh take 94 runs lead against Pakistan

Mushfiqur Rahim dug in to score a superb 191 and share a record stand with Mehidy Hasan Miraz as Bangladesh nullified Pakistan's pace attack in the first test on Saturday. Mushfiqur's 11th test hundred, and first against Pakistan, came in more than 8-1/2 hours and lifted Bangladesh to 565 all out on Day 4. It was Bangladesh's third highest score away from home, as Pakistan's ploy to go with four fast bowlers failed to work on a greenish wicket that eased considerably for batting. Pakistan, which made 448-6 declared in its first innings, lost opener Saim Ayub early in its second and was 23-1 at stumps, trailing by 94 runs. Abdullah Shafique was not out on 12 while captain Shan Masood was unbeaten on 9. Mushfiqur's marathon 341-ball knock, featuring 22 fours and a six, ended in the final session when he attempted a square cut against Khurram Shahzad's good-length delivery and was caught behind. Mushfiqur and No. 8 Mehidy, who scored 77, made the four fast bowlers toil under hot and

Centuries from Rizwan and Shakeel help Pakistan go past 400 in first Test

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and vice-captain Saud Shakeel struck centuries as they guided the home team past 400 for the loss of six wickets on the second day of the first Test against Bangladesh on Thursday. Rizwan was the more aggressive of the two batters and is unbeaten past 150 with 11 fours and three sixes, while left-handed Shakeel, resuming on 57, was dismissed on 141. The batters stretched their overnight fourth-wicket stand to 240. Resuming on 158 for four, Bangladesh pace bowlers couldn't trouble the overnight Pakistan batting pair on a greenish wicket before captain Najmul Hassan Shanto went to his spinners in the latter half of the first session, but still couldn't find the breakthrough. Rizwan and Shakeel compiled 48 runs in the first hour. Bangladesh pacers couldn't extract lateral movement, which saw Pakistan slipping to 16 for three on the opening day and curtailed to 41 overs due to wet patches in the outfield. The two-Test series is part of the I

PAK vs BAN: Babar Azam's dismal WTC run continues for Pakistan

It wasn't just Babar who had a poor showing on the day as the Pakistan top-order was decimated by Sri Lanka early on in the game

PAK vs BAN second test match to be played without fans in stadium

The second cricket test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Karachi starting Aug. 30 will be played without fans due to ongoing construction work at the National Bank Stadium, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Wednesday. The PCB started renovating the stadium this month as part of its preparations for next year's Champions Trophy, which begins Feb. 19. The PCB said it has suspended ticket sales for the Karachi test with immediate effect and that fans who have already purchased tickets will receive a full refund. The health and safety of our fans is our utmost priority, the PCB said in a statement. After careful consideration of all available options, we have decided that the safest course of action is to hold the second test in front of an empty stadium. The cricket board said it wanted to make the stadium more spectator-friendly for the Champions Trophy, which will be the first ICC event hosted in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup. The first test match will be played at ...

Pakistan vs Bangladesh Tests full schedule, live timings (IST), streaming

In the head-to-head record, Pakistan is way ahead of Bangladesh, as the latter is yet to register a single Test win over them. Check the PAK vs BAN Tests 2024 full schedule and live timings here

Pakistan's Babar Azam seeks help of Australian power-hitting coach Young

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has sought the help of Shannon Young, the renowned Australian power-hitting coach, to reinvent his T20 skills after an underwhelming campaign in the just-concluded World Cup. Babar made 120 runs from four matches at a strike-rate of 101, as Pakistan bowed out of the ICC showpiece even without entering the Super Eights. Babar met Young, who coached Australia's Glenn Maxwell and Jake Fraser-McGurk, and discussed with him the essential skills required to execute power shots successfully in T20 format. The meeting took place in Lahore where Young is on a private visit. Young has been credited with mentoring a number of Australian players and improving their power-hitting skills. The young batting sensation McGurk had set the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) alight with his range-hitting while playing for the Delhi Capitals. Babar has often been criticised for his low strike-rate and inability to regularly hit sixes in the shortest format and

Rohit to Babar: Full list of highest run-scorers in T20 Internationals

Check the full list of highest run-scorers, players with most sixes in T20 cricket in T20 International cricket here

T20 World Cup 2024: Pakistan captain Babar reveals future course of action

They bounced back with two wins on the trot, but it wasn't enough to turn their woeful campaign around and secure a spot in the Super 8

T20 World Cup 2024: After beating Kohli, Babar Azam now goes past Dhoni

During Pakistan's final group-stage clash against Ireland in Florida on Sunday, Babar played the anchor role and struck 32* off 34 deliveries

T20 World Cup 2024: Azhar Mahmood denies rift between Babar and Shaheen

Pakistan assistant coach Azhar Mahmood has denied a rift between skipper Babar Azam and premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, stating that former captain Wasim Akram's recent assertion of the duo not being on talking terms is untrue. Mahmood also took a dig at everyone who feels that players shouldn't have a life outside cricket and remain confined in their hotel rooms brooding over their narrow defeat against India. It is often speculated that Pakistan team has two factions -- one led by skipper Babar, while the other group is under Shaheen's control. "Wasim must have said that, but I don't know. I didn't see it. Shaheen and Babar are definitely talking, they are good friends. They are both part of the Pakistan team. We have not lost because of anyone, it is our mistake too," Mahmood said referring to the team's six-run loss to India in which it failed to chase down a 120-run target. Asked why players aren't coming for press conferences to face the media, Mahmood said the support sta

T20 World Cup 2024: Babar pips Kohli to become highest run-getter in T20Is

Babar overtook Kohli during Pakistan's tournament opener in T20 World Cup 2024 against the United States of America

Babar Azam overtakes Rohit Sharma to become 2nd leading run scorer in T20s

Babar displayed an average performance in the second inning of the match on Saturday. He scored 32 runs from 26 balls at a strike rate of 123.08 and etched his name on the record book

T20 World Cup 2024 Pakistan Squad: Rauf back, Babar to lead Men in Green

Having recovered from an injury, experienced pacer Haris Rauf was on Friday named in Pakistan's 15-member squad, which will be led by star batter Babar Azam during next month's ICC T20 World Cup to be held in the Americas from June 2. Rauf, who had suffered a shoulder dislocation during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in February, last featured for his country in January this year and his return will provide a big boost to the runners-up in the previous edition of the tournament in 2022. Haris Rauf is fully fit and bowling well in the nets," the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement. "It would have been nice if he had gotten an outing at Headingley. "But we remain confident that he will continue to maintain an upward trajectory in the upcoming matches, as he will have an important role to play along with other strike bowlers in the T20 World Cup," said the PCB. Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub and Usman Khan will make their maiden appearance in a

Babar Azam backs Gary Kirsten to lead a positive change in Pakistan cricket

Pakistan limited overs skipper Babar Azam is optimistic that Gary Kirsten's appointment as head coach of Pakistan's white ball side will certainly improve its performance. The South African was roped in as the team's limited overs head coach last month on a two-year contract, and this would be his third outing as an international coach, having guided India (2008-11) and South Africa (2011-13). "He (Kirsten) is a very experienced coach, and his presence should be beneficial for us all. He is already taking a lot of interest in the planning for the World Cup and discussing strategy with the team management," Babar told a media conference in Lahore on Monday. Babar said Kirsten was in touch with the side daily, receiving reports about what they were doing and how they were planning things. "He (Kirsten) shares his plans with us, discussions are happening with coaches about our planning, and we update him on net practice plans, like how the bowling practice went today," he said. Babar