Page 2 - Babar Azam

Virat Kohli to Chris Gayle: Top 5 players with most hundreds in T20 cricket

Chris Gayle with 22 centuries to his name in T20 cricket is miles away from any other batter as the second player on the list is Pakistan's Babar Azam who has hit 11 T20 centuries

T20 World Cup 2024: Babar Azam reappointed as Pakistan's white-ball skipper

Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was on Sunday reappointed as the white-ball captain, two months ahead of the T20 World Cup. The decision was taken after a unanimous recommendation from the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) selection committee. "Following unanimous recommendation from the PCB's selection committee, Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has appointed Babar Azam as white-ball (ODI and T20I) captain of the Pakistan men's cricket team," the PCB said in a media release. Babar had stepped down as captain from all three formats for Pakistan after a disappointing outing at the ODI World Cup in India in November last year. Babar had relinquished his role after the then PCB chief Zaka Ashraf told him he would no longer be captain in white-ball formats and would only lead the Test team. Babar replaces fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20 captain, who led Pakistan in the 1-4 series loss against New Zealand in January. The T20 World Cup will begin from June 1 in the USA and the West

T20 World Cup: Shaheen Afridi contemplates quitting as Pakistan captain

Disappointed that he was not involved in discussions concerning Pakistan cricket and his future as T20 skipper, fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi is contemplating stepping down as captain. A well-informed source close to Shaheen said that the bowler was upset that not even once the PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi or the national selectors have spoken to him about their future plans as far as the captaincy or appointment of coaches is concerned. "Shaheen is rightly upset as being the national T20 captain he expected that even if the board/selectors wanted to remove him they have the decency to also inform him for the reasons behind this and keep him in the loop about everything," the source said. The source said Shaheen was disappointed that he was not kept in loop as PCB chief held discussions with the national selectors and Babar Azam this week to discuss the T20 World Cup, appointment of coaches and captaincy. "Shaheen believes that if the Board wants to remove him they should have infor

T20 World Cup: PCB wants to bring Babar Azam back as Pakistan's captain

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has offered Babar Azam captaincy in the white ball formats but the star player has not yet made his decision, sources have claimed. It has been learnt that Babar has set down conditions for accepting the captaincy, including having a say in appointment of coaches. Babar has conveyed that he should given the reins of the side in all three formats. The national selection committee, though is divided on the issue. A former Punjab caretaker minister, who apparently has no cricket background, is not in favour giving back absolute power to Babar. "Some members of the selection committee now feel the best thing is to let Shaheen Shah Afridi continue as captain for the home T20 series against New Zealand in April and give him a chance to prove his credentials," one well-informed source said. He said there was a feeling among some selectors it would be best to wait for a series or two before taking a final decision to bring back Babar as captain. The interesting p

Babar Azam publicly expresses unhappiness with PAK team decision, stirs row

Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam's public expression of his unhappiness at being asked to bat at number three in T20 Internationals indicates that all is not well in the national team's dressing room. It all started after the top-order batter was forced to step down as the leader in all three formats by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Babar made his feelings clear at a media interaction during the Pakistan Super League on Tuesday that he was not satisfied with the decision to bat at number three during the New Zealand T20Is in January. Pakistan lost the series 1-4 after the successful opening pair of Babar and Muhammad Rizwan was split, and the latter opened alongside a young Saim Ayub. "It was the Pakistan team's demand at the time. I did that for Pakistan. "If I was asked individually, I wasn't satisfied with the decision to bat at one down position. However, I did that for Pakistan," Babar said. He also clarified that he didn't take any pressure opening in the shortest for

Pak team fitness was the lowest priority for Babar, coach Arthur: Hafeez

Former Pakistan cricket director Muhammad Hafeez has claimed that ex-captain, Babar Azam and foreign coaches Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn had given team fitness lowest priority in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup in India. Pakistan, under then-skipper Babar, had failed to make it to the semifinal knockout round, losing five of the nine league games and finishing fifth. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently did not renew Hafeez's contract following disastrous tours of Australia and New Zealand. Hafeez was made team director in late 2023 after Pakistan's abysmal show in the World Cup. Soon after he took charge, Pakistan were whitewashed in the three-Test series down under, while they lost the five-match T20I series against the Kiwis 4-1. "When I took over as director (in 2023) and we reached Australia, I told the team trainer to give me a report on the players' fitness standards and prepare a new fitness regimen," said Hafeez. "He told me that the former captain (Babar) and head

Pakistan likely to go in with new opening pairing in T20s vs New Zealand

Pakistan are expected to go for a new opening pair in the T20 series in New Zealand with Muhammad Rizwan to partner young Saim Ayub instead of Babar Azam. According to reports from Auckland, the team management had Rizwan and Saim batting in the nets against the new ball bowlers while Babar and Fakhar Zaman had their knocks against mainly spinners in the other nets. Babar and Rizwan have opened pretty successfully for Pakistan in the T20 format since 2021 but apparently new captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, new high performance coach Yasir Arafat and the team director Muhammad Hafeez are keen to try out something new against New Zealand in the five-match series beginning on January 12. Their 150 plus runs unbeaten partnership helped Pakistan beat India for the first time in any World Cup game during the T20 WC in Dubai in 2021. The 21-year Saim, who played 8 T20 internationals last year and made his Test debut in Sydney earlier this month, is known for his hard hitting style of batting

Shan Masood gifts signed Babar jersey to David Warner in his farewell Test

Pakistan captain Shan Masood on Saturday presented retiring opener David Warner with batter Babar Azam's jersey as a farewell gift during the post-match presentation

AUS vs PAK 3rd Test: Cummins takes 5 wickets but Pakistan rallies on Day 1

Australia captain Pat Cummins took 5-61 for his third consecutive five-wicket haul as Pakistan's brittle top order was again exposed before a combative lower order rally helped the tourists to 313 on Day 1 of the third and final cricket test. At 96-5 shortly after lunch Wednesday, Pakistan was in grave danger of being bundled out cheaply after it had won the toss and chose to bat under bright, blue skies at the Sydney Cricket Ground. But an enterprising counterattack led by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan with a brisk 88, followed by a half-century from Agha Salmon and a stunning maiden test half-century by Aamer Jamal helped Pakistan recover to a respectable total. Australian pair David Warner, playing his final test, and Usman Khawaja had to survive one over from spinner Sajid Khan under fading light before stumps. Warner (6 not out) in characteristic style smashed the first ball for four but was lucky later in the over as he somehow survived the ball bouncing over the stumps from a

Pakistan played better cricket than Australia, says team director Hafeez

Despite succumbing to a 79-run series-losing defeat to Australia here on Friday, Pakistan team director Mohammed Hafeez said his side played better cricket than the Aussies in the second Test. Australia captain Pat Cummins took five wickets as Pakistan were bowled out for 237 runs in their second innings while chasing 316 for a win at the MCG. "We played better cricket as a team. I'm proud of that. The way the team had the courage to attack this game in the best possible way. Our batting intent was better, and while bowling, we were hitting the right areas. "We made some mistakes that cost us the game but as a team I believe that there were a lot of positives, enough to win the game but unfortunately at the end we didn't win the game," Hafeez was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. In Australia's second innings, Abdullah Shafique had dropped Mitchell Marsh at slips when the home side was 46 for four. Marsh was 20 then. Marsh went on to make 96 and added 153 runs for the fifth wicket

It can't rain forever: Yousuf extends support to out-of-form Babar Azam

Former Pakistan batter and captain Mohammed Yousuf extended his support to out-of-form star batter Babar Azam, amid a poor run of form and a string of low scores in the Test series against Australia

AUS vs PAK 2nd Test preview: Will Pakistan end 15-match losing streak?

Pakistan goes into Tuesday's Boxing Day match against Australia on a 15-match test losing streak, not having won Down Under since November 1995. The team's ever-expanding injury list heading into the Melbourne Cricket Ground test won't make ending the streak any easier. Pakistan spinner Noman Ali became the second player in two days to withdraw from the touring squad for the remainder of the three-test series due to illness and injury. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz will replace Ali in the squad, the selection committee said on the weekend. Ali, who didn't play in the 360-run defeat in the first test at Perth last week, underwent surgery for appendicitis in Melbourne on Saturday. "Noman Ali complained of sudden and severe abdominal pain yesterday, leading to examinations and scans in emergency that confirmed a diagnosis of acute appendicitis," a Pakistan team statement read. "Post-surgery he is stable and doing fine. He will be discharged later (on Saturday)." The latest blow fo

ICC rankings: Shubman Gill loses top ODI batters spot to Babar Azam

India opener Shubman Gill's reign at the top of of the ODI batters' list was short-lived as he was replaced by former Pakistani skipper Babar Azam in the ICC Player Rankings issued on Wednesday. The Indian attained the top spot during the ODI World Cup last month, but since then he has not played any ODI. Babar is back at the top with 824 rating points, while Gill (810) is the second spot followed by teammates Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Shreyas Iyer has dropped to 12th, while KL Rahul has moved a spot to 16th. In the bowlers' chart, South African spinner Keshav Maharaj remains at the top followed by Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood. Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj (3rd), Jasprit Bumrah (5th) and Kuldeep Yadav (8th) are the other Indians to feature in the top 10. Mohammad Shami is at the 11th spot, while spinner Ravindra Jadeja is ranked 22nd. The all-rounders' list remains relatively unchanged, with Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan staying at the top spot. Jadeja (12th) and Hardik Pand

Buttler to Bavuma: Top five disappointments of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

Big names like Jos Buttler and Temba Bavuma failed to impress at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. But apart from them, there were a few others as well

Pakistan cricket: Shaheen to lead in T20Is, Masood gets Tests captaincy

Former cricketer Mohammed Hafeez has been appointed as the Director of Cricket for Pakistan

World Cup: Babar Azam resigns as Pakistan captain from all 3 formats

Babar Azam resigned from captaincy of Pakistan in all three formats after they failed to reach the knockout stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

World Cup 2023: Shadab backs skipper Babar, calls for change in mindset

Calling for a change in "cultural" mindset, Pakistan's vice-captain Shadab Khan has voiced his support for skipper Babar Azam, who is being blamed for the team's disastrous showing in the World Cup. There has been a growing demand from several former Pakistan cricketers for the removal of Babar as captain after the team could not qualify for the World Cup semifinals. However, Shadab indicated the responsibility for the defeats doesn't rest solely on the captain. "This represents a cultural difference. When we emerge victorious, it is attributed solely to the captain's triumph. But in times of defeat, the responsibility for the loss falls squarely on the captain's shoulders. This should change," Shadab told reporters after Pakistan's 93-run defeat to England in their last World Cup match here on Saturday. Babar, who started the World Cup as the world's No. 1 batter, failed to bring his A-game to the fore and his captaincy came under scrutiny. Back home, there has been talk about ...

World Cup 2023: Batting to bowling, factors that punctured Pakistan's hopes

An outdated batting approach, dismal performance of the spinners, lack of back-up options and selection blunders have led to another early World Cup exit for the forever unpredictable Pakistan unit. Heading into the Asia Cup that preceded the World Cup in India, Pakistan was the top-ranked ODI side but like it is the case often, the rankings don't paint the whole picture. By the end of Asia Cup, Pakistan were left with major concerns but the management chose to back the same set of players for the World Cup and ended up with an underwhelming campaign. Pakistan's last semifinal appearance in the ODI World Cup came way back in 2011 when India beat them on their way to glory. PTI looks back at the shortcomings of the Babar Azam-led side, which squandered a golden opportunity to make an impact on Indian shores. Top-order performance ============== Pakistan had carried an out of form Fakhar Zaman to the World Cup but he was dropped after the team's opener against the Netherlands in .

Teammates have advised Pakistan skipper Babar Azam not to step down

Skipper Babar Azam has been advised against putting in his papers by his national teammates even as he has rested case with the Pakistan Cricket Board headed by Zaka Ashraf to take a call on his future. Pakistan finished fifth in 10 team table and missed out on semi-final qualification, leading to a lot of criticism from former players, who has sought a change in leadership. "Babar has already spoken to his teammates, and majority of them advised him not to step down himself. He will come out with a clear line of action once he returns home with the team after failing to make the semi-finals of the World Cup in India. But, he will not step down himself," a PCB source told PTI. Babar has a strong following in the team and likes of Imam ul Haq, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf are players considered to be close to the Pakistan skipper. In fact, last year when there were talks about removing Babar from Test captaincy had gained traction on social media, some of the players

Cricket World Cup 2023 PAK vs BAN Playing 11, toss result, live streaming

Pakistan have made three changes in their Playing 11. Imam-ul-Haq, Shadab Khan, Nawaz have been dropped while Fakhar Zaman, Agha Salman and Usama Mir got the chance to end Pak's 4-match losing streak