"Multan Turned Into Lords": Babar Blasted By Internet After Failing Again

Former captain Babar Azam's horrid run in the red-ball format continued after Chris Woakes trapped him lbw for 30 on the first day of the first Test against England in Multan. The former No. 2 Test batter hasn't hit a single fifty in the last 17 innings he had played since the start of 2023. His last Test century was against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022. He was heavily trolled after the latest failure.

Suddenly the Multan Highway turned into Lords Day 1 pitch under clouds as Babar Azam walked onto bat pic.twitter.com/JB5PAsTOUc

— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) October 7, 2024

On a Pitch where 70 Balls 50 is easy to score, Babar Azam dismissed for 30 Runs in 71 Balls Real Tuk Tuk at Multan #PAKvsENG #PAKvENG pic.twitter.com/P17ujkPw3K

— Richard Kettleborough (@RichKettle07) October 7, 2024

This picture sums up Babar Azam's career pic.twitter.com/67ekWQQtwY

— Jitender Singh (@j_dhillon8) October 7, 2024

Pitch when Babar Azam batting:#PAKvsENG pic.twitter.com/zIEkpbF6h5

— Cric mate (@matecric07) October 7, 2024

Meanwhile, Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique is happy to contribute to the team's total after smashing his fifth Test century in the first Test against England in Multan on Monday. He termed it as a 'next level feeling' after ending his century drought in 2024.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood won the toss and opted to bat first on the flat pitch and the decision paid well for the team. Apart from Shafique, Masood also reached the three-figure mark with his solid 150-run knock including 13 fours and two sixes. Pakistan are in a solid position with a total of 328/4 at stumps on the opening day of the match.

Despite losing Saim Ayub for only four runs in the fourth over, Shafique and Masood stitched a massive 253-run partnership for the second wicket. Shafique was dismissed by Gus Atkinson for 102 post Tea. His innings included 10 fours and two sixes.

"Feeling happy because performing for the team is a next level feeling. It happens (his low scores in three consecutive Tests). It's not an easy game. I was focusing on the process. When a senior batter like Shan Masood is playin`g with you, it's a learning moment for me as well," Shafique said after the end of play in Multan.

"It's hard here in Multan. We have done 4-5 days camp here. Cramps is part of the game, it happens. We are good now," he added.

from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/Wh0NLz5

India Set For A Return To Playing In Hong Kong Cricket Sixes Tournament

The Indian team is all set to make a return to playing in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes tournament, scheduled to take place from November 1 to 3 this year. The tournament began in 1992 and was last held in 2017 before being revived this year. “Team India is gearing up to smash it out of the park at HK6! Prepare for explosive power-hitting and a storm of sixes that will electrify the crowd! Expect More Teams, More Sixes, More Excitement, and MAXIMUM THRILLS! HK6 is back from 1st to 3rd November 2024! Don't miss out!,” wrote Cricket Hong Kong on its ‘X' account on Monday.

The 20th edition of the tournament, to be played between 12 teams, will be held at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground. Other participating teams include Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, Hong Kong, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The competition has previously witnessed various legends of the game like Brain Lara, Wasim Akram, Shane Warne, Sachin Tendulkar, M.S. Dhoni, and Anil Kumble featuring for their respective teams. India had won the tournament in 2005, while England and South Africa are the most successful teams with five titles each.

Other previous winners of the competition include Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and the West Indies. The tournament's format is unique as matches are played between two teams of six players. Each game consists of a maximum of five overs for each side.

But the title clash will see each team bowl five overs comprising of eight balls, up from the six deliveries in normal matches. Barring the wicket-keeper, every member of the fielding side will have to bowl one over, while wides and no-balls will count as two runs. Batsmen are forced to retire at 31 but can come back in once all other batsmen have been dismissed or have retired.

from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/M3U9nyG

Women's T20 World Cup 2024: West Indies Defeat Scotland By 6 Wickets

Riding on their excellent show with the ball, West Indies got the better of Scotland by six wickets in their Women's T20 World Cup match in Dubai on Sunday. With this, West Indies opened their account in the tournament after losing the first match to South Africa by 10 wickets. For Scotland, it was their second successive defeat. Opting to bat after winning the toss, Scotland could only manage 99 for eight in their allotted 20 overs with leg-spinner Afy Fletcher (3/22) doing the star turn for the Windies with the ball.

Skipper Kathryn Bryce and Ailsa Lister made 25 and 26, respectively, for the Scots who are currently placed at the bottom of the table.

When their turn to bat came, the West Indies too were off to a bad start and lost their opener Stafanie Taylor with just 5 runs on the board in the innings' first over.

Qiana Joseph (31 off 18 balls) stabilised the innings before the duo of Deandra Dottin (28 off 15 balls) and Chinelle Henry (18 off 10 balls) remained unbeaten to steer their side to win with 50 balls to spare.

Olivia Bell (2/18) was the most successful bowler for Scotland.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/1eLAulG

156.7 Kmph Sensation Awaits India Debut, Bangladesh Start Life After Shakib

Pace sensation Mayank Yadav is expected to unleash his raw speed while the absence of India's T20 regulars will provide another opportunity to the fringe players in the three-match series against Bangladesh, beginning here Sunday. Having consistently generated speed in excess of 150kmph in his maiden IPL earlier this year, Mayank had drawn the attention of the cricketing world before a side strain ruled him out of the tournament. Usually, one has to prove fitness in domestic cricket to be considered for national selection but the 22-year-old has been fast-tracked into the side considering his special talent.

The series against Bangladesh will be a test of his fitness and temperament. It is yet to be figured if he can display the same accuracy and control that he exhibited in the IPL.

Besides Mayank, fellow Delhi pacer Harshit Rana and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy could also make their India debut over the course of the series.

Nitish was picked for the Zimbabwe tour post the T20 World Cup but got injured while Harshit did not get to play in the five-match series in Harare.

With Tests against New Zealand given preference, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel have been rested from the T20s against Bangladesh.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya are the two big names in the squad while the only other member of the triumphant World Cup unit here is pacer Arshdeep Singh.

All-rounder Shivam Dube has been ruled out of the series owing to an injury. As per information received from sources, it seems Dube was carrying a back injury before he reported for national assignment in Gwalior.

As the big-bodied Mumbaikar prepares for an intensive rehab at the NCA, talented Mumbai Indians southpaw Tilak Varma has been summoned for the series and he will join the team on Sunday as per BCCI press release.

The break to the regulars will give opportunity to the likes of Abhishek Sharma to build his credentials following a hundred in Zimbabwe at the top of the order. Sanju Samson could get to open alongside the southpaw in the series-opener.

Riyan Parag has got six T20s since July but he could not replicate the sizzling form he showed in IPL 2024. The Bangladesh games give him another chance to make a strong impact.

The series will mark the comeback of mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, whose international career came to an abrupt halt following the disastrous 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. The other specialist spinner in the squad is Ravi Bishnoi.

Jitesh Sharma, who has been picked as the reserve wicket-keeper, has not played since the IPL in June. The Vidarbha cricketer has not done much to write home about in the nine T20s he has been part of. He will be desperate to get a game.

The three games will serve as an audition for the four T20s in South Africa next month with majority of the T20 regulars remaining unavailable due to the proximity of the Australia Tests, starting November 22. The series will also provide the IPL franchises more clarity on the Indian players they want to retain ahead of the mega auction.

Bangladesh start life without Shakib Al Hasan

It is almost impossible to fill the shoes of someone like Shakb Al Hasan but Bangladesh will have to plan life without the champion all-rounder. Shakib recently announced his retirement from Tests and T20s, leaving a huge void in the team.

Bangladesh were outplayed in the preceding Test series but with majority of the T20 players not part of those two games, they won't be carrying any baggage into the white-ball leg of the tour.

Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been recalled to the side after 14 months. Veteran batter Mahmud Ullah stands at the crossroads of his career and a productive series against the world champions might give him an extra dose of motivation to continue.

International cricket returns to Gwalior after 14 years

Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Stadium, build on the outskirts of the city, will make its international debut on Sunday. Organising an international match in a smaller centre does have its fair share of challenges but host MPCA is ready despite a few hiccups.

A wall on the periphery of the stadium had caved in last month following unusually heavy rains in the region but has been repaired.

Captain Roop Singh Stadium in the city had hosted Gwalior's last international match in 2010 when Sachin Tendulkar smashed a famous double hundred.

Squads: Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmud Ullah, Litton Kumer Das, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rakibul Hasan.

India's squad for 3 T20Is against Bangladesh: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Thilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/6nmtlBX

"He Has Express Pace": SA-Born Pacer, Set To Make Eng Test Debut, Hailed

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain heaped praise on Brydon Carse ahead of his Test debut for the Three Lions and said that the 29-year-old has got a lot of pace. Carse will be playing maiden long-format match in the upcoming first Test match against Pakistan in Multan. Earlier on Saturday, the England Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement and announced that pacer Brydon Carse will be making his Test debut in the first Test match of the three-game series.

"England Men have confirmed their XI for the first Test against Pakistan, set to commence on Monday in Multan. Durham seamer Brydon Carse will be making his Test debut. With England Captain Ben Stokes still recovering from a hamstring tear, Ollie Pope will captain the side in his absence," ECB wrote in a statement.

Speaking to Sky Sports Cricket, Hussain said that Carse can do Mark Wood's role in a match. The former cricketer added that he was impressed after seeing the 29-year-old's performance in the white-ball cricket.

"I think someone like Carse can do that Mark Wood role. I was impressed with him in the white-ball cricket. He's got a lot of pace and if they're the flat pitches that England played on last time, then you're going to need that express pace as well as skill, and Carse provides that," Hussain was quoted by Sky Sports as saying.

He also added that Jack Leach performed well with Somerset.

"I was watching some of the Somerset games towards the end of the summer, and Leach looked like he had really, really good rhythm in those. He's obviously missed out because of Bashir, his Somerset team-mate, going past him but I think he's done a really good job for Somerset, and he had a good tour out there last time," he added.

The first Test will begin on October 7 in Multan, followed by the second Test on October 15, also in Multan. The final Test will be held in Rawalpindi from October 24 to 28.

England's playing XI against Pakistan in the Multan Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/uaDMfq5

'Surprised, Disappointed': Harbhajan On Hardik's Snub As T20I Captain

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed his shock over Hardik Pandya's snub as captain of the T20I team. Hardik was all set to replace Rohit as captain following the latter's retirement from the format. He was India's vice-captain during the T20 World Cup success in June. However, the BCCI made a surprise call by elevating Suryakumar Yadav for the captaincy role. During a recent interaction, it wasn't right to ignore Hardik for captaincy.

"I was (surprised). Upto some extent, I was (disappointed). He was your vice-captain...when Rohit Sharma is not the captain, your vice-captain becomes the captain. But if you tell him on fitness ground that you will not be the captain - there's no T20I cricket round the year," Harbhajan told Sports Yaari.

Harbhajan added losing captaincy must be a huge setback for him.

"He came after winning the T20 World Cup and suddenly, it's a big setback for him. It's not right. I have great respect for Suryakumar Yadav. Phenomenal player, great guy...very selfless. Even he wouldn't have though that this would happen," he added.

Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma have been picked as the wicketkeeper-batters in the side. Young left-hand opener Abhishek Sharma returned to the squad after not being picked in the Sri Lanka T20Is. The players who will accompany him will be Riyan Parag and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, and Shivam Dube have been included in the squad as the all-rounders.

Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakaravarthy have been picked as the spinners of the team, whereas Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Mayank Yadav are added to the team as seamers.

The BCCI named a 15-man squad last week for the upcoming three-match series against Bangladesh, with Suryakumar set to lead the team. The three matches will be played on October 6 (Gwalior), Oct 9 (New Delhi) and Oct 12 (Hyderabad).

India's 15-Member Squad for Bangladesh T20Is:

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav

from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/Iniklyv

Women's T20 World Cup: All-Round New Zealand Hand 58-Run Defeat To India

A completely out of sorts India were trumped by opposition skipper Sophie Devine's flamboyant batting and tactical astuteness as New Zealand powered to 58-run win in a lopsided Women's T20 World Cup game in Dubai on Friday. The 'White Ferns' also put an end to their 10-match losing streak with their biggest win against India in T20Is. On a pitch which was extremely difficult for batting, Devine's power-packed unbeaten 57 off 36 balls took New Zealand to an above-par 160 for 4 in 20 overs.

The 35-year-old Kiwi legend then used her slow bowlers to first choke the 'Women in Blue' and then asked her seamers to take pace off deliveries blowing the opposition for a meagre 102 in 19 overs.

The difference between two sides was brute power, a mandatory requirement on such surfaces, which Devine and her two openers Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer possessed. For India, most of their batters didn't have enough muscle to even clear the 30-yard circle.

The game for all practical reasons was won and lost in the Powerplay. While Bates (27 off 24 balls) and young Plimmer (34 off 23 balls) added 55 in the first six overs, India lost their three potential game-changers, Shafali Verma (2), Smriti Mandhana (12) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (15) in the Powerplay for only 43 runs.

The best part about Devine was that the batter in her understood what the skipper required to do. She started with left-arm spinner Eden Carson (2/34 in 4 overs) from one end and Shafali, who is never comfortable if pace is taken off deliveries, closed her bat face and a simple return catch lobbed to the bowler.

Mandhana, India's best and most consistent batter over the past few years, also tried to get going and was holed out in the deep while seamer Rosemary Mair (4/19 in 4 overs) bowled one that swung in to hit Harmanpreet on the pads.

Such was the slowness that even Lea Tahuhu (3/15 in 4 overs) had Jemimah Rodrigues trying to chip it over mid-on but the stroke lacked power and Richa Ghosh chipped one to mid-off as the Indian challenge fizzled out in a jiffy.

Earlier, on a sticky track where stroke-making was difficult, Devine muscled her way with seven boundaries as most Indian bowlers sans Deepti Sharma (0/45 in 4 overs) used the tackiness of the track to good effect for the better part of the innings.

Devine, who dropped herself in the batting order, displayed excellent footwork to dismantle the length bowled by Indian bowlers with the standout shot being a bent on knee cover-drive off Shreyanka Patil to complete her fifty.

One thing that stuck out like a sore thumb was poor ground fielding from India save Rodrigues, who was brilliant as usual in the deep.

Veteran Bates and young Plimmer rode their luck and some shoddy fielding from India to race to 55 at the end of the Powerplay.

However once leg-spinner Asha Sobhana (1/22 in 4 overs) started operating just after Powerplay, she immediately put brakes but once Devine started chancing her arms at the death, Indian bowlers were left with little option.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/zXnxaSU