Pakistan to summon spirit of 2009 for T20 title, says Afridi on October 15, 2021KARACHI: Shahid Afridi, the box office trailblazer of Pakistan white ball cricket, believes his “unpredictable” nation can summon the spirit of 2009 and win a second T20 World Cup. Afridi was man of the match in a nail-biting seven-run semi-final win over South Africa in the tournament 12 years ago where he made 51. He […]
England cricketers would tour Pakistan, says frustrated Mushtaq Ahmed on September 30, 2021LAHORE: Former spinner Mushtaq Ahmed believes that England’s cricketers would happily tour Pakistan and says his country deserved better having travelled the other way at the height of the pandemic. Ahmed, who has a foot in both camps after serving as England’s spin-bowling coach in 2009-2015, voiced his frustration after English cricket chiefs controversially cancelled […]
A decade after Lord’s scandal, match-fixing still haunts Pakistan cricket on June 6, 2020KARACHI: When Mohammad Amir bowled a no-ball against England on the opening day of the 2010 Test at Lord’s, no one could have imagined his long stride past the crease marked the first step in a historic fixing scandal. Two days later it was revealed that three no-balls — two by Amir, and one by […]
Umar Akmal — Pakistan cricket’s enfant terrible faces reckoning on May 14, 2020KARACHI: If ever a soap opera were to be made about Pakistan cricket, Umar Akmal might be a good candidate for the role of enfant terrible. The talented-yet-wayward batsman is scrambling to save his once-promising career, after he was hit with a three-year ban for failing to report match-fixing offers. Umar is expected to learn […]
Shadab Khan’s journey — From village cricket to World Cup on May 31, 2019Arelentless training routine and “unparalleled’ commitment have taken Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan from club cricket in his remote village to the World Cup in just a few short years. The 20-year-old, already third in the WT20 bowling rankings, has caught the eye of none other than Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan — who led Pakistan […]
Spirited Pakistan pin World Cup 2019 hopes on rising generation on May 22, 2019Pakistan are pinning their hopes for ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 glory on a crop of youngsters who have the talent to beat anybody but could also pay for their lack of experience. The side have only won the showpiece 50-over tournament once — under the captaincy of current Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in […]
Pakistans iconic Gaddafi Stadium prepares for another historic moment on September 9, 2017LAHORE: Groundsmen are rolling down the pitches, welders are repairing barbed wire, and workers are splashing on a new coat of paint at Pakistan’s centrepiece Gaddafi Stadium, which has witnessed both history and controversy – and is now preparing to retake cricket’s world stage. Next week the ground will ring out with the sound of […]
Salman Butt hopes for new era on September 8, 2017LAHORE: Former captain Salman Butt clearly remembers the way he was dismissed against Sri Lanka in Lahore in 2009 – the last batsman out in the last Test in Pakistan, before a terror attack on the visiting team’s bus scared off touring sides. Salman, now 32, was run out in the last over of the […]