KP wins the title, beat Punjab by 151 runs

KPK won Title of Pakistan Cup

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) won the Pakistan Cup 2016 after comprehensively beating Punjab in the final match by a massive margin of 151 runs.

Batting first, Younus Khan s KP scored 311 runs while losing 9 wickets in the first innings. Fakhar Zaman of KP played an amazing innings of 115 runs of 111 balls which included 12 fours and 3 sixes. His opening partner played a knock of 62 runs off just 45 deliveries. Skipper Younus Khan remained not out on 49 runs as KP finished the first innings with 311 runs on the board.

Amad Butt led the bowling attack for Punjab by picking up 3 wickets whereas Ehsan Adil took 2 wickets.

Punjab s batting was catastrophic as no batsman was able to stick to the crease and play a responsible innings. Opener Shan Masood was able to play a top-knock of 36 runs, followed by skipper Shoaib Malik s innings of 24 not out. Punjab was bowled out at 160 runs within 36.1 overs.

Yasir Shah and Zohaib Khan bowled suprebly as they picked 3 wickets each whereas Zia-ul-Haq picked 2 wickets. KP won the match comfortably by 151 runs.

Fakhar Zaman was declared Man of Match for his superb performance in the match.

Proper arrangements were ensured as the authorities were directed to monitor the whole event.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa led by star batsman Younus Khan included Mohammad Asghar, Fakhar Zaman, Musaddiq Ahmed, Zohaib Khan and Faheem Ashraf. Pakistani leg-spinner Yasir Shah made a return to competitive cricket as he bowled quite well for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the domestic One Day tournament. Abdul Rehman and Kabir Khan served as coach for the KP side. More

Read more »

Selectors recall Younus Khan to Pakistan ODI squad

Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board selectors, headed by Haroon Rashid, Thursday included senior batsman Younus Khan in a 16 man Pakistan squad named for the one-day series against England starting later this month in the United Arab Emirates. It is pertinent to mention that Younus has been recalled (due to pressure from the national media) against the wishes of the team management who have serious reservations over his current form. 37 years old batsman was discarded from the one day team after a poor tour of New Zealand and 2015 World Cup in April, where he managed just 77 runs in six matches. The squad has also uncapped 20-year-old Zafar Gohar who bowls left-arm spin and bats in the lower order, replacing Imad Wasim who is ruled out of the one-day matches with injury. Besides these changes, the selectors have opted for the same squad that won the Zimbabwe ODI series 2-1 in Zimbabwe last month. Azhar Ali will lead the team.

Chief selector Haroon said Pakistan would need Younus’ batting experience during the four-match ODI series. “Obviously his current Test form is good and we need a senior batsman to stabilise our middle order batting,” Haroon added. Defending selecting Younus, Haroon maintained it was not a backward move because a few tough series were coming up. “Now it is up to Younus to prove that he could meet the demands of the modern-day one-day cricket and play according to the team management’s game plan.”

Younus has had a see-saw one-day career of 264 matches, having scored only two hundreds in the last seven years, a record that has lead head coach Waqar Younis and support staff to reportedly resisted selecting him. But he has forced his way back into the team by scoring prolifically in Test matches and also maintaining a high fitness level at the age of 37. In Test cricket, Younus scored eight hundreds from his last 15 matches at an average of 68.68. However, his recent record in ODIs has been less impressive; he has managed just one century since 2008, against New Zealand last December. Being dropped from the ODI squad, a hurt Younus had lashed out at the PCB many a time, challenging the team to build a team without him in the mix. More

Read more »

Pakistan vs West Indies World Cup: Unpredictable sides battle to register first win

Pakistan and West Indies clash in the 10th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday. The Pool B sides have both played a game each, with Pakistan and West Indies losing to India and Ireland respectively. Both teams will seek victories in order to boost their spirits going forward.

The two sides have faced off in World Cups nine times, with West Indies winning six of them. The last time two sides faced off in a World Cup match, Pakistan had handed the men from the Caribbean a 10-wicket thrashing to knock the latter out of the World Cup and qualify for the semi-final. While the West Indies do not appear very confident in this tournament — being in the headlines mostly for the internal squabbles — they will look to capitalise on Pakistan’s dampened spirits after their 76-run defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India in the encounter at Adelaide last Sunday.

West Indies will be the underdogs in the clash, having lost their opening game against Ireland by four wickets. The defeat only added to their pile of miseries, having incurred an embarrassing nine-wicket loss to England and escaping with a three-run win against minnows Scotland during the warm-ups. The top-order batting continues to be a worry for Windies, who were reduced to 87 for five after being put to bat by the Irish, before the rescue work by the middle-order pair of Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy. The top-order needs to up its game, lest they are comfortable with the thought of the towering Mohammad Irfan ripping through their order. More

Read more »

Pakistan wilt under Hafeez bowling ban

Dubai: Pakistan, who were just coming to terms with the loss of their ace spinner Saeed Ajmal, banned due to a suspect action, were dealt another huge blow when their top all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who bowls off spin, was also suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after he failed a test on his action.

Following the analysis on his bowling action performed on November 24 by the ICC’s accredited team of Human Movement Specialists using the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough, it was found that Hafeez’s action exceeds the 15-degree limit for all deliveries.

Pakistan, who are gearing up to play a five-match one-day series against New Zealand, were stunned by the news. Moin Khan, the manager and chief selector of the team candidly admitted that it is a huge setback for Pakistan before the World Cup.

“Hafeez has a huge value both as a batsman and bowler. He is an impact player. It surely is a big setback for Pakistan, especially before the World Cup, that his bowling has been declared illegal. It will hamper our preparations, but I am also sure that just like our players performed in the absence of Saeed Ajmal, we will have spinners who will make use of this opportunity,” said Moin, trying hard to suppress his disappointment.

When asked whether there is panic in the team, having lost two experienced spinners, Moin, putting a brave face, said: “There is no panic. These kind of things happen. There are times when a player gets injured during the course of a match and you just have to cope with the situation. At least we are a bit lucky and we can prepare better towards this situation. Even the bowling options that we have in the team, they will be mentally prepared. Of course, there will be pressure, and you have to take responsibility and deliver. It’s part of the game.” More

Read more »