Only a point separated the two sides ahead of the match. While the Kings had their eyes on the fourth spot that Islamabad were occupying in the league stage’s standings, United were fighting to retain that.

And they did need to fight it out on a wicket that assisted the Karachi bowlers to ask questions after their batters had not done so well to put 150-7 on the board.

Despite a small score to chase, Islamabad had a sense of carefulness to their approach as they kept going despite momentary setbacks to cross the line with five wickets to spare.

After they lost their seasoned opening pair of Colin Munro and Alex Hales, early, Islamabad were brought back to safety by captain Shadab Khan and Salman Ali Agha before a late onslaught by Haider Ali took them home.

For Karachi the loss meant that their fate to make the playoffs was out of their hands once again with matches against Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi remaining. Islamabad, meanwhile, climbed to the second in the standings.

Islamabad’s start wasn’t a very confident one as pacer Mir Hamza continuously challenged Hales and Munro with his nagging line and length and subtle variations. The otherwise dangerous power-hitters struggled to connect for boundaries and both became Hamza’s victims during the powerplay only.

While Munro, who found himself clueless against Hamza, found Karachi captain Shan Masood at long-on as the left-armer forced a leading edge off his bat.

Hales, on the other hand, missed a slower one which went on to dislodge his stumps as United managed 47-2 in the first six overs.

Realising the importance of wickets in the situation and with the surface providing help to the bowlers, Shadab and Salman batted steadily, mostly going for singles and doubles to take the team to 78-2 at the halfway stage.

Salman danced down the ground and lifted Mohammad Nawaz’s left-arm spin over long-on in the 12th over to bring up the fifty-run partnership between himself and Shadab.

For all his poise and maturity, Salman (33 off 30) went for a big, wild shot on the next ball by pacer Blessing Muzarabani, only for it to fly off his outside edge and into the gloves of Tim Seifert behind the wickets.

Karachi’s hopes brightened when leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood went on to take a simple return catch to dismiss Azam Khan off his own bowling in the 15th over — when Islamabad needed 40 off 34 balls.

Things got more complicated for Islamabad when Hamza returned to swing one across Shadab (34 off 26) to get the right-hander’s gloves and force another caught behind dismissal.

But the arriving Faheem Ashraf flicked a wayward delivery by Hamza over square-leg for a handsome six on the next ball to bring the required equation down to run-a-ball.

Islamabad relied mostly on running until in the 19th over Haider (26 not out off 16) went after pacer Hasan Ali for a four and a six to finish off the proceedings.

Put into bat earlier, Karachi started off slow and could manage only 38 runs in the powerplay, which also saw Shan depart cheaply off Faheem. The pacer went on to dismiss Shan’s opening partner Seifert in the seventh over after the New Zealander had smashed five boundaries for 26 runs.

Karachi were deeper into trouble when Shoaib Malik miscued a skier off Imad Wasim’s left-arm spin in the eighth over as Shadab Khan took a brilliant catch. Mohammad Nawaz was next to go as the left-hander, succumbing to a rising bounder by Tymal Mills, found Munro at deep square-leg.

At the halfway stage, Karachi were reeling at 66-4 after Pollard got off the mark with a deft touch for four off Mills.

The former West Indies all-rounder put pressure back on Islamabad when he launched Shadab over deep midwicket for six in the 11th over before clearing the leg-spinner twice over long-off for maximums.

Watching Pollard from the other end, James Vince seemed like growing in confidence when he hit Mills for three consecutive boundaries in the 14th over, only to get caught behind on the fourth ball after adding 29 off 27 to the total.

Vince’s wicket suffocated the flow of runs once again and Pollard (39 off 28) succumbed to the pressure in the 18th over, becoming Hunain Shah’s first wicket. Karachi couldn’t fightback from that point and dragged themselves to what proved to be a paltry total.

POINTS TABLE

TEAMS M W L T N/R P NRR

Multan Sultans 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.967

Islamabad United 9 4 4 0 1 9 0.221

Quetta Gladiators 7 4 2 0 1 9 -0.094

Peshawar Zalmi 8 4 3 0 1 9 -0.384

Karachi Kings 8 3 5 0 0 6 -0.241

Lahore Qalandars 8 1 6 0 1 3 -0.682

SCOREBOARD

KARACHI KINGS:

Batters & modes of dismissals R B 4s 6s SR

Shan Masood c Imad b Faheem 10 12 1 0 83.33

Tim Seifert c Munro b Faheem 26 19 5 0 136.84

James Vince c Azam b Mills 29 27 5 0 107.40

Shoaib Malik c Shadab b Imad 1 6 0 0 16.66

Mohammad Nawaz c Munro b Mills 5 3 1 0 166.66

Kieron Pollard c Faheem b Hunain 39 28 3 3 139.28

Irfan Khan c Faheem b Mills 16 13 1 1 123.07

Hasan Ali not out 6 8 0 0 75.00

Mir Hamza not out 2 4 0 0 50.00

EXTRAS (LB-6, W-10) 16

TOTAL (for seven wickets, 20 overs) 150

DID NOT BAT: Zahid Mahmood, Blessing Muzarabani

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-34 (Shan), 2-43 (Seifert), 3-44 (Malik), 4-49 (Nawaz), 5-107 (Vince), 6-125 (Pollard), 7-142 (Irfan)

BOWLING: Forde 2-0-18-0, Hunain 4-0-36-1 (4w), Imad 4-0-18-1, Faheem 4-0-16-2, Mills 4-0-34-3 (2w), Shadab 2-0-22-0

ISLAMABAD UNITED:

Batters & modes of dismissals R B 4s 6s SR

Colin Munro c Shan b Hamza 9 11 2 0 81.81

Alex Hales b Hamza 18 13 2 1 138.46

Salman Ali Agha c Seifert b Muzarabani 33 30 1 1 110.00

Shadab Khan c Seifert b Hamza 34 26 4 0 130.76

Azam Khan c & b Zahid 9 8 1 0 112.50

Haider Ali not out 26 16 2 1 162.50

Faheem Ashraf not out 12 8 0 1 150.00

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-9) 10

TOTAL (for five wickets, 18.4 overs) 151

DID NOT BAT: Imad Wasim, Matthew Forde, Hunain Shah, Tymal Mills

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-28 (Munro), 2-39 (Hales), 3-97 (Salman), 4-111 (Azam), 5-115 (Shadab)

BOWLING: Hamza 4-0-41-3 (3w), Muzarabani 4-0-24-1, Hasan 3-0-20-0, Zahid 4-0-30-1 (1w), Nawaz 3-0-24-0

RESULT: Islamabad United won by five wickets.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Faheem Ashraf

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2024

“I had already said when they [Pakistan Cricket Board] made him [Babar] captain of the three formats that it is not the right decision. He has no leadership quality,” Intikhab told Dawn on Friday while commenting on Pakistan’s poor performance so far at the World Cup in Australia where the green-shirts lost their first two group-stage matches against arch-rivals India and Zimbabwe.

Babar and his men now lie at a poor fifth position in group 2 just above the lowly Netherlands, and face a lots of ifs and buts on a very tough route to the semi-finals. With no points in the bag, they must win the rema­ining three group games and also hope a few other results come in their favour.

“It is dangerous for the team to [excessively] depends on the performance of openers Babar and Rizwan; if they fail to perform in a match, the team comes under pressure,” the 80-year-old Intikab said under whose coaching and managership Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup and the 2009 T20 World Cup.

“If you have cricketing sense and scoreboard is in front of you, then you should know how to go ahead; Babar lacks in monitoring the match situation and taking [timely] decisions accordingly,” he remarked.

Intikhab criticised the decision to ask under-pressure spinner Mohammad Nawaz to bowl the last over in the high-profile game against India.

“Primarily, it is the captain who should face the blame for this [wrong call]. He must know who should bowl when,” he emphasised.

On who could replace Babar as skipper, Intikhab picked Shan Masood for the job.

“Shan, I personally feel, has the genes of captaincy at least for ODIs and T20 Internationals,” he opined.

Meanwhile, Intikhab also criticised the PCB for not taking full advantage in the home series against England by not preparing fast pitches.

“Pakistan have been preparing for the World Cup for the last one year testing different [team] combinations. However ignoring the preparations, the PCB made slow and low-bounced pitches for the home series against England, just to beat them,” Intikhab said.

“And don’t tell me that we can’t make fast pitches; we can do it if we want such pitches,” Intikhab asserted.

He said opener Fakhar Zaman and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi were selected to the World Cup squad while they were not fully fit.

“Shaheen [in the World Cup] is not in his true rhythm. Had he been fully fit, he could have completed the second run on the last ball of the match against Zim­babwe whose wicket-keeper could not gather the ball cleanly in the first attempt.

“Pakistan also need nat­ure’s help; none of their remaining group matches should be washed out, which looms large in this World Cup,” he added.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2022

It was the second match of the day, after Ireland v Afghanistan, to be washed out at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and means all four sides take a point each in their hunt for a place in the semi-finals.

New Zealand lead Group 1 on three points — the same as England, Ireland and holders Australia — but the Black Caps have a better net run-rate and a game in hand.

Sri Lanka and Afghanis­tan have two points. The top two from the group will reach the semi-finals.

Four matches have now been rained off at the tournament in Australia.

The showdown between Ashes rivals England and Australia had been billed as a must-win for both sides after each had won one and lost one.

“It is a shame tonight, especially for everybody involved. All the fans who were going to come and watch this game live, everybody wanting to watch it on TV,” England captain Jos Buttler said.

“For players especially as well, Australia v England at the MCG in a must-win World Cup match is as big as it gets in your career and they are the games you want to be involved in.

“And no matter what the result was going to be, it’s something you want to experience as a cricketer.” England, who together with Australia were one of the pre-tournament favourites, next play New Zealand on Tuesday in Brisbane in another must-win game.

Australia have the easier of the remaining matches compared to England and play Ireland on Monday, also at The Gabba.

“The outfield has taken a drenching over the last couple of weeks, as wet as I’ve ever seen it,” Australian skipper Aaron Finch said of the sodden MCG.

The Irish were pumped up after stunning England by five runs on Wednesday in a rain-affected encounter, but the wet weather checked their momentum against winless Afghanistan.

Disappointment for Ireland

Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie expressed his frustration after the rain also denied his giant-killers a crack at a win over Afghanistan.

The Afghans have now had two games abandoned.

Balbirnie said the situation was “very disappointing”.

“We played some really good cricket the other night and were looking forward to this fixture against a team we know really well,” he said.

“We spoke a lot about it after the England game, about backing up that performance and coming out here and playing some good cricket. We didn’t get to show what we could do today, unfortunately.

“If it could have gone our way we could have gone to Brisbane (to play Australia) with a lot of hopes of going into the next round.” Ireland had form against the Afghans, winning a five-match T20 series 3-2 earlier this year.

Afghanistan are bottom of the group and skipper Mohammad Nabi was equally disappointed.

“We were fully ready… the plan was to put a score on the board and bring the spinners into the game during the chase,” he said.

Next up in Group 1 is New Zealand against Sri Lanka on Saturday in Sydney.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2022

Having shown utter dominance in the tournament so far with three convincing wins and no losses, Northern were stuttering at 94-4 by the close of the second day’s play of the sixth-round match in response to Southern Punjab’s mammoth first innings total of 566-7.

The major chunk of hurt to Northern was caused by pacer Sameen Gul, who bagged three wickets. Pakistan Test medium-pacer Mohammad Abbas claimed one victim.

When the young pair of opener Mohammad Huraira (39 not out) and all-rounder Mubasir Khan (18 not out ) walk onto the crease on Saturday, they will be facing an improbable task of avoiding the follow-on for their team, which still requires 273 runs.

Earlier, Southern Punjab’s Salman Ali Agha brought up his second consecutive century after Umar Siddiq (117) and Usman Salahuddin (126) also smashed tons.

Salman hit nine fours and two sixes for his quickfire 103 before captain Hasan Ali smashed 53 off 38 and Ali Usman added an unbeaten 38 before Southern Punjab declared the innings.

At the Multan Cricket Stadium, 19-year-old Balochistan batter Haseebullah scored his maiden first-class century against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The left-hander contributed an unbeaten 100 not out off 202 balls — hitting 12 fours — and combined with Hussain Talat for a sixth-wicket partnership of 201 runs.

Hussain also hit a ton, plundering the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowlers for 13 fours for his 112 —his fifth first-class century before Balochistan declared at 487-7 and reduced Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to 52-4 by stumps.

Akif Javed took 2-26 for Balochistan while Bilawal Iqbal and Yasir Shah took a wicket each.

Elsewhere, Central Punjab all-rounder Aamer Yamin followed up his bowling exploits against Sindh in the first innings with a high-class performance with the bat at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The right-hander blasted 63 off 49 — hitting nine fours and a six — and was the top-scorer as Central Punjab posted 305. Azhar Ali (48), Qasim Akram (47) and Abid Ali (44) were the other prominent scorers for the former champions.

For Sindh, in-form leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed continued to shine as he picked up 4-82 while pacer Muhammad Umar took 3-63.

Sindh, trailing by 116, resume their second innings on Saturday.

Summarised scores:

Northern trail by 472 runs against Southern Punjab

SOUTHERN PUNJAB 566-7 (decl.) in 122 overs (Usman Salahuddin 126, Umar Siddiq 117, Salman Ali Agha 103 not out; Kashif Ali 2-110); NORTHERN 94-4 in 22.3 overs (Mohammad Huraira 39 not out; Sameen Gul 3-23)

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa trail by 435 runs against Balochistan

BALOCHISTAN 487-7 (decl.) in 142.3 overs (Hussain Talat 112, Haseebullah 100 not out; Sajid Khan 3-155); KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 52-4 in 18.1 overs (Waqar Ahmed 24; Akif Javed 2-26)

Sindh trail by 116 runs against Central Punjab

SINDH 188 in 56 overs (Saad Khan 29, Saim Ayub 26; Aamer Yamin 5-54) and 1-0 in 1.3 overs

CENTRAL PUNJAB 305 in 95.5 overs (Aamer Yamin 63, Ali Shan 55 not out; Abrar Ahmed 4-82, Muhammad Umar 3-63).

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2022

With bilateral cricket remaining suspended bet­ween the neighbours, thanks to their soured political relations, emotions run high every time they clash in multi-team events in a neutral venue.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is set to become a cauldron of emotions but the tournament’s most anticipated clash could prove a damp squib with rain forecast this weekend and India skipper Rohit Sharma said his team will be ready.

“The toss does become a little important. But again, I’ve been hearing about the Melbourne weather for a while now and it keeps changing,” Sharma said. “You don’t really know what is going to happen tomorrow.

“The things that are in our control we’ll try and control... We need to come here thinking that it’s a 40-over game. We’ll be ready for that. If the situation demands that it’s a shorter game, we’ll be ready for that as well.

“A lot of the guys have played such kinds of games before, and they know how to manage themselves in a situation like that where you’re getting ready for a 40-over game and then suddenly it’s a 20-over game for both sides.”

Pakistan captain Babar Azam struck a similar chord and said his charges were ready if rains were to lead to a shortened game.

“Weather is not in our hands, it is in God’s hands,” he said. “Whatever the overs or situation happen in the match, you have to be ready for every situation as a professional and we are ready for it. But for the fans, it would be great if we have a full match.”

The cricket boards of both nations are at loggerheads over next year’s Asia Cup after Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary and Asian Cricket Council chief Jay Shah suggested the tournament be shifted out of Pakistan to a neutral venue.

The Pakistan Cricket Board in return threatened to pull out of next year’s 50-over World Cup in India, but Sharma played down the controversy.

“My take is let’s focus on this World Cup because this is important for us,” said Rohit. “Whatever happens later, the BCCI will decide.”

Players from both sides have sought to downplay the hype around the match even though tickets sold out within five minutes of going on sale earlier this year.

They even hobnobbed with each other though many suspect the bonhomie is a coping mechanism to deal with the pressure of expectation from their unforgiving fans back home.

India, ranked number one in the T20 format, have not lifted a world title since the 2013 Champions Trophy and missed the final of the recent Asia Cup despite being favourites.

They will be particularly under pressure to avoid a repeat of the last year’s World Cup when a 10-wicket thumping by Pakistan in their opener set the tone for their early exit from the tournament.

“Pakistan were good on the day of the T20 World Cup match (in 2021). They were also good at the Asia Cup. Luckily for us we got to play them twice at the Asia Cup, we don’t get to play them a lot,” said Sharma. “We got to gauge them, their strengths, weaknesses.

“It’s there at the back of our players’ mind [not winning an international event for nine years], but it’s important to just keep that away and just focus on the job at hand,” Rohit added. “It’s my personal belief that if you think too much of the past, I think you won’t be able to focus on the present.”

The strike rate of their top order and death bowling remains a concern for the inaugural champions who are without injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

The onus is on their explosive middle order, led by the swashbuckling Suryakumar Yadav, to come good against Pakistan’s formidable pace attack bolstered by Shaheen Afridi’s return from a knee injury.

Shaheen had removed Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul in last year’s tournament to set the tone for their comprehensive victory and the left-arm speedster would be eager to prove his class on Sunday.

Pakistan’s much-maligned middle order showed signs of form in the recent tri-series in New Zealand but a lot would depend on what kind of start they get from Mohammad Rizwan, currently the top-ranked T20 batter, and skipper Babar at the top of the order.

“It’s a high-pressure game but we’ll try to keep it simple and keep faith in our abilities and the practice that we’ve done,” said Babar.

India’s Yadav separates Rizwan and Babar in the official rankings and fans would be justified in expecting batting fireworks in a match featuring the world’s top three T20 batters.

Babar informed that Shan Masood had recovered from his head injury after the top-order batter had been hit by a shot during a practice session on Thursday but Fakhar Zaman was still nursing an injury and would be unavailable for the game.

“Whatever has been Shan’s tests, they all have come out fine,” said Babar. “He’s ready for tomorrow’s match if needed, but we have not selected our final team yet as the pitch has been covered for the last two days and we will decide on the eleven once we see the pitch.

“It will take Fakhar a couple more days to be fully fit, but his recovery is going very well. He is not available for the match against India.”

Published in Dawn, October 23th, 2022

Asian champions Sri Lanka restricted Ireland, who qualified for the second round by knocking out two-time champions West Indies, to 128-8 in Hobart.

Spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga took two wickets each after Ireland chose to bat first.

Mendis then powered his side past their 129-run target with a second successive half-century, off 43 balls, hitting a six to win with five overs to spare.

Mendis, a wicketkeeper-batsman, smashed five fours and three sixes in an unbeaten stand with Charith Asalanka, who made 31, to hand Sri Lanka two points with a good net run-rate.

“Really happy the way we played. That is the kind of cricket we want to play,” skipper Dasun Shanaka said.

Shanaka praised Mendis. “He is being consistent and playing according to situation most of the time. That's why he has improved. It is high-class batting,” said Shanaka.

The island nation have turned around their fortunes after being stunned by Namibia in their first-round opener but bounced back to advance to the Super 12.

Pace bowler Lahiru Kumara took a wicket with his first ball, bowling Ireland skipper Andy Balbirnie for one with the batsman paying the price for attempting an audacious ramp shot.

Stirling hit some boundaries to steady the Irish innings but partner Lorcan Tucker played one onto his stumps off Theekshana.

Stirling kept up the charge to get a four and six off Chamika Karunaratne and survived a reprieve on 28 after Kumara dropped a catch in the deep.

But Stirling did not get away from Bhanuka Rajapaksa who took a good running catch at widish long-off to give Dhananjaya de Silva a wicket in his first over, the ninth of the innings.

Tector hit back in a 47-run partnership with George Dockrell, who made 14 and played despite being Covid positive, in his effort to up the scoring but Sri Lanka kept chipping away from the other end.

Theekshana broke the stand as he bowled Dockrell and after Binura Fernando denied Tector his fifty the batting caved in.

“We knew they (Sri Lankan spinners) would be a big threat. There wasn't a whole lot of spin, but enough to challenge the stumps and bat,” said Balbirnie.

“We wanted to get 160 or so.”

Hasaranga struck twice in the 19th over with his leg spin as a noisy contingent of Sri Lankan supporters celebrated with drums and music.

The entertainment continued till the end as Sri Lanka had only one minor hiccup, when they lost De Silva for 31, before Mendis and Asalanka carried their bat through.

Sri Lanka next meet Australia in Perth on Tuesday while Ireland face England a day later at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

It was a second first-class five-wicket haul for Aamir, who made his international debut during Pakistan’s T20 series against England last month. The right-armer bagged the important Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wickets — of batters Kamran Ghulam and Adil Amin, before dismissing Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Imran Khan Sr. and Irfanullah Shah to bowl the defending champions out for just 175 at the Abbotabad Cricket Stadium.

Aamir was assisted by Athar Mehmood, who picked up three wickets, as Northern secured six points for bowling the opposition out in under 100 overs. The accumulated another three for restricting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to less than 200 runs.

Northern, with two wins, are top of the Trophy standings, just above Sindh, who were helped by mystery spinner Abrar to keep Balochistan at 256-5 by the close of the day’s play at Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium.

Abrar, whose took nine wickets in the previous match, recorded figures of 3-93 on the first day against Balochistan, for whom Imran Butt (60), Haseebullah (57 not out), Hussain Talat (54 not out) and Haris Sohail (50) scored half-centuries.

Haseebullah and Hussain had put together a 108-run stand for the sixth wicket by stumps.

At the Multan Cricket Stadium, Faheem and Azhar scored half-centuries after Southern Punjab opted to bowl. Faheem was unbeaten on 67, while Azhar made 61 before he was dismissed by Mohammad Sadaqat.

Sadaqat and pacer Mohammad Ilyas took two wickets each as Central Punjab ended the day at 244-6.

Summarised scores:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa post 175 against Northern

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 175 in 38.5 overs (Waqar Ahmed 35, Sajid Khan 27; Aamir Jamal 5-38, Athar Mehmood 3-95)

Balochistan were 256-5 against Sindh

BALOCHISTAN 256-5 in 83.3 overs (Imran Butt 60, Haseebullah 57 not out, Hussain Talat 54 not out, Haris Sohail 50; Abrar Ahmed 3-93, Ghulam Mudassar 2-69)

Central Punjab were 244-6 against Southern Punjab

CENTRAL PUNJAB 244-6 in 79 overs (Faheem Ashraf 67 not out, Azhar Ali 61; Mohammad Ilyas 2-41, Mohammad Sadaqat 2-52)

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2022

The two sides meet in a blockbuster clash to open their Twenty20 World Cup campaigns at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

About 100,000 fans have snapped up tickets for what is set to be a carnival atmosphere, although forecast rain could put a dampener on the party.

“It’s always special playing against Pakistan because there is a special hype around that match,” Pant told the official World Cup website Friday.

“There are so much emotions involved, not only for us, but the fans and everyone.

“It’s a different kind of feeling, a different kind of ambiance when you go on to the field and when you take on the field, you see people cheering here and there.

“It’s a different atmosphere and when we were singing our national anthem, I actually get goosebumps.”

Pant is no guarantee to play, seemingly in a battle with veteran Dinesh Karthik for the wicketkeeping role, although he could still feature as a specialist batsman if selectors want to bolster their middle-order.

Indian great Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports he felt both players could be accommodated.

“It’s just that maybe, if they decide to go with six bowlers, with Hardik Pandya being the sixth bowler, then he (Pant) may not be able to find a place,” he said.

“But if they decide to go with Hardik Pandya as a fifth bowler, then Rishabh Pant has an opportunity to bat at number six and Karthik maybe at number seven, followed by the four bowlers.”

Pant said if selected he would look to Virat Kohli for advice.

“It’s good to have someone with a lot of experience batting with you because he can take you through how to take the game on and how to maintain that run-a-ball pressure kind of thing,” he said.

The three ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 and will be played from Nov 4-9 at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Fatima, 20, was ruled out of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup held earlier this month in Sylhet, Bangladesh after she twisted her ankle playing for Barbados Royals Women in the Caribbean Premier League.

Fatima replaces Diana Baig in both the squads, as the latter is not part of the series due to a shoulder injury she sustained during the T20 Asia Cup.

Meanwhile, the 15-player T20 International squad unveiled by chief selector Asmavia Iqbal also features Javeria Khan who last represented Pakistan in a T20 in July 2021 against the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

The squads were finalised after deliberations amongst Asmavia, interim head coach Saleem Jaffer and captain Bismah Maroof.

There are only two changes in the T20 squad that competed in the T20 Asia Cup and three changes in the ODI squad that played against Sri Lanka in Karachi in June this year.

The players who missed out in the ODI squad are Anam Amin, Gull Feroza and Diana Baig (due to injury). Nashra Sandhu, Kainat Imtiaz and Umm-e-Hani come in as their replacements. For the T20s, Javeria Khan replaces mSidra Nawaz.

Both the national women squads will undergo a four-day camp in Lahore after their arrival in the team hotel on Oct 25. The squads will undergo fielding and net practice sessions at the NHPC and LCCA ground, while they will feature in two intra-squad practice games at the LCCA ground.

Squads:

ODI: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wicket-keeper), Sidra Nawaz (wicket-keeper),

Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Umm-e-Hani. Reserve players: Ayesha Naseem, Tuba Hassan

T20: Bismah (captain), Aimen, Aliya, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Javeria, Kainat, Muneeba, Nida, Omaima, Nashra, Sadaf, Sadia, Sidra Amin, Tuba. Reserve players: Ghulam Fatima, Sidra Nawaz, Umm-e-Hani

Player support personnel: Ayesha Ashhar (manager), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach/interim head coach), Mauhtashim Rashid (fielding coach), Mohammad Zubair Ahmad (analyst), Rifat Gill (physio), Yasir Malik (strength and conditioning coach), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager), Hafiz Suliman (doctor) and Kiran Shazadi (masseur).

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2022

Thakur though is expecting that the Pakistan team will come to India to compete in the 50-over World Cup next year, saying “all are welcome”.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is also the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief, had on Tuesday said that Indian team will not travel to Pakistan for the continental event and they would like to compete in the tournament at a neutral venue.

It had prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to say that it may affect its team’s participation in the World Cup in India.

“All teams who qualify for [the World Cup] are invited [to compete on the Indian soil],” Thakur told a select gathering of journalists when asked about the controversy that erupted after Shah’s statement.

“Many times Pakistan teams have come to India and played.

“I feel India is not in a position to be dictated (by someone) and there is no reason for anyone to do that.

“I expect all countries to come and compete.”

Asked on the possibility of the Indian team travelling to the neighbouring country for Asia Cup next year, Thakur said: “Possibilities are always there. Who thought there will be Covid-19. Anything can happen but the chances [of Indian team travelling to Pakistan] are not much.

“It’s a decision that will be taken by the home ministry. Overall, players’ safety and security is an important matter.”

It was pointed out that international teams have started touring Pakistan, of late, but Thakur deflected the question.

“That is a security concern,” he said. “The government will take a call on that. Let the time come, let us see the situation at that time.”

A disappointed PCB on Wednesday requested the ACC to convene an emergency meeting and said “such statements can split the Asian and international cricket communities” and impact Pakistan’s visit to India for the 2023 World Cup.

India haven’t travelled to Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup, and after the Mumbai terror attack on November 26 that year, the scheduled bilateral series in early 2009 was cancelled.

Pakistan did travel to India for a short six-match white-ball series in 2012, but in the last 10 years, there hasn’t been any bilateral cricket. The two teams have only played each other at various ICC and ACC events.

The PCB is irked as international cricket has resumed in the country with all top nations including England, Australia and West Indies travelling there to play Tests and white-ball rubbers.

“The PCB is now prepared to take hard decisions and play hard ball because it is also aware that the ICC and ACC events will have to face commercial liabilities and losses if Pakistan do not play India in these multi team events,” a senior PCB source was quoted as saying by PTI.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2022

Shah, who is also president of the Asian Cricket Council, told reporters after BCCI’s annual general meeting that India will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup.

“We [India] can’t go there, they can’t come here. In the past also, Asia Cup has been played at a neutral venue,” said Shah, who is the son on India’s home minister Amit Shah.

Shah was referring to this year’s Asia Cup, which was shifted to the United Arab Emirates due to political unrest in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan, on the other hand, has successfully hosted both Australia and England this year with September’s Asia Cup set to be the first multi-team tournament the country was hosting in decades.

“We are surprised and disappointed by the statements of BCCI secretary Jay Shah,” a PCB spokesperson told Dawn, adding that it will “ give an appropriate response at some other stage.”

Sources close to the PCB hierarchy, including chairman Ramiz Raja, however told Dawn that the country’s cricket governing body will adopt a reciprocal policy if the Asia Cup is shifted, which might see Pakistan pulling out of the ODI World Cup, which is to be hosted by India next year.

“While India’s stance of playing bilateral cricket is understood by the PCB, not making themselves available for multi-team tournaments is a breach of commitment and if India doesn’t visit Pakistan for Asia Cup PCB will seriously consider withdrawring for the 2023 World Cup,” one source said. “The PCB will raise the issue in the ICC meeting in Melbourne next month.”

While cricket tours between India and Pakistan remains suspended because of soured political relation between the neighbours, the arch-rivals clash at international and Asian tournaments. Both teams played twice in the Asia Cup last month and are set to clash in Melbourne on October 23 in the T20 World Cup.

Another source close to Ramiz said the PCB “will fight back for the reputation and integrity of Pakistan cricket”.

“The PCB will consider withdrawing from the ACC membership because the objective of forming the body was to protect the interests of its members, if it’s not doing that then it’s a useless body,” the source added.

“A decision that the ACC board should take has been taken by an individual. One man is not running the ACC, its board is. It shows bias against Pakistan as a decisive-looking statement has been made 12 months before a tournament. The PCB will write to the ACC to launch a strong protest, asking how Mr. Shah can do such a thing.”

Former PCB chairmen Zaka Ashraf and Khalid Mahmood also called for Pakistan’s incumbent cricket chief to make a lobby in the world of cricket against the decision of shifting the Asia Cup.

Zaka, during whose tenure Pakistan last toured India in 2012/13, said that the PCB should’ve monitored the situation in India, where the government had forced out BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who was replaced by Roger Binny at Tuesday’s meeting with Shah re-elected secretary.

“It was an indication that the Indian government’s hand-picked man will take a decision against Pakistan on political grounds so the PCB should be active to mobilise its lobby around the world,” Zaka told Dawn. “PCB should make it clear that if the Asia Cup is shifted, then the World Cup in India should also be shifted.”

Khalid, meanwhile, noted that it was a testing time for the ACC to fulfill its commitment as India was present in the meeting of the Asian body where Pakistan gave the 2022 Asia Cup to Sri Lanka in return for securing hosting rights for the 2023 edition.

“The long-standing policy of the PCB of not mixing sports with politics hasn’t delivered the results as India hasn’t changed its stance against Pakistan,” Khalid told Dawn. “If the hosting rights are taken away, Pakistan should not participate in the Asia Cup at all.”

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2022

In response to Sindh’s 106-run lead, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fell from being 38-1 to getting bowled out for just 108 as leg-spinner Abrar ran through them before Sindh openers covered the three-run deficit to give their team a 10-wicket win.

After bagging four wickets in the first innings, Abrar registered figures of 5-29 in the second — dismissing Sahibzada Farhan, Kamran Ghulam, Nabi Gul, Arshadullah and Imran Khan Sr — and taking his Trophy wickets tally to 20 in just two matches. The bespectacled 24-year-old took 11 wickets against Southern Punjab in his previous outing.

Abrar was well supported by Mohammad Umar, who claimed 3-17 to finish the match with 7-104.

At Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium, Central Punjab’s Ahmad Safi Abdullah returned figures of 6-132 only to see his side draw against Northern. The latter piled up 651-9 in response to Central Punjab’s 509-9.

Northern’s Sarmad Bhatti, who had started the day at 102, was dismissed after scoring 140, while all-rounder Mubasir Khan scored 79.

On Tuesday, Aamir Jamal scored 80 not out and Nauman Ali contributed 69 as the two batters added 120 runs for the eighth wicket.

At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, the match between Balochistan and Southern Punjab also ended in a draw.

After securing a 16-run first-innings lead and resuming the day at 36-1, Balochistan were 295-6 by the close of the day’s play.

Summarised scores:

Sindh beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 10 wickets

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 384 in 115.2 overs (Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 148, Kamran Ghulam 93; Mohammad Umar 4-87, Abrar Ahmed 4-130) and 108 (Ashfaq Ahmed 37, Rehan Afridi 28; Abrar Ahmed 5-29, Mohammad Umar 3-17); SINDH 490 in 138 overs (Khurram Manzoor 116, Saud Shakeel 105; Ihsanullah 3-109, Sajid Khan 3-127) and 4-0

Central Punjab draw against Northern

CENTRAL PUNJAB 509-9 (decl.) in 140 overs (Azhar Ali 219, Tayyab Tahir 114; Mehran Mumtaz 3-111, Nauman Ali 3-173); NORTHERN 651-9 (decl.) in 197.1 overs (Sarmad Bhatti 140, Aamir Jamal 80 not out; Ahmed Safi Abdullah 6-132)

Southern Punjab draw against Balochistan

BALOCHISTAN 346 in 127 overs (Asad Shafiq 106, Ali Waqas 45; Sameen Gul 5-84, Mohammad Imran Randhawa 3-75) and 295-6 (Haris Sohail 133 not out, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 65); SOUTHERN PUNJAB 330 in 96.5 overs (Usman Salahuddin 88, Sharoon Siraj 73; Najeebullah Achakzai 5-90, Kashif Bhatti 2-78)

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2022

Benkestein’s 71 off 37 balls was lit up by eight fours and three sixes and helped the Sharks make light work of a below-par 140-run target by the Royals.

The right-hander added 76 runs in the match-winning second-wicket partnership with wicket-keeper Mohammad Zulkifal that paved the way for the Sharks’ chase without any major hiccups.

Zulkifal maintained his side’s supremacy in their chase by hitting four fours and six in his 51 off 44. The right-hander finished the game in the company of Danial Ibrahim (12 not out) with 10 balls to spare. The two added 46 runs in their unbroken third-wicket partnership.

Sharks will now face the winner of Thursday’s second qualifier in the tournament final a day later.

Earlier, Royals were jolted by a fiery opening spell by Mohammad Ismail, who dismissed Tayyab Arif for a first-ball duck with a brilliant out-swinger. Basit Ali (20), the linchpin of the Royals’ batting line-up, then fell attempting a big shot of Ismail.

The Sharks tightened their grip on the match with the wicket of Shawaiz Irfan (5) which left them reeling at 49-3 in 6.5 overs.

Skipper Obaid Shahid was the fourth batter to fall as he was was run out for 21 in the 11th over.

The Royals managed to reach their eventual total of 139-7 thanks to a 54-run fifth-wicket stand between Mohammad Danish and Farhan Yousaf.

In tomorrow’s Eliminator, Rawalpindi Raiders will play Mardan Warriors. The winners will take on Royals in the second qualifier for the second spot in the final.

Summarised scores:

Gwadar Sharks beat Bahawalpur Royals by eight wickets

BAHAWALPUR ROYALS 139-7 in 20 overs (Mohammad Danish 33, Farhan Yousaf 30; Mohammad Ismail 3-10, Arafat Minhas 1-19); GWADAR SHARKS 141-2 in 18.2 overs (Luc Martin Benkenstein 71, Mohammad Zulkifal 51 not out; Nathan Edward 1-18).

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2022

Najeebullah, 31, registered figures of 5-90 in his first outing of the season as Southern Punjab were bowled out for 330 after resuming the day at the Abbotabad Cricket Stad­i­um at 109 in response to Balo­chistan’s first-innings total of 346.

Najeebullah dismissed Umar Siddiq (17), Sharoon Siraj (73), Mohammad Imran Randhawa (53), Ali Usman and Ahmed Bashir. Sharoon’s 132-ball 73 included 12 fours while Usman Salahuddin was the innings’ top scorer with 88.

By the close of the day’s play, Balochistan were 36-1.

At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Saud and Umair saw Sindh secure a 105-run lead over defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a day after veteran opener Khurram Manzoor had hit a quickfire 130-ball 116 to provide his side a solid start.

Saud, who started the day at 43 and Omair, who began at 5, scored 105 runs apiece and put on 144 runs for the third wicket after Sindh had resumed their innings at 214-2 in reply to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 384.

Saud faced 251 balls and hit 13 fours in his second century of the season and 13th overall, while Omair smashed eight boundaries and six in his second successive century.

Lower-order cameos by wicket-keeper Mohammad Hasan (47) and pacer Asif Mahmood (31) added 60 runs for the seventh wicket to help Sindh finish the day at 489-9.

For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Test off-spinner Sajid Khan picked up 3-127, while Ihsanullah added one more wicket to his overnight tally to finish with 3-108.

At Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium, Northern responded fittingly to Central Punjab’s first-innings score of 509 as Sarmad Bhatti smashed an unbeaten century while Faizan Riaz, Mubasir Khan and Umar Amin hit half centuries to take Northern 425-4. Northern had commenced their day at 107-1.

By the close of the day’s play Sarmad was batting on 102 with all-rounder Mubasir Khan playing on 70 on the other end.

In his 217-ball knock so far, Sarmad hit 11 fours while Mubasir’s innings included 10 boundaries and a six. The duo has put on 124 runs for the fifth wicket.

Northern opener Mohammad Huraira added nine more runs to his overnight score and was dismissed for 62, while Umar scored 68 after beginning the day at 35. Faizan, who was coming into the match on the back of a double-century, was out after scoring a 167-ball 74 with nine fours.

Scores in brief:

Northern trail by 84 runs against Central Punjab

CENTRAL PUNJAB 509-9 (decl.) in 140 overs (Azhar Ali 219, Tayyab Tahir 114; Mehran Mumtaz 3-111, Nauman Ali 3-173); NORTHERN 425-4 (Sarmad Bhatti 102 not out, Faizan Riaz 74; Ahmed Safi Abdullah 2-95)

Sindh lead by 105 runs against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 384 in 115.2 overs (Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 148, Kamran Ghulam 93; Mohammad Umar 4-87, Abrar Ahmed 4-130); SINDH 489-9 in 137 overs (Khurram Manzoor 116, Saud Shakeel 105; Ihsanullah 3-108, Sajid Khan 3-127)

Balochistan lead by 52 runs against Southern Punjab

BALOCHISTAN 346 in 127 overs (Asad Shafiq 106, Ali Waqas 45; Sameen Gul 5-84, Muhammad Imran Randhawa 3-75) and 36-1; SOUTHERN PUNJAB 330 in 96.5 overs (Usman Salahuddin 88, Sharoon Siraj 73; Najeebullah Achakzai 5-90, Kashif Bhatti 2-78, Khurram Shehzad 2-83).

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2022

Finch had managed only one fifty in his previous 10 T20 Internationals and his slump has been a major talking point in the lead-up to Australia’s title defence on home soil.

His 76 off 54 balls will ease some of the pressure on the under-fire opener, though it was not enough to secure victory as a spectacular late collapse gave India a six-run win.

“It’s nice to get a few in the middle,” Finch said afterwards at the Gabba. “It would have been nice to get us over the line but can’t win the World Cup in a practice game.”

Shami, replacing the injured Jasprit Bumrah in the India squad, was summoned to bowl his only over with Australia needing 11 runs from the last six balls with four wickets in hand.

The seamer conceded two runs with each of his first two deliveries before wreaking havoc as Australia lost four wickets in four balls, including a run out.

“He’s coming back after a long time, so we wanted to give him an over,” Rohit said of letting Shami bowl the final over.

“We know how lethal he can be with the new ball, but we just wanted to give him a little bit of challenge coming and bowling that death over and you saw what he did.”

With Australia preferring to chase, India made a competitive 186-7 with half-centuries from opener KL Rahul (57) and number four Suryakumar Yadav (50).

Rohit Sharma’s 14-ball 15 would do little to ease concerns about the India captain’s form heading into the tournament, while Virat Kohli (19) did not last long either.

Last year’s finalists New Zealand were bundled out for 98 runs in 17.1 overs by South Africa, who chased down the meagre target with 8.4 overs to spare in another warm-up.

Wayne Parnell struck twice in the powerplay before the South African spin duo of Keshav Maharaj (3-17) and Tabrazi Shamsi (2-6) ran through New Zealand’s batting line up.

In the final warm-up of the day, Afghanistan swept aside Bangladesh by 62 runs.

Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi slammed a quickfire 41 off just 17 balls as he helped his team post 160-7 before they restricted Bangladesh to 98-9.

Summarised scores:

India beat Australia by six runs.

INDIA 186-7 in 20 overs (K.L. Rahul 57, S. Yadav 50; K. Richardson 4-30); AUSTRALIA 180 all out in 20 overs (A. Finch 76, M. Marsh 35; Mohammad Shami 3-4).

South Africa beat New Zealand by nine wickets.

NEW ZEALAND 98 all out in 17.1 overs (M. Guptill 26; K. Maharaj 3-17); SOUTH AFRICA 100-1 in 11.2 overs (R. Roussow 54 not out).

Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by 62 runs.

AFGHANISTAN 160-7 in 20 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 46, Mohammad Nabi 41 not out; Taskin Ahmed 3-30); BANGLADESH 98-9 in 20 overs (Mossadek Hossain 29; Fazalhaq Farooqi 3-42).

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2022

The tour will kick off with the four-day game while the one –day matches — to be played over 45 overs — will be played from November 10-18.

Bangladesh’s U-19 side’s last visit to Pakistan was in 2007, in which they played a four-day game and five one-day matches in Karachi and Hyderbad. It was also the last time an international U-19 team toured Pakistan.

As per the ICC’s eligibility criteria for the ICC U-19 World Cup 2024, players born on or after August 31, 2024 will be eligible for selection.

Bangladesh will be the first junior team and fourth international cricket team to visit Pakistan in 2022 after Australia, West Indies and England senior men’s sides toured earlier this year.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2022

The two icons of Pakistan cricket have joined the illustrious group comprising Abdul Qadir, Fazal Mah­mood, Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Mian­dad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Zaheer Abbas.

Kardar (posthumously) and Younis were inducted following a voting process featuring Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Sana Mir, Urooj Mumtaz (both former Pakistan women’s captains), Aaliya Rasheed, Dr Nauman Niaz, Rasheed Shakoor, Qamar Ahmed and Waheed Khan (all respected print and broadcast journalists).

Reacting to the news, Shahid Kardar, AH Kardar’s son, said: “This is a richly deserved tribute to a natural skipper whose inspirational leadership put Pakistan on the world cricket map.”

Younis said: “I feel honoured to have been inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame.”

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2022

The Colin Munro-mentored Raiders produced an impressive all-round performance to overpower the table-toppers in the crucial clash.

Next ball Tayyab (26 off 23 balls, three fours) returned to the dugout, bowled by Aseer Mughal as the scoreboard read 71-2 in the ninth over. Farhan Yousuf (1) and Ali Razzaq (5) fell in quick succession to leave the Royals reeling at 82-4, losing four wickets for 11 runs.

Royals started their 164-run chase positively through Basit Ali and Tayyab Arif. Basit struck a 32-ball 44 featuring eight boundaries before being dismissed by left-arm spinner Ziaullah.

Aseer (3-19) ran through Royals’ batting as they stuttered to 94-5 in 13.1 overs and could eventually post 140-9.

Earlier after being put in to bat, Raiders totalled 163-7 with captain Habibullah (36), Hassan Eisakhil and Ali Ishaq (30 each) making notable contributions.

Summarised scores:

RAWALPINDI RAIDERS 163-7 in 20 overs (Habibullah 36, Hassan Eisakhil 30, Ali Ishaq 30; Mohammad Zeeshan 2-20, Nathan Edward 2-24, Arham Nawab 2-24); BAHAWALPUR ROYALS 140-9 in 20 overs (Basit Ali 44, Mohammad Danish 30, Mohammad Tayyab Arif 26; Aseer Mughal 3-19, Ziaullah 2-31).

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2022

While the batters had smiles all-round, the bowlers also had something to cheer about when Sameen Gul claimed the sixth five-wicket haul of his career, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Umar picked up four wickets apiece.

At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa resumed their first innings at the overnight score of 291-5 against Sindh and were bowled out for 384 after adding 93 runs. Mohammad Sarwar Afridi was dismissed after scoring 148. His 201-ball innings included 20 fours and three sixes.

Kamran Ghulam added four runs to his overnight score of 89 to miss his 11th first-class century by seven runs.

Of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s five wickets to fall on the second day, three were picked up by spinner Abrar Ahmed who took four wickets for 130. Fast bowler Mohammad Umar picked up 4-87.

In reply, opener Khurram Manzoor led Sindh’s strong first-innings response with a 130-ball 116 to take his side to 214-2 at close. Together with fellow opener Saim Ayub (42), Khurram, who hit 16 fours, put on 84 runs, and then he added 113 runs for the second wicket with Saud Shakeel (43 not out).

At the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Central Punjab started the second day against Northern at 300-3 and declared their first innings at 509-9. Test batter Azhar Ali, who resumed at 130, made a magnificent 219, while Tayyab Tahir struck 114.

Azhar’s 323-ball innings was studded with 20 fours and six sixes while Tayyab struck six fours and six sixes. The two added 224 runs for the fourth wicket. Wicket-keeper-batter Ali Shan, batting at No.8, scored 55.

For Northern, Mehran Mumtaz (3-111), Nauman Ali (3-173) and Mubasir Khan (2-76) shared the wickets.

When play ended, Northern had reached 107-1. with Mohammad Huraira (53 not out) and Umar Amin (35 not out) at the crease.

At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Test batter Asad Shafiq scored his first century of the season and 26th overall, to help Balochistan score 346 against ATF Southern Punjab. Balochistan had started the day at 225-4 with Asad Shafiq batting on 70.

For ATF Southern Punjab, fast bowler Sameen Gul took five wickets for 84 and Mohammad Imran Randhawa added a wicket to his Saturday’s tally to finish with 3-75.

In reply, ATF Southern Punjab had reached 109-2 when bad light forced an early closure with Sharoon Siraj (46) and Usman Salahuddin (32) at the crease.

Summarised scores (fourth round):

Northern trail by 402 runs against Central Punjab.

CENTRAL PUNJAB (overnight 300-3) 509-9 decl in 140 overs (Azhar Ali 219, Tayyab Tahir 114, Ali Shan 55, Abdullah Shafique 32, Mohammad Saad 27; Mehran Mumtaz 3-111, Nauman Ali 3-173, Mubasir Khan 2-76); NORTHERN 107-1 in 34 overs (Mohammad Huraira 53 not out, Umar Amin 35 not out)

Sindh trail by 170 runs against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA (overnight 291-5) 384, 115.2 overs (Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 148, Kamran Ghulam 93, Sahibzada Farhan 53, Rehan Afridi 47; Mohammad Umar 4-87, Abrar Ahmed 4-130, Mir Hamza 2-51); SINDH 214-2, 51 overs (Khurram Manzoor 116, Saud Shakeel 43 not out, Saim Ayub 42; Ihsanullah 2-54)

Southern Punjab trail by 237 runs against Balochistan.

BALOCHISTAN (overnight 225-4) 346, 127 overs (Asad Shafiq 106, Ali Waqas 45, Haris Sohail 37, Haseebullah 33, Imran Butt 30, Khurram Shahzad 26 not out; Sameen Gul 5-84, Muhammad Imran Randhawa 3-75); SOUTHERN PUNJAB 109-2, 32.4 overs (Sharoon Siraj 46 not out, Usman Salahuddin 32 not out).

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2022

KARACHI: Pakistan Test batter Azhar Ali struck another century as Central Punjab piled up 300 for the loss of three wickets against Northern on the first day of the fourth round of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium on Saturday.

Azhar was batting on 130 with Tayyab Tahir on 82 at the other end as the pair put up 168 for the unfinished fourth wicket partnership between them.

The two boosted Central Punjab after Pakistan Test spinner Nauman Ali had picked up two of the three wickets to reduce the former champions to 132-3.

Azhar hit 15 fours and a six in his 209-ball innings while Tayyab smashed six boundaries in his 130-ball knock after openers Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Saad departed early.

At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Kamran Ghulam (89 not out) and Mohammad Sarwar Afridi (79) helped Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recover after Sindh bowlers left them reeling at 128-5. The two batters collaborated for 163 runs for the sixth wicket to take their team to 291-5 by stumps.

Earlier, Sahibzada Farhan (53) and Rehan Afridi (47) had added 98 runs for the third wicket to lift the defending championship to 111-2 Sindh pacer Mir Hamza had removed both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa openers.

Fast bowler Mohammad Umar picked up two wickets after Arbab Ahmed had ended the third wicket partnership by accounting for Rehan.

Att the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Balochistan recovered from 102-3 to finish the day at 225-4 against Southern Punjab. Former Test batter Asad Shafiq saved his side’s blushes when he returned undefeated on 70 off 111.

Asad added 112 for the fourth wicket with Haris Sohail, who contributed 37, after openers Ali Waqas (45) and Imran Butt (30) had provided Balochistan a 73-run start before they lost three wickets for 29 runs.

Scores in brief:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 291-5 against Sindh at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 291-5 in 90 overs (Kamran Ghulam 89 not out, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 79 not out; Mir Hamza 2-38, Mohammad Umar 2-45)

Balochistan 225-4 against Southern Punjab at the Abbotabad Cricket Stadium, Abbotabad

BALOCHISTAN 225-4 in 83 overs (Asad Shafiq 70 not out, Ali Waqas 45; Muhammad Imran Randhawa 2-34)

Central Punjab 300-3 against Northern at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

CENTRAL PUNJAB 300-3 in 86 overs (Azhar Ali 130 not out, Tayyab Tahir 82 not out; Nauman Ali 2-93).

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2022

“Pakistan’s five-wicket victory in the final was remarkable because the middle-order batting contributed outstandingly that led to the win which is expected to be very helpful in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.” the 32-year old told Dawn in an exclusive interview.

The Swabi-born pacer noted that the team’s middle order demonstrated a fine show in the final which featured Mohammad Nawaz’s 22-ball 38.

“The brilliant display by our middle order [in the final] is very encouraging. It was weak but now looks better at a crucial time [ahead of the World Cup].

“Haider Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed also performed well, which is very positive for our middle order batting ahead of the mega event,” he remarked.

Junaid said it was very important for Pakistan to get the winning momentum before the World Cup.

“New Zealand and Australia have more or less the same weather and with this tri-series Pakistan became familiar with the playing conditions,” he said.

Junaid also lauded Haris Rauf who has given outstanding performances, adding “the addition of Shaheen Shah Afridi in the bowling attack would make our bowling more lethal”.

According to Junaid, the win in the Christchurch final would be a confidence booster for Pakistan and hoped it would help the team win the World Cup.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2022

Sri Lanka, who were playing their first tournament final in 14 years, imploded after opting to bat on a slow and turning pitch. They could only manage 65 for nine which India knocked off in 8.3 overs. Smriti Mandhana struck a sublime 51 not out off 25 balls.

It was a procession after Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu got run out in the third over following a mix up with Anushka Sanjeewani who too got run out six balls later.

Renuka, who has been in top form since the Commonwealth Games in August, sent back Hasini Perera on the very first ball she faced. The left-hander checked her shot only to be caught at cover, leaving Sri Lanka at nine for four.

The Sri Lankans were in dire need of a partnership but Kavisha Dilhari’s fall made it 16 for five as she was bowled while trying to play an incoming delivery from Renuka across the line.

Rajeshwari Gayakwad got her first wicket after Nilakshi de Silva played on to her stumps while trying to cut a ball close to her body. At 32 for eight, being bowled out for a sub-50 total was very much on the cards, but Ranaweera saved them from that ignominy with an unbeaten 18 off 22 balls.

The Indians bowled with discipline but poor shot selection contributed more to Sri Lanka’s steep slide. After a memorable win over Pakistan in the semifinals, it seemed the occasion got the better of Sri Lanka.

India lost Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues cheaply in the run chase. However, both the batters did well in the tournament, with Shafali getting back to form and Jemimah making a successful comeback from injury.

The elegant Mandhana played some exquisite strokes on way to completing the formality alongside skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (11 not out off 14). Smriti’s effort included three sixes and six boundaries. Fittingly, she sealed the win with a maximum off Oshadi Ranasinghe.

The win is a shot in the arm for India’s preparations for the T20 World Cup next year. They were able to test players for different roles during the competition, though that also contributed to their only loss in the tournament, against Pakistan in the league stage.

The Indians took a lap of the Sylhet International Cricket Stad­ium and, in a fine gesture, got clicked with the entire groundstaff after their triumph, which was witnessed by a sizeable turnout.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2022

CANBERRA: England were denied a clean sweep of their T20 International series against Australia when persistent rain forced the third match to be abandoned in Canberra on Friday.

Needing 130 to win from 12 overs, Australia were 30-3 from 3.5 overs when rain forced the players from the field for the third and final time.

England captain Jos Buttler said his team was building up well to the T20 World Cup, after winning the three-match series 2-0.

“We made some good strides in Pakistan and we came here [Australia] and continued that form,” Buttler said.

It was a disappointing end to the match, the last official game for both teams before the World Cup, which starts on Oct 22.

After being sent in by Australian captain Aaron Finch, Buttler smashed 65 from only 41 balls as England reached 112-2 in their 12 overs.

Australia, already 2-0 down in the three-match series, then needed 130 to win based on the Duckworth-Lewis method.

And they got the worst possible start when Chris Woakes had Finch and number three Mitchell Marsh caught with the first two balls of the match to stun the home side.

He then dismissed Glenn Maxwell in the third over to leave the Australians in huge trouble at 17-3, before rain forced an early end.

Finch earlier won the toss and chose to field, with Australia getting away to the perfect start themselves, as Josh Hazlewood had Alex Hales caught at first slip in just the second over.

Buttler and Dawid Malan looked comfortable and after a slow start began to accelerate, but shortly after the first rain delay Malan miscued an attempted slog off Pat Cummins and was caught at mid-off by Marsh for 23.

A second rain delay saw the match shortened to 12 overs each, and Buttler came out firing, blasting 22 runs off the 11th over to help set a challenging total.

Woakes’ brilliant opening spell made that target unlikely and an Australian defeat appeared to be saved by the rain.

“It was really hard to stop the [English batters] and credit to them, they outplayed us,” Finch said.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND:

J. Buttler not out 65

A. Hales c Finch b Hazlewood 0

D. Malan c Marsh b Cummins 23

B. Stokes not out 17

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-3) 7

TOTAL (for two wickets, 12 overs) 112

DID NOT BAT: H. Brook, M. Ali, C. Woakes, D. Willey, A. Rashid, M. Wood, R. Topley

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-7 (Hales), 2-63 (Malan)

BOWLING: Starc 2-0-11-0 (1w), Hazlewood 3-0-36-1 (2w), Cummins 3-0-23-1, Zampa 2-0-17-0, Maxwell 2-0-21-0

AUSTRALIA:

A. Finch c Brook b Woakes 0

G. Maxwell c Stokes b Woakes 8

M. Marsh c Wood b Woakes 0

S. Smith not out 7

M. Stoinis not out 8

EXTRAS (LB-5, W-2) 7

TOTAL (for three wickets, 3.5 overs) 30

DID NOT BAT: T. David, M. Wade, P. Cummins, M. Starc, A. Zampa, J. Hazlewood

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Finch), 2-0 (Marsh), 3-17 (Maxwell)

BOWLING: Woakes 2-0-4-3 (1w), Topley 1-0-9-0 (1w), Willey 0.5-0-12-0

RESULT: Match abandoned.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2022

Buttler, recovering from a nagging calf injury, watched from the sidelines as England beat Pakistan 4-3 before flying into Australia, where they play three 20-overs matches against the world champions.

“I’m back to 100 percent,” Buttler told reporters in Perth on Saturday.

“Had a good time in Pakistan rehabbing, probably could have played earlier, but with the World Cup around the corner, it was the right thing to do.”

Buttler’s return to the playing XI means Alex Hales and Phil Salt would vie with each other for the second opener’s slot.

“We have great options at the top of the order with guys in really good form in Pakistan,” Buttler said.

“They’re both excellent options. Whoever I partner with will have a great go at it.”

While England would welcome Buttler back into the squad, concern remains about white-ball star Livingstone’s availability for their Oct. 22 World Cup opener against Afghanistan.

“(He) is still a little way off at the minute so he’s building back,” Buttler said.

“Hopefully he’ll get back to full fitness before the start of the World Cup.”

Buttler also said all-rounder and Test captain Ben Stokes would bat higher in their line-up.

“Ben Stokes is someone we want to try to give as much opportunity to impact the game as possible,” Buttler said.

“Try to get him up the order as high as we can, give him as much responsibility as possible and allow him to play his way to get the best out of him.”

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2022

AFP Sport looks at five memorable six-hitting moments in Pakistan’s cricketing history.

Mighty Miandad

Javed Miandad’s final ball six off India’s Chetan Sharma in the 1986 Austral-Asia Cup final at Sharjah still hurts India fans.

Needing 246 for victory, Pakistan were in trouble at 61-3 before Miandad struck an unbeaten 116 off 114 balls.

With four needed off the final delivery, India fast bowler Sharma bowled a full toss and Miandad slogged it high over the leg side and into the crowd to trigger wild celebrations.

Mujtaba leveller

A left-handed gutsy middle-order batsman, Asif Mujtaba took on Australia’s bowlers in a 50-over World Series match in 1992 and hit a six off the last ball from Steve Waugh to tie a dramatic game.

Chasing 228 for victory in Hobart, Pakistan slipped to 197-7 but Mujtaba stood firm and with 17 needed off the final over Australia skipper threw the ball to part-time seamer Waugh.

Mujtaba hit him to all parts and dispatched the last delivery, a full toss, over midwicket to level the scores.

‘Boom Boom’ Afridi

Shahid Afridi won many exciting games for Pakistan with his maverick batting but his two sixes off India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in a 2014 Asia Cup 50-over match remain special.

Pakistan, chasing 246, needed 10 when Ashwin started the 50th over by taking a wicket.

But Afridi smashed the off-spinner for two straight sixes to live up his ‘Boom Boom’ nickname as Pakistan won with one wicket and two balls to spare.

Asif arrives

Asif Ali was relatively unknown when he hit four straight sixes off Afghanistan’s Karim Janat to announce his arrival at last year’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan needed 26 off 18 balls when Asif walked in to bat.

Asif watched calmly from the non-striker’s end in the 18th over before smashing Janat over the ropes four times to take Pakistan home with an over to spare.

Naseem heroics

Naseem Shah became Pakistan’s newest six-hitting hero when he walked in to bat at number 10 with Pakistan needing 20 off 10 balls with just two wickets in hand in their chase of 130 against Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Pakistan lost Asif in the 19th over but Naseem kept his cool, with 12 needed off the last over, to smash Farooqi’s attempted yorkers for consecutive straight sixes over long-off.

DUBAI: Fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi returned bowling figures of 3-11 to help Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the opening match of the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament on Saturday.

Afghanistan elected to field and bundled out Sri Lanka for a paltry 105, a total their batsmen overhauled in 10.1 overs in Dubai.

Left-hander Hazratullah Zazai, unbeaten on 37, and wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanllah Gurbaz, who hit 40, put on 83 runs for the opening wicket to build on the dominance started by the bowlers.

Afghanistan, in Group B with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, have made a thumping start to their campaign in the six-nation tournament that acts as a tune-up to the T20 World Cup in October-November in Australia.

Farooqi, a left-arm quick, stood out for Afgha­nistan after he struck with successive deliveries in the first over of the innings to send Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka trudging back to the pavilion for two and nought.

Naveen-ul-Haq then sent back Pathum Nissanka caught behind after the batsman reviewed the on-field call and the third-umpire upheld the decision despite no visible spike on the ultra-edge, leaving the batsman and dressing room stunned.

At that point Sri Lanka were struggling with just five runs on the board and three wickets down in the opening two overs.

Danushka Gunathilaka (17) and Bhanuka Rajap­aksa (38) attempted to hit back with a flurry of boundaries in a 20-run sixth over before spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman broke the 44-run stand.

Wickets kept tumbling with the 13th over providing two run outs, including the end of Rajapaksa while attempting a second run.

Chamika Karunaratne made 31 to take the team total past 100 before being bowled by Farooqi.

Afghanistan openers came out all guns blazing as Gurbaz smashed three fours and four sixes in his 18-ball blitz before falling to leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.

Zazai kept up the attack with Ibrahim Zadran, who made 15 before being run out, to bring alive the Afghan supporters and silence the Sri Lankan crowd.

India meet Pakistan in a hotly-anticipated Group A clash on Sunday (today) at the same venue.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA:

P. Nissanka c Rahmanullah b Naveen 3

K. Mendis lbw b Fazalhaq 2

C. Asalanka lbw b Fazalhaq 0

D. Gunathilaka c Karim b Mujeeb 17

B. Rajapaksa run out (Nabi) 38

W. Hasaranga c Nabi b Mujeeb 2

D. Shanaka c Rahmanullah b Nabi 0

C. Karunaratne b Fazalhaq 31

M. Theekshana run out 0

M. Pathirana c Najibullah b Nabi 5

D. Madushanka not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-1, NB-1, W-4) 6

TOTAL (all out, 19.4 overs) 105

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-3 (Mendis), 2-3 (Asalanka), 3-5 (Nissanka), 4-49 (Gunathilaka), 5-60 (Hasaranga), 6-64 (Shanaka), 7-69 (Rajapaksa), 8-69 (Theekshana), 9-75 (Pathirana).

BOWLING: Fazalhaq 3.4-1-11-3, Naveen 3-0-23-1 (1nb), Mujeeb 4-0-24-2, Azmatullah 1-0-20-0 (2w), Nabi 4-0-14-2 (1w), Rashid 4-0-12-0 (1w).

AFGHANISTAN:

Hazaratullah Zazai not out 37

Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Hasaranga 40

Ibrahim Zadran run out (Theekshana) 15

Najibullah Zadran not out 2

EXTRAS (LB-5, W-7) 12

TOTAL (for two wkts, 10.1 overs) 106

DID NOT BAT: Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-83 (Rahmanullah), 2-103 (Ibrahim)

BOWLING: Madushanka 1-0-10-0 (1w), Theekshana 4-0-35-0 (1w), Pathirana 1-0-16-0, Hasaranga 3-0-19-1, Karunaratne 1-0-20-0, Asalanka 0.1-0-1-0.

RESULT: Afghanistan won by eight wickets.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2022

Speaking in an interview with Star Sports, Kohli said Azam was performing "so consistently and rightly so, he has amazing talent and I've always enjoyed watching him play".

Recounting his history and first meeting with Azam at the 2019 cricket world cup, Kohli said he had seen a lot of "regard and respect" from Azam from "day one". "That has not changed," he added.

"It hasn't changed because he is performing now and coming into his own. I don't see his attitude or approach changing towards me which is a very good sign of someone who is very grounded in the foundations of his upbringing and his cricketing foundations as well are very solid."

Kohli said players such as Azam "go a long way" and "inspire many".

"I congratulated him yesterday for how he has been playing and I told him how amazing to watch it is and I wish him all the best."

He was referring to his interaction with Azam in Dubai on Wednesday where the two shared a warm greeting ahead of the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan clash at the Asia Cup on Sunday.

Kohli said Azam "deserved all of this" and sportsmen like him were needed to keep world cricket "exciting". "That is the reality of the situation," he added.

Last month, Azam had also shown support for Kohli and told him that the rough patch he was maybe going through at the time would be temporary.

The encouraging message came in light of the criticism of the Indian cricketer’s recent poor performance.

Meanwhile, questioned on the upcoming Sunday match against Pakistan and how his feelings had evolved compared to past encounters, Kohli said: "I won't run away from the fact that the atmosphere on the outside is very different to any other game ... [but] this doesn't have to be a world cup game."

He said that as a player once you stepped on the field, "it is [like] any other game for you ... usual business."

The 22-year-old paceman suffered a knee injury on the recent tour of Sri Lanka, a worrying setback with the Asia Cup — and a meeting with old rivals India — coming up at the end of the month.

Pakistan team bosses do not want to overload a fast bowler who has already played 97 times across all three formats since his international debut just four years ago.

“We’re taking a couple of doctors with us to take care of Shaheen and want him to play a game against Netherlands to see if he’s fit and ready for the Asia Cup,” said Pakistan skipper Babar Azam.

“But we have 11 trump cards. Each of them can be match winners on their day. I have faith in every one of them, whether batters or bowlers.”

The series in Rotterdam was postponed due to Covid-19 in 2020.

It forms part of the 13-nation Super League from where the top seven teams plus hosts India will qualify for the 2023 World Cup.

Pakistan are currently third with 90 points, having beaten a formidable Australia 2-1 in their last ODI series at home.

Failure to make the top seven would mean having to negotiate a perilous route through a qualifying competition.

“There are important Super League points at stake which we can’t lose,” said Azam who may be stunned to find Europe baking in a heatwave.

“I think the conditions will be similar to England. The weather will be cooler so we have practiced with the air conditioning on indoors, perhaps that helps simulate the conditions,” he said on Thursday on the team’s departure for Europe.

Recall for 38-year-old

The two teams have only played three one-day internationals — all in multi-national events at the 1996 (Pakistan) and 2003 (South Africa) World Cups and 2002 Champions Trophy (Sri Lanka).

Pakistan won all three.

Read: ‘War minus shooting’: Partition created fierce cricket rivalry between Pakistan and India

After qualifying for the Twenty20 World Cup to be played in Australia later this year, the Netherlands are seeking a huge lift in their 50-over fortunes.

They are placed last in the Super League, having won only two of their 16 matches with one no-result and 13 defeats.

Those two wins — against Ireland — followed 12 straight losses in series against Afghanistan, New Zealand, West Indies and England.

England also smashed a world record total of 498-4 against them in June.

But new skipper Scott Edwards believes playing against bigger nations has helped his young team.

“ODI cricket is still a benchmark for Associates,” said Edwards, who replaced Pieter Seelaar as skipper in June.

“We have got a lot of young cricketers coming through who have got exposure against England and New Zealand. I am excited for the next two, three years.

“We play Pakistan which is another opportunity to face world-class bowlers and batters and that is a huge preparation for us to fine-tune our skills for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia.

“It’s been an awesome summer for the players for this opportunity to play these bigger nations. There is a little bit of shame that we haven’t got some wins on the board.”

Pakistan have dropped out of form fast bowler Hasan Ali who is replaced by rookie pacer Naseem Shah while Shahnawaz Dahani, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Junior are the other quicks in the squad.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, have recalled 38-year-old all-rounder Wesley Barresi after a three-year absence.

After the opening game on Tuesday, the sides meet again on Thursday and Sunday.

Cricket is returning to the Commonwealth Games for the first time since 1998 but it will be the first time women’s cricket will be part of the Games, with the T20 format to feature, and Pakistan will also face arch-rivals India and world champions Australia in Group ‘A’.

The top two teams from the two groups advance to the semi-finals and Pakistan come into the Games shorn of match-practice after just one of their four matches during the tri-series in Ireland — which also features Australia — was completed. Rains also affected the national team’s camp in Islamabad earlier this month.

“Unfortunately the matches in Ireland got curtailed due to the weather but we did manage to complete all practice sessions,” Hemp was quoted as saying in the Pakistan Cricket Board news release.

“The players experiencing different conditions in the UK was a very valuable exercise.

“Since arriving in Birmingham we have completed one practice session which was last night at Edgbaston and the players are really excited about the event. The game on Friday is what we have our eyes on.

The match against Barbados will be a big challenge as they are a formidable unit as most of the players make-up the West Indies side. It is a great opportunity to play at a venue like Edgbaston and we hope the weather will be kind to us and we get to play all three pool games in the coming week.”

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2022

Batting at number nine, Mendis contributed 35 in Sri Lanka’s 378 all out at the Galle International Stadium. The off-spinner then returned to wreck Pakistan’s middle order and the tourists, who lead the two-match series 1-0, ended the day on 191-7, still 187 behind in their first innings.

Salman resisted the bowling attack with his maiden Test fifty but fell to Prabath Jayasuriya’s left-arm spin in the final moments of play before stumps was called. Jayasuriya got Salman caught at slip with a drifter coming into the right-handed batsman.

Yasir Shah survived 61 balls, and an lbw decision against him that was reversed, for his 13 not out.

Salman, who made his debut in the previous match, put on 46 runs with Yasir to lift Pakistan from 145-6. He expects the lower-order to fire come day three.

“It’s been my dream to play for Pakistan in Test match cricket,” Salman said. “Glad that I was able to score a half-century in my second game. Disappointed that I couldn’t see through today.

“The way the partnership was going, we wanted to see off the day and come back tomorrow to start afresh, but it’s cricket and it happens. It’s a still good wicket to bat and we have plenty of batters who are capable of getting us closer to Sri Lanka’s total.

“They were bowling well, to be very honest, and they were not giving runs, that’s why they took the wickets. They were playing patient games and we lacked that.”

Earlier, Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah and spinner Yasir split the last four Sri Lankan wickets after the hosts had resumed on 315-6 in former captain Angelo Mathews’ landmark 100th Test.

Niroshan Dickwella struck 51 and Mendis proved he was no dud with the bat to frustrate Pakistan. Naseem accounted for both overnight batters — Dunith Wellalage (11) and Dickwella — while Mendis was the last man dismissed.

Dickwella, who started the day on 42, hit six fours and one six in his 54-ball knock and believes the pitch will improve for batters in time for their second innings.

“Our bowlers bowled really well and that’s why we were able to get to seven wickets today,” he told reporters. “Tomorrow it will be a good wicket to bat.”

Pakistan stuttered early in their reply losing Abdullah Shafique, whose unbeaten 160 had secured their victory in the series opener, to the second ball of the innings.

Abdullah dragged the ball onto his stumps after an ugly poke at an Asitha Fernando delivery to be dismissed for a duck.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam (16) departed in a similar fashion, trying to drive a Prabath Jayasuriya delivery without getting to the pitch of the ball and creating an inside edge that crashed onto his stumps.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq attempted to rebuild the innings with Mohammad Rizwan but Dhananjaya de Silva broke through with his off-spin to send him back on 32.

Mohammad Rizwan and Fawad Alam, both made 24, also got the starts but could not convert them with Mendis trapping both lbw.

Rizwan also wasted a review trying to overturn the lbw decision against him.

Mendis removed Mahammad Nawaz for figures of 3-42 but Salman refused to throw in the towel. The right-hander hit four fours and a six and played the spinners on the front foot until his departure.

After being criticised for being unable to defend 342 runs in the first Test, the Sri Lankan spinners tightened their lines and bowled to good lengths in their bid to even the series.

“We have played four back-to-back games here and all four wickets were different to each other,” Dickwella said. “I would say this is the best wicket to bat. It’s still a good pitch to play.”

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA (1st Innings, overnight 315-6): O. Fernando c Rizwan b Nawaz 50 D. Karunaratne c Naseem b Yasir 40 K. Mendis run out 3 A. Mathews c Rizwan b Nauman 42 D. Chandimal c Fawad b Nawaz 80 D. de Silva b Naseem 33 N. Dickwella c Rizwan b Naseem 51 D. Wellalage c Babar b Naseem 11 R. Mendis b Yasir 35 P. Jayasuriya lbw b Yasir 8 A. Fernando not out 4 EXTRAS (B-4, LB-5, NB-12) 21 TOTAL (all out, 103 overs) 378 FALL OF WICKETS: 1-92 (Oshada), 2-96 (K. Mendis), 3-120 (Karunaratne), 4-195 (Mathews), 5-258 (Chandimal), 6-290 (de Silva), 7-327 (Wellalage), 8-333 (Dickwella), 9-353 (Jayasuriya) BOWLING: Hasan 17-3-59-0 (1nb), Naseem 18-3-58-3 (7nb), Nauman 21-2-64-1 (2nb), Agha 6-0-25-0 (1nb), Nawaz 19-3-80-2, Yasir 22-2-83-3 (1nb) PAKISTAN (1st Innings): Abdullah Shafique b Fernando 0 Imam-ul-Haq b de Silva 32 Babar Azam b Jayasuriya 16 Mohammad Rizwan lbw b R. Mendis 24 Fawad Alam lbw b R. Mendis 24 Agha Salman c de Silva b Jayasuriya 62 Mohammad Nawaz c Dickwella b R. Mendis 12 Yasir Shah not out 13 EXTRAS (B-8) 8 TOTAL (for seven wickets, 69.4 overs) 191 STILL TO BAT: Hassan Ali, Nauman Ali, Naseem Shah FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Abdullah), 2-35 (Babar), 3-65 (Imam), 4-88 (Rizwan), 5-119 (Fawad), 6-145 (Nawaz), 7-191 (Salman) BOWLING: Fernando 14-1-49-1, Jayasuriya 27.4-7-59-2, R. Mendis 18-5-42-3, De Silva 4-0-15-1, Wellalage 6-1-18-0

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2022