Pakistan on Thursday recalled fast bowler Haris Rauf and medium-pacer Hasan Ali for T20 internationals in Ireland and England later this month, their final warm-ups for the World Cup.

The development came as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named the 18-man squad that will take on Ireland from May 10-14 and England from May 22-30 during an upcoming tour of the UK.

It follows the appointment of former South Africa top-order batter Gary Kirsten and ex-Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie as the head coaches for the men’s national team for white and red-ball, respectively. Azhar Mahmood had been made the assistant coach in all formats.

According to a PCB press release, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, Azam Khan and Muhammad Irfan Khan — who all suffered injuries last month against New Zealand — were also included in the squad.

Two players who did not “make the cut” were wrist spinner Usama Mir and fast bowler Zaman Khan — both of whom played against New Zealand in the recent T20I series.

The squad will be reduced to 15 players for the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in The West Indies and the US this summer, the PCB said, adding that it would be announced following the first T20I with England, before the ICC’s May 24 deadline.

“We are having fitness issues with a few players but we hope that during the England tour, we will be able to finalise the World Cup squad,” selector Wahab Riaz told a news conference in Lahore.

All 20 World Cup teams had to submit preliminary 15-player squads to the International Cricket Council by May 1 deadline, but they can make changes until May 25.

“Crafting this squad was a challenging task due to the outstanding talent available,” the PCB statement quoted the selection committee as saying, which includes Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafique and Abdul Razzaq.

“After thorough deliberation and considering various cricketing aspects, we have finalised these 18 players.”

According to the statement, the squad includes a “robust top-order” featuring Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Rizwan, as well as a pace-batting side led by Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris, and Hasan.

The cricket board highlighted that Salman Ali Agha “has established himself as a versatile cricketer”, adding that he will bolster Pakistan’s spin bowling attack alongside Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan.

The PCB attributed Hasan Ali’s selection to his “extensive experience”, referring to his performance in this year’s Pakistan Super League and his stint playing for Warwickshire in the English County Championship.

Regarding the recent T20I series against New Zealand, it said Haris and Azam had been sidelined due to injuries while Irfan and Rizwan had been rested from the two T20Is in Lahore due to “niggles”.

“The four cricketers underwent fitness assessments at the National Cricket Academy on Tuesday afternoon, showing significant improvement,” the PCB said, adding that their progress had provided confidence to the board’s medical panel.

“We understand Usama and Zaman will be disappointed… as they must be looking ahead to the tours of Ireland and England”, the selection committee said.

“They are quality cricketers and have long careers ahead of them. They need to continue to focus on their cricket so that they are available, if required.”

According to the PCB, the squad is scheduled to depart for Dublin on May 7 following a three-day training camp in Lahore from May 4-6.

Pakistan play Ireland in Dublin on May 10, 12 and 14.

Four matches follow against England at Headingley in Leeds on May 22, Edgbaston in Birmingham (May 25), Sophia Gardens in Cardiff (May 28) and the Oval in London (May 30).

Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.

Additional input from AFP

Pakistan on Thursday recalled fast bowler Haris Rauf and medium-pacer Hasan Ali for T20 internationals in Ireland and England later this month, their final warm-ups for the World Cup.

The development came as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named the 18-man squad that will take on Ireland from May 10-14 and England from May 22-30 during an upcoming tour of the UK.

It follows the appointment of former South Africa top-order batter Gary Kirsten and ex-Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie as the head coaches for the men’s national team for white and red-ball, respectively. Azhar Mahmood had been made the assistant coach in all formats.

According to a PCB press release, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, Azam Khan and Muhammad Irfan Khan — who all suffered injuries last month against New Zealand — were also included in the squad.

Two players who did not “make the cut” were wrist spinner Usama Mir and fast bowler Zaman Khan — both of whom played against New Zealand in the recent T20I series.

The squad will be reduced to 15 players for the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in The West Indies and the US this summer, the PCB said, adding that it would be announced following the first T20I with England, before the ICC’s May 24 deadline.

“We are having fitness issues with a few players but we hope that during the England tour, we will be able to finalise the World Cup squad,” selector Wahab Riaz told a news conference in Lahore.

All 20 World Cup teams had to submit preliminary 15-player squads to the International Cricket Council by May 1 deadline, but they can make changes until May 25.

“Crafting this squad was a challenging task due to the outstanding talent available,” the PCB statement quoted the selection committee as saying, which includes Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafique and Abdul Razzaq.

“After thorough deliberation and considering various cricketing aspects, we have finalised these 18 players.”

According to the statement, the squad includes a “robust top-order” featuring Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Rizwan, as well as a pace-batting side led by Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris, and Hasan.

The cricket board highlighted that Salman Ali Agha “has established himself as a versatile cricketer”, adding that he will bolster Pakistan’s spin bowling attack alongside Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan.

The PCB attributed Hasan Ali’s selection to his “extensive experience”, referring to his performance in this year’s Pakistan Super League and his stint playing for Warwickshire in the English County Championship.

Regarding the recent T20I series against New Zealand, it said Haris and Azam had been sidelined due to injuries while Irfan and Rizwan had been rested from the two T20Is in Lahore due to “niggles”.

“The four cricketers underwent fitness assessments at the National Cricket Academy on Tuesday afternoon, showing significant improvement,” the PCB said, adding that their progress had provided confidence to the board’s medical panel.

“We understand Usama and Zaman will be disappointed… as they must be looking ahead to the tours of Ireland and England”, the selection committee said.

“They are quality cricketers and have long careers ahead of them. They need to continue to focus on their cricket so that they are available, if required.”

According to the PCB, the squad is scheduled to depart for Dublin on May 7 following a three-day training camp in Lahore from May 4-6.

Pakistan play Ireland in Dublin on May 10, 12 and 14.

Four matches follow against England at Headingley in Leeds on May 22, Edgbaston in Birmingham (May 25), Sophia Gardens in Cardiff (May 28) and the Oval in London (May 30).

Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.

Pakistan on Thursday recalled fast bowler Haris Rauf and medium-pacer Hasan Ali for T20 internationals in Ireland and England later this month, their final warm-ups for the World Cup.

The development came as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named the 18-man squad that will take on Ireland from May 10-14 and England from May 22-30 during an upcoming tour of the UK.

It follows the appointment of former South Africa top-order batter Gary Kirsten and ex-Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie as the head coaches for the men’s national team for white and red-ball, respectively. Azhar Mahmood the assistant coach in all formats.

According to a PCB press release, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, Azam Khan and Muhammad Irfan Khan — who all suffered injuries last month against New Zealand — were also included in the squad.

Two players who did not “make the cut” were wrist spinner Usama Mir and fast bowler Zaman Khan — both of whom played against New Zealand in the recent T20I series.

The squad will be reduced to 15 players for the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in The West Indies and the US this summer, the PCB said, adding that it would be announced following the first T20I with England, before the ICC’s May 24 deadline.

“We are having fitness issues with a few players but we hope that during the England tour, we will be able to finalise the World Cup squad,” selector Wahab Riaz told a news conference in Lahore.

All 20 World Cup teams had to submit preliminary 15-player squads to the International Cricket Council by May 1 deadline, but they can make changes until May 25.

“Crafting this squad was a challenging task due to the outstanding talent available,” the PCB statement quoted the selection committee as saying, which includes Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafique and Abdul Razzaq.

“After thorough deliberation and considering various cricketing aspects, we have finalised these 18 players.”

According to the statement, the squad includes a “robust top-order” featuring Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Rizwan, as well as a pace-batting side led by Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris, and Hasan.

The cricket board highlighted that Salman Ali Agha “has established himself as a versatile cricketer”, adding that he will bolster Pakistan’s spin bowling attack alongside Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan.

The PCB attributed Hasan Ali’s selection to his “extensive experience”, referring to his performance in this year’s Pakistan Super League and his stint playing for Warwickshire in the English County Championship.

Regarding the recent T20I series against New Zealand, it said Haris and Azam had been sidelined due to injuries while Irfan and Rizwan had been rested from the two T20Is in Lahore due to “niggles”.

“The four cricketers underwent fitness assessments at the National Cricket Academy on Tuesday afternoon, showing significant improvement,” the PCB said, adding that their progress had provided confidence to the board’s medical panel.

“We understand Usama and Zaman will be disappointed… as they must be looking ahead to the tours of Ireland and England”, the selection committee said.

“They are quality cricketers and have long careers ahead of them. They need to continue to focus on their cricket so that they are available, if required.”

According to the PCB, the squad is scheduled to depart for Dublin on May 7 following a three-day training camp in Lahore from May 4-6.

Pakistan play Ireland in Dublin on May 10, 12 and 14.

Four matches follow against England at Headingley in Leeds on May 22, Edgbaston in Birmingham (May 25), Sophia Gardens in Cardiff (May 28) and the Oval in London (May 30).

Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.

KARACHI: Pakistan Cric­ket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi is confident that “eight of out eight” teams will visit the country when it hosts the ICC Champions Trophy early next year.

Despite the PCB chief’s optimism, whether India will make a trip across the border for the tournament, stays a question mark nevertheless, given the country’s government’s reluctance to send its cricket team to Pakistan due to sour political relations with its neighbours.

While India and Pakistan haven’t played bilateral cricket since 2012, they play each other in International Cricket Council’s tournaments. And Pakistan even visited India to participate in the 50-over World Cup last year.

Mohsin, while interacting with reporters here at the National Bank Stadium on Tuesday night, suggested that the draft schedule of the Champions Trophy that the PCB has shared with the ICC recently, mentions India playing their matches of the tournament in Pakistan only.

If the suggestion has to be believed, it is clear the PCB is not considering a hybrid model, which would see India play their matches outside Pakistan while all other teams feature within the country only.

Such a model was adopted during the Asia Cup, which was hosted by Pakistan last year. But it saw only four matches being staged in Pakistan, while the remaining games, including the final, were played in Sri Lanka.

The Champions Trophy, however, is an ICC event and demands different protocols. Therefore, the ball is in the global cricket governing body’s court and it needs to come up with an amicable solution.

An ICC delegation visiting Pakistan in March, followed by the PCB sharing a draft schedule with it can be counted as positive developments for the board.

Pakistan missed out on hosting the 2009 Champions Trophy and co-hosting the 2011 ICC World Cup due to security reasons, but that situation won’t come into question in the current scenario with the country having hosted high profile teams like Australia, England and New Zealand for full-fledged tours in the last three years.

That the PCB’s security consultant and that of the ICC is the same, also consolidates Pakistan’s position.

However, recent unofficial media reports in India have suggested that the country will stick to its stance of not sending its team to Pakistan.

Mohsin was upbeat Pakistan would prepare venues in Lahore, Karachi and Rawal­pindi in time for the Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be held in February next year.

The PCB chief said the board has contacted international companies which will turn National Bank Stadium, the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi into modernly designed arenas with enhanced viewing experience.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2024

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has delayed the announcement of its World Cup squad until late May due to fitness and performance issues with some players, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported on Wednesday.

A PCB source told PTI that Pakistan would announce their T20 World Cup squad either on May 23 or May 24 — which is the deadline set by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for participating teams to make changes to their squads without seeking permission from the World Cup Technical Committee.

The management and selectors are concerned over niggling injuries to Mohammad Rizwan, Azam Khan, Irfan Khan Niazi and Haris Rauf and will observe them and performances in Ireland and England.

The selectors will announce the squad for the tours of Ireland and England on Thursday and the team management and selectors will assess the fitness and performance of selected players before announcing the World Cup squad.

“It (delay) doesn’t matter because all these teams can change their entire squad by May 24 after that changes can only be allowed on fitness or injury basis with approval of the technical committee,” said the source. “That is why the PCB and selectors have decided to hold off until after the first match in England.”

The source added that the selectors also wanted to give more time to Babar Azam and other players to settle down and recapture the old bonding in the dressing room before the WC squad is announced.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2024

NEW DELHI: Next month’s T20 World Cup will help build cricket’s profile and popularity in the United States ahead of its appearance at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the sport’s world body said.

The showpiece 20-over event will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States in June with New York, Florida and Dallas as venues.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was confident the tournament would help the sport leave a mark in a land where baseball rules. “The fact that a World Cup has come to the US — the largest sports market in the world — that in itself has generated a lot of interest,” Chris Tetley, the ICC’s head of events, told reporters in a media roundtable on Tuesday.

“This is a key stepping stone for the promotion of the game towards 2028 and beyond in terms of providing world-class cricket for the massive existing fanbase that the sport already has in the US,” he added. “We are trying to give them something they haven’t had on their doorstep before and maybe pique the interest of the American sports community by telling them that cricket’s actually an older sport in the US than baseball.” T20 Cricket will feature as one of five new sports at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Cricket’s only previous appearance at an Olympics was in 1900 in Paris, where a team from Great Britain defeated France.

‘EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS’

Nassau County’s Eisenhower Park, near New York, has seen a 34,000-seater temporary stadium, with a drop-in cricket pitch, constructed.

It will host the hotly-anticipated India-Pakistan clash on June 9 among its eight scheduled World Cup games.

“We are really happy with the pitch,” said stadium manager Damian Hough. “Everything that we have done has exceeded expectations. I can’t predict scores, that’s for the batters.

“We hope that we have got a typical T20 pitch where there is good bounce, good pace and value for shots. Obviously you want batters to play shots all around the ground.”

Hough and his team introduced drop-in pitches more than a decade ago at Adelaide Oval, where he is head curator.

But creating the stadium in Nassau County has seen different challenges, including growing the pitch in the sub-tropics of Florida before transporting it 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) north through multiple climatic zones.

Tetley said the stadium would be dismantled after the T20 extravaganza, but the “world-class facilities” would leave a lasting legacy for cricket in the United States.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2024

KARACHI: The newly-appointed seven-member women’s national selection committee has named a 17-player Pakistan women’s squad for this month’s tour to England, the country’s cricket board said on Wednesday.

Nida Dar will continue to lead the side, which will feature in three Twenty20 Internationals from May 11-19 and three one-dayers from May 23-29 May.

The ODIs will be played as a part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 and this will be Pakistan’s eighth and final series in the current event cycle, with the team currently placed fifth in the rankings.

To ensure direct qualification to next year’s ICC Women’s World Cup, Pakistan would need to ensure they don’t drop further in the standings. They were subjected to a 3-0 series whitewash by West Indies at home recently.

The top five teams from this championship, along with hosts India, will directly qualify for the 50-over showpiece.

In addition to the six white-ball international matches, the tourists will also play two warm-up games (T20 and One-Day) against ECB Development XI on May 9 and 21.

For their first England tour since 2016, the national side will fly to the UK on Sunday.

Squad: Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wicket-keeper), Najiha Alvi (wicket-keeper), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2024

Red Bull confirmed on Wednesday that celebrated chief technical officer Adrian Newey will leave the Formula One team in early 2025 after 19 years.

It was widely reported last week that the 65-year-old, regarded as the greatest designer in the sport’s history, was set to quit following a controversy involving allegations about team principal Christian Horner.

The British-based Red Bull team have won six constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles, split between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, with Newey-designed cars to date.

They are on course to do the double again in 2024, with Dutch driver Verstappen the dominant force in the sport.

Ferrari, soon to be joined by Lewis Hamilton, appears to be in pole position to sign up Newey.

The British designer, a chief architect of Red Bull’s dominance, is set to end his stay in the “first quarter” of next year, according to a statement from the team.

“Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars. My dream was to be an engineer in Formula One, and I’ve been lucky enough to make that dream a reality,” Newey said.

“For almost two decades it has been my great honour to have played a key role in Red Bull Racing’s progress from upstart newcomer to multiple title-winning team.”

Horner lavished praise on Newey, saying “all of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian’s hand on the technical tiller.”

“His vision and brilliance have helped us to 13 titles in 20 seasons,” he said.

“His exceptional ability to conceptualise beyond F1 and bring wider inspiration to bear on the design of Grand Prix cars, his remarkable talent for embracing change and finding the most rewarding areas of the rules to focus on, and his relentless will to win have helped Red Bull Racing to become a greater force than I think even the late [founder] Dietrich Mateschitz might have imagined.”

Red Bull said Newey would step back from design duties to focus on the final development and delivery of Red Bull’s first hypercar, the RB17.

‘Called the shots’

He will continue to attend specific races to support the team until the end of the current season.

Newey, expected to be in Miami for this weekend’s race, has also worked with championship-winning teams at Williams and McLaren in his long career.

It was reported that he became unsettled after Horner was accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour by a female employee.

The team principal was cleared in February of wrongdoing by an internal investigation carried out by Red Bull’s parent company before the employee was then suspended. She is appealing that decision.

Former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone told AFP that Newey’s legacy to the team would take a while to assess.

“Teams have been trying to poach him for a long time,” Ecclestone, 93, told AFP by phone in Portugal.

“After the recent events at Red Bull, he probably thought ‘it may be best I leave now’.

“I have not spoken to him since it happened. Let us wait and see legacy-wise. I think obviously he has been around a long time, the good thing about him is he was not a dreamer, he called the shots as they were.

“How much contribution he made to the success we have to wait and see.”

Verstappen’s Red Bull future was thrown into doubt last month after his father, Jos, said the team was in danger of being “torn apart” if Horner remained in his job.

Last year, Verstappen and Red Bull produced the most dominant season in F1 history, with the Dutchman winning 19 of the 22 races and the team all but one.

Verstappen has won four of the first five races in 2024.

ISLAMABAD: Head coach Roelant Oltmans expects an improved show by Pakistan in the 30th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup as the national squad is set to leave for Malaysia to compete in the event on Wednesday night.

“I am sure the team will play better to produce improved results in this tournament,” Dutch Oltmans said while speaking to reporters here at the Naseer Bunda Hokey Stadium on Tuesday.

The 69-year-old Oltmans has served Pakistan’s senior and junior teams in different roles during different times since 2004 and was involved with the youth side in his recent-most stint.

The six-team invitational event also featuring teams from hosts Malaysia, South Korea, New Zealand, Canada and Japan, will be held in Ipoh from May 4-11.

Pakistan, who won the Azlan Shah Cup title thrice, in 1999, 2000 and 2003, came third in the last edition which was also held in Ipoh in 2022. Malaysia are the defending champions of this year’s edition.

Senior player Ammad Shakeel Butt will lead Pakistan in Ipoh while Abu Bakr will be the vice-captain.

During a visit to the national team’s training camp at the Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium, Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Youth Affairs Rana Mashood Khan hoped that Pakistan would do well in Ipoh.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2024