Pakistan faced their biggest ever defeat in the T20 World Cup as they lost to a non-playing nation USA. After their failed performance in the event, the team could not qualify for the Super 8 of tournament and their campaign ended on June 16.

“After three months, I think he should have done it at the same time. As soon as the World Cup was over, our World Cup was over on 16th June. Because we had not qualified further. He should have resigned at the same time. The whole nation was saying that he should have resigned. But He was stubborn. Because his style was like this, he was king (In a sarcastic way). His performance was not good, neither was theirs. Anyway, they should have seen that we are removed in two ways. I don’t know what happened to him” said Sikander Bakht on Pakistan news channel. 

Why after 3 1/2 months???Was he asked too?? @TheRealPCB @TheRealPCBMedia @Jason_Gillespie @MohsinnaqviC42 @waqyounis99 #sikanderbakht #PakistanCricket @captainmisbahpk @Saqlain_Mushtaq @realshoaibmalik @SarfarazA_54 #ChampionsCup2024 @babarazam258 #BabarAzam𓃵 pic.twitter.com/B9FwlkeruX

— Sikander Bakht (@Sikanderbakhts) October 1, 2024

“He was told to resign. Look, we have three captains in our base. There are groups of three captains. One is Babar, another is Rizwan. They want to become captains. Shaheen want to become captain again. And there is also Shan Masood. Shan Masood lost five or six matches” added Sikander Bakht

The post Ex-Pakistan cricketer Lashes at Babar Azam for stepping down from Test captaincy appeared first on Cricket Country.

However, fan witnessed an ugly spat between two former Pakistan players Moin Khan and Sikander Bakht. It was the post-match show of the final between England and Pakistan. The argument started when Moin and Bakht were joined by Abdul Razzaq and Aaqib Javed.

Aaqib Javed claimed that PCB is walking on BCCI’s footstep by issuing NOCs to players for participating in international leagues. However, Bakht disagreed to it. Javed said “IPL ne 14 saal se players ko bahar jaane se rok diya. Aaj tak achhi performance nahi aayi World Cup me. Jab tak aapke players England, South Africa, Australia, CPL nahi jaayenge, tab tak seekhenge kaise? Aur ye India karta hai, toh hamaare chairman ne bhi NOC dena shuru kar di.(IPL didn’t allow Indian players to go out and play. They haven’t performed in the World Cup since. If you don’t let your players play abroad, how will they learn? Only because India do this, our chairman also started issuing NOCs for the same)”

Bakht disagreed and said even England doesn’t allow their players to leave during the county season. He said “During the season toh nahi jaane dena chahiye. During the season, England County se kahi bhejte hain? Be honest. Off-season, bilkul jaane dena chahiye. England me County season ke darmiyaan leagues khelne ki ijaazat hoti ya nahi, ye pata lagaayein aap. Agar aapki apni cricket ho rahi ho toh bacchey ko bahar nahi jaana chahiye.(I don’t think you should allow them during the season. Even England don’t send their players during County season. If you are having cricket season, your players shouldn’t go out and play)”

“Ye aapke thought hain(This is your thought),” Moin Khan intervened. Bakht in response to this referred to Moin Khan’s son Azam playing in the Caribbean Premier League and made an explosive remark by saying “Aapke sahabzaade jaate hain, vo theek hai(We know, your son plays),”

Moin Khan replied and said “Sahabzaade ki baat nahi hai. Mujhe dekhke baat karein, aakhein milaake baat karein. Domestic season ko agar aap compare karenge international season se, vo galat hai. ‘Mera beta khelta hai’, aap ajeeb baatein kar rahe hain. Mera beta deserve karta hai isliye khel raha hai. Bekaar baatein kar rahe hain aap. (It’s not about my son. Look at me and then talk, look at me in the eye. You can’t compare domestic season with international seasons. My son deserves, that’s why he’s playing. You’re talking nonsense)”

However, the anchor present in the studio intervened and changed the subject before things could get uglier between the two former Pakistani players.

The post Mera Beta Deserve Karta Hai. Bekar Baatein Kar Rahe Hai Aap: Former Pakistan Cricketers Get Into Heated Spat appeared first on Cricket Country.

Former Pakistan speedster Waqar Younis has questioned the sportsmanship of Virat Kohli‘s men following their 31-run loss to England in the ongoing World Cup.

Chasing 338 on Sunday, India could manage 306/5 in their full quota of 50 overs at Edgbaston and suffered their first defeat in the ongoing tournament.

“It’s not who you are…What you do in life defines who you are…Me not bothered if Pakistan gets to the semis or not but one thing is for sure…Sportsmanship of few Champions got tested and they failed badly,” said Waqar on Twitter.

ALSO READ: Cricket World Cup 2019: Basit Ali criticises Indian batsmen as Pakistan’s semifinal hopes left in limbo

Earlier, former Pakistan cricketers Basit Ali and Sikander Bakht had alleged that the Men in Blue might intentionally lose to England to oust Pakistan from the tournament.

Had India won Sunday’s game, it would have made it much easier for Pakistan to enter the semifinals as they would then have to beat Bangladesh to make it to the knockouts.

However, now besides beating Bangladesh, Pakistan will have to bank upon the result of the England-New Zealand match and hope that the Black Caps defeat the Three Lions in their last encounter on Wednesday.

The post Cricket World Cup 2019: Former Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis questions Virat Kohli-led Indian team’s sportsmanship after loss against England appeared first on Cricket Country.

Karachi: Their campaign over after being beaten and bruised in the World T20 2016, members of the Pakistan cricket team will start returning back home via Dubai tonight with anger growing over their disappointing performances in the mega-event. Head coach Waqar Younis is also due to return to Lahore and hold meetings with the cricket board high-ups before any decision is taken on whether to extend his two-year coaching contract which is due to end in May. “The players and officials could face a angry reception on their return home to Lahore and Karachi but I think they should be prepared for this given the way they have been performing since last year,” former Test batsman Basit Ali said. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs Australia, Match 26, Super 10 stage, ICC World T20 2016 at Mohali

Skipper Shahid Afridi has already said he is not fit to captain the side anymore but has created uncertainty about his future by stating that he wants to carry on but will take a decision on returning home in a few days time. “How much more time does he require to take a decision. I think he failed as a captain and also as a player. I think we need some new faces in the team and Afridi should retire,” former Test pacer and critic, Sikander Bakht said.

Afridi, a veteran of 19 years in international cricket, had said last year he would retire after the World T20 but now appears to have changed his mind about playing on. “It would be best for Shahid to announce his retirement as no one in the board is in the mood to see him carrying on even as a player. He got his chances to earn glory as captain and player and he copped it so he must now see the writing on the wall,” an official, who didn’t want to be named, told PTI. READ: Pakistan greats demand overhaul in squad following T20 World Cup 2016 exit

Afridi’s captaincy and own form and Waqar’s coaching tactics have come under fire since Pakistan lost to India in the World T20 and former great Wasim Akram went as far as to say that had he been coach he would have relinquished his position by now. Pakistan’s former Test captain, Javed Miandad said Shahid had served Pakistan cricket for many years but it was time he retired and was replaced even as a player. He also demanded that the process of accountability before the team needs to start in the board.

“I would think the Chairman Shaharyar Khan is overall responsible for everything and he should step down first than we can talk about other changes,” Miandad said. Pakistan’s former Test captain, Rashid Latif also felt that there was talent in the country and team but it was not being handled properly. “I got a feeling that Waqar remained unclear and couldn’t take strong decisions which is why he is now struggling to explain the team’s poor showings,” Latif said. .

Pakistan’s former Test captain, Muhammad Yousuf said he would appeal to the Prime Minister to look into the cricket affairs and set things right. “The first thing to be done is to put things right in the cricket board and get the right people for the job to run cricket affairs. Team changes can come later,” he said. But the minister for inter-provincial coordination which looks after sports in Pakistan, Riaz Pirzada said that people must accept victory and defeat. “What do people want us to do hang these players. It doesn’t happen that way sometimes you perform well sometimes badly. We will find out from the board what went wrong but these players are heroes and should be given respect,” he added.

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By Salman Zafar

In the last couple of weeks, that the war of words between Shahid Afridi with two of his former team-mates, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Yousuf, have left a bad taste in the mouth.

What’s surprising is that the number of fingers pointed at Afridi outnumbered the ones pointed at Akhtar and Yousuf. Not only does that show the fickle nature of a Pakistani supporter, it also goes to show the level of hypocrisy prevailing in Pakistan.

It was July 2013, when Afridi ended up with figures of seven wickets for 12 runs in the One-Day International (ODI) series against the West Indies that every cricket fan in the country was swooning over how good he was. Fast forward a couple of months and the same fans are now cursing him.

Why?

Is it because he shot back at the three pseudo analysts appearing on our TV screen?

The first one is Akhtar, whose penchant for controversy overshadowed his cricketing abilities throughout his career. Next up is Yousuf, who is still bitter about the way the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) treated him and is reaching Amir Sohail-esque levels of bearing grudges.

Last but not least, you have Sikander Bakht, whose contribution to Pakistan cricket is laughable. Criticising poor performances is fair and justifiable, but criticism coming from people who do not have a rational bone in their body, is infuriating.

For one, sitting in the comfort of your TV talk shows’ set is a very easy place to launch criticism. Afridi is right when he said, “The way some of these experts behave and act is as if the team never lost in their time.”

While losing is never easy and you eventually need to face the music, singling out one player is a shame. Afridi, for all the criticism thrown at him, did a reasonably good job with the ball against South Africa. Yes, for the millionth time, he’s a specialist bowler, not a batsman. What he brings as a batsman is only a bonus; nothing more and nothing less.

Pakistan’s performance against South Africa in the United Arab Emirate (UAE), included players who deserved a much greater flack. Mohammad Hafeez for example, has been nothing short of woeful, of late. Why don’t we see the pseudo cricket analysts on TV or talk shows when it comes to him?
What about Nasir Jamshed? He’s been out of form for ages, or even the regularly careless, Umar Akmal?

No one has slammed them or called for their heads.

Afridi probably makes for a very easy target and opinions on him will always vary in the extreme. People will either adore him or detest him. It is true that he hasn’t been at his best recently, but he has hardly been as bad as his performances are made out to be.

Any normal player would be infuriated when he has to face undue criticism. Even Misbahul Haq agreed with Afridi’s stance on matters, not explicitly perhaps, when it comes to the recent criticism towards the team. Floating around outlandish suggestions of retirement every time the team underperforms is ridiculous.

We have been watching, supporting and playing cricket for decades, yet we have never been able to measure our emotions with rational thinking. We will praise the same players to no bounds when they play well and call for their heads every time they come home with a loss.

Yousuf and Shoaib were fantastic players on the pitch, but their analysis towards the team reeks of personal vendetta more than anything else. Having played cricket for so long, they themselves know the pressures of playing on a losing side and they know how hard it is to handle the pressure in a cricket-crazy nation that smells blood after every defeat.

Facing the fickle supporters and Pakistan’s vulture press is already a hard task, the last thing the current players need is former players coming up and demanding retirements and sackings. This is the same team that lost resoundingly to South Africa in UAE and then turned the tables in the very next series with a series win.

Afridi may not be a legend, but his contribution to our limited-overs team has been significant. He was the man who led Pakistan to their best World Cup outing in 12 years and played a major role in our first Twenty20 (T20) World Cup triumph in 2009.

He has produced some very memorable performances with the ball during his career and has even managed to pull off the occasional blinder with the bat. He remains as the only player in ODI history who took a five wicket haul and scored 50 runs three times.

While his form has seen a dip lately when compared to his heydays, he isn’t ready to give up anytime soon. In all probability, he is going to be around till the 2015 World Cup and will play an integral role in our ODI and T20 sides, a fact highlighted by his ‘Man of the Match’ performance versus Sri Lanka less than 24 hours ago.

More recently, all-rounder Afridi starred in Pakistan’s exciting three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first Twenty20 International at Dubai Stadium. In all, Afridi hit three sixes and two boundaries to help Pakistan overcome a tough challenge from world No 1, Sri Lanka, who had taken the match to the final over with Pakistan needing six runs.

This is the same Afridi who was being slammed left, right and centre, and the same player whose cricket obituary gets written every now and then. The reaction towards his latest performance was typical of our cricket following public and the pseudo analysts — nothing but acclaim for Afridi. However, the very same people will start sharpening their knives should he have a dry spell in the next few matches, which is most ironic part — heroes one day, villains the very next!

Criticism is fine, but undue criticism is uncalled for.

(Salman Zafar is a cricket buff, Beatles enthusiast and aspiring movie maker from Canada. His Twitter handle is @salmanzafar1985)

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By Raja Yousuf

While there are several serious issues brewing in Pakistani cricket, perhaps the worst is that senior cricketers have started quarreling over comments passed by each other, adding spice to cricket talk shows and thereby creating chaos.

Pakistan finally managed to win a series against South Africa for the first time. They managed to win the hearts again of Pakistani cricket lovers, and at the same time Misbah-ul-Haq won appreciation from critics too.

Sadly, Shahid Afridi’s batting raised a lot of questions throughout the series, especially since he plays careless shots despite playing over 369 One-Day Internationals (ODIs).

Sitting on a TV talk show, Sikander Bakht, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Yousuf chastised Afridi for underperforming in the South Africa series. Afridi took it upon himself to lash out at the former players with comments like, “I don’t care about what they say. But the way some of these experts behave and act is as if the team never lost in their time. To me, comments from Heckle and Jeckle and Mr Bean don’t make a difference.”

The comments made at the airport after his return to Pakistan sparked even more controversy. Replying to Afridi’s comments, Yousuf said, “I have said it before…he is still like a child and immature. I will repeat again: youngsters should not make Afridi their role model. I just say what is true and if Afridi is upset about it I don’t care because everyone knows about his behaviour.”

Akhtar, in particular, was furious and went on Geo saying Afridi had shown the difference between an educated and an illiterate person.

“I am surprised that he has not grown up. He has played for Pakistan through his 360 ODIs…still he has gained no maturity. He should look at his performance — sometimes he says I am not a bowler and then he says I am not a batsman, Are you playing for Karachi Gymkhana or Pakistan? I am only talking about what happened in the ground. I don’t want to open my mouth but I know which players sold Pakistan cricket, and when.”

Afridi’s century from 37 balls against Sri Lanka in 1996 made him a hero, yet he is considered an unreliable batsman despite having played 300 matches. Though his bowling has improved a great deal, he is counted as an all-rounder who needs to score also. On 20 ODIs this year, Afridi has scored just 375 runs at 22.05 and taken 22 wickets at 32.18.

This is the third time Afridi has created a spectacle at the airport after returning from an international tournament. He should look up to India’s MS Dhoni as an example. Dhoni won the World Cup 2011 for his country and he is counted among the world’s best captains, but if today his team loses a match, the media does not spare him. Yet, he retains his cool and composure.

Afridi’s response to the comments of Yousuf and Akhtar is a reflection of the current state of the Pakistan team. When you cannot face criticism pointed towards your performance, you cannot progress.

The best answer to any criticism is with compelling performances. If a player is under pressure or if fingers are pointed at him, the best way is to focus on your weak points, work to overcome them. In short, Afridi needs to do rethink about his personality and performance.

Respect cannot be demanded, it has to be earned.

(Raja Yousuf is a writer with The Express Tribune where this article was first published)

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On March 29, 1979 Sarfraz Nawaz managed to get Andrew Hilditch out handled the ball. Abhishek Mukherjee looks back at possibly the most controversial handled the ball dismissal in the history of Test cricket.

Though there are several ways in which a batsman can get out, only a few of them can be seen in international cricket on a regular basis. It is not every day that you come across two rare dismissals on the same day. March 29, 1979, however, was one such day.

What happened earlier?

After Sarfraz Nawaz had demolished Australia at MCG with 9 for 86 in the second innings (including a spell of 7 for 1) to help Pakistan obtain a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series, the two teams met at WACA where Kim Hughes won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Rodney Hogg struck with the second ball, having Majid Khan caught. Pakistan were soon reduced to 49 for 4, but Javed Miandad helped graft crucial partnerships with vice-captain Asif Iqbal, captain Mushtaq Mohammad, and Imran Khan. Pakistan finally folded for 277, with Miandad stranded on 129. Alan Hurst had taken 4 wickets while Geoff Dymock had 3.

In response, Australia were cruising at 219 for 3 despite a persistent four-pronged Pakistan seam attack. Rick Darling and Allan Border were the only ones to go past fifty, and despite three-wicket hauls from Imran and Mudassar Nazar, Australia managed to score 327, obtaining a crucial lead of 50.

The Australian seamers struck again, leaving Pakistan reeling at 153 for 6 (Majid scored a pair). Asif and Imran then added 92 runs in 115 minutes (of which Imran scored only 15), and Pakistan ended the day with 246 for 7, with Asif on 101 — and Pakistan were ahead by 196 at stumps on the fourth day.

The Final Day

Nos. 9 and 10, Sarfraz and Wasim Bari, did not last long. The last batsman Sikander Bakht, however, turned out to be a thorn in Australia’s flesh, batting for over half an hour. Then Hurst found Sikander outside the crease while running in to bowl, and to everyone’s surprise, Mankaded him.

The incident had left a sour taste in the minds of the Pakistanis. Sarfraz, probably the most mercurial of the lot, was fuming when he took the new ball, and was waiting for an opportunity. With Pakistan having scored 285 (Asif was left stranded on 134 while Hurst took 5 wickets), Australia needed 236 to win the Test.

Darling and Andrew Hilditch walked out to open the Australian innings. They put up a good stand, adding 87 for the opening stand. It was then that Darling drove Sarfraz to Sikander at cover, who ‘idly shied’ the ball towards the non-striker’s end. The unsuspecting Hilditch picked it up and threw it back to Sarfraz.

As soon as Hilditch threw the ball, Sarfraz appealed to umpire Tony Crafter, who had no option but to rule Hilditch out “handled the ball”. The Test was won and the series levelled without much ado, but the incident left a sour taste in the mouths of both teams.

Reactions

Cricketers from both sides went vocal on the incident. Hughes said: “It made us grit our teeth. It just wasn’t cricket.”

When asked about the Sikander dismissal, Hughes responded “It wasn’t a square-off, it was just part of cricket”. Hughes added, “Andrew displayed great sportsmanship, I felt, in picking up the ball. Sarfraz’s action was not a part of professional cricket and there was no excuse for it.”

Asif apologised: “I think it was disgusting and I’m very sorry about it. It should never have happened. There was no need for us to have stooped to that level.”

Even Mushtaq Mohammad, the quintessential street-fighter, said “The Sikander run out should never have happened. That little incident left a bad taste and that was followed by the Hilditch dismissal. But two wrongs don’t make it right.”

Brief Scores:

Pakistan 277 (Javed Miandad 129; Alan Hurst 4 for 61) and 285 (Asif Iqbal 134 not out, Haroon Rasheed 47; Alan Hurst 5 for 94) lost to Australia 327 (Allan Border 85, Rick Darling 75, Andrew Hilditch 41) and 236 for 3 (Rick Darling 79, Allan Border 66 not out) by 7 wickets.

(Abhishek Mukherjee is a cricket historian and Senior Cricket Writer at CricketCountry. He generally looks upon life as a journey involving two components – cricket and literature – though not as disjoint elements. A passionate follower of the history of the sport with an insatiable appetite for trivia and anecdotes, he has also a steady love affair with the incredible assortment of numbers that cricket has to offer. He also thinks he can bowl decent leg-breaks in street cricket, and blogs at http://ovshake.blogspot.in. He can be followed on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ovshake and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ovshake42)

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Mansoor Akhtar was regarded as one of the most stylish batsman of Pakistan © Getty Images

Karachi: June 6, 2011

Former Pakistan batsman Mansoor Akhtar has been forced to step down from his senior position in a leading bank after being charged in a corruption case.

According to a report, Mansoor had to step down as head of the United Bank sports complex after being charged with committing fraud and corruption.

Mansoor, regarded as one of the most stylish batsmen produced by Pakistan, appeared in 19 Tests and 41 one-day matches in a career spanning from 1980 to 1990.

The report in Jang newspaper said Mansoor was accused of depositing cheques directly into his own account which were given by departments, banks and organisations as rental for the complex ground.

He is also accused of keeping salaries of “ghost” employees at the complex.

“He had a front man, an umpire named Ejaz Zaidi who worked for and collected the cheques and money and organised tournaments for him,” the report said.

The report said that after receiving a complaint, the UBL which used to have its own first class team and produced many leading players like Rashid Latif, Waqar Younis, Mushtaq Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sikander Bakht, Basit Ali, Azhar Mahmood, conducted a departmental inquiry against Mansoor.

“During the course of the inquiry, the evidence against Mansoor appeared to be strong that he had committed fraud and corruption and cheated the bank out of millions of rupees,” the newspaper said.

© PTI

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