SPORTS Thursday, 14 September, 2017
INDEPENDENCE CUP
Honours even, As Attention turns to on-field mAtters LAHORE
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K SHAHID
HERE was a palpably different feel around the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday night, as Pakistan looked to seal the historic series against the World XI. Cricket had come home on Tuesday, the next day was about gauging how the national side fared against an all-star side. Pakistan might’ve preferred things the other way around. For, while they outlasted the World XI in the first T20, they were completely outplayed in the second, despite the penultimate ball finish. After winning the toss, captain Sarfraz Ahmed uncharacteristically opted to bat first, as heavy winds seemed to displace pretty much everything but the jam-packed crowd’s overwhelming passion and outpouring emotions at witnessing world class cricket on home turf again. But once the initial euphoria – carried forward from the previous night – was over, the game was back under the microscope. And so Ahmed Shehzad, whose 34ball 39 from the first T20 was largely overlooked considering the final total, the
end result, and indeed the fact that Tuesday was all about the exotic kickoff, caused unrest in the crowd – and meltdown on social media – with his 34-ball 43. What didn’t help Shehzad’s – or indeed Pakistan’s – cause was that this time he was joined by Babar Azam in slowing things down. Azam(45 off 38) actually had a lower strike rate than Shehzad. It was the difference in Babar Azam’s strike rate that eventually translated into the gap between the Pakistan scores in the first and second T20. For, everyone else pretty much mirrored their batting performance from Tuesday. Shoaib Malik left his mark again with 39 off 23, with Imad Wasim hitting a couple of boundaries to finish with 15 off 11 deliveries. Pakistan’s 174/6 was 3 less than what the World XI had managed chasing 198 on Tuesday. And so the visitors fittingly romped home on the 119th delivery of the run chase. Hashim Amla (72* off 55) anchored the chase right to the end to see the all-stars home. But it was Thisara Perera who hit the winning six with the World XI needing 6 off two deliveries, to finish with a match-deciding 47* off 19 balls that helped the away side win by 7 wickets with a call to spare.
Earlier Perera had led the bowling performance of his side as well with 2-23, dismissing Sarfraz Ahmed and Imad Wasim at the end, further cementing him as the Man of the Match. Meanwhile, Samuel Badri’s 2/23 included the wickets of the dangerous Fakhar Zaman, and the Man of the Match from the first game Babar Azam. It was Ben Cutting’s spell (1/52) that stood out for the worse, allowing Pakistan to accelerate at the end and pushing the score closer to what the World XI had man-
aged on Tuesday. In reply, barring Imad Wasim – who finished with 1/27 in his four overs – the Pakistani bowlers struggled both in containing the opposition or indeed taking wickets. Sohail Khan, the pick of the bowlers on Tuesday, conceded 44 the following day, further slashing question marks over his fitness levels and the ability to perform well for a sustained period. Rumman Raees, who was tasked with defending 13 off the final over, finished with 0/36 in 3.5
overs. Usman Khan Shinwari only bowling a single over was a surprising call by Sarfraz. He conceded 10 runs off the over, and if that meant he couldn’t be trusted with another go one wonders why Shinwari was included in the starting XI to begin with. Pakistan practically went with six full-time bowlers, at least three of them – Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz and Imad Wasim – are designated as all-rounders, or potential all-rounders. That Pakistan probably played a bowler too many might be considered a bizarre argument since the batting can be barely accused of running out of batsmen, nor indeed can the bowling be credited with anything after failing to defend 174 with 6 front-line bowlers. These are the questions that Sarfraz would’ve faced had it been any other series, anywhere else. But as the match reached the finish line, everyone was just excited about the decider on Friday – perhaps even the Pakistani squad. Regardless of which team wins, Pakistani cricket fans know that they achieved the revival of international cricket in the country, something that would prove to be bigger than the series win.
Hassan Ali happy at international cricket’s return to Pakistan LAHORE STAFF REPORT
Pakistan’s Champions Trophy star Hassan Ali on Wednesday expressed happiness at the return of international cricket to Pakistan and congratulated the Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB) on their success to bring top class players in the country. Hassan said, “There is a bit of pressure in these match because we were playing in front of our home crowd and against World XI,” He added, “But we had a great game, everyone was in good form and the
crowd enjoyed a lot. We are all glad that cricket has returned to Pakistan.” West Indies star Darren Sammy also appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to revive international cricket on their home turf. The allrounder also expressed satisfaction at the security arrangements made for the series and admired the hospitality of the Pakistani people. The Independence Cup is the first major international cricket event in Pakistan after a hiatus of nearly eight years caused by a ter-
rorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009, which shut all doors of international cricket in the country. With much persuasion, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) managed to bring international players to Pakistan, and the International Cricket Board chose players from top cricketing nations to compile a World XI lineup for a three-match Twenty20 tournament in the hopes of reopening the closed doors of international cricket in Pakistan.
Sethi admits to PCB’s pricing blunder for World XI series LAHORE STAFF REPORT
Amla reveals admiration for Younis Khan LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain and the country’s highest Test run-scorer Younis Khan has received massive appreciation from one of the best batsman currently playing the game. South Africa’s star batsman Hashim Amla recently revealed his immense respect and admiration for Pakistan’s Younis Khan. In an interview to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ahead of the second T20 of the Independence Cup, the World XI opener, he said that he has admired Younis throughout the legendary batsman’s career. “For me, Younis Khan has always been somebody I have admired throughout his career and throughout my career,” Amla said, pointing out that he has keenly followed the batsman’s innings up until Younis’ last match against the West Indies earlier this year. The Protean cricketer, whose innings of 26 was cut short by Rumman Raees in the series opener on Tuesday, said that he was impressed with Younis’ work ethic and fitness. “His work ethics always seem to be immaculate for somebody who has played international cricket for so long. To maintain that type of excellence in Test cricket is phenomenal,” Amla said about Younis, who became the first Pakistani batsman to score 10,000 Test runs before hanging up his boots. AGENCIES
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Najam Sethi said on Friday that the board made a huge mistake while deciding the ticket prices for the on-going three-match Independence Cup series between Pakistan and World XI. The PCB chairman admitted that the reason for a few empty seats in the Gaddafi stadium was due to the high price of tickets for the series. The first match between the two teams on Tuesday could not get a full house at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. PCB had priced the tickets at Rs500, 2,500, 4,000, 6,000 and 8,000 for different enclosures, and for many it was just too expensive. “I have a family of five, if I am going to the Imran Khan enclosure (Rs6,000), I will have to pay 30,000 rupees, and few more for food and other expenses. That would be Rs35,000 for three hours entertainment,” a fan had pointed out yesterday. When a journalist raised the issue during Sethi’s press conference with ICC’s CEO David Richardson, the PCB chief admitted the mistake and promised that the board will learn from this and will make a
better price list next time. “You are absolutely right about prices,” Sethi responded to the journalist. “We made a mistake by setting such high prices.” He said that the PCB, while setting prices for the tickets, was misled by the trend it witnessed during the PSL final in Lahore earlier in March. “We were misled by the trend we saw in PSL when prices were unimportant and irrelevant and people paid high prices to come and witness the event,” the PCB chairman added. Sethi said that it was a learning experience and following the comparatively low turn-out, the board will review its pricing policy for future events. “We should have kept lower prices for the three-match series. But I can assure you that we’ll learn from this and considerably and significantly reduce prices for future.” The PCB chairman also highlighted that some people did not turn up due to strict security arrangements at various points in the city. “The security was so tight that many people from different areas couldn’t reach or went back home,” he said. “We can do very little about it as, despite our requests, the Punjab government is relentless in providing security,” Sethi added.
Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore.
CMYK
mushtaq says World Xi series ‘first drop of rain’ LAHORE: Former Pakistani cricketer Mushtaq Ahmed has said that the on-going series between Pakistan and World XI – termed as the Independence Cup- was the ‘first drop of rain,’ hoping that it would open doors for more International cricket in the country. Mushtaq said that the World XI players, playing the series against Pakistan, will send a message of safety to their respective boards and that they would tell them that the people of Pakistan are great fans of cricket. “This is the first drop of rain. It is important to have a full-fledged series for the people’s confidence to build up,” he said. “When there would be three Tests, four-five ODIs and two T20Is in all cities, then it would convey to the world that we are a country that can host anybody.” The former Pakistani cricketer said that the on-going series would greatly impact Pakistan cricket by inspiring youngsters in the country. “These youngsters, after having watched cricketing stars play in front of them, will return to their clubs and act like the legends, which will have a great impact on Pakistan cricket.” Speaking of excitement among the masses, Ahmed said that there is so much passion across the country and I hope the world gets a message that Pakistan is a good country and we deserve to have more series. STAFF REPORT
malik becomes Pakistan’s leading scorer in t20i
LAHORE: Pakistan’s veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik surpassed team-mate Umar Akmal and became the country’s leading scorer in T20I on Wednesday. Shoaib Malik scored 39 off 23 deliveries, smashing three sixes and one boundary in the second T20I against the ICC World XI at Lahore’s Ghadaffi Stadium. “Congratulations to Shoaib Malik on becoming the top run scorer in T20Is for Pakistan!” the ICC had tweeted. With Wednesday innings, which were Malik’s 82nd, his total runs tally in international T20s raised to 1702 runs, 12 more than Umar Akmal. Malik is also the only Pakistani to score 7,000 runs in official T20 matches. With 7069 runs in T20 cricket, Shoaib Malik is at seventh place in the list of all time top scorers in the shortest format of the game. STAFF REPORT