Cricket Australia confirms Pakistan tour; PCB announces revised schedule

[ghazi52]

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US President Eisenhower was greeted by Skipper Fazal Mahmood, as he arrived to watch the cricket match between Pakistan and Australia in Karachi. Imtiaz Ahmed and Hanif Mohammad were also visible standing in line to receive the President Eisenhower..
Year: 8 December 1959.

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[ghazi52]

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NCOC allows 100% crowd capacity for Australia series.​

The NCOC directed the authorities that the COVID-19 protocols should be strictly followed by spectators and organisers...​

By Amina Amir
March 01, 2022

ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Tuesday allowed 100% crowd capacity for the upcoming Australia series.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is allowed to conduct Pakistan vs Australia cricket matches scheduled from March 4 to April 5, 2022 at 100% of the stadium capacity,” the NCOC said in a statement issued today.

However, it added that children 12 years of age and above (fully vaccinated) are allowed to watch the matches from the stands. Children below 12 years of age are also allowed without vaccination.

The NCOC directed the authorities that the COVID-19 protocols should be strictly followed by spectators and organizers.

The forum had earlier permitted 100% crowds during the Lahore leg matches of the recently concluded seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League.

It is important to note that the daily COVID-19 count has declined sharply in the past few days and the NCOC has lifted restrictions after reviewing the latest disease trend in the country.

 

[ghazi52]

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The first Test at Gaddafi (then called Lahore Stadium) Pakistan vs. Australia.
Date: 1959
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[Ghessan]

yellow journalism:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1498848207928889350

but players are here to enjoy:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1498645448592080901

 

[ghazi52]

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Australia step into unknown for first Test in Pakistan since 1998.​

Admin.
Mar 2, 2022.

ISLAMABAD: Ashes-winning Australia will face unfamiliar conditions, heavy security and unpredictable, but talented, opponents when they begin their first Test in Pakistan for 24 years on Friday.

Having landed in Islamabad just three days ago to be immediately engulfed in “head of state-level security”, the Australians have had little time to acclimatise to conditions in Rawalpindi, where the first Test will be played.

But they may like what they see as they practise, with a pitch often more conducive to seam bowling than the more typical spinners’ wickets more usually found across Pakistan.

In three Tests played in Rawalpindi since Pakistan were allowed to host matches again in 2019, 10 years on from the fatal terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore, fast bowlers have snapped up 52 wickets with spinners only bagging 21.

Australia captain Pat Cummins, fresh from leading his side to a 4-0 Ashes drubbing of England in his first series in charge, admitted it would be all new to his players.

“You know most international players — and conditions — but this series comes with a few more unknowns than perhaps normally, so it’s going to be interesting and challenging,” said Cummins.

“I have a big belief in making sure our own game is in order. We must think that we are in great form since the Ashes and look at that, rather than on the opposition.”

The Australian will not have encountered some of Pakistan’s players before.

Spinners Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan have come in to replace leg-spinner Yasir Shah and fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who both starred in Pakistan’s 1-0 win over Australia in the United Arab Emirates in 2018.

“I think the one thing with the Pakistan team is that they have some young guys who come and shine straightaway so it’s a new challenge,” said Cummins.

 

[ghazi52]

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Pakistan and Australia men's cricket teams are gearing up in Rawalpindi for the historic Test series, starting from March 4.

The home side has been toiling hard for the past three days while Australia started their training today for the Test series opener.

Meanwhile, it is highly expected that the rain may affect the first Test between Pakistan and Australia. The forecast is clear for the first two days of the five-day match but light to moderate showers are expected on the last three days.

Remember, Pakistan hosted its first Test after the gap of 10 years in Rawalpindi back in 2019 against Sri Lanka. The rain completely spoiled three days and the play was only possible on day one and five of the Test match.

It must be noted that Australia will play three Tests, three ODIs and a T20I against Pakistan. Rawalpindi will host the Test series opener and white-ball leg while Karachi and Lahore will host the second and third Test respectively.

Schedule:​

4-8 March – 1st Test, Rawalpindi
12-16 March – 2nd Test, Karachi
21-25 March – 3rd Test, Lahore
29 March – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi
31 March – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi
2 April – 3rd ODI, Rawalpindi
5 April – one-off T20I, Rawalpindi

 

[ghazi52]

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@Mitch_Marshfan

We are enjoying our time in Pakistan...........................

 

[ghazi52]

Wait finally over...

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[ghazi52]

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6 stars likely to take centre stage in historic Test series​

AFP
March 3, 2022

A combination of photos of Marnus Labuschagne (L), Fawad Alam (C) and Nathan Lyon (R). — Pictures via Reuters/Twitter

Pakistan's long wait to attract an A-list international team to Pakistan is finally about to get over as an almost full-strength Australia are in Rawalpindi, where the first Test will begin on Friday barring the Aussies pulling a New Zealand (knock on wood).

Ahead of the Australian national team's first international match in Pakistan after more than 23 years, here is a list of six players — three from each side — who could hold the key to their respective team's success.

Australia​

Steve Smith​

Australia's Steven Smith is pictured during a second Ashes Test against Australia on Dec 18, 2021. — Reuters

Started his career as a leg-spinning all-rounder against Pakistan at Lord's in 2010 before developing into one of the most complete batters in international cricket.

His average of 59.87 is unsurpassed by any active Test player and he has proved his adaptability by scoring 1,200 runs in 13 Tests on slow, turning sub-Continent wickets.

Australia will look to Smith -- who by his own lofty standards had a lean series against England with 244 runs at 30.50 and a top score of 93 -- to anchor their batting against a formidable Pakistan attack on pitches alien to the tourists.

Nathan Lyon​

A file photo of Australian spinner Nathan Lyon. — Reuters/File

Likely to be the key to winning matches on the slow and turning pitches of Pakistan.

With 415 Test victims, Lyon is Australia's greatest off-spinner and as a slow bowler his tally for his country is only bettered by leg-spinner Shane Warne, who took 708 wickets.

Lyon, who has taken 95 wickets in 19 Tests in Asia, has a knack of understanding how pitches behave and subtly change over the course of a five-day match, having worked as a curator in his early days of the career.

Marnus Labuschagne​

Australia's Marnus Labuschagne reacts after reaching his century in second Ashes Test against England on Dec 17, 2021. — Reuters/File

The world's top-ranked batsman shot to prominence when he replaced Steve Smith as concussion substitute in the 2019 Ashes Test at Lord's and scored fifty.

His 23 Tests have seen him score 2,220 runs at 56.92 with six hundreds.

Labuschagne's maverick batting style puts him firmly in the same mould as teammate Smith who is the only active player in Tests with a higher average.
His eccentricity and meticulous approach meant he spent the few weeks practising at his house on a home-made mat with aluminium strips taped to it, to try to replicate conditions he may face against Pakistan's spinners.

Pakistan​

Shaheen Shah Afridi​

In this file photo, Shaheen Afridi celebrates the dismissal of Kemar Roach of West Indies during the 5th and final day of the 2nd Test between West Indies and Pakistan at Sabina Park on August 24, 2021. — AFP

Since making his Test debut as an 18-year-old three years ago, the tall left-armer's rise has been remarkable.


He possesses a wicked inswinger to right-handers that blew arch-rivals India away in the Twenty20 World Cup last year.

Shaheen's red-ball record stands up to scrutiny too -- he was the second highest wicket-taker in Tests last year with 47, just behind Ravi Ashwin's 54 for India.

His 78 wickets in all international cricket in 2021 saw him win the ICC Player of the Year award.

Fawad Alam​

A file photo batsman Fawad Alam. — Photo courtesy: PCB

While names such as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan hog the headlines, Fawad Alam pretty much flies under the radar when the vice versa should be the case — at least in the longest format.

Over the last 12 months, no Pakistan batsman has a better average in Tests than Fawad's 76.60. To put this into context, Babar (36.75) and Rizwan's (36.33) combined average is also less than Fawad's gargantuan number.
An extremely unorthodox middle-order grinder, Fawad can survive for long hours and provides the team a stubborn spine against dangerous bowling attacks.

Sajid Khan​

In this file photo, Sajid Khan delivers a ball during the final day of the second Test cricket match between Bangladesh and Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dec 8, 2021. — AFP

With an unusual action, Sajid has taken over the off-spinning duties from Bilal Asif who was Pakistan's match-winner against Australia in the 2018 series win in the UAE.

Sajid appears to bowl off the wrong foot, which can be disconcerting for batsmen as he proved by taking 12 wickets against Bangladesh in Pakistan's last Test outing in December.

Like all off-spinners, loves to operate out of the bowlers' rough outside the left-handers' off-stump, which could pose problems to Australia's lefty quartet of David Warner, Travis Head, .Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey...............

 

[Musings]

I think Pakistan's bowlers will be the key to the outcome.

 

[ghazi52]

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On Friday, Cummins will become the first Australian to lead his side in a Test on Pakistan soil in over 23 years. This is a moment too. There's much to say about that absence, little of it complimentary of Cricket Australia, but now is not the time for it. Now is the time to reflect on the bigness of this moment.

In some ways, this tour is similar to Australia's tour to Pakistan in 1959-60, their first proper one here (they had played a solitary Test in Karachi three years previously). At the time this part of the world was thought to be neither especially attractive nor particularly important as a destination; in 1956 it was a pitstop on the way back from an Ashes series. But in 1959, Australia were touring the subcontinent during their own domestic season and though some players didn't want to tour, they were told by the Australian board they had better, or else.

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Because it was the first real visit and because it took place at the height of the Cold War, the captain, Richie Benaud, contacted the Australian prime minister and met with a top diplomat to make sure he knew what was what before he got out there. Pakistan had just had its introduction to military dictatorship and the US president was scheduled to visit during the tour (and though he did end up watching, he wasn't there to watch cricket but to firm up a Cold War ally). The tour needed delicate navigation and even now, nearly seven years after Benaud passed, over 60 years after the tour, it's easy to imagine how well he would have steered through it, sharp on the field, sensitive and charming off it.

 

[ghazi52]

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Mohammad Wasim Jr in line for Test debut as Pakistan ponder five-man attack​

Three quicks and two spinners in prospect, but stiff challenge could await debutant at No.7

• ESPNcricinfo

Mohammad Wasim Jr could be in line for a surprise Test debut AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan are seriously considering giving a Test debut to Mohammad Wasim Jr at Rawalpindi, potentially as part of a five-man bowling attack.

The home side's preparations for the first Test of the historic series against Australia - the tourists' first in the country since 1998-99 - have been hit badly by the enforced withdrawals of Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali through injury.
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The pair were central to Pakistan's Test side last year, Hasan as a frontline pacer (who was third-highest Test wicket-taker of the year) and Faheem as the allrounder Pakistan have needed for years....

Their absence, along with that of Haris Rauf, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, means Pakistan have been forced to call up Iftikhar Ahmed and Wasim Jr to the squad, as well as Naseem Shah who was in the reserves.

And now, just over a day out from the Test, the suggestion in the Pakistan camp seems to be that they might play three fast bowlers - Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem and Wasim Jr - as well as both Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan as the spinners.

The problem for Pakistan is that Faheem's absence in particular upsets their Test balance, depriving them of a genuine two-in-one player. At No.7 he has often stalled collapses or built on middle-order work - only seven times in 19 innings has he failed to make at least 20 - while as a fifth bowler he has provided respite to the leaders of Pakistan's attack, keeping a tight rein on run-rates and picking up crucial wickets: in 13 out of 23 innings, he has picked up at least one wicket and his overall economy is 2.9.

Iftikhar's initial call-up suggested Pakistan might lean on his off-spin as a part-time option, while bolstering the batting with him at No.7 - he has a first-class average of 40.34.
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However, the nature of the Rawalpindi pitch is probably playing into the three-quicks option. Though it has tended to favour seam bowling, the pitch for this Test, until Wednesday at least, looked fairly dry with little grass. Nathan Lyon likened it to the kind of UAE surface on which Australia have played four Tests against Pakistan in recent years - runs over the initial period, before some spin and reverse comes into play.

That - as well as Australia's susceptibility to spin in the subcontinent - explains why Pakistan want to play both Nauman and Sajid. The trade-off then is whether they choose to beef up their batting - with Iftikhar - or their pace attack. At the moment they appear to be leaning towards the latter.
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FULL NAME .... Mohammad Wasim
BORN............... August 25, 2001, North Wazirastan
AGE....................20 years 190 day.
BATTING STYLE..........Right hand bat
BOWLING STYLE........Right arm fast medium
PLAYING ROLE.............................Allrounder

 

[Musings]

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Mohammad Wasim Jr in line for Test debut as Pakistan ponder five-man attack​

Three quicks and two spinners in prospect, but stiff challenge could await debutant at No.7

• ESPNcricinfo

View attachment 820467

Mohammad Wasim Jr could be in line for a surprise Test debut AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan are seriously considering giving a Test debut to Mohammad Wasim Jr at Rawalpindi, potentially as part of a five-man bowling attack.

The home side's preparations for the first Test of the historic series against Australia - the tourists' first in the country since 1998-99 - have been hit badly by the enforced withdrawals of Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali through injury.
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The pair were central to Pakistan's Test side last year, Hasan as a frontline pacer (who was third-highest Test wicket-taker of the year) and Faheem as the allrounder Pakistan have needed for years....

Their absence, along with that of Haris Rauf, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, means Pakistan have been forced to call up Iftikhar Ahmed and Wasim Jr to the squad, as well as Naseem Shah who was in the reserves.

And now, just over a day out from the Test, the suggestion in the Pakistan camp seems to be that they might play three fast bowlers - Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem and Wasim Jr - as well as both Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan as the spinners.

The problem for Pakistan is that Faheem's absence in particular upsets their Test balance, depriving them of a genuine two-in-one player. At No.7 he has often stalled collapses or built on middle-order work - only seven times in 19 innings has he failed to make at least 20 - while as a fifth bowler he has provided respite to the leaders of Pakistan's attack, keeping a tight rein on run-rates and picking up crucial wickets: in 13 out of 23 innings, he has picked up at least one wicket and his overall economy is 2.9.

Iftikhar's initial call-up suggested Pakistan might lean on his off-spin as a part-time option, while bolstering the batting with him at No.7 - he has a first-class average of 40.34.
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However, the nature of the Rawalpindi pitch is probably playing into the three-quicks option. Though it has tended to favour seam bowling, the pitch for this Test, until Wednesday at least, looked fairly dry with little grass. Nathan Lyon likened it to the kind of UAE surface on which Australia have played four Tests against Pakistan in recent years - runs over the initial period, before some spin and reverse comes into play.

That - as well as Australia's susceptibility to spin in the subcontinent - explains why Pakistan want to play both Nauman and Sajid. The trade-off then is whether they choose to beef up their batting - with Iftikhar - or their pace attack. At the moment they appear to be leaning towards the latter.
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FULL NAME .... Mohammad Wasim
BORN............... August 25, 2001, North Wazirastan
AGE....................20 years 190 day.
BATTING STYLE..........Right hand bat
BOWLING STYLE........Right arm fast medium
PLAYING ROLE.............................Allrounder

An exciting time for him to even be in the squad - Pakistan is gifered having so many fast bowlers to pick from

 

[ghazi52]

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1499299786075291649

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[ghazi52]

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Historical tour ki Chand Raat mubarak everyone......................

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