ICC Cricket World Cup - England 2019

[Peaceful Civilian]

We should learn from defeat against afganistan. Afghani even dropped our 2 catches and one stump , still we were not able to cross 300 in this match. Our players need to work hard in training sessions. Watch their weakness in laptop, and coaches are there to help if you are finding any difficulty.

 

[litman]

i don't understand why husnain and shaheen was selected.their past record is terrible and husnain was selected based on psl performance.psl matches are 20 overs match,not 50 over game.fat man inzamam has destroyed our cricket team.people asking questions about pakistani fast bowling.some believe that we don't have any talent left.i don't agree.we have talent.we have everything but we don't have fair selection criteria.have you seen any selector who selects his players based on 20 overs performance? why players are playing domestic? i mean it's terrible.i can assure you that pakistan have lots of muhammad amir and muhammad asif but you have to give them chance.look at the record of pakistani cricket team after champions trophy win! so many series defeats and still sarfaraz is captain.a captain who can't score runs and whose field setting strategy is a joke.sarfaraz should use his mind and do the right field settings in the upcoming event.

husnain and shaheen are useless bowlers.husnain is a kid.he needs at least one year in domestic.wahab riaz can reverse swing but he is very costly.look at his average.i think shaheen and husnain have no place in wc squad but we can't change squad now which is shame for pcb.these two players can be a disaster for any team.

we have no talent left . the only talented player in entire pak side is babar azam. rest all of them are "kachra". the modern day cricket is a game of batsmen and we have only one world class batsman. english bowlers were also not so impressive against pak in the recent series but it was their batting that chased any total every time. we have seen psl and all the new comers are also average. husnain and haris rauf were the only two cricketers who are better then the rest. shaheen is going to be the biggest failure for us in the WC. he doesnt have any brain and when he tries to bowl yorkers he bowls full toss. faheem ashraf, shinwari and junaid khan are also average bowlers lile amir and wahab. amir may be good at controlling runs but he is not a wicket taking bowler.hassan is slightly better then the rest but he is also just ok. i watched aussies against england and they bowled really well. english batsmen who were looking like monsters against pak were looking like cats in front of aussies. the pace, the bounce and the swing they were generating none of our bowlers are capable of doing the same.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Better to just call them back , nak kata ker ayein ge

 

[Asian.Century]

watch this analysis:

End of career for Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail and Hafeez forever.

And kick out Wahab Riaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi and immature Husnain from Worldcup squad.

Junaid Khan selfish actor should be banned from playing in Pakistan team ever again for his black tape cheap shot.

They are under performing and Safraz is extra ordinarily supporting Husnain, that kid never deserved to be in the Worldcup.

After worldcup sack Mickey Arthur, bowling Coach Azhar Mahmood and Chief Selector Inzamam-ul Haq.

 

[Asian.Century]

 

[Asian.Century]

ICC World Cup: Can this Pakistan Squad Really Go All The Way?

CHANDRESH NARAYANAN 2 DAYS AGO

It has been twenty years now since Pakistan made it to a World Cup final. The last time was in England in 1999 when Wasim Akram’s team was humbled by Australia in a low-scoring contest.

Since then, Pakistan has made the semi-final just once in 2011 and has flattered to deceive in every other World Cup.

The story about Pakistan has always been about a squad who are unpredictable and can surprise any side on their day. Their 2017 Champions Trophy triumph is a good reference point for all Pakistan watchers. Out of nowhere, Pakistan managed to turn the tables on India in the final and lift the trophy.

Nothing symbolised Pakistan cricket more than that 2017 Champions Trophy victory.

Since then however, Pakistan has been absolutely below par in all ODI cricket. The side has been through a churn and there is renewed criticism about the personnel in the current team.

The reason for this criticism has been the recent spate of losses that the side has suffered. The Sarfaraz Ahmed led in fact enter the ICC World Cup on the back of 10 straight ODI defeats.

In fact since the 2017 Champions Trophy, Pakistan has played 38 ODIs, losing 21 matches and winning just 15.


Skipper Sarfaraz Facing the Heat
The man at the centre of all criticism has been the captain Sarfaraz. He was the toast of the nation when he led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy title. But with form being fickle, Sarfaraz has borne the brunt of all criticism that his side has faced. Lots of conspiracy theories are abound about how he himself is under pressure to retain his place in the squad.

In fact, he was rested, under pressure, from the recent series against Australia in UAE. It was mentioned that Sarfaraz had wanted to play, but was asked to take a break.

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There were theories also that he could well be replaced as skipper for the World Cup. The performances by back-up wicket-keeper Mohammed Rizwan against Australia even raised speculations about his requirement in the side. Thankfully for Sarfaraz, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani publicly backed him and named him skipper for the World Cup. But despite the public backing, Sarfaraz had to face uncomfortable questions about his position.

Lots of other candidates were bandied about as possible replacements, including veteran Shoaib Malik. But ultimately the TINA (there is no alternative) factor meant that Sarfaraz retained his role as captain of Pakistan.

However, all the recent talk about him has increased the pressure on Sarfaraz. His job is on the line, because Pakistan will not settle for anything less than a title in the World Cup.

File picture of Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur during a training session with the team.
(Photo: AP)
Coaching Divide
Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur is also another man who has his head on the chopping block. He has been a polarising figure in Pakistan cricket. He has been accused of running the side with only his favourites.

Lot of the domestic stalwarts and battle scarred veterans have been either discarded or discounted in Arthur’s regime. Hence every slip-up by the side is magnified because it is perceived to be Arthur’s failure. Like his previous stints with Australia and South Africa, in Pakistan too Arthur has been nothing less than controversial in his tenure.

No Returns
One of the men who has been considered to be close to Arthur has been controversial paceman Mohammed Amir. Since his return from the fixing ban, Amir has been a mixed bag with the ball. There has therefore been a lot of criticism about the way Amir has been protected by Arthur.

In the 2017 Champions Trophy final, the pacer struck crucial blows to snuff out India’s chances. But since that day, Amir has picked just five wickets in 15 ODIs with an economy rate of 4.58. It is said that Amir, who was initially left out of the squad for the World Cup, has been recalled only because of his economy rate.

Also Read : Pakistan Make 3 Changes in Final World Cup Squad, Amir Included

Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz blows a kiss to Australia’s Shane Watson, left, during their Cricket World Cup quarterfinal match in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, March 20, 2015.
(Photo: AP)
Comeback Man
The other controversial choice in the World Cup squad has been that of Wahab Riaz. Since that steamy spell against Australia’s Shane Watson during the 2015 World Cup, Riaz has been completely sidelined in all formats.

In fact Riaz has not played ODI since 2017, because Arthur was not comfortable with his bowling.

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Riaz has never been economical, but his spells have been full of fire. Chairman of selectors Inzamam-ul-Haq announced in April while naming the preliminary Wold Cup squad that Riaz was no longer in their plans. But the spate of defeats, including especially during the batting contests in recent England series, forced a rethink. Riaz’s role is specific to bowl at the death and reverse the ball.

Riaz’s return has meant that the other left-armer Junaid Khan missed out on a place. But there are a couple of youngsters Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammed Hasnain who have leapfrogged in recent times. Hasnain specially has been named for his 90 miles per hour bowling. Pakistan pace attack forever famed for his raw speed, had been lacking fire for a long time.

Also Read : “I Had a Dream That I Got Call for WC Selection,” Says Wahab Riaz

Shadab Khan is Pakistan’s only specialist slow bowler in their 15-man World Cup squad.
(Photo: AP)
Weaker Links
Pakistan’s spinners are the weakest link in the squad. They have only leg-spinner Shadab Khan as the sole specialist slow bowler. The others are a mix of part-timers and batting all-rounders like Imad Wasim and Harris Sohail. This gaping hole could come back to haunt Pakistan during the World Cup, as most captains have identified spinners in the middle phase as the key to success.

The batting as usual is the weaker link of the Pakistan squad. Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq has been a controversial choice because he is a nephew of Inzamam. Despite his runs, Imam is considered to be what Pakistanis love to label a ‘parchi player’. But Imam’s partnership with Fakhar Zaman at the top of the order has been a big talking point for Pakistan. Zaman’s hundred sank India famously in the Champions Trophy final. The other big star in Pakistan line-up is Babar Azam, who has been the most consistent batsman in all formats.

Pakistan batting has plenty of experience in the shape of Malik and Mohammad Hafeez, but do not have enough firepower at the death. Pakistan bating has not achieved totals that England’s or India’s gun batting line-up has managed in ODI cricket in recent times. That has been the biggest criticism of Pakistan in ODI cricket in recent years.

In Conclusion
Recent debacles mean Pakistan has problems aplenty on their plate going into the World Cup. But no side other than Pakistan have the ability to overcome those problems.

Expect one thing for certain, the most entertaining press conferences will be that of Pakistan’s. No cricket side functions with fear of media criticism as much as Pakistan. So expect Pakistan to tread with caution when it comes to taking tough calls during the World Cup.

(The Quint is now available on Telegram and WhatsApp. For handpicked stories every day, subscribe to our Telegram and WhatsApp channels)

Follow our ICC World Cup 2019 section for more stories.

https://www.thequint.com/sports/world-cup/pakistan-world-cup-team-preview-icc-world-cup-2019

 

[ghazi52]

World Cup 2019 in numbers: From the oldest squad to the biggest jersey number
The only time the World Cup is within easy reach IDI via Getty Images
May 26, 2019

• Srinath Sripath

• 
  Been there, done that: Who's got the most experienced squad?

Nobody has played more ODI cricket in the 21st century than India, so it's no surprise that they top the charts for the squad with the most collective experience (1573 ODIs), but guess who's in second place? Not Australia, not England, but Bangladesh, who have four surviving members from the side that shocked India in the 2007 World Cup. Their famous five have gone past 100 ODIs together, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that they come into the World Cup as a side with one of the most experienced cores.

most ODI runs since the last World Cup (duh!), Adil Rashid and Rashid Khan top the wickets charts, Jos Buttler scores faster than anyone else - we know all of this, more or less. But, what are some names we didn't expect to see at this World Cup?

Let's start with Dimuth Karunaratne, whose last ODI was at the 2015 World Cup when he was picked in the Sri Lanka squad... and made captain! Jeevan Mendis is another shock selection, picked despite not playing a single ODI since the inaugural game of the previous World Cup. Tom Blundell, New Zealand's second-choice wicketkeeper, might become the only ODI debutant at this edition, having been picked after an injury to Tim Seifert.

Andre Russell is a not-so-surprising selection who has hardly played international 50-overs cricket over the past four years, and Liam Dawson (three ODIs since World Cup 2015) has made his way into the England squad after strong domestic performances. The famously face-painted Hamid Hassan, who was a TV commentator during Afghanistan's recent Test against Ireland, is back for another World Cup after recovering from a long-term knee injury.

What's in a (jersey) number?

Remember when Muttiah Muralitharan wore 800 at the 2011 World Cup? Or Chris Gayle's famous 333 at the back of his jersey over the past couple of editions? If you're nodding along, your memories are fooling you: Muralitharan wore 8, Gayle wears 45 at World Cups.

Though players like Gayle, and more recently Rishabh Pant, wear three-digit numbers in ODI cricket, the World Cup jersey's design brings with it space limitations, meaning players can only pick a number from 1 to 99. Even Herschelle Gibbs, who memorably sported 00 on the back of his jersey till World Cup 2003, switched to 07 in the 2007 edition. It is understood that players regularly come up with "weird requests" for jersey numbers, from 001 to 007, but there just isn't space to sneak them in.

The biggest kit numbers at this World Cup will continue to be Lasith Malinga's and Imran Tahir's 99, while there are a number of '1's across the squads. Wonder what Rishabh Pant, he of the 777 jersey, would have worn had he made it to India's World Cup squad.

England are World Cup favourites because...

...they have been the most successful ODI side since World Cup 2015, by a distance. In ODIs against the other nine World Cup teams, nobody even comes close to their win-loss ratio of 2.5. But record between World Cups has been something of a banana peel in recent years, with only Australia carrying on a hot streak and coming out trumps in the tournament. Just ask South Africa, who have dominated the in-between years, only for other teams to render those numbers (and bookmakers' odds) meaningless.

Will England's ODI form translate to a maiden ODI World Cup trophy? ESPNcricinfo Ltd

 

[Wikki019]

It was magnificent batting Display by Westindies. Now I am much more worried About Team Pakistan.

 

[Proudpakistaniguy]

It was magnificent batting Display by Westindies. Now I am much more worried About Team Pakistan.

West Indies is unpredictable Like Pakistan. They either play brilliant or poor cricket and lack consistency . They have good power hitters and if you don't out them quickly then score could go above 400 as today but they are not technically sound batsman so intelligent bowlers will managed to out them easily ..No team is weak actually and world cup will going to be interesting .. hope Pakistan play cricket with attacking mindset irrespective of results..tuk tuk will not win you matches on these conditions

 

[Doctor Strange]

World Cup 2019 in numbers: From the oldest squad to the biggest jersey number
The only time the World Cup is within easy reach IDI via Getty Images
May 26, 2019

• Srinath Sripath

• 
  Been there, done that: Who's got the most experienced squad?

Nobody has played more ODI cricket in the 21st century than India, so it's no surprise that they top the charts for the squad with the most collective experience (1573 ODIs), but guess who's in second place? Not Australia, not England, but Bangladesh, who have four surviving members from the side that shocked India in the 2007 World Cup. Their famous five have gone past 100 ODIs together, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that they come into the World Cup as a side with one of the most experienced cores.

View attachment 562352

most ODI runs since the last World Cup (duh!), Adil Rashid and Rashid Khan top the wickets charts, Jos Buttler scores faster than anyone else - we know all of this, more or less. But, what are some names we didn't expect to see at this World Cup?

Let's start with Dimuth Karunaratne, whose last ODI was at the 2015 World Cup when he was picked in the Sri Lanka squad... and made captain! Jeevan Mendis is another shock selection, picked despite not playing a single ODI since the inaugural game of the previous World Cup. Tom Blundell, New Zealand's second-choice wicketkeeper, might become the only ODI debutant at this edition, having been picked after an injury to Tim Seifert.

Andre Russell is a not-so-surprising selection who has hardly played international 50-overs cricket over the past four years, and Liam Dawson (three ODIs since World Cup 2015) has made his way into the England squad after strong domestic performances. The famously face-painted Hamid Hassan, who was a TV commentator during Afghanistan's recent Test against Ireland, is back for another World Cup after recovering from a long-term knee injury.
View attachment 562353
What's in a (jersey) number?

Remember when Muttiah Muralitharan wore 800 at the 2011 World Cup? Or Chris Gayle's famous 333 at the back of his jersey over the past couple of editions? If you're nodding along, your memories are fooling you: Muralitharan wore 8, Gayle wears 45 at World Cups.

Though players like Gayle, and more recently Rishabh Pant, wear three-digit numbers in ODI cricket, the World Cup jersey's design brings with it space limitations, meaning players can only pick a number from 1 to 99. Even Herschelle Gibbs, who memorably sported 00 on the back of his jersey till World Cup 2003, switched to 07 in the 2007 edition. It is understood that players regularly come up with "weird requests" for jersey numbers, from 001 to 007, but there just isn't space to sneak them in.

The biggest kit numbers at this World Cup will continue to be Lasith Malinga's and Imran Tahir's 99, while there are a number of '1's across the squads. Wonder what Rishabh Pant, he of the 777 jersey, would have worn had he made it to India's World Cup squad.

View attachment 562354

England are World Cup favourites because...

...they have been the most successful ODI side since World Cup 2015, by a distance. In ODIs against the other nine World Cup teams, nobody even comes close to their win-loss ratio of 2.5. But record between World Cups has been something of a banana peel in recent years, with only Australia carrying on a hot streak and coming out trumps in the tournament. Just ask South Africa, who have dominated the in-between years, only for other teams to render those numbers (and bookmakers' odds) meaningless.

View attachment 562355

Will England's ODI form translate to a maiden ODI World Cup trophy? ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bangladesh team looks good overall here followed by India. Indian strong batting side is the competitor exceeding everything by large margin. BD's relative less age can give some edge here. But I know many people hide their age. Someone can show, he is 27 but he can be 35 in reality. BD's 2007 team gave advantage over Indian aging team then.

 

[Wikki019]

West Indies is unpredictable Like Pakistan. They either play brilliant or poor cricket and lack consistency . They have good power hitters and if you don't out them quickly then score could go above 400 as today but they are not technically sound batsman so intelligent bowlers will managed to out them easily ..No team is weak actually and world cup will going to be interesting .. hope Pakistan play cricket with attacking mindset irrespective of results..tuk tuk will not win you matches on these conditions

Newzealand got wickets but still WI managed to score whoping 400+, None of their Player felt the urge to slowdown Innings. Pakistan on the otherhand after every falling wicket is used to drop runrate by 0.5 or 1. Our strike rate is the biggest Problem we are not able to hit hard like other top Teams.

 

[Arsalan]

ICC Fantasy Contest (Dream 11) launched.

Thread with details and league codes:
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/icc-dream-11-fantasy-contest-world-cup-2019.620919/#post-11503027

Anyone interested in playing fantasy contest, do join the above mentioned thread and join the contest code too.

 

[litman]

pathetic world cup opening ceremony going on.

 

[ghazi52]

The opening ceremony of the 2019 Cricket World Cup has begun at The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace in London.

 

[litman]

SAF played even worse then pakistan.