Pakistan Tour of England 2020

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Pakistan squad in England tests negative for Covid-19

The Men in Green will now be allowed to train and practice at the Worcestershire County Cricket Club
30 June, 2020

PHOTO: PCB


All the 20 Pakistan cricketers and 12 officials present in England have tested negative for novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

The Pakistan squad was tested by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), yesterday, after their arrival in Worcestershire before the 14-day isolation period.

According to sources, spinner Zafar Gohar and Physiotherapist Cliff Deacon are still awaiting the results of their Covid-19 tests.

The Men in Green will now be allowed to train and practice at the Worcestershire County Cricket Club.

The side will move to Derbyshire on July 13.

Earlier today, six Pakistan players including Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan and Wahab Riaz also tested negative for Covid-19 for the second time in three days and, as such, are now eligible to join the Pakistan men’s national cricket team in Worcestershire.

The players were retested on Monday, 29 June, following a first negative test on 26 June.

According to the tentative schedule of the series, the first Test will be played on August 5 in Manchester. Pakistan will play the remaining two games in Southampton, starting on August 13 and 21 respectively.

Pakistan will also play three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in Southampton on August 29, 31 and September 2.

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Doesn't make sense. We are visiting the hub of corona in Europe.

 

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Middle-order batsman Fawad Alam is excited to be part of the Pakistan team on their tour to England, for three Tests and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

Alam, who scored a century (168) on his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo, played the last of his three Test matches in New Zealand in 2009 and was last seen in Pakistan colours in a 2015 One-day International (ODI) in Bangladesh.

While speaking in a video released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday, the Karachi-born batsman said that England tour is a team bonding opportunity for players as they will spend most of the time together in a bio-secure bubble.

"Wearing the star of Pakistan is always a proud feeling. A cricketer plays first-class and domestic cricket to reach this stage of their career,” said Fawad.

“The Pakistan team is like a family as we have to stick with each other for the next couple of months. We are trying to help each other as it will help the team improve and will also have a positive impact on individual performances as well. We are also getting the opportunity to learn about the players on individual basis,” he added.

Fawad is relishing the opportunity to work with head coach-cum-chief Misbahul Haq and batting coach Younis Khan, after having previously shared the dressing room with the duo during their playing days.

“There are big names in our coaching staff. We learned a lot from watching them perform and we will learn more under their coaching. I shared the dressing room with Younis Khan and Misbah when they were playing. Now I have the chance to learn under their coaching, which I consider a blessing for me," he said.

The 34-year-old is going to miss the spectators during the aforementioned series as the matches will be played behind closed door due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Fans have always supported me. Applause from spectators in the ground will be missed but we know our supporters will still cheer for us watching us play on TV," he concluded.

 

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Pakistan's preparations for the Test series against England underway in Worcester as the players take part in a scenarios based two-day match.

 

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ECB announces schedule for Test, T20I series against Pakistan
The matches will be played behind closed doors

06 July, 2020

PHOTO: Reuters


The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has today announced that Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl and Lancashire’s Emirates Old Trafford will host England Men’s international matches behind closed doors later this summer against Pakistan.

Pakistan, who arrived into the UK on Sunday, June 28, have started their preparation ahead of a packed schedule, which consists of three Test matches and three T20Is. They are undergoing a 14-day isolation period at Blackfinch New Road, Worcester before transferring to Derbyshire’s The Incora County Ground on Monday July 13 to accelerate their preparation ahead of the first Test, which will include two four-day internal warm-up matches.

Emirates Old Trafford will host the first Test of the series starting on Wednesday August 5. The final two Tests will be played at the Ageas Bowl from Thursday, August 13 and Friday, August 21.

The three T20Is will take place at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday, August 28, Sunday, August 30 and the final match of the tour on Tuesday, September 1.

Test Series

First Test: August 5-9 at Emirates Old Trafford (11am start)

Second Test: August 13-17 at Ageas Bowl (11am start)

Third Test: August 21-25 at Ageas Bowl (11am start)

T20I Series

First T20I: Friday, August 28 at Emirates Old Trafford (6pm start)

Second T20I: Sunday, August 30 at Emirates Old Trafford (2.30pm start)

Third T20I: Tuesday, September 1 at Emirates Old Trafford (6pm start)

 

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Watch highlights of Pakistan team’s practice match in Worcester

Batsmen Babar Azam and Abid Ali spent a considerable amount of time in the middle

06 July, 2020

Photo Courtesy: PCB


Pakistan cricketers, on Sunday, completed their first rehearsal for the bio-security matches. The players embarked on the field in their complete Test uniform. Many boundaries were scored and wickets were taken however the players refrained from celebratory high-fives or shaking hands.

Batsmen Babar Azam and Abid Ali spent a considerable amount of time in the middle while bowlers Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Shah and Yasir Shah bowled lengthy spells.

The batsmen completed their practice in pairs according to the guidelines created by the current head coach-cum-chief selector Misbahul Haq. They came out to bat according to their respective positions in the side.

This was the first chance for the players to get acclimatised to the new bio-security conditions on the field. The players followed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in their entirety. The kits and bags were kept at a significant distance from each other while sanitisers were present in every corner.

The players placed their caps and sweaters outside the boundary line as opposed to handing them to the umpires, which was the norm in the pre-coronavirus days. The bowlers utilised sweat rather than saliva to shine the ball.

The two-day practice match will conclude on Monday.

Players in action on the first day

Batsmen:

Abid Ali and Shan Masood (1st pair)

Babar Azam and Asad Shafiq (2nd pair)

Fawad Alam and Sarfaraz Ahmed (3rd Pair)

Bowlers:

Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah, Mohammad Abbas and Faheem Ashraf (1st session)

Sohail Khan, Mohammad Musa, Yasir Shah and Usman Shinwari (2nd session)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1279776452616097792

 

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England confirms Cricket Match Test dates with Pakistan

INP
July 07, 2020

England cricket chiefs confirmed dates and venues for Pakistan s three-Test tour, with the series starting at Old Trafford on August 5.

International cricket returns on Wednesday following the coronavirus lockdown when England play the first match of their three-Test series against the West Indies at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, followed by two matches at Old Trafford, in Manchester.

The first match of the Pakistan series will also take place at Old Trafford, with the second two at the Ageas Bowl. The second Test starts on August 13, with the third beginning on August 21.

Both venues are considered bio-secure, with hotels on site.

Old Trafford will also host three Twenty20 international matches between England and Pakistan, on August 28, 30 and September 1.

Ireland will play three one-day internationals at the Ageas Bowl on July 30, August 1 and August 4.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: "Confirmation of these matches against Ireland and Pakistan is another important step for our game as we begin to safely stage international cricket again, but also to minimise the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and will continue to have, on cricket at all levels.

"It has taken significant effort and expertise to allow us to reach a position where cricket is now ready and able to return to the field of play from the elite level to recreational cricket."

Talks are ongoing over potential dates for Australia s white-ball tour and England women s tri-series against India and South Africa.

 

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Safarshi players... Asad Shafiq and Azahar Ali.

 

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Players have adapted to English conditions: Azhar

https://nation.com.pk/Reporter/our-staff-report
July 09, 2020
LAHORE-Test skipper Azhar Ali on Wednesday said that the players have adapted to the challenging English conditions ahead of the Test series against England.

Pakistan players have started their preparations for the Test and T20I series against England with a two-day inter-squad scenario-based practice match played on July 5-6 at Worcester. “Both batsmen and bowlers have adapted to the conditions. The wind was troubling the bowlers initially but they overcame it, which was heartening. Definitely, the players are going to need some time to adjust. Despite the break, they are in good shape which is a positive sign for us,” Azhar told pcb.com.pk.

“All the batsmen batted quite well especially Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq and Abid Ali seemed in total control, Shan Masood adapted well to the conditions and Mohammad Rizwan looked in good shape,” he added.

The team returned to training on June 30 after a gap of more than three months and the Test skipper believes that experienced pacer Mohammad Abbas will guide and share his knowledge with young seamers. “Mohammad Abbas is our experienced bowler and his presence is of advantage for us as he also keeps guiding the youngsters. He is someone who can be a very important member of the attack for us. Naseem Shah bowled very well in the scenario-based match. He will attain more control as he continues to bowl,” he said.

The captain admitted that it would be a challenge to play cricket at ‘full-strength’ after the Coronavirus enforced break but playing practice matches will serve the purpose. “We are playing cricket after a long time and it is not going to be easy to start at full-strength. We have to go step-by-step and I am very happy that the boys utilised their practice time of four days well,” he added.

“No matter how much you practice, playing matches is always more beneficial. If you spend half of your practice’s time in scenario-based matches, it gives you a lot more confidence. Playing this scenario-based match was very important for us,” the skipper asserted.

To prevent the proliferation of COVID-19, the ICC has introduced changes in its playing conditions that prohibit bowlers from shining the ball with saliva and handing their sweater, cap or hat to the umpires while bowling. Azhar said that adjusting to the new regulations was a little difficult, but the practice games will help in the adaptation. “There are some areas where we have to adapt. In this weather, it was only the fast bowlers who sweated so it was a challenge for us to shine the ball. But, that’s something which will change as the weather continues to get warm,” he said.

“The most challenging thing, however, was that the bowlers had to put their sweaters and caps outside the boundary rope because of which managing the over rate was getting a bit difficult. Especially, in Yasir Shah’s case, he fields in the circle but had to go all the way to the boundary to put his things. But, I am comfortable that we will adapt to these changes as we still have a two-day and two four-day matches to play and they will help us,” Azhar added.

 

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Naseem dismisses Shan during first day of second practice match

The match will provide further match practice to the squad following the first intra-squad practice match held last week

Pakistan Cricket Board in Lahore
11 July, 2020

COURTESY: PCB


The Pakistan squad currently based in Worcester is taking part in a two-day practice match at the New Road Ground from today. The match will provide further match practice to the squad following the first intra-squad practice match held last week.

PCB Green are batting first and were 206/3 at tea on the first day. Limited-overs captain Babar Azam was unbeaten on 42 while middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq was on 13 runs.

Pacer Naseem Shah dismissed opener Shan Masood (12), with a delivery that nipped away from the left-hander and resulted in an outside edge.

Left-armer Shaheen Afridi bagged the wickets of opener Abid Ali and Test skipper Azhar Ali, after the duo had scored 71 and 47 runs respectively.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1281969461222879232

Azhar Ali is leading the Green team while Sarfaraz Ahmed is incharge of White team. A total of 90 overs will be bowled on each of the two days.

Green Team:

Azhar Ali (c), Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan, Musa Khan and Usman Shinwari.

White Team:

Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Rohail Nazir.

The rest of the players will continue their training and practice; they will be involved in the match if needed.

 

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Two-day Pakistan intra-squad practice match ends in a draw
Babar Azam, Musa Khan and Usman Shinwari took a wicket apiece for PCB Green

13 July, 2020

Photo

Courtesy: PCB


The two-day practice match between PCB Green and PCB White ended in a draw at the New Road Ground, Worcester on Sunday.

PCB White scored 338 for five (89.1 overs) in their innings in reply to PCB Green’s tally of 318 for eight in 90 overs on day one of the match.

PCB White batsmen enjoyed a good outing in batting friendly conditions, Iftikhar Ahmed top-scored with 86 off 137 balls. He hit 14 fours and two sixes in his innings before retiring. Left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq scored 74 off 133 balls striking 13 fours before retiring.

Shadab Khan remained undefeated on 51 off 62 balls (nine fours) when the stumps were drawn. Sarfaraz Ahmed who captained PCB White scored 40 while Fawad Alam chipped in with 37 runs.

Babar Azam, Musa Khan and Usman Shinwari took a wicket apiece for PCB Green.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1282642391938326529

Scores in brief:

PCB Green 318 for 8, 90 overs (Babar Azam 82 retired out, Abid Ali 71, Mohammad Rizwan 47 not out; Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-91, Mohammad Abbas 2-49)

PCB White 338 for 5, 89.1 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 86 retired out, Imam-ul-Haq 74 retired out, Shadab Khan 51 not out; Babar Azam 1-0, Musa Khan 1-58, Usman Shinwari 1-65)

 

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Pakistan squad reaches Derby

Jul 14 2020

LAHORE: After successfully completing the 14-day self-isolation period in Worcester, the Pakistan squad reached Derby from Worcester on Monday for the second leg of their training camp ahead of the Test series opener against England.

The first Test starts on Aug 5 at Old Trafford, Manchester.

From Derby, the tourists will travel to Manchester on Aug 1 for the first of the three Tests.

In Derby, the 29-man touring party will feature in two four-day intra-squad practice matches while three cricketers will have pressers via video-link on different days.

Schedule of the Pakistan squad’s training and media interaction:

July 14: A member of the squad will be available for media interaction through videoconference call.

July 15-16: Morning and afternoon training sessions, starting at 10am and 2pm, respectively.

July 17-20: Intra-squad four-day practice match

July 21: A member of the squad will be available for media interaction through videoconference call

July 22-23: Morning and afternoon training sessions, starting at 10am and 2pm, respectively

July 24-27: Four-day intra-squad practice match

July 28: A member of the squad will be available for media interaction through videoconference call

July 29-30: Morning and afternoon training sessions, starting at 10am and 2pm, respectively.

Aug 1: Squad travels to Manchester.