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Men's T20 World Cup 2021 team guide: Pakistan

Key players, rising stars, batting and bowling analysis, chances, squad, fixtures and much more in our in-depth look at Pakistan

Matthew Hayden/Vernon Philander: Pakistan’s build-up to this competition has been typically chaotic, though not all of their own doing.

Well-documented withdrawals from England and New Zealand have scuppered any chance of last-minute fine tuning, while head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and chief executive Wasim Khan have both resigned their posts, with Ramiz Raja recently elected as the new chair of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Even without a central coaching figure, they have added to their backroom staff for the World Cup with the additions of former Australia opener Matthew Hayden and ex-South Africa seamer Vernon Philander, both of whom are inexperienced coaches and hardly remembered for their T20 exploits but were fine players in their own right.

Babar Azam: One certainty is that Babar Azam will captain Pakistan in the UAE. The high-class batter is ranked 17th on the T20 Player Index and has been his country’s skipper across all three formats for almost a year, since replacing Azhar Ali as Test captain last November.

Babar, who has six T20 hundreds to his name – including one at international level against South Africa, the fourth-highest score by a captain in a T20I, has passed fifty on 21 occasions for Pakistan in the shortest format, averaging almost 47 in the process. No player in the world has reached 2,000 T20I runs in fewer innings, beating Virat Kohli to the landmark by four innings. Indeed, only Kohli has won more T20I player-of-the-series awards.

Mohammad Hafeez: A fountain of experience at Babar’s disposal, Hafeez made his first-class debut before either Shaheen Shah Afridi or Haider Ali were born. In all, only Shahid Afridi, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan have played more matches for Pakistan across all formats.

Now 40 years of age, he comes into the World Cup on the back of a recent Caribbean Premier League stint with Guyana Amazon Warriors. With Malik not included in this squad, Hafeez has the chance to surpass him as the leading appearance-maker in T20I history – only five men have scored more runs.

Imad Wasim: One of the wilier customers on the global circuit, the left-arm-spinning allrounder will have a major role to play for Pakistan with bat and ball in conditions that should suit him. Of those to have bowled at least 500 balls in their T20I careers, only 15 men have a better career economy rate. Hardly a spinner of the ball at all, Imad relies on a savvy guile, attacking the stumps and often taking the new ball to suffocate opening batters with the wicketkeeper up to the stumps.

He has now played in the Pakistan Super League, T20 Blast, Caribbean Premier League, Big Bash and Bangladesh Premier League. His batting statistics in T20Is do little justice to a man with a first-class double-hundred: he averages just 13.12 in the shortest format for Pakistan, hitting just eight sixes in 36 innings.

Shaheen Shah Afridi: Comfortably one of the best cricketers in the world, the left-armer has signed to start next season with Middlesex in county cricket – a major coup for them. Their statement revealed, unsurprisingly, that Afridi’s name had been much sought by rival clubs. Only six men have reached fifty ODI wickets in fewer games, while his record of 130 T20 wickets in 96 matches includes a six-wicket haul for Hampshire against Middlesex, which included four wickets in four balls.

With Lasith Malinga’s retirement, there is a legitimate argument that the left-armer’s rasping yorker is now the best in the game, perhaps best conveyed in his dismissal of Jonny Bairstow on the white-ball leg of Pakistan’s 2020 tour of England.

Babar Azam captains Pakistan

Rising star

There is no doubting the talent of Haider Ali, even if the 21-year-old managed just 90 runs in nine innings for Jamaica Tallawahs at the recent Caribbean Premier League.

Since then, he has returned to form on home soil with half centuries in the National T20 Cup for Northern against Balochistan, Central Punjab and Southern Punjab. His late call-up marks something of a turnaround for the batter, who was sent home from England two months ago after breaching Covid-19 restrictions.

Power hitters

Asif Ali: Asif Ali has never quite done it in international cricket despite forging a reputation for himself on the domestic circuit as a brutal hitter. For Pakistan in T20Is, he has averaged just 16.38 with a strike-rate of 123.74 – a significant drop on his domestic record, where he possesses a strike-rate of 147.02.

That he has been afforded so many opportunities at the highest level is down to his tantalising potential – the knowledge that, when everything clicks, he might just win his country a game. As it is, he has passed fifty just three times for Pakistan – all in ODIs – in 49 games.

Fakhar Zaman: The left-handed opener was a surprise omission from the original squad of 15, given his inclusion in recent series against West Indies and England, as well as his match-winning ability – albeit absent in recent times in T20Is.

His 193 against South Africa earlier this year was the second-highest ODI score in a losing cause, while no one in the game’s history has reached 1,000 ODI runs faster. But either side of scoring 576 T20I runs in 2018 – the 10th most for a male player in a calendar – he has shown little sign of transferring that 50-over form into the shorter format. He has reached fifty just once in the last three years. When he gets it right, though, there are few more destructive.

That is the captain’s job: few players have ever anchored a T20 innings with more style than Babar Azam, who scores at a strike rate of 130.64 in T20Is, though he has never hit more T20I sixes in a calendar year than in 2021. If he maintains a run of T20 form that saw him dominate in the Pakistan Super League and again on his team’s tour of England this summer, his teammates will have a perfect platform around which to play with total freedom.

Asif Ali: His tournament-winning form in the 2018 Pakistan Super League exists as a nostalgic reminder of what he can do on his day. “Asif Ali is still the best striker of the ball in Pakistan,” said selector Mohammad Wasim when addressing the elephant in the room of his surprise recall. “I believe he can do well in pressure handling and will do well in the tournament.”

In conditions that he knows, perhaps this is Ali’s time. With a platform set by those above him, if he has the impact that his backers believe he can have, Pakistan might just profit.

Problem areas

The decision to leave Fakhar Zaman among the reserve list seemed an odd decision, but the left-hander has since been added at the expense of Azam Khan, whose treatment has been shoddy to say the least, having been picked in the initial squad before being dropped a matter of days later alongside Mohammad Hasnain and Khushdil Shah.

Sarfraz Ahmed and Haider Ali have replaced the pair. Ahead of the changes, former captain Rashid Latif suggested that such an outcome should lead to resignations. “If they go ahead and make changes in the main 15-member squad then the chief selector must ethically resign and so should the other selectors,” he told PTI. “Because they are responsible for selecting the squad and if changes are made it means they failed to do their jobs properly the first time around.”

The belated inclusion of Zaman offsets the absence of Sharjeel Khan, which originally left an imbalance at the top of the order, as well as a batch of middle-order batters – in Azam Khan – since dropped, Sohaib Maqsood – since injured, Khushdil Shah – since dropped – and Asif Ali – without any history of success on the international stage.

Shaheen Shah Afridi is among the most devastating bowlers in the world

Speed merchants

For all the confusion around their top order, there is little doubt around the quality of Pakistan’s pace attack: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali represent a fearsome trio, with Mohammad Wasim Jr a further seam option at the expense of fellow allrounder Faheem Ashraf. Afridi’s left-arm angle and height gives him a point of difference, while Rauf is an expert yorker bowler and Ali excellent at the death.

Afridi is the quickest of Pakistan’s left-armers, but Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz could be vital players on sluggish, turning surfaces. Both are finger-spinning allrounders, part of a spin threat that also includes the leg-breaks of Shadab Khan and the off spin of Mohammad Hafeez. Usman Qadir could count himself unfortunate not to make the 15 – the son of the late, great Abdul Qadir is a reserve.

It’s hard to pick many holes in Pakistan’s bowling attack, though one wonders whether Faheem Ashraf might have offered more than Mohammad Wasim Jr. If it spins significantly for Shadab Khan, they may well wonder whether they might have picked Usman Qadir as well.

The absence of Wahab Riaz is a shame – the veteran left-armer has saved some of his finest performances for the global tournament stage, but there is still plenty of variety in Pakistan’s seam cartel. Shahnawaz Dahani, the leading wicket-taker in this year’s Pakistan Super League, is a reserve ahead of Hasnain, who has been culled from the party entirely.

Mohammad Rizwan is a combative opening batter

Gun fielder

In a team not always famed for its fielding, Shadab Khan is an exception: the leg-spinning allrounder and vice-captain – still just 23 – is a tremendous athlete.

Who takes the gloves?

Mohammad Rizwan is the first-choice wicketkeeper, having long-since seen off Sarfraz Ahmed for that role. Azam Khan was his backup in this squad, but has since been replaced by Sarfraz. There are few better glovemen worldwide than Rizwan, who will likely open the batting as well. By the ICC’s ranking system, he is the seventh-best T20I batter in the world at present.

Squad: Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan, Asif Ali, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman| Reserves: Usman Qadir, Shanawaz Dahani, Khushdil Shah

Fixtures: Oct 24 – India, Oct 26 – New Zealand, Oct 29 – Afghanistan, Nov 2 – Qualifier, Nov 7 - Qualifier

Possible starting XI: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf

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2 Days After Cricket Victory Over India, Pakistan Still Feels the High

The nation is experiencing a much-needed burst of joy after it unexpectedly beat India in a cricket match in Dubai.

By Salman Masood

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Ammar Barlas was prepared for disappointment. He is Pakistani, which — almost by default — makes him a cricket fan. And Pakistan was preparing to play India , its hated but heavily favored rival and a team it had not defeated in the sport’s World Cup tournament in nearly 30 years.

Still, a fan supports his team, and Mr. Barlas, 35, prepared a special dish of chicken and rice and invited his college buddies to watch the inevitable.

“The get-together of the friends was meant for the enjoyment of the game, but we were also mentally prepared for a loss,” Mr. Barlas said. He added, “We were feeling anxious but kept repeating the sentence, ‘First of all, you don’t have to panic,’” referencing a phrase popularized by Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan , who was once a cricket star.

Pakistan averted defeat. It unexpectedly beat India on Sunday night in Dubai, advancing to play New Zealand on Tuesday evening — it won that match, too — and giving the nation a much-needed boost that lingered even two days later.

With an ailing economy, bitter political discord among the ruling and opposition political parties, militants rearing their heads in some parts of the country, and turbulent relations with the United States and several European countries, Pakistan sorely needs a feel-good moment.

“In a country where cricket is almost a religion and good news — sporting or otherwise — has been hard to come by in the recent past, the victory was a much-needed reason to celebrate,” read an editorial in The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

The win united the nation, enveloping it with a sense of national pride. Cricket binds the country. It is perhaps the only legacy of British colonialism that is neither contentious nor despised. Instead, cricket stirs passions and transcends ethnic, linguistic and political divides.

The victory over India set off celebrations that carried on long into Sunday night. The whole country was transfixed on the live match, which was aired in restaurants and cafes. Streets and shopping centers were mostly deserted from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

After the win, people young and old poured out onto the streets, honking horns, setting off big rounds of firecrackers and breaking into Bhangra moves in several Punjabi cities and towns. Many even resorted to aerial firing (which is illegal, but no one seemed to care Sunday night). The green flag of Pakistan was raised with pride.

Immediately victory memes went viral on the country’s WhatsApp groups, and one video on Instagram of a newlywed couple was widely shared. In it, the groom stands up as soon as the wedding hall receives the news of Pakistan’s win and starts chanting, “Long live Pakistan!” He is quickly joined by other guests.

On his Twitter account, Mr. Khan, the prime minister, who was visiting Saudi Arabia over the weekend, posted a photograph of himself watching the match in a hotel suite, surrounded by cabinet ministers, with a message: “The nation is proud of you all.”

Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the interior minister, said he had ordered the removal of police barricades and blockades on the roads in Islamabad, the capital, and some parts of Punjab so that the public could celebrate. The police had taken preventive measures last week to stop a protest of a religious party from marching toward Islamabad.

On Monday, the country’s newspapers carried stark headlines and pictures of the cricket team on their front pages. Pakistan “vanquished” India, one English daily declared. Jang, the country’s leading Urdu newspaper, described the win as “historic,” a sentiment echoed by other major Urdu newspapers.

Saba Usman, a teacher at a private school in Islamabad, said her fifth-grade students were overjoyed the next morning. “The children couldn’t stop talking about the game and kept praising Pakistani players,” she said. “Some of my students said they couldn’t sleep out of happiness.”

Pakistanis who are not fans of cricket also felt elated. “The win was an excuse to dance and enjoy with friends and family,” said Hamza Rao, a resident of Lahore. “Even those who are not into sports, like me, took vicarious pleasure.”

Mr. Rao said he phoned his sister and rushed to her house to celebrate the win. “We ordered cheat meals,” he said, “without any guilt.”

The celebrations, however, cost some fans dearly. The police in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, the picturesque Himalayan region that is claimed by both India and Pakistan, said students who celebrated Pakistan’s victory were being investigated under an antiterrorism law.

As Indian players played down the disappointment as something that happens in sport and images of the Indian captain graciously congratulating a victorious Pakistani team made the rounds as expressions of good sportsmanship, Indian fans took it differently.

Online abuse took a communal tone, with trolls channeling much of their anger at the only Muslim player on the team. Some of the abuse was so vicious that many veterans of Indian cricket had to come to the support of the player, Mohammad Shami.

For a majority of the fans of the Pakistani cricket team, the revelry has continued. Mr. Barlas, the cricket fan who watched the game with his college friends, had said a special prayer before the game. Afterward, he gave out sweets in the neighborhood.

On Tuesday he said, “My friends and I are still intoxicated by the win.”

Mujib Mashal contributed reporting.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed Babar Azam as the captain of the national cricket team.

According to PCB, new captain of Pakistan cricket will lead the T20 and ODI squads.

The unanimous decision of the selection committee has been approved by Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi.

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Pakistan beat New Zealand on DLS at Cricket World Cup – as it happened

New Zealand scored 401 but Pakistan won on DLS to stay alive at the Cricket World Cup

• 4 Nov 2023 Match Abandoned - Pakistan win by 21 runs
• 4 Nov 2023 Rain Stops Play (Again)
• 4 Nov 2023 RAIN STOPS PLAY.
• 4 Nov 2023 WICKET! Shafique c Williamson b Southee 4 (Pakistan 6-1)
• 4 Nov 2023 Pakistan need 402 to stay in the World Cup!
• 4 Nov 2023 WICKET! New Zealand 388-6 (Phillips b Wasim 18)
• 4 Nov 2023 WICKET! New Zealand 345-5 (Chapman b Wasim 39)
• 4 Nov 2023 WICKET! New Zealand 318-4 (Mitchell b Rauf 29)
• 4 Nov 2023 WICKET! New Zealand 261-3 (Ravindra c Shakeel b Wasim 108)
• 4 Nov 2023 WICKET! New Zealand 248-2 (Williamson c Fakhar b Iftikhar 95)
• 4 Nov 2023 ANOTHER HUNDRED FOR RACHIN RAVINDRA!
• 4 Nov 2023 WICKET! New Zealand 68-1 (Conway c Rizwan b Hasan 35)
• 4 Nov 2023 Team news
• 4 Nov 2023 Pakistan win the toss and bowl
• 4 Nov 2023 Pandya ruled out of World Cup
• 4 Nov 2023 Preamble

Pakistan endured a battering by New Zealand’s top order before launching their own onslaught through the centurion Fakhar Zaman to win a rain-hit World Cup game by 21 runs via the DLS method and stay alive in the hunt for a semi-final spot.

That’s it from us on this OBO today , ta to Rob for getting up with the lark for the early stint and thanks for tuning in. The 2023 World Cup rumbles on for another week… You can catch England and Australia slugging it out right now with the marvellous Tanya currently on the OBO tools.

We’ll then be back for the tournament’s top two sides going toe-to toe tomorrow ( try saying that ten times quickly ) loins well and truly girded for India v South Africa at Eden Gardens. Have a nice afternoon, ta-ra.

Here’s (a beaming) Babar Azam:

When we started batting, we believed. Inside the dressing room we said that we needed one good partnership. In the back of our minds we knew that rain was coming, but didn’t expect it to be too much. To be honest, we just planned to build a partnership. I wanted to give strike to Fakhar! We knew we had short boundaries and tried to utilise that. In some matches we’ve not been up to the mark, if we win our next match, let’s see... we will try to play positively and we are taking it match by match.”

Kane Williamson speaks:

It’s quite hard to get our heads around (the result) after getting that total, for us we will take the positives before the next game. Pakistan played exceptionally well, gave themselves every chance and got over the line, they were certainly on target with their chase. “Fakhar Zaman played beautifully, they deserved that result today and for us it’s about moving on to our next challenge. We had a lot of really good partnerships, it was clearly a very good surface and that can be tough on the bowlers. Rachin batted absolutely beautifully and we hope that continues! There are some really good signs from the unit, maybe if we got a few wickets things could have changed quickly.”

Here is that points table as things stand:

The race for the top four is HOTTING UP...👀 📈 pic.twitter.com/J6N1n1Y9BF — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 4, 2023

Blows my mind/gives me heavy boots that England can somehow technically still qualify for the semis. They are the 2023 Cricket World Cup equivalent of this guy:

*Not for the sqeamish*

Fakhar Zaman is the player of the match. Thoughts and prayers to Rachin Ravindra who scored his third century of the tournament and to New Zealand’s players in general as they posted over 400 runs but still lost.

Fakhar’s knock really gave the Kiwis the willies, it was an amazing innings made all the more impressive considering he’s only just been drafted into the starting XI. He boshed 126* peppering the boundaries and the stands with eight fours and a nosebleed inducing eleven sixes. Trent Boult was very expensive with the ball at the start of the Pakistan innings and as soon as the spin of Santner, Sodhi and Phillips was called for it was carnage out in the middle, Fakhar clearing the front leg and repeatedly smearing the ball high and long into the Bengalaru night.

Fakhar speaks:

We planned to see off first few overs, I got lucky a few times but really enjoyed this innings. We know that every game is do or die for us. In our team meetings it was decided that we will play aggressively, we are playing with that mind and everybody was trying to score more runs. “This is one of my best centuries, I will always remember my 193 against South Africa but this is one of my best. We want to continue playing aggressively in our next game.

Match Abandoned - Pakistan win by 21 runs

The umpires call time in Bengalaru with the rain coming down hard and steady. The players have shaken hands and both sides now sit on eight points!

Wow 😮‍💨 Fakhar Zaman's stunning unbeaten 126* from just 81 balls has helped his side beat New Zealand by 21 runs via DLS and keep their chances of qualification alive! It also means England can still qualify for the semi-finals 👀 pic.twitter.com/AkVSsdxYTu — Test Match Special (@bbctms) November 4, 2023

Still raining in Bengalaru. If that is the case in 40 minutes time then the match will be called for Pakistan.

Pakistan are 21 RUNS AHEAD against New Zealand on DLS after further rain in Bangalore...👀 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/uDVdMBbHGF — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 4, 2023

“This equation doesn’t seem to take into account that they’re chasing 400! One more wicket and they’re cooked.” Says Cole Hunter in the OBO mailbag.

“The DLS allows the chasing team to alter their game to suit the conditions and the bowling team are expected to just ride the wave. Tough but fair...”

True enough Cole, DLS can sometimes make life simpler for the batting side, remember South Africa needing 21 off one ball at Sydney in 1992 though? That was a preeety big ask.

Rain Stops Play (Again)

No! The light drizzle falling for the last over or so got a bit heavier and the umpires signalled for the covers half way through Daryll Mitchell’s first and New Zealand’s 26th over.

Pakistan are now 21 runs ahead on DLS and the overs will start to dissolve with every minute that the players are off the park, that will only serve to benefit the team in green.

25th over: Pakistan 199-1 (Zaman 125, Babar 66) Sodhi is launched for six into the stands by Babar Azam, the batter read the googly and murdered it. A single brings Fakhar onto strike. SIX! Fakhar drops to one knee and slogs a monsterous sweep over the leg side boundary. SIX MORE! Same shot and this one even bigger! The sound off the bat echoing around the M Chinaswammy Stadium like a canon shot. Twenty runs off the over, Pakistan flying.

24th over: Pakistan 179-1 (Zaman 112, Babar 59) Boult strays onto Fakhar’s pads and is clipped away for four through midwicket. Boult has been uncharacteristically poor today and has the face of someone in a real huff. His face in a permanent scowl, ‘looking like his top lip has gone bad’ as my old man is wont to say. Seven runs off the over.

23rd over: Pakistan 172-1 (Zaman 107, Babar 57) Ish Sodhi from the other end, he starts with a poor ball – a long-hop that is pounced on by Babar and steered for four to bring up his half century, barely a tilt of the bat. Pakistan’s captain knows there is work to do. Beautiful from Babar! The next ball is flighted and he drives it languidly for four through the covers, holding the pose for good measure. Twelve runs off the over in total, New Zealand need wickets pronto.

22nd over: Pakistan 159-1 (Zaman 106, Babar 47) Here come the players , Trent Boult has three balls left in his fifth over and he starts with… three dots. The rate rises with every one but Pakistan won’t mind this re-adjusted target.

182 runs off 117 balls on a placid pitch and fast outfield with 9 wickets in hand. Advantage Pak you’d say? — Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) November 4, 2023

Righto, the numbers have been crunched in Bengalaru:

Nine overs have been lost to the rain so it will be a 41-over chase.

The target for Pakistan is 342. They need 182 runs from 19.3 overs and have nine wickets in hand.

342 needed from 41 overs for Pakistan. So 182 from 19.3 overs. Effectively a T20 game with Pakistan having 9 wickets in hand. The New Zealand players will head out to the field in 15 minutes. Who's winning...? #PAKvNZ — Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) November 4, 2023

In Ahmedabad, Australia have set England a target of 287 runs.

I’m not sure Jos Buttler’s eyes can get more sad but if his side fail to get the runs then England will need to win both of their remaining games to have a chance of qualifying for the next Champions Trophy in 2025.

It’s basically all heading towards the Dutch beating England on Wednesday eh? I can taste it already. Orange Crush.

Collar me, don’t collar me.

There will be an inspection at 6pm local time in Bengalaru, about ten mins from now. The covers are coming off. Exciting.

It lives. It breathes. It walks around. Although, it should be said, with a limp, and a wheeze, and a telling sense of glassiness behind the eyes…

No England team has ever lost so many games at a World Cup. No England team has ever reached the stage of outright tournament bottom-feeders. No England team has ever made the startling nosedive from 50-over champions to one of the worst iterations at any World Cup – and better still done so without any obvious process, warning signs, change of approach, or indeed the slightest clue as to how this could have happened.”

Barney is in Ahmedabad and seemingly in fine fettle for the death knell:

I’m hearing the rain has ceased in Bengalaru , an inspection is imminent. Will bring you news as soon as we get it.

Meanwhile – I’ll forgive you for diving over onto the England v Australia OBO with the excellent pairing of Jonathan and Tanya.

The covers are still on in Bengalaru and the rain is falling lightly.

Sun peeping out here in south London though.

Permutations chat: If New Zealand beat Pakistan today ( big if at the moment) then England are categorically OUT. It doesn’t matter if they beat Australia. It’s curtains for Buttler and his men, finally. The sweet release of death.

If Pakistan win then England are somehow still IN if they beat Australia. If Australia beat England then it is curtains for them whatever happens elsewhere.

Got it? Clear as custard.

"Cricket... finds a way." https://t.co/UyVncNooe3 pic.twitter.com/rAwKxW8foZ — Dave Tickner (@tickerscricket) November 4, 2023

RAIN STOPS PLAY.

Gah. The covers are hauled on as a shower passes over the ground in Bengalaru. There looks to be a stiff breeze so hopefully it beggars off soon and we can get back to this fascinating match.

Pakistan are 160-1 off 21.3 overs – Righto, let me get my DLS on… yep Pakistan are ahead of the rate by ten runs. DLS is showing the par score to be 150-1.

The break will be welcome to New Zealand though, they can re-gather and lick their wounds. The big question for Pakistan if they get back out there is whether Fakhar can simply pick up where he left off. It’s an intriguing situation however you splice it.

Rain has stopped play in Bangalore...but Pakistan are ahead on DLS! 🇵🇰 👀 pic.twitter.com/mRxnSZ8xQO — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 4, 2023

21st over: Pakistan 159-1 (Zaman 106, Babar 47) Seven runs off Glenn Phillips’ over, Fakhar sweeps him for four behind square, he needs to gather and go on here for his side, ten more overs of him in this mood and this game could turn into an absolute epic.

𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝟲𝟯 𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗦! ⚡ Fakhar Zaman HAMMERS Pakistan's fastest-ever World Cup century...could they really chase 401? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/U3vbPhi0i1 — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 4, 2023

20th over: Pakistan 152-1 (Zaman 101, Babar 44) Shot! A humongous smear into the leg side takes Fakhar to 99… he’s gone into full Ben Stokes BEAST mode here… and that is a HUNDRED FOR FAKHAR ZAMAN!

Off just 64 balls. What a knock! He peels off his helmet, kneels and kisses the pitch. Fantastic scenes. Fakhar is giving Pakistan hope in this World Cup.

Fakhar Zaman, take a bow! An extraordinary display of six-hitting. #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/mrOPxdJ9pB — Wisden (@WisdenCricket) November 4, 2023

19th over: Pakistan 138-1 (Zaman 93, Babar 38) First ball back after drinks and it is a SIX scythed by Fakhar over cover and into the Pakistan dugout! Eleven runs off the over in total – Babar nudging and nurdling and Fakhar going ballistic, he’s into the nineties…

18th over: Pakistan 127-1 (Zaman 85, Babar 35) Cat and mouse stuff between Santner and Fakhar, the spinner wins the over as just two runs are taken off it. Fakhar is itching to smear him away for boundaries but Santner mixes up his length and flight masterfully. Time for a drink – apparently Pakistan are two runs behind where they need to be (129-1) if they were to go off for rain now. I’ll keep a peeper on those clouds and those sums.

17th over: Pakistan 125-1 (Zaman 84, Babar 34) Cripes. Fakhar is on fire with the bat in hand – a huge swipe goes for SIX into the stands over the leg side and back to back fours make it fifteen off the over. Black clouds are building in the skies over over Bengalaru, hmmm I wonder if Pakistan have done their Duckworth Lewis/Stern sums…

16th over: Pakistan 110-1 (Zaman 70, Babar 33) Babar Azam is becalmed, he’s on 33 off 37 balls and is putting a lot of pressure on his partner. Just four singles off Sodhi’s over, something’s gotta/gonna give.

15th over: Pakistan 106-1 (Zaman 68, Babar 31) Carnage! Fakhar Zaman smokes Glenn Phillips for back to back sixes over long on! The second of which was HUUUGE! Fakhar has now hit thirteen sixes in this World Cup and is cutting loose in Bengalaru.

14th over: Pakistan 91-1 (Zaman 54, Babar 30) Ish Sodhi into the attack for New Zealand, Zaman rocks back and glides him for four down to third. Elegance and touch to go with his brute force. Eight off the over and 50 up for Fakhar Zaman, he’s up for this.

13th over: Pakistan 83-1 (Zaman 47, Babar 29) Five off Glenn Phillips’ second over. Ones and twos don’t quite cut the mustard for Pakistan, Babar is a bit becalmed.

Pakistan need to score 402 in 35.3 overs to overtake New Zealand's NRR. pic.twitter.com/24zMH9DKej — Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 4, 2023

12th over: Pakistan 77-1 (Zaman 43, Babar 25) New Zealand putting on a mini-squeeze here, just three runs off Santner’s over sees the run-rate worm start to rear…

A word on Rachin Ravindra – how good has he been in this tournament? If truth be told it hasn’t been a classic World Cup (so far) but Ravindra’s emergence has been a revelation.

The first player to hit three centuries in their debut World Cup! Rachin Ravindra does it again as New Zealand surge towards 300! 🌟 REMINDER: England will be OFFICIALLY OUT if New Zealand beat Pakistan in the early game! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/RSplYO2x2i — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 4, 2023

11th over: Pakistan 75-1 (Zaman 43, Babar 25) Glenn Phillips into the attack and Zaman can’t get him off the square. Phillips stitches together a maiden – Andy Zaltzman on TMS chirps up to say that is Phillips’ first ever maiden in ODI cricket. So there you go.

10th over: Pakistan 75-1 (Zaman 43, Babar 25) Another SIX to Fakhar Zaman! He shimmies down the pitch and lofts Santner down the ground for a maximum. Eight off the over, 4o more overs like the first ten and Pakistan are home and dry.

9th over: Pakistan 67-1 (Zaman 36, Babar 24) Southee replaces the smited Boult and returns from t’other end. Fakhar whips him through midwicket to pick up four and then clears the front leg to hoick away…up…up and SIX! Just out of reach of the fielder on the boundary. Eleven off the over, Pakistan are ticking.

8th over: Pakistan 56-1 (Zaman 26, Babar 23) Here comes Mitch Santner with his box of tweakers. Two dots to start and then Fakhar nudges to leg to bring Babar on strike. Bosh! Santner drops short and is smeared high and long over cow corner for SIX by Babar. Eight off the over in total, this pair have rocketed to a fifty partnership and Pakistan are up with the run rate.

7th over: Pakistan 48-1 (Zaman 25, Babar 16) Trent Boult has gone for 42 runs off his four overs, I’m pretty sure this is the worst/most expensive opening spell of his ODI career. More on that as we get it.

Fakhar slots his first ball over long-on for SIX! Boult is well out of sorts here, he spears a ball way down leg for a wide. Babar gets a thick edge through the vacant slip region to pick up four and then punches on the front foot to score a boundary off the last ball. Cripes, Trent.

6th over: Pakistan 32-1 (Zaman 18, Babar 8) Three runs off Southee’s over as things calm down a little.

Cockle warmer:

Brilliant https://t.co/8zePvrABK1 — Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) November 4, 2023

5th over: Pakistan 29-1 (Zaman 17, Babar 7) Now then, SEVENTEEN runs clubbed off Trent Boult’s over as Fakhar opens his shoulders. Boult drops short and is biffed through leg before going too full with the next ball which Fakhar slots behind square for SIX! Audacious shot. A single brings Babar on strike – he picks up a brace through midwicket and then hooks the final ball for four! Boult grimaces and lopes off to lick his wounds.

4th over: Pakistan 12-1 (Zaman 6, Babar 1) A watchful over from Babar and Fakhar, Southee mixes things up with slower balls and cutters. Babar gets off the mark with a clip into the off side and just one more single completes the over.

“An under-the-radar benefit of getting the GOAT back in the side is that catch - NZ have been spilling those sorts of chances left, right and centre in the last 3 games. Top, top quality cricketer.”

Ben Bernards in (snowy?) Sweden emails his appreciation of that catch. Kane still showing he is… able. *GROAN*.

3rd over: Pakistan 10-1 (Zaman 5, Babar 0) Pakistan need every ounce of Babar’s genius today. He’s down the non-strikers end as Boult shimmies in to Fakhar Zaman. Four! A short ball is clobbered through point. Boult shakes his head in disgust and responds with four dots.

WICKET! Shafique c Williamson b Southee 4 (Pakistan 6-1)

WHAT. A. CATCH.

Kane Williamson shrugs off the fact that he’s fresh off an ACL injury and a broken thumb and leaps backwards to pluck a lofted drive from Shafique out of the sky like a fresh peach. New Zealand have an early scalp and here comes Babar Azam.

Tim Southee - the wily old operator - opens his wicket account and goes for just a single off his first over.

2nd over: Pakistan 6-1 (Zaman 1, Babar 0)

1st over: Pakistan 5-0 (Shafique 4, Zaman 0) Here we go then, Trent Boult has the shiny new orb and he’ll be running into Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique. Pakistan need to get off to a flier, the required run rate is teetering around eight an over. Boult starts with two dots before Shafique flicks the third ball away over mid-wicket for four! Boult responds with an inswinging yorker that Shafique does well to dig out. A wide ball outside off gifts Pakistan another, they need all the help they can get, this would comfortably be their biggest ever ODI chase if they manage to pull it off. Big if. Five off the first over, hangover waning, life is good acceptable!

Scrap that , the drizzle has relented and the rope has been dragged around the outfield - here come the players. First over incoming…

There’s a bit of mizzle in Bengalaru which is delaying Pakistan’s innings getting started. Hopefully won’t be too long before they get underway – those 402 runs aren’t going to get themselves.

Small mercies:

The good news for England fans is that if New Zealand beat Pakistan, Australia will be deprived of the honour of officially knocking England out of the World Cup — Ben Gardner (@Ben_Wisden) November 4, 2023

Thanks Rob and hello everyone. Confession time - I’m a teensy bit hungover this morning, too much revelry after Friday night five-a-side footy - there was a lot to unpick. Will a Pakistan run-fest perk me up? Maybe. New Zealand running through Babar Azam’s side like a hot knife through ghee in less than a couple of hours would be… nice .

That’s all from me. Jim Wallace will be along for the runchase (sic), and in the meantime you can follow England v Australia in Ahmedabad. Bye!

Where to start? With Rachin Ravindra, of course. He top-scored with a charming 108, his third century of a never-to-be-forgotten World Cup debut, and added 180 for the second wicket with Kane Williamson in less than 23 overs. Williamson was eye-catchingly fluent on his return, hitting 95 from 79 balls.

That platform allowed the bovver boys in the middle order to cause mayham, and all bar Tom Latham (who faced only two balls) scored at a strike rate of at least 140.

Pakistan’s bowling performance was imperfect, with Shaheen Afridi (10-0-90-0) and Haris Rauf (10-0-85-1) bowling the two most expensive spells in their World Cup history. Hasan Ali went for 82 as well, but the youngster Mohammad Wasim was outstanding and took 3/60.

The pitch is much better than expected, certainly when the quicks are bowling, but it’s hard to see how Pakistan – who have never chased 350 to win an ODI, never mind 400 – can pull this off. Not least because New Zealand have four spinners.

“You say it so casually that it almost hides the bizarreness - that New Zealand have made their highest score ever in a World Cup,” says Nick Parish. “Against Pakistan, in the sub-continent. Consider all the matches they’ve played against Zimbabwe, Ireland, Bangladesh over the years. Not to mention England…”

I think I’m punch-drunk after four weeks of OBOing these run-orgies. Also, in fairness, the way Conway and Ravindra were batting against England, they’d probably have made 500 if necessary.

Pakistan need 402 to stay in the World Cup!

50th over: New Zealand 401-6 (Santner 26, Latham 2) Santner drives Afridi’s third-last delivery magnificently over long off for six , a shot that breaks two records. This is now New Zealand’s highest score at a World Cup , and Afridi has stolen Haris Rauf’s hard-earned record for the worst figures by a Pakistan bowler in a World Cup game.

Santner pilfers three off the last two balls, which takes New Zealand past 400 and just short of their highest ODI score of 402. And I don’t know whether I’ve mentioned this before, but Pakistan bloody well put them into bloody bat.

49th over: New Zealand 388-6 (Santner 15, Latham 1) Tom Latham tucks Wasim’s final ball for a single. Wasim, by far the pick of the bowlers, finishes with 10-0-60-3.

WICKET! New Zealand 388-6 (Phillips b Wasim 18)

Santner swipes Wasim over long-off for six , yet another boundary off the first ball of an over. A savage slap through the covers gives Phillips four more – but again Wasim’s response is impressive. He knows Phillips is backing away so he arrows a very wide delivery just inside the tramlines.

Wasim tries again next ball but goes too wide. So he changes his approach and follows Phillips with an attempted yorker that hits the pad and deflects back onto the stumps. Lovely stuff from a fine young bowler, and the end of a seriously hard-hitting innings: 41 from 25 balls with four fours and two sixes.

48th over: New Zealand 376-5 (Phillips 37, Santner 8) Santner is dropped by Salman Ali Agha, a very tough diving chance on the edge of the circle. A hitherto excellent over from Afridi, full of variations, is ruined when Phillips clubs a low full toss over long-on for six .

New Zealand need 18 from 12 balls to make their highest score at a World Cup, and 27 for their highest ODI total.

47th over: New Zealand 366-5 (Phillips 30, Santner 6) Amid the rubble, Pakistan appear to have found one in Mohammad Wasim*. He concludes another fine over – four singles, one two – by beating Phillips for pace.

Pakistan are running over in the field, which means they will be allowed four outside the circle for the last three overs.

* Mind you, I thought the same about Basit Ali in the Caribbean in 1992-93. You rarely know in sport, and you never know when it comes to Pakistan cricket.

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Cricket’s return to Pakistan: A timeline since 2009

It’s a decade since Test cricket was last played in Pakistan, with international cricket returning there only intermittently in the intervening period. Aadya Sharma takes a look at what top-level cricket has been played in the country since the start of 2010.

A country packed with cricket-fanatic fans was pushed into a sustained period of uncertainty when a terrorist attack forced international cricket out of Pakistan. Ten years later, top-flight cricketers are slowly trickling back in, but there is still some way to go before international cricket is completely reinstated in the country.

“The courtesy, the generosity, the hospitality, the warmth, the love of cricket is plainly obvious for anyone to see.” Last week, Warren Deutrom, CEO of Cricket Ireland, was at the Gaddafi Stadium in Pakistan, witnessing the Sri Lankan team’s visit to the country. Speaking to PCB Podcast later, he promised that Ireland would do their part in international cricket’s reintegration into Pakistan.

The last time Pakistan hosted a Test was in 2009. Their current captain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, hadn’t even debuted in Test cricket by then. For the last decade, Pakistan have been primarily playing their ‘home’ games in the UAE.

It was in 2009 that a horrific attack on the Sri Lankan team bus outside the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, forced the suspension of international cricket in the country. It halted operations on a flourishing game that has a huge following, cutting players from the country and its fans, and cutting cricket from a nation brimming with zealous followers of the game.

It started a long-drawn period of isolation for cricket in Pakistan, an untenable situation that only gradually started resolving by the second half of this decade.

Years later, top teams are slowly inching their way back into the country – the latest being Sri Lanka – as Pakistan continues to try and push past the events of 2009.

May 2015 – Zimbabwe: The cautious first steps

Pakistan and Zimbabwe teams ahead of the final ODI of their three-game series in 2015

Six years after the 2009 incident, Zimbabwe became the harbingers of international cricket’s return when they agreed to a limited-overs tour of the country. They became the first Full Member to play in the country since 2009. Afghanistan and Kenya had also travelled in 2013 and 2014, but those tours weren’t awarded international status.

The series might have been lopsided – Zimbabwe failed to win a single game, losing both the ODIs and T20Is 2-0 – but it did its part in breaking the limbo with captain Misbah-ul-Haq calling it a “a big joy for all of Pakistan cricket fans.”

“We are so grateful to the Zimbabwe cricket board for sending their team and for trusting us,” Subhan Ahmed, COO of PCB had said then.

However, while a bomb blast outside the Gadaffi Stadium during the second ODI didn’t curtail the tour, it did demonstrate how far there was to go before normal service could be resumed.

September 2015 – Bangladesh Women: Mutual benefit

Not long after men’s cricket returned to Pakistan, women’s cricket did too, with Bangladesh playing two T20Is and two ODIs in Karachi – Zimbabwe’s games had all been in Lahore.

The tour went smoothly and was competitive too, with the tourists coming within 20 runs of winning the first ODI. Bangladesh skipper Salma Khatun was at pains before the tour to stress that her side hadn’t been pressured into travelling.

“We are going according to our wishes,” she said. “We will be given the highest level of security. We are going there to play cricket, so we are not concerned about what is happening anywhere else in the country. We wanted to tour any country to play cricket, since we haven’t played any matches since the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. There is no fear among us. We know that there won’t be any trouble in the area where we will be playing.”

March 2017 – PSL final: The gamble that paid off

While not an international match, the 2017 Pakistan Super League final was undoubtedly the biggest game played in Pakistan since 2009, and the biggest gamble too. An increase in terrorist attacks led FICA, the international players’ union, to strongly advise against all travel. “An acceptable level of participant safety and security cannot be expected or guaranteed,” read a statement.

The stakes were high. “If something inimical happened on the final day then it will prove to be the end of international cricket in Pakistan,” said now-prime minister Imran Khan, and several players, including Kevin Pietersen, Luke Wright, and Tymal Mills, refused to travel.

Those who did remained wary, but when they took the field realised the rewards of playing in the country. “It was as good an atmosphere as I’ve ever been involved in,” said Dawid Malan, who did travel, as did compatriot Chris Jordan, and West Indians Daren Sammy and Marlon Samuels. “It’s a massive stadium, the middle is quite a long way from the stands, and when they were doing the Mexican wave I was just standing there and thinking, ‘Wow, this is as loud as I’ve heard’.

“It was the first time I’ve stood on the boundary and heard the crowd chanting my name. You could see how much it meant to the people of Pakistan. Even with the security fears, to turn up and still be in such good spirits and create that atmosphere… as a player, it was fantastic.”

“I am glad I came to experience the atmosphere here [in Lahore],” Sammy later said. “Even though Peshawar came out on top, cricket was the real winner in Lahore.”

May 2017 – World XI: the statement

Pakistani cricketers pose for a photograph with trophy after winning the third and final match against World XI

The symbolism could hardly have been made more clear: Pakistan was once again open to the world. A T20 match-up between that year’s Champions Trophy winners and an assortment of global stars from the rest of the world further bolstered Pakistan’s credentials as an international venue. Captained by Faf du Plessis, a World XI side played the home side in a three-match T20I series, which they lost 2-1.

The ICC accorded the series full international status, speeding the return of top-flight cricket in the country.

“A lot of courage was needed on the other side to put it all together,” Najam Sethi, Chairman of PCB had said then. “We are very, very happy to host the World XI and we know this is a small step in many ways but a huge leap for Pakistan.”

October 2017 – Sri Lanka: The return

Eight years after the Lahore attack, Sri Lanka made their way back into Pakistan, albeit only for a solitary match. It was the final match of their three-match series, with the previous games, as well as the ODI leg, having being played in UAE.

There was scepticism still, given that a chunk of players decided not to travel to Pakistan, but Thisara Perera, named captain for the game, supported the move wholeheartedly.

“It’s nice to be in Pakistan again,” said Perera, who was also part of the ICC World XI, had said. “We are thankful for a warm welcome and will do our best to entertain the crowd with some good cricket.”

March 2018 – PSL final

Having hosted the PSL final in Lahore in 2017, the PCB pushed for a greater chunk of the tournament to be played in Pakistan, but had to settle for another standalone showpiece. That tickets for the final sold out in three hours demonstrated that cricket’s absence had only made Pakistani hearts grow fonder. The game, held in Karachi, saw elaborate security arrangements in place, with as many as 8500 security personnel employed for the Islamabad United-Peshawar Zalmi clash, which United won.

April 2018 – West Indies

Pakistani spectators hold placards at the National Cricket Stadium before the final West Indies-Pakistan game

West Indies became the third Test playing team to visit Pakistan this decade, when they decided to tour the country for a short T20I series. Big names decided to step away once again, including the likes of Chris Gayle, Carlos Brathwaite and Jason Holder, but the show went on.

Pakistan completed a comprehensive sweep of the three-match series, winning each of the games with appreciable margins. And while there were questions asked about the strength of the West Indies team that visited, captain Sarfaraz Ahmed stood right behind his team and the crowd.

“We played better cricket and credit must be given to our side. It would be wrong to say that a ‘B side’,” he later said. “I don’t think teams have any excuses left for not coming to Pakistan anymore.”

February 2019 – West Indies Women: The minor classic

A tied three-match series, featuring a tied second game, represented the most closely-fought encounter in Pakistan for a decade. Featuring Pakistan Women’s 100th T20I, and Sana Mir’s 100th cap too, it was a proud moment for a proud country.

March 2019 – The PSL final stages: A greater slice of the action

The holding of nine games in Pakistan, even in the wake of heightened military tensions with India, represented an important step towards the stated aim of holding the entire Pakistan Super League in Pakistan. The closing of Lahore’s commercial airspace put paid to hopes of holding matches outside Karachi.

October 2019 – Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka returned yet again, this time for both ODIs and T20Is. The two sides were supposed to play Test cricket as well, in accordance with the World Test Championship, but the absence of big Sri Lankan names, who decided to give the series a miss, forced the boards to agree on a limited-overs only affair.

It wasn’t the first XI Sri Lanka would have hoped for, but they still managed to clinch a historic T20I series win in the country, after having been pipped in the ODI format. The arrangements got a further thumbs up from Sri Lanka’s interim coach Rumesh Ratnayake, who termed it as a message for other teams to engage in international cricket with Pakistan.

“To experience the hospitality of Pakistan is a great thing,” Ratnayake said last week. “I’ve experienced it after a long, long time, and if anything, it’s got even better. It was a lot of hard work for the whole system to have us here.

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Every effort needs to be made to revive epic india-pakistan cricket rivalry.

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The India and Pakistan rivalry is confined to major tournaments (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via ... [+] Getty Images)

The Indian Premier League, the billion-dollar tournament , effectively shuts down cricket in the months of April and May.

Of course, that is not entirely accurate and merely refers to the sport's powerhouses India, England and Australia who do not schedule any international fixtures during this period given many of their top players have been lured to the world's richest cricket tournament on massive deals.

The cricket boards of England and Australia reluctantly gave up trying to compete with the beast that is the IPL. But for other countries, whose players aren't part of the IPL, they are often left in limo and trying to scramble fixtures amongst themselves.

Pakistan, most notably, are affected with their players effectively barred from playing in the IPL due to the political tension between the nuclear-armed countries.

It was an unfortunate rule evoked after the first edition in 2008 and, as I've reported previously, Pakistan have had to think of inventive ideas to ensure they aren't just left idle annually during this time of year.

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Former Pakistan boss Ramiz Raja had been pushing for the return of tri-series and quadrangular series which were once staples of cricket back when the 50-over format was riding a tidal wave of fandom.

Ramiz has since left, but Pakistan remains in its usual dilemma and things won't change until some type of truce can be made with India. It is cricket's crying shame that its most passionate rivalry can't be played outside of major events - like World Cups - due to the political warring.

India and Pakistan have a heated rivalry in cricket (Photo by Daniel Pockett-ICC/ICC via Getty ... [+] Images)

India's government, amid an increasingly right-winged bent under Narendra Modi with the British bat and ball sport used as a political tool in the cricket crazy country, does not allow its national team to play in bilaterals against Pakistan.

With the frostiness only increasing, as the jingoism veers increasingly into cricket, a truce is unlikely any time soon. The teams won't be playing against each other in bilaterals. It means starved fans are left frustrated and restless, but they won't have to wait long with India and Pakistan to play a blockbuster in New York in one of the most anticipated matches in cricket history.

Matches between the countries, who combine to equal about 20 per cent of the world's population, are watched by around 300-500 million people. It is true that the scarcity of the rivalry does fuel the anticipation, but the devoted fans from these countries would undoubtedly tune in even if it were played more frequently.

Cricket is used as a political tool in Narendra Modi's government (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty ... [+] Images)

There has been a lot of talk about the sanctity of international cricket, particularly the future of the expensive five-match Test match which struggles for popularity and relevance in some parts of the world.

Reviving the India-Pakistan rivalry, somehow, would undoubtedly help fuel international cricket. And cricket administrators have been trying to find a way to be able to cash in on the money-spinning contest.

There have been informal proposals in the past for a Test match to be held at the 100,000 Melbourne Cricket Ground although nothing resulted bar flashy headlines. Just recently, Cricket Australia did try to organise a tri-series with India and Pakistan, who are both touring next summer, but cricket's increasingly congested calendar made the idea sit on the cutting room floor.

For now, rekindling the rivalry on a regular basis remains a pipedream and underlines the extent that politicking has infiltrated cricket.

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Babar Azam returns as Pakistan white-ball captain

B abar Azam has been reappointed as Pakistan's white-ball captain, four and a half months after he stepped down from the position in all three formats.

The 29-year-old left his role after Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of last year's World Cup.

Pace bowler Shaheen Afridi took over as captain of the T20 squad but they lost 4-1 in New Zealand earlier this year.

Babar will start with a five-match home T20 series against New Zealand next month before June's T20 World Cup.

"Following unanimous recommendation from the PCB's selection committee, chairman Mohsin Naqvi has appointed Babar Azam as white-ball captain of the Pakistan men's cricket team," the Pakistan Cricket Board said on X, formerly Twitter.

PBKS won by 3 wickets (with 1 ball remaining)

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'Best in the world' Shashank Singh defies odds in Kings' come-from-behind win

He smashed 61* from 29 balls against GT, as PBKS chased down 200 with just one ball remaining (2:50)

• Ashish Pant

"I am the best in the world when I go to bat. I don't see the bowler; I just see the ball and react to it."

When Shashank Singh walked out to bat in his ninth IPL innings, Punjab Kings were 70 for 4 in the ninth over of their chase of 200 against Gujarat Titans . The required rate had rocketed to 11.47 and, according to the ESPNcricinfo forecaster, their win probability had plummeted to 4.77%.

So, he had no option but to hit his straps from the get-go. He had to take down the likes of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mohit Sharma. He had to believe he was the "best in the world". He did and by the end of it all, his unbeaten 29-ball 61 took Kings to an unlikely three-wicket win in Ahmedabad.

Shashank will undoubtedly grab the headlines after handing Kings their second win of the season and their first on the road. But approximately three-and-a-half months ago, he had become the talking point for a different reason altogether. A reason beyond his control.

On December 19, 2023, Punjab Kings successfully bid for a "Shashank Singh" during the accelerated round at the auction. Hammer down, bid sealed. Minutes later the team owners seemed to suggest to the auctioneer Mallika Sagar that this wasn't the player they were looking for. But Sagar had moved to the next player by then, so the bid stayed.

Kings later put down the confusion to a case of mistaken identity clarifying that the onboarded player was always on their targeted list. Shashank also put a statement on his social media account saying, "It's All Cool … Thank you for trusting on me!!!!" But the "accidental signing" memes had already made their way to the internet.

Shashank's journey, though, has been anything but accidental. From Mumbai to Puducherry to Chhattisgarh in domestic cricket, and from then-Delhi Daredevils to Rajasthan Royals to Sunrisers Hyderabad to Kings in the IPL, the 32-year-old's tale is one of toil and trying to make a mark at the highest level.

Shashank, a top-order batter and offspinner, played age-group cricket in Mumbai and made his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy debut for them in 2015. But after playing 15 T20s and three List A games across four seasons for Mumbai, and frustrated at being in and out of the team, he moved to Chhattisgarh, the state of his birth. He also played one List A game for Puducherry in the 2018-19 season.

But Chhattisgarh is where Shashank got more opportunities. He made his first-class debut in 2019-20 and played an important role in the following season when Chhattisgarh beat Mumbai for the first time in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In 2023, Shashank became the first Indian, and third overall after Alvin Kallicharran and Mike Procter, to score 150-plus runs and take five wickets in the same List A game, achieving the feat against Manipur .

Shashank has been around with IPL teams since 2017 but it took him five years to make his debut. He was first picked by the Delhi franchise in the IPL 2017 auction. For IPL 2019 and 2020, he was with Royals. Having been overlooked at 2021 auction, Shashank finally made his debut in IPL 2022 after being picked by SRH, and in his first innings hammered an unbeaten six-ball 25 against Titans, which included three back-to-back sixes off Lockie Ferguson. But he couldn't do much for the rest of the season and was released by the franchise after the IPL ended.

Shashank had failed to find a team in 2023, so he had a point to prove this year. He was up against a familiar foe, but the circumstances were different. Then, he had come in with 12 balls left in the innings, trying to give his side that late push. Here, he had 68 balls and a mountain of an asking rate in front of him.

On the second ball of his innings on Thursday, he was beaten by a Noor wrong'un and was smacked on the pads. Titans went for a review, but replays showed the ball going over the stumps. Enough prodding, he said. The next delivery, another wrong'un, he jumped out of his crease and smoked it over long-off.

Shashank next took down Umesh Yadav, with a sequence of 4, 6, 4. He picked Mohit's back-of-the-hand cutters and Noor's googly. Even Rashid wasn't spared. What set Shashank apart was his fast hands and how quickly he was picking the lengths. In no time, he had raced to his maiden IPL fifty, off 25 balls.

"Rashid and Noor are world-class spinners. I was trying to read them from the hand," Shashank told Star Sports after the game. "I don't improvise too much. You won't see me play the scoop, reverse sweep much. Obviously, I saw videos of them yesterday, but playing them in the match is a different feel. I was backing my shots. I had the same plan for Mohit bhai . His back-of-the-hand [slower balls] are very good, plus he uses the bouncer well. My plan was to just react to the ball and keep my mind as calm as possible."

Shashank later found good support from Ashutosh Sharma , the IPL debutant who came in as an Impact Player, with the two adding 43 off 22 for the seventh wicket. With Kings needing seven to win from the final over, Ashutosh fell first ball. Shashank, however, kept his composure and took his side home with one ball to spare. Having not shown much emotion through the game - he barely acknowledged his fifty - he let the floodgates open as he ran to the dugout helmet off, screaming in delight.

"Still trying to sink [it] in," he said at the post-match presentation. "I have visualised all these things, you visualise them before a match. But obviously turning it into reality, [I am] feeling very happy and proud of myself."

Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan was also effusive in his praise of the way Shashank timed the chase. "Magnificent," he said. "When you are chasing that big a total, you have to keep the momentum going and I feel the way Shashank played and hit those sixes effortlessly, that showed his class. He timed the ball so nicely, it looked quite effortless and at the same time he kept his cool and finished the game."

Having spent years showing his wares in domestic cricket, travelling from one place to the other, Shashank is now trying to make up for lost time. There might have been confusion at the auction about whether he was joining Kings. But now that he is here, he will hope this is a start of greater things to come.

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BCCI punishes Rishabh Pant, entire DC team with heavy fine for Code of Conduct breach against KKR in IPL 2024

Pant was slapped with a ₹24 lakh fine while the other members of the dc xi were either fined ₹6 lakh or 25% of their match fees, whichever is lesser..

BCCI punished captain Rishabh Pant and the entire Delhi Capitals team after they were found guilty of maintaining a slow over rate for the second time in a row in IPL 2024 . Their second over rate offence which qualifies as an IPL Code of Conduct breach, came in Match 16 of the 17th season of IPL against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Vizag.

" Rishabh Pant , the Delhi Capitals captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over rate during their TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on April 3," said BCCI in an official release.

Pant was slapped with a ₹ 24 lakh fine while the other members of the DC XI including the Impact Player (Abishek Porel) were either fined ₹ 6 lakh or 25% of their match fees, whichever is lesser.

Also Read | 'Couldn't see DRS timer due to issue with screen': Pant on denied review vs KKR

"As it was his team’s second offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, Pant was fined INR 24 lakhs. The rest of the members of the Playing XI, including the Impact Player, were each individually fined either INR 6 lakhs or 25 percent of their respective match fees, whichever is lesser."

DC maintained a slow over rate in their last match against Chennai Super Kings at the same venue and Pant attracted a ₹ 12 lakh fine . There were fines on the individual players of DC.

KKR demolish DC

Sunil Narine showcased his batting prowess with a blistering 85 while teenager Angkrish Raghuvanshi (54 off 27) impressed with a fluent fifty on his IPL batting debut as KKR posted an imposing 272/7, five runs short of the highest total in the tournament's history.

The Capitals never looked like they were in the game be it with the ball or the bat. They crumbled under the pressure of the mammoth total.

Skipper Rishabh Pant (55) scored his second consecutive half-century while Tristan Stubbs (54) too hit a fifty but it was in a lost cause as DC folded for 166 in 17.2 overs to suffer their third loss of the season.

This was DC's third loss in four matches. They currently stand No.9 in the IPL 2024 points table with one of the worst net run rates.

"Our bowlers were all over the place. We just didn't turn up on the day. Today was one of those days," Pant said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"As a batting unit, we only wanted to keep going hard as a team. I would rather get all out as a team than not go for the target," he added.

At HT Sports Desk, passionate reporters work round the clock to provide detailed updates from the world of sports. Expect nuanced match reports, previews,reviews, technical analysis based on statistics, the latest social media trends, expert opinions on cricket, football, tennis, badminton, hockey,motorsports, wrestling, boxing, shooting, athletics and much more. ...view detail

• Delhi Capitals

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