Home
Cricket News
Nz Vs Pak Misbah Ul Haq Gives Reason For Exclusion Of Shafiq Malik And Amir

NZ vs PAK: Misbah-ul-Haq gives reason for exclusion of Shafiq, Malik and Amir

Days in the international career of former Pakistan captain Shoaib Mallik and Mohammad Amir are numbered while the ousted Asad Shafiq will have to prove his worthvagain to make a comeback into the Pakistan international team, head coach and soon-to-go chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has suggested. Misbah said that Asad Shafiq has been dropped due to lack of runs in the last few years while the duo of Amir and Malik have been axed with the purpose of investing in younger talents who can serve for Pakistan cricket in the long term.

“There are three major omissions from the side that toured England. Asad Shafiq has been left out due to lack of form after he managed 510 runs in his last 15 innings, including a total of 67 runs in England,” Misbah said in a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Misbah expressed faith in Shafiq and said that the experienced batsman will invest time on his batting and regain his place in the Pakistan Test team for the series following the upcoming tour of New Zealand on the back of strong performances in domestic cricket.

“Asad is an experienced batsman and I am sure he will utilise this time to work harder on his game in the domestic first-class matches so that he, like Sarfaraz Ahmed, can reclaim his form and be back in contention for the upcoming Tests against South Africa and Zimbabwe,” Misbah added.

Detailing the overlooking of Amir and Malik, Misbah said that the upcoming series in New Zealand is invaluable for the Pakistan team as they are preparing hard to rise in the T20I rankings along with earning some points in the ICC World Test Championship. He said that Pakistan cricket has decided to focus on players who can feature in all formats and invest in them to shape the future of Pakistan cricket in a better direction.

“The matches in New Zealand are critical for us as we aim to improve our T20I rankings and also gain valuable points in the ICC World Test Championship. In this background and taking into consideration recent player performances, we have selected the best available players,” Misbah deciphered the tough calls made for the tour of New Zealand.

Misbah has already resigned from the post of chief of selection committee but he has set a theme for the development of Pakistan cricket team going ahead. Azhar Ali has been stripped off from his position of Test captain while Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been elevated to the captain and vice-captain of the side.

Discover more

Aus vs Ind: Australia picks Will Pucovski, Cameron Green, Sean Abbott in Test squad

Australian selectors have put their faith on young players who have proved their worth in the first round of the Sheffield Shield by awarding maiden call ups to as much as five players such as Cameron Green, Will Pucovski, Mitchell Swepson, Sean Abbott, Michael Neser. Will Pucovski pushed through the selection door by smashing a truck load of runs in the ongoing round of the Sheffield Shield 2020-21. He has plummeted 495 runs at an astounding average of 247.50 in his two matches as an opener and got the attention from Australian selectors. His unbelievable achievement of consecutive double centuries that also included his career best inning of 255 not out while also debuting as an opener in first-class cricket was well recognised by the national selectors and now the 22-year-old Pucovski will compete with Joe Burns in the Australia A team for an opener’s slot to partner with David Warner. "Will's record-breaking start to the summer has been exceptional. His ability to show such patience is something which stands him in good stead for Test cricket and he is in rare company with two double centuries to start the summer. We very much look forward to Will developing further on the international stage," national selector Trevor Hohns said on Pucovski’s selection into the Australian Test team for the series against India. All-rounder Cameron Green has made a name for himself and has already earned a place in the Australian limited overs side. His all -round ability has been rated highly by selectors and they believe that Green has in him to become a formidable all rounder for Aussies in coming years. Green has resumed bowling in the past two weeks before hitting a 197 that earned him reckoning and selector Hohns has said that Green’s batting alone suffice to make him a contender for place in the squad to face India. "Cameron has already won selection in the white-ball squad and continues that in joining the Test squad. He is a wonderful young talent who has great potential to become an allrounder of substance over time. His batting alone has demanded his place in the squad," Selector Hohns said on Greens’ merit for selection into the Australian Test team. On the other hand, the pacer duo of Michael Neser and Sean Abot have been drafted into the squad to give a cushioning to an all impressive pace trio of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins. Both of them have had a good Sheffield Shield 2020-21 with the bat and that will offer Time Paine a luxury of an extended batting order. Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson has been picked for an impressive summer so far for Queensland and selector Hohns has said that his inclusion will beef up the spinning stocks of the Australian Test team. Swepson’s place in playing XI looks remotely possible only when the team management will decide on going in with two spinners with Natahan Lyon being the leader of the Australian spin department. Australia Test squad Tim Paine (Captain and wicketkeeper), Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, , James Pattinson, Will Pucovski

Watch: Team India departs for Australia in customized PPE kits

The Indian squad for the Australian tour departed from the Dubai International Airport on Wednesday. The big suspire was the customized PPE kits that the parent body, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had made available to the players. The BCCI notified about the customized PPE kits through a tweet and asked fans for reactions. “Customised PPE Kits✔️Customised Mask☑️ How cool is this new look! #TeamIndi,” it tweeted. Apart from the BCCI, players individually too seemed to be happy flaunting the new PPPE kits and posted their photos in it, while waiting at the airport and inside the plane as well. Team India’s tour of Down under is a long one which would start with a mandatory 14-day quarantine where players would be allowed to train, but not all of them together, rather in separate big bubbles, most probably comprising of 4-6 members. The team would play its first tour game- the first ODI of the three-match ODI series in Sydney. The second match would also be played there before moving to Canberra for the remaining one ODI and first of the three T20Is and then returning back to Sydney to complete the T20I series. The four Tests beginning 17 December will all be played at traditional venues of Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. While Virat Kohli has been granted paternity leave for the last three Test matches, Rohit Sharma would be unavailable for the limited-overs series. However, the biggest heartbreak was for mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who has been ruled out of the T20I series owing to a shoulder injury. The selectors have named T Natarajan as a replacement. Team India T20I squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (vice-captain and wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan. Team India ODI squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vice-captain & wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper). Team India Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha

Grateful to play cricket again: Shikhar Dhawan thanks DC members

Delhi Capitals and India opener Shikhar Dhawan thanked his team members and staff for keeping him fit and making the tour of UAE enjoyable by their company. He was also grateful to have got an opportunity to play cricket amidst the pandemic caused by the covid-19. "The experience in UAE was made better by a fantastic bunch of people by my side. Grateful for the opportunity to go out there and play cricket again. Thank you to everyone involved at @DelhiCapitals- my teammates, coaches, management, and fans," tweeted the Southpaw. Although his team lost in the final which was played in Dubai, by five wickets against the Mumbai Indians, Dhawan remained one of the leading batters in the tournament with 618 runs to his kitty, second only to Orange Cap holder KL Rahul’s 670. Along with Dhawan, his Capitals teammate Ravichandran Ashwin also showed gratitude towards BCCI for pulling off a great show in limited resources. "It wasn't our night!! @DelhiCapitals Well done @mipaltan, deserved winners and so clinical through the tournament @ImRo45 @ShreyasIyer15. Last but definitely not the least, it was a terrific effort by the @IPL @BCCI to pull off a tournament like this during these tough times," the Tamil Nadu born tweeted post the IPL finale on 10th November.

PCB’s worries increase as more foreigners pull out of PSL Playoffs

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been hit hard by the foreign players pulling out of the PSL ahead of the final leg. The recent among the foreign stars to pull out is a well-known face in Pakistan- Daren Sammy. It would be for the first time that Sammy would not be part of PSL since its inception in 2016. The West Indian has cited travel restrictions imposed due to increasing covid-19 cases in the Caribbean as the reason for his non-availability. The PCB has decided to hold the remaining play-off matches as well as the final of the 2020 season which was marred by the spread of the covid-19, on November 14, 15, and 17 in Karachi. Earlier the PCB had lost the services of key English players due to the Three Lions’ limited-overs series against South Africa. It is getting difficult for the franchises to find a replacement as New Zealand’s Mitchell McClenaghan also pulled out of the league due to travel restrictions. Apart from that, James Vince of England and Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah had to pull out after being tested positive for the virus. Along with this, the PCB also informed that one person from one of the squads tested positive for covid-19 and he has been isolated in a separate room in the team hotel in Karachi.