Home
Cricket News
Pakistan Australia White Ball Series Venue Changed To Lahore From Rawalpindi

Pakistan-Australia white-ball series venue changed to Lahore from Rawalpindi

Political tension in the Islamabad circles has forced the PCB to change the venue of the upcoming ODI and T20I series from Rawalpindi to Lahore. Due to the prevailing scenario in Islamabad and adjoining areas, the white-ball series between Pakistan and Australia has now been moved to Lahore.

Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan will face the no-confidence vote next week. It has led to a clash between his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). Amid the political turmoil, both parties are expected to march towards Islamabad with a massive crowd supporting their respective motives.

Rawalpindi, which neighbours Islamabad, was earlier scheduled to conduct Pakistan-Australia limited-over series. Still, as a precautionary measure, Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will now host Australia in the white-ball leg of the tour.

"T20I and ODI matches between Pakistan and Australia that were scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi will now be hosted in Lahore due to tense political situation in federal capital," Pakistan's interior minister Sheikh Rasheed updated as reported by The Nation.

PTI had earlier announced that close to one million people will rally towards D-Chowk on March 27. The place is just two kilometres away from the hotel where both the teams were initially expected to stay.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and Australia are involved in a three-match Test series, of which the final game remains. The caravan will then move to Lahore for three ODIs and a one-off T20I fixture.

Discover more

WI vs ENG | 2nd Test | Ben Stokes pays emotional tribute to late father after scoring a sublime century

He looked up to the sky and gave a crooked finger salute to his late father, who had the same finger dismembered during his career as an international rugby player for New Zealand.

ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 | Australia wary of India’s new ball attack

India will be up against Australia on Saturday, 19 March, in their fifth game of the ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, having blown hot and cold in their fixtures so far. Starting their campaign off with a huge victory of Pakistan, things quite haven’t gone as planned for the women’s team as they suffered heavy defeats against the likes of New Zealand and then against an out-of-form England. Australia on the other hand have looked to be the team to beat this tournament, batting very deep, a strategy that has helped them on several occasions. Australia head-coach Matthew Mott, though, has termed India a ‘dangerous opposition’ whose new ball attack can take away the game on their day. “It’s a good time to play India. I see them as an incredibly dangerous side. So, we are rolling some confidence at the moment. But as we always say, it’s this game in isolation and everything that we’re talking about the moments about how we can combat India. I think they’ve got one of the best new-ball bowling attacks in the world. And we found that out last summer," said Mott ahead of the game. For India Pooja Vastrakar and Meghana Singh have been star of the show alongside the spinners. However, the team has not quite clicked well, something that has led them down against New Zealand and England. However, Mott has stated that they are well aware of the threat that Indian possess down the order and they are particular looking to put up good performances in the late parts of the innings. “So even if we get off to a good start, we’ve got to respect that they’ve got some dangerous players down the order that can hurt us as well. And it’s a game that we have to be our very, very best to overcome them and then we’ll reset for the next one," added Mott. India need to win two out of their remaining three games to keep themselves in a strong position for the final four, but they are facing two undefeated teams in the World Cup in their last matches. The match will probably be rain-affected tomorrow with weather predictions in Auckland stating that there are 60 per cent chances of rain during the match hours.

IPL 2022 | Huge fines sanctioned for players & their families, if they break bio-bubble rules

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not messing around when it comes to the bio-bubble restrictions in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. After failing to complete their 2021 edition in India when several teams fell victim to the novel Coronavirus, BCCI has chosen to put strong sanctions against people who violate its regulations and guidelines. In a fresh Standard Operating Procedure, BCCI has noted that if players, their families or their franchise knowingly flout rules during the tenure of the bio-secure environment, they might cop massive fines going as high up as Rs 1 crore or getting banished from the league itself. The apex body has put in a three-strike rules for the players that go as - First offence - 7 day quarantine period with 100 per cent of their match fees fined for the number of matches they missed. Second offence - One-match suspension without pay following the completion and mandatory quarantine. Third offence - Removal from squad and no replacement for the team For the families, the BCCI has chosen to keep similar sanctions for the first offence. But if it happens for the second time, that said family member will be removed from the bubble for the rest of the season, with the player fined 100 per cent of his match fees, if he has to miss any games. BCCI has not kept its ruling to players, match officials, umpires and families only. It was chosen to fine the franchise as well. Any unauthorised arrival or departure will lead to three possible sanctions First offence - Rs 1 crore in fine Second offence - 1 point deduction Third offence - 2 points deduction The sanctions come after numerous examples across the leagues where squads have gotten Covid-19 over unruly behaviour. The Covid situation in India is being monitored and the BCCI has stated time and again that they will put maximum effort for the players' safety.

IPL 2022 | Shikhar Dhawan excited about the prospect of opening with Mayank Agarwal

India's ODI specialist Shikhar Dhawan recently said he was excited to play under Mayank Agarwal's leadership in the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhawan opined that it would be a big responsibility to open with the right-hander if he gets the opportunity. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) bought the flamboyant left-hander for a hefty sum of INR 8.25 crore at the IPL auction last month. Last season, the 36-year-old had a brilliant run when he scored 587 runs in 16 games playing for Delhi Capitals (DC). DC released him, although he has been performing brilliantly since the last few seasons, which was a surprising move nonetheless. "I am approaching this with a positive mindset as playing under Mayank will be good for me. We have a strong team, and the youngsters are very talented. We hope to produce something special this season," Dhawan told NDTV. "If I get a chance to open with Mayank, it would be a big responsibility for me, and I am prepared for the challenge," he added further. PBKS retained Agarwal for INR 12 crores, alongside Arshdeep Singh ahead of the mega-auctions. Later, the Karnataka opener was appointed as captain of the Mohali-based franchise. This came in the aftermath of ex-skipper KL Rahul's request to release him ahead of IPL retentions. Agarwal now has the added responsibility of scoring runs and ensuring his team performs consistently and end the drought of the team's first major IPL title. PBKS face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Mumbai on 27th March in their first game of tournament.