Pakistan bowl first in do-or-die clash

Published at : 11 June 2024, 09:31 pm
Pakistan bowl first in do-or-die clash
Azam Khan (2nd R) walks with teammate Haris Rauf (R) during the T20 World Cup match in New York on Tuesday. AFP

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and decided to bowl first in his struggling team's do-or-die T20 World Cup clash against Canada on Tuesday, reports AFP.

Pakistan, the 2009 champions and runners-up in 2022, have lost their first two Group D fixtures.

A stunning super-over humiliation at the hands of the United States was followed by a six-run loss to bitter rivals India in a game where they failed to chase down a modest 120-run target.

The game is beng played on the drop-in surface of the Nassau County International Stadium where Pakistan came up short on Sunday.

Saim Ayub replaces Iftikhar Ahmed at the top of the batting order.

Pakistan need to beat Canada and hope other results go their way if they are to make the second round Super Eights.

Canada have two points after a loss to the USA and a 12-run win over Ireland which also came in New York.

Canada's 137-7 in that victory is the highest total in the six games so far played at the stadium.

"I believe the fact that the wicket is playing some tricks, it levels the playing field for us," said Canada opener Aaron Johnson on the eve of the game.

Canada make one change with Dilpreet Bajwa replaced by Ravinderpal Singh.

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wkt), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir

Canada: Aaron Johnson, Navneet Dhaliwal, Pargat Singh, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (wkt), Ravinderpal Singh, Dilon Heyliger, Saad Bin Zafar (capt), Kaleem Sana, Junaid Siddiqui, Jeremy Gordon.

Umpires: Adrian Holdstock (RSA) and Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)

TV Umpire: Sam Nogajski (AUS)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)


MSH

Mushfiqur to play for Fortune Barishal in BPL 2024

Published at : 24 September 2023, 03:42 pm
Mushfiqur to play for Fortune Barishal in BPL 2024

Bangladeshi wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim is set to feature for Fortune Barishal in the forthcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

 

Mushfiqur had played for Sylhet Strikers in the last edition. His price was fixed at 80 lakhs in the players' draft according to the category. Which means he was in 'A' category.

The top category player will play along with other star players like Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Khaled Ahmed in Fortune Barishal.

Neymar quits PSG to sign for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal

Published at : 20 September 2023, 05:06 pm
Neymar quits PSG to sign for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal

Neymar said he was relishing “new challenges and opportunities in new places” after he joined Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal Tuesday, becoming the latest big name lured to the oil-rich Gulf state.

The Brazil forward, 31, ends a six-year stay in the French capital and follows in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane in swapping Europe for the Middle East.

“I have achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but I have always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and opportunities in new places,” Neymar said in a statement from the Saudi Pro League.

“I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment,” he added.

Neymar ‘in negotiations’ over Saudi move as Mbappe returns to PSG good books

Published at : 20 September 2023, 05:05 pm
Neymar ‘in negotiations’ over Saudi move as Mbappe returns to PSG good books

Neymar was “in negotiations” on Sunday to become the latest football superstar to decamp for Saudi Arabia, leaving Paris Saint-Germain just as Kylian Mbappe was brought back in from the cold by the French champions.

A source close to PSG told AFP that 31-year-old Neymar “no longer figures in the club or manager’s plans” with the Brazilian immediately linked to Al-Hilal in the Gulf kingdom.

Another source in Saudi Arabia said that “direct negotiations” between Neymar’s agents and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) were ongoing.

PSG get better of Dortmund in Champions League opener

Published at : 20 September 2023, 05:03 pm
PSG get better of Dortmund in Champions League opener

Paris Saint-Germain got their Champions League campaign off to a winning start on Tuesday as a Kylian Mbappe penalty set them up for a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at the Parc des Princes.

The French champions had dominated the first half without overly troubling the Dortmund defence, but they went ahead four minutes after the break when Mbappe scored a spot-kick awarded for a Niklas Suele handball.

Achraf Hakimi added a memorable second, and PSG could have won the Group F encounter by a far more handsome margin in the end.

The result immediately puts them in control of the group, after AC Milan and Newcastle United drew 0-0 earlier, and coach Luis Enrique will hope they can build on this performance when they visit the English side next in a fortnight.

"It was an almost perfect evening," said Luis Enrique.