Category: Sports

Pakistan was excited to host the ICC tournament for the first time in almost 30 years, but the start wasn’t great. In the first match against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi, opener Fakhar Zaman got hurt right away.

Just two balls into the game, New Zealand’s Will Young hit the ball to the outfield. Fakhar rushed to stop it and dived, but he landed awkwardly and seemed to hurt either his knee or back. He looked really hurt and had to leave the field for treatment. Kamran Ghulam took his place as the substitute fielder.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Fakhar had a “muscular sprain” and is being checked to see how serious it is. He has had injuries before, including knee surgery and hamstring problems, which kept him sidelined in the past.

“It’s a real shame if Fakhar is hurt, especially since he’s a key player for Pakistan in ODIs,” commented Ramiz Raja during the game. Ian Smith added, “It’s very unlucky for him. Fakhar has been in great form. If he can’t play later, it will be a big loss for the team.”

Pakistan is the defending champion after beating India in the last final in 2017. Meanwhile, India is playing its matches in the UAE because of travel restrictions from their government.

New Zealand comes into this tournament confident after winning the tri-nation series against Pakistan and South Africa just last week. Even though they’ve lost two main fast bowlers to injury, their other players, especially their spinners, are performing well.

New Zealand missed one of their batters, Rachin Ravindra, for this game as he’s still recovering from an injury to his forehead. On the other hand, Pakistan’s fast bowler Haris Rauf, who missed the last two games due to a side strain, has passed his fitness test and is back in the team instead of allrounder Faheem Ashraf.

As India approaches the 2025 Champions Trophy, one big question is who will support Mohammed Shami in fast bowling now that Jasprit Bumrah can’t play due to injury. Harshit Rana has been added to the squad as Bumrah’s replacement, but Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting believes that Arshdeep Singh should take that important spot in the team.

Ponting highlighted that Arshdeep’s left-arm bowling makes him special. “I would choose Arshdeep to replace Bumrah. He has been fantastic in T20 cricket. His skills are similar to Bumrah’s, especially when bowling with the new ball and during the last overs, which are really important,” Ponting said.

While he praised Harshit Rana’s talent, Ponting thinks that Arshdeep is better at bowling in those crucial final moments of the game. “Having a left-armer who can swing the new ball is really important, especially in big tournaments when there are lots of right-handed batsmen,” he added.

With Bumrah out, pressure is now on Shami to step up. Bumrah’s absence is seen as a big loss for India, as he’s been a key player in the bowling lineup for years. However, ex-India pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji believes Shami can fill this gap. “Shami outperformed Bumrah in the 2019 and 2023 World Cups. While Bumrah is a top bowler, Shami has a lot of experience. Before Bumrah came, Shami was the main bowler for India,” Balaji said.

The concern for India is that Shami hasn’t been in great form in recent matches since returning from a long injury break.

Indian cricketer Shardul Thakur has signed a seven-match deal to play for Essex in the County Championship starting in April and May 2025. The 33-year-old all-rounder is eager to impress and hopes to make a return to the Test team.

Later this year, India will play five Test matches in England. If Shardul performs well, he could earn a spot on the team. Recently, he was not included in India’s squad for the Test series against Australia, and the coach is focusing on younger players like Nitish Kumar Reddy instead.

Shardul has played 83 matches for India across all formats and has taken 129 wickets, with 31 of those coming from 11 Test matches. He started his international career in August 2017 with an ODI against Sri Lanka, followed by his Test debut against the West Indies in September 2018.

In first-class cricket, Shardul has taken 296 wickets with an average of 27.45 and scored over 2,000 runs, including two centuries and 15 half-centuries.

Recently, he had an incredible performance in a Ranji Trophy game against Meghalaya, scoring 84 runs in just 42 balls and taking a hat-trick, finishing with great figures of 8/91. Just before that, he scored 51 and 119 in a match against Jammu and Kashmir, partnering for a key 184-run stand for the eighth wicket.

Shardul Excited About Joining Essex
“I am excited to join Essex this summer. It brings new challenges and opportunities to show my skills,” Shardul said in a statement.

Chris Silverwood, Essex’s Director of Cricket, expressed his happiness about Shardul joining the team. “We’re thrilled to sign Shardul. We needed a quality bowler who can bat well, and he fits perfectly. We can’t wait to see him play in the County Championship,” he said.

On Monday, Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), made a big decision regarding the upcoming cricket match between India and Pakistan. He had the chance to sit in a special VIP Hospitality Box with 30 seats at the Dubai International Stadium, which could have brought in about 400,000 dirhams (around 94 lakh rupees).

Instead of keeping the tickets for himself and his family, Naqvi chose to sell those VIP seats and watch the game with the fans. He wanted to feel the excitement of the crowd and see how they support the Pakistan team during the match. He has already told the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Emirates Cricket Board about his choice.

The money earned from the ticket sales will be used to improve cricket stadiums in Karachi, Lahore, and Pindi.

The big match is set for February 23, and fans are eagerly awaiting this showdown, especially since Pakistan has won three out of five times they’ve faced India in the Champions Trophy before. Pakistan is the defending champion and will play their first match of the 2025 Champions Trophy against New Zealand a few days earlier.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently explained why the Indian flag was missing from the National Stadium in Karachi, where flags of other countries were displayed. A video showing the flags went viral on social media, and fans were upset because India is set to play in the Champions Trophy 2025.

It is important to know that India will play its matches in Dubai, not in Pakistan, because they could not get permission to cross the border. Many people thought the PCB was trying to send a message by not displaying India’s flag.

However, a PCB representative told Hindustan Times that it wasn’t their decision. The International Cricket Council (ICC) directed that only four flags would be shown on match days: the ICC flag, the PCB flag, and the flags of the two teams playing that day. So, India’s flag will likely be missing at the three venues in Pakistan since they are not playing there at all.

The tournament, which starts on February 19, features teams divided into two groups. Group A includes India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh. India will begin its games in Dubai, facing Bangladesh on February 20, while the highly anticipated match against Pakistan will be on February 23.

Group B consists of England, Australia, South Africa, and Afghanistan. The final of the tournament is scheduled for March 9, with semi-finals on March 4 and 5.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said they were happy about the agreement that respects all teams and promotes teamwork in cricket. He thanked the ICC members for their help in reaching this understanding.

Harshit Rana’s excitement about playing for India might be cut short. The young fast bowler is likely to miss the first match of the Champions Trophy 2025 against Bangladesh this Thursday, and possibly the whole tournament.

Harshit got his ODI cap during a recent series with England, where he took 3 wickets on his first game. But now, it seems he won’t be in the starting team for the Champions Trophy. India has three important matches in the group stage against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand—teams that could give them a tough fight.

In the last tournament, the T20 World Cup 2021, India lost early games to Pakistan and New Zealand, putting them in a tough spot. To avoid that again, they want their best team to play.

The other fast bowler, Arshdeep Singh, might not have many ODI games (only 9), but he has been impressive in T20 cricket, becoming the top wicket-taker for India. Reports say he’s currently seen as being better than Harshit.

Harshit became popular as an up-and-coming player, and India’s coach Gautam Gambhir believes in him. But even though Harshit did okay in his matches against England, he may have to wait for his turn because Arshdeep’s experience is noted and valued. With Jasprit Bumrah not playing, India needs to make the best choices to win their second ICC title in two years.

The ICC Champions Trophy is coming back after being away for eight years! Last time, Pakistan won the tournament for the first time ever by defeating India in the final at The Oval. Since then, things have changed for Pakistan. The only players still on the team are Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam.

Fakhar, who returned to the team last October after some issues with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), is playing really well. He will be important for the team, especially since Saim Ayub, an in-form opener, got injured and will not be playing. This has raised questions about whether Babar will open the batting for the Champions Trophy.

In the middle order, Pakistan will rely on captain Mohammad Rizwan, who recently scored 122 runs against South Africa. He will be joined by another strong player, Salman Ali Agha. Together, they made a record partnership in that same match. The team needs to decide how to speed up the run-making during crucial moments.

Pakistan’s biggest worry, however, is their bowling. The fast bowlers, led by Shaheen Afridi, only took 10 wickets during the recent tri-series at home, which is lower than expected. They also lack a good spinner, with Abrar Ahmed being their only option besides part-timers Khushdil Shah and Salman.

Here’s how Pakistan has performed lately: since the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they didn’t reach the semifinals, they have won 8 out of 12 matches. They recently beat Australia 2-1 and swept South Africa 2-0, which shows their potential. But they lost 2 out of 3 matches in the tri-series against New Zealand, showing they need to be more consistent.

Pakistan’s Champions Trophy Group Matches:
– vs New Zealand, February 19, Karachi
– vs India, February 23, Dubai
– vs Bangladesh, February 27, Rawalpindi

Pakistan’s Best XI:
1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Babar Azam
3. Saud Shakeel
4. Mohammad Rizwan (Captain & Wicketkeeper)
5. Salman Ali Agha
6. Tayyab Tahir
7. Khushdil Shah
8. Shaheen Afridi
9. Naseem Shah
10. Haris Rauf
11. Abrar Ahmed

Pakistan’s Full Squad:
– Mohammad Rizwan (c)
– Babar Azam
– Fakhar Zaman
– Kamran Ghulam
– Saud Shakeel
– Tayyab Tahir
– Faheem Ashraf
– Khushdil Shah
– Salman Ali Agha
– Usman Khan
– Abrar Ahmed
– Haris Rauf
– Mohammad Hasnain
– Naseem Shah
– Shaheen Shah Afridi