Pakistan recalls fast bowler Hasan Ali for T20 series against Bangladesh
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has recalled fast bowler Hasan Ali for this month's Twenty20 home matches against Bangladesh but overlooked senior batters Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam for the third successive series.
Hasan played just one T20 international in nearly three years when he returned with expensive figures of 0-42 in three overs against Ireland in Dublin in 2024.
However, the right-arm fast bowler has forced his way back into the squad with a rich haul of 15 wickets in the Pakistan Super League while representing the Karachi Kings.
Rizwan and Babar were dropped for the last two series in Zimbabwe and New Zealand as Pakistan continued to reshape its top-order ahead of next year's T20 World Cup.
Rizwan scored 367 runs at a strike rate of 139.54 in the PSL this season as his franchise, the Multan Sultans, suffered nine defeats in 10 games.
Babar's Peshawar Zalmi also missed out on the playoffs for the first time in PSL history as he finished the season with 288 runs and a strike rate of 128.57.
Salman Ali Agha, who was appointed captain ahead of the T20 series in Australia last year, will continue to lead the side with Shadab Khan as his deputy.
The series will be the first assignment for Pakistan's newly appointed white-ball coach Mike Hesson, who is currently in charge of Islamabad United in the PSL.
The selectors have made eight changes to the squad which lost the series in New Zealand 4-1.
Fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Jahandad Khan and Abbas Afridi were replaced by Hasan, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim while another pace bowler Mohammad Ali was also dropped.
Opening batter Sahibzada Farhan, who leads the PSL charts with 394 runs in 10 games, Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman were recalled, with all-rounders Faheem Ashraf and Hussain Talat also making their way back into the squad.
The three-match series will be played in Lahore but the match dates are yet to be announced.
___
Squad:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub.
___
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Uzbekistan coach says historic World Cup spot for 'our entire people'
Uzbekistan's coach said "this victory belongs to all of us" after steering the Central Asian nation to the World Cup for the first time in their history. A 0-0 draw at the United Arab Emirates on Thursday was enough to seal the landmark with a game to go in Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in North America. Advertisement The expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams has given traditional outsiders such as Uzbekistan the chance to break into the top ranks of world football. "We have come a long way and achieved an important result," their coach Timur Kapadze said, according to the Asian Football Confederation. "We congratulate our entire people and our president. This victory belongs to all of us. "Yesterday and today the phone calls have not stopped." Uzbekistan started competing as an independent nation in the 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Backed by state funding, Uzbekistan are one of Asia's fastest-developing footballing nations. Advertisement They are ranked 57th in the world. "Everyone said they would support us and pray for us, the wishes for victory were a great inspiration for us," said Kapadze, who replaced Srecko Katanec as head coach in January. "My players showed determination in every game, they did their best, and that is why we achieved the result." Footage shared on social media showed the players, draped in national flags, mobbing Kapadze in the press room after getting the point they needed. Uzbekistan are second behind also qualified Iran in Group A with five wins, three draws and one defeat. They play their final qualifier on Tuesday home to Qatar in the capital Tashkent. pst/rsc
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Sports Nutrition
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Sports Nutrition Constructor: Ryan Mathiason Editor: Anna Gundlach JON (29A: "Napoleon Dynamite" star Heder) Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 movie whose title character is a socially awkward high school student who lives in Idaho. JON Heder portrays the title character. KOREA (42A: Country Buldak Ramen is from) Buldak Ramen is a brand of spicy instant noodles from South KOREA. The company's website says, "We fearlessly push limits, bringing bold, next-level heat to the table." STEPH CURRY (17A: NBA star who has won four championships with the Warriors) STEPH Curry has played basketball for NBA's Golden State Warriors since 2009. The Warriors were NBA champions in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022. STEPH CURRY holds the NBA career record for three-pointers (3117) and the record for the most three-pointers in a single season (402 in 2015-16). MIKE TROUT (24A: MLB star who has won three AL MVPs with the Angels) MIKE TROUT has played baseball for MLB's Los Angeles Angels since 2011. He was the American League MVP in 2014, 2016, and 2019. SERBIA (26A: Belgrade's country) Belgrade is the capital and largest city of SERBIA, a landlocked country in Europe. Belgrade is located at the juncture of the Danube and Sava rivers. ASIA (28A: Largest continent) ASIA is nearly 1.5 times larger than Africa, the second largest continent. Our crossword friend ASIA is making its first appearance of June today, and its ninth appearance this year. KATE (44A: Musician/comedian Micucci) KATE Micucci is the Oates half of the musical comedic-folk duo Garfunkel and Oates. (Riki Lindhome is Garfunkel.) The duo's name is derived from "two famous rock-and-roll second bananas," Art Garfunkel and John Oates. Kate Micucci also performs as a solo act and has acted in a number of movies and TV shows. JERRY RICE (52A: 49ers star who has the most receptions in NFL history) JERRY RICE is a former professional football player. He played for NFL's San Francisco 49ers from 1985-2000. He also played for the Oakland Raiders (2001-2004) and the Seattle Seahawks (2004). He has 1,549 career receptions (covering 22,895 yards), an NFL record. Here's a fun thing. In addition to his NFL accomplishments, JERRY RICE has a name that is crossword-theme friendly. In the five years I have been blogging about the USA Today crossword, this is the fifth time JERRY RICE has been a theme answer. We also saw his name as a theme answer on June 28, 2020, June 23, 2021, September 26, 2021, and March 6, 2022. ONO (58A: Hawaiian fish that's a palindrome) ONO is the Hawaiian name for the wahoo, a fish found in tropical and subtropical areas. In Hawaiian, "ONO" means "delicious," or "good to eat." IOWA (61A: Corn Belt state) Hello from IOWA! I wrote about the Corn Belt three days ago when we saw IOWA clued as [State in the Corn Belt]. KELSEY PLUM (62A: WNBA star who has won two championships with the Aces) KELSEY PLUM played basketball for WNBA's Los Angeles Aces from 2017-2024. The Aces won the WNBA championship in 2022 and 2023. Beginning with the 2025 season, KELSEY PLUM is playing for WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. SKYE (68A: ___ terrier) The Scottish dog breed known as the SKYE terrier is named for Scotland's Isle of SKYE, where the breed was discovered. POPLAR (4D: Tree in the willow family) POPLAR trees are fast-growing, making them valuable for timber production and shade. POPLAR trees are in the same family (Salicaceae) as willow trees. My cat, Willow, says, "Did someone say my name?" (I know this isn't actually a cat reference, but the opportunity was too good to pass up.) CINEMA (49D: Bollywood business) Bollywood is a term used to refer to Hindi CINEMA. The word is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (the former name of Mumbai) and "Hollywood." MLS (64D: Seattle Sounders FC org.) Seattle Sounders FC is a Major League Soccer (MLS) team in Seattle, Washington. The Seattles were an MLS expansion team in 2009. STEPH CURRY (17A: NBA star who has won four championships with the Warriors) MIKE TROUT (24A: MLB star who has won three AL MVPs with the Angels) JERRY RICE (52A: 49ers star who has the most receptions in NFL history) KELSEY PLUM (62A: WNBA star who has won two championships with the Aces) SPORTS NUTRITION: Each theme answer is the name of a SPORTS figure whose last name is a food. This is a fun theme. I'd say that a meal of CURRY, TROUT, RICE, and a PLUM would be fairly nutritious. I appreciate that the four theme answers represent four different SPORTS leagues: the NBA, the MLB, the NFL, and the WNBA. And it was a fun choice to clue them all in a parallel fashion, mentioning some of their accomplishments. Thank you, Ryan, for this excellent puzzle. USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for June 6, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
New York Times
16 hours ago
- New York Times
Kaoru Mitoma showed his importance to Brighton again. Now an anxious summer transfer window awaits
There is not normally an upside to losing a star player through injury for a lengthy period, but Kaoru Mitoma's absence from the last 16 games of the 2023-24 season had a silver lining for Brighton & Hove Albion. A back problem suffered by the Japan international left-winger dropped him off the radar for would-be suitors in the summer transfer window that followed. Advertisement Mitoma ended the 2024-25 campaign inhibited by injury again, but without accidental protection this time from prying eyes. Three goals and an assist in five appearances from the bench highlighted once more his importance to Brighton and the challenge they will face in replacing him whenever his dazzling stint at the Amex Stadium comes to an end. How long will that be? How long is a piece of string? The only certainty about Mitoma's contribution in the final few weeks of the season is that it reminded everybody about his talent and a range of gifts that now extend to impersonating a false No 9. Each of the three goals Mitoma scored in April and May — in a 4-2 defeat at Brentford and in 3-2 wins against West Ham and Liverpool — were converted from central areas following encouragement from head coach Fabian Hurzeler to take up more dangerous positions inside the box. Hurzeler told reporters a few days after the West Ham game: 'It's important as a player to understand that you need to be in the box, there's a clear area in the box where the most goals happen. If you're not in this area, you can't score. 'Sometimes you make the run and you don't get the ball, but the more times you do these runs, the more times you are present in the opponents' box, the higher the percentage that you score. That's what we try to get in the minds of the players, and if you see Mitoma's last two games and where he scored, it's similar areas. We try to train that and get the players more into that area.' Note Mitoma's starting position for his goal at Brentford (see below). He is on the edge of the 'D' before making a run to the left-hand side of the area to latch onto Jack Hinshelwood's pass and then finishing with his left foot. Against West Ham, Mitoma positions himself between Danny Welbeck and Lewis Dunk in the middle of the penalty area when Diego Gomez delivered a cross… … Mitoma then advances to nod in from close range from Brajan Gruda's header. In the Liverpool game, Mitoma was once again in a central position inside the box, following up after Welbeck's shot was parried by Alisson to acrobatically hook in a volley with the ball nearly chest-high. Instant impact off the bench from Kaoru! 🤩💫 — Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 20, 2025 'There he was again, and that's confirmation to be present in the opponent's box, and then you score,' Hurzeler told The Athletic after the match when asked about the repeating pattern of Mitoma's late-season goals. Minor heel and back issues restricted Mitoma to the flurry of substitute appearances. Extra recovery time has been granted by his country. With Japan's place in the 2026 World Cup finals already assured, Mitoma was rested from the national squad for their remaining qualifying fixtures against Australia, which took place yesterday, and Indonesia on Tuesday. Advertisement 'We have to manage him,' Hurzeler told reporters before Brighton's 4-1 victory at Tottenham last month. 'He has some small minor issues, not big issues, otherwise he can't play. But overall, he is not at his highest level regarding physicality, regarding readiness for the games.' Mitoma still made an impact in the recovery from 1-0 down at half-time at Tottenham. When he was introduced at half-time, he helped shift the momentum with direct runs down the right-hand side of the Tottenham defence. He then laid on an assist for Gomez, who curled into the top corner from outside the area deep into stoppage time. He ended up as Brighton's joint-top scorer in the Premier League on 10 goals with Welbeck and Joao Pedro, and tied with Welbeck on 11 goals across all competitions. His overall total for the club now stands at 24 goals and 20 assists in 108 games. Mitoma's showstopper against Chelsea at the Amex in February swept the board as goal of the season for the club, at The Athletic awards night and on Match of the Day, eclipsing, in the latter competition, Omar Marmoush's long-range strike for Manchester City against Bournemouth in the final week of the season. Premier League Goal of the Season 2024/25 🥇 Kaoru Mitoma | Brighton 3-0 Chelsea, 14 February 2025#PL | # — The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) May 20, 2025 Gary Lineker, who had the casting vote on his farewell appearance presenting Match of the Day, said: 'We see lots of goals which are just blasted in, but Mitoma's first touch, second touch, third touch and finish were exquisite.' So too was another moment after coming on in that Liverpool game. The Amex gasped and then broke out into spontaneous applause as Mitoma controlled the ball back over his head when it appeared to be going out of play for a throw-in. Kaoru's control is out of this world… 🤯 — Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 20, 2025 Will that match on the night before his 28th birthday turn out to be Mitoma's farewell home appearance for the club? There have inevitably been reports about interest from other clubs. Mitoma had no interest in a move to the Saudi Pro League when Brighton rejected offers from Al Nassr of £54million ($73.3m) and £61m in the January transfer window. Advertisement He gave little away after the Tottenham game to a group of Japanese reporters who follow him at Brighton, commenting only that he 'can't say anything' and 'doesn't know anything' regarding his future. Asked more generally whether playing in the Champions League would be appealing, Mitoma said: 'That is one goal, but if I focus on what's in front of me and do it right, I believe I can play in it.' Whether Brighton's near-miss in qualification for the Europa Conference League with their eighth-placed finish makes much difference to Mitoma is hard to know. He is thriving under Hurzeler, but it promises to be an anxious summer transfer window for supporters accustomed to revelling in his wizardry.
