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News18
13 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
Hesson points how Babar could return to T20Is following Asia Cup omission
Islamabad [Pakistan], August 18 (ANI): Pakistan coach Mike Hesson said that star batter Babar Azam could make his return to the T20I set-up by working on his game against spin and strike rate and admitted that the 30-year-old was 'working really hard on" these things. Babar has not featured in the shortest format for Pakistan since the end of last year, and the right-hander was recently left out of the side's squad for the upcoming tri-series against the UAE and Afghanistan and next month's Asia former Pakistan captain looked in decent touch when he managed 47 from 64 deliveries during the opening match of Pakistan's recent ODI series against the West Indies in Trinidad, but a pair of failures (zero and nine) from the ensuing contests failed to grab the attention of overall strike rate of 129.22 and 133.21 last year in 24 matches and 23 innings, during which he gathered 738 runs with six fifties to his name, attracted plenty of criticism. Hesson suggested two key areas that Babar must address if he wishes to return to the international fold for the next edition of the T20 World Cup at the start of next year, and has left the door ajar should the former Pakistan skipper be able to perform well during Australia's domestic Big Bash (BBL) competition in December and January.'There is no doubt Babar's been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate. Those are things he is working really hard on," Hesson said as quoted by ICC. 'But at the moment the players we have, have done exceptionally well. Sahibzada Farhan has played six games (against Bangladesh and West Indies) and won three Player of the Match awards."'A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he is improving in those areas in T20s. He is too good a player not to consider," he added. The absence of Babar was not the only surprise in Hesson's squad for Pakistan's upcoming contests, with Mohammad Rizwan also missing out on the 17-player group as selectors opted to choose batters that consistently scored at a high strike indicated it was important that players who had performed well in recent white-ball matches were rewarded and said that choosing batters who scored quickly would be part of his selection process going forward.'We were challenged with three different surfaces (in recent matches against Bangladesh and West Indies)" Hesson said.'In Lahore, the surfaces were flat and the batting excelled. We went to Bangladesh, where they were incredibly challenging and low-scoring games. Our top-order sets the game up. All the games we won the top order performed really well."'The third game in the West Indies, our openers put on 140 (138). We need a run rate that puts us ahead of the game. T20 is all about setting the game up and being ahead of the game all the time in case you get yourself out. From a batting point of view, we have got a line-up that can continue to do that," he added. The Asia Cup will kickstart from September 9 onwards, with Pakistan starting their campaign against Oman on September 12, followed by a high-profile clash with arch-rivals India on September squad for tri-series and Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim. (ANI)
Al Etihad
05-08-2025
- Sport
- Al Etihad
UAE to rub shoulders with cricket heavyweights as hosts of Asia Cup
6 Aug 2025 00:51 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has confirmed that the 17th Asia Cup will be hosted by the UAE from September 9 to 28, with matches scheduled in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The tournament was originally to be held in India, but the strained political relations between the main two teams, India and Pakistan, has prompted that the tournament return to the UAE after a three-year hiatus. And if things go in a certain direction, the two teams could be playing each other three times over the course of the competition which Sri Lanka won when the tournament was last held in 2022 in Dubai and Sharjah. Abu Dhabi will now host some matches instead of eight participating teams have been split into two groups. Group A includes India, Pakistan, UAE, and Oman, while Group B comprises Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Four round, which will be a round-robin format. The top two teams from this stage will contest the fixture between India and Pakistan, scheduled for 14 September in Dubai, stands out as the most highly anticipated match of the group stage, the only guaranteed one. If both teams are among the top in the group, they play again in the Super Four, and potentially again in the final should both teams emerge as the top two in the Super Four will host 11 matches, including the India-Pakistan encounter and the final. Abu Dhabi will stage 8 games. The ACC's venue choices reflect logistical ease and prior success, as both stadiums are experienced in handling international hosts, the UAE will be looking to make an impact on the field as well, having missed out last time. The national team is in Group A and will enjoy the advantage of playing at home while also playing in the glare of packed crowds due to the popularity of India and Pakistan in their group. In the build-up to the main tournament, the Emirates Cricket Board is organising a T20 tri-series in Sharjah involving the UAE, Pakistan and Afghanistan from late August to early September. This series will serve as critical preparation for the teams ahead of the Asia tournament format not only allows top teams like India and Pakistan to compete multiple times but also offers developing teams like Oman and Hong Kong valuable exposure. For fans across the UAE and beyond, this promises to be a thrilling month of top-tier cricket. Full Schedule Group Stage Sept. 9 AFG v HKG (Abu Dhabi)Sept. 10 IND v UAE (Dubai)Sept. 12 PAK v OMA (Dubai)Sept. 13 BAN v SL (Abu Dhabi)Sept. 14 IND v PAK (Dubai)Sept. 15 UAE v OMA (Abu Dhabi)Sept. 15 SL v HKG (Dubai)Sept. 16 BAN v AFG (Abu Dhabi)Sept. 17 PAK v UAE (Abu Dhabi)Sep 18 SL v AFG (Abu Dhabi)Sep 19 IND v OMA (Dubai) Super Four Stage Sept. 20 B1 v B2 (Dubai)Sept. 21 A1 v A2 (Dubai)Sept. 22 Rest DaySept. 23 A1 v B2 (Abu Dhabi)Sept. 24 B1 v A2 (Dubai)Sept. 25 A2 v B2 (Dubai)Sept. 26 A1 v B1 (Dubai)Sept. 27 Break Day Sept. 28 Final (Dubai)
India Today
24-07-2025
- Sport
- India Today
India, Pak likely in same group; BCCI ready to host Asia Cup in neutral venue
India and Pakistan are likely to be drawn into the same group for the Asia Cup 2025, sources have revealed. All hurdles have now been cleared for the much-anticipated continental T20 tournament, which had been in limbo following the terror attack in Pahalgam. The Asia Cup was discussed during Thursday's Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Annual General Meeting (AGM), held in Dhaka, which Indian cricket board officials attended Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has expressed its willingness to host the tournament at a neutral venue, identifying Dubai and Abu Dhabi as the likely locations. Although an agreement has been signed with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) for the use of three venues, only two are expected to be utilised for the Asia BCCI has the hosting rights for the eight-team Asia Cup. There were doubts over the upcoming edition of the tournament following the strain in bilateral ties between India and Pakistan following the BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla and Asian Cricket Council President and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi are scheduled to meet in the coming days to finalise the venues and the tournament schedule, sources told India Today.A tentative window from September 7 to the third or fourth week of the month has been proposed for the tournament, which will act as a preparatory event for the T20 World Cup, set to be held in February next and Naqvi will also engage with sponsors at the earliest opportunity, aiming to allow sufficient time for commercial week, the BCCI had informed the ACC that it would not attend the meeting if it was held in Dhaka, citing the ongoing bilateral strain between India and Bangladesh. However, on Wednesday, the ACC was notified that Rajeev Shukla would participate in the meeting a bilateral series between India and Bangladesh, scheduled for August 2025, was postponed indefinitely due to the strain in relations. - EndsMust Watch
