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Arab News
3 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Agha and Hasan star in Pakistan's win over Bangladesh in first T20
LAHORE: Skipper Salman Agha hit a career best knock and pacer Hasan Ali grabbed his first five wicket haul as Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 37 runs in the first T20 international in Lahore on Wednesday. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Agha struck a career-best 56 to guide Pakistan to 201-7 before Hasan took 5-30 to dismiss the tourists for 164 in 19.2 overs at Qaddafi Stadium. The win gives the home team a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Allrounder Shadab Khan, who also struck a quick 48, then dismissed rival skipper Litton Das for a 30-ball 48 to break a fighting 63-run stand for the third wicket that lifted Bangladesh from 37-2. Litton hit three sixes and a boundary and had steadied the innings with Towhid Hridoy who scored 17, but the later batters could not capitalize on the platform. Pacer Hasan ended Jaker Ali's knock of 36 (21 balls with three sixes and a boundary), Tanzim Hasan for one and Shoriful Islam for five to cap a succesful return to international cricket after a year-long injury lay-off. Hasan said he was happy and satisfied. 'The last eight months were very tough because it was a career-threatening injury, so I am happy to have contributed to the team's win,' said Hasan, who underwent elbow surgery last year. 'I did hard work during the rehab and it's a reward for that hard work,' said Hasan. Bangladesh skipper Litton was unhappy. 'All over the game, we didn't bowl well, bat well and field well,' said Litton. 'We have to come back strongly with two games still to play.' Earlier, Agha struck a 34-ball 56, with eight fours and a six, while Hasan Nawaz's 22-ball 44 with four sixes helped Pakistan pass 200 after the hosts won the toss and chose to bat. The captain, whose previous T20 best of 51 not out came against New Zealand in March, added 48 for the third wicket with Mohammad Haris and 65 for the fourth with Nawaz. Pakistan were struggling at 5-2 after the loss of openers Saim Ayub, for a duck, and Fakhar Zaman in the first two overs. Shadab scored a 25-ball 48 to help Pakistan add 58 in the last five overs. All six Bangladesh bowlers were among the wickets, with left-arm seamer Islam taking 2-32 in three overs. The remaining two matches are on Friday and Sunday, also in Lahore.
Arab News
4 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Pakistan and Bangladesh begin T20I series today
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan are all set to take on Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series commencing from today, Wednesday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement. The second T20I will be held on Friday, May 30, while the third and final T20I of the series is scheduled on June 1. Salman Ali Agha will lead Pakistan, while Litton Das will captain Bangladesh. All three T20Is will be played at Lahore's Qaddafi Stadium, which will host its first T20I series after going through a complete renovation earlier this year. 'The boys are doing well as a unit. A lot of our players are coming off strong performances in the HBL PSL X, which is one of the most competitive T20 tournaments in the world. That form and momentum are something we are hoping to carry into this series,' Agha was quoted as saying in a PCB statement. 'Bangladesh are a quality side with talented players and we are expecting a good challenge from them. I believe fans are in for some thrilling cricket over the next few days.' Das, the Bangladesh captain, said his team was 'focused and understands the challenge Pakistan poses, especially in their home conditions.' 'This series is a great opportunity for every player to step up. We are trying a few combinations in the build-up to the T20 World Cup next year and this tour is a valuable part of that process,' the PCB statement quoted Das as saying. The 2009 world champions Pakistan have endured a significant downturn in the last 12 months and crashed out in the first round of the World Cup in 2024. They have won only three of their last 13 T20Is, two against minnows Zimbabwe, and slumped to eighth in the T20I rankings. With a new head coach in New Zealand's Mike Hesson they are looking to younger players with the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka just eight months away. Star batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, and pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, have all been axed. Salman Agha will lead the side, having lost a series in New Zealand 4-1 two months ago. Bangladesh, ranked ninth, are in the same boat. They have won just four of their last 12 T20Is and lost series against lower-ranked United States (2024) and United Arab Emirates earlier this month. They also have a new coach in West Indian Phil Simmons, who will be missing senior players including Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, all either fully retired or from the T20Is. Frontline fast bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman are nursing injuries while new pace sensation Nahid Rana withdrew from the tour over security fears following the cross-border conflict between India and Pakistan. With inputs from AFP
The National
6 days ago
- Sport
- The National
PSL 2025 final: Shaheen Afridi leads the way as Lahore Qalandars win third T20 crown
Shaheen Afridi emerged as the most successful captain in Pakistan Super League history as his Lahore Qalandars side stormed to the title with a six-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators in the final on Sunday. Lahore chased down the 202-run target with one ball to spare as Afridi lifted the PSL trophy for the third time. Sri Lankan wicketkeeper batter Kusal Perera (62) and local batting star Mohammad Naeem (46) powered Lahore's chase but it was Afridi who had restricted Quetta earlier with a stunning spell, finishing with 3-24 in a high-scoring contest. The match, however, was dominated by the bat as the future of Pakistan's batting was on display during the final, with Hasan Nawaz of Quetta and Naeem landing some heavy hits in a tense contest. Up-and-coming batting star Nawaz saved his best for the most important match of the tournament at the Qaddafi Stadium as he cracked 76 from 43 balls. His was the best effort in an all-round batting display by Quetta as five of their top seven batters made decent contributions. Sri Lankan duo Avishka Fernando (29) and Dinesh Chandimal (22) played impactful innings but it was all-rounder Faheem Ashraf who once again delivered with the bat, smashing 28 from just eight balls with three sixes to edge the total to 201-9. Nawaz thus continued his stellar form in T20 cricket, averaging 57 in the PSL with a ton and three fifties, to go with his T20 century in New Zealand earlier in the year. A target of over 200 in a tournament final was a psychological boost for Quetta. They could have had a lot more as four of Lahore's five bowlers went for more than 10 runs an over. The only reason Quetta got restricted to around 200 was another superb spell by pace ace Afridi. The left-arm quick and Qalandars captain returned superb figures of 3-24 from his four overs, including important scalps of his counterpart Saud Shakeel and top-scorer Nawaz. Afridi also finished as the highest wicket taker in the tournament with 19 scalps at an economy of under eight. In reply, Lahore too were powered at the top by their own local batting powerhouse Naeem, who made a brisk 46 from 27 balls with a staggering six sixes. Abdullah Shafique maintained the tempo for Lahore with 41 from 28 but it was Sri Lankan batter Perera who anchored the chase with 62 not out from 31 balls with five fours and four sixes. The finishing touch was provided by Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who had flown in for the final at the last possible moment. Raza hit six and a four off the third last and penultimate ball of the tournament, bowled by Faheem, to secure victory with six wickets and one ball in hand. It was a noteworthy effort from Raza who had been busy with his national team during a one-off Test in England. After his team succumbed to an innings defeat in Nottingham on Saturday, Raza flew straight to Pakistan and landed in Lahore just in time to feature in the final. Lahore have now won three of the last four PSL titles.
Arab News
7 days ago
- Sport
- Arab News
Champions to be crowned as Lahore, Quetta face off in PSL final today
KARACHI: Defending champions Lahore Qalandars will face 2019 winners Quetta Gladiators in the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) today, Sunday, with both sides aiming to make history in the tenth edition of the country's premier T20 tournament. The final will be played under lights at Lahore's Qaddafi Stadium, with the match set to begin at 7:30 p.m. local time. A reserve day has been scheduled for Monday in case of rain. The winner will walk away with $500,000 in prize money, while the runners-up will receive $200,000. Either the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led Qalandars will become only the second team in PSL history to win three titles, or the Saud Shakeel-led Gladiators will lift their second trophy after a six-year gap. Qalandars fought their way into the final through the playoffs, knocking out Karachi Kings and Islamabad United, while Quetta topped the points table and beat Islamabad in the qualifier to book their spot. 'I'm thrilled and honored to be leading Quetta Gladiators to an HBL PSL final and we will do our best to lift the trophy,' Shakeel said. 'Qaddafi Stadium really has been a lucky venue for us where we have won five out of our six games and will look to continue the winning momentum.' Afridi said Lahore were aiming for a title hat trick on home turf. 'We are buzzing to feature in our third HBL PSL final in the last four editions and our aim is to complete the treble at our home ground,' he said. Lahore, who finished fourth in the group stage, will take confidence from their previous outing against Quetta, where they secured a commanding 79-run win before their second encounter was washed out. Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Naeem have led the charge with the bat for Qalandars, while Shaheen, Haris Rauf and Rishad Hossain have spearheaded the bowling attack. Quetta, meanwhile, have enjoyed a dramatic turnaround after finishing last in 2023. Their success this season has been fueled by consistent performances from Hasan Nawaz, Rilee Rossouw and a bowling unit featuring Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Amir. Both captains promised a highly competitive final to close out what has been a landmark 34-match edition of the HBL PSL.
