Skipper Babar Azam has stressed the need for the Green Shirts to “stick to the basics and play easy cricket” as Pakistan prepares for the highly anticipated clash between Pakistan and India during the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan’s first match will be on June 6 against the United States, who beat Canada by seven wickets in the opening game of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the US and West Indies.

The clash between Pakistan and India will be held on June 9 at the Eisenhower Park stadium in Nassau County, New York, where security will be boosted after reports of threats especially related to the match.

In a podcast released on Sunday by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Babar spoke about the match with India. “The whole world is focused on the day when the India-Pakistan match is held,” he said.

“Naturally, there will be nerves, but we need to keep our focus, stick to the basics and play easy cricket. It is always a pressure game; the more you keep cool and calm, believe in your skills and hard work, then things get easier,” he added.

Babar, who returned to the team’s captaincy in two formats in March, noted that an India-Pakistan match was “always the most talked about; it is discussed too much wherever you go in the world.”

“The players get different vibes and excitement. What will happen is that everyone supports their country, so the focus is on that match,” he said.

The skipper also expressed concerns about possible challenges the ground conditions in the US may pose as the team would be playing there “as a national side for the first time”.

To prepare well for the tournament, Babar highlighted the team was in the “process of collating various cricket and match-related information from players who have played there”.

Regarding his role, he said he understood the “responsibilities of a captain as there are additional expectations”.

“You have players and the management, and you have to maintain communication with them. You have to control your emotions and back your players because you have to get the best performance out of them. You always have to support them and give them the confidence that they are the best and can do better,” he added.

‘Dream remains to lift trophy’

Talking about his aims for the World Cup, Babar said: “As a batter, I have achieved decently and, as a captain, I have won a few series.

“But lifting the ICC trophy is a different motivation. You go to a different level and get a lot of praise. So, the motivation, aspiration and dream remains to lift an ICC trophy and present it to Pakistan,” he asserted.

Stating that he was “happy and excited”, the captain stressed the need to “play top cricket against every side” in order to lift the trophy.

“Effort is in our hands, but results, we do not know. How we present ourselves on the ground, our body language and how we communicate with each other will matter.”

Reflecting on previous World Cups

Reflecting on the team’s performances in the past two T20 World Cups, Babar termed them “good” but also acknowledged that Pakistan “could not finish on a high”.

“So, at the back of our minds, we are thinking about how we have played two finals and a semi-final and how we can overcome the mistakes that derailed our campaigns,” he said, noting that the team were the runners-up in the Asia Cup 2022.

Babar said the semi-final against Australia in 2021 could have been won if two or three dot balls were bowled in the final stages. “We lost as a team and not due to an individual,” he emphasised.

“For me, in 2022, we could and should have won the India game, but they took it away,” the men’s captain said about the match where the neighbours managed to beat Pakistan by four wickets.

However, Babar noted that it was the loss against Zimbabwe in that tournament — where the latter beat Pakistan by a single run — that was the “most hurtful”. “It hurts more because we had played good cricket against India and people were praising our performance and fightback.”

About the final with England, he highlighted Shaheen Afridi’s injury, which “forced [them] to give an over to a spinner” as being a major reason in their defeat.

LONDON: England all-rounder Liam Livingstone believes the “extra edge” provided by fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will bolster the side’s chance when they begin their T20 World Cup defence in Barbados next week.

The two out-and-out quicks were reunited for the first time in The Oval on Thursday, with both Archer and Wood playing their part as England won by seven wickets to seal a 2-0 T20 series victory over Pakistan.

Archer made the key breakthrough to dismiss in-form Pakistan captain Babar Azam for 36, sparking a collapse that saw the tourists slump from 59-0 to 157 all out.

And Wood, timed at a rapid 96 mph (154 kph) in his first spell, returned to produce two searing bouncers that captured the wickets of Azam Khan and Naseem Shah.

Spin-bowling all-rounder Livingstone struck twice in an over before England’s top order spent time in the middle, with captain Jos Buttler (39) and Phil Salt (45) looking in especially fine touch.

“A 2-0 victory going into the World Cup is great,” said Livingstone after England won the only two matches of a four-game series where any cricket was possible following washouts in Leeds and Cardiff.

“I think what was better was what we actually got out of that, especially having Jof and Woody gives us that sort of extra edge that we haven’t had before, which is pretty cool.”

Injuries have blighted the careers of both Archer and Wood, but the 30-year-old Livingstone added: “Any team that has them, before you even start the game you feel like you’re one step ahead.

“We know pace can work one of two ways: it can get you wickets and it can go for runs. They’re not always just going to blow teams away but I think having those two is a pretty big weapon and CJ [Chris Jordan] has been bowling beautifully as well.”

England will hope their renewed confidence is justified following a miserable defence of their 50-over World Cup title in India last year, which led to questions being raised over the positions of skipper Buttler and white-ball coach Matthew Mott.

But the England hierarchy kept faith with the duo, who had some credit in the bank after steering the team to glory at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, with Livingstone insisting: “I think we’re in a much better place than we were six months ago, which is pretty exciting for all of us.”

Livingstone, meanwhile, said he was finally free of pain after struggling with a longstanding knee injury.

“It’s not been the most enjoyable 18 months of trying to play with a niggle,” he said.

“It kind of drains your spirit, drains your enjoyment of cricket,” added Livingstone, who revealed he had been in low spirits at at the end of the Indian Premier League.

But an injection appears to have done the trick for his knee and revived Livingstone’s morale.

“It’s much better,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got a smile on my face and that’s all that really matters to me.”

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024

GEORGETOWN (Guyana): More than eight years after Carlos Brathwaite’s four sixes at Eden Gardens gave them their second T20 world title, a wounded West Indies will look to redeem themselves at home when they begin their campaign in the event’s ninth edition by taking on Papua New Guinea on Sunday.

Brathwaite had slammed Ben Stokes for four successive sixes in the final over to pull off one of the most astonishing chases that made the West Indies the first team to win the T20 World Cup twice. Their maiden triumph was in 2012.

But what followed was years of agony as the team found itself lost in transition. In 2021, they endured four defeats in five games to make a Super 12 exit.

Worse was in store in the 2022 edition in Australia when, under Nicolas Pooran’s leadership, they failed to qualify for the main round after shock defeats to minnows Scotland and Ireland, following which the batter stepped down as the side’s skipper.

It’s been 2982 days since the memorable night at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, something they would be desperate to reclaim especially when the tournament is at home.

“We all have grown as players, as team-mates as well,” Pooran told ESPNCricinfo. “When we played in Australia where we didn’t qualify, everyone was hurt. I resigned [from] captaincy after that as well. Everyone was hurt. But we are no longer that group of guys. We all know what’s at stake here.

“We all know that we have an opportunity to obviously redeem ourselves, make our cricket fans in the Caribbean and our cricket fans all over the world proud of us [and] happy. This time around we are much better players as well. Most of our guys that play franchise cricket, they understand what is needed to be a professional as well.”

Their two-time T20 World Cup winning skipper Darren Sammy is back as a coach and the Rovman Powell-led side already made its intention clear with a ruthless win over Australia in a warmup match.

But that Australia was a depleted side as only nine players from their squad were available for the match.

Pooran will play a pivotal role in the middle-order, but West Indies boast additional firepower with Powell, Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, and Romario Shepherd, making them one of the most formidable batting line-ups in the tournament.

Russell has been in exceptional form, both with bat and ball, after aiding Kolkata Knight Riders in clinching their third IPL title recently.

West Indies will also be looking to become the first team to win a T20 World Cup at home.

They have replaced the experienced but injured Jason Holder with left-arm fast bowler Obed McCoy.

McCoy was the leading wicket-taker during the West Indies A’s recent tour to Nepal, grabbing eight wickets in five matches.

Assadollah Vala-led PNG will make their second appearance after 2021 after sealing their spot via the East Asia-Pacific regional final in July 2023.

Vala is one of 10 players from their 2021 campaign, with that edition’s reserve member Jack Gardner picked in the 15-player group this time. Leg-spinning all-rounder CJ Amini will be his deputy.

The side boasts no fewer than eight recognised all-rounders, with both right and left-arm bowling options.

Left-arm quick Sema Kamea and Kabua Vagi Morea both enjoyed qualifying action, with the latter taking a hat-trick in the game against the Philippines.

Teams (from):

WEST INDIES: Rovman Powell (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Assadollah Vala (c), Alei Nao, Chad Soper, CJ Amini, Hila Vare, Hiri Hiri, Jack Gardner, John Kariko, Kabua Vagi Morea, Kipling Doriga, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Sema Kamea, Sese Bau and Tony Ura.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024

Aaron Jones struck an explosive unbeaten 94 from 40 balls as the USA beat Canada by seven wickets in the opening game of the T20 World Cup on Saturday.

Jones, born in New York but raised in Barbados, bludgeoned the Canadian attack, smashing ten sixes as he totally changed the momentum of the game in a superb 131-run third-wicket partnership with Andries Gous.

Jones took full control in the 13th over when he went on the attack against the slow left-arm of Canada captain, Saad Bin Zafar, smashing three sixes in one over.

Then the game shifted decisively towards the Americans when Jeremy Gordon’s medium-fast seamers went for 33 off one disastrous over, with the Canadian adding to his misery with three wides and two no-balls, including a no-ball that cancelled out a potential dismissal of Gous.

Former South Africa Under-19 batsman Gous made 65 off 46 balls before he holed out to deep midwicket off Nikhil Dutta, ending a partnership that had taken the Americans from struggling at 42-2 in the seventh over to close to their finish line at 173-3 in the 16th.

Corey Anderson, the former New Zealand all-rounder, came in to accompany Jones who fittingly ended the contest with his 10th sixth of the night.

It was the perfect start to the tournament for the co-hosts, with the crowd at the compact Grand Prairie Stadium roaring with delight as Jones smashed the Canadian attack around the ground.

“I don’t think it is easy to put it into words,” said Jones, whose 10 sixes are the second most in a T20 World Cup innings behind West Indian Chris Gayle’s 11 against England in 2016.

“With our batting line-up, we knew anything under 200 is chaseable. I go through my processes and I like my power hitting. I know if I get it in the middle, it will go for sure. I like to come in when the team is under pressure, it brings out the best in me,” he said.

Canada, also making their T20 World Cup debut, had set what appeared a challenging target with Navneet Dhaliwal making a well-paced 61 off 44 balls, including six fours and three sixes after opener Aaron Johnson had set the early pace with an aggressive 23 off 16 balls.

Nicholas Kirton maintained the momentum in the back half of the innings with 51 off 31 balls and Shreyas Movva’s 32 off 16 was crucial in getting Canada to what looked to be a strong total in the Group A match before Jones wreaked havoc.

“We started well, But Jones and Gous batted exceptionally. Our bowlers had no chance,” said skipper Bin Zafar.

“Our bowlers missed their lines and lengths, and we shouldn’t have given away the no-balls and extras. We played an exceptional game overall. Nothing to be sad about, the effort from the boys was good. This is just the start and hope we can do well in the next game,” he said.

The USA is co-hosting the tournament with the West Indies with 16 of the group stage games being held in three American venues — South Florida and New York along with Dallas.

India, Pakistan and Ireland are also competing in Group A with two nations qualifying for the Super Eight stage.

KARACHI: In a country where cricket reigns supreme, a dedicated group of athletes gathered here at the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Sports Complex to showcase their skills in a lesser-known but equally thrilling sport — softball.

While softball may not enjoy the same popularity as its cousin cricket, many of Pakistan’s talented cricketers have found a new outlet in this fast-paced game.

In the first PNSC Inter-Provincial Women’s Softball Championship final between Punjab and Balochistan on Saturday went head-to-head, displaying their enthusiasm and dedication. Despite lapses in fielding, Punjab managed to capitalise on one less mistake, edging out Balochistan 14-13 in a nail-biting finish.

Mehak hit a rare homerun to secure the victory for Punjab who ended their impressive campaign unbeaten in the four-team competition which also included teams from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The players showcased their flair with passion but that did not translate into on-field performance amid several mistakes.

“The lapses in the field is an issue that

can only be solved with hard work and practice,“ Punjab coach Mohammad Aqib told Dawn. “Also the girls, generally, are less physical so we try not to put too much pressure on them.”

“When the selected players represent Pakistan the [national] coaches work primarily towards addressing the weaknesses.”

Aqib, who has been playing since 2010 and currently represents Pakistan Police, said that dearth of proper baseball grounds in Punjab made it harder for players to train.

But the coach appreciated the Softball Federation Pakistan (SFP), which he said, arranged grounds for them to train.

Punjab’s best performer in the event according to the coach was captain Iram Shehzadi, who pitched effectively to help them clinch the title.

“It’s been a positive outing for me and my team in the tournament and I’m really happy to contribute in the winning cause,” the 30-year-old Iram told Dawn.

The skipper said her team faced different problems in the lead-up to the event.

“The squad was pretty inexperienced. We had to train some girls how to put on [the] glove in the training camp,” she said.

“Also the squad was completed just before we were leaving for Karachi [to participate in the event],” Iram who also represents Pakistan and plays for Wapda at domestic level, added.

Iram herself kick-started her softball career unexpectedly, after she received a call from her friend when a camp was set up in Quetta before the team’s departure for Indonesia back in 2010.

“When I received the call I told my friend that I don’t know anything about softball. But because I used to play cricket, my friend said I would adjust,” she recalled.

“I joined the 20-day camp and was selected to the team.”

Iram, who never pitched in a tournament prior to this provincial-level contest, appealed to the government to set up more camps and organise more events in Pakistan so that aspiring players could enhance their skills.

On the other hand, Balochistan coach Mohammad Hassan, who has been coaching the side for almost five years, was very proud of the way his team performed in the tournament.

He, however, admitted that his team made one too many mistakes that caused them the match.

“I think the girls succumbed to pressure in the final phase of the game,” Hassan told Dawn. “But we will work to avoid [the] mistakes in future.”

The coach further said that it was very hard to recruit players in the Balochistan region as the sport was not that popular.

However, he added, the positive showing in the event would attract more players.

Speaking on the occasion, SFP president Asif Azeem said that they were doing their part to promote the game in the country and had started programmes to introduce the sport in school, colleges and Universities.

“Currently, this sport isn’t that popular but it is very similar to cricket which would help us engage [more] players,” Asif told Dawn. “Still we need to properly teach [them] the rules of the game, for which we have appointed coaches at different academic institutes.”

Terming provincial-level tournaments vital for promoting the sport, Asif said he was looking forward to organising more such events.

“This tournament was very important for softball as it empowers the provinces, which is also my priority,” Asif, who wants to open a softball academy in Karachi, said. “So I want to organise more events at national and provincial level so players can get ample opportunities.”

Asif believed that these women players just needed a good platform and support to compete at the highest level.

“The players playing in this hot weather is a clear sign of their dedication towards the sport.”

With the inclusion of softball in the Los Angeles Olympics 2028, Asif said that the SFP was monitoring players in the competition and would set up a national camp in the near future to identify and invest in the most promising ones to prepare them for the Olympics.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024

DALLAS: Cricket ventures into uncharted territory on Saturday as the first ever major tournament to be staged in the United States gets under way in Texas with the opening game of the T20 World Cup.

A month-long festival of the fastest and most explosive form of the sport — which is being shared between venues in Texas, Florida, New York and the Caribbean — begins with the US taking on Canada at the Grand Prairie Stadium on the outskirts of Dallas on Saturday.

It marks the opening skirmish of the first ever major International Cricket Council (ICC) event to be held in part in the United States.

While the bulk of the tournament will be played out in the Caribbean, 16 group stage games in the 20-team tournament will be played on American soil, including the highlight of the group stage — a clash between India and Pakistan.

That match is due to be played at a 34,000-capacity temporary venue in Long Island, New York on June 9.

“It looks beautiful,” India captain Rohit Sharma told the ICC website ahead of a warm-up game against Bangladesh at the ground.

“It’s quite an open ground. When we come here and play our first game, I just can’t wait to feel the atmosphere in the stadium.”

The rest of the tournament will be held in the West Indies, including the Super Eight stage, the semi-finals and the final, which will be played at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

While cricket is widely played at a recreational level in the United States, with strong presences in all three of the states that have been chosen for games, organisers are realistic about the chances of “converting” mainstream American sports fans.

Instead, they expect that the large immigrant communities from cricket-loving backgrounds, including thousands of India fans in particular, will pack the stadiums.

“I think, number one, we want to celebrate those that are already fanatical lovers of cricket. They deserve to see the best players in the world come into their backyard and have that chance,” T20 World Cup USA, Inc. chief executive Brett Jones told AFP.

“Number two, I think it’s about spiking curiosity in the game,” he said.

The ICC also sees the tournament as a launch pad towards the sport’s return to the Olympics for Los Angeles 2028, when the T20 format will be used.

Major League Cricket, a T20 tournament, was launched last year and also stands to benefit from any growth in interest in the big-hitting, spectacular shortest form.

But it is not only the American market that the ICC is focused upon — the expansion of the tournament has opened up opportunities for newer cricket nations to compete on the big stage.

In recent years, the sport has been able to expand outside of its traditional strongholds with Ireland and Afghanistan earning places in the 12-strong elite with full Test status.

But the ICC see the T20 format as the perfect vehicle for growing the game and this year’s edition will feature three T20 World Cup debutants in the USA, Canada and Uganda.

Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Oman are among the other nations who are relatively new to the big stage and who will be looking to make their mark and grab some attention with an upset win.

With the teams drawn in four groups of five teams, with just the top two advancing, none of the smaller nations are expected to progress beyond the group stage and there is a danger the pool stage could mainly be a ‘weeding out’ process.

AUSTRALIA AIM TREBLE

India, winners of the first edition in 2007, are the favourites, with their line-up packed with players from the annual Indian Premier League.

Australia, winners of the ODI World Cup last year along with the World Test Championship, will be aiming to become the first team to possess all three of cricket’s global titles at the same time.

Australia won a hat-trick of one-day World Cups between 1999-2007 and, going by their heady success in recent global events, they are close to recreating that ‘golden era’.

Under Pat Cummins, they won the World Test Championship title and the one-day World Cup last year - beating a formidable India in both the finals.

The onus is now on Mitchell Marsh to lead Australia to another successful campaign, which would make them the reigning world champions in all three formats of the game.

It is not going to be a cakewalk of course.

India have not won a global trophy in more than a decade despite dominating the business side of the game and coming agonisingly close on two occasions last year itself.

That they run the world’s richest T20 league and yet have not won a 20-overs World Cup since the inaugural edition in 2007 does not sit well with the fans.

It could well be the last limited-overs World Cup for captain Sharma and stalwart Virat Kohli and nothing would please their fans more than watching them do the victory lap on June 29 in Bridgetown.

England’s 50-overs title defence fizzled out in India last year and they will do everything they can to prevent another meltdown, which could have serious ramifications on the future of captain Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott.

They have gambled on Jofra Archer’s fitness despite the speedster’s several aborted comeback attempts from back and elbow injuries, while test captain Ben Stokes has opted out.

Also in the reckoning will be Pakistan, who have brought back Babar Azam as captain of the side and appointed Gary Kirsten as the coach hoping their collaboration will yield a second T20 World Cup title for them.

South Africa will arrive with a bunch of power-hitters but their bowling resources look rather thin, while New Zealand will be determined to shed their ‘nearly-man’ tag under Kane Williamson’s inspiring leadership.

Co-hosts West Indies will also be in the reckoning having handed the coaching reins to Daren Sammy, who led them to both of their T20 World Cup titles.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2024

LONDON: With just a week to go before Pakistan take on co-hosts United States in their T20 World Cup opener, the Babar Azam-led side are still in a phase of “figuring things out”.

Their lingering frailties were magnified once more in their seven-wicket drubbing by England in the fourth and final Twenty20 Interna­tional at The Oval on Thursday.

Pakistan, as it seems, have sorted out the issue of low strike-rates in the powerplay, but their apparent cluelessness in the middle overs have raised question marks over their prospects in the upcoming showpiece in the US and the West Indies.

Put into bat, the visitors had posted 59-1 in the first six overs, but once openers Babar and Mohammad Rizwan lost their wickets, Pakistan couldn’t get back into the game.

Between the eighth and the 15th over they could manage just 41 runs at the expense of five wickets, with the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan having no answers to the likes of England spinners Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and pacer Mark Wood.

Usman Khan’s impressive 38 off 21 balls and Iftikhar Ahmed’s slow knock of 21 off 18 balls could only take the team to a total of 157, which was easily chased down by the hosts in less than 16 overs.

“As a team, we are collapsing sometimes in bowling and sometimes in batting,” Babar told reporters in the post-match press conference. “We need to figure these things out as soon as possible because the World Cup is near.

“… we are playing the first six overs like other [top] teams, but we are struggling in the middle overs. Players will have to step up now because it has been a while. We need to take responsibility and execute.”

Babar believed the middle-order batters should have tried to rebuild the innings rather than continuing to go after the England bowlers after three quick wickets had fell.

“… we slightly misread the situation,” he noted. “The back-to-back wickets put us under pressure. We need to discuss that if there are back-to-back wickets, how to settle down, and then regain momentum in a couple of overs.

“Here, a par score was around 190, so we needed to achieve that.”

With the target to defend for the Pakistan bowlers way below par on a batting paradise, Azam, with shambolic wicket-keeping made it worse for the team, dropping two catches across the England chase.

The burly batter’s overall show came under criticism, and questions over his fitness were raised, but Babar backed Azam and all his charges ahead of the World Cup. The Pakistan skipper suggested the team will stick to a modern approach towards the format.

“The team has been selected, and all have been chosen on merit,” he said. “When a player does not perform, it seems like the selection was wrong. But when the same player performs well, people ask why he wasn’t included in the team.

“We need to back the players. Azam, Fakhar, Rizwan, and the rest of the players have delivered performances. Sometimes, it’s just not their day, but we have to maintain a positive intent and take chances.”

ENGLAND WELL-PLACED

In contrast to Pakistan, leg-spinner Rashid said England were well-placed ahead of their World Cup defence after thrashing the visitors. England begin their quest to retain the title against Scotland in Barbados on June 4.

But their preparations were hampered when games against Pakistan in Leeds and Cardiff were both washed out without a ball bowled.

Jofra Archer, however, did make his long-awaited return to international cricket between those abandonments when the England fast bowler took two wickets in a 23-run win in the second T20 at Edgbaston.

Archer was able to form an express double-act with Mark Wood at The Oval, the Durham quick reaching a speed of 96 mph and dismissing both Azam and Naseem Shah with searing bouncers in south London.

And Sussex speedster Archer also continued his return from a run of right elbow injuries by taking the key wicket of Babar for 36 as the tourists slumped, Rashid finishing with figures of 2-37.

England captain Jos Buttler (39) and Phil Salt (45) all but put the result beyond doubt with a rapid opening stand of 82 in a match their side eventually won with 27 balls to spare.

“We feel confident and we’re positive,” Rashid said. “It is different conditions and obvious playing in a tournament there is different pressure as well, but we’re in a good place.”

Whether England can keep both Archer and Wood, who each have a long history of injury problems, fit throughout the course of a tournament remains to be seen.

But there was no denying their impact at The Oval, with Rashid saying: “Seeing Jof and Woody, when you watch them bowl it is exciting. Seeing the ball zip off the pitch, the keeper taking it really high and it’s exciting to have two quality, world-class bowlers in our squad.”

Pakistan were outplayed in all facets at The Oval, with paceman Haris Rauf’s 3-38 a rare highlight of an often shoddy display in the field.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2024

GNIEZNO (Poland): In a spirited comeback, Pakistan played a 4-4 draw against Malaysia on the opening day of the FIH Nations Cup in Gniezno on Friday.

The green-shirts were trailing 4-1 in the third quarter before they launched a magnificent revival to square the match.

Pakistan are placed in pool ‘B’ alongside Canada, France and Malaysia while pool ‘A’ comprises Austria, Korea, New Zealand, Poland and South Africa.

Pakistan had a poor start in the match conceding three early goals in the first quarter. Fitri Saari put Malaysia ahead in the fourth minute through a penalty stroke. Three minutes later, Abu Kamal Azrai made it 2-0.

The Pakistan defenders continued to commit blunders and in the process conceded two penalty corners and a penalty stroke in the first quarter. The pressure applied by Malaysia paid off once again as they made it 3-0 when Faizal Saari scored from a penalty corner. Pakistan earned penalty corners but failed to convert any of them.

The second quarter was a goalless affair with both the teams trying to penetrate each other’s defence but failed to score as the first half ended.

In the third quarter, Abdul Ramzan opened the account for Pakistan through a field goal in the 32nd minute. However, again Malaysia restored a 3-goal lead in the 42nd minute through another penalty stroke. Sufyan Khan gave Pakistan their second goal in the 43rd minute on a penalty corner as the third quarter ended with Malaysia 4-2 ahead.

The fourth quarter started at a brisk pace with Pakistan forwards trying their best to get another opening. Their efforts paid off when Hannan Shahid scored for Pakistan in the 52nd minute.

The match was about to end with Malaysia winning 4-3 but in the dying moments Pakistan’s forwards earned a penalty stroke and Abu Bakar Mahmood made no mistake to convert the opportunity into a goal in the final minute that earned Pakistan a stunning 4-4 draw in their tournament opener.

Pakistan in their next pool match face Canada on Sunday.

The winners of the May 31-June 9 FIH Nations Cup will qualify for the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2024

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan completed a series clean sweep over Australia after beating the visitors 3-0 in the third and final volleyball match here at the Pakistan Sports Complex on Thursday.

Led by Murad Jehan, the national side, who played with a full-strength team despite coming into the game with an unassailable lead in the series, dominated with scores of 26-24, 25-22, 25-20, warming up perfectly for next month’s Asian Volleyball Confederation Challenge Cup.

Australia, who are also going to feature in the tournament — set to be held in Bahrain — would be contemplating ways to hit form ahead of the high-profile tournament.

“A clean sweep in the series was our target and we have achieved it with teamwork,” a jubilant Murad said after the match. “This victory means a lot or us as it gives us a big boost of confidence for the AVC Challenge Cup.”

Echoing Murad’s views, Pakistan’s senior smasher Aimal Khan said beating Australia 3-0 was an accomplishment to be proud of for the national team, especially after their recent title triumph in the Central Asian Volleyball Championship.

“All players are good forms and hopefully, we will be on the victory stand in the AVC Challenge Cup in Bahrian,” he said. “How we fought against a strong Australian team was commendable. Our side is full rhythm and form.”

The chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Rana Mashood was the chief guest of the final match of the series and he, along with Pakistan Volleyball Federation chairman Chaudhry Yaqoob distributed awards and gave away trophies.

They appreciated the performances of both teams, particularly that of Pakistan for putting up an impressive show.

Pakistan team will fly for Behrian on Friday night from Sialkot Airport.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2024