Cricket: Pakistan, a history
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Cricket: Pakistan, a history
This is the beginning of a page of the history of Pakistani cricket, which has |
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The authors of this article are …
AFP | May 13, 2015, 04.56 PM IST
World cup
West Indies vs. Pakistan
1975-2015
From: May 31, 2019: The Times of India
From: May 31, 2019: The Times of India
See graphics :
West Indies vs. Pakistan in World Cup cricket: 1975-2015
West Indies vs. Pakistan in World Cup cricket: 1999-2015
1992: peak
2009
No Test-playing team has toured Pakistan since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009, leaving eight people dead and seven visiting players injured.
1996: 'Match-fixing was at its peak'
IANS |Match-fixing was at its peak in 1996, says Shoaib Akhtar| October 17, 2016
Shoaib Akhtar also claimed to have warned fixing convict Mohammad Amir back in 2010 to avoid meeting people who could lure players to match fixing.
- He claimed that the atmosphere of the Pakistan dressing room was also very strange at that time
- Akhtar claimed that he warned Amir back in 2010 to avoid meeting people who could lure players to match fixing
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar claimed on Tuesday that match-fixing was at its rampant best in 1996 but he himself refrained from getting involved in the malpractice.
"The atmosphere of the Pakistan dressing room was very strange. Trust me it was the worst possible dressing-room," Akhtar was quoted as saying by Geo News.
The "Rawalpindi Express" added he always stayed away from fixing circles and cautioned other people about it, advising team-mates to play with integrity and sincerity.
Akhtar also claimed to have warned fixing convict Mohammad Amir back in 2010 to avoid meeting people who could lure players to match-fixing.
Amir served a five-year suspension after admitting to fixing in 2010. He returned to action last year and is now a regular in the Pakistan team.
Akhtar said he intervened to put an end to a recent public verbal dispute between Javed Miandad and Shahid Afridi, urging the two warring former Pakistan skippers to resolve the matter through dialogue. (Also read: Shahid Afridi, Javed Miandad bury the hatchet following spat)
"To resolve the matter through talks was the most possible solution. I spoke to Afridi and Javed bhai to settle the matter outside court. If it would have go to the court, then a lot of names would have cropped up," Akhtar told Geo Tv.
"My main concern was that. I told Afridi not to send a legal notice and advised Javed bhai to keep control of his anger and not say anything controversial in public. He exceeded limits by uttering unnecessary things."
The 41-year-old said Miandad and Afridi's spat could have opened a Pandora's box, tarnishing Pakistan cricket's image worldwide.
The bitter feud erupted when Miandad accused Afridi of fixing matches for money.
"Things are said in the heat of the moment and I also said some inappropriate things in the heat of the moment. I take them back," Miandad said recently.
They later resolved their differences, posting a video online in which Miandad took back his words and Afridi apologised, stating he had always considered Miandad as his elder brother.
2015
Bangladesh tour
Pakistan slumped to ninth in the ICC one-day international table -- their lowest since rankings were introduced in 2002 -- after losing the ODI series to minnows Bangladesh 3-0, threatening their participation in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England where only top eight teams will feature.
The tourists also suffered their first ever Twenty20 defeat against Bangladesh.
Although they managed to win the two-Test series 1-0 with victory in the second Test in May, and Pakistan can also take heart by the way their bowlers -- especially pacemen Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan and Yasir Shah dismantled Bangladesh's batting in the final Test, the national pastime of inquisition and blame game began.
Isolation results in decline
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan labelled the first-class system as "completely flawed" and fitness of the players as "worst in the world."
The absence of any international cricket on Pakistan soil since a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009 has also been detrimental.
PCB officials say countries refuse even to send 'A' teams because of security fears. Such tours are normally arranged on a reciprocal basis meaning no Pakistan 'A' team has played outside the nation's adopted 'home' grounds in the United Arab Emirates for five years.
Fast bowler Wahab Riaz and batsman Umar Akmal rose to senior level after the last Pakistan 'A' tour to Australia in 2009 and Inzamam said until fringe players tour abroad they cannot make the step up to Test and ODI level.
Zimbabwe breaks isolation
In 2015 Zimbabwe became the first international team to tour Pakistan after the 2009 attack.
Till almost the last day it was not clear if Zimbabwe would actually be able to come. However, Zimbabwe stuck to its commitment. Zimbabwe also went ahead with the third and final one day international against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium despite security concerns after a suicide bomber blew himself up close to the stadium during the second ODI, a day and a half before the third ODI. Police tried to pass it off as a transformer blast. However, Federal Minister for Information Pervez Rasheed said it was an alleged foiled suicide bomb attack.
2018
Series win over Australia
From: Seamer’s Ten-Wicket Haul Sets Up 373-Run Win & Series Triumph For Pakistan, October 20, 2018: The Times of India
Abu Dhabi: Medium pacer Mohammad Abbas took his maiden ten-wicket haul in a match to fire Pakistan to a 373-run win over Australia in the second Test in Abu Dhabi on Friday. Abbas followed his 5-33 in the first innings with figures of 5-62 to wreck Australia for 164 after they were set a big 538-run target.
The win gave Pakistan a 1-0 win in the twomatch series after Australia fought back to draw the first Test in Dubai last week. This becomes Australia’s heaviest defeat against Pakistan, beating the 356-run hammering at this same venue four years ago. It was Abbas who destroyed Australia with a haul of 17 wickets in the series — becoming the first Pakistani fast bowler to take ten wickets in a Test since Mohammad Asif ’s feat against Sri Lanka at Kandy in 2006.
Abbas had jolted Australia with four wickets off just 23 balls while Yasir Shah finished with 3-45 to give Pakistan their tenth series win on the neutral venues of United Arab Emirates (UAE). They have only lost one series — 2-0 to Sri Lanka last year — since being forced to play their home matches in UAE since 2009.
Pakistan were forced to play their home matches in UAE since attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009. Australia’s batsmen had no answers to his accurate seam bowling under cloudy conditions at Sheikh Zayed Stadium as only Marnus Labuschagne (43), Travis Head (36) and Aaron Finch (31) offered some resistance.
Yasir dismissed number ten Jon Holland soon after lunch to hand Pakistan victory. The first Test ended in a draw in Dubai last week. Australian opener Usman Khawaja could not bat after suffering a recurrence of a knee injury during practice on Thursday. AFP
Brief scores: Pakistan 282 & 400/9 decl bt Australia 145 & 164 in 49.4 ovs (Labuschagne 43, Head 36; Abbas 5/62, Yasir 3/45)\
T20 domination
Youthful Pak race to T20 domination, November 6, 2018: The Times of India
Brash young players, peak fitness and a winning mentality “in their DNA”, Pakistan are the current kings of international Twenty20 cricket. The last two Sundays have seen Pakistan race to series whitewashes in the game’s shortest format against Australia and New Zealand.
They also have registered 11 consecutive series wins — a world record.
The rapid-fire cricket of T20 mirrors the helter-skelter nature of life in a country of 220 million where people.
Former captain-turnedcommentator Ramiz Raja believes Pakistan’s Twenty20 flair comes naturally. “It’s partly our DNA,” said Raja. “But our successes have a lot to do with skills and fitness. Pakistan is a damn good team in this format, bowling out the opposition at will.”
With their powerful bowling unit, Pakistan have dismissed rival teams the most times — 31 in all — while, in the last two years, they have defended a total of under 150 for 40 times out of 44, with three failures and one tie. Sunday’s win against New Zealand in Dubai was their ninth match victory in a row — their biggest winning streak.
“Pakistan take this format very seriously and play with regular players most of the time,” said Raja.
The greatest of all the surprises is Pakistan’s fielding — not a strong point in the past. Their fielders have effected 25 runs outs in the last 28 matches. AFP
Babar Azam became the fastest to reach 1,000 runs in the Twenty20 format. The 24-year-old reached the milestone in his 26th match. The previous record was held by Virat Kohli, who achieved the feat in 2015 in 27 matches.
9 No of wins in succession by Pakistan between July 4, 2018 and Nov 4, 2018 — their best winning streak in T20Is. They are second behind Afghanistan, who had recorded eleven wins in a row between 2016 and 2017.
10 No of successive bilateral series wins registered by Pak in T20Is since 2016, a world record
