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ARY NEWS

Shahid Hashmi

  • We will not wear smartwatches says Hasan after ICC warning

    We will not wear smartwatches says Hasan after ICC warning

    The anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Council (ICC) warned two Pakistan players not to wear smart watches which can help in communication through WhatsApp during the Lord’s Test on Thursday.

    These watches are strictly prohibited by the ICC’s playing regulations and needed to be disabled so that they are not helpful in communication.

    The Cricinfo website quoted an ICC spokesman saying, “Apple watches in any way connected to a phone/WiFi or in any way capable of receiving communications such as messages, are not allowed. In effect, it is considered a phone unless ‘disabled’ and just a watch.”

    The said players, sources said, were Asad Shafiq and Babar Azam.

    After Pakistan players were warned by the ICC, Hasan Ali said: “We didn’t know about it. Now we are told so we will not wear them.”

  • Root terms Pakistan a strong side

    Root terms Pakistan a strong side

    LONDON: England skipper Joe Root reckoned Pakistan as a strong side who has world class players who could exploit English conditions in the first of two Tests starting at Lord’s on Thursday.

    Root is in second year of his captaincy and has to overcome a tough loss in the Ashes coupled with a 1-0 defeat in New Zealand on their tour of the Tasman.

    “I think they are good side,” said Root in his pre-match comments on Wednesday. “There have been quite a lot of changes from the last tour. It looks like the attack they might go with is to try to exploit English conditions. They are very skillful and they have some world-class players.

    “We’ve seen quite a lot of Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz, and Babar. In the middle-order, there are some really good players. Amir, we’ve come across him in the recent past along with some of their other seamers. We’re expecting a really strong side to play against.”

    Root praised new Pakistan leggie Shadab Khan, who replaced a more mature and experienced Yasir Shah ruled out of the tour with a hip injury.

    “Yasir had a great tour last time and posed a lot of issues,” said Root of Yasir who took ten wickets in Pakistan’s win at Lord’s in 2016. “I faced Shadab last summer in the Champions Trophy, he’s had a great couple of years for Pakistan and he’s a good bowler, good skills, googly, brings the stumps in, you have to make sure you do your research, the best idea how they will try to break you down and adjust well. That’s different for every player.”

    ALSO READ: Dominic Bess is ready for first Test

    In comparison, England will also gamble on newcomer Dominic Bess.

    “He (Bess) is a very confident young man, he has a lot of energy as you would expect. And he seems like he is really clear about what he wants to do in the game and how he is going to approach this week. That is all you can ask of somebody going to make his debut, which is really exciting for me as captain.

    “I remember mine and I remember the feelings – you just want tomorrow to come round, get given your cap and get out there. He has approached this week really well and hopefully he can have a good start to what will hopefully be a long career.”

    Root hoped the balance is good for the Test.

    “We want to make sure we have a side that covers as much as possible, gives us as many options that we can have in each department. Look at someone like Jos at No.7, I think that is a really exciting and integral part of our batting unit.

    “He can take the game to the option and from a position of strength make it even stronger and maximise the top order’s runs. And also with the tail be able to be really cute and smart and get the best out of them.

    “Look at the way he approaches his white ball cricket, there is a lot of that which can cross over. He is a very smart cricketer, he has a good brain, vice-captain, he has a lot of experience in white ball cricket. I think that can transfer and this is an opportunity for him to do that in Test cricket.”

    Root admitted England’s winter tour was not good.

    “I think we’ve had different challenges to deal with and we haven;t been at our best this winter But this summer is a really good marker, we can judge at the back end of these seven Test matches.”

    Root hoped the two Tests against Pakistan help grow some players for future.

    “More than anything to see a few lads grow and make sure we’re maximising our chance to be consistent and more successful everywhere we play, not just at home. more consistent qith back to back to back games and all round become skilfl and prepared for longer series. that’s something you can measure in six months time.”

  • Sarfraz wants to lead with performance

    Sarfraz wants to lead with performance

    LONDON: Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed vowed to make his contribution with the bat, behind the stumps and his tactics as skipper to lead Pakistan to victory over a more formidable and experienced England in the two-match series which gets underway at Lord’s from Thursday.

    Sarfraz, who turned 31 on Tuesday, has had a poor tour of England with scores of 4, 8, 20, 8 and 17 and was guilty of dropping a crucial catch in the Dublin Test against Ireland, which Pakistan won in the end by five wickets.

    “Yes, obviously when you are the captain then everyone looks at you and on your performances. I am also looking at that,” said Sarfraz at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

    “As far as captaincy is concerned I am doing well in that department, but yes I scored 20 and 8 in the Dublin Test, so I will try my best to do well in batting and keeping to help the team win,” said Sarfraz, who wished to be on Lord’s honour board this time.

    Sarfraz notched a hundred at Lord’s but in a one-day international in 2016 so that did not bring his name on the board.

    “Yes, I did but that was a ODI and I didnt get my name on the honour board but everyone wishes to have his name on the honours board, but the priority is to play well as team and win a Test at Lord’s and do my best to help the team win,” said Sarfraz.

    Pakistan will be without their key batsmen Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, who both retired last year. That increased responsibility on Sarfraz, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Amir and Azhar Ali — four survivours of the last tour.

    “Yes, the senior players in the team have to show responsibility. Amir and I have played here before so has Azhar and Shafiq, so we are seniors and the rest of seven players will play here for the first time. We have to lead from the front, we have more responsibility to give a good platform so that new players take from there,” said Sarfraz, who admitted leg-spinner Yasir Shah will be missed.

    Yasir was ruled out of the tour with a hip injury.

    “Because Yasir is not here thats is why we are playing five bowlers. Thats why we have inducted Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf the fourth and fifth bowler, so we can have five bowlers. ”

    “If we had Yasir we would have played six batsmen and a keeper with four bowlers. Yasir had been performing well , he is very experienced, he took ten wickets at Lord’s last time and then eight at The Oval, so it’s a big miss. But we will do our best to perform well.”

    Sarfraz showed delight over newcomer Imam-ul-Haq’s progress, who knocked an unbeaten 72 in the win over Ireland.

    “Yes, I am very pleased the way he is playing, especially in the second innings (at Dublin) its not easy the youngster was playing his first Test, it was a crucial knock of 72 runs,” said Sarfraz of Imam’s knock in Pakistan’s successful 160-run chase.

    “As a captain I am very confident and he too is comfortable and InShaAllah he will continue performing well like that.”

    Sarfraz said pacer Hasan Ali will be assessed in the nets.

    “Yes, we have already announced our 12 member squad. It’s the same 11 that played against Ireland, we have put in Hasan Ali as well, so we will announce the eleven tommorrow, before the toss.”

    Asked what d he thinkS of England as opponents, Sarfraz said: “If you see the England squad they are a very experienced players. They have good bowling and good batting so yes, they are also playing in their home conditions and they will be tough opponents, so hopefully we will beat them.”

    Sarfraz admitted England will be low on confidenece after losing the Ashes to Australia 4-0 and 1-0 in New Zealand.

    “Yes, if you see England’s last four months they are not good for them. They lost the Ashes in Australia and did not have good time in New Zealand so as a team they do not have good time but if you talk of the weather its good.

    “When we came here we played four games in altogether different weather. When we played the two county games (at the start), too cold at Kent, Northampton too hot, when we went to Ireland it was too cold. Then at Leicester it was too hot, so this weather is too good. I think as captain I see England, at the moment, being less confident as a team so as a team we will tryo to take advantage and try to perform well.”

  • Arthur hopes swing and luck returns for Amir

    Arthur hopes swing and luck returns for Amir

    LONDON: Pakistan’s dependence on spearhead Mohammad Amir is natural. In an inexperienced bowling attack they hope Muhammed Amir could lead from the front, more so in the opening Test against England starting at Lord’s on Thursday.

    Having showed his desire to play more limited overs cricket than in Tests, this Test tour of England may set the direction for Amir. Amir has not been in the best of form and fitness since the tour started.

    Since his return from a spot fixing ban, Amir has 49 wickets in 17 Tests, which is much below than Pakistan expect from him. Having said that, some 17 dropped catches off his bowling should also be taken into account.

    In the tour opener against Kent he sent 30 wicket-less overs but then managed five wickets in the Ireland Test, also completing 100 Test wickets in the way. But at Dublin he walked off with a right knee problem but the team management is confident he will be raring to go.

    “He’s perfect, 100 percent. He’s fine he’s ready to go,” said a confident Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur. “It was his rotation. (Mohammad) Abbas sat out the first game, Hasan (Ali) sat out the second, so he sat out the third.”

    Pakistan announced 12 for the first Test, with Hasan Ali likely to miss out after injuring his webbing and not bowling in the nets on Tuesday. Faheem Ashraf provides the much-needed bowling option as an all-rounder.

    Read More: Mickey Arthur tells why he dropped Wahab Riaz for UK tour

    Arthur, still believes, Amir has to be the man-to-go.

    “I think Amir is the finest exponent of pace and swing when he gets it 100 percent right. We’ve used that spell that Trent Boult bowled in Auckland,” said Arthur of Boult’s six-wicket burst which bundled England out for a measly 58 in March this year.

    “We’ve had a look at his lengths and the England batsmen then were on the back of a really tough winter for them. We believe he bowls incredibly well at left-handers and there will be three left-handers (Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman and Dawid Malan) in the (England) top four.

    “He’s ready. I just hope it goes really well for him because he’s been unlucky at times with the amount of dropped catches. He’s ready, he’s determined, he’s fit, he’s strong, he’s excited, he’s in a very good place at the moment so I just hope it goes really well for him.”

    Pakistan coach shrugged off any worries over the lack of runs from Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, although Shafiq got a fifty against Ireland and Azhar against Leicestershire.

    “I’m not at all worried by them. They are quality players, their records speak for themselves — they’ve got very good Test records. They roll up, they are big-match players, they’re fine and they are all batting really well at the moment. They are getting stuck in, nets were challenging today which was good but the guys stuck it out really well.

    “I’m confident they’ll deliver for us.”

    Arthur, whose first assignment in 2016 saw Pakistan drawing a Test series in England 2-2 in 2016, praised the opponents.

    “England are always good. In their home conditions, England are a different team to England abroad. To be honest, we are just worrying about ourselves. We are a very young Test cricket team at the moment and we’ve changed the brand, changed the way we want to play — gone five batsmen and five bowlers — we are just looking to build. We’ve got a lot of young players who we want to give a lot of experience to so our focus has just been on ourselves.

    “We’ve had a look obviously at (Jos) Buttler, he adds an attacking side to England, but our focus is very firmly on us and us doing our basics 100 percent.”

    Asked would Pakistan continue to proving people wrong, Arthur said: “Of course, we can. Definitely, we haven’t come here not to win. If we play well enough, it’s a changing room full of very, very skilled cricketers, very young cricketers, fearless cricketers, guys that don’t fear failure. They are an intelligent and skilful bunch of cricketers who, if we get the breaks and things go our way, will certainly put England under pressure.”

    Pakistan’s main concerns will also be their batting but with newcomer Imam-ul-Haq hitting a fighting fifty on debut against Ireland gives them some consolation.

    “Imam’s a totally different character to Inzi. I don’t think it fazes him that much to be honest. Nothing really fazes him. He’s on cloud nine at the moment. He played beautifully for us, under pressure, against Ireland in his Test debut.

    “He has got a hundred on debut in one-day (international) cricket. He’s living the dream and he’s rolling with the punches at the moment. He’s fine. I don’t think that fazes him at all, to be perfectly frank.”

    Arthur’s main focus has been on building a culture of fitness and unity, which he feels is thriving in his charges.

    “First of all, we are an incredibly fit unit. The guys have trained unbelievably hard, not that we weren’t coming in 2016 but that was the start of almost the fitness regime.

    “The brand of cricket we are playing is certainly a more attacking brand. We felt we needed to change with the times and get another bowler in. We felt another bowler would lessen the load, particularly not having Yasir (Shah) here. And we are a more attacking side at the moment. Our batters will score quick.

    “The emphasis is on taking wickets and on scoring (quickly). There are going to be times when you need to control the game but it’s all about attack but that’s not about getting blaze because there are going to be moments when you have to show a lot of patience and absorb a bit of pressure.

    “But for us the best form of pressure is if we can put pressure back on the opposition and we do that by attacking.”

    “We were probably a more negative team in 2016 than we are now but that wasn’t a bad thing because that fitted exactly what we wanted at that point in time.”

    Pakistan will miss experienced and wily spinner Yasir Shah, who took ten wickets in Pakistan’s win at Lord’s last time around, but Shadab Khan seems to have come up to expectations, if not fully making up for the loss.

    “Shadab’s a wonderful talent. Like many of the young guys do, he cuts his teeth in Twenty20 cricket but he’s bowled a lot of overs — he’s played five or six first-class games. He had a Test match in Barbados which didn’t go that well for him but he learnt a hell of a lot from it though. He learnt that he needed to be a lot more consistent.

    “In that Test match I likened him to Imran Tahir — he was leg-spinner, leg-spinner, googly, googly, whereas now he is understanding what he needs to do.

    “He’s built pressure for us at times, he controlled the (run) rate for us beautifully in Malahide and he’s got all the tricks.

    “He can defend and attack, he’s a wonderful talent. I hope you see the best of him here because he’s going to be special.”

  • Dominic Bess is ready for first Test

    Dominic Bess is ready for first Test

    LONDON: His first class debut was nightmare for Dominic Bess but come Thursday and if selected Dominic Bess will be ready to make his mark against Pakistan at the headquarters of cricket, Lord’s.

    The 20-year-old is seen as a surprise selection for the Lord’s Test but his recent first class showings gave new head of selectors Ed Smith enough hints to throw him in the deep end. Considering Pakistan’s past it could be a successful selection.

    Eight years ago Pakistan gifted part-time spinner Marcus North six wickets in their loss to Australia in the neutral venue series and their fragility against Nathan Hauritz is no secret. That could prompt England to drop one from Mark Wood or Chris Woakes and give Test cap to Bess.

    “Of course I do. There’s a lot of chat about me only playing 16 first-class matches, but I always believe that everything happens for a reason. I think it is obviously a freak accident that happened to Jack Leach and I am gutted for him – I saw him the other day. But when I got the phone call, I am just going to take this opportunity.”

    In his short career the off-spinner has never played at Lord’s, so that could be another motivation to do well.

    “I’m a massive rugby fan. (I) love rugby,” he said. “My family (dad and two uncles) is big rugby fan. So, I always used to go to Twickenham. I absolutely loved that. But I never got the chance to come here. It will be a very special day if I get my chance to play out here.

    “It is more for me than an opportunity. I see it as a great opportunity. If I put pressure on myself as well, then there is only going to be a spiral.”

    Bess said his senior Jack Leach, who made his Test debut in New Zealand earlier this year, but ruled out with an injury gave him enough advice.

    “He absolutely loved (his debut) and I saw when he came back – him and Craig (Overton) – when you get a taste of it, you want it even more. I really got that vibe off Jack – and as soon as I’ve been here now, I want it. I want it more and more. I think that’s a very good trait to have.

    “He told me that ‘You’re here for a reason, and you’ve just got to adapt now to the level up’. I hope that’s something I can do well.”

  • England’s Broad raring to attack against Pakistan

    England’s Broad raring to attack against Pakistan

    LONDON: England’s experienced pacer Stuart Broad said he was raring to go and attack against an inexperienced Pakistan team in the Lord’s Test which starts on Thursday.

    Broad and his new-ball partner James Anderson have 941 wickets and are the most experienced pace bowlers currently playing Test cricket and they give England the much needed edge in the two-match Test series.

    “I can honestly say I’ve never approached an international summer with as much confidence as I have at the moment — and it’s all down to the work I did during my action in the Ashes and the trip to New Zealand,” wrote Broad in his column for The Mail.

    Read More: ‘IPL-hero’ Buttler to maintain attacking approach in Pakistan Test

    “Since the Sydney Test, I’ve picked up 25 wickets in five games for England and Nottinghamshire, and a lot of that is down to the fact that I am now backing myself to bowl a fuller, more attacking length.

    “I now know I can beat the right-handers on both sides of the bat, because my wrist is behind the ball and I’m hitting the seam. Because of my height, that makes me a dangerous proposition.

    “I’m itching to get out there against Pakistan at Lord’s on Thursday.”

    Broad said he has been focusing bowling against left-handers, so Pakistan’s new opener Imam-ul-Haq might be on target at the outset.

    “I think I’d spent so much time over the past few years bowling to left-handers, especially from round the wicket, that I’d got into the habit of only bringing the ball back in to the right-handers, not moving it away from them. I don’t want to lose that skill of bowling to the lefties, but equally I needed to rediscover my old threat.”

  • Mansoor Ahmed: A hero in life and death…..

    Mansoor Ahmed: A hero in life and death…..

    Ex-goalkeeper Mansoor Ahmed was a rock in goal post but for the past few months he was lying on the bed, fighting for his life. On Saturday afternoon he lost the ‘match of his life.’

    For someone who broke many a hearts with his subtle and brave goal-keeping. Mansoor was fighting the battle of a weakened heart.  He had a pacemaker planted into his heart a few years back and seven stents but since last month he was complaining of various problems. His lungs had malfunctioned. He was rushed to National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) where doctors had diagnosed a heart transplant.

    “I am sure with a heart-transplant I will be a newly charged person, Mansoor told me on April 28. I tweeted an appeal and did a story. The response from across the border was overwhelming. FORTIS hospital offered a free heart transplant in Chennai and Mumbai. But doctors had warned Mansoor would not be able to travel. Yet he was very optimistic. Last Saturday he took my hand in his hands and took a promise. ‘Will you be able to get me visa to India and get me a new heart,’ he pleaded. I promised, little did I know that he doesn’t have Extra Time in the ‘match of his life.”

    Read More: Pakistan hockey hero Mansoor Ahmed passes away

    Mansoor was a friend of friends. A very kind person, straightforward, lively and adorable to the core. He will be missed, dearly. Mansoor was expressive and vocal, for it was not in his nature to accept any wrong behavior and that’s why he played on his terms. A 238 match career was as glittering, as it was memorable. He won medals at the Asian Games, World Cup and the Champions trophy.   An Olympic medal eluded him and the closest he came was in 1992 when Pakistan won a bronze.

    Mansoor was a brave goal-keeper.  He won many a matches for Pakistan through his brave and agile goal-keeping, the most prominent being the final of 1994 World Cup Hockey in Sydney. The scenes are still etched in our memories.  Our famous commentator Farooq Mazhar on television, “Mansoor ready, Richarad Delmee is also ready to take the final push, Delmee pushes, Mansoor saves…… Pakistan has won the World Cup.”

    The worst phase of Mansoor’s life was a court case against him in early 2002. He was jailed on a silver theft case in Pakistan Customs warehouse, a charge he always denied. Even in jail he remained lively, always saying that why should he feel remorseful for something he had never done?  But that jail term demoralized him and his health suffered since then.

    Mansoor did try his hand at coaching and groomed a few goal-keepers. He wanted to return to the country what he gained from it but his life was short. He will always be remembered for his brilliant and adamant goal-keeping.

    Mansoor was a hero to the core and he died as a hero…..

  • Pakistan team heads to Ireland with confidence

    Pakistan team heads to Ireland with confidence

    Pakistan cricket team must have gained a lot of confidence after their nine-wicket win in the four-day match against Northamptonshire, but it is always advisable not to read much into a win achieved in a side game, against a weakened opponent.

    The strength of county teams pitted against a touring side is usually weak as the hosts don’t allow visitors to gain the much-desired workout and rest their key players. Notts did the same but still gave Pakistan bowling some much-needed work out as their captain Rob Newton pulled up a fighting hundred in the second innings.

    Still, Pakistan were given a modest 130-run target to win the match on the final day which they achieved through Haris Sohail’s second fifty in the match and another critics-defying half century by Imam-ul-Haq, wrongly targeted for being the nephew of chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq.

    Asad Shafiq’s unconquered hundred and leg-spinner Shadab Khan’s ten wickets in the match were the bright spots of the last outing before the one-off Test against Ireland, starting from Friday. Pakistan needed one of the two from Asad and Azhar to get tuned up before the Tests, two to follow against England after the Irish challenge.

    That Asad stood out and Azhar failed gives a mixed feeling to the team management. It could have been a bigger worry for Pakistan had Asad been caught on 13 and before 50 on the second occasion. But dropped catches are part and parcel of the game so Asad’s 186 not out must have given him enough confidence.

    Barring Imam’s 61 in an otherwise dismal 168 all out against Kent in the first tour match, the whole batting unit had surrendered and failed. Azhar’s contributions in the three innings have been 15, 9 and 10 including a laughable run out in the second innings against Notts.

    But as they say, class is permanent, form is temporary. By this adage, Azhar is bound to come good in the Tests. He has proved it on more than one occasion. Pakistan will need Azhar more than anyone.

    Shadab’s coming of age is admirable. Pakistan were jolted by the injury to their key wicket taker Yasir Shah and then him being ruled out of the UK tour.

    A bowler with 89 wickets in the last 16 Tests and an overall record of 165 wickets in just 28 Tests is bound to be a big miss. Pakistan had hoped that Shadab will fill in the void to some extent, but the side game has hinted that Shadab is able to give that semblance of hope to the team.

    The team played against Notts will be more or less same Pakistan will field against Ireland.  Maybe, the tie will be between Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali. In the end, Hasan may get the nod as he has a slight advantage of playing two Tests than Faheem’s none.

    Pakistan’s other two worries will be the lack of runs from skipper Sarfraz Ahmed and just one wicket in three innings for spearhead Mohammad Amir. After Azhar and Asad, Sarfraz is the most experienced batsman in the side and once the top order is gone much hope rests on his shoulders.  He has three hundred to his name in Tests so he is looked upon as someone who must contribute healthily in team’s total.

    Sarfraz has managed four and eight in the two outings and his challenge against a mature Irish and formidable England attacks will be stiff. Babar Azam also hit a fifty in the first innings must have given a lot of satisfaction to the team management, flaked for preferring him in both the side games and not giving a chance to either Saad Ali or Usman Salahuddin.

    Amir bowled 15 overs for the only wicket against Kent and bowled 27 wicket-less overs at Notts. The debate that he is not as venomous as before the ban has once again heated up.  Although since his return Amir has 44 wickets in 16 Tests, the second best behind Yasir, it still shows a downward trend in his wicket-taking ability. Amir’s intention to play five day Tests less to prolong his career may have lessened his intensity.

    On the way to Malahide in Dublin, Pakistan team management must keep their feet on the ground as Ireland will not be an easy opponent. William Porterfield led team may be playing their inaugural Tests but they have the ability to stand to the challenge in the conditions they are used to of playing for years.  Besides Porterfield, they have Paul Stirling, Gary Wilkinson, Ed Joyce and O’Brien brothers (Naill) and Kevin) and a potent bowling attack which has five good and accurate fast bowlers.

    Pakistan must guard against complacency.  Friday will be a new day. Ireland will be pumped up in their inaugural and historic Test. Pakistan will have to be up for the challenge.

  • Talat, Babar lead Pakistan to West Indies T20 series win

    Talat, Babar lead Pakistan to West Indies T20 series win

    KARACHI: Opener Babar Azam missed a maiden hundred by three runs as Pakistan trounced the West Indies by 82 runs in the second Twenty20 international in Karachi on Monday, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

    Babar cracked 13 fours and a six in his 58-ball innings, reaching 97 not out to guide Pakistan to their highest-ever T20 total of 205-3 in 20 overs after Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and decided to bat first at the National Stadium.

    Paceman Mohammad Amir took 3-22 as the West Indies were dismissed for 123 in 19.2 overs, faring much better than their 60 all out in the first match which they lost by 143 runs — the second-biggest margin of defeat in T20 internationals.

    The third match is on Tuesday, also in Karachi.

    The West Indies showed more resistance on Monday as Chadwick Walton hit two sixes and four boundaries during his 29-ball 40 and added 39 for the second wicket with the experienced Marlon Samuels who made 12.

    But Shadab (2-23) dismissed both in the space of seven runs to check the West Indian chase before Talat mopped up the tail with 2-12.

    “I didn’t get the hundred because of my own fault,” said Babar. “The team’s plan for me was to bat out the 20 overs.”

    West Indian skipper Jason Mohammed was left to rue another poor show.

    “It was another disappointing performance,” said Mohammed. “We tried to set aggressive fields to try and get early wickets. It’s difficult at times. Hopefully we can go home with a victory.”

    This is Pakistan’s seventh successive T20 series win, all under Sarfraz Ahmed’s captaincy since September 2016.

    Earlier, Babar set Pakistan on course for a fourth successive 180-plus total — the first team to achieve the feat in T20s.

    The opener put on 119 for the second wicket with Hussain Talat, who notched a 41-ball 63 with eight boundaries and a six.

    Pakistan lost opener Fakhar Zaman for six but Babar and Talat batted solidly as the West Indies bowlers struggled again.

    Asif Ali fell for 14 but Pakistan plundered 61 runs in the last five overs, with Shoaib Malik smashing two boundaries and a six in his seven-ball 17 not out.

    Babar failed to reach his century, ending the innings three short of becoming only the second Pakistani batsman after Ahmed Shehzad to score a T20 hundred.

    Shehzad achieved the feat against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2014.

  • Lucky Scot gets Twenty20 tickets courtesy ARY News

    Lucky Scot gets Twenty20 tickets courtesy ARY News

    KARACHI: A Pakistani origin fan living in Scotland got the surprise of his life when he received five tickets for the first Twenty20 international between Pakistan and the West Indies in Karachi on Sunday after complaining of running pillar to post for tickets without success.

    Mohammad Afzal in his televised comments on ARY News said being excited at coming to Pakistan to watch the series but complained that he didn’t get the tickets.

    “I have tried everywhere but didn’t get tickets for the match. I flew in from Scotland with my three kids who wanted to watch the match but I am told that the match is a sold out,” Afzal told ARY News.

    Minutes after his interview was aired, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) media director Amjad Hussain came to his rescue who telephoned the television to convey the message to Afzal that the match tickets for him are on the way.

    “I watched his interview on ARY and felt for him, so I arranged and sent five tickets through my sub ordinate and felt very happy that someone who came from so far got a chance to watch the match,” said Hussain.

    Initially Afzal didn’t believe it, but once five tickets reached to his hands he was overjoyed.

    “I am so excited and thanks to ARY for showing my interview and thanks to the PCB and Hussain Saheb for arranging this for me and my sons,” said an overjoyed Afzal.

    Afzal later watched the match with his sons and enjoyed to the hilt.

    “It was a life time experience as my sons took selfies and enjoyed the match.”