"Babar Azam Should Play Domestic Cricket Now": Virender Sehwag Delivers Explosive Verdict

21.10.2024 - 07:21 sports.ndtv.com

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag took a dig at Pakistan batter Babar Azam's recent performance in international cricket and asked him to work on his fitness.

Ahead of the second Test match against England in Multan, Pakistan's selection committee took everyone by surprise after dropping the former Pakistan captain Babar Azam from the final two long-format matches of the series against the Three Lions.

Kamran Ghulam was handed his maiden Test cap and placed to fill Babar's position as Pakistan hunted to level down the series.

The batting all-rounder was at the receiving end of criticism from some sections of fans before and during the Test. Despite a tough time, the 29-year-old showed grit and resilience against a fierce English bowling line-up to keep Pakistan in the thick of the action.

cricket India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Babar Azam Virender Sehwag Britain India Pakistan

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday addressed Babar Azam's resignation from the white-ball captaincy, clarifying that no one from the PCB pressured the 30-year-old to step down. Earlier this month, Babar announced his decision to relinquish the white-ball captaincy of the Pakistan cricket team to "prioritise" his performance. Since Babar took on the role in 2019, Pakistan has not won a major tournament. Last year, under his leadership, the team was eliminated from the Asia Cup in the Super 4 stage following a two-wicket defeat by Sri Lanka in Colombo. A few months later, Pakistan's struggles continued, with the team failing to reach the knockout stage of the ODI World Cup in India.

Babar Azam Dropped As Pakistan Team Announced vs Zimbabwe, Picked For Australia Series

Former captain Babar Azam, pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah on Sunday returned to the Pakistan team for the upcoming white-ball series in Australia after being sidelined for two Tests against England. The Pakistani selectors announced the One-Day International and T20I squads for the tours of Australia and Zimbabwe starting next month. Many new faces have been brought into the squads, while senior players like Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan missed out on selection.

Big Setback For Shaheen Afridi In PCB Central Contracts, Babar Azam Placed In...

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday demoted premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to Category B from Category A, and did not offer central contracts to senior players Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Osama Mir for the 2024-25 season. Test skipper Shan Masood remained in Category B despite Pakistan scoring a come-from-behind 2-1 series victory over England recently.

"Don't Need A Fan Like You": Glenn Maxwell Reveals His Ugly Ego Clash With Virender Sehwag In IPL Team

Glenn Maxwell, the explosive Australian all-rounder, had a rollercoaster journey in the Indian Premier League (IPL), experiencing the highs of a player-of-the-tournament season with Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) and the lows of intense behind-the-scenes conflicts. In his book The Showman, Maxwell recounts his IPL journey and sheds light on the complex relationship he shared with former teammate and mentor Virender Sehwag. Maxwell's story begins with a high point in 2014 when he joined Kings XI Punjab. The team topped the table, losing only three games and securing a place in the final after a dominant season, with Maxwell at his best, scoring 552 runs and hitting more sixes than any other player. However, a defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders in the final dashed Punjab's hopes for a title. Reflecting on this near-perfect season, Maxwell recalls, "We went down in the final over. As close to the perfect season as you get in the IPL, but no trophy."

Pakistan Star Fakhar Zaman Set To Escape With Reprimand After Post Supporting Babar Azam: Report

Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman is likely to escape with a reprimand for criticising the PCB ahead of the squad announcement, where it planned to drop former skipper Babar Azam for two Tests against England. Azam, along with several senior players, got eventually dropped for two Test days after Fakhar expressed his displeasure on social media. Fakhar was issued a show-cause notice by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after he tweeted his views where he compared Azam's run drought with India's Virat Kohli, who went through a lean patch between 2020 and late 2022.

'Bhaagne Ki Zarurat Nahi': Sachin Tendulkar Pokes Fun At Virender Sehwag On His Birthday

The Indian cricket fraternity on Sunday took to social media to extend birthday wishes to Indian batting legend Virender Sehwag, who turned 46 on Sunday. Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar took to X, funnily saying that his age of 46 is a "perfect mix of four and six", just like Sehwag's explosive batting. "Happy 46th,Viru! 46 ka matlab hai 4 aur 6 ka perfect mix--bilkul tumhari batting ki tarah. Koi bhagne ki zarurat nahi. Tumhara saal bhi tumhare shots ki tarah dhamakedaar ho!," posted Sachin.