Azam, Rauf star in Pakistan's T20 win over New Zealand
Azam, who fell for just nine in his 100th T20I on Friday, compensated with a brisk 58-ball 101 not out to lift Pakistan to a solid 192-4 in their 20 overs.
Babar Azam Sport News
Babar Azam Equals Skipper MS Dhoni In Elite List, On Verge Of Claiming World Record In T20Is
Pakistan started their T20I series against New Zealand with a comprehensive victory thanks to a brilliant bowling performance by Haris Rauf in Lahore on Friday. The win was also extremely special for skipper Babar Azam as he equalled MS Dhoni's record of 41 victories as captain in T20I cricket. It was the 100th T20I match for Babar and 67th as captain of the Pakistan cricket team. Overall, Babar is joint second the list of skippers with most wins in the shortest format of the sport behind former England captain Eoin Morgan and ex-Afghanistan skipper Asghar Stanikzai. Both of them led their respective national teams to 42 victories and Babar is just one win away from the world record.
"Shaheen Afridi We All Want": Pakistan Star Picks First International Wicket After PSL Triumph. Watch
Star pacer Shaheen Afridi, who recently led Lahore Qalandars to their second consecutive Pakistan Super League (PSL) title, returned to action during the first T20I against New Zealand at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. However, Shaheen, who rested for the T20I series against Afghanistan, didn't take too long to make his mark, striking in his second over to remove Will Young, who went for a booming off-drive but only managed to get a thick inside edge and the ball rattled his middle and off-stumps.
Pakistan mark Babar Azam's 100th T20 with emphatic win over New Zealand
Pakistan marked captain Babar Azam's 100th T20 international in perfect style with an emphatic 88-run victory over New Zealand in the first match of the series in Lahore on Friday.
Pakistan Thump New Zealand In Babar Azam's 100th T20I
Pakistan celebrated skipper Babar Azam's 100th international match in the shortest format with a clinical 88-run win in the first T20I against New Zealand in Lahore on Friday. Azam failed with just nine runs but Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub scored 47 runs each and put on a 79-run partnership for the third wicket to anchor Pakistan to 182 all out in 19.5 overs. Fast bowler Haris Rauf, one of five players who returned after being rested in Pakistan's last series against Afghanistan, took career best figures of 4-18 as New Zealand were 94 all out in 15.3 overs.
Rauf's four-wicket haul helps Pakistan ease past New Zealand
New Zealand captain Tom Latham offered no excuses as a career-best performance from Haris Rauf ensured Pakistan handed the Black Caps an 88-run hammering in the first Twenty20 international in Lahore on Friday.
Babar Azam Set To Surpass Shahid Afridi, On Verge Of Joining Elite List In T20Is
When Pakistan captain Babar Azam will take the field in the first T20I agaisnt New Zealand on Friday, he will become only the third player from his country to play 100 T20Is. Babar, who is tied on 99 appearances with Shahid Afridi, will join veteran all-rounders Shoaib Malik (123) and Mohammad Hafeez (119) in the elite list of Pakistan players with 100 or more appearances in the shortest format of the game. So far, Babar has scored 3,355 runs in T20Is with the help of two centuries and 30 fifties.
Not Virat Kohli Or Babar Azam! Harbhajan Singh's Super Pick For 'No. 1 Batter In The World'
The second week of IPL is living up to its reputation of being an incredible league. Between Monday and Thursday, there have been four back-to-back last-ball thrillers. Rajasthan Royals produced a stunning performance and breached fortress Chepauk by defeating Chennai for the first time since 2008. Sandeep Sharma kept his cool in the final over and defended 20 runs to give his team a famous win, preventing MS Dhoni - the finisher - from finishing it off in style. Apart from Sandeep's display under pressure in the final over, RR's spin trio of Ashwin-Chahal-Zampa bowled beautifully and Jos Buttler's gritty half-century took them to a competitive total.