New Zealand sour Shaheen Afridi's captaincy debut in Auckland
Shaheen Afridi's debut as Pakistan's T20 captain ended in a 46-run defeat against New Zealand in the series opener in Auckland on Friday.
Shaheen Afridi Sport News
NZ's Mitchell Santner To Miss First T20I Against Pakistan, Tests Positive For Covid-19
New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner will not be featuring in the first T20I of the five-match series against Pakistan on Friday after being tested positive for COVID-19. The first T20I of the five-match series between New Zealand and Pakistan will take place today at Auckland's Eden Park. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the news of the all-rounder's infection. "Mitch Santner won't travel to Eden Park this evening for the opening KFC T20I against Pakistan after testing positive for COVID earlier today. He will continue to be monitored over the coming days and will travel solo home to Hamilton. #NZvPAK," tweeted NZC.
New Zealand vs Pakistan 1st T20I Live Score: Shaheen Wins Toss, Opts To Bowl
New Zealand vs Pakistan 1st T20I Live Score And Updates:Shaheen Afridi takes charge as Pakistan's full-time skipper, taking over the reins from Babar Azam, as the sub-continent giants look to put the Australia heartbreak behind them in the T20I series against another team from Down Under, New Zealand. Shaheen's elevation as the team's captain isn't the only change that Pakistan have brought in, with some fresh faces also expected to be seen, while new combinations at the top of the batting-order are also likely to be deployed. The Kiwis, on the other hand, will miss Mitchell Santner for the match as he has been tested positive for Covid-19. Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi won the toss and opted to field first. (LIVE Scorecard)
Captain Shaheen Afridi Set To Demote Opener Babar Azam For New Zealand T20Is: Report
Pakistan are expected to go for a new opening pair in the T20 series in New Zealand with Muhammad Rizwan to partner young Saim Ayub instead of Babar Azam. According to reports from Auckland, the team management had Rizwan and Saim batting in the nets against the new ball bowlers while Babar and Fakhar Zaman had their knocks against mainly spinners in the other nets. Babar and Rizwan have opened pretty successfully for Pakistan in the T20 format since 2021 but apparently new captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, new high performance coach Yasir Arafat and the team director Muhammad Hafeez are keen to try out something new against New Zealand in the five-match series beginning on January 12.
Pakistan Super League hits jackpot after new broadcast deal
Pakistan cricket received a shot in the arm after the media rights for its most prized asset, the Pakistan Super League, witnessed a substantial jump.
"Is This Really Pakistan...": New T20I Captain Shaheen Afridi's Strange Claim Over Falling Speed vs Australia
Pakistan went down without putting a fight against Australia in the three-match Test series, suffering a 0-3 whitewash Down Under against the Pat Cummins-led side. The biggest loophole in their performance was the poor the outing of the pacers, including new T20I captain Shaheen Afridi, who was rested for the final game of the series in Sydney due to workload management. Star pacer Shaheen, who is set to lead the team in a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, has conceded that the performance of the pacers, including himself, was "disheartening".
"Will Win Battle Against Me...": R Ashwin Concedes He Wouldn't Be Able To Tackle This Pakistan Star
Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the greatest active players currently. With 490 wickets in 95 Test matches, the second-highest wicket-taker among active spinners after Nathan Lyon (509 wickets). However, with India facing England in a five-match series starting later this month, Ashwin has a good chance to surpass Lyon. He needs only 10 more wickets to be the second Indian after the great Anil Kumble to take 500 or more Test wickets. He is currently enjoying a break before the Test series against England.
Criticised Over Decision To Rest Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan Team Director Mohammad Hafeez Clarifies
Muhammad Hafeez, Director of the Pakistan team, revealed that Shaheen Shah Afridi approached him with a request to take a break from the third and final Test against Australia at Sydney, contrary to the belief that it was the team management's decision to rest the left-arm pacer. Australia defeated Pakistan by eight wickets at SCG on Saturday to complete a 3-0 series win. “We took the decision to rest Shaheen and manage his workload because we didn't want his body to be adversely affected,” Hafeez said after the third Test against Australia.