Shaheen Shah Afridi - players.bio

Pakistan win toss, bat against India in key Champions Trophy clash

DUBAI: Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and elected to bat in a blockbuster Champions Trophy clash against India on Sunday as his side looks to stay alive in the tournament. A full house was expected for the eagerly awaited Group A match at the 25,000-capacity Dubai International Stadium, India’s home for the 50-over tournament after they refused to tour Pakistan due to political tensions. Defending champions Pakistan lost the tournament opener to New Zealand and another defeat will virtually end their chances of making the semifinals. Imam-ul-Haq comes into the Pakistan side for Fakhar Zaman, who was injured in the opening match and is out of the tournament. India had a hard-fought win in their first match against Bangladesh and come into the key clash unchanged. India captain Rohit Sharma said it “doesn’t really matter, they (Pakistan) won the toss, so we’ll bowl first.” The top two teams from the two groups will make the semifinals. Teams India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav. Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed. Umpires: Paul Reiffel (AUS), Richard Illingworth (ENG) TV Umpire: Michael Gough (ENG) Match Referee: David Boon (AUS)

Champions Trophy: Huge Babar Azam Drama Ahead Of India Clash, PCB Chief Tells Team To...

Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam was conspicuous by his absence from the team's training and there was no clarity on his availability for the Champions Trophy clash against India on Sunday even as the country's cricket board chief Mohsin Naqvi urged the side to win "at any cost". Speculation is rife that he may be not be considered for the match after he was not seen at the practice session on Saturday evening. The practice was attended by PCB chief Naqvi and Azam was the only player who chose to take the day off.

Pakistan coach says fast bowlers key in India clash

DUBAI: Pakistan coach Aaqib Javed on Saturday said his fast bowlers are “match-winners” and will pull out something special against arch-rivals India in their pivotal Champions Trophy clash.

Pakistan’s hopes dashed by New Zealand in ICC Champions Trophy opener

KARACHI: Pakistan’s 29-year wait to host an International Cricket Council ended in disappointment when New Zealand handed the hosts a comprehensive 60-run defeat at Karachi's National Bank Stadium.

Bayern’s Kane says injury could keep him out against Frankfurt

PARIS: Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane said he was likely to miss Sunday’s Bundesliga game at home to Eintracht Frankfurt after he was replaced at half time in Bayern’s 3-2 aggregate Champions League victory over Celtic. Kane hit the bar in an otherwise quiet 45 minutes against the Scottish side. He later told reporters that he had suffered a calf problem. “We’ll have a scan tonight and then we’ll see.

De Minaur, Medvedev and Rublev advance to Qatar Open quarterfinals

DOHA: Four of the top-seeded players of the Qatar Open advanced on Wednesday to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, and Jack Draper won their matches in straight sets. Top-seeded player Carlos Alcaraz can join them among the last eight later if he beats Italy’s Luca Nardi. Second-seeded De Minaur beat Botic van de Zandschulp by a double 6-4.

Sabalenka thrashed in Dubai as Paolini’s title defense ends

DUBAI: World number one Aryna Sabalenka slumped to a 6-3, 6-2 loss against Denmark’s Clara Tauson in the last 16 of the Dubai Championships on Wednesday, as Jasmine Paolini’s title defense came to a painful end. Sabalenka, who beat the 38th-ranked Tauson on her way to last month’s Australian Open final, suffered a second straight premature exit after losing in her opening match in Qatar a week ago. Tauson broke Sabalenka’s serve six times and the Dane will go on to play Czech youngster Linda Noskova, who knocked out fifth seed Jessica Pegula in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals. The 22-year-old Tauson beat Noskova in the first round of the Australian Open.

Real Madrid’s Bellingham banned for two matches after dissent

MADRID: Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham was hit with a two-match La Liga ban on Wednesday by the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee after he was sent off for dissent. The England international was dismissed during the champions’ 1-1 draw at Osasuna on Saturday by referee Jose Munuera Montero. Bellingham, who insisted he had been expressing his frustration and not insulting the referee, will miss league matches against Girona and Real Betis on February 23 and March 2 respectively. The disciplinary committee said Madrid’s attempts to show that Bellingham had not insulted the official were “insufficient” to remove “the presumption of veracity of the referee’s report.” Bellingham had said his dismissal was due to a misunderstanding.

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Shaheen Shah Afridi Sport News

Pakistan win toss, bat against India in key Champions Trophy clash

Champions Trophy: Huge Babar Azam Drama Ahead Of India Clash, PCB Chief Tells Team To...

Pakistan coach says fast bowlers key in India clash

Pakistan’s hopes dashed by New Zealand in ICC Champions Trophy opener

Bayern’s Kane says injury could keep him out against Frankfurt

De Minaur, Medvedev and Rublev advance to Qatar Open quarterfinals

Sabalenka thrashed in Dubai as Paolini’s title defense ends

Real Madrid’s Bellingham banned for two matches after dissent