Tag: Sports

A star-studded contingent from Pakistan is all set to make their mark in the upcoming Special Olympics 2023, scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany, from June 17 to 25, 2023.

According to details, a 147-member strong Pakistani contingent, comprising 117 athletes and 30 coaches, is ready to take on the challenge in different games in the event.

To mark the occasion and wish the national athletes good luck for the upcoming mega event, the provincial government of Sindh hosted a reception in Karachi today.

Renowned athletes, coaching staff, parents, and other dignitaries attended the event and were wished well by Ronaq Lakhani, Chairman of Special Olympics Pakistan.

Expressing gratitude to the Sindh government for its unwavering support of the athletes, Lakhani said that they hope the national players will display a brilliant performance.

“We are really looking forward to their achievements in Special Olympics. It is a big opportunity for all the athletes to hoist Pakistan’s flag at the international level,” he said.

Ronaq Lakhani further added that the much-needed support from the provincial government has played a crucial part in ensuring the athletes’ participation in the event.

Pakistani athletes will participate in a total of 11 events, comprising tennis, table tennis, basketball, futsal, cycling, boche, athletics, badminton, powerlifting, field hockey, and swimming.

Source: Pro Pakistani

Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed Grant Bradburn as head coach of the Pakistan national men’s side.

He will lead the team’s coaching panel for the next two years.

PCB Management Committee Chairperson Najam Sethi in a statement said Bradburn understands our culture and philosophy of cricket well and is an ideal candidate to take our team forward.

Source: Radio Pakistan

The Pakistan Hockey Federation have announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming Junior Hockey Asia Cup, scheduled from May 23 to June one in Oman.

A five-member selection committee, comprised of Olympians Nasir Ali, Rahim Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, and Kalemullah Khan, in consultation with the national junior coaching staff, finalised the team and sent it to the PHF president Khalid Sajjad Khokhar.

Mohammad Abdullah has been named captain while the other squad members include Ali Raza, Mohammad Faizan Janjua, Aqeel Ahmed, Arbaz Ahmed, Ihtasham Aslam, Mohammad Sufyan Khan, Arbaz Ayaz, Mohammad Murtaza Yaqoob, Arshad Liaquat, Ali Murtaza, Zikriya Hayat, Abdur Rehman, Abdul Qayyum Dogar, Abdul Hannan Shahid, Abdul Wahab, Basharat Ali and Bilal Akram.

Six players will remain on standby during the event. These players include Bilal Khan (goalkeeper), Mohammad Bilal Aslam, Mohammad Baqir, Mohammad Nadeem Khan, Mohammad Adnan, and Waqar Ali.

Source: Radio Pakistan

Former Pakistani captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, has showered praise on the national team captain, Babar Azam, for his consistency and phenomenal performances across all formats.

Speaking to the media in the UAE, Misbah-ul-Haq predicted that the all-format captain has the ability to break all records due to his consistency and his ability to handle pressure.

Comparing him to legendary Pakistani batters, Misbah-ul-Haq said that Babar is the greatest batter after Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam ul Haq, Saeed Anwar, and Zaheer Abbas.

“It has been a long time since the Pakistan cricket team has had a player who has displayed outstanding performance in all three formats,” Misbah-ul-Haq added.

Misbah-ul-Haq stated that the Lahore-born cricketer is a skillful batter and his hard work has enabled him to analyze the game and handle the pressure during crucial times.

The 48-year-old remarked that the right-handed batter has been working on his skills and has all the ingredients to become a Pakistani cricketing great by the end of his career.

Babar has a touch of class and grace in his batting. If he continues to play for the next eight to 10 years, he can achieve what Virat Kohli has done for India

Last month, World Cup-winning captain, Imran Khan, also supported the Lahore-born batter, saying that he is an outstanding skipper with excellent leadership qualities.

It is pertinent to mention here that last week, Babar Azam became the fastest batter to complete 5,000 ODI runs and the second-fastest batter to score 12,000 international runs

Source: Pro Pakistani

Former captain, Shahid Afridi, has clarified why Babar Azam was absent from a dinner he hosted for the national team at his home during the ODI series against New Zealand.

Speaking to the media, Shahid Afridi said that his son-in-law, Shaheen Afridi, informed him that some of the national players wanted to meet the former all-rounder at his home.

Former captain stated that he accepted the request, “Whoever wants to come, can come. Whoever wanted to come, came [for dinner].”

It is worth mentioning that Shahid Afridi hosted some national players for a dinner at his home in Karachi before the fourth and fifth ODI against New Zealand.

The former all-rounder shared some photos on his Twitter account and wrote, “Hosted Pakistan’s heroes for dinner, super proud of each one of you. Good luck for tomorrow.”

However, the absence of the all-format captain did not go unnoticed, and cricket fans took to social media to speculate about the real reasons behind his absence.

Some renowned cricketers in the national squad, who attended the dinner party, included Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, and others.

Last month, Najam Sethi stated that the Afridi-led Selection Committee had initially expressed interest in making changes to the team, including changing the captain, Babar Azam.

However, days later, the former Chief Selector clarified the statement and said that he had not suggested replacing Babar Azam as the captain of Pakistan.

Source: Pro Pakistani

Pakistan’s all-format captain, Babar Azam has praised his team’s impressive pace bowling attack, describing it as the best in white-ball cricket. With five fast bowlers capable of delivering balls at 145 km/h, Babar Azam is confident that his team has the firepower to take on any opposition.

The current white-ball pace battery of Pakistan comprises Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr, as well as Ihsanullah, who impressed in the recent edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Babar Azam highlighted the impressive performances of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, who have delivered crucial wickets at important moments, helping Pakistan win matches. He commended their attitude and hunger, stating that their youthful energy and dedication were crucial to the team’s success.

This lot is very good and the main thing is that they all are young. They have the hunger and whenever I’ve asked every single one of them, that guy has stepped up. That is a very proud moment for me as a captain because I have five bowlers who can bowl at 145 clicks.

With the likes of Shahnawaz Dahani, Zaman Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Hasan Ali, and Aamer Jamal waiting in the wings, Pakistan has a host of talented pacers in their pool of players.

The Pakistan captain also revealed his targets for the upcoming months, stating that he hopes to lead his team to a World Cup win this year and dominate the Australia Test series later in the year.

Despite the challenges, Babar Azam believes that his team can achieve success by giving their all and leaving the rest to Allah. With his team’s impressive bowling attack and his own leadership, Babar Azam is determined to make his country proud on the international stage.

Source: Pro Pakistani