Mohammad Hafeez not wary of experienced MS Dhoni in upcoming series

December 24, 2012

Dhoni_Mohammad

Bangalore, December 24: Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez is not wary of his experienced Indian counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni and said as a skipper his main aim would be to motivate his team not to buckle under pressure in the limited over series against the hosts which starts here on Monday.

The much-anticipated bilateral series between India and Pakistan starts with the first of the two Twenty20 Internationals at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore.

"Dhoni is far more experienced captain than me and Misbah-ul Haq. But having said that every captain has to face challenges. My aim will be to see that my side plays without any pressure and express themselves as much they can," he told reporters after a long practice session on Sunday.

Apart from two Twenty20 Internationals, India and Pakistan will also play three ODIs in the bilateral series. Hafeez said Pakistan is here to play good cricket and winning and losing doesn't make any difference to his side.

Hafeez also rued the fact that cricket playing nations refusal to tour the strife-torn country due to security reasons has deprived Pakistan from hosting any international matches for the last three years.

He, however, hoped that cricket will return to Pakistan soon and said he was proud of his team's sterling performances outside the country.

"We wish cricket returns to Pakistan soon and some of our youngsters get a chance to play in front of home crowd," he said.

Hafeez also said that the relations between the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) and Pakistan Cricket Board is fast improving and felt that both the nations should play more for the betterment of the game. Asked about the kind of craze back home for the upcoming series against arch-rivals India, Hafeez said the expectations were very high, especially when both the countries hate to lose against each other.

"We have come here to play good cricket and enjoy our game," he said.

Hafeez said the visiting Pakistan team has no issues with the security arrangements in India and they love touring the country.

"This will remain in this series as well," he added.

On veteran Shahid Afridi's chances of making a comeback into Pakistan's ODI squad, Hafeez said the two Twenty20 games against India will be vital for the dashing batsman.

"Afridi is a tough guy and I am sure he will wriggle out of the crisis. He is taking it positively and as a challenge. His preparation for the Twenty20 matches is excellent," he said.

Hafeez was out of the Pakistan team from 2007 till September 2010 and the 32-year-old said that period made him more mature as a cricketer.

"I have worked really hard (during that period) and now things have started to work for me. I would try to achieve more for my country," he said.




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Agencies
January 19,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 19: Opening batsman Rohit Sharma on Sunday became the third-fastest batsman to register 9,000 runs in the 50-over format.

He achieved the feat in the ongoing third ODI against Australia here at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Only Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have achieved the feat faster than Rohit.

Sharma brought up the milestone in the first over of the Indian innings as he clipped Mitchell Starc away for a single.

With this, the right-handed batsman has become just the sixth Indian to achieve the milestone.

Apart from Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and Sachin Tendulkar have more than 9,000 runs in the 50-over format.

Overall, 20 batsmen have more than 9,000 ODI runs to their name.

In the match between India and Australia, the former won the toss and elected to bat first.

Steve Smith played a knock of 131 runs to propel Australia to 286/9 in the allotted fifty overs.

 

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News Network
January 9,2020

Mumbai, Jan 9: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that the Men in Blue have the edge over Australia in terms of talent and confidence ahead of the two teams' three-match ODI series starting January 14 in Mumbai.

"In the past that wasn't the case because they were doing really well. We were trying to match that level. I feel that Indian cricket is a notch ahead in terms of talent, in terms of cricket and in terms of confidence," Star Sports expert Irfan Pathan said. "The only thing that will make it equal is the kind of pitches we are going to play in Australia because we do not have experience playing on those hard and bouncy pitches," said Pathan, who recently called time on his international career.

Recounting his favourite memory of playing against Australia, Irfan said, "It all started in Australia for me. The most memorable moment was getting my first wicket and helping India win a Test match in Australia after 21 years. Winning the Test in Perth and being named the Man of the Match is also a favourite memory for me."

Australia have already announced their team for the three-match ODI series with India. The team will be led by Aaron Finch. The other members of the team are Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, David Warner, and Adam Zampa.

India are yet to announce their team but in all probability, it will be led by Virat Kohli who has been in phenomenal form over the last few years. All three ODIs are day and night affair. While the first match of the series is on January 14 in Mumbai, the second will be played at Rajkot on January 17 followed by the January 19 clash in Bengaluru.

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Agencies
January 25,2020

Headingley, Jan 25: England have become the first team in the world to score 500,000 runs in Test cricket. They achieved the feat during the ongoing fourth and final Test against South Africa being played at The Wanderers.

On Friday - the opening day of the Test match -- England captain Joe Root's single through the covers took the Three Lions to a landmark 500,000 run-mark in the longest format of the game. They achieved the feat in their 1022nd Test match.

Australia comes second in the list, with 432,706 runs in 830 Tests. India, meanwhile, are third, with 273,518 runs in 540 Tests, followed by West Indies (270,441 runs in 545 Tests).

In the third Test played at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, England had become the first team to play 500 Test matches on foreign soil. Australia are the second team to play the most away Test with 404 matches they have played so far.

India have played 268 Tests on foreign soil in which they have won 51, lost 113 and 104 have ended in a draw.

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