Any match against India is always special: Hafeez

May 21, 2013
Karachi, May 21: Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez is all geared up for the upcoming Champions Trophy clash against India, and said any encounter between the traditional rivals on the cricketing field is "always very special".

hafeezHafeez told Pakistani reporters in Ireland, where the team is preparing for a One-Day series against the hosts, that the players were eagerly awaiting for the match against India as it would also determine their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament.

Pakistan and India will clash on June 15 at Edgbaston in one of the most awaited fixtures of the ICC event.

"A match against India is always very special and as usual we are awaiting for the match. But we will be trying to to play every game in the tournament in the same manner and with same passion," Hafeez, who is Pakistan's T20 captain, said.

"The match against India should be electric and I always enjoy playing against India because the atmosphere is different and the environment is charged. Both the teams give more than 100 per cent to do well," he added.

He said he was expecting a exciting clash against India in the Champions Trophy and it would be a different experience playing in English conditions.

Hafeez said the good thing about the present Pakistan team was that most of the players had previously played in England either in league or county cricket or for the national team.

"That experience will come in very handy for us and it is good we are already playing Scotland and Ireland prior to the tournament in England," Hafeez said.

He recalled that when Pakistan last toured England in 2010, they had done well in the ODI that followed the spot-fixing scandal.

"The good thing was that despite everything the people were always supporting us at every ground. The good thing about playing in England is that we have a large Pakistani community supporting us strongly," he said.

The 32-year old said despite the absence of senior players like Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan, the Champions Trophy-bound team was a good blend of youth and experience and the bowling attack was its strongest point.

"I think Junaid Khan and Mohammad Irfan will prove to be handful in English conditions with the new ball and than we have great backup and a quality spinner in Saeed Ajmal," he noted.

Hafeez also said that by the time the tournament started, Pakistan's batting will also settle down as the side had some very talented players like opener Nasir Jamshed, whom he described as special.

"The good thing about Nasir is that he is a very good timer and always tries to play cricketing shots," he said.

Pakistan are placed in Group B in the Champions Trophy along with West Indies, South Africa and India.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 27,2020

Lahore, Apr 27: Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has been banned from all forms of cricket for three years for failing to report spot-fixing offers, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced Monday.

Umar, who turns 30 next month, pleaded guilty to not reporting the fixing offers which led to his provisional suspension on February 20 this year.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
June 23,2020

Islamabad, Jun 23: Seven more Pakistan cricketers, including Muhammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz, selected for the tour of England have tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total to 10, the PCB revealed on Tuesday.

The seven who tested positive on Tuesday are Kashif Bhatti, Muhammad Hasnain, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Rizwan, Imran Khan, Hafeez and Riaz. Shadab Khan, Haider Ali and Haris Rauf had returned positive tests on Monday.

“It is not a great situation to be in and what it shows is these are 10 fit and young athletes...if it can happen to players it can happen to anyone,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) CEO, Wasim Khan told a media conference.

He said a support staff member, masseur Malang Ali, had also tested positive for COVID-19.

Khan said that the players and officials would now assemble in Lahore and another round of tests would be carried out on June 25 and a revised squad would be announced the next day.

The squad has to leave on June 28 for the series scheduled to be held next month, he said.

“It is a matter of concern but we shouldn’t panic at this time as we have time on our hands,” Khan said.

He said the players and officials would be retested on reaching England.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 6,2020

London, Apr 6: As the coronavirus brings the international sports calendar to a grinding halt, news agency Sport looks at three long-standing habits which could change forever once competition resumes.

Saliva to take shine off swing bowling

It's been a tried and trusted friend to fast bowlers throughout the history of cricket. But the days of applying saliva to one side of the ball to encourage swing could be over in the aftermath of Covid19.

"As a bowler I think it would be pretty tough going if we couldn't shine the ball in a Test match," said Australia quick Pat Cummins.

"If it's at that stage and we're that worried about the spread, I'm not sure we'd be playing sport."

Towels in tennis - no touching

Tennis players throwing towels, dripping with sweat and blood and probably a tear or two, at ball boys and girls, has often left fans sympathising for the youngsters.

Moves by officials to tackle the issue took on greater urgency in March when the coronavirus was taking a global grip.

Behind closed doors in Miki, ball boys and girls on duty at the Davis Cup tie between Japan and Ecuador wore gloves.

Baskets, meanwhile, were made available for players to deposit their towels.

Back in 2018, the ATP introduced towel racks at some events on a trial basis, but not everyone was overjoyed.

"I think having the towel whenever you need it, it's very helpful. It's one thing less that you have to think about," said Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas when he was playing at the NextGen Finals in Milan.

"I think it's the job of the ball kids to provide towels and balls for the players."

Let's not shake on it

Pre-match handshakes were abandoned in top football leagues just before the sports shutdown.

Premier League leaders Liverpool also banned the use of mascots while Southampton warned against players signing autographs and stopped them posing for selfies.

Away from football, the NBA urged players to opt for the fist bump rather than the long-standing high-five.

"I ain't high-fiving nobody for the rest of my life after this," NBA superstar LeBron James told the "Road Trippin' Podcast".

"No more high-fiving. After this corona shit? Wait 'til you see me and my teammates’ handshakes after this shit."

Basketball stars were also told not to take items such as balls or teams shirts to autograph.

US women's football star Megan Rapinoe says edicts to ban handshakes or even high-fives may be counter-productive anyway.

"We're going to be sweating all over each other all game, so it sort of defeats the purpose of not doing a handshake," she said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.