ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan cricket team’s departure to England has been pushed back by two days after the Pakistan Super League final was rescheduled for June 24 in Abu Dhabi.
The PSL was earlier scheduled to end on June 20 and the national team was due to leave for England on June 23 to play three ODIs and three Twenty20s.
However, with the PSL final pushed back by four days, the national team will leave for England on June 25. The first ODI is scheduled for July 8 in Cardiff.
Abu Dhabi will host the remaining 20 games of the PSL after Pakistan’s premier domestic twenty20 league was postponed in March when several players and support staff tested positive for COVID-19.
The Pakistan Cricket Board hopes the PSL will resume from June 7, provided it gets permission from the United Arab Emirates government on Wednesday for its production crew members to start working at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on June 5.
Players and team officials from six franchises arrived in Abu Dhabi last week on chartered flights from Pakistan. Their seven-day isolation ends Wednesday afternoon after which the PCB said players will start training in Abu Dhabi.
Pakistan team’s departure to England delayed until June 25
https://arab.news/nce2z
Pakistan team’s departure to England delayed until June 25
- The Pakistan Super League final was rescheduled for June 24
- Abu Dhabi will host the remaining 20 games of the PSL
Babar Azam dropped for scoring too slowly, says Pakistan coach Hesson
- Shaheen Shah Afridi was left out after conceding 101 runs in three matches
- Pakistan will now face New Zealand in the opening match of the second phase
COLOMBO: Batting great Babar Azam was dropped for Pakistan’s final T20 World Cup group game against Namibia for scoring too slowly, said head coach Mike Hesson on Friday.
Azam, who is the highest run-scorer in T20 international history with 4,571 runs, was left out for the must-win game against Namibia as Pakistan racked up 199-3 and secured a place in the Super Eights by 102 runs.
The 2009 champions face New Zealand in Colombo on Saturday in the opening match of the second phase.
“I think Babar is well aware that his strike rate in the power play in the World Cup is less than 100 and that’s clearly not the role we think we need,” Hesson told reporters after Pakistan’s final practice session on Friday was washed out by rain.
Pakistan left out Azam for the same reason at last year’s Asia Cup and even after dismal showing in the Big Bash League, he was still selected for the T20 World Cup.
“We brought Babar back in for a specific role post the Asia Cup,” said Hesson.
“We’ve got plenty of other options who can come in and perform that role toward the end.
“Babar is actually the first to acknowledge that.
“He knows that he’s got a certain set of skills that the team requires and there are certain times where other players can perform that role more efficiently.”
Hesson also defended dropping pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi after he conceded 101 runs in three matches, including 31 in two overs against India.
“We made a call that Salman Mirza was coming in for Shaheen, and he bowled incredibly well,” said Hesson.
“To be fair, he was probably really unlucky to not be playing the second and third games.”
Hesson was wary of Pakistan’s opponents on Saturday.
“New Zealand have played a huge amount in the subcontinent in recent times so we have to play at our best.”
