HYDERABAD: Pakistan players may be banned from competing in the Indian Premier League but TV footage of the lucrative tournament played a part in the team’s opening World Cup win.
Of the 15-man Pakistan squad, only all-rounders Mohammad Nawaz and Agha Salman had ever visited the country before this World Cup.
Nawaz was part of the team which played at the 2016 World Twenty20 while Salman turned out for the Lahore Lions in the 2014 T20 Champions League.
Current captain and star batsman Babar Azam was initially named in the 2016 T20 squad but withdrew with an injury.
“We have come to India for the first time so we don’t have much of an idea of playing in India,” admitted Saud Shakeel, man of the match as Pakistan defeated the Netherlands in Hyderabad on Friday.
“But we have seen a little bit of the IPL and some matches in Hyderabad so that helped.”
Shakeel certainly had few problems adapting to his new surroundings with a fine 68 in the 81-run win which helped Pakistan to victory over the Dutch.
Mohammad Rizwan also made 68 in a 120-run stand after Pakistan were reeling at 38-3 in Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.
Pakistan openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-haq fell for 12 and 15 respectively while Azam managed just an 18-ball five.
“The tournament has just started and we are playing in Hyderabad,” said Shakeel.
“Everyone knows that the ball stops early on here on this pitch. There are chances of losing a wicket.”
Pakistan next face Sri Lanka on Tuesday, also in Hyderabad, before their eagerly-awaited clash against arch-rivals India in Ahmedabad on October 14.
Watching IPL on TV helps Pakistan get into India groove
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Watching IPL on TV helps Pakistan get into India groove
- Pakistani players have been banned from playing in the Indian Premier League since 2008
- Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel played a match-winning innings of 68 against Netherlands on Friday
Stokes calls on England to ‘show a bit of dog’ in must-win Adelaide Test
ADELAIDE: Ben Stokes has called on England to “show a bit of dog” in the must-win third Ashes Test against Australia on Wednesday after “raw” conversations following heavy defeats in Perth and Brisbane.
The tourists have crashed to consecutive eight-wicket losses and must snap a 17-match winless streak in Australia at Adelaide Oval to keep the five-match series alive.
They have made just one change with Josh Tongue replacing fellow quick Gus Atkinson, while off-spinning allrounder Will Jacks kept his place ahead of Shoaib Bashir.
England skipper Stokes said after the Gabba defeat that Australia was “no place for weak men” and admitted to “raw” dressing room conversations in the aftermath.
“We don’t do getting into rooms and have big things up on the screen. We have proper, meaningful conversations. What’s been said has been said,” he told English media.
“I’ve done all the talking over the last two days that I needed to. All that stuff’s done now, so it’s about what gets seen out on the field in Adelaide this week.”
Stokes was called “the most competitive person I’ve ever come across” by former England captain Alastair Cook last week and the 34-year-old allrounder demanded more fight from his team.
“It’s just about trying to fight in every situation that you find yourself in, understanding the situation and what you feel is required for your team,” said Stokes.
“Just look at your opposition every single time and show a bit of dog. That’s fight to me. You’re giving yourself the best possible chance if you’ve got a bit of dog in you.”
He cited England’s battling third Test win against India at Lord’s in July as an example of the grit he wanted to see in Adelaide, with the hosts winning by 22 runs deep into day five after a time-wasting row.
“That’s exactly what I’m on about,” he said.
“We were probably in a situation where we would have to be absolutely perfect to win that game and we were.
“The attitude and the mentality toward that specific situation is what gave us the best chance of winning that game.”
Since arriving in Australia, England have been under intense media scrutiny and faced hostile crowds at Perth and Brisbane.
Just five of the players used so far had previously played an Ashes series in Australia and Stokes acknowledged it had been confronting for the newcomers.
“Honestly, I think so,” he said. “Now I feel everyone has experienced that and probably at its highest level, so we all know what it’s going to be like.
“So for the next three games there isn’t going to be any of that ‘I didn’t expect this’ or ‘it’s the first time I’ve had this’.”
