Finally, without errors:
Really glad to be joining
@TheRealPCB
. But also means farewell to
@IsbUnited
& the franchise circuit as a whole. It was the best of times.
Look forward to working with the Chief Selector, Head Coach & the Director, and contribute to Pakistan Cricket.
Amir literally went from struggling to get a contract in league cricket in England to bowling a winning final over against England in less than 18months. Qudrat ka nizam hai, hum kya he Kar sakte hain
I know it's the Gabba and it's Australia but seeing a timeline full of Pakistanis actively support India is perhaps the best encapsulation if how likeable this Indian team is. (Also, Australia)
This will be the hardest loss to take in seven years. We were close, but not good enough.
Congrats to
@sameenrana
on turning around the Qalandars fortune. They have a really good team and a special captain in
@iShaheenAfridi
.
Best of luck to them and Multan in the Final.
Don't wanna tweet much in PSL, but 1 thing I've found just too hard to ignore.
Find it fascinating that everyone I talk to rn, from our guys to Pakistan team guys in other teams, everyone's hoping (& in some cases PRAYING) for Kohli to get a 💯.
Game recognize game like no other
Of all the 220+ million ppl in Pakistan the happiest I'm for is
@mnawaz94
Imagine having to live thru this for the rest of your life if Pk had failed to reach the semi. Wo bhoolne ki koshish bhi karta to as a qaum hum ne usse bhoolne nahi dena tha.
BUT doesn't matter now
Imagining how much better a World Test Championship position Pakistan would be in right now if curators had been allowed to prepare the pitches for the Australia series.
No subtweets, no agenda driven TV shows against his compatriots, just kept his head down, did his time in domestic, continued to perform and waited for his chance again. Exemplary from Sarfaraz.
(Also why his time maybe done but I have the utmost respect for Asad Shafiq too)
Farewell to the greatest bowler of the 21st century. There's the numbers, there's the beauty of watching him, but I keep coming back to this:
Test Ranking on 1st January
2008 - 6
2009 - 2
2010 - 1
2011 - 1
2012 - 1
2013 - 1
2014 - 2
2015 - 1
2016 - 2
2017 - 4
Now THAT is a peak
1st time ever Pakistan have won an Away test by an innings & 200+ runs
1st time ever that Pakistan have finished an away series with 4+ RPO
Doesn't matter what the future holds but it's been a joy to see this generation perform to their potential on this tour.
#ThePakistanWay
Pakistan are ranked sixth in the ICC rankings. Since 2015 World Cup:
Pakistan vs Top 5 in bilaterals: 6 wins, 31 losses
Pakistan vs Top 5 in ICC events: 6 wins, 3 losses
KOI BANDA MUJHE YEH TEAM SAMJHA DE...
Haris could get out right now, and score ducks in Pakistan's remaining 3 group matches, then score ducks in both semi final and final (if Pakistan ever get there), and he'll still end the World Cup with a higher ODI avg in England than what Shoaib Malik has.
#experience
#calm
At this rate we are going to be burnt out from cricket before the T20 World Cup even begins.
How do you go from losing to Thailand to beating India in 24 hrs?
Yasir Shah top wicket taker in the Pakistan Cup, about to lead Balochistan to their first ever trophy... while bowling more overs than anyone else in the tournament.
#fitness
With every wicket it becomes more ridiculous that Abrar didn't play in Pindi, and that there were ex players who thought he wouldn't succeed in Test cricket.
Just once in this era I wish Pakistan would begin a tournament or a series with their best XI.
The "Ifti's game will succeed on the bouncy Australian pitches so we have to persist through his lack of performance in Asia" appears to be the only gamble that paid off from the build-up to the tournament. Everything else...
52 off the first 9 overs
101 off the next 9.
A thoroughly Pakistani chase. Not how you'd ever draw it up but this is what they plan for.
Middle order coming thru in a big game might actually calm down boomer journos for a bit (although I doubt it)
Sometimes there's no analysis beyond that we threw everything we could at the game and ran into one of the greatest of all time having one of those days. Just admire it and move on.
But if there's ANYTHING that's easier said than done...
The running. The desire to go aerial. The levels of intent. Haaye ni mera Dil.
(This is what these two should always be. Too good not to do this regularly)
I just want to live long enough k in se kabhi badla le lein... Har 10 saal baad aise maar k jaate hain k Dil karta hai uss bande ko gaalian nikalein jis ne cricket aejaad ki
Particularly happy for Hasnain. It was his powerplay spell that set up the entire game, yet be would have been pilloried for the next few days based on just the 18th over.
The
@wasimakramlive
@captainmisbahpk
@waqyounis99
@WahabViki
show is the best cricket show I can remember in Pk.
One of my frustrations is that the sheer amount of fun cricketers have BTS was never translated to our media.
Between this & recent PCB vids I hope it's changing.
I recall
@REALsaeedajmal
about the Hussey thing. That he was depressed for 6mths after it, wherever he went in Pakistan ppl would make fun of him,& eventually he learnt that either he could fold or create a diff narrative for his career.
Hassan's a fighter, I'm sure he will too.
Pakistan just scored 135 runs in a session at 4.5 an over for the loss of a single wicket against consistent swing, extravagant seam & extra bounce, against an attack built for this.
Honestly don't know how to react to it. Just a shame that everyone was asleep while it happened
One of the better Pakistani innings in modern times - but also, even if he gets to his hundred, it's not even his going to be best Test hundred this year!
hazaaron saal nargis apni be-nuri pe roti hai; barri mushkil se hota hai chaman mei deeda-var paida.
#Babar
Can't even call for Zartaj Gul's resignation... kuch pata nahi iski jagah Vawda ko laga dein - usne pistol le kar pohunch jana hai smog ko maarne k liye
Imagine a day with Abbas and Shaheen new ball spell, Shan playing the innings of his life, England's comeback in the first session, Shadab and Pope stepping up... And what you're concerned with is k paani kon pila raha hai 🤷♂️
Haider the 2nd top scorer in the tournament. Not gonna b part of the fairweather brigade where every match leads to a discussion about the World t20 squad... BUT Haider shoulda always been a part of it. Even if he fails. How many other 20yr olds do u have who can do what he can?
Aage World Cup hai, sab Whatsapp uncles active honge. Meri sab fans se guzarish hai k aap ne unhe serious nahi lena, bus haami bhar k ignore karna hai chahe wo selection pe baat karein ya apni koi "andar ki khabar" bataein.
Beshak uncles youtuber hon, tv host hon ya jo marzi 🙏
Man the difference in quality between the commentary at the end of
#INDvAFG
and
#WIvNZ
was bigger than the difference in quality between Pakistan and India in their match.
I think time aa gya hai k Shaheen ko drop kar dena chahiye World t20 k liye. Pichle 3 matches mei uski RPO 10 se ziada hau. Uski jagah nahi banti. Kab Tak dostion pe khelega.
#TweetLikeAPakistani
#GoldfishMemories
"Cricket Australia is excited about the prospect of touring Pakistan next year for what will be a highly anticipated series in a country so incredibly passionate about the game and their national team."
Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia CEO 🇦🇺
There hasn't been a single 50 over World Cup in the last 30yrs where there wasn't a captaincy controversy in the months leading up to it.
And yet people say Pakistan cricket isn't consistent.
About this generation: Babar's position as captain was under threat going into this tournament. Most likely replacement would have been Riz. We all know how this would have gone in other eras. Here they finish it and right before hugging Babar, Riz just shouts KAPTAAAN.
Adhi timeline depressed hai, adhi ghusse mei... Aur koi chaara bhi to nai.
Thinking of all the ppl, all the hours they spent over the past decade to get to the point where Pk would have a home season with NZ, Aus & Eng touring. Woulda seemed impossible 5yrs ago. Back to square 1
Don't care what the result is, this is such a glorious repudiation of all that Pakistan cricket has done with him the last 10 years.
Almost like a guy who bats long in First Class cricket will also do the same in Test cricket. Shocker!
This is 👌
Of the 10 highest wicket taking leg spinners in Test cricket history, 8 belong to Australia or Pakistan. Wholly appropriate. (Surprisingly so for anything involving PCB tbh)
.
@TheRealPCB
and
@CricketAus
introduce Benaud-Qadir Trophy for
#PakvAus
Test series
Cummins: To be able to compete for the Benaud-Qadir Trophy for the 1st time is a huge honour
Babar: I am honoured that I will be leading the Pakistan team in the Benaud-Qadir Trophy
#BoysReadyHain
Not even 6yrs since everyone I talked to for a Cricinfo piece about cricket in FATA had them all saying that their best player wasn't even in their team yet, it was a 16yr old who was going to be the next Mitch Starc. Will NEVER get over how quick
@iShaheenAfridi
's rise has been.
Pakistan have now lost only 2 of their last 12 Tests (winning 8) - one because Rizwan & Hasan failed to grab a chance each, the other because Cummins is a demon.
Considering that they'd won only 2 of their 15 Tests prior this run, that's an uncharacteristically quiet turnaround.
List of bowlers to take 65+ ODI wkts in a year.
69 - Saqlain in 1997
65 - Saqlain in 1996
Jan 96 to Jan 01: 21 bowlers took 100+ wkts, only 2 avgd under 22 (Saqi & Donald).
In that period Saqlain picked up 229 wkts, no one else had even 190.
Happy Birthday to
@Saqlain_Mushtaq
Loving Babar's evolution here. Only 4 times in his t20I career has he scored at over 10 RPO when facing 20+ balls.
Three of those four have come in the last nine months.
BREAKING NEWS
The ICC have null and voided England's Ashes 2010/11 series win as well as South Africa's 2012/13 and 2016/17 wins in Australia citing the fact that neither uses drop-in pitches so has not "cracked the code". India's 2 series wins in Aus are also under consideration
Heartbreaking.
Perhaps the man I learnt the most about Cricket from. A true progressive, someone who was forever willing to learn, adapt & keep up with the changing game.
A thorough gentleman, a true friend of Pakistan, & one of the most fun ppl to hang with.
RIP to a great one
50s to 100s conversion rate over the last 2yrs:
38% - India
29% - NZ
27% - Australia
25% - Windies
24% - SA
24% - SL
23% - Bangladesh
20% - England
16% - Pakistan
That pretty much encapsulates why India are no.1 and what's happened to Pakistan batting since Younis retired
So an Auntie just walked into Jalal Sons to say k her bill was less than the stuff she bought (she bought 4 of something while the bill just said 3) & she still needed to pay 700 extra...
The receptionist is like wtf. And Aunt ie goes "beta naya Pakistan hai"
That's pretty cool.
Shout out to Karachi waise.
Have had issues with Karachi and Lahore not turning up for National T20s/PSLs/Internationals in the past, compared to the smaller cities. But back to back games on weekdays & the atmosphere has felt special.
Ab lets see if Lahore can do the same.
I remember arguing with some cricketers about AB vs some past greats. And their clinching argument was name me another guy who could get a ton in fewer than 40 balls and still be the guy who could score 25 off 250 to save a Test.
One of one. No one like him.
Maqsood last season
National t20: 393 runs at avg 32, SR 167. Only guy in top 5 run scorers with 150+ SR.
Pakistan Cup: 455 runs at avg 46, SR 128
PSL 6: 428 runs @ 48, SR 157. Only guy in top 5 with 150+ SR. Player of the tournament.
No wonder he's frustrated at narratives.
Pakistan since 1995 at home (UAE & Pakistan)
With Misbah as Captain/Coach: 8 series wins, 4 drawn, 0 losses
Without: 10 wins, 3 draws, 11 losses
And yet hum ne wo saara period yeh sun'ne mei guzara k home conditions mei jeetne mei kia Kamal hai, wo to koi bhi kar sakta hai 🤷🏽♂️
.
@MHafeez22
's T20 turnaround is honestly one of the weirdest things to witness in a format where past numbers tend to be replicated in future numbers.
The only person in the entire world having a better 2020 than the years that came before
Loved that. Woulda been easy for Babar to just throw the ball to Shadab to keep going - maybe even not bowl Hafeez with Imad bowled out. But knowing that Williamson is anchoring and Neesham has been promoted up he immediately went to Hafeez.
Even it hadn't worked out it was 👍
Wrote about EVERYTHING you need to know about Pakistan cricket - from the two decade long decline in domestic cricket to Pakistan's fall from the elite this century.
Sixteen graphs that explain Pakistan cricket today
A silent shout-out (is that a whisper-out?) to
@RealHa55an
, who now has the 2nd best Test avg in Pak's history (>20 wkts) just a fortnight on from being declared not good enough for Test cricket because he uses social media / celebrates with passion / doesn't suck up to journos.
It's the little sacrifices that matter. Even in an optional training session for
@IsbUnited
, Bell is here, doing throwdowns for other batsmen, with a cast on his injured foot.
#Respek