ICC World XI Independence T20 Cup 2017 Pakistan Beats World XI in Finals

ICC World XI Independence T20 Cricket Cup 2017 Update: Pakistan thrashed the World Eleven to clinch the Independence Cup, winning the three-match Twenty20 International series 2-1, here at the jam-packed Gaddafi Stadium on Friday night.

Ahmed Shehzad contributed his vital 89 runs off 55 balls with three sixes and eight fours in ICC World XI Independence T20 Cricket Cup 2017.

Chasing a daunting target of 184 in ICC World XI Independence T20 Cricket Cup 2017 final, the World Eleven led by South Africa captain Faf du Plessis could score 150 for eight in the 20 overs to lose the match by 33 runs and also the series.

Pakistan got the early breakthrough in ICC World XI Independence T20 Cricket Cup 2017 final as a low-pitched ball of Usman Khan Shinwari bold Tamim Iqbal. The Bangladeshi batsman managed to only score 14 off 10.

Read: ICC World XI Cricket Pakistan Azadi Cup 2017 Official Logo Revealed

Earlier, World XI skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss in ICC World XI Independence T20 Cricket Cup 2017 final and elected to bowl first against Pakistan in the third & final T20 being held at Gaddafi stadium here on Friday the 15th September 2017.

Speaking at toss, Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed said that fast bowler Hasan Ali will make comeback in place of Sohail Khan.

“Hopefully we wont be repeating the mistakes we made in the last game,” said the skipper.

Pakistan has made only one change in the team, bringing in back pace bowler Hasan Ali in place of Sohail Khan while two changes have been made in the World Eleven team, Darren Sammy and George Bailey replacing Tim Paine and Paul Collingwood.

Both the skippers have expressed their resolve to win the series, which stands locked at 1-1 after Pakistan beat the World XI by 20 runs in the opener while the tourists won the second match by seven wickets.

The international level cricket remained suspended in Pakistan following an attack on Sri Lanka’s cricket team in 2009. Only Zimbabwe visited the country in 2015 for a short series, an effort to revive the cricket in Pakistan to amuse local cricket lovers.

Teams

Pakistan: Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (c)(wk), Muhammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hassan Ali, Usman Shinwari and Rumman Raees.
World XI: Tamim Iqbal, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis (c), David Miller, Darren Sammy, Thisara Perera, George Bailey (wk), Ben Cutting, Samuel Badree, Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir.

Source: Mehran Post

Azadi Cricket Cup Pakistan 2017 Ups and Downs of International Cricket in Pakistan

Azadi Cricket Cup Pakistan 2017 Update: The wait is over and it’s happening for Pakistan cricket and for Pakistan, where cricket runs through the veins of millions, the time felt like decades.

Fortunately, Pakistanis never lost hope.The wait is over and it’s happening for Pakistan cricket and for Pakistan, where cricket runs through the veins of millions, the time felt like decades. Fortunately, Pakistanis never lost hope.

Seeing international stars playing again in our country for Azadi Cricket Cup Pakistan 2017 makes us proud, the emotions are hard to control. It’s time to celebrate and celebrate.

The first clash of Azadi Cricket Cup Pakistan 2017 turned out to be action-packed as lots of runs scored in front of a jam-packed house. The scenes of Azadi Cricket Cup Pakistan 2017 were dreamlike, but it happened and everything was smooth.

Read: ICC World XI Cricket Pakistan Azadi Cup 2017 Official Logo Revealed by PCB in Lahore

Even if Pakistan team had lost their game of Azadi Cricket Cup Pakistan 2017 yesterday (12th Septemeber 2017), cricket would have won, Pakistan would have won!

Let’s look at the journey of the revival of cricket in Pakistan and how it happened.

2008 – Terror Attacks in Lahore

Lahore suffered at the hands of terrorists on multiple occasions which led to the cancellation of Australia tour.

The Indian team also stopped visiting Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008.

Pakistan Cricket Board had to face a loss of Rs. 336 million in 2008-09.

2009 – Attacks on Sri Lankan Cricket Team

On a day perfect for test match cricket, everything happened but cricket – the gloomiest days for cricket in Pakistan saw the Sri Lankan team attacked by terrorists on their way to Gaddafi Stadium.

On March 03, 2009, five Sri Lankan players were injured in a terror attack when they were heading towards Gaddafi Stadium on the third day of an ongoing test match.

Read: ICC World Eleven Cricket Team T20 Independence Cup 2017 to Visit Lahore Pakistan

The tour was cancelled and Pakistan’s status as a host nation came under serious doubts, which eventually led to the absence of cricket for a long time. PCB yet again suffered a huge loss of Rs. 208 million.

2010-13 – No Cricket

Pakistani players were forced to face exile and play cricket away from home following the attacks in March 2009. Pakistani stadiums stayed empty for a long time.

2013 – Afghanistan Visits Pakistan

Finally, some there was some respite for cricket fans as Afghanistan national team visited Pakistan to play limited over cricket against regional teams and Pakistan A in February 2013.

Pakistan A won the series by 2-0 against the low-profile Afghan side, however, it did not contribute much to the revival of cricket as not many eyes were watching the games.

2015 – International Cricket Returns to Pakistan But …

Team Zimbabwe finally said yes to a limited over cricket series in Lahore in 2015, which spurred hope among the cricket fans. It was the first time after 2009 that a test-playing nation had decided to visit Pakistan for a T20I and ODI series.

Despite the fact that all the matches were played, there was a blast outside the stadium in the second ODI, which put an end to the hopes of more cricket series in the near future.

2016 – Pakistan Tops the Test Rankings

Although it has no direct connection with the cricket revival in Pakistan, the message was given out loud to the cricketing communities that you cannot keep Pakistan away from cricket and cricket away from Pakistan.

2017 – The Year it All Happened

First, the successful hosting of Pakistan Super League 2 Final, then the Champions Trophy triumph and then the combined efforts of PCB, Giles Clark and Andy Flower made sure that Pakistan got what it deserved.

The long drought was put to an end when ICC announced the World XI tour to Pakistan in September 2017.

Each of the players who’ve come to Pakistan know that they’re playing for more than just cricket.
And this was just the start, more teams including Sri Lanka and West Indies have also decided to support Pakistan in the hour of need.

Some matches of the PSL Season 3 are also expected to be played in Pakistan next year.

This has been a tough journey for the cricket lovers, not just from Pakistan, but for fans all over the world. Let’s hope that everything goes well during this tour and in the tours to come.

Source; Mehran Post

ICC World XI Cricket Pakistan Azadi Cup 2017 Official Logo Revealed by PCB in Lahore

ICC World XI Cricket Pakistan Azadi Cup 2017 Official Logo Update: Pakistan is set to host a T20 cricket series with World XI titled Azadi Tournament from September 12th 2017, first time in nearly nine years.

This was announced by Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Najam Sethi at a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium where he unveiled the ICC World XI Cricket Pakistan Azadi Cup 2017 Official Logo for the forthcoming series.
He said:

“PCB is also making efforts to hold matches in Karachi.”

Sethi announced calling the tournament an historic occasion. He urged the nation to play its part in making it a success. ICC World XI Cricket Pakistan Azadi Cup 2017 Official Logo.
Sethi said:

"Sri Lanka's decision to visit Pakistan for a T20 match and the subsequent arrival of West Indies for a three-match series next month is subject to the success of this tournament."

On the occasion of unveiling ICC World XI Cricket Pakistan Azadi Cup 2017 Official Logo, he said when he was the appointed chairman, the patron said there were two main objectives – to revive international cricket in Pakistan and to have an improvement in cricket ranking.

Read: ICC World Eleven Cricket Team T20 Independence Cup 2017 to Visit Lahore Pakistan

It merits to mention here that Pakistani cricket team will play three T20 matches against World XI, scheduled to begin on September 12th 2017. The other two matches will be played on September 13th and 15th 2017 respectively. ICC World XI Cricket Pakistan Azadi Cup 2017 Official Logo.

Players from England, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will be visiting Pakistan as part of the World XI squad for a three-match T20 series this month.

The country has seen only a short visit by Zimbabwe and the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), featuring a number of foreign players, since March 2009 when Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore.
South Africa’s Faf du Plessis will lead the World XI squad, which will arrive in Pakistan on September 11th 2017.
Brighto Paints is set to be the Presenting Sponsor of the World XI-Pakistan T20 cricket series and has been known for giving our talent international exposure. The company has made all efforts in supporting the youngsters, be it with their education or sports like football, hockey and now cricket. They have supported the budding talent to gain international exposure in their respective fields.
After attending the press conference, Atif Riaz Sikka, Chairman, Brighto Paints, exclaimed:

“We’re thrilled to be a part of this historic event and in bringing international cricket to national grounds again. We are here to give support to young talent and to change the mindset of international media, and build towards building a softer image of our country. We wish the players best of luck and look forward to this auspicious event.”

Source: Mehran Post

ICC World Eleven Cricket Team T20 Independence Cup 2017 to Visit Lahore Pakistan

ICC World Eleven Cricket Team T20 Independence Cup 2017 Update: Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Najam Sethi on Thursday announced the 14-man squad which will tour the country in September to play three T20Is, being called the Independence Cup, in Lahore.

The team — which includes stars such as South African stars Hashim Amla, David Miller, Albie Morkel and Imran Tahir, West Indian Samuel Badree and Darren Sammy — will be led by South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis. ICC World Eleven Cricket Team T20 Independence Cup 2017.

ICC World Eleven Cricket Team T20 Independence Cup 2017, 0ther players which are a part of the squad are Australian George Bailey, Ben Cutting and Tim Paine. New Zealand’s all-rounder Grant Elliot, former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood, Sri Lanka opener Tamim Iqbal and Sri Lanka all-rounder Thisara Perera complete the squad.

Read: T20 International Independence Cricket Cup Pakistan Lahore 2017

Najam Sethi announced ICC World Eleven Cricket Team T20 Independence Cup 2017:

“The team will arrive in Dubai two days before the matches and practice there.”

He added:

“A three-member security team is going to visit Pakistan on September 1st 2017. They will discuss security arrangements with the Punjab Government.”

Captain Du Plessis, in a statement published by the PCB, said that he is happy to do his part in the return of cricket to Pakistan.

“I am honoured to have been appointed as captain of such a diverse, attractive and well-balanced side.”

He added:

“Like most of the players, I look forward to my maiden tour to Lahore and play my part in the safe and gradual resumption of international cricket in Pakistan.”

On the topic of security for ICC World Eleven Cricket Team T20 Independence Cup 2017, Du Plessis showed his faith in the arrangements made by the PCB.
Captain Du Plessis said:

“All the members of the squad have complete faith and trust in the assessment and the judgement of the security experts, who have assured us that there will be no compromise on safety.”

He added:

“As professionals, we are getting paid to play in the series, but the bottom line is if we don’t feel safe, no amount of money can get us there. We will land in Lahore with nothing but cricket on our minds.”

Giles Clark, the head of ICC Task Force for Pakistan, believes that this tour is “not only important for cricket in Pakistan but also for international cricket since it opens the possibility of other teams, media and sponsors visiting Pakistan for bilateral series.”

ICC Chief Executive, David Richardson also welcomed the decision of players who’ve agreed to visit Pakistan. He further said:

“The ICC wants to see regular international cricket being played safely in all its Member countries and the World XI playing Pakistan in Lahore next month is a step towards that for the PCB. We are optimistic that this will be the next step in a steady and safe return of international cricket to Pakistan.”

Source: Mehran Post