Pakistan announced their 30 man probables for upcoming Champions trophy, Pakistan drop its veteran batsman Younis Khan from the side, left arm spinner Raza Hasan was also not selected.

Younis Khan had an ordinary ODI series against South Africa © AFP

Younis Khan one of Pakistan’s most senior player was left out from 30 man probables for Champions trophy, Younis Khan had an ordinary ODI series against South Africa, he struggled in that series with the bat, he scored 116 runs in 5 match series at an average of 23.20.

Raza Hasan and Abdul Razzaq were also not selected, Raza Hasan who is a promising left arm spinner  impressed one and all in World T20 played in Srilanka last year. After that tour injury didn’t allow him to participate in India and South Africa tour, Abdul Razzaq is another veteran who was overlooked.

The 30 man probables are,

Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Ahmed Shehzad, Misbah-ul-Haq, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Umer Amin, Sohail Tanvir, Hammad Azam, Azhar Ali, Shahid Afridi, Asad Ali, Anwar Ali, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil, Imran Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Yasir Arafat, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Zulfiqar Babar, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Rizwan

Asif ali and Misbah-ul-Haq helped Faislabad wolves to post a challenging total of 158 against the defending champions Sialkot Stallions in the final of Faysal Bank Super-8 T20.

Misbah-ul-Haq scored 38 not out in the final of Faysal Bank super 8-t20 © Associated Press

The winner of today’s final will be playing in Champions league later this year. Misbah’s Faisalabad wolves will start as favourite going into the second innings of Faysal Bank Super 8-t20 final but Shoaib Malik’s Sialkot Stallions can never be underestimated as it is the most successful domestic t20 side of Pakistan.

Earliar Misbah won the toss and decided to bat first but Sialkot started brilliantly as Malik bowled economically upfront, Sialkot kept Faislabad’s runrate under control for most part of the game but the partnership between Asif and Misbah has swung the game in favour of Faisalabad.

Faisalabad had not the ideal of starts as they lost their openers for just 16 runs on the board, but after that Khurram Shehzad and Asif Ali helped Faislabad to crawl back into the game. Both initially struggled a bit against the spin of Sialkot but they played their shots once they got settled.

Khurram Shehzad and Asif Ali added 63 runs between them but finally the partnership was broken by Raza Hasan when he got rid of Khurram Shehzad. The wicket of Khurram Shehzad allowed the most successful batsman of the tournament Misbah-ul-Haq to join Asif Ali in the arena.

Misbah-ul-Haq got a golden oppurtunity early into his inning when he survived a close run out chance. But after that incident he never looked back and carried his brilliant form into this game.

Misbah and Asif Ali smashed Sialkot bowlers in later part of the game to get back into the match and they now have a firm grip on the match as Saeed Ajmal is also playing for Faisalabad who can make life difficult for Sialkot but Shoaib Malik’s side is capable of chasing this target and Shoaib Malik will be their key man.

The most favourite team of the tournament Lahore Lions were knocked out today in a thrilling match by Misbah-ul-Haq’s team Faisalabad Wolves. Faislabad  have now reached final.

Ehsan Adil recieves the Man of the Match award © PCB

Star studded team of Lahore Lions are out from the Faysal Bank Super-8 T20 tournament. The home side was favourite to win the tournament but they won’t be taking any further part in this event as they are knocked out.

Earliar Faisalabad won the toss in first semi final and decided to bat first, their batting never really got going as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Misbah-ul-Haq who is the leading run scorer of the event also could not make such a big impact with the bat today as he was caught after scoring 19.

Khurram Shahzad was their highest run scorer who scored 27 while Imran Khalid remained not out on 20 to push Faislabad’s score to 125. From Lahore Lions Mohammad Hafeez picked up 3 wickets whereas Adnan Rasool bagged 2.

Lahore Lions went in the second innings as favourite to win the game and they  were on their way to victory as Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed of Lions smashed Wolves bowlers to all parts of the ground. They were 70 for 1 at one stage and victory was assured but from nowhere Faislabad crawled back into the game. Ehsan Adil bowled the crucial last over where only 9 runs were required and the young bowler bowled a spirited last over to give side victory just by 2 runs.

Faislabad snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and now they will face Rawalpindi or Sialkot in the finals, and they will be aiming to lift the trophy. The final will be played on 31st march at Gaddafi Stadium.

Rawalpindi Rams won against Faisalabad wolves in a thrilling match, the match went to super over and it was decided of the  last ball of super over.

Hammad Azam scored 66 of just 35 balls © AFP

The Group B toppers Faisalabad Wolves and Rawalpindi Rams met in Lahore today to stretch their winning streak, Sohail Tanvir of Rawalpindi won the toss and decided to bat first.

Rawalpindi went in with many international players including Sohail Tanvir, Hammad Azam, Awais Zia, Umar Amin and Yasir Arafat. Rawalpindi started their innings in worst possible manner as they lost their top 5 for ust 72 on the board but Hammad Azam from the other end  counter attacked Faisalabad bowlers to help Rawalpindi reach a respectable total of 143 which looked out of their grasp throughout the innings.

Only Hammad Azam could make over 50 runs for Rawalpindi , he made 66 runs. From Faisalabad Samiullah Khan picked up 3 wickets and Ehsan Adil picked up 2. Khurram Shehzad also bowled a tight spell he picked up 1 wicket by giving away only 13 runs in his 4 overs.

Faisalabad had a modest total to chase, and they had the perfect start to openors made 47 runs and gave them the ideal start, but equation changed when they were reduced to 61 for 3 from 47 for 0. Now Misbah again had a rebuilding job at his hands he guided Faisalabad’s chase and scored a crucial  42, but 42 runs were not enough as match was tied of the last ball as Misbah was trying to steal second run to get his team over the line but in process ran himself out.

The match was then decided by the super over , Faisalabad batted first in the super over Misbah and Asad Ali were the selected openors from their side. Faisalabad made 9 runs in their super over.

Rawalpindi then started their super over in best possible way as Hammad Azam smashed the first ball out of the playing field, but the match was not over as Samiullah Khan came back strongly, Rawalpindi then required 1 from the last ball and they took that single of a bye.

Rawalpindi now with this win are leading Group B, Hammad Azam for his fine performance with the bat was awarded Man of the match award.

Faisalabad Wolves captain Misbah-ul-Haq scored an unbeaten 85 runs to lead his side to a comfortable win against Karachi Dolphins in Group B game.

Misbah-ul-Haq scored an unbeaten 85 to guide his side to victory © Associated Press

Faisalabad Wolves won their second consecutive game and this time against Karachi Dolphins who were captained by Mohammad Sami. Earliar Mohammad Sami of Karachi Dolphins won the toss and elected to bat first.

They lost their openor early but Shahzaib Hasan and Khurram Manzoor led the fight back, they scored 51 and 41 respectively. After them little cameos from Asad Shafiq and Mohammad Sami pushed Karachi Dolphin’s score to a modest 157.

From Faisalabad side Khurram Shahazad and Ehsan Adil picked up 3 wickets whereas Asad Ali and Samiullah Khan bagged one each. Faisalabad Wolves started their batting in a awful way and lost their first 2 wickets for just 21 runs.

But from their on Misbah joined Ali Waqas and they both led the chase, Misbah lost his partner at the score of 88, from their on he was joined by Imran Khalid, Misbah-ul-Haq guided Faisalabad’s chase and played a captains innings, he scored 85 not out of just 47 balls with 5 mighty sixes.

In the end Faisalabad Wolves got over the line comfortably. Misbah-ul-Haq was awarded Man of the match award for his captain’s knock. With this win Faisalabad Wolves now jumps towards top position for Group B whereas Karachi Dolphins falls to 3rd place.

Today Pakistani domestic t20 competition Faysal Bank Super-8 t20 has started in Lahore. In the first match of the tournament Faislabad Wolves came out as victorious against the underdogs Bhawalpur Stags.

Misbah-ul-Haq scored 22 not out in first match of Faysal bank t20 © AFP

Pakistan has just ended their tour of South Africa and their own domestic t20 tournament has started in Lahore. Misbah-ul-Haq should be praised for his  professionalism and determination as a player, he had only 8 hours for rest and he still decided that he would play the opening encounter against Bhawalpur.

The match started with Faisalabad winning the toss and choosing to bat first, and they started off in a great fashion. But on the other hand Faisalabad were also wary off Bhawalpur Stags. As Bhawalpur gave a tough fight in the last tournament.

Faisalabad while batting first posted a good total of 154. Almost every batsman chipped in for them. Top scorer was Ali Waqas with 39, while Misbah made 22 not out.

Bhawalpur was set a target off 155 but they disappointed their fans as they never got going, They could not even complete their full 20 overs and ended their innings at 91 for 8 giving Faisalabad a easy victory by 63 runs. Khurran Shehzad of Faisalabad picked up 4 wickets. He was also declared as the Man of the Match.

Pakistan ended their tour of South Africa with South Africa winning the last ODI to bag the ODI series 3-2, the series was closely fought and both teams showed great spirit throughout the series.

Misbah-ul-Haq was the only batsman from Pakistani side to score over 200 runs in the ODI series © AFP

SERIES REPORT:

Everyone witnessed a great battle between two cricket giants Pakistan and South Africa, Pakistan fought hard in the ODI series but South Africa remained one foot ahead of Pakistan to seal the ODI series 3-2.

Let us look at the performances of the players from both sides throughout the ODI series.

SOUTH AFRICA:

Ab de Villiers:

This man never gets tired of scoring, he remained the talking point throughout the series and all for good reason. He led his team from the front and was the backbone of South Africa’s batting. He scored 367 runs the top run getter of the series and won the Man Of  The Series award as well.

Hashim Amla:

The man of crisis, scored runs at will. He and Ab de Villiers milked Pakistani bowlers throughout the series, he scored 207 runs at an avergae of 40.80.

Ryan Mclaren:

Ryan Mclaren the all rounder from South Africa was the second highest wicket taker in the series he picked up 11 wickets at an avergae 18.70.

PAKISTAN:

Misbah-ul-Haq:

Just like Ab de Villiers, Misbah-ul-Haq batted in tricky situations and helped his team out of misery on many occasions, he batted with calmness and sense of responsibility throughout the series. He was the Second highest run getter of the series and one of the positive for Pakistan during the series.

Mohammad Irfan:

The 7 footer was the high point for Pakistan during the one day series. He inspired one and all during the series, he was the highest wicket taker of the series, he also just played 4 matches in the series and picked up 11 wickets at an average of 13.72.

Saeed Ajmal:

The off-spinner from Pakistan again lived upto his reputation, he picked up 8 wickets at an average of 26.75 during the series. But Ajmal would be a bit disappointed as South Africa played him well on different occasions during the series.

South Africa beat Pakistan in the last ODI by 6 wickets to take the ODI series 3-2, Ab de Villiers for his heroic performance was declared Player of the match and Player of the series.

Ab de Villiers scored 95 to help his team beat Pakistan © AFP

Pakistan’s dream of winning a series in South Africa remained a dream for them as South Africa defeated them in the final ODI to win the ODI series 3-2 and end their summer on a high.

Earliar in the day Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and elected to bat first on a two pace wicket. Pakistan’s openers could not make much impact as they both fell inside 10 overs. After them Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal rebuild the innings to some extent, Akmal was in particular looking in good touch.

As soon as Kamran Akmal started to look threatening, he throwed his wicket away as he was dismissed by Robin Peterson of a well thought out plan. After Akmal, Farhaan Behardein got a dream first ODI wicket  as he picked Younis Khan who was brialliantly caught by Hashim Amla at short mid-wicket.

With Misbah and Malik at the crease now Pakistan were again in a rebuilding stage, but again another Pakistani batsman got start and then was dismissed this time Malik fell who was also looking good but the dual nature of the pitch led to his dismissal as the ball stopped a bit in the pitch.

Afridi was the next man in and he may had played the most irresponsible shot of the match as he tried to heave Mclaren of the second ball he faced and was caught at long leg.  With Pakistan in all sorts of trouble and Misbah was the only hope left for them but he couldn’t add much too as he was soon dismissed by Mclaren. Pakistani tail enders fought a bit and pushed Pakistan’s score to 205 to give their bowlers something to bowl at.

The second innings started with South Africa favourites to take the series but Junaid Khan and Mohammad Hafeez found early wickets to puts the break on South Africa’s scoring rate.

But the biggest moment in the match was about to come. Younis khan who is arguably one of the finest fielder Pakistan has produced, dropped a dolly of Ab de Villiers when he was only on 1. A fielder of Younis’s caliber would take that sort of catch 10 out of 10 times but today was not his day. The dropped chance proved to be costly in the end.

Both Amla and De villiers were looking to take the game away but Irfan dismissed Amla to bring Pakistan back into the game. Farhaan Behardein then joined De villiers and they both scored at will leaving Pakistan no chance of coming back into the game.

De villiers played a captain’s knock of 95* and Behardein supported him with a crucial 35 in the end South Africa won the match by 6 wickets and with this win they took the ODI series 3-2.

Pakistan and South Africa will face each other for the last time in this series tomorrow at Benoni. Currently both teams have won 2 games each, tomorrows game will be a decider.

Pakistan aim to end tour on a high © Getty Images

MATCH PREVEIW:

Pakistan are just one game behind from creating a history, if Pakistan beat South Africa in tomorrows encounter then Pakistan will win a ODI series for the first time against South Africa. Misbah-ul-Haq has a wonderful opportunity to become first Pakistani captain ever to beat South Africa in a ODI series.

On the other hand South Africa will also be hungry for a ODI series victory, they are a exceptional test side but they would like to win more consistently in shorter forms of the game, South Africa lost there last series against New Zealand therefore they will be aiming to surprise Pakistan.

The Favourite:

Pakistan will start as favourites in tomorrows game. They will be aiming to register second consecutive series victory in tomorrows game. South Africa would like that their players make victory tough for Pakistan.

Players to rely on:

Robin Peterson would like to perform for his team in tomorrows game. He can be very handy player at times, he has not yet contributed much in this series though he would like to change all that in tomorrows game.

Kamran Akmal was promoted up the batting order for the last few games, but he has disappointed his fans with his batting form so far, he would like to contribute big in tomorrows fixture.

Teams:

Greame smith will miss out for the last ODI due to injury this will mean that most likely Quinton de Kock will be playing in place of Grame Smith.

South Africa (most probable): 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 AB de Villiers (capt, wk), 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Ryan McLaren 8 Robin Peterson 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Rory Kleinveldt, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Pakistan will most probably enter with the same lineup.
Pakistan (most probable): 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Kamran Akmal (wkt), 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Saeed Ajmal 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Mohammed Irfan

This day reminds us of the famous semi-final between South Africa and England. South Africa required 22 to win from 13 balls against England in 1992 world-cup semi-final to reach the final but it all changed after the rain interrupted the match.

South Africa had a impossible task to achieve after the rain interrupted the game © Patrick Eagar

The match that can never be forgotten as South Africa were left helpless after rain interrupted the game. South Africa and England were battling to mark their place in world-cup final. South Africa were playing their inaugural world cup and it turned out to be a forgettable day for them.

England batted first in a rain hit match and scored 252 in 45 overs. South Africa while chasing the target kept losing wickets at regular intervals but they remained in the hunt. The game was all set for exciting finish as South Africa needed 22 to win of 13 balls but  the real drama started when rain interrupted the game.

Play did resume after the rain but it was only a formality by that time as the equation went totally against South Africa, after the rain South Africa required 22 to win of 1 ball, which was a impossible task.

England went on to play their 3rd world cup final but they lost yet another final, Pakistan won the world-cup, it was also the first world-cup with coloured kits.