Cricket

Pakistan's offspinner Sajid Khan has emerged as a thorn in England's side, not only with his on-field antics but also with his cunning tactics. Beyond his signature mustache twirls and thigh thumps, Khan has found a novel way to unsettle the English: exploiting the bilingualism of their spin bowlers.During the fourth ball of the 86th over, Khan and teammate Saud Shakeel engaged in a seemingly innocuous conversation in Urdu, unaware that the stump mic was capturing their words. However, Khan's true intentions were far from innocent."We were only doing that [speaking loudly in Urdu] to deceive the bowlers," Khan revealed. "Rehan and Shoaib understand Urdu, so to fool them, we wanted them to hear we were only looking for the single."The strategy worked to perfection. The English bowlers, assuming Pakistan was playing defensively, adjusted their field accordingly. This gave Khan the opportunity to unleash his power, launching Shoaib Bashir over midwicket for a six.Khan's deception continued in the following over, where he plundered two more sixes and a boundary off Bashir. The English bowlers, now thoroughly bamboozled, spread the field out, only to see Khan clear the rope with ease.England's spin bowler Rehan Ahmed, while acknowledging Khan's impressive innings, dismissed the claims of deception. "He didn't fool me at all, he just said it for the media," Ahmed said. "I didn't even hear him."Despite Ahmed's denial, Khan's tactics have undoubtedly played a role in Pakistan's growing lead. By exploiting the language barrier, Khan has created confusion and doubt in the minds of the English bowlers, giving Pakistan a significant advantage.

On the opening day of the third and final Test match between England and Pakistan, the pitch at Karachi's National Stadium presented a challenging surface for batters, resulting in a dramatic collapse of wickets.Pakistan's Sajid Khan emerged as the star performer, claiming six wickets for 128 runs in 29.2 overs. This marked the third time in his career that he has taken five or more wickets in an innings.England captain Ben Stokes, who won the toss and elected to bat first, saw his team make a solid start, reaching 56 without loss. However, the pitch's unpredictable behavior soon became evident, and Zak Crawley's dismissal for 29 triggered a rapid collapse.England lost five wickets for just 42 runs, slumping from 56-0 to 98-5 within 12.5 overs. The pitch's uneven bounce and variable pace proved to be a nightmare for the batters.Despite the difficult conditions, Jamie Smith emerged as a beacon of hope for England, scoring a gritty 89 runs. He formed a crucial 107-run partnership with Gus Atkinson, who contributed 39 runs, helping England recover from their precarious position of 118-6.By lunch, England had reached 110-5, and by tea, they had progressed to 242-8, thanks to Smith and Atkinson's efforts. England's innings eventually concluded with a total of 267 runs.Sajid Khan's impressive bowling performance was a major factor in Pakistan's dominance on the first day. His ability to extract bounce and movement from the pitch proved to be a handful for the English batters.The match is poised for an intriguing contest over the remaining days, with Pakistan holding a slight advantage after the first day's play.

England fought back on the opening day of the series-deciding third Test in Rawalpindi, reducing Pakistan to 73/3 at close. Home spinner Sajid Khan starred with a six-wicket haul, while Jamie Smith's rearguard 89 helped England post 267.On a dry and spin-friendly pitch, 13 wickets fell on day one, with all but one going to the spinners. Pakistan's Sajid and Noman Ali dominated the morning session, bowling unchanged for 42 overs and taking 9 wickets between them.England's spinners came to the fore in the final session, with Shoaib Bashir dismissing Abdullah Shafique and Jack Leach accounting for Saim Ayub. Gus Atkinson was the only fast bowler to grab a wicket, dismissing Kamran Ghulam.Smith's 89, which included six towering sixes and five fours, enabled England to add 149 for their last four wickets. He shared a 105-run partnership with Gus Atkinson (39) for the seventh wicket.Sajid completed his third five-wicket haul by removing Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach. England lost captain Ben Stokes early in the afternoon session, but Smith and Atkinson's partnership kept them in the game.The morning session was dominated by Sajid and Noman, who exploited the turning and low-bouncing pitch. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett made a confident start, but England lost three wickets in quick succession.Noman had Crawley caught off a miscued drive, while Sajid removed Pope and Root leg before. Duckett was trapped lbw by Noman for 52, and Harry Brook was bowled behind his legs by Sajid for five.Both teams included three spinners on a grassless pitch, which Pakistan dried with fans and heaters. Sajid and Noman shared all 20 wickets in Pakistan's second Test win to level the series at 1-1.

Former England opener Alastair Cook, recently inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, has lauded the aggressive and boundary-pushing approach of the current England Test team under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. Cook believes that the team's "Bazball" brand of cricket is unprecedented in its relentless pursuit of runs.Cook, who witnessed the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Final in the UAE, acknowledged the significant evolution in Test cricket. He attributed the shift to Eoin Morgan's leadership in one-day cricket and Stokes's transformative influence in the Test arena.England's recent first Test against Pakistan exemplified their attacking mindset, with Harry Brook's blistering 317 becoming the second-fastest triple century in history. Cook emphasized that England's strength lies in the collective aggression of its players, rather than isolated feats.However, Cook cautioned against overlooking past greats who also possessed belligerent batting styles. He cited Virender Sehwag's record-breaking triple century in 2008 as an example. Nonetheless, he believes that the current England team is pushing the boundaries of run-scoring like never before."I have never seen a team push the boundaries quite as much as this England team have done," Cook said. "There have obviously been great sides in the past who would score quickly, but not quite as quickly as this side seemed able and willing to do."Cook believes that the increased aggression in red-ball cricket is a positive development, as it ultimately leads to more runs being scored. He emphasized the importance of focusing on the end product rather than comparing generations of players.Cook's induction into the ICC Hall of Fame alongside Neetu David and AB de Villiers is a testament to his exceptional career. As the England-Pakistan series reaches its conclusion, Cook's insights provide valuable context for the ongoing transformation of Test cricket.

Former England captain Michael Atherton has drawn comparisons between India's recent collapse to 46 all out against New Zealand and England's infamous 46 all out against West Indies in 1994. Atherton, now a respected pundit, highlighted the unique distinction held by Virat Kohli, who has been part of two of India's three lowest-ever scores.Atherton noted that India's collapse occurred in the first innings of a home Test, where they had won the toss and elected to bat. In contrast, England's 46 all out came in the final innings of an away Test, where they had lost the toss.Despite these differences, Atherton identified some similarities between the two innings. Both teams were bowled out by pace bowling, and both collapses featured a number of soft dismissals. Atherton also pointed out that both India and England had been in strong positions before their batting collapses.Atherton welcomed India captain Rohit Sharma to "his world," as he had also experienced the ignominy of captaining a side bowled out for 46. He emphasized the pain and embarrassment that follows such a collapse, despite the adulation from fans.Atherton's analysis highlights the fragility of batting in Test cricket, even for the world's best teams. It also raises questions about India's batting lineup, which has been under scrutiny in recent months.

Brendon McCullum, England's coach, has dismissed suggestions that his team has been exposed on spinning pitches, despite Pakistan's captain Shan Masood expressing a desire for another turner in the series decider in Rawalpindi.Pakistan's radical overhaul of their strategy in the second Test in Multan, which included the addition of three spinners and the use of the same pitch for a second week, paid off handsomely. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali shared 20 wickets to set up a series-levelling 152-run win.However, McCullum believes that England's defeat was not due to a lack of ability against spin. "We were outplayed in this game," he said. "We'll see what Rawalpindi's got to offer and we'll try and adapt accordingly."Masood, on the other hand, is hoping for a drier pitch in Rawalpindi that will assist the spinners. "I would like to see the ball turn in the third Test," he said. "We want to get 20 wickets wherever we play, and we want to back that up with the bat."McCullum, however, predicted that the surface will be "the antithesis of the green seamer" for the decider. "I actually don't mind," he said. "We said right at the outset that we'll try to adapt to whatever conditions we come up against."Despite England's recent struggles on the subcontinent, McCullum is confident that his team has the ability to handle spinning conditions. "We've got a pretty good record here [in Pakistan]," he said. "Even that Test match we won in India, that was probably the most extreme of the spinning conditions. I don't know: we'll find out. I certainly don't mind if it spins in the next one. I think we've got the artillery to be able to handle it."McCullum also defended England's aggressive approach with the bat during the second Test. "We saw in this Test match that so many wickets fell to people trying to hang in there," he said. "It was those that were prepared to be brave enough to sweep, reverse-sweep, put the opposition under pressure, who were actually able to score runs."

England's promising start in the second Test against Pakistan was abruptly halted by the brilliance of Sajid Khan, whose incisive off-spin triggered a rapid batting collapse. After reaching a comfortable position of 211/2, England lost four wickets for a mere 14 runs, leaving them reeling at 225/6 at the end of Day 2 in Multan.Sajid's exceptional bowling performance proved pivotal, seizing control for Pakistan at a crucial juncture. The collapse began with the dismissal of England's talisman, Joe Root, who had looked settled until Sajid deceived him with a well-flighted delivery. Root's attempted sweep resulted in an inside edge onto his boot, sending the ball rolling into the stumps.Sajid's next victim was Ben Duckett, who had earlier anchored the innings with a fluent 114. Despite surviving multiple close calls, Duckett eventually succumbed to Sajid's persistent pressure. An aggressive drive off a full-length delivery found a thick outside edge, which Agha Salman at first slip gratefully accepted.With Duckett's departure, England's batting order crumbled. Harry Brook was bowled trying to punch a spinning delivery off the back foot, misjudging the sharp turn and allowing the ball to crash through the gap between bat and pad.England's woes were compounded by Noman Ali, who dismissed captain Ben Stokes for a mere 1. Stokes failed to adjust to Noman's turn, edging a defensive push onto his pad, which Abdullah Shafique at short leg completed with an outstanding diving catch.From a position of strength at 211/2, England were now in deep trouble at 225/6, leaving Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse to steady the ship before stumps. However, the pair managed to stabilize the innings and guided England to 239/6 by the end of the day.Sajid Khan finished the day with figures of 4/86, his devastating spell turning the match on its head. With Pakistan's bowlers firing on all cylinders and England trailing by 127 runs, Day 3 promises to be a pivotal chapter in this thrilling Test series at Multan.

Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph's remarkable partnership propelled West Indies to a historic victory over England in the T20 World Cup group stage, securing a semi-final berth for the first time since 2018.Despite being underdogs, West Indies defied expectations with a dominant performance. Joseph, in particular, played a pivotal role, smashing a career-best 52 off just 38 balls, including six fours and two sixes. Her aggressive batting set the tone for the innings, as she and Matthews put on a 102-run stand off just 74 balls.Matthews, who played her best innings of the tournament with 50 off 38, provided solid support to Joseph. The duo's partnership was the second time both openers had scored 50 or more in a women's T20I for West Indies, the first being in the 2016 T20 World Cup final.Joseph's rise to the occasion was particularly impressive, as she stepped up in the absence of Stafanie Taylor, West Indies' leading run-scorer. Her versatility and improved ball-striking have made her a valuable asset to the team.Despite England's vast resources and unbeaten record in the group stages, West Indies' determination and fighting spirit proved too much to overcome. Deandra Dottin also played a crucial role, setting the tone with brilliant fielding and contributing with the ball.West Indies' victory is a testament to their resilience and the depth of their squad. By topping their group, they avoid favorites Australia in the semi-finals and will face New Zealand on Friday in Sharjah.Matthews expressed her pride in her team's performance, highlighting the challenges they have faced and the passion that drives them. "We probably just don't have it like the rest a lot of the time," she said. "But the one thing that does bring the entire West Indies together is cricket."

The highly anticipated Women's T20 World Cup 2024 clash between England and West Indies is set to unfold, with both teams vying for a coveted semifinal spot.As the match commenced, West Indies captain Hayley Matthews won the toss and elected to bowl first. England openers Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Maia Bouchier took to the crease, determined to set the tone for their team. West Indies' Chinelle Henry opened the bowling, aiming to unsettle the English batters with her pace.The pitch analysis by Anjum Chopra and Lisa Sthalekar revealed a dry surface that could assist the pacers. The square boundaries were 53 and 63 meters, while the straight boundary stretched to 73 meters, requiring precise timing for successful clearances.England captain Heather Knight expressed her preference for bowling first, while Matthews emphasized West Indies' strength in chasing. Both teams made strategic changes to their playing XIs, with England bringing back Alice Capsey and West Indies adding Chedean Nation and Zaida James.The match promises to be an exciting battle between two formidable teams. Matthews and Dottin, who often face off in domestic cricket, are eager to outplay each other. England, with its recent momentum, aims to continue its winning streak, while West Indies seeks to prove its resilience after an early setback in the tournament.