Imad brings it home for Pakistan

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BIRMINGHAM: Hostility. Fear factor. Control. Wicket-taking ability. Everything a potential ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 champion team could wish to possess from a pace attack, Pakistan’s resurgent side have in abundance. It is little wonder Sarfaraz Ahmed’s outfit are given endless raucous support from their army of fans when they have fast-bowling trio Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi and Wahab Riaz to swoon over. On a day of glorious sunshine at Headingley, a sea of green banged their drums, blew their horns and generally made a cacophony of noise as…

Pakistan keep semifinal hopes alive after thrilling win over Afghanistan

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Imad Wasim and Wahab Riaz’s heroics wrestled victory from the jaws of defeat as Pakistan moved into the ICC Men’s World Cup top four with a nerve-jangling three-wicket win over Afghanistan in Leeds.   VIEW MATCH CENTRE Sarfraz Ahmed’s men have invoked the spirt of their 1992 champions following a difficult start to the competition and entered Saturday’s clash at Headingley on the back of successive victories over South Africa and New Zealand. But they were forced to work for victory in the face of an exceptional Afghanistan performance, rallying…

England’s World Cup on the line against India

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Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – How has it come to this?It’s a question many England fans will be asking now their side’s World Cup hopes are in the balance. An England side widely tipped to end their World Cup drought by triumphing on home soil find themselves facing the very real prospect of a first-round exit heading into their match against unbeaten India at Edgbaston on Sunday. England, despite coming into the World Cup as the top-ranked side in one-day internationals, have lost three pool matches, including their last two,…

Amla takes South Africa home

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South Africa would love the chance to start this World Cup all over again, but they will have to console themselves with a Hashim Amla throwback instead. The South African great rolled back the years with a masterclass in Durham on Friday as his side completed a routine nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka. For what might be the final time at an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup – Amla laid the platform for a Proteas side that, while already eliminated, are clearly determined to finish with a flourish. In truth it…

India crushes West Indies

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MANCHESTER: India has the look of a team just coming nicely to the boil, much like the English summer that is forecast to reach heatwave territory at the weekend. Their 125-run victory knocked West Indies out of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and maintained their status as the only unbeaten side left in this tournament. India reclaimed the No.1 spot in the ICC ODI Team Rankings for the first time in 14 months – to add to their equivalent status in the Test rankings – before they had even…

1992 all over again as Pakistan take identical World Cup path

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Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Twenty-seven years and a generation apart, Pakistan’s World Cup bears striking similarities with their 1992 campaign — when they started slowly but ended up lifting the trophy in Melbourne. An identical sequence of wins and losses, and other eerie parallels, have struck a chord with millions of fans who believe that Pakistan could be set to come out on top once again. In both World Cups, Pakistan started with a one-sided defeat to the West Indies, before recovering to win their second game — against…

Pakistan stops New Zealand

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BIRMINGHAM :Pakistan, a historically unpredictable team specialising in theatrical comebacks, remain in World Cup contention after overwhelming previously unbeaten New Zealand in a group match which will revive unwelcome memories for the Kiwis. Imran Khan’s 1992 side, famously enjoined by their captain to fight like “cornered tigers” after only two wins in their first six matches, an identical record to the present team, beat another hitherto undefeated New Zealand side in the semi-finals. Pakistan went on to defeat England in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the current…

West Indies legend Lara discharged from Mumbai hospital

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Mumbai (AFP) – West Indies batting legend Brian Lara was given the all-clear and discharged from a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted because of chest pains. “He was discharged at 12:00 pm (0630 GMT).His condition is normal,” hospital spokesman Parag Dhurke told AFP. Lara was rushed to hospital on Tuesday in India’s financial capital where he is currently working for Star Sports, the official broadcasters of the ongoing cricket World Cup. The 50-year-old Trinidadian underwent an angiography “as a precaution”, Dhurke said.”His health is good,”…

Australia hammers England at Lord’s

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Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Such is the eternal universality of Shakespeare’s insights, that Malvolio’s musings in Twelfth Night could easily apply to the Australian captaincy instead. If that was the case, then Aaron Finch would certainly fall into the third of those categories. Incidentally, Malvolio’s preceding line is “be not afraid of greatness” and that neatly epitomises Finch’s attitude after having the role thrust upon him last November following Steve Smith’s year-long ban and the struggles of his immediate successor…

England captain Morgan won’t tell fans how to react to Smith, Warner

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London (AFP) – England captain Eoin Morgan insists it is not his job to tell supporters how to react to shamed Australia stars David Warner and Steve Smith when the arch rivals meet in a crucial World Cup clash on Tuesday. Warner and Smith have found themselves booed by some fans in England after returning to international cricket following year-long bans for ball-tampering. Australia coach Justin Langer has called for the taunts to stop, with India captain Virat Kohli and Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed telling their supporters to lay off…