KARACHI: Shahid Afridi, the box office trailblazer of Pakistan white ball cricket, believes his “unpredictable” nation can summon the spirit of 2009 and win a second T20 World Cup.
Afridi was man of the match in a nail-biting seven-run semifinal win over South Africa in the tournament 12 years ago where he made 51.
He then starred again in the eight-wicket rout of Sri Lanka in the final at Lord’s where he smashed an undefeated 54.
Pakistan’s victory came just three months after the terror attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore, an incident which sparked a shutdown of international cricket in the country.
“We had that issue of the Sri Lanka attacks on our minds,” Afridi told AFP.
“The whole nation was disappointed and frustrated so that win was very much needed.
“The win gave the whole nation happiness and some unforgettable moments.”
Afridi famously stormed onto the scene in 1996 when he broke the record for the fastest century in ODI cricket, reaching his hundred from 37 balls.
It was a record which stood until 2014.
Afridi, who played 99 T20 Internationals for Pakistan, thinks recent setbacks can again inspire Babar Azam’s team in the 2021 T20 showpiece.
A month before the mega-event, head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis resigned, apparently believing new board chairman Ramiz Raja would sack them anyway.
Then New Zealand abandoned their tour of the country just minutes before the first ODI in Rawalpindi.
Three days later, England also withdrew its men’s and women’s teams from visiting Pakistan.
“This is Pakistan cricket for you, never ever a dull day,” added Afridi ruefully.
“Pakistan can surprise any team in the world. Rule them out at your peril.”
In his 22-year international career, Afridi was at the heart of Pakistan’s “topsy-turvy” ride in limited overs cricket.
Afridi anchored Pakistan’s run to the final in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007, taking 12 wickets which earned him the player of the tournament award.
Pakistan, however, lost twice against arch-rivals India — including the final.
“Pakistan gave the best entertainment in the first T20 World Cup,” insists Afridi.
“We lost to India in the group match after a bowl-out, which was something very new for us.”
Pakistan then lost the final with Misbah-ul-Haq falling to an injudicious shot off the third ball of the final over, with just six needed for a win.
“Misbah brought Pakistan into the game but then we lost by the barest of margins,” said Afridi.
Under Afridi, defending champions Pakistan then lost in the semifinal of the 2010 edition in the Caribbean when Michael Hussey clobbered 39 runs in the last two overs to give Australia an unlikely win.
“T20 suits our character,” added Afridi. “We have the talent, approach and aggression required for this rapid format.
“It is a format which is loved throughout Pakistan. We won against every team and then every team adopted that style.
“Bowling is now full of variety and new batting techniques have developed.”
Afridi insists Pakistan can once again spring a few surprises in the UAE.
“The current Pakistan team is very talented although they lack experienced players. But, as we all know, never under-estimate a Pakistan team!”
Pakistan to summon spirit of 2009 for T20 title, says Afridi
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Pakistan to summon spirit of 2009 for T20 title, says Afridi
- Afridi was man of the match in a nail-biting seven-run semifinal win over South Africa in the tournament 12 years ago
- Afridi insists Pakistan can once again spring a few surprises in the UAE
Series on the line, India consider Bumrah gamble in Manchester
- “We know we have got him for one of the last two tests,” assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate told reporters after a training session on Thursday
The team management has decided that Bumrah, whose workload has been carefully managed since he returned from a back surgery earlier this year, will play three of the five tests in England.
A victory in Manchester would give England an unassailable 3-1 lead. To prevent that, India are considering playing Bumrah, who skipped the second test in Birmingham, in the next match rather than preserving him for the final test at the Oval.
“We know we have got him for one of the last two tests,” assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate told reporters after a training session on Thursday.
“It’s pretty obvious that the series is on the line now in Manchester, so there will be a leaning toward playing him.”
“But again, we have got to look at all the factors: how many days of cricket are we going to get up there, what do we feel is our best chance of winning that game, and then how that fits in together with the Oval.”
Arguably the best all-format bowler of his era, Bumrah registered five-wicket hauls in both the tests he played on this tour of England, though India lost both in Leeds and Lord’s.
India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who suffered a finger injury at Lord’s, did not bat in Thursday’s practice.
Ten Doeschate was confident Pant will reprise his usual roles in front of the stumps with the bat and behind them with the keeper’s gloves in Manchester.
“Look, I don’t think you’re going to keep Rishabh out of the test no matter what,” former Dutch international ten Doeschate said.
“He batted with quite a lot of pain in the third test and it’s only going to get easier and easier on his finger.”
Jota inducted into Wolves’ Hall of Fame
- Jota helped Wolves gain promotion to the Premier League in 2018 before joining Liverpool in 2020
Wolverhampton Wanderers have paid tribute to Portuguese forward Diogo Jota by inducting him into the club’s Hall of Fame after he was killed in a car accident earlier this month.
Jota helped Wolves gain promotion to the Premier League in 2018 before joining Liverpool in 2020.
“Diogo was not only a phenomenal footballer, but someone who carried himself with humility and kindness throughout his time at Wolves, and will be sorely missed by all of us,” Wolves’ director of football administration Matt Wild said in a statement late on Thursday.
Billy Wright, Derek Dougan and Steve Bull are among those already inducted in the club’s Hall of Fame, which was established in 2008.
Harris English, Matt Fitzpatrick in 5-way tie for lead at Open Championship
- Scores were bunched together up and down the leaderboard as dealing with the elements became part of the challenge at Royal Portrush Golf Club
- Fitzpatrick pulled even with the leaders with a chip-in on the par-3 16th hole
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland: Harris English and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick joined Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen, China’s Haotong Li and South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout with 4-under par 67s to share the first-round lead of the Open Championship on Thursday at Portrush, Northern Ireland.
Scores were bunched together up and down the leaderboard as dealing with the elements became part of the challenge at Royal Portrush Golf Club. Golfers battled wind gusts and, for those playing in the middle of the day, rain that was bothersome at times.
“Wind is something that obviously makes links golf challenging, but the rain adds a whole new element to it, especially when you’re hitting the tee balls,” said World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who’s one stroke back after shooting 68.
English reached 5 under for the solo lead with his seventh birdie of the round before a bogey on No. 14 and pars the rest of the way.
“That’s why I come over and play the Scottish (Open) is to get used to links golf,” English said afterward. “I played really well last week. I didn’t have the Sunday that I wanted, but I felt like my game was sharp and I did what I needed to do to get ready for this week.”
Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana and Englishmen Matthew Jordan and Tyrrell Hatton matched Scheffler with 68s.
There are 10 golfers at 2-under 69, including Danish twin brothers Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard, Lee Westwood of England, 2023 Open champ Brian Harman, Rickie Fowler and England’s Justin Rose. Lucas Glover, aided by an eagle on the second hole, reached 4 under through seven holes before a couple of bogeys on the back nine left him at 2 under as well.
Phil Mickelson, the tournament’s 2013 champion, stood at 2 under at the round’s midway mark before finishing with a 1-under 70. He provided an early thrill by holing a shot from the bunker for a par on the third hole.
“I didn’t make a ton of long ones, but I made a lot of short ones and a lot of good up-and-downs and lag putting,” Mickelson said. “You find that going back on past experience, you don’t have to press it. You don’t have to force it.”
Other scores of interest included Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Spain’s Sergio Garcia at 70.
“It was a tough enough day, especially either chopping out of the rough or out of the fairway bunkers most of the time,” McIlroy said. “So to shoot under par was a good effort.”
McIlroy is trying to win his second Open in front of his home-country fans, and Lowry was the champion the last time the major was held here in 2019.
Fitzpatrick pulled even with the leaders with a chip-in on the par-3 16th hole. His attempt from well below the hole hit the pin and dropped in.
“A bit of luck obviously. Sometimes you need that,” he said. “Obviously, it just came out a little bit harder than I anticipated and on the perfect line.”
Earlier, Fitzpatrick posted an eagle on the par-5 second hole.
“Felt like I did everything well,” Fitzpatrick said. “Just drove it well, approach play was good and chipped and putted well. It was just an all-around good day.”
Olesen, who turned pro last year and has two prior starts in PGA Tour events, used an eagle on the par-5 12th hole to move into the lead. His second bogey of the round on the final hole cost him the midday solo lead.
Li had a bogey-free round with a pair of birdies on each side.
“I’ve been playing quite solid the whole year so far until the last couple weeks, so hopefully keep the momentum and have some good results come in,” Li said.
Bezuidenhout has been making adjustments with mechanics, and some of those are working out so far this week.
“I’ve been going through some swing changes and stuff,” he said. “It’s nice to see that paying off.”
Scheffler notched birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 for a strong closing stretch. Two of his five birdies in the round came on par-3s.
Chris Gotterup, who was coming off the weekend’s victory in the Genesis Scottish Open, shot 72. He went 2 under through 12 holes before three consecutive bogeys on Nos. 13-15.
US Open champion J.J. Spaun, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay and Australian Jason Day shot 2-over 73. Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa struggled to rounds of 4-over 75, and Bryson DeChambeau shot a 7-over 78 without a birdie. DeChambeau was tied for 144th at day’s end.
Hampton the hero as England triumph in crazy shootout
ZURICH: England secured their spot in the Euro 2025 semifinals on Thursday after a wild penalty shootout that stretched to 14 players, saw more misses than goals and ended when teenager Smilla Holmberg fired Sweden’s seventh attempt over the bar.
England had come from 2-0 down to force extra time but no further goals led to one of the most extraordinary shootouts ever seen at a major tournament.
It went on for so long that it seems incredible that the final score was only 3-2.
England’s goalkeeper Hannah Hampton turned out to be the unlikely hero having been thrust into the spotlight in her first major tournament after the experienced Mary Earps announced her international retirement just weeks before the tournament.
The 24-year-old Hampton, playing with a bloodied nose stuffed with gauze after taking a hit to the face minutes earlier, made two diving saves in the shootout, but she was also aided by a Sweden team that missed three — two of them sailing miles over the bar.
Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly, who scored the winning goal in England’s 2022 final victory over Germany, were on target but Sweden keeper Jennifer Falk saved poorly-struck attempts from Lauren James, Beth Mead, Alex Greenwood and Grace Clinton.
With the incredulous crowd wondering if anyone would score, Lucy Bronze limped up to the spot minutes after she had been on her back strapping her own thigh while England’s physios were busy elsewhere.
Having seen a succession of weakly-hit penalties saved, Bronze removed the strapping before stepping up to slam her attempt home with unstoppable power.
“I just felt a little bit tight at the end of the game and I thought I just need to get through to make sure I can keep going, but I thought (the bandage) is going to hinder me in a penalty,” Bronze said.
“I didn’t expect it to go to the sixth penalty, so I didn’t take it off. And then it was my penalty, I thought ‘I need to take this off because I’m going to absolutely smack it’.”
That left 18-year-old Holmberg needing to score for Sweden but she blazed over the crossbar to end the incredible contest.
“Stressful. Stressful watching, stressful playing,” said Hampton. “Every time I saved one I was thinking ‘please just put it in so we have a bit of a cushion’. Their keeper then just went and saved the next one and I was thinking ‘oh goodness, here we go.’ “Me and nosebleeds never go well. Me and the doctor have had some great history in the past with having to go to hospital and stuff so as soon as he came over he was thinking ‘not again’.
“I think I was better in the game when I had one nostril than when I was completely fine! Just happy and relieved now.”
Arnold confident his experience can help make Iraq’s World Cup dream come true
Iraq coach Graham Arnold is confident he can lead the country to a first World Cup in 40 years after his team were drawn to face Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in the next phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 tournament in North America.
The three teams will play each other in Jeddah in October, with the winner of the group advancing directly to the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Former Australia boss Arnold, who replaced Jesus Casas in May, will be attempting to steer Iraq to the World Cup for the second time after they made their debut at Mexico 1986.
“I have extensive experience working against both the Saudi and Indonesian national teams. I know their strengths, but I also know their weaknesses,” Arnold said.
“But we are Iraq, an extremely proud nation with a higher FIFA ranking than both Saudi and Indonesia and we need to prove that.”
Arnold’s finest coaching achievement to date came at the 2022 World Cup when he led Australia to the last 16, with the Socceroos eliminated by eventual champions Argentina.
He resigned as Australia coach in September last year following a 0-0 draw with Indonesia in Jakarta.
The 61-year-old last faced Saudi Arabia in March 2022, when his Australia team lost 1-0 in World Cup qualifier at the same King Abdullah Sports City Stadium where his Iraq team will face the Green Falcons on Oct. 14.
“Having the belief in the players as I do, when we reach the crucial playoff matches in October, they will be in peak form, both physically and mentally ready to win,” he said.
“I firmly believe this is our time and we will fight with everything we have to make the dream of millions of Iraqis come true.”
The group runners-up will progress to a playoff for a berth in a series of intercontinental match-ups in March.
Australia overcame a poor start under Arnold to book their spot at the expanded 48-team World Cup with Tony Popovic in charge.
Regional heavyweights Japan, South Korea and Iran also secured berths in North America, along with first-time qualifiers Uzbekistan and Jordan.
