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Pakistan whitewash SA 2-0 in two-match Test series

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 08 (APP): Pakistan downed South Africa by 95 runs in the second Test and whitewashed the two-match Test series by 2-0 at the Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi on Monday.

Pakistani pacer Hasan Ali who made a comeback in the national side with a bang as he destroyed the Proteas batting line-up bagging five-wickets in the second innings. South Africa were 127 for 1 at the end of day four.

Hassan who last played for Pakistan in June 2019, took Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, South African Skipper Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram and George Linde. Hasan, who was the top ranked bowler in the ICC ODI Player Rankings in 2017 and also the player of the tournament in the Champions Trophy of the same year, provided a major breakthrough to Pakistan as he dismissed Rassie van der Dussen just two runs away from his 50 (48 runs) on the third ball (42nd over) of the fifth day of the second test.

That’s what Pakistan wanted this morning. The ball sneaked past the inside-edge, took a feather touch, and crashed into the leg stump. Dussen (48 runs) and Aiden Markram provided a 94-run partnership to the 2nd wicket. Hasan trapped Faf du Plessis (5) lbw in the 46th over. Faf was totally done in by the low bounce, which hit the front pad in front of middle stump.

He took a review but went wasted. The danger man for Pakistan Markram who scored a blistering knock (108) for South Africa went unsuccessful in taking Proteas all the way as he was taken at second slip by Imran Butt in the 82nd over. Hasan bowled a good length ball and Markram tried to slap a cut but was unlucky.

He and Temba Bavuma provided a 106 runs partnership to the 4th wicket. Hasan struck again and bold the South African Skipper Quinton de Kock on the next ball of the same over on a duck followed by George Linde 4 in the 88th over.

Shaheen Shah Afridi also bagged four wickets for Pakistan in the second innings. He took the big wicket of Temba Bavuma in the 87th over, who was settling down and was on 61 runs. He kept bowling that tight line outside off with the new ball, and finally took his outside edge. Bavuma played and got just a faint edge for the keeper.

He also grabbed the wickets of Dean Elgar (17), Keshav Maharaj (0) and Kagiso Rabada (0). The last wicket for Pakistan was taken by Yasir Shah in the 92nd over Wiaan Mulder (20) and South African team was all out on 274 runs, 95 runs short of the target. Hasan was declared Man of the Match while Mohammad Rizwan was Player of the Series. Hasan said it was a dream come true to make a strong comeback in the series. “I performed and the team won.

I worked and improved my fitness, line and length,” he said. Rizwan said he got the plan from the coach and captain to go out there and play and I delivered. “I just play as I don’t thick whether the ball is swinging or spinning and this is the reason I don’t get under pressure,” he said.

Skipper Babar Azam took the winning trophy and said we played, enjoyed and won. “You win when you utilize the plan given to you,” he said. He lauded Hasan for his outstanding show in the game. “The combination of senior and junior was good and in future the team will become better,” he said and added that winning against a tough side gives you confidence.

It may be mentioned here that Pakistan won the first Test by seven wickets and would now play three-match Twenty-20s against South Africa in Lahore on 11, 13 and 14.

Speaking at the virtual press conference after the match, Pakistan Skipper Babar Azam thanked the South African team for coming to Pakistan and playing competitive cricket. “The team has gained confidence after winning the series. Noman Ali and Yasir Shah’s innings and Mohammad Rizwan’s century did vital runs for the team which helped in giving a good target to the Proteas. Hassan Ali’s impressive performance on the comeback played a key role in the team’s victory,” he said.

He said Test cricket can never be taken lightly but we never had a negative thought in our mind that we would lose the game.

“We knew we will win the game if we got two or three wickets after the lunch break. But this was a difficult win as compared to Karachi Test. It was very important for Pakistan to win the Test series,” he said.

To a question, he said the team was new and he also got the Test captaincy so it takes time to form a team. “It is a welcome thing to be in the top five in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings,” he said.

He said players should be given confidence if there were not giving performances instead of dropping them and we were doing that. “Whenever I had to make a decision, I ask Azhar Ali and Muhammad Rizwan. Every player gives me advice but the decision is mine,” he said and added that head coach Misbah ul Haq also advised him when I went out the field.
The prolific batsman said the lower order game a good response in the game. “I gained a lot of confidence after winning the two match series,” he said.

He said a lot of work was done on the batting of the tailenders which helped us to score maximum team total. “Younis Khan and Misbah used to have separate sessions with tailenders, which has started yielding results,” he said.

On his performance, Pacer Hasan Ali said he never gave up. “My goal was to comeback and perform for my country and team,” he said.

Hasan, who backed 10 wickets in the second Test, said he won’t be able to describe the kind of difficult time he spent when he was out of the team. “My wife, my brother, senior player Shoaib Malik and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) gave me a lot of confidence in difficult times,” he said.

He said in the lunch break Waqar Younis told us not to give up and pitch the ball in the right area. “The fast bowler’s ball was going up and down on the wicket, but we knew that wickets will come from a good line and length,” he said.

He said his wife also came to witness the match and he was soon going to be blessed with a child.

“The credit for my victory also goes to my child and my celebration style will remain the same,” he said.

Eden Makram said the message we were given by the management was not to play with fear express yourselves and win the Test. “It is not easy to play in Asian conditions but there is a lot to learn by playing here,” he said.

He said the defeat in the Test series in Pakistan gave us an opportunity to point out our mistakes and learn. “The experience of playing Test series in Pakistan was very good,” he said.

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Jahangir Khan – The King of Squash

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Jahangir Khan is a man whose name is synonymous with squash. A man universally recognised as the world’s greatest ever player and an athlete who transcended his sports to be acknowledged as world’s greatest ever sportsman. A man who set the bar so high, precious few others have come close, never mind surpass his achievements.

Youngest World Amateur Champion (aged 15) Youngest British Open & World Champion (aged 17) Unbeaten in 555 consecutive matches over 5 years and 8 months – the longest winning streak of any sportsman 10 time British Open Champion (1982-1993) 6 time World Champion Played the longest squash match in history (2 hours, 46 minutes)

Through courage, determination and personal sacrifice, Jahangir Khan overcame personal tragedy to dominate and ultimately transcend the world’s most physically demanding sport.Throughout his record breaking career, Jahangir Khan used and was synonymous with only one brand.

Jahangir Khan was born in Karachi, Pakistan on the 10th December 1963 amd is considered to be the greatest player in the history of squash.

Jahangir Khan is originally from Neway Kelay Payan, Peshawar. During his career he was ranked World No.1 and won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times.

From 1981 to 1986, Jahangir was unbeaten and during that time won 555 consecutive matches – the longest winning streak by any athlete in top-level professional sport as recorded by Guinness World Records.

Jahangir retired from the Men’s Professional World Squash Tour 1993 and served as President of the World Squash Federation (WSF) from 2002 to 2008 when he became Emeritus President.

Jahangir was coached initially by his father Roshan and then by his late brother Torsam and cousin Rahmat who would go on to coach Jahangir throughout his record breaking career.

As a child Jahangir was physically very weak and despite doctors advising him not to take part in any sort of physical activity his father encouraged him to play their family game following a couple of hernia operations.

After missing out on selection for the Pakistan team for the 1979 World Championships in Australia, Jahangir entered the World Amateur Individual Championship and at 15 years-of-age became the youngest ever winner of the prestigious championship.

In November 1979, Jahangir’s older brother Torsam died suddenly of a heart attack during a tournament match in Australia. Torsam’s death affected Jahangir greatly and led to him considering quitting the game. However, Jahangir was determined to pursue a career in the sport as a tribute to his brother.

Most Notable Achievements:
Won World Amateur Championships at age 15
Youngest ever World Open Champion (aged 17)
Unbeaten in 555 consecutive matches over 5 years and 8 months
Record 10 time British Open Champion (1982-1991)
Six-time World Open Champion
First player to win World Open Championship without dropping a game
Played the longest match in the squash history 2 hours and 46 minutes
Five-year unbeaten run

In 1981, Jahangir became the youngest winner of the World Open at the age of 17 when he beat the then World No.1 Geoff Hunt Australia in the final. That championship marked the start of an unbeaten run which lasted for five years and 555 matches.

Jahangir was distinguished for his incredible fitness and stamina which Rahmat Khan helped him develop through a punishing training and conditioning regime. Jahangir was widely regarded as the fittest player in the sport.

In 1982, Jahangir astounded everyone when he won the International Squash Players Association (ISPA) Championship without losing a single point.

Jahangir’s unbeaten run finally came to end in the final of the 1986 World Open in France when he lost to Ross Norman of New Zealand. Norman had been chasing Jahangir’s unbeaten streak after being beaten time and time again. Norman was famously quoted “One day Jahangir will be slightly off his game and I will get him”.

Speaking about his unbeaten sequence of 555 consecutive matches, Jahangir said: “It wasn’t my plan to create such a record. All I did was put in the effort to win every match I played and it went on for weeks, months and years until my defeat to Ross Norman in Toulouse in 1986.”

“The pressure began to mount as I kept winning every time and people were anxious to see if I could be beaten. In that World Open final, Ross got me. It was exactly five years and eight months. I was unbeaten for another nine months after that defeat.”

At the end of 1986, compatriot Jansher Khan challenged Jahangir’s domination. Jahangir won their first few encounters in late 1986 and early 1987, but Jansher finally scored his first win over Jahangir in September 1987 with a straight games victory in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open.

Jansher then went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight consecutive encounters, including capturing the 1987 World Open title.

Jahangir managed to end Jansher’s winning streak over him in March 1988 and went on to win 11 of their next 15 meetings. The pair met in the 1988 World Open final with Jahangir emerging the victor. By that point it had become clear that squash now had two dominant players and the pair would continue to dominate the sport for the rest of the decade.

Jansher and Jahangir met a total of 37 times in professional competition with Jansher winning 19 matches, and Jahangir taking 18 matches.

Jahangir did not win the World Open after 1988 but was able to maintain a stranglehold over the prestigious British Open title which he won a record ten successive times between 1982 and 1991.

Jahangir retired from the professional World Tour in 1993 after helping Pakistan win the World Team Championship in Karachi. He was honoured by the Government of Pakistan with the awards of Pride of Performance and civil award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Crescent of Distinction) for his achievements in squash. Jahangir was also named Sportsman of the Millennium in Pakistan.

“Hashim Khan, Jahangir Khan, and Jansher Khan are the best squash players the world has ever known with Jahangir the best of the three. If Hollywood only knew his story of tragedy, grit and determination it would make another movie like Chariots of Fire. Many of those who know him consider him the best athlete who ever lived.”Former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf

In 1990, Jahangir was elected Chairman of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and in 1997 Vice-President of the Pakistan Squash Federation. Jahangir was elected as Vice-President of the World Squash Federation (WSF) in November 1998 and in October 2002 was elected WSF President. In 2004, Jahangir was again unanimously re-elected as President of the WSF at the International Federation’s 33rd Annual General Meeting in Casa Noyale, Mauritius.

Jahangir Khan was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by London Metropolitan University for his contributions to the sport. As a result of his complete dominance in squash he was nicknamed “The Conqueror”

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Roshan Khan – A Squash Icon of Pakistan.(26 November 1929 – 6 January 2006)

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Roshan Khan, a name etched in the annals of squash history, remains an iconic figure renowned for his exceptional skill, sportsmanship, and pivotal contributions to the world of sports. Born on November 26, 1929, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Roshan Khan’s journey from a squash prodigy to a global legend is a testament to his unparalleled talent and dedication

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Khan’s squash career unfolded in an era when the sport was flourishing in Pakistan, and he emerged as a dominant force, setting new standards of excellence. His innate talent, combined with unwavering determination, propelled him to the forefront of the squash world, where he became a trailblazer.

His remarkable achievements and distinctive style of play made him a formidable opponent on the court. Khan’s tactical prowess, agility, and swift movements were renowned. He possessed an uncanny ability to outmaneuver opponents, displaying finesse and precision that mesmerized audiences and competitors alike.

Khan’s impact extended beyond individual victories; he was an integral part of the Pakistani squash dynasty that dominated the sport globally. Alongside his cousins, Azam Khan and Mo Khan, Roshan Khan propelled Pakistan to squash supremacy, securing multiple championship titles and accolades.

The pinnacle of Khan’s illustrious career came in the 1950s and 1960s, where he triumphed in prestigious tournaments, including the British Open. His victories not only solidified his legacy but also elevated Pakistan’s standing in the world of squash.

Beyond his prowess on the court, Khan was revered for his sportsmanship and humility. His demeanor both on and off the court earned him respect and admiration worldwide. He became a role model for aspiring squash players, inspiring a generation with his dedication, discipline, and grace.

Even after retiring from professional play, Roshan Khan continued to contribute to the sport, nurturing young talent and advocating for squash development in Pakistan. His commitment to the game remained unwavering until his passing on January 6, 2006, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire squash enthusiasts globally.

Roshan Khan’s name remains synonymous with excellence, his contributions to squash immortalized in the history of the sport. He stands as a testament to the heights that dedication, talent, and passion can reach, leaving an indelible mark on the world of sports and serving as an enduring source of inspiration for generations to come.

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ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets

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In the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets at Hyderabad in India on Tuesday.

Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 344 runs for the loss of nine wickets in allotted fifty overs.

For Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis with 122 runs and Sadeera Samarawickrama with 108 remained the main scorers.

In reply, Pakistan achieved the target in 48.2 overs for the loss of four wickets.

For Pakistan, Abdullah Shafique scored 113 and Muhammad Rizwan made 131 runs.

Muhammad Rizwan was declared player of the match. 

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