Lahore: Pakistan is all set to compete in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, with Faheem Ashraf leading the seven-member squad. 
The tournament, which brings together 12 teams, will take place from November 1 to 3 at Tin Kwong Road Cricket Ground.

Since the tournament’s inception in 1992, Pakistan has secured five titles and finished as runners-up five times, including in the last edition in 2017.

Former Test cricketer Saleem Yousuf will accompany the team as manager.

Pakistan squad will be comprised of Faheem Ashraf (captain), Aamer Yamin, Asif Ali, Danish Aziz, Hussain Talat and Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Shahab Khan.

Former Pakistan skipper Younis Khan on Thursday said Babar Azam’s decision to quit as the national side’s white-ball captain would be “beneficial” for him. 

The veteran cricketer, 46, also proposed two names — wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and left-hand batter Fakhar Zaman — as the new contenders for the post. 

“In our culture, we often make the biggest player the captain, which I believe is a mistake,” said Younis, adding that Rizwan or Zaman should be considered for the role.

Babar, on Tuesday, announced that he was stepping down from white-ball captaincy, saying that it was time for him to focus on his playing role and personal growth.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had reappointed him as the national team’s captain for T20I and one-day internationals (ODIs) on March 31. He had earlier ended his years-long stint as skipper in November 2023 after he stepped down as captain of the national side.

The former batter’s remarks came during his visit to the Adelaide Oval earlier today where he was honoured with the official South Australia Redbacks cap by Mark Cosgrove, former Australian cricketer and current High-Performance Coach of the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA).

The legendary batter, who arrived in Australia this morning, represented the Redbacks during the 2008-2009 season.

During a media briefing at the iconic venue, Younis expressed optimism about Pakistan’s chances in Australia, acknowledging the presence of young talent in the current white ball squad but also pointing to issues with team selection.

Former Pakistan skipper Younis Khan receives the official South Australia Redbacks cap by Mark Cosgrove, former Australian cricketer and current High-Performance Coach of the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA). — Supplied

Former Pakistan skipper Younis Khan receives the official South Australia Redbacks cap by Mark Cosgrove, former Australian cricketer and current High-Performance Coach of the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA). — Supplied

“I hope the Pakistan men’s cricket team performs well in Australia. The current squad includes young players, and there are certainly some issues with team selection that need to be addressed,” the veteran cricketer stated.

“I have played cricket with Jason Gillespie; he is working hard to improve the Pakistan team. However, there needs to be better decision-making when it comes to selection,” he added.

Younis is also set to take part in the upcoming Australian Summer Cricket Festival, scheduled for October 5 in Melbourne. He will join top Australian cricketers, including Glenn Maxwell and Jake Fraser-McGurk, in the highly anticipated event, which aims to celebrate the sport and bring together cricketing talent.

LAHORE: Tickets for the three-match Test series between Pakistan and England will go on sale on Monday (today) evening, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a press release.

Besides free tickets, the cricket board has set ticket prices as low as Rs50, Rs100 and Rs200, while the highest price tickets will be available for Rs2,500. Different prices are fixed for different Test matches, days, venues and enclosures.

In the release, the PCB announced that the online purchasing will kick off at 5pm at PCB.tcs.com.pk. Whereas, to facilitate the fans, the physical tickets will be sold at various locations on October 4 after 9am.

The bilateral series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, with the first and second Test matches to be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium (MCS) from October 7 to 19. The third Test match will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (RCS) from 24 to 28 October.

Also, box offices outside the match venues will be operational a day prior to the Test matches, the PCB said.

To encourage fans to come in large numbers, the entrance to the general enclosures (Hanif Muhammad and Mushtaq Ahmed) will be free on opening day of both Test matches in Multan. Additionally, entry to the premium enclosures (Miran Baksh, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat) will be free for the first day of the Rawalpindi Test as well.

For the first Test, from Tuesday to Thursday (Day 2, 3 and 4), general enclosure tickets will be priced at Rs50, while the fans can buy Hanif Muhammad and Mushtaq Ahmed enclosures tickets for Rs100 on the fifth and final day. For first-class enclosures (Wasim Akram and Elahi Brothers), tickets will be available at Rs100 for four days of the first Test, while the tickets will cost Rs200 for fans witnessing the action on the fifth day. For Premium enclosures (Javed Miandad and Zaheer Abbas), tickets will be available for Rs200 each from Monday to Thursday (Day 1, 2, 3 and 4), while fans can witness fifth day’s action from the same enclosures for RS 300.

VIP Enclosures (Fazal Mahmood and Imran Khan) and PCB Gallery (Inzamam ul Haq) tickets will be available for fans for Rs300 and Rs2,000, respectively for first four days of the first Test match. On the fifth day, VIP enclosures tickets will be available at Rs400 and PCB Gallery (Inzamam ul Haq enclosure) tickets will be available at Rs 2,500. PCB Gallery ticket includes lunch as well.

For the second Test match to be played from October 15 to 19 at the Multan stadium, tickets of general enclosures for Wednesday and Thursday (Day 2 and 3), will be available at Rs 50, while general enclosures tickets for the fourth and fifth day’s play will be available at Rs100.

For first-class and premium enclosures, fans can purchase tickets at Rs100 and Rs200, respectively for first three days of the Test match. For fourth and fifth day’s action, tickets of first-class and premium enclosures will be accessible to fans at Rs200 and Rs300, respectively.

For fans willing to watch action from VIP enclosures and PCB Gallery can get tickets for Rs300 and Rs 2,000, respectively for the first three days of the Test, while for both places, tickets on Friday and Saturday (Day 4 and 5), will be available at Rs 400 and Rs 2,500, respectively.

For the third Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, entry to premium enclosures (Miran Baksh, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat) will be free on the opening day. For the second day, the tickets of the premium enclosures will be available at Rs 200, while for the remaining days of the third Test, the premium enclosures tickets will be available to fans at Rs300. VIP enclosures (Imran Khan and Javed Miandad) tickets will cost Rs400 for the first two days and Rs500 for the remaining days.

The seats at the PCB Gallery, which includes lunch as well, will be available at Rs2,000 for action on Thursday and Friday (Day 1 and 2), while on the remaining days of the Test match, fans can purchase gallery tickets for Rs2,500.