The Sport360 team is in place bringing you the latest cricket news on Friday.
6:00pm – Imam-ul-Haq injury opens door for Fakhar Zaman
Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq’s finger injury has come at a terrible time for Sarfraz Ahmed after his team failed to clinch victory in the Dubai Test against Australia.
However, his injury means sidelined opener Fakhar Zaman is in contention to play his maiden Test.
Read more on how Imam’s injury could be a blessing in disguise for Fakhar here.
Pakistan batsman Imam-ul-Haq fractured his finger while fielding.
5:30pm – Mujeeb Ur Rahman signs for Brisbane Heat
Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s meteoric rise in the world of cricket shows no signs of stopping anytime soon after he was signed by Big Bash League (BBL) outfit Brisbane Heat for the 2018-19 season.
The 17-year-old spin prodigy has become the outfit’s second overseas player for the season after New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum.
Read more on this breaking story here.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman continues to go places.
5:00pm – Time for Sarfraz Ahmed to cut down on workload
Sarfraz Ahmed is under pressure. He has been for some time now. It started when Pakistan lost their ‘home’ Test series to Sri Lanka in the UAE 2-0 in the absence of veteran batsmen Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan.
They were then blanked 5-0 in the ODI series in New Zealand earlier in the year before they fought back to draw the Test series in England. However, in two major assignments in their UAE home since, Pakistan have not been at their best.
Our man Ajit Vijaykumar delves into why it could prove a blessing for Sarfraz to cut down on his workload. You can read his analysis here.
Sarfraz Ahmed after the Dubai Test.
4:45pm – Waqar Younis predicts bright future for Abu Dhabi T20
Former Pakistan coach and captain Waqar Younis predicts a bright future for the Abu Dhabi T20, saying it has the potential to become a mega event on the cricketing calendar.
The inaugural competition, which saw different sides from around the globe descend on the UAE capital, ended with Pakistan Super League franchise Lahore Qalandars being crowned champions.
Read what the Pakistan legend had to say on the tournament here.
Lahore Qalandars were crowned champions of the inaugural edition.
4:30pm – Sarfraz Ahmed backs Yasir Shah to bounce back
Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has backed Yasir Shah to be more lethal with the ball after enduring a difficult Test in the drawn match against Australia.
Yasir returned to the five-day game for the first time in a year after recovering from a hip injury but the leg-spinner, identified by many to play a decisive role in the series, wasn’t at his best.
Read what Sarfraz had to say on Yasir here.
Yasir Shah took four wickets on the final day
4:00pm – Roston Chase leads West Indies fightback in Hyderabad
The opening day of the second Test between India and West Indies at Hyderabad has drawn to a close and the visitors have something to smile about after a spirited fightback. The Windies were 113-5 before a special effort from Roston Chase7. helped them end the day at 295-7. Chase remained unbeaten on 98 as Kuldeep Yadav and Umesh Yadav shared six wickets between themselves.
Read more about the day’s play in our talking points here. We also took a closer look at Umesh Yadav’s bowling display on the first day. You can read more on that here.
Umesh struck at crucial times for India. Image – BCCI/Twitter.
3:00pm – Joe Root unfazed by Sri Lanka’s mystery spin threat
Joe Root claims England are ready to banish the notion they are vulnerable against ‘mystery spin’ by taming Sri Lanka in their own conditions.
England have long been seen as a soft touch for top spinners and weak on turning conditions in the sub-continent, a reputation which was fairly earned over the years.
Read Root’s quotes in full here.
Jason Roy and Joe Root (r) in Dambulla.
12:30 pm – Pitch invasion on opening day of second Test
There was yet another security breach during the India-West Indies Test series with a fan invading the pitch on the opening day of the Hyderabad Test.
A fan ran on to the pitch and tried to take a selfie with India captain Virat Kohli before attempting to kiss the Indian captain on Friday.
Read more here.
1:00 pm – Thakur injured on debut
Shardul Thakur made his Test debut. Image: BCCI/Twitter.
India fast bowler Shardul Thakur had a disastrous Test debut as he walked off the field after bowling just 1.4 overs in the second Test against the West Indies in Hyderabad on Friday.
For more click here.
09:00am – It was business as usual for Khawaja
Usman Khawaja revealed he went into the final day with the same batting approach as his century helped Australia salvage a thrilling draw in the first Test against Pakistan.
“I was batting like any other innings,” he said. “I wasn’t worried whether it was the fourth innings or saving the match.”
Read the full story here.
