LAHORE: Zaka Ashraf, the chairman of the management committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has expressed his appreciation to Cricket Australia for their support to Pakistan. In a media interaction on Wednesday, Zaka conveyed his gratitude to Cricket Australia for extending a warm reception to the Pakistan cricket team. He also acknowledged Cricket Australia’s commitment to providing training to Pakistan’s curators, emphasizing its role in enhancing pitch standards.
Reflecting on the recent tour of Team Pakistan to Australia, Zaka highlighted the valuable experience gained by fringe players against Australia. He underscored the collaborative efforts between PCB and Cricket Australia, indicating ongoing discussions on various matters, including future cooperation.
PCB COO Salman Naseer addressed the challenge of scheduling clashes in the cricket calendar due to the surge in franchise cricket, expressing the intention of both PCB and Cricket Australia to cooperate in organizing fixture schedules.
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In other cricket news, former skipper Babar Azam slipped from the sixth to the eighth position in the ICC Test rankings for batters, attributed to his performance struggles in the Australia Test series. Mohammad Rizwan’s impressive 88-run innings in the Sydney Test resulted in a significant rise of 10 spots, securing the 17th rank with 668 rating points. However, Saud Shakeel experienced a decline, moving to the 14th position with 693 rating points.
Notably, Virat Kohli of India climbed to the 6th position in the ICC Test rankings for batters following his stellar performance during India’s tour of South Africa.
Turning to the bowling department, Aamer Jamal, in his debut series, made a remarkable impact with a six-wicket haul during the Sydney Test, elevating him 12 spots to the 45th position with 432 points. Leading the Pakistani bowling contingent, Shaheen Afridi secured the 12th position with 733 points, while India’s Ravichandran Ashwin maintained his dominance atop the bowling rankings with an impressive 863 points.
