Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 15-player squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to take place in Pakistan from 19 February to 9 March. The PCB has until 11 February to make any changes to the squad; thereafter, replacements will only be permitted on medical grounds, subject to approval by the ICC Event Technical Committee. The same squad will also feature in the tri-nation ODI series, featuring New Zealand and South Africa in Lahore and Karachi, in the lead up to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.The squad, to be captained by Mohammad Rizwan with Salman Ali Agha as vice-captain, includes three members from the 2017 title-winning side - Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf and Fakhar Zaman. Babar and Fakhar, along with Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Saud Shakeel had also featured in the last 50-over ICC event - the ICC Men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup 2023.Pakistan’s 15-player squad: Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah AfridiOpener Fakhar Zaman, who scored a century in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final against India, makes a comeback after overcoming injury and illness that had sidelined him from international cricket since June 2024. Fakhar demonstrated his return to complete fitness and form during the Champions T20 Cup 2024 in December, where he was the third-highest run-scorer with 303 runs at an impressive strike-rate of over 132. In 82 ODIs, Fakhar has scored 3,492 runs with 11 centuries and 16 half-centuries at an average of 46.5 and strike-rate of 93.4.Asad Shafiq, member, National Selection Committee: “The selectors have continued to adopt a horses for courses approach in assembling this squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Our focus has been on selecting players who have consistently excelled in domestic competitions under similar conditions, demonstrating their readiness to perform in a global event. One of the standout qualities of this side is its flexibility - an essential trait in today’s modern-day cricket. We are confident that this squad strikes the right balance between youth and experience, and has all bases covered. Each player has been chosen with a clear role in mind, ensuring the captain has versatile options at his disposal.“Fakhar’s opening partner could be either Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel, depending on various factors such as conditions, opposition and match strategy. Both players are highly capable at the top of the order, with Babar being particularly seasoned in the role, regularly opening in T20Is and also excelling in the Cape Town Test by scoring two half-centuries in Saim Ayub’s absence.“Saim Ayub has not been included in the squad due to an ankle injury, but we remain optimistic about his recovery. We understand how much he was looking forward to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and recognise how devastating it must be for him to miss a global event, especially when he is in such exceptional batting form. However, as a valuable asset to our team, we are committed to prioritising his long-term health over making any rushed decisions.Player support personnel: Naveed Akram Cheema (team manager), Hina Munawar (team operations manager), Aqib Javed (interim head coach), Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach), Shahid Aslam (batting coach), Mohammad Masroor (fielding coach), Abdul Rehman (spin bowling coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saiman (strength and conditioning coach), Talha Butt (analyst), Irtiza Komail (security manager), Dr Wajid Ali Rafai (team doctor), Syed Naeem Ahmad (media and digital manager) and Sergio Basil Mullins (masseur).Upcoming ODIs:8 Feb – vs New Zealand, Lahore (tri-nation ODI series)12 Feb – vs South Africa, Karachi (tri-nation ODI series)19 Feb – vs New Zealand, Karachi (ICC Champions Trophy 2025)23 Feb – vs India, Dubai (ICC Champions Trophy 2025)27 Feb – vs Bangladesh, Rawalpindi (ICC Champions Trophy 2025)

Lahore (PR): The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced a 27-day training camp for the Pakistan women cricketers in Multan to prepare for the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers 2025. The camp will begin on Sunday, 2 February at the Inzamam-ul-Haq High Performance Centre, while the players and support staff will assemble on Saturday.A total of 31 players, including PCB’s 16 centrally contracted women cricketers, have been invited to the training camp, which involves regular sessions on fitness training, skill enhancement and seven 50-over practice matches throughout the month of February.The players will use the high-quality facilities available at the Inzamam-ul-Haq High-Performance Centre, while the matches will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Head coach of Pakistan Women’s team and former Test cricketer Mohammad Wasim, who took up the role in July 2024, will lead the camp.Pakistan will feature in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 Qualifiers along with Bangladesh, Ireland, Scotland, Thailand and West Indies, in a bid to qualify for the mega event. The finalists of the tournament will join the top six teams of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 for the eight-team ICC Women’s World Cup.List of players invited to the camp:Batters – Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Gull Rukh, Hafsa Khalid, Iram Javed, Natalia Parvaiz, Sadaf Shamas, Saira Jebeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, and Sidra Amin.Wicketkeepers – Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi and Sidra NawazAll-rounders – Fatima Sana, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Syeda Aroob Shah, and Tuba HassanSpinners – Ghulam Fatima, Mahnoor Aftab, Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal, Tania Saeed, and Umm-e-HaniPacers – Diana Baig, Fatima Khan, Tasmia Rubab, Waheeda Akhtar and Zaib-un-Nisa Niaz.    

Sports Bulletin ReportMelbourne (Australia): England Women were bowled out for 170 on day one of the one-off Test in the Women's Ashes at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Nat Sciver-Brunt top scored for England with 51 while leg-spinner Alana King took 4-45 as England were all out inside 72 overs.Maia Bouchier and captain Heather Knight were dismissed by Kim Garth before a stand of 50 between Sciver-Brunt and Sophia Dunkley saw England rebuild but King and fellow spinner Ash Gardner took four wickets.England then bowled 22 overs and Australia lost debutant Georgia Voll to Lauren Bell. Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland reached 56-1 at the close of play with the hosts trailing by 114 runs. Play resumes at 2.30 pm local time tomorrow (Friday 31 January).

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Left-arm spinners Noman Ali and Jomel Warrican have attained career best positions in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings after outstanding performances in the second Test between Pakistan and the West Indies in Multan.Noman, who became the first Pakistani spinner to take a Test hat-trick in a match haul of 10 for 121, has gained four spots to reach fifth position with 806 rating points. He is only the 12th Pakistani bowler to go past the 800-point mark in Tests and the only one from his country in the top 20 right now.Warrican won the Player of the Match award after finishing with nine for 70 in the second Test, moving up 16 places to 25th position. He has progressed a total of 28 places in the two Tests with a return of 19 wickets, that also won him the Player of the Series award.Kemar Roach (up one place to 18th) and Gudakesh Motie (up six places to 58th) are the West Indian bowlers to move up the rankings while Sajid Khan (up two places to 21st) and Abrar Ahmed (up two places to 50th) are the Pakistan players to move up the list.West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite’s second innings half-century at the top of the order that contributed in a 120-run win, has lifted him eight places to 44th position while Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has moved back towards the top10, advancing from 17th to 15th position.Varma eyes Babar’s record: In the Men’s T20I Rankings, Tilak Varma has reached a career-best second position after an unbeaten 71 in the second T20I against England. His 832 rating points are the fourth-best by an India batter in the format after Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.Varma, who is 22 years and 82 days at the time of reaching second position, is only 23 rating points behind top-ranked Travis Ahead and with a good chance of becoming the youngest to top the T20I batting rankings. The mark is currently held by Babar Azam, who was 23 years, 105 days when he went top for the first time in January 2018.In the bowling rankings, England’s wrist-spinner Adil Rashid has ended Akeal Hosein’s 44-day stay at the top after taking one for 14 and one for 15 in the second and third matches of the series, completing his four overs each time to help England narrow the lead to 2-1.It is the second time the England leggie has topped the table, having occupied top spot for a year from December 2023 to December 2024.Liam Livingstone (up five places to 32nd) and Abhishek Sharma (up 59 places to 40th) are other batters to gain after the series while Varun Chakravarthy (up 25 places to a career-best fifth position), Joffra Archer (up 13 places to sixth), Axar Patel (up five places to 11th) and Hardik Pandya (up eight places to 43rd) have moved up the bowling list.

BIPIN DANIThe highly anticipated Warne-Murali Trophy Test series between Sri Lanka and Australia is underway, and it has already begun to evoke fond memories and excitement among cricket enthusiasts. In an exclusive conversation with this Reporter, Jason Warne, the brother of the late legendary cricketer Shane Warne, shared his thoughts and cherished memories related to the series. This Reporter also played a pivotal role in arranging Jason's previous visit to Sri Lanka through the Sri Lanka Promotion Tourism Board.Jason Warne expressed his excitement and anticipation about the current series, even though he won't be in Sri Lanka to witness the matches in person this time around. He said, "I am looking forward to watching the ongoing series between Sri Lanka and Australia. Unfortunately, I will be watching from Australia this time, unlike the last tour when I was fortunate enough to be in Galle to watch the opening match."He fondly reminisced about Galle, describing it as a beautiful place with a ground that holds special significance. "Galle is such a beautiful place and ground, and it brings back great memories of my brother's performances on the ground and how much it meant to him to do what he could to help with the rebuilding of the ground and the wider region following the Tsunami."Jason touched upon the fitting nature of the Murali-Warne Trophy, particularly given the spin-friendly conditions. "It’s fitting that they are playing for the Murali-Warne trophy in such spin-friendly conditions! I am sure Shane would love to be watching this test and see which spinner can make their mark this year!!"Encouraging cricket fans to visit Galle, Jason shared his own positive experiences: "For anyone thinking of heading to Galle to watch a test match, please do. I really enjoyed the beautiful beaches, amazing restaurants, historic fort area, the elephant safari, as well as Kalu’s hideaway and the wonderful Galle cricket ground."Jason concluded his reflections with a hopeful note, "Here’s hoping for another great Test match and some spin bowling performances to make Murali and Shane proud."

Rawalpindi (SBR): The upgradation work of main pavilion and media boxes of Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has been completed while installation of chairs in enclosures is in final stage. Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Mohsin Naqvi visited Rawalpindi Cricket stadium.Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi inspected various parts of the stadium including pavilion, media box, VIP boxes and observed the finishing work. Chairman PCB expressed satisfaction over the progress on the upgradation project. Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi also reviewed the proposed security arrangements for the teams. He said that an ICC tournament is being held in Pakistan after a long time and all preparations are complete for the mega event.The ICC Champions Trophy is set to begin from 19 February, with three matches to be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. At this venue, Bangladesh will play New Zealand on 24 February, Australia to play against South Africa on 25 February while the hosts Pakistan will take on Bangladesh at the same venue on 27 February

 Abu Dhabi (PR):The Gulf Giants were forced to dig deep, and they responded brilliantly, to defeat the MI Emirates by two wickets, in what was a nail-biter at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, in Season 3 of the DP World ILT20. The Gulf Giants looked down and out at one stage, before their lower order showed nerves of steel to guide the side over the finish line against the MI Emirates. The win helps the Gulf Giants move to fifth on the points table.TAsked to bat first, the MI Emirates had a slow start as they lost the openers Kusal Perera for four and Muhammad Waseem for 12, both to Daniel Worrall, in the powerplay. The in-form Tom Banton then began the job of rebuilding for the MI Emirates, and was looking for support from his skipper.However, Nicholas Pooran could only add eight to the cause while Dan Mousley added five more, before both were dismissed, leaving the MI Emirates in a spot of bother at 57/4. Banton was joined by Kieron Pollard, and they dug in. Banton and Pollard kept the scoreboard moving even when the big hits were tough to come by. Banton completed his fifty in the 15th over, and in the next Pollard took Aayan Khan to the cleaners, smashing three sixes in a 21-run over.The 17th over though saw Banton depart for 56, as a superb 66-run stand came to an end. The MI Emirates would need a strong finish and along with Pollard, who scored 34, Akeal Hosein and Romario Shepherd added a few lusty blows as well. While Hosein finished unbeaten on 20, Shepherd was not out on eight, the MI Emirates got 151/6 in their 20 overs. Incidentally, Banton’s half-century meant he took over the Green Belt for being the highest run-getter in the tournament.The Gulf Giants too could not get off to a fast start, as the captain James Vince was the first to fall for one. Soon after, Jordan Cox was packed off for nine, and the Gulf Giants were 20/2 in the fourth over. Tom Alsop was joined by Gerhard Erasmus, and they had to rebuild after the early scares.Shimron Hetmyer and Ibrahim Zadran tried to up the ante after that, but Joseph castled the West Indian southpaw for seven, which put further pressure on the Gulf Giants. Fazalhaq Farooqi cleaned up Zadran for 11 after that, but Tom Curran was soldiering on at the other end for the Giants, who had four wickets left. Curran and Mark Adair were picking some crucial boundaries at this point, and brought the Giants to within 17 runs of the target, with two overs to go.Farooqi accounted for Adair for 15 in the 19th over, and then Aayan Khan combined with Curran and Muhammad Zuhaib to clinch a thrilling win off the final delivery of the game. Aayan, who scored an unbeaten 11 of six deliveries, was instrumental in helping his side over the line.Brief ScoresGulf Giants beat MI Emirates by two wicketsMI Emirates 151/6 in 20 overs (Tom Banton – 56, Kieron Pollard – 34, Daniel Worral 2 for 19, Mark Adair – 1 for 24, Blessing Muzarabani – 1 for 16,)Gulf Giants 152/8 in 20 overs (Gerhard Erasmus – 37, Tom Alsop – 32, Tom Curran 16, Fazalhaq Farooqi – 3 for 34, Muhammad Rohid Khan – 2 for 15)Player of the Match: Mark Adair

Islamabad (Sports Desk):Australia won a tense rain-affected Women’s Ashes encounter by six runs in the second T20 to complete an outright series victory.Set 186 to win in Canberra, England needed 18 from the last five balls with captain Heather Knight unbeaten on 43 before heavy rain fell and no further play was possible. England finished on 168-4, six runs short of the required score set by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.Opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge's 52 put England in a strong position supported by Sophia Dunkley's 32 before Nat Sciver-Brunt (22) and Knight saw England go close.Australia raced to 47-0 from five overs, Beth Mooney scoring 44, but the hosts slipped to 75-4 and were 137-5 after 17 overs, only for Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris to accelerate their way to 185-5. England spinners Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone took a brace and a wicket respectively with Freya Kemp dismissing Annabel Sutherland.The result sees Australia take a 10-0 lead in the points-based multi-format series, which ends England's hopes of a draw. The two teams now travel to Adelaide for their final T20 fixture on Saturday.Heather Knight’s post-match media conference is available here.2025 Women’s Ashes fixtures and results (UK dates and times)CommBank Women’s Ashes ODI Series11 January: North Sydney Oval, Sydney – Australia won by four wickets13 January: Junction Oval, Melbourne - Australia won by 21 runs16 January: Bellerive Oval, Hobart – Australia won by 86 runsCommBank Women’s Ashes IT20 Series20 January: SCG, Sydney – Australia won by 57 runs23 January: Manuka Oval, Canberra – Australia won by six runs (DLS)25 January: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (8.10am UK time)CommBank Women’s Ashes Test Match30 January-2 February: MCG, Melbourne (3.30am UK time)

Multan (PCB Report): Pakistan finished the day two of the first Multan Test against West Indies with a 202-run lead after the spin twins Noman Ali and Sajid Khan wreaked havoc with the ball here at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Saturday.Pakistan were 109-3 in the second innings at stumps in 31 overs when bad light forced stumps. Skipper Shan Masood returned after scoring a 70-ball 52 with the help of two fours and two sixes, while Mohammad Huraira stayed at the crease for 58 balls accumulating 29 runs with the help of three fours.Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel will be on the crease as Pakistan resume their second innings on day three.Earlier in the day, Noman and Sajid shared nine wickets among them to dismantle the West Indies batting line-up who were restricted for 137 all out in 25.2 overs. Noman starred with figures of 5-39 in 11 overs, his seventh Test five-for.Sajid started the damage with four wickets upfront while bowling with the new ball as West Indies slipped to 22-4. After opening the bowling, he took back to back wickets on the first two balls of the third over of innings and then struck twice in the fifth over.For West Indies, No.10 batter Jomel Warrican top-scored with an unbeaten 31 off 24 balls hitting four boundaries and one six. Jayden Seales, batting at No 11, contributed with a 13-ball 22-run cameo clubbing three sixes, while Gudakesh Motie chipped in with 19 runs.Warrican and Seales also came together for a valuable 21-ball 46-run last wicket partnership.At the beginning of the play, Pakistan resumed from their overnight score of 143-4 and could only add 87 runs to their total as the two half-centurions Saud Shakeel (84, 157b, 6x4s) and Mohammad Rizwan (71, 133b, 9x4s) were removed by Kevin Sinclair. Seales and Warrican picked up three wickets each.Scores in brief (Day 2 of 5)1st Test – Pakistan vs West Indies at the Multan Cricket Stadium, MultanToss: Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat firstPakistan 230 all out, 68.5 overs (Saud Shakeel 84, Mohammad Rizwan 71; Jayden Seales 3-27, Jomel Warrican 3-69, Kevin Sinclair 2-61, Gudakesh Motie 1-48) and 109-3, 31 overs (Shan Masood 52, Mohammad Huraira 29; Jomel Warrican 2-17)West Indies 137 all out, 25.2 overs (Jomel Warrican 31 not out, Jayden Seales 22, Gudakesh Motie 19; Noman Ali 5-39, Sajid Khan 4-65)

Sports Bulletin ReportColombo (Sri Lanka): The India Physical Disability Cricket Team overpowered Pakistan by 109 runs in a match of the Four-nation PD Chaipions Trophy T20 Cricket Tournament 2025 at the BOI Cricket ground in Sri Lanka on Sunday.India won the toss and decided to bat first, posting a formidable total of 160 for the loss of four wickets in their allotted 20 over as Nikhil Manhas scored 59 off 47 balls, hitting three fours and as many as six, Vikrant Keni made Made 37 off 23 balls with two boundaries and two sixes, Kunal Phanase contributed 30 off 31 balls with four fours. Wakif Shah captured two wicket for 22 runs, Abdullah Ejaz took 1- 26 and Momin Khan 1- 33.Chasing 161, Pakistan were all out only 51 runs in ,12.2 overs. Abdul Khaliq was not out on 13 off 11 balls while Skipper Abdullah Ejaz made 11 off 6 with a six. balls as Indian’s bowlers.Majid grabbed three wicket for 24, Jitendra and Narendra took two wickets each, giving away 5, and 6 runs respectively.