Sports Bulletin

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (October 10, 2020):-The high quality cricket action in the ongoing National T20 Cup continues to enthral the fans as the high scoring match between Southern Punjab and Sindh at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, the opening day of the second-leg of the tournament, saw record-books rewritten. As many as 433 runs were scored on the back of 21 sixes and 40 fours in a contest in which the record for the fastest T20 century by a Pakistan batsman was made in the second highest successful run-chase ever in the history of the National T20 Cup. Over the course of the match, the fans were treated with some exceptional power-hitting. That Sindh posted a daunting 216 for three was because of a blazing 58-ball 108 by Khurram Manzoor, who embellished the first innings of the match with his six sixes and 10 fours. Southern Punjab, in search of change of fortunes hoped for an extraordinary batting display from their batsmen, as they headed towards what would have been their fifth defeat in as many matches. They were saved by Khushdil Shah, whose spectacular 36-ball 100 provided Southern Punjab a most unexpected victory considering their state in the match. The 25-year-old smoked nine sixes and eight fours to register his first triple-digit score in just 35 balls and set a record for the fastest century in the format by a Pakistan batsman, which was previously held by Ahmed Shehzad, who had scored a century from 40 balls in a Bangladesh Premier League match in 2012. Khushdil, who made his Pakistan debut in last November at Perth in a T20I against Australia, said: “This knock has provided me a lot of confidence and my aim is to build on this innings. I am a natural power-hitter and the experience of spending time with men’s national team in England helped me to learn a lot more about batting. The coaches worked a great deal on me and I used to stay in ground with them from sunrise to sunset.” Khushdil arrived at the crease with his side struggling at three for 32 in five overs, but that did not deter the Bannu-born from expressing himself. He started to deal in boundaries from the third ball he faced as he dispatched Mir Hamza for back-to-back fours. “My favourite shots are the ones which bring me my first boundaries in an innings as they provide me confidence to build an innings,” he said. “I try to learn from the best in business and adopt their practice routines. I used to watch David Miller and then I saw Eoin Morgan in England on how he constructs his innings.” Khurram is amongst the many admirers Khushdil has earned. “It was a wonderful innings,” Khurram told PCB Digital. “I have very rarely seen such innings. Shahid Afridi had scored a century off 37 balls. I saw Khushdil’s innings unfold in front of my eyes at the ground yesterday. He turned the match around on his own and changed the game completely.” After 16 matches of the National T20 Cup for First XIs, the 34-year-old Khurram leads the batting charts with 253 runs at an average of 50.60. He has a century and two half-centuries from five innings in the tournament and is the leading run-getter in the National T20 Cup history. Reflecting on what was his fourth T20 century, Khurram said: “We had lost the toss and were asked to bat. With the teams able to chase big scores, my plan was to score as much runs as possible for my team by putting up a strong partnership with Asad Shafiq, who provided a great support. “With the moisture in the pitch, there were some problems early on. I stuck with what I have learned throughout my career which is, attack is the best defence. I enjoy paddle sweeping the fast bowlers as it is a difficult shot to execute. But, I enjoy that challenge.” Sindh and Southern Punjab currently sit at fifth and sixth positions on the points table as both have two points each. Khurram is hopeful that unlike last year, Sindh will be able to secure a semi-final berth in this edition. “I am hopeful that we will progress to the semi-finals as we still have five matches. We need to play good quality cricket and field well.”

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (October 10, 2020):-Sindh have been fined PKR25,000 for maintaining a slow over-rate during their Friday’s National T20 Cup fixture against Southern Punjab. In the stipulated time, Sindh were two overs short of their target after taking into account time allowances and, as such, were charged under Article 2.22 of the PCB’s Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel that deals with minimum over-rate offences. The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Ghaffar Kazmi and Rashid Riaz, third umpire Asif Yaqoob and fourth umpire Saqib Khan. Sindh captain Sarfaraz Ahmed pleaded guilty and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Nadeem Arshad.

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (October 10, 2020):-Central Punjab fast bowler Naseem Shah has been withdrawn from the National T20 Cup after complaining of a niggle in groin. He has been replaced in the Central Punjab squad by left-arm fast bowler Waqas Maqsood. Naseem will now report at the National High Performance Centre in Lahore where the PCB medical panel will carry out a detailed and complete investigation on his injury. Director – Medical and Sports Sciences, Dr Sohail Saleem: “Naseem is an asset who needs to be handled with care. As soon as he showed discomfort, we decided to withdraw him from the tournament and bring him to Lahore so that we can investigate the injury.” The PCB will provide further updates on Naseem’s injury in due course.

SB NEWS KARACHI (October 9, 2020):-A women player has tested positive in the second round of Covid-19 testing ahead of the National Women’s High Performance Camp and, as such, she has been put in self-isolation, while a player and a player support personnel have also been withdrawn from the bio-secure bubble as a precaution after they showed symptoms of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection. The three squad members' progress will be regularly monitored by the PCB’s medical panel. They will be allowed to reintegrate with rest of the squad after complete recovery subject to retesting with negative results as per PCB Domestic Covid -19 SOPs. The National Women’s High Performance Camp, which commences at the National Stadium on Saturday, has been set-up to help the players in their skill and match fitness. The camp serves as an opener of the women’s domestic and international cricket season 2020-21. Meanwhile, two officials have not joined the Bio-secure bubble yet. One official's second test was conducted today in the evening and the other official's second test will be conducted on Sunday morning. If their second test come out negative, they will join the squad accordingly and will be included in the Bio-secure Zone.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL RAWALPINDI (October 9, 2020):-Central Punjab led of Babar Azam outclassed Northern by eight wickets in the National T-20 Super Cup at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi on Friday. Babar played an unbeatable innings of 86 runs played vital for the winners. Fahim hit 52. Earlier, Northern decided to bat first after winning the coin battle at the batting track of Pindi Cricket Stadium. Set a 166-run victory target, Central Punjab coasted to 167 for two in a mere 17 overs with Babar returning unbeaten with a typically elegant 86 off 52 balls (11 fours, two sixes). Faheem followed his four-wicket bowling spell to make 52 off 26 balls; his innings included two sixes and seven fours. The two added 105 runs for their unbroken third wicket partnership in a mere 51 balls. Central Punjab had lost Kamran Akmal for 21 and Abdullah Shafiq for three when Faheem joined Babar at the crease. Reflecting on his performance, Faheem Ashraf said: “My performance today is due to prayers, especially since I was struggling recently. Our team’s mindset today was to try and win the game, my aim when batting with Babar was to ensure that we bat till the end, Babar asked me to stay till the end as that will ensure a comfortable victory for us.” Batting first after winning the toss, Northern made a fine recovery to post 165 for nine after their top-order was removed by an inspired spell of pace bowling by Faheem who took three wickets in his two over opening burst conceding a mere seven runs. Faheem sent back Zeeshan Malik (9), Sohail Akhtar (17) and Rohail Nazir (4) to leave Northern tottering at 52 for four. Left-armer Sohaibullah had made the first breakthrough when he dismissed Umar Amin for a duck. Northern were rescued by an 87-run (56 balls) stand for the fifth wicket between Asif Ali and Shadab Khan. Asif hit five sixes and four fours in his 40-ball 67-run effort. Shadab scored 39 off 25 balls, striking five fours in his innings. Northern were however finished a few runs short at the end as the lower-order failed to sustain the momentum provided by Asif and Shadab. Faheem added Hammad Azam’s wicket in his second spell to finish with four wickets for 18 runs. Usman Qadir (two for 36) and Ehsan Adil (two for 37) were the other main wicket-takers for Central Punjab. Meanwhile for Northern captain Imad Wasim and Sohail Akhtar made their first appearances of the tournament while Haris Rauf was brought back in the playing eleven. Scores in brief Northern 165-9, 20 overs (Asif Ali 67, Shadab Khan 39; Faheem Ashraf 4-18, Usman Qadir 2-36, Ehsan Adil 2-37) Central Punjab 167-2, 17 overs (Babar Azam 86 not out, Faheem Ashraf 52 not out, Shadab Khan 2-39) Result – Central Punjab won by eight wickets Player of the match – Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab) Saturday’s fixtures: 1500 PST - Balochistan v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Ahsan Raza and Imtiaz Iqbal (on-field umpires), Rashid Riaz (third umpire), Imran Jawed (fourth umpire); Nadeem Arshad (match referee). 1930 PST – Central Punjab v Sindh. Asif Yaqoob and Saqib Khan (on-field umpires), Shozab Raza (third umpire), Ghaffar Kazmi (fourth umpire); Mohammad Anees (match referee)

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL RAWALPINDI (October 9, 2020):-The second phase of the National T-20 Cricket Super Cup kicked off here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, where an empty international cricket ground welcomed the top national players because common people were was allowed to enjoy the game of cricket in the stadium owing to Covid-19 pandemic. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had postponed the PSL due to breakout of coronavirus across the county. Now, rest of the PSL matches will be played in November at Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore. International cricket stadium Pindi has capacity of over 15000 spectators but the seats are empty and covered with the advertising banners all around the stadium. Today corona pandemic is a wet blanket not only for Pakistan but for all over the world. Despite uncontrolled circumstances, cricket controlling authorities took a great and an appreciable step after starting the National T-20 Cricket Cup 2020. No doubt, all credit for this initiative goes to Chairman PCB Eshan Mani and his team. PCB became the first cricket board in the world that chalk-out the domestic cricket season 2020-21. National T-20 commenced on September 30, 2020 at Multan Cricket Stadium Multan in which including defending champions Northern six top national teams are showing their muscles. It was a bitter taste for the cricket lovers, who are not able to watch their heroes in stadiums and clam in the stadium also bites the handful people of media and officials. The final will be played on October 18, 2020 at Pindi Cricket Stadium under the floodlights behind the door. People will enjoy the game at home on TV screen and will back their heroes too.   It’s good, there is no large number of check posts of different intelligence agencies, as the local people are moving easily without any restrictions, which they were facing during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Test matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh few months back in the beginning of year 2020. The support the surrounding areas people was also great, as their support helped the Pakistan to restore international cricket, which was halted the Lahore incident in which Sri Lankan players targeted by the terrorists in March 3, 2009.    

SB REPORT LAHORE (October 8, 2020):-Central Punjab bagged the Second XI National T20 Cup title with a seven-wicket win over Northern in the last match of the single-league event at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday. The Nauman Anwar-led side topped the six-team points table with four wins from their five matches, while win-less Northern finished on the last spot. An unbeaten 57-ball 66 by Junaid Ali set the comfortable victory as Central Punjab overhauled the 134-run target with 11 balls to spare. The wicketkeeper-batsman took the lead role in the innings after Nauman, who made a quickfire 26 from 13 balls hitting four fours and a six, was dismissed by Athar Mehmood, who took two wickets for 36 runs. Northern, who failed to win a single match, managed a meagre 133 for eight after their captain Nauman Ali elected to bat. Aamer Jamal’s 24-ball 38 not out, which included four sixes, provided some respite to the defending champions, who had half of their batting line-up back in the pavilion for just 37 runs. Sarmad Bhatti was the other notable run-getter in the innings as he hit a six and two fours for his 33 off 28 balls. Reflecting on Central Punjab’s run in the event, Nauman Anwar told pcb.com.pk: “It has been an exciting journey and we got to play some quality cricket despite the Covid-19 protocols in place. We have really enjoyed our time over the last two, three weeks. That each and every player of our team raised his hand when the situation demanded and delivered is the reason behind our success in this event. “The most memorable match for us was our opening match, which was against Sindh [which Central Punjab won by four wickets]. The Central Punjab-Sindh rivalry always brings out the best amongst from all the players involved in such contests and what made it further exciting was the fact that it went deep into the last over.” During the tournament, as many as four bowlers picked up eight wickets each – the most in the event – and the two bowlers with the best average amongst them belong to Central Punjab. Kamran did it for 13.25 runs a wicket, while Waqas’ wickets were earned at 15.75. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sameen Gul took eight wickets for 18.50. Northern’s Athar, the 21-year-old right-arm pacer, gave away 19.63 runs for his eight wickets. Balochistan’s Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Southern Punjab’s Zain Abbas and Central Punjab’s Mohammad Akhlaq finished as the top three run-getters with 235 at 47, 193 at 96.50 and 185 at 61.67 respectively. Based on their brilliant runs, all three earned call-ups for the second-leg of the First XI National T20 Cup, which will start in Rawalpindi on Friday. Twenty-year-old Akhlaq – who scored three half-centuries, the most in the competition – will travel to Rawalpindi to integrate with the First XI squad. About his consistent run, Akram Raza, the head coach of Central Punjab Second XI team, said: “Akhlaq possess all the desired skills to thrive at the top level and he has been impressive throughout this competition. I have high hopes from him. “It is great to see players graduate from the Second XI teams to top. Akhlaq will be our second player to reach the First XI team after Abdullah Shafiq, who has earned admirers all over. I have been working extensively with most of these players since the last year and I can comfortably say that these players have a great potential and a lot of hunger to progress.” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Southern Punjab, locked at six points each, finish at number two and three positions. Sindh and Balochistan end their Second XI National T20 Cup on fourth and fifth position. Scores in brief: Northern 133-8, 20 overs (Aamer Jamal 38 not out, Sarmad Bhatti 33; Waqas Maqsood 3-23, Kamran Afzal 2-14, Mohammad Ali 2-30) Central Punjab 134-3, 18.1 overs (Junaid Ali 66 not out, Nauman Anwar 26; Athar Mehmood 2-36) Result – Central Punjab won by seven wickets

SB REPORT KARACHI (October, 6, 2020):-Pakistan women’s national team will resume their cricketing activities when their High Performance Camp begins on Thursday in Karachi. A total of 27 players will undergo a 24-day-long camp between 8-31 October at the National Stadium and Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre during which they will work on their skills, fitness and play practice matches. Bismah Maroof, the captain of the women’s team, feels the players are excited to get together as a group after a gap of more than seven months, when they played the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia earlier this year, and are looking to make the most of the camp. Bismah Maroof, who has captained Pakistan in 38 ODIs and 18 T20Is, told pcb.com.pk: “There is a lot of excitement amongst the players to get back together after seven, eight months. Everyone is looking forward to making the most of this camp by working on their skills and fitness. “It is going to be a bit difficult to carry the rhythm from where we left but the aim should be to work hard and achieve it. We are looking forward to working with David Hemp, the newly appointed head coach, and try to get the best out of ourselves. “I spent a lot of time with my family during the lockdown and I enjoyed it. I spent my time with my husband and in-laws, with whom I had not been able to spend time much because of cricket. As a professional, I had to maintain my fitness to ensure I stay ready to hit the ground running whenever the opportunity arose. So, I focused on fitness work as I used to do running and cardio workouts at sunrise.” “As a captain, my aim is to take this team into the top four and this team has that potential. But, we need to work hard to achieve and fully utilise it, which is our focus over the next year so we can prepare ourselves for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand in 2022.” For Javeria Khan, who has donned the golden star in 204 international matches, this camp serves an opportunity to get back her batting form through the practice matches. During the pandemic-induced lockdown days, the top-order batter returned to the hobbies she had as a student. Javeria Khan: “I am very, very excited to get back and feel blessed to be taking the field again to play the sport, which I love. This is a new beginning of sorts as we have a new head coach joining us and the players are getting together after a long time. We will try to enjoy our time together to the fullest. “It is great that we are having this camp at the start of our season as we can get in the rhythm. I will try to make the most of it and get back my batting form. “It was quite a tough challenge to cope with the halt that Covid-19 had brought. You enjoy breaks of two, three days, but when there is no end to such a long break in sight, you have to find different ways to motivate yourself to keep going. So, I picked up the hobbies, which I had left during my school days. I painted and sung, a little bit. I gave time to my family, which was nice. “We could not compromise on our fitness during this time and this lengthy break provided everyone an opportunity to strengthen their basics in regards to fitness. So, my aim was to enhance my fitness levels so I am ready both physically and mentally for the on-field challenges.”

SALMAN KHAN: MULTAN (October 5, 2020):-Shaheen Afridi’s record five-wicket haul and half-centuries by Mohammad Hafeez and Fakhar Zaman orchestrated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s third win of the National T20 Cup First XI tournament as they defeated Sindh by eight wickets at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday. With five for 21, Shaheen became the first Pakistan bowler in the history of T20 cricket to register four five-wicket hauls in the format. Only Lasith Malinga has more five-wicket hauls (5) and the Sri Lanka pacer has gathered them in 295 matches, 239 more than Shaheen’s. This was the 20-year-old’s second five-fer in three matches. The left-arm pacer accounted for Khurram Manzoor’s wicket on his fourth ball with a scorching full-length delivery that came back into the right-handed batsman and followed it up with the wicket of Azam Khan in his next over. Sharjeel Khan and Ahsan Ali knitted a remarkable 111-run stand for the fourth wicket after Sindh captain Sarfaraz Ahmed fell on the first ball of the last powerplay over to Wahab Riaz. Sharjeel, the left-handed opener, continued his impressive run and missed what would have been his third century in the format by 10 runs. He spanked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowlers for six sixes and seven fours in his 56-ball 90. He was duly supported by Ahsan, who made 42 off 32, which included five fours and a six. With Sindh looking set to cross the 200-run mark, Asif Afridi, the left-arm orthodox, provided Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the much-needed breakthrough with the wicket of Ahsan, following which, Shaheen removed Sharjeel, Anwar Ali and Sohail Khan as Sindh lost their last three wickets for 18 runs. Reflecting on his and the team’s performance, Shaheen told pcb.com.pk: “When I was walking in the middle before the start of the match, I had a clear aim in mind that I have to stick to my in-swing bowling and hit the hard length. “I am grateful to the Almighty that I have been able to gather four five-wicket hauls in such a short span of matches. “We sat as a group and discussed the conditions here after the first match. Since, we have been enjoying a great run in the tournament. Our captain is leading us from front and the seniors like Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz and Shoaib Malik are carrying the team.” Mohammad Hafeez scored his second half-century on trot as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa overhauled the 184-run target in 19 overs. The all-rounder smashed four sixes and as many fours from 42 balls and returned not out on 72. Hafeez joined Fakhar Zaman - who was the other batsman to score a half-century with a 41-ball 61, which was studded with six fours and two sixes - after the dismissal of his captain Mohammad Rizwan, who scored eight off 10. The two set up a blistering 100-run partnership from 52 balls as they found boundaries at regular intervals and never allowed the opposition bowlers to settle. The dismissal of Fakhar did not provide any relief to Sindh bowlers as Iftikhar Ahmed raced to 40 not out at a strike rate of over 190. Iftikhar struck three sixes and a four. Sarfaraz’s men will be eager to avenge this defeat when these two teams meet at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on 13 October. Scores in brief: Sindh 183-7, 20 overs (Sharjeel Khan 90, Ahsan Ali 42; Shaheen Afridi 5-21) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 184-2, 19 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 72 not out, Fakhar Zaman 61, Iftikhar Ahmed 40 not out; Anwar Ali 2-40) Result – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won by eight wickets Player of the match – Shaheen Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Tuesday’s fixtures: 1500 PST - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Central Punjab. Aftab Gillani and Faisal Khan Afridi (on-field umpires), Waleed Yaqub (third umpire), Zameer Haider (fourth umpire); Nadeem Arshad (match referee). 19.30 PST – Balochistan v Northern. Qaiser Waheed and Waleed Yaqub (on-field umpires), Aftab Gillani (third umpire), Faisal Khan Afridi (fourth umpire); Mohammad Anees (match referee).    

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (October 5, 2020):- “My aim is to finish among the top run-getters for the tournament and I would continue to work hard to ensure I finish the tournament on a high. I do not compromise on my goals. I have the temperament to work really hard in their pursuit and will continue to do so in the future” said Zeeshan, who showed sparking performance in the ongoing T-20 National Cricket Cup 2020.  The 23-year-old right-handed batsman is leading the list for the tournament’s highest run-getters, something that he had been planning since he was named in the 16-player squad of the defending champions. He now sits at the top of that chart with 192 runs – which include two half-centuries – at an average of 48. He has struck 21 fours, which are the most for any batsman in the tournament, to date. That Northern have had a perfect start to the tournament and lead the points table is due to the solid foundation they have been provided courtesy their young top-order. Zeeshan, who likes to cut and drive the ball, smashed a remarkable 47-ball 77 in the opening match of the tournament against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the course of which he rewrote the history books, setting the highest stand for the second wicket (180) in the history of the National T20 Cup with Haider Ali. Three matches later, on 4 October against Sindh, Zeeshan bettered his career statistics as he recorded his best score in T20 cricket with a swashbuckling 84 off 52 balls that set Northern’s 13-run win. “If your half-century contributes to your team’s win it means a lot more than a century in a losing cause,” Zeeshan told pcb.com.pk. “I have really enjoyed batting in Multan and I hope to continue my form in the Rawalpindi-leg. Zeeshan had created an impression on his coach Mohammad Wasim and team management with a brilliant 216 during Northern’s first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament fixture against Southern Punjab at the Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot, last season. This was his maiden century in the format. In 16 first-class matches, to date, he has scored 1,032 runs – which also include six half-centuries - at an average 0f 33.29. Zeeshan featured for Northern’s Second XI side in the last season’s National T20 Cup and his penchant for scoring freely across the dial and ability to hit the ball further added to his credentials and, as such, he was named in the ‘A’ category of the domestic central contracts for the 2020-21 season. “My team, Northern, has played a significant role in my development as a batsman,” said Zeeshan. “Our coach Mohammad Wasim has put a great faith in me by promoting me to the First XI team and I look to repay it with my performances.” Zeeshan started his journey as a cricketer when he represented Rawalpindi U16 in December 2012 in Pepsi PCB Cricket Stars U16s Tournament. He toured England with Pakistan U17 team in August 2014 before featuring for Pakistan U19 side against Afghanistan and Kenya at home later that year. In 2016, he featured in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, in which the national team finished at the fifth position. Zeeshan, who likes to play football in his free time, admires Mohammad Hafeez and AB de Villiers and aims to work hard to represent Pakistan at the apex level. “AB de Villiers is my favourite international batsman, while I really admire the batting style of Mohammad Hafeez. My aim is to represent Pakistan and I will continue to strive hard to attain this goal.”