Cricket - Int News
Ramiz Raja credits crowds for phenomenal HBL PSL success
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE:-Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ramiz Raja has paid a glowing tribute to the Pakistan cricket fans when he credited them for the phenomenal success of HBL Pakistan Super League 7, which culminated on Sunday with Lahore Qalandars winning their maiden title at the Gaddafi Stadium.
PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “There is no doubt that the HBL Pakistan Super League 7 has been a phenomenal success and this is largely due to the fact that we had amazing crowds, both in Karachi and Lahore. In my professional career, I have never seen such charged up, overwhelming, enthusiastic, lively and supportive crowds, particularly in Lahore.
“On behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board, I thank all the fans who crossed the turnstiles to not only play their significant part in the success of HBL PSL 7, but through our high-definition production showcased Pakistan as a cricket passionate country.
“I would like to thank our sponsors, players, franchises, the medical team, law enforcing agencies, local and provisional administrations, commentators and crew members, and ground staff for their untiring efforts, as well as millions watching on television all around the world who made this HBL PSL a memorable spectacle.
“HBL PSL 7 profits jumped to 71 percent, the most in its history, with each franchise earning around PKR900million, again the most in HBL PSL’s history, and all before the first ball was even bowled.
“For next year, we aspire to take this league to the homes of all franchises and broaden its fan-reach.”
Avishka Gunawardene sent to train Test players in Mohali
Bipin Dani
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board has sent the Under-19 coach Avishka Gunawardene to train members of the senior national Test players in India, it is learnt.
According to highly placed sources, Avishka Gunawardene has travelled with a few Test players (who were not part of the T-20I squad) to India. "They were not sent to Lucknow or Dharamshala where the T-20Is were played but have directly reached Mohali", one of the sources in the PCA (Punjab Cricket Association) confirmed.
Former left-handed batsman Gunawardene is not a part of the official squad and is likely to return before the Test series begins early next month.
"He has been sent to train the Test players ahead of the two Test matches. Once the full squad reaches Mohali (on Monday) after the 3rd T-20I is over on Sunday night, the coaching staff will take charge of the Test team", the source in the SLC, said.
Sri Lanka is scheduled to play two Test matches in Mohali (March 4-8) and Bangalore (Match 12-16).
Avishka was also coaching the Test probables in Colombo before the final squad was picked.
He will take charge of the junior boys on his return from India.
Iftikhar and Wasim Junior to replace Faheem and Hasan
Sports Bulletin Report
RAWALPINDI:-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Iftikhar Ahmed and fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Junior have been included in Pakistan’s Test squad for the first match of the three-match series against Australia.
The two have replaced Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali who have been ruled out of the Rawalpindi Test (first of the series) due to injuries. Both Iftikhar and Wasim (chosen due to their all-round ability) will reach Islamabad tonight and start their three-day isolation at the team hotel after which they will join the rest of the squad after clearing covid tests.
Faheem and Hasan will rejoin the squad in the coming week and after completing their three-day mandatory isolation integrate with the rest of the squad during the first Test, both are expected to regain full fitness before the second Test that will be played in Karachi 12-16 March.
15-player squad:
Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Haris Rauf (Northern), Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shan Masood (Balochistan) and Zahid Mahmood (Sindh)
Test schedule:
1st Test, March 4 to 8, 2022 at Rawalpindi
2nd Test, March 12 to 16, 2022 at Karachi
3rd Test, March 21 to 25, 2022 at Lahore
Pakistan-Australia Rawalpindi Test: Training and media opportunities
Sports Bulletin Report
RAWALPINDI:-Pakistan and Australia will play the first of the three ICC World Test Championship Tests in Rawalpindi March 4 to 8, 2022. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finalized for practice and media activities for the players of both teams till the end of first Test match on March 8 at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi.
Sunday, 27 February
10.00am PKT/4.00pm AEDT: Pat Cummins arrival online presser
11:30am to 2:30pm – Pakistan practice session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (vision only)
Monday, 28 February
9.30am PKT/3.30pm AEDT: Usman Khawaja online presser
11:30am to 2:30pm – Pakistan and Australia practice session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (vision only)
Tuesday, 1 March
9.30am PKT/3.30pm AEDT: Steve Smith online presser
11.15amPKT/5.15pm AEDT: Pat Cummins and Pakistan captain Babar Azam will unveil the series trophy at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, a vision-only opportunity
11:30am to 2:30pm – Pakistan and Australia practice session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (vision only)
Wednesday, 2 March
9.30am PKT/3.30pm AEDT: Nathan Lyon online presser
11:30am to 2:30pm – Pakistan and Australia practice session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (vision only)
Thursday, 3 March
9.30am PKT/3.30pm AEDT: Pat Cummins pre-match online presser
10am PKT/4pm AEDT: Babar Azam pre-match online presser.
11:30am to 2:30pm – Pakistan and Australia practice session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
Friday, 4 March
8:30am PKT: PCB CEO Faisal Hasnain, ICC CEO Geoff Allardice, CA CEO Nick Hockley and ACA Todd Greenberg will address a media conference in the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium media conference room.
Test match 4-8 March
Post-play: Media opportunities with a player/coach from either side
PCB announces squads for Pakistan Cup Cricket Tournament
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE:-After the HBL PSL 7, Pakistan Cup also provides a great opportunity to young and talented cricketers to showcase their skills to get a chance to represent Pakistan in white-ball series against Australia. Pakistan Cup is all set to commence from 2 March in four cities – Faisalabad, Islamabad, Lahore and Multan.
The tournament will be held on a double-league basis from 2 March and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa led by Iftikhar Ahmed will look to defend the title when they take on Raza Ali Dar led Central Punjab at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Test leg-spinner Yasir Shah will lead Balochistan, while another leg-spinner and all-rounder Shadab Khan will lead Northern. Test fast bowler Mir Hamza will lead Sindh which will meet Salman Ali Agha’s Southern Punjab on the opening day at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
The tournament carries nearly PKR10million in prize money. The tournament winners will bag PKR5million, while the runners-up will receive PKR2.5million.
Balochistan:
Yasir Shah (Captain), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Akif Javed, Ammad Butt, Asad Shafiq, Ayaz Tasawar, Azeem Ghumman, Bismillah Khan (WK), Haseebullah Khan (WK), Imran Butt, Jalat Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Saad, Mohammad Shahid and Taj Wali
Central Punjab:
Raza Ali Dar (Captain), Ahmed Shahzad, Awais Ali, Hussain Talat, Imran Dogar, Muhammad Akhlaq, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Irfan Jnr., Nisar Ahmed, Qasim Akram, Rizwan Hussain, Saad Nasim, Umar Akmal, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz and Zafar Gohar
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:
Iftikhar Ahmed (Captain), Aamer Azmat, Adil Amin, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Imran Khan Jnr., Imran Khan Snr, Irfanullah Shah, Khalid Usman, Mohammad Haris (WK), Mohammad Sarwar, Sahibzada Farhan, Sameen Gul, Waqar Ahmed and Wasim Jnr.
Northern:
Shadab Khan (Captain), Aamir Jamal, Ali Imran, Asif Ali, Ather Mehmood, Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Mehran Mumtaz, Mubasir Khan, Mohammad Huraira, Musa Khan, Nasir Nawaz, Rohail Nazir (WK), Salman Irshad, Umar Amin and Zaman Khan
Sindh:
Mir Hamza (Captain), Omair Bin Yousaf, Abrar Ahmed, Ahsan Ali, Ammad Alam, Asif Mehmood, Danish Aziz, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Hasan (WK), Mohammad Taha, Mohammad Umar, Saad Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sharjeel Khan and Sohail Khan
Southern Punjab:
Salman Ali Agha (Captain), Aamir Yamin, Abbas Afridi, Ali Majid, Azam Khan (WK), Faisal Akram, Hassan Khan, Imran Randhawa, Khushdil Shah, Rahat Ali, Sharoon Siraj, Sohaib Maqsood, Tayyab Tahir, Zain Abbas, Zeeshan Ashraf (WK) and Zia-ul-Haq.
Fazal Mahmood formally inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE:-Fazal Mahmood, Pakistan cricket’s first superstar, was formally inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame posthumously when PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain presented a commemoration cap to his daughter Shaista Mahmood and a plaque to his son Shahzad Mahmood in a ceremony that took place ahead of HBL Pakistan Super League 7 Eliminator 2 at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.
Fazal was the first Pakistan cricketer to be named in Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year in 1955 following his heroics on the 1954 tour of England when he took 20 wickets in a four-Test series, including figures of six for 53 and six for 46 that helped Pakistan win The Oval Test by 24 runs.
A couple of years earlier and on Pakistan’s first tour to India as a Test nation in 1952, Fazal had picked up five for 52 and seven for 42 that earned his side an innings and 43 runs victory in Lucknow. In the 1956 Test against Australia in Karachi, Fazal had figures of six for 34 and seven for 80 as Pakistan beat Ian Johnson’s Australia by nine wickets.
Fazal’s varied swing and a mixture of leg-cutters were too much to handle for the West Indies as the maestro picked up 20 wickets in the 1957-58 series in the Caribbean and then followed up with 21 wickets in three Tests in the 1958-59 series at home.
Fazal, who took 139 wickets in 34 Tests, was bestowed with the President’s Pride of Performance Award – the highest national literary award of Pakistan – in 1958. In 2012, he was posthumously awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz – the second highest civilian award – in recognition of his services to Pakistan cricket, seven years after his passing on 30 May 2005.
PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain: “It is an honour for me to formally induct Fazal Mahmood into the PCB Hall of Fame on behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Fazal’s contributions to Pakistan cricket are unmatched. He sacrificed his Test selection for India and when he represented Pakistan after partition, he put Pakistan firmly on the world cricket map by producing successive match-winning performances against the top sides of that time.
“It was Fazal’s persona, personality and stardom that inspired and attracted the subsequent generation of cricketers who not only went on to become the legends of the game, but also earned Pakistan priceless victories and success. It all started with Fazal.
“Fazal will always be remembered as an iconic cricketer who spearheaded Pakistan’s journey from a young Test playing nation into a world-beating side.”
Fazal’s son Shahzad Mahmood: “Fazal Mahmood was the first real hero and star of Pakistan cricket. He always took pride in representing Pakistan in international cricket and fondly shared his memories from his playing days. Post retirement, he continued his association with Pakistan cricket and made meaningful contributions.
“On behalf of my family, I thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for honouring him and inducting him into the PCB Hall of Fame.”
Tickets are now available for Pakistan-Australia Test Series
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE:-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed ticket prices for the three-Test series match of which will be played in Rawalpindi (4-8 March), Karachi (12-16 March) and Lahore (21-25 March) respectively.
For the Rawalpindi Test, only two enclosure categories are available. The PKR500 VIP enclosures comprise Imran Khan, Javed Akhtar, Javed Miandad and Azhar Mahmood, whereas Premium enclosures include Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Miran Bakhsh and Yasir Arafat, and the price per ticket has been fixed at PKR100.
Four enclosure categories in Karachi and Lahore:
General – PKR 100 each
First Class – PKR 200 each
Premium – PKR 350 each
VIP – PKR 500 each
Tickets are now available online at pcb.bookme.pk as well as from the nearest M&P Courier outlets from Friday 1100 PKT. All ticket-holders will also have to display their Covid immunisation certificates and CNIC at the time of entering the venues.
In first phase, the PCB has released 50 per cent of tickets with further tickets to be made available online and nearest M&P Courier outlets after further guidance is received from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
Enclosure categories:
National Stadium, Karachi:
Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Javed Miandad, (VIP enclosure), Imran Khan, Quaid, Wasim Akram (Premium enclosure), Asif Iqbal, Intikhab Alam, Iqbal Qasim, Mohammad Brothers, Nasim-ul-Ghani (First-Class enclosures), and Majid Khan, Waqar Hasan, Wasim Bari, Zaheer Abbas (General enclosure)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore:
Fazal Mahmood, Imran Khan (VIP enclosure), Rajas and Saeed Anwar (Premium enclosure), Abdul Qadir, AH Kardar, Javed Miandad and Sarfraz Nawaz (First-Class enclosure) and Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Majid Khan, Nazars, Quaid, Saeed Ahmad, Zaheer Abbas (General enclosure).
Avishka Fernando may be out of competitive cricket for 9 months
Bipin Dani
Sri Lanka's 24-year-old opening batsman Avishka Fernando may be out of competitive cricket for about 9 months, according to Dr. David Young, who performed the surgery on his right knee on Tuesday.
The surgery was performed at The Avenue Hospital in Melbourne.
Dr. Young is very familiar among cricketers and has treated Lasith Malinga, Shoaib Akhtar and many other international players.
"Avishka tore the anterior cruciate in his right knee in a training mishap on the 17 Feb at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). He had an anterior cruciate reconstruction on the 22 Feb 2022", Dr. Young, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Melbourne said on Wednesday evening.
"He is expected to return to cricket training in 6 months and when performing well return to competitive play probably in 9 months".
"The surgery lasted over two hours", he added.
"The cricketer has been discharged from the hospital and will stay in Australia for a few more days. Dr. Young will see him again after a period of two weeks", another source in the hospital further added.
Aleem-Ahsan to umpire in Pakistan-Australia Tests
Sports Bulletin Report
RAWALPINDI:-ICC Elite panelist Aleem Dar and PCB International panelist Ahsan Raza will be the on-field umpires in all three Tests of the Pakistan versus Australia series, while ICC Chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle will lead the Playing Control Team, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced.
Madugalle, the former Sri Lanka captain, is the only match referee to break the 200-match mark as he has to date refereed in 201 Tests. Aleem Dar, the three-time ICC Umpire of the Year, leads the umpires’ pack with 136 matches.
Asif Yaqoob, PCB Umpire of 2020 and 2021, will be the third umpire in the first and third Tests, while Rashid Riaz will be in the TV umpire’s box for the second Test.
Ahsan Raza, Aleem Dar, Asif Yaqoob and Rashid Riaz will share on-field umpires’ responsibilities, while Muhammad Javed Malik will be the match referee for the three ODIs, which will be played on 29 March, 31 March and 2 April in Rawalpindi.
Aleem and Ahsan will reunite for the one-off 5 April T20I and Muhammad Javed Malik will be the match referee.
Umpire and match referee appointments:
4-8 Mar – 1st Test, Rawalpindi. Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire); Ranjan Madugalle (match referee)
12-16 Mar – 2nd Test, Karachi. Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field), Rashid Riaz (third umpire), Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire); Ranjan Madugalle (match referee)
21-25 Mar – 3rd Test, Lahore. Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire); Ranjan Madugalle (match referee)
29 Mar – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi. Alem Dar and Asif Yaqoob (on-field), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire); Mohammad Javed Malik (match referee)
31 Mar – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi. Alem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire); Mohammad Javed Malik (match referee)
2 April – 3rd ODI, Rawalpindi. Alem Dar and Rashid Riaz (on-field), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire); Mohammad Javed Malik (match referee)
5 Apr – one-off T20I, Rawalpindi. Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire); Mohammad Javed Malik (match referee)
Sunil Gavaskar to ring bell at Lucknow
Bipin Dani
Former India captain and a member of the 1983 World Cup winning team Sunil Gavaskar has been given the honour to ring the newly installed bell at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
"The name of Sunil Gavaskar was suggested by the Indian cricket board when we asked for it", Riasat Ali, the director of the UPCA (Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association), speaking exclusively over the telephone said.
"Gavaskar being the senior most player to be present at the ground is the right person we have chosen for the job".
In the history of the Association, this being the first time that the night match (T-20I between India and Sri Lanka) would be inaugurated by ringing of the bell 5-minutes before the game.
There have been such bells at Lord's (London) and Eden Gardens (Kolkata) also.
The bell at Lucknow is made up of brass, we are told.
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