Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Mohammad Nawaz ruled out of Pakistan Australia Test series owing to his foot injury, as the three Test-Match series will be started from March 4, 2022 at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi. The following is an update on the Pakistan Test side for the Australia Tests: 1-Mohammad Nawaz has been ruled out of the series with a foot injury. He will not be replaced in the side 2-Naseem Shah and Sarfaraz Ahmed have now been added as traveling reserves. They will only be considered for selection if there is an injury 3-Mohammad Haris has been added to the reserve players list. However, he, along with Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas and Yasir Shah have been advised to participate in the Pakistan Cup, which commences on 2 March. If required, they will be drafted into the side 4-Test players who attended a training camp in Karachi and those not involved in HBL PSL 2022 playoffs will arrive in Islamabad later tonight. After observing a three-day room isolation, they will hold a training session on 27 February 5-Test players involved in the HBL PSL 2022 playoffs will travel to Islamabad in a bubble on 28 February and will participate in a training session on 1 March Names of 15-player squad: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), 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, Rawalpindi March 4-8 2nd Test, Karachi March 12-16 3rd Test, Lahore March 21-25

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-The Cricket Federation of Uzbekistan (CFU) team will likely visit Islamabad at end of this month February to play cricket matches with different teams including Shalimar Cricket Academy in the capital city of Pakistan. According to an official, the Uzbek cricket team will likely arrive in Islamabad on February 26, 2022 and play four friendly cricket matches against different oppositions. The visit aims to highlight the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Pakistan Uzbekistan diplomatic relations. The Shalimar Cricket Academy will be organizing the matches during the 9-day trip emerging teams to face with CFU’s Senior and Under-19 lads. It will be first international visit of Uzbekistan cricket team since its establishment in 2019. “We hope the intended friendly matches will attract more cricket fans towards Cricket Federation of Uzbekistan, as the cricket is quite new in Uzbekistan. And, with more people involved in developing this wonderful sport in Uzbekistan, better for all involved parties, “he concluded.

Bipin Dani Sri Lanka's two prominent cheerleaders-Gayan Senanayaka and Mohammed Nilam-who were scheduled to arrive in India on Wednesday evening (original plan was to reach India on Tuesday night) will miss the first T-20I in Lucknow. This is because of the Indian cricket board's decision taken in consultation with the host body (UPCA-Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association) to disallow the fans for pandemic reasons.    Confirming the same on Wednesday morning, Gayan Senanayaka said, "we are reaching Delhi on Wednesday, will stay there for two days and will directly head to Dharamshala.  The first T-20I (Night) will be played on Thursday in Lucknow.  "During this pandemic, I have missed many matches but anyhow, the time has now come to cheer for our team. The game without fans is really boring".  Both supporters will be at the ground for two ODIs' in Dharamshala. "We will also attend the first Test at Mohali. It will be our pleasure to attend the Mohali Test, which will be Virat Kohli's 100th Test".  Their presence in the second Test at Bangalore will depend on the BCCI's policy to allow fans. Gayan and Nilam are Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's fans. "We have requested them to provide us with match-tickets".   It may here be recalled that Rohit, in 2017 had provided air tickets to Nilam during the latter's India trip when he learnt that his father was ill in Sri Lanka. India's captain. Next year, Rohit Sharma, who was in Colombo leading the side in the Nidahas Trophy, didn’t forget his promise and paid a visit to Nilam’s family.  Gayan Senanayaka's Indian visit is being sponsored by Deen Brothers. "We have been sponsoring his tours since the last ten years", Najeeb Deen, the Managing Director of the company said over the telephone. Najeeb Deen, the former member of Sri Lanka Cricket's tour organizing committee is also a great fan and has visited ten countries and has witnessed five out of 6 World Cup finals (ODIs and T-20Is) in which his team reached finals.  

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Over 150 men’s and women’s players from 2021 have been retained by their team 28 centrally contracted England players and 19 international names confirmed so far Women’s title holders Oval Invincibles retain most of their side including captain and last year’s Most Valuable Women’s Player Dané Van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, England stars Tash Farrant and Mady Villiers, and 2021 breakthrough star Alice Capsey. Current men’s champions Southern Brave retain ten players with Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills and James Vince all returning for year two along with Jofra Archer, who was signed last year but unable to play because of injury. Overseas stars Ellyse Perry, Lizelle Lee, Marcus Stoinis, Smriti Mandhana, Rashid Khan, Alyssa Healy, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell will join the action this summer. Heather Knight, Jos Buttler, Sophia Dunkley, Joe Root, Kate Cross and Moeen Ali among the England stars confirmed. Retained stars revealed: Birmingham Phoenix welcome back the likes of England star Moeen Ali, Tom Abell and the biggest hitter of last year’s competition, Liam Livingstone, to their men’s squad. As they have nine players retained they will be looking to fill five spots in The Draft. The women’s side have announced 12 retained players including a few of those who couldn’t make it last year due to Covid-19 restrictions. Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry and New Zealand captain Sophie Devine will join Phoenix playing alongside Amy Jones, Kirstie Gordon and Issy Wong. London Spirit have kept on England Women’s captain Heather Knight as well as breakout star Charlie Dean and England teammate Freya Davies. The women’s side will be looking to sign seven more players to complete their team whereas the men’s have six spots to fill in The Draft. Eoin Morgan will again lead the Lord’s home-side with a star-studded dressing room including Ravi Bopara and Aussie batter Glenn Maxwell. The world’s top ranked women’s IT20 bowler, Sophie Ecclestone, will remain with the Manchester Originals along with recently England-capped Emma Lamb and South African batter Lizelle Lee. The men’s team have a wealth of homegrown talent staying with them in Phil Salt and Matt Parkinson as well as England keeper Jos Buttler. Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, Faf du Plessis and Harry Brook are just a few names that have signed with Northern Superchargers for 2022. The women’s side welcomes back the top individual run scorer of the women’s competition, Jemimah Rodrigues, who stole the show with a stunning 92 not out against Welsh Fire at Headingley last year. Reigning women’s champions Oval Invincibles retain much of their side including captain Dané van Niekerk, Mady Villiers and breakout star, Alice Capsey. Sam Billings, Saqib Mahmood and the Curran brothers are also staying put this year. Men’s title holders Southern Brave retain much of their winning squad including Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills and centrally contracted Jofra Archer who missed out last year with an elbow injury. The women’s squad have retained England trio Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley as well as Smriti Mandhana. England duo Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt are sticking with Trent Rockets alongside England teammate Sarah Glenn. Meanwhile, the men’s side have retained England Test captain Joe Root, Afghanistan superstar Rashid Khan and Dawid Malan. Welsh Fire have resecured England stars Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball and Ollie Pope and the women’s squad will see the return of West Indian all-rounder Hayley Matthews, Katie George and Claire Nicholas, who returns in 2022 after opting out of the 2021 competition following the birth of her second child. Issy Wong, who will play again for Birmingham Phoenix, said: “I’m so excited to be back playing with Birmingham Phoenix this summer. Last year was incredible for us and the women’s game, it’s only going to get bigger and better with world-class players like Ellyse Perry being able to join this time around. We can’t wait to get going again and to perform in front of full houses again.” Eoin Morgan, who will feature for London Spirit again, said: “The first year of The Hundred was a huge success. We saw quality cricket in front of incredible crowds, and it was awesome to see so many families coming to watch. It was also really special to see so many fans watching both us and the women’s team and it’s undeniable that The Hundred as has a massive impact on the women’s game. Sophie Ecclestone, who has been retained by Manchester Originals, said: “The Hundred is such a cool competition to be involved in and I’m thrilled to be taking part again with Manchester Originals. We were really getting into a groove in the back end of the competition last year, so we have nothing but high hopes for this summer.” Rashid Khan, who will play again for Trent Rockets, said: “I loved taking part in the first edition of The Hundred last year. Playing a new format for the first time was a lot of fun as a bowler. The fans at Trent Bridge were amazing and I can’t wait to get back and entertain them this summer. Hopefully we can go one better and make the final.”

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-1992 World Cup winner and former captain Wasim Akram, who took a total of 916 wickets and scored 6,615 runs in an international career from 1984 to 2003, was formally inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame on Sunday. Sir Vivian Richards, one of the all-time greats and an ICC Cricket Hall of Famer, formally inducted Wasim Akram into the exclusive list by presenting him a commemorative cap and plaque before the start of 28th match in the HBL Pakistan Super League between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators. Wasim Akram is one of the eight Pakistan stalwarts who are members of the PCB Hall of Fame. Others are Abdul Qadir, Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Waqar Younis and Zaheer Abbas, who will be formally inducted into the prestigious group in the coming days. Wasim Akram: “I feel privileged to have received this great honour from Sir Vivian Richards, one of the most iconic figures in cricket, and at a venue that remained my home ground during my playing career. I also want to compliment the Pakistan Cricket Board for launching this initiative to recognise and acknowledge the contributions of former cricketers. “It has been an honour to represent Pakistan over 18 years during which I played in 460 international matches. Every wicket and every run I scored in these matches was priceless. I can’t thank God Almighty enough for providing me the opportunity to serve this great country at the highest level. “I want to thank all my fans who have been my greatest strengths. Their support has been invaluable. I also want to thank my family and friends who stood beside me during this incredible journey.” Sir Vivian Richards: “I feel delighted to have been awarded the opportunity to formally induct Wasim Akram into the PCB Hall of Fame. My first encounter with Wasim Akram was in 1985 in Australia and in the twilight of my career, I was happy I would not be facing him much. I clearly remember telling my junior partner that he will cause a lot of problems for his generation of cricketers and Wasim proved me right. “Wasim has been an outstanding cricketer and a great ambassador for our sport.”

Aamir Ali Janjua DUBHI:-Australian quick Josh Hazlewood returned his best-ever T20I figures in the series opener against Sri Lanka, taking 4-12 in a spell, before capping another haul of 3-22 last week, with a match-sealing Super Over that went for just five runs. He is now number two among the T20I bowlers, just one point behind South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. This week’s ratings come after the first three Australia v Sri Lanka matches and the second and third India v West Indies games. In the series against Australia, Wanindu Hasaranga took five wickets in the first two matches, but having missed the final match, it wasn’t enough for him to continue onto the top spot, as he dropped to the third place in the T20I bowling rankings. His teammate Maheesh Theekshana was up 16 places to 29th. In the batters list, Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka topped the run-scorers in the T20I series with Australia with 125 runs across the three games to move up 42 places and become joint 21st. Dipendra Singh Airee from Nepal was the leading run scorer in the Quadrangular T20I tournament held in Oman with 142 runs which helped him up 63 places to 53rd with the bat. Chirag Suri of the UAE also moved up the table thanks to his unbeaten 84 against Nepal, which was the highest individual score in the competition. In bowlers again, Oman’s Bilal Khan proved to be very economical, conceding just 62 runs in his 12 overs, to move to his career best position of 18th in T20I in the series. In the fifty over format, the Indian pair of Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav have made strides up the table.  Yadav scored 64 in the second ODI against the West Indies whilst Iyer made an 80 in the third to help the home side complete a 3-0 series win. Their teammate Rishabh Pant added a half-century in the third match to move to a career best of 469 points at the 71st place. Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna was the leading wicket-taker across both sides with nine wickets at just 7.55 to gain 50 places from 94th to 44th in the ODI bowlers list, whilst Alzarri Joseph took two wickets in each of the three matches to earn himself a place in the top 20 bowler’s list.

Bipin Dani Sri Lanka's top order batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa is available for the upcoming India tour, it is learnt, after he passed the required fitness tests. "He did the fitness tests on Monday at the Sugathadasa Stadium. He completed the 2-km run in 8 minutes and 35 seconds,” a source close to the player said. "He appeared for all the fitness tests including running and skin-fold.” Rajapaksa was not considered for the Australia tour where a series of five T20Is is being played, having announced his retirement from international cricket, only to reverse it days later after meeting Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa. "Though most of the players are scheduled to travel to India directly from Australia, selectors are giving thought to sending him from Colombo and he may be selected for the three T20I to be played ahead of the two Test matches,” another source in Sri Lanka, said. Interestingly, Bhanuka Rajapaksa is the only batter from Sri Lanka selected to play in the IPL. The other four players who were bought are predominantly recognized for their bowling.

Bipin Dani Nepal's 21-year-old wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh has earned great praise and appreciation for refusing to run out Ireland’s Andy McBrine, who fell mid-pitch after colliding with the bowler while running a single. In the recent Oman Quadrangular T20I series involving Ireland and Nepal saw a sporting gesture as Sheikh gave McBrine a reprieve even though the batter was well short of the crease when the wicketkeeper collected the ball. "Actually, the batsman was running in his own line and our bowler accidentally got crashed into him but then I decided not to run him out", Aasif Sheikh, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Oman, said. "I have been playing cricket for many years and the only thing I have learnt is to play fair cricket, no matter if we win or lose. For us, the results don't really matter, we will play fair cricket in any situation". There are altogether six in his family and his elder brother (Mohammad Aarif Sheikh) also plays for the national team. "Our parents have played the most vital role in our cricket journey. It would not have been possible without their support. They gave us everything we needed.  We were not that financially strong but somehow they managed to provide us with a cricket kit so that we could focus on our game", Aasif Sheikh signed off.

Bipin Dani More than six members of the touring Afghanistan squad have tested positive in Bangladesh, it is learnt, here. According to the highly placed sources in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), more than six players and a support staff-including Indian team physio Pranchada have tested Covid-19 positive. "They are isolated", one of the sources, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Bangladesh. "The 23-member squad arrived from Doha to Dhaka on Saturday and reached Sylhet on Sunday. Their testing was done on Sunday and results came on Monday", the source added. The visitors are scheduled to play three D/N ODIs' beginning on 23rd February, and two T-20Is thereafter. "At present, the visiting team has five support staff members consisting of manager, head coach Navroze Mangal, physio, trainer and masseur. Few more coaching staff members are also likely to join from Kabul, it is understood. "At present, there has been no plan to change the itinerary", the source also added.   

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-Mardan-born off-spinner Sajid Khan has made rapid strides over the course of the last two years but his ascent to the highest level of cricket is a tale of relentless struggle, hard work, determination and a never-say-die attitude spread over two decades. The 28-year-old made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in Harare last season and has already collected 18 wickets in his first four Tests. The highlight of Sajid’s short Test career has been his heroics in the Mirpur Test against Bangladesh in December, the off-spinner took 12 wickets in the match including eight in the first innings to lead Pakistan’s innings and eight runs victory in the ICC World Test Championship fixture. According to Sajid his cricketing story begins at the age of eight. “My story begins from when I was eight years old. I have two elder brothers, one is a rickshaw driver the other runs a grocery shop. Only those without a father would know what a struggle it is. When I grew up and started college I used do to some odd sport related jobs like fixing bat handles and grips and making between PKR 4 to 500, I used to also sell cell phones to make some money that I could spend on purchasing cricket gear. Despite his obvious promise and potential, Sajid failed to find a permanent slot in Peshawar sides to the sheer quality and depth that the first-class and Grade II squads especially as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regularly started unearthing players of international quality. Sajid decided to try his luck in Dubai where he juggled between a work at the Dubai Airport and weekend cricket opportunities.  “After Under-18 cricket, I barely got a chance to play Grade II cricket because Peshawar had a quality side and I could not make my way through that is when I left for Dubai. I used to work at Dubai Airport for five days and play cricket two days in the week. I had a six months visa but I didn’t even stay for six months as my mother asked me to return.” After returning from Dubai, Sajid finally made a long awaited breakthrough as Imran Khan Snr handed him perhaps the best cricket gift he could have hoped for at that stage of his career. “I found an opportunity to appear in Grade II trials, I got selected and joined the camp. At the camp Imran Khan Snr saw me, at that time Imran had played a few Tests for Pakistan, he asked me if I had cricket shoes but I couldn’t say to him I didn’t. Imran realised that I didn’t have cricket shoes so he took out a pair of cricket spikes and handed them to me. “My first match was for Peshawar against Wapda, with-in four overs I had taken six wickets and that is when my career took off. Once the domestic structure was revamped, I got an opportunity to play for the second XI and I scored 96 runs and took 13 wickets in a match against Balochistan.  I was immediately picked for the first XI (first-class) and I played my first match against Balochistan and took eight wickets. Sajid still has a long journey ahead of him and has big aspirations and dreams, he insists that hard work, perseverance and determination is what is required to succeed in cricket instead of a recommendation or source. He is a firm believer in letting your performance talk for you as he credits his mother for the turnaround in his life. “People who claim that you can’t play cricket without any recommendation or source lie, I would say it is a total lie. If you work hard and stay determined you are rewarded, I have fought hard and struggled for 20 years and then only have I reached here without any recommendation or source. I only work hard and respect my elders, whatever I have achieved, I have achieved due to my mother’s unflinching support. I owe everything to her and even today I look up to her for support, guidance and prayers.”