Sports Bulletin

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Mount Maunganui, New Zealand (January 2, 2022):-Tourist team Bangladesh produced sparking performance on the second day of the Mount Maunganui Test both with the ball and bat, as they restricted Black Caps at 328 runs with magic bowling and later they were 175 for 2 in 67 overs at the close of the Day-2 game. Shanto was the busier of the two batters, hitting 64 off 109 balls. He struck seven fours and a slog-swept six that brought up his half-century. He drove the ball well on both sides of the wicket, and his best shot was possibly the cut he played against Wagner, when he moved well outside his leg stump and threaded the ball through gully and point. He fell in the last hour when Wagner got rid of him with a conventional outswinger coming from over the wicket. Shanto's uppish drive was well caught at gully by Will Young. Earlier in the day, New Zealand lost their last five wickets for 70 runs, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz picking up three of those. He had Kyle Jamieson caught at long-on, Southee at short midwicket, and Wagner caught behind in a burst that kept the home side on the back foot. Summarized Scorecard: Day-2 (New Zealand vs Bangladesh): New Zealand Batting (First Innings): 328 all out in 108.1 overs Devon Conway 122 (227 balls, 4X16, 6X1), Ross Taylor 31 (64 balls 4X5), Henry Nicholls 75 (127 balls 4X12). Bangladesh Bowling (First Innings): 175 for 2 in 67 overs Shoriful Islam (3 for 69), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (3 for 86), Mominul Haque (2 for 6). BANGLADESH Batting (First Innings): Shadman Islam 22 (55 balls 4X1), Mahmudul Hasan Joy 70 not out (211 balls 4X7 ), Najmul Hossain Shanto 64 (109 balls 4x7 6X1) Yet to bat: Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das †, Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam New Zealand Bowling: (2 for 27) Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui Toss: Bangladesh, elected to field first Bangladesh tour of New Zealand ICC World Test Championship

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-India have been fined 20 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against South Africa in the first Test held in Centurion. Andrew Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after India was one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. In addition, as per Article 16.11 of the ICC Men’s World Test Championship Playing Conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short. Consequently, India will lose one point from their points tally for this offence. Captain, Virat Kohli pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. Umpires Marais Erasmus, Adrian Holdstock, Allahudien Paleker and Bongani Jele leveled the charge.

Sports Bulletin Report Mount Maunganui (January 1, 2022):-Hosts New Zealand posted 258 for 5 runs on the board in the first Test match against Bangladesh that started at Mount Maunganui, New Zealand on Saturday. Bangladesh decided to field first after winning the toss. Devon Conway returned from injury and promptly struck his second century in Test cricket, on his home debut in the format. New Zealand, as a result, finished ahead of Bangladesh on the first day in Mount Maunganui, going to stumps 258 for 5 on New Year's Day. Conway scored 122 off 227 balls with 16 fours and a six over midwicket, which brought up his fifty after lunch. He steadied New Zealand after an early wicket with a 138-run second wicket stand with Will Young, who made 52. Ebadot also got a reward at the end of the day when he had Tom Blundell bowled off the inside edge, giving Bangladesh something to be pleased about as they trudged off the ground. Much of the day had belonged to the hosts, though. Shoriful removed New Zealand's stand-in captain Tom Latham in the fourth over of the morning - the left-arm quick got one to nip back into Latham, who inside edged the ball on to his pad and it lobbed behind where wicketkeeper Liton Das dived in front of the first slip to complete the catch. It was a big wicket given Latham was averaging 90-plus against Bangladesh before this game.

Special Report LAHORE (December 31, 2021):-A year that commenced with a demoralising innings defeat at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch finished on a high with a 3-0 T20I series win over two-time former T20 world champions West Indies in Karachi. According to media department of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Between the two series in a 12-month period, Pakistan won three Test series and drew one, and also reached the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup where the penultimate over swung the match in Australia’s favour who went on to win their maiden T20 world title in Dubai. Overall, in the 2021 calendar year, Pakistan won seven of their nine Tests, lost four of the six ODIs and ended up on the winning side in 20 off the 29 T20Is. In the preceding calendar year, which was marred by Covid-19 pandemic, Pakistan had won one out of five Tests, two out of three ODIs and seven off the 11 T20Is. The matches that left everlasting memories in the minds of the fans came in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup where Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets as well as New Zealand and Afghanistan by five wickets apiece. These wins were followed by 45 runs and 72 runs victories over Namibia and Scotland, respectively. The performances rejuvenated the fans as the entire nation got behind the boys in greens, by cheering and backing them throughout the competition. In the match against India on 24 October at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, India, opting to bat first, were decimated by Shaheen Shah Afridi who finished with figures of three for 31 as the traditional rivals finished at 151 for seven. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were in their brilliant best, scoring 68 not out and 79 not out as Pakistan achieved victory with more than two overs to spare. This victory followed a five-wicket win over New Zealand that saw Haris Rauf grabbing four for 22 and Mohammad Rizwan (33), Shoaib Malik (26 not out) and Asif Ali (27) making valuable contributions. The match against Afghanistan, Pakistan’s third in six days, will always be remembered for Asif Ali’s four sixes in the penultimate over that earned the 2009 champions a five-wicket win. Babar Azam was the other notable scorer in a 148-run chase, scoring 51. The interim set-up of Saqlain Mushtaq (head coach), Matthew Hayden (batting consultant) and Vernon Philander (bowling coach) contributed in the complete turnaround of the Pakistan side, which looked for relax, composed, determined and resilient. Of course, Babar Azam also had a lion’s share in the success of the side has he showed great leadership and lead by example and with performance. Victory over Bangladesh in the second Test at Sher-e-Bangla was by no means less entertaining, thrilling and exciting as Pakistan romped to victory by an innings and eight runs in the final session of the match in which only 63.2 overs were bowled in the first two days and third day’s play was washed out. Pakistan’s 95 runs victory over South Africa in Rawalpindi was equally sweet. Not only Hasan Ali took a 10-for in his comeback series after a career-threatening back injury, Mohammad Rizwan stroked an unbeaten 115 in the second innings to lift Pakistan from a precarious 143 for seven in the second innings to 298 all-out that set the visitors a 370-run target. While there were heart-warming wins, there were, at least, a couple of heartbreaks as well. Pakistan narrowly lost the Jamaica Test against the West Indies by one-wicket in August that ultimately denied Pakistan a second successive series victory in the Caribbean. Then, on 11 November in Dubai, the ghost of 2010 T20 World Cup came back to haunt Pakistan when Matthew Wade struck Shaheen Shah Afridi for three successive sixes in the penultimate over to earn a five-wicket victory for Australia, who had needed 37 off the last three overs and 22 from the final 12 deliveries. From a player perspective in the ODIs, Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman deserved to end up on the winning sides for their breathtaking innings, but that wasn’t to be. Babar’s 139-ball 158 against England in Birmingham went in vain as England triumphed by three wickets to win the series 3-0, while Fakhar Zaman’s 193 from 155 balls with 18 fours and 10 sixes failed to help Pakistan cross the line at Centurion where South Africa won by 17 runs. Pakistan won the series 2-1. In Test cricket, Abid Ali finished as the pick of Pakistan batters with 695 runs in nine Tests. He was followed by Fawad Alam (571), Azhar Ali (549), Mohammad Rizwan (455) and Babar Azam (416 runs). Amongst the bowlers, Shaheen Shah Afridi took 47 wickets, followed by Hasan Ali (41), Nauman Ali (19), Sajid Khan (18) and Faheem Ashraf (10). In the six ODIs, No.1 ranked Babar Azam topped the batting chart with 405 runs, followed by Fakhar Zaman (365), Imam-ul-Haq (189) and Mohammad Rizwan (134). Haris Rauf was the most successful bowler with 13 wickets, while Shaheen Shah Afridi bagged eight wickets. No.3-ranked Mohammad Rizwan stole the T20I batting honours by amassing 1,326 runs in 29 matches with one century and 12 half-centuries, including a 52-ball 67 against Australia in Dubai after spending 30 hours in a hospital due to a chest infection prior to the match. Babar Azam, who finished as the second-ranked batter, contributed 939 runs whereas Fakhar Zaman contributed 415 runs. Haris Rauf established his credentials as a successful white-ball bowler by finishing at the top with Hasan Ali on 25 wickets, while Shaheen Shah Afridi was once again amongst wickets with 23. Shadab Khan took 20 wickets. These numbers could have been more impressive had the three ODIs and five T20Is against New Zealand, two T20Is against England in September/October and three ODIs against the West Indies gone ahead as planned. However, New Zealand abandoned the tour on the day of the series opener citing security concerns and England followed suit. Both the boards later agreed to tour Pakistan in 2022 along with the West Indies, who had to return home following a Covid-19 outbreak in their ranks that left them depleted and under-strength for the ICC World Cup Super League ODIs. With Australia already scheduled to tour Pakistan for three Tests, three ODIs and one T20I in March/April 2022, Pakistan braces for one of the busiest and heaviest home international cricket calendar year with as many as eight Tests, 11 ODIs and 13 T20Is lined-up. Separately, Pakistan will tour Sri Lanka for Tests, ODI and the ACC T20 Cup, before they participate in October’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Contrary to the men’s side, the national women’s side had a forgettable calendar year, winning only three of their 13 ODIs and one of their six T20Is. However, more importantly, they qualified for the ICC Women’s World Cup New Zealand 2022 as well as the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022. At the pathways level, Pakistan Shaheens welcomed 2021 with two consecutive victories against New Zealand A then toured Sri Lanka in October/November. In both the four-day matches, Sri Lanka A held their nerves to hold them to draws, while in the only completed 50-over match, Shaheens won by six wickets. Pakistan U19 then played in the ACC U19 Asia Cup in which they defeated Afghanistan, India and UAE in group matches but lost to Sri Lanka in the semi-final. In a year when a number of international sport events continued to be affected by Covid-19, HBL Pakistan Super League 6 was no different. After 14 matches in February/March in Karachi, the remaining 20 matches had to be played in Abu Dhabi in June where Multan Sultans clinched their maiden title when they defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs. Apart from the HBL PSL 6, the PCB organised nine other domestic tournaments in which 267 matches were played across Pakistan. Away from on-field action, Pakistan achieved two major successes when they were awarded hosting rights of the ACC 50-over Asia Cup in 2023 as well as the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Pakistan last staged an ACC event in 2008, while the last ICC event was in 1996, which they co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka. The awarding of the two events was a testament of Pakistan security agencies successes as the world eventually recognised security is no more an issue. Legendary Abdul Qadir and Fazal Mahmood were inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame where they will join Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Zaheer Abbas, who were the initial inductees by virtue of being part of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. There was also a change of guard in the second half of 2021 when Ehsan Mani completed his three-year term and was succeeded by former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja. After Chief Executive Wasim Khan also decided to step down from his role in September, the PCB, through a robust recruitment process, appointed experienced finance and sports administrator Faisal Hasnain as the new Chief Executive.

Ali Ahmed LAHORE (December 30, 2021):-Although Covid-19 pandemic continued to affect sport events around the globe, the Pakistan Cricket Board successfully delivered 267 matches in 10 tournaments in the 2021 calendar year. These include Pakistan Cup 2021, HBL PSL 6, Cricket Associations T20, National T20, Cricket Associations Championship, National U19 Championship, National U19 Cup, Cricket Associations Challenge, Pakistan Women’s Cup and the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had a stellar calendar year when they swept the Pakistan Cup, National T20 and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy titles. Sindh dominated the Cricket Association tournaments by winning the 50-over, T20 and three-day tournaments, while Southern Punjab U19 Whites and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Blues shared the pathway event titles. Multan Sultans lifted the glittering HBL Pakistan Super League trophy in Abu Dhabi, whereas PCB Challengers retained the PCB Pakistan Women’s Cup crown. At the start of the year in January, the 33-match Pakistan Cup was held across three Karachi venues. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lifted the trophy with a seven-wicket win over Central Punjab at the State Bank Stadium. Central Punjab’s Tayyab Tahir was the top run-getter, scoring 666 from 12 matches at 60.55. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Asif Afridi topped the bowling charts with 25 scalps from 12 outings in the tournament. PCB marquee event, the HBL Pakistan Super League, commenced in Karachi but was postponed after 14 matches before the remaining 20 matches were held in Abu Dhabi. Multan Sultans, led by Mohammad Rizwan, won their maiden title, beating Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs. Pakistan’s all-format captain and Karachi Kings’ linchpin Babar Azam topped the batting charts, scoring 554 runs from 11 matches at 69.25. Young sensation right-arm fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani representing Multan Sultans took 20 wickets from 11 matches. Quetta’s Bugti Stadium hosted the 15-match Cricket Associations T20 tournament from 15 September to 22 September. Sindh, with four wins in five matches, won the competition. Right-handed batter Aamer Azmat representing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa scored 242 runs from four matches and remained the top run-getter in the tournament. The 20-year old Zaman Khan from Northern topped the bowling charts, taking nine wickets from three matches. The National T20 was held in Rawalpindi and Lahore from 23 September to 13 October. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa defeated Central Punjab by seven wickets at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to lift the trophy. The right-handed batter Sahibzada Farhan representing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the top run-getter, scoring 447 from 12 matches at 40.64. In the bowling charts, Imran Khan Snr from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa topped the table with 16 wickets from 12 matches. Cricket Associations Championship (three-day event) was held across different venues of Punjab from 29 September to 14 November. The 30-match tournament was won by Sindh after topping the points table with 34 points. Balochistan’s right-handed batter Muhammad Azeem Ghumman topped the batting charts, scoring 890 runs from 10 matches. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Zohaib Khan took 30 wickets from nine matches, registering two five-wicket hauls in an innings. The 15-match Cricket Associations Challenge was held in three Punjab cities and was won by Sindh. In the batting department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Aamer Azmat was the top run-getter with 335 runs from five matches at 67. In the bowling department, Central Punjab’s Mohammad Irfan Jnr took nine wickets from five outings and remained top wicket-taker in the tournament. In pathway cricket, 12-team National U19 Championship (three-day event) was held from 10 October to 19 November in different parts of the country. The four-day final, which was staged at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, was won by Southern Punjab U19 Whites, who defeated Central Punjab U19 Blues by two wickets. Southern Punjab Whites’ Mohammad Shehzad topped the batting charts, scoring 829 from six matches at 92.11. Right-arm off-spinner Arham Nawab representing Central Punjab U19 Blues grabbed 30 wickets from six matches. The National U19 Cup was held from 14 October to 14 November at different parts of the country. The final was staged at the Pindi Cricket Stadium and was won by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Blues who defeated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites by 43 runs. Central Punjab U19 Whites’ Azan Awais remained top run-getter, scoring 313 from five matches at 78.25. Sindh U19 Blues’ Khawaja Mohammad Hafeez bagged 16 wickets from five outings in the tournament, with one five-wicket haul in an innings. The Pakistan Women’s Cup was staged from 9 September to 21 September in Karachi. The day-night final was won by PCB Challengers who defeated PCB Blasters by 68 runs at the National Stadium in Karachi. Aliya Riaz representing PCB Dynamites scored 364 from seven matches at 60.67. The right-arm off-spinner Nida Dar from PCB Blasters topped the bowling charts, taking 14 wickets from seven outings. The 31-match Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 was hosted in different parts of the country from 20 October to 29 December. The pink-ball final, held at the National Stadium in Karachi, was won by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who defeated Northern by 169 runs. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s captain Iftikhar Ahmed for his all-round performance (102 and 25, two wickets) was declared the player of the match. In the batting charts, Northern’s Mohammad Huraira was the top run-getter, scoring 986 from 11 matches at 58. In the bowling charts, Southern Punjab’s left-arm spinner Ali Usman picked 43 wickets from nine matches, registering two five-wicket hauls in an innings.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (December 28, 2021):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the 2021 edition of the ICC Awards, celebrating and rewarding the top performances across men’s and women’s international cricket throughout the year. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the 2021 edition of the ICC Awards, celebrating and rewarding the top performances across men’s and women’s international cricket throughout the year. The ICC Awards 2021 recognise the outstanding performers following a year that comprised major international events such as the ICC World Test Championship Final and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, alongside numerous bilateral series in which records were broken. This year’s awards will comprise a total of 13 individual awards in all, as well as five Team of the Year announcements for each format across men’s and women’s cricket.  The individual award categories are as follows: Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year ICC Emerging Men’s Cricketer of the Year ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year ICC Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Year ICC Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Year ICC Spirit of Cricket Award ICC Umpire of the Year The first seven categories listed above will feature a shortlist of four names, and these will be announced from 28 December to 31 December across all of ICC’s digital and social media channels. The shortlisted categories will recognize those players who have had the most impactful performances in the period under consideration – 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. The names shortlisted for these awards will be decided by a specialist ICC Awards panel, comprising prominent cricket journalists and broadcasters from across the globe along with ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice. The ICC Voting Academy, comprising a wider selection of global cricket journalists and broadcasters, will vote for their first, second and third choices, while global cricket fans will also be invited to vote for their top performers via ICC’s digital channels. The result of the ICC Voting Academy selections and the fans’ vote will be combined to determine the winner in each of these categories. The Emerging and Associate categories listed above will not feature shortlists and will be determined solely by the Voting Academy. The ICC Spirit of Cricket Award honours an action, moment, gesture, or decision on the field of play in international cricket during the year which best reflects the Spirit of Cricket, and this will be determined by the ICC, while the ICC Umpire of the Year Award is determined by votes collected from the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees and Full Member men’s and women’s captains. The five ICC Teams of the Year will be also decided by the ICC Voting Academy via an online survey – with each voter selecting their teams in the batting order and nominating a captain for each format. The winners for each category will be announced in January 2022. The five official ICC Teams of the Year are set to be announced on 17 and 18 January, whereas the individual awards pertaining to women’s cricket will be announced on 23 January. The men’s awards, as well as the ICC Spirit of Cricket and ICC Umpire of the Year award, will be announced on 24 January.

Bipin Dani Sri Lanka's Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne will greet the New Year (2022) in the USA (United State of America). The 33-year-old opening batsman has been holidaying in the USA. Once the LPL (Lanka Premier League) began in Sri Lanka, the Test captain, who is not a part of the shortest format of the game left for New York. Confirming the news, his manager, Ravi de Silva speaking exclusively over the phone from Colombo, said, "He is on a private visit to enjoy some R&R (Rest & Recreation) in The Big Apple NYC in particular". "He is enjoying the nice weather there. Nice time away from all the fuss & holiday season in Sri Lanka". "Cool & Calm as always “Mr. Amiable” ala DK is enjoying some peace & tranquility - Ironically in a place where it never stops 24-7-365. He enjoys "Waking up in a City that Never Sleeps“. The Test captain visited the important spots- Dumbo Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Greenport etc. during his NY trip. Interestingly, the national chief selector Pramodya Wickramasinghe is also on a private visit to the Caribbean Islands. "He is on a personal trip there and will return to Sri Lanka on January 3", one of the sources in the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board said.

Bipin Dani More than 25 candidates have applied for the various coaching assignments in Sri Lanka, it is learnt. According to the information gathered from the reliable source in Sri Lanka, 20 people are local, who have responded to the advertisement which the SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket) board had advertised for the various coaching positions. Most of them were recently involved in the franchise teams coaching in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). There have been other 7-8 foreigners who too have shown interest, not necessarily all of them have applied for the senior men team's head coaching but even for the other teams. "Will begin the interview process next week or immediately in the New Year", Aravinda de Silva, the head of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo, said on Sunday morning.  "Two members from our committee, who are available on the day/days of interviews will join Mahela Jayawardene in the process", he added. "Will also seek Tom Moody's views", the chairman added. Tom Moody has a contract with the SLC as Cricket Director.  Aravinda didn't specify it but it is believed that Mahela is likely to favor Sri Lankan coaches. Only the head coach for the senior men's team may be a foreigner.  

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD (December 26, 2021):-The mother of former Test cricketer Shoaib Akhtar passed away on Sunday morning and was laid to rest at H-11 graveyard in the evening soon after Namaz-a-Esar in capital city Islamabad. The 46-year-old cricketer turned analyst is said to be one of the fastest and fiercest bowlers in international cricket, as he possesses the record for the fastest delivery bowled in international cricket. Akhtar has represented Pakistan in 224 international matches — 46 Tests, 163 ODIs, and 15 T20Is.

Dubai, UAE (SB Report):-The International Cricket Council has expressed grief at the passing of former England captain Ray Illingworth at the age of 89. Born in Pudsey, Yorkshire, the off-spinning all-rounder, started his first-class career in 1951 at the age of 19. Illingworth represented England from 1958 to 1973, playing 61 Tests, scoring 1836 runs and picking 122 wickets. He captained England to a famous 2-0 Ashes victory in 1970/71. He had a tremendous first-class career, accumulating 24,134 runs and taking 2072 wickets. He also led Yorkshire to three consecutive County Championship wins from 1966 to 1968. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “Ray Illingworth was a giant of English cricket and was one of England's finest captains. He made an enormous contribution to the game, not just as England’s captain, but also as coach and chairman of selectors. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.” After retirement, Illingworth turned to broadcast and was a part of BBC's television coverage. He also served as England's coach in 1995/96 and was the chairman of selectors between 1994 and 1996.