Sports Bulletin

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-We all have seen Yuvraj Singh's impeccable cricket as he hits balls off the ground with unmatchable sixes. But for the first time, the cricketer has been seen traveling in space. Well, sort of. For the first time, Colexion, Asia's biggest NFT marketplace, stepped ahead to push boundaries in space and launched satellite NFTs carrying prized possessions of the legendary India cricketer Yuvraj Singh in the metaverse last week. Colexion partnered with the 2011 ODI World Cup-winning batsman Yuvraj to release his own NFTs with augmented reality for this ground-breaking initiative. A hot-air balloon was launched from earth to orbit carried Yuvraj Singh's iconic bat, which he used to register his first-ever century in the 2003 ODI match against Bangladesh in Dhaka. Moreover, a never-before-released personalized video of Yuvraj Singh bat's entire space journey will be made accessible for fans, as it becomes the first minted NFT ever to be sent in orbit. The video will be uploaded on Colexion's official website in the last week of December. While speaking about his journey to space, Yuvraj, who is also an investor in Colexion, says, “I am excited to share my first NFT space journey exclusively on Colexion. Connecting with my fans on a new platform like this is exciting and I look forward to share some of my most cherished possessions like the first century bat.”  “I have always wanted to be closer to my fans and I am happy to partner with Colexion to be able to share these precious tokens from my cricketing journey with the people who have loved and encouraged me every step of the way. I look forward to engage with them in my Colexion digital avatar," he added, signing off from space. After this, Yuvraj will drop his first NFT that will be live on 25th December 2021. The NFT will contain a 3D version of the cricketer along with his signed 1st-century bat to be made available for his beloved fans. Furthermore, Colexion is creating a one-of-its-kind Virtual NFT Museum for all the NFTs of Yuvraj where his fans can be a part of his life's journey. Further, the cricketer's signed merchandise will be offered as giveaways on the platform as NFTs. Speaking about the initiative, Founder Abhay says, "We'll launch an autographed cricket bat along with a 3D statue of the cricketer, providing an exclusive opportunity to fans to own his digital collectibles. Colexion enables fans to witness this historic event and become a part of this massive revolution. We are creating interesting digital spaces for him to engage with his fans who will also be now able to 'own' special moments of his career." Through this historic initiative, Colexion aims to establish its footprint by becoming the first-ever NFT marketplace to launch exclusive NFT in space through high-end technology and innovation. NFT stands for non-fungible tokens- one-of-a-kind, blockchain-based assets that live on the blockchain and have become a blossoming business in the art world, with some selling recently for millions of dollars. Colexion is a platform that allows fans to buy, trade, and sell unique digital collectibles in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). An NFT is a form of crypto asset which uses blockchain to record the ownership status of digital objects, such as images, videos, and text. And Colexion through unique trump cards enables fans to own NFTs of their favorite player or celebrity. Interestingly, sports NFTs are quite the buzz— today's card collectors have shifted their attention to sports NFTs that offer proof of unique ownership of a video, photo, or other digital capture of an important moment in sports history. Earlier, Colexion has launched the world's largest NFT drop of 30 celebrities in the form of trump cards, including music composer duo Salim-Sulaiman, cricketers Varun Chakravarthy and Dwayne Bravo, and Bollywood and TV stars Tanuj Virwani and Aamir Ali, among others. Launched by Colexion, interactive trump cards contain photos and models in 3D and 2D formats of the celebrities.

Bipin Dani There will be no live radio commentary in South Africa for the upcoming Test series against India.   This was revealed by the (South African Broadcasting Corporation) SABC’s Group Executive for Corporate Affairs and Marketing, Ms. Gugu Ntuli. Speaking exclusively, she says, “The SABC can confirm that there will be no live radio commentary for the Protea Inbound Tour matches, therefore no commentators are appointed in this regard". "However, a provision for three live updates of three to five minutes long every hour on Radio 2000 has been made for these matches and the station will also stream full live commentary on its website www.radio2000.co.za”. Incidentally, the CSA (Cricket South Africa) board did make an appeal to the authorities so that through the radio broadcast, fans can rally behind the Proteas as they take on India in an historic encounter, which also marks the 30th Anniversary of  friendship between CSA and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Owing to the current pandemic situations in South Africa, the fans are not allowed at the grounds to witness the Tests. It is worth highlighting that many thousands of blind cricket fans are totally reliant on radio commentary to enjoy their favorite sport. This will deprive those fans of their enjoyment of the game. First of the three Tests will begin on Boxing Day at Centurion.

Bipin Dani Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board has approved the incentives for the three members of the National Selection Panel, it is learnt. According to the highly placed sources in the SLC, this incentive payment is for the recognition of their service for selecting the excellent team they picked for the ICC T-20 World Cup, which was played in the UAE (United Ara Emirates).  The three selectors, who each are benefited with a sum of Rs. 1 million are: Pramodya Wickramasinghe, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Hemantha Wickramaratne.  "Yes, the team could not advance to the final stages of the World Cup but overall the performance of the team was good and could also win a few matches in the tournament and hence this decision was taken", two different sources confirmed the news on Tuesday. Incidentally, the proposal came from the SLC president Shammi Silva. "Incentive payment for the National Selectors-ICC T20 World Cup 2021. President's suggestion to offer Rs. 1 min each to the 03 National Selectors for the excellent work rendered by them in selecting the squad for the ICC T/20 World Cup 2021 which was recently concluded in Dubai, UAE, has been approved", the minutes of the 04th Executive Committee meeting (a copy in possession of this Reporter), which was held at the SLC Head Quarters on 9th November 2021, reads. 

Karachi (Sports Report):-The 67th meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) of the Pakistan Cricket Board was held on Tuesday, 21 December in Karachi. Below are some of the key outcomes and updates from the last meeting of 2021: Cricket development plans In line with the PCB’s strategy of investing in youth and pathways cricket following a bottom-up approach, the BoG backed and supported the PCB Chairman’s two new initiatives, which are: ·         Pathway Junior Contracts – Through strategic partnerships, the PCB will award 100 contracts to the most outstanding and bright cricketers under the ages of 11, 14, 16 and 19. Under this programme, the talented young cricketers will receive a stipend of PKR 30,000 per month and also earn 100 per cent scholarship, which will provide them access to cost-free education at a leading local educational institution that, in turn, will help them become wholesome individuals. ·         Pathway Cricket Foundation – Again through a strategic partnership, the PCB will appoint highly qualified resident foreign coaches at the National High Performance Centre. These coaches will work very closely with 100 teenage cricketers to nurture and develop them and prepare them for future events, including the U19 PSL, which is marked for October 2022. These coaches will also be available to assist and help elite and emerging cricketers. All discussions and details on the above initiatives with the PCB’s strategic partners have taken place and further details will follow shortly. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “In order to create a long-term sustainable process, it is essential that we continue to tap into, stimulate and motivate the youth’s passion and talent for cricket, whilst focusing on a bottom-up approach towards participation and making attempts to bridge the wide divide between pathways and Pakistan cricket journey. “We feel that our Junior Contracts and Cricket Foundation initiatives will now play a decisive role in ensuring that raw talent from even the remotest and less privileged of areas in Pakistan reaches its full potential. “Through these and various other initiatives, including an all-Pakistan Talent Hunt Programme, we aim to unearth the hidden talent and provide them absolute clarity at a very young age that the PCB will back, support and provide a clear pathway through which they can embark on their journey of representing Pakistan at an international stage.” Club scrutiny process and amendment to CA Model Constitution The BoG approved the club scrutiny procedure for 3,822 clubs, who took part in the First Registration of Cricket Clubs, across 90 City Cricket Associations in the first half of 2022. The club scrutiny procedure will be available on the PCB corporate website under Documents/PCB Model Constitutions next week. Furthermore, the BoG also approved amendment to Article 4.1(h) of the Model Constitution for Cricket Associations, which deals with Objects and Functions of the Cricket Association, now reads as: “…. coordinate cricket activities within their jurisdiction including but not limited to holding and organizing the tournaments, which may include divisional cricket, and endeavor to also organize or assist in organization of tournaments for clubs and schools …” Pakistan men’s cricket team performances Taking into consideration that a long and demanding international cricket period awaits the Pakistan men’s cricket team, an extensive discussion on the players’ workload handling took place. The BoG requested the PCB management to explore options and submit suggestions on how the elite cricketers can preserve their energies for Pakistan by remaining supremely fit, injury-free and fresh. The BoG appreciated the performance of the Pakistan men’s national cricket team and felt they came significantly close to meeting the expectations of their fans in the last quarter of 2021 through their grit, determination and positive attitude. The PCB Chairman highlighted Babar Azam’s authority, leadership and impact on the side as one of the turnaround factors. He also credited the calm influences of Saqlain Mushtaq (interim head coach), Matthew Hayden (batting consultant) and Vernon Philander (bowling consultant) as the other contributing factor as the trio were able to create a relaxed team environment that, in turn, allowed the team to excel, particularly during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. Other updates: ·         West Indies will play three Twenty20 Internationals in the build up to the HBL Pakistan Super League 2023. The West Indies are already scheduled to play ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs in June 2022 to make up for the postponed December 2021 matches due to an increased number of Covid-19 cases in their side ·         The BoG approved in-principle the construction of 60 additional (international quality) player rooms each at the National High Performance Centre in Lahore and Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi. When completed, this will resolve the PCB’s challenges around logistics, security and road commuting, as well as setting-up and handling the Managed Event Environment ·         PCB Chairman, Acting Chief Executive Officer and the PCB BOG Committees submitted their reports, while the Chief Financial Officer presented his quarterly financial statements. Separately, there were presentations on fan engagement as well as on women’s cricket. Earlier, the BoG welcomed incoming PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain, who attended the meeting as an observer and will formally start in Lahore around mid-January.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (December 22, 2021):-Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne is now the number one batter in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, surpassing England’s Joe Root who had been on top since August this year. In the second Test held in Adelaide, Marnus scored his first Ashes century and went on to be adjudged the 'Player of the Match' for his knocks of 103 and 51 contributing towards Australia's 275-run win over England. He is the ninth player from Australia to have crossed the 900-point mark with the bat, joining the elite league of gentlemen, Sir Don Bradman, Ricky Pointing, Mathew Hayden, Steve Smith, Michael Clarke etc. Within the bowlers, Mitchell Starc is back in the world’s top ten Test bowlers for the first time since this January. Whilst his compatriot Pat Cummins held onto the top spot despite missing the second Test. England’s Ollie Robinson is in the world’s top 25 bowlers for the first time at a career-best 597 points and Joe Root has made his first appearance in the world’s top 10 all-rounders after his 111th Test appearance. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings there is a tie for top spot of batters between Pakistan’s Babar Azam and England’s Dawid Malan.  Mohammad Rizwan is now at a career-best 798 points and is the second Pakistani in the top three batter’s category. Nicholas Pooran was the bright spot for the West Indies in their 3-0 T20I series defeat against Pakistan.  His 108 runs at a strike rate of 147.94 took him up to 27th place, up from his previous career best of 30th.

Karachi (Sports Report):-Central Punjab opener Abid Ali complained of chest pain during his innings against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final-round match at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi today. Abid left the batting crease at 61 in Central Punjab’s second innings. Abid was taken immediately to a cardiac hospital where he was diagnosed as a case of Acute Coronary Syndrome. He is under the care of Consultant Cardiologist who is liaising with PCB medical team regarding further treatment. He is currently stable.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 20, 2021):-New Zealand national cricket team will visit Pakistan to play two Tests and three One Day International matches series next year in December/January 2022-23 as part of the Future Tours Programme and will tour again in April 2023 to play 10 limited overs matches to make-up for the September 2021 abandoned tour. According to media department of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the arrangement was finalised following meetings and discussions between the PCB and NZC Chairmen Ramiz Raja and Martin Snedden. The two Tests and three ODIs will be part of the ICC World Test Championship and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, respectively, while the second visit will include two additional ODIs and will now comprise five ODIs and five T20Is that will count towards the ICC Rankings. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “I am pleased with the outcomes of our discussions and negotiations, and thank Martin Snedden and his board for their understanding and support. This reflects the strong, cordial and historic relations the two boards have and reconfirms Pakistan’s status as an important member of the cricket fraternity.” NZC Chief Executive David White: “Our respective chairmen, Ramiz Raja and Martin Snedden, had very fruitful and constructive discussions while in Dubai, further strengthening the bond between the two organisations. “It’s good to be going back.” The latest announcement means Pakistan will host eight Tests, 11 ODIs and 13 T20Is against Australia, England and New Zealand in the period from March 2022 to April 2023.

ISLAMABAD (Sports Desk):-Mickey Arthur, the outgoing Head Coach of the Sri Lankan team under whom the Sri Lankan team showed remarkable progress, credited the Lanka Premier League for playing an impressive role in the growth of Sri Lankan cricket. Arthur guided the Island nation brilliantly in the recently-concluded ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, wherein the entire team and especially the likes of Charith Asalanka, Lahiru Kumara and Wanindu Hasaranga impressed the entire world with their performances. All of the three players showcased their talent in Season 1 of the Lanka Premier League and have continued to take massive strides as cricketers in Season 2 of the Lanka Premier League as well. "I think the Lanka Premier League is such a good tournament, particularly for the younger players, because it gives them an opportunity to play under pressure. There's a crowd and there's a good TV audience. You can go and play in the nets a million times, but you can't replicate this atmosphere at the ground. The Lanka Premier League has to allow young players to develop, the franchises have to be very competitive against each other, but the young players must be put under pressure and they have to come through that," said the former Sri Lanka Head Coach. Arthur added that one more team can be added to the Lanka Premier League. Currently, the competition has five franchises - Jaffna Kings, Galle Gladiators, Dambulla Giants, Colombo Stars and Kandy Warriors. "I think there's room for one more team in the competition. There are still a lot of good players that didn't get picked. As long as the competition stays good and sound and we get good overseas players like we have had, I think the tournament will just get better and better," said the South African. When asked about his feelings about leaving the Sri Lankan camp, he said, "The one thing I take a lot of pride in is that I think I have left the team at a far better state than I found it and any coach would like to do that. I think if they stay consistent, which I am sure the selection panel will and if the players are backed, I tell you the country will get some talent." Arthur also added that the Sri Lankan Test team had the skill level to perform away from home, "I think our Test team is in a really good shape. I think it's really well led by Dimuth Karunaratne. There are a lot of experienced players there. We have developed a really good crop of fast bowlers. Dushmantha Chameera is world class now, Suranga Lakmal is the Asian Anderson, you've got Vishwa Fernando, who bowls left-arm pace and there are so many other good young quicks. I think Sri Lanka can hold their own away from home as well. The batters have good techniques to play in overseas conditions."

Karachi (Saad Kayani):-Pakistan completed a clean sweep in the three-match Twenty20 series against a virus-hit West Indies with a resounding seven-wicket win on Thursday. Run-machine Mohammad Rizwan rounded off the year with his 12th half century in Twenty20 internationals by scoring 87 while captain Babar Azam made 79 in Pakistan’s blistering run-chase of 208-3 in 18.5 overs. The West Indies’ top-order batters, led by captain Nicholas Pooran’s blazing 64 off 37 balls, still did well to post 207-3 after the tourists had won the toss and elected to bat. Rizwan and Babar toyed with the West Indies bowling attack once the former overturned an lbw decision through a television referral off debutant leftarm spinner Gudakesh Motie’s first ball. Both batsmen became the first pair to record a sixth century stand for the opening wicket and surpassed the record of five set by the Indian first-wicket pair of Rohit Sharma and Lokesh Rahul. Babar, who hit nine fours and two sixes, combined in a 158-run stand before the Pakistan captain holed out at mid-off against Odean Smith’s knuckle ball in the 16th over. Rizwan hit 10 fours and three sixes before he sliced a catch to Pooran with Pakistan needing only 24 for victory. Hard-hitting Asif Ali (21 not out) smashed two sixes and two fours to raise the victory with seven balls to spare. Earlier, the West Indies batters profited in the absence of Pakistan’s rested fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf to post a challenging total. Shamarh Brooks (49) and Brandon King (43) smashed 66 in the first six overs with fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain (0-49) proving too expensive. Pooran also scored at will before Pakistan pulled back through fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani, who conceded just one boundary in his four overs, and got the wicket of Brooks to finish with 1-23.

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Jaffna Kings stars Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz sat down for a frank conversation on the sidelines of the Lanka Premier League 2021 season where the two veterans Pakistan cricketers revealed interesting and hilarious tidbits about each other. Riaz and Malik participated in the "spray challenge" as they answered a range of questions about each other. Shoaib Malik, during the fun chat, went on to reveal why the Indian tennis star and his wife, Sania Mirza, does not like to cook for him. The two players were asked about who is fussier about food, and Malik said: "Ask this question to my wife. Then you get a detailed answer. That's why she does not know how to cook and she orders from outside. Because I am fussy." When asked about who was lazier among the two players, Malik was quick to spray water on Riaz. "Because Riaz is a fast bowler, and he needs a lot of energy. Maybe that's why he is lazier," he said. Malik also credited the Pakistan fast bowler to have a messier kitbag among the two. "He is an allrounder. He carries more bats than a batsman carries," Malik said, laughing. Wahab went on to say that Malik has a better sense of humour among the two, but also cheekily added: "At times, he says somethings, and he laughs and nobody responds." When asked who is a bigger foodie, it was revealed by the two that Malik eats 6 times a day. "Even at 3 am in the morning, there will be a club sandwich in his room," Riaz revealed. "I may eat six times a day, but I take small meals," Malik responded. Wahab Riaz also described Shoaib Malik as the bigger "party animal" among the two and revealed why their plans to party in Karachi this year could not come to fruition. "He committed to me that he and I will be in Karachi, and we will have a lot of fun. But thank god, his name was in the T20 World Cup squad. He made a lot of plans with me. But nothing paid off," Wahab said, laughing.