Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report DUBAHI (November 17, 2021):-The ICC Board appointed Working Group has been established to review the status of the Afghanistan Cricket Board and cricket in Afghanistan in light of the recent governmental changes in the country. The group comprises Imran Khwaja (Chair), Ross McCollum, Lawson Naidoo and Ramiz Raja and will report back to the Board over the coming months. ICC Chair Greg Barclay said: “The ICC Board is committed to continuing to support Afghanistan Cricket to develop both men’s and women’s cricket moving forward. We believe the most effective way for this to happen will be to support our members in their efforts to achieve this through its relationship with the new government. “Cricket is fortunate to be in the position to influence positive change in Afghanistan with the national men’s team a source of great pride and unity in a country with a young population that has experienced more upheaval and change than most. We should protect that status and continue to try to influence change through the ACB but will continue to closely monitor the situation and take any decisions accordingly.” Other updates The ICC Board approved the continuation of the ICC World Test Championship in its current form of a nine-team league over a two-year period with a final between the top two teams at the conclusion. Following the expansion of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup to a 14-team event in the next cycle2027, the Board accepted a recommendation from the Chief Executives’ Committee that the primary avenue for qualification for the event is based on rankings at a pre-determined cutoff date with the 10 highest-ranked teams on the MRF Men’s ODI Rankings qualifying automatically, and the remainder being determined via a global qualifier. BCCI Chair Sourav Ganguly has been appointed to the position of Chair of the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee after Anil Kumble stepped down having served a maximum of three, three-year terms. ICC Chair Greg Barclay said: “I am delighted to welcome Sourav to the position of Chair of the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee. His experience as one of the world’s best players and latterly as an administrator will help us shape our cricketing decisions moving forward. I would also like to thank Anil for his outstanding leadership over the last nine years which has included improving the international game through more regular and consistent application of DRS and a robust process for addressing suspect bowling actions.” The Board also approved that first-class status and list A classification will be applied to women’s cricket to align with the men’s game and applied retrospectively. Going forward the ICC Women’s Committee will be known as the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee and will assume all decision making responsibility for women’s cricket reporting directly to the CEC. Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies has been appointed to the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee. ICC Chair Greg Barclay added: “This has been an extremely productive set of Board meetings and I’d like to thank my fellow Board Directors for their efforts in travelling to Dubai to enable us to enjoy our first face to face meeting in more than two years. International travel is not easy in COVID times, but we have achieved a significant amount by being in the same room. “Finally, on behalf of the ICC Board, I’d like to thank the ICC staff for their continued commitment over the last two years. It hasn’t been a straightforward period and the challenges thrown at us by COVID have impacted on how they have had to operate. They have responded with great energy and have consistently delivered to a high standard culminating with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 which has been a resounding success.”

Special Report Dubai (November 16, 2021):-Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ramiz Raja has thanked the International Cricket Council for awarding the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to Pakistan, saying the event will showcase Pakistan’s passion for the sport. The ICC Board’s decision means Pakistan will defend the ICC Champions Trophy title in their backyard when the eight-team and 15-match tournament is held at three iconic venues in February 2025. Pakistan had defeated India by 180 runs in the 2017 tournament at The Oval. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “I am pleased no-end with the ICC’s decision to select Pakistan as a host nation for one of their elite tournaments. By allocating a major global event to Pakistan, the ICC has expressed complete confidence and faith in our management and operational capabilities and skills. “We have continued to demonstrate how a great host we are and through the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, we will again showcase our passion and love for the sport as this event will be a boon to the millions of home fans, who will see world class teams and their favourite international players from close quarters. “We not only endeavour to plan and deliver a world-class event, we will also prepare and field a strong and formidable side that can perform and entertain our home fans. We saw during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign how the nation got united and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at home will be another opportunity to further strengthen that bond as we defend the title.”  

Abdullah Asjad RAWALPINDI (November 16, 2021):-Mohammad Waqas representing Central Punjab U19 Blues hit century against Southern Punjab U19 Whites on the opening day of the National U19 Championship final being staged at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. After being put into bat, Central Punjab were dismissed for 337 in the 77th over. Right-handed batter Waqas struck 16 fours and three sixes during his 132-ball 101 innings. He was supported by opening batter Shawaiz Irfan who contributed 71 off 113 balls, hitting 12 fours. Waqas and Shawaiz added 12o runs for the third wicket. Southern Punjab’s Faisal Akram with his left-arm spin took four for 54, while Arafat Ahmed and Mohammad Ismail bagged two wickets apiece. At stumps, Southern Punjab U19 Whites were 35 for no loss in nine overs. Scores in brief: Central Punjab U19 Blues v Southern Punjab U19 Whites – Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Central Punjab U19 Blues 337 all out, 76.1 overs (Mohammad Waqas 101, Shawaiz Irfan 71, Abubakar 38, Ali Asfand 31; Faisal Akram 4-54, Arafat Ahmed 2-48, Mohammad Ismail 2-68) Southern Punjab U19 Whites 35-0, nine overs (Aun Shehzad 19 not out, Arafat Ahmed 16 not out)

SPECIAL REPORT (November 16, 2021):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed the 14 host countries of the ICC men’s white ball events from 2024-2031. 11 Full Members and three Associate Members have been selected to host two ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups, four ICC Men’s T20 World Cups and two ICC Men’s Champions Trophy events. Pakistan will host Champions Trophy in 2025. The USA and Namibia will host an ICC World Cup event for the first time. Whilst Australia, Bangladesh, England, Ireland, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe have previously staged major events and will do so again over the next decade. The hosts were selected via a competitive bidding process overseen by a Board sub-committee chaired by Martin Snedden along with Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Skerritt. The ICC Board accepted the recommendations of the committee who conducted a thorough review of each bid along with ICC management. A similar process to identify the hosts for ICC Women’s and U19s events for the next cycle will be undertaken early next year. ICC Chair Greg Barclay said: “We are delighted to have concluded this competitive bidding process for the first time for ICC events. To have 14 Members hosting 8 events is a reflection of the truly global nature of our sport and I’d like to thank every Member that submitted a bid and offer our congratulations to the successful bidders. “It is fantastic to be returning to so many previous hosts, but what is really exciting about this process is the countries who will stage ICC events for the first time including the USA which is a strategic growth market for us. This gives us the opportunity to deepen our connection with fans in traditional cricket nations and also reach new fans around the world.” Martin Snedden, Chair of the ICC Hosting Sub-Committee said: “We received a range of excellent bids to host the ICC Men’s events in the next cycle. We were committed to ensuring a broad spread of hosts to align with the ICC strategic objective of global growth and have ended up with 14 countries who will support that long term aim.” Ricky Skerritt, Cricket West Indies President and ICC Board member said: “The success of this joint bid by CWI and USA Cricket will be a huge boost for our cricket. It offers a vital strategic opportunity to promote and develop cricket, and related commercial activity, in North America and the Caribbean. I take this opportunity to thank all those at ICC, USA Cricket and CWI who helped to make this 2024 venue selection decision possible.” The awarding of the events to preferred hosts is subject to the completion of the host agreements and the ICC will now work closely with Members to finalise arrangements. 17 Members submitted a total of 28 proposals to host the eight ICC Men’s white ball events.

Ali Ahmed LAHORE:-National selectors today announced the Pakistan men’s cricket team for the two Tests against Bangladesh, which will be played in Chittagong (26-30 November) and Dhaka (4-8 December). Opener Imam-Ul-Haq, middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam and off-spinner Bilal Asif have been named in the 20-player squad, replacing Haris Rauf, Imran Butt, Shahnawaz Dahani and Yasir Shah, who were part of the 21-player side that toured the West Indies in July/August. Left-handed Imam has been recalled following his stellar performances in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in which he has aggregated 488 runs in five innings of four matches, including an unbeaten double-century. Imam had played his 11th and last Test against Australia in Adelaide in November/December 2019. Bilal has replaced Yasir Shah who is still recovering from a thumb injury he sustained during the National T20 and is yet to feature in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The off-spinner has taken 16 wickets in five Tests and has been drafted in the side considering Bangladesh squad includes left-handed batters and also looking ahead to the home Tests against Australia. Kamran has returned to the side after missing the West Indies tour. He was in the squad for the home series against South Africa after scoring a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy record 1,249 runs in the 2020-21 season. Kamran is presently in Sri Lanka with the Pakistan Shaheens where he scored 58 not out and 45 in two innings of the rain-affected two-match four-day series. Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim: “We have selected the squad following discussions with the team management and after taking into consideration the opposition’s potential make-up and the conditions in which the Tests will be played. “As we already have four frontline fast bowlers, we have allowed Haris Rauf and Shahnawaz Dahani to return to Pakistan after the T20Is so that they can play in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and prepare for Australia Tests. An in-form left-handed Imam-Ul-Haq has replaced Imran Butt, who managed to score at 17.8 in 10 Test innings, but he has a chance to continue to play and perform in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy so that he can force his way back in the side. “Bangladesh are strong side in their backyard but we have the resources, talent and experience to perform strongly and then carry that momentum into the Australia Tests, which will be part of the ICC World Test Championship.” Pakistan Test squad: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Abid Ali (Central Punjab), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Bilal Asif (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Kamran Ghulam (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Naseem Shah (Southern Punjab), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Zahid Mahmood (Sindh).

Abdullah Asjad RAWALPINDI:-Central Punjab Under-19 Blues will take on Southern Punjab Under-19 Blues in the National Under-19 Championship final, a four-day affair, at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. The two sides have topped their groups with Southern Punjab Whites winning three of their five matches and Central Punjab Blues winning two. The winning team will receive PKR1.5million while the runners-up will bag PKR750,000. The top performers – best player, best batter, best bowler and best wicketkeeper – will receive PKR50,000 each and the player of the final will pocket PKR25,000. The four-day final will be a good contest between bat and ball, as Southern Punjab Whites have dominated the batting charts, while Central Punjab Blues have shown their dominance with the ball in the tournament. Players to watch out for in the final: Southern Punjab U19 Whites – Mohammad Shehzad: The 18-year old leads the batting chart scoring 696 runs at 99.43 in five matches. The right-handed batter has scored three centuries and as many half-centuries with 208 as his highest score in the tournament. Southern Punjab U19 Whites – Arafat Ahmed: The 17-year old is a good all-round player available to Southern Punjab Whites. The left-handed batter has featured in five matches, scoring 430 runs at 61.43. His best score is 108 and has hit two centuries and one half-century. With left-arm spin, he has bagged 20 wickets at 12.65, with two five-wicket hauls to his name and has best figures of five for 16 in an innings. Central Punjab U19 Blues – Ali Asfand: The 17-year old has 23 scalps in five matches. Left-arm spinner has taken two five-wicket hauls in the tournament with five for 20 his best figures in the innings. Central Punjab U19 Blues – Arham Nawab: Arham with his right-arm off-spin has taken 23 wickets in five outings. The 18-year old has twice taken four wickets in an innings with four for 46 his best figures in an innings so far in the tournament. Central Punjab U19 Blues – Awais Ali: The 16-year old fast bowler has 22 wickets at 14.82. Like his teammate Arham, he too has two four-wicket hauls in an innings. His best figures in an innings are four for 23.

Sports Bulletin Report DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka:-Pakistan Shaheens won the three-match one-day series against Sri Lanka A 1-0 as the third and final match of the series was abandoned due to rain after 32 overs of Shaheens’ innings. Shaheens had won the first match on Thursday by six wickets while only one over was possible in the second match on Saturday before rain forced a premature end. On Monday, Shaheens were asked to bat first after Sri Lanka A captain Kamindu Mendis won the toss. Openers Omair Bin Yousuf and Abdullah Shafique provided a 49-run start in 10.5 overs. Abdullah was dismissed for 27 (35 balls, four fours). Omair posted his half-century, the right-hander hit seven fours in his 59 off 72 balls, he was sent packing by Ashian Daniel. Captain Saud Shakeel who had hit a century in the first four-day match continued his rich vein of form with a sparking unbeaten 59 off 72 balls (four fours, one six) before rain brought an end to the proceedings. Scores in Brief: No Result, Pakistan win three-match series 1-0 Pakistan Shaheens  167 for 4, 32 overs (Saud Shakeel 59 not out, Omair Bin Yousuf 59; Ashian Daniel 2-44)

Ali Ahmed LAHORE:-Sindh were declared the winners of the Cricket Associations Championship after convincingly beating Balochistan by 10 wickets in their tenth-round match and topping the table with 34 points. The win also means they successfully retained the title. Earlier, Sindh had also won the Cricket Associations T20 Cup held in Quetta in September. Sindh had started the tenth and final round second on the table with 25 points, eight points behind Central Punjab. Central Punjab had played out a drawn game against Southern Punjab at the LCCA Ground in Lahore and ended-up with 25 points from 10 matches. At Saeed Ajmal Academy, Faisalabad, resuming their second innings with a deficit of 151 runs, Balochistan were bowled out for 159 with Sindh’s left-arm spinner Arish Ali Khan taking five for 64. He ended-up with match figures of eight for 144. Right-arm fast Asif Mehmood took three for 32. In reply, Sindh chased down the nine-run target in the second over without losing any wicket. At the Rana Naved Academy in Sheikhupura, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa played out a drawn game against Northern. Resuming their first innings on 333 for four, Northern managed to score 364 for four in 83 overs. Ziad Khan returned undefeated on 152, while Jamal Anwar remained unbeaten on 66. In return, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in their second innings were 244 for six in 72 overs when stumps were drawn. Aitzaz Habib top-scored with a 144-ball 86, hitting 12 fours. He was supported by Mohammad Bilal who scored 76. The pair added 102 runs for the third wicket. Northern’s Farhan Shafiq, Kashif Ali and Mehran Mumtaz bagged two wickets apiece. At LCCA Ground in Lahore, Central Punjab played out a drawn game against Southern Punjab. Resuming their first innings on the overnight score of 285 for seven, Central Punjab were bowled out for 330 in the 79th over. With 57 runs lead, Southern Punjab were 256 for five in 61.2 overs in their second innings when stumps were drawn. Mohammad Umair top-scored with 83 off 113 balls, laced with nine fours and one six. Sharoon Siraj scored 88-ball 62, while Hamayun Altaf contributed 54 off 75 balls. Central Punjab’s Kamran Afzal picked three for 57. Scores in Brief: Sindh beat Balochistan by 10 wickets at Saeed Ajmal Academy, Faisalabad Balochistan 285-9, 83 overs (Azeem Ghumman 93, Fahad Iqbal 50; Arish Ali Khan 3-80, Ashiq Ali 3-86, Danish Aziz 2-57) and 159 all out, 55.4 overs (Shahbaz Khan 25; Arish Ali Khan 5-64, Asif Mehmood 3-32) Sindh 436 all out, 81.5 overs (Saim Ayub 101, Usman Khan 95, Syed Faraz Ali 90, Rameez Aziz 52 not out, Saifullah Bangash 43; Aftab Ahmed 6-101, Tariq Jameel 2-94) and 9-0, 1.5 overs Match drawn between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Northern at Rana Naved Cricket Academy, Sheikhupura Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 273 all out, 70 overs (Mehran Ibrahim 125 not out, Mohammad Bilal 52, Mohammad Mohsin Khan 37; Kashif Ali 5-40, Mehran Mumtaz 5-87) and 244-6, 72 overs (Aitzaz Habib 86, Mohammad Bilal 76; Kashif Ali 2-39, Farhan Shafiq 2-54, Mehran Mumtaz 2-69) Northern 364-4, 83 overs (Ziad Khan 152 not out, Zaid Alam 82, Jamal Anwar 66 not out; Aitzaz Habib 2-69, Farhan Khan 2-92) Match drawn between Central Punjab v Southern Punjab at LCCA Ground, Lahore Southern Punjab 387-8, 83 overs (Maqbool Ahmed 124, Mukhtar Ahmed 117, Moinuddin 63; Kamran Afzal 3-155, Mohammad Waheed 2-50, Sohaibullah 2-63) Central Punjab 330 all out, 78.3 overs (Imran Dogar 103, Abdul Sammad 62; Mohammad Irfan 6-105, Umar Khan 2-54)

Abdullah Asjad RAWALPINDI:-Maaz Sadaqat scored 63 off 81 as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Blues beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites by 43 runs in the final of the National U19 Cup at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Sunday. After opting to bat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Blues scored 231 for nine in 50 overs. The only half centurion of the match Maaz innings included one four and two sixes. He was well supported by Abu Bakar Khan (45, 80b, four fours) and captain Ahmed Khan (39, 28b, three fours, two sixes). For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Whites, Khalid Shah and Mohammad Umar picked two wickets apiece. In their run-chase, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites were bowled out for 188 in the 44th over. Rahimullah top-scored with a 65-ball 38, hitting two fours and a six. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Blues, Salahuddin took three for 34, while Naqeebullah bagged two for 27. Maaz was declared the player-of the-match and also player-of-the-tournament for his all-round performance. He scored 308 runs and took eight wickets in the tournament. Central Punjab U19 Whites’ Azan Awais remained the top run-getter of the tournament with 313 from five matches. He was awarded the best batter of the tournament. Khawaja Mohammad Hafeez representing Sindh U19 Blues was declared the best bowler of the tournament taking 16 wickets from five matches. Zubair Shinwari from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites was awarded with the best wicket-keeper of the tournament. Zubair had 11 scalps to his name from six matches, taking nine catches and two stumpings. Scores in brief: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Blues beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites by 43 runs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Blues 231-9, 50 overs (Maaz Sadaqat 63, Abu Bakar Khan 45; Khalid Shah 2-44, Mohammad Umer 2-48) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites 188 all out, 43.5 overs (Rahimullah 38; Salahuddin 3-34, Naqeebullah 2-27) Player of the match – Maaz Sadaqat (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Blues) Player of the tournament – Maaz Sadaqat (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Blues) 308 runs and eight wickets

To Shaun,   I remember when I first learned about my induction into the ICC Hall of Fame. I was in Canterbury, and I remember opening it, slowly reading through and getting that unbelievable sensation of what a privilege it was. It is not something we dream of when we start our careers but for me, it comes from a deep desire to be the best you can every single day. The fact that you, Shaun, will join myself, Barry Richards, Jacques Kallis, Aubrey Faulkner and of course your uncle Graeme, in being inducted is an enormously proud moment for all of us in South African cricket. Having you there, and deservedly so, makes all those sacrifices and operations, the sore feet and sore body worth it.  I still remember the first time I came across you. Malcolm Marshall was playing for Natal and in 1994 and we played against them in a day-night final. I remember Malcolm was bowling from one end and this young tear-away with red hair was bowling from the other. From then your position in Proteas cricket would ignite. Of course, the Pollock name is huge in South Africa. It meant that even as a young man, you had so much pressure on your shoulders to succeed. You had to finish the mission and follow in the footsteps of Graeme and your father Peter with the whole country watching intently. You did that and more and I know that they and the rest of your family will be so stoked that you are being added to this list of cricket’s greats. You’ll forgive me for saying that you were quiet when you first came into the South African team in 1995, but that did not last long. We soon got to see the real Shaun Pollock, a great leader but also a prankster. I haven’t forgotten the time you and a certain Lance Klusener left a dead fish in the aircon vent of our hotel room in Sri Lanka that went undiscovered, but certainly not unremarked upon, for three days. We got our own back on you, thankfully, but needless to say those tours with you were never boring. What I admire a lot about you is the way you were able to adapt your game. When you first came into the Proteas side, you were this fast bowler who could terrorise batters, but despite injuries later in your career, you always managed to be effective, even if you didn’t quite have the pace you once had, and that’s a remarkable quality. You were our Glenn McGrath, the sort of bowler who could lock down an end and let the rest of us run free at the other. I think that is why we complemented each other so well as an opening bowling partnership. We could throw you the ball and say ‘See you tonight’. You would pile up the dots at one end and then I would have licence to express myself. Where my style was to combine control with pace, you did so with swing, getting so close to the stumps that batters would have to play almost every ball. It took incredible stamina and concentration because you gave them nowhere to hide. I think we were never better than when the West Indies came to South Africa in 1998/9. Between us we took 52 wickets in a 5-0 series victory. There was also the tour to India in 2000 when we won 2-0 and the two of us, along with the rest of the pace attack and Nicky Boje just seemed to click. You took over the captaincy soon after. After the Hansie Cronje affair, there was no question that you were going to be the man to step into the breach. I think we knew from the start that you would end up being the captain one day. You got on with everyone and were just one of the nice guys. Of course, you could get a little hairy when things did not go your way, but that is the same for all of us. It truly was a privilege to be able to share the new ball with you Test cricket. To take 421 Test wickets is incredible, and who could forget the magic with the bat as well. We were spoilt having you, Jacques Kallis and Lance Klusener in the same team as our revered all-rounders. I want to thank you as a bowling partner, a friend and a Protea cricketer. Thank you for all the memories I got to share with you, the great times we had, and the battles. I think you brought the best out of me, and I hope I brought the best out of you. We don’t see each other often enough but I just want to wish you well. You have been a wonderful servant to South African cricket which was lucky to have another Pollock. You have done your family proud. Welcome to the ICC Hall of Fame, Polly. Allan