Cricket - Int News
Cricket Associations Championship begins on Wednesday
SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT
Lahore (September 28, 2021):-Sindh will start their title defence when the opening round of the Cricket Associations Championship (three-day event) begins across three Punjab cities on Wednesday.
Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium and Saeed Ajmal Academy, Rana Naveed Academy in Sheikhupura and LCCA Ground in Lahore will host matches from 29 September to 14 November.
Sindh who recently won the Cricket Associations T20 tournament in Quetta will take on Central Punjab at the LCCA Ground in the opening round of the tournament. Balochistan will take on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, while Southern Punjab will face Northern at the Rana Naveed Academy in Sheikhupura.
The Cricket Associations Championship will be played on a double-league basis with each team playing the other twice. The final round of the tournament will be held from 12 to 14 November. The team accumulating the most points will be declared winners.
Balochistan Second XI captain Azeem Ghumman: “Our preparations for the three-day tournament are good. We had some practice sessions recently and we are hopeful of doing well.
We have a good combination of young and experienced players in the squad. We have good all-round players available in our team and with three to four experienced batters in our squad we look to do well in batting department.”
Central Punjab Second XI captain Ali Shan: “We are fully prepared to do well in the red-ball tournament. We had couple of good sessions before the start of the tournament and we are eager to perform on the ground.
Our fast bowling department is very strong and with seasonal batters in the squad, we are looking to produce some good performances in the tournament.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Second XI captain Waqar Ahmed: “We had a good one week preparations camp to get ourselves ready for the tournament. We have a young and energetic squad who are excited to perform in all three departments of the game.”
Northern Second XI captain Umar Waheed: “The preparations for the tournament are well on track as we have worked hard to rectify mistakes made in the last season. The combination of the team is well balanced with good spinners, the players know each other well which will help us to do well on the ground.”
Sindh Second XI captain Saifullah Bangash: “We have prepared well from the last season and are looking forward to doing well this season to become champions again. The players are relaxed; they have no pressure on them after winning the opening tournament (Cricket Associations T20) of the season. The players are ready to play quality cricket in the tournament.
We have good young players in the batting and bowling line-ups who are all set to showcase their talent on the field.”
Southern Punjab Second XI captain Moinuddin: “We have adjusted well to the conditions before the start of the tournament. We worked tirelessly on our skill level and we are aiming to produce good results when we go on the field.
“We have almost the same players that played in the recently concluded T20 tournament and we are looking to dominate in the red-ball tournament.”
First-round fixtures:
Balochistan vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad
Central Punjab vs Sindh – LCCA Ground, Lahore
Southern Punjab vs Northern – Rana Naveed Academy, Sheikhupura
Tania Mallick appointed Head of Cricket for Women
SPORTS REPORT
Lahore (September 28, 2021):-Former national badminton champion Tania Mallick has been appointed as the PCB’s Head of Women’s Cricket and will assume charge on 01 October. Tania has replaced Urooj Mumtaz, who relinquished the additional responsibilities in May to focus on selection matters only.
Tania holds a Masters degree from the LUMS University, has represented Pakistan in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and was the national champion in 1987-88.
She is the vice-president of the Punjab Olympic Association since 2010, vice-president of the Punjab Squash Association and is currently serving as a member of Pakistan Olympic Association’s Education and Women’s Commissions.
She has also worked in World Bank Women Development Projects besides working in multinational organisations.
National T20: Three teams loan five players
ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL
Islamabad (September 27, 2021):-As many as three teams loaned five players for the rest of 25 matches of the ongoing National T20 Cricket Cup 2020-21 after deliberations between the head coaches of the six First XI Cricket Association teams on Monday.
According to Media Department of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Balochistan, who are placed fifth in the six-team points table with one win, have strengthened their top-order with the inclusion of Abdullah Shafique and Sohail Akhtar.
Abdullah, 21, started his T20 career with a century in the 2020 edition of the National T20 and averages 39.90. The right-handed batsman has accumulated 399 runs at a strike-rate of above 130. Sohail has one century and six half-centuries in the format and has made 1,571 runs, to date.
Balochistan’s decision to take leg-spinner Mohammad Mohsin onboard has come in the wake of an an injury to Yasir Shah who has been ruled out of the tournament for at least next 10 days. Yasir sustained a hairline fracture in his right hand during his side’s victory against Southern Punjab on Sunday after he was hit by the ball.
Central Punjab have opted for 22-year-old Sameen Gul, who has snared 27 T20 wickets at 29.48 runs apiece to provide the youngster an opportunity to display his skills and talent in front of the HD-broadcast cameras, which are beaming the National T20 action across the globe through traditional and new media.
Southern Punjab have added further enhanced their spin-bowling arsenal with the inclusion of leg-spinner Usama Mir, who is four shy or breaching the 50-T20-wicket milestone. The process was overlooked by Muhammad Wasim, the national men’s chief selector, and High Performance Director Nadeem Khan.
The National T20 will resume on Wednesday after two-day gap with the top-ranked Sindh playing Balochistan and fourth-placed Northern taking on bottom-placed Southern Punjab.
Loaned players:
To Balochistan: Abdullah Shafique (from Central Punjab), Mohammad Mohsin (not in any squad), Sohail Akhtar (from Northern)
To Central Punjab: Sameen Gul (from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
To Southern Punjab: Usama Mir (not in any squad)
Central Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fined for maintaining slow over-rate
SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT
Rawalpindi (September 27, 2021):-Central Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been fined PKR 40,000 and PKR 25,000, respectively for maintaining a slow over-rate in the ongoing National T20.
Central Punjab were three overs short in the match against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were two overs short of their target in their match against Southern Punjab on Saturday.
Both teams were charged under Article 2.22 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel that deals with minimum over-rate offences.
Central Punjab captain Babar Azam pleaded guilty to the charge proposed by on-field umpires Ahmed Shahab and Aftab Gillani and accepted the sanction leveled by match referee Iqbal Sheikh.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Mohammad Rizwan pleaded guilty to the charge proposed by on-field umpires Ahmed Shahab and Imran Jawed and accepted the sanction leveled by match referee Iqbal Sheikh.
In two separate incidents, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shaheen Shah and Southern Punjab’s Azam Khan have been fined 40 per cent and 25 per cent of their match-fees, respectively for breaching the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel during their teams matches against Southern Punjab and Balochistan, respectively in the National T20 at Pindi Cricket Stadium.
Both players were found to have violated Article 2.8 of the PCB Code of Conduct (Level 1), which reads as: “Showing dissent at an Umpire’s decision during a Match.”
Azam and Shaheen pleaded guilty to the charges. Azam accepted the sanction proposed by on-field umpires Ghaffar Kazmi and Imran Jawed and leveled by match referee Nadeem Arshad.
Shaheen accepted the sanction proposed by on-field umpires Ahmed Shahab and Imran Jawed and leveled by match referee Nadeem Arshad.
Vaccination incentives for LPL fans
By BIPIN DANI (September 27, 2021):-Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board is considering opening gates for the fans for the forthcoming Lanka Premier League (LPL) matches, according to Prof. Arjuna de Silva, the chairman of the medical unit.
"We may allow 25% of spectators to watch the LPL matches with a condition that they all are fully vaccinated", he said over the telephone from Colombo on Monday morning.
The second edition of the LPL, Sri Lanka's biggest domestic T20 tournament, will run from December 4 to 23.
"The tournament is still more than two months away and we are assessing the situation and will then seek the country's health ministry approval for fans' entry".
"This will be a sort of an incentive for the people to get the required doses of vaccination. Young fans of the age group between 20-30 years are still concerned and this opportunity (entry at the stadium) will force them to be vaccinated", de Silva added.
Hussain Talat stars as Central Punjab outplay defending champions
SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT
Rawalpindi (September 26, 2021):-All-rounder Hussain Talat made a contribution with the bat, ball and in the field to spearhead Home City Central Punjab’s 43-run win over the defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the eighth fixture of the National T20 played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi on Sunday night.
After scoring an enterprising half-century, Hussain took two superb catches in the outfield before rounding-off his day with the crucial wicket of Sahibzada Farhan to ensure a much-needed win for his side.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were pegged back at the start of their 172-run chase as openers Israrullah and Mohammad Rizwan fell cheaply. Adil Amin and Musadiq Ahmed both fell ducks as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa crashed to 19 for four inside the first five overs.
Farhan (34 off 30 balls, three fours, one six) and Iftikhar Ahmed (22) tried to rescue the side with a 49-run fifth-wicket alliance, Iftikhar was dismissed by Wahab Riaz after hitting him for three consecutive boundaries.
All-rounder Mohammad Wasim Jnr used the long handle effectively in his 34 0ff 19 balls (three fours, three sixes). Wasim was also dismissed by Wahab who followed that up by sending back Asif Afridi in the same over.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was the last wicket to fall with Ahmed Shehzad taking a smart catch in the outfield, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 128 with 10 balls left unused.
Wahab took three wickets for 21 runs.
Earlier, Central Punjab captain Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bat first. Babar and Ahmed got the team to a flying start, the 42-run partnership ended with Babar’s dismissal for 16.
Ahmed scored 40 off 36 balls (four fours, one six). Muhammad Akhlaq contributed 24 off 19 balls (three fours).
Hussain took the attack to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowlers and after surviving a drop catch played a series of attacking shots all around the wicket. The left-hander added 75 runs for the fourth-wicket with the seasoned Shoaib Malik who was making his first appearance for Central Punjab. Hussain was dismissed by Shaheen for 51 off 26 balls (five fours, three sixes).
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowlers tightened the screws in the last two overs as Central Punjab could only add 10 runs while losing three wickets. Shoaib made 24 off 20 balls, Shaheen finished with two wickets for 39 runs. Israrullah, Asif, Wasim Jnr and Arshad Iqbal took a wicket apiece.
Meanwhile, the tournament enters a two-day break from tomorrow. A transfer window would be opened tomorrow (Monday) through which the coaches of the six teams can swap players who have not yet made an appearance in the tournament. The coaches will make the transfers in a meeting on Monday. The transfer window process will be supervised by Director High Performance Nadeem Khan and Chief Selector Muhammad Wasim.
This move has been designed to ensure maximum participation of players especially the ones who have warmed the bench so far.
Scores in Brief:
Home City Central Punjab beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 43 runs.
Home City Central Punjab 171-6, 20 overs (Hussain Talat 51, Ahmed Shehzad 40, Muhammad Akhlaq 24; Shaheen Shah Afridi 2-39)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 128 all out, 18.2 overs (Mohammad Wasim Jnr 34, Sahibzada Farhan 34; Wahab Riaz 3-21)
Player of the match: Hussain Talat
Wednesday’s matches:
Sindh vs Balochistan -3pm
Northern vs ATF Southern Punjab -7:30pm
National T20: Balochistan thrash Southern Punjab by seven wickets
ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL
Rawalpindi (September 26, 2021):-An unbeaten innings by Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 58 runs and a magical bowling spell by pacer Amad Butt (3-11) helped Balochistan to post their first triumph in the ongoing National T20 Cricket Cup 2021-22 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi on Sunday. It was ATF Southern Punjab’s third back-to-back defeat in the top national short version cricket fixture.
Opener Abdul Wahid Bangalzai anchored Balochistan’s 102-run chase which was made possible by an outstanding bowling and fielding effort aided by some poor shot selection by Southern Punjab batters in the first-half of the match.
The right-hander who represented Pakistan in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup last year scored an unbeaten 58 off 55 balls (five fours, one six) as Balochistan overhauled the target with 16 balls to spare.
Bangalzai added 57 runs for the second-wicket with wicketkeeper-batsman Bismillah Khan who contributed 28 off 29 balls (two fours).
Naseem Shah, Khushdil Shah and Hassan Khan took a wicket apiece for Southern Punjab who now have all the work to do in the remainder of the tournament.
Earlier, Balochistan skipper Imam-ul-Haq asked Southern Punjab to bat first after winning the toss. Southern Punjab lost opener Zain Abbas (0) to Khurram Shahzad in the opening over.
Captain Sohaib Maqsood and Zeeshan Ashraf added 45 runs for the second-wicket, Sohaib who top-scored for his side with 24 fell to Amad Butt. Zeeshan fell to Yasir Shah soon after for 18.
Southern Punjab kept losing wickets at regular intervals as Balochistan bowlers and fielders took charge of the match. Bismillah also took two outstanding catches behind the stumps. The Southern Punjab middle-order of Khushdil (6), Azam Khan (1) and Hassan (19) failed to impress.
The side folded for the lowest score of the ongoing National T20 tournament with 13 balls of their 20 overs left unused.
Amad Butt (player of the match) took three wickets for 11 while Yasir took three for 19. Umaid took two wickets for 14 runs, Kashif Bhatti and Khurram took a wicket apiece for Balochistan.
Scores in Brief:
Balochistan beat ATF Southern Punjab by seven wickets
ATF Southern Punjab 101 all out, 17.5 overs (Sohaib Maqsood 24, Hassan Khan 19; Amad Butt 3-11, Yasir Shah 3-19, Umaid Asif 2-14)
Balochistan 102-3, 17.2 overs (Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 58 not out, Bismillah Khan 28; Naseem Shah 1-10)
Player of the match: Amad Butt
Wednesday’s matches:
Sindh vs Balochistan -3pm
Northern vs ATF Southern Punjab -7:30pm
Dahani, Sarfaraz, Sharjeel and Anwar give big win to Sindh
SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT
Rawalpindi (September 25, 2021):-GFS Sindh won a low scoring thriller against Northern by four wickets to record their second successive victory in the National T20 (2021-22) at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi on Saturday night.
Sindh batters were forced to work hard for the 137-run target that Northern had set them. Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed (player of the match) added 45 runs for the sixth-wicket with Anwar Ali who for the second consecutive day played the finisher’s act fittingly for Sindh.
Sarfaraz who anchored the chase, remained undefeated on 42 off 41 balls (five fours), the right-hander hit the winning boundary off Haris Rauf’s penultimate over of the match. Anwar hit three fours and one six in his 31 off 23 balls before falling to Haris with the scores level.
Sharjeel Khan provided Sindh a flying start with a typically aggressive 43 off 25 balls (seven fours, one six). The left-hander was dismissed by Imad Wasim who took two wickets for 22 runs in his four overs.
Shan Masood (4), Khurram Manzoor (1) and Saud Shakeel (8) fell in quick succession as Sindh stumbled to 36 for three from 26 for no loss.
Batting first, Northern were bowled out for 136 runs with three balls to spare. From the start of the innings, Northern were put under pressure by Sindh’s accurate and penetrative bowling. Umar Amin (18) fell to pacer Mohammad Hasnain, Hasnain took an outstanding backwards running catch to send Zeeshan Malik packing.
Haider Ali (8), Shadab Khan (7) and Asif Ali (10) failed to get going as the Northern middle-order crumbled. All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz who was sent to bat at number four top-scored with 30 off 34 balls (two sixes).
Imad (18) and Haris (19 off nine balls, two sixes, one four) helped Northern get past the 130-run mark as Sindh maintained the pressure by taking wickets at regular intervals despite some big hits by Imad and Haris.
Shahnawaz Dahani who was named HBL Pakistan Super League’s best bowler earlier this year, produced another stellar T20 performance by taking three wickets for 26 runs in four overs. Leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood took two for 25 while Hasnain grabbed two for 40.
Scores in Brief:
GFS Sindh beat Northern by four wickets
Northern 136 all out, 19.3 overs (Mohammad Nawaz 30, Haris Rauf 19, Imad Wasim 18; Shahnawaz Dahani 3-26, Zahid Mahmood 2-25)
GFS Sindh 140-6, 19 overs (Sharjeel Khan 43, Sarfaraz Ahmed 42 not out, Anwar Ali 31; Imad Wasim 2-22, Haris Rauf 2-28)
Player of the match: Sarfaraz Ahmed
Sunday’s matches:
Balochistan vs ATF Southern Punjab -3pm
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Home City Central Punjab -7:30pm
National T20: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa outclass Southern Punjab
ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL
Rawalpindi (September 25, 2021):-Two half centuries, Sahibzada Farhan (73) and Mohammad Rizwan helped Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to register a 7-wicket win against ATF Southern Punjab in the 5th Game of ongoing National T20 Cricket Cuo at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi on Saturday.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa demonstrated they were the team to beat in the National T20 when they produced a clinical performance to defeat ATF Southern Punjab by seven wickets in the fifth match of the tournament at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
In daylight, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fast bowlers shared nine wickets between them to dismiss Southern Punjab for 152 in 19.4 overs. Under lights, Mohammad Rizwan and Sahibzada Farhan stitched a 136-run second wicket partnership as the defending champions cantered to victory with two balls to spare.
The results gave Khyber Pakhtunkhwa their second victory in as many matches, while it left Southern Punjab winless after two matches. The two sides will meet in a return match at the Gaddafi Stadium on 10 October.
Farhan had joined Rizwan after Naseem Shah trapped Fakhar Zaman in front of the stumps at the score of four. Both batters departed on successive balls, but by that time only 13 runs were required off 17 balls, including six off the last over, which Adil Amin and Iftikhar Ahmed achieved without being separated.
Farhan scored a 49-ball 73 with six fours and four sixes, while Rizwan struck six fours and a six in a 47-ball 64.
Earlier, Imran Khan Snr, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim combined to bowl out Southern Punjab for 152. Only a fighting and impressive 54 by Imran Randhawa and a rapid 14-ball 25 by Hassan Khan saved Southern Punjab’s blushes.
Imran returned figures of 3.4-0-28-4, while Shaheen had figures of 4-0-34-3. Wasim picked up two wickets for 32 runs and Asif Afridi claimed the other wicket.
Imran Randhawa’s maiden half-century off 46 balls included seven fours and a six, while Hassan hit four fours.
Scores in Brief:
Match 5 – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat ATF Southern Punjab by seven wickets
ATF Southern Punjab 152 all out, 19.4 overs (Imran Randhawa 54, Hassan Khan 25, Khushdil Shah 24; Imran Khan Snr 4-28, Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-34, Mohammad Wasim 2-32)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 153-3, 19.4 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 73, Mohammad Rizwan 64; Naseem Shah 2-27)
Player of the match – Imran Khan Snr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Sunday fixtures:
Balochistan v ATF Southern Punjab – 3pm
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Home City Central Punjab – 7.30pm
"Man" to miss in cricket
By BIPIN DANI
The male and the female cricketers who score runs on field will no longer be called as batsmen or the batswomen but the common term batters will be used for them.
The change has been proposed by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which governs the laws of cricket in the world. India's former Test cricketer Diana Edulji has welcomed the move.
"I was expecting this long back. It matches with the other terminologies bowler n fielder etc. Batter/Batters is the right word to use", she said.
Incidentally, Edulji was also a member of the Supreme Court appointee administrator for the Indian cricket board.
"Now all commentators should also use this word immediately as both men are playing in the IPL and women are playing bilateral matches all over", Edulji, who played 20 Tests and 34 ODIs for the women's team, added.
India's another ex-player of the women's team Purnima Rau goes one step further and suggests the other male-specific terminology of the game should also be changed.
"If one word batter is changed then effort should also be made to change everything else into a gender neutral word like 12th man, third man, night watchman etc".
The end result is when we play this wonderful game we derive as much pleasure as the male counterparts", Rau, who coached the women's team, argued.
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