Cricket
MI Emirates beat Sharjah Warriorz by four runs
Sharjah (Sports News): The MI Emirates suffered a late scare but eventually pulled through courtesy an impressive final over from Romario Shepherd as they secured a four-run win over the Sharjah Warriorz at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday. UAE star Mohammad Waseem was the highest run-getter for MI Emirates, scoring 39 runs in 29 balls, including two fours and as many sixes. However, it was Tom Banton (32 off 21) and Romario Shepherd, who smashed an unbeaten 31 off 10 balls, including one four and four sixes. This took the score to 185, ensuring that Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Sikander Raza’s half-centuries went in vain. With the ball, Adil Rashid took 3 for 32 for the Warriorz. Batting first, MI Emirates started on a cautious note, with Jonny Bairstow (37 off 24) hitting their first six of the innings only in the third over. That shot sparked a brief surge as they reached 49 without loss at the end of the powerplay, before Junaid Siddique made the breakthrough with the wicket of Bairstow in the next over.Waseem then took charge of the batting, rotating the strike and finding the odd boundary, but Adil Rashid turned the game on its head by dismissing Nicholas Pooran (5 off 12) and removing Waseem two balls later.At 119/3 after 15 overs, MI Emirates needed a strong finish. Banton joined the attack with a crucial 32 off 21 balls, including two fours and one six, anchoring the innings. Shakib Al Hasan (16 off 12) was retired out for skipper Kieron Pollard (4 off 2), while Banton fell soon after to give Rashid his third wicket of the night.Late fireworks came from USA’s Tajinder Singh (17 off 8), who struck Rashid for two sixes in his final over, before Maheesh Theekshana removed Pollard. Shepherd then powered the closing stages, smashing two sixes in the final over to lift MI Emirates to a competitive 185.The Warriorz started the second innings with a spring in their step. Johnson Charles (15 off 13) hit three fours, but Naveen-ul-Haq got the early breakthrough, and Shubham Ranjane (6 off 7) followed soon after, shifting momentum in MI Emirates’ favour. Tim David (13 off 7) hit Fazalhaq Farooqi for three consecutive fours but the Afghan bowler had the last laugh, rattling his stumps to reduce the Warriorz to 48/3 at the end of the powerplay.Kohler-Cadmore then found support from the experienced Raza. The Zimbabwean played the role of the aggressor, finding the regular boundary but also rotating the strike in an able fashion. He backed up his batting with a well-earned half century off just 26 balls, completing the achievement with a six off Shepherd’s bowling. The duo shared a 103-run stand in just 59 balls before Allah Ghazanfar provided the much-needed breakthrough by dismissing Raza. He then struck again with the very next delivery to bowl Dwaine Pretorius, sealing a two-wicket maiden and giving the MI Emirates a crucial lifeline.Kohler-Cadmore also reached his half-century in 40 balls, but the pressure was on the Warriorz, who needed 21 runs in in final two overs. Kohler-Cadmore followed in the next over off Zahoor Khan’s bowling, putting the onus on MI Emirates. Shepherd then closed out the game in the final over with some brilliant death bowling, securing their first win of the season.Brief Scores;MI Emirates 185/8 in 20 overs (Muhammad Waseem 39, Jonny Bairstow 37, Adil Rashid 3 for 32, Tim Southee 1 for 26)Sharjah Warriorz 181/7 (Sikander Raza 64, Tom Kohler-Cadmore 51, Allah Ghazanfar 2 for 21, Naveen-ul-Haq 2 for 29)
UAE’s 15-member squad announced for Men’s U19 Asia Cup
Dubai (Sports News): All-rounder Yayin Rai will lead the 15-member UAE squad for the DP World Men’s U19 Asia Cup (50-overs) which will be played at the ICC Academy Oval and the Sevens Ground (both venues in Dubai) from 11 December to 21 December. UAE are placed in Group A with India, Pakistan and Malaysia. They start their tournament campaign against India on Friday, 12 December at the ICC Academy Oval. UAE next play Malaysia at the Sevens Ground on Sunday, 14 December. Their third group match is against Pakistan which will be played at the ICC Academy Oval on Tuesday, 16 December. The semi-finals will be played on 19 December. The tournament decider will be played on Sunday, 21 December at the ICC Academy Oval.All tournament matches will begin at 9:00am local time. *UAE squad for DP World Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2025:* Yayin Rai (captain), Ahmed Khodadad, Aliasgar Shums, Ayaan Misbah, Karan Dhiman, Muhammad Bazil Asim, Naseem Khan, Noorullah Ayobi, Prithvi Madhu, Rayan Khan, Saleh Amin, Shalom D’ Souza, Uddish Suri, Yug Sharma and Zainullah Rahmani. Support Staff: Naveed Ahmed (head coach), Zahoor Khan (assistant coach), Azharuddin Qureshi (strength and conditioning coach), Manpreet Sidhu (video analyst) and Manish Pradeshi (physiotherapist). U19 Asia Cup (Schedule)Friday, 12 December – India vs UAE – 9:00am, ICC Academy Oval, DubaiSunday, 14 December – UAE vs Malaysia – 9:00am, Sevens Ground, DubaiTuesday, 16 December – Pakistan vs UAE – 9:00am, ICC Academy Oval, DubaiFriday, 19 December – Semi-Finals, ICC Academy Oval and Sevens Ground, DubaiSunday, 21 December – Final, ICC Academy Oval Dubai.
T20: Bangladesh beat Pakistan by seven wickets
Cox’s Bazar (Sports News): Bangladesh Women’s U19 beat Pakistan Women’s U19 by seven wickets in the third match of the five-match T20 series at the Cox’s Bazar Academy Ground on Sunday.After opting to bat first, Pakistan managed to score 86 for eight in their 20 overs. Captain Eman Naseer provided a brisk start with a 16-ball 23, striking five fours. However, regular wickets halted momentum as Pakistan slipped to 31 for five in the seventh over.Zoofishan Ayyaz (14, 33b, 2x4s), Rozina Akram (8, 14b, 1x4) and Mahnoor Zaib (12, 15b, 1x4) attempted to rebuild, while Memoona Khalid returned unbeaten on 18 off 25 balls, which included two fours to guide the side past 80. For Bangladesh, Otoshi Mojumder and Habiba Islam Pinky claiming two wickets each.In turn, Bangladesh achieved the 87-run target in 13.3 overs. Despite losing two early wickets for eight runs, the hosts recovered through an unbeaten 30 from Achena Jannat Emanta.Captain Sadia Islam scored 35 off 28 balls with three fours and three sixes to steer her side to win. For Pakistan, Mahnoor Zaib, Memoona Khalid, Rozina Akram bagged one wicket apiece.With today’s win, the hosts lead the five-match series 2-1. The fourth match will take place on 10 December, followed by fifth match on 12 December.Scores in brief:Pakistan 86-8, 20 overs (Eman Naseer 23; Otoshi Mojumder 2-12, Habiba Islam Pinky 2-25)Bangladesh 87-3, 13.3 overs (Sadia Islam 35, Achena Jannat Emanta 30 not out)Player of the match – Sadia Islam (Bangladesh)
Nissanka’s half-century guides Gulf Giants to 4-wicket win over Dubai Capitals
Dubai (Sports News): Another fiery half-century from Pathum Nissanka scripted the Gulf Giants four-wicket victory over the Dubai Capitals at the DP World ILT20 Season 4. Nissanka (67 off 31) joined James Vince (50* off 45) in a match-winning partnership of 97 runs in 60 balls to chase down the target of 161 for a second consecutive win. Nissanka thumped six four and five sixes as the Gulf Giants moved to the top of the points table.Earlier, Azmatullah Omarzai led the charge with the ball, returning figures of 3/46 to restrict the Capitals to a competitive total. While several Capitals batters got starts, it was skipper Dasun Shanaka (23* off 9) lifted the tempo at the death with a late flurry.Despite losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz (9 off 6) early, the Giants’ reply gathered momentum quickly. Nissanka took aim at James Neesham in the fourth over, hammering three sixes and a boundary as the Giants motored to 60/1 at the end of the powerplay.While Vince played the quieter knock, Nissanka raced to a 23-ball half-century with five fours and four sixes.The momentum halted briefly when the Giants lost two wickets in consecutive overs. Mustafizur Rahman picked up his second wicket of the night, to account for Nissanka in the 12th over. Shanaka scalped Moeen Ali soon after leaving the Giants at 112/3.Omarzai (14 off 12) and Tom Moores (13 off 8) made handy contributions as Vince completed a 45-ball half-century and took the Giants home in 18.5 overs.In the first innings, Azmatullah Omarzai struck early to remove Shayan Jahangir (12 off 11) in the second over but Opener Sediqullah Atal (35 off 25) and David Willey (29 off 28) put on a crucial stand of 61 runs for the second wicket. Sediqullah’s innings saw two fours and two sixes until he was removed by Moeen Ali in the 10th over to leave the Capitals at 75/2.Willey and Gulbadin Naib (10 off 15) went in quick succession, with Liam Dawson dismissing Willey and Aayan Afzal Khan scalping Naib in the 14th over. The Capitals innings had faltered between the 10th and 14th over, only managing 18 runs during the phase.Jordan Cox (31 off 17) and James Neesham (16* off 13) energised the innings with a rapid partnership of 41 runs in 22 balls.Cox was looking dangerous with two fours and two sixes under his belt, but Omarzai returned to pick up the wickets of Cox and Rovman Powell (0 off 2) in the 18th over. Omarzai finished as the leading wicket taker with figures of 3/46, also leading the race for the White Belt (Best bowler/most wickets). Skipper Dasun Shanaka (23* off 9) finished the innings with two consecutive sixes in a 19-run over.Gulf Giants captain, Moeen Ali said:“The fact that we got the points, and we feel we can play better is a good thing. We squeezed them with the ball in the middle overs. Nissanka is a brilliant player and one of the top players in every format. Vince is also a quality player. He just did the job and played the situation well.”Reflecting on the loss, captain of the Dubai Capitals, Dasun Shanaka said:“Nissanka’s in the form of his life. He's amazing because he is so small, and yet he hits the ball so far. He's going to give trouble to a lot of teams in this tournament. We could have shown a little more intent with the bat in that middle period. We didn't try to find the gaps; rather than waiting to hit the long ball, we needed to rotate the strike. Rovman Powell and I probably could have gone a bit earlier, and we might get this right in the next game."
Saim Ayub regains No.1 T20I All-Rounder position in latest Rankings
Islamabad (Sports News): Left handed batter and right arm bowler Saim Ayub has reclaimed the number one all-rounder position in the latest ICC T20 Ranking. He reached career-best rating points of 295 as he moved past Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza after taking a wicket for 17 in his four overs before striking 36 for Pakistan in the final of the Tri-Series against Sri Lanka.Ayub’s movements also include a 12-slot leap to 39th in the bowlers’ list and a move by two places to 35th in the batters’ list.The biggest move in T20Is this week came from Sri Lanka’s Kamil Mishara who rocketed up 91 slots to 18th place in the batters’ list thanks to successive innings of 76 and 59 against Pakistan propelled him into the world’s top 20 batters for the first time.Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis is two slots behind him in 20th place from 22nd last week. Bangladesh’s Parvez Hossain made a big move this week, advancing 21 places to 38th in their 2-1 home series win against Ireland thanks to scores of 43 and 33 not out in the last two matches.Ayub’s teammate Abrar Ahmed’s successful Tri-Series enabled him to continue his march up the bowling table, he now lies fourth, just eight points behind Jacob Duffy in second place.Also enjoying rewards this week is Mohammad Nawaz – Player of the Series in the Tri-Series – who is at a career-best 11th.India super star, Virat Kohli’s 83rd international century came against South Africa in the first ODI of their three-match series in Ranchi. His glorious 135 from 120 deliveries, moved him one place to fourth in the ODI batters’ list, with his 751 rating points just 32 behind teammate Rohit Sharma at the top of the list.India’s stand-in captain, KL Rahul moved two slots to joint 14th after his 56-ball 60 in their 17-run triumph over the visitors.Matthew Breetzke is in joint-30th position thanks to his innings of 72 and boasts 614 runs in his first ten ODIs, the second-highest tally in history, and only behind his countryman Janneman Malan, who made 645.This week’s update also includes movements in the Men’s Test Player Rankings following South Africa’s historic two-nil ICC World Test Championship series win in India. Their massive, 408-run victory in Guwahati saw rewards for some of their standout players.Marco Jansen climbed four slots to a career-best second place in the all-rounders’ list. He rose five places to fifth among the bowlers and leaped 21 slots to 75th in the batting rankings thanks to his 93-run knock in the first innings.Senuran Muthusamy’s maiden Test century helped him climb 28 places to 63rd, while his teammates Kyle Verreynne (up three slots to 38th), Ryan Rickelton (up five to 39th), Tony de Zorzi (up five slots to 45th) and Tristan Stubbs (up 16 slots to 47th) also made progress up the charts.Simon Harmer – having started the series in 45th place, now finds himself just outside the world’s top ten bowlers, as his nine-wicket match haul moved him up 13 places in the week to 11th place.Ravindra Jadeja reached career-best batting points tally of 653 and highest position of 23rd after his second-innings half-century.
T20: Pakistan Women U19 beat Bangladesh Women U19 by 13 runs
Cox’s Bazar (Sports News): Pakistan Women U19 registered a thrilling 13-run win over Bangladesh Women U19 in the first T20 at the Cox’s Bazar Academy Ground on Wednesday. The second T20 of the five-match series will be played at the same venue on Friday, 5 December.After opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 88 all out in 19.4 overs, a total built largely around captain Eman Naseer’s composed 30 off 41 balls. Her 66-minute knock, marked by patience and control on a challenging surface, held the innings together as wickets fell at regular intervals.Areesha Ansari provided valuable support with 22 off 23 balls, including a four and a six.Bangladesh bowler Jarin Tasnem Labonno claimed four wickets for 14 runs, with Habiba Islam Pinky picking up two wickets.Chasing 89, Bangladesh lost wickets at regular intervals. Captain Aritry Nirjona Mondol top-scored with 20, but lacked substantial support from her partners. Pakistan’s bowlers led by Shehr Bano with figures of 3-27, struck at crucial moments to prevent the hosts from building partnerships. Rozina Akram and Memoona Khalid bagged two wickets each, while sharp fielding contributed two vital run outs.Bangladesh were bowled out for 75 in 19.5 overs, handing Pakistan a 13-run victory as they held their nerve in the final overs.Scores in brief:Pakistan 88 all out, 19.4 overs (Eman Naseer 30, Areesha Ansari 22; Jarin Tasnem Labonno 4-14, Habiba Islam Pinky 2-22)Bangladesh 75 all out, 19.5 overs (Aritry Nairjona Mondol 20; Shehr Bano 3-27, Rozina Akram 2-5, Memoona Khalid 2-13)Player of the match – Eman Naseer (Pakistan)
U19 Women: Pakistan, Bangladesh T20 Series starts on December 3
Cox’s Bazar (Sports News): Pakistan’s Eman Naseer and Bangladesh’s Sadia Islam will lead their respective U19 teams in the five-match T20 series from Wednesday as they look to kick-start the preparations for the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup 2027 to be held in Nepal and Bangladesh. The series is set to be played on 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12 December at the Cox’s Bazar Academy Ground in Bangladesh. All the five matches are set to begin at 12.30pm PKT with the toss taking place at 12pm. The action will be streamed live on BCB YouTube channel. Pakistan Women’s U19 arrived in Bangladesh in the wee hours of Sunday before taking part in two training sessions at the venue. The team underwent a two-week intensive pre-series training camp at Karachi’s Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre.Skipper Eman, Raahima Syed, Aqsa Habib, Ayesha Riaz and Barirah Saif will be making their Women’s U19 debuts, while the other players in the squad have represented the team previously as well. Speaking exclusively on the eve of the series, Pakistan captain Eman said, “Our squad is quite balanced with good combination of pacers and spinners who bring variety to it. The batters have looked in good rhythm throughout the training sessions and we looking forward to the series.”On being appointed leader of the side Eman expressed that she relishes the challenge of captaincy and, “I like to lead from front. The team management and the players have been really supportive, which has made my job relatively easy but I’m excited to do it at international level and see how it goes.” Pakistan 15-member squad: Eman Naseer (captain), Aleesa Mukhtiar, Aqsa Habib, Areesha Ansari, Ayesha Riaz, Barirah Saif, Fizza Fiaz, Komal Khan (wicket-keeper), Mahnoor Zeb, Memoona Khalid, Raahima Syed, Ravail Farhan, Rozina Akram, Shahar Bano and Zoofishan AyyazBangladesh 15-member squad: Sadia Islam (captain), Achena Jannat Emanta (wicket-keeper), Aritry Mondol Nirjona, Boby Khatun, Farjana Easmin, Habiba Islam Pinky, Jarin Tasnem Labonno, Kumari Sraboni Rani Shil, Lamiya Mreda, Mymuna Naher Shornamoni, Otoshi Mojumder, Rumana Ahmed, Sadia Akter, Sadiya Nusrat and Sumaiya Akhter Suborna (wicket-keeper)Pakistan v Bangladesh Women’s U19 T20 series: (All matches at Cox’s Bazar Academy Ground, Bangladesh)1st T20 – 3 December2nd T20 – 5 December3rd T20 – 7 December4th T20 – 10 December5th T20 – 12 December
Australia beat Pakistan by 7 wicketd in Over-40s T20 World Champion final
Karachi (Sports News): In a thrilling final of the IMC Over-40s T20 World Cup 2025 at the National Bank Stadium, Australia defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets to claim the title. Despite a decent all-round performance by Fawad Alam, his efforts were insufficient to steer Pakistan to victory. After winning the toss, the unbeaten Pakistani side elected to bat first. Humayun Farhat and Abdul Razzaq opened the innings. Pakistan posted a total of 150 for 9 in their 20 overs. Fawad Alam and Nadeem Javed made contributions of 24 runs each. On the bowling front, Australian fast bowler Mark Cleary was the pick, claiming five wickets while conceding just 22 runs.In response, Australia chased down the target in the 19th over with only three wickets down. Steve Nottle produced a fine 47 off 40 balls to steer his side home. Among other notable performers, Steven Paulsen scored a composed 42, while Nasir Jalil remained unbeaten at 25. From the Pakistani camp, Fawad Alam also chipped in with the ball, taking 2 wickets for 16 runs. Mark Cleary was declared Player of the Match.Humayun Farhat ended as the leading run-scorer, hit the most sixes and was deservedly named Best Batsman of the Tournament. Mark Cleary (Australia) ended as the most successful bowler of the tournament with 19 wickets in 7 innings. Additional honours: Antonnel Atwell (West Indies) was named Player of the Tournament, Khalid Qureshi (Hong Kong) was awarded Best Wicket-keeper and Harshad Ghodke (Rest of the World) was declared Best Fielder.At the conclusion of the final, trophies and awards were presented by International Masters Cricket Chairman, Stirling Hamman and Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association Chairman, Fawad Ijaz Khan. The ceremony was attended by other PVCA Officials and dignitaries.
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in T20 Tri-Nation final
Abdul Jabbar FaisalRawalpindi: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 6 wicket in the final of the Tri-nation T20I series as they chased the 115-run target with eight balls to spare here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday night.Apart from the last league game, Pakistan bagged four wins in the series and took their total wins in T20Is to 21 in the ongoing year – the most triumphs recorded by Pakistan in a year since playing its first game in August 2006.Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan (23, 22b, 2x4s, 1x6) provided Pakistan a steady start with a 46-run opening stand before Eshan Malinga drew first blood for Sri Lanka in eighth over. Saim departed in the 12th over after scoring 36 off 33 balls, which included six fours.Babar saw off the chase with an unbeaten knock of 37 involving two fours and a solitary six facing 34 balls. Sri Lanka’s Pavan Rathnayake dismissed Salman Ali Agha (14, 14b, 2x4s) and Fakhar Zaman in 16th and 18th over in a late resurgence with the ball but in vain.Earlier, Sri Lanka’s innings collapsed in a spectacular manner as they were asked to bat first and slipped from 98-2 to 114 all out as Pakistan’s spin trio of Mohammad Nawaz (3-17), Abrar Ahmed (2-18) and Saim Ayub (1-17) returned combined figures of 6-52.Shaheen Shah Afridi castled Pathum Nissanka for 11 in the third over to give Pakistan the first breakthrough before Kamil Mishara and Kusal Mendis stitched a 47-ball 64-run stand.Mishara threatened to lay the base for a big total for Sri Lanka too as he struck four sixes and two fours during his 47-ball stay at the crease. Player of the match and series, Mohammad Nawaz – who also finished with 10-102 in the series - began Sri Lanka’s 9-30 collapse with the wicket of Mendis in 11th over.Sri Lanka’s slump was so swift that none of the batters from four to 11 entered double figures or managed even a single boundary as they folded for 114 in 19.1 overs. Babar claimed three catches in the field and overtook the record of most catches by a fielder for Pakistan in the format (60) overtaking Fakhar Zaman’s 57.On the pace front, Shaheen – playing only the second game of the series – returned figures of 3-1-18-3, while Mohammad Salman Mirza picked up one wicket.Scores in brief:Tri-nation T20I series – Final – Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets at Rawalpindi Cricket StadiumSri Lanka 114 all out, 19.1 overs (Kamil Mishara 59; Mohammad Nawaz 3-17, Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-18, Abrar Ahmed 2-18)Pakistan 118-4, 18.4 overs (Babar Azam 37 not out, Saim Ayub 36, Sahibzada Farhan 23; Pavan Rathnayake 2-11)Player of the match and series – Mohammad Nawaz (Pakistan).
Shifa International beat Sea Warriors by five wickets in a friendly match
Islamabad (PR): Shifa International Hospitals Islamabad beat Sea Warriors Cricket Team Islamabad by five wickets in the Cricket match here at Navy Cricket XI Ground Islamabad. Shifa International Captain Ibrar Ikhlaq won the toss and invited to bat first Sea Warriors, Sea Warrior hit up 193 for the loss of 8 wickets in the allotted 25 overs. Asmat (58), Ahtisham (38), Mauzam (28) and Jawad (26) were the key contributors. Shifa International Mohammad Hashir Azeem (4 for 14), Abdul Rauf (2 for 19) and Captain Ibrar Akhlaq (2 for 34) were the other main wicket-takers. In reply, Shifa International achieved the target in the 25st over for the loss of five wickets. Batsman Mohammad Hashir Azeem (60), Captain Ibrar Akhlaq (33), Imran Shah (20), Mohammad Ikram (19) and Harris Ali (17) were their leading run-getters. Mohammad Hashir Azeem declared “Man of the Match” for his impressive Performance.
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