Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-Adelaide Oval’s chief curator Damien Hough inspected the National Stadium Karachi outfield and square today (Friday) and interacted with the curator and ground staff as part of his tour of Pakistan. Karachi is the third venue that Hough has visited after his visits to Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore and the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. Hough would be spending the weekend in Karachi. Besides the NSK square and outfield, Hough will also take a close look and provide his recommendation and feedback on the two Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre grounds that are located inside the NSK perimeter. Like Lahore and Rawalpindi, Hough will also deliver lectures on pitch and outfield preparation for all formats of the game. In addition to the NSK and the high performance centre ground staff and curator, the lectures will be attended by Sindh Cricket Association coaches as part of Pakistan Cricket Board’s plan of improving the knowledge and skillset of its coaches at different tiers across the country. Hough meanwhile has praised the passion and commitment of the ground staff in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi and has stressed on the importance of his visit which for him is all about collaboration, learning and sharing of ideas. “This is the third Test centre that I am visiting and so far, I have really been impressed by the passion and commitment of ground staff in Pakistan and the team in Karachi is no different. For me, the trip is a lot about exchanging ideas, collaboration and figuring out how things are done in Pakistan and how they compare to Adelaide and Australia. “A lot of credit goes to the PCB for initiating this exchange, I am very impressed by their commitment to improving the pitches and grounds. This pitch relaying project in Lahore and Karachi is a testament of the willingness that the PCB has shown and I am sure it will go a long way in developing quality pitches.” Hough who has been associated with the Adelaide Oval for more than 10 years and is widely regarded as one of the world’s best curators with 26 years’ experience in the field. According to Hough, a good cricket pitch is one that offers a good balance between bat and ball. For long format games, 300 runs and 10 wickets is an indicator of sorts of a good cricket pitch. “A good wicket is one that provides opportunities to both batters and bowlers. Back home we have an indicator of sorts of 300 runs and 10 wickets in a day for a long format pitch.” Hough also expressed his excitement on the PCB’s experiment of using Australian soil for pitches in Karachi and Lahore. The soil is set to reach Karachi in a week’s time. A pitch each at the NSK, Naya Nazimabad Cricket Ground (Karachi), GSL and National High Performance Centre (Lahore) will be prepared with the imported Australian soil. “I believe it is an exciting initiative and an experiment that is worth having a close look at. The pitches prepared with the Australian soil will provide a great opportunity to Pakistan players before a tour of Australia in terms of their preparations for the pitches there. Once again, the PCB deserves credit for this initiative, I feel that there will be a lot to learn and observe once the pitches are laid and are ready for cricket.”

Bipin Dani Apparently Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has allowed the wives of the married players to join the team hotel during the ongoing Tests series against Pakistan. Of course, the players having small kids have not joined. It is in contrast to the Pakistan players, none of them or their support staff have brought family on this tour. Sri Lankan spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and his wife missed each other most on their wedding anniversary on Thursday. "Thursday marks our 4th wedding Anniversary and the 2nd time we are not celebrating it together. Last year also, because of the Covid at its peak, I was not with him", his wife, Rsmisha Mirando, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo said.  "I really miss him on this day and wish he could be here at least for few hours. But unfortunately due to the current situation here in SL we cannot do that. But anyway I am truly happy and honored to be his wife and really proud on his recent achievements. That’s the best gift we got for our anniversary", she, the housewife and a mother of a 3-year-old daughter added. Prabath has grabbed 21 wickets in his first four Test innings. "I am looking forward to the best in coming years from him", she signed off.

Sports Bulletin Report Galle (Sri Lanka):-Due to a knee injury sustained on the fourth day of the first Test, Shaheen Afridi will miss the second Test, which will be played in Galle from 24 July. According to an official of Pakistan team, He (Afridi) will stay with the Test side in Sri Lanka, where his initial rehabilitation and management will continue under the supervision of the team’s medical staff.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen has attained a career-best third position in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings after his superb century in the first ODI against England at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday. The 33-year-old has gained three slots after smashing 134 off 117 balls against England, for which he was named Player of the Match. Van der Dussen has also been in the top five in T20Is, ranked fourth in June last year. Aiden Markram, who also played an important part in the 62-run win for South Africa, has moved up 15 slots to 61st after his knock of 77 while opener Janneman Malan is up one place to joint-35th with a score of 57. David Miller’s 24 runs see him move up three places to 24th. Fast bowler Anrich Nortje has reached 61st position, his haul of four for 53 lifting him 18 slots. For England, Jason Roy has moved up one slot to 16th position among batters after scoring 43 against South Africa and 41 in the last match of the series against India. His team-mate David Willey has moved up two slots to 35th among bowlers. India’s architects of an impressive five-wicket win in Manchester that helped clinch the series against England, have surged up the rankings too. Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 125 off 113 balls has lifted him 25 places to 52nd while Hardik Pandya has progressed from 50th to 42nd after his 55-ball 71. Pandya is also up 25 places to 70th among bowlers for his haul of four 24 while leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has advanced four places to reach 16th position after grabbing three for 60. Others to move up the ODI rankings for batters this week include Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal (up two places to 17th) and Liton Das (up two places to 30th), West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran (up four places to joint-35th), Scotland’s Calum MacLeod (up three places to 48th) and Namibia’s Gerhard Erasmus (up 21 places to 86th). The list of bowlers sees Jasprit Bumrah cede top place to New Zealand’s Trent Boult after missing the last match, while Matt Henry has moved up one place to seventh. West Indies fast bowler Alazarri Joseph (up three places to 18th), New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner (up two places to 23rd), Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane (up six places to 33rd) and Scotland seamer Safyaan Sharif (up four places to 56th) are others to progress. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, New Zealand batter Glenn Phillips has advanced five places to reach 30th position after his Player of the Match effort of 69 not out in the first match of their series against Ireland while fast bowler Lockie Ferguson has progressed 25 slots to 40th with a haul of four for 14.

Sports Bulletin Report Galle (Sri Lanka):-Featuring in only the sixth Test of his career, opener Abdullah Shafique produced an innings for the ages to spearhead Pakistan’s record setting 342-run chase as the Babar Azam-led side completed a four wicket victory on the fifth and final day of the first Test of the ICC World Test Championship match against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium on Wednesday. Pakistan comfortably beat the previous highest chase at Galle - Sri Lanka’s 268 (2019) against New Zealand to set a new venue record of 344. Pakistan have now chased down four 300 plus scores in their Test history, three of the chases have been against Sri Lanka with the 377 for three at Pallekele in 2015, the highest. Abdullah’s heroic knock is now the second highest for Pakistan in a fourth innings chase behind Younis Khan’s 171 not out at Pallekele. Resuming at the overnight score of 222 for three, the pair of Abdullah and Mohammad Rizwan survived some anxious moments in the first hour of play. Both batters were challenged by the wearing pitch, probing bowling and enthusiastic Sri Lankan bowlers and fielders who were ready to appeal whenever the ball hit the pad or was caught by a close-in fielder. Sri Lanka burned their two remaining reviews in their desperate search of a wicket. Both batters however kept chipping away at the target with smart rotation of strike and the odd boundary. Pakistan progressed to 276 when Rizwan was eventually dislodged by Jayasuria for a resolute 40 off 74 balls (two fours). Rizwan and Abdullah added 71 vital runs for the fourth-wicket. Debutant Salman Ali Agha perished on the stroke of lunch for 12 with Pakistan placed at 298 for five, 44 runs shy of the target. Abdullah was joined by Hasan Ali post-lunch as Pakistan pursued quick runs, Hasan (5) though fell to Dhananjaya de Silva while attempting a big hit, Pakistan were then 39 runs short of the target. Mohammad Nawaz (19 not out) provided solid support to Abdullah who benefited from a dropped chance by Kasun Rajitha at mid-wicket shortly after crossing the 150-mark. With victory in sight, the Abdullah-Nawaz pair’s progress was interrupted by nearly an hour long rain break. Pakistan were 11 runs away from victory at that stage. When play resumed, Abdullah and Nawaz completed the task with ease with Abdullah hitting the winning boundary through the covers. Abdullah’s monumental innings which will go down in Test history as one of the best-ever in the fourth innings, was compiled of 408 balls and included seven fours and one six. The second Test will be played at the same venue from Sunday, 24 July.  Summarized Score Card (Day-5): Sri Lanka Batting (1st innings): 222 all out in 66.1 overs Dinesh Chandimal 76 runs (Balls 115, 4X10, 6X1), Maheesh Theekshana 38 runs (Balls 65, 4X4, 6X1), Oshada Fernando 35 runs (Balls 49, 4X5, 6X0), Kusal Mendis 21 runs (Balls 35, 4X3, 6X0) Pakistan Bowling: Shaheen Shah Afridi (4 for 58), Hasan Ali (2 for 23), Yasir Shah (2 for 66), Mohammad Nawaz (1 for 18), Naseem Shah (1 for 53) Pakistan Batting (1st inning): 218 all out in 90.5 overs Babar Azam 119 runs (Balls 244, 4X11, 6X2), Mohammad Rizwan 19 runs (Balls 35, 4X3, 6X0), Yasir Shah 18 runs (Balls 56, 4x1, 6X0), Hasan Ali 17 runs (Balls 21, 4x0, 6x2), Abdullah Shafiq 13 runs (Balls 47, 4X2, 6X0) Sri Lanka Bowling: Prabath Jayasuriya (5 for 82), Ramesh Mendis (2 for 18), Maheesh Theekshana (2 for 68), Kasun Rajitha (1for 42) Sri Lanka Batting (2nd innings): 337 all out in 100 overs (Target 342) Dinesh Chandimal 94 runs not out (Balls 139, 4X5, 6X2), Kusal Mendis 76 runs (Balls 126, 4x9, 6x0), Oshada Fernando 64 runs (Balls 125, 4X6, 6X1), Ramesh Mendis 22 runs (Balls 32, 4X2, 6x0) Pakistan Bowling: Mohammad Nawaz (5 for 88), Yasir Shah (3 for 122), Hasan Ali (1 for 19), Naseem Shah (1 for 24) Pakistan Batting (2nd innings) 344 for 4 in 127.2 overs Abdullah Shafique 160 not out, Babar Azam 55, Mohammad Rizwan 40; Prabath Jayasuria 4-135) Sri Lanka Bowling: Prabath Jayasuriya (4 for 118), Ramesh Mendis (1 for 96) Toss: Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat first Sri Lanka (Playing XIs) Oshada Fernando, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Prabath Jayasuriya Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (Wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali

BIPIN DANI Team India's wicket keeper-batter Rishabh Pant received a bottle of champagne for his heroic performance against England, which won him the Player of the Match award in the 3rd and the final ODI on Sunday. "We have not seen him taking a drink", says one of his childhood coaches, Devendra Sharma. Pant did gift this to former India coach Ravi Shastri, whose drinking love is well known. Pant, however, could have refused to accept the bottle, according to the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) official.  "A bottle of champagne is given to the player of the match and player of the series for all international matches. If someone does not drink, he can refuse to take it. For example, if they abstain from accepting and drinking alcohol", Danny Reuben the Head of Elite Communications - England Men’s Teams, said exclusively. "A bottle of champagne as part of the MoM/MoS award has been going for decades, and as far as I know it's only ever been done in England - presumably a deal with the sponsors", Michael Jones, a cricket historian tells us. "I would hope that they show sensitivity towards players' beliefs and have an alternative available if there's a chance that the award might be won by a Muslim (or by someone who doesn't drink for any other reason)". "They would also have needed an alternative at Old Trafford in 1990, where the award winner was under 18 so anyone handing him a bottle of champagne could have faced criminal charges for supplying alcohol to a minor", Jones further added.

Sports Bulletin Report Galle (Sri Lanka):-Pakistan demonstrated their comeback qualities as well as the ability to play quality spin bowling as they slowly but methodically edged towards achieving their second highest-run chase in Test cricket. Chasing 342 runs for victory in the first Test on a spinners’ friendly Galle surface, Pakistan were 222 for three at the close of play on the fourth day and needed another 120 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series. 22-year-old Abdullah Shafique, playing just his sixth Test match, was leading Pakistan’s charge when he was unconquered on 112. With him was vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan on seven, who had walked into bat six overs before stumps after captain Babar Azam missed the line of the ball and was bowled round his legs after scoring 55. Babar, who had scored 119 runs in the first innings and became the 19th Pakistan batter to complete 3,000 Test runs when he reached 30, put on 101 runs for the third wicket with Abdullah. Babar’s 104-ball innings was studded with four fours and a six. Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who had claimed 17 wickets in the three innings before Pakistan’s run-chase, picked up the wickets of Azhar Ali (six) and Babar Azam, but was made to toil on a surface of his liking when he ended the day with figures of 35-6-89-2. Opener Imam-ul-Haq was unlucky and unfortunate to be stumped off Ramesh Mendis when his foot was fractionally in the air. The left-hander was looking solid and comfortable in his 73-ball 35 as he added 87 runs for the first wicket with Abdullah. The star of the fourth day’s play was young Abdullah who was a model of concentration and application, and in the process displayed excellent technique and good shot selection against Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers on a deteriorating surface. Abdullah, a former Pakistan under-19 batter, had faced 289 balls for his 112 not out and struck five fours and a six. The Sialkot-born opener had reached his half-century from 94 balls with four fours, while his second 50 runs came off 114 balls and included a four and a straight six off Jayasuriya. Since making his debut against Bangladesh in Chattogram, the opener has scores of 52, 73, 25, 44, 136 not out, 13, 96, 81, 27, 13 and 112 not out which not only reflects his consistency but also ability to adjust and adapt to different batting conditions against three different oppositions in Bangladesh, Australia and Sri Lanka. Interestingly, when Pakistan achieved their highest run-chase of 377 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele 2015, veteran Younis Khan had scored an unbeaten 171, while a young Shan Masood, playing his ninth Test, had scored 125. Abdullah has a chance to emulate Shan and further enhance his reputation as a world-class batter if he can continue to lead Pakistan from the front and earn Pakistan a come-from-behind victory on a surface that is fully testing the skills, temperament and technique of the batters. Abdullah will require complete support from the middle and lower middle-order that may not have the same experience as Misbah-ul-Haq’s side from the 2015 Test. But where there is will, there is a way and Abdullah has demonstrated that victory is possible only if each and every delivery is played on its merit and no opportunity is wasted in keeping the scoreboard moving. Earlier, Sri Lanka resumed their second innings at 329 for nine and were dismissed for 337. Dinesh Chandimal added eight runs to his overnight score of 86 and returned unbeaten on 94. Jayasuriya was the last man out when he fell to Naseem Shah. Summarized Score Card (Day-4): Sri Lanka Batting (1st innings): 222 all out in 66.1 overs Dinesh Chandimal 76 runs (Balls 115, 4X10, 6X1), Maheesh Theekshana 38 runs (Balls 65, 4X4, 6X1), Oshada Fernando 35 runs (Balls 49, 4X5, 6X0), Kusal Mendis 21 runs (Balls 35, 4X3, 6X0) Pakistan Bowling: Shaheen Shah Afridi (4 for 58), Hasan Ali (2 for 23), Yasir Shah (2 for 66), Mohammad Nawaz (1 for 18), Naseem Shah (1 for 53) Pakistan Batting (1st inning): 218 all out in 90.5 overs Babar Azam 119 runs (Balls 244, 4X11, 6X2), Mohammad Rizwan 19 runs (Balls 35, 4X3, 6X0), Yasir Shah 18 runs (Balls 56, 4x1, 6X0), Hasan Ali 17 runs (Balls 21, 4x0, 6x2), Abdullah Shafiq 13 runs (Balls 47, 4X2, 6X0) Sri Lanka Bowling: Prabath Jayasuriya (5 for 82), Ramesh Mendis (2 for 18), Maheesh Theekshana (2 for 68), Kasun Rajitha (1for 42) Sri Lanka Batting (2nd innings): 337 all out in 100 overs (Target 342) Dinesh Chandimal 94 runs not out (Balls 139, 4X5, 6X2), Kusal Mendis 76 runs (Balls 126, 4x9, 6x0), Oshada Fernando 64 runs (Balls 125, 4X6, 6X1), Ramesh Mendis 22 runs (Balls 32, 4X2, 6x0) Pakistan Bowling: Mohammad Nawaz (5 for 88), Yasir Shah (3 for 122), Hasan Ali (1 for 19), Naseem Shah (1 for 24) Pakistan Batting (2nd innings) 122 for 3 85 0vers Abdullah Shafique 112 not out (Balls 289, 4X5, 6X1), Babar Azam 55 rums (Balls 104, 4X 4, 6X1) Imam-ul-Haq 35 runs (Balls 73, 4x3, 6X0), Mohammad Rizwan 7 runs not out (Balls 12, 4X0, 6X0) Sri Lanka Bowling: Prabath Jayasuriya (2 for 89), Ramesh Mendis (1 for 76) Toss: Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat first Sri Lanka (Playing XIs) Oshada Fernando, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Prabath Jayasuriya Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (Wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali

BIPIN DANI India's out-of-form batter Virat Kohli has turned to a spiritual guru.Last week, the 33-year-old ex-captain and his wife Anushka Sharma, who too is in England, attended Krishna Das' kirtan. Krishna Das is a pupil of an incident Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba, who passed away in 1970s. Krishna Das is an American vocalist known for his performances of Hindu devotional music known as kirtan. The couple attended the satsang and kirtan performance by Das. The couple was spotted twinning in white, sporting a casual look. The two were captured together in some photos that have since then been trending online. Incidentally, after the 3-hour kirtan, Kohli and his wife didn't meet the guru, it was confirmed by Krishna Das. There were so many people in the concert and Kohli and Anushka were among them. Krishna Das does not know Kohli and only later on came to know about him and Anushka. The concert was hosted by Go Dharmik Foundation. Hanuman Das is the founder of this institution. "I didn't meet Mr. Kohli. I am an American and don't know much about cricket", Krishna Das, speaking exclusively, said. "If Kohli wants to talk about baseball or Lord Hanuman, he can certainly call me", he further added.  Since the England tour, it is also reported that Kohli and his family may extend their stay in London. It was also reported in the media that Kohli's mother Saroj may join them. However, Kohli's brother Vikas says, "nobody (in our family) is leaving for the UK".

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Zimbabwe has won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B defeating the Netherlands and securing the final spot in Group B in the First Round at Australia 2022 alongside Ireland, Scotland and West Indies. Australia will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time ever between 16 October and 13 November 2022 across seven host cities, with Geelong and Hobart playing host to the First Round. Zimbabwe’s first match will take place on the second day of the Men’s T20 World Cup against fellow qualifier Ireland in Hobart on 17 October. The evening match will be played as part of a double-header, with West Indies taking on Scotland in the afternoon fixture. Runner-up Netherlands will join Sri Lanka, Namibia and the United Arab Emirates in Group A, playing their first match on the opening day of the World Cup in Geelong against the United Arab Emirates. This will be an evening match following 2014 champions Sri Lanka facing Namibia in the T20 World Cup opener. On a day of low-scoring encounters in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B, hosts Zimbabwe secured a 37-run win over the Netherlands in the final despite being restricted to just 132 batting first. Sikandar Raza was the hero for the home side, taking four for eight from his four overs during a spell in which the Dutch lost six wickets for just 17 runs. Logan van Beek (3/18) had earlier played an important role for the Netherlands, removing both skipper Craig Ervine and Raza as Zimbabwe slumped from 93 for three to 132 all out. In reply, the Dutch made a reasonable start, sitting at 45 for two before the wickets started tumbling, with Raza trapping Stephan Myburgh (22) leg before for his first wicket and arguably the most important of the match.  

BIPIN DANI This year the Asia Cup is most likely to be shifted to the UAE, it is learnt. According to the highly placed sources in the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the decision is to be taken in a day or two. "Our president (Shami Silva) is in Australia on a personal visit but is aware of the situation here. Our officials are in constant touch with the ACC president (Jay Shah), who has  been briefed about the current situation in the country",  the source, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo, said on Sunday evening. "The hosting rights will still be with the SLC". Interestingly, the month of August and till mid-September, the weather will be too hot in the UAE. "Yes, we are aware about it but there is no other option", the source said, adding "we have not yet approached the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to host the Asia Cup there and there have been no signals from there also". LPL in December The 3rd edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) is postponed to December. "We were keen to host it now but the IPG, the company having rights of organizing the matches, asked us to shift it to December", the source further added. The current political conditions in the country have also forced the SLC to retain the second Test in Galle. It was, otherwise, scheduled to be played in Colombo.