Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Gros Islet (Saint Lucia):-The local players have been drafted ahead of the historic first running of the inaugural Women’s Caribbean Premier League with the tournament set to get underway on 30 August. The three teams will be captained by Hayley Matthews (Barbados Royals), Stafanie Taylor (Guyana Amazon Warriors) and Deandra Dottin (Trinbago Knight Riders). With Matthews and Taylor rated in the top 10 T20 all-rounders in the world and Dottin one of the most destructive batters in the women’s game, all three players have shown their quality for the West Indies and in domestic competitions around the globe. The teams have been drafted from a pool of players that was put together by Cricket West Indies’ selection committee and the 33 cricketers picked represent the best talent from across the region with the squads full of experienced internationals as well as the next generation of female players. Each team will also sign three exciting overseas players bringing the total squad size to 14 and further bolstering the quality of cricketers on show in this exciting new event. These overseas signings will be announced in the coming weeks. Ricky Skerritt, Cricket West Indies President, said: “This inaugural Women’s version of the CPL represents a huge upward step for West Indies cricket. I am grateful to all those in CPL and CWI who made it happen, especially the three pioneering franchises who have so willingly got on board.” Jake Lush McCrum, CEO, Barbados Royals and Rajasthan Royals, said:  "The Caribbean and particularly Barbados is a destination which has always been so deeply invested in cricket, and to have a team in the region which will serve as a pillar of growth for the women's game in and around the island nation, was such an exciting opportunity for us at the Barbados Royals. Having attracted huge popularity, not just in the Caribbean, but also in cricket-playing nations around the world, the CPL has been able to realise its value and also the impact it can create on grassroots development. With this new competition for women, it gives us the opportunity to accelerate the growth and development of female players and coaches, while attracting the next generation of talent to the sport." Dr. Bobby Ramroop, owner of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, said: “We are thrilled to be a part of the inaugural Women’s CPL and we would like to thank CPL and CWI for making this happen. The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) family is excited to be at the forefront of advancing Women’s cricket, both in the region and worldwide, and we are hopeful that this newest format will provide a platform for empowering female athletes, as well as highlighting inspiring role models for young girls. The dynamic GAW Women’s team, led by the impressive Stafanie Taylor, is a welcome and powerful addition to the CPL.”   Venky Mysore, Director, Trinbago Knight Riders, said: "We are proud to announce our first women's team under the Knight Riders banner, and are eagerly looking forward to watching the ladies represent TKR in the inaugural Women’s T20 competition in this year's Caribbean Premier League. We are always most supportive of such initiatives and are on a continuous lookout to expand the sport across the globe and across demographics. We are therefore particularly thrilled to support the launch of women’s T20 in the Caribbean and would like to congratulate and thank CWI and CPL for taking the initiative to launch the Women’s editions this year." Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s CEO, said: “A Women’s CPL is the next logical step as we grow the brand, and we are very pleased that we have been able to make this a reality in 2022. We are grateful to the CWI, the Barbados Royals, the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Trinbago Knight Riders for working with us on this ground breaking tournament and we look forward to showcasing the tremendous skills of all  these talented players.”

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-England batter Joe Root is back at the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after smashing a second successive century in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship series against New Zealand. Root, who had reached within striking distance of Marnus Labuschagne after the first Test, has wrested back the top spot from the Australia batter, whom he now leads by five rating points. Root is on 897 points after his knock of 176 in the first innings of the Nottingham Test, 20 less than his highest of 917 points. Root first grabbed number one position in August 2015 and was last at the top in December 2021 before Labuschagne leapfrogged him. Root has been No.1 in Tests for 163 days so far. Steve Smith (1,506 days), Virat Kohli (469 days) and Kane Williamson (245 days) are the others to have had substantial vigils at the top in recent years. Root’s compatriots, Player of the Match Jonny Bairstow and captain Ben Stokes have also had major gains. Bairstow’s 92-ball 136 that led the last day chase for an eventual five-wicket win, has moved up 13 places to 39th position while Stokes’s 75 not out has taken him from 27th to 22nd position. Ollie Pope (up 22 places to 53rd) and Alex Lees (up 26 places to 86th) have also moved up the rankings for batters while seam bowler Matthew Potts has advanced 18 places to 59th after picking up three wickets in the match. For New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell’s scores of 190 and 62 not out have lifted him 33 places to a career-best 17th position while Tom Blundell’s first innings century has helped him move up four places to 31st position. Devon Conway’s innings of 46 and 52 see him inch up one slot to 23rd. Fast bowler Trent Boult is up four places to ninth. Wednesday’s weekly rankings update sees Pakistan batters hold the top two positions in both ODIs and T20Is and a number of slow bowlers make significant progress. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings that has been updated after the third Zimbabwe versus Afghanistan match, the Pakistan versus West Indies series and the first match between Sri Lanka and Australia, the Pakistan opener has moved up to take second spot behind captain Babar Azam after a Player of the Series effort of 65, 72 and 62. This is the first instance of Pakistan batters grabbing the top two positions in the ODI rankings. West Indies player Shai Hope (up two places to 11th), Afghanistan’s Hashmatullah Shahidi (up five places to 45th), Australia’s Marcus Stoinis (up four places to joint-50th) and Sri Lanka’s Danushka Gunathilaka (up six places to joint-50th) are the others to move up the ODI batters’ list. Meanwhile, Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has moved up to number two and Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi to number four in the bowlers’ list led by New Zealand’s Trent Boult. Spinners Mujeebur Rahman of Afghanistan, Akeal Hosein of the West Indies, Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka and Shadab Khan of Pakistan have also moved up the rankings for bowlers. Hazlewood has also moved back to number one in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings while Maheesh Theekshana of Sri Lanka is up 16 places to eighth in the list. Australia spinner Ashton Agar (up three places to ninth), India seamer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (up seven places to 11th) and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (up four places to 26th) are the others to gain. The rankings for batters see Mohammad Rizwan gain one position to reach second in the list, also led by Babar. Aaron Finch has moved up one place to fifth while India’s Ishan Kishan has galloped 68 places to reach seventh position after aggregating 164 runs in three matches against South Africa.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Five teams will be crowned champions tomorrow when the finals of the inaugural Cricket Associations Divisional Under-19 tournament will be played in Balochistan, Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern and Sindh. The final of the Southern Punjab will be staged at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday, 17 June. The 50-over tournament comprises best teenage cricketers from the recent City Cricket Association U19 tournament. In Balochistan, Loralai-Zhob Division will take on Quetta-Rakshan Division in the final at the Bugti Stadium tomorrow. Both teams topped the four-team table, winning two matches apiece. Naseerbad-Sibi Division and Makran-Kalat Division ended up on third and fourth position. In Central Punjab, Faisalabad Division will take on Lahore Division at Pak Lions Cricket Academy Ground in Jubliee Town. Both finalists finished with four points each along with Sargodha Division, but Sargodha Division failed to qualify on lesser net run-rate. Gujranwala-Sialkot Division finished on last spot with no wins. Hazara-Mardan Division will take on Peshawar-Kohat Division in the final of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa divisional tournament at the KMC Ground University in Peshawar.  Hazara-Mardan topped the table with three wins in as many matches, while Peshawar-Kohat Division won their two matches from three outings in the tournament. D.I.Khan-Bannu Division ended up with third spot in the tournament with one win, while Malakand Division finished at the bottom of the table with no wins. In Northern, AJK Division will take on Gilgit Baltistan Division in the final at the House of Northern, Islamabad. Both teams qualified for the final after ended up winning two matches each. Rawalpindi Division and Islamabad Division finished on third and fourth position, respectively, after winning one match each. In Sindh, the final will be played between Karachi Division and Benazirabad-MirpurKhas Division at the Academy Oval of the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi. Both teams along with Sukkar-Larkana Division finished their round matches with six points each. On better net run-rate Karachi Division and Benazirabad-MirpurKhas qualified for the final. Winless Hyderabad Division remained at the bottom of the table.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-For the first time since the ICC ODI and T20I Player rankings were introduced, Pakistan batters have occupied the top two positions in the latest rankings, which the ICC released on Wednesday. Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam is joined by Imam-ul-Haq as the second-ranked ODI batter, while Mohammad Rizwan has moved up one place to second in the T20I rankings. Imam’s 199 runs in the ODI series against the West Indies in Pakistan’s 3-0 series win has helped him to move ahead of India’s Virat Kohli. Imam now leads Kohli (811 points) by four points, while Babar continues to sit on top of the tree with 892 points. Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has joined India’s Shikhar Dawan at 13th position. Amongst the ODI bowlers, Shaheen Afridi has broken into the top-five for the first time in his career. The left-arm fast bowler, who is ranked fourth in Tests with 827 points, is now in fourth position (up by two places). The list is headed by New Zealand’s Trent Boult (726 points), followed by Josh Hazlewood (691 points) and Matt Henry (683 points). Shadab Khan has also made good progress, rising eight places to 30th, while Mohammad Nawaz has vaulted 53 places to enter the top-50 in 47th position. In the T20I player rankings, Babar Azam is ranked number-one with 818 points, while Mohammad Rizwan is second (794 points). South Africa’s Aiden Markram has slipped to third on 772 points. Fakhar Zaman is the next highest-ranked Pakistan batter in 46th position (490 points). Amongst the T20I bowlers, Shaheen Afridi is in 12th position, followed by Shadab Khan (16th), Haris Rauf (29th), Mohammad Nawaz (60th) and Hasan Ali (63rd). In the latest Test rankings, Babar Azam has retained his fourth position, while Azhar Ali and Mohammad Rizwan are 18th and 19th, respectively. Abid Ali is 23rd, Abdullah Shafique is 35th and Fawad Alam is 42nd. Apart from Shaheen Afridi, notable Pakistan bowlers in the Test rankings are Hasan Ali (15th), Mohammad Abbas (20th), Yasir Shah (37th), Nauman Ali (62nd), Naseem Shah (68th), Faheem Ashraf (73rd) and Sajid Khan (75th).

Syed Nazir Ahmed LAHORE:-Mehran Mumtaz hails from Kohta, Kashmir, now lives in Rawalpindi and wants to fulfill his late father’s dream of representing Pakistan at the highest level of the game. The left-arm spinner has progressed from U16 cricket in the 2016-17 season before making his first-class debut for Northern in the 2021-22 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. In between, he played in the U16 series against Australia, the National U19 Cup and Championship, and the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 2022. “My father passed away in 2020 and couldn’t see me represent Pakistan at the highest level. I want to represent my country to fulfill my father’s dream,” said a passionate Mehran while talking to PCB digital. “I started off as a left-arm fast bowler, but on the recommendation of my club coach, switched to spin bowling. It was not easy as I had been bowling fast from the age of 10 and also wanted to pursue my career as a fast bowler. But once I started bowling spin and was selected in U16 trials, there was no looking back. “I have my self-belief and confidence to represent Pakistan in all three formats and make my country and my family proud. The PCB Pathways Programme has been designed to help youngsters like me to achieve my dreams and career objectives. It will not help us financially, but it will also groom us which, in turn, will help us to compete strongly at the international level.” Mehran featured for Rawalpindi U16 in PCB U16 tournament in 2016-17 where he took 25 wickets from nine matches and remained second on the list of top wicket-takers behind Test fast bowler Naseem Shah. He later went on to represent Pakistan U16 against Australia U16 in the UAE where he took six wickets from three One-Day matches. With his consistent performances, Mehran graduated to the U19 level where he represented Northern in the National U19 One-Day Tournament 2019-20 and took eight wickets from four matches. In National U19 One-Day Tournament in 2020-21 he took 17 wickets from 11 outings in the tournament. In the same year, he represented Northern in the Pakistan Cup second XI and took four wickets from five matches at an economy rate of 4.25. In the next edition of National U19 One-Day Tournament in 2021-22, Mehran took 10 wickets from four outings in the tournament. In the National U19 Championship 2021-22, he took 14 wickets from five matches. He later went on to represent Pakistan in this year’s ICC U19 World Cup held in West Indies. He took five wickets at an economy rate of 3.16. Before the World Cup, Mehran made his debut in the 2021-22 first-class season. It was a dream debut for Mehran, as the left-armer playing for Northern picked seven wickets in the drawn match against Balochistan at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-South Africa batter Lara Goodall and captain Sune Luus have gained in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings after playing their part in a nine-wicket win over Ireland in the opening match of their ICC Women’s Championship series in Dublin. Left-hander Goodall has moved up nine places to 58th among batters after an unbeaten 32 while all-rounder Luus grabbed three for 16 with her leg spin bowling to advance seven places and reach 39th in the list of bowlers. Opener Andrie Steyn, who scored 21 not out and was involved in an unbroken 55-run stand with Goodall, has gained 12 slots to reach joint-83rd position in the latest weekly update to the women’s player rankings, which are carried out on Tuesdays. For Ireland, new-ball bowler Jane Maguire is up four places to joint-83rd. The win in Dublin got South Africa their first two points of the ICC Women’s Championship. Pakistan are currently on four points and Sri Lanka on two after the 2-1 verdict in the opening series of the championship, which provides a direct qualification pathway to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. Details on the IWC are available in an earlier media release which is available here. Goodall has also made significant gains in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings, which includes the last match of the T20I series that her team won 2-1 against Ireland and 15 matches of the ongoing eight-team Kwibuka Women’s T20 Tournament in Rwanda. Goodall has gained 28 slots to reach 71st position after her knock of 48 while Anne Bosch is up 14 places to 46th after her 44 not out. Laura Wolvaardt of South Africa (up one place to 20th), Gaby Lewis of Ireland (up one place to 22nd) and Janet Mbabazi of Uganda (up 11 places to joint-75th) are among the others to move up the rankings. In the rankings for bowlers, South Africa medium-fast bowler Tumi Sekhukhune is up two places to 25th after grabbing three for 20 while Nadine de Klerk and Nonkululeko Mlaba have reached 41st and 42nd positions after taking two wickets each. Celeste Raack of Ireland (up three places to 84th) and Nasra Saidi of Tanzania (up 13 places to 86th) have also progressed.

Sports Bulletin Report MULTAN:-Pakistan’s lower middle-order batting emerged successful from a stern test to help the home side win the third One-Day International by 53 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method and sweep the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League series against the West Indies by 3-0 here on Sunday night. In front of another packed to capacity crowd on a day that saw play halt for approximately an hour due to a dust storm, which reduced the match to 48 overs a side, Pakistan slipped from 85 for no loss in the 17th over to a precarious 117 for five in the 25th over before recovering to post a commanding 269 for nine. The bowlers then overcame the West Indies’ counterattack to dismiss the visitors for 216 in 37.2 overs. Akeal Hosein fought a lone battle, hitting two fours and six sixes in a 37-ball 60, while Keacy Carty scored 33 and Shai Hope and Keemo Paul contributed 21 runs apiece. The West Indies entertained a holiday crowd with 15 fours and 10 sixes after Pakistan had struck 20 fours and four sixes. Shadab Khan followed up his match-winning 86 with figures of four for 62, Hasan Ali took two for 29, while Mohammad Nawaz, who took four for 19 on Friday, bagged two for 56. Like Shadab, Nawaz was also returning to ODI cricket after recovering from an injury. Mohammad Haris, who had earlier earned a second-ball duck, kept wickets and accounted for three batters. Similarly, Shahnawaz Dahani, who became the 235th cricketer to represent Pakistan in ODIs, picked up a wicket in his second over to finish with figures of 6-0-36-1. The star of the match was all-rounder Shadab, who was playing his first complete ODI series since July 2021 and had been under fire for being ineffective and inconsistent since the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. The 23-year-old pulled Pakistan out of a deep hole with a gutsy and courageous career-best 86 off 78 that included four fours and three sixes. Together with Khushdil Shah (34), Shadab added 84 runs for the sixth wicket and then another 40 for the eighth wicket with Mohammad Wasim. It was Shadab’s measured and well-constructed innings that helped Pakistan to collect 78 runs from the last 10 overs to reach 269 for nine, which looked highly unlikely after the middle-order had collapsed like a house of cards against Nicholas Pooran, who before this match, had only bowled three deliveries in international cricket. Pooran returned figures of 10-0-48-4, but more importantly broke the back of Pakistan’s middle-order at a time when they were ready to shift gears after Fakhar Zaman (35) and Imam-ul-Haq (62) had provided Pakistan an 85-run first wicket stand. Pooran picked up four of the five top-order batters, dismissing Fakhar, Imam, Mohammad Haris (0) and Mohammad Rizwan (11). Babar Azam, who suffered a rare failure when he scored just one, was trapped in front of the wickets by Hayden Walsh. Nevertheless, Shadab held the innings together and in partnership with Khushdil, rebuilt the innings on a wicket that had no demons. Shadab waited patiently for the lose deliveries but when they came his way, they were severely punished as he continued to nudge and push the ball around to keep the scoreboard moving. He was eventually out on the first ball of the last over as he attempted a ‘Dilscoop’ to find his middle stump disturbed. While Shadab dominated the match with 86 and four for 62, Imam stole the honours of the series when he finished as the leading run-getter with 199 runs at 66.66 with a strike-rate of just under 94. His last 10 scores in 50-over cricket have been 57, 0, 1, 56, 103, 106, 89 not out, 65, 72 and 62, a hallmark of a top batter. Pakistan have strengthened their fourth position in the Super League with 90 points in 15 ODIs of five series and have three series (9 ODIs) remaining. They will play the Netherlands in August and New Zealand in January, while time of the Afghanistan series is yet to be decided. Seven of the 13 sides in the Super League plus hosts India will qualify directly for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Scores in brief: Pakistan beat West Indies by 53 runs (DLS Method) and won the series 3-0 Pakistan 269-9, 48 overs (Shadab Khan 86, Imam-ul-Haq 62, Fakhar Zaman 35, Khushdil Shah 34, Nicholas Pooran 4-48, Keemo Paul 2-57) West Indies 216 all out, 37.2 overs (Akeal Hosein 60, Keacy Carty 33, Shai Hope 21, Keemo Paul 21; Shadab Khan 4-62, Hasan Ali 2-29, Mohammad Nawaz 2-56) Player of the match – Shadab Khan (Pakistan) Player of the series - Imam-ul-Haq (Pakistan)

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Sri Lanka’s batting star Angelo Mathews and Pakistan’s debutante spin sensation Tuba Hassan have been voted the ICC Men’s and Women’s Players of the Month for May 2022. Mathews was voted the recipient of the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for May after piling on the runs over the course of his side’s impressive ICC World Test Championship series victory against Bangladesh. Amassing 344 runs at an average of 172 over the course of the two Tests, Mathews registered a huge score of 199 in the draw at Chattogram, and a supreme 145 not out in Mirpur. His epic innings in the second Test enabled his side to post an imposing total of 506 and complete a 10-wicket victory, gaining valuable points in the ICC WTC standings powered by MRF Tyres. Mathews becomes the first Sri Lanka player to be named the ICC Player of the Month since its inception in January 2021, scooping the award ahead of fellow nominees Asitha Fernando (Sri Lanka), and Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh). Anglo Mathews said: “I am absolutely honoured and delighted to be the ICC Men’s Player of the Month. I would like to congratulate Asitha Fernando and Mushfiqur Rahim who were front runners for this award, on their spectacular performances. “I am grateful for the opportunity and I wish to thank the almighty, my teammates, support staff, and fans for believing in me and supporting me as always. I would like to dedicate this to the people of Sri Lanka. Let's never stop believing.” JP Duminy, ICC Player of the Month voting panel member said:  “The great grit and determination that characterized Angelo’s performances during the month has shown that he still has the hunger and desire to make the difference at the elite level.” Pakistan’s Tuba Hassan was named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month after enjoying significant success with the ball during her debut international series. The 21-year-old leg spinner was instrumental in restricting scores set by opponents Sri Lanka in the three-game T20I series in Pakistan, where she captured the Player of the Series award, taking five wickets at an average of 8.8 and an economy rate of 3.66. The highlight was during her debut international fixture in Karachi, in which she grabbed three for eight to limit the tourists to 106, setting the platform for a six-wicket win. On what was an excellent month for Tuba, former Pakistan international and member of the voting panel Sana Mir commented: “Tuba has shown a lot of confidence and skill to make an impact for Pakistan in her debut series. She has been working hard for some time and it is really heartwarming to see her celebrating success in her first series for Pakistan.” In securing this month’s award, Hassan overcomes fellow nominees in compatriot Bismah Maroof, and Jersey’s Trinity Smith. Tuba is the first female player from Pakistan to win in the ICC Player of the Month awards.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-Mega Stars League (MSL) cricket fixture will be played from September 5 to 12, 2022 at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi, as overseas, top national cricket players, showbiz stars and media anchors will take part in the 8-day entertaining cricket event. According to an official, the aim of this league to raise the fund and to provide an entertaining event to the people of twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad, as the fund will be will be spent on the welfare of former cricketers, artists and unemployed journalists through the Shahid Afridi Foundation (SAF). The inaugural ceremony of the Mega Stars League was held at a local hotel in Islamabad. Former Pakistani cricket players and showbiz stars including Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Hafeez, Muammar Rana, Mustafa Zahid, Mohammad Junaid, Uzair Jaswal, Noman Habib and Mohsin Abbas were present in the ceremony. The proceeds of the league will be spent on the welfare of former players, coaches, artists and unemployed journalists through the Shahid Afridi Foundation. TV anchors Kashif Abbasi and Samar Abbas also attend the ceremony.

PCB Report LAHORE:-Ambitions are critical to achieve the zenith of one’s career and 17-year old Ali Asfand has set the target of being remembered as a big gun of the game. The left-arm spinner hails from Faisalabad and is amongst 107 cricketers of the Pathways Programme despite facing stiff resistance from his family. “My family often got furious at me as I used to bunk classes to feature in cricket matches. They tried to force me to leave the game and encouraged me to secure a good future by pursuing my education. But cricket remains my passion and I want people to remember me as one of the stars of the game. “Though I am pleased that I navigated my way through all the tough experiences, it would have been better if I had my family’s support from day one,” Ali told PCB digital. Ali Asfand was the leading wicket-taker of National U19 Cup where he claimed 10 wickets while representing Central Punjab Blues U19. He then grabbed 25 wickets in eight red-ball matches in National Under-19 Championship. The 17-year old is delighted with the new PCB initiative that includes a monthly stipend of PKR30,000, free education and coaching by foreign experts, and says this will assist him to follow his career in cricket. “The PCB Pathways Programme has convinced my parents to accept my passion, which will not only enhance my cricket skills but will also help me secure quality education and a monthly stipend that will allow me look after my expenses before I turn into a professional cricketer. “I look forward to taking full advantage of the presence of international coaches in the PCB Pathways Programme, which, in turn, will prepare me better for the Pakistan Junior League, which can be a platform to demonstrate my talent and potential.” Ali idealises the veteran slow left-arm orthodox Zulfiqar Babar who represented Pakistan in 29 international matches. “I am impressed by Zulfiqar Babar and used to watch his bowling on television. I want to master the art of deceiving a batter with the spin like him.”