Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Six city-based franchise teams will participate in the 19-match competition from 1-15 October at the Gaddafi Stadium, with the participating players to be selected through a draft system and each dug-out to boast an iconic player who will serve as the team’s mentor or coach. As a next step, the PCB will now initiate a bidding process after Eid Al-Fitr for live-streaming rights. This will be one of the several rights that will be up for grabs as the PCB remains committed to working closely with all stakeholders in an effort to take Pakistan cricket forward. This will be the first 20-over league of its kind in which local under-19 players will integrate with foreign players to share dug-outs as part of their learning process and improving cricket skills, share knowledge and build towards their future bonding. As part of the concept, each foreign cricketer will be allowed to have a parent accompany them, with the cost to be picked up by the event organiser or his franchise. The Pakistan Junior League concept syncs well with the recently-launched PCB Pathway Cricket Programme.  Through this initiative, the cricket board and its strategic partners – including the BRB Group and Engro Corporation – have agreed to provide 100 best teenagers with monthly stipends of PKR30,000 each, scholarship at a premier educational institution, free cricket gear and equipment, and high performance coaching at the state-of-the-art National High Performance Centre from the leading and highly-qualified international coaches. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said: “I am delighted, encouraged and motivated by the response we have received as the Pakistan Junior League’s Request for Expressions of Interest. “This feedback has strengthened my belief and confidence that we have a huge appetite for cricket and a strong commercial market, which is keen, eager and happy to partner with the PCB on its projects of introducing new properties so that we can strengthen ourselves financially and commercially, and the return on investments are shared with all cricketers. “Following the success of the HBL Pakistan Super League and the ever-improving reputation of the PCB, the potential sponsors have shown excitement and expressed their interest in the city-based Pakistan Junior League in their endeavour to play an important role in helping the PCB to create an environment of brilliance by providing a clear pathway to the talented youngsters, which, in turn, will fortify our bench-strength and produce new national stars and heroes. “Commercial partners and sponsors are the life-blood of our sport and organisation. In this background, I am grateful and thankful to all those who have expressed interest in acquiring various rights for the Pakistan Junior League. I remain optimistic and confident that we will succeed in forming a strong relationship that will produce dividends and developments for Pakistan cricket.”

BIPIN DANI Udeshika Prabodhani will be the second woman player from Sri Lanka to play in the first ever privately-funded FairBreak T-20 women's cricket event in Dubai early next month. The event is organised by Cricket Hong Kong. The tournament is scheduled to run from May 1 to 15, 2022. Along with Chamira Atapattu, the 36-year-old left-arm medium pacer Udeshika Prabodhani will reach UAE (United Arab Emirates) this week", Ravi Nagdev, the General Manager, Cricket Hong Kong said. "The Fairbreak T20 is something that Fairbreak Global and Cricket Hong Kong have been working on for years. It's an event which features 90 players from 35 countries, no other cricket tournament in the world has players from so many countries'', Nagdev added. "It's about putting the profile on Female Cricket and also growing the Cricket Market. Imagine players from Bhutan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Tanzania, Japan playing together with Suzie Bates, Heather Knight and or Laura Wolvaardt". "Former ICC umpire Simon Taufel will lead an officiating team from nine countries. He will be the mentor umpire assisting with performance development functions for the FairBreak officiating team", he added.   Pakistan Tour: Both players will return to Sri Lanka after the tournament in Dubai. Chamari Atapattu is likely to be named captain for Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan. The team for Pakistan will be managed by Nishantha de Silva, who works in the Navy as a Rear Admiral.

Sports Bulletin Report LONDON:-Durham’s Ben Stokes has been appointed captain of the England Men’s Test team by the England & Wales Cricket Board. He succeeds Joe Root in becoming the 81st captain of the England Men’s Test team. The ECB Interim Chair and Chief Executive Officer approved the appointment on Tuesday evening following the recommendation by the Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key. Rob Key said: “I had no hesitation in offering the role of Test captain to Ben. “He epitomises the mentality and approach we want to take this team forward into the next era of red-ball cricket. I am delighted that he has accepted, and he is ready for the added responsibility and the honour. He thoroughly deserves the opportunity.” Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am delighted that Ben has agreed to become England Men’s Test captain, which is another great achievement in his extraordinary career in an England shirt. “He cares deeply and passionately about what it means to represent England and he will lead us into a new era with great pride. It’s an important summer for our Test side and Ben will I am sure relish the challenge before him and his team.” Stokes made his Test debut in December 2013 and has represented his country on 79 occasions at this level. He was named vice-captain in February 2017 and also stood in as captain when Root was absent for the birth of his second child in the summer of 2020. The Durham star currently has 5,061 Test runs at an average of 35.89. He has taken 174 wickets with the ball and is amongst the best all-rounders in the world. Test Captain, Ben Stokes, added: “I am honoured to be given the chance to lead the England Test team. This is a real privilege, and I’m excited about getting started this summer. “I want to thank Joe (Root) for everything he has done for English Cricket and for always being a great ambassador for the sport all across the world. He has been a massive part of my development as a leader in the dressing room, and he will continue to be a key ally for me in this role.”

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Three-day-long domestic cricket season 2021-22 review concluded on Wednesday with a day-long seminar involving the 24 head and assistant coaches of the six Cricket Association sides, Pakistan men’s national team’s head, batting and assistant coach and national selector Muhammad Wasim. High Performance Director Nadeem Khan spoke to the participants in the first-half of the seminar and made a presentation on players tracking system. The player tracking system has been in use for the last two seasons and aims to evaluate a player’s performance in an analytical manner with allocation of points. Nadeem’s interactive presentation was followed by an extensive evaluation and review session which was conducted by the head coach of the Pakistan men’s national cricket team Saqlain Mushtaq. Chief selector Muhammad Wasim also spoke to the participants about the goals and objectives of domestic cricket and how the selection and playing strategies need to be in sync with the Pakistan men’s national cricket team’s needs and requirements. On Monday and Tuesday, the 24 coaches were individually interviewed by a three-member committee that comprised Shahid Mahboob (Head Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre Karachi) and NHPC coaches Umar Rasheed and Sajjad Akbar. Director High Performance Nadeem Khan: “We have been making extensive reviews at the end of the domestic cricket season in the last two years. This year’s review seminar was once again focused on a comprehensive debrief of the season in the presence of all 24 head and assistant coaches, Pakistan men’s team’s head, assistant and batting coach and the chief selector. “We carefully reviewed the player profiling process that we introduced to the system two years ago. Player profiling helps us in determining a player’s performance, progress and shortcomings. Each player’s profile is built from the age-group level, the coach speaks to the players and agrees with them on what all is expected of them both on and off the field and how they can progress in their cricket careers. “Over the last two years, we have succeeded in developing a robust players profiling system that has helped us immensely in tracking players in all aspects of their development. At the seminar, we discussed on the ways and means of further improving the system and how it can serve us well in the forthcoming domestic and international cricket season. I am pleased that we also had the men’s team’s coaches and chief selector present as the aim of domestic cricket is to work closely and in alignment with the aims, objectives, targets and goals of Pakistan’s national men’s cricket team.” Saqlain Mushtaq, Pakistan men’s national cricket team head coach: “This was a very fruitful and rewarding session for us as we all reiterated our aim of taking Pakistan cricket to the top in all three formats. We identified areas of improvement, discussed the method and brand of cricket we want to play at the domestic and international level and how we needed all stakeholders to be aligned to our ultimate goal. “Our collective aim is to make Pakistan dominate at the international level and to achieve this we have identified a set of benchmarks. Through constant reminder, aggressive style of play and strategy we can surely achieve anything and everything and I am pleased that the coaches at the domestic level as well as our relevant stakeholders are focused and determined and want to produce players that become world beaters.” Mohammad Wasim, Pakistan men’s chief selector: “Domestic cricket around the world is run in lines of the requirements at the international level to ensure that the gap between the two is as minimum as possible. In the last two years, we have delivered hugely competitive cricket seasons which have helped in improving both the pool of players as well as performance of the national side. We have been able to develop a quality-based domestic system with the reduced number of players which have helped narrow the gap between domestic and international cricket. “Each year we have made robust reviews and have aimed to identify areas of improvement collectively so that all of us remain aligned. These reviews are extremely helpful in not only reviewing a cricket season but also in planning for the next cricket season and setting new targets and objectives for the coaches.” Abdul Rehman, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa head coach: “This assessment process helps the coaches review their own performances and evaluate where they stand in terms of the delivery of their goals and objectives while preparing for the season ahead. These workshops and seminars are held in a cordial atmosphere where all participants provide their feedback in a candid manner. “This year too we have had detailed discussions which were aimed to identify areas of improvement and alignment of our collective goals and objectives. As we now start our preparations for the next domestic season, this review will help us figure out our plans, short and long term objectives with the ultimate aim of making a healthy and significant contribution to the further improvement of Pakistan cricket.”

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-National women selectors have announced a list of 26 players for the preparatory camp for the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka that will be played in Karachi from 24 May. The 12-day long camp will be staged at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre, National Stadium Karachi from 7 to 18 May. Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig and Fatima Sana will not attend the camp and join the squad for the series on 17 May, the quartet will be taking part in a women’s T20 event in Dubai. Left-arm-spinner Nashra Sandhu will be missing out on the camp due to a shoulder injury. The six series matches (three T20Is and three ODIs) will be staged at Karachi’s Southend Club. Names of players: Aiman Anwar, Anam Amin, Anoosha Nasir, Ayesha Bilal, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Najiha Alvi, Natalia Pervaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shams, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Umme Hani, Waheeda Akhtar and Yusra Amir. Support personnel: David Hemp (Head coach), Saleem Jaffer (Bowling coach), Waqar Orakzai (Assistant coach), Saboor Ahmad (Strength and Conditioning coach), Rifat Asghar Gill (Physiotherapist), Dr Mohammad Khurram (Doctor) Itinerary (Venue: Karachi’s Southend Club): 19 May – Teams arrive in Karachi 21-23 May – Training 24 May – First T20I 26 May – Second T20I 28 May – Third T20I 1 Jun – First ODI 3 Jun – Second ODI 5 Jun – Third ODI

BIPIN DANI Vishmi Gunarathna will miss the Pakistan tour because of her Level 11 examinations to run from May 23 to June 1. Sri Lanka's women's team will play three T-20Is and three ODIs' in Pakistan between May 24 and June 5. Rathnavali Balika Vidyalaya (Gampaha, Sri Lanka) is proud of her pupil Vishmi Gunarathna, who at the age of 16 years smashed unbeaten 417 runs, the highest score in Under-19 Schools Cricket last week. Vishmi's 417 runs scored in 128 balls (30-over match against Jayasiripura Kanishta Vidyalaya) included 49 fours and 29 sixes. Interestingly, she reached her 300th, 350th and 400th runs with sixes. "She has reestablished the history of Sri Lankan girls’ Cricket, setting a new record. We are proud of her achievement", the school principal Mrs. HAH Jayawardena said over the telephone. Vishmi commenced career in sports with athletics securing national level victories in 100m,200m,100mx 4 , and has been able to set new national records in the years 2018 and 2019 in 100mx4. "Presently she captains the school Cricket Team and is an all-rounder. She has also brought pride for the school by representing the national team as an opening batter". Vishmi is good in her academic career also. "Vishmi Gunarathna who is in grade 11 of our school has been a bonafide student of the school since grade 6 and she has been outstanding in every aspect", the principal added. In January this year, Vishmi represented the country in Commonwealth Games Women's Cricket Competition Qualifiers in Malaysia and had played four international matches. Vishmi's elder sister, Nethmi Gunarathna has also been an outstanding student of our school who secured a number of victories in cricket as well as athletics bringing fame and reputation to the school", added the principal.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-As part of its efforts to develop a strong talent pool of women cricketers and increase the participation of teenage girls, the Pakistan Cricket Board will hold nationwide trials in collaboration with six Cricket Associations next month. The trials will be conducted by highly qualified coaches, including former Test and first-class cricketers, for three age brackets: U19, in which players who are born on or after 1 September 2003 are eligible; emerging, players falling in the age bracket of 19-24 years; and seniors, for players between the ages of 25 and 28. To ensure the maximum participation of the girls and young women, the players who are part of the PCB’s regional academy system are not eligible for these trials. This development comes after the PCB announced that around 100 women cricketers will feature in the 2022-23 domestic cricket season. These trials will further help in nourishing the talent pool and strengthening the bench strength across all rungs with the ICC Under-19 T20 Women’s World Cup scheduled to be played in South Africa in February 2023 and a jam-packed national women’s side schedule. Schedule of trials by CAs:  Balochistan – 12 May Central Punjab 6-9 May Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 9-11 May Northern 10-17 May Sindh 18-28 May Southern Punjab 10-12 May Head of Women’s Cricket Tania Mallick: “To continue the growth and evolution of women’s cricket in the country, it is very important that the game is made accessible to teenage girls and young women across the country. This initiative will help us in digging up the talented cricketers, whom we can groom and provide necessary facilities and formal training to make them become better at the game. “I want to thank our six Cricket Associations, who have jumped on board for this initiative and have shown keen interest to develop and promote women’s cricket in their jurisdictions.” Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof: “When I started to play cricket, there were not enough avenues for girls to take up this sport. This initiative takes cricket to the doorstep of every aspiring cricketer, and bodes well for the development of women’s cricket in the country. “There is a strong interest in young girls for this game and with proper coaching, training and facilities, they will surely do wonders for the country.” Details for the trials in Gilgit-Baltistan will be announced in due course.

BIPIN DANI Sri Lankan all-rounder (and possible vice captain on the forthcoming Bangladesh tour) Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis have returned (to Sri Lanka) from Bangladesh, where they were playing the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. "They gave and passed their fitness tests on Monday", one of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board sources revealed. Both Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis were recently hired by two franchise teams-Abhani Limited and Mohammedan Sports Club- respectively to play List A Dhaka Premier League (DPL) matches in Bangladesh. More than 80 players (yes, you have read right, above 80 players) gave their fitness tests on Monday and "almost all" have passed.  This long list (of more than 80 players included) included the national players to leave for the Bangladesh tour, Under-19 players and players from the Emerging squad. They underwent tests for skin folds, strength, speed and agility and endurance, it is learnt. Fitness tests of the national men's team were supervised by the new head coach Chris Siverwood, whereas the young players' tests were conducted in the presence of Ruwan Kalpage, the head coach for the Emerging squad, which is  to leave for the England tour.

Bipin Dani Sri Lanka's chief selector Pramodya Wickramasinghe will travel with the team to Bangladesh, it is learnt. According to the well-placed sources in the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board, the 50-year-old former right-arm fast bowler will act as a selector on tour. The Sri Lankan team which is scheduled to leave for Bangladesh on May 8 will play a 2-day match (May 11 and 12) before the two Test matches in Chattogram (May 15-19) and Dhaka (May 23-27). The squad is unlikely to have Chaminda Vaas as bowling coach. The SLC had already named him as a bowling coach, however, the negotiations between the two have failed and the board is likely to send someone else. The new coach Chris Silverwood, who acted as an observer and had one-to-one with some players will begin the coaching and supervise the training sessions from Tuesday onwards with those players, who passed their fitness tests on Monday.   The coach is likely to address his first media interaction this week, it is understood. New Sports Council In the meantime, the sports minister Thenuka Vidanamage is likely to announce the new members of the National Sports Council this week. "Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara didn't show interest for a zoom meeting and hence I presume they are not interested. Will form a new committee this week", the hon. minister, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo, confirmed.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Pakistan Cricket Board’s efforts for the democratisation of the game continued in the 2021-22 season as it provided guidance and assistance to the six Cricket Associations for the growth and promotion of cricket at the grassroots level. The efforts reaped great benefits for club cricketers with as many as 3,822 club sides across the country playing 7,009 matches. The six CAs conducted cricket leagues in their respective jurisdictions in the five-month period between October 2021 and February 2022, providing a pathway for the aspiring cricketers to graduate to the apex domestic level and also helping in the unearthing of cricket talent in both urban and rural centers. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whose talent across all rungs continues to dominate the domestic scene, saw 844 clubs play 1,530 matches from 13 November 2021 to 20 January 2022. Central Punjab and Sindh had the next best number of club participation with 788 and 670 sides playing 1,482 and 1,172 matches, respectively. In Southern Punjab, 517 clubs played 1,100 matches, while 512 clubs in Balochistan and 491 in Northern featured in 700 and 1,025 games, respectively. The club cricket leagues in the Balochistan, Central Punjab, Northern, Sindh and Southern Punjab began on 20 October 2021 and finished early this year. Nadeem Khan, Director – High Performance: “Club cricket acts as a feeder for domestic cricket and it was vital that we created an atmosphere in which our six Cricket Associations were able to maximise cricket at grassroots. “I want to congratulate the Cricket Associations, who have delivered these matches and have more such activities planned that are in line with the PCB has a vision of helping grassroots cricket grow and flourish. The PCB aims to continue to work closely with the six Cricket Associations so that we can collectively provide maximum playing opportunities to the budding cricketers in an effort to help them achieve their career objectives.” In the coming months, the PCB will run an independent scrutiny process to further boost the development of the game at the club level. Separately, extensive work continued to attract schoolchildren towards cricket, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Central Punjab and Southern Punjab organised school cricket leagues. Three-hundred school teams in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa played 565 matches from 7 October to 8 November last year. Southern Punjab’s school league saw 184 schools compete in 295 matches from 15 November 2021 till 5 January 2022, while 162 schools in Central Punjab have played 458 matches to date with the two-day league presently ongoing. Earlier in the month, Dar-e-Arqam Lahore won the Central Punjab Weekend School Championship 2021-22 on the basis of first innings lead in a draw against Divisional Public School Faisalabad at Pakistan’s home of cricket, the Gaddafi Stadium.