Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-As many as 1,118 young girls and women participated in the trials organised in five of the six Cricket Associations as the Pakistan Cricket Board’s efforts to make the game more gender-inclusive continue. The biggest turnout was in Central Punjab where 287 players appeared in trials. With 250 players, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was next. In what is a major development for the women’s game in Balochistan, 218 teenagers and women participated in the trials. 223 and 140 players gave trials in Southern Punjab and Northern. The selection panel in these CAs, which comprised highly qualified coaches in former Test and first-class cricketers, selected players across the U19, emerging (ages 19-24) and senior (ages 25-28) categories. 125, 139 and 40 players were selected in the U19, emerging and senior categories in Balochistan, Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern (Muzaffarabad remaining) and Southern Punjab. Head of Women’s Cricket Tania Mallick: “The turnout in these trials is overwhelming. It underscores the appetite of women’s cricket in the country and has played a crucial role in the identification of talent in different parts. I want to thank parents around the country for facilitating their daughters to appear in these trials and this is a good omen for women’s cricket. The educational institutions have also played a major role in making these trials a success by bringing their students to venues. “I want to congratulate and thank the CAs who have played a robust role in the smooth execution of trials. These trials are the first step in the long journey for the development and promotion of the women’s cricket in the country, and it cannot be done without the support of CAs and we will continue to provide all the necessary support for it.” The selected players have ample opportunities with a bumper women’s cricket season ahead. The inaugural U19 World Cup next year provides teenage cricketers opportunities to make a name for themselves at a global stage, while players selected in other categories can push for the national selection by standing out in domestic T20 and One-Day tournaments as well as in a franchise tournament. Pakistan national women’s team have a busy 2022-23 season which kicks off with the T20I series against Sri Lanka later this month. They feature in three ICC Women’s Championship series, two of which will be played in Pakistan, Commonwealth Games, ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup and ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The trials are a joint-effort of the PCB and CAs to strengthen the women player talent pool by making the game more accessible, and promote the sport amongst the female population of the country. The trials in Muzaffarabad will be held on 17 May, while the Sindh-leg of the trials will be run from 18 to 28 May. The trials in Karachi will take place on 27 and 28 May.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-Besides hosts Islamabad, Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK), Bahawalpur and Lahore qualified for the semifinals of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2022 (Grade-1) after completing the first round matches at two different venues at Islamabad on Saturday. On Sunday, 1st semifinal will be played between AJK and Islamabad while Bahawalpur will take on Lahore in the 2nd Semifinal. Both matches will be played at Bhutto Shaheed Cricket Ground G-7 Islamabad. Game-9: Bahawalpur beat Islamabad by 10 wickets at Bhutto Ground Bahawalpur outplayed Islamabad by 10 wickets. Batting first, Islamabad scored 187 runs for loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs. Anees Javed and Shahzeb Haider made 57 and 36 runs respectively. In reply, Bahawalpur reached the target with ease in just 16.4 overs without any loss. Moeen Aslam played superb innings of unbeaten 90* runs off 57 balls and Mohammad Rashid was the second-highest run-getter with unbeaten 86* runs off 44 balls. Result: Bahawalpur won by 10 wickets Man of the Match: Mohammad Rashid Game-10: Abbottabad Vs Gujranwala beat Abbottabad by 5 wickets at PAF Ground, E-9 Abbottabad won the toss and decided to bat first. Abbottabad posted 212 runs on the board in the allotted 20 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. Naeem Ullah was the highest scorer with unbeaten 83* runs off 53 balls. Riasat Khan was the second highest with 66 runs off 53 balls. Israr Hassan took 1 wicket. In reply, Gujranwala chased the target of 213 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 13.4 overs. Muhammad Akram missed out today and got out after scoring 33 runs but Israr Hassan stood tall on the other end and guided his team home with 61 runs off 34 balls. Arslan claimed two wickets for Abbottabad. Result:  Gujranwala won by 5 wickets Man of the Match: Israr Hassan Game-11: Lahore beat AJK by 9 wickets Bhutto Ground G-7 AJK won the toss and opted to bat first. Faisal Mehmood once again played superbly and guided AJK to accumulate 200 runs on the board for the loss of 3 wickets in 20 overs. Faisal Mehmood was the highest scorer with unbeaten 122* runs off 69 balls. Mati Ullah was the only successful bowler to claim a wicket. Lahore in reply chased down the target of 201 runs in 15.2 overs for the loss of 1 wicket. Mati Ullah played a Captain’s knock of unbeaten 88* runs off 43 balls. Kamran Akhter was their second-highest run-getter with unbeaten 77* runs off 45 balls. Mehtab Khalil took 1 wicket for AJK. Result:  Lahore won by 9 wickets Man of the Match: Mati Ullah Game-12: Peshawar beat OKara by 1 run at PAF Ground, E-9 Peshawar won the toss and elected to bat first. Peshawar piled up a huge total of 259 runs on the board for the loss of 3 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Haroon Khan played extraordinary innings of 121 runs off 67 balls, he was well supported by Sana Ullah Khan, he made 56 runs off 28 balls. Badar and Ramzan Shared 1 wicket each. In reply, Okara tried well to reached the targer but fell short of 1 run. Badar Munir  played an outstanding innings of 175 runs off 69 balls. Umer Draz made 62 runs off 49 balls. Okara scored 258 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in allotted 20 overs. Mohsin Khan fetched 1 wicket. Result: Peshawar won by 1 run Man of the Match: Haroon Khan

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka's Roshan Abeysinghe and South Africa's HD Ackerman are the part of the commentary team for the two Test matches in Bangladesh, it is learnt. According to the sources in Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), six names are approved for the commentary panel. They are : Athar Ali, Shamim Ashraf Chowdhury, Samonnoy Ghosh, Mazhar Uddin, HD Ackerman and Roshan Abeysinghe. Ghosh and Mazhar are assigned to commentate in the first and second Test respectively. Roshan Abeysinghe and HD Ackerman are regular faces for the Sri Lankan viewers as they are regulars in Sri Lanka for the international and the LPL (Lanka Premier League) matches. Both are scheduled to reach Bangladesh on Saturday. South African-born Ackerman now lives in Australia. Abeysinghe will also be a key member at the presentations. The first of the two Tests begins at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chattogram on Sunday. The second Test match (May 23-27) will be played at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS), Mirpur Dhaka.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Sixty cricketers will attend the conditioning camp at the National High Performance Centre (NHPC) in Lahore in two different groups from Sunday. First group of 27 cricketers will attend the camp from 15-25 May, while the second group comprising 33 cricketers will participate in the camp from 26 May to 10 June. Players featuring in the English County Championship have been exempted from these camps. Pakistan squad for the ODI series against the West Indies will be announced on 23 May and those selected for the 8, 10 and 12 June matches will attend the training camp, presently scheduled in Rawalpindi, from 1 June. Players invited for the conditioning camp are: First group (15 -25 May) Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Akif Javed (Balochistan), Arshad Iqbal (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Arshadullah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa),  Asif Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Asif Ali (Northern),  Babar Azam (Central Punjab),  Faisal Akram (Southern Punjab),  Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haider Ali (Northern),  Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan),  Kamran Ghulam (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Khurram Shahzad (Balochistan), Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Mir Hamza (Sindh), M0hammad Haris (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shadab Khan (Northern), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh), Usman Qadir (Central Punjab), Yasir Shah (Balochistan) and Zahid Mahmood (Sindh) Second group (26 May- 10 June) Aaliyan Mehmood (Sindh), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Balochistan), Abid Ali (Central Punjab), Abrar Ahmed (Sindh), Ali Asfand (Central Punjab), Ali Usman (Southern Punjab), Arish Ali Khan (Sindh), Azam Khan (Southern Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Haseebullah (Balochistan), Imad Wasim (Northern), Irfanullah Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Maaz Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mehran Mumtaz (Northern), Mohammad Abbas Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Ali (Central Punjab), Mohammad Huraira (Northern), Mohammad Imran (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Imran Randhawa (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Taha (Sindh), Mohammad Zeeshan (Central Punjab), Nauman Ali (Northern), Omair Bin Yousuf (Sindh), Qasim Akram (Central Punjab), Rehan Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Salman Irshad (Northern), Sameen Gul (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh), Syed Zeeshan Zameer (Sindh), Usman Salahuddin (Central Punjab) and Zaman Khan (Northern)

BIPIN DANI Neutral match officials have been appointed for the two Test matches between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, it is learnt. According to the highly placed sources in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the two officials from England (one umpire and one match referee) and one umpire from West Indies will officiate in the two Test matches in Chattogram (May 15-19) and Dhaka May 23-27).  "The ICC will be sending England's Chris Broad as match referee (for both Tests) and for first Test Richard Kettleborough (England) and for 2nd Test Joel Wilson (West Indies) as umpires", a source in Dhaka confirmed. The ICC had recently said that more neutral match officials should be utilised as travel restrictions are lifted while building on the success of the use of home umpires. Also, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid will officiate in both the Tests as an on-field umpire and Masudur Rahman Mukul and Gazi Sohel will be the reserve umpires. The duty of the third umpire will be shared between Joel Wilson (1st Test) and Richard Kettleborough (2nd Test). The home team will also have the knowledge of a Sri Lankan expert. The 44-year-old off-spinner Rangana Herath has again been hired by the BCB. Besides Herath, Sri Lanka's ex-fielding coach Shane McDermott will now sit in the opposite camp. He is the fielding coach for the Bangladesh team.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-An unbeaten innings of 137 runs by Mohammad Akram guided his team Gujranwala to claim a dramatically victory over Bahawalpur  by 7 wickets in the 8th game of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2022 (Grade-1) at PAF Cricket Ground E-9 on Friday. Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Islamabad and Lahore also won their matches on day-2 of the top national blind cricket fixture. Game-5:  AJK beat Okara by 7 wickets at Bhutto Ground In the morning, AJK won the toss and decided to bowl first. Okara posted 165 runs on the board in the allotted 20 overs for the loss of 1 wicket. Umar Daraz once again shined with the bat and made an unbeaten 83 runs off 62 balls. Faseehullah was the second highest with 56 runs off 38 balls. In reply, AJK chased the target of 166 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 16.4 overs. Nisar Ali missed out today and got out after scoring 21 runs but Faisal Mehmood stood tall on the other end and guided his team home with unbeaten 74 runs off 49 balls. Iftikhar Tiger claimed two wickets for Okara. Result: AJK won by 7 wickets Man of the Match: Faisal Mehmood Game-6: Islamabad outclass Abbottabad at PAF Ground, E-9 Islamabad outplayed Abbottabad by 8 wickets. Batting first, Abbottabad made 138 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs.  Naeemullah and Asnaad Khan made 37 and 23 runs respectively. Shahzaib Haider was the star with the ball, he took 3 wickets for 21 runs in his 4-over spell. In reply, Islamabad reached the target in just 13 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. Akmal Hayyat 48, Anees Javed 43 and Shahzaib Haider 36 runs were the main runs scorers. Muhammad Shoaib and Irfanullah claimed a wicket apiece. Result:  Islamabad won by 8 wickets Man of the Match: Shahzaib Haider Game-7 Lahore beat Peshawar by 2 wickets at Bhutto Ground G-7 Lahore won the toss and put Peshawar into bat. Sanaullah and Mohsin Khan again played superbly and guided Peshawar to accumulate 193 runs on the board for the loss of 2 wickets in 20 overs. Sanauallah was the highest scorer with 83 runs off 61 balls and Mohsin made 66 runs off 45 balls. Muhammad Salman was the only successful bowler to claim a wicket. Lahore lost quick wickets early in their innings but Muhammad Salman batted extremely well, he made 50 runs off 24 balls and gave his side a boost, his wicket opened the gate for Peshawar but Muhammad Rizwan played sensibly for his 39 runs. Lahore reached the target for the loss of 8 wickets in 18.5 overs. Mohsin Khan was a successful bowler taking 3 wickets. Result:  Lahore won by 2 wickets Man of the Match: Mohammad Salman Game-8 Gujranwala beat Bahawalpur by 7 wickets at PAF Ground, E-9 Gujranwala chased a mammoth total in a thriller. Mohammad Akram’s ton helped Gujranwala to win a nail-biter. Earlier, Bahawalpur batted first and piled up a huge total of 233 runs on the board for the loss of 7 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Mohammad Rashid played extraordinary innings of 88 runs of 37 balls featuring 17 (4’s), he was well supported by Moeen Aslam, he made 61 runs off 43 balls. Mohammad Zafar’s 16-balls 32 runs innings lifted the run rate in the deck overs. Israr Hassan was the pick amongst the bowlers, he took 4 wickets for 31 runs. In reply, the masterclass innings of Mohammad Akram helped Gujranwala to win dramatically. Akram scored unbeaten 137 runs off 77 balls featuring 17 (4’s). Talha Iqbal made quick 29 runs. Gujranwala chased the target in 19.3 overs for the loss of 3 wickets. Result: Gujranwala won by 7 wickets Man of the Match: Mohammad Akram.

BIPIN DANI Delhi Capitals' David Warner was lucky enough on Wednesday when he survived despite the stumps lighting up but the bails did not dislodge in the bowling of Rajasthan Royals' Yuzvendra Chahal. Two years ago in the ICC World Cup also, he had a similar luck reprieve. It has been a practice of using the Zing bails at all international and IPL matches. With both wooden and Zing bails a snick of the outside of the stump sometimes results in the force not being sufficient to dislodge the bail to the ground.  Here's what David Lighterwood, the Director of the company has to say on bails and whether is it a good idea to eliminate the concept of having bails on stumps. "The way the Zings work, if a Zing bail lights, it means that both spigots have lifted from the groove.  So at that point the wicket is 'put down' by the laws of cricket. But if the bail subsequently reseats (when the Zings will turn off) by the laws of cricket it is not out, as a rider to the relevant law also requires a bail to fall to the ground. So theoretically when the Zings are being used, a playing condition could stipulate this rider doesn't apply, so the wickets are 'put down' upon the flash", explains David Ligertwood, the Director of the company. "Importantly this would still be 100% definitive.  Just like the current law has been through history, by requiring a bail to fall to the ground. If the wickets only had to be touched by the ball to be out a whole range of problems are triggered", he adds. "One problem you would have if the ball only had to touch the stumps is that deciding if and when it took place would often not be definitive.  And in games without TV cameras you often couldn't adjudicate it.  So bails would have to remain in non-TV cricket.  And it would be a real negative if such a cornerstone of the game was different in amateur and grass roots cricket to that on TV". "Even in TV games the technology to determine if stumps were hit would likely never be black and white, and decisions would at times therefore take a long time to assess, and could only be determined when there were TV umpires.  The Zings flashing is 'in front of camera' and can be determined on the field of play".  "With the Zings indicating the instant the bail is dislodged, stumping and run out decisions can be made definitatively in an instant.  If replays and other technology had to be used to determine in which frame the stumps were first touched it would be very difficult, and become more difficult the higher the frame rates of the cameras become". "Another big downside to the ball only having to touch the stumps for a dismissal is that Bails, which are a quirky, interesting and historical part of the cricket, would be lost to the game".  "Bails not dislodging is relatively rare, and is simply a factor in the 'size of the wicket'.  It is a lot rarer than other pieces of luck in the game, like playing and missing etc.  So although there may be emotion around such an occurrence at times, it does not undermine the integrity of the game.  The wicket is always the same for both teams".  "However, when Zings are being used a playing condition could theoretically be introduced so the wicket is 'put down' upon the flash (ie both spigots lifting, but not requiring the rider that they fall to the ground).  This would then capture the vast majority of situations of when the stumps are hit and the bails reseat.  It would be very rare indeed that a bail doesn't flash if the wickets are hit.  So such a playing condition could apply when the Zings are being used, with no real downside". "But like I say, the current law is factual/definitive, historical, entertaining, and always the same for both sides (so fair).  Plus occurs rarely.  And moreover, we have the Zings to tell us the precise definitive moment the second spigot lifts for run outs and stumpings". "So I would say with so much at stake, if it ain't broke why look to change an element of the game that has subsisted for centuries?", Lighterwood concludes.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal & Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD:-Islamabad, Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Bahawalpur and Lahore have won their matches on the opening day of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy (Grade-1) after beating their respective opponents here at two different venues on Thursday. Earlier, Fawad Mohsin (National Business Head North NBP) inaugurated the event. Syed Sultan Shah (Chairman Pakistan Blind Cricket Council), Shoaib Qasirani (Head of Business Analytics NBP), Syed Salman Bokhari (Director Cricket Operations PBCC), and Mohammad Bilal (Director Marketing PBCC) were also the other dignitaries were present on the occasion. Addressing at the occasion, Chairman PBCC thanked the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) for the continued support for the last 12 years to host this event and said that this event will be helpful in finding the new talent for Pakistan Cricket. Match-1: Islamabad beat Gujranwala by 115 runs at Bhutto Cricket Ground: Anees Javed’s superb unbeaten innings of 135 runs helped Islamabad to overcome Gujranwala by a huge margin of 115 runs. Islamabad, put into bat by Gujranwala, made 227 runs in the allotted 20 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. Anees Javed shined with the bat and hit 15 fours and 2 sixes in 72 balls innings of 135 runs. Shahzeb Haider with 39 runs was the second highest run-getter. Tayyab Rehmani and Mohammad Arif obtained a wicket apiece. In reply, Gujranwala chasing 228, was all out on just 112 runs in 17.3 overs. Talha Iqbal was their top scorer with 33 runs. Anees Javed, Shahzeb Haider, Yasir Malik, and Syed Kashan took 2 wickets each for Islamabad. Result: Islamabad won by 115 runs Man of the Match: Anees Javed Match-2: AJK beat Peshawar by 4 wickets at PAF Cricket Ground, E-9 AJK outplayed Peshawar in a sensational nail-biter. Nisar Ali’s master class innings of 105 runs off 57 balls, featuring 17 (4’s) helped AJK to pile up 229 runs on the board in 20 overs for the loss of 4 wickets. Faisal Mehmood chipped in with 40 runs.  Mohsin Khan was the pick amongst the bowler, he claimed 2 wickets for 34 runs. In reply, Peshawar fought hard, Mohsin Khan and Sanaullah Khan kept their chances alive by dazzling batting but unfortunately fell 4 runs short of the target. Mohsin Khan made 82 runs off 53 balls and Sanaullah made 81 runs off 42 balls. Peshawar made 225 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 20 overs. Nisar Ali and Habib Taj claimed a wicket apiece. Result: AJK won by 4 runs Man of the Match: Nisar Ali Match-3: Bahawalpur beat Abbottabad by 9 wickets at Bhutto Cricket Ground: Abbottabad won the toss and decided to bat first. Abbottabad made 132 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 7 wickets. Naeem Ullah was the top scorer with 46 runs and Riasat Khan made 34 runs. For Bahawalpur, Saqib Ali took 2 wickets, Muhammad Ijaz and Muhammad Ayyaz claimed a wicket apiece. Bahawalpur in reply chased down the target of 133 runs rapidly in just 10.5 overs for the loss of 1 wicket. Moeen Aslam’s bat swung wildly and smashed unbeaten 78 runs off just 37 balls, featuring 11 (4’s) and 1 huge six. Result: Bahawalpur won by 9 wickets Man of the Match: Moeen Aslam Match-4: Lahore beat Okara at PAF Cricket Ground, E-9 Okara batting first made 175 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in stipulated 20 overs. Umar Daraz played a splendid inning of 93 runs off 59 balls. Rizwan Ali was the pick amongst the bowlers, he took 4 wickets for 33 runs. In reply, Lahore chased the target in style within 11.2 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. Matiullah remained unbeaten on 85 runs off 38 balls with the help of 12 (4’s) and 1 six, he was well supported by Mohammad Salman who made 50 runs off 17 balls. Iftikhar Tiger was the only bowler for Okara to claim a wicket. Result: Lahore won by 8 wickets Man of the Match: Matiullah.

Sports Bulletin Report LONDON:-The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced today that it has appointed Brendon McCullum as England Men's Test Head Coach. McCullum, 40, will be in place to start his role for next month's LV= Insurance three-match Test series against New Zealand, which gets underway at Lord's from 2 June, subject to obtaining the necessary work visa. The ECB's selection panel of Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison, Managing Director of England's Men's Cricket Rob Key, Strategic Adviser Andrew Strauss and Performance Director Mo Bobat unanimously agreed that he was the outstanding candidate for the role, having impressed during the competitive interview process. New Zealand born McCullum currently works as Head Coach of Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and previously coached Trinbago Knight Riders to the 2020 Caribbean Premier League title. He also had an exemplary playing career that saw him earn 101 Test caps and was Test captain of the Black Caps from 2012 to his international retirement in 2016. Rob Key said: "We are delighted to confirm Brendon as England Men's Test Head Coach. It has been a real privilege to get to know him and understand his views and vision for the game. I believe his appointment will be good for England's Test team. "He has a recent history of changing cricket culture and environments for the better, and I believe he is the person to do that for England's red-ball cricket. "We were incredibly fortunate to have a seriously strong list of quality candidates for the post, with Brendon demonstrating he was our number one choice. "I'd like to thank Tom Harrison and the ECB Board for their support in this process. "I believe in Brendon and Ben Stokes - a formidable coach and captain partnership. Time for us all to buckle up and get ready for the ride." Speaking about his appointment, McCullum, added: "I'd like to say how pleased I am to be given this opportunity to positively contribute to England's Test cricket set-up and move the team forward into a more successful era. "In taking this role on, I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we've confronted them head-on. "I've enjoyed several robust conversations with Rob Key about the direction of travel for the team and have found his enthusiasm contagious. I'm no stranger to bringing about change within a team environment, and I can't wait to get started. "Ben Stokes is the perfect character to inspire change around him, and I look forward to working closely with him to build a successful unit around us." McCullum is due to arrive in the UK later this month. The Knight Riders have two matches left in their IPL group campaign on Saturday against Sunrisers Hyderabad and complete their season on Wednesday 18 May against Lucknow Super Giants.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today confirmed Bismah Maroof will continue to lead the national women’s limited-overs teams in the 2022-23 Season. Pakistan are gearing up for an action-packed bumper season in which they will play, at least, 25 matches with the schedules for the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup and ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to be announced. Their season begins by hosting Sri Lanka in Karachi for three T20Is and three ODIs in what will be the first instance of ICC Women’s Championship matches being staged in Pakistan from later this month. Bismah’s team will then head for Belfast to play hosts Ireland and champions Australia in a T20I triangular series from 12-24 July before they move to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games to be held from 25 July to 8 August. Like the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, Bismah will travel to Belfast and Birmingham with her daughter Fatima and mother with the Pakistan Cricket Board sharing the travel, lodging and boarding expenses in line with its Parental Support Policy. In October, Ireland women will make their first-ever visit to Pakistan for three T20Is and as many ODIs, also ICC Women’s Championship matches, after which they will feature in ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup. They then travel to Australia for three T20Is and three ODIs, Pakistan’s first away ICC Women’s Championship fixtures of the cycle, at the start of 2023 and play ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in February in South Africa. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof: “It is truly an honour for any cricketer to captain their country and it is a great privilege for me to continue in this role. The 2022-23 cricket season is the busiest for Pakistan women’s side and we are excited and geared up for the challenges it presents. “Every match in the upcoming season is important for us as a team as bilateral ODIs will determine whether we qualify for the next ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and the T20Is provide us opportunities to prepare for the all-important T20 World Cup in February next year. “I want to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for its immense support throughout my career and especially in helping me strike the right work-life balance after the birth of Fatima. There was a time when I contemplated giving up on my passion of playing cricket, but the PCB ensured it never came to that with the introduction of the maternity policy, which has made the game as inclusive as it can be for the women in our country. I also want to thank my family and especially my husband, Abrar, who has been a great support throughout my career, and has provided me encouragement to continue to play for Pakistan.” Head of Women’s cricket Tania Mallick: “I want to congratulate Bismah Maroof on her retention as the leader of the national side. She has been an inspiration for women around the world with her demeanour on and off the field and I am sure our side will produce strong and consistent results in their leadership over the next year.” Bismah made her Pakistan debut at 15 against India in an ODI at Jaipur in December 2006. She is the only Pakistan women cricketer with 5,000 international runs. She took reins of the T20I side in 2016 and was named the ODI captain after the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.