Sports Bulletin

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-President US Tapeball Cricket, Aamir Siddiqui has revealed that the National Tapeball Cricket Championship will be held from August 12 to 14, 2022 at ICC Multi Sports Complex Houston, Texas. While talking to this reporter over his mobile on Wednesday, he further added that 16 teams would fight for the top honour during the three-day cricket championship. “Our mission is to bring the community together and promote healthy activity among the youth and adults and to promote & organize Tapeball cricket in North America too, “he maintained. Responding to a question, Aamir said the International Tapeball Cricket Council along with USA Tapeball cricket will stage the Tapeball World Cup next year 2023 in the United States of America (USA). “As many as eight teams will participate in the mega cricket event of the Taprball, “he further divulged. “We are thankful to all the teams, who are participating in the upcoming National Championship. Also teams will take part in the event from Canada. I am thankful to Nawaid Isa, owner ICCMC, Zahid Aslam from Washington DC, Ahmed Khan from California, Sauleh from Dallas, Adil Anis from Houston, Farrukh Siddiqui and Yasir Majid from Canada. Our legendary commentator Hassan Jalil will do the commentary for all the upcoming events, “he said. “USA Tapeball Cricket KAYI Winter Cup, Major League Tapeball and Texas Cup Tapeball Invitational tournaments are of our cricket season. 16 teams including Kayi Alps USA, Atlanta Stallions from Atlanta, Field Fighters from California, Baltimore Tigers from Maryland, Washington Capitals from Washington DC, Big 3 from New York, Afgan Tigers from Houston, Lodi Zalmi from California, Supreme All Stars from Virginia, GM Sports from Houston, Pakistan First from New York, Houston Stallions from Houston, 3A Pro Cricket from Florida, Thunderbolts from Dallas, Badshah from Houston and Ifty Sports from Canada will participate in the US National Tapeball Championship 2022, “he concluded.  

Sports Bulletin Report DUBAI (UEA):-Australia have increased their lead over second-placed India from one to nine rating points while Pakistan have overtaken England to fifth position in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings following the annual update carried out today. Australia, who beat England 4-0 in a five-match home series in January, have moved from 119 to 128 rating points in the annual update that drops the 2018-19 season and reflects all series completed since May 2019. Series completed prior to May 2021 are now weighted at 50 per cent and subsequent series at 100 per cent. India have also gained a point to move to 119 while England have had the biggest decrease of nine points as their 4-1 series win over India in 2018 is now dropped from the rankings. England’s 88 rating points is their lowest since 1995. The England versus India series that began in 2021, will be included in the rankings once the final postponed Test is completed. South Africa have closed the gap with third-placed New Zealand from 13 points to just one point in the updated rankings that still contain 10 teams since Afghanistan and Ireland are yet to play enough Tests to be included in the rankings. In the updated ODI rankings, New Zealand remain on top but their lead over England is reduced from three to one point. The gap between England and third placed Australia has increased from seven to 17 points. Pakistan have moved past South Africa to fifth place while the United Arab Emirates are the biggest gainers, earning six rating points and advancing two places to 13th. India remain on top in T20Is, extending their lead over second-placed England from one to five points. South Africa and Australia have overtaken New Zealand, who are now in sixth place. Similarly, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are now ahead of Afghanistan (10th). The biggest rating improvement has been by Portugal, who have moved up five places to 45th in the latest update, in which the number of ranked teams has fallen from 91 to 72, as 19 teams have not played the required six rated matches since May 2019. Of the 19 teams to have lost their ranking, 11 still have a rating since they played some T20Is in the past three years. Mexico, Philippines and Isle of Man have played five matches so will regain their ranking when they play their next match, while France, Peru, Hungary, Samoa, Brazil, Chile and Turkey will regain their ranking after playing two more matches. Bhutan need to play four more matches to be ranked. Fiji, Costa Rica, Japan, South Korea, St Helena, China, Indonesia and Myanmar have not played since May 2019 and so have lost their rating.

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatuinga is in India now. Late last week, he addressed about 200 Indian students in Mumbai. "I was invited by the former Indian spinner Nilesh Kulkurni to share my experience and knowledge with his students at the International Institute of Sports Management (IIMS)", the 58-year-old Ranatunga said exclusively over the telephone. "I spoke about the mind game and several other issues. It was like a motivational lecture".  "My 30-minute lecture was followed by a question and answer session, in which the students asked about how I handled Muralitharan's no-ball issue (1996, Australia tour). They were also keen to learn how such issues can make sure that the game is not distracted".      "The students were also told about discipline and attitude to be maintained. They have been guided to respect the elders and worship the parents, which is our old custom", added the former captain. Interestingly, Ranatunga also stated that the next time he visits this institute it would be as the President of Sri Lanka. Ranatunga will spend a few more days visiting Trivandrum, Cochin and Bangalore before returning to Sri Lanka.

Aamir Ali Janjua DUBAI (UAE):-The ICC Player of the Month nominees have been announced for April 2022 with strong men and women candidates getting nominated for their impressive performances. The ICC Women’s Player of the Month shortlist sees two stars of the showpiece finale of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 in New Zealand nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month,  Alyssa Healy (Australia) and Nat Sciver (England). They are in the running to scoop the award alongside Janet Mbabazi (Uganda), who shone following dominant performances in the Capricorn Women’s Tri-series in Namibia. South African spin duo Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj are nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month after tormenting Bangladesh batters throughout their 2-0 victory in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series. Jatinder Singh of Oman completes the lineup for the men’s award thanks to his outstanding contributions with the bat in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 competition in the UAE. Alyssa Healy (Australia) Alyssa Healy celebrates her second nomination for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award thanks to her masterful innings of 170 against England in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Final. This phenomenal display of power-hitting and control helped her set a new record for the highest score ever recorded at a World Cup Final, and was the driving force behind Australia claiming their seventh ODI crown. Victory here would also mean she becomes the second player to win the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award on two occasions, after being crowned back in April 2021. Janet Mbabazi (Uganda) Janet Mbabazi enjoyed a highly successful month in which she shone both with bat and ball. Representing her country in six T20Is as part of the Capricorn Women’s Tri-series, she took 11 wickets at an astonishing average of 7.81, while also amassing 118 runs on her way to becoming her side’s leading run-scorer, and the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. Her nomination means she is the first Ugandan to be shortlisted for the ICC Player of the Month. Nat Sciver (England) In response to Healy’s heroics in the first innings of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final 2022, Nat Sciver was instrumental in bringing England back into contention with a blistering 148* in Christchurch. Despite seeing her teammates fall at regular intervals, Sciver hit a truly memorable inning as her side fell short in the finale, including 15 fours and one maximum at a strike rate of 122.31. This is her second nomination for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month, her first being back in February 2021. Simon Harmer (South Africa) The South African spinner was an integral part of the potent bowling attack that dominated Bangladesh in both of the ICC World Test Championship series matches taking place in Durban and Gqeberha. Harmer took 13 wickets at an average of 15.15, driving his side’s charge to victory by taking three or more wickets in each of the tourists’ four innings in the series. Harmer, alongside Maharaj, caused a constant threat to Bangladesh, who eventually succumbed by 220 and 332 runs. Keshav Maharaj (South Africa) So often the spearhead of the South African spin attack, Maharaj celebrates his nomination on the shortlist for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award after taking 16 wickets in the WTC series win over Bangladesh at an average of 12.12. Attacking in tandem with Simon Harmer, Maharaj took seven wickets on two separate occasions, both during the second innings where he ended with figures of 7 for 32 and 7 for 40. In addition to his bowling masterclass, he scored a useful 84 in the first innings at Gqeberha to help his side set an imposing total on their way to a 332-run victory. Jatinder Singh (Oman) Singh was instrumental at the crease for Oman in the highly competitive ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tournament in the UAE in April. Amassing 259 runs in his four ODIs at an average of 86.33, his two standout performances came in commanding victories over PNG (118* and 79) while also scoring a half-century in a narrow defeat against Scotland.

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed Navy man Nishantha de Silva as manager for the women's team for the forthcoming Pakistan tour. Nishantha has been working with the Navy as a Rear Admiral. He is the Director General Logistics Head of Logistics in the Navy.  Chamari Atapattu is likely to be the captain for Pak. tour. The team is likely to leave for Pakistan on May 20 and all six matches (three T-20Is and three ODIs) will be played from May 24 to June 5 at one venue (Southend Club) in Karachi.  Sri Lankan women's team is likely to be led by Chamari Atapattu, who, with Udeshika Prabodhani, are heading to UAE to participate in the first ever privately-funded FairBreak T-20 women's cricket event.  They will return to Sri Lanka on May 16 after playing in the event, which is scheduled to run from May 1-15 in Dubai.

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka's former top order batter and manager of the national team Asanka Gurusinha has resigned as coach for the Nigerian team. In December 2020, Gurusinha, who was a member of the 1996 World Cup winning Sri Lankan team was signed by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) as their head coach and high performance director.    "Gurusinha has resigned due to his health issues", Musa Ehizoje, the PRO of the NCF said over the telephone. Gurusinha is believed to have been carrying a shoulder injury. The injury is unlikely to have occurred during his coaching or training stint but has aggravated recently, it is learnt. "He needs surgery and if not done at the earliest, it may worsen", one of the sources in Nigeria confirmed. "It is not known whether he will return to his birth country or may head to Australia, where he has been living for the last so many years. Chances are that he may prefer to go to Australia", the source further added. "He submitted his resignation recently and the directors have had to accept it with a heavy heart", the PRO added. "We have not yet decided on a new coach yet. Gurusinha has not recommended any name also",  Musa Ehizoje confirmed, adding, "Gurusinha, in his short time with us, made significant impact in the game in this country, notably bringing in more discipline to players’ approach to the game and establishing a coaching development template that had been rolled out for coaches also".

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.”