Sports Bulletin

BIPIN DANI The TV commentator Harsha Bhogle had asked a valid question ("where have you been hiding?") to Lucknow Super Giants' IPL member Ayush Badoni on Monday. The question is bothering many of this 22-year-old debut player's acquaintances, especially when he scored 54 runs in 41 balls, which included 3 sixes and four fours against world class players in his very first match. "Ayush has scored in every format of the game right from the beginning. He was waiting for his chance to debut", his childhood coach Hirtesh Sharma says. "He came to me when he was 10. “A very cool headed, soft spoken and hard working boys". "His confidence is very high all the time. Hitting sixes against world's best leg-spinner Rashid Khan was not easy", his school coach Navewen Chopra adds. “If India wants to win a world cup, you should have at least one Modernite in it”, his school. Principal Dr. Vijay Datta says. "It was proven right by Kirti Azad in 1983, Gautam Gambhir in 2014, Unmukt Chand in 2012 (U-19 World Cup) and it gives us hope that with Ayush Badoni proving to be the next rising star in the Cricket horizon, his hopeful presence in the next world cup may bring luck for India". "Modern School, with its legacy of nurturing and fostering exceptional talents in all spheres, especially sports; the mettle proven by Badoni is another feather in its cap. Ayush, who passed out of school in 2018 was a natural player and is fondly remembered as a soft spoken and highly respectful student with a smiling demeanor and sharp focus towards his goals". "A man who lets his bat do the talking, his optimism and commitment saw him braving many odds to emerge as a promising player for India. He always walked in the path of righteousness, did what he deemed right and remained unaltered in his goals, ignoring all jibes and rejections. The 22-year-old, who slammed a 41-ball 54 against Gujarat Titans, playing on behalf of Lucknow Supergiants, is a proud reminder that hard work always pays off", the principal continued. Ayush's father Vivek is a documentary filmmaker and mother is a school teacher. His only brother is a football player. His Lucknow team captain KL Rahul has nicknamed him 'Baby De Villiers' for the similarity of his initials with the South African batting legend AB de Villiers.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-With the aim of reducing the national side’s gap with the leading international teams and creating more opportunities for players to grow and evolve according to the demands of the contemporary game, the Pakistan Cricket Board today unveiled a bumper season for the women cricketers. Bismah Maroof’s side will compete in eight international series, including ICC Women’s Championship commitments, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup from May 2022 till February 2023. In what will be the first instance of Pakistan staging the ICC Women’s Championship fixtures, Sri Lanka will tour the country for three ODIs in May-June. Their tour is beefed with three T20Is – to be played under floodlights – that will help the two sides in their preparations for the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the much-anticipated ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which will be played in South Africa in February 2023. Bismah Maroof’s side will host three more ICC Women’s Championship ODIs in October-November when Ireland will arrive in Pakistan for what will be their first tour of the country. Along with three ODIs, the two teams will also face-off in three T20Is. The Ireland women side’s visit will follow the national side’s participation in a triangular T20I series in Bready that will involve the hosts and T20 World Cup champions Australia in July ahead of the eight-team Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Before the Ireland’s visit, Pakistan women will travel to Hangzhou, China, for the 19th Asian Games in September. At the backend of 2022, the national side will participate in the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup, the details of which will be announced by the event organiser. 2023 will begin with a challenging tour of Australia in which they will play ICC Women’s Championship ODIs and three T20Is in January-February. The tour will further test the ability of the side and provide them with the crucial experience to continue to grow as a team. With the ambition of creating a strong talent pool at the domestic level and lay a proper pathway structure, the PCB, in a first, will organise an U19 T20 competition in Muridke in August with all six Cricket Associations fielding their teams. This initiative will help the PCB to reach out to passionate girls in every nook and corner of the country and help them materialise their dreams of playing the game at the competitive level. The players who standout in the U19 tournament will have a chance to feature in the senior women’s domestic season 2022-23, in which around 100 cricketers will feature. The senior domestic season will begin with the T20 championship in September in which seven teams will participate. The event will be divided into two phases with four teams, comprising best players from the six Cricket Associations, featuring in the first phase. The top performers from phase one will lock horns with the international cricketers in the second phase of the championship, in which three evenly balanced teams will contest. The season will conclude with a 14-match One-Day tournament in April with Karachi hosting the four-team event, which will be played on double round-robin league basis to provide all the participating players a healthy mix of quality and quantity. Head of Women’s Cricket Tania Mallick: “The past few weeks have brought to light the gulf between our side and the leading international teams. To develop and strengthen our national side, it is imperative to have a strong and competitive domestic structure and provide more opportunities to the national side to play in challenging conditions so we continue to gauge where we stand. “We have put in a lot of thinking before penning down our upcoming season. I am grateful to all six Cricket Associations who have jumped on board and expressed their desire and willingness to develop women’s cricket at age group and senior rungs in their jurisdictions. Their help and support will unearth talent from all parts of the country and, with a strong system in place, I am sure we will be able to produce players who are capable of performing according to the contemporary demands and needs.” Pakistan Women’s Head Coach David Hemp: “It is extremely important for our national side to continue to be challenged and play in tough conditions against tough oppositions to continue to grow and our commitments in the next season will help us on that front. “Though, the recent results have not gone in our favour, but the individual performances underscore that these girls have the potential, and we need to provide them opportunities to upskill themselves. For the first time in the history of the World Cups, a Pakistan batter scored a century, our spinners have dominated the oppositions and a young all-rounder, just out of her teens, was recognised as the emerging cricketer of 2021 by the game’s global body. “I am certain that the upcoming season will help our team develop and we will see consistent results.” Pakistan Women’s captain Bismah Maroof: “Over the recent years, the women’s cricket has grown immensely and the level of competition has increased manifold. In such a backdrop, it is very important that we have proper international and domestic schedules. “Playing more international games will aid the national side in better pressure handling and capturing the key moments, which we have not been able to do recently despite some outstanding chunks of play. We also need to have better bench strength and the introduction of an U19 event will go a long way in helping us with that. Complete schedule May 2022-April 2023: International events: 18 May-7 June: Sri Lanka to Pakistan (3 ICC Women’s Championship ODIs, 3 T20Is), Rawalpindi 12-24 July: Pakistan to Ireland (4 tri-series T20Is also involving Australia), Dublin 25 July-8 August: Birmingham Commonwealth Games 30 Oct-20 Nov: Ireland to Pakistan (3 ICC Women’s Championship ODIs, 3 T20Is), Lahore/Karachi December: ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup 4 Jan-1 Feb: Pakistan to Australia (3 ICC Women’s Championship ODIs, 3 T20Is) February: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, South Africa Domestic events: 2-18 August: U19 Women’s T20 Tournament (14 T20s), Muridke Sep/Oct: Triangular T20 Women’s Championship, Muridke/Lahore 5-25 April: Pakistan Women’s One-Day Tournament (14 50-over matches), Karachi

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI:-Rawalpindi will host the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League matches against the West Indies at the Pindi Cricket Stadium from 8-12 June, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced today. The West Indies will arrive in Islamabad on 5 June for the One-Day Internationals that will be played on 8, 10 and 12 June. The ODIs were part of the West Indies’ tour of Pakistan in December 2021. However, with mutual consent, these were rescheduled after five Covid-19 cases were reported in the West Indies side. The West Indies have also agreed to play three T20Is in early 2023, schedule of which will be announced in due course. The ODIs are part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League. Top seven-placed sides from this event plus ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 hosts India will qualify directly for the pinnacle 50-over competition, which will be staged next year in October/November. Series schedule: 8 June – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi 10 June – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi 12 June – 3rd ODI, Rawalpindi

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-India were knocked out of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 with the final ball of the league stage as South Africa won by three wickets. Smriti Mandhana and Mithali Raj led the scoring for India with 71 and 68 as the Women in Blue set South Africa 275 to win and the Proteas emerged victorious in dramatic style thanks to 80 from Laura Wolvaardt and Mignon du Preez’s brave knock of 52 not out. England had earlier defeated Bangladesh by 100 runs and will play South Africa in the semi-final on Thursday in Christchurch, while India’s loss confirms Australia will take on the West Indies in Wellington on Wednesday. Australia topped the table with 14 points after going unbeaten during the round robin stage, while South Africa’s place in second was confirmed prior to the start of the match, but the win moved them to 11 points. England end the league stage on eight points having mounted a remarkable comeback to win their final four matches after losing their first three, while the West Indies faced an agonising 72-hour wait to confirm their place in the semi-finals after their final game against South Africa was washed out and they finished on seven points. India and New Zealand missed out on qualification for the knockout stages by just one point as they both finished on six, India ahead of the hosts on net run rate. Bangladesh and Pakistan take up the last two spots in the table having won a game each, the Tigresses finishing in seventh thanks to a superior net run rate as every team recorded at least one victory in New Zealand. India made a blistering start after choosing to bat, putting on 68 for no loss in the powerplay before Shafali Verma was needlessly run out on 53 after a breakdown in communication with opening partner Mandhana. Mandhana top-scored with 71 and added 80 for the third wicket with Raj before she was excellently caught by a diving Chloe Tryon. Raj also brought up a half-century before departing for 68 from 84 balls and Harmanpreet Kaur fell two runs short of a fifty of her own as South Africa’s bowlers hit back, Shabnim Ismail recovering from conceding 31 in her first three overs to produce figures of two for 11 in her final seven overs. South Africa reeled India in to 274 for seven, meaning the Women in Blue would have to bowl their opponents out for under 174 to finish in third and avoid Australia. They had a sniff when Lizelle Lee was run out by Kaur for six before Wolvaardt combined with Lara Goodall for a 125-run partnership. Goodall was stumped one run shy of what would have been a maiden World Cup fifty before Wolvaardt was dismissed by a turning delivery from Kaur, missing another chance to make a World Cup hundred after registering her fifth half-century of the tournament. However, she did become the tournament’s leading run scorer with 433 before leaving the field with a bowed head as Kaur wheeled away in an emotional celebration.  Kaur had another when skipper Sune Luus was given out LBW on review for 22 as South Africa slipped to 182 for four, and the all-rounder was involved again when she ran out Marizanne Kapp to leave South Africa needing 46 from 31 balls with five wickets in hand. Earlier in the day, England defeated Bangladesh by 100 runs as Sophia Dunkley performed with the bat and Sophie Ecclestone delivered with the ball to ensure Heather Knight’s side made the last four. The defending champions had slipped to 96 for four before Dunkley combined with Amy Jones to put on 72 for the fifth wicket. Dunkley was eventually dismissed for 67 from 72 as she scored her maiden World Cup fifty before late striking from Katherine Brunt and Ecclestone hauled England up to 234 for six. Bangladesh were wary of going for big shots, making just 23 in the powerplay before Ecclestone broke the deadlock to dismiss Sharmin Akhter for 23 and the spinner then got the other opener Shamima Sultana in her next over. Wickets began to fall regularly as England extinguished any hopes of a Bangladesh win, Charlie Dean claiming three for 30 in tandem with spin twin Ecclestone who claimed three for 15 as the Tigresses were bowled out for 134. Scores in brief South Africa beat India at Hagley Oval, Christchurch by three wickets India 274/7 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 71, Mithali Raj 68; Shafali Verma 53, Harmanpreet Kaur 48; Masabata Klaas 2/38, Shabnim Ismail 2/42) South Africa 275/7 in 50 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 80, Mignon du Preez 52 not out, Lara Goodall 49; Harmanpreet Kaur 2/42, Rajeshwari Gayakwad 2/61) Player of the Match: Mignon du Preez (South Africa) England beat Bangladesh at Basin Reserve, Wellington by 100 runs England 234/6 in 50 overs (Sophia Dunkley 67, Nat Sciver 40; Salma Khatun 2/46) Bangladesh 134 all out in 48 overs (Lata Mondol 30; Sophie Ecclestone 3/15, Charlie Dean 3/31) Player of the Match: Sophia Dunkley (England)

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka's women's team will travel to Pakistan in the month of May, this year, it is learnt. According to highly placed sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Sri Lanka's women's team is scheduled to play three ODIs' and three T-20Is in May and June. This will be the first time in recent years the Sri Lanka's women's team is traveling to Pakistan to play a bilateral series, though the Pak women's team did visit Sri Lanka.   According to the tentative schedule drawn by the PCB, all three ODIs' (May 24, 26 & 29) and three T-20Is (June 1, 3 & 5) will be played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium (Rawalpindi). However, this is subject to change. The MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) is likely to have been signed by the two boards. The visiting Sri Lankan team is scheduled to leave for Pakistan on May 16 and will spend three days in strict isolation before resuming the practice from May 21 subject to Covid clearance test on May 20. The PCB has suggested the 50-over Day matches to begin at 10 AM, whereas the D/N T-20Is be played from 7 pm to 21.45 PM

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Australia batter Steve Smith will miss the One Day International matches series owing to discomfort with his left elbow. Smith experienced some discomfort during the three-match Test series and, with a full schedule of international cricket over the coming 18 months, it was felt prudent to prioritise recovery and treatment at this time. He will be replaced by Queensland leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson in the squad to contest three One-Day Internationals (29 and 31 March and 2 April) and a T20 International (5 April), with all matches taking place in Lahore. Cricket Australia’s Head of Sports Science and Sports Medicine, Alex Kountouris, said: “Steve has been experiencing some minor discomfort in his left elbow during the latter stages of the Test series in Pakistan and, given he had an injury with the same elbow last year, we felt it important to manage this proactively. “Withdrawing him from the white ball matches means Steve will have the necessary time to rehabilitate his elbow to ensure his continuing availability and performance for Australia.” Chair of Selectors George Bailey said: “With the significant amount of cricket to come over the next 18 months, and the fact he has had an issue with the same elbow previously, it is appropriate for Steve to return home at the end of the Test series in Pakistan. “We have opted not to name a replacement batter as we feel we have options within the existing squad, and Steve’s absence offers up additional opportunities to players within the group. “We are excited because with a T20 World Cup later this year and a 50-over Cricket World Cup in Asia next year, these four matches against a quality Pakistan team are a great chance for players to stake their claims for places in those tournaments. "We have decided to include Mitchell Swepson in the white ball squad because it will offer us additional options in the bowling department on surfaces that may well assist spinners. “Mitchell was part of our Twenty20 International squads in both the West Indies and Bangladesh last year, as well as at the T20 World Cup, and having been in Pakistan for the past month he is familiar with conditions. We know if called upon he will do an excellent job.” Steve Smith said: “It’s disappointing to miss these matches against Pakistan but after chatting with the medical staff I can see the need to take a break at this time. “I do not regard this as a major issue but by staying on top of things now, we can ensure that it doesn’t become something more significant further down the line.” Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Adam Zampa.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Australia lifted the inaugural Benaud-Qadir Trophy when they defeated Pakistan by 115 runs in the third and decisive cricket Test at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday to win the three-Test series 1-0. Resuming at 73 for no loss in pursuit of a 351-run target, Pakistan were bowled out for 235 with just over 24 overs remaining in the Test. This was Australia’s first series win in Pakistan since 1998 when Mark Taylor won the series 1-0 and second overall when Richie Benaud also won in Lahore by seven wickets in 1959 to clinch the series 2-0. In the ICC World Test Championship points table, Pakistan has dropped from second to fourth on 44 points, while Australia has moved to 72 points. In the ICC Test Team Rankings, both the sides have maintained the pre-series rankings and points. Australia is number-one on 119 points whereas Pakistan in sixth position on 93 points. Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon saved his best performance of the tour for the final day of the series when he returned figures of 37-8-83-5. This was the 19th time in 108 Tests he had taken a five-fer. Lyon’s scalps included Imam-ul-Haq (70), Azhar Ali (17), Babar Azam (55), Hasan Ali (13) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (5). Captain Pat Cummins followed up his five for 56 in the first innings with the wickets of Fawad Alam (11), Mohammad Rizwan (0) and Naseem Shah (1) to finish with match figures of eight for 79 and walk away with the player of match award. It was appropriate Cummins picked up the last wicket of the Test series when he cleaned up Naseem as he had led his team from the front and example. He finished the series as joint leading wicket-taker with Nathan Lyon (12). Mitchell Starc bagged the wicket of Sajid Khan (21), but Cameron Green picked up the first wicket of the day when he had Abdullah Shafique (27) caught at the wicket to end the 77-run first wicket stand. The 46-run sixth wicket partnership between Babar and Sajid was the second best stand for Pakistan in the second innings. Imam batted for four hours and 36 minutes during which he received 199 balls and hit five fours. Babar, who had top-scored in the first innings with 67, faced 104 balls and struck six signature fours during his 165 minutes of batting. The fifth day pitch not only posed plenty of challenges for the batters, it also tested the two on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza as well as third umpire Asif Yaqoob. Asif overturned on-field decision against Azhar Ali despite television replays providing inconclusive evidence, while he upheld Ahsan’s decision against Imam when TV replays suggested there might have been no contact between the bat and the ball and spike could have been due to the bat hitting the pad. With review by Imam struck down and one review available after Fawad made a disasterous call against Aleem Dar’s decision when he was plumb in front of the wicket, Rizwan opted not to challenge Aleem’s decision when TV replays showed the ball had struck his toe outside the off-stumps. Usman Khawaja for his 496 runs with two centuries and two half-centuries was adjudged player of the series. Abdullah was the second most successful batter of the series with 397 runs, followed by Babar (390), Imam (370) and Azhar (300).

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Australia survived a scare from Bangladesh to record a five-wicket win that ensured they finished the group stage of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 unbeaten. After winning the toss, Australia took regular wickets through spin to reduce Bangladesh to 135 for six from their 43 overs after the start was delayed by rain in Wellington. Spin continued to dominate as Bangladesh took the ball, Salma Khatun reducing Australia to 41 for four at the first drinks break before a defiant Beth Mooney guided her side, who had already secured their semi-final spot, to a seventh straight win with an unbeaten 66. Having been put in to bat, Bangladesh made a steady start taking 28 runs from the first six overs before the spin of Ashleigh Gardner and Jess Jonassen was introduced. Gardner would get the first wicket of the innings, dismissing Murshida Khatun for 12 from 17 balls as Rachael Haynes held on to a good catch. That brought Fargana Hoque to the crease and she became the first Bangladeshi women to pass 1000 ODI runs before nicking Annabel Sutherland behind to Alyssa Healy for eight. Australia then smartly reviewed to have Sharmin Akhter given out LBW, DRS confirming Jonassen’s delivery was hitting the top of leg stump as Bangladesh slipped to 58 for three. The experienced heads of Nigar Sultana and Rumana Ahmed played calmly, taking five runs off the next 25 balls before Nigar departed for seven from 30 balls when trying to relieve the dot ball pressure. Bangladesh continued to build promising partnerships, Rumana and Lata Mondol adding 33 for the fifth wicket before the former was caught by Jonassen at mid-off for Gardner’s second wicket of the day to leave the Tigresses on 95 for five with 8.4 overs remaining. Lata was the final wicket to fall as Megan Schutt had her stumped after she top-scored with 33 from 63 balls, wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy whipping off the non-existent bails after they were removed due to the blustery conditions. Salma was there at the end on 15 not out from 23 balls as Bangladesh set Australia 136 to win, no easy task given the weather. But it wasn’t the wind that caused Australia problems, it was Bangladesh’s bowlers with Salma the principal architect of the initial collapse. Healy was first to go after holing out to Jahanara Alam in the deep for 15 from 22 as Salma became the first Bangladeshi bowler to take a wicket against Australia with this the first ever ODI clash between the sides. Meg Lanning’s 30th birthday did not come with a present from her opponents as she was clean-bowled for a duck by a peach of a delivery from Salma, only the fourth time the Australian captain has failed to trouble the scorers in 98 ODIs. Only three more runs were added before Haynes departed for seven from 23 deliveries as Salma single-handedly reduced Australia to 26 for three. The injured Ellyse Perry could only watch on as Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath were moved up the order and now had a real job to do. But McGrath only made three, given out LBW off the bowling of Nahida Akter. Mooney instead combined with the hard-striking Gardner to build the biggest partnership of the innings so far, adding 29 runs. But Gardner had to go when she was bowled by Rumana who broke the partnership with her 50th ODI wicket, the first woman to reach a half century for Bangladesh, repeating the feat Gardner managed herself in the first innings. Mooney steadied a rocking Australia ship with a fifty from 60 balls, scoring only four fours as she realised the aerial route spelt danger, instead rotating the strike with Sutherland as the light began to fade. The duo were there at the end after putting on the 66 runs needed for victory to see Australia home with 65 balls to spare to complete the clean sweep. Bangladesh’s very slim hopes of joining Australia in the semi-finals were ended by the loss but they have another chance to pull off an upset against England in Wellington on Sunday. Scores in brief Australia beat Bangladesh at Basin Reserve, Wellington by five wickets Bangladesh 135/6 in 43 overs (Lata Mondol 33, Sharmin Akhter 24; Jess Jonassen 2/13, Ashleigh Gardner 2/23) Australia 136/5 in 32.1 overs (Beth Mooney 66 not out, Annabel Sutherland 26 not out; Salma Khatun 3/23) Player of the Match: Beth Mooney (Australia)

Sports Bulletin Report AJMAN (UAE):-A magical innings by Zawar Farid (72 not out) helped Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress to lift the title of Ajman T20 Cricket Cup that concluded Malek Cricket Stadium Ajman, United Arabs Emirates (UEA). They defeated Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas by 4 wickets in the final. Chasing Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas 142 for 8, Zawar Farid scored over half his team’s total off 63 balls with seven boundaries and one six. He got timely support from Syed Haider, who hit 32 runs off 20 balls, and together they put on a crucial 65 runs for the fifth wicket. Farid also had sparkled with the ball taking three wickets to restrict Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas’s total. It was a dramatic finish to the tournament with Omer Farooq bowling the 19th over clean bowling Syed Haider with his third delivery and also had Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress skipper Umair Ali Khan with the next ball caught by Harry Bharwal at long on. Zawar Farid hit the hat-trick delivery from Farooq for a six to equal the score and then pick a single to win the game with one over to spare. The proceedings of the final began with Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress winning the toss and electing to bowl.  Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas opener and skipper Jiju Janardhanan, with a bag full of high scores in this tournament, walked in with their Under-19 player Hamdan Tahir.  Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress began their bowling attack with their Under-19 player and left-arm spinner Nilansh Keshwani. Hamdan Tahir scored the first boundary of the final off the fourth ball of the first over by hitting over mid-off. Zahid Ali bowled a tight second over giving away just three runs. Skipper Umair Ali introduced himself for the third over and gave away only six runs. Then Zahid Ali struck with the second ball of the fourth over taking the prize wicket of Jiju Janardhanan caught at mid-on for 7. Usman Khan too fell to the second ball he faced, edging to wicketkeeper Abdul Shakoor for a duck.  When Umair Ali Khan had opener Hamdan Tahir miscue his shot to Syed Haider at point for 14, Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas were reeling at 22 for 3 in 4.3 overs. Tanveer Junaid and Mohammad Afzal began the repair to the damage and took the score to 44 when left-arm spinner Sultan Ahmed had Junaid caught and bowled for 16. This brought in Shahnawaz Khan, and along with Afzal, kept the scoreboard moving.  With only five overs more to go, Maratha Arabians-Brother Gas were 79 for 4.  Zawar Farid who was re-introduced gave away only seven runs in the 16th over. Shahnawaz Khan hit Umair Ali for a boundary and a six off the second and third deliveries of the 17th over but he fell to the last ball of that over getting caught by Zahid Ali at long-off for 33. His knock off 28 balls had one boundary and a six. Afzal too followed in the next over, bowled by Zawar Farid, for 35 made off 34 balls with three boundaries and one six. Omer Farooq announced his intention hitting the first ball he faced for a six off Farid. In the next over Zeeshan Abid hit Zahid Ali’s first two deliveries for two consecutive boundaries and then hit a six off the fourth delivery. Omer Farooq too hit the last delivery for a six to take 23 runs off that over. The last over was an eventful one with Zawar Farid having Zeehsan Abid caught by Nilansh Keshwani at deep point for 18 with the second delivery. Omer Farooq hit Zawar Farid for a boundary off the fourth ball but got bowled to him with the next delivery for 16. In the end Maratha Arabians – Brother Gas posted 142 for 8 which was a fine recovery from 44 for 4 in 8.4 overs. It was a shocking start for Delhi Bulls -Future Mattress losing their opener Abdul Shakoor to the second ball off the first over caught behind by wicketkeeper Hamdan Tahir off Saqib Manshad for a duck. Shakoor was the hero of their semifinal match through a knock of 83. Adil Mirza joined opener Zawar Farid, who took three overs to get off the mark.  Omer Farooq, who was introduced for the fourth over had Adil Mirza caught at mid-on by Usman Khan for 11. Left-handed Mohammed Umsan walked in with score reading 15 for 2 in 3.1 overs. He began by scoring a boundary off Omer Farooq flicking down the leg side. Saqib Manshad bowled a brilliant fifth over giving away just one run. Mohammed Usman began to stroke fluently. Jiju Janardhanan who introduced himself for the seventh over gave away only four runs. Zawar Farid lifted Jiju in the eighth over mid-on for a boundary to take the score to 50. At the score on 54, Harry Bharwal struck by forcing Mohammad Usman on 15 to hit high and Saqib Manshad, running in from deep square leg, took the catch Mohammad Azha joined Zawar Farid with 88 runs needed off the last ten overs. Mohammad Azhar hit Harry Bharwal’s second ball of the 12th over for a might six but fell to the next ball leg before for 7. Syed Haider got off the mark with a boundary. Skipper Jiju Janardhanan who marshalled his bowling resources well introduced Omer Farooq for the 13th over. He gave away just six runs. Jiju introduced himself for the 14th over and gave away ten runs. With 51 runs needed off the last six overs, Zawar Farid kept the chase going and reached his half century in exactly 50 deliveries. Then Syed Haider began to unleash his big hits and speeded up the race to the target. Brief scores: Delhi Bulls – Future Mattress beat Maratha Arabians – Brothers Gas by 4 wickets Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas: 142 for 8 in 20 overs Mohammad Afzal 35, Shahnawaz Khan 33  Zahid Ali 2 for 33, Umair Ali Kahn 2 for 34, Zawar Farid 3 for 25 Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress: 143 for 6 in 19 overs Zawar Farid 72n.o, Syed Haider 32 Harry Bharwal 2 for 25, Omer Farooq 3 for 29 Man of the Final: Zawar Farid Best Batsman: Sagar Kalyan (Bangla Tigers-Karwan) Best Bowler: Mohammad Azhar (Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress) Most sixes: Mohammad Afzal (Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress) Player of the tournament: Jiju Janardhanan (Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas).

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-England were back to their blistering best as they defeated Pakistan by nine wickets to put themselves in a good position to qualify for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 semi-finals. Seamer Katherine Brunt was in red-hot form as she and spinner Sophie Ecclestone took three wickets apiece to skittle Pakistan for 105 at the Hagley Oval. Danni Wyatt also enjoyed a return to form to lead England’s chase as her 76 not out saw the defending champions reach their total with more than 30 overs to spare. The result hauls England up to fourth in the overall standings, one point behind West Indies – whose game against South Africa was abandoned earlier on Thursday – and ensuring another win for Heather Knight’s team against Bangladesh would see them leapfrog the Maroon Warriors and secure a semi-final spot. Brunt kept her place despite one wicket in five matches and she repaid that faith by dismissing the returning Nahida Khan for a first-ball duck, before the first run-out of the day came as Bismah Maroof went needlessly going for a single. Pakistan reached 28 for two by the end of the powerplay but a second run-out was not far away as Omaima Sohail went for 11 - off 30 balls - as Tammy Beaumont secured a direct hit. Brunt would grab another as Nida Dar - the bowling hero of Pakistan’s win over West Indies - went for four from 22 deliveries, with a review confirming the LBW dismissal. And in her very next over the England veteran dismissed the steady Sidra Ameen, who was bowled for 32 from 77 balls. Ecclestone was the first slow bowler introduced into the attack at the halfway mark – but it was captain Knight who grabbed the first wicket off spin as she struck second ball to remove Aliya Riaz, who went for a misjudged sweep to short fine-leg where Anya Shrubsole gobbled up the catch. Ecclestone made her mark just five overs later, however, as Fatima Sana nicked behind to wicket-keeper Amy Jones to depart for four. Pakistan were collapsing and lost their final four wickets for just 10 runs, Kate Cross earning her only victim of the day as she sent Sidra Nawaz’s leg stump cartwheeling before Aiman Anwer and Diana Baig were also removed by in-form Ecclestone with 8.3 overs remaining. England’s chase of their small target got off to a bumpy start as Beaumont was given out LBW on review for just two as Baig grabbed her first wicket of the day. Wyatt was impressive as she looked to find some form at the top of the order, crunching all of England’s sevens boundaries in the powerplay. She brought up her half century off 51 deliveries, triggering celebrations but remaining firmly focused on the job in hand and getting it done as quickly as possible. And she went on to do exactly that, combining with Knight for an 87-run partnership and her fluent 76 not out coming from 68 balls, including 11 fours. Knight would end on a measured 24 not out from 36, happy to play second fiddle to Wyatt who was masterful in her stroke-play as England chased down 105 in just 19.2 overs. For England, they must still beat Bangladesh in Wellington this weekend to make certain of their place in the knockout stages, while the defeat ends Pakistan’s outside chance of a push for the top four. Scores in brief England beat Pakistan at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, by nine wickets Pakistan 105 all out in 41.3 overs (Sidra Ameen 32, Sidra Nawaz 23; Katherine Brunt 3/17, Sophie Ecclestone 3/18) England 107/1 in 19.2 overs (Danni Wyatt 76 not out, Heather Knight 24 not out) Player of the Match: Danni Wyatt (England)