Sports Bulletin

Bipin Dani Niroshan Dickwella, one of the three Sri Lanka cricketers who were suspended for bio-bubble breach in England has made the best use of his ban-period. The 28-year-old wicketkeeper batter has successfully graduated from Global Technological Campus (GTC) with OTHM Level 4 & 5 programme in Business Management awarded by OTHM (UK). "Niroshan Dickwella is a professional cricketer and his recent qualification is equivalent to the first and second years of a Bachelor’s Degree and will allow him to complete the final year at several prestigious universities in the UK", Mohamed Azmy, the institution's Chief Operations Officer, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo, said.  "As a professional sportsman, Niroshan is also interested in one of GTC’s exclusive programmes, the Advanced Diploma in Sports Management. This is a management programme with a specific practical focus on the Sporting Industry. The programme teaches management related topics from a sports perspective". "The programme also covers topics that are only relevant to the sporting industry like Nutrition & Health, Sports Psychology, Sports Coaching, Sports History and Contemporary Debates in Sports". This programme has been prepared by GTC for sports professionals with a long-term focus and plan on developing their careers in Sports Management. "Niroshan and many others studied and completed their courses during the height of COVID-19 pandemic and they have been awarded the certificates", he signed off.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-India advanced to their eighth ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup final with a comprehensive 96-run defeat of Australia and will face England in the showpiece. Shaik Rasheed and Yash Dhull put on the second biggest partnership of the tournament, adding 204 runs for the third wicket after a shaky start for the Men in Blue. Australia never got going in their reply to 290 as leading wicket-taker Vicky Ostwal took three for 42 with Australia eventually bowled out for 194. They will now face Afghanistan in the 3rd/4th place play-off on Friday before the grand finale between England and India on Saturday. India make Australia pay to reach fourth consecutive final India got off to a slow start having won the toss and chosen to bat, openers Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Harnoor Singh added just 16 runs in 7.4 overs before the former was dismissed by a pearler from William Salzmann. The right-arm seamer deceived Raghuvanshi with a length ball, the right-hander playing a shot but instead saw the ball uproot his off stump. Singh would follow having made 16 from 28 before Shaik Rasheed and captain Yash Dhull put on a strong third-wicket stand, reaching their fifty partnership off 78 balls, one delivery into the second half of the innings. Dhull then proceeded to find the boundary with increasing regularity taking advantage of wayward bowling by Salzmann. The skipper was joined on a half-century by Rasheed as India passed 150 with just two wickets gone, the pair then passed 140 runs between them and as they did Australia missed a golden chance to end the partnership. Salzmann found the ball in his hand with the chance to secure a near-certain run-out, the pressure told as the ball ballooned on its way to the stumps and India survived. Dhull then brought up his first century for India, coming off 106 balls, with the 200-partnership following soon after. Australia would then secure their run out, as Dhull was forced to go for a run-a-ball 110 before Rasheed was out the very next ball falling six runs short of his own hundred. It did not get much better for Australia, however, as the final over went for 27 runs to see India post an imposing 290 for five. The dangerous Teague Wyllie was out leg before wicket for just one run in the second over to hamper Australia’s chances further as they emerged from the powerplay only three runs ahead of India, who had yet to get going at that point. Corey Miller would fall in the same way as Wyllie but not before putting on 38 from 46 balls to move Australia to 71 for two in the 17th over. Vicky Ostwal would then add to his tally as India’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament (now 12), dismissing opener Campbell Kellaway for 30 as he sent a drive straight to Nishant Sindhu. It was now up to Australian captain Cooper Connolly to match his opposite number but could add only three runs as he top-edged a looping catch to Rasheed. Instead, Lachlan Shaw was the man to try and steer Australia to an increasingly improbable run chase, but he could not find a partner as the next three batters fell cheaply to leave Australia on 125 for seven. Australia’s first six came sooner than their opponents, in the 37th over to India’s 44th, but the very next ball broke their eighth-wicket partnership which had added 42 runs. Milestones continued to bring dismissals, Lachlan Shaw going five balls after bringing up his half-century as Ravi Kumar took his second wicket. Tailender Tom Whitney put up some resistance including crashing back-to-back sixes but was run out to signal the end of his side’s challenge for the title. India’s victory means the two undefeated sides will face off as they take on England at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua and Barbuda on 5 February.

Aamir Ali Janjua DUBAI (UAE):-As part of the 2021 edition of the ICC Awards, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Daryl Mitchell as the winner of the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award for 2021. Mitchell won the award for his gesture of refusing to take a single in the high-pressure ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final against England in Abu Dhabi on November 10, 2021. Earning the respect of the international cricket fraternity instantly, Mitchell becomes the fourth New Zealand player to win the award, following the footsteps of Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson. The incident took place in the first delivery of the 18th over bowled by England spinner Adil Rashid with Jimmy Neesham on strike. New Zealand at that moment required 34 off the final three overs and despite the match situation, Mitchell refused to take the single as he felt he was in the bowler's way, who tried to stop the ball on his follow-through.  Neesham had hit the ball firmly slightly wide off Rashid's reach, who collided with Mitchell as he went on to stop the ball. Neesham was eager to take the single and had come down the wicket seeing the opportunity but was turned down by Mitchell from the other end.  Commenting on receiving the honour and reflecting on that moment, Daryl Mitchell, said: “It is a real honour to receive the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award and it was absolutely amazing to be part of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that happened in UAE last year. Reflecting back, it was a pretty tight game against England at the semi-final of the tournament with only a few overs to go, Neesh hit a single down to long-off and I think I obstructed Rashid who was trying to get to the ball. “We pride ourselves as a team, in the way we play our cricket and I guess that’s the spirit of cricket. Personally, I felt like I got in the way, and we wanted to win but on our own terms. I guess it paid off in the long run, that we won the game. “We want to win every game, but we don’t want to do it in a way that goes against the values of cricket. The spirit of cricket is very important. It is a platform for young cricketers to watch and learn and to get inspired to play the game and go about winning it in the right way. At the end of the day, it is just a game, and it is a game that we all love, and we are very lucky to be able to do that in the right way.” “Personally, there are more important things than winning a game of cricket and at that moment it was the right thing to do.” This spirit is described in the preamble to the laws of cricket: "Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its laws but also within the spirit of the game. Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself."

Bipin Dani World's greatest all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers was "more than happy" to congratulate the newest and Windies' first double hat-trick achiever Jason Holder on Sunday. Jason Holder emulated Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, Sri lanka's Lasith Malinga & Ireland's Curtis Campher to become the fourth bowler in T20I cricket to claim four wickets in four balls. He did so against England at Bridgetown in the fifth and final match of the series, which enabled his team to win the match and the series.  "I was present at the Kensington Oval ground and after the match was invited by the team management to meet. I personally met Holder and congratulated his double hat-trick", Sobers, speaking exclusively over the telephone said. "Grabbing 4 in 4 is rare and not many bowlers have achieved this. Holder is a no. 1 very good cricketer and it was his fantastic performance. I wished him good luck for the upcoming India tour as well", he added. India-born Anuradha Doddaballapur, who is now a cardiovascular scientist in Germany was the first woman player to take four wickets in four balls in T20 internationals (against Austria in August 2020). (On 26th January this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent her a special message in Frankfurt on India's 75th year of freedom). Beaver-trick Holder's father, Ronald Holder speaking exclusively, says this feat of 4 in 4 is also known as a Beaver-trick.

Sports Bulletin Report DUBAI (UAE):-West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews has progressed four places to 11th position in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings after a fine show in the first two matches of their four match-series against South Africa. Matthews, who grabbed two wickets each in both matches, is the highest-ranked bowler from the West Indies with other off-spinner Anisa Mohammed in 25th place and Shakera Selman 26th. Seam bowler Shamilia Connell has moved up nine slots to 29th after taking three wickets in the two matches. South Africa captain Sune Luus has advanced seven places to joint-34th among bowlers and is up two places to 44th in the batting list, which is now led by Alyssa Healy with Mithali Raj in second place after Lizelle Lee dropped two places to third. Lee, ICC’s Women’s ODI Player of the Year in 2021, is out of the series due to COVID-19. The all-rounders’ list also sees changes at the top with Marizanne Kapp slipping to third after missing the matches against the West Indies. Nat Sciver and Elisse Perry are ranked first and second. Chedean Nation (up five places to 51st) of the West Indies and opener Tazmin Brits (up 25 places to 64th) of South Africa are others to move up the batters’ list in the latest update that sees Sri Lanka’s players drop out of the rankings tables as they have not played ODIs since October 2019 and will make a return once they play an ODI.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Cooper Connolly is backing Australia’s new batting prodigy Teague Wyllie to help fire his team into the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup final 2022. A talented India team stand between Australia and Saturday’s showpiece match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. However, Aussie captain Connolly believes his team have the ability to get there, particularly if his Western Australia teammate Wyllie can maintain his red-hot form as the three-week tournament reaches its conclusion. Wiley has already scored 264 runs in four matches and going into the semi-finals is the fourth-highest run scorer at the World Cup. “I said at the start of the tournament,” said Connolly. “That he (Teague Wyllie) was going to be a big run scorer for us. “I backed him as a Western Australia man, I’ve seen him progress all the way from playing as a junior. He is a really talented guy. “There is no reason why he can’t continue to do that and I think he can play a big role for us in these last couple of matches.” The 18-year-old all-rounder also confirmed that facing their toughest opponent of the finals so far wouldn’t stop his team from playing positively. His team chased down a big total in their group win over Scotland before putting 276 runs on the board in the Super League quarter-final win over Pakistan. Connolly added: “There is no change from us in approach. We are just going to try and play some good cricket and hopefully we can knock off India. “They are a very good side and we know that, but I think if we play our best cricket we can beat them. “To reach the final would be pretty cool. I spoke to Mitch Marsh briefly about it, because he won the last one for Australia (in 2010). “I’d love to be able to get to that spot and do the same as him.” Meanwhile, India skipper Yash Dhull says his team’s warm-up victory over Australia last month won’t have any substantial impact on their forthcoming final four clash. Dhull’s team thrashed the Aussies by nine wickets in Guyana prior to the competition proper getting underway, with the skipper himself scoring an unbeaten half-century. That day the Indian spinners were in particularly fine form but Dhull believes the differences, in both conditions and the wicket, make Wednesday’s game an incomparable scenario. “The wicket in the warm-up match against Australia Under-19s was different to the one we will have in the semi-final tomorrow (in Antigua),” he said. “The game will be played depending on the pitch conditions. So, we will only know tomorrow how we will bowl and how we can put Australia under pressure.” “We will look to play with a positive mindset. We will look to set the target as per the condition of the wicket and the situation of the match. “Everyone is fit and fine and available for selection.” Dhull was part of the group in the India team hit by a covid earlier in the tournament, but recovered to produce an excellent display in the quarter-final win over Bangladesh. He was also full of praise for the team’s coach VVS Laxman, who scored over 8,000 runs in test match cricket for the men in blue. Dhull added: “VVS Laxman has been sharing his experience with us and been talking about the mindset we need to have. His role has been important for us.”

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-England kept their nerve to become the first team to reach the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup final after edging a thriller with Afghanistan by 15 runs. Spinner Rehan Ahmed became the hero for the Young Lions, taking three wickets in the penultimate over at crucial point when their opponents needed just 18 runs from the last 10 balls. England will now face the winner of the other semi between Australia and India on Saturday in the final – a remarkable turnaround from the previous tournament just two years ago in South Africa when they finished ninth. As for Afghanistan they will head to the Coolidge Cricket Ground for the third-place playoff. England end 24-year wait to return to the final despite brave Afghanistan effort Rain delayed the first of the two Super League semi-finals at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground after England won the toss and chose to bat. Once both sides were eventually able to take to the field in Antigua and Barbuda it was Afghanistan who made the stronger start. Jacob Bethell, who lit up the quarter-final tie with 88 against South Africa last week, was trapped LBW by Naveed Zadran, an early sign that England faced a difficult task. Skipper Tom Prest then joined vice-captain Bethell in making an early departure, reducing them to 2-56, as the Young Lions struggled to command with the bat. George Thomas did steady the ship with an excellent 50 after a slightly nervy introduction at the crease, only beaten by an excellent delivery from Noor Ahmad. And when William Luxton was clean bowled by Izharulhaq Naveed, Prest’s team were five wickets down having barely put 100 runs on the board. However, the rain came again to delay play for a further half hour and led to revised conditions of 47 overs per side. England’s back-end partnership of 95 from George Bell and Alex Horton then managed to put a different dynamic on their innings. The duo attacked the Afghanistan seamers fiercely which managed to top the final total up to 231. The earlier interruptions from the weather meant Afghanistan had a revised DLS target to match this score and chasing their first ever ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup final, they knew a good start was needed to seize control of the game. Opener Nangeyalia Kharote was unable to provide it when English seamer Josh Boyden claimed his wicket with just the third ball of the innings. But Kharote’s replacement Allah Noor, smashed a huge six to get off the mark and quickly gave his team a platform. The 18-year-old produced a marvellous knock, which featured eight boundaries as the momentum of the semi swung back the Afghanistan’s way. Along with wicketkeeper Mohammad Ishaq the pair got their team past 90, with Noor making a valuable half-century.         England’s crucial breakthrough came after some wonderful fielding led to a run-out for Ishaq with wicketkeeper Horton reacting quickly to a loose throw at the strikers end. Noor remained stubborn but eventually went for 60, with Thomas Aspinwall claiming a vital wicket. That set-up a frantic-finish that could have gone either way. The 44th over for England appeared to have turned the game when two no balls in-a-row gifted their opponents eight runs, before Abdul Hadi (37 no) smashed a huge six to take them to 200 and tantalising close. But Ahmed’s late flurry and a nerveless final over from Boyden carried England over the line to their first ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup final since 1998 in South Africa, when they lifted the trophy.

Sports Bulletin Report MULTAN:-Three more Pool B matches in the National Under-16 One-Day Tournament (45 overs) were played on Tuesday at three Multan venues with Northern Under-16 Blues, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Under-16 Blues and Southern Punjab Under-16 Blues winning their games against Balochistan Under-16 Blues, Central Punjab Under-16 Blues and Sindh Under-16 Blues, respectively. Sameer Ahmed’s unbeaten 82 and Salman Ahmed five-for led Southern Punjab U16 Blues to a two-wicket win over Sindh U16 Blues at the Zawari Cricket Academy Ground. After being put into bat, Sindh were dismissed for 132 in the 45th over. Opening batter Yahya Shah top-scored with a 92-ball 46, which included five fours. The right-arm fast Salman took five wickets for 31. In reply, Southern Punjab achieved the target in the 38th over for the loss of eight wickets. The right-handed Sameer returned undefeated on 82 off 115 balls faced. He struck 10 fours and three sixes. Sindh’s Noor Habib took four for 32, while Abdul Moiz and Maaz Zahid picked two wickets apiece. At the Multan Cricket Stadium, Northern U16 Blues beat Balochistan U16 Blues by 74 runs. Batting first, Northern Blues were bowled out for 183 in the 44th over. Syed Ali Mehdi top-scored with a 62-ball 35, hitting two fours and one six. For Balochistan U16 Blues, Mohammad Adil and Mohammad Asfand picked three wickets each. In return, Balochistan U16 Blues were bowled out for 109 in the 37th over. Sumair Ahmed top-scored with 21. Northern’s Mohammad Nabeel and Mohammad Hassan Khan bagged three wickets apiece, while Syed Ali Mehdi picked two wickets for 13. At the Divisional Sports Ground, half centuries from Shahzaib Khan and Usman Khan guided Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U16 Blues to a 41-run win over Central Punjab U16 Blues.  Batting first, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U16 Blues scored 215 for seven in 45 overs. Shahzaib and Usman scored 58 and 53 runs, respectively. Central Punjab’s Ali Hamza picked three wickets for 42, while Ali Raza grabbed two for 52. In return, Central Punjab U16 Blues were bowled out for 174 in the 42nd over. Subhan Saeed top-scored with 45, hitting seven fours. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Usman Khan picked three for 37. Ahmed Hussain and Luqman Khan bagged two wickets each. Scores in brief: Northern U16 Blues beat Balochistan U16 Blues by 74 runs Northern U16 Blues 183 all out, 43.2 overs (Syed Ali Mehdi 35; Mohammad Adil 3-22, Mohammad Asfand 3-56) Balochistan U16 Blues 109 all out, 36.2 overs (Sumair Ahmed 21; Mohammad Nabeel 3-16, Mohammad Hassan Khan 3-17, Syed Ali Mehdi 2-13) Southern Punjab U16 Blues beat Sindh U16 Blues by two wickets Sindh U16 Blues 132 all out, 44.2 overs (Yahya Shah 46; Salman Ahmed 5-31) Southern Punjab U16 Blues 135-8, 37.3 overs (Sameer Ahmed 82 not out; Noor Habib 4-32, Maaz Zahid 2-26, Abdul Moiz 2-30) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U16 Blues beat Central Punjab U16 Blues by 41 runs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 215-7, 45 overs (Shahzaib Khan 58, Usman Khan 53; Ali Hamza 3-42, Ali Raza 2-52) Central Punjab U16 Blues 174 all out, 41.5 overs (Subhan Saeed 45; Usman Khan 3-37, Ahmed Hussain 2-30, Luqman Khan 2-35)

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Cricket is the first discipline to announce its complete line-up for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games after Sri Lanka was confirmed as the eighth team in the women’s T20 tournament. The announcement was made jointly by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) on Tuesday following Sri Lanka’s victory in the ICC Commonwealth Games Qualifier 2022 in Kuala Lumpur last week and the subsequent CGF ratification of Sri Lanka’s entry. Australia, Barbados, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan have already qualified as women’s cricket makes its first entry into the Commonwealth Games. It will only be the second time that cricket features in the multi-discipline event after a men’s competition was part of the Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and is considered a massive opportunity to bring the game to new audiences. Shaun Pollock-led South Africa had won the gold on that occasion, beating Steve Waugh’s Australia side by four wickets in the final. ICC Hall of Famers Sachin Tendulkar of India, Jacques Kallis of South Africa and Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka were among the many stars part of the Games then. The league-cum-knockout tournament this time kicks off with a match between ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 finalists Australia and India on 29 July, with the bronze and gold medal matches scheduled for 7 August. Barbados and Pakistan are in Group A along with Australia and India while England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka form Group B. The ICC, CGF and Commonwealth Games Sri Lanka congratulated Sri Lanka for their qualification and looked forward to an exciting tournament. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “It’s good to have finalised the identity of the teams participating in the Commonwealth Games and congratulations to Sri Lanka for making it after playing so well in the qualifier.  We will have eight of the best teams competing for the gold and I am sure we will get to watch a highly competitive tournament. “The Commonwealth Games are an important part of the women’s cricket calendar over the next year. It is a huge opportunity for us to take cricket beyond the traditional strongholds and give more people around the world the chance to enjoy the game, whilst the players are very much looking forward to being part of multi-sport games. “I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank the Commonwealth Games Federation for their support and hope to see some top-quality cricket at Edgbaston.” CGF President Dame Louise Martin said: “Congratulations to the eight outstanding teams who have qualified for the women’s T20 cricket tournament at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. “I must pay particular tribute to Sri Lanka, who secured the eighth and final spot by winning such an exciting qualifying tournament in Malaysia last week.” “They will head to the iconic Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham with an elite lineup featuring England, Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Barbados and New Zealand. “Cricket is a sport synonymous with the Commonwealth. We are so excited to have it back in the Games for the first time since the men's 50 over competition at Kuala Lumpur in 1998. The debut of women's T20 cricket will be a historic moment and a wonderful showcase of women’s sport across the world.” Commonwealth Games Sri Lanka Secretary General Maxwell de Silva said: “We are delighted to have qualified for the Commonwealth Games women's T20 cricket tournament. “Our team put on a fantastic display as they won all four matches at the qualification tournament to secure the final spot at Birmingham 2022. “I would like to congratulate Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu and the entire team as they join a world-class lineup in Birmingham for what will be a special moment for cricket and the Commonwealth Games.” Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu said: “It’s a great feeling to have qualified for the Commonwealth Games and all of us are really excited to be part of the multi-sport extravaganza. I’m sure it’s going to be a different experience for all of us. “We had a memorable Qualifying tournament in Kuala Lumpur and now look forward to doing well in Birmingham against the best. “I would like to thank Sri Lanka Cricket, the ICC, Commonwealth Games Sri Lanka and the CGF for all their support.” The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, being held from 28 July to 8 August, will see 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories compete across the 11 spectacular days of sport. Birmingham 2022 will be the first major multi-sport event in history to award more medals to women than men.

Bipin Dani Earthquake felt at the Ireland-Zimbabwe Under-19 World Cup match at the wonderful, historic Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad on Saturday was "very scary", according to the Irish commentator Andrew Leonard. Leonard, Nikhil Uttamchandani (Barbados) and Trinidad's Vidya Rampal were in the commentary box when ground shook for approximately 20 seconds during the sixth over of play. Speaking exclusively over the telephone, Leonard said, "The shaking then began whilst my co-commentator was speaking and it began to get significantly worse over the coming seconds to the point where those in the back of the box started saying rapidly "Earthquake, Earthquake"!!!  At this point I didn't know what to think or what to do and as the shaking continued so much to the point where the whole box was shaking, I simply commented "We are, I believe, having an earthquake right now." "I may have sounded very calm, but really I was very confused as to what was happening or what we were supposed to have been doing!! We don't have earthquakes in Ireland where I'm from and although I travel a huge amount commenting on cricket around the world, I have never experienced an earthquake in the flesh". "Our producer and co-commentator in the back of the box were fairly panicked but for the players down at ground level they had barely noticed. They quickly established it was an earthquake of 5.1 on the Richter scale with the epicenter about 30 km away closer to Tobago than Trinidad. We continued on adrenaline through the first drinks break and then when we realized what we had just been through live on air, it started to sink in and I couldn't help but laugh at what an incredibly surreal situation it was:, he added. Post-tragic, he explains, "the messages then started flooding in on social media with comments and questions, and it provided great entertainment listening to everyone's thoughts on the earthquake in Trinidad and Tobago. Luckily I don't think there was any significant damage or injuries anywhere as the mind immediately raced to the Earthquake tragedies in the cricket playing nations of Nepal and New Zealand in recent years".