Sports Bulletin

Karachi (Sports Report):-Bowlers dominated day-one of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 round-nine matches which started across three Karachi venues today. The ninth-round is crucial for the top four teams Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern and Central Punjab who are fighting for the two December 25-29 final spots while fifth placed Southern Punjab still have an outside chance of snatching a final spot if they win their ninth and tenth round matches. On Monday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were rolled over for 116 after they were asked to bat first by Balochistan at the UBL Sports Complex. Balochistan bowlers Taj Wali and Kashif Bhatti ran through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa batting on a pitch that offered early help to the bowlers. The left-arm pacer Taj took four wickets for 19 while left-arm-spinner Kashif Bhatti grabbed four wickets for 20 runs. Kamran Ghulam top-scored with 35 while Sajid Khan who was adjudged the player of the match for Pakistan in the Dhaka Test last week, contributed 25 not out. Balochistan had to endure an even worse stint with the bat as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowlers shot them out for 100 in a mere 26 overs with pacer Arshad Iqbal taking four wickets. Asif Afridi, Sameen Gul and Imran Khan Snr took two wickets apiece. Despite their 116-run total Khyber Pakhtunkhwa collected a 16-run first innings lead. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had to endure another torrid start as they finished day-one at 17 for two in their second innings. Over at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium in the match between Sindh and Central Punjab which is being live streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel, table-toppers Sindh were restricted to a first innings score of 155 for nine (declared) by Central Punjab who opted to bowl first in an uncontested toss. Fast bowler Sohail Khan lifted the side to some semblance of respectability with a fighting 65 off 91 balls (nine fours, two sixes). This was Sohail’s fifth first-class fifty, the right-hander helped his side get past the 150-run mark. Fawad Alam scored 32. Seamers Muhammad Ali and Muhammad Saad took three wickets apiece for Central Punjab. Central Punjab were 78 for three at close of play, they will be relying on in-form Abid Ali who was unbeaten on 45 when stumps were drawn for the day. Abid, was the player of the match in the Pakistan-Bangladesh Test series. Salman Ali Agha fought singlehandedly for Southern Punjab with a splendid 142 as the side was bowled out for 238 in their first innings at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex against Northern.  Salman hit 23 fours and one six in his sterling 193-ball effort, this was the 10th first-class century of his career. The next best scorer for Southern Punjab was Zeeshan Ashraf with 24. Left-arm-spinner Nauman Ali who represented Pakistan in the Test series against Bangladesh took six wickets for 104 runs – 22nd five-wicket haul of his first-class career. Northern were off to a poor start in their first innings as they ended day-one at 54 for three. Scores in brief: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Balochistan –UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 116 all out, 41 overs (Kamran Ghulam 31, Sajid Khan 25 not out; Taj Wali 4-19, Kashif Bhatti 4-20) and 17 for 2, 8 overs. Balochistan 100 all out, 26 overs (Ayaz Tassawar 22; Arshad Iqbal 4-31, Asif Afridi 2-8) Points so far: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – six, Balochistan – six. Sindh vs Central Punjab - State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Sindh 155 for 9 (declared), 52 overs (Sohail Khan 65, Fawad Alam 32; Mohammad Ali 3-20, Mohammad Saad 3-24) Central Punjab 78 for 3, 23.1 overs (Abid Ali 45 not out) Points so far: Sindh – one, Central Punjab –three Southern Punjab vs Northern - National Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Southern Punjab 238 all out, 69.5 overs (Salman Ali Agha 142; Nauman Ali 6-104; Mubasir Khan 2-34) Northern 54 for 3, 18 overs Points so far: Southern Punjab – six, Northern –one

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who took 4 wickets in 4 matches for the Dambulla Giants in the ongoing season of the Lanka Premier League, expressed that he enjoyed sharing his knowledge and bowling skills with the youngsters in the competition. "I get a lot of joy from sharing my knowledge with youngsters. If they come and ask me something, then I feel it's my duty to share my knowledge with them and I want to make a difference. The Lanka Premier League has provided a great platform for the local talent to showcase their skills. Players like Wanindu Hasaranga went on to become one of the most sought-after players in franchise leagues around the world," said the leg-spinner, who has taken 424 wickets in 338 T20 matches. Tahir added that the youngsters need to learn how to be successful in T20 cricket, "The youngsters need to know how one can bowl really well in the T20 format by using pace, variations and different grips.  We've got some really talented off-spinners and they bowl really well and we've got leg-spinners in our team as well. I am trying to help them as much as I can." "The art of leg-spin is a very exciting part of cricket. A leg-spinner can pick up two-three wickets in the middle and that's very effective. Each team needs to have a good crop of leg-spinners as they are seen as the game changers. Even if you look at the top T20I bowlers in the ICC rankings, it's dominated by leg-spinners. The top five in the list - Wanindu Hasaranga, Tabraiz Shamsi, Adam Zampa, Adil Rashid and Rashid Khan - are all leg-spinners. The game of cricket has changed over the years and it's great to see leg-spinners performing well all over the world," said Tahir in an interview.

Colombo, Sri Lanka (SB Report):-Kandy Warriors defeated the Galle Gladiators by 5 wickets in Saturday's first match of the Lanka Premier League 2021 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday. Kandy, who have not had the best of time in the tournament, put the Galle Gladiators under pressure by restricting them to 127 for 7 in their 20 overs. Kamindu Mendis was the pick of the bowlers for the Kandy Warriors, who picked up figures of 3/25. Nimesh Vimukthi also made a vital contribution with figures of 2/17. Kandy Warriors romped to 131 for 5 wickets with Ravi Bopara leading the way with an unbeaten 34 along with Tom Moores' 28 and Charith Asalanka's 21. Kusal Mendis and Samit Patel were the highlights of Galle Gladiators' batting card. Mendis played an innings of 44 runs from 34 balls, while Patel scored 36* off 32 balls.

Karachi (Sports Report):- The ninth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 season begins at three Karachi venues from Sunday with Sindh leading the points table with 102 points. Sindh will take on Central Punjab in their ninth-round fixture at the State Bank Stadium, Karachi will be live-streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel. The top team in the points table will be eying to make a comeback after going down to Northern by an innings in their eight-round match. Ahsan Ali, who recently turned 28 is currently on the third number in the batting charts with 641 runs. Among the bowlers Sohail Khan is on the third spot with 24 wickets from six matches. Meanwhile, joint defending champions Central Punjab who currently sit at number four will try to repeat their previous round performance. The Mohammad Saad-led side defeated bottom placed Balochistan by five wickets. Saad who spearheaded the successful chase with an unbeaten knock of 63 is placed fifth in the batting charts with 610 runs from eight matches. In the bowling department, Central Punjab will be relying on the 29-year old right-arm pacer Mohammad Ali, who from six outings in the tournament has gathered 25 scalps. Southern Punjab plays Northern at the NBP Sports Complex, Karachi. Southern Punjab is currently positioned at number five in the points table with 90 points, while Northern is occupied on the third spot with 101 points. Northern will be hoping to capitalise over the previous round win against table-toppers Sindh. Win against Southern Punjab will provide them a chance to jump inside the top two before going into the final round. On the other hand, Southern Punjab will be pinning their hopes on right-handed batter Tayyab Tahir to continue to score runs for them. The 28-year old is currently placed second on the batting charts, scoring 685 runs from eight matches. In the bowling charts, Southern Punjab’s Ali Usman leads with 31 wickets from seven matches. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to play Balochistan at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi. Second on the points table, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be eying valuable bonus batting and bowling points and a win over the sixth-placed Balochistan when the two sides clash in the ninth-round fixture. Both sides played out a drawn game in their previous outing in this season in the fourth-round match held at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. The right-handed batter Sahibzada Farhan will be the key for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as he is leading the tournament’s batting charts with 860 runs from eight matches. In the bowling department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will rely on the left-arm spin of Asif Afridi, who currently sits on number eight in the bowling charts with 20 wickets from five matches. Balochistan would be hoping that Shan Masood –centurion for them from the last two rounds continues to score some runs in the ninth-round. Ninth-round fixtures: Southern Punjab vs Northern –NBP Sports Complex, Karachi Sindh vs Central Punjab –State Bank Stadium, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Balochistan –UBL Sports Complex, Karachi    

Peshawar (Sports Report):-Malik Cricket Academy (MCA) Peshawar welcomed Test cricketers Sajid Khan in the academy, who visited there after Bangladesh tour. It is pertinent to mention here that Sajid Khan had gotten 12 wickets in the second Test match and played a vital role in pakistan’s win. Test cricketer Sajid Khan urged the players of the academy to play cricket wholeheartedly and never give up their hard work. Because, Allah never wastes anyone's hard work in ant field. He said further said on this occasion that he was used to play with in this academy and Allah has Bless him the honor of being a part of national cricket team and playing for Pakistan at international level.

Bipin Dani Angelo Mathews is yet to get a green signal to play the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Last month, the 34-year-old Sri Lankan all-rounder sustained a thigh injury during the second Test match against the West Indies team. "He is very much a part of our team and is well on a recovery path. Once he is fully fit will make him play for our team and regain the captaincy", one of the franchise management sources in Colombo Stars, said on Friday morning. Angelo Mathews was due to undergo running and other functional tests on Friday, though was not scheduled to play the night match against Jaffna Kings. "He has been coming to the ground, attending all day-to-day normal activities. Looking at his long career ahead, we are not rushing him to play", the source, aware about his progress added. "Mathews' latest MRI scan reports have shown positive signs of improvement", the source further added. Colombo Stars team is also missing the services of another all-rounder David Wiese. The 36-year-old South African had to leave the LPL to attend to his family, where most of the members tested Covid-19 positive.

Jamil Siraj Sydney,Australia (December 11, 2021):-It will be a historic occasion given Tasmania has never hosted an Ashes Test before and this will also be the first day-night Test match to be played in the state. Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia CEO, said: “We are delighted to announce that Blundstone Arena in Hobart will be hosting an Ashes Test match for the first time and thank the Tasmanian Government for its support. “I would like to thank all the States and Territories who took part in this process. The submissions we received were outstanding and we had no doubt that each of the venues that took part would have hosted a wonderful event. “There were a range of considerations, including commercial, logistical and operational factors and on the balance of these, the CA board agreed on Blundstone Arena being the most appropriate venue to host the fifth Men’s Ashes Test. “We also acknowledge the postponement of the Australia and Afghanistan Test due to take place in Hobart earlier in the year played a part in the decision.

Bipin Dani Rowman Powell, who scored the highest runs (61 with 7 sixes) for Kandy Warriors against Jaffna Kings on Wednesday night will leave the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL), it is learnt. According to the LPL sources, he has been allowed by the team management for national duty. The 28-year-old all-rounder has been picked by the West Indies selectors for the three T-20Is to be played in Pakistan (December 13, 14 & 16. Powell was not part of the original squad selected last month but the Windies white ball captain Kieron Pollard's hamstring injury sustained during the ICC Men's T-20 World Cup was not healed and made way for Powell's inclusion. The West Indies team is also scheduled to play three ODIs at the same venue (Karachi) after the T-20Is. Kandy Warrior's head coach Lalchand Rajput has returned to India from his Zimbabwe assignment and will join the squad in Sri Lanka once his 3-day home quarantine is over.  

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Jaffna Kings leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has been in superb form in the ongoing season of Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2021, having already picked five wickets in three games. But the Sri Lanka international, hopes to get wicket of one of his favourite batsmen Virat Kohli one day. I an interview he says: "I would love to get my favourite cricketer Virat Kohli’s wicket someday. I also want to pick Babar Azam and Glenn Maxwell's wickets as well," Hasaranga said when asked to name the players who he wishes to dismiss in his career Hasaranga was the leading wicket-taker at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, with 16 scalps in 8 games, despite Sri Lanka not reaching past the group stages. On being asked about the reasons behind his personal success, Hasaranga said that he always try to do the best for his team. "When I am bowling, I always try to take wickets. When I am in the national team, I always try to do my best for the team. That's why I am successful," he said. Confident Hasaranga does not want feel the pressure of media and fans comparing him with former Sri Lanka legends Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath. "I am always motivated to perform. I don't feel any pressure. I don't want to be the next Muralitharan or the next Herath. I want to be the first Hasaranga," he said. With the rise of T20 format, it is largely believed that cricket is becoming a batsman's game. But Hasaranga explained how the spinners can prove to be match winners in the shortest format. "Leg spinners can do anything. Because, in the T20 cricket, batsmen are going to hit big shots on each delivery. We have a lot of variations. Sometimes, we can get hit for 40-50 runs in a match. But in the next match, we find a way to get back and pick 4-5 wickets. Leg-spinners can win matches," he added. The 24-year-old bowler went on to credit Lanka Premier League for the rise of Sri Lanka Cricket in the past few years. "Last time, we saw a lot of youngsters doing a good job in Lanka Premier League. In this kind of tournament, we always get a lot of good players. That is why Sri Lanka Cricket is better than last few years. These kinds of tournaments are always good for the growth of sport in a nation," Hasaranga signed off.

Bipin Dani Sri Lanka's women team players and support staff will spend 10 days in isolation in Colombo in a Level 1 isolation facility, it is learnt. According to highly placed sources in the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board, the squad which was stranded in Harare because of the Covid-19 outbreak returned on Friday. Level-1 hotels are specially certified hotels, where increased hygienic measures and other rules are applied. It's a certification given by the ministry of health. The whole hotel or wings are exclusively used for bio bubble maintenance. "All squad members are now tested negative and they will be tested again frequently", the source, speaking exclusively over the telephone, said.  "Yes, they came by a direct Chartered flight (Air Seychelles)", the source confirmed. Sri Lankan women's team had been stranded in Zimbabwe since ICC Women's CWC Qualifier was abandoned amid Covid-related uncertainty. The cost of the team's delayed departure may be shared by the ICC and the SLC.