Sports Bulletin

SPORTS DESK Islamabad (November 6, 2021):-India kept their hopes of reaching the semi-finals at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup alive with a comprehensive eight-wicket triumph over Scotland at the Dubai International Stadium. Knowing they had no margin for error after losing their first two Super 12 games against Pakistan and New Zealand, Virat Kohli’s men produced a superb bowling display to dismiss Scotland for 85. Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami both finished with figures of three for 15 while Jasprit Bumrah (two for 10) and Ravichandran Ashwin (one for 29) also impressed with the ball. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma made easy work of the response, scoring 50 and 30 respectively before Suryakumar Yadav hit the winning runs as India reached their target with eight wickets and 81 balls to spare. After calling the toss right for the first time in this tournament, birthday boy Kohli put Scotland in to bat knowing that chasing would be better for his side’s net run-rate in their bid to overhaul the Black Caps for second spot. Scotland enjoyed a bright start to life at the crease though as George Munsey launched Bumrah for a huge six over the square-leg boundary off the final ball of the first over. Munsey continued to play his shots against the returning Varun Chakravarthy, who came into the India side in place of Shardul Thakur, reverse sweeping the spinner for four in the next over. Bumrah eventually made the first breakthrough in the third over, bowling Kyle Coetzer as the Scotland skipper looked to drive to leave his side at 13 for one in the early stages. But Munsey continued to look comfortable at the other end, following up a watchful first few balls from Ashwin to strike a superb four that bisected extra-cover and mid-off. Two further fours from the last two balls of the over via reverse sweeps took Munsey to 23 from 14 balls and saw Scotland finish their first four overs at the crease on 25 for one. Varun restricted Scotland to just one run from the next over and with pressure mounting, India got their man in the fifth over as Munsey smashed Shami to Hardik Pandya for 24. Having finished the powerplay on 27 for two, Scotland suffered another setback in the next over as Richie Berrington was bowled without scoring by Jadeja. It went from bad to worse in the final ball of Jadeja’s first over, with Matt Cross following Berrington back to the changing room after being struck lbw on his back pad. Scotland stopped the bleeding in the next over with Calum MacLeod and Michael Leask at the crease but they could only add three runs to take the score to 32 for four. Leask provided a response in the 11th over, pulling a short ball from Shami for six despite hitting the top edge of the bat before drilling the next ball for four straight down the ground. But Leask’s resistance was ended in the very next over, becoming Jadeja’s third victim after being hit lbw while attempting to sweep through midwicket as he departed for 21 from 12 balls. Scotland were now well and truly on the back foot and following just one run off Bumrah in the 13th over, Chris Greaves lost his wicket to Ashwin after skewing the ball to Pandya. Mark Watt joined MacLeod in the middle and a misfield from Shami allowed him to find the boundary in the 15th over before edging Ashwin for another four in the next. Shami made up for his error with the ball in hand however, taking two wickets as he sent MacLeod (16) and Alasdair Evans packing either side of Safyaan Sharif being run out. Bumrah wrapped up the innings in the 18th over, beating the bat of Mark Watt (14) to take his leg stump on the half-volley as Scotland were left stranded on 85 all out. In response, India did not hang around - knowing they needed to reach their target in 8.5 overs to go past New Zealand’s net run-rate and in 7.1 overs to go past Afghanistan's. Sharma and Rahul set about their task intent from the off, with the former hitting Watt for four in the first over before the latter found the boundary three times against Brad Wheal in the next over. Rahul added another four from the first ball of new bowler Evans before nonchalantly clipping the next ball for six as India reached 39 without loss through three overs. Sharma took the attack to Sharif with a six and two fours to bring up the fastest team 50 of the tournament to date while Wheal was also punished before taking the wicket of Sharma. That did little to stem the tide though, with Rahul hitting Watt for six over the long leg boundary before bringing up his half-century from 18 balls. Rahul was unable to see his side home, losing his wicket to Watt off the final ball of the same over, but Yadav hit Greaves for six to secure victory in style from just 6.3 overs. Scores in brief India beat Scotland at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai by eight wickets Scotland 85 in 17.4 overs (George Munsey 24, Michael Leask 21; Ravindra Jadeja 3/15, Mohammed Shami 3/15) India 89/2 in 6.3 overs (KL Rahul 50; Rohit Sharma 30; Mark Watt 1/20, Brad Wheal 1/32) Player of the Match: Ravindra Jadeja

Report: - ABDULLAH ASJAD Islamabad(November 5,2021):-New Zealand beat Namibia by 52 runs in the ICC Men’s World T20 Cup 2021at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. Scotland’s Captain Gerhard Erasmus asked New Zealand’s Skipper Kane Williams to bat fist after winning the toss. Black Capes batter Glenn Phillips played a smart innings of 39 runs after west 21 deliveries. He smashed solitary four and 3 classic sixes while all rounder batter James Neesham increased 35 runs in team total and faced 23 balls. He hit single four and pair of huge maximums. Skipper Kane Williamson scored 28 runs. New Zealand set 164 runs target on score board. Namibians bowler Bernard Scholtz took single wicket and conceded 15 runs. All rounder David Wiese proved very expensive he picked up only wicket after giving 40 runs. Captain Gerhard Erasmus took 1 wicket too. In reply, Namibians batting line failed to chase a big total and all out on just 111 runs in 20 overs game. Namibian batter Michael Van Lingen scored 25 runs in 25 balls. Wicketkeeper Zane Green added 23 runs after facing 27 balls while Stephan Baard contributed 21 runs only. Tim Southee took 2 wickets and gave just 15 runs. Pacer Trent Boult sent 2 out for the pavilion for 20 runs while James Neeshum got solitary wicket and declared man of the match. Summarized Result: New Zealand Batting: Glenn Phillips (39 run in 21 balls) 1 four 3 six, James Neesham (35 runs in 23 balls) 1 four 2 six Kane Williamson (28 runs in 25 balls) 2 four 1 six, Namibia Bowling: Bernard Scholtz 1 for 15 runs, Gerhard Erasmus 1 for 22 runs, David Wiese 1 for 40 runs Namibia Batting: Michael Van Lingen(25 runs in 25 balls) 2 four 1 six, Zane Green(23 runs in 27 balls)1 four 1 six, Stephan Baard(21 runs in 22 balls)2 fours New Zealand Bowling: Tim Southee 2 for 15 runs, Trent Boult 2 for 20 runs, James Neeshum 1 for 6 runs Toss: Namibia won the toss decided to bowl first Man of the Match: James Neeshum

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (November 5, 2021):-The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has approved Michael Jones as a replacement for Joshua Davey in the Scotland squad. Michael Jones of Scotland poses for a picture during the Scotland Portrait Session for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier at The Holiday Inn on February 28, 2018 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has approved Michael Jones as a replacement for Joshua Davey in the Scotland squad. Right hand batter Jones, who has played nine ODIs, was named as a replacement after Davey was ruled out due to a groin injury. Jones was a reserve as per the allowance for teams to travel with extra players in view of COVID-19 quarantine requirements. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 consists of Chris Tetley (Head of Events, Chair), Clive Hitchcock (ICC Senior Cricket Operations Manager), Rahul Dravid and Dhiraj Malhotra (BCCI Representatives), Simon Doull and Ian Bishop (Independent Members).

Sports Bulletin Report Abu Dhabi (November 5, 2021):-Charith Asalanka and Pathum Nissanka’s inspired batting helped propel Sri Lanka to a 20-run win over the West Indies, ending their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on a high. The pair put on 91 for the second wicket, with Asalanka making 68 and Nissanka 51, as their side soared to 189 for three to set a challenging target. Kieron Pollard’s men were never equal to the task and the late heroics of Shimron Hetmyer, to the tune of 81 not out, were in vain as they ended on 169 for eight from their 20 overs. The West Indies opted for the off-spin of Roston Chase in the opening over for the first time in the tournament to counter Kusal Perera, who tentatively poked him for four with the third ball. Both the southpaw, searching for his first big score, and Nissanka settled well and Perera was typically severe on a short ball from Ravi Rampaul, smacking it flat over square leg for six. Perera perished on 29 when he offered a sharp return catch to Andre Russell, who adjusted his weight superbly to dive down and pouch the catch. From 42 for one, Nissanka and Asalanka embarked on their partnership that was characterised by subtle, fine glances and innovative use of the crease to score heavily behind square. Akeal Hosein’s spin had posed Nissanka problems and he countered by using his reverse sweep to swat him for a one-bounce four to bring the stand to 50. Frustration grew in the field when Russell found Nissanka’s outside edge only for it to fly to the fence and then he strayed down the leg side and was clipped to the boundary by Asalanka. They built a partnership of 91 from 61 balls, that came to an end when Dwayne Bravo’s latest slower ball variation forced Nissanka into a big swing and he was caught by Hetmyer. Sri Lanka barely slowed down and with skipper Dasun Shanaka freeing his arms to complement Asalanka, the 17th and 18th overs went for 16 and 17 runs respectively. Two further blows for four from each of them was followed by Asalanka’s superb knock coming to an end when he top-edged a pull off Russell that Hetmyer did well to dive forward and grab. Rampaul bowled an excellent final over but the momentum lay firmly with Sri Lanka and rolled over into the start of the run chase. Beanpole quick Binura Fernando forced Chris Gayle into a soft dismissal, looping up a simple catch to Wanindu Hasaranga at mid-on. After a pair of quick boundaries from Evin Lewis, he forced the other Windies opener to chop onto his stumps and it was 10 for two. Fernando was in the thick of it and he took punishment from Nicholas Pooran, who cut loose with three boundaries in four balls from his second over including an emphatic six over wide long-on. Just as Chase looked to have settled, he fell victim to a blinding diving catch at midwicket from Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who threw himself to his left to take a stunner and dismiss him for nine. Pooran and Hetmyer tried to steady the ship but the latter failed to score quickly enough to prevent his partner from having to take undue risks. They combined for 30 from 34 balls but Pooran went for one big shot too many and holed out off Dushmanatha Chameera to long-off for 46. Oddly, the loss of Pooran seemed to free Hetmyer to play his natural game and he hooked the very next ball for six and then crashed Chameera for four in an eventful 13th over. The revival wasn’t to last, however, as Andre Russell offered a tame return catch to Chamika Karunaratne to make it 94 for five, a blow that looked fatal to Windies’ chances. The equation looked bleak and although Hetmyer swung Karunaratne for three fours that over, Pollard was clean bowled for a golden duck to settle the matter at 107 for six. Hetmyer played a superb and largely lone hand, hitting Karunaratne for successive sixes and then a four, ending on a defiant unbeaten 81 from 54 balls. It was an emphatic way for Sri Lanka to finish an encouraging tournament, while West Indies will hope to end their title defence with victory over Australia on Saturday. Scores in brief Sri Lanka beat West Indies at the Sheikh Zayed International Stadium, Abu Dhabi by 20 runs Sri Lanka 189/3 in 20 overs (Charith Asalanka 68; Pathum Nissanka 51; Andre Russell 2/33, Dwayne Bravo 1/42) West Indies 169/8 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 81 not out, Nicholas Pooran 46; Wanindu Hasaranga 2/19, Binura Fernando 2/24) Player of the Match: Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka)

Sports Reporter LAHORE (November 4, 2021):-18-year-old Abdul Wahid Bangalzai stroked an unconquered maiden double-century at the home of Pakistan cricket during the second day’s play in a live-streamed third round action of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on Thursday. Abdul Wahid Bangalzai returned undefeated on 203 for Balochistan who declared their first innings against Discover Pakistan Central Punjab for 472 for eight. When bad light forced an early closure, Central Punjab were 37 for one with Test batters Abid Ali (12) and Azhar Ali (four) at the crease. Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, the Quetta-born Pakistan U19 batter playing in just his third first-class match, had started the day at 93 in Balochistan’s 223 for four. The youngster batted for six hours and 28 minutes, and struck 24 fours and two sixes. Together with Jalat Khan, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai added 167 runs for the seventh wicket. Jalat missed his third career century by nine runs when he was dismissed for 91, an innings that came off 117 balls and included 11 fours. For Central Punjab, Ahmed Bashir (2-50), Zafar Gohar (2-92) and Bilal Asif (2-117) shared wickets. At the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost five wickets for 26 runs to slip from 125 for one to 151 for six before Nabi Gul rescued them with a fine unbeaten century that helped his side finish off the day at 209 for seven against ATF Southern Punjab. Nabi was batting on 108 with 12 fours and three sixes from 171 balls and added 53 runs for the seventh wicket with Sajid Khan (20). Earlier, Nabi had put on 109 runs for the second wicket with Sahibzada Farhan, who scored 59 from 96 balls with five fours and three sixes. ATF Southern Punjab’s left-arm spinner Ali Usman caused maximum damage when he returned figures of 23-5-76-5, while Mohammad Ilyas and Zia Ul Haq picked up one wicket apiece. Earlier, ATF Southern Punjab resumed their first innings at 369 for seven and were bowled out for 453. Mohammad Imran, who started the day at 122, was the last man out after scoring 179. He occupied the crease for just under five hours during which he faced 195 balls and struck 21 fours and five sixes. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Niaz Khan took three for 62, Sameen Gul bagged three for 82 and Sajid Khan snapped up three for 120. At the Multan Cricket Stadium, Northern captured two late wickets as Sindh ended the day at 133 for three. Sindh were cruising at 132 for one before they lost Khurram Manzoor (40) and nightwatchman Tabish Khan (0) to Mubashir Khan and Nauman Ali, respectively. When play ended, Saad Khan was batting on 88 (9x4, 135b) who put on 128 runs for the second wicket with Khurram. Earlier, Northern were bowled out for 374 after resuming the day at 287 for six. Test spinner Nauman Ali hit four fours and two sixes in a 61-ball 51 and Rohail Nazir contributed 54 after resuming his innings at 32 not out. GFC Sindh’s Mir Hamza added one more wicket on Thursday to finish with four for 65, while Tabish Khan, Sohail Khan and Mohammad Asghar picked up two wickets each. Scores in brief (day 2 of 4, round 3): At Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Balochistan 472-8d, 131.5 overs (Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 203 not out, Jalat Khan 91, Imam-ul-Haq 72, Bismillah Khan 48, Haris Sohail 29; Ahmed Bashir 2-50, Zafar Gohar 2-92, Bilal Asif 2-117) Discover Pakistan Central Punjab 37-1, 14 overs (Ahmed Shehzad 21, Abid Ali 12 not out, Azhar Ali 4 not out) At Multan Cricket Stadium Northern 374, 108 overs (Mohammad Huraira 112, Aamir Jamal 55, Rohail Nazir 54, Nauman Ali 51, Faizan Riaz 46; Mir Hamza 4-65, Tabish Khan 2-82, Mohammad Asghar 2-85, Sohail Khan 2-90) GFS Sindh 133-3, 49 overs (Saad Khan 88 not out, Khurram Manzoor 40) At Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad ATF Southern Punjab 453 all out, 94.5 overs (Mohammad Imran 179, Azam Khan 103, Hassan Khan 54, Tayyab Tahir 52; Niaz Khan 3-62, Sameen Gul 3-82, Sajid Khan 3-120) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 209-7, 60 overs (Nabi Gul 108 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 59, Sajid Khan 20; Ali Usman 5-76)

Sports Reporter LAHORE (November 4, 2021):-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced West Indies will play three Twenty20 Internationals and as many ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League matches at the National Stadium in Karachi from 13–22 December. This will be the West Indies’ first tour of Pakistan since April 2018 when they played three T20Is. The two-time former 50-over world champions will be playing ODIs in Pakistan for the first time since December 2006. The December ODIs will form part of Pakistan’s fourth series in the Super League, which will see the top seven sides and the event host India qualify directly for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 with the remaining two sides progressing from the qualifying event. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “After missing out on home internationals in September and October, the West Indies tour will formally kick-off of an exciting and entertaining season of men’s international cricket in Pakistan with HBL Pakistan Super League 2022 and Australia’s first full series to follow. “The West Indies have always remained one of Pakistan cricket fans’ favourite sides. I am hopeful that the NCOC will support this series by allowing maximum crowds so that the fans can watch live in action their favourite players and back both the sides.”   Schedule: 9 Dec – West Indies arrival in Karachi 13 Dec – 1st T20I, Karachi 14 Dec – 2nd T20I, Karachi 16 Dec – 3rd T20I, Karachi 18 Dec – 1st ODI, Karachi 20 Dec – 2nd ODI, Karachi 22 Dec – 3rd ODI, Karachi 23 Dec - Departure

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (November 4, 2021):-Adam Zampa’s five-wicket haul and a quickfire 40 from Aaron Finch saw Australia ease to an eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a group 1 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai on Thursday. Put in to bat, Bangladesh slipped to 10 for three and never recovered as all the Australian bowlers fired to dismiss Bangladesh for 73. Aaron Finch and David Warner made short work of the chase as Australia reached the total with 82 balls to spare to boost their qualification hopes. The tone was set by Mitchell Starc, who clean bowled Liton Das for a golden duck with the third ball of the innings. In the next over, Josh Hazlewood undid Soumya Sarkar with added pace before Finch turned to the spin of Glenn Maxwell and the surprise move paid off, Mushfiqur Rahim falling for a single. Another wicket would fall before the end of the powerplay and it was a key one, with the promising Mohammad Naim picking out Pat Cummins at square leg as the Tigers ended the powerplay on 33 for four. There was no let-up when Zampa entered the attack, with his first ball seeing Afif Hossain edge to captain Finch at first slip. Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah combined with Shamim Hossain to engineer something of a rebuild, reaching 58 for five after an opening 10 overs which included 35 dot balls. Zampa then struck with consecutive balls as Shamim fell for 19 before Mahedi Hassan was trapped lbw. The leg-spinner would have to wait patiently through overs from Starc and Cummins for the chance to make it three in three and he was denied his maiden hat-trick as Matthew Wade dropped Taskin Ahmed. As a consolation, he went on to complete his five-for, taking the final two wickets of Bangladesh’s innings to finish with five for 19, his best figures in T20Is. With Australia knowing net run rate was crucial, Finch set about chasing the total down as quickly as possible and joined forces with Warner to take 12 runs off Mustafizur Rahman’s first over Mustafizur’s next was no better as Warner and Finch dispatched him for four boundaries to add 21 to their total. Taskin responded well to being crashed for consecutive sixes by Finch, clean bowling the skipper but only after he had made 40 off 19 balls as Australia ended the fifth over at 58 for one. Warner went in the next over, again clean bowled, this time by Shoriful Islam as Australia completed the powerplay needing only seven runs for victory. Mitchell Marsh needed only three balls to complete the job, finishing the game in style with a six as Australia eased home. Scores in brief  Australia beat Bangladesh at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai by eight wickets Bangladesh, 73 all out in 15 overs (Shamim Hossain 19, Naim Mohammad 17; Adam Zampa 5/19, Josh Hazlewood 2-8) Australia 78/2 in 6.3 overs (Aaron Finch 40, David Warner 18; Taskin Ahmed 1/36, Shoriful Islam 1/9) Player of the Match: Adam Zampa (Australia) 

Sports Report LAHORE (November 4, 2021):-Golden star cricket club beat Aziz Bhati Town Shaheed cricket club by 9 wickets in the 1st Match of the PCB Central Punajb East Zone  winter Club League. All Round display from Abdullah Ahmad Of Golden Star Cricket Club was the main Highlight of the Match which was played at Jallo Stadium. Summarized Scorecard: AZIZ BHATTI TOWN SHAHEED CLUB 88/all out in 25.3 Overs (Ahsan Ali 38, Irzam Mustafa 20; Abbdullah Ahmad 4/8 while Mohammad Zubair Khan, Mohammad Qasim , Tanveer Ahmad & Azzam ul haq took one Wicket Each GOLDEN STAR CRICKET CLUB 92/1 in 7 Overs ( Abdullah Ahmad 34* 6X4S, 1x6 16 balls, Jawad Maqsod 33* 3X4S ,3X6S 13 Balls, Mahad Bajwa 22 4X4S 13 Balls) 

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (November 4, 2021):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the October nominees for the ICC Player of the Month awards, instituted in January this year to recognise the best international performances across formats for male and female cricketers. David Wiese of Namibia bats during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and Namibia at Sheikh Zayed stadium on November 02, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the October nominees for the ICC Player of the Month awards, instituted in January this year to recognise the best international performances across formats for male and female cricketers. The nominees for October in the men’s category are Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, Pakistan’s power hitter and finisher Asif Ali and Namibia’s prolific batter David Weise. Whilst in the women’s category Ireland’s all-rounder Laura Delany and right-handed batter Gaby Lewis make the list along with Zimbabwe’s captain and all-rounder Mary-Anne Musonda. An independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world can now vote to decide the winners, which will be announced next week. Fans registered on icc-cricket.com/awards are invited to cast their votes for their favourite ICC player of the month for October in both categories. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) Shakib Al Hasan played six T20Is last month as part of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE and Oman. He scored a total of 131 runs with a strike rate of 109.16 and took a total of 11 wickets with an economy rate of 5.59. Shakib had two spectacular all-round matches at the tournament last month, scoring 42 and taking three wickets against Oman before striking 46 and taking four wickets against Papua New Guinea. This is Al Hasan’s second nomination in the year. Asif Ali (Pakistan) Pakistan’s prolific middle-order batter Asif Ali played three T20Is last month also in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World 2021 where he scored a total of 52 runs with a strike rate of 273.68. His breakthrough performance was when he scored 27 out of just 12 balls to help defeat New Zealand. He went on to also hit four sixes in the next game against Afghanistan in the nineteenth over and sealed a victory against them. David Wiese (Namibia) Namibian veteran all-rounder David Weise has had a spectacular ICC Men’s T20 World Cup so far. He played eight T20Is where he scored a total of 162 runs with a strike rate of 132.78 and took seven wickets with an economy rate of 7.23. David’s match winning performance helped Namibia qualify for the Super 12s stage of the tournament where he scored a 66 not-out against the Netherlands and 28 not-out against Ireland, while also contributing with the ball. Laura Delany (Ireland) Ireland’s all-rounder Delany played four ODIs against Zimbabwe last month and scored a total of 189 runs with a strike rate of 108.62. Additionally, she went on to take four wickets with an economy rate of 3.85. Delany went on to score 86, 35 and 68 in her three innings in the ODI series win over Zimbabwe. Gaby Lewis (Ireland) Gaby also played four ODIs against Zimbabwe and scored a total of 263 runs with a strike rate of 77.35. Lewis was the leading run-scorer in Ireland’s ODI series win against Zimbabwe, scoring 65, 96 not out and 78 in the last three matches as Ireland recovered from 1-0 down to win the series 3-1 with Zimbabwe. Mary-Anne Musonda (Zimbabwe) Musonda captained Zimbabwe in four ODIs against Ireland and scored a total of 169 runs with a strike rate of 90.86. On a day that proved historic for Zimbabwe as they played their first ODI since being granted the status, Mary-Anne Musonda's unbeaten century had powered them to a four-wicket win against Ireland.  The ICC Player of the Month Voting Process: The three nominees for either category is shortlisted based on performances from the first to the last day of each calendar month. The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket fraternity including well-known journalists, former players, broadcasters, and members of the ICC Hall of Fame. The Voting Academy submit their votes by email and hold a 90 per cent share of the vote. Fans registered with the ICC vote via the ICC website, accounting for the remaining 10 per cent. Winners are announced every second Monday of the month on the ICC’s digital channels. ICC Voting Academy for ICC Player of the Month September 2021 Afghanistan: Hameed Qayoomi and Javed Hamim; Australia: Melinda Farrell and Lisa Sthalekar; Bangladesh: Tarek Mahmoud and Mohammad Isam’ England: Elizabeth Ammon and Claire Taylor; Ireland: Ian Callender and Isobel Joyce; India: Rica Roy and Irfan Pathan New Zealand: Mark Geenty and John Wright; Pakistan: Faizan Lakhani and Ramiz Raja; South Africa: Firdose Moonda and Makhaya Ntini; Sri Lanka: Neville Victor Anthony and Russel Arnold; West Indies: Desmond Haynes and Merissa Aguilleira; Zimbabwe: Tristan Holme and Mpumelelo Mbangwa; Others: Paul Radley and Dirk Nannes.

Sports Bulletin Report Abu Dhabi (November 3, 2021):-Aruthless India kept their slim ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final hopes alive with a convincing 66-run victory over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. Virat Kohli’s side entered the match knowing the side needed three victories from their remaining matches to stand any chance of making the last four following back-to-back defeats. An excellent opening partnership of 140 between Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul laid the foundations and then Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya provided the late fireworks, adding 63 in just 21 balls to take India to 210 for two, the highest score of the tournament so far. Afghanistan’s attack badly missed the injured Mujeeb Ur Rahman and the loss of both openers inside four overs quickly left them playing catch-up in reply. Karim Janat (42 not out) and Mohammad Nabi (35) provided cameos but Mohammed Shami (three for 32) and the returning Ravi Ashwin (two for 14) helped India see out a comfortable and morale-boosting win. Having been restricted to 110 for seven by New Zealand on Sunday, India were eager for a strong start when inserted at the toss and their experienced openers provided it. Rohit ended the opening over in style, lofting Gulbadin Naib for four over mid-off, and Rahul provided his own statement of intent five balls later by smashing Sharafuddin Ashraf over long-on for the first six of the innings. Another followed in a costly fifth over, which ended with India on 52 without loss after Rohit cleared the ropes over long-off before driving through cover for four more. Afghanistan’s attack temporarily stemmed the tide as the opening pair rotated the strike, with no boundaries for 20 balls, but Rahul ended the mini drought and soon swept Rashid Khan behind square as the scoreboard continued to motor. Rohit won the race to his half century, getting there in 37 balls, and a savage pull for six by his partner brought up the pair’s fourth T20I century stand later in the 12th over. Rahul was raising his bat at the start of the 13th after reaching his half century in two fewer balls than Rohit, who took the attack to Rashid and slammed successive sixes shortly afterwards. Just as Rohit looked to truly cut loose, however, his superb knock was ended when he drove Janat to Mohammad Nabi at extra cover to provide Afghanistan with a much-needed breakthrough. Pant was promoted to number three to continue the attack and having survived reviews from consecutive Rashid deliveries, he made the most of his reprieves by carting Gulbadin for huge back-to-back maximums to hand India back their momentum after the seamer had cleaned up Rahul earlier in the over. Pandya also took advantage of a let-off, thumping two sixes off the unfortunate Naveen after a routine chance had been put down by Najibullah Zadran coming round from long-off, and another mighty blow from Pant took India past 200 in the final over to leave Afghanistan with a mountain to climb. Knowing he had to put his foot down from the outset, Hazratullah Zazai got the chase up and running by taking on India’s dangerous new ball pair, cutting Mohammed Shami for four before lofting Jasprit Bumrah over the deep mid-wicket boundary. Neither took long to hit back, however, as both openers fell in successive deliveries. Shami induced a leading edge to see the back of Mohammad Shahzad for a four-ball duck and when Zazai sliced to mid-on off Bumrah, Afghanistan were 13 for two. The incoming Rahmanullah Gurbaz was quickly into his stride, launching Shami for back-to-back sixes in a fifth over which cost 21 to breathe fresh life into the chase. Gulbadin followed up with twin boundaries off Pandya as Afghanistan ended the powerplay on 47 for two, just six runs adrift of where India had been at the same stage. The eight wickets in hand soon became seven as Rahmanullah went on the attack once more and was well held by Pandya inches inside the rope at long-on from the bowling of Ravi Jadeja. Then came a landmark moment for Jadeja’s fellow spinner Ashwin, who trapped a sweeping Gulbadin in front to claim his first T20I scalp since 2016 and leave Afghanistan 61 for four at the halfway stage of the reply. The same bowler then clean bowled Najibullah Zadran, attempting a reverse sweep, and didn’t concede a boundary in a miserly four overs which represented a fine return to his country’s limited overs side. The required rate was growing all the time but Nabi and Janat were in no mood to throw in the towel. The pair added 57 for the fifth wicket before Shami returned to seal the deal, with Nabi excellently caught by a diving Jadeja at mid-wicket and Rashid launching his first delivery to Pandya at mid-off. Janat crowned his impressive unbeaten 42 from 22 balls with a six from the final ball of the innings but Afghanistan must now beat New Zealand and hope other results go their way if they are to make the semi-finals. Scores in brief India beat Afghanistan at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi by 66 runs India 210/2 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 74, KL Rahul 69; Karim Janat 1/7, Gulbadin Naib 1/39) Afghanistan 144/7 in 20 overs (Karim Janat 42 not out, Mohammad Nabi 35; Mohammed Shami 3/32, Ravichandran Ashwin 2/14)