Sports Bulletin

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (October 6, 2021):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the September 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. ICC Women's Player of the Month nominees – September 2021 The nominees for September in the men’s category are, Bangladesh’s Nasun Ahmed, Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane and USA’s Jaskaran Malhotra. Whilst England’s Charlie Dean and her compatriot Heather Knight as well as Lizelle Lee from South Africa feature in this month’s women’s shortlist.  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 September in both categories. ICC Men’s Player of the Month for September: Nasun Ahmed (Bangladesh) Nasun is a rising spinner in the Bangladeshi camp. He played five T20Is against New Zealand last month, where he took eight wickets in the 3-2 series win against the kiwis. Highlighted by figures of 4-10 in the fourth match, which made him the first bowler from a full member nation to bowl two maidens in the same T20I match.  Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal) Sandeep has been the stand-out bowler in ICC World Cup Super League 2 last month. He played six ODIs and took 18 wickets in total with an economy rate of 3.17. Against Papa New Guinea Sandeep took, 4-35 and 6-11, followed by 4-18 against Oman. Jaskaran Malhotra (USA) USA's Jaskaran Malhotra garnered instant world recognition with his feat of six sixes in an over against Papua New Guinea in the ICC World Cup Super League 2 game, last month. Malhotra became only the fourth player to strike six sixes in an over in an international fixture, joining an exclusive club that includes some of the game’s greats. ICC Men's Player of the Month nominees – September 2021 ICC Men's Player of the Month nominees – September 2021 ICC Women’s Player of the Month for September: Charlie Dean (England) The 20-year-old off-spinner was England’s leading wicket-taker as they defeated New Zealand 4-1 in their ODI series. Charlie took four wickets in the second match and three in the fourth against New Zealand. Charlie had marked only her second outing representing England last month. Heather Knight (England) Captain Heather Knight, led England to a series victory over New Zealand, scoring 89 in the first ODI and 101 in the fourth. The allrounder scored a total of 214 runs in the five ODIs against New Zealand last month with a strike rate of 88.06 and took 3 wickets with an economy rate of 4.66.  Lizelle Lee (South Africa) Lizelle played four ODIs against the West Indies last month where she scored a total of 248 runs with a strike rate of 72.09. She was the leading run-scorer in the ODI series against the West Indies, scoring 91 not out, 78 not out and 61 in the process. Lizelle was also voted as the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for March earlier this year.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lahore (October 6, 2021):-A disciplined bowling performance from Home City Central Punjab followed by Hussain Talat’s breezy half-century saw their side to the top of the points table as they defeated GFS Sindh by a comfortable margin of eight wickets in the opening match of the National T20’s Lahore-leg at the Gaddafi Stadium. This was Central Punjab’s second win over Sindh in the season after they had beaten Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side by 12 runs (DLS method) at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi on Saturday. Central Punjab pacers ensured Sindh’s innings never took off as Faheem Ashraf accounted for Sharjeel Khan (0 off one) in the first over and Khurram Manzoor (two off 10), the most successful batter in the National T20 history, in his next. Sameen Gul and Wahab Riaz, the most successful bowler in the tournament’s history, accounted for a batter each in the fourth and fifth overs as Sindh managed a paltry 32 in the powerplay. That Sindh bowlers had something to bowl at was because of their captain Sarfaraz who scored a fighting half-century. The wicketkeeper-batter scored an unbeaten 37-ball 54, hitting five fours and a six, and stitched partnerships worth 35 and 41 with Danish Aziz and Anwar Ali – who scored 20 runs each. Sarfaraz smashed two fours and a six in the final over, bowled by Wahab, as Sindh finished at 128 for seven. Central Punjab overhauled the target in 15.4 overs thanks to Hussain Talat’s 13th half-century. The left-handed batter made sure his side cross the line without any further hiccups after they lost two wickets for 33 runs in five overs. He smashed eight fours and a six in his unbeaten 52-ball knock and stitched a solid partnership with Shoaib Malik (40 not out off 25, four fours and a six) worth 98. Scores in brief: Central Punjab beat Sindh by eight wickets Sindh 128-7, 20 overs (Sarfaraz Ahmed 54 not out, Ahsan Ali 23, Anwar Ali 20, Danish Aziz 20; Faheem Ashraf 2-19, Hasan Ali 2-31) Central Punjab 131-2, 15.4 overs (Hussain Talat 68 not out, Shoaib Malik 40 not out, Ahmed Shehzad 20) Player of the match – Hussain Talat (Central Punjab)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lahore (October 6, 2021):-As many as four Balochistan team players test positive, who were participating in the National T20 Cricket Cup 2021 at Qaddafi Stadium Lahore. According to media department of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), all four Balochistan players have been placed in a 10-day quarantine while rest of team members were asymptomatic and tested negative, and will continue to participate in the tournament. All other participants and their families underwent testing on Tuesday and have returned negative.  The second match on 6 October between Northern and Balochistan has been swapped with Northern and Southern Punjab match. This means Northern and Balochistan match will now be played on 9 October under floodlights Balochistan-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa match on 7 October will be played as scheduled. Balochistan will beef up their squad with players from their Cricket Association Championship three-day tournament side. The player transfer will be from bubble-to-bubble but the replacement players will undergo CT-PCR testing as per the PCB Covid-19 Protocols Pakistan players and player support staff for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will participate in the National T20 on 6 and 7 October. On 8 October, they will shift to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup bubble, being set-up by the PCB as per the ICC regulations. The PCB continues to monitor the situation and is retesting all participants and their families. It has also been decided the frequency of testing will be increased for the remainder of the tournament.

BIPIN DANI One member of the present Sri Lankan team has his new hairstyle similar to former India captain MS Dhoni. The player's name is Dhananjaya de Silva and the hairdresser is Dhanushka Chathuranga.    Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo on Tuesday, he said, "this new hairstyle was made to suit Dhananjyaya's face and personality. The player didn't ask for it. I also had no intention to make him "another Dhoni". "There is no specific name for this hair-style. I only came to know about this (Dhananjaya's hairstyle is exactly matching with Dhoni) when the photo became viral on social media and I saw present-day Dhoni playing in the IPL". Interestingly, Dhanushka Chathuranga of Liyo Salon may not be the official hairdresser of the SLC but got this chance a second time to give new looks to the players. Total expenses of the hair dresser's comfortable stay in the team hotel (Cinnamon Grand) for four days of quarantine and all PCR tests may have been met by the SLC. "I gave new looks to the entire team and the support staff before they left for Oman and to participate in the T-20 World Cup. They were all very cooperative during my service to them". This is yet another time the same hairdresser was invited by the home team. He has treated their foreign players as well. Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka is air-stylist's favourite player. "He is my best family friend", he added further.   

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lahore (October 6, 2021):-Lawrence Booth, Editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack and writer for the Daily Mail, and respected broadcaster Mike Haysman are the star features of the 36th PCB Podcast, which is now available here for viewing and free download for editorial purposes. Booth discusses England and Wales Cricket Board’s decision to withdraw their sides from next week’s tour of Pakistan, while Haysman shares his experience of commentating in the National T20 and highlights the talent and quality of cricket he witnessed in the Rawalpindi-leg matches. The Podcast begins with a special message from Vernon Philander, who was last month named as Pakistan side’s bowling coach for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The former South Africa fast bowler will arrive in Lahore on 7 October. The PCB Digital team also caught up with Pakistan Shaheens captain Saud Shakeel during the National T20 in Rawalpindi. The left-handed top-order batter looks ahead to the tour of Sri Lanka for two four-day matches and three 50-over games to be played in Kandy and Colombo from 28 October to 14 November. The show also includes interviews of Dr Najeeb Soomro and Tania Mallick, who recently started their journey at the Pakistan Cricket Board as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Women’s Cricket, respectively. The two experienced professionals spoke at length on their roles, responsibilities, targets and objectives.  

Report: Abdullah Asjad RAWALPINDI (October 5, 2021):-Twelve sides of six Cricket Associations will participate in the three-day National U19 Championship and one-day National U19 Cup, which will be held across six venues of Punjab from 10 October to 19 November. The three-day games will be followed by one-day fixtures, with a day’s gap between the two matches. Six Whites squads have been placed in Pool A and will play their matches in Gujranwala, Muridke and Sialkot, while the remaining six Blues squads are in Pool B with their matches scheduled at Rawalpindi and Islamabad’s Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Academy, National Ground and Shalimar Cricket Ground. The Pakistan Cricket Board, this season, has allowed each Cricket Association to field two sides. This has been done to allow talented youngsters the opportunity to stake claims in Pakistan squad for next year’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2022, besides increasing the pool of players at the grassroots level with the very best talent to be identified, nurtured and trained at the National High Performance Centre. Meanwhile, following merit-based trials, the 12 squads for the two tournaments have been confirmed. Performance of players in the City Cricket Association two-day and 50-over tournaments were also taken into consideration. The squads also include 32 players who attended an eight-week High Performance Camp at Karachi’s Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre under the supervision of head coach Ijaz Ahmed. The camp not only provided extensive practice, training and scenario-based match practice to the probables, it also furnished valuable exposure in a High Performance camp environment. Squads: Balochistan Whites U19: Abu Huraira (Lasbela U19), Aman Khan (Killa Abdullah U19), Arbaz Khan (Lasbela U19), Duniya Khan (Loralai U19), Haseebullah (Pishin U19), Hikmatullah (Loralai U19), Jan Muhammad ( Killa Abdullah U19), M Muddasir (Noshki U19), Muhammad Arif (Pishin U19), Muhammad Nasir (Naseerabad U19), Muhammad Uzair (Naseerabad U19), Qudrat Ullah (Quetta U19), Qurban Ali (Pishin U19), Rizwan Ahmed (Khuzdar U19), Waheed ul Rehman (Khuzdar U19), Yahya Khan (Quetta U19) Reserve Players: Israrullah (Naseerabad U19), Jahangir Khan (Loralai U19,), Seeed Ahmed (Khuzdar U19), Siraj Mehboob (Panjgur U19) Coaching staff: Aslam Sheikh (head coach), Mazhar Deenari (assistant coach) Balochistan Blues U19: Abu Bakar (Lasbela U19), Ali Asghar (Noshki U19), Aurangzeb (Balochistan U19), Basit Ali ( Balochistan U19), Junaid Ahmed (Quetta U19), Kabir Raj (Quetta U19), Muhammad Waheed (Quetta U19), Muhammad Umar (Pishin U19), Obaid Khan (Quetta U19), Sajjad Ali (Loralai U19), Shahid Khan (Quetta U19), Shamraiz Khan (Pishin U19), Wajid Ali (Naseerabad U19), Yasir Khan (Quetta U19), Zaheer Ahmed (Lasbela U19), Zulqarnain (Noshki U19) Reserve Players: Arshad Ali (Naseerabad U19), Mohammad Hussain (Noshki U19), Mohammad Ismail (Loralai U19), Yasir Hussain (Naseerabad U19) Coaching staff: Hussain Khosa (head coach), Aqil Baloch (assistant coach) Central Punjab Whites U19: Afzal Manzoor (Sheikhupura), Ahmed Hasan (Sheikhupura), Ali Razak (Lahore West Zone W), Ali Zoraiz Asif (Lahore North Zone B), Ameer Hamza (Gujranwala), Azan Awais (Sialkot), Hunain Shah (Lahore West Zone W), M. Awais (Faisalabad), M. Hassan Hameed (Lahore West Zone B), M. Ibtisam (Sargodha), Muneeb Wasif (Central Punjab U19s), Samama Riaz (Faisalabad), Shoaib Zahid (Jhang), Taha Mehmood (Gujranwala), Usman Nadeem (Lahore East Zone B), Zeeshan Sikander (Mandi Bahauddin) Reserve Players: Asad Raza (Gujranwala), Daniyal Yousuf (Lahore East Zone W), Hasan Ali (Faisalabad), Malik Abdul Rafay (Sargodha), Saria Khan (Mianwali) Coaching staff: Humayoun Farhat (head coach), Khurram Shehzad (assistant coach) Central Punjab Blues U19: Abrar Afzal (Lahore West Zone B), Abu Bakar (Gujranwala), Ali Asfand (Faisalabad), Ali Hassan (Sargodha), Arham Nawab  (Faisalabad), Awais Ali (Gujranwala), Hasnat Abbas  (Lahore West Zone W), Khurram Riaz (Lahore North Zone W), M. Ali Hassan (Gujranwala), M. Zeeshan (Faisalabad), Mohammad Waqas (Faisalabad), Saad Waseem (Faisalabad), Sameer Saqib (Faisalabad), Shahwaiz Irfan (Lahore West Zone W), Usama Zahid (Lahore West Zone W), Zain Ul Abdin (Gujranwala) Reserve Players: Umer Eman (Lahore West Zone B), Abdul Rehman (Faisalabad), M. Muzamil (Lahore West Zone W), S. Hassan Gillani (Sialkot), Saeed Ali (Sialkot) Coaching staff: Mohammad Ashraf (head coach), Ashraf Ali (assistant coach) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Whites U19: Abbas Ali (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19), Abbas Dawar (Charsada U19), Abdullah Zareen (Charsada U19), Afaq Khan (Mardan U19), Ayaz Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19), Daniyal Bhatti (Haripur U19), Imad Afzal (Mardan U19), Ismail Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U16), Khalid Shah (Peshawar U19), M. Farooq (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19), Muhammad Irfan (Peshawar U19), Mohammad Umer (Swabi U19), Rahimullah (Nowshera U19), Sahal Yousaf (Kohat U19), Sherdil Khan (Swat U19), Zubair Shinwari (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19) Reserve Players: Afsar Ahmad (Buneer U19), Haneef ur Rehman (Swat U19), Muhammad Hasnain (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19), Shoaib Khan (Abbottabad U19) Coaching staff: Saqib Faqir (head coach), Muhammad Sadiq (assistant coach) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Blues U19: Abubakar Khan (Dir Lower U19), Ahmed Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19), Ayaz Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19), Ayub Khan (D.I Khan U19), Ch Shujah (Abbottabad U19), Haseeb Khan (Peshawar U19), Maaz Sadaqat (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19), Muhammad Salman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19), Muhammad Yasin (Mardan U19), Muhammad Zulkifal (Charsada U19), Najab Khan (Charsada U19), Naqeeb Ullah (D.I Khan U19), Rooh Ullah (Mohmand U19), Sallahudin (Bannu U19), Umair Khan (Charsada U19), Zeeshan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19) Reserve Players: Arafat Khan (Peshawar U19), Azmatullah (Dir Upper U19), Muhammad Yasin (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19), Shahid Khan (Bannu U19) Coaching Staff: Sajid Shah (head coach), Shoaib Khan (assistant coach) Northern Whites U19: Abdul Basit (Rawalpindi U19), Abdul Jabbar Gillani (Islamabad U19), Ali Hasnain Sabir (Rawalpindi U19), Arsalan Sajjad (Muzzafarabad U19), Faizan Saleem (Mirpur U19), Jabbir Tayyab Khan (Islamabad U19), Jahandad Khan (Rawalpindi U19), Kamran Riaz (Islamabad U19), M. Ali Taj (Islamabad U19), Shan Khan (Mirpur U19), Sudais Ulfat (Islamabad U19), Suleman Asif (Rawalpindi U19), Syed Ali Zain Rizvi (Islamabad U19), Syed Hashim Mir Ali (Kotli U19), Usman Khan ( Paa U19), Waqas Zakir (Muzzafarabad U19) Reserve Players: Hammadullah (Attock U19), Ibraheem Bhatti (Rawalpindi U19), M.Bilal Muqaddar (Kotli U19), Muhammad Ismail (Jhelum U19) Coaching staff: Hafiz Majid Jahangir (head coach), Fahad Akram (assistant coach) Northern Blues U19: Aamir Hussain (Rawalpindi U19), Abid Ullah (Islamabad U19), Affan Ishaq (Rawalpindi U19), Aseer Mughal (Rawalpindi U19), Fahad Rashid Kiani (Muzzafarabad U19), Faraz Khan (Attock U19), Hamza Jahangir (Chakwal U19), Haseeb Imran (Jhelum U19), Hussain (Rawalpindi U19), M. Faizan Ghani (Attock U19), M. Umar Habib (Attock U19), Mehran Mumtaz (Rawalpindi U19), Mohammad Aftab (Islamabad U19), Mohammad Awais (Attock U19), Shamyl Hussain (Islamabad U19), Zain Ali Sajid (Mirpur U19) Reserve Players: Asad Raza (Mirpur U19), Hassan Ghalib (Jhelum U19), M. Sami Mir (Muzzafarabad U19), Shoukat Khan (Islamabad U19) Coaching staff: Kamran Khan (head coach), Jawad Hameed Haq (assistant coach) Sindh Whites U19: Adeel Meo (Sindh U19), Adil Ahmed Khan (Karachi Zone 1 U19), Afnan Khan (Karachi Zone 4 U19), Ali Shan (Shaheed Benazirabad U19), Ghazi Ghouri (Sindh U19), Habibullah (Karachi Zone 6 U19), Kashif Ali (Karachi Zone 6 U19), Malik Zain-Ul Abedin (Karachi Zone 1 U19), Mansoor Ali Khoso (Khairpur U19), Muhammad Fahad Amin (Karachi Zone 3 U19), Muhammad Sikander (Hyderabad U19), Najaf Ali (Shikharpur U19), Rehman (Hyderabad U19), Saqlain Nawaz (Khairpur U19), Wahaj Riaz (Karachi Zone 2 U19), Zeeshan Qasim (Karachi Zone 5 U19) Reserve Players: Abdul Rafay (Karachi Zone 3 U19), Ali Shinwari (Karachi Zone 2 U19), Syed Haider Ali Bukhari (Sanghar U19), Syed Muhammad Shahsha (Karachi Zone 7 U19) Coaching staff: Azam Khan (head coach), Hanif Malik (assistant coach) Sindh Blues U19: Abdullah Fazal (Karachi Zone 4 U19), Aftab Ibrahim (Karachi Zone 7 U19), Ali Ishaq (Karachi Zone 6 U19), Aliyan Mehmood (Sindh U19), Asif Ali (Shikharpur U19), Huzaifa Munir (Karachi Zone 7 U19), Kh. Muhammad Hafeez (Karachi Zone 6 U19), Maaz Khurram Amin (Karachi Zone 6 U19), Mohammad Abdullah (Jamshoro U19), Muhammad Sheryar (Karachi Zone 2 U19), Muhammad Umer (Khairpur U19), Nawaz Shareef Yousufzai (Karachi Zone 6 U19), Rizwan Mehmood (Sindh U19), Sarfaraz Ali (Khairpur U19), Taimur Mustafa (Karachi Zone 2 U19), Talha Ahsan (Sindh U19) Reserve Players: Mohammad Meesam (Hyderabad U19), Mohammad Mansab (Sukkur U19), Syed Ariyan (Karachi Zone 2 U19), Ziaullah (Karachi Zone 2 U19) Coaching staff: Tahir Mehmood (head coach), Syed Mauhtashim Ali (assistant coach) Southern Punjab Whites U19: Ali Haider (Vehari), Arfat Ahmad Minhas (Multan), Aun Shehzad (Muzafargarah), Faisal Akram (Multan), Harib Moeen (Bahawalpur), Hasnain Majid (Rahim Yar Khan), M Ammar (Rahim Yar Khan), M Aqib Asghar (Vehari), M Awais Abbas (Muzafargarah), M Ismail (Sahiwal), M Shehzad  (D G Khan), M Uzair Mumtaz (Multan), Meesam Raza (Multan), Nauman Abbas (Muzafargarah), Usama Aqeel (Okara), Zain Islam (Multan) Reserve Players: Ali Arshad (Bahwalnagar), Haider Baloch (D G Khan), Mohammad Nabeel Arshad (Pak Pattan), Syed Labaik Mehdi (Muzafargarah) Coaching staff: Bilal Ahmed (head coach), Azhar Shafiq (assistant coach) Southern Punjab Blues U19: Alam Zaib (Multan), Ali Afzal (Pak Pattan), Hamza Nawaz (Bahawalnagar), Haseeb Gul (Muzafargarah), Huzaifa Shafiq (Rajan Pur), Kashif Fareed (D G Khan), Khoubaib Ahmad (Bahawalpur), M Abu Bakar (Muzafargarah), Mohammad Ahmad (Vehari), M Danish (Muzafargarah), M Zahid (Multan), M Zubair (Multan), Moheer Saeed (Vehari), Rehan Ijaz (Rahim Yar Khan), Sharjeel Ahmad (Lodharan), Zarrar Shakeel (Okara) Reserve Players: Abdullah Zain (Rahim Yar Khan), Adnan Shahid (D G Khan), M Waji (Muzafargarah), Rahat Ullah (Rahim Yar Khan) Coaching staff: To be announced (head coach), Irfan Fazil (assistant coach) National Under-19 Championship and Cup schedule: Pool A 10-12 and 14 Oct - Balochistan (W)-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (W), Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot; Central Punjab (W)-Sindh (W), Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala; Northern (W)-Southern Punjab (W), Country Club, Muridke. 17-19 and 21 Oct - Balochistan (W)-Northern (W), Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot; Sindh (W)-Southern Punjab (W), Country Club, Muridke; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (W)-Central Punjab (W), Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala. 24-26 and 28 Oct - Balochistan (W)-Central Punjab (W), Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot; Northern (W)-Sindh (W), Country Club, Muridke; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (W)-Southern Punjab (W), Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala 31 Oct-2 and 4 Nov - Balochistan (W)-Southern Punjab (W), Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (W)-Sindh (W), Country Club, Muridke; Northern (W)-Central Punjab (W), Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot 7-9 and 11 Nov - Balochistan (W)-Sindh (W), Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot; Central Punjab (W)-Southern Punjab (W), Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala; Northern (W)-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (W), Country Club, Muridke POOL B 10-12 and 14 Oct - Balochistan (B)-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (B), Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi; Central Punjab (B)-Sindh (B), National Ground, Islamabad; Northern (B)-Southern Punjab (B), Shalimar Cricket Ground; Islamabad 17-19 and 21 Oct - Balochistan (B)-Northern (B), Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi; Sindh (B)-Southern Punjab (B), National Ground, Islamabad; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (B)-Central Punjab (B), Shalimar Cricket Ground, Islamabad 24-26 and 28 Oct - Balochistan (B)-Central Punjab (B), Shalimar Cricket Ground, Islamabad; Northern (B)-Sindh (B), National Ground, Islamabad; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (B)-Southern Punjab (B), Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi 31 Oct-2 and 4 Nov - Balochistan (B)-Southern Punjab (B), National Ground, Islamabad; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (B)-Sindh (B), Shalimar Cricket Ground, Islamabad; Northern (B)-Central Punjab (B), Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi 7-9 and 11 Nov - Balochistan (B)-Sindh (B), National Ground, Islamabad; Central Punjab (B)-Southern Punjab (B), Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi; Northern (B)-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (B), Shalimar Cricket Ground, Islamabad 14 Nov – National U19 Cup final (Pool A leader v Pool B leader), venue TBC 16-19 Nov – National U19 Championship final (Pool A leader v Pool B leader), venue TBC

SPORTS DESK Islamabad (October 5, 2021):-Surrey and England all-rounder Sam Curran has been ruled out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a lower back injury. Curran complained of back pain after Chennai Super Kings Indian Premier League fixture on Saturday against Rajasthan Royals. Results of the scan revealed the injury. He will fly back to the UK in the next couple of days and will have further scans and a full review later this week from the ECB’s medical team. Curran’s brother, Tom, has been drafted into England’s squad for the T20 World Cup. In addition, Surrey’s Reece Topley has been added as a travelling reserve. Topley will join the England party in due course. The England players and management not at the IPL arrived at their Muscat base earlier today and will remain in Oman until 16 October before moving to Dubai for the start of the tournament. England ICC Men's T20 World Cup Squad Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) Captain Moeen Ali (Worcestershire) Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire) Sam Billings (Kent) Jos Buttler (Lancashire) Tom Curran (Surrey) Chris Jordan (Sussex) Liam Livingstone (Lancashire) Dawid Malan (Yorkshire) Tymal Mills (Sussex) Adil Rashid (Yorkshire) Jason Roy (Surrey) David Willey (Yorkshire) Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) Mark Wood (Durham) Travelling Reserves Liam Dawson (Hampshire) Reece Topley (Surrey) James Vince (Hampshire) ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 – England’s warm-up fixtures: England v India, Monday 18 October 2021, Dubai (6.00pm GST / 3.00pm BST) England v New Zealand, Wednesday 20 October 2021, Abu Dhabi (2.00pm GST / 11.00am BST) ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 – England’s Group Fixtures: England v West Indies, Saturday 23 October 2021, Dubai (6.00pm GST / 3.00pm BST) England v Qualifier (B2), Wednesday 27 October 2021, Abu Dhabi (2.00pm GST / 11.00am BST) England v Australia, Saturday 30 October 2021, Dubai (6.00pm GST / 3.00pm BST) England v Qualifier (A1), Monday 1 November 2021, Sharjah (6.00pm GST / 2.00pm GMT) England v South Africa, Saturday 6 November 2021, Sharjah (6.00pm GST / 2.00pm GMT) Semi-finals: First semi-final, Wednesday 10 November, Abu Dhabi (6.00pm GST / 2.00pm GMT) Second semi-final, Thursday 11 November, Dubai (6.00pm GST / 2.00pm GMT) Final: Sunday 14 November, Dubai (6.00pm GST / 2.00pm GMT)

Report: Aamir Ali Janjua Lahore (October 5, 2021):-Tension, excitement and thrill reaches its climax as the six Cricket Associations boasting country’s best T20 players lock horns in a dash to the semi-finals of the National T20 in the Lahore-leg matches, which begins on Wednesday and will be televised live on PTV Sports. After 18 matches of the tournament, which commenced in Rawalpindi on 23 September and carries a total prize of over PKR9million, all the sides have played six matches each. Sarfaraz Ahmed-led Sindh, Mohammad Rizwan-captained Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Babar Azam-led Central Punjab and Shadab Khan-captained Northern are locked at eight points apiece with four wins and two defeats. Imam-ul-Haq’s Balochistan have four points, while Aamer Yamin-led Southern Punjab are winless but still in with a chance to reach the knockout stage provided they win their last four matches convincingly and other results also go in their favour. Action will begin on Wednesday afternoon at 1500 Pakistan time when Sindh and Central Punjab will go toe to toe. At 1930, Northern will square off against Balochistan. The winner of Sindh-Central Punjab match will move to 10 points and put one step in the semi-finals, while Northern will prefer to follow in the footsteps of the earlier match’s winner though they are expected to face stiff resistance from Balochistan who will be keen to move to six points and remain close to the frontrunners. Unsurprisingly, world’s No.2 ranked T20I batsman Babar Azam is the leading run-scorer after six matches. The Pakistan captain has scored 286 runs at an average of 71.5 with a strike-rate of 143. He is followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sahibzada Farhan (220 runs, 36.66 avg., 133.33 strike-rate), Sharjeel Khan of Sindh (212, 35.33 avg., 148.25 strike-rate), Northern’s Haider Ali (208, 52 avg., 141.49 strike-rate), Mohammad Rizwan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (193, 32.16 avg., 129.53 strike-rate) and Abdul Wahid Banglazai of Balochistan (184, 36.8 avg., 111.51 strike-rate). Pakistan’s premier fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi leads the bowling chart with 12 wickets with an economy-rate of 8.58. Six bowlers are tied at nine wickets apiece, namely Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali (both Central Punjab), Asif Afridi, Imran Khan (both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh) and Haris Rauf (Northern), while Sindh’s Ruman Raees is the only bowler with eight wickets. The six captains are excited and keenly looking forward to the remaining 12 round matches of the Lahore-leg, which will be followed by semi-finals on 12 October and the final on 13 October. Aamer Yamin: “After the disappointment of the Rawalpindi-leg we enter the Lahore-leg knowing that we have nothing to lose anymore. At the same time, we remember well how we turned it all around last year after an equally poor start.” Babar Azam: “This National T20 has been one of the most exciting T20 competitions I have ever been part of and I have no doubts that the quality and competitiveness of the tournament will get even better when we move to Lahore with all sides vying for semi-final berths. “Central Punjab have not been able to make their fans happy in the last two editions, but we are eager to lift the trophy at our home ground this time.” Mohammad Rizwan: “We have one simple game plan, which is to play cricket according to contemporary standards. It worked for us in the last season and playing attacking, positive and modern-day cricket will help us in retaining our title and entertaining the fans in Lahore. “We have achieved some good results in Rawalpindi, but the job is half done and our team understands that. We need to remain focused in Lahore, because all teams will be using the change of venue as an opportunity to regather and fill in the loopholes.” Imam-ul-Haq: “We may not have achieved the desired results in Rawalpindi, but we are optimistic about our chances in Lahore. Over the last few days, we have identified gaps in our game plan and we will be looking to fill them when we take the field on Wednesday.” Sarfaraz Ahmed: “The Rawalpindi-leg brought us good results and have put us in a good position for a place in the semi-finals. We cannot afford to be complacent as we still have a long way to go. “The pitches in Lahore should provide more scoring opportunities to the batters and need to ensure that we make full use of the conditions. While our top-order has been delivering for us as Sharjeel and Khurram are both contributing, we need a bit more from our middle and lower order.” Shadab Khan: “The Rawalpindi-leg was hard fought as all six teams produced some good cricket. We have gathered eight points and are eyeing a semi-final spot now. We play fearless brand of cricket and it has worked well for us not only this year but in the last two editions too.” Upcoming matches at the Gaddafi Stadium: 6 Oct - Central Punjab-Sindh; Balochistan-Northern 7 Oct - Central Punjab-Southern Punjab; Balochistan-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 8 Oct - Central Punjab-Northern; Southern Punjab-Sindh 9 Oct - Sindh-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Northern-Southern Punjab 10 Oct - Southern Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Balochistan-Central Punjab 11 Oct - Sindh-Balochistan; Northern-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 12 Oct - No.1 vs No.4 Team; No.2 Team vs No.3 Team 13 Oct – Final

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL Islamabad (October 4, 2021):-The Scoring in the cricket match is not an easy job, as a scorer keeps all his ears and eyes on the game during the full match. Match referees, umpires and scorers are important to organize a match successfully. Referees and umpires can move during the game but score cannot leave his place for a second, international scorer Adnan Farooq viewed this while talking to www.sports-bulletin.com at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi. Adnan Farooq, who performed the duties of scorer in 11 Test matches and 20 One Day Internationals in Pindi Cricket Stadium, further said that a professional scorer must be accustomed with the faces of players, local and overseas as well. “We know the mostly Pakistani players closely and we have to work hard for the other teams, we collect the pictures of visiting team players and their profiles. Sometimes we use small telescopes to recognize the players during the fielding, “he maintained. “I started scoring career in 1992 with Radio Pakistan, as my father Talat Farooq was doing the same job there. He was also the official umpire of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and I learnt a lot from him. Later, in1998, I attached with PCB and started scoring in international cricket fixtures. I did scoring in over 120 first-class and 200 Grade -II matches. I toiled hard to go up in my career. Concentration is a basic skill of scoring, “he added. To a question, Adnan said that without understanding amongst the match referee, umpires and scorers a match could not be conducted according to international demands. “We share and compare our information with each other during intervals including water break or lunch break. If we found any error we rectify it at that time. It is also very important to react to the umpires' signs, when they motioned for four, six, wide-ball and no-ball. It is entirely a team effort to finish a match successfully, “he replied to another question. “I wish to cover maximum international cricket matches because I have a passion for cricket and without your commitment, dedication and devotion you cannot become a good scorer. The Pakistan Cricket Board is doing a lot for the officials and they encourage us in all the ways. The New Zealand team cancelled the tour at eleven hours and this was very disappointing for all cricket lovers. I wish to see maximum international cricket on the soil of Pakistan, “he concluded.

BIPIN DANI The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) will felicitate India's two centurions later this month. "We have a stand in the name of Sachin Tendulkar, who has played more than 100 Tests (200 specifically) for India. Mumbai's two other captains Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar, who too have played over Tests for India will be felicitated on 29th October", Nadeem Menon, the MCA official said to this reporter. Gavaskar and Vengsarkar have represented 125 and 116 Tests respectively. "Will be presenting a special box to Gavaskar for completing 50 years since he first played for India", he added. In 1971, Gavaskar went to the West Indies with the Indian team and scored 774 runs in the Test series. "Gavaskar and all his family members will be able to watch all matches from this special box". Gavaskar's brother-in-law and India's former stylist batsman Gundappa Vishwanth will be a special guest on this occasion. "We have also kept a function in the memory of late Madhav Mantri (uncle of Sunil Gavaskar) as it is his birth centenary year". One of the stands will be named after Dilip Vengsarkar on the day.