Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report LONDON (September 20, 2021):-"The ECB has a longstanding commitment to tour Pakistan as part of the Men's Future Tours Programme in 2022. "Earlier this year, we agreed to play two additional T20 World Cup warm-up games in Pakistan in October, adding a short women's tour with double headers alongside the men's games. "The ECB Board convened this weekend to discuss these extra England Women's and Men's games in Pakistan and we can confirm that the Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October trip. "The mental and physical well-being of our players and support staff remains our highest priority and this is even more critical given the times we are currently living in. We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region and believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments. "There is the added complexity for our Men's T20 squad. We believe that touring under these conditions will not be ideal preparation for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where performing well remains a top priority for 2021. "We understand that this decision will be a significant disappointment to the PCB, who have worked tirelessly to host the return of international cricket in their country. Their support of English and Welsh cricket over the last two summers has been a huge demonstration of friendship. We are sincerely sorry for the impact this will have on cricket in Pakistan and emphasise an ongoing commitment to our main touring plans there for 2022."

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI (September 16, 2021):-History will be made on Friday when Babar Azam’s Pakistan will take on Tom Latham’s New Zealand in the first of the three One-Day Internationals at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. The occasion will see the tourists play their first match on Pakistan soil since 2003. This will be the fourth time the two sides will meet at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in an ODI with Pakistan enjoying a 3-0 advantage. Prior to this match, Pakistan and New Zealand have met 19 times in an ODI in Pakistan between 1976 and 2003 with Pakistan winning 16 times. Pakistan and New Zealand last met in an international 50-over competition during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 when Babar Azam’s glorious century anchored his side to a fabulous six-wicket win at Birmingham. This series provides an opportunity to sixth-ranked Pakistan to climb a spot in the ICC Rankings. If the hosts beat the tourists by a 3-0 scoreline, they would jump to fifth position, however, any other result will see both sides retain their pre-series rankings. New Zealand, the top-ranked ODI team in the ICC Rankings and the finalists of the 2019 World Cup, come into this series with a 3-0 sweep over Bangladesh in the three-match ODI series at home in March and will be eager to extend their winning streak. Pakistan’s last outing in the format at this venue was in October-November 2020, when they defeated Zimbabwe 2-1, while in their last ODI series, they defeated South Africa by 2-1. The series will not be part of the ICC World Cup Super League as both the PCB and NZC have mutually agreed to swap the status of this series with the one taking place in the 2022-23 season. This means the ODI series in the 2022-23 season will count towards the World Cup 2023 qualification while the series commencing on Friday will be a bilateral fixture in which team and player ranking points will be up for grabs. Pakistan captain Babar Azam, in his pre-series media conference held online, said: “Finally, the day has arrived and our entire camp is very excited to play New Zealand at home. We have practiced hard for this series and I am sure we will take full advantage of our home conditions. “We have a balanced squad and I remain optimistic about our chances in what promises to be an exciting series. I am sure fans at the stadium and millions watching us on screens will enjoy these matches.” New Zealand captain Tom Latham: “We know it is special for Pakistan to have cricket in their country and we are excited to be here. Pakistan are a quality side and they have some talented white-ball players in their line-up. “We have desired fire-power in our ranks to win this series and I am sure our batters and bowlers will rise to the occasion and make this historic series memorable for us.”

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (September 16, 2021): Secretary, Pakistan Cricket Association for Physically Handicapped (PCAPH), Waqar Ahmed Khan viewed that the bilateral disable cricket series should be resumed between Pakistan and India, which would be beneficial for the promotion of disable cricket in the region. While talking to the Special Correspondent of www.sports-bulletion.com at his office on Wednesday, Waqar said that in the past Indian disable cricket team visited Pakistan twice and Pakistan also visited India for a bilateral tie and both series were staged excellently. “Indian team visited Pakistan in 2014. Also, PCAPH had invited them on the occasion of World Day for Disable Persons, which has been celebrated on December 3 each year, “he maintained. “If Indian juniors’ tennis team can visit Pakistan to participate in the international fixture then other sports ties between both countries can be restored. Indian tennis team participated in the South Asian Junior Team Qualifying Event that concluded on September 15, 2021 at PTF Tennis Complex Islamabad. It is a nice omen for sports, as players of both countries want to restore bilateral ties in all sports including cricket, “he added. To a question, he said that new chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Hasan Raja should look into the affairs of disable cricket. “We have tremendous talent in disable cricket but the activities have been shrinking, as there is a monopoly of one city. Disable cricket should be organized in all cities and players are eager to show their talent. Ramiz Raja will certainly take strong measures to promote the disable cricket in the country, “Waqar hoped.  Secretary PCAPH further said, “Prime Minister Imran Khan was himself a great cricketer and he selected Ramiz Hasan Raja as head of Pakistan Cricket Board on merit. Raja played cricket under the leadership of Imran. The PM knows the abilities of Ramiz and he will produce the results up to the expectation of the prime minister. I hope cricket will flourish all over Pakistan and young guys will get opportunities to represent Pakistan at international level on merit, “he concluded.                    

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (September 16, 2021): St Kitts and Nevis Patriots claimed their first ever Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title as they defeated the Saint Lucia Kings by three wickets in a closely contested encounter at Warner Park. The Saint Lucia Kings won the toss and chose to bat, as they did in their semi-final match. Despite losing wickets at key stages of the game, they built a total around the batting of Roston Chase, who stabilised the innings, allowing the likes of Rahkeem Cornwall and Keemo Paul to play with attacking intent and guide them to 159/7. In what was a dramatic final, the Patriots managed to successfully chase their target with Dominic Drakes the hero with the bat, scoring 48 off 24 balls and securing a remarkable victory with the last ball of the match. Saint Lucia Kings started their innings with the loss of both captain Andre Fletcher and Mark Deyal in the Powerplay. Cornwall got the innings back on track with some power hitting but the Patriots utilised spin to great effect; Fabian Allen, Jon-Russ Jaggesar and Fawad Ahmed working in unison  to pick up three wickets in the middle overs and leave the Kings in peril. Roston Chase anchored the innings and a late burst from Paul, which saw him hit three consecutive sixes in an over as he scored 39 runs off just 21 balls, took the Kings to a challenging total. It was a dream start for the Kings with the ball, as Chris Gayle was bowled by a Chase delivery, and not long after, Evin Lewis was caught out, with Chase being the fielder. Joshua da Silva and Sherfane Rutherford began to rebuild, but quick wickets, including that of captain DJ Bravo,  saw the Patriots in trouble at 95-5. However, things would take a dramatic turn as Drakes recorded his highest ever score in cricket, firing six boundaries to take the Patriots over the line in dramatic fashion with a single off the last ball.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI (September 15, 2021):Pakistan today announced their 12-player team for the first One-Day International against New Zealand, which will be played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. The match will start at 1430 local time. The second and third ODIs will be played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on 19 and 21 September, respectively while Gaddafi Stadium will host the T20Is from 25 September to 3 October.  Names of players: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakil, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir, Zahid Mahmood

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE (September 15, 2021):-After the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ramiz Raja announced an increase in the retainers of domestic contracts by PKR100,000 across all five categories, the cricket board confirmed the list of 191 players who will be offered the enhanced packages for the 157-match six senior men’s events from 15 September to 30 March. Monday’s announcement means 10 players in A+ category will now receive a monthly retainer of PKR250,000 each, followed by PKR185,000 each for the 40 cricketers in Category A, PKR175,000 each for 40 players in Category B, PKR165,000 each for the 64 players in Category C and PKR140,000 each for the 37 players in category D. The retainers are in addition to the match fees, daily allowances, share in prize moneys and PCB-arranged lodging, boarding and traveling the domestic cricketers will receive during the six-and-a-half months of cricket. As such, a Category A+ player, featuring in all matches, can earn up to PKR5million, whereas, a Category D player, who shows fitness and form throughout the season, can earn up to PKR3.75m annually. This is a significant rise compared to a flat retainer of PKR50,000 that was offered to the domestic cricketers when the revised cricket structure was launched in the 2019-20 season. In the 2020-21 season, slab system was introduced and remunerations were fixed at PKR150,000 for A+ Category, PKR85,000 for Category A, PKR75,000 for Category B, PKR65,000 for Category C and PKR40,000 for Category D. The latest announcement reflects the value and importance the PCB has decided to put into its domestic events as it aims to attract, incentivise, challenge and provide opportunities to the talented youngsters so that top-notch cricketers can graduate to the next level and strengthen the men’s national cricket team. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “It is extremely important that our domestic cricketers are paid well-enough so they continue to focus on upgrading their skills and fitness levels without worrying about how they have to take care of their families, loved ones and careers. “It is duty of Pakistan Cricket Board to look after the cricketers in the country and I am very happy to announce this move. The significant increase in salaries, which I am hopeful will improve further in future, strengthens our current domestic system and removes ambiguities surrounding the welfare and sound earning opportunities for our cricketers who can adopt first-class cricket as a career.” Amongst the 191 cricketers who have been offered domestic contracts for 2021-22 include 20 cricketers from the recently-organised CCA two-day tournaments. Out of these 20 cricketers, 11 are from far-flung areas of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the PCB remains committed in not only tapping talent from these areas but also involving them in the national framework. The 20 players to breakthrough the CCA Two-Day Tournament are: Balochistan – Abdul Hanan (Killa Abdullah), Aftab Ahmed (Loralai), Fahad Hussain (Jaffarabad), Mohammad Idrees (Quetta), Mohammad Javed (Pishin), Sanaullah (Loralai), Syed Zainullah (Pishin) and Tariq Jameel (Loralai) Central Punjab – Haseeb-ur-Rehman (Lahore), Mohammad Irfan Jnr (Sheikhupura), Mohammad Tabriaz (Sialkot) and Mohammad Waheed (Lahore) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Mohammad Ibrahim (Swabi), Waqar Ahmad (Lower Dir) and Yasir Khan (Bannu) Northern – Asad Raza (Faisalabad) Sindh – Khuzaima Bin Tanveer (Karachi), Mushtaq Ahmed Kalhoro (Sukkur) and Junaid Ilyas (Karachi) Southern Punjab – Mohammad Shroon Siraj (Sahiwal)

By Bipin Dani The Sri Lankan team management had sought the match official's permission to allow Dinesh Chandimal, the reserved player to keep wickets in place of Kusal Perera, who batted but was unfit to field in the last T-20I against South Africa on Tuesday. Consent of the opposing captain (Keshav Maharaj in this case) was not required, according to Jonny Singer, the Laws of Cricket Advisor at the MCC. Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Lord's, London, he says, "Law 24.1 states: 24.1.1 the umpires shall allow a substitute fielder 24.1.1.1 if they are satisfied that a fielder has been injured or become ill and that this occurred during the match, or 24.1.1.2 for any other wholly acceptable reason. "If the umpires were satisfied that there had been such an injury (I believe a hamstring injury is being reported) then a substitute is permitted". Law 24.1.2 adds: A substitute shall not bowl or act as captain but may act as wicket-keeper only with the consent of the umpires. The umpires appear to have given consent on this matter. In both cases, this is a decision for the umpires, not the opposing captain", Singer added. Tom Smith’s Cricket Umpiring and Scoring, MCC’s Official Interpretation of the Laws of Cricket, has the following to add on the subject: “It is the umpires alone who decide whether a player can have a substitute or runner for whatever reason. The captains have no say. Once a substitute fielder is allowed, there can be no objection as to who it is or where he/she can field. If a wicket-keeper is injured, a captain may ask for the umpire’s consent for a substitute to keep wicket – this will be a decision for the umpires, and the umpires alone, to make. There is nothing to stop them saying yes, but they should not be swayed by the pleas, or complaints, of either captain". There may, of course, be specific ICC Playing Conditions that supersede the Laws for this fixture.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD (September 15, 2021) Saint Lucia Kings and Patriots qualified for the final of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) after beating Trinbago Knight Riders and Guyana Amazon Warriors in the semifinals respectively on Tuesday night. SAINT LUCIA KINGS STORM INTO FINAL AFTER THRILLER A high-scoring thriller saw Saint Lucia Kings reach the final of the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and eliminate defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders. The Saint Lucia Kings won the toss and chose to bat. Mark Deyal got the side off to a flying start and they maintained a high intensity throughout the innings, as Tim David and David Wiese combined to cause carnage in the latter overs, taking the side to a mammoth 205/4 after their 20 overs.  Trinbago Knight Riders got off to a fast start in response but slowly unravelled amidst a growing run rate, as David Wiese took his second five wicket haul of this year’s Hero CPL to end their title defence as they finished on 184 all out . Saint Lucia Kings had got off to a troublesome start as Rahkeem Cornwall was caught out in the first over. Yet Deyal would come in and play with an attacking intent that saw him launch eleven boundaries and reach his highest ever T20 score, 78 off just 44 balls. Roston Chase would aid the side with a valuable knock, before David and Wiese came in and formed a destructive partnership: 75 runs coming off the last 34 balls. Despite the high score, Sunil Narine was excellent with the ball for the Trinbago Knight Riders, conceding a paltry twelve runs from his four overs. Trinbago Knight Riders responded with a strong start, scoring 66 runs in the Powerplay for just the loss of one wicket, as Narine and Colin Munro kept the required run rate within reach. However, Wiese starred with the ball as he took both of their wickets, adding pressure to the chase. Despite quick-fire cameos from Darren Bravo and captain Kieron Pollard, it was not enough as the champions faltered under disciplined bowling from Alzarri Joseph and Wahab Riaz. Wiese then capped off a superb game by taking late wickets to reach his five wicket haul. Saint Lucia Kings reached their second successive Hero CPL final with the win and the result means we will have a new champion this year. Saint Lucia Kings 205/4 (Deyal 78, David 38; Narine 1/12, Hosein 1/27) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 184 all out (Narine 30, Ramdin 29 ; Wiese 5/39, Paul 2/21) by 21 runs. GAYLE AND LEWIS FIREWORKS TAKE PATRIOTS TO FINAL   In front of a home crowd, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots secured a place in the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final with a dominant seven wicket victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors. The Patriots won the toss and chose to field first. Despite a bright start from the Amazon Warrior’s openers, wickets tumbled in the middle overs before a late burst from Shimron Hetmyer took his side to a substantial 178/9. In their chase, the Patriots once again opted to open with Chris Gayle, and he laid the platform for a successful chase, lashing the ball into the stands on numerous occasions, before Evin Lewis then took over to guide his side to a crushing victory. The Warriors consolidated after losing Brandon King in the fourth over of their innings, with Chandrapaul Hemraj and Shoaib Malik patiently building. However, three wickets in three successive overs, including that of captain Nicholas Pooran, saw the side collapse, reaching 131-8 at one point. Spinners Jon-Russ Jaggesar and Fawad Ahmed were exceptional for the Patriots during this period. It was left to Shimron Hetmyer to salvage the innings and he did so in spectacular style, scoring 45 runs from 20 balls, including a remarkable 25 runs from the last over of the innings. St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in turn reached their highest powerplay score of this year’s Hero CPL, Gayle and Lewis bringing up 68-0 after the first six overs. Gayle was in destructive form, scoring 42 from 27 balls, and after he fell to youngster Kevin Sinclair, it was Lewis who took responsibility to lead the chase. Supported by captain DJ Bravo, who promoted himself to number three, Lewis blasted 77* off just 39 balls as the Patriots won with thirteen balls to spare. With this win St Kitts and Nevis Patriots will now go on to meet the Saint Lucia Kings in Wednesday’s Hero CPL final, with one side set to win their maiden title. St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 181-3 (Lewis 77*, Gayle 42; Smith 2/48, Sinclair 1/31) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 178-9  (Hetmyer 45*, King 27, Hemraj 27; Jaggesar 2/19, Fawad 2/22) by seven wickets.

Sports Bulletin Report QUETTA (September 14, 2021): The six Cricket Association Second XI sides will feature in the opening event of the 2021-22 domestic season with the Cricket Associations T20 Tournament beginning on Wednesday at the Bugti Stadium in Quetta.  Two matches will be played on each day other than the final day of the tournament. The first match will start at 0930 while the second match will begin at 1330. The eight-day tournament will provide a perfect opportunity to budding youngsters to showcase their talent and get a chance to feature in the forthcoming National T20 Cup (First XI) to be played in Multan and Lahore from 25 September to 13 October. Another incentive for cricketers who have domestic contracts is the increase of PKR 100,000 in monthly retainers. The announcement was made by recently elected Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja in a press conference in Lahore on Monday. Central Punjab who won the Cricket Associations T20 last year will be looking to defend the title under Saif Badar when they take on Faraz Ali’s Sindh on the opening day. The captains of the participating teams while talking exclusively to pcb.com.pk expressed their delight over Chairman PCB’s monthly retainer increase announcement and talked about their preparations and combinations ahead of the tournament. Jalat Khan, Balochistan 2nd XI: “We had good practice sessions before the tournament. Our squad is balanced with good utility players in the side, but we will rely on our bowlers to restrict the opposing teams to help us do well in the tournament. “Chairman PCB’s announcement for increase in monthly-retainers for cricketers with domestic contracts will create a good healthy competition among the players to do well.” Saif Badar, Central Punjab 2nd XI: “The incentive announced by the Chairman PCB is really great for us, this will help us stay motivated and become more focused towards the game. The preparations for the tournament is really good, the players have worked really hard in the practice sessions and we are looking to play fearless game and defend our title. “Our combination is good, covering all bases of batting and bowling departments. We have three all-rounders in our team which are very vital for us in the T20 format.” Zohaib Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2nd XI: “The increase in monthly-retainers announced for cricketers with domestic contracts will help players to work more on their fitness to compete at the international level. “The players at our region play attacking cricket so we are looking forward to play our brand of cricket and win this tournament. “Our combination for the tournament is good with mixture of senior and young players in the squad. We have some young players who will be playing for the first time in this tournament and they have showed some great skill work in the camp.” Umair Masood, Northern 2nd XI: “The players had good practice sessions in the camp organised before the start of the season. We have a young squad as compared to other teams in the tournament and the players are really excited to perform to their best.” Faraz Ali, Sindh 2nd XI: “The increase in retainership is a pleasant surprise for us before the start of the season. It will motivate the players to do well and they will grab this opportunity with both hands. “We have been working hard in the pre-season camp especially in the T20 format to get ourselves ready in time for the T20 tournament.” Umar Siddique, Southern Punjab 2nd XI: “The increase in monthly-retainers is quite satisfying for the players to go out and express themselves in the ground. The preparation for the tournament is good, we had played some practice games in our pre-season camp and the players are eager to perform when the tournament resumes.” The squads and event schedule: Balochistan 2nd XI – Jalat Khan (captain), Awais Zia, Abdul Hanan, Abdul Nasir, Aftab Ahmed, Fahad Hussain, Fahad Iqbal, Gohar Faiz, Gulraiz Sadaf (WK), Hidayat Ullah (WK), M. Ibrahim Snr, M.Junaid, Mohammad Shahid, Najeeb Ullah Achakzai, Syed Zainullah and Taj Wali Central Punjab 2nd XI - Saif Badar (captain), Ahmed Abdullah Safi, Ali Shan, Asad Ali Jnr, Gohar Hafeez, Haseeb Ur Rehman, Junaid Ali, Kamran Afzal, M Faizan, M Irfan Jnr, Mudassar Riaz, Muhammad Imran Dogar, Muhammad Tabriaz Butt, Nisar Ahmed, Sohaib Ullah and Umar Akmal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2nd XI - Zohaib Khan (captain), Abbas Afridi, Ahmed Jamal, Aitizaz Habib, Amir Azmat, Maaz Khan, Mishal Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Nabi Gul, Niaz Khan, Sajjad Ali, Saqib Jamil, Syed Arif Shah, Tahir Khan and Yasir Khan Northern 2nd XI - Umair Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Ali Imran, Aqib Liaqat, Asad Raza, Ather Mehmood, Mubasir Khan, Munir Riaz, Nasir Nawaz, Raza Hassan, Sadaqat Ali, Salman Irshad, Sarmad Bhatti, Taimoor Sultan, Zaman Khan and Zeeshan Malik Sindh 2nd XI - Faraz Ali (captain), Ammad Alam, Arish Ali Khan, Asif Mehmood, Ghulam Mudassir, Imtiaz Laghari, Jahanzaib Sultan, Mohammad Afzal (WK), Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Umar, Rameez Aziz, Saad Khan, Saim Ayub, Shahid Meerani, Umair bin Yousuf (VC) and Usman Khan Southern Punjab 2nd XI - Umar Siddique (captain), Ahsan Baig, Ali Majid, Ali Shafique, Dilbar Hussain, Hassan Khan, Humayun Altaf, Kaleem Ullah, M Shahryar, M Sudais, Moinuddin, Mukhtar Ahmed, Shahroon Siraj, Tayyab Tahir, Umar Khan and Yousuf Babar Cricket Associations T20 schedule (all matches at Bugti Stadium in Quetta): 15 Sep - Balochistan v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Central Punjab v Sindh 16 Sep – Northern v Southern Punjab; Balochistan v Sindh 17 Sep – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Southern Punjab; Balochistan v Central Punjab 18 Sep – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Sindh; Central Punjab v Southern Punjab 19 Sep – Northern v Sindh; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Central Punjab 20 Sep – Balochistan v Northern; Sindh v Southern Punjab 21 Sep – Northern v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Balochistan v Southern Punjab 22 Sep – Northern v Central Punjab

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (September 14, 2021): A wonderful cricketer, Naseer Islam started the cricket career in the decade of 80’s from North Nazamabad from school. Later, he started to play for Young Fighters Club Karachi. Naseer also represented Karachi Gymkhana and Karachi whites. In 1988, Naseer moved to United States of America (USA) and started playing cricket for club known as Pakistan Cricket Club (PCC) in 1990. After one year, he joined Potomac Cricket Club in 1991. It was new turn in his cricket career, when he attached with ICC Cricket Club and he played important role in back-to-back victories in the 2 championship. In 2001, Naseer Islam led the VCC for five years and won three championships from Washington Cricket League. “I remember when Bangladesh national team visited Washington DC in 1995 where I got called up to represent the US national team and played as 12th man. Also, I represented the US national team for over five year and still active to perform up to mark. Now playing for Potomac cc and representing DC Hawks in the minor league as an all-rounder. Height scored is 200 run in 40 over game and hit 6 sixes in an over, “he told Sports Bulletin over his mobile from Washington District of Colambia.