Sports Bulletin

SB Report  LAHORE:-Balochistan captain Akbar-ur-Rehman and Northern Naveed Malik scored centuries while Sindh’s Hassan Khan collected a five-wicket haul on day two of the sixth round of three-day non-first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2nd XI tournament on Tuesday. At NBP Stadium in Karachi, Akbar-ur-Rehman’s 194-ball 142 helped Balochistan reach 345 for nine in their 83 overs in reply to Southern Punjab’s first innings 363 for six total. Besides Akbar, Fahad Iqbal with 59 runs contributed significantly to Balochistan’s total. Zia-ul-Haq took four while Zulfiqar Babar took three wickets. Southern Punjab managed a 20-run first innings lead. They ended day two at 36 for no loss in their second innings after nine overs of play. At the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa managed a slender five-run first innings lead as they were bowled out for 283 runs in reply to Sindh’s first innings score of 278 all out. Mohammad Mohsin Khan top-scored with a 134-ball 73, Kamran Ghulam with 62 and opener Samiullah with 60 were the other major contributors. Left-arm-spinner Hassan Khan took five wickets for 106 runs while pacer Adeel Malik took three for 69.  In return, Sindh in their second innings were 23 for no loss in four overs when stumps were drawn. At LRCA Itefaq Ground, Northern scored 344 for six in 77 overs in reply to Central Punjab’s first innings score of 400 for eight. Naveed Malik was the batting star for Northern on day two, the opener scored 143 with the help of 11 fours and three sixes. Afaq Rahim scored 66 and Sarmad Bhatti made 50 runs. Ahmed Safi took three and Saad Nasim took two wickets. Scores in brief: Southern Punjab v Balochistan, NBP Stadium, Karachi Southern Punjab 363-6, 83 overs (Zain Abbas 116, Naveed Yasin 108, Zeeshan Ashraf 70; Ibtisam Shaikh 2-77, Jalat Khan 2-122) and 36-0, nine overs Balochistan 345-9, 83 overs ( Akbar-ur-Rehman 142, Fahad Iqbal 59; Zia ul Haq 4-79, Zulfiqar Babar 3-96) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Sindh, UBL Sports Complex, Karachi  Sindh 278 all-out, 77.1 overs (Ammad Alam 144; Asif Afridi 4-96, Ahmed Jamal 2-39) and 23-0, four overs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 283 all-out, 82 overs (Mohammad Mohsin Khan 73, Kamran Ghulam 62, Samiullah 60; Hassan Khan 5-106, Adeel Malik 3-69)   Central Punjab v Northern, LRCA Itefaq Ground Central Punjab 400-8, 83 overs (Mohammad Saad 132, Irfan Niazi 85, Saad Nasim 66, Muhammad Ikhlaq 53; Usama Mir 4-111) Northern 344-6, 77 overs ( Naveed Malik 143, Afaq Rahim 66, Sarmad Bhatti 50; Ahmed Safi 3-100, Saad Nasim 2-61)

SB Report   Quetta:- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa gave Balochistan a spirited reply on the second day of the fifth-round first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixture at Quetta’s Bugti Stadium. In response to the home team’s 553-8 declared in 145.4 overs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were 150 for no loss in 34 overs at the close of play as captain Sahibzada Farhan and Israrullah batted on 72 and Israrullah on 71. Farhan, to date, has cracked 10 boundaries in 102 deliveries, while Israrullah’s unbeaten 103-ball knock is laced with 10 fours and a six. Earlier, Balochistan, 341 for three overnight, rode on an excellent double-century by Imran Butt to amass a huge score. The 23-year-old hit a career-best 214 after resuming the day at his overnight score of 135 not out. The right-handed batsman stayed at the crease for 522 minutes and cracked 18 fours and three sixes in 387 balls. Balochistan captain Imran Farhat was the first batsman out on Tuesday after adding another 20 runs to his overnight score of 114. The left-hander hit 17 fours and a six in 219 balls. The two Imrans shared a mammoth partnership of 256 runs for the fourth-wicket. Wicketkeeper-batsman Bismillah Khan also had a noticeable outing with the bat, scoring 75 runs with the help of nine fours and two sixes. Off-spinner Sajid Khan was the most successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowler, claiming three wickets for 126 runs. Imran Khan Sr. took two for 87, while Usman Shinwari and Junaid Khan took a wicket apiece.   Balochistan bagged maximum batting points (5) for crossing the 400-run mark in 110 overs of their first innings. For taking four wickets by that mark, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could manage only one point. Scores in brief: Balochistan 553-8 declared, 145.4 overs (Imran Butt 214, Imran Farhat 134, Bismillah Khan 75, Awais Zia 69; Sajid Khan 3-126, Imran Khan Sr. 2-87). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 150-0, 34 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 72 not out, Israrullah 71 not out). 

SB Report  LAHORE:-Unbeaten half-centuries by Fawad Alam and Saad Ali had Sindh at 196 for four in 57.5 overs when stumps were drawn on day two of their four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixture against Central Punjab at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium. Sindh had lost four wickets for 72 runs thanks to young fast-bowler Naseem Shah, who accounted for the wickets of Khurram Manzoor (10), Abid Ali (three) and Omair Bin Yousaf (33). Faheem Ashraf was the other bowler to take a wicket as he removed Asad Shafiq, who managed only five runs from his 18-ball stay at the crease. With the pressure mounting on the visitors, Fawad and Saad knitted an unbeaten 124-run stand for the fifth-wicket which put Sindh’s innings back on track. Fawad, to date, had scored 78 runs from 133 balls with 10 fours, while Saad made 60 off 119 with eight fours. Earlier, Central Punjab were 313 all-out in 95.5 overs as they added only 50 runs to their overnight score. On Tuesday morning, Faheem led the charge with the bat for the hosts. Resuming his innings at 22, the all-rounder scored 52 not out from 63 balls, cracking seven fours and a six. His overnight partner, Ehsan Adil, added 14 more runs to his score of nine. With three wickets for 99 runs, Kashif Bhatti was the pick of the bowlers for Sindh, while pacers Sohail Khan, Mir Hamza and Tabish Khan took two wickets each.   Both teams bagged three points each as Sindh took nine or more wickets and Central Punjab crossed the 300-run mark in the 110-over cut-off. The third day’s play at Iqbal Stadium will resume at 10.00am on Wednesday. Scores in brief:  Central Punjab 313 all-out, 95.5 overs (Kamran Akmal 90, Ahmed Shehzad 60, Faheem Ashraf 52, Usman Salahuddin 38, Ehsan Adil 25; Kashif Bhatti 3-99, Mir Hamza 2-46, Sohail Khan 2-72, Tabish Khan 2-80) Sindh 196-4, 57.5 overs (Fawad Alam 78, Saad Ali 60, Omair Bin Yousaf 33; Naseem Shah 3-55)

SB Report  KARACHI:-Pakistan Cricket Board last week hosted the ACC Level 1 Women Coaching course at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Fareeha Mahmood was one of the four participants from Pakistan who featured in the three-day course.  Fareeha, who represented Pakistan in three T20Is against Sri Lanka in March 2018, was among the 16 participants who learnt the basic skills of coaching in the course. She was also one of the probables to attend the Muridke training camp for the Bangladesh series and was granted a three-day break to attend the coaching course. While talking to media Fareeha defined her journey from being student to a participant in the prestigious course. She said: “It was a great feeling to be part of the coaching course as it not only helped me to figure out cricketing issues, but also helped me in identifying cricketing issues of other women players. “The course helped me to share my experiences with other cricketers in the camp, and I will take this forward to reach out to college girls. “I came to cricket after seeing my father’s love for the game. He couldn’t play at the highest level, but it gave me the motivation to come in this sport. I started playing at the school level, and it continued at the college level, before I made debut for Pakistan against Sri Lanka last year.” Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof is Fareeha’s favourite player. “I love watching Bismah bat and try to follow the way she plays, but Sidra Amin is the one who I idolise.”  

Salman Khan LAHORE:-Half-centuries by Javeria Khan and captain Bismah Maroof helped Pakistan women to a 15-run win over Bangladesh women in the second T20I at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and seal the three-match series 2-0. Pakistan put 167 for three in 20 overs, their third-highest total in the format, after being asked to bat by Bangladesh captain Salma Khatun That Pakistan put the imposing score was due to a 95-run partnership for the second-wicket between Javeria and Bismah. Batting at one-drop, the Pakistan captain recorded her highest score in the format as she cracked an unbeaten 70 off 50 balls, studded with nine fours and a six. This was her 10th half-century in the T20Is. Opening batter Javeria scored a 44-ball 52, hitting five fours and two sixes, before she lost her wicket in the 17th over of the innings to Bangladesh fast-bowler Jahanara Alam, who with two for 27 in four overs was the stand-out bowler for her side. Bangladesh failed to get a solid platform that the run-chase demanded as both openers Ayesha Rahman (five off six balls)and Shamima Sultana (11 off 14) were back in the pavilion by the end of the fifth over as the scorecard read 25 for two. With three balls still left in the Powerplay, Rumana Ahmed, who top-scored with a 30-ball 50 for Bangladesh in the first T2oI, followed Ayesha and Shamima back to the pavilion without scoring any runs as Bangladesh reeled at 25 for three. With a 32-ball 45, Sanjida Islam put up a fight to keep Bangladesh’s hopes alive in the match. But, her stay at the crease was curtailed by Sadia Iqbal. With the figures of three for 19 in four overs, the 24-year-old Sadia, playing her only second T20I, starred with the ball as Pakistan successfully defended their total. Pakistan captain Bismah bagged her second player-of-the-match award on trot for her exploits with the bat. Scores in brief:  Pakistan Women 167-3, 20 overs (Bismah Maroof 70 not out, Javeria Khan 52; Jahanara Alam 2-27) Bangladesh Women 152-7, 20 overs (Sanjida Islam 45, Fargana Hoque 30, Nigar Sultana 21; Sadia Iqbal 3-19) Upcoming fixtures: 30 October – 3rd T20I (10am-12.45pm), Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 2 November – 1st ODI (9.30am-4.35pm), Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 4 November – 2nd ODI (9.30am-4.35pm), Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

SB Report  LAHORE:-Leaders Central Punjab had reached 263 for seven on Day One of the four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixture against Sindh after half-centuries by wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal and opener Ahmed Shehzad. Kamran became one of the two victims of left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti after scoring 90, while Ahmed scored 60 before perishing to Mir Hamza, who also claimed two wickets on a day when Central Punjab maintained a decent run-rate of just over three runs per over. With the 110-over cut-off for collecting bonus points just 20 overs away, both the sides will be aiming to make the most of the morning session on Tuesday. As of now, both teams have managed two points apiece – Central Punjab for reaching the 250-run milestone and Sindh for scooping more than six wickets. Central Punjab’s next targets will be 300 runs, which will earn him third points, followed up 350 runs (which will earn them four points), and finally 400 runs (which will earn them a maximum of five points), whereas a couple of more wickets will secure Sindh three maximum bowling points. Sindh, opting to bowl first without contesting the toss, justified their decision when they reduced Central Punjab to 38 for three that included the scalps of Salman Butt (16), Azhar Ali (one) and Umer Akmal (13). Tabish Khan caused the initial damage, claiming two wickets before Ahmed Shehzad switched up an 86-run fourth-wicket partnership with Usman Salahuddin (38) to repair the damage. Kamran Akmal then put on 66 runs for the sixth-wicket with Zafar Gohar (12) before both the batsmen returned to the hut in a space of three runs. Ahmed’s 134-ball innings included eight fours, while Kamran was as aggressive and attacking as always while clubbing 13 fours and two sixes in a 99-ball knock. Usman hit three fours in a 133-ball outing. Faheem Ashraf will lead Central Punjab’s charge on Tuesday for additional points when he resumes his innings at 22 from 30 balls. With him will be Ehsan Adil (nine). Scores in brief: Central Punjab 263-7, 85 overs (Kamran Akmal 90, Ahmed Shehzad 60, Usman Salahuddin 38, Faheem Ashraf 22 not out; Mir Hamza 2-46, Tabish Khan 2-61, Kashif Bhatti 2-98) v Sindh

SB Report  QUETTA:-Imran Butt and Imran Farhat scored unbeaten centuries as Balochistan posted 341 for three on the board in 90 overs on Day One against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in their four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam fifth-round fixture at Quetta’s Bugti Stadium. Butt was batting on 135 and Farhat on 114 when stumps were drawn. The pair, to date, added 227 runs for the unbroken fourth-wicket partnership. The hosts stuttered early on and lost Azeem Ghumman (eight) with 27 runs on board after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Sahibzada Farhan opted to bowl without contesting the toss. But, the right-handed Butt batted with authority throughout his innings. He crafted a useful second-wicket stand of 85 runs with opener Awais Zia, who scored 69 off 74 balls with 10 fours and a six. Butt, then went on to record his seventh first-class century. He has so far cracked 12 fours and two sixes in his 258-ball knock. From the other end, the 37-year-old Farhat completed his 36th first-class century. He struck 13 fours and a six during his 190-ball stay at the crease. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Usman Shinwari and Imran Khan Sr. claimed a wicket apiece for 39 and 59 runs, respectively. Scores in brief:  Balochistan 341-3, 90 overs (Imran Butt 135 not out, Imran Farhat 114 not out, Awais Zia 69) vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD:-Domestic red-ball cricket resumes on Monday, 28 October, when the fifth-round action of the four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy commences at three centres. To provide context to domestic cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had split the country’s premier event into two phases to create a window for the National T20 Cup ahead of the Pakistan national men’s team’s tour of Australia, which gets underway in Sydney on Sunday with first of the three T20Is. With Pakistan scheduled to play two World Test Championship matches against Australia Down Under from 21 November, this round serves as a crucial opportunity to furnish red-ball skills to the players named for the series. The Australia-bound players making their final appearance in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy include Abid Ali (Sindh), Asad Shafiq (Sindh), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Kashif Bhatti (Sindh), Naseem Shah (Central Punjab), Shan Masood (Southern Punjab) and Yasir Shah (Balochistan). Northern’s Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has also been named in the Test side, will continue his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy and resume bowing in Australia. Pakistan Test captain Azhar Ali will be in action at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, as table-toppers Central Punjab face Sindh, who are sitting in fourth position. As Azhar will not be available to lead Central Punjab for rest of the competition, the team management has handed leadership responsibilities to Ahmed Shehzad, who was originally named as vice-captain. Central Punjab are the only side to have recorded two wins in the ongoing event – both by innings’ margins. Central Punjab would also be hoping that their spin duo of Zafar Gohar and Bilal Asif continue from where it left two weeks ago. With 14 wickets, left-arm spinner Zafar is the second highest wicket-taker this tournament, while Bilal is third on the list with 13 scalps. Central Punjab also boasts one of the three batsmen to have scored a double-century this season in Salman Butt, who cracked 237 against Balochistan in Quetta in his side’s victory by an innings and 12 runs. In Abid Ali, Sindh possess an opener with a double-century this tournament. The right-handed batsman cracked an unbeaten 249 in his side’s opening match against Balochistan in Karachi. Sindh will be pinning their hopes on Abid and Omair Bin Yousuf, who has 297 runs in five innings at an average of 74.25, to provide them the impetus with the bat to register their first win of the tournament, while Kashif Bhatti, named for Australia Tests, will be a bowler to watch out as his left-arm spin has accounted for 10 scalps in three innings. The fifth-round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will also see Sialkot host first-class cricket after the gap of a season when Shan Masood-led Southern Punjab take on Umar Amin’s Northern. Southern is the other team to have won a match this tournament with their win over Sindh at UBL Sports Complex in the last round. They are ranked second on the points table. On the other hand, it is a woe-galore for Northern. The National T20 champions are languishing at the bottom of the points table. There, however, have been silver linings for them this tournament with their younger players putting up impressive performances. With 383 runs at an average of 54.71, 19-year-old Haider Ali, Pakistan U19 opener, is Northern’s top-scorer, and third in the list of overall run-getters in this tournament. With 14 dismissals behind the stumps, Rohail Nazir has the joint-most dismissals for a wicketkeeper with Central Punjab’s Kamran Akmal. Quetta’s Bugti Stadium will host its third four-day match of the season with hosts Balochistan taking on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Both teams will be without their regular captains who will be in Australia by the time the match commences. Imran Farhat will lead Balochistan in Haris Sohail’s absence, while Sahibzada Farhan will fill-in Mohammad Rizwan’s shoes. All eyes in this competition will be on Balochistan’s Yasir Shah, who leads the highest wicket-takers’ chart with 15 scalps and has a final go in competitive red-ball cricket ahead of Australia Tests, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Ashfaq Ahmed, the highest run-getter of the tournament with 473 runs at a staggering average of 157.66. Fifth round fixtures: Balochistan v Khyber Pakhunkhwa, Bugti Stadium, Quetta Central Punjab v Sindh, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Southern Punjab v Norther, Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot

SB Report  ISLAMABAD:-The first three-day match between Pakistan U16 and Bangladesh U16 ended in a draw at the KRL stadium in Rawalpindi on Sunday. Resuming their second innings from 119 for four, the visiting Bangladesh side were bowled out for 200 runs in 95.2 overs. Bangladesh gained a 283-run overall lead, Nayeem Ahmed who scored 54 runs in the first innings top-scored with 73 runs in the second innings, his knock was studded with 14 fours. Tanbir Alam Sham scored 42 runs. For Pakistan, left-arm-spinner Ali Asfand took six wickets while captain Aliyan Mehmood took two wickets for 32 runs. Set a 284-run target, Pakistan batted resolutely in the second innings to avoid a repeat of the first innings batting collapse. Pakistan played out 43 overs scoring 112 runs for the loss of two wickets when stumps were drawn and the match was declared draw. Opener Mohammad Shehzad top-scored with an unbeaten 80 off 127 balls, his attacking innings included 14 fours and two sixes. Ahmood Sharif and Amir Hossain took a wicket each for Bangladesh. The next match will be played from October 30 to November 1 at the same venue.  Scores in brief:  Bangladesh 204 all-out, 63.5 overs (Radowan Hossan Siyam 84, Nayeem Ahmed 54; Ahmad Khan 4-43, Ali Asfand 2-31, Aliyan Mehmood 2-53 ) and 200 all-out, 95.2 overs ( Nayeem Ahmed 73, Tanbir Alam Sham 42; Ali Asfand 6-51, Aliyan Mehmood 2-32) Pakistan U16 117 all-out, 45.1 overs (Ibrar Afzaal Khan 51, Mohammad Shehzad 19; Ahmood Sharif 4-24, Amir Hossain Asif 3-19, Mohammad Musfik Hasan 2-33) and 112-2, 43 overs (Mohammad Shehzad 80 not-out)  

Pakistan women make history, beat Bangladesh in their first-ever international match SB Report (October 26, 2019) LAHORE:-Pakistan women made history on Saturday by beating Bangladesh women by 14 runs in the first of the three-match T20I series at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Playing their first-ever international match at the home of Pakistan cricket, Pakistan elected to bat after winning the toss. Captain Bismah Maroof and Omaima Sohail crafted a gutsy 60-run partnership for the third-wicket after Pakistan had lost both openers inside three overs with just 15 runs on board.   Bismah cracked 34 runs from 29 balls, hitting six fours, to be the top-scorer from her side, while Omaima scored a 36-ball 33 with four fours. Batting at six, Iram Javed struck two sixes and a four for her 21 runs from 17 balls. That Pakistan women were able to set a 127-run target for the tourists was due to Sidra Nawaz’s four fours from her five-ball stay at the crease. The wicketkeeper-batter scored an unbeaten 16. For Bangladesh, right-arm pacer Jahanara Alam picked up four wickets for 17 runs in her four overs.   Bangladesh struggled from the onset of their run-chase. Their openers Shamima Sultana and Ayesha Rahman were back in the pavilion in 2.2 overs as the scoreboard read six for two. A 30-ball 50 – studded with six fours and two sixes – by Rumana Ahmed kept Bangladesh alive in the run-chase as the 28-year-old all-rounder batted till the last over.   She failed to receive the desired support from the other end with the wickets tumbling at regular intervals. The next best score in the run-chase was from Nigar Sultana, who scored 17 from 30. Marking her return to the national side, Anam Amin picked up two wickets for 13 runs in four overs, while all other bowlers picked up a wicket each. Bismah, for her 34 with the bat and one for 26 with the ball, bagged the man-of-the-match award. The second T20I will be held on Monday at the same venue and is scheduled to begin at 1000.   Scores in brief:   Pakistan Women 126-7, 20 overs (Bismah Maroof 34, Omaima Sohail 33, Iram Javed 21; Jahanara Alam 4-17)   Bangladesh Women 112-7, 20 overs (Rumana Ahmed 50; Anam Amin 2-13)   Upcoming matches:   28 October – 2nd T20I (10am-12.45pm), Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 30 October – 3rd T20I (10am-12.45pm), Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 2 November – 1st ODI (9.30am-4.35pm), Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 4 November – 2nd ODI (9.30am-4.35pm), Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore