Sports Bulletin

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Sylhet (Bangladesh):-After undergoing a 10-day camp at the Lahore Country Club, Muridke and three days of intense practice and preparations in Sylhet, Bangladesh, Pakistan are ready for action with their first match of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup taking place tomorrow against Malaysia at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS). Bismah Maroof-led Pakistan are eager to showcase their talent, skill and temperament in the shortest format of the game. The seven-team tournament follows a round-robin format where each team will play the other once before the top four sides qualify for the semi-finals. The final of the tournament will be played on 15 October. Pakistan will take on defending champions and hosts Bangladesh on 3 October whereas the game against arch-rivals India is scheduled on 7 October. Pakistan finished on the third spot in the last edition of ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2018-19. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof: “The conditions here are the same as at home, the pitches will help the spinners.  We will try to make full use of the conditions and get our momentum going and start on a winning note. “The tournament’s format gives us a number of matches, providing us a great help to prepare for next year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. We are not going to take any team lightly and try to execute ourselves well to win tomorrow’s match.” Right-handed batter Sidra Amin is included in the side as an opener in place of out-of-form Iram Javed. Commenting on her inclusion in the side and pairing up with Muneeba Ali, Bismah said, “We have tried a new pair in the opening position, I hope Sidra performs, her runs at the top will give stability to the batting order which can contribute in the team’s win.” The tournament matches will be broadcast live on PTV Sports. Toss for the Pakistan and Malaysia clash will take place tomorrow at 0730 PKT while the first ball will be bowled at 0800 PKT. Squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Nashra Sundhu, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Tuba Hasan Reserve players: Natalia Pervaiz, Umme Hani and Waheeda Akhtar Support staff: Ayesha Ashhar (team manager), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach and interim head coach), Mauhtashim Rashid (fielding coach), Muhammad Zubair Ahmad (analyst) and Rifat Gill (physiotherapist). Pakistan’s fixtures: 2 October – v Malaysia 3 October – v Bangladesh 6 October – v Thailand 7 October – v India 9 October – v UAE 11 October – v Sri Lanka

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-Australia have established a record margin at the top of the ICC Women’s ODI Team Rankings while also increasing their lead in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, after the annual update carried out on Saturday. Australia have stretched their lead over South Africa from 48 to 51 rating points in the ODI rankings, which is the biggest lead ever by any international men’s or women’s side in any form of the game, while their lead over second-placed T20I team England has increased from 14 to 18 rating points. There is no change of positions in the ODI rankings in the latest update, which expunges results from the 2018-19 season, weights the 2019-20 and 2020-2021 seasons at 50 per cent and the 2021-22 matches at 100 per cent. Australia have gained three rating points and sit comfortably at 170, with South Africa (119), England (116), India (104) and New Zealand (101) the other teams holding three-figure rating points. In T20Is, Australia are on 299 rating points, stretching their lead over second-placed England from 14 to 18 rating points. New Zealand and India maintain their third and fourth positions, while South Africa have overtaken the West Indies to fifth position. In other notable movements, Tanzania and Nepal have progressed two slots each to reach 15th and 16th positions, respectively, Namibia have moved up from 21st to 17th and Hong Kong from 24th to 20th. Jersey (up from 28th to 22nd), Italy (up from 38th to 28th) and Mozambique (up from 45th to 33rd) are some of the other big movers in the update. Meanwhile, the number of ranked teams has fallen from 60 to 48 with eight teams not having played at all over the past three years and four others not meeting the requirement of six matches. China, Fiji, Japan, Mali, Myanmar, Samoa, South Korea and Vanuatu have not played during this period while Indonesia, Mexico, Norway and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have played less than six matches. ODIs (No change in rankings): Ranking Team New Rating Old Rating Change 1 Australia 170 167 3 2 South Africa 119 119 0 3 England 117 116 1 4 India 104 103 1 5 New Zealand 101 98 3 6 West Indies 97 91 6 7 Bangladesh 78 78 0 8 Pakistan 59 65 6 9 Ireland 47 47 0 10 Sri Lanka 44 45 1 11 Zimbabwe 0 0 0      

BIPIN DANI The batters, bowlers and the fielders participating in the Women's Asia Cup will have no opportunity to challenge the umpire's decision on out and not out. The Women's Asia Cup 2022 which is commencing in Bangladesh from October 1 will have no DRS (Decision Review System), it is confirmed by Towhid Mahmood, the Tournament Director. The decision to not have the DRS facilities has been taken in view of the high cost involved and also not the ICC's Elite Panel umpires and match referees will be officiating in this tournament. Generally, the DRS is used when the ICC's Elite Panel match officials are functioning. "All the match officials- umpires and match-referees are women in this Women's Asia Cup", he added. There have been no major changes in the Playing Conditions, it is learnt. The new changes in the laws coming into play from October 1 will be effective in this Women's Asia Cup. In a 15-day tournament this year, the UAE team will be making their first appearance in the competition. They were victorious against Malaysia in the final of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Women's T20 Championship, the qualifying event for the tournament proper. Bangladesh are the current Asia Cup holders, having beaten India in a tight final in Kuala Lumpur in 2018.  

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lahore:-An unbeaten innings of 88 runs by English batter Phil Salt played a vital role in the England’s win that leveled the T20 bilateral cricket series 3-3 of the 7 fixtures at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on Friday night. A sparkling innings with a strike rate of 214.63 including 13 fours and three huge sixes after facing only 41 balls, Salt had no mercy for any bowler and hit strokes bravely all around the ground and got full advantage in the first 6 overs field restrictions. Both opener Salt and Hales plundered 55 runs in 3.5 overs for the first wicket. The England openers were sensational in the powerplay, smoking the Pakistan bowlers all around the park and had accumulated 50 by the end of the third over – with Salt on 26 off 10 and Hales having blasted 23 runs off just eight balls. A wise introduction of Shadab Khan in the fourth over promised to turn the run chase on its head as the leg-spinner removed Hales on the fifth ball of the over that gave away only five runs, but Salt was unstoppable at the other end and dispatched Mohammad Nawaz for three fours and a six in the fifth over. Malan then got two boundaries off Mohammad Wasim Jnr in the sixth over, one off the edge and the other through a beautiful drive through covers as England finished the powerplay with 82 for one. Salt’s assault continued as he reached 50 in only 19 balls on the second ball of the seventh over – after having whacked Aamir Jamal, the hero of the previous T20I, for a four through covers on the previous ball. With Malan providing support from the other end, Salt continued his onslaught. Malan was LBW in the 10th over off Shadab with England just 42 runs away from the target. Ben Duckett, who has had a phenomenal series with the bat but couldn’t fire in the last match, ensured England’s run-rate never dropped and made 26 not out off only 16. Salt finished with 13 fours and three sixes next to his name in his undefeated 41-ball innings. Earlier, England skipper Moeen Ali after winning the toss for the fifth time in the series opted to chase, having made two changes to his side with Mark Wood and Chris Woakes being replaced by Reece Topley and Richard Gleeson. Despite a bad start to their innings with debutant Mohammad Haris and Shan Masood out by 3.2 overs, Pakistan, courtesy a fantastic 87 not out at a strike rate of 147 from captain Babar Azam, posted a respectable 169 for six in allotted 20 overs. Pakistan could muster only five runs in the first two overs and despite Haris, who replaced injured Mohammad Rizwan in the line-up – swatting Gleeson for a six over his head could not get going as the wicketkeeper was caught at short third-man, attempting a ramp. Shan, shuffling across, was trapped LBW off David Willey and with Pakistan two wickets down for only 15 was when Babar decided to attack the visitors and smashed the left-arm fast bowler for two fours on the last three balls. As Haider started to look good, a short-ball from Sam Curran curtailed his stay in the ninth over that brought Iftikhar Ahmed in the middle. It seemed like Iftikhar had come with the intention of going after Adil Rashid. He picked the leg-spinner’s googly with ease and dispatched it for a boundary between the long-on and deep mid-wicket fielders. The next Adil over – 12th of the innings – he clubbed the ball down the ground for a six. But the highlight of his innings came in the 14th over when he hit Adil for a gigantic six over deep mid-wicket that sent the jam-packed Gaddafi Stadium crowd in a frenzy and brought up Pakistan’s 100. Gleeson started the 16th with long-on and long-off up in what seemed like a challenge thrown to Asif to test his batting skills against short-pitched balls. Asif smashed Gleeson for a four over mid-on and two balls later Babar deposited the right-arm pacer over long-on to become the joint fastest, with Virat Kohli, to breach the 3,000-run mark in the format. From this point, the fans were in for a Babar masterclass. The artful strokemaker beautifully worked a full toss over cover for a maximum in the 17th over. Pakistan gathered 19 in the last over, bowled by Topley, and it was Babar who provided the momentum – helping a slower bouncer to the fine-leg boundary on the first ball and drilling the ball in the slot over long-on for a six the next. Mohammad Nawaz added six more to the total with a swat over mid-wicket on the penultimate ball and holed out to long off the final ball. Green Shirts closed their innings at the score of 169 for 6 in 20 overs per innings fixture. Summarised Scorecard: England beat Pakistan by 8 wickets Toss: England won and decided to bowl first Pakistan Batting (169 for 6 in 20 overs): Babar Azam 87 runs not out (balls 59, 4X7, 6X3), Iftikhar Ahmed 31 runs (balls 21, 4X2, 6X2), Haider Ali 18 runs (balls 14, 4X1, 6X1), Mohammad Nawaz 12 runs (balls 7, 4X0, 6X1) England Bowling: Sam Curran (2 for 26), David Willey (2 for 32), Reece Toplay (1 for 31), Richard Gleeson (1 for 39) England Batting (Target 170 in 20 overs): Phil Salt 88 runs not out (balls 41, 4x13, 6x3), Alex Hales 27 runs (balls 12, 4X4, 6X1), Ben Duckett runs 26 not out (balls 16, (4X4, 6X0), Dawid Malan 26 runs (balls 18, 4X5, 6X0) Pakistan Bowling: Shahdab Khan (2 for 34) Player of the match: Phil Salt (England) Next match on Sunday at the same venue

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Rawalpindi:-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the title defenders, had a poor start to their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 campaign as they faced a 134-run defeat by Balochistan at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Set 370 to win, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 235 in just 68.5 overs on what was the fourth and final day of the opening round after fighting 60s from one-drop Sahibzada Farhan (63 off 67) and number four Kamran Ghulam (61 off 109). Khurram Shahzad finished with seven wickets for the match – returning three for 61 in the last innings of the match. Balochistan’s Hussain Talat stroked a half-century, earlier in the day. The left-handed batter made 55 off 80. His team had started the day on 107 for four and declared on 187 for five. Northern - the finalists of the last season – trashed Southern Punjab by 10 wickets Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium. Northern were set eight to win, which they overhauled in nine balls, to occupy the top spot in the six-team points table with 25 points. Southern Punjab – following on – trailed by 117-run with Imran Rafiq and Usman Salahuddin at the crease. Usman could add 15 more to his overnight score before he was run out on 55 and Imran (not out on 34 yesterday) went on to score 90 off 228 balls, hitting 14 fours. Mehran and Musa Khan finished with three wickets each. The match between Central Punjab and Sindh ended in a draw. Tayyab Tahir, not out on 72, scored a century and was unbeaten on 152 off 252 (18 fours and three sixes) before his captain Mohammad Saad declared the innings on 277 for nine. Sindh, needing 338 to win, were 132 for four, with Khurram Manzoor top-scoring with 50 off 88, before the close of play. The second round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy begins on Monday – Balochistan play Central Punjab at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Southern Punjab lock horns at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium and Northern and Sindh face off at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. Scores in brief: Balochistan beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 134 runs at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Balochistan 473 all out, 123 overs (Azeem Ghumman 78, Kashif Bhatti 71, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 69, Ali Waqas 59, Haseebullah 53, Khurram Shahzad 47; Arshad Iqbal 4-114, Mohammad Sarwar Afrid 2-55, Ihsanullah 2-104) and 187-5, 52 overs (Hussain Talat 55, Ali Waqas 37, Azeem Ghumman 28; Arshad Iqbal 2-33) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 291 all out, 85.4 overs (Kamran Ghulam 102, Khalid Usman 43, Rehan Afridi 35; Khurram Shahzad 4-67, Kashif Bhatti 2-43, Akif Javed 2-87) and 235 all out, 68.5 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 63, Kamran Ghulam 61, Rehan Afridi 28; Khurram Shahzad 3-61, Kashif Bhatti 2-43, Akif Javed 2-75) Match points – Balochistan (23), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (four) Northern beat Southern Punjab by 10 wickets at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Northern 529-5d, 133 overs (Mubasir Khan 170 not out, Abdul Faseeh 151, Umar Amin 89, Sarmad Bhatti 81; Hassan Khan 3-94, Ali Usman 2-143) and 8-0, 1.3 overs Southern Punjab 269 all out, 86.2 overs (Zain Abbas 120, Salman Ali Agha 36, Hassan Khan 34; Nauman Ali 4-73, Musa Khan 2-51, Mehran Mumtaz 2-63) and 265 all out, 104 overs (Imran Rafiq 90, Usman Salahuddin 55, Umar Siddiq 35, Zain Abbas 32; Musa Khan 3-39, Mehran Mumtaz 3-72, Mubasir Khan 2-55) Match points – Northern (25), Southern Punjab (three) Match drawn between Sindh and Central Punjab at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Central Punjab 428 all out, 102.2 overs (Abdullah Shafique 232, Aamer Yamin 70; Mir Hamza 3-72, Asif Mehmood 3-128) and 277-9, 90.4 overs (Tayyab Tahir 152 not out, Abdullah Shafique 61; Asif Mehmood 4-59, Mir Hamza 3-41) Sindh 368 all out, 85.5 overs (Fawad Alam 127 not out, Sarfaraz Ahmed 78, Saim Ayub 71, Saad Khan 30; Mohammad Ali 4-84, Aamer Yamin 3-80) and 132-4, 44 overs (Khurram Manzoor 50, Omair Bin Yousuf 37) Match points – Central Punjab (13), Sindh (12)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Rawalpindi:-The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday inaugurated the newly-renovated 501 Central Workshop Cricket Ground as known as Chaklala cricket ground Rawalpindi. According to a press release of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the cricket ground was upgraded to provide state-of-the-art sports facility to budding cricketers especially for the youth of twin cities, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. At this occasion, COAS Qamar Bajwa appreciated the efforts of Rawalpindi Corps for renovating the old cricket ground and providing an excellent cricketing facility for the city.

BIPIN DANI Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan has been denied the US visa, it is learnt. According to the sources in Pakistan, the 51-year-old Khan was scheduled to leave for the USA this week as he is one of the three international nominees for the Cricket Hall of Fame award which is scheduled to be held in the USA on October 1. The Cricket Hall of Fame institution in the USA was founded in 1980 to celebrate the sport of cricket, its heroes and supporters who, in the true spirit of the game over the years, have served the game. The other two international cricketers to receive this award this year are : ex-windies batter Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Sir Richie Richardson, the former West Indies cricketer, who now is the ICC match-referee. "We received a note from Moin Khan's agent stating the rejection of Moin's visa. He will now be felicitated online", Michael Chambers, the Executive Director of the institution said over the telephone. In the meantime, Cricket Council USA (CCUSA) is hosting the World Cup 2022 Legends Tournament next month. "It will be held at the Central Broward Regional Park", Mahammad A. Qureshi, the CEO and the chairman of CCUSA said. "It is an ICC approved venue, which can accomodate 20,000 spectators and T-20I are being played", Qureshi added.

Ali Ahmed Ch Lahore:-Pakistan, for the second time in as many games, nullified the notion that the mantra to success in T20 cricket is to win the toss and chase. After edging England out by three runs in Karachi on Sunday, Babar Azam’s side on Wednesday defended their lowest score in Pakistan (145) in another thriller to go 3-2 up in the seven-match series at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium. Mohammad Nawaz was phenomenal with the new ball and derailed England’s run chase from its onset with the wicket of Alex Hales, who trying to swat the left-arm orthodox down the ground edged the ball into the hands of short third-man. Phil Salt picked up the only fielder guarding the leg-side boundary on the first ball of the fourth over when he flicked Haris Rauf to leave England at 19 for two. Mohammad Wasim Jnr bowled a brilliant fifth over, beating Dawid Malan four times by hitting the corridor of uncertainty and when Malan finally got off the strike with a thick edge on the fifth ball, Ben Duckett’s attempted cut ended into third-man’s hands. The introduction of spin further compounded problems for England. The pair of Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed bowled eight overs in tandem that allowed only 41 runs, but more importantly accounted for in-form Harry Brook and Malan. The overs seven till 10 allowed England only one boundary and Shadab, making his comeback into the side, got Brook LBW – when the on-field umpire’s decision was overturned through DRS. Iftikhar, after drinks, sent Malan back to the pavilion in a similar fashion. Shadab’s four overs allowed 25 runs, while Iftikhar gave away only 16 runs. That the match went till the final ball was because of Moeen Ali’s rearguard knock. The England captain scored 51 not out off 37 and took the game deep in the hope that he may target any weak link in the Pakistan bowling line-up. Debutant Aamir Jamal, who replaced Mohammad Hasnain, was given the task of defending 15 off six. The right-arm fast bowler was exceptional with his wide yorkers, sending down dots on his first two balls, and despite being dispatched for a six on the third legal delivery (the previous one being a wide outside off-stump), he made a terrific comeback to allow only a single – that off a penultimate ball. Pakistan had made two more changes with Haider Ali coming in for Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jnr replacing Shahnawaz Dahani. Moeen, after calling correctly at the toss, decided to stick with the set template of winning the toss and opting to chase a total down as England made a plethora of changes that brought back Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Malan into the mix.  Wood continued his brilliant return to international cricket – after a long elbow injury-induced layoff – as his sheer pace and intelligent lengths garnered him the key wickets of Babar Azam, Haider Ali and Asif Ali. Pakistan lost their captain – the hosts’ first wicket – in the third over as Babar pulled Wood into the hands of deep square-leg. Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood – with a 25-run partnership in 18 balls - looked on course to rebuild the innings and launch a counterattack but the latter, in his attempt to paddle David Willey over short fine-leg, edged the ball handing an easy catch to Duckett at backward point towards the end of the powerplay. Haider top-edged a pull for Wood to catch off his own bowling and four overs later Iftikhar followed him back to the pavilion, becoming Willey’s second and last wicket. Asif Ali was bowled off Wood in the next over, but Pakistan’s innings slid further into disarray in the 14th over as Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan were run out in the space of four balls that left Pakistan at a paltry 100 for seven. That Pakistan managed 145 was because of Rizwan’s gutsy half-century, his fourth in the series. The wicketkeeper – struggling to find a reliable partner at the other end - stayed at the crease till the 18th over and made 63 off 46 before his signature pick-up shot off Sam Curran landed in Adil Rashid’s hands. Like Willey, Sam also returned two for 23.  Wasim and Haris struck a four and a six, respectively, in the penultimate over, bowled by Chris Woakes, that lifted the hosts to 145 before the right-armer accounted for Haris on the last ball as Pakistan were bowled out with an over to spare.  Rizwan was named player of the match. Scores in brief: Pakistan 145 all out, 19 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 63; Mark Wood 3-20, David Willey 2-23, Sam Curran 2-23) England 139-7, 20 overs (Moeen Ali 51 not out, Dawid Malan 36; Haris Rauf 2-41) Player of the match – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan).

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Rawalpindi:-Pindi Cricket Stadium will always be dear to Abdullah Shafique as it is where he scored his maiden first-class double-century today. The 22-year-old smashed 232, a knock embellished with 28 fours and four sixes, at a remarkable strike rate of 89. His innings played a crucial role in Central Punjab pocketing maximum batting points (five) for being at 411 for eight at 100-over-mark before they were bowled out for 428 by Sindh on the second day of what is the opening round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23. Abdullah began the day at 189 and had the company of all-rounder Aamer Yamin, who scored a 77-ball 70. The pair added 135 for the seventh wicket. The fact that Aamer’s 70 was the second best score in the innings underscores the magnitude of Abdullah’s knock and sheds light on how he anchored Central Punjab’s innings. Sindh, in reply, had managed 270 for five by the close of play - after being reduced to 94 for three – thanks to an unbeaten 86-run stand between Fawad Alam (75 not out) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (42 not out). Twenty-year-old Saim Ayub – whose extraordinary batting at the top of the order helped Sindh to maiden National T20 title this month – showed his class on first-class debut with a solid 71 off 96 (nine fours and a six). At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Kashif Bhatti’s lower-order blitz helped Balochistan finish at 473 all out after they began the day on 324 for five. Kashif smashed 11 fours and two sixes in his 84-ball 71 and was duly supported by number 10 batter Khurram Shahzad who made 47 in 69 balls (eight fours). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had lost five batters for 151 before stumps. Kamran Ghulam, with his unbeaten 64 off 105 (nine fours and a six) held Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s innings together after they were three down for 34 and added 67 runs with Adil Amin (39 off 60). Kamran will begin the proceedings on Thursday with Rehan Afridi, who is not out on 20. Northern posted a mammoth 529 for five against Southern Punjab at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium, courtesy an extraordinary 170 not out off 236 balls from Mubasir Khan, the last season’s player of the tournament. Mubasir smashed 22 fours and a six after starting the day on 74. Southern Punjab were two wickets down for 128. Opener Zain Abbas made a half-century and was batting at 69. Salman Ali Agha (35 not out) joined him at the other end. Scores in brief: Toss uncontested – Sindh opt to bowl against Central Punjab at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Central Punjab 428 all out, 102.2 overs (Abdullah Shafique 232, Aamer Yamin 70; Mir Hamza 3-72, Asif Mehmood 3-128) Sindh 270-5, 66 overs (Fawad Alam 75 not out, Saim Ayub 71, Sarfaraz Ahmed 42 not out; Aamer Yamin 2-50) Innings points – Central Punjab (six), Sindh (five) Northern choose to bat against Southern Punjab at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Northern 529-5d, 133 overs (Mubasir Khan 170 not out, Abdul Faseeh 151, Umar Amin 89, Sarmad Bhatti 81; Hassan Khan 3-94, Ali Usman 2-143) Southern Punjab 128-2, 47 overs (Zain Abbas 69 not out, Salman Ali Agha 35 not out) Innings points – Northern (five), Southern Punjab (one) Toss uncontested - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa opt to bowl against Balochistan at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Balochistan 473 all out, 123 overs (Azeem Ghumman 78, Kashif Bhatti 71, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 69, Ali Waqas 59, Haseebullah 53, Khurram Shahzad 47; Arshad Iqbal 4-114, Mohammad Sarwar Afrid 2-55, Ihsanullah 2-104) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 151-5, 45 overs (Kamran Ghulam 64 not out, Adil Amin 39, Rehan Afridi 20 not out; Khurram Shahzad 2-37) Innings points – Balochistan (five), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (two)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Islamabad:-The International Cricket Council will release its next Invitation To Tender (ITT) for media rights for the USA, Australia, Caribbean and Canada markets today. Following the successful conclusion of the Indian market media rights tender, the ICC is starting the next phase of its media sales process across targeted markets, including the USA. The packages will replicate the recently concluded India ITT in terms of men’s and women’s rights being sold separately, and prospective partners can bid for the events taking place from 2024, including 16 Men’s events (over 8 years) and six Women’s events (over 4 years). However, unlike in India, these packages will be for combined TV and digital rights, with no standalone TV and digital packages being offered. Interested parties must submit a bid for the first four years of men’s events. However, they also have the option of bidding for an eight-year partnership. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “ICC events consistently attract huge audiences, and we saw from the media rights sales process in India that this drives significant interest from broadcasters. We look forward to seeing competitive bidding in the established cricket broadcast markets of the USA, Australia, the Caribbean and Canada, enabling passionate fans to follow the game globally. “The USA is one of the ICC’s targeted growth markets, and with 30 million cricket fans already enjoying the sport there, a World Cup scheduled to be co-hosted in that country in 2024 and our exciting ambition for inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games, there couldn’t be a better time for cricket to find a broadcast partner to help grow the game across the region.”