Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Opener Sidra Amin and wicketkeeper Sidra Nawaz have earned recalls in the national side for the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup in Sylhet, Bangladesh next month. The 15-player squad unveiled by national women’s selector Asmavia Iqbal also includes uncapped all-rounder Sadaf Shamas. There are three changes in the squad that featured in the tri-series in Ireland (that included hosts and Australia) and Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July-August. The players who miss out are Anam Amin, Gul Feroza and Iram Javed. Pakistan squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Tuba Hasan Reserve players: Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Umme Hani and Waheeda Akhtar The first phase of the tournament will be played on round robin basis following which the top four teams will qualify for semi-finals. Selector Asmavia Iqbal: “I want to congratulate the 15 players selected for the all-important Asia Cup next month. These players have been selected after observing their performances in the recent practice matches in Lahore. “We have also selected an additional keeper in Sidra Nawaz because of the long duration of the tournament. On these tracks, we need a specialist wicketkeeper as a backup for Muneeba Ali, in case she becomes unavailable. “Sadaf Shamas did extraordinary well in the recent practice matches and we feel this was the right time to elevate her to the national side. I am sure she will prove to be a good addition to the national side. Her ability to bat in the middle order and bowl medium fast makes her a good fit in the side and promises to provide balance to the playing XI whenever she gets her chance. “I had detailed conversations with the players who have been dropped. The decision to leave them out was taken considering their recent form and the conditions our team will encounter. They understand the areas they need to work on and I am sure they will continue to put in the hard yards and stage a strong comeback.” Left-arm orthodox Nashra Sundhu, after missing the tri-series and the Commonwealth Games because of a shoulder injury, is one of the four players on standby in Pakistan. The other three are: Natalia Pervaiz, Umme Hani and Waheeda Akhtar. The 15-player squad and the reserves will undergo 10-day camp at Lahore Country Club, Muridke from 18 to 27 September and the national side will fly out for Bangladesh on 28 September. Following David Hemp’s decision to not to extend his contract, the Pakistan Cricket Board will start the search for the new head coach following the expiration of his contract in mid-October. Player support personnel: Ayesha Ashhar (team manager), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach), Mauhtashim Rashid (fielding coach), Mohammad Zubair Ahmad (analyst) and Rifat Gill (physiotherapist).

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI:-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s extraordinary run in the Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23 continued as they completed the Rawalpindi leg of the tournament on Wednesday with five wins from as many matches. Mohammad Sarwar Afridi’s whirlwind 38 not out helped Khyber Pakhtunkhwa put the first 200-plus score of this year’s edition. Balochistan fell 27 runs short of the 202-run target. Saim Ayub’s half-century scripted Sindh’s six-wicket win over Southern Punjab in the second match of the day. This is Sindh’s third win of the tournament. The action now moves to Multan from 10 September. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the winners of the last two editions, sit comfortably at the top of the points table with 10 points. Balochistan follow them with six points. Sindh, locked with Balochistan on points, are third, while Northern and Southern Punjab are fourth and fifth. Central Punjab, who could manage only one win in five matches, are languishing at the bottom. Sarwar Afridi’s swashbuckling 11-ball 38 not out stuns Balochistan While Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s perfect title defence continued, they also recorded the first 200-plus score of the tournament, thanks to a scintillating 38 not out in just 11 balls by Mohammad Sarwar Afridi. Sarwar spanked three sixes and smashed four fours to lift Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to 201 for five after his captain Khalid Usman elected to bat. Aamer Azmat, who made 13-ball 22 not out, duly supported him, as the two added 49 runs in the last 19 balls. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, despite losing Mohammad Haris in the first over, were provided a solid start from Sahibzada Farhan (48 off 33) and Kamran Ghulam (57 off 38) with an 84-run second wicket stand. Farhan struck seven fours and Kamran’s destructive half-century was studded with four sixes and as many fours. When it came to defending the towering target, pacers Mohammad Imran and Imran Khan Snr provided their side regular breakthroughs as Balochistan were bowled out for 174 with seven balls spare. Mohammad Imran finished with four for 28 and Imran Khan Snr returned two for 29. Sarwar made his presence felt in the second innings as well with two wickets, however, he was a touch expensive leaking 43 runs in four overs. Balochistan captain Yasir Shah and Haris Sohail scored 44 off 27 and 39 off 19. All-rounder Hussain Talat and Kashif Bhatti made 24 each, off 17 and nine balls, respectively, but Balochistan never fully recovered from the top order collapse with Asad Shafiq, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai and Haseebullah falling inside 14 balls. Saim Ayub guides Sindh to third win Left-handed opener Saim Ayub played a brilliant knock of 56 in Sindh’s six-wicket win over Southern Punjab. Saim struck seven fours and two sixes and provided a solid start to the run chase with Sharjeel Khan, who blasted 49 in 26 balls (four fours and four sixes). The pair added 83 runs for the first wicket before Omair Bin Yousuf’s 54 not out in 35 balls (four fours and two sixes) ensured Sindh retained the momentum and overhauled the 176-run target with four balls spare. Southern Punjab, after being asked to bat, made 175 for six at the back of 48 each from opener Zain Abbas and all-rounder Hassan Khan. While Zain’s 48 took 34 balls and included five fours and a six, Hassan stroked his unbeaten 48 in just 29 balls and smashed two sixes and as many fours. Mohammad Ilyas, once again, displayed his power-hitting abilities, smashing two sixes and two fours in his 11-ball 25 not out. Southern Punjab found themselves in a spot of bother when Abrar Ahmed’s leg-spin sent Mohammad Shehzad and Salman Ali Agha back to the pavilion in the seventh over with the scorecard reading 42 for three. Zain held one end and got the support from Sharoon Siraj, who made 23 off 17, before Hassan lifted Southern Punjab to 175. Scores in brief: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Balochistan by 27 runs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 201-5, 20 overs (Kamran Ghulam 57, Sahibzada Farhan 48, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 38 not out, Aamer Azmat 22 not out; Haris Sohail 2-10, Kashif Bhatti 2-25) Balochistna 174 all out, 18.5 overs (Yasir Shah 44, Haris Sohail 39, Kashif Bhatti 24, Hussain Talat 24; Mohammad Imran 4-28, Imran Khan Snr 2-29) Player of the match – Mohammad Sarwar Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Sindh beat Southern Punjab by 6 wickets Southern Punjab 175-6, 20 overs (Hassan Khan 48 not out, Zain Abbas 48, Mohammad Ilyas 25 not out, Sharoon Siraj 23; Abrar Ahmed 3-30) Sindh 181-4, 19.2 overs (Saim Ayub 56, Omair Bin Yousuf 54 not out, Sharjeel Khan 49; Hassan Khan 2-21) Player of the match – Saim Ayub (Sindh)

Khurram Shehzad Awan Islamabad:-The cricket spectators of the twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad did not show any interest in the National Cricket T20 Cup at Pindi Cricket Stadium that commenced on August 30, 2022 under the banner of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), as its second Leg will take place at Multan Cricket Stadium from September 10. T20, a most popular cricket format failed to attract the audience and to bring the youth in the stadium that has capacity of over 18,000. Owing to lack of planning, common people rejected the national t20 fixture at Pindi, as the youth were busy in the schools and colleges while adults were on their jobs and had no time to visit the stadium. If there would be day/night cricket it would be possible for the people to enjoy the game of cricket and witness the entertaining contests among the top six national teams. Also, there was no need to sell the tickets. Except the VIP enclosures rest of all should be free for the cricket lovers. It is also important to mention here that there was no shade in the stadium to protect the spectators from hot weather, mostly in Rawalpindi the temperature remained around 35. In the dog days of August and September it was not possible to sit under the sun the whole day. PCB should rethink its policies regarding domestic cricket, especially the National T20 Cup, which is the most popular annual fixture of cricket. Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja should take notice of this negligence to make the domestic tournament valuable for the future. 

Sports Bulletin Report London (UK):-Nottinghamshire batter Alex Hales has been called up to England's ICC Men's T20 World Cup squad as a replacement for Yorkshire's Jonathan Bairstow after a left ankle injury sustained last week ended his chances of playing in the tournament. Hales, 33, represented England in March 2019, has also been added to the IT20 squad for the tour of Pakistan. England T20 Squad for World Cup: Jos Buttler (Lancashire+ Captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Reece Topley (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham) Travelling Reserves Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Tymal Mills (Sussex) England T20 Squad for Pakistan Tour: Jos Buttler (Lancashire+ Captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire+ Vice-Captain), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Jordan Cox (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Tom Helm (Middlesex), Will Jacks (Surrey), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Reece Topley (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Luke Wood (Lancashire), Mark Wood (Durham) ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 – England's Group Fixtures: England v Afghanistan, Saturday 22 October 2022, Perth Stadium, Perth England v Qualifier (B2), Wednesday 26 October 2022, MCG, Melbourne England v Australia, Friday 28 October 2022, MCG, Melbourne England v New Zealand, Tuesday 1 November 2022, The Gabba, Brisbane England v Qualifier (A1), Saturday 5 November 2022, SCG, Sydney England Men's Pre-World Cup tour of Australia: 1st IT20: Australia v England, Sunday 9 October, Perth Stadium, Perth 2nd IT20: Australia v England, Wednesday 12 October, Manuka Oval, Canberra 3rd IT20: Australia v England Friday 14 October, Manuka Oval, Canberra England Men's IT20 Tour of Pakistan: 1st IT20: Pakistan v England, 20 September, National Stadium, Karachi 2nd IT20: Pakistan v England, 22 September, National Stadium, Karachi 3rd IT20: Pakistan v England, 23 September, National Stadium, Karachi 4th IT20: Pakistan v England, 25 September, National Stadium, Karachi 5th IT20: Pakistan v England, 28 September, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 6th IT20: Pakistan v England, 30 September, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 7th IT20: Pakistan v England, 2 October, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-The wicket-keeper batter becomes only the third Pakistan player to be No.1 in the MRF Tyres ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings after Babar Azam and Misbah-ul-Haq. Nissanka, Mendis, Sharma, Kohli, Rahmanullah and Najibullah among others to move up in latest weekly update Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan has overtaken his opening partner and captain Babar Azam to seize the top position among batters in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings after the weekly update carried out on Wednesday. Rizwan followed up his Player of the Match effort of 78 off 57 deliveries in an Asia Cup Group A match against Hong Kong with a crucial 71 off 51 against India in a Super Fours match in Dubai, to move from 796 rating points to a career-best 815 and claim the top position for the first time. Rizwan is only the third Pakistan batter to be No. 1 in the T20I batting rankings after Babar, who has been at the top of the table for 1,155 days in all, and Misbah-ul-Haq, who was at the top for 313 days, from 20 April 2008 to 27 February 2009. Meanwhile, Mohammad Nawaz’s match-winning 42 off 20 in the same match sees him move up 142 slots to 358th in the rankings. India’s Suryakumar Yadav has dropped to fourth place in the latest update even as a host of players from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have made their way up after some fine performances in the Asia Cup. Sri Lanka openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis have made notable progress after scoring half-centuries in a memorable win against India on Tuesday. Nissanka is up one place to eighth while Mendis has advanced 63 places to 41st position. Dasun Shanaka (up 11 places to 39th) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (up 31 places to 68th) have also moved up the rankings for batters while off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana has progressed five places to eighth among bowlers. Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s Player of the Match effort of 84 off 45 balls that helped beat Sri Lanka in a group match, has helped him progress 14 places to 15th while Najibullah Zadran has moved up two places to 28th after scoring 43 against Bangladesh. Spinners Mujeeb ur Rehman (up three places to sixth) and Mohammad Nabi (up two places to 32nd) have also gained in the latest update. India captain Rohit Sharma has gained four slots to reach 13th position after scoring 72 against Sri Lanka in their Super Fours match while former captain Virat Kohli has gained four places and is 29th in the list after scoring 60 against Pakistan. Ravichandran Ashwin (up eight places to 50th) and Arshdeep Singh (up 28 places to 62nd) have also progressed. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings updated after the second and third Australia versus Zimbabwe matches and the first Australia versus New Zealand match, Australia’s David Warner has moved up one place to sixth position among batters and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson up one place to 10th.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI:-Qasim Akram’s Central Punjab finally opened their account in the Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23 with an 11-run win over Sindh, thanks to Shoaib Malik’s all-round performance, at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Aamir Jamal’s exceptional performances with bat and ball – 47 not out off 17 and three for 27 – sealed a thriller for Northern as they beat Southern Punjab by five runs. Shoaib Malik leads Central Punjab to maiden win Experienced all-rounder Shoaib Malik blasted 54 not out off 33 (four fours and two sixes) to lift Central Punjab to 188 for five and then got the crucial wicket of dangerous-looking Saim Ayub in his one for 16 off two overs in Central Punjab’s 11-run triumph over Sindh. Shoaib and Irfan Khan Niazi, who scored a blazing 33 not out off 14 hitting four sixes, added 64 runs in the last 29 balls to help Central Punjab post a towering score. Central Punjab were dealt serious blows in the first and third over as Sohail Khan accounted for openers Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Akhlaq, but a solid 67-run partnership between Mohammad Faizan and Tayyab Tahir rescued the side from a collapse. Faizan was instrumental in the attacking partnership with his brilliant 55 at a staggering strike rate of 229. He struck four sixes and six fours in his 24-ball knock before falling to leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed, who also dismissed Central Punjab captain Qasim Akram. Tayyab, the top-scorer in the tournament, made 33 off 28, hitting two fours and a six. Sarfaraz Ahmed top-scored in the match with an unbeaten 62, compiled at a strike rate of 168, but the lack of support from the other end allowed Central Punjab to earn their first win after four defeats. Sindh looked on track of scaling down the target but the dismissal of Saim in the seventh over altered the course of the match. Sindh, at the time of Saim’s wicket were cruising at 62 off just 6.3 overs. Saad Khan was bowled by Usama Mir in the next over and in the 15th over he sent Omair Bin Yousuf (37 off 29) and Danish Aziz back to the pavilion as Sindh slipped to 122 for five. Usama finished with three for 34. Aamir Jamal’s quick-fire 47 not out, 3-27 hand Northern thrilling win All-rounder Aamir Jamal was the star for Northern as his brilliance with bat and ball won Northern a thriller against Southern Punjab by five runs. Aamir’s swashbuckling 47 not out off 17 – studded with four sixes and five fours – lifted Northern to 187 for eight after his captain Umar Amin, who stroked a half-century, elected to bat. Northern were in a spot of bother with openers Zeeshan Malik and Hasan Nawaz dismissed in the first two overs, but a 51-run partnership for the third wicket between Nasir Nawaz (13 off 17) and Umar (52 off 42) rescued the innings and provided a platform to Mubasir Khan (34 off 18) and Aamir to go berserk in the latter half. When it came to defending the total, Aamer, later named player of the match, with the dismissals of Zain Abbas, Sharoon Siraj and Zeeshan Ashraf across his eight deliveries derailed Southern Punjab’s innings despite a promising beginning after Zain (81 off 46) and Mohammad Shehzad (28 off 24) added 111 runs for the first wicket. Zain’s 81 was studded with six sixes and as many fours, while Muhammad Imran, with 12-ball 24, provided Southern Punjab fans a glimpse of hope, but was dismissed by Zaman Khan in the 18th over. Zaman, like Aamir, also took three wickets, while experienced all-rounder Sohail Tanvir took two wickets for 39. Scores in brief: Central Punjab beat Sindh by 11 runs Central Punjab 188-5, 20 overs (Mohammad Faizan 55, Shoaib Malik 54 not out, Irfan Khan Niazi 33 not out, Tayyab Tahir 33; Abrar Ahmed 2-34, Sohail Khan 2-55) Sindh 177-8, 20 overs (Sarfaraz Ahmed 62 not out, Omair Bin Yousuf 37, Saim Ayub 35, Anwar Ali 20; Usama Mir 3-34, Mohammad Ali 2-32) Player of the match – Shoaib Malik (Central Punjab) Northern beat Southern Punjab by 5 runs Northern 187-8, 20 overs (Umar Amin 52, Aamir Jamal 47 not out, Mubasir Khan 34; Sameen Gul 3-27, Ali Majid 2-22) Southern Punjab 182 all out, 19.5 overs (Zain Abbas 81, Mohammad Shehzad 28, Mohammad Imran 24; Aamir Jamal 3-27, Zaman Khan 3-38, Sohail Tanvir 2-39) Player of the match – Aamir Jamal (Northern)

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI:-Balochistan and Northern have been fined PKR10,000 for maintaining slow over rate during their Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23 match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium yesterday. Both teams were one over short of their target after taking into account time allowances and, as such, were charged under Article 2.22 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which deals with the minimum over-rate offences. Yasir Shah and Umer Amin, captains of Balochistan and Northern, accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Mohammad Anees. The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Faisal Afridi and Aalay Haider, third umpire Saqib Khan and fourth umpire Nasir Hussain.

BIPIN DANI "I'm not here to fit into your world. I’m here to make my own noor'' the message with a flower emoji reads on Noor Qadri's social media account. The 21-year-old Karachi-based girl, now living with her parents in the UAE, has body controlling issues, which started at her age of 10. Before that, she was walking, running and playing with other kids like a normal girl. She now needs a little support to walk but this disability has not hampered her desire to grow her business of online selling of Pakistani clothes.  Recently, she came to the stadium to watch the Indo-Pak match. She watched the full match and enjoyed the fighting spirit of the Indian team. Last week, she came to meet his favorite Indian cricketer, Virat Kohli, who was attending the net sessions at the ICC Cricket Academy. "My daughter was excited to see Kohli coming near to him", the father Talart Qadri, who himself is a businessman in the UAE, says. "Kohli asked Noor, :how are you ? '' They clicked some selfies, but then Virat suggested to my elder daughter (Nosheen) to change the directions towards the light from the lamp post to get more and better pictures". "It was my daughter's dream to meet Kohli. She was excited to have been with Kohli for a few minutes. We waited there for about two hours for Kohli to come out from his training". Noor is an English literate educated girl, who is computer oriented and does her social media activities independently. After getting her wish of meeting Kohli fulfilled, her wish is to meet more Indian celebrities. Karthik Aryan, Varun Dhawan and Shahrukh Khan are his favorite actors, Neha Kakkar and Shriya Ghosal her favorite female singers and will not miss to hear male singers- Arjit Singh and Guru Randhwa.

Bipin Dani Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh’s parents expected their son to face heavy criticism on social media the moment India lost their Asia Cup match to Pakistan on Sunday. Arshdeep, 23, could not hold on to the catch offered by Pakistani batsman Asif Ali off Ravi Bishnoi and was the one who bowled the final over in which Pakistan reached their target for a five-wicket win. Arshdeep’s parents have urged their son to ignore messages circulating on social media. “We have advised him not to pay any attention to such criticism, but concentrate on his next game,” Arshdeep’s mother, Baljit Kaur told mid-day from Chandigarh. Arshdeep’s father Darshan Singh, mother, sister and uncle were at the ground on Sunday. “We could not stay there longer owing to some emergency work here, but have promised Arshdeep that we will be back for the final. We will watch Tuesday’s match against Sri Lanka on TV.” While Arshdeep has been trolled on social media, the young gun has received support from other quarters. “Arshdeep has received good support not only from his India teammates but Pakistani players as well. When we were in Dubai, the Punjab minister [for education, Gurmeet Singh Hayer] called to extend his support to our son. He has also promised to receive Arshdeep when the team return with the Asia Cup,” Balit Kaur signed off.  

Sharjah (UAE):-Saturday marked another red letter day in the history of the Sharjah stadium. The 28th T20 between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan made it the number one venue for staging internationals, nudging out the Sydney Cricket Ground from the top position. Sharjah has now hosted 244 ODIs, 9 Tests and 28 T20s giving it a total of 281. Reacting to this distinction Abdulrahman Bukhatir said it was a very satisfying feeling and thanked all those thousands who have enjoyed the games these past 40 years. The match was also record-breaking in many ways, as the Sri Lanka completed the highest ever run-chase on the ground and the highest ever chase against Afghanistan in T20s. (Press Release)