Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-Afghanistan are scheduled to play four series against Ireland and three against Zimbabwe while also taking on top teams like Australia, India and New Zealand in the next cycle of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Future Tours Programme that runs from 2023-27. The announcement of the FTP, a result of the collective effort of Full Members with ICC’s support, ensures certainty of cricket fixtures with the confirmation of all bilateral series across the three formats. The exact dates and venues of the series are for the Members to announce in due course. Afghanistan’s commitments commence with a full away tour of Bangladesh consisting of two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is in June 2023 with Zimbabwe, Pakistan and the West Indies due to be hosted by them over the next few months. The maximum number of Tests for Afghanistan are pencilled against Zimbabwe, whom they will also play in 12 ODIs and 12 T20Is apart from five Tests. Ireland, who got Test status along with Afghanistan in 2017, will be their rivals in four Tests, 12 ODIs and 10 T20Is. The FTP announced today also confirms both home and away commitments against Australia, India and New Zealand. ICC GM of Cricket Wasim Khan said: “I’d like to thank our Members for the effort that has gone into creating this FTP for the next four years. We are incredibly lucky to have three vibrant formats of the game, with an outstanding programme of ICC global events and strong bilateral and domestic cricket and this FTP is designed to allow all cricket to flourish. “The landscape around the game is continuing to evolve and we will work closely with Members as we collectively adapt to that. We are committed to growing the game and giving more fans more opportunities to enjoy cricket, but are very mindful of the need to balance that ambition with the welfare of players.” Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Officer Naseeb Khan welcomed the announcement of the FTP. ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said: “Afghanistan Cricket Board is delighted to be a major part of the ICC’s Future Tours Program for the next cycle 2023-2027. The increased number of test matches will largely impact the growth of the game itself as well as the players, which is key in terms of our future plans. “We have always admired to be playing against the big nations and according to the new cycle, we are eagerly looking forward to playing some red-ball cricket against them. Bilateral cricket also plays an integral part in technical and financial growth, and we will work with our fellow boards to engage in more bilateral cricket. In addition to the cricket development part these matches will play a vital role in financial stability of ACB in future years.”

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has expressed sadness at the death of former Board of Cricket Control India (BCCI) administrator and ICC Director Amitabh Chaudhary. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “It is sad to hear of the passing of Amitabh Chaudhary. On behalf of the ICC, I extend my deepest condolences to our colleagues at the BCCI as well as his family and friends.”

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Player workload management, meaningful and exciting bilateral cricket, and preparations for the ICC global events were the cornerstones of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s strategy and philosophy while preparing the men’s Future Tours Programme 2023-2027, which was confirmed and unveiled today. The PCB has scheduled around 238 days of international cricket during the four-year period comprising 27 ICC World Test Championship fixtures (13 home and 14 away), 47 One-Day Internationals (26 home and 21 home) and 56 Twenty20 Internationals (27 home and 29 away). These include matches in the ACC 50-over Asia Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy, which Pakistan will stage in 2023 and 2025, respectively. The number of matches may increase depending on where Pakistan finishes in the ICC and ACC events between 2023 and 2027, as well as in the 2025 and 2026 three-nation ODI series. The Future Tours Programme is prepared collectively by the ICC Member Boards. As such, the PCB will continue to work with its fellow Members and may include more matches and/or series, depending on the player availability and window for international cricket in the calendar. In the ICC World Test Championship 2023-2025, Pakistan will play Tests against Australia (away), Bangladesh (home), England (home), South Africa (away), Sri Lanka (away) and West Indies (home), while their matches in the 2025-2027 championship are against Bangladesh (away), England (away), New Zealand (home), South Africa (home), Sri Lanka (home) and West Indies (away). The three-nation ODI series has returned to Pakistan’s calendar for the first time since 2004-05. New Zealand and South Africa will join Pakistan in the tri-series in 2025, which will take place in the build-up to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, while England and Sri Lanka will participate in the series in October/November 2026. The PCB has scheduled white-ball matches with one-eye on the ICC global events. While Pakistan will host the Asia Cup 2023 and triangular series in February 2025 in the lead up to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, respectively, it will play 11 T20Is against the Netherlands, Ireland and England in the build up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which will be jointly hosted by the United States and the West Indies. Likewise, ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, Pakistan will play Australia in three home T20Is. Apart from Australia, three other sides - Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe - will also play white-ball matches in Pakistan between 2023 and 2027. Pakistan’s FTP 2023-2027 reflects that it will play hosts to 10 out of 12 ICC Full Member nations for the first time in more than two decades. PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain said: “While finalising our Future Tours Programme 2023-2027 in a tight and densely-packed cricket calendar, we have given priority to context, quality and player workload.  We have also tried to find an appropriate balance across all the three formats so that these continue to co-exist meaningfully. “I am sure that our cricket fans will be delighted to know that top-ranked and attractive sides such as Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies will visit Pakistan to compete in matches for the ICC World Test Championship. Additionally, Afghanistan, Australia, Ireland and Zimbabwe will also tour Pakistan for the white-ball matches, which means 10 of the 12 ICC Full Members will play cricket in Pakistan during the four-year period.  This is exciting! “We are also mindful that our sides must be provided with the best preparation opportunities so that they perform strongly in ICC competitions. Accordingly, this has also been an integral part of our strategy around scheduling, as we have scheduled appropriate international matches in the lead up to the ICC events. “Furthermore, and in line with our vision for triangular ODI series to contribute in increasing excitement and attracting greater audiences, we have so far scheduled two tri-series in February 2025 and October/November 2026, involving New Zealand and South Africa, and England and Sri Lanka, respectively. This is also something for the fans to look forward to. “The certainty and clarity around our home bilateral fixtures until 2027 provides us the platform to put together a robust commercial programme, so that we can optimise the exploitation of our commercial rights. This will enable us to hopefully increase our revenues and channel these back into the further development of our cricket, all across from our grassroots talent hunt to our international playing facilities.” Pakistan Men’s Future Tours Programme 2023-2027 (all Test matches count towards the ICC World Test Championships 2023-2025 and 2025-2027) 2023-24 July – Pakistan to Sri Lanka (two Tests) August – Pakistan to Afghanistan (three ODIs) September – ACC 50-over Asia Cup in Pakistan October/November – ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup India 2023 December/January – Pakistan to Australia (three Tests) February/March – West Indies in Pakistan (two Tests, three T20Is) May – Pakistan to Netherlands (three T20Is), Ireland (three T20Is) and England (five T20Is) June – ICC Men’s T20 World Cup USA/West Indies 2024 2024-25 August – Bangladesh in Pakistan (two Tests) October – England in Pakistan (three Tests) November – Pakistan to Australia (three ODIs and three T20Is) November/December – Pakistan to Zimbabwe (three ODIs and three T20Is) December/January – Pakistan to South Africa (two Tests, three ODIs, three T20Is) January – Pakistan to New Zealand (three ODIs and three T20Is) February – New Zealand and South Africa in Pakistan (ODI tri-series) February/March – ICC Champions Trophy Pakistan 2025 May – Bangladesh in Pakistan (three ODIs and three T20Is) 2025-26 July/August – Pakistan to West Indies (three ODIs, three T20Is) August – Afghanistan in Pakistan (three T20Is) August/September – ACC T20 Asia Cup (host/venue TBC) September/October – Ireland in Pakistan (three ODIs, three T20Is) October/November – South Africa in Pakistan (two Tests, three ODIs, three T20Is) November – Sri Lanka in Pakistan (three ODIs, three T20Is) February – Australia in Pakistan (three T20Is) February/March – ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India/Sri Lanka 2026 March – Australia in Pakistan (three ODIs) March/April – Pakistan to Bangladesh (two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is) April/May – Zimbabwe in Pakistan (three ODIs and three T20Is) 2026-27 July/August – Pakistan to West Indies (two Tests) August/September – Pakistan to England (three Tests) October – Sri Lanka in Pakistan (three T20Is) October/November – England and Sri Lanka in Pakistan (ODI tri-series) November – Sri Lanka in Pakistan (two Tests) March – New Zealand in Pakistan (two Tests) Pakistan Super League (these are tentative windows during the 2023-2027 cycle): January/February 2024 – HBL Pakistan Super League 2024 March-May 2025 – HBL Pakistan Super League 2025 December 2025/January 2026 – HBL Pakistan Super League 2026 January/February 2027 – HBL Pakistan Super League 2027.

Sports Bulletin Report Rotterdam (Holland):-Pakistan beat the Netherlands by 16 runs in the first one day international fixture of the three match series on Tuesday at Rotterdam, Holland. Opener Fakhar Zaman scored his seventh ODI century in his 60th appearance, first in 10 matches, to lift Pakistan to an imposing 314 for six after a slow and cautious start that saw them reach 100 for one in 23 overs. Fast bowlers Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim Junior then shared seven wickets between them to restrict the hosts for 298-8, despite impressive half-centuries from Vikramjit Singh, Tom Cooper and Scott Edwards. Singh’s 98-ball 65 included five fours, while Cooper struck six fours and two sixes in a 54-ball 65 as the two batters added 97 runs for the fourth wicket. Singh was lucky to be dropped thrice, including on the very first ball of the Netherlands’ innings as Pakistan’s fielders missed a number of run-out opportunities by failing to hit the stumps. Edwards showed resistance towards the latter part of the Netherlands’ chase, remaining unbeaten on 71 off 60 balls including six fours and one six with his fighting effort not enough to haul the home side over the line. Fakhar showed flashes of his brilliance, talent and skills with the willow during a run-a-ball 109 that included 12 scorching fours but only one six. He added 168 runs for the second wicket in an entertaining and exciting second wicket partnership with captain Babar Azam, who was elegant and stylish, as ever, while scoring an 85-ball 74 with six fours and a six. Following the early departure of Imam-ul-Haq (4), Fakhar and Babar consolidated the innings with watchful batting, before unleashing their wide ranging shots in the second half of the innings as the inexperienced Netherlands bowlers ran for cover. While Pakistan scored 214 runs in the last 30 overs, including 99 runs in the last 10 overs, only Bas de Leede was able to keep the Pakistan batters in check. He picked up two wickets for 42 runs and though Logan van Beek also scooped two wickets, he went for 89 runs. Vivian Kingma and Tim Pringle also went for over 60 runs each. Apart from Fakhar and Babar, Shadab Khan joined run-feast when he scored a rapid 28-ball 48 not out with four fours and two sixes. Debutant Salman Ali Agha returned not out on 27 as he added 48 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket in 25 balls with Shadab. Khushdil Shah chipped in with an 18-ball 21. The second match of the series will be played on Thursday, while the final game of the tour will be on Sunday. Scores in brief: Pakistan beat the Netherlands by 16 runs Pakistan 314-6, 50 overs (Fakhar Zaman 109, Babar Azam 74, Shadab Khan 48 not out, Salman Ali Agha 25 not out, Khushdil Shah 21; Bas de Leeds 2-42, Logan van Beek 2-89) The Netherlands 298-8 (Scott Edwards 71 not out, Vikramjit Singh 65, Tom Cooper 65; Naseem Shah 3-51, Haris Rauf 3-67) Player of the match: Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan)

Bipin Dani The parents Nishantha De Silva and his house-wife Anusha were "not surprised" when the selectors named their son Raveen De Silva to lead the U-19 team for the tour of England.  "We were not surprised as he was always a leading contender among others. Captaincy is not a strange task for him over the years and he has been on the job in all the age categories in college and also at District and province levels", the father, speaking over the telephone for the SLC office, where he came to drop his son, said on Sunday morning.  "But yes, it was a long awaited dream that has come true. A lot of hard work and commitment he had put into the game finally paid for him. Awarding national captaincy is a great privilege for any player and he deserved the duty. He is a team player so he will get the support of everyone", he added.  Raveen's predecessor, Dunith Wellalage has been playing in the senior team and the new captain's family is also hoping that the history will repeat.  "Most of the time he got the opportunity to play with senior players and that was very helpful to grab useful tips from a younger age. This U-19 England tour is very important for all players because this is the last opportunity they have in their school career and I am sure Raveen will use his previous experience to play to reach the national level". "As parents, we were very delighted when we heard the message and strongly believe that he is capable of doing a great job".  Interestingly, Raveen's elder brother, Avishka, who lives in Melbourne with his wife Samadhi Dissanayake also plays club cricket there. "Avishka played for college in Sri Lanka. He is also a top-order batsman with a useful right-arm off-spinner, the father, who works as a General Manager at Oviklo International - Logistics company, added. 

Sports Bulletin Report MURIDKE:-Central Punjab, Sindh and Southern Punjab began their Women’s Under-19 T20 Tournament 2022 campaign with dominating wins at Muridke Country Club. Eyman and Shawal dominate Central Punjab's run chase in 10-wicket win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa In the first match of the tournament, Central Punjab bowled out Khyber Pakthunkhwa for a measly 45 with Haleema Azeem Dar and Quratulain taking two wickets each. Captain Shawal Zulfiqar and Eyman Fatima chased down the target with as many as 13 overs remaining. Player of the match Eyman made 27 not out off 26 and Shawal scored 14 not out off 16. Dina Razvi's three for four sets Sindh 10-wicket win over Northern Player of the match Dina Razvi returned three for four in four overs as Northern could muster only 44 for six in 20 overs after being asked to bat. The other wicket-takers in the innings were Anoosha Nasir, Kainat Eman Shah and Emad Adeel. They all took a wicket each. Captain Aroob Shah made 20 not out off 8 and Aliza Sabir struck 19 not out off 14 as Sindh chased down the target in just 21 balls. Javeria Siddique's four-fer records Southern Punjab's 43-run win In the third match of the day, it was player of the match Javeria Siddique's returns of four for 10 that set the match for her side as Balochistan were defeated by 43 runs. Southern Punjab had made 121 for seven after choosing to bat with captain Aqsa Hafeez top-scoring with 29 off 42. Amina Javed and Fakhra Abdullah of Balochistan took two and three wickets respectively. Balochistan in reply were all out for 78 as Javeria starred with the ball. Scores in brief: Central Punjab beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 10 wickets Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 45 all out, 16.2 overs (Haleema Azeem Dar 2-10, Quratulain 2-7) Central Punjab 48-0, 7 overs (Eyman Fatima 27 not out, Shawal Zulfiqar 14 not out) Sindh beat Northern by 10 wickets Northern 44-6, 20 overs (Dina Razvi 3-4) Sindh 45-0, 3.3 overs (Aroob Shah 20 not out) Southern Punjab beat Balochistan by 43 runs Southern Punjab 121-7, 20 overs (Aqsa Hafeez 29; Fakhra Abdullah 3-28, Amina Javed 2-27) Balochistan 78 all out, 18.2 overs (Javeria Siddique 4-10)

BIPIN DANI Team India's batter Surya Kumar Yadav has one more luxurious car parked at his garage in Chembur, a suburb in eastern Mumbai. On Thursday he bought a new Mercedes-Benz GLS-400d model. He already had Audi, Range Rover, which are sold now, and now also possessing BMW, Skoda Superb and Nissan Jeep. "We have delivered this car to him on an auspicious day (Thursday) of Raksha Bandhan", Apurva Antani, the Senior Sales Manager at Metro Autohangar, Chowpatty showroom, speaking exclusively, said. "It is a Diamond White-Colour car and the number plate 7700 denotes his Wedding Anniversary (7/7/)'. "Surya had booked this car last December. He and his wife Devisha Shetty had come to pick it. The same was driven home by Surya". "Both seemed to be a very nice and humble couple". SKY, as the player is affectionately called, has just returned from the USA after playing against the West Indies. Interestingly, India's renowned cricketers-Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Jaspreet Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Dilip Vengsarkar and commentator Harsha Bhogle are the clients of this company, we are told.

Bipin Dani The funeral of the former international umpire Rudi Koertzen, who passed away in a car crash on Tuesday will be held in South Africa on Saturday, the 20th August.  This was revealed by his son Rudi (junior). (It is common in South Africa where the father and son share the same name).   Koertzen was returning home from Cape Town after playing golf when the fatal accident happened. Three others were also killed in both crashes in the early morning hours in Riversdale. Speaking exclusively over the telephone, he said, "It will be a live telecast. Mike Gajjar of Cricket South Africa (CSA) will send the funeral information to all the cricket contacts and to the ICC to spread the word of the YouTuber link for the funeral. There will be a YouTube link sent out to watch the funeral".  Elaborating more about the accident, the son said, "my dad was sitting on the back seat in his white car and his friend (Wouter) was sitting next to the driver in the front seat. Both died at the spot and the driver survived. He is in the hospital and had surgery on Thursday".  "We are getting the body of my father on Saturday (13th August) and it will be kept at Avbob Funeral Home in Uitenhage".  Earlier, the umpire's daughter, Eumelda, speaking to this Reporter, said, "I miss my dad so much, it feels so unreal. He was my everything and now he has gone...I am asking God, Why ? Why ? Why my dad ?".    "The family can only take the consolation that Koertzen didn't have to suffer due to this accident and had immediately passed away. If he was in a wheelchair or something...". 

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-With the ambition of creating a strong talent pool at the domestic level and further strengthen its pathways programme, the Pakistan Cricket Board will hold the first of its kind Under-19 T20 tournament from Saturday. The U19 T20 Women Cricket Tournament 2022 will be competed by six Cricket Association teams, comprising 84 players, from 13 to 22 August at the Lahore Country Club, Muridke. The 10-day tournament will be conducted on round-robin basis, meaning each team will play at least five matches. The league stage will be followed by semi-finals and final on 20 August and 22 August. The U19 T20 Women Cricket Tournament 2022 serves a perfect opportunity for the players to stake a claim in the national U19 side ahead of the maiden ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa next year and the top performers are also guaranteed places in the senior sides, which will come into action when the senior women domestic season commences from November. To further incentivise the players to bring out their best performances, the PCB has also introduced financial awards to encourage the players to bring out their best. The winning team will receive PKR400,000 along with the silverware and the runner-up will get PKR200,000. The player of the tournament will be awarded PKR20,000 and each player of the match will receive PKR10,000. The tournament’s top performers – best player, best batter, best bowler and best wicketkeeper – will be gifted kit bags to encourage them to enhance their skills and pursue their cricketing ambitions. The PCB has also finalised the six squads, which consist of 14 players each. These squads have been nailed down after country-wide open trials and subsequent practice games amongst the selected players across the PCB-run women regional academies. Fifteen players have been placed in reserve pool and they can be called up based on a team’s requirement. Only players born on or after 1 September 2003 are eligible to play in the tournament. Squads: Balochistan U19 - Humaira Ghulam Hussain (Captain), Alisha Aslam, Aman Fatima, Amina Javed, Azra Habibullah, Dura-E-Nayab, Fakhra Abdullah, Fiza Noor, Kalsoom Kakar, Madhur Moolani, Misha Kareem, Ruqia Nazar, Shakira Ahmed and Shamim Amirullah Coaching staff - Aqil Khan (coach) and Rizwan Qureshi (assistant coach) Central Punjab U19 - Shawal Zulfiqar (Captain), Areesha Noor, Eyman Fatima, Farah Imran, Haleema Azeem Dar, Haleema Dua, Jaweria Ali, Komal Khan, Laiba Nasir, Noor Fatima, Quratulain Ahsen, Rida Aslam, Warda Yousaf and Zamina Tahir Chugtai Coaching staff – Mohsin Kamal (head coach) and Shahid Mehmood (assistant coach) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 - Zaibunisa Niaz (Captain), Aleesha Khan, Aliza Khan, Bakhtawar Arifullah, Gule Nayab, Hansa Zair Gul, Humaira Husain, Jalwa Anwar, Javeria Qamar, Mahnoor Aftab, Malaika Afridi, Sumbal Liaquat, Tayyaba Imdad and Tehzeeb Shah Coaching staff – Hajra Sarwar (Coach/Manager), Rehmat Gul (coach) and Riaz Kail (assistant coach) Northern U19 - Maham Anees (Captain), Fatima Sardar, Hadia Mushtaq, Kainat Riasat, Laiba Mubashar, Maheen Irfan, Malaika Noor, Mariyam Shehzadi, Muskan Abid, Noor Fatima, Rida Ashfaq, Sarah Jan Peter, Syeda Hania Zehra and Tahira Malik Coaching staff - Wasim Yousafi (head coach) and Intikhab Alam (assistant coach) Sindh U19 - Aroob Shah (Captain), Abeera Kaleem, Aliza Sabir, Anosha Nasir, Dina Razvi, Eman Adeel, Farhia Fahim, Haniah Ahmer, Kainat Eman Shah, Khizra Rani, Sara Fatima, Taskeen Fatima, Tooba Khan and Wasfa Hussain Coaching staff - Tahir Mehmood (head coach) and Nazim Khan (assistant coach) Southern Punjab U19 - Aqsa Hafeez (Captain), Anam Bibi, Aqsa Yousaf, Eman Fatima, Javeria Asharaf, Javeria Siddique, Laila Manzoor, Muqadas Bukhari, Rimsha Shehzadi, Sahar Fatima, Sana Khan, Sania Mazhar, Shameer Rajpoot and Uzma Iqbal Coaching staff - Kamran Hussain (head coach) and Shakir Qayyum (assistant coach) Reserve players - Areesh Yasin, Ayesha Shahzad, Bushra Bibi, Fatima Ghafoor, Fatima Nadeem, Hasnat Ibrahim, Jennifer Chaudhary, Kiran Akram, Malaika Shahzadi, Memoona Mazhar, Misbah Zaheer, Ramama Nazir, Rida Sajid, Simra Mehboob and Tooba Zafar Tournament schedule (All matches at Lahore Country Club, Muridke) 13 Aug – Central Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Northern v Sindh; Balochistan v Southern Punjab 14 Aug – Balochistan v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Central Punjab v Northern; Southern Punjab v Sindh 16 Aug – Southern Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Central Punjab v Sindh; Balochistan v Northern 17 Aug - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Northern; Central Punjab v Southern Punjab; Balochistan v Sindh 19 Aug – Sindh v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Balochistan v Central Punjab; Southern Punjab v Northern 20 Aug – Semi-finals 22 Aug – Final

Bipin Dani Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has once again delayed the announcement of the squad. The BCB had sought the extension of the August 8 deadline and the team was scheduled to be announced on Thursday and the date has again been deferred. "We will announce the squad on Saturday afternoon", one of the sources said over the telephone from Dhaka. "We will announce the name of the captain and the team on the same day". The reason for postponement of the announcement is likely to be the issue with the biggest star Shakib Al Hasan, who has endorsed a sports betting company on social media.  As per existing laws in Bangladesh, there is prohibition on facilitation and promotion of any gambling related activities. "Let him decide whether he wants to play for the country or stay with betting", the BCB chief Nazmul Hassan Papon has said. Later reports have now suggested that Shakib has disassociated from this betting company. Incidentally, it is not the choice of the selectors but the BCB has a policy to pick a captain. "We have 3-4 names and will announce one among them to lead the side". In the meantime, injured Nurul Hasan Sohan is ruled out, it is also learnt. The 28-year-old wicketkeeper/batter who was injured in Zimbabwe has returned from Singapore after having a successful hand surgery by Dr. Antony Foo.