By BIPIN DANI It's not good news for the Bangladesh Cricket Board(BCB). Sri Lankan health ministry professionals have endorsed their earlier guidelines and have been insisting on a 14-day quarantine for the visiting Bangladesh cricket team. This has been confirmed by Dr. Sudath Samarweera, the chief of the Epidemiology Unit, Ministry of Health.   The discussions between the health ministry professionals and the experts from the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 took place on Thursday, where it is "decided" not to relax the quarantine period for the visiting team, or to any overseas visitors arriving in the country.  Speaking exclusively over telephone from Colombo on Friday morning, he said, "there has been no change in our earlier stand and if the Bangladesh team wants to play in Sri Lanka, must undergo a 14-day quarantine".   Dr. Samarweera also declined the split quarantine. The proposal for Bangladesh players was to have a 7-day quarantine in Bangladesh and 7-day in Sri Lanka. "We want them to be in a total quarantine period of 14 days from the day when they land in Sri Lanka", he added. The Hon. Health Minister (Mrs.) Pavithra Wanniarachchi didn't participate in the meeting. "She encourages the professionals to take such decisions", one of the medical persons attached to the department added. The decision will be conveyed to the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board by the acting Director General of Health Services Dr. S. Sreedharan, who earlier had hoped for an amicable solution.  Reactions to this discouraging news from SLC and the BCB are awaited. 

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (September 18, 2020):-Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has decided to establish the training camp from September 21, 2020 at Army Physical Fitness School, Tobe Camp Abbottabad, aiming to Improve the stamina and groom the probables on modern scientific lines, a physical fitness training camp of the national hockey junior players, for the upcoming Junior Asia Cup Hockey Tournament to be played in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 21st to 30th January 2021. The Players are directed to report Camp Commandant Danish Kaleem, on 22nd Sept 2020. OFFICIALS: 1. DANISH KALEEM - HEAD COACH 2. ZAHEER AHMAD BABAR - COACH 3. MOHAMMAD IMRAN -COACH 4. MUDASSAR ALI KHAN -COACH 5. ZAHID AFZAL -COACH 6. ABU ZAR UMRAO -VIDEO ANALYST 7. MOHAMMAD ABID AMIN -PHYSICAL TRAINER On the recommendation of Chairman Selection Committee Manzoor Junior, President Pakistan Hockey Federation Brigadier (R) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar approved the following 35 players for the camp. FULL BACKS 1. ARBAZ AHMAD PLAYER 2. SAMI ULLAH KHAN PLAYER 3. USMAN BASHIR PLAYER 4. MOHAMMAD USMAN PLAYER 5. REHAN BUTT PLAYER 6. AHTESHAM ASLAM PLAYER HALF BACKS 1. MOIN SHAKEEL PLAYER 2. AQEEL AHMED PLAYER 3. RIZWAN ALI PLAYER 4. USAMA PLAYER 5. ASIF HANIF PLAYER 6. MUHIB ULLAH PLAYER 7. MOHAMMAD ABDULLAH PLAYER 8. HASNAIN BABAR PLAYER 9. QAISAR PLAYER 10. ABDUL BASIT PLAYER FORWARDS 1. ROMAN KHAN PLAYER 2. GHAZANFAR ALI PLAYER 3. HAMMAD ANJUM PLAYER 4. MOHSIN KHAN PLAYER 5. ZAIN IJAZ PLAYER 6. ALI AZIZ PLAYER 7. ADEEL LATIF PLAYER 8. MURTAZA YAQOOB PLAYER 9. MOHAMMAD FAHAD PLAYER 10. AFRAZ PLAYER 11. ABDUL MANAN PLAYER 12. UMAIR SATTAR PLAYER 13. ARSHAD LIAQAT PLAYER 14. WAQAR ALI PLAYER 15. RANA WAHEED PLAYER 16. MOHAMMAD BILAWAL PLAYER 17. TAQI-UL-HASSAN PLAYER 18. SHAZAIB KHAN PLAYER 19. HAMMAD AYAZ PLAYER  

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (September 18, 2020):-Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) invited seven goalkeepers for the training camp, as the will participate in the Junior Asia Cup Hockey Tournament to be played in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 21st to 30th January 2021. To groom the goalkeepers on modern scientific lines; the physical fitness training camp of national junior Goalkeepers will be established at National Hockey Stadium, Lahore on 25th September till 5th October 2020. Olympian Nasir Ahmed (PIA) will conduct the goalkeepers training camp and coordinated by Olympian Khawaja Muhammad Junaid. Goalkeepers are directed to report for the training camp at National Hockey Stadium, Lahore on 25th September 2020 afternoon. On the recommendation of Chairman Selection Committee Manzoor Junior, President Pakistan Hockey Federation Brigadier (R) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar approved the following seven goalkeepers for the camp:- 1. Waqar Younas - WAPDA 2. Abdullah Ishtiaq      - MPCL 3. Akmal Hussain - WAPDA 4. Noman - KPK 5. Amjad Ali - SSGC 6. Munib ur Rehman - SSGC 7. Sheikh Abdullah – Sindh

SB REPORT LAHORE (September 17, 2020):-The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced it has terminated the contract of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 international media rights partner following a series of breaches, including matters relating to payments. Techfront International FZE had secured HBL PSL’s international media rights from 2019-2021, but due to a series of contractual violations, the PCB has terminated the agreement. Shoaib Naveed, PSL – Project Executive, said: “The PCB works professionally and with integrity and transparency. In this instance, the partner, despite repeated reminders and discussions, failed to honour its commitment and obligations, leaving the PCB with no other option but to terminate the agreement. “The termination of the agreement at this stage was also necessary so the PCB had sufficient time to start exploiting other avenues and partners for the future HBL Pakistan Super League events. Since its inception in 2016, the HBL PSL has become one of the most attractive and competitive leagues around the world. “The PCB is already in discussions with various sub-licensees and relevant broadcasters in the international territories. The process is already underway to ensure a robust media rights strategy for the HBL Pakistan Super League 2021 and onwards.” The PCB reserves its rights in terms of claiming appropriate remedies and damages, and will be taking strictest possible measures to ensure and safeguard the league’s interests as well as its valuable stakeholders.

SB REPORT LAHORE (September 17, 2020):-As many as 103 players and player support personnel belonging to six Cricket Association First XI squads for the National T20 Cup were invited to their respective central stations today after they tested negative in their first Covid-19 tests. They will undergo their second tests on 18 September under the supervision of the PCB medical team at the central stations, which are Multan’s Hotel Ramada for Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern and Southern Punjab, and Lahore Muridke Country Club for Balochistan and Sindh. Over the course of their stay, the squad members will be provided individual accommodation. One individual tested positive for Covid-19. He has been advised self-isolation for five days at his residence following which he will undergo another test. If that test returns negative, he would be invited to a central station for his second test. Cricketers who travelled to England with the men’s national cricket team are required to submit the results of their first Covid-19 tests on 22 September to the PCB Medical and Sports Sciences Department.

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (September 17, 2020):-A three-day ITF-approved Officiating workshop will start from September 18, 2020 at PTF-Complex Islamabad under the banner of Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF). Shahzad Akhtar Alvi, Head of Officiating-PTF, will be conducting the workshop. Candidates from Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar will participate in this workshop. It is hoped that the workshop will be beneficial not only for the participants but also go a long way in enhancing the technical expertise of our officials, which is extremely important for the overall development of the game in Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention that this will be the first ITF-approved event being organized in Pakistan since the COVID-19 outbreak halted sports activities in Pakistan and worldwide as well.    

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (September 16, 2020):-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) inked a satellite broadcast deal for broadcast in Pakistan with PTV Sports and a further agreement to secure cable distribution with I-Media Communication Services here on Wednesday (today). The agreements were signed in the presence of the Prime Minister who is the Patron of Pakistan Cricket Board. The broadcast deal will be for the 2020 to 2023 cycle. The broadcasting arrangement is structured to provide for increasing revenues over the term of the cycle and PCB expects to earn in excess of US$200 million over the three year term. The Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Ehsan Mani speaking at the occasion thanked the Patron for his unwavering support to PCB and the efforts of the Minister for Information Shibli Faraz and SAPM on Information Lt. General (Retd) Asim Bajwa not only for their support in getting the broadcasting arrangement finalised but their efforts in modernizing PTV Sports and its production capabilities as well as the digitalizing of cable networks. Mani thanked the Chairman and Board of PTV and the MD PTV as well as the President l-Media Communication and Cable Association of Pakistan for their support and efforts in concluding the agreements. The broadcast agreement is for Pakistan only while PCB will be soon finalizing the grant of its broadcast rights for international territories separately as well as launching a new structure for its digital media rights. Under the arrangement all Pakistan International Home Series of the Senior Cricket Team and the Women's and Junior cricket teams will be broadcast live on PTV Sports. Also for the first time all the major Domestic tournaments, including the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the National T-20 Cup, the One Day Pakistan Cup and the National U-19 One-Day and National U-19 Three Day tournaments, will be broadcast live on PTV Sports and distributed across Pakistan on cable networks. The supporting cable distribution agreement, unlike in the past, seeks to ensure that the broadcast content of PCB cricket is not redistributed without proper authorization which was one of the reasons for greatly diminishing the value of PCB content. The matches will be produced by PCB directly to the highest international standards and will not be bulked as part of the broadcasting deal as was done in the past. PCB will ensure broadcast and distribution of Pakistan cricket across the globe. For the first time in almost three decades the broadcasting rights of Pakistan Cricket in Pakistan have been granted exclusively to a Pakistani broadcaster and that too the national broadcaster. This will maximize the opportunity for cricket fans in Pakistan to watch good competitive cricket almost throughout the year and follow the top cricketers and teams they support in the domestic season. PCB plans to invest Rs15 billion over the next three years on Men and Women Domestic Cricket including upgrading of stadiums and infrastructure, building provincial academies and centres of excellence, employment of over 100 former cricketers as coaches and managers for the City Cricket Associations, restarting inter-university cricket, investment in grass roots cricket and improving players' earning and welfare. The broadcast deal also marks the launch of rebuilding PTV's production and broadcast capabilities, with a conversion of PTV Sports to HD broadcast format already in the pipeline to be followed by acquisition of not only international quality production equipment but also training of its staff during the production by PCB of cricket matches in Pakistan. It also seeks to create the impetus to expedite the conversion of analogue cable to digital cable in Pakistan which will go a long way in ensuring all cricket fans receive the highest quality and maximum quantity of cricket content on their television screens. Digital cable will allow cricket lovers to select from simultaneously played live matches and not miss any cricket match.

SB REPORT ISLAMABAD (September 15, 2020):-To ensure health and safety of players, officials and all other stakeholders, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced comprehensive Covid-19 protocols for the 2020-21 domestic season, which begins on 30 September with the National T20 Cup. From the beginning of the season, squad members, match officials, duty doctors and security managers will be placed in bio-secure zones, where they will be able to roam around and interact with each other freely. To ensure that the bio-secure zone is virus free, they will be required to return two negative Covid-19 tests, which is in line with the practices carried out at present in international cricket. Members of the First XI and Second XI squads are required to submit the results of their first Covid-19 tests by 16 and 18 September, respectively. The PCB will reimburse the costs of the first tests and conduct all following tests during the course of the season. Those returning negative results will be invited to PCB designated central stations, where they will undergo second Covid-19 tests under the supervision of the PCB medical team. The second tests of the First XI and Second XI squads will be conducted on 18 September and 21 September, respectively. While traveling to the central stations, the players and support staff personnel will not be allowed to use public transportation, except for air-travel. Upon their arrival at the central stations, they will undergo a disinfection process and will be afforded separate accommodation. Those who test positive in the tests conducted at the central stations will be isolated for five days and tested twice. If these players or support staff personnel continue to test positive, they would have to undergo a two-week-long period of self-isolation and return two negative results before their integration in the bio-secure zone. The players who toured England with the men’s national team for three Tests and three T20Is will travel to Multan on 23 September and after their second negative test will join their respective domestic teams on 25 September as they have been granted a period of relaxation following their 10-week-long tour. To provide ease and comfort to the U19 players and their parents and guardians, the PCB has taken the responsibility to conduct all Covid-19 tests of the teenage cricketers. Their first Covid-19 tests will take place on 1 October. Similar to the Covid-19 practice for the players and player support personnel, match officials will be required to submit their results by 24 September and their second tests will be conducted on 27 September at a PCB designated central station. The PCB realises that the Covid-19 situation continues to evolve throughout the country. It is committed to make efforts to ensure all challenges are dealt with accordingly, keeping the risk factor at an absolute minimum over the course of the season. Venue managers, ground staff, scorers and other officials will remain in the second layer and only in case of emergency they will be allowed to interact with those in the bio-secure zone, while wearing masks and maintaining at least 15-feet distance. During a match, team managers and match officials can interact with the venue manager via cell phones. Players would be advised to sit close to the dressing rooms during the match while social distancing will be maintained during lunch and tea intervals. Any person breaching the bio-secure zone will spend five days in isolation and would have to test negative twice in this period to re-enter the bubble.

SB REPORT LAHORE (September 14, 2020):-The Pakistan Cricket Board has reiterated that the domestic players are not required to resign from their parent departments to obtain contracts for the 2020-21 domestic season, which commences on 30 September with the National T20 Cup. “The PCB is neither asking the players to resign nor to cancel existing contracts with their departments if they are interested in securing player contracts for the 2020-21 domestic season. “All the PCB is asking from the employed and contracted cricketers, in accordance with applicable policies and SOPs, is for them to provide No Objective Certificates (NOC) from their departments so that they can be offered contracts for the 2020-21 domestic season. The issuance of such NOCs is part of the normal course of business; is not only a PCB requirement but that of the departments as well; and is, in fact, an established past practice. “Once the relevant NOC has been issued by the player’s parent organisation and submitted to the PCB, the PCB will make payments in accordance with the terms of the contract it has executed with the player,” the PCB said in a statement. The PCB has already explained that an employed cricketer is eligible for the 2020-21 domestic contract and the PCB will have no objection if the player’s parent organisation also pays him during the term of the 2020-21 domestic player contract. “An employed cricketer can be offered 2020-21 domestic contract provided that the player has submitted the relevant NOC issued by his employer to the PCB in accordance with the rules and regulations applicable to such players. “Whether or not the player will be paid by the employer is a matter between the two entities. The PCB has further explained that two types of contracts will be offered to the high-performing domestic players. “A maximum of 32 players in each Cricket Association will be offered domestic central contracts, while the remaining players will be offered a seasonal contract. “Under the domestic contract, a player will be bound by the obligations of the domestic central contract and will receive a monthly retainer along with match fee, daily allowances, other related benefits etc. wherever applicable. “Under the seasonal contract, a player will be bound by the same obligations as those prescribed under the domestic central contract but will not receive monthly retainer. Such players, however, will be eligible to receive match fee, daily allowances, other related benefits etc. wherever applicable.”

By BIPIN DANI Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes was more popular for his spectacular fielding. As a fielder he won an ODI match single handedly and won the Man of the Match award (Hero Honda Cup, South Africa vs. West Indies, 1993-94, Mumbai). His association with the Swedish Cricket Fwederation (SCF) as a coach will improve the standard of cricket, believes Benn Harradine, the Performance Director. Speaking exclusveily, he said, "We realise that the way to improve the standard is first to invest in coaches and facilitators, and as the standards lift so to will the facilities". "Swedish cricket is developing at a rapid rate. 300% participating increase in the last 2 years. It has been a challenge to manage such an increase as we have different environmental conditions. Its cold for 7 months a year and because cricket is rather new in the nordics, there is not a huge offering of cricket grounds yet", he further added.    "More importantly I believe we are looking at improving the standard of cricket as a whole. Not specifically fielding". "Undoubtably Jonty needs no introduction, his merits speak for themselves. We connected on several occasions and this opportunity came at the right time for him and his family to relocate to Sweden. They are very fond of the lifestyle here in Sweden", he signed off.