By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (March 6, 2020):-As part of International Women’s Day celebrations (March 8), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be acknowledging Olympics swimmer Kiran Khan  and Sarah Mahboob, Pakistan’s number-one ranked tennis player, for their services through the Hamaray Heroes platform. Kiran, also known as ‘golden girl’, represented Pakistan at the age of just 13 in the Commonwealth Games 2002 in Manchester, England. She has been recognised by the World Olympians Associations for serving Pakistan in multiple Olympic events and is a recipient of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s civilian award. Over the course of her career, Kiran has bagged 327 national gold medals and 47 medals in international competition. Sarah is the first woman tennis player from Pakistan to secure qualification in the main draw of an International Tennis Federation’s tournament – a feat that she achieved in 2010. In 2004, she became the youngest-ever Pakistan national champion, at the age of only 14, and the right-handed player is currently top-ranked in Pakistan. Hamaray Heroes is a user-based campaign, launched before the start of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020, in which fans and followers nominated the unsung heroes of the nation through the HBL PSL website. In an another initiative to promote, appreciate and highlight the integral and important role of women in our society, Pakistan national women’s cricket team members will attend the Lahore Qalandars and King Kings’ match and will lead the playing teams from the dug-outs to the middle. Separately and in continuation of the ongoing ‘March Madness’ special discount offer, the women buyers will also be awarded 30 per cent off on the tickets for the VVIP, VIP and Premium category enclosures for the last 11 HBL PSL 2020 group matches, which run from 7-15 March. The tickets can be purchased from the TCS outlets. PCB Director – Commercial, Babar Hamid, said: “Women are an integral part of any society and play an enormous role in its development. “The PCB being a responsible organisation has decided to use the HBL PSL 2020 platform to celebrate the women of our country and create awareness regarding the issues surrounding gender gap and to make our society more inclusive.”

SB News ISLAMABAD (March 6, 2020):-The International Cricket Council has named Pakistan’s Ahsan Raza as an on-field umpire for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 final, which will be played between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, 8 March. Ahsan’s on-field partner will be Kim Cotton, while Gregory Braithwaite will be the third umpire and Langton Rusere as the fourth umpire. Chris Broad of the Elite Panel of Match Referees will lead the playing control team. Ahsan, a member of the ICC’s International Panel of Umpires, was also appointed on-field umpire for the semi-final between India and England, which was washed-out in Sydney on Thursday. As a wicketkeeper-batsman, he played 21 first-class matches from 1993-2000, scoring 192 runs and dismissing 63 batsmen behind the wickets.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (March 5, 2020):-Shoaib Malik’s second half-century of the season and captain Wahab Riaz’s three-fer handed Peshawar Zalmi a 30-run win over Quetta Gladiators at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday. In a contest truncated to 15 overs per innings because of a delayed start due to rain, the 38-year-old smashed a 27-ball 54, playing a crucial role in taking his side’s score to a mammoth 170 for six after Sarfaraz Ahmed, the Quetta Gladiators captain, elected to field first. Malik crafted a 54-run partnership for the third-wicket with 19-year-old Haider Ali, who made 39 runs from 24 balls with four fours and two sixes, after the dismissals of both openers inside the Powerplay overs – the first five overs for this match. Zalmi lost Imam-ul-Haq, playing his first match of the season, in the second over and the pressure amplified on the batting side with the dismissal of Kamran Akmal, who scored 23 off 12 balls and struck two fours and two sixes, in the fifth over. But, the partnership between Malik and Haider followed by Lewis Gregory’s quickfire eight-ball 19 – coming on the back of two sixes – took Zalmi to a daunting total. Gladiators’ pacer Mohammad Hasnain starred with the ball with four wickets for 34 runs in three overs, the maximum allocation of overs for a bowler for this match. Gladiators were provided a flying start by the opening pair of Jason Roy and Shane Watson as they accumulated 27 runs in the first two overs. But, Hasan Ali brought Zalmi back into the contest in the third over of the match by giving away only six runs. In his next over, the fifth of the innings, Hasan put the first dent in the run-chase with the wicket of Watson (19 off 14). Roy, who made 45 from 26 balls on the back of five fours and two sixes, continued to attack the opposition but failed to get the desired support from the other end as Ahmed Shehzad (10 off 17) struggled to get going. The Englishman was bowled by Yasir Shah on the last ball of the eighth over. The turning point of the match, however, came in the 11th over. Wahab, the Zalmi skipper, struck on back to back deliveries, accounting for the wickets of Shehzad and Ben Cutting (17 off seven). The left-arm pacer bowled Sarfaraz on the last ball of the 13th over and returned three for 21 in three overs. Rahat Ali was the other bowler who shone with two wickets for 34 runs, while Hasan and Yasir finished with one wicket each in their accounts. For his match-defining innings, Malik was named man of the match. With this win, their third in seven matches, Zalmi have leapfrogged Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings to secure third spot with seven points next to their name, while Gladiators slip to the fifth spot with three wins and four defeats from seven matches. Scores in brief Peshawar Zalmi 170-6, 15 overs (Shoaib Malik 54, Haider Ali 39, Kamran Akmal 23; Mohammad Hasnain 4-34) Quetta Gladiators 140-7, 15 overs (Jason Roy 45; Wahab Riaz 3-21, Rahat Ali 2-34) Result Peshawar Zalmi win by 30 runs

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (March 5, 2020):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that the second series of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League A set to begin on 16 March in Malaysia has been postponed due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The 11-day tournament was scheduled between 16 and 26 March and involves teams from Canada, Denmark, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore, and Vanuatu. Due to a rapidly developing heath emergency with increasing travel difficulties between countries and potential uncertainty arising for individuals returning to their country of origin, the decision was taken to postpone the event to later in 2020. ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said: “We have made the difficult decision to postpone the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League A due to the Coronavirus outbreak. We have been monitoring the situation very closely and have concluded that the best course of action is to postpone the event owing to the increasing travel difficulties between countries and the potential uncertainty around teams returning home. “I would like to thank the Malaysian Cricket Association and all participating Members for their support. The wellbeing of everyone involved is our first priority and we look forward to the event being played later in the year.” The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League A is three steps away from the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 to be hosted in India. 12 teams will compete in Challenge League A and B once a year respectively in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The league will see a total of 90 competitive 50 over List A matches for teams ranked 21-32. The top team in each league at the culmination of the competition will secure two of the six places in the Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-Off to be held in 2022, alongside the bottom four of Men’s CWC League 2.

SB News LAHORE (March 5, 2020):-The fans attending the HBL PSL 2020 fixtures at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore have access to top-class first aid facilities as the Punjab Government has set up a 20-bed temporary hospital at the ground floor of the National Hockey Stadium. The 32-staff hospital, which is approximately 200 metres away from the stadia, will be operational till 23 March, a day after the HBL PSL 2020 final, and its operations are being looked after by General Hospital. The staff includes five doctors – a senior general physician, a general physician, a heart specialist, an orthopedic and an eye-specialist – and 12 paramedical staff. The temporary hospital is equipped with an operation theatre, a laboratory for tests, a pharmacy and a rescue ambulance. For the convenience of the fans, the medical services and the medicine are free of cost. Such facilities are also available at the other venues where the HBL PSL 2020 matches are being staged. Six-bed hospital at Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre,  Karachi A six-bed temporary hospital has also been set-up in Karachi at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre, which is adjacent to the National Stadium. The temporary hospital has been put in place by Sindh Government and includes a mini operation theatre, a pharmacy, a laboratory and equipment for X-ray scans. Three-bed hospital at ARID University, Rawalpindi A three-bed temporary hospital has also been set-up at ARID University near the Pindi Cricket Stadium to provide first aid to the fans coming in for the HBL PSL 2020 matches in Rawalpindi. The hospital has a staff of 10 doctors and four nurses and is run by Punjab Government. Similarly, during the Multan leg of the HBL PSL 2020, a 10-bed temporary hospital was established inside the Multan Cricket Stadium. PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer, who visited the temporary hospital at the National Hockey Stadium, said: “Having medical facilities of such a calibre available for the cricket fans is perfectly in line with the PCB and Government’s policies of keeping the fans’ health and safety at the forefront. “The PCB too has a duty of care towards the fans coming to watch the HBL PSL 2020 fixtures and it is collaborating with local authorities across the country to ensure all necessary steps are being taken to provide fans a safe environment. “The HBL PSL 2020 has turned out to be a massive success. The matches have been fought hard and the fans are filling the stadiums across Pakistan. With the competition entering its latter half from today, I am sure the fans will be served with enthralling cricketing action.” In case of an emergency during HBL PSL 2020 fixtures at the Gaddafi Stadium, please contact: Rescue 1122 – contact number: 1122 Dr Rana Shafiq – contact number: 03334232315 In case of an emergency during the HBL PSL 2020 fixtures at the National Stadium, Karachi, please contact: Dr Kamran Saeed Rizvi – 03332220760 In case of an emergency during HBL PSL 2020 fixtures at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, please contact: Dr Khalid Janjua – 03005151964

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (March 5, 2020):-Australia will face India in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 final after the hosts came through a nerve-shredding semi-final against South Africa in Sydney. Meg Lanning led from the front to score 49 before taking two brilliant catches in the Proteas’ chase of 98 in 13 overs, adjusted by the DLS method following rain at the SCG. Dane van Niekerk’s side gave it their all but fell five runs short of a maiden Final, with Australia now just one win away from a fifth Women’s T20 World Cup title. They’ll face India at the MCG on 8 March – International Women’s Day – after their semi-final against England was abandoned without a ball bowled. “We’ve had a lot thrown at us this tournament and to be able to come together at a really big moment is certainly special,” said Lanning. “We’ll enjoy the win knowing there’s something massive coming up in the next few days. “You can never rest and think you’ve got it in the bag, not even with the last few balls. South Africa played really well and took it right to the end. "We never came into this World Cup thinking it would just happen and it was going to be easy. We knew it was in for a fight and that's exactly what happened. “We weren't owed anything. We're not here to defend it, we're here to win it. “We were confident if we bowled well we would get a result. We had our moments of good and bad but we managed to hold on until the end.” Van Niekerk elected to bowl first with further bad weather forecast but Australia openers Alyssa Healy (18) and Beth Mooney (28) started in good fashion. Ayabonga Khaka broke the partnership on 34 with Van Niekerk snaffling Healy at midwicket, though Mooney and captain Lanning avoided any further damage early on. South Africa dried up the runs with nearly six overs between boundaries after Mooney’s dismissal, bowled by Nadine de Klerk – playing just her second game of the tournament. She wasn’t done there either, having Ashleigh Gardner caught behind before bowling Rachael Haynes (17) to finish her four overs with three for 19. Jess Jonassen also fell cheaply as Australia lost three wickets for three runs to sit at 71 for four in the 11th over. Lanning, who boasts a superb record in T20I knockout cricket, then continued her form to guide the innings with Haynes and then Nicola Carey. Australia finished on 134 for five but the Proteas’ chase was initially halted by rain, with Van Niekerk and Lizelle Lee preparing for a revised target when the weather relented. A superb slog sweep from Van Niekerk got them going but when the captain was bowled by a wonderful Megan Schutt (two for 17) in-swinger, her side were 23 for two at the end of four overs. Lee had earlier fallen in Molineux’s first over of the Women’s T20 World Cup before Mignon du Preez was dismissed by Delissa Kimmince, thanks to a wonderful low catch from Lanning. It was then up to Sune Luus and Laura Wolvaardt (41 not out) to strive for the 43 needed from 24 balls, with the latter picking up where she left off against Pakistan with some glorious cover drives. Luus then holed out to long-off off Schutt, while skipper Lanning again took a blinder to dismiss the dangerous Chloe Tryon as South Africa fell agonisingly short of their maiden Final. “We’ve only been in three knockout games, Australia have been in countless,” said Van Niekerk. “I have to give them credit for getting from where they started the tournament to where they are now. You can never write off the number one team in the world and they showed tonight why they are. “It comes with experience and confidence. They are the deserved number ones at the moment. “I can’t take anything away from anyone. The culture of this team is incredible. “I really hope we can get a win over Australia soon. I thought tonight was the night but it wasn’t meant to be. I was really calm when I arrived at the ground. I really hope the final gets the 90,000 people the tournament deserves.” Never before have India reached the Women’s T20 World Cup Final but their bid for history won’t stop there as they look to upset the four-time champions in Melbourne. No play was possible in their match with England, with India progressing on account of finishing atop Group A, while Heather Knight’s side were Group B runners-up behind South Africa. The Final match-up also offers a repeat of the very first game of the tournament, a contest India won to launch their unbeaten campaign and reach the MCG. “We knew from day one when we were going to start this tournament that we would have to win all our games,” said captain Harmanpreet Kaur. “If we didn’t get a match, we knew whoever is at the top in the group would play in the Final and that’s how we started. “We were all ready to play. We all were hoping the rain would stop, these games are very important because everybody was looking to watch. “We were looking to play because a semi-final against England is a high-quality game and we didn't want to miss out.” Scores in brief India v England – match abandoned, Sydney Cricket Ground Australia beat South Africa by five runs (DLS method), Sydney Cricket Ground Australia 134-5, 20 overs (Meg Lanning 49 not out, Beth Mooney 28; Nadine de Klerk 3-19) South Africa 92-5, 13 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 41 not out, Megan Schutt 2-17) ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 Final: 8 March: India v Australia, 18h00, Melbourne Cricket Ground

Sports Reporter ISLAMABAD (March 4, 2020):-The Pakistan Cricket Board today confirmed it has accepted the request of the Bangladesh Cricket Board to reschedule the one-off One-Day International to allow its men’s national team more time to prepare for the second ICC World Test Championship Test, which commences at the National Stadium from 5 April. The ODI was originally planned for 3 April in Karachi, but will now be held on 1 April at the same venue with the Bangladesh team now scheduled to arrive on 29 March in Karachi. Pakistan are ranked sixth on the ICC ODI team rankings, 12 points ahead of seventh-ranked Bangladesh. PCB Director – International Cricket, Zakir Khan, said: “The PCB is always happy to facilitate wherever it can and will be delighted to host the Bangladesh men’s national team for additional days in Karachi. There is already a lot of excitement and buzz about the upcoming international matches and the PCB expects the quality of cricket will live up to the expectations of the fans and followers.” Pakistan won the first Test in Rawalpindi by an innings and 44 runs. Pakistan is presently sitting fifth on the points table with 140 points from five Tests. A win in Karachi will help Pakistan leapfrog New Zealand (180 points in seven Tests) and England (146 points in nine Tests) into third place. India leads the championship table with 360 points, followed by Australia (296 points). The top two sides in the nine-team competition will qualify for the final to be held in England next year. 1 April – Only One-Day International, National Stadium 2-4 April – Practice 5-9 April – 2nd ICC World Test Championship Test, National Stadium

SB News LAHORE (March 4, 2020):-A record partnership between Ben Dunk and Samit Patel orchestrated Lahore Qalandars’ first HBL PSL 2020 win as they defeated Quetta Gladiators by 37 runs at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Dunk and Patel crafted an incredible partnership of 155 runs, the highest fourth-wicket stand and second highest overall in HBL PSL history, in 73 balls to help Qalandars to a mammoth 209 for five. Dunk, who batted at one-drop, smashed 10 sixes, the most in an HBL PSL innings, as he scored a blistering 93 at a strike-rate of over 216. The Australian wicketkeeper-batsman struck Mohammad Nawaz, the left-arm orthodox, four sixes in an over in his 43-ball knock, which also included three fours. For his match-winning innings, Dunk was named man of the match. From the other end, Patel also scored at a brisk rate which amplified the woes for Gladiators, the defending champions. The all-rounder scored 71 runs from 40 balls, smashing nine fours and two sixes. The pair had come together with Qalandars struggling at 50 for three after Mohammad Hafeez’s first-ball duck in the eighth over. Their extraordinary power-hitting set alight the crowd filled to the stadium’s 27,000-capacity. Both batsmen were dismissed by Ben Cutting, who with two wickets for 36 runs in three overs was the most successful bowler for Sarfaraz Ahmed-led Gladiators. Mohammad Nawaz, Fawad Ahmed and Mohammad Hasnain picked a wicket each. Gladiators faltered right from the onset of their run-chase as they lost three wickets in the Powerplay as Patel and Dilbar Hussain added two and one scalps to their tally. Gladiators spent their remaining innings looking to rebuild their innings and a late surge by Ben Cutting (53 off 27, three fours and five sixes) gave a ray of hope, but Qalandars’ bowlers continued to strike at regular intervals. Salman Irshad, who came in as a replacement for Haris Rauf, was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets for 29 runs. Patel, Dilbar and Mohammad Faizan were the other bowlers to have wickets in their accounts as they picked up two scalps each. Gladiators were bowled out for 172 on the last ball of their innings. On Wednesday, Lahore Qalandars play Islamabad United at the Gaddafi Stadium. Scores in brief Lahore Qalandars 209-5, 20 overs (Ben Dunk 93, Samit Patel 71, Chris Lynn 27; Ben Cutting 2-36) Quetta Gladiators 172 all-out, 20 overs (Ben Cutting 53, Mohammad Nawaz 24, Shane Watson 23; Salman Irshad 4-29, Dilbar Hussain 2-11, Mohammad Faizan 2-29, Samit Patel 2-31) Result Lahore Qalandars win by 37 runs

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (March 3, 2020):-Pakistan women finished off their ICC Women’s T20 campaign with a rain abandoned match against Thailand women at the Sydney Showground Stadium on Tuesday. Heavy rain and showers after Thailand’s innings forced a premature end to the match without a single ball bowled in Pakistan’s 151-run chase. Pakistan finished the tournament with three points from four Group B games. They beat West Indies by eight wickets in their opening match before losing to England and South Africa which ended their hopes of a semi-final spot from the five-team group. Earlier on Tuesday, Thailand won the toss and opted to bat first. Openers Nattakan Chantam and Nattaya Boochatham got their team off to a flying start courtesy a 93-run first wicket partnership. Boochatham was dismissed for 44 (40 balls, 8 fours) in the 14th over by spinner Anam Amin, Chantam went on to complete her half-century (56 off 50 balls, 10 fours), she was sent packing by Diana Baig who took a fine catch off her own bowling in the 16th over. Chanida Sutthiruang (20 off 15 balls, two fours) and wicketkeeper batter Nannapat Koncharoenkai (20 not out off 13 balls, three fours) carried on the good work done by the openers by maintaining the tempo in the death overs.  Thailand finished their 20 overs at an impressive 150 for three (Highest T20I total for Thailand), Nida Dar (1-17), Diana Baig (1-21) and Aman Amin (1-40) took the three Thailand wickets to fall. Scores in brief: Thailand Women 150 for 3, 20 overs (Nattakan Chantam 56, Nattaya Boochatham 44; Nida Dar 1-17, Diana Baig 1-21)

Sports Reporter ISLAMABAD (March 3, 2020):-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today advised its national women’s team not to lose heart after their failure to qualify for their maiden semi-final in an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Seventh-ranked Pakistan clinically defeated 2016 champions and fifth-ranked West Indies in their opener, but then lost back-to-back matches against number-two ranked 2007 champions England and sixth-ranked South Africa. Pakistan’s final league match in Group-B against Thailand was washed out after the 11th ranked had set the green shirts a 151-run target. Urooj Mumtaz, Chair of the women’s selection committee said: “The impressive eight-wicket victory against the West Indies, had given all of us the hope that the Pakistan national women's team will qualify for the semi-finals. So, from that perspective, it was disappointing to see the girls finish with three points. “The absence of the captain, Bismah Maroof, for the South Africa fixture due to a communitive fracture in her right thumb affected the team's combination and moral. Bismah brings vast experience and stability in the batting line along with impressive qualities as a leader, both of which were severely missed in the remaining games. “Nevertheless, we are satisfied to see that the girls are continuing to progress by making strides in the upward direction. The experience and exposure gained from this tournament will certainly help the players improve further and narrow the gap with the top sides.” Pakistan’s eight-wicket victory over the West Indies was only their seventh in 28 matches in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup since 2009. Their previous wins were against India (2012 and 2016), Ireland (2014 and 2018), Sri Lanka (2014) and Bangladesh (2016). “In the 50-over ICC Women's Championship 2017-2020, Pakistan are fifth on the points table - ahead of New Zealand and the West Indies. So, overall there has been an improvement in the standard of women's cricket and with the investment the PCB is making at the grassroots level and the opportunities being offered at the international level, we remain optimistic that soon Pakistan will become a top competitive side. “During the tournament, Nida Dar and Javeria Khan became third and fourth Pakistan woman cricketers to complete a century of T20Is after Bismah and Sana Mir. On behalf of the PCB, I want to congratulate both on their achievements and I am sure they will continue to serve the country with distinction in years to come," former captain Urooj Mumtaz said.