By Our Special Correspondent ISLAMABAD:-The HBL Pakistan Super League returns with the historic fifth edition set to be played in Pakistan from 20 February to 22 March 2020. This edition will be the first one to be played in Pakistan in its entirety. Since the advent of the league in 2016, the tournament has gradually moved to Pakistan with this year’s edition nothing less than leapfrog for the coveted league. The first edition that included five teams was played entirely in the UAE; the second edition saw the first step towards its homecoming with the final between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The 2018 edition was the first instance that two Pakistani cities hosted the HBL PSL matches. Lahore was host to two play-offs while Karachi staged the final in which Islamabad United prevailed against defending champions Peshawar Zalmi. It was also in this very season that Multan Sultans was added as the sixth franchise. The 2019 season had an unprecedented eight games in Pakistan. Karachi’s National Stadium was the host to all matches, including the three play-offs and the final between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi which Quetta won convincingly to lift the prestigious HBL PSL trophy for the first time. Below is a brief look at the four exciting seasons from 2016-2019. HBL PSL 2016: Islamabad United made history when they beat Quetta Gladiators in the final of the inaugural edition of the HBL PSL to become the first-ever side to lift the prestigious PSL silverware. Islamabad cruised past the 175-run target for the loss of four wickets with eight balls spare in the final staged at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. West Indian Dwayne Smith was named the player-of-the-match for his scintillating 73 (51 balls, 7 fours, 4 sixes). Karachi Kings’ all-rounder Ravi Bopara was named the player-of-the-tournament for his all-round contributions (329 runs at 54.83, 11 wickets at 13.81). The tournament was played on a double-league. Peshawar Zalmi topped the standings at the end of the round-robin stage but lost out on a place in the final after losing both their play-offs to Quetta and Islamabad, respectively. The Zalmi-Gladiators first play-off was settled on the last-ball in front of a packed to capacity and heaving Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Quetta prevailed by one-run to clinch a spot in the final. United’s opener Sharjeel Khan scored the first-ever century in the HBL PSL history. The left-hander’s 117 helped Islamabad to a comprehensive victory over Zalmi on their way to the title. Qalandars’, who finished fifth and final in the standings, had something to cheer about as Umar Akmal topped the batting charts finishing with 335 runs in seven innings at an average of 83.75 and a staggering 157.27 strike-rate. The right-hander hit four fifties in the tournament. United’s Andre Russell topped the bowling charts with 16 wickets in 10 games, Zalmi’s Wahab Riaz took 15 in nine games while Gladiators’ left-arm-spinner Mohammad Nawaz picked 13 wickets in 10 matches. HBL PSL 2017: Zalmi outclassed Gladiators in one-sided final played at the Gaddafi Stadium to lift the glittering HBL PSL 2017 trophy. Zalmi maintained their consistent run and topped the table at the end of the round-robin stage for the second successive time. They, however, had to endure heartbreak for the second successive time when they lost another epic play-off against the Gladiators at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, once again by a solitary run. Chasing a monumental 201 runs to win, Zalmi finished at 199 for nine. The Daren Sammy-led side made a great recovery and unlike the first season, won their second play-off to advance to the final. Batting first in the final, Zalmi posted 148 for six in their 20 overs. Gladiators were dismissed for 90 runs in reply to lose their second consecutive final. Sammy was named the player-of-the-match for his match turning unbeaten 28 off 11 balls (three sixes, one four) and astute leadership. Kamran Akmal with 353 runs in 11 games including a century in the play-off against Kings and 12 dismissals behind the stumps was declared the player-of-the-tournament. He also bagged best batsman and best wicketkeeper of the tournament awards. Kings’ Sohail Khan, with 16 wickets, topped the bowling charts, while Wahab finished on the second-spot on the bowling charts for the second consecutive time collecting 15 wickets in 10 games. HBL PSL 2018: The HBL PSL came to Karachi’s iconic National Stadium for the first time when metropolitan city hosted the final - of what was a glittering season - between the defending champions Zalmi and United. 2/8/2020United won their second title by overcoming Zalmi by three wickets in an exciting final match. Batting first, Zalmi posted 148 for nine, the 148-run final tally was the same as the 2017 final. United, however, chased down the target with 19 balls spare. Luke Ronchi capped off his player-of-the-tournament performances with a brilliant 52 off 26 balls (four fours, five sixes). He added 96 runs for the opening wicket with Sahibzada Farhan (44), a middle-order collapse brought Zalmi back in the hunt before a six-ball unbeaten 26 by Asif Ali including three consecutive sixes of Hasan Ali sealed Zalmi’s fate. Ronchi scored 435 runs in 11 games at an astonishing strike-rate of 182; he averaged 43.50 to earn the most coveted player award in the tournament. Kamran occupied the second spot with 425 runs in 13 games which also included a century against Qalandars in Sharjah. Faheem Ashraf doubled United’s joy with a bowler-of-the-tournament performance (18 wickets in 12 matches). Wahab made it a hat-trick of occupying the second spot on the bowlers chart with 18 wickets in 13 games at 19.11. HBL PSL 2019: It was a case of third time lucky for the Gladiators as they finally made their third appearance in the HBL PSL final count by overcoming Zalmi by eight wickets in the 17 March final played at the National Stadium. The low scoring final was won by Gladiators with a degree of comfort after Zalmi failed to post a sizeable total in the HBLPSL final for the third time. Batting first, Zalmi posted 138 for eight as speedster Mohammad Hasnain and the richly experienced T20 globe trotter Dwayne Bravo shared five wickets between them. Ahmed Shehzad and Rilee Rossouw saw off the chase with an unbroken 73-run third-wicket partnership to give Gladiators a much awaited HBL PSL title. Ahmed scored 58 off 51 balls while Rossouw made 39 off 32 balls. Gladiators’ Australian import Shane Watson dazzled with the bat with a 430-run tally in 12 innings at 43.00 and a strike-rate of 143.81. He hit four half-centuries to top the batting charts topping. Kamran was once again the mainstay for Zalmi producing 357 runs in 13 innings with the help of three half-centuries. United’s Cameron Delport stood third with 355 runs in 12 innings. Hasan Ali had a magnificent season for Zalmi; the right-arm-pacer took 25 wickets in 13 games. Faheem took 21 in 12 games for the United while Wahab was once again among the top three, finishing the tournament with a 17 wicket tally in 13 matches. The HBL PSL five begins in Karachi on 20 February with a dazzling opening ceremony set to keep going the tradition of spellbinding opening ceremonies of the first four seasons. Defending champions Gladiators will lock horns with United in the opening clash just like the two did in the first-ever HBL PSL match back in 2016.

Sports Reporter ISLAMABAD:-Pakistan’s star tennis player Aisam ul Haq Qureshi, along with his British doubles partner Dominic Inglot beat the strong, 2nd seeded pair of Dutch player Roger Julien and Romanian Horia Tecau in the quarterfinal of the ATP Tour World Championships in Montpellier, France. According to Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), in a scintillating encounter, Aisam and Dominic overcame their opponents with the score-line of 7-6, 6-7.11-9. The President PTF Salim Saifullah Khan and the PTF management congratulated Aisam ul Haq Qureshi on this feat.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 7, 2020):-The magical bowling 4 for 59 by Shaheen Shah Afridi restricted visitors on 233 runs in the first Test of ICC Championship at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi on Friday. Earlier, Pakistani skipper Azhar Ali won the vital toss and decided to bowl first in the bowling supporting atmosphere. Bangladesh lost first two wickets on just three runs. Afridi and Abbas sent each one batsman back to pavilion. Tamim Iqbal scored three while Saif could not open his account they got out on the bowling of Abbas and Shaheen respectively.     Later, two contributions Mohammad Mithun (63) and Najmul Hossain (44) have cemented the position of visitors.  Mithun hit seven boundaries and one huge six during his stay on the pitch while his teammate Najmal also showed some resistance and played a responsible innings. Laton Das and Captain Mominul Haque were other major contributors, who scored 33 and 30 runs respectively. Major damage done by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who took four wickets while Mohammad Abbas and Haris Sohail shared two wickets each. Naseem Shah got one a piece while Yasir Shah failed to show impressive performance with the ball. Pakistan will start their inning today (Saturday) Bangladesh Batting: Tamim Iqbal (lbw b Mohammad Abbas) 3 (5 balls) Saif Hassan (c Asad Shafiq b Shaheen Shah Afridi) 0 (2 balls) Najmul Hossain Shanto (c †Mohammad Rizwan b Mohammad Abbas) 44 (110 balls) Mominul Haque (c) (c †Mohammad Rizwan b Shaheen Shah Afridi) 30 (59 balls) Mahmudullah (c Asad Shafiq b Shaheen Shah Afridi) 25 (48 balls) Mohammad Mithun (c †Mohammad Rizwan b Naseem Shah) 63 (140 balls) Liton Das † (lbw b Haris Sohail) 33 (46 balls) Taijul Islam (c Yasir Shah b Haris Sohail) 24 (72 balls) Rubel Hossain (b Shaheen Shah Afridi) 1 (9 balls) Abu Jayed (run out Mohammad Abbas) Ebadat Hossain not out Extras 10 (b 6, nb 3, w 1) TOTAL: 233 all out (82.5 Overs, RR: 2.81) Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Saif Hassan, 0.3 ov), 2-3 (Tamim Iqbal, 1.4 ov), 3-62 (Mominul Haque, 21.5 ov), 4-95 (Najmul Hossain Shanto, 33.6 ov), 5-107 (Mahmudullah, 40.3 ov), 6-161 (Liton Das, 55.3 ov), 7-214 (Taijul Islam, 78.5 ov), 8-229 (Rubel Hossain, 80.6 ov), 9-233 (Mohammad Mithun, 81.2 ov), 10-233 (Abu Jayed, 82.5 ov) BOWLING                        O M            R             W            ECON    WD         NB          Shaheen Shah Afridi       21.5        3              53           4              2.42        1              2              Mohammad Abbas         17           9              19           2              1.11        0              0              Naseem Shah                 16              0              61           1              3.81        0              1              Yasir Shah                        22               2              83           0              3.77        0              0              Haris Sohail                      6 2              11           2              1.83        0              0              Pakistan (Playing XI) Azhar Ali (Captain), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Rizwan (Wicket-keeper), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah. Bangladesh (Playing XI) Mominul Haque Shaerab, Tamim Iqbal Khan, Mohammad Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Litton Kumer Das, Mohammad Taijul Islam, Mohammad Rubel Hossain, Abu Jayed Chowdhury Rahi, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD:-Bangladesh reached the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup final for the first time in their history after Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s century helped them comfortably beat New Zealand by six wickets in their semi-final showdown at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom. The right-hander struck exactly 100 off 127 balls to help his team chase down 212 in just 44.1 overs after their bowlers earlier did the business with the ball to restrict the Junior Black Caps to a modest total. The result sparked wild celebrations and set up a competition finale against India in what will be the third all-Asian final and the first in U19 Cricket World Cup history outside the sub-continent. “Today was a very special innings I played and I am proud of it,” man of the match Joy said. “This is the first time that Bangladesh have got to the final and we are all very happy.” And Bangladesh were full value for their win, dominating the game from start to finish in South Africa’s North West province. After winning the toss and bowling, Shamim Hossain (two for 31) struck with the 11th ball of the match to remove Rhys Mariu (1) and leave New Zealand on the back foot. The opening bowler, along with Rakibul Hasan (one for 35) and Hasan Murad (two for 34) then made further inroads to leave their opponents on 74 for four, before Nicholas Lidstone (44) and Beckham Wheeler-Greenall’s cavalier 75 off 83 balls helped take them to a respectable total. Shoriful Islam (three for 45) also did damage at the other end to finish as the pick of the bowlers. The New Zealanders did manage two early breakthroughs in the form of Parvez Hossain Emon (14) and Tanzid Hassan (3) but Joy and Towhid Hridoy (40) put on 68 to steady the ship. Captain Shahadat Hossain (40 not out) then helped complete the job alongside the centurion – the pair putting on 101 for the fourth wicket – to send Bangladesh through. Scores in brief Bangladesh Under 19s beat New Zealand Under 19s by six wickets, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom New Zealand 211-8, 50 overs (Beckham Wheeler-Greenall 75 not out, Nicholas Lidstone 44; Shoriful Islam 3-45) Bangladesh 215-4, 44.1 overs (Mahmudul Hasan Joy 100, Shahadat Hossain 40 not out; David Hancock 1-31)

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 7, 2020): The Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh will start at 10.00 am at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi. Azhar Ali will lead Green Shirts while Mominul Haque will lead former East Pakistani. Pakistan Squad:  Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Bilal Asif, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Snr, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah Bangladesh Squad:  Mominul Haque (Capt), Tamim Iqbal, Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Soumya Sarkar

Sports Reporter ISLAMABAD (February 6, 2020):-After winning gold medal in the Women’s Giant Slalom category of 4th Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Karakoram International Alpine Ski Cup, talented Pakistani skier Khushim Sahiba also clinched gold medal in the same category of 3rd Malam Jabba International Alpine Ski Cup. She carried on with her superb performance from the opening day of the event and outperformed her opponents on the majestic Malam Jabba ski slope. Elvira Zakarayeva from Azerbaijan won the silver medal, while Umama Wali from Pakistan got the bronze. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian skiers remained unassailable in the Men’s Giant Slalom Category.  It was a close competition between Nazarity Petruk & Ivan Kravchuk, however, Nazarity Petruk earned the gold by getting 1st position. The bronze medal was also won by another Ukrainian Aib Vitalli.  Seasoned skiers from Pakistan Mir Nawaz and Muhammad Abbas also had a wonderful race but they could not finish on the podium.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 5, 2020):-A 14-member Bangladesh cricket squad led by Mominul Haque arrived on Wednesday in the morning at Islamabad International Airport (IIA) to play a Test match at Pindi Cricket Stadium regarding ICC Test Championship. Test match will be played from February 7 to 11. The second Test match of the rubber will be played in April at National Cricket Stadium, Karachi. However, top officials of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) including Zakir Khan and other staff welcomed the cricket team at airport. They presented flowers to the all players. All and officials traveled via Doha, Qatar, as the air-buss landed at 8:00am at IIA on Wednesday. Later, all members reached at a local hotel and they were in tight security and they enjoyed breakfast in the hotel. They hanged “Don’t Disturb” signs on the door and took full rest.          The visitor team will hold the practice session on Thursday at Pindi Cricket Stadium. Pakistani players will also be tuned up in practice session on same day at same venue. Bangladesh: Mominul Haque (Capt), Tamim Iqbal, Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Soumya Sarkar Pakistan: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Bilal Asif, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah  

Sports Reporter ISLAMABAD (February 5, 2020):-Fans will be treated with top-quality broadcast coverage for the Rawalpindi Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh, an ICC World Test Championship fixture which begins on Friday. The broadcast coverage will done by Ten Sports, the PCB’s broadcast partner, through 23 High Definition cameras which will include two super slow spin vision cameras and one ultra-high speed camera. Renowned commentators Ramiz Raja, Bazid Khan, Athar Ali Khan, Shamim Chaudhary and Danny Morrison will bring the action to life and before and after each day’s play the fans will be served an exciting mix of analysis and entertainment through Straight Drive, a hugely popular show.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 5, 2020):-International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the officials for Pindi Test between hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh that will be kicked off from February 7, 2020 at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. Richie Richardson from West Indies will perform the duties of match referee during 5-day fixture. Richie Richardson will return to Pakistan as a match referee when he will be referee in the ICC World Test Championship, as the ICC confirmed the match officials’ appointments. Richardson’s Playing Control Team includes Nigel LIong and Chris Gaffaney as on-field umpires, Marais Erasmus as TV umpire and Shozab Raza as the fourth umpire. It is pertinent to mention here that Richardson last toured Pakistan in September 2017 for the three ICC World XI T20Is at Lahore – which was also his first visit to the country as a match official. The former West Indian cricketer toured Pakistan six times as a player and featured in six Tests and 21 ODIs between 1985 and 1996. This is the first instance that Gaffaney and Erasmus will tour Pakistan, while Llong, who has officiate six ODIs across Karachi (3), Lahore (2), and Multan (1), will return after more than a decade. He last stood as an on-field umpire in Pakistan during the ODI series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in January 2009. The first Test of the two-match series will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 7-11 February. Match officials’ appointments: 7-11 February – 1st Test. Nigel Llong and Chris Gaffaney (on-field), Marais Erasmus (third umpire), Shozab Raza (fourth umpire); Sir Richie Richardson (match referee)  

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February, 4, 2020):-All rounder Bilal Asif, who played five Test and three One Day Internationals and solitary T-20, viewed of on Tuesday that all credit would go to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for restoring the international cricket in Pakistan and it would also be a nice omen for the budding cricketers and cricket future in the country. While answering the various questions of sports journalists at the Media Center of Pindi Cricket Stadium, Off-Spinner Bilal Asif further added that he was happy to get place in the national team after a gap of one year. “I am happy to become a part of national cricket squad and now I will toil hard to produce remarkable performance in the Pindi Test and to cement the place in playing elevens in future, “he replied a question. To another question, Bilal Asif, 34, further said, “We are thankful to Allah Almighty the international teams started to visit Pakistan and we are getting occasions to perform well among the compatriot cricket lovers and they will enjoy the international cricket at their home towns. I always try to play positive cricket and according to the need of time. I love to hit big shorts to entertain the spectators but keep focus on the game according to match situation, “he said. “Weather is not in our control but we are optimistic that there will be nice weather for cricket in upcoming day and people will enjoy good cricket. Our team will play better and make no mistakes during the five-day Test encounter. We will get a better result. At domestic level my performance was good and also worked with ball and bate and hope for best in international fixtures, “he claimed.