Sports Bulletin

T20 Women’s World Cup 2024: Winners to receive $2.34 million, runners-up to get $1.17millionSports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be the first ICC event where women will receive the same prize money as their male counterparts, marking a significant milestone in the sport’s history. The decision was taken at the ICC Annual Conference in July 2023, when the ICC Board took the step of reaching its prize money equity target seven years ahead of its schedule of 2030, making cricket the only major team sport to have equal prize money for its men’s and women’s World Cup events.The winners of the tournament, which will now be staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will receive US$2.34million, a massive, 134 per cent increase on the $1 million awarded to Australia when they clinched the title in South Africa in 2023.The runners-up will receive $1.17 million, an increase of 134 per cent in comparison to the $500, 000 South Africa received for reaching the final on home soil at Newlands Cricket Ground. The two losing semi-finalists will earn $675, 000 (up from $210 000 in 2023), with the overall prize pot totalling $7,958,080, a massive increase of 225 per cent from last year’s total fund of $2.45 million.This move is in line with the ICC’s strategy to prioritise the women’s game and accelerate its growth by 2032. Teams will now receive equal prize money for the equivalent finishing position at comparable events as well as the same amount for winning a match at those events. The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 event prize money is only higher on account of 10 additional teams participating and 32 more matches played.Each win during the group stages will see teams take home $31,154, while the six teams who fail to reach the semi-finals will share a pool of $1.35 million depending on their finishing positions. In comparison, the equivalent pool for the six teams in 2023 was $180,000, shared equally. Teams, who finish third or fourth in their group will take $270,000 each while the teams who finish fifth in their group will both receive $135,000. All 10 participating teams are assured of $112,500.The increase in prize money for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 comes in line with the prize pot for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 also increasing to $3.5 million in total. The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will open on 3 October with Bangladesh taking on Scotland at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): England batter Harry Brook has moved up to fourth position while Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Rizwan have reached career-best positions in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings after their fine performances over the past week.Brook’s scores of 56 and 32 in the first match of their ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka in Manchester has lifted him three places to fourth position, just one adrift of his career-best third position attained following his second-innings century against the West Indies at Trent Bridge last month.Bangladesh batter Mushfiq’s match-winning 191 in the first Test of the WTC series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi has helped him advance seven places to a career-best-equalling 17th position while Pakistan’s Rizwan is in the top 10 for the first time after scores of 171 not out and 51.Others to move up the Test rankings include Sri Lanka batters Dinesh Chandimal (up four places to 23rd) and Kamindu Mendis (up eight places to 36th), Bangladesh’s Liton Das (up two places to 27th) and England’s Jamie Smith (up 22 places to 42nd).In the Test bowling rankings, England’s Chris Woakes is up four places to 16th after taking three wickets each in both innings against Sri Lanka while Asitha Fernando is up 10 places to 17th after also finishing with six wickets in the match.Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah (up four places to 33rd), England’s new-ball bowler Gus Atkinson (up four places to 42nd) and Matthew Potts (up five places to 57th) are the prominent movers in the bowling rankings.In the Men’s T20I Player Rankings, Nicholas Pooran of the West Indies has moved into the top 10 after scores of 65 not out, 19 and 35 in a 3-0 victory over South Africa in Trinidad. South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks is another one to gain, moving up to 13th position.In the bowling rankings, left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein of the West Indies has moved up four places to second position after taking four wickets in three matches. Gudakesh Motie, also a left-arm spinner from his team, is just one position behind Hosein after moving up 10 slots while Romario Shepherd is up to 31st position. 

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Jay Shah has been elected unopposed as the next Independent Chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Shah, who has served as the BCCI Honorary Secretary since October 2019 and Chair of the Asian Cricket Council since January 2021, will assume this prestigious role on December 1, 2024.Shah was the sole nominee for the chairmanship after current Chair Greg Barclay decided not to seek a third term. Upon his election, Shah expressed his intent to advancing the global reach and popularity of cricket, particularly with its upcoming inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympics—a moment he views as a pivotal opportunity for the sport’s growth.Jay Shah said: “I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council. I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalize cricket. We stand at a critical juncture where it is increasingly important to balance the coexistence of multiple formats, promote the adoption of advanced technologies, and introduce our marquee events to new global markets. Our goal is to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before. While we will build on the valuable lessons learned, we must also embrace fresh thinking and innovation to elevate the love for cricket worldwide. The inclusion of our sport in the Olympics at LA 2028 represents a significant inflection point for the growth of cricket, and I am confident that it will drive the sport forward in unprecedented ways.”Shah’s election marks a new chapter for the ICC as it seeks to expand the game’s reach and continue its evolution on the global stage. 

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be moved from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates. The event, scheduled to take place from 3 to 20 October, will now be staged in Dubai and Sharjah.ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “It is a shame not to be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have staged a memorable event. I would like to thank the team at the BCB for exploring all avenues to try and enable the event to be hosted in Bangladesh, but travel advisories from the governments of a number of the participating teams meant that wasn’t feasible. However, they will retain hosting rights. We look forward to taking an ICC global event to Bangladesh in the near future. I’d also like to thank the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to host on behalf of the BCB and Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for their generous offers of support, and we look forward to seeing ICC global events in both of those countries in 2026.”ICC Chair Greg Barclay confirmed to the Board that he will not stand for a third term and will step down from the post when his current tenure finishes at the end of November. Barclay was appointed as the Independent ICC Chair in November 2020, before being re-elected in 2022.Current directors are now required to put forward nominations for the next Chair by 27 August 2024 and if there is more than one candidate, an election will be held with the term of the new Chair commencing on 1 December 2024. 

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday (June 13, 2024) revealed the winners of the ICC Player of the Month awards for May 2024 as Gudakesh Motie of the West Indies and Chamari Athapaththu of Sri Lanka.Left-arm spinner Motie was inspirational as the West Indies enjoyed a promising build-up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 with a convincing series win over touring South Africa, while Sri Lankan skipper Athapaththu celebrates her second ICC Women’s Player of the Month after starring in her side’s surge to qualification for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Bangladesh later this year.ICC Men’s Player of the Month Motie wins the accolade for the very first time, and claims the award following impressive wicket-taking exploits in the West Indies T20I series triumph.The 29-year-old becomes the second West Indies winner of the men’s prize, following in the footsteps of teammate Shamar Joseph who was crowned back in January. During May, Motie took eight wickets at an average of 8.50 across the three-match series in Jamaica, as the islanders gathered valuable momentum in the lead up to their T20 World Cup campaign.Defending a score of 175 in the first contest, Motie played a pivotal part in restricting South Africa’s middle order charge, with his three for 25 including the prized wicket of the dangerous Rassie van der Dussen.With a higher total to defend in the second match, the Guyanese once again hampered a promising South African run chase with career-best figures of three for 22.More success followed in the final outing, with the left-arm spinner exploiting conditions and varying his pace expertly in a spell of two for 21, which heralded a player of the series prize to accompany the series whitewash.Reacting to his award win, the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for May, Gudakesh Motie, said, “It means a lot to me and I am very happy to win this award. It’s very encouraging, I have put in a lot of work during this season and I am happy that I am seeing the rewards now.“The standout performance for me during the series against South Africa was the first game, where I took three for 25. The third wicket that night was my favourite.“Playing in a World Cup means a lot to me, and playing at home in front of our fans and knowing the conditions is also special. We have started strongly, playing three games and getting three wins, and I see us going all the way and lifting that cup on 29 June.”Having won a raft of awards of late, including the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2023, Sri Lanka’s captain Chamari Athapaththu continues her spell of scintillating form by claiming the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for May – her second after previously winning in September 2023.The month heralded plenty of success for the Sri Lanka team, where they cemented their place at this year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Bangladesh with victory at the Qualifier in Abu Dhabi.Athapaththu topped the runscoring charts at the event, and capped another fine spell of performances with 151 runs and six wickets in May, culminating in a sublime yet explosive 102 score in 63 balls against fellow finalists Scotland to guide Sri Lanka to the Qualifier trophy.ICC Women’s Player of the Month for May, Chamari Athapaththu, said, “I am extremely delighted and honored to once again receive the ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award, and wish to mention that continuous recognition at this level keeps me motivated to further up my game and continue the good performance.""I wish to mention here that, both Kathryn [Bryce] and Sophie [Ecclestone] are also two exceptionally talented players with a proven record and wish them the very best, whilst I thank my teammates for their support given to me in this endeavour."

Let’s be honest: 120 was an easily chaseable target. No team has ever defended a lower total at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.Pakistan’s bowling was disciplined and they managed to restrict what is the best batting line-up in the world to just 119.Post-match, Rohit Sharma admitted that India didn’t bat well enough and the early wickets of the skipper and Virat Kohli brought the game to life.They are the backbone of the team and removing them cheaply gave Pakistan plenty of momentum.There has been a lot of talk about the drop-in pitch in New York and the surface was a little slow compared to the batting-friendly pitches we have become accustomed to in T20 cricket.But the pitch should never be used as an excuse and neither captain did so - they know that top-level professionals should know how to adjust to any conditions.Pakistan’s bowlers did very well and at the halfway stage, I believed India’s batters were 35 to 40 runs short of where they wanted to be.In my experience, international cricket and especially the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is all about handling pressure.On the big days, you have to have nerves of steel until you make it through.India stayed positive and calm until the last ball and the pressure of the run chase was not handled well by Babar Azam’s side.The key difference between the two teams was India’s consistency, self-belief, discipline and attitude on the field.The Pakistan batting line-up simply isn’t clicking and what we saw was a weak display of power hitting.For several reasons, this game wasn’t about playing aggressively. But strategy and smart cricket were required to get the run chase over the line, and those qualities are exactly what Pakistan lacked.India have now won seven of their eight matches against Pakistan at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and Pakistan fans are highly disappointed.First, Pakistan lost to hosts USA in a close game and now they have lost to India when they had only a small total to chase.The next match is against Canada at Nassau County International Stadium tomorrow and it goes without saying that this is a must-win game.I think now is the time for Gary Kirsten and Babar Azam to make some changes.I would like to see Salman Ali Agha come into the side in place of Usman Khan and Abrar Ahmed to come in for Shadab Khan.Most of all, I believe Fakhar Zaman should be promoted to open the innings alongside Mohammad Rizwan, with Babar dropping down to number three.There are some tough conversations and choices to come but we need to remember that there is still hope: Pakistan are not out of the tournament yet. 

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday announced Pakistan’s iconic all-rounder Shahid Afridi as the latest name on the star-studded roster of Ambassadors for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies which begins on 1 June.A veteran of six T20 World Cups, two of which as captain, Afridi spearheaded Pakistan’s 2009 triumph with a Player of the Match performance in the final at Lord’s, and will feature in a range of promotional activities around the World Cup and lend expert insights to the event through a series of guest columns.Shahid Afridi, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009 winner, said: “The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is an event that is very close to my heart. From being Player of the Tournament in the inaugural edition to lifting the trophy in 2009, some of my favourite career highlights have come from competing on this stage. T20 World Cups have gone from strength to strength in recent years, and I’m thrilled to be part of this edition, where we will see more teams, more matches and even more drama than ever before. I am particularly excited to witness the India v Pakistan fixture on 9 June. It is one of the great rivalries in sport and New York will be a fitting stage for this unmissable encounter between two great teams.”Claire Furlong, ICC General Manager, Marketing and Communications, said: “Shahid competed in six ICC Men’s T20 World Cups, two of which as captain and delivering a Player of the Match performance when winning the trophy in 2009, so who better to join our all-star Ambassador team. He’s a fan favourite around the world and alongside Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle and eight-time Olympic gold-medallist Usain Bolt, will be bringing fans closer to the event ahead of what is set to be the biggest T20 World Cup ever.”

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) today (May 5) announced the fixtures for the ninth ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 taking place from 3 to 20 October in Bangladesh, an event that promises to inspire and connect with a new generation of fans across the globe.Ten teams will play 23 matches, over 18 action-packed days, at two venues in Bangladesh, the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka and the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet as the world’s best battle it out for the ultimate prize in T20 cricket.The schedule was unveiled at an event in Dhaka, attended by Nazmul Hassan, President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board alongside Geoff Allardice, CEO of the ICC and the Captains of India and Bangladesh women’s team- Harmanpreet Kaur and Nigar Sultana respectively.Before the official fixture launch, Honourable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina met the two captains at her residence, offering her best wishes for a successful World Cup.ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 fixtures: Thursday, 3 October 2024: England v South Africa, Dhaka, 15h00Bangladesh v Q2, Dhaka, 19h00Friday, 4 October 2024: Australia v Q1, Sylhet, 15h00India v New Zealand, Sylhet, 19h00Saturday, 5 October 2024: South Africa v West Indies, Dhaka, 15h00Bangladesh v England, Dhaka, 19h00Sunday, 6 October 2024: New Zealand v Q1, Sylhet, 15h00India v Pakistan, Sylhet, 19h00Monday, 7 October 2024: West Indies v Q2, Dhaka, 19h00Tuesday, 8 October 2024: Australia v Pakistan, Sylhet, 19h00Wednesday, 9 October 2024: Bangladesh v West Indies, Dhaka, 15h00India v Q1, Sylhet, 19h00Thursday, 10 October 2024: South Africa v Q2, Dhaka, 19h00Friday, 11 October 2024: Australia v New Zealand, Sylhet, 15h00Pakistan v Q1, Sylhet, 19h00Saturday, 12 October 2024: England v West Indies, Dhaka, 15h00Bangladesh v South Africa, Dhaka, 19h00Sunday, 13 October 2024: Pakistan v New Zealand, Sylhet, 15h00India v Australia, Sylhet, 19h00Monday, 14 October 2024: England v Q2, Dhaka, 15h00Thursday, 17 October 2024: Semi Final 1, Sylhet, 19h00Friday, 18 October 2024: Semi Final 2, Dhaka, 19h00Sunday, 20 October 2024: Final, Dhaka, 19h00

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced India legend Yuvraj Singh as an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador, with just 36 days to go until the pinnacle global event for T20 cricket gets underway.Yuvraj, who famously hit 36 runs in an over during the first ever T20 World Cup in 2007 which he and India ultimately won, will attend a range of exciting World Cup promotional events in the United States in the lead-up to and during the T20 showpiece, including the highly anticipated India versus Pakistan fixture in New York on 9 June.Yuvraj Singh, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2007 champion, said: "Some of my fondest cricketing memories have come from playing at the T20 World Cup, including hitting six sixes in an over, so it’s very exciting to be part of this edition, which is set to be the biggest one yet.“The West Indies is a great place to play cricket with the fans coming to watch creating a vibe that is completely unique to that part of the world, while cricket is also expanding in the USA and I’m excited to be part of that growth through the T20 World Cup.“India’s clash against Pakistan in New York is going to be one of the biggest sporting fixtures in the world this year, so it’s a privilege to be a part of and to witness the best players in the world playing in a new stadium.”Claire Furlong, ICC General Manager - Marketing & Communications, said: “It’s an honour to have Yuvraj as an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Ambassador. His name is synonymous with the T20 World Cup, owning one of the event’s most iconic moments when he became the first player to hit six sixes in a T20 International. He joins Chris Gayle and Usain Bolt as the first ambassadors to be announced, who will each add to the excitement of what will be the biggest T20 World Cup ever.”

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): New Zealand batter Mark Chapman and Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi have made notable gains in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings after their Player of the Match performances in the ongoing five-match series which is level 1-1 after three matches.Left-handed Chapman’s unbeaten 87 off 42 balls in the third match has lifted him 12 places to 33rd position in the latest weekly update while left-armer Shaheen’s haul of three for 13 in the second match has helped him move up two places to 17th position.Wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert is another New Zealand batter to gain in the rankings, moving up from 27th to 24th while leg-spinner Ish Sodhi has progressed from 23rd to 18th position.Meanwhile, Dipendra Singh Airee has become the fourth player from Nepal to reach the top 50 in the Men’s T20I Batting Rankings after scoring an unbeaten 44 against Hong Kong in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Men’s Premier Cup.The others to reach the top 50 from Nepal are Kushal Bhurtel (27th in March 2022), Paras Khadka (42nd in September 2019) and Rohit Paudel (45th in March 2024).Airee’s 11th position in the all-rounders’ rankings is the highest for Nepal, with the next best being Kaushal Malla’s 25th position.Hong Kong’s Anshuman Rath (up seven places to 70th) and the United Arab Emirates’ Alishan Sharafu (up 29 places to 88th) among batters, and Nepal’s Sompal Kami (up 16 places to 92nd) among bowlers, have also progressed following their performances in the ACC Men’s Premier Cup.