Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday named the match officials for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final, which will be played between Australia and India at The Oval cricket ground London from June 7 to 11, 2023.Kiwi umpire Chris Gaffaney and Englishman Richard Illingworth will be the on-field umpires for the Ultimate Test, which has 12 June earmarked as a reserve day to make up for any lost time during the scheduled five days of play.Gaffaney, 48, will be standing in his 49th Test match while it will be the 64th Test for 59-year-old Illingworth, who also stood in the first WTC Final two years ago that New Zealand won with an eight-wicket victory over India in Southampton.Another England umpire, Richard Kettleborough, will also be officiating in a second successive WTC Final, once again appointed as the TV umpire. Kumar Dharmasena of Sri Lanka will be the fourth umpire. Richie Richardson of the West Indies will be the match referee. 

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE):-International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the Australia and India squads for the forthcoming ICC World Test Championship Final, which will be played from June 7 to 11, 2023 at The Oval Cricket Ground London, United Kingdom (UK).According to the media department of ICC, now, any changes to the squad can make with the approval of the Event Technical Committee. Billed as the Ultimate Test, the WTC Final has 12 June earmarked as a reserve day to make up for any loss of play on the scheduled five days.The winners of the WTC Final will take home a purse of $ 1.6 million while the losers will get $ 800,000.Australia Squad:Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Josh Inglis, Todd Murphy, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.Reserves: Mitch Marsh, Matt RenshawIndia Squad:Rohit Sharma (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, KS Bharat, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadakt, Umesh Yadav.Reserves: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav

Aamir Ali JanjuaDubai (UAE):-International Cricket Council (ICC) has unfolded the prize money details of the World Test Championship final, as the winners will pocket $1.6 million. The final between Australia and India will be played from June 7 to 11, 2023 at The Oval cricket ground in London. The side will collect $800,000.According to media department of ICC, the prize money is the same as that for the inaugural edition of the championship in 2019-21, with a total purse of $3.8 million. Black Caps were rewarded with $1.6 million besides the glittering Mace in Southampton two years ago courtesy eight-wicket win over India in the six-day final.All nine ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 participants will get a share in the $3.8 million purse. South Africa have earned $450,000 by finishing third in the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 standings. England who made a late resurgence in the two-year cycle with an aggressive playing style, ended up fourth on the table – a reward of $350,000.Sri Lanka, who were in the running for a place in the final before their series defeat in New Zealand, dropped down to the fifth spot. Their prize money share is $200,000. Sixth-placed New Zealand, seventh-placed Pakistan, eighth-placed West Indies, and ninth-placed Bangladesh will be given $100,000 each. 

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): United States players Ali Khan and Jasdeep Singh, and Jersey’s Elliot Miles have been penalised for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off match in Windhoek on Tuesday. Khan will miss the USA’s next two ODIs or T20Is, whatever comes first, as his accumulated demerit points have reached four within a 24-month period following his latest Code of Conduct breach for which he received a 15 per cent fine and one demerit point. Khan was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match.” Khan had received three demerit points for two separate incidents during a T20I match against Bermuda in November 2021 and with the addition of the latest demerit point, he has reached the threshold of four demerit points which, pursuant to article 7.6 of the Code, have been converted into two suspension points. Meanwhile, Singh has been fined 30 per cent of his match fee and handed two demerit points after he was found to have breached Article 2.12 of the Code, which relates to “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator) during an International Match.” Miles has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point after he was found to have breached Article 2.3 of the Code, which relates to “use of an audible obscenity during an International Match.” Singh and Miles have not had any other offences in the previous 24-month period. All three players admitted their offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Owen Chirombe of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for formal hearings. On-field umpires Andrew Louw and Claus Schumacher, and third umpire David Odhiambo levelled the charges. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): The United States of America (USA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have secured a place at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier after finishing in the top two places of an evenly contested, six-team ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off. USA finished on top of the table with four wins from their five matches, ahead of the UAE on head-to-head, who scored a final-day win over Jersey to level the USA on points. Hosts Namibia and Canada put in some strong performances but fell just short of progressing with three wins each from their five fixtures. Namibia’s Gerhard Erasmus was named Player of the Tournament, with 279 runs in five games at an average of 69.75. USA’s Ali Khan topped the wicket charts with 16 wickets at an average of 12.37. The USA and UAE are now just one stage away from securing a guaranteed nine matches at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 that will be hosted in India later this year. USA captain Monank Patel said: “It's a great feeling to be able to progress to the Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, even though we see this as a big accomplishment for USA Cricket, we the players also know that it's going to require lots of improvements for us to compete with the bigger teams. The players and support staff has worked tirelessly prior and during this event, and the hard work paid off. As I said prior to the play-offs, we have an opportunity to play in two World Cups in less than twelve months, and this group continues to believe and work towards that goal.” UAE captain Mohammad Waseem said: “We are absolutely delighted to confirm our spot for the qualifiers in Zimbabwe. Heading into the tournament in Namibia, we had a clear objective of delivering our best and playing positive and fearless cricket. I want to thank the players and our entire support staff for their untiring efforts that have resulted in our success.  “Our batters have been exceptional for us recently and the bowlers and fielders have backed them up really well. The entire team needs to perform at the same level and display the same commitment and passion for us to excel in Zimbabwe.” To reach the pinnacle global event of One-Day International cricket, USA and UAE will be vying with eight other teams in Zimbabwe for two places. These will include the three automatic qualifiers from ICC CWC League 2 - Scotland, Oman and Nepal - in addition to the bottom five-placed teams in the ICC ODI Super League. Currently, Netherlands, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies are confirmed to feature at the Qualifier in Zimbabwe, while Ireland must beat Bangladesh 3-0 in their upcoming Super League series to leapfrog South Africa and gain direct entry to the World Cup. The Qualifier will be the culmination of four years of hard-fought competition where 32 teams started out in search of a place at what will be the biggest ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup ever.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): The United Arab Emirates have been fined 80 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against Namibia in an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off match in Windhoek on Sunday. Owen Chirombe of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after the UAE were ruled to be four overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. UAE captain Mohammad Waseem pled guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires David Odhiambo and Christopher Phiri, and reserve umpire Isaac Oyieko leveled the charge.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has moved back to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings after leading his side to a 2-1 series victory over Pakistan in Sharjah. Rashid, who took a wicket each in the three matches conceding a total of 62 runs off his 12 overs, has overtaken Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga to take the top position among bowlers. Rashid grabbed the top spot for the first time in his career in February 2018 and was number one most recently in November last year. Mujeeb Ur Rehman, who grabbed two wickets each in the first and third matches, is another Afghanistan spinner to move up, from 10th to eighth position, while fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi’s five wickets in the series see him climb 12 places to a career-best third position. In the batting rankings, Ibrahim Zadran is up four places to 41st and Mohammad Nabi has progressed from 63rd to 58th position. Pakistan’s Imad Wasim, who struck an unbeaten 64 in the second match, has re-entered the batting rankings in 67th position while captain Shadab Khan’s Player of the Match effort of three for 13 in the third match has lifted him six places to 12th among bowlers. Mohammad Wasim is another Pakistan player to move up the bowling rankings, from 32nd to 23rd position. South Africa batters Rilee Rossouw (up two places to sixth) and Reeza Hendricks (up eight places to 12th) have also moved up the rankings while West Indies batter Johnston Charles is up 92 places to 17th after smashing 118 off 46 in the second match in Centurion that saw South Africa achieve a record target of 259 to win the match. In the ODI rankings, Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa has moved up three places to a career best sixth position after his match-winning haul of four for 45 in the third game against India in Chennai while Player of the Series Mitchell Marsh has gained fours slots to reach 51st position among batters with an aggregate of 194 runs in the series. Alex Carey (up two places to 21st among batters) and Pat Cummins (up two places to 16th among bowlers) are other Australia players to advance. India captain Rohit Sharma has inched up one place to eighth and all-rounder Hardik Pandya is up 10 places to 76th among bowlers in the latest update that takes into consideration performances in the Chennai ODI, the last two Zimbabwe versus Netherlands matches, the third Bangladesh versus Ireland match and the first three matches of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off in Windhoek, Namibia. Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal (up two places to 20th), Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus (up two places to 36th) and USA player Aaron Jones (up three places to 49th) are among those to make headway in the batting rankings while Namibia spinner Bernard Scholtz (up two places to 25th), USA left-arm seam bowler Saurabh Netravalkar (up five places to 27th) and Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarbani (up five places to 54th) are among those to advance in the bowling rankings.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): New Zealand’s premier batter Kane Williamson has moved back towards the top spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings while Australia’s Josh Hazlewood is the new No. 1 ODI bowler with India’s Mohammad Siraj slipping to third. Williamson, a formerly top-ranked batter, has moved up four slots to take second position in the list led by Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne after top scoring with 215 in an innings victory over Sri Lanka in Wellington that helped seal their two-match ICC World Test Championship series 2-0. Henry Nicholls, who scored 200 not out and featured in a triple-century partnership with Williamson, has also made rapid progress, moving up 20 places to 27th position. Captain Tim Southee (up one place to 11th) and Matt Henry (up four places to 31st) are the Kiwi players to advance in the bowling rankings. For Sri Lanka, captain Dimuth Karunaratne is in the top 10 with scores of 89 and 51 while Dinesh Chandimal has moved up one slot to 17th with scores of 37 and 62. In the ODI rankings, which considers performances in two matches each of the India-Australia, Bangladesh-Ireland and South Africa-West Indies series, as well as the first match between Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, Siraj has slipped behind Hazlewood and New Zealand’s Trent Boult after India’s 10-wicket loss to Australia in Visakhapatnam. Hazlewood, whose career best second position was attained for the first time in June 2017 and which he had kept since August 2022, is No. 1 in ODIs for the first time. Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc’s eight wickets in the two matches against India see him go to joint-third position with Siraj. Other bowlers to move up the ODI rankings include West Indies’ Alzarri Joseph (up eight places to 11th), India’s Mohammad Shami (up five places to 28th) and Netherlands’ Fred Klaasen (up 22 places to 52nd). In the batting rankings, Quinton de Kock, Shubman Gill and Steve Smith have made marginal progress within the top 10 while Shai Hope and Mushfiqur Rahim have advanced after smashing fine centuries this past week. Hope’s 128 not out in East London has lifted him two places to 12th position while Mushfiqur has gained four slots to reach 18th position after smashing Bangladesh’s fastest ODI century, a 60-ball 100 not out in Sylhet. The South African pair of Heinrich Klaasen (up 13 places to 30th) and Temba Bavuma (up 17 places to 33rd), Lokesh Rahul of India (up three places to 39th) and Australia’s Mitchell Marsh (up 24 places to 55th) have also moved up in the batting rankings.

Faraz Ahmed Kayani ISLAMABAD: The road to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is heating up as hosts Namibia will be joined by the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Papua New Guinea, Canada and Jersey in a round-robin format where the top two teams will earn a place at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier that will be hosted in Zimbabwe from 18 June - 9 July. The Playoff, which is two steps away from the World Cup, features the teams who placed in the bottom four places of the Men’s CWC League 2 and the top spots in the CWC Challenge League A and B respectively after four years of hard-fought competition and is the final opportunity at booking a place in the Zimbabwe Qualifier. Schedule: 26 March 2023 Namibia v USA 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground 27 March 2023 UAE v PNG 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground Jersey v Canada 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 29 March 2023 Canada v USA 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground PNG v Namibia 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 30 March 2023 Namibia v Jersey 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground USA v UAE 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 1 April 2023 UAE v Canada 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground PNG v Jersey 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 2 April 2023 PNG v USA 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground Namibia v UAE 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 4 April 2023 Canada v Namibia 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground USA v Jersey 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 5 April 2023 Jersey v UAE 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground Canada v PNG 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): The ICC has today revealed the names shortlisted for the ICC Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month awards for January 2023 following a blockbuster month of cricket which included a host of bilateral cricket across the globe, and the thrilling climax of the first-ever ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa. ICC Women's Player of the Month nominees for January 2023 Phoebe Litchfield (Australia) After making her international debut in December, 19-year-old Litchfield has made a fast start to 2023, with confident knocks at the top of the order in Australia’s ODI series victory against Pakistan. In a dream ODI debut, the teenager top scored for the hosts with 78 not out to win the first match and claim the Player of the Match award. The second tie saw much of the same, an unbeaten 67 and a superb partnership with Beth Mooney helped Litchfield and her teammates claim a 10-wicket win and the series victory. Beth Mooney (Australia) Mooney has for so long been a reliable performer in the colours of Australia, and the nominee for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in the ICC Awards 2022 picked up where she left off in January. The opener starred in the ODI series against Pakistan, picking up the Player of the Series award despite a slow start to the month. She secured the series win with a fine unbeaten half-century in the second ODI in Brisbane before smashing 133 in the final showdown, resulting in a 101-run victory. Not content with that, The Australian icon scored a further half-century in the subsequent T20I series against the tourists, reinforcing the threat she carries heading into the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which starts in a three days’ time. Grace Scrivens (England) The ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup ended with a flourish, and also set the platform for several young stars to establish themselves on the world stage. One of the shining lights from the tournament was England captain Grace Scrivens, whose leadership skills and individual brilliance took her side all the way to the Final of the inaugural edition. With the bat, she scored three successive half-centuries in victories against Rwanda, Ireland and West Indies and with ball in hand she took nine valuable wickets throughout the tournament at an average of 7.11, earning her the Player of the Tournament award. ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for January: Devon Conway (New Zealand) Conway has become a multi-format talisman for New Zealand in recent years, and he started 2023 in similar style. The opener, who was the ICC Men’s Player of the Month back in June 2021, scored almost 500 runs during the period, with centuries in Test cricket and ODI cricket against strong opposition. Karachi saw Conway’s first and second centuries of the month – a fine 122 not out in the dramatic second Test against Pakistan was followed up with a gritty 101 in a convincing ODI win on a tricky pitch. The opener then carried this form into the series against India, where he ended the month with a brisk 138 from 100 balls where he provided strong resistance against an impressive India bowling attack. Shubman Gill (India) Another talented youngster named among the nominees for Men’s Player of the Month, Gill secures his first nomination for the award on the back of a superb month, most notably in ODI cricket. Scoring 567 ODI runs during the period at an astonishing average of 113.40, his entertaining and powerful strokeplay saw him hit three-figures on three occasions. In a month full of highlights, arguably his best outing was a glittering 208 not out in the series opener against New Zealand in Hyderabad, coming in just 149 balls with 28 boundaries. As well as his successful ODI exploits, Gill churned out 76 runs in T20I cricket during the month. Mohammed Siraj (India) Siraj’s rise to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI bowler rankings has been nothing short of meteoric. Having only made one appearance in ODI’s before last year, Siraj has been a constant performer in the past 12 months, earning him a spot in the recently announced ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year for 2022, and now finds himself at the top of the rankings after another excellent month. Siraj played in 5 ODIs during January, against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, taking 14 wickets at a remarkable average of 10.57 which included back-to-back four-wicket hauls against the two touring sides.