Sports Bulletin

Salman Khan MULTAN (February 26, 2020):-An unbroken 77-run fifth wicket partnership between Rilee Rossouw and Khushdil Shah guided Multan Sultans to a comfortable six wicket win over Peshawar Zalmi in the first-ever HBL Pakistan Super League match at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Enjoying the support of a vociferous home crowd, Multan recovered from a shaky 47 for four in 6.1 overs to get past their 124-run target with nine balls to spare. The left-handed pair of Rossouw and Khushdil took the team to the victory with contrasting batting performances. While Rossouw grafted his way to a 42-ball 47 (seven fours and one six), Khushdil used the long handle to great effect in his 43 that came off 29 balls and included four fours and two sixes. The two stabilised the chase first before taking the charge against a fired-up Zalmi attack that fought hard despite a low total to defend. Left-armer Wahab Riaz took two quick wickets, fellow pacer Hasan Ali removed James Vince for five in the opening over. Wahab took the wickets of Shan Masood (8) and Zeeshan Ashraf (12) while Rahat Ali dismissed Moeen Ali (2) but their efforts wen in vain eventually as Rossouw and Khushdil finished the job for the Sultans. Earlier Sultans captain Shan won the toss and opted to field first. His decision paid rich dividends as Tom Banton (4) fell in the first over to a terrific catch by the veteran Shahid Afridi off Mohammad Irfan. The prolific Kamran Akmal, who had scored a century in Zalmi’s win over Gladiators on Saturday, fell for 15. Shoaib Malik and Liam Livingstone fell cheaply as Zalmi were reduced to 41 for four in the sixth over. The talented youngster Haider Ali batted with great deal of confidence in his 47 (27 balls, six fours and two sixes) but his dismissal in the 11th over triggered a collapse. Zalmi failed to come to grips against the spinning ball as the lower-order caved-in. Liam Dawson with 22 runs was the only one to offer some fight as Zalmi were rolled over for 123 in 18.3 overs. Sohail Tanvir, later adjudged the man-of-the-match was the most successful bowler for Sultans with figures of four for 13 in 3.3 overs. Pacers Irfan and Mohammad Ilyas took two wickets apiece. Scores in brief Peshawar Zalmi 123 all out, 18.3 overs (Haider Ali 47, Liam Dawson 22; Sohail Tanvir 4-13, Mohammad Ilyas 2-23) Multan Sultans 124-4, 18.3 overs (Rilee Rossouw 49 not out, Khushdil Shah 43 not out; Wahab Riaz 2-36) Result: Multan Sultans won by six wickets

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (February 26, 2020):-Pakistan Women made the perfect start to their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign by recording a comprehensive eight-wicket win over West Indies in a Group B match played at the Manuka Oval, Canberra on Wednesday. Chasing 125 runs for a win, Pakistan completed their comfortable chase for the loss of two wickets in 18.2 overs. Openers Muneeba Ali and Javeria Khan provided the perfect launching pad to the chase with a 58-run first wicket partnership in 7.2 overs. Javeria, later adjudged the player-of-the-match, played some delightful shots in her 35-run innings that came off 28 balls and included six fours, before her dismissal to West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor. Muneeba was dismissed for 25; her 26-ball innings included three fours. After Muneeba’s dismissal with the score at 77 for two in 11.5 overs, Nida Dar joined captain Bismah Maroof in the middle. The two carried Pakistan home with an unbroken 50-run stand in only 39 balls. The seasoned Bismah remained unbeaten on 39 (37 balls, four fours). Nida gave her captain solid support at the other end as she also returned undefeated on a 20-ball 18 that included one four. Taylor and Afy Fletcher were the only two wicket-takers for the West Indies, both took a wicket apiece. Earlier, batting first after winning the toss, West Indies were rocked on the very first ball of the innings as opener Hayley Matthews fell lbw to pacer Diana Baig. Diana then made the second breakthrough for Pakistan by dismissing Matthews’ fellow opener Lee-Ann Kirby (16) to reduce West Indies to 25 for two in 4.1 overs. Nida then accounted for star West Indies batter Deandra Dottin (1) with her off-spin to leave the West Indies stuttering at 28 for three in 6.2 overs. West Indies were at this stage rescued by a 60-ball 63-run partnership between captain Stafanie Taylor and Shemaine Campbelle. Both scored 43 runs each, Taylor faced 47 balls and struck two fours and two sixes while Campbelle’s 36-ball effort also included two fours and two sixes. Aimen Anwar followed up the good work done earlier by Diana and Nida by taking two wickets to restrict West Indies to a manageable total. Diana, Nida and Aimen Anwar took two wickets apiece while Anam Amin took one wicket for 19 runs in her four overs. Pakistan now play England in their second Group B match on Friday, the game will be played at the same venue. Scores in brief: West Indies Women 124-7, 20 overs (Shemaine Campbelle 43, Stafanie Taylor 43; Diana Baig 2-19, Nida Dar 2-30, Aimen Anwar 2-32) Pakistan Women  127-2, 18.2 overs (Bismah Maroof 39 not out, Javeria Khan 35, Muneeba Ali 25; Stafanie Taylor 1-20) Result: Pakistan Women win by eight wickets   Player-of-the-match: Javeria Khan   Next match for Pakistan: England Women vs Pakistan Women, Friday 28 February in Canberra.  

SB News ISLAMABAD (February 25, 2020):-Anisa Mohammed wants more from West Indies’ batters and challenged them to put a big score on the board in their Group B clash with Pakistan. West Indies are one from one after beating Thailand in their opener. But they were far from convincing from the bat, as past failings returned. akistan are playing their first match of the tournament in Canberra The Windies batting line-up is prone to collapse - dismissed in double figures five times since the last T20 World Cup and bowled out for 71 by Australia in their 2018 semi-final on home soil. Unconvincing in chasing down 79 to beat Thailand in their tournament opener, off-spinner Mohammed believes their batters must do their bit and help out the bowlers. “I think our batting just needs to improve a bit,” said the vice-captain. “Our fielding and our bowling against Thailand was spot on - the seamers set the tone and as spinners, we enjoyed the bounce we got from the pitch. “As a group we’ve had to fill in for Shakera (Selman) and we did that, she’s a big bowler and they are big shoes to fill. “Pakistan have some good players and they’re a very different team from when we played them in previous series. “I think they’re a pretty good team. Their bowling is really their strength, so hopefully our batters can counter that and put a total on the board for us to bowl at. “All teams in this competition are strong, everyone’s here to win and to qualify. We’re taking every game very seriously.” West Indies and Pakistan are familiar foes, contesting two warm-up matches in the weeks leading up to the tournament and playing out an entertaining three-match series 12 months ago. Pakistan’s Nida Dar claims her side can capitalise on the six-hitting bravado of West Indies after watching them struggle to rotate strike against debutants Thailand. “West Indies want to show their skills, because they are strong, and hit a boundary from every ball,” said the all-rounder. “They were very disturbed by the pace Thailand bowled to them. Slower balls and variations can be very helpful for us against them as they try to hit hard every time. “Maybe in our match they’ll adapt to conditions and try to rotate the strike. Asian teams are giving tough times to everyone at the World Cup and our spinners will try to do the same.” Stafanie Taylor’s side is laced with experience, boasting more T20I caps in their squad than any other nation at the World Cup. Bismah Maroof’s outfit, by contrast, have an average age of 25 and fewer combined caps than all teams apart from Sri Lanka and Thailand. Nida, whose Big Bash League experience with Sydney Thunder will be crucial for her side, feels Pakistan can profit from a fresh-faced make-up. “Our youth is the best thing about our team,” said the 33-year-old. “West Indies won’t know all of our players and some of them will be a surprise package. I’m in a team of very talented players with a mix of senior and junior players. “I hope they’re looking forward to playing at the World Cup. We just want to show our skills.”

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (February 25, 2020):-Pakistan national women’s team will begin their journey in the all-important ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on Wednesday against the West Indies Women in Canberra. Under the captaincy of Bismah Maroof, who will be leading the side in a world event for the first time, Pakistan will be eying to secure a semi-final berth for the first time. Since the last ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2018, Pakistan have featured in 14 T2oIs. They have won six matches, lost seven and one of them ended in a tie - the second of the three-T20Is in Karachi, which the West Indies won in Super Over. Pakistan are drawn in Group B and, after their tournament opener tomorrow, they will take on England women (28 February) also in Canberra, and South Africa women and Thailand women (1 and 3 March respectively) in Sydney in the ten-team event, which will feature 23 matches, including the final on the international women’s day (Sunday, 8 March) across 17 days. Pakistan’s 15-member squad boasts an exciting blend of young and senior players. On the back of her extraordinary run in the National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship 2019-20 which saw her accumulate 292 runs, including a century and three half-centuries, at an average of 58.40, Muneeba Ali was recalled in the side. Ayesha Naseem, an exciting 16-year-old hard-hitting batter, is all set to make her debut, while pacer Aimen Anwar, who is also returning to the national side, is expected to take the new ball with Diana Baig. The presence of their captain Bismah, who is the only Pakistan batter to have more than 2,000 runs and has the most half-centuries (11) in 106 T20Is from Pakistan, Nida Dar, who has 1,086 runs 92 wickets at an average of 17.82 in 98 T20Is, and Javeria Khan, the second highest run-getter with 1,744 in 97 T20Is, provide the desired shorter-format experience and form the core of the batting department. Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig and Aroob Shah, a 16-year-old leg-spinner, boost the bowling department. Along with their presence, Pakistan will be pinning their hopes on Anam Amin, who has the most scalps for Pakistan since the last edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in West Indies with 13 wickets at 16.07 in eight matches and will spearhead the bowling attack. The slow left-arm orthodox, who is a new-ball specialist, was the leading wicket-taker in the National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship 2019-20 with seven wickets at 13.71. She is currently ranked 13th in the ICC Rankings for T20I bowlers and is hopeful that she will break into the top 10 once again over the course of the ongoing World Cup. Anam Amin said: “My target is to help Pakistan make history by qualifying for the semi-finals. “I am very excited for this World Cup and my aim is to deliver to the best of my abilities and be amongst the top 10 bowlers. “I have been passionate about cricket since my childhood and I used to play tape-ball cricket with boys in the streets. Initially, I faced opposition by my mother on the prospect of taking cricket as a profession. But, I got a lot of support from my father and grandfather. As soon as I broke into the national side, my mother not only accepted me as a cricketer but she now tells me to pick at least two to three wickets every match.” Pakistan squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Iram Javed, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper) and Syeda Aroob Shah Officials: Syed Iqbal Imam (head coach), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach), Amir Iqbal (fielding coach), Gemaal Hussain (strength & conditioning coach), Dr Riffat Asghar Gill (physio), Aisha Jalil (team manager) and Zubair Ahmed (analyst). Upcoming fixtures: 26 February – West Indies v Pakistan, 1pm (PST) 28 February – England v Pakistan, 1pm (PST) 1 March – South Africa v Pakistan, 9am (PST) 3 March – Pakistan v Thailand, 9am (PST)

SB News ISLAMABAD (February 23, 2020):-Legendary South African fielder Jonty Rhodes held a fielding session with nine women cricketers today at Karachi’s UBL sports complex. Kainat Imitaz, Jaweria Rauf, Yusra Amir, Hafsa Khalid, Huraina Sajjad, Najiha Alvi, Arijah Haseeb, Masooma Jaffari and Suhana Tariq participated in an hour-long fielding session. The 50-year-old, considered one of the greatest fielders in the history of the game, along with holding fielding drills, shared his experiences of international cricket with the players. After the session, Jonty Rhodes said: “I am absolutely amazed to see the talent and skillset of the girls. They have amazing skills and great passion for the game and fielding. Pakistan women's cricket is in safe hands with these players. “My mantra in fielding and cricket was always to go for it. Unless you go for the ball, you would not know what you will achieve. So, as a fielder never shy away from going for the ball whether seemingly in your range or not.” The women cricketers were hopeful that the session will provide a boost to their fielding skills.  Jonty Rhodes, who played 297 internationals in an 11-year-long career, is in Karachi as part of the HBL PSL 2020 commentary panel.

SB News KARACHI (February 23, 2020):-An 85-run partnership for the fourth-wicket between Sarfaraz Ahmed and Azam Khan secured a five-wicket win for Quetta Gladiators against Karachi Kings in the sixth HBL PSL 2020 fixture at Karachi’s National Stadium. Defending champions Gladiators chased down the 157-run target with an over spare. Azam was top scorer in the run chase with a 30-ball 46 and struck four fours and two sixes. He was declared player of the match for his match-defining innings. Sarfaraz, the Gladiators captain, was not out on 37 which came off 28 balls. With 27 off 20, which included two fours and two sixes, Shane Watson was the other notable run-getter. Earlier, pacer Mohammad Hasnain took three wickets for 33 runs and Tymal Mills returned two for 30 which limited the home side to 156 for nine after Karachi Kings’ captain Imad Wasim elected to bat. Iftikhar Ahmed, batting at six, struck two fours and six in his 25 off 18 towards the end of the innings to take his side to a competitive total. Alex Hales, playing his first HBL PSL match this season, was the top-scorer in Kings’ innings with a 27-ball 29, which included a four ad a six. The second best performance, in terms of runs, came from Babar Azam who hit five fours in his 23-ball stay at the crease which brought him 26 runs. Quetta Gladiators now have two wins this season and they travel to Rawalpindi to take on Islamabad United in Rawalpindi on Thursday. Karachi Kings play Multan Sultans at the latter’s home on Friday. Scores in brief Karachi Kings 156-9, 20 overs (Alex Hales 29, Babar Azam 26, Iftikhar Ahmed 25; Mohammad Hasnain 3-33, Tymal Mills 2-30) Quetta Gladiators 157-5, 19 overs (Azam Khan 46, Sarfaraz Ahmed 37, Shane Watson 27) Result Quetta Gladiators win by five wickets

SB News KARACHI (February 22, 2020):-Kamran Akmal’s blistering 55-ball 101 secured Peshawar Zalmi a six-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators in the fourth match of the HBL PSL 2020 at Karachi’s National Stadium. The wicketkeeper-batsman began Zalmi’s run-chase in style, hitting two sixes and two fours off Mohammad Nawaz in the first over on his way to his third century in the HBL PSL. Kamran, who is the leading run-scorer in the HBL PSL with 1,430 runs in 49 matches, struck 13 fours and four sixes to help Zalmi chase down the 149-run target with nine balls spare on a day when the PCB observed Childhood Cancer Awareness Day. Haider Ali, Pakistan U19 opener, scored 25 off 28 in an 82-run partnership for the second-wicket with Kamran. Earlier, Gladiators, at the back of Jason Roy’s unbeaten 73, made 148 for five after being asked to field first. The English opener struck six fours and a six in 57 balls and crafted a 62-run stand for the third-wicket with Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who struck five fours and a six in his 41 off 25 balls. Zalmi’s Pacer Wahab Riaz took two wickets for 21 runs in four overs, while Rahat Ali and Amir Khan and Darren Sammy picked up a wicket each. For his extraordinary batting performance which gave Zalmi their first win of the season, Kamran was named player of the match. Peshawar Zalmi take on Multan Sultans in what will be first HBL PSL match in Multan on Wednesday, while Quetta Gladiators play Karachi Kings tomorrow afternoon at National Stadium, Karachi. Scores in brief Quetta Gladiators 148-5, 20 overs (Jason Roy 73 not out, Sarfaraz Ahmed 41; Wahab Riaz 2-21) Peshawar Zalmi 153-4, 18.3 overs (Kamran Akmal 101, Haider Ali 25; Fawad Ahmed 2-40) Result Quetta Gladiators win by six wickets

SB News ISLAMABAD (February 21, 2020):-Karachi Kings opened their HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 campaign with a thrilling 10 runs victory against one time champion Peshawar Zalmi at Karachi’s National Stadium on Friday. Right-arm pacer Umaid Asif defended 16 runs off the last over as Kings successful guarded their 201 for four. Liam Livingstone, batting at five, scored 54 not out from 29 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes, and crafted a crucial 62-run partnership with Darren Sammy (30 off 20) to keep the chase alive after Zalmi had lost five wickets for 128 runs in 14.3 overs. With 43 off 26 balls, Kamran Akmal was the other notable contributor with the bat as Zalmi scored 191 for seven in 20 overs. The opener struck five fours and two sixes. Umaid and Chris Jordan equally shared four wickets between them for 23 and 39 runs. Mohammad Amir and Cameron Delport took a wicket each. Earlier, Babar Azam and Imad Wasim scored half-centuries after Sammy, the Zalmi captain, opted to bowl first. Babar, later named man of the match, scored 78 off 56, hitting seven fours and two sixes, and Imad smashed three fours and three sixes in his 30-ball 50. The pair crafted a solid 97-run partnership for the third-wicket. Hasan Ali (two for 52) and Mohammad Mohsin (one for 35) were the wicket-takers for Peshawar Zalmi. In their next matches, Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings play Quetta Gladiators on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at the National Stadium. Scores in brief Karachi Kings 201-4, 20 overs (Babar Azam 78, Imad Wasim 50, Cameron Delport 20; Hasan Ali 2-52) Peshawar Zalmi 191-7, 20 overs (Liam Livingstone 54, Kamran Akmal 43, Darren Sammy 30, Liam Dawson 22; Umaid Asif 2-23, Chris Jordan 2-39) Result Karachi Kings win by 10 runs.  

By BIPIN DANI Former Sri Lanka captain and wicket-keeper batsman, Kumar Sangakkara, who led the MCC team to Pakistan and scored a T20 fifty (at the age of 42 years 115 days) can break the world record, believes the present record holder Kaleem Shah. On Wednesday, the first non-British president Sangakkara scored 52 runs against Multan Sultans team.  In last November, Mozambique's Kaleem Shah hit 72* against Malawi when he was 43 year-219 days. Speaking exclusively over telephone from Mozambique, the senior team captain Kaleem Shah said, "if Sangakara breaks my record it will be a great honour for me that my name will be written with this legendary cricketer". Present Pakistani coach Misbah-ul-Haq had also registered a fifty in T-20 at the age of 42 plus. "I am feeling great to see my name with legends.. Sangakara is the favourite player of millions including me too and I love him the most". "This record is definitely nothing for both legends but because of their names its really proud moment and proud feelings for me". "If it was only to score fifty or hundred then he can break any record but here luckily our age is helping us and both of us are playing so it will be very interesting how he carries forward". "My best wishes for him and just want to meet him as a friend", Kaleem Shah signed off. Interestingly, the captain Kaleem Shah had eight Under-19 players in his national side last year.

SB News KARACHI (February 21, 2020):-Mohammad Hasnain’s maiden four-wicket haul and Azam Khan’s first-ever half-century helped Quetta Gladiators to begin their title defence with a three-wicket win over Islamabad United in the opening match of the HBL PSL 2020 at Karachi’s National Stadium. Hasnain returned four for 25 in his four overs which played a crucial role in bowling out Islamabad United for 168 in 19.1 overs after Quetta Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed opted to bowl. The right-arm pacer was supported by Ben Cutting and Sohail Khan who took three and two wickets respectively. With 64 runs from 40 balls, Dawid Malan, who hit five fours and three sixes, was the top-scorer in Islamabad’s innings. Wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Ronchi, who opened the innings, had the second best score of the innings (23 off 13). Quetta Gladiators chased down the target with nine balls spare as Azam, playing only his second T20, scored 59 off 33, hitting five fours and three sixes. The 21-year-old crafted a crucial 62-run partnership with his captain Sarfaraz (21 off 18) to help Gladiators recover from 26 for three. Mohammad Nawaz and Cutting chipped in with 23 off 13 and an unbeaten 12-ball 22 respectively down the order. For Islamabad, Musa Khan, the Pakistani international, took three wickets for 34 run, while bowling a maiden in his four overs. Akif Javed, Faheem Ashraf and Amad Butt picked up a wicket each. For his exploits with the ball, Hasnain was named man of the match. On Friday, Karachi Kings take on Peshawar Zalmi at the National Stadium, Karachi, while Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans lock horns at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Scores in brief Islamabad United 168 all-out, 19.1 overs (Dawid Malan 64, Luke Ronchi 23, Faheem Ashraf 20; Mohammad Hasnain 4-25, Ben Cutting 3-31, Sohail Khan 2-21) Quetta Gladiators 171-7, 18.3 overs (Azam Khan 59, Mohammad Nawaz 23, Ben Cutting 22 not out, Sarfaraz Ahmed 21; Mohammad Musa 3-30) Result Quetta Gladiators won by three wickets