Sports Bulletin

Staff Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and England cricket team will hold their full practice session on Thursday at Multan Cricket Stadium for the preparation of the 2nd Test of the three-match Tie, as England have earned the 1-0 in the series by winning the Pindi Test by 74 runs. According to the media department of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the players of England and Pakistan will practice on December 8, 2022, from 10:00 am to 1:oo pm. A player from both teams will talk to media persons after practice sessions. The Multan Test will be played from December 9 to 13 at Multan Stadium, as the coin will be tossed at 9:30 am to decide which team will bat first. A player of the playing XIs from Pakistan and England will face the media at the end of each day’s game.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: A grade-II strain in right quad has ruled Haris Rauf out of the Test series against England. The fast bowler underwent an MRI during the first day’s play of the Rawalpindi Test after he rolled over the ball while fielding. The scans and the subsequent assessment by the PCB medical panel concluded that the fast bowler suffered a grade-II strain. Haris will travel to Lahore where he will begin his rehabilitation at the National High Performance Centre. England won the first of the three Tests on Monday by 74 runs. The second and third Tests will be played in Multan (9-13 Dec) and Karachi (17-21 Dec).

Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWALPINDI: Determined England pacers, James Anderson (4 for 36) and Oille Robinson (4 for 50), restricted Pakistan to 268 in their second innings, as they were chasing 343 runs and they needed 263 runs on the last day of the Test match. Finally, England defeated Pakistan by 74 runs in the first Test match of the three-match Tie here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, as Pakistan needed 263 runs on the last day but they ended their journey at 268 runs total. James Anderson (4 for 36), Oille Robinson (4 for 50) and skipper Ben Stoke (1 for 69) were the heroes for the English team, who demolished Pakistan's batting line, as only one batter Saud Shakeel could score a half century. Pakistan top-order batters completely failed to stay on the pitch to reach the target. Imam-ul-Haq could score only 48 runs on a batting friendly track while injured Azhar Ali scored only 40 runs in 90 balls. Wicketkeeper bowler, Mohammad Rizwan showed some aggression and hit six four and two sixes for his 46 runs innings. Agha Salman contributed 30 runs. Summarized Scorecard (Pindi Test): Toss: England won and decided to bat England Batting (First innings): 657 all out in 101 overs Harry Brook (153 runs, 116 balls, 4x19, 6x5), Zak Crawley (122 runs, balls 111, 4x2, 6x0), Ollie Pope (108 runs, 104 balls, 4x14), Ben Duckett (107 runs, 110 balls, 4x15, 6X0), Joe Root (23 runs, 31 balls, 4x3, 6x0), Ben Stoke (41 runs, 18 balls, 4x6, 6x2)   Pakistan (Bowling): Zahid Mehmood (4 for 235), Naseem Shah (3 for 140), Mohammad Ali (2 for 124), Haris Rauf (1 for 78) Pakistan Batting (First innings): 579 all out in 155.3 136 overs Babar Azam 136 (168 balls, 4x19, 6x1), Imam-ul-Haq 121 (207 balls, 4x15, 6x2), Abdullah Shafiq 114 (203 balls, 4x13, 6x3), Agha Salman 53 (67 balls, 4x7, 6x1) Saud Shakeel 37 (93 balls, 4x3), Mohammad Rizwan 29 (44 balls, 4x3), Azhar Ali 27 (48 balls, 4x5) England (Bowling): Will Jacks (6 for 161), Jack Leach (2 for 190), James Anderson (1 for 52), Ollie Robinson (1 for 72) England Batting (Second Innings): Declared at 264 for 7 in 35.5 overs Harry Brook 87 (65 balls, 4x11, 6x3), Joe Root 73 (69 balls, 4x6), Zak Crawley 50 (48 balls, 4x7), Wills Jack 24 (13 balls, 4x1, 6x3)    Pakistan Bowling: Mohammad Ali (2 for 64), Naseem Shah (2 for 66), Zahid Mehmood (2 for 84) Agha Salman (1 for 47) Pakistan Batting (Second Innings) Target 343 Saud Shakeel 76 (159 balls), Imam-ul-Haq 48 (77 balls, 4x8), Mohammad Rizwan 46 (92 balls, 4x6, 6x2), Azhar Ali 40 (81 balls, 4x4), Agha Salman 30 (64 balls, 4x4), England Bowling: James Anderson (4 for 36), Oille Robinson (4 for 50), Ben Stoke (1 for 69) Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain & WK), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mehmood England (Playing XIs): Ben Stokes (c), Joe Root, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson Schedule of Tests: 9-13 December – 2nd Test, Multan 17-21 December – 3rd Test, Karachi

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka's former Head Coach Mickey Arthur, who was scheduled to be the head coach of the Galle Gladiators team in the third edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) will now, instead coach the Dambulla team, according to Samantha Dodanwela, the Tournament Director.  Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo, he said, Arthur will be the coach of the Dambulla Giants and will be assisted by Avishka Gunwardene. The national captain of the white ball team Dasun Shanaka will be the captain". The reason for Arthur's switching to Dambulla is likely to be the wish of the owner of the Galle Gladiators team. It is learnt that Nadeem Omar has hired the services of Moin Khan and Umar Gul for his team. The Head Coaches of all the LPL teams are : Thilina Kandamby (Jaffna Kings), Ruwan Kalpage (Colombo Kings), Moin Khan (Galle Gladiators), Mickey Arthur (Dambulla Giants) and Piyal Wijetunge (Kandy Warriors). The Kandy team owners have also hired Sanath Jayasuriya as the team mentor. All national players who were part of the recently played series against Afghanistan are given a 3-day rest. All teams are assembling in Hambantota for the first leg of the tournament on 3rd and 4th December. The tournament kicks off on Tuesday with the first match between Jaffna and Galle. The 7th match onwards the tournament will move to Pallekele. The last leg of the LPL will be played from 17th match onwards to Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium

Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWALPINDI: Historical Pindi Test entered into an interesting phase, as the Pakistan will be required 263 while England will be needed 8 wickets to earn the lead in the three-match series on the final day of the Pindi Test. 90 overs will be bowled on the last day. Pakistan were 80 for 2 in 20 overs at the end of day-4 game here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday. England set a 343 runs target for hosts after declaring their second innings at 264 for 7 in 55.5 overs at the tea break. Earlier, Pakistan lost their all the ten batters at the total of 579. Agha Salam added valuable 53 runs in the Pakistan’s total on Sunday. Will Jacks captured 6 for 161 runs, were best figures for the visitors’ side. Once again, Harry Brook knocked a belligerent innings by hitting 11 fours and 3 sixes during his 65 balls innings, as all the Pakistani bowlers were helpless. Former England captain Joe Root also presented his batting class by scoring 73 runs in 63 deliveries. Zak Crawley scored 50 runs in 48 balls that supported his team to get some quick runs. He smashed seven fours. Three Pakistani bowlers Mohammad Ali, Naseem Shah, Zahid Mehmood shared 2 wickets each against 64, 66 and 84 runs respectively. Agha Salman got one wicket after giving 47 runs. On Sunday morning, Pakistani batters, Agha Salman and Zahid Mehmood resumed their innings at 499 for 8 and added 80 runs to the team’s total. Green Shirts closed their first innings at 579 after playing 155.5 overs. The visitors earned a 78 runs lead over Pakistan before starting their second innings. However, Agha Salam showed some aggression and hit some creaking strokes during his 53 run innings, which was a blend of seven fours and a huge six. Zahid scored 17 while Haris Rauf 12 runs. Mohammad Ali remained not out without scoring a single run. Summarized Scorecard (Pindi Test): Toss: England won and decided to bat England Batting (First innings): 657 all out in 101 overs Harry Brook (153 runs, 116 balls, 4x19, 6x5), Zak Crawley (122 runs, balls 111, 4x2, 6x0), Ollie Pope (108 runs, 104 balls, 4x14), Ben Duckett (107 runs, 110 balls, 4x15, 6X0), Joe Root (23 runs, 31 balls, 4x3, 6x0), Ben Stoke (41 runs, 18 balls, 4x6, 6x2)   Pakistan (Bowling): Zahid Mehmood (4 for 235), Naseem Shah (3 for 140), Mohammad Ali (2 for 124), Haris Rauf (1 for 78) Pakistan Batting (First innings): 579 all out in 155.3 136 overs Babar Azam 136 (168 balls, 4x19, 6x1), Imam-ul-Haq 121 (207 balls, 4x15, 6x2), Abdullah Shafiq 114 (203 balls, 4x13, 6x3), Agha Salman 53 (67 balls, 4x7, 6x1) Saud Shakeel 37 (93 balls, 4x3), Mohammad Rizwan 29 (44 balls, 4x3), Azhar Ali 27 (48 balls, 4x5) England (Bowling): Will Jacks (6 for 161), Jack Leach (2 for 190), James Anderson (1 for 52), Ollie Robinson (1 for 72) England Batting (Second Innings): Declared at 264 for 7 in 35.5 overs Harry Brook 87 (65 balls, 4x11, 6x3), Joe Root 73 (69 balls, 4x6), Zak Crawley 50 (48 balls, 4x7), Wills Jack 24 (13 balls, 4x1, 6x3)    Pakistan Bowling: Mohammad Ali (2 for 64), Naseem Shah (2 for 66), Zahid Mehmood (2 for 84) Agha Salman (1 for 47) Pakistan Batting (Second Innings) Target 343 Imam-ul-Haq 43 (60 balls, 4x7), Saud Shakeel 24 not out (42 balls, 4x5), Abdullah 6, Babar 4 England Bowling: Ben Stoke (1 for 20) Oille Robinson (1 for 22)

Babar (136), Imam-ul-Haq (121) and Abdullah (114) hit tons Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWALPINDI (December 3, 2022): A nerves controlled 136 runs innings by skipper Babar Azam led his team from the front to take the team’s score 499 for 7 in 136 overs on the third day of the first Test at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi on Saturday. Captain Babar Azam was top scorer of the day, as made 136 runs by playing some cracking strokes, as his innings was included 19 boundaries and a single six, as he also contributed a line-share for the 123 runs third wicket partnership with Saud Shakeel, who was playing his first Test match of his life. Saud scored 37 runs, as he wasted 93 balls for his little innings. Earlier, opening batters Abdullah and Imam-ul-Haq built-up the innings with reasonable opening start, as the Abdullah was first man to back in the dressing room at the total of 225 runs. Abdullah’s individual score was 114 (202 balls) with the help of 13 fours and three sixes. The both openers Abdullah and Imam-ul-Haq completed their ton and strengthen the team’s position, as the first wicket fell on 225 when Abdullah Shafiq was caught behind by Ollie Pope on the bowling of Wil Jacks in 66th over of Green Shirts innings. Hosts lost their second batter at 245, when Imam-ul-Haq got out on his personal score of 121 including 15 boundaries and two sixes. Saud Shakeel 37 (93 balls, 4x3), Mohammad Rizwan 29 (44 balls, 4x3) and Azhar Ali 27 (48 balls, 4x5) were other main scorer for Pakistan. Wil Jacks snared three batter for his 132 runs was the best with the ball while Jack Leach took two wickets. James Anderson and Ollie Robinson shared one wicket each a piece for the England. Agha Salam with 10 runs and Zahid Mehmood with solitary run were not out batters of the day and they will restart their innings on Sunday morning. Summarized Scorecard (Pindi Test): Toss: England won and decided to bat England Batting (First innings): 657 all out in 101 overs Harry Brook (153 runs, 116 balls, 4x19, 6x5), Zak Crawley (122 runs, balls 111, 4x2, 6x0), Ollie Pope (108 runs, 104 balls, 4x14), Ben Duckett (107 runs, 110 balls, 4x15, 6X0), Joe Root (23 runs, 31 balls, 4x3, 6x0), Ben Stoke (41 runs, 18 balls, 4x6, 6x2)   Pakistan (Bowling): Zahid Mehmood (4 for 235), Naseem Shah (3 for 140), Mohammad Ali (2 for 124), Haris Rauf (1 for 78) Pakistan Batting (First innings): 499 for 7 in 136 overs Babar Azam 136 (168 balls, 4x19, 6x1), Imam-ul-Haq 121 (207 balls, 4x15, 6x2), Abdullah Shafiq 114 (203 balls, 4x13, 6x3), Saud Shakeel 37 (93 balls, 4x3), Mohammad Rizwan 29 (44 balls, 4x3), Azhar Ali 27 (48 balls, 4x5) England (Bowling): Wil Jacks (3 for 132), Jack Leach (2 for 160), James Anderson (1 for 47), Ollie Robinson (1 for 64) Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain & WK), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mehmood England (Playing XIs): Ben Stokes (c), Joe Root, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson Schedule of Tests: 9-13 December – 2nd Test, Multan 17-21 December – 3rd Test, Karachi    

BIPIN DANI Sri Lankan sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe has decided to appoint a 6-member Fact Finding Committee to enquire not only about the players' behaviour in T-20 World Cup in Australia but also to ascertain whether the officials showed "real concerns" for the team members. Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Dubai, where he is on a one-day visit, he said, "we have appointed a 6-member committee to report on the recent issues. The committee will be chaired by the Former High Court Judge Kusala Sarojini. One former cricketer is also in the committee. The other members of the committee are: Former ministerial secretary - Kingsley Fernando, Retired DIG in CID - Sudath Nagahamulla, Retired Rear Admiral - Ananda Peiris, Former cricketer - Nalin de Alwis and Attorney-at-Law - Shalani Roshana". "No time-frame is given to the committee but will ask the members to expedite the process". The minister also expressed his concern over the issues handled for Chamika Karunaratne. The 26-year-old has been given a one-year-suspended ban by the SLC. "He was dropped for his poor form or bad behaviour? He has been cleared to play international cricket. My opinion is that if the player is in poor form or facing disciplinary action, he should not be considered at all". The bowling all-rounder has already been named in the LPL team. "I will ensure that from next year onwards any out of form player or player facing disciplinary charges is not selected even to play league cricket". During his recent Dubai visit, which is mainly for the Rugby sports, the minister has no plan to meet the ICC at this stage. "No, I am not meeting any ICC officials now but will certainly meet them in near future", he added. The minister also denied the plan to appoint any interim committee but hinted there will be many changes in the year 2023. "We want the right people for all sports. Arjuna Ranatunga is helping me a lot and will continue to consult him for all important matters. We want to streamline everything. Cricket is a very popular sport in our country and will ensure public money put in the game is not wasted", the minister concluded.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: British High Commissioner in Islamabad Christian Turner on Friday visited Pindi Cricket Stadium here to see the 2nd day cricket match of Test and to encourage English players as well. On this occasion he said: “I am the number one cricket fan. The Rawalpindi test is going well and our boys inked a new record in the Rawalpindi Test. England team is playing Test cricket with an aggressive attitude, as the batters have the ability to play fast, I hope the result of the Rawalpindi test will be out”.

England score 657 runs in 1st innings, Zahid Mehmood takes 4 wickets in Pindi Test Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWALPINDI: Two well-composed, flawless, and unbeaten innings, Imam-ul-Haq (90) and Abdullah Shafiq (89) responded positively to England, who gathered a gigantic total of 657 runs in their first innings. Green Shirts were 181 for 0 runs in 51 overs and the duo of opening batters amused the spectators of twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. Abdullah Shafiq and Imam-ul-Haq began Pakistan's innings with buoyancy and did not try to play any needless strokes and waited patiently for the poor balls till the end of the day. Left-handed batter Imam-ul-Haq hammered 90 runs studded with 13 boundaries and a six while his partner Abdullah scored stupendous 89 runs innings, as he smashed 10 fours and a couple of sixes during his 158-ball innings. Both batsmen were unbeaten when the field umpires Ahsan Raza and Joel Wilson decided to call off the day-2 game owing to bad light. Hosts openers Abdullah Shafiq and Imam-ul-Haq will resume their first innings on Saturday morning at 181 for 0. No English bowler either spin or pacer could not impress with the ball on the day and flat batting pitch.   Earlier, on Friday morning, England restarted their first innings at an overnight score of 506 runs for 4 and the visitors threw their rest of six wickets in 125 minutes after adding 151 to their total of 657 runs. In the very first over of the day, they lost their vital wicket of captain Ben Stoke, who hit a six at the start of the innings, as it seemed that when he entered into the field the world record of the fastest Test century was in his mind, as he hit a huge six on the first ball that he faced but failed to achieve that a mindset target. Ben was clean bowled by Naseem Shah on the last ball of the first over of the day. He scored 41 runs in 18 balls. On the other side, Harry Brook continued his previous day batting pace and knocked 5 sixes and 19 fours during his 153 runs innings in 116 balls. Ollie Robinson (37) and Will Jack (30) were other main contributors in England’s total. Ollie hit six four and one six while Will smashed 4 boundaries during their 29 and 37 balls innings respectively. Zahid Mehmood was the most successful bowler for Pakistan, as he claimed 4 wickets in his first Test match after conceding 235 runs. Pacer Naseem Shah chipped in 3 wickets for 140 runs, as he hit at the backbone of England's batting line in the morning session. Naseem’s spell restricted the visitors batting to score over 700. Pacer Mohammad Ali and Haris Rauf shared 2 and 1 wicket respectively. Summarized Scorecard (Day-1): Toss: England won and decided to bat England (Batting): 657 all out in 101 overs Harry Brook (153 runs, 116 balls, 4x19, 6x5), Zak Crawley (122 runs, balls 111, 4x2, 6x0), Ollie Pope (108 runs, 104 balls, 4x14), Ben Duckett (107 runs, 110 balls, 4x15, 6X0), Joe Root (23 runs, 31 balls, 4x3, 6x0), Ben Stoke (41 runs, 18 balls, 4x6, 6x2)   Pakistan Bowling: Zahid Mehmood (4 for 235), Naseem Shah (3 for 140), Mohammad Ali (2 for 124), Haris Rauf (1 for 78) Pakistan Batting: Imam-ul-Haq 90 runs not out (148 balls, 4x13, 6x1), Abdullah Shafiq 89 runs not out (158 balls, 4x10, 6x2) Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain & WK), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mehmood England (Playing XIs): Ben Stokes (c), Joe Root, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson Schedule of Tests: 9-13 December – 2nd Test, Multan 17-21 December – 3rd Test, Karachi

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI (December 2, 2022): Pakistan were 17 for 0 runs at the lunch on the 2nd day of the 1st Test match at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, as Imam 11 and Abduulah 6 were not out batters. England’s all batters out in their first innings at 657 runs in 101 overs 30 minutes before the lunch break. Zahid Mehmood got 4 wickets. On Friday, England resumed their first innings at an overnight score of 506 runs for 4 and the visitors lost their all rest of six wickets in two hours after adding 151 runs to their total of 657 runs. , as they lost their vital wicket of captain Ben Stoke, who hit a six at the start of the innings, as it seemed that when he entered the field the world record of the fastest Test century was in his mind, as hit a huge six on the first ball that he faced but failed to achieve that. Ben was clean bold by Naseem Shah on the last ball of the first over of the day. Summarized Scorecard (Day-1): Toss: England won and decided to bat England (Batting): 657 all out in 101 overs Harry Brook (153 runs, 116 balls, 4x19, 6x5), Zak Crawley (122 runs, balls 111, 4x2, 6x0), Ollie Pope (108 runs, 104 balls, 4x14), Ben Duckett (107 runs, 110 balls, 4x15, 6X0), Joe Root (23 runs, 31 balls, 4x3, 6x0), Ben Stoke (41 runs, 18 balls, 4x6, 6x2)   Pakistan Bowling: Zahid Mehmood (4 for 235), Naseem Shah (3 for 140), Mohammad Ali (2 for 124), Haris Rauf (1 for 78) Pakistan Batting: Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain & WK), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mehmood England (Playing XIs): Ben Stokes (c), Joe Root, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson Schedule of Tests: 9-13 December – 2nd Test, Multan 17-21 December – 3rd Test, Karachi