Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportSharjah (UAE): The West Stand at the iconic Sharjah cricket stadium has been renamed the Sachin Tendulkar stand in a special ceremony here today (Monday) in United Arab Emirates (UAE).Not only does it coincide with the birthday of the famous cricketer from India but it also marks the 25th anniversary of the famous back to back centuries he scored against Australia in 1998 to a packed stadium. The 143 he scored on April 22 and 134 two days later in the finals of the Coca-Cola Cup, a triangular series between India, Australia, and New Zealand has been recorded in the books as a veritable desert storm.Tendulkar scored 49 hundreds in ODIs played across 34 stadiums but his 7 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium including the twin hundreds in April 1998 stand out and are lauded and celebrated by his fans around the world to this day.“Reacting to the news of naming the stand Sachin said in a message, "I wish I was there but unfortunately I had prior commitments. Playing in Sharjah has always been a magnificent experience. From the electrifying atmosphere to the love, affection and support, Sharjah has been a special venue for Indian cricket fans and lovers of the game from around the globe. It's given us so many special moments. A big thank you to Bukhatir and his team for this kind gesture on the 25th anniversary of the Desert Storm match and my 50th birthday. Feels like the greatest 6 of them all!”Sharjah Cricket Stadium still holds the Guinness record for most One-Day internationals played (244) and we have seen some of the most memorable moments in cricketing history occur in this hallowed ground.CEO of the Sharjah stadium, Khalaf Bukhatir said:"This is our small way of expressing our gratitude to Sachin for doing so much for the game of cricket. Indeed, that was an incredible innings, and it was repeated in the finals. Right through the years of the now legendary CBFS initiative we have striven here at Sharjah to acknowledge the services of many great players even after their retirement. We believe that as administrators it is our duty to pay tribute to those who have raised the bar and dedicated their lives to the cause of cricket, and we will continue to do so."

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: The 5th and final T20 international of the ongoing 5-match series between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played on Monday (April 24, 2023) at the Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi, as the 4th T20I was called off owing the heavy rain and hailstorms in the twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Green Shirts have the lead in the series 2-1, as they won the first two encounters by 88 and 38 runs respectively at Qaddafi Stadium Lahore, as the third was won by the visitors by 4 runs at the same venue. Pakistani players will assemble tomorrow morning after two days Eid holidays. Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Zaman Khan New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (captain, wicketkeeper), Chad Bowes, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Adam Milne, Cole McConchie, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young Schedule & Results: April 14, 2023: Pakistan beat New Zealand by 88 runs April 15, 2023: Pakistan beat New Zealand by 38 runs April 17, 2023: New Zealand beat Pakistan by 4 wickets April 20, 2023: Called off duo to hailstorm in Pindi Stadium April 24, 2023: 5th T20 at Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi April 27, 2023: 1st ODI at Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi April 29, 2023: 2nd ODI at Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi May 3, 2023:3rd ODI at National Stadium Karachi May 5, 2023: 4th ODI at National Stadium Karachi May 7, 2023: 5th ODI at National Stadium Karachi

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and New Zealand teams have arrived in the capital city Islamabad on Tuesday (today) to play two T20I and two One Day International (ODI) matches at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi, as the 4th T20I will be played on April 20, 2023. Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Zaman Khan New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (captain, wicketkeeper), Chad Bowes, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Adam Milne, Cole McConchie, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young Schedule & Results: April 14, 2023: Pakistan beat New Zealand by 88 runs April 15, 2023: Pakistan beat New Zealand by 38 runs April 17, 2023: New Zealand beat Pakistan by 4 wickets April 20, 2023: 4th T20 at Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi April 24, 2023: 5th T20 at Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi April 27, 2023: 1st ODI at Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi April 29, 2023: 2nd ODI at Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi May 3, 2023:3rd ODI at National Stadium Karachi May 5, 2023: 4th ODI at National Stadium Karachi May 7, 2023: 5th ODI at National Stadium Karachi

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): Two of the most formidable Test teams will go head-to-head in the Ultimate Test – the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 at The Oval, London from 7 June. Australia and India were the top two sides of the 69-Test, two-year cycle which saw the two dominate their rivals before heading into a thrilling four-Test series in India which the hosts won by a narrow 2-1 margin. Australia finished at the top of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 standings with 11 wins, five draws and three defeats (19 matches) which earned them 152 points and a PCT of 66.67. India collected 127 points, winning 10 Tests, drawing three and losing five (18 matches) to finish with a 58.8 PCT – second spot in the standings. Australia’s journey to the ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023 Final: Australia started their ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 campaign with a resounding 4-0 Ashes win over their oldest rivals England at home. The series was played in December-January 2021-22 with the hosts dominating the visitors throughout. The convincing victory earned Australia a hefty 52 points spread over the five Tests. Australia toured Pakistan for a historic three-match Test series in March last year, their first visit to the Asian country in 24 years. After playing out draws in Rawalpindi and Karachi, the Pat Cummins-led side earned a hard fought fifth-day win in Lahore to seal a 1-0 series win. Australia earned 20 points from the series. The Australians toured Sri Lanka for a two-Test series in June-July 2022, a 1-1 series draw earning them 12 points. The home season brought more success for Australia as they trounced the West Indies 2-0 in a two-match series. The series clean sweep earned them 24 points. South Africa toured Australia next and suffered a 2-0 defeat in a three-match series that earned Australia 28 additional ICC World Test Championship points. Despite their 2-1 defeat to India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – February-March 2023, Australia sealed their ICC World Test Championship final spot with a resounding nine-wicket win in Indore – the third Test of the four-match series. Australia secured a total of 16 points from the series. India’s journey to the ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023 Final: India took on England away in a five-match series that was split into two parts with the first four matches played in August 2021 and the series decider – fifth Test – a year later in July 2022. The fifth Test had to be postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp. The enthralling series finished as a 2-2 draw, India were 2-1 ahead when the series was stopped in 2021, they then lost the Birmingham Test in July 2022. India earned 24 points spread across the five Tests. India defeated New Zealand 1-0 in a two-match series at home in November-December 2021. The hosts collected 16 points. A hard-fought three-match series in South Africa was won by the hosts, India won one Test as the series ended 2-1 in favour of the Proteas. India gathered 11 points. Sri Lanka were beaten 2-0 at home in a two-match series in March 2022 as India secured 24 valuable points. A 2-0 win over Bangladesh in an away series gave India 24 crucial points in December 2022 before their 2-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series win at home against Australia saw them bag 28 points. India secured their Ultimate Test spot when they played out a draw in Ahmedabad – the fourth and final Test of the BGT series as Sri Lanka lost narrowly to New Zealand in Christchurch last month. The Islanders needed to beat New Zealand 2-0 in the two-match series to clinch a spot in the final ahead of India.

Sports Bulletin Report Queenstown (New Zealand): Hosts New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 4 wickets in the final match of the T20I to lift the series trophy 2-1 at Queenstown, New Zealand on Saturday. Tim Seifert anchored a successful chase of 183 with his 48-ball 88, which trumped Kusal Mendis' 73 off 43 earlier in the day, though Seifert might not have imagined how tense the finish would get when he was dismissed with his side needing just 29 from 23 deliveries with seven wickets in hand. Overs 17 to 19 would go for just 19 runs, leaving the hosts needing ten to win off the last over. A six off the first delivery seemed to have settled matters but Sri Lanka would land a team hat-trick off the next three balls, with Lahiru Kumara picking up two wickets and effecting a run out. They might have made it four from four too, but Kumara missed an almost identical run-out chance, allowing New Zealand to steal a bye to the keeper. Rachin Ravindra then struck the winning runs a ball later, as New Zealand breathed a collective sigh of relief. For Sri Lanka, it's a disappointing end to a tough tour. Hindsight is often twenty-twenty, but even in the moment, Matt Henry's three-run final over seemed like it could prove pivotal. The five overs prior had seen Sri Lanka hit 56 runs, and with five wickets in hand and Wanindu Hasaranga and Charith Asalanka at the crease - both capable of comfortably clearing the ropes - Sri Lanka would have been looking to make a charge at a total near 200. But Henry varied his pace and kept it full and wide to keep the over to singles at most. Having gone wicketless for 32 off his previous three, Henry came through clutch at the death, and New Zealand would eventually win with just a ball to spare. Chad Bowes being dropped in the first over might have been bad for morale and momentum, but Seifert managing to pick up a boundary in nearly every over up until the 17th, in which he was dismissed, was what took Sri Lanka out of the game. His partnerships of 53 and 84 with Bowes and Tom Latham also ensured that even the chaotic loss of wickets at the end wouldn't derail his side's chase. Nearly every Sri Lankan bowler went at over 8 an over - Hasaranga ended a dismal tour by his standards with a wicketless four overs for 41 - and Seifert struck at over 170 against all of them barring the always excellent Maheesh Theekshana, who maintained an economy rate of 5.50. Sri Lanka got off to their best start of the series with Mendis and Pathum Nissanka putting on a 76-run opening stand. Mendis would go on to top score in a destructive innings that saw six fours and five sixes, but also one fraught with a non-insignificant dose of fortune. While a couple of mistimed hits fell just out of reach of onrushing fielders, it was him being dropped at first slip by Daryll Mitchell that really raised eyebrows. Mendis would be offered a second reprieve later on, this time by Ravindra running along the deep-third boundary. One final bit of luck would come to Kusal Perera's aid, as he would be excellently caught on the boundary line, only for Mitchell to fail to release the ball on time before trodding on the ropes - even with the aid of super slow-mo, a frame's evidence might have been enough to uphold the on-field decision of out. If Sri Lanka's innings was bolstered by uncharacteristic let-offs in the field, New Zealand certainly did their part to undo as much of the damage caused by those blips. James Neesham's quality take in the deep to dismiss Nissanka set the tone, which was followed by a phenomenal direct hit by Adam Milne from the deep to run out Perera. Dasun Shanaka, who had looked dangerous striking two boundaries off his first five deliveries, saw Bowes hold on to a tricky skier, before Asalanka was run out courtesy of another gun throw from the boundary. That last one was part of Henry's game-changing final over.

PCB names T20I and ODI squads for home series against New Zealand Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: Shaheen Shah Afridi is all set to return to international cricket after four months when he was named in the Pakistan T20I and ODI squads for the series against New Zealand, which will be played in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi from 14 April to 7 May. Shaheen had missed five Tests and three ODIs against England and New Zealand post the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 as he was completing his rehabilitation following a knee injury he had sustained during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in July. He had subsequently missed the second Test against Sri Lanka, ODI series against the Netherlands, ACC Asia Cup in the UAE and seven-match T20I series in Pakistan. The 22-year-old, who has taken 99 Test, 62 ODI and 58 T20I wickets, staged a remarkable comeback in the HBL Pakistan Super League 8 when he inspired Lahore Qalandars to become the first side to successfully defend the title. Not only that, Shaheen’s own performance was outstanding both with the bat and the ball – he scored 133 runs at a strike-rate of 168.35 and grabbed 19 wickets at an economy-rate of 9.13. He was rightly named captain of Team of HBL PSL 8. Apart from Shaheen, also returning to both the squads are Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan. All these players had rested for last month’s three-T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah. This means Babar Azam will resume his normal services as captain in the ODI and T20I series against New Zealand, while Shadab will return to his original position as vice-captain. Three young guns, Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub and Zaman Khan, have been retained in the T20I squad following stellar performances in Sharjah, while Ihsanullah has also been added to the ODI squad for the first time in his career. The squad will assemble in Lahore on 6 April where the training camp will commence on 7 April. Squad (T20I): Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Zaman Khan Squad (ODI): Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir. Reserves: Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Tayyab Tahir Series schedule: 14 Apr - 1st T20I, Lahore 15 Apr – 2nd T20I, Lahore 17 Apr – 3rd T20I, Lahore 20 Apr – 4th T20I, Rawalpindi 24 Apr – 5th T20I, Rawalpindi 27 Apr – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi 29 Apr – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi 3 May – 3rd ODI, Karachi 5 May – 4th ODI, Karachi 7 May – 5th ODI, Karachi

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board today (Tuesday) confirmed Rawalpindi, along with two T20Is and the first ODI, will also host the second ODI against New Zealand. The two ODIs will be played on 27 and 29 April instead of 26 and 30 April, respectively. Now, Karachi will host last three one day international of the 5-match series at National Stadium Karachi. Revised schedule: 14 Apr - 1st T20I, Lahore 15 Apr – 2nd T20I, Lahore 17 Apr – 3rd T20I, Lahore 20 Apr – 4th T20I, Rawalpindi 24 Apr – 5th T20I, Rawalpindi 27 Apr – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi 29 Apr – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi 3 May – 3rd ODI, Karachi 5 May – 4th ODI, Karachi 7 May – 5th ODI, Karachi

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD: Former India all-rounder Test cricketer Salim Durani has passed away at the age of 88. He was living with his brother Jahangir Durani in Jamnagar. Durani had undergone a proximal femoral nail surgery after he broke his thigh bone in a fall in January this year. An aggressive left-handed batter and a left-arm spinner, Durani played 29 Tests, scoring 1202 runs and taking 75 wickets. He was best remembered for that magical spell that helped India to their first Test win in the West Indies in 1971, which is also remembered for Sunil Gavaskar's Test debut. In the space of a few balls, Durani had dismissed Clive Lloyd and Garry Sobers - the latter for a duck - at a crucial time in the second innings in Port of Spain for India's seven-wicket win. Durani conceded just 21 runs in the 17 overs he bowled.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan Under-19 did not back up their batting heroics in the previous matches as they were bundled out for 143/10 in 33 overs by Bangladesh U19s in the final of the U19 Tri-Series, the target that was easily chased by the visitors by 6 wickets in 24th over to the win the title. Earlier in the afternoon, Afghanistan opted to bat first and put only 143 runs on the board, thanks to another fighting half-century by Mohammad Haroon Khan who made 65 off 61 deliveries. The other batter to make a mark was the debutant Wafiullah Tarakhil who made 27 runs. But the first inning was dominated by the left-arm spinner Mahfizur Rahman who returned with figures of 6/29 off his 10 overs. In reply, the visitors got off to a very solid start and despite losing four quick wickets, they kept scoring runs at a higher rate and chased down the total by 6 wickets with 26.4 overs to spare. Mahfizur Rahman was awarded the best player of the match for his exceptional bowling performance. Afghanistan Skipper Noman Shah, who topped the batting chart of the tournament and scored 244 runs in 5 innings, was awarded the best batter of the tournament. Likewise, Bashir Ahmad was named the best bowler of the event with 13 wickets in four innings. In addition, Mohammad Haroon Khan was awarded the best player of the tournament by scoring 281 runs in 5 innings.

Sports Bulletin Report   Chattogram (Bangladesh): Ireland beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets in the third and final match of the T20I Series at Zahur Ahmed Chowdury Stadium, Chattogram Bangladesh on Friday. Bangladesh captain Shaikb-al-Has won the toss and decided to bat first. Hosts could score just 12 runs in 20 overs per innings fixture. All Bengali batters went back to the hut in 19.2 overs. Shamim Hossain was the top scorer with 51 runs, as he faced 42 balls and hit five four and two big sixes. Mark Adair (3 for 25) and Matthew Humphreys (2 for 10) were wicket-taker bowlers for Ireland. In reply, Ireland reached on target in 14 overs after losing just three batsmen. Paul Stirling, who was declared man of the match, scored 77 runs in 41 balls. He hammered 10 fours and four sixes. Curtis Campher contributed 16 runs in the team’s victory. Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam, and Taskin Ahmed shared one wicket each. Scorecard Bangladesh (Batting): 124 all out in 19.2 overs Shamim Hossain (51 runs, 42 balls, 4x5, 6x2), Rony Talukdar (14 runs, 10 balls, 4x3, 6x0) Ireland (Bowling): Mark Adair (3 for 25), Matthew Humphreys (2 for 10) Ireland (Batting): 126 for 3 in 14 overs Paul Striling (77 runs, 41 balls, 4x10, 6x4), Curtis Campher (16 runs not out, 9 balls, 4x2, 6x1), Harry Tector (14 runs, 18 balls, 4x1, 6x0) Bangladesh (Bowling): Rishad Hossain (1 for 19), Shoriful Islam (1 for 25), Taskin Ahmed (1 for 28)