Cricket - Int News
Match officials for Pakistan v England Tests announced
Sports Bulletin Report
RAWALPINDI: Andy Pycroft, member of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, will lead the playing control teams for the three ICC World Test Championship fixtures between Pakistan and England in December.
Six umpires, three of whom are from the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, will officiate the Tests across Rawalpindi (1-5), Multan (9-13) and Karachi (17-21).
Joel Wilson, who is one of the 11 members of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, will join Ahsan Raza as on-field umpire for the opening Test, which will be the first between the two sides on the Pakistani soil since 2005. Marais Erasmus will be the third umpire and Asif Yaqoob will be the fourth umpire.
Marais Erasmus and Aleem Dar, the other two umpires from the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, will take on-field duties in Multan with Joel Wilson and Rashid Riaz performing third and fourth umpire duties.
The playing control team for the third Test in Karachi will be the same as the first Test with Joel Wilson and Ahsan Raza returning as on-field umpires and Marais Erasmus and Asif Yaqoob taking up third and fourth umpire roles.
Ahsan Raza, Asif Yaqoob and Rashid Riaz are members of the ICC International Panel of Umpires.
Pacer Milan Rathnayake included as standby in Sri Lankan squad
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka's 26-year-old Milan Rathnayake has been included in the training squad for the upcoming series against Afghanistan, it is learnt.
According to the well-placed sources in the SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket), the head coach (Chris Silverwood) was highly impressed with fast bowler Milan Rathnayake's performance in the domestic matches, especially when the bowler did well in the recent Invitational tournament where he played for the SSC Grey team.
"Milan is a regular fast bowler in our main team at Moors Sports Club and the head coach and selectors have been keeping close eye on him. They were impressed with his bowling and now want to monitor his success and groom him for the future", Chamara Kapugedara the coach at the club, speaking exclusively over the telephone, said.
With injuries to the fast bowlers in the team it was a wise decision to test Milan's potentiality.
"We are very happy with his selection in the squad. It is a proud moment for us. To-day he is in the standby team but I am sure the day will not be far when he also finds his name in the main squad", the player's mother RM Reeta Rathnayake said.
Incidentally, Milan's father RMR Rathnayake was a soldier and is a pensioner now. Undoubtedly, the soldier's son is a well-disciplined boy in the training squad.
The team which has been sent to the sports minister for his final approval is yet to be announced.
Leg spinner bowler Rehan Ahmed added to England Test Squad
Sports Bulletin Report
ISLAMABAD: Leicestershire leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan Ahmed has been officially added to England Men’s Test squad for the tour of Pakistan.
The 18-year-old, who has been with the Lions in their red-ball training camp in the UAE and is currently playing in the three-day warm-up fixture against the England Test squad in Abu Dhabi, has impressed coaches with his attitude and genuine potential to be given his first call up to the senior side.
If selected during the three-match Test series, the first time England are playing in Pakistan in 17 years, he will become the youngest player to play Test cricket for England Men, surpassing Yorkshire’s Brian Close, who represented the three lions at 18 years 149 days against New Zealand in July 1949.
England Men’s red-ball Head Coach, Brendon McCullum, said:
“We know he’s not the finished article and has raw potential, but Ben (Stokes), myself and the rest of the coaches like how he approaches his game. The experience of being part of the squad in Pakistan will be hugely beneficial for him, and he will add to the make-up of our squad.”
On Saturday, England will fly to Pakistan after their Test camp at the Abu Dhabi Cricket and Sports Hub. The first Test starts in Rawalpindi on 1 December.
Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan ODI Series: ACB names 18-man squad
Sports Bulletin Report
KABUL: Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced an 18-man squad for the upcoming three-match One Day Internationals series, which will be rolled into action on November 25, 2022 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan included a new face in the squad Noor Ahmed, an 18 years old spin bowler and Gulbadin Naib former skipper of the national team will be replacing injured hard hitter left-handed batter Hazratullah Zazai.
The rest of the squad is on expected lines, with Hashmatullah Shahidi leading the team. He is expected to form the fulcrum of the top order alongside Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah. Mohammad Nabi, who recently stepped down as the T20 captain after a disappointing World Cup campaign where Afghanistan failed to win a single game, has also been included. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman headline the bowling unit.
All three match will be played at the same venue and series will be part of the ODI Super League. Afghanistan are currently placed seventh on the Super League points table with ten wins from 12 matches.
Names of selected players:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Ibrahim Zadran, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Noor Ahmad, Rashid Khan, Riaz Hassan, Shahidullah Kamal, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia-ur-Rehman
Schedule:
Nov 25: 1st ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Nov 27: 2nd ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Nov 30: 3rd ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Australia stun England by 72 runs in 2nd One Day International
Sports Bulletin Report
SYDNEY: Australia defeated England by 72 runs in 2nd One Day International to secure the three-match tie 2-0 at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Australia on Saturday.
Kangaroos won the toss and decided to bat first, as David Warner and Travis Head started the hosts’ innings. However, at Sydney both batters failed to provide a solid start, as at the score of 33, Warner lost his wicket at his personal score of 16 runs.
Batter, Steven Smith, who had played an unbeaten innings of 80 runs at Adelaide, kept his same batting pace here and smashed 94 runs in 114 balls. He hit five fours and a single six during his a responsible, and vital and match winning innings of 94 runs. Mitchell Marsh and Marnus Labushagne also played good innings of 59 and 58 runs innings to help their team to set a 280 runs total on the board.
Adil Rasheed (3 for 57), David Willy (2 for 44) and Moin Ali (1 for 24) were the wicket taker bowlers of England.
The Englishmen had 281 runs target in 50 overs, as he had to face early damage, when opener Jason Roy in the very first over, when he was clean bold on the bowling of acting captain Hazelwood. Wicketkeeper batter Sam Billings was the top scorer for England. He scored 71 runs in 80 balls with the help of 3 fours and 2 sixes. James Vince contributed 60 runs, as he hit three four and two sixes during his 72 balls innings.
Mitchell Strac (4 for 47), Adam Zampa (4 for 45) and Josh Hazlewood (2 for 77) were the main bowlers of the day, who shared all the 10 wickets of opposition. Michell Strac was declared best player of the match.
Lanka Premier League set to start from December 6, 2022
Sports Bulletin Report
COLOMBO: Lanka Premier League (LPL) Season 2022 will commence on December 6 at Hambantota with the inaugural game scheduled to be played between defending champions Jaffna and Galle.
The first round of the tournament will consist of 20 games, which will be played at three different cricket venues Hambantota, Kandy and Colombo. The final round games will also be played at the Ranasinghe Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPICS), Colombo.
Lanka Premier League 2022, which is Sri Lanka’s topmost domestic tournament, with an international flavor, will consist of 24 games and will see the participation of topmost domestic and international cricketers. The upcoming edition of the tournament will see the participation of a number of star international cricketers including Evin Lewis, Carlos Brathwaite, Janneman Malan, Dwaine Pretorius, D’Arcy Short, and Shoaib Malik, among several other players.
Anil Mohan, an official promoter of LPL said:
"The appetite for cricket in Sri Lanka is huge and we are bringing the best of cricketing action to our fans in Sri Lanka. With the LPL, we want to provide some high-energy T20 cricket throughout December. Sri Lankan Cricket has always produced many world class players and the inclusion of top international cricketers like Evin Lewis, Carlos Brathwaite, and Janneman Malan among others is contributing to the growth and popularity of LPL in the subcontinent. I am sure that the third edition will be a success like the last two seasons”.
LPL 2022 (Schedule):
December 6, 2022: Jaffna vs Galle, Colombo vs Kandy at Hambantota
December 7, 2022: Dambulla vs Jaffna, Galle vs Kandy at Hambantota
December 8, 2022: Dambulla vs Colombo at Hambantota
December 9, 2022: Travel to Kandy
December 10, 2022: Kandy vs Jaffna at Kandy
December 11, 2022: Colombo vs Galle, Jaffna vs Dambulla at Kandy
December 12, 2022: Kandy vs Galle, Colombo vs Jaffna at Kandy
December 13, 2022: Dambulla vs Kandy, Galle vs Colombo at Kandy
December 14, 2022: Jaffna vs Kandy, Colombo vs Dambulla at Kandy
December 15, 2022: Travel to Colombo
December 16, 2022: Rest & Practice
December 17, 2022: Dambulla vs Galle, Kandy vs Colombo at RPICS
December 18, 2022: Galle vs Jaffna, Kandy vs Dambulla at RPICS
December 19, 2022: Jaffna vs Colombo, Galle vs Dambulla at RPICS
December 20, 2022: Rest & Practice at RPICS
December 21, 2022: Qualifier 1 (1 vs 2) vs Eliminator (3 vs 4) at RPICS
December 22, 2022: Qualifier 2 (looser QF1 vs won E) at RPICS
December 23, 2022: Final at RPICS, Colombo
Australian Courts agree to hear Gunathilaka bail applications
BIPIN DANI
Danushka Gunathilaka's bail application (no. 2022/00337563) will be heard by the Supreme Court on 28th November, it is learnt and also confirmed by Sri Lanka and Australia-based advocate Chanaka Senanayake, who was earlier coordinating the player's case.
According to the highly-placed sources in Australia, on Monday, the Sri Lankan all-rounder Danushka Gunathilaka bail application in the Supreme Court was submitted to the Registrar G. Galani by his new lawyer and the same has been accepted and accordingly it will be heard at 9.00 AM on 28th November.
Incidentally, the lawyers had also filed an application (no. 2022/00337572) to the local court stating that the rejection of the first bail appeal be heard again but by some other judge and accordingly, it has also been accepted to be heard on 17th November at 9.30 AM.
The 31-year-old Danushka Gunathilaka is facing the alleged criminal charges for raping a 29-year-old woman in Australia.
These applications will now be heard in Courts 4.4 or 4.5 Downing Street Centre Courts.
Danushka's new lawyer is Ivan Zayed. The services of another prominent lawyer Anand Amarnath will no longer be hired for this case, it is also learnt.
After elimination from the World Cup, the Sri Lankan team returned home without Danushka for his alleged crime. The investigators have described Danushka as a "flight risk" in their report. The term "flight risk" is used to describe a person under custody of law enforcement who is considered likely to abscond.
Hashan Tillakaratne joins Bangladesh women team as head coach
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka's present women's Head Coach Hashan Tillakaratne is all set to resign from his existing post and will take up the new assignment with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
This was confirmed by Shafiul Alam Chowdhry (Nadel), the chairman of the women's wing of the BCB.
Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Dhaka on Wednesday evening, he said, "yes,we have hired his services as a head coach for our women's cricket team. He has been sounded to take up this job on a two-year contract".
"We hope to welcome him in the first week of November. His first assignment will be against the New Zealand team. Our women's team will be leaving for New Zealand to play the first bilateral series. This will be the first series of the new FTP (Future Tour Program)", he added.
Incidentally, the 55-year-old former wicket-keeper and batter will be the third Sri Lankan for the coaching role with the Bangladesh team. Former off-spinner Rangana Herath is the spin bowling coach for the men's team and is with the men's team in Australia for the World Cup. Former fast bowler Champaka Ramanayake (now holidaying in Sri Lanka) is attached with the High performance Centre (HPC) in Bangladesh.
Designing LPL logo was a challenge: Miyulika Weeramanthree
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka's 24-year-old Mechanical Engineering student Miyulika Weeramanthree is proud to be the winner of designing the LPL (Lanka Premier League) logo.
"It was an open invitation for this competition and with the support of my parents and friends I participated and won the One Thousand Dollars prize-money", he said over the telephone from Kandy.
"I am really proud to be able to create the logo for the international-brand cricket league to be played in my country. I am very happy and proud that my choice of the design was approved".
It took about two weeks for Miyulika Weeramanthree to give final touch to his design. "Actually, it took a long time to formulate the concept. I first started with pencil sketches. Erased few, corrected few and then this final design was reached. I added different colors. It was quite a difficult task", he added.
This was Miyulika's first design work on a cricket-related theme. He is an experienced logo and brand identity designer and in this profession for the last four years. He has managed more than 1000 international projects individually and with colleagues on freelance platforms.
Incidentally, the logo designer is a cricket-fan. "I enjoy watching the Sri Lankan team and don't miss a single match played in Kandy. I have been watching World Cup matches on TV. He will also be at the stadium for the LPL matches this season".
"I am very happy to be able to do something that will be remembered in the history of Sri Lanka cricket. Special thanks to the SLC and the LPL organising committee and the IPG group for providing this opportunity", he signed off.
England Cricket Board names ODI squad for series against Australia
Sports Bulletin Report
ISLAMABAD: England Men's selection panel have named a 15-strong squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia starting in November 17, soon after the T20 Men’s World Cup 2022. From the current ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squad, 11 players will remain in Australia when the series gets underway at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday 17 November.
Seam bowler Olly Stone, who will join Nottinghamshire from 1 November, will be looking to add to his four ODI caps, having last played for England in this format in October 2018 against Sri Lanka. Hampshire batter James Vince returns to the squad, having last played in July 2021 at Edgbaston against Pakistan.
Kent middle-order batter Sam Billings is also recalled and will be looking to add his 25 ODI caps. The three-match series will be played over six days, with matches in Adelaide, Sydney and finishing in Melbourne on 22 November.
England Men's ODI squad:
Jos Buttler (Lancashire-Captain), Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Olly Stone (Nottinghamshire), James Vince (Hampshire), David Willey (Northamptonshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Luke Wood (Lancashire)
Schedule:
First ODI: Australia v England, Thursday 17 November 2022, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (1.50pm local)
Second ODI: Australia v England, Saturday 19 November 2022, SCG, Sydney (2.20pm local)
Third ODI: Australia v England, Tuesday 22 November 2022, MCG, Melbourne (2.20pm local)
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