Cricket - Int News
England Test Captain, Joe Root says
H Shah
MANCHESTER (November 11, 2021):-In my capacity as England captain and as a senior player at Yorkshire, I feel compelled to address the current situation that has consumed the sport and YCCC.
I just want the sport to be a place where everyone is enjoying it for the beautiful game it is and feels equal and safe. It hurts knowing this has happened at YCCC so close to home. It’s my club that I care passionately about it. I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting. There is no debate about racism, no one side or other. It is simply intolerable.
These events have fractured our game and torn lives apart. We must now recover and come back together as fans, players, media, and those who work within cricket. We have an opportunity to make the sport I love better for everyone.
I want to see change and actions that will see YCCC rise from this with a culture that harnesses a diverse environment with trust across all communities that support cricket in the county.
We need to educate, unify and reset. I will reach out to YCCC new Chair, Lord Patel, to offer support however I’m able.
We have to find a way to move forward and make sure this never happens again. In my opinion, this is a societal issue and needs addressing further afield than just cricket.
That being said, we, as a sport, all have to do more. How can we all help shape things moving forward positively? What can everyone from myself, the ECB, counties, players, officials and others in the sport do to improve the state of the game? I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I think we need to educate more and earlier; we must call it out straight away and have our eyes and ears open more.
Inclusivity, diversity and anti-discrimination is something over the past few years the England teams I have been involved in have spent a lot of time talking about and are very passionate about improving and making a big difference. It’s a big part of our culture, and we want to celebrate our diversity. We are representing England, and in that, we are representing the multicultural society we live in. We want all the fans to be able to enjoy what we do on the field and feel proud about who’s representing them.
“With the Ashes fast approaching, I’d really like the fans back home to unite and get behind us as a team. We will be playing for you all, “Root said in his statement.
Mahela Jayawardene to pick new coaching staff
BIPIN DANI:
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board has empowered former captain Mahela Jayawardene, who is a member of the National Sports Council to suggest the new coach for the national team, it is learnt.
The discussion on Mickey Arthur's fate was discussed by some members in the Ex-co meeting, which was held at the SLC on Tuesday.
It is also learnt that the services of head coach Mickey Arthur and few other coaching staff will be discontinued after the home series against the visiting West Indies team.
Roshan Mahanama, who was one of the choices of the Aravinda de Silva-led cricket advisory committee is no more a front-runner. Muthiah Muralitharan had expressed very high opinion about him but because of lack of coaching experience Mahanama may not be at the helm, it is understood.
Few of the Ex-co members are persuading Mahela to take up the head coach post but because of Mahela's other commitments, Sri Lankan coaches will also be considered along with the few overseas coaches.
Three-day quarantine for visiting Windies in Colombo
BIPIN DANI:
The visiting West Indies team, which arrived in Colombo on Monday will spend three days in hotel room quarantine before they begin their training, it is learnt.
According to the sources in the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board, the players and the support staff members are arriving in different batches. The team will be playing a 4-day warm up match (November 14-17) in Colombo before heading to Galle for the two Test matches (Nov. 21-25 & Nov. 29-Dec.3).
The home team which arrived on Saturday is not required to be in quarantine. "The players are given a short break and they will assemble in Galle on November 13", the source further added.
CA fines James Pattinson
Jamil Siraj
Sydney, Australia (November 10, 2021):-Cricket Australia has fined Victoria player James Pattinson 100 percent match fee, as he was found guilty of a Level 2 offence under the Cricket Australia Code of Conduct.
Pattinson was charged and found guilty under Article 2.7 of the Code for throwing a ball at or near a player in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during a match.
Pattinson was fined 100% of his match fee for the Marsh Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and New South Wales held on November 5-8, 2021.
He also received one suspension point and will be ineligible for selection in the Victoria v New South Wales Marsh One-Day Cup match on November 12.
Pattinson has the right to appeal the decision.
England to play two additional T20Is in Pakistan
Ali Ahmed
LAHORE (November 9, 2021):-England will play two additional men’s Twenty20 Internationals to the five T20Is originally planned when they will tour Pakistan in September/October 2022, England and Wales Cricket Board Chief Executive Tom Harrison announced today following his meeting with Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ramiz Raja.
The men’s side will then return to Pakistan in November/December at the back of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022 to play three Tests, which will form part of the ICC World Test Championship.
ECB Chief Executive Tom Harrison: “Myself and ECB’s Senior Director Martin Darlow visited Lahore to talk face to face with the PCB around some of the things that have happened over the past few weeks, leading to the cancelation of our tour in October. We also wanted to discuss the future as the two boards have a historic relationship and want to move the agenda towards a forward-looking one as opposed to one looking back.
“We’re happy to announce that we’ll play two extra white-ball T20Is on our men’s tour of Pakistan in September/October 2022. We will then return after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia to complete the Test match element of that tour.
“This is just to reaffirm our commitment to Pakistan cricket to getting England teams, men’s and women’s teams, eventually playing in Pakistan at home.
“I don’t think there’s a cricketer in England who doesn’t want to test their abilities against the huge talent this country has and in the conditions they know best.
“We also talked with our colleagues at the PCB around pathway engagement, how we can support proposals around the women’s game and some interesting ideas around the domestic agenda here in Pakistan.
“We’re going to build on these plans going forward together and we’re excited about that too.”
PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “The ECB have shown their large heartedness to be here for which I am thankful to Tom and Martin. It means a lot to us.
“We are excited that England have committed to playing two additional T20Is as part of their white-ball tour in September/October in 2022. We put in lot of efforts to make sure that all visiting teams are comfortable in Pakistan. As such, it is a matter of pride for the Pakistan fans, who look forward to welcoming Australia and England in 2022.
“England have got a great team and it’s mind-boggling how they’ve produced so many match-winners in a span of about five to seven years. They play very engaging and attractive cricket, which is fantastic for the fans and a big advertisement of the game.”
Balochistan beat Northern by an innings and four runs
Sports Reporter
LAHORE (November 9, 2021):-Balochistan beat Northern by an innings and four runs in their ninth-round match of the Cricket Associations Championship at the Saeed Ajmal Academy in Faisalabad on Tuesday.
Resuming their second innings on 108 for five in 34.3 overs, Northern were bowled out for 179 in the 63rd over. Balochistan’s right-arm pacer Tariq Jameel picked four for 53 and ended-up with six wickets for 69. He was supported by Zainullah who with his left-arm spin picked three wickets in each innings and ended-up with match figures of six for 71 in 37 overs.
Sindh’s Saim Ayub hit century in a drawn game against Southern Punjab at the Rana Naved Cricket Academy. Resuming their first innings on 390 for four, Southern Punjab managed to score 420 for five in 83 overs. Moinuddin returned undefeated on 170 hitting nine fours and as many sixes from 156 balls faced.
Sindh in their second innings were 283 for three in 57.2 overs when stumps were drawn. Left-handed batter Saim scored 129 off 145, laced with 13 fours and three sixes. His opening partner Ahsan Ali scored 50-ball 80, which included 16 fours. Daniyal Hussain contributed an unbeaten 50 off 124, laced with four fours.
At LCCA Ground in Lahore, Central Punjab played out a drawn game against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Resuming their first innings on the overnight score of 337 for nine in 65 overs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 343. Zohaib Khan who resumed his batting on 96 scored an unbeaten 102 off 84, which included 11 fours and five sixes.
Central Punjab in their second innings were 306 for seven in 70 overs when stumps were drawn. Rizwan Hussain top-scored with a 82-ball 74, hitting 11 fours and two sixes while Mohammad Waheed batting at number six scored an unbeaten 56 off 87, laced with five fours. Nisar Ahmad (42 off 54, four fours, one six) and Mohammad Irfan Khan (40 off 56, five fours) were other contributors with the bat.
For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Saqib Jamil picked three for 45.
Scores in Brief:
Balochistan beat Northern by an innings and four runs at Saeed Ajmal Academy, Faisalabad
Northern 102 all out, 45.4 overs (Ali Sarfraz 27, Kashif Ali 25; Zainullah Snr 3-25, Mohammad Shahid 2-9, Tariq Jameel 2-16, Aftab Ahmed 2-28) and 179 all out, 62.2 overs (Ziad Khan 50; Tariq Jameel 4-53, Zainullah 3-46, Fahad Iqbal 2-10)
Balochistan 285-9, 83 overs (Mohammad Shahid 72 not out, Fahad Iqbal 60, Hanan Achakzai 55; Farhan Shafiq 4-107, Kashif Ali 2-32)
Match drawn between Southern Punjab v Sindh at Rana Naved Cricket Academy, Sheikhupura
Sindh 387-8, 83 overs (Usman Khan 136, Ahsan Ali 101, Saim Ayub 54, Danish Aziz 40; Ahsan Baig 2-51, Ahmad Hassan 2-58, Umer Khan 2-112) and 283-3, 57.2 overs (Saim Ayub 129, Ahsan Ali 80, Daniyal Hussain Rajput 50; Umar Khan 2-70)
Southern Punjab 420-5, 83 overs (Moinuddin 170 not out, Mukhtar Ahmad 142, Zeeshan Ashraf 67; Danish Aziz 2-147)
Match drawn between Central Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at LCCA Ground, Lahore
Central Punjab 403-3, 83 overs (Abdul Samad 108, Ali Zaryab 88, Rizwan Hussain 99 not out, Irfan Khan 91 not out) and 306-7, 70 overs (Rizwan Hussain 74, Mohammad Waheed 56 not out, Nisar Ahmad 42)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 343 all out, 67 overs (Zohaib Khan 102 not out, Waqar Ahmed 80, Mohammad Mohsin Khan 47, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 42, Saqib Jamil 33; Nisar Ahmad 3-63, Sohaibullah 2-36, Mohammad Waheed 2-78)
Asif Ali and Laura Delany voted ICC Players of the Month
Aamir Ali Janjua
Dubai (November 9, 2021):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for October which recognise and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for October which recognise and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year.
Pakistan’s Asif Ali and Ireland’s Laura Delany have been voted the ICC Players of the Month for October. Ali beat Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan and Namibia's David Wiese to the men's award, and Delany beat teammate Gaby Lewis and Zimbabwe's Mary-Anne Musonda to the women's prize.
Ali scored 52 runs without defeat across three matches for Pakistan in October at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scoring at a strike rate of 273.68.
He first grabbed headlines at the tournament by blasting 27 not out from 12 balls to help Pakistan defeat New Zealand, but it was what he did in the next game that made him a household name. With Pakistan needing 24 runs off the final two overs against Afghanistan, Ali hit four sixes in the 19th.
Commenting on Ali’s performance ICC Voting Academy member Irfan Pathan said: “Helping your team to win, especially from the jaws of defeat is what makes Asif Ali special. And he did that not just once but twice,". Although he scored considerably less than other two nominated players, the contribution he made and the pressure situations from where he snatched the victories made all the difference.”
Ireland captain Delany shone in their 3-1 ODI series win over Zimbabwe. The all-rounder flourished with bat and ball, scoring 189 runs at 63, and taking four wickets at 27.
Commenting on Delany’s performance ICC Voting Academy member Lisa Sthalekar said: “Laura has been playing International cricket for over a decade and has the difficult task of captaining her country, which carries a great weight of expectation. I have been following her career, ever since I played alongside her in the Gordon Women’s Club in Sydney and watched her development. This recent series was a breakout series for her as she was able to register her highest ODI score and is a worthy recipient of the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for October.”
Mickey Arthur and Grant Flower stay back in UAE
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka Cricket team two coaching staff members-Mickey Arthur (Head coach) and Grant Flower (Batting coach) have not returned with the team but have stayed back in the UAE. The team, which could not advance to the final legs of the World Cup, returned by Emirates Flight (EK 648) early hours on Saturday.
"They (Arthur and Flower) have not stayed back to watch the World Cup final but they have sought a short break and are also awaiting their fate with the national team", a top ex-co member, speaking exclusively over the telephone said.
Arthur's contract ended with the World Cup. whereas Flower's contract runs till December.
Arthur is likely to return to Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
Considering the team's improvement, especially the young blood performing well, both are keen to continue with the team and await the evaluation report to be made by the Technical Advisory Committee, headed by Aravinda de Silva.
Very few days are left for the upcoming series against the visiting West Indies team, the SLC may have kept "staff for now".
However, according to the sources, Muthiah Muralitharan and few others in the advisory committee are keen on having Roshan Mahanama to take this task. Interestingly, Mahanama, the former ICC match-referee himself is a member of the committee and has no coaching experience but that may not become on his way to be involved with the team.
"Where did Ravi Shastri have coaching experience ? Also, Mahela Jayawardane was a strategist but has now become a successful head coach of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL", the ex-co member argued.
PCB announces the schedule of Australia tour to Pakistan
Ali Ahmed
LAHORE (November 8, 2021):-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced details of Australia’s first tour of Pakistan since 1998, which will take place in March and April 2022, and comprise three Tests, three ODIs and one T20I.
The Tests will take place in Karachi (3-7 March), Rawalpindi (12-16 March) and Lahore (21-25 March), while Lahore will be the venue for the four white-ball matches to be played from 29 March to 5 April.
The Tests will be played as part of the ICC World Test Championship, while the ODIs will be connected to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League – a 13-team event from which the seven highest-placed sides and the hosts, India, will qualify directly for the event proper in 2023.
PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja, who played eight Tests and 18 ODIs against Australia: “I am delighted to welcome Australia to Pakistan. From a personal point of view, it pleases me no end that we’ll be engaged in a three-Test match series, connoisseurs delight.
“Australia are one of the high-performing sides and them playing in our backyard for the first time after a gap of 24 years will be a special treat for the fans.
“Likewise, it will be a great opportunity for the Australia cricketers to not only play at our iconic venues but also feel and enjoy the respect, love and hospitality that this great country offers, something which most of their previous generation of cricketers missed out by playing offshore.”
Cricket Australia Chief Executive Nick Hockley: “Cricket Australia is excited about the prospect of touring Pakistan next year for what will be a highly anticipated series in a country so incredibly passionate about the game and their national team.
“Pakistan is a formidable opposition with an exceptionally talented team, as evidenced by their dynamic performances in the current ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE.
“We thank the PCB for their considerable efforts in planning for the tour and look forward to continuing to work closely over the coming months to finalise the necessary operations, logistics, security and Covid-19 protocols.
“The safety and welfare of our players and staff remains our number one priority, and we will continue to work with the PCB and relevant agencies to ensure that appropriate and sufficient arrangements are put in place for the tour.”
As part of the reconnoitering process, Cricket Australia’s delegation will visit Pakistan to meet with PCB officials as well as provincial and federal authorities to discuss and finalise matters relating to team operations, logistics, security and Covid-19 protocols.
Australia last toured Pakistan in 1998-99 when Mark Taylor led them to a 1-0 series victory – their first since Richie Benaud’s side defeated Fazal Mahmood’s team by 2-0 in the 1959-60 series. Between the two series, Pakistan hosted Australia in 1964-65 (drew 0-0), 1979-80 (won 1-0), 1982-83 (won 3-0), 1988-89 (won 1-0) and 1994-95 (won 1-0).
Pakistan staged the last four series with Australia offshore – 2002-2003 (Colombo and Sharjah, Pakistan lost 3-0), 2010 (drew 1-1 in England), 2014-15 (won 2-0 in the UAE) and 2018-19 (won 1-0 in the UAE).
Schedule:
3-7 Mar – 1st Test, Karachi
12-16 Mar – 2nd Test, Rawalpindi
21-25 Mar – 3rd Test, Lahore
29 Mar – 1st ODI, Lahore
31 Mar – 2nd ODI, Lahore
2 Apr – 3rd ODI, Lahore
5 Apr – only T20I, Lahore
ICC congratulates Dwayne Bravo for a fine career
SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT
Dubai (November 6, 2021):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has congratulated former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo for an impressive career that saw him stand out across formats and taste great success in ICC tournaments over the years.
Dwayne Bravo of West Indies during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between England and Windies at Dubai International Stadium on October 23, 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has congratulated former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo for an impressive career that saw him stand out across formats and taste great success in ICC tournaments over the years.
The 38-year-old all-rounder announced his international retirement after the team’s last Super 12 fixture against Australia in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Bravo played in two ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups, three ICC Champions Trophy tournaments and seven ICC Men’s T20 World Cups. He was part of the sides that won the Champions Trophy in 2004 and the T20 World Cups in 2012 and 2016.
ICC Acting Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “Dwayne has been an outstanding cricketer of his generation, who has been popular with fans the world over. He was successful in all formats and is part of an elite club of two-time World champions.
“His versatility and the experience of playing the world over have helped him gain immense understanding of the game and I hope he will be able to find ways to stay involved in cricket. On behalf of the ICC, I wish him all the best for the future.”
Bravo finishes with 2,200 runs and 86 wickets in 40 Test matches, 2,968 runs and 199 wickets in ODIs, and tallies1,245 runs and 78 wickets in T20Is going into his final match.
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