Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Opener Sidra Amin and wicketkeeper Sidra Nawaz have earned recalls in the national side for the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup in Sylhet, Bangladesh next month. The 15-player squad unveiled by national women’s selector Asmavia Iqbal also includes uncapped all-rounder Sadaf Shamas. There are three changes in the squad that featured in the tri-series in Ireland (that included hosts and Australia) and Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July-August. The players who miss out are Anam Amin, Gul Feroza and Iram Javed. Pakistan squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Tuba Hasan Reserve players: Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Umme Hani and Waheeda Akhtar The first phase of the tournament will be played on round robin basis following which the top four teams will qualify for semi-finals. Selector Asmavia Iqbal: “I want to congratulate the 15 players selected for the all-important Asia Cup next month. These players have been selected after observing their performances in the recent practice matches in Lahore. “We have also selected an additional keeper in Sidra Nawaz because of the long duration of the tournament. On these tracks, we need a specialist wicketkeeper as a backup for Muneeba Ali, in case she becomes unavailable. “Sadaf Shamas did extraordinary well in the recent practice matches and we feel this was the right time to elevate her to the national side. I am sure she will prove to be a good addition to the national side. Her ability to bat in the middle order and bowl medium fast makes her a good fit in the side and promises to provide balance to the playing XI whenever she gets her chance. “I had detailed conversations with the players who have been dropped. The decision to leave them out was taken considering their recent form and the conditions our team will encounter. They understand the areas they need to work on and I am sure they will continue to put in the hard yards and stage a strong comeback.” Left-arm orthodox Nashra Sundhu, after missing the tri-series and the Commonwealth Games because of a shoulder injury, is one of the four players on standby in Pakistan. The other three are: Natalia Pervaiz, Umme Hani and Waheeda Akhtar. The 15-player squad and the reserves will undergo 10-day camp at Lahore Country Club, Muridke from 18 to 27 September and the national side will fly out for Bangladesh on 28 September. Following David Hemp’s decision to not to extend his contract, the Pakistan Cricket Board will start the search for the new head coach following the expiration of his contract in mid-October. Player support personnel: Ayesha Ashhar (team manager), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach), Mauhtashim Rashid (fielding coach), Mohammad Zubair Ahmad (analyst) and Rifat Gill (physiotherapist).

Sports Bulletin Report MURIDKE:-It was a commanding 70 not out at a strike rate of 106.06 by Central Punjab opener Eyman Fatima that made her side champions of the Women’s Under-19 T20 Tournament with a seven-wicket win over Sindh. Central Punjab chased down 109 with four balls spare at Lahore Country Club as player of the final Eyman smashed 12 fours and two sixes in her 66-ball knock. She added 32 runs for the opening wicket with captain Shawal Zulfiqar and 49 with Warda Yousaf for the second wicket. Eyman finished the tournament with the second most runs (171 at 85.50) – one run behind her captain, Shawal, who topped the charts with 172 (86 average). The two Central Punjab batters were amongst the four batters to score half-centuries in the tournament with Sindh’s Aroob Shah and Central Punjab’s Warda Yousaf being the other two. Sindh managed 108 for eight after they were put into bat. Aroob, once again, led her side from front with 45 off 28 (eight fours) before she was run out by her opposite number. Anoosha Nasir made 21 off 25. Central Punjab’s Quratulain and Laiba Nasir returned two for 14 and two for 22. Quratulain, along with Aroob, finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament (nine wickets). Aroob was named player of the tournament for her all-round show. Best performers of the tournament were all from Central Punjab as Shawal bagged the award for batter, Quratulain for bowler, Eyman for fielder and Zamina Tahir for wicketkeeper. Brief Scores: Sindh 108-8, 20 overs (Aroob Shah 45; Quratulain 2-14, Laiba Nasir 2-22) Central Punjab 110-3, 19.2 overs (Eyman Fatima 70 not out) Awards: Player of the final – Eyman Fatima (Central Punjab) Player of the tournament – Aroob Shah (Sindh) Best batter – Shawal Zulfiqar (Central Punjab) Best bowler – Quratulain (Central Punjab) Best wicketkeeper – Zamina Tahir (Central Punjab)

Sports Bulletin Report MURIDKE:-Central Punjab, Sindh and Southern Punjab began their Women’s Under-19 T20 Tournament 2022 campaign with dominating wins at Muridke Country Club. Eyman and Shawal dominate Central Punjab's run chase in 10-wicket win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa In the first match of the tournament, Central Punjab bowled out Khyber Pakthunkhwa for a measly 45 with Haleema Azeem Dar and Quratulain taking two wickets each. Captain Shawal Zulfiqar and Eyman Fatima chased down the target with as many as 13 overs remaining. Player of the match Eyman made 27 not out off 26 and Shawal scored 14 not out off 16. Dina Razvi's three for four sets Sindh 10-wicket win over Northern Player of the match Dina Razvi returned three for four in four overs as Northern could muster only 44 for six in 20 overs after being asked to bat. The other wicket-takers in the innings were Anoosha Nasir, Kainat Eman Shah and Emad Adeel. They all took a wicket each. Captain Aroob Shah made 20 not out off 8 and Aliza Sabir struck 19 not out off 14 as Sindh chased down the target in just 21 balls. Javeria Siddique's four-fer records Southern Punjab's 43-run win In the third match of the day, it was player of the match Javeria Siddique's returns of four for 10 that set the match for her side as Balochistan were defeated by 43 runs. Southern Punjab had made 121 for seven after choosing to bat with captain Aqsa Hafeez top-scoring with 29 off 42. Amina Javed and Fakhra Abdullah of Balochistan took two and three wickets respectively. Balochistan in reply were all out for 78 as Javeria starred with the ball. Scores in brief: Central Punjab beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 10 wickets Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 45 all out, 16.2 overs (Haleema Azeem Dar 2-10, Quratulain 2-7) Central Punjab 48-0, 7 overs (Eyman Fatima 27 not out, Shawal Zulfiqar 14 not out) Sindh beat Northern by 10 wickets Northern 44-6, 20 overs (Dina Razvi 3-4) Sindh 45-0, 3.3 overs (Aroob Shah 20 not out) Southern Punjab beat Balochistan by 43 runs Southern Punjab 121-7, 20 overs (Aqsa Hafeez 29; Fakhra Abdullah 3-28, Amina Javed 2-27) Balochistan 78 all out, 18.2 overs (Javeria Siddique 4-10)

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-With the ambition of creating a strong talent pool at the domestic level and further strengthen its pathways programme, the Pakistan Cricket Board will hold the first of its kind Under-19 T20 tournament from Saturday. The U19 T20 Women Cricket Tournament 2022 will be competed by six Cricket Association teams, comprising 84 players, from 13 to 22 August at the Lahore Country Club, Muridke. The 10-day tournament will be conducted on round-robin basis, meaning each team will play at least five matches. The league stage will be followed by semi-finals and final on 20 August and 22 August. The U19 T20 Women Cricket Tournament 2022 serves a perfect opportunity for the players to stake a claim in the national U19 side ahead of the maiden ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa next year and the top performers are also guaranteed places in the senior sides, which will come into action when the senior women domestic season commences from November. To further incentivise the players to bring out their best performances, the PCB has also introduced financial awards to encourage the players to bring out their best. The winning team will receive PKR400,000 along with the silverware and the runner-up will get PKR200,000. The player of the tournament will be awarded PKR20,000 and each player of the match will receive PKR10,000. The tournament’s top performers – best player, best batter, best bowler and best wicketkeeper – will be gifted kit bags to encourage them to enhance their skills and pursue their cricketing ambitions. The PCB has also finalised the six squads, which consist of 14 players each. These squads have been nailed down after country-wide open trials and subsequent practice games amongst the selected players across the PCB-run women regional academies. Fifteen players have been placed in reserve pool and they can be called up based on a team’s requirement. Only players born on or after 1 September 2003 are eligible to play in the tournament. Squads: Balochistan U19 - Humaira Ghulam Hussain (Captain), Alisha Aslam, Aman Fatima, Amina Javed, Azra Habibullah, Dura-E-Nayab, Fakhra Abdullah, Fiza Noor, Kalsoom Kakar, Madhur Moolani, Misha Kareem, Ruqia Nazar, Shakira Ahmed and Shamim Amirullah Coaching staff - Aqil Khan (coach) and Rizwan Qureshi (assistant coach) Central Punjab U19 - Shawal Zulfiqar (Captain), Areesha Noor, Eyman Fatima, Farah Imran, Haleema Azeem Dar, Haleema Dua, Jaweria Ali, Komal Khan, Laiba Nasir, Noor Fatima, Quratulain Ahsen, Rida Aslam, Warda Yousaf and Zamina Tahir Chugtai Coaching staff – Mohsin Kamal (head coach) and Shahid Mehmood (assistant coach) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 - Zaibunisa Niaz (Captain), Aleesha Khan, Aliza Khan, Bakhtawar Arifullah, Gule Nayab, Hansa Zair Gul, Humaira Husain, Jalwa Anwar, Javeria Qamar, Mahnoor Aftab, Malaika Afridi, Sumbal Liaquat, Tayyaba Imdad and Tehzeeb Shah Coaching staff – Hajra Sarwar (Coach/Manager), Rehmat Gul (coach) and Riaz Kail (assistant coach) Northern U19 - Maham Anees (Captain), Fatima Sardar, Hadia Mushtaq, Kainat Riasat, Laiba Mubashar, Maheen Irfan, Malaika Noor, Mariyam Shehzadi, Muskan Abid, Noor Fatima, Rida Ashfaq, Sarah Jan Peter, Syeda Hania Zehra and Tahira Malik Coaching staff - Wasim Yousafi (head coach) and Intikhab Alam (assistant coach) Sindh U19 - Aroob Shah (Captain), Abeera Kaleem, Aliza Sabir, Anosha Nasir, Dina Razvi, Eman Adeel, Farhia Fahim, Haniah Ahmer, Kainat Eman Shah, Khizra Rani, Sara Fatima, Taskeen Fatima, Tooba Khan and Wasfa Hussain Coaching staff - Tahir Mehmood (head coach) and Nazim Khan (assistant coach) Southern Punjab U19 - Aqsa Hafeez (Captain), Anam Bibi, Aqsa Yousaf, Eman Fatima, Javeria Asharaf, Javeria Siddique, Laila Manzoor, Muqadas Bukhari, Rimsha Shehzadi, Sahar Fatima, Sana Khan, Sania Mazhar, Shameer Rajpoot and Uzma Iqbal Coaching staff - Kamran Hussain (head coach) and Shakir Qayyum (assistant coach) Reserve players - Areesh Yasin, Ayesha Shahzad, Bushra Bibi, Fatima Ghafoor, Fatima Nadeem, Hasnat Ibrahim, Jennifer Chaudhary, Kiran Akram, Malaika Shahzadi, Memoona Mazhar, Misbah Zaheer, Ramama Nazir, Rida Sajid, Simra Mehboob and Tooba Zafar Tournament schedule (All matches at Lahore Country Club, Muridke) 13 Aug – Central Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Northern v Sindh; Balochistan v Southern Punjab 14 Aug – Balochistan v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Central Punjab v Northern; Southern Punjab v Sindh 16 Aug – Southern Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Central Punjab v Sindh; Balochistan v Northern 17 Aug - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Northern; Central Punjab v Southern Punjab; Balochistan v Sindh 19 Aug – Sindh v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Balochistan v Central Punjab; Southern Punjab v Northern 20 Aug – Semi-finals 22 Aug – Final

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-Australia opener Beth Mooney has recaptured the number one spot for batters in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings after losing it to her captain Meg Lanning just two weeks ago. Mooney capped a fine run in the Commonwealth Games with a 41-ball 61 against India in the final to finish as the top run-scorer of the tournament with 179 runs. With scores of 70 not out against Pakistan and 36 against New Zealand this past week, she is now 18 points ahead of Lanning with 743 rating points. The 28-year-old has grabbed top position for the third time in her career, having previously been No. 1 from 8 March 2020 to 21 March 2021 and from 9 October 2021 to 26 July 2022. Mooney’s team-mate Tahlia McGrath has continued her meteoric rise. After 14 matches, she boasts a batting average of 93.75 and a bowling average of 13.66, which ensures her a top-five position with the bat for the first time and 12th place in the all-rounders list. Jemimah Rodrigues’s return to form saw her score 146 runs in Birmingham, helping her gain seven spots and return into the top 10 batters for the first time since October 2021. England may have missed out on a medal, but their bowlers occupy the top three spots in the bowling rankings. Fast bowler Katherine Brunt has swapped places with Sarah Glenn and is up to second, her highest position for 11 years. Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone continues to be at the top with a good lead of 34 rating points over Brunt. South Africa batters Anneke Bosch (up five places to 20th) and Tazmin Brits (up six places to 22nd) are others to gain big among batters while Pakistan’s Javeria Khan and India’s Deepti Sharma have gained two slots each to reach 32nd and 36th positions, respectively. The leading wicket-taker in the Commonwealth Games was Renuka Singh of India, and her 11 wickets have rewarded her with an entry into the top 20 for the first time. Fast bowlers Shabnim Ismail of South Africa and Megan Schutt of Australia have moved up two places each to grab fourth and fifth positions in the bowlers’ list. Left-arm spinners Nonkululeko Mlaba of South Africa and Radha Yadav of India are up to eighth and 14th places, respectively. In other movements, New Zealand’s Haley Jensen has galloped 31 slots to take 13th position while Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner (22nd) and South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk (28th) have also made significant movement. Gardner starred with both bat (96 runs at a strike rate of 137.14) and ball (five wickets at an economy rate of 4.20) and is up into second place among all-rounders, only behind Sophie Devine, who captained New Zealand to the bronze medal.

Sports Bulletin Report Birmingham (UK):-England fast bowler Katherine Brut has been handed an official reprimand for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the Commonwealth Games Women’s T20I semi-final against India in Birmingham on Saturday. Brunt was found to have breached Article 2.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to use of an audible obscenity during an International Match.” In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Brunt’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the second offence in a 24-month period, taking her cumulative demerit points to two. The incident occurred in the 17th over of India’s innings, when Brunt used inappropriate language after a catch was dropped off India batter Deepti Sharma. Brunt admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Shandre Fritz of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Eloise Sheridan and Kim Cotton, third umpire Claire Polosak and fourth umpire Shivani Mishra levelled the charge. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Bipin Dani A special training squad for the Sri Lanka's women's cricket team will be hired soon. This was revealed by one of the SLC sources, who is also involved in the development of the game for women in Sri Lanka. The Chamari Athapaththu-led team has lost the first three key matches against England, New Zealand and South Africa in the ongoing Commonwealth Games Women's Cricket Competition. "Basically, several first-class tournaments have been organized internally. After the Asia Cup (for the men's team in the UAE), we have decided to call a special training squad for the women's team", the source, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo, said on Friday. "Players' minds should be strengthened by increasing the number of training matches and trips. Players' skills alone are not enough. The tactics of the coach and the captain are also important in this situation. Let's try to correct the mistakes made today and win in the next matches". "I think our team's batting is lagging. The main reason for this is that our players do not get opportunities for the current first-class tournaments in the world. It is not enough to get such opportunities only in handfuls. The batting should be strengthened by giving such opportunities to a few more". "Also, by improving the fielding, our team should be adapted to the competitive pattern. I see it as the primary responsibility of the coaches. I believe that we will be able to correct all the shortcomings and march towards victory in the next tournament", the source further added.

Sports Bulletin Report Birmingham (UK):-India, at the back of Smriti Mandhana’s blazing unbeaten 63 off 42, recorded an eight-wicket win over Pakistan in Group A match of the Commonwealth Games 2022 at Edgbaston Cricket Stadium on Sunday. India rolled over the 100-run target with eight wickets in hand and as many as 38 balls spare. India were provided a solid start to their run chase by left-handed Mandhana as her flurry of boundaries helped them cross the fifty-run mark inside the powerplay, which was reduced to five overs after the match started late because of a rain delay and the T20I affair curtailed to 18 overs. India’s both wickets fell to spinners, Shafali Verma, came off leg-spinner Tuba Hasan and Sabbhineni Meghana bowled by Omaima Sohail. Pakistan, after electing to bat, were all out for 99. Wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali top scored with 30-ball 32. India’s Sneh Rana and Radha Yadav picked up two wickets each, while Renuka Singh, Meghna Singh and Shafali shared three wickets equally. Pakistan will play their last match of the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday against Australia. Scores in brief: Pakistan Women 99 all out, 18 overs (Muneeba Ali 32; Sneh Rana 2-15, Radha Yadav 2-18) India Women 102 for 2, 11.4 overs (Smriti Mandhana 63 not out)

Sports Bulletin Report Birmingham (UK):-Barbados women handed a 15-run defeat to Pakistan women in their opening match of the Commonwealth Games 2022 at the Edgbaston in Birmingham on Friday night. Chasing 145 to win, Pakistan lost four wickets with 49 runs on the board. Iram Javed (first-ball duck), Muneeba Ali (17, 19b, three fours), Omaima Sohail (10, 14b, two fours) and Bismah Maroof (12, 28b, one four) were all back in the hut in the 11th over but Nida Dar’s unbeaten half-century kept Pakistan in the run-chase. Coming to bat at number five, Nida collected 20 runs from Shamilia Connell’s final over and 15th over of the innings. The over included three fours and a huge six from Nida’s bat. The pair of Nida and Aliya Riaz went on to collect 11 runs in the 17th over with 39 runs required from the last three overs. The pair scored eight runs from the 18th over. Aaliyah Alleyne broke the partnership on her last ball of the spell with Aliya going for a shot over mid-off, but was held by Connell in the 19th over. Aliya scored a 24-ball 14 and added 69 runs for the fifth wicket with Nida. With 27 runs required off the final over, Pakistan managed to score 11 runs with Ayesha Naseem striking a six off the second ball of the over. Nida brought up her half-century in the final over and returned undefeated on 50 off 31 balls. Her innings included seven boundaries and one six. For Barbados, Alleyne, Connell, Dottin and Matthews bagged a wicket each. Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to field first, Bismah Maroof-led side restricted Barbados to 144 for four from their allotted 20 overs. Deandra Dottin was the first Barbados batter to return to the pavilion when she tried to play too many shots in the opening over of the match and was caught by Bismah bowled Diana Baig for eight with nine runs on the board. Captain Hayley Matthews was joined by wicketkeeper-batter Kycia Knight and both batters scored runs at all parts of the ground. The pair knitted a 107-run partnership for the second wicket – the highest in the match. Matthews scored a 50-ball 51, hitting four fours and one six. Knight returned undefeated on 62 off 56 balls, which included nine boundaries. For Pakistan, right-arm fast Fatima Sana was the most successful bowler with two for 41 from four overs. Diana was the other wicket taker with one for 14 from two overs. Pakistan will now take on the arch-rivals India on Sunday, 31 July at the same venue. Scores in brief: Barbados women beat Pakistan women by 15 runs Barbados women 144-4, 20 overs (Kycia Knight 62 not out, Hayley Matthews 51; Fatima Sana 2-41) Pakistan women 129-6, 20 overs (Nida Dar 50 not out)

Sports Bulletin Report Birmingham (UK):-Despite the rain affected tri-series in Ireland which hampered the team preparations, the Bismah Maroof-led Pakistan are confident of a good show in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The green shirts, placed in Group A, open their campaign against Barbados with a day-night match at Birmingham’s famous Edgbaston Stadium. After the Barbados clash, Pakistan play arch-rivals India on Sunday, 31 July followed by a match against T20 world champions Australia on Wednesday, 3 August. The top two sides from each of the two pools (four teams in each pool) will progress to the semi-finals that will be played on 6 August with the third position playoff and final scheduled to take place on 7 August. All 16 event matches will be staged at the Edgbaston Stadium. In the Ireland tri-series, only one out of Pakistan’s four matches were completed. Nida Dar’s all-round performance which won her the player of the match award, guided the team to a 13-run win over the hosts courtesy the DLS method. The two matches against Australia had to be called-0ff midway while the other group match against Ireland was abandoned without a ball bowled. Rain interruptions also hampered the pre-tour camp in Islamabad earlier this month. David Hemp, the team’s head coach though believes that Pakistan will stay competitive in the Commonwealth Games as the squad aspires to impress and show their mettle regardless of the challenge of three formidable sides in Group A. Head Coach David Hemp: “Unfortunately the matches in Ireland got curtailed due to the weather but we did manage to complete all practice sessions. The players experiencing different conditions in the UK was a very valuable exercise. We were looked after very well in Ireland and want to thank the organisers for making the tour an enjoyable one. “Since arriving in Birmingham we have completed one practice session which was last night at Edgbaston and the players are really excited about the event. The game on Friday is what we have our eyes as we played two practice matches against MCC yesterday, the idea was to utilise all players in the squad in the two games and give them match exposure before the formal start of the event. “The match against Barbados will be a big challenge as they are a formidable unit as most of the players’ make-up the West Indies side. It is a great opportunity to play at a venue like Edgbaston and we hope the weather will be kind to us and we get to play all three pool games in the coming week.” Squad: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza (wicketkeeper), Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicketkeeper), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan. Support staff: Ayesha Ashhar (Manager), David Hemp (Head coach), Saleem Jaffer (Bowling coach), Muhammad Zubair Ahmed (Analyst) and Rifat Asghar Gill (Physiotherapist). Schedule of Pakistan matches: vs Barbados – 29 July, Birmingham vs India – 31 July, Birmingham vs Australia – 3 August, Birmingham Semi-finals – 6 August, Birmingham Third position playoff and final – 7 August, Birmingham