Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI: The Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Neil Hawkins met Pakistan National Women’s Cricket Team in Karachi and wished them good luck ahead of their tour of Australia. Starting from Friday 16 January, hosts and reigning champions Australia will host Pakistan National Women’s Cricket Team for an ODI and a T20I series scheduled in Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart and Canberra. The ODIs are part of the 2020-2025 ICC Women’s Championship. High Commissioner Neil Hawkins said: ‘It is a great privilege to meet Pakistan National Women’s Cricket Team. Our countries share a passion for cricket. I wish the team a fantastic stay in Australia. They will receive a very warm Australian welcome. We expect some fabulous cricket.’ The High Commissioner also met with Pakistan Under-19 Women’s squad who are also practicing in Karachi for the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in South Africa later this month.  ‘The Australian High Commission has been supporting under-19 girls’ cricket in Pakistan since 2016 as we believe cricket and other sports can help tear down barriers and stereotypes,’ he said.  Team captain Bismah Maroof said: ‘We had a good 2022 year, where we won five of the six ICC Women’s Championship matches. We are looking forward to playing a competitive series in Australia. The series against Australia will provide an opportunity to players to express their talent on the field and make new fans in the tour Down Under,’ she added. Team Manager Ayesha Ashhar said: ‘I am positive that the squad assembled here under Bismah Maroof shall give a good account of itself on the forthcoming tour, not only on the field of play but also in terms of winning friends through great display of skills, discipline and sportsmanship.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Pakistan national women team’s chief selector Asmavia Iqbal today announced a 15-player squad for next month’s bilateral white-ball series against Australia and for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which will be held in South Africa from 10 February to 26 February. Bismah Maroof will continue to lead the Pakistan Women’s team in both assignments.  The squads were finalised after deliberations by Asmavia, interim head coach Saleem Jaffer and captain Bismah. Right-arm fast bowler Diana Baig makes a comeback after missing out in the home series against Ireland in October/November due to a shoulder injury. Spinners Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan are also back in the squads after being ruled out of the Ireland series due to hand and index finger injuries, respectively. Left-arm spinner Sadia is part of the ODI and T20I squads, while leg-spinner Tuba is part of the T20I squad. Two players, Fatima Sana and Tuba Hassan, will make their maiden appearance for Pakistan in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Pakistan Squad (Australia series): Bismah Maroof (c), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and Sidra Nawaz (wk) Traveling Reserves: Aimen Anwar, Javeria Khan and Tuba Hassan Pakistan Squad (T20I World Cup): Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Tuba Hassan Reserves: Ghulam Fatima, Kainat Imtiaz and Sadaf Shamas Chief selector Asmavia Iqbal said: “I wish luck to the players who have been selected for both Australia series and ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. I am hopeful the side will continue to perform in the same manner they have performed recently in the ACC Women’s Asia Cup and Ireland series. “The ODI series against Australia is very crucial, the expectations are high as we have won five of the six ICC Championship matches and our aim is to qualify directly for the 50-over World Cup. “We have relied more on the senior players in the formation of the squad for the World Cup and we expect them to use their experience on the field and get positive results for the team. “The return of Diana Baig, Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan will give a boost to the side and will strengthen our bowling attack which has the capability to do well. Sidra Nawaz has been added as our second wicket-keeper in the squad to give Muneeba Ali some space to express herself more with the bat, and gives an added option to the captain to utilise the services of a second wicket-keeper on the long tour.” Player Support Staff: Ayesha Ashhar (team manager), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach and interim head coach), Taufiq Umar (batting coach), Mauhtashim Rashid (fielding coach), Yasir Malik (strength and conditioning coach), Muhammad Zubair Ahmad (analyst), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media and digital content manager) and Rifat Gill (physiotherapist). Australia series Itinerary 16 January – First ODI at Allan Border Field, Brisbane 18 January – Second ODI at Allan Border Field, Brisbane 21 January – Third ODI at North Sydney Oval No.1, North Sydney 24 January – First T20I at North Sydney Oval No.1, North Sydney 26 January – Second T20I at Blundstone Arena, Hobart 29 January – Third T20I at Manuka Oval, Canberra Pakistan fixtures (T20 World Cup): 12 February v India at Newlands, Cape Town 15 February v Ireland at Newlands, Cape Town 19 February v West Indies at Boland Park, Paarl 21 February v England at Newlands, Cape Town

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Blasters defeated Dynamites by seven runs in the final of the T20 Women’s Cricket Tournament 2022-23 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Friday. Besides lifting the glittering trophy, the Blasters team also pocketed PKR1million as the winning prize. Dynamites had to settle for a PKR500,000 runners-up cash prize. On Friday morning, PCB Dynamites were set a 146-run target, they fought hard but eventually finished their quota of 20 overs at 138 for eight. Blasters’ Maham Manzoor led the charge in the bowling with four for 17 in four overs. Masooma Zahra bagged two wickets for 25 in four overs. Nida Dar top-scored for the Dynamites with an unbeaten 22-ball 37, which included four fours and one six. Opener Nahida Khan scored run-a-ball 34, hitting three fours. Earlier, Blasters posted 145 for three in their allotted 20 overs. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof who was later adjudged the player-of-the-tournament, returned undefeated on a 22-ball 45, smashing five fours. Sidra Amin top-scored for her side, scoring 49 off 45 balls, hitting seven fours. Nida Dar with her off-spin bagged two wickets for 23. Scores in brief: Blasters beat Dynamites by seven runs Blasters 145-3, 20 overs (Sidra Amin 49, Bimah Maroof 45 not out; Nida Dar 2-23) Dynamites 138-8, 20 overs (Nida Dar 37 not out, Nahida Khan 34, Sidra Nawaz 27; Maham Manzoor 4-17, Masooma Jafferi 2-25) Player of the match – Maham Manzoor (Blasters) Player of the tournament – Bismah Maroof (Blasters)

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Pakistan international and Sindh’s Aroob Shah will lead Pakistan in the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup which will be played from 14 to 29 January 2023 in South Africa. Women’s selector Asmavia Iqbal announced a 15-player squad and five reserves players. These players were selected after their performances in this year’s Women U19 T20 Tournament held at Lahore Country Club in Muridke from 13 to 22 August. Later, the top performers of the six-team tournament had undergone two skills and training camps staged at the Inzamam-ul-Haq High Performance Centre, Multan in September and at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre, Karachi in November. To further assess their fitness and skills, the U19 players had also featured in the first phase of T20 Women’s Cricket Tournament held at Lahore’s LCCA Ground from 26 November to 2 December. The players were part of Team Conquerors, one of the three participating teams in the event. Aroob Shah, who has featured for Pakistan in two ODIs and five T20Is, will have the services of hard hitting right-handed batters Eyman Fatima and Shawaal Zulfiqar. Besides the duo, Aroob who herself is a leg-spinner, will have promising spinners in the likes of Rida Aslam (left-arm spinner), Quratulain Ahsen (leg-spinner), Anosha Nasir (off-spinner) and Mahnoor Aftab (off-spinner). The squad also includes four fast bowlers in Areesha Noor, Haleema Azeem Dar, Haniah Ahmer and Zaib-un-Nisa. Chief Selector Asmavia Iqbal: “I want to congratulate the 15 players who have made into the squad for the inaugural U19 event. I remain confident that this side has the capability and potential to do well in the mega event. These players were selected after a rigorous and robust process and I want to congratulate the coaches who have worked tirelessly hard on the skills of the players to get them ready for the event. Pakistan Squad: Aroob Shah (Captain) (Sindh), Aliza Khan (Sindh), Anosha Nasir (Sindh), Areesha Noor (Central Punjab), Eyman Fatima (Central Punjab), Haleema Azeem Dar (Central Punjab), Haniah Ahmer (Sindh), Laiba Nasir (Central Punjab), Mahnoor Aftab (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Quratulain Ahsen (Central Punjab), Rida Aslam (Central Punjab), Shawaal Zulfiqar (Central Punjab), Warda Yousaf (Central Punjab), Zaib-un-Nisa (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Zamina Tahir (Central Punjab) Reserves Players: Aqsa Yousaf (Southern Punjab), Dina Razvi (Sindh), Maham Anees (Northern), Muskan Abid (Central Punjab) and Tahzeeb Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Support Staff: Aisha Jalil (Manager), Mohsin Kamal (Head coach), Mohammad Kamran Hussain (Assistant coach), Saboor Ahmad (Strength and Conditioning coach), Mohammad Usman Shahid (Analyst), Rabia Siddiq (Physiotherapist) and Dr Hafiz Salman Asif (Team Doctor). Schedule: 15 January – vs Rwanda, Potchefstroom 17 January – vs England, Potchefstroom 19 January – vs Zimbabwe, Potchefstroom

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Nahida Khan’s second half-century in as many matches led Dynamites to their first win in the four-team second phase of T20 Women’s Cricket Tournament 2022-23 in Lahore on Tuesday. In another match, Iram Javed’s unbeaten half-century helped Strikers beat Blasters by eight wickets. At the LCCA Ground, after being put into bat, Dynamites scored 137 for eight in 20 overs. Opening batter Nahida top-scored with a 36-ball 51, which included seven fours. Her opening partner Gull Feroza scored run-a-ball 33, laced with three fours. The pair added 80 runs for the first wicket. Challengers’ Anoosha Nasir was the pick of the bowlers with four for 24. In return, Challengers managed to score 125 for five in 20 overs and were 12 runs short of the target. Dua Majid was the top run getter for her side, scoring 41 off 39, smashing five fours. Captain Omaima Sohail scored 28 off 21, hitting two fours and one six. At the Lahore Gymkhana, Irum Javed’s quick-fire 33-ball 54 not out helped Strikers chased down the 142-run target for the loss of two wickets in the 18th over. In the run-chase, opening batters Muneeba Ali and Javeria Rauf provided a solid 50-run start to the innings. After the departure of skipper Muneeba (38, 33b, five fours, one six), Javeria was joined by Iram and both added 59 runs for the second wicket. Javeria contributed 43 off 34 balls, hitting six fours. Iram’s unbeaten knock included four sixes and one four. Earlier, after opting to bat first, Blasters scored 141 for eight in their 20 overs. Opening batter Shawal Zulfiqar top-scored with a 41-ball 36, studded with five fours. Captain Fatima Sana returned undefeated on 34 off 24 balls, which included six boundaries. Scores in brief: Dynamites beat Challengers by 12 runs Dynamites 137-8, 20 overs (Nahida Khan 51, Gull Feroza 33; Anoosha Nasir 4-24) Challengers 125-5, 20 overs (Dua Majid 41, Omaima Sohail 28, Aliya Riaz 26) Player of the match – Nahida Khan (Dynamites) Strikers beat Blasters by eight wickets Blasters 141-8, 20 overs (Shawal Zulfiqar 36, Fatima Sana 34 not out, Ayesha Naseem 30) Strikers 146-2, 17.5 overs (Iram Javed 54 not out, Javeria Rauf 43, Muneeba Ali 38) Player of the match – Iram Javed (PCB Strikers)

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Blasters and Challengers got off to a winning start in their first of the three matches in the second phase of T20 Women’s Cricket Tournament 2022-23 in Lahore on Monday. It was Pakistan’s captain Bismah Maroof unbeaten 60 and Blasters’ captain Fatima Sana two for 28 which led to Blasters five-run win over Dynamites at the LCCA Ground. After being put into bat, Blasters scored 136 for seven in 20 overs. Left-handed Bismah top-scored with an unbeaten 48-ball 60, which included eight fours. Opening batter Shawal Zulfiqar scored a 20-ball 21, hitting three fours. Dynamites captain Umm-e-Hani with her off-spin bowling bagged two wickets for 10 in three. In return, Nahida Khan’s unbeaten 60-ball 70 went in vain as Dynamites were restricted to 131 for three in their 20 overs. The right-handed batter Nahida’s innings included eight fours and one six. All-rounder Nida Dar was other notable run getter, scoring an unbeaten 32-ball 38, smashing four boundaries. In the second match of the day, at the Lahore Gymkhana, Aimen Anwar’s all-round performance led Challengers beat Strikers by one run. After being put into bat, Challengers managed to score 115 for eight in their allotted 20 overs. Aimen coming to bat at number nine scored a valuable unbeaten 16 runs off 14 balls and struck one four. Opening batter Javeria Khan too scored 16 off 13 balls, which included three fours. For Strikers, the 20-year-old Fatima Khan picked three wickets for 16. In return, the strikers fell one run short off the target as managed to score only 114 for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Natalia Parvaiz’ 28 off 32 balls and Syeda Aroob Shah’s unbeaten run-a-ball 26 goes in vain. Challengers’ leg-spinner Ghulam Fatima took two wickets for 16, while Aimen took a wicket for 24 runs in her four overs. Scores in brief: Blasters beat Dynamites by five runs Blasters 136-7, 20 overs (Bismah Maroof 60 not out, Shawal Zulfiqar 21; Umm-e-Hani 2-10) Dynamites 131-3, 20 overs (Nahida Khan 70 not out, Nida Dar 38 not out; Fatima Sana 2-28) Player of the match – Bismah Maroof (PCB Blasters) Challengers beat Strikers by one run Challengers 115-8, 20 overs (Aimen Anwar 16 not out, Javeria Khan 16; Fatima Khan 3-16) Strikers 114-7, 20 overs (Natalia Parvaiz 28, Syeda Aroob Shah 26 not out; Ghulam Fatima 2-16) Player of the match – Aimen Anwar (Challengers)

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: After the conclusion of the six-match first phase of T20 Women’s Cricket Tournament, the second phase will commence from Monday, 5 December at the two venues of Lahore – Lahore Gymkhana and LCCA Ground. Four teams namely Blasters, Challengers, Dynamites and Strikers will feature in the event where Pakistan’s elite cricketers will take part. The second phase will be played on a single-league basis, where two matches will be played daily on 5, 6 and 7 December. Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium will host the tournament’s final between the top two sides on 9 December. In order to incentivise domestic performers, the best performer of every match will continue to receive PKR20,000 as they were getting in the first phase of the tournament. The player of the tournament will bag PKR50,000. The winning team will receive PKR 1 million, while the runner-up will get PKR0.5million. The first phase was a great platform for Under-19 players to perform and get a chance to be a part of the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup set to take place in January 2023 in South Africa. In the first phase, three sides Conquerors, Invincibles and Stars took part in the competition, which was played on a double-league basis. Stars led by Huraina Sajjad won all their four matches in the first phase, while Conquerors won two matches and Invincibles remained winless. In the batting charts, the 17-year-old Shawal Zulfiqar, representing Conquerors, topped the table with 161 runs from four outings, which included two half-centuries. Invincibles’ right-handed batter Gulrukh scored 133, while Stars’ skipper Huraina scored 101 from four matches. In the bowling charts, Conquerors’ right-arm leg-spinner Syeda Aroob Shah bagged nine wickets from four matches, which included one five-fer. Aroob’s teammate, 17-year-0ld Anoosha Nasir with her left-arm spin had five scalps to her name. Blasters squad: Fatima Sana (Captain), Aima Saleem, Anam Amin, Ayesha Bilal, Ayesha Naseem, Bismah Maroof, Fareeha Mehmood, Gul Rukh, Huraina Sajjad, Maham Manzoor, Mahnoor Aftab, Masooma Zehra, Shawal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin and Amber Kainaat Team management – Mauhtashim Rashid (head coach), Shahid Mehmood (assistant coach), Mahlika Mansoor (manager) Challengers squad: Omaima Sohail (Captain), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anoosha Nasir, Ayesha Zafar, Dua Majid, Ghulam Fatima, Hamna Bilal, Javeria Wadood, Khadija Chishti, Lubna Behram, Najiha Alvi, Noreen Yaqoob, Rameen Shamim and Rida Aslam Team management – Azam Khan (head coach), Nazim Khan (assistant coach), Asiya Khan (manager) Dynamites squad: Umm-e-Hani (Captain), Aleena Shah, Gull-e-Uswa, Gull Feroza, Kainat Imtiaz, Nahida Khan, Nida Dar, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Saima Malik, Saira Jabeen, Sidra Nawaz, Tuba Hassan, Waheeda Akhtar and Yusra Amir Team management – Taufiq Umar (head coach), Jawad Hamid (assistant coach), Hina Azam (manager) Strikers squad: Muneeba Ali (Captain), Aroob Shah, Ayesha Irfan, Eymaan Fatima, Fatima Khan, Iram Javed, Javeria Rauf, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Neha Sharmeen, Saba Nazir, Soha Fatima and Zunera Shah gement – Waqar Orakzai (head coach), Rehmat Gull (assistant coach), Aisha Jalil (manager)

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: A total of 13 matches will be played in the T20 Women’s Cricket Tournament, which commences in Lahore from 26 November. In order to incentivise domestic performers, the best performer of every match will get PKR20, 000 and the player of the tournament will bag PKR50,000. The winning team will receive PKR 1 million, while the runner-up will get PKR0.5million. The tournament provides an opportunity to the players to get acclimatised to the T20 format, while it will help coaches and selection committee to select squads for the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s World Cup and ICC T20 Women’s World Cup – both events scheduled to take place in South Africa next year. The tournament will be played in two phases. In the first phase, three teams namely Conquerors, Invincibles and Stars will take part from 26 November to 2 December. Conquerors consist of U19 players, while Invincibles and Stars consist of emerging players. Each side will feature in four matches in the first phase. In the second phase, the performers of first phase will be provided an opportunity to feature in one of the four sides namely Blasters, Challengers, Dynamites and Strikers. Pakistan’s elite cricketers will feature in the second phase. The second phase of the tournament will run from 5 December to 9 December, while the squads of the four sides will be named in due course. The venue for the final of the tournament scheduled on 9 December will be named in due course. Conquerors squad: Aroob Shah (Captain), Aliza Sabir, Anosha Nasir, Areesha Noor, Eyman Fatima, Haleema Azeem Dar, Haniah Ahmer, Laiba Nasir, Mahnoor Aftab, Quratulain Ahsen, Rida Aslam, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Warda Yousaf, Zaib-un-Nisa and Zamina Tahir Team management – Mohsin Kamal (head coach), Kamran Hussain (assistant coach), Aisha Jalil (manager) Stars squad: Huraina Sajjad (Captain), Aleena Shah, Amber Kainaat, Arim Barkat, Asma Amin, Ayesha Asim, Ayesha Bilal, Fajar Naveed, Hamna Bilal, Kainat Gul, Khadija Chisty, Kinza Wahab, Masooma Zehra, Momina Riasat and Zunera Shah Team management – Hajra Sarwar (head coach), Rehmat Gull (assistant coach), Hina Azam (manager) Invincibles squad: Yusra Amir (Captain), Aima Saleem, Aleena Masood, Dua Majid, Fatima Zahra, Fatima Khan, Gull Rukh, Gull-e-Uswa, Madiha Gul, Maham Manzoor, Neha Sharmeen, Rabia Rafi, Saima Malik, Saira Jabeen and Wasfa Hussain Team management – Wasim Yousafi (head coach), Shakir Qayyum (assistant coach), Asiya Khan (manager)

BIPIN DANI Sri Lankan Women’s Under-19 team won its match against the West Indies U-19 team by 6 wickets at the Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA VDCA Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.  Both West Indies and Sri Lanka's U-19 teams are in India to participate in the Quadrangular Women's U-19 T-20 series. The BCCI has fielded two teams A and B for this series. Sri Lanka's U-19 captain Vishmi Gunarathne had won the toss and invited the Windies team to bat first. Ashmi Munishar-led Windies scored 95 runs for three wickets in 20 overs. In reply, Sri Lankan batters achieved the target in 15.1 overs and scored 99 runs and lost four wickets. Opening batter and captain could score only one run but another opener and wk Sumudu Nisansala's aggressive batting (33 runs  which included 8 fours) was the top scorer of the Sri Lankan innings,  whereas Windies wk opener Shunelle Sawh was the top scorer (35*) of the match. 

Sports Bulletin Report Lahore: Nida Dar’s all-round performance and Ayesha Naseem’s quick-fire 25 helped Pakistan to a six-wicket win over Ireland in the second T20I here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday and also level the three match series 1-1. The series decider will be played on Wednesday, 16 November. Chasing 119 to win in 17 overs, after the start of the play was delayed due to rain, the opening pair of Javeria Khan and Muneeba Ali provided a 26-run start off 19 balls before Muneeba fell to Arlene Kelly for 10-ball 12. Captain Bismah (2 off 5 balls) was next to go with 29 runs on the board. Javeria was joined by Nida and the two most experienced batters added 46 runs for the third wicket. Both Javeria (35, 39b, 3x4) and Nida (28, 25b, 1x4,1x6) ran themselves out and Pakistan were four down with 97 runs on the board. The right-handed Ayesha struck two sixes and one four in her unbeaten knock of 25 from 12 balls, while Aliya Riaz struck two boundaries and returned unbeaten on 11 off seven balls. Both batters helped the hosts achieved the target with one over to spare. Earlier, after opting to field first, Pakistan bowlers kept Ireland batters in check as the tourists managed to score 118 for seven in their allotted 17 overs. Opening batter Amy Hunter top-scored for her side with a 39-ball 36, which included three fours. Orla Prendergast who was declared player of the match in the previous game managed to score 20 0ff 17 balls, hitting three fours. For Pakistan, spinners Nida and Nashra Sundhu bagged two wickets apiece. Scores in brief: Pakistan beat Ireland by six wickets Ireland 118-7, 17 overs (Amy Hunter 36, Orla Prendergast 20; Nida Dar 2-19, Nashra Sundhu 2-21) Pakistan 121-4, 16 overs (Javeria Khan 35, Nida Dar 28, Ayesha Naseem 25 not out) Player of the match – Nida Dar (Pakistan)