Sports Bulletin

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka's top order batsman Kusal Mendis has become father for the first time. This was revealed by his father, Dinesh Mendis. "Kusal's wife Nishelle gave birth to a baby girl this between 7 and 8 Monday morning. Both the newly born baby and her mother are absolutely fine', he said exclusively over the telephone from Colombo. The 27-year-old top order right-hand handed batter, who scored 87 runs in the winning match against Australia on Sunday night saw his daughter on Monday morning. "Kusal came to the hospital (Ninewells Hospital) on Sunday night immediately after the match. The delivery was not done at the time. He, however has seen the baby this morning", the father further added. Kusal was still in the hospital at the time of filing this report (1 pm) on Monday noon. The parents are likely to name the girl as Hailey. The duo had married last year on February 12.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-The PCB General Body meeting took place at the National High Performance Centre on Monday, 20 June. In accordance with Clause 20 of the PCB Constitution 2019, the General Body considered and expressed their views on the audited accounts and PCB Annual Report, which are now available for viewing and downloading at the corporate website under Documents. The General Body was also provided with a snapshot of Pakistan cricket and received a briefing on the steps and measures being taken to bolster Pakistan cricket’s foundations by strengthening grassroots cricket. The General Body was informed the Pakistan men’s sides were presently ranked fifth in Tests and, third in ODIs and T20Is, while they are placed in fourth position on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, which is a qualifying event for the 2023 World Cup. The General Body was updated on the busy and tough 2022-23 cricket season for the men’s side that includes the tour to Sri Lanka for two Tests and the ACC T20 Asia Cup, Netherlands for three ODIs and Australia for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in October. The subsequent home series includes split tours by England and New Zealand, while the West Indies will return for three T20Is in January/February 2023. The women’s side will feature in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and T20 World Cups in South Africa, while their ICC Women’s Championship fixtures will be against Ireland at home and away in Australia. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja also announced rewards of PKR1million each for the Pakistan blind and deaf cricket teams in recognition of their performances at the international level. The General Body meeting was held following January’s elections of the Pakistan Deaf Cricket Association. This meant under Clause 24(1), the requisite quorum was available for convening the meeting. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja chaired the meeting, while Syed Sultan Shah (Chairman, Pakistan Blind Cricket Council) and Irfan Miraj (President, Deaf Cricket Association) also attended the meeting along with their office-bearers, who participated as observers on the special invitation of the PCB Chairman. PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain and Chief Operating Officer Barrister Salman Naseer also attended the meeting as ex-officio members.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Pakistan Cricket Board today announced 17 City Cricket Association sides of the Sindh Cricket Association and 14 City Cricket Associations of the Southern Punjab Cricket Association for the City Cricket Association Tournament 2022-23. Sindh Cricket Association CCA Badin – Ali Zain, Anif Ahmed, Azlan Gul, Haris, Hassam, Mohammad Aslam, Mohammad Iqbal, Mohammad Khan, Mohammad Shafi, Nehal Ali Qureshi, Rahimullah Nizamani, Saqib Zahid, Sarmad Ali, Shahryar Ali, Shakeel Ahmed, Usama, Usama, Wali Ullah, Zeeshan Ali Shah and Zeeshan Gul CCA Hyderabad – Abdul Rehman, Akbar Khan, Babar Khan, Dawood Khan, Fardeen, Fawad Ahmed, Gul Badin, Majid Asghar, Mohammad Meesam, Mohammad Aliyan Shaikh, Mohammad Awais, Mohammad Rafay Siddiqui, Mohammad Raheel, Mohammad Ramzan, Mohammad Sikandar, Mohammad Uzair Zubair, Mohammad Waqar, Mustafa Nasir, Noman and Zeeshan Khan CCA Jamshora – Abrar Hussain, Abdul Majeed, Ahmed Hassan Khan, Ali Mala, Deenaish Kumar, Faraz Ali, Huraira Bin Aijaz, Mohammad Arbaz Khan, Mohammad Hassan, Mohammad Kashan Khan, Mohammad Shahriyar Khan, Noman Khan, Salman Khan, Sarang, Shan Ali Shah, Tarique Ali, Tayyab Ali Shah, Waqar Ali, Waseem Ahmed and Zakir Ullah CCA Karachi Zone I – Abdul Rehman Zaheer, Ahmed Khan, Akbar Babar, Ammar Iqbal, Arib Shaikh, Bahadur Ali, Danial Mansoor, Faraz Hussain Khan, Hazrat Bilal, Irfan Ali Qasmi, Malik Zain Ul Abideen, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris Ali, Mohammad Mehmood Ali, Mohammad Rehan, Mohammad Taha Mehmood, Rao Waqar Ahmed, Rehman Ghani, Saad Alam and Syed Shayan Ahmed CCA Karachi Zone II – Ahmed Khan, Ali Shah, Ali Shinwari, Hafiz Syed Aryan Ali, Mohammad Ikram, Mohammad Kashan, Mohammad Saim, Mohammad Sufyan, Mohammad Taha Waqar, Mohammad Talha Siddiqui, Muneer Ur Rehman, Nadir Shah, Noor Wali Khan, Sajjad Rasheed, Syed Ghazi Ibad Nasir, Syed Haider Abbas Ziadi, Syed Mohammad Hassan Jafri, Syed Waleed Azim, Taimur Mustafa and Wajeeh Fawad Khan CCA Karachi Zone III – Akhter Waheed Kaiyani, Amit Ravi, Anas, Asad Akhtar, Basit Ghouri, Fuzail Uddin, Hassan Khalid, Israr Ahmed Awan, Mohammad Ahmed, Mohammad Fahad Ansari, Mohammad Haris Bin Tahir, Mohammad Sharoze Uddin Siddiqui, Mohammad Talha Alam, Mohammad Tehseen Shahid, Naveed Ullah, Rabish Mohammad Ahmed, Sahibzada Samiullah Afridi, Sufyan Yousaf, Tariq Bukht and Ubaisullah Khan CCA Karachi Zone IV – Abdullah Fazal, Ahsan Islam, Asad Ullah Hamza, Bilal Manzoor, Faizan Ahmed, Hafiz Mohammad Zaid Khan, Imran Shah, Israr Ul Haq Malik, Mohammad Arsalan, Mohammad Farooq, Mohammad Hanif Azad, Mohammad Suleman Saleem, Mohammad Uzair Ali Khan, Mohammad Waqas, Mohammad Waseem, Mohammad Yasir Mushtaq, Naimat Khan, Shahid Nadeem, Syed Abdullah Rafaee and Waleed Ahmed CCA Karachi Zone V – Arsalan Bashir, Faizan Khan, Jam Mohammad Saifullah, Khushhal Khan Khattak, Moazzam Malik, Mohammad Ali Butt, Mohammad Ashar Qureshi, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Waleed Khan, Mohammad Waqas, Mohammad Zahid, Mohammad Zeeshan Qasim, Saif Ali Ghouri, Shaheer Ali, Sheraz Hussain, Syed Shah Raza Naqvi, Tosiq Ahmed, Waseem Ahmed, Watan Dost and Zohaib Abid Hussain CCA Karachi Zone VI – Abdul Jalil Khanzada, Abdul Rehman, Ali Umer, Ashir Ahmed Siddiqui, Fahaddis Bukhari, Hurair Shahid, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mir Mohammad Ahnaf, Mohammad Asad, Mohammad Tariq Khan, Mohammad Usman Rahim, Muneeb Niaz, Nawaz Sharif, Nehal Rasheed, Osama Razzak, Ram Ravi, Saif Ullah, Syed Amin Uddin, Zaid Omer and Zain Anwar CCA Karachi Zone VII – Abdullah Muqaddam, Arif Yaqoob, Fayyaz Hussain, Haider Razzak, Hamza Ghanchi, Huzaifa Munir, Kashif Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Sohail Khan, Mohammad Waqas, Najeeb Ullah Rehman, Qadir Khan, Saad Bin Yousuf, Saqib, Shahid Nisar, Syed Mehmood Shah, Tauqeer Malik, Umer Zeeshan Lohya, Zafar Ali Khan and Zubair Dilawar CCA Khairpur – Aamir Ali, Aamir Ali, Akhtar Ali, Ali Asghar, Ayaz Ali, Chahat Ali, Farman Ali, Jahangir, Javed Ali, Kamran Ali, Kashif Ali, Majid Ali, Malhar Rasool, Manzar Hussain, Meer Mohammad, Mohsin Ali, Mohammad Umar, Naveed Ali, Sadam Hussain and Syed Hamza Sajjad Zaidi CCA Larkana – Aakash, Aamir Ali, Abdullah Shah, Ali Akbar, Asad Ali, Basit Ali, Faraz Aziz, Haseebullah, Javed Ahmed, Kamran Ali, Makhmoor Ali, Mohsin Raza, Mohammad Kaif, Mohammad Rafiq, Naveed Ahmed, Raheel Manzoor Chandio, Sabgatullah, Sabit Ali, Umer Khalid and Zohaib Ali CCA MirpurKhas – Ahsan, Ali Raza, Behram Khan, Faraz, Faraz, Farhat Ali, Hamza, Mohsin Ali, Mohammad Aaqib Baloch, Mohammad Farhan, Mohammad Saddam, Mohammad Salim, Mohammad Sohail, Nabeel Ahmed, Ramesh, Shafique Ahmed, Sher Khan, Sheran Malik, Umer and Zohaib CCA Sanghar – Abdul Rauf (Jr), Ali Khan, Aqib Javed, Asim Zubair, Awais Khan, Azad Khan, Ehtesham Elahi, Farhan Ali, Jan Mohammad, Junaid Shahroz, Mohammad Ahsan, Mohammad Azeem, Mohammad Huzaif, Mohammad Salman Ilyas, Noor Ali, Rizwan Haider, Sajid Ali, Sameer Ijaz, Shahid Ali and Zahid Akhter CCA Shaheed Benazirabad - Abdul Waheed, Abdullah Tahir, Abrar, Ali Shan, Arz Mohammad, Atta Ullah, Fayyaz Hussain, Ghulam Abbas, Haris Khan, Jawad Ali, Majid Ali, Mansoor Ahmed, Mujahid Ali, Oan Ali, Saddam Hussain, Sher Afzal, Siraj Ahmed, Tauseeq Haider, Yasir Ali and Zulfiqar Ali CCA Shikarpur – Abdul Rehman, Abdullah, Adeel Sarwar, Ali Haider, Ameer Hamza, Aqib Ali, Asif Babar, Bilal Irshad, Farhan Ali, Hamesh Kumar, Imran Ali, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Bux, Mohammad Yousif, Muneer Ahmed, Rab Nawaz, Riaz Ahmed, Sajjad Ali, Sardar Ali and Zafar Ali CCA Sukkur – Aagha Mohammad Talha, Agha Noor Ullah, Asif Ali, Asif Ali, Farhan Ahmed, Ghulam Raza, Imran Khan, Israr Ul Haq, Mansab Shaikh, Mohammad Aqeel Danish, Mohammad Ashraf, Mohammad Nouman, Mohammad Saqib, Mohammad Yasir, Muzammil Hussain, Saeed Ahmed, Sajjad Sangi, Sohail Ahmed Raja, Wajid Ali and Zulfiqar Hyder Southern Punjab Cricket Association CCA Bahawalnagar – Abdul Rehman, Ali Omer, Asad Khan, Faisal Mehmood, Jan Zohaib Arain, Khalid Mehmood, M. Adeel Ur Rehman, M. Amnan, M. Aqib Shafiq, M. Azab, M. Basit, M. Hammad Khalid, M. Usman Tufail, Mohib Ali, Moin Yameen, Numan Islam, Salahuddin, Shahzad Anwer, Sohaib Arshad and Waseem Mehmood CCA Bahawalpur – Ali Hamza Wasim, Ali Imran, Ali Raza, Asad Khan, Asad Nadeem, Gulfam Aziz, Ibrar Amin, M.Abdullah, M.Amir Sohail, M.Imran, M.Muzammil, M.Naveed, Murad Rauf, Sajid Iqbal, Sher Mohammad, Umar Abbasi, Waleed Iqbal, Zahid Ul Hassan, Zeeshan Akbar and Zulqarnain CCA D.G Khan – Ammar Ali, Huzaifa Shafiq, Iftikhar Ahmad, Imran Rafiq, M. Ali, M. Amir, M. Asif Fawad, M. Awais, M. Basit, M. Fahad, M. Haseeb Jamil, M. Irfan Rafiq, M. Jahangir, M. Saeed, M. Yousaf, M.Altaf Shakoor, Shakeel Ahmad, Shoukat Ali, Syed M. Salman Haider Naqvi, Syed Said Shah and Umair Fateh CCA Khanewal – Abu Huraira, Aftab Niazi, Ammar Ul Haq, Arsalan Haider, Arsalan Zia, Faisal Abbas, Gulfam Iqbal, Huzaifa Ayub, M.Asad, M.Shakeel, M.Umar Masood, Najam Abbas, Saddam Hussain, Saim Ayaz, Samar Abbas, Tahir Mehmood, Umair Shakeel, Umar Bilal, Usama Hussain and Zain Ul Abidin CCA Layyah – Afraseem, Ali Asad, Jallat Khan, Kamran Ali, M.Faisal, M.Faizan Zafar, M.Ishfaq, M.Saqib, M.Taimoor Khan, M.Tariq, M.Umair Khan, Maqbool Elahi, S.Ammar Yasir, S.Taqi Hider, Safi Ur Rehman, Sagheer Hassan, Salman Hassan, Sehram Hussain, Tanveer Hussain, Touqeer Abbas and Zia Ur Rehman CCA Lodhran – Adnan Arshad, Bilawal Ishaq, Hanzala Mehmood, Kamran Ismail, M.Adnan, M.Ahsan Malik, M.Daniyal Khan, M.Irfan, M.Sadaqat, M.Shahid, M.Sohaib Bilal, M.Umar Farooq, M.Zahid, Mehboob Ahmad, Mubashir Ali, Rao Altaf Hussain, Sazu Din, Shahbaz Khan, Shoaib Bilal and Umair Mumtaz CCA Multan – Adil, Ali Farooq, Arafat Minhas, Danish Nawab, Faraz Khan, Haris Javed, Haroon Amjad, M.Musab Shehzad, M.Shoaib, M.Uzair Mumtaz, M.Zahid, Mudasir Gillani, Mueez Ahmad, Raees Bashir, Rao Irfan, Saif Ul Rehman, Samiullah, Shahid Bashir, Usman Shafiq and Waseem Akram CCA Muzaffargarh – Allah Dita, Amir Ejaz, Aun Shahzad, Awais Abbas, Ghulam Murtaza, Hafiz M. Naeem, Haseeb Ullah, M.Mansoor, M.Shaoib Aleem, M.Waji, M.Yaseen, M.Younus, Mehran Sanwal, Saad Mehmood, Shahbaz Hussain, Shahid Khan, Shahnawaz, Shayan Khalil, Umar Farooq and Umar Rehman CCA Okara - Abdul Razzaq, Aftab Haider, Ahmad Jamal, Ali Husnain, Arbab Hussain, Daniyal Mahi, Ghulam Haider, Hammad Hussain, Hamza Ali, M. Fiaz Ur Rehman, M. Mustafa Ayub, M. Umair Yaseen, M.Sohail, Majid Ali, Raees Ahmed, Rizwan Haider, Umar Farooq, Usama Aqeel, Usama Tariq, Waqar Hussain, Waseem Ghafoor, Yousaf Babar, Zarar Shakeel and Zeeshan Ashraf CCA Pakpatan – Abdul Qadeer Khan, Ali Afzal, Amjad Ali, Ehtisham Ul Haq, Junaid Khalid, Kamran Yar, M. Abdullah Khan, M. Abubakar, M. Imran Ali, M. Khaqan Bashir, M. Nabeel Arshad, M. Naeem, M. Umar Bashir, M. Umar Faraz, M. Zulkaif Chishti, Mansoor Ali Jutt, Mudassir Ali, Rana M . Burhan Basharat, Syed Khuram Ali Shah and Syed Waqar Ul Hassan CCA Rahim Yar Khan – Abdul Ghaffar, Abdul Hadi, Abdul Wahab, Adeel Basit, Husnain Bilal Shafiq, Jahanzaib Razzaq, M. Abdul Junaid, M. Aftab, M. Asif Ali, M. Hasnain Ashraf, M. Shahbaz, Noman Ahmad, Noman Akram, Rahatullah, Rehan Ejaz, Sarfraz Khan, Tamir Khalid, Usama Aslam, Zain Ul Abidin and Zeeshan Ul Haq CCA Rajanpur – Anees Ur Rehman, Aqib Javed, Asad Ullah, Essa , Fahad Ahmad, Farhat Hussain, Hassan Mehmood, Jawwad Hussain, M. Abubakar, M. Alamgir, M. Waseem Bhatti, Mazahir  Abbas, Mughira Shoaib, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Nasir Hussain, Shehzad Gull, Syed Furqan Sharif, Syed Muzamil Shah, Toqeer Abbas and Wajid Hussain CCA Sahiwal – Ahmer Ashfaq, Hafiz Ilyas Ali, Haq Nawaz, Kaleemullah, M Faisal Ashrad, M. Abdullah Butt, M. Ahsan Bashir, M. Ali Zain, M. Arslan Akhtar, M. Awais Ul Hassan, M. Hassan Hafeez, M. Ikram, M. Irfan Liaqat, M. Rameez, M. Sharoon Siraj, Maqbool Ahmad, Masood Ahmad, Qamar Riaz, Rameez Alam, Rana Abdul Nasir Khan, Rana Abdur Rehman, Usama Bashir, Usman Liaqat and Waseem Rasoo CCA Vehari – Abdul Rahman, Adnan Ghani, Ahmad Ali, Ameer Moavia, Anjum Naveed, Farhan Sarfraz, Hasnain Hassan, M.Mubashir, M.Umair, M.Umar Daraz, M.Zohaib Arshad, Mohammad Ahsan, Mohammad Asif, Shahbaz Sharif , Shahzad Ali, Sharjeel Umar, Sikandar Khan, Tahir Hussain, Tasawar Hussain and Umar Sadiq

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Ninety-three sides will be in action across the country in the City Cricket Association Tournament 2022-23 from 19 June to 21 July, which will provide a pathway to around 1,800 cricketers to graduate to the Cricket Association tournaments that include first-class, non first-class three-day, 50-over and 20-over competitions. The squads of 13 sides from Balochistan and 19 sides of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are also announced and available here. The squads from other four Cricket Associations will be unveiled early next week. The CCA squads have been selected through a robust process. The performers from last year’s CCA tournament, players that have featured in last year’s CA U19 events and are not eligible to feature in future U19 tournaments have been selected. The remaining players were selected from open trials(Preference to be given to performers from winter league). In Central Punjab Cricket Association, beside players’ performances in the CCA tournament, the players were also selected from two-day camp of performers of community cricket. 19 CCA teams of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been divided into four pools. The matches will commence in this jurisdiction from 19 June. Balochistan comprise 13 City Cricket Associations that are divided into three Pools. They will host the matches from 20 June. Sindh consist of 17 teams which are divided into four Pools. The matches in this part of the region will begin from 21 June. Matches in Central Punjab, Northern and Southern Punjab jurisdictions will begin after a week’s delay due to pre-monsoon rain in this part of the country. The three Cricket Associations will now hold their matches from 24 June. 19 teams from Central Punjab are split into four pools. 11 teams from Northern are divided into three pools, while 14 teams from Southern Punjab are divided into three pools. The winners from Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh CCAs will be declared after group leaders progress to the semi-final with the top two teams playing the final. In contrast, Balochistan, Northern and Southern Punjab CCAs will be divided into three groups each with group leaders to progress to the triangular series stage and the side with most points to be adjudged as winner. According to the event format, each match will be of two days with 100 overs to be bowled each day in six hours and 40 minutes of play with a one-hour break from 1200-1300. To encourage positive and result-oriented cricket, first innings will be limited to 75 overs per side and no bowler shall bowl more than 15 overs in an innings.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Five teams have been crowned champions of the inaugural Cricket Associations Divisional U19 tournament in Balochistan, Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern and Sindh today. The final of the Southern Punjab-leg will be played between Multan Division and D.G Khan Division at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday, 17 June. Balochistan Cricket Association Three wickets apiece from Ahsan Ullah and Syed Yasir Shah led Loralai-Zhob Division to a six-wicket win over Quetta-Rakshan Division in the final held at the Bugti Stadium, Quetta. Batting first, Quetta-Rakshan Division were bundled out for 137 in the 41st over. In reply, Loralai-Zhob Division chased down the target in the 29th over for the loss of four wickets. Mohammad Siddique top-scored with a 59-ball 41, smashing four boundaries. Jahangir Khan representing Quetta-Rakshan Division bagged three wickets. Central Punjab Cricket Association Three wickets from Mohammad Maooz guided Lahore Division to a 21-run win over Faisalabad Division in a low-scoring match held at the Pak Lions Cricket Academy Ground in Lahore. After being put into bat, Lahore Division were bowled out for 181 in the 47th over. Opening batter Moiz Rana top-scored with a 76-ball 43 and struck four fours and one six. Faisalabad Division’s Waqas Abbas grabbed three wickets for 30. Ahmed Bilal, Ameer Hasan and Nauman Haider picked two wickets apiece. In reply, Faisalabad Division were bowled out for 160 in the 48th over. Umar Farooq top-scored with a 64-ball 46. Right-arm fast bowler Maooz picked up three wickets for 26, while left-arm spinner Usman Shahid accounted for two wickets for 30. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cricket Association In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa jurisdiction, Hazara-Mardan Division won the leg by beating Peshawar-Kohat Division by 62 runs at the KMC Ground in Peshawar. Opting to bat first, Hazara-Mardan were bowled out for 144 in the 36th over. Haseeb Khan batting at number five top-scored with a 50-ball 27. For Peshawar-Kohat Division, slow left-arm bowler Mohammad Zubair bagged four wickets for 26. He was supported by fellow left-arm spinner Shahid Khan who took three for 29 from nine overs. In return, Peshawar-Kohat Division were skittled for 82 in the 25th over on the back of three wickets apiece from Aimal Khan and Mohammad Shoaib. Northern Cricket Association AJK Division defeated Gilgit Baltistan Division by 10 wickets in a low-scoring final match at the House of Northern in Islamabad.  Chasing 99 to win, AJK Division’s opening pair Ali Abbas Khan (37 not out, 91b, 4x4s, 1x6)) and Faraz Khan (43 not out,78b,7x4s) achieved the target in the 28th over. Earlier, after being put into bat Gilgit Baltistan were bowled out for 98 in the 38th over. Slow left-arm bowler Aman Aftab grabbed four wickets for seven runs in 2.4 overs. Sindh Cricket Association Arbaz Khan’s unbeaten 117 and Shahzaib Aziz’s four wickets guided Benazirabad-MirpurKhas Division to an eight-wicket win over Karachi Division at the Oval Ground of the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi. After being put into bat, Karachi Division scored 224 for eight from 50 overs. Opening batter Mirza Saad Baig top-scored with a 98-ball 101, hitting 17 fours. For Benazirabad-MirpurKhas Division, slow left-arm Shahzaib bagged four wickets for 25 in 10 overs. Benazirabad-Mirpur Khas Division successfully chased down the target in the 46th over for the loss of two wickets. Arbaz scored an unbeaten 117 off 149, which included 14 fours and three sixes. Haroon Arshad scored 53 off 65, hitting seven fours.

Sports Bulletin Report LONDON:-England Men's selection panel have named a 14-strong squad for the third LV= Insurance Test match against New Zealand starting at Headingley on 23 June. Surrey seamer Jamie Overton has been called up to the Test squad for the first time and will join his brother Craig in the squad. The 28-year-old has been in excellent form for league leaders Surrey in the LV= Insurance County Championship Division One taking 21 wickets this season at an average of 21.61. The England Test squad will report to Headingley on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the match starting on Thursday. England lead the three-match series two-nil. England Men's Test squad v New Zealand: Ben Stokes (Durham) captain James Anderson (Lancashire) Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire) Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire) Harry Brook (Yorkshire) Zak Crawley (Kent) Ben Foakes (Surrey) Jack Leach (Somerset) Alex Lees (Durham) Craig Overton (Somerset) Jamie Overton (Surrey) Matthew Potts (Durham) Ollie Pope (Surrey) Joe Root (Yorkshire)

Sports Bulletin Report Gros Islet (Saint Lucia):-The local players have been drafted ahead of the historic first running of the inaugural Women’s Caribbean Premier League with the tournament set to get underway on 30 August. The three teams will be captained by Hayley Matthews (Barbados Royals), Stafanie Taylor (Guyana Amazon Warriors) and Deandra Dottin (Trinbago Knight Riders). With Matthews and Taylor rated in the top 10 T20 all-rounders in the world and Dottin one of the most destructive batters in the women’s game, all three players have shown their quality for the West Indies and in domestic competitions around the globe. The teams have been drafted from a pool of players that was put together by Cricket West Indies’ selection committee and the 33 cricketers picked represent the best talent from across the region with the squads full of experienced internationals as well as the next generation of female players. Each team will also sign three exciting overseas players bringing the total squad size to 14 and further bolstering the quality of cricketers on show in this exciting new event. These overseas signings will be announced in the coming weeks. Ricky Skerritt, Cricket West Indies President, said: “This inaugural Women’s version of the CPL represents a huge upward step for West Indies cricket. I am grateful to all those in CPL and CWI who made it happen, especially the three pioneering franchises who have so willingly got on board.” Jake Lush McCrum, CEO, Barbados Royals and Rajasthan Royals, said:  "The Caribbean and particularly Barbados is a destination which has always been so deeply invested in cricket, and to have a team in the region which will serve as a pillar of growth for the women's game in and around the island nation, was such an exciting opportunity for us at the Barbados Royals. Having attracted huge popularity, not just in the Caribbean, but also in cricket-playing nations around the world, the CPL has been able to realise its value and also the impact it can create on grassroots development. With this new competition for women, it gives us the opportunity to accelerate the growth and development of female players and coaches, while attracting the next generation of talent to the sport." Dr. Bobby Ramroop, owner of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, said: “We are thrilled to be a part of the inaugural Women’s CPL and we would like to thank CPL and CWI for making this happen. The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) family is excited to be at the forefront of advancing Women’s cricket, both in the region and worldwide, and we are hopeful that this newest format will provide a platform for empowering female athletes, as well as highlighting inspiring role models for young girls. The dynamic GAW Women’s team, led by the impressive Stafanie Taylor, is a welcome and powerful addition to the CPL.”   Venky Mysore, Director, Trinbago Knight Riders, said: "We are proud to announce our first women's team under the Knight Riders banner, and are eagerly looking forward to watching the ladies represent TKR in the inaugural Women’s T20 competition in this year's Caribbean Premier League. We are always most supportive of such initiatives and are on a continuous lookout to expand the sport across the globe and across demographics. We are therefore particularly thrilled to support the launch of women’s T20 in the Caribbean and would like to congratulate and thank CWI and CPL for taking the initiative to launch the Women’s editions this year." Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s CEO, said: “A Women’s CPL is the next logical step as we grow the brand, and we are very pleased that we have been able to make this a reality in 2022. We are grateful to the CWI, the Barbados Royals, the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Trinbago Knight Riders for working with us on this ground breaking tournament and we look forward to showcasing the tremendous skills of all  these talented players.”

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-England batter Joe Root is back at the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after smashing a second successive century in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship series against New Zealand. Root, who had reached within striking distance of Marnus Labuschagne after the first Test, has wrested back the top spot from the Australia batter, whom he now leads by five rating points. Root is on 897 points after his knock of 176 in the first innings of the Nottingham Test, 20 less than his highest of 917 points. Root first grabbed number one position in August 2015 and was last at the top in December 2021 before Labuschagne leapfrogged him. Root has been No.1 in Tests for 163 days so far. Steve Smith (1,506 days), Virat Kohli (469 days) and Kane Williamson (245 days) are the others to have had substantial vigils at the top in recent years. Root’s compatriots, Player of the Match Jonny Bairstow and captain Ben Stokes have also had major gains. Bairstow’s 92-ball 136 that led the last day chase for an eventual five-wicket win, has moved up 13 places to 39th position while Stokes’s 75 not out has taken him from 27th to 22nd position. Ollie Pope (up 22 places to 53rd) and Alex Lees (up 26 places to 86th) have also moved up the rankings for batters while seam bowler Matthew Potts has advanced 18 places to 59th after picking up three wickets in the match. For New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell’s scores of 190 and 62 not out have lifted him 33 places to a career-best 17th position while Tom Blundell’s first innings century has helped him move up four places to 31st position. Devon Conway’s innings of 46 and 52 see him inch up one slot to 23rd. Fast bowler Trent Boult is up four places to ninth. Wednesday’s weekly rankings update sees Pakistan batters hold the top two positions in both ODIs and T20Is and a number of slow bowlers make significant progress. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings that has been updated after the third Zimbabwe versus Afghanistan match, the Pakistan versus West Indies series and the first match between Sri Lanka and Australia, the Pakistan opener has moved up to take second spot behind captain Babar Azam after a Player of the Series effort of 65, 72 and 62. This is the first instance of Pakistan batters grabbing the top two positions in the ODI rankings. West Indies player Shai Hope (up two places to 11th), Afghanistan’s Hashmatullah Shahidi (up five places to 45th), Australia’s Marcus Stoinis (up four places to joint-50th) and Sri Lanka’s Danushka Gunathilaka (up six places to joint-50th) are the others to move up the ODI batters’ list. Meanwhile, Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has moved up to number two and Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi to number four in the bowlers’ list led by New Zealand’s Trent Boult. Spinners Mujeebur Rahman of Afghanistan, Akeal Hosein of the West Indies, Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka and Shadab Khan of Pakistan have also moved up the rankings for bowlers. Hazlewood has also moved back to number one in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings while Maheesh Theekshana of Sri Lanka is up 16 places to eighth in the list. Australia spinner Ashton Agar (up three places to ninth), India seamer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (up seven places to 11th) and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (up four places to 26th) are the others to gain. The rankings for batters see Mohammad Rizwan gain one position to reach second in the list, also led by Babar. Aaron Finch has moved up one place to fifth while India’s Ishan Kishan has galloped 68 places to reach seventh position after aggregating 164 runs in three matches against South Africa.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Five teams will be crowned champions tomorrow when the finals of the inaugural Cricket Associations Divisional Under-19 tournament will be played in Balochistan, Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern and Sindh. The final of the Southern Punjab will be staged at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday, 17 June. The 50-over tournament comprises best teenage cricketers from the recent City Cricket Association U19 tournament. In Balochistan, Loralai-Zhob Division will take on Quetta-Rakshan Division in the final at the Bugti Stadium tomorrow. Both teams topped the four-team table, winning two matches apiece. Naseerbad-Sibi Division and Makran-Kalat Division ended up on third and fourth position. In Central Punjab, Faisalabad Division will take on Lahore Division at Pak Lions Cricket Academy Ground in Jubliee Town. Both finalists finished with four points each along with Sargodha Division, but Sargodha Division failed to qualify on lesser net run-rate. Gujranwala-Sialkot Division finished on last spot with no wins. Hazara-Mardan Division will take on Peshawar-Kohat Division in the final of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa divisional tournament at the KMC Ground University in Peshawar.  Hazara-Mardan topped the table with three wins in as many matches, while Peshawar-Kohat Division won their two matches from three outings in the tournament. D.I.Khan-Bannu Division ended up with third spot in the tournament with one win, while Malakand Division finished at the bottom of the table with no wins. In Northern, AJK Division will take on Gilgit Baltistan Division in the final at the House of Northern, Islamabad. Both teams qualified for the final after ended up winning two matches each. Rawalpindi Division and Islamabad Division finished on third and fourth position, respectively, after winning one match each. In Sindh, the final will be played between Karachi Division and Benazirabad-MirpurKhas Division at the Academy Oval of the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi. Both teams along with Sukkar-Larkana Division finished their round matches with six points each. On better net run-rate Karachi Division and Benazirabad-MirpurKhas qualified for the final. Winless Hyderabad Division remained at the bottom of the table.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-For the first time since the ICC ODI and T20I Player rankings were introduced, Pakistan batters have occupied the top two positions in the latest rankings, which the ICC released on Wednesday. Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam is joined by Imam-ul-Haq as the second-ranked ODI batter, while Mohammad Rizwan has moved up one place to second in the T20I rankings. Imam’s 199 runs in the ODI series against the West Indies in Pakistan’s 3-0 series win has helped him to move ahead of India’s Virat Kohli. Imam now leads Kohli (811 points) by four points, while Babar continues to sit on top of the tree with 892 points. Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has joined India’s Shikhar Dawan at 13th position. Amongst the ODI bowlers, Shaheen Afridi has broken into the top-five for the first time in his career. The left-arm fast bowler, who is ranked fourth in Tests with 827 points, is now in fourth position (up by two places). The list is headed by New Zealand’s Trent Boult (726 points), followed by Josh Hazlewood (691 points) and Matt Henry (683 points). Shadab Khan has also made good progress, rising eight places to 30th, while Mohammad Nawaz has vaulted 53 places to enter the top-50 in 47th position. In the T20I player rankings, Babar Azam is ranked number-one with 818 points, while Mohammad Rizwan is second (794 points). South Africa’s Aiden Markram has slipped to third on 772 points. Fakhar Zaman is the next highest-ranked Pakistan batter in 46th position (490 points). Amongst the T20I bowlers, Shaheen Afridi is in 12th position, followed by Shadab Khan (16th), Haris Rauf (29th), Mohammad Nawaz (60th) and Hasan Ali (63rd). In the latest Test rankings, Babar Azam has retained his fourth position, while Azhar Ali and Mohammad Rizwan are 18th and 19th, respectively. Abid Ali is 23rd, Abdullah Shafique is 35th and Fawad Alam is 42nd. Apart from Shaheen Afridi, notable Pakistan bowlers in the Test rankings are Hasan Ali (15th), Mohammad Abbas (20th), Yasir Shah (37th), Nauman Ali (62nd), Naseem Shah (68th), Faheem Ashraf (73rd) and Sajid Khan (75th).