Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-Bangladesh, India and Pakistan all recorded impressive victories as the warm-up matches for the 2022 ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup continued on Tuesday with the tournament just around the corner. India produce impressive run-chase to beat Australia The two most successful teams in the history of the tournament took the field against each other on Tuesday in Guyana, ahead of the finals beginning later this week. And it was India who got a confidence boost going into their opener with South Africa on Saturday, taking a nine-wicket win over the Aussies. Australia won the toss and were able to post 268 runs, with 18-year-old captain Cooper Connolly taking centre stage. The all-rounder made a wonderful century which included 18 boundaries at a strike rate of 93.60, which only finally ended after an excellent delivery from Raj Bawa in the 46th over. The other end was less fruitful for the Aussies, but Tobias Snell also impressed (35 from 35) to help his team towards their final total. India’s response was sublime, Hanooor Singh led the way with a century which included 16 fours, supported by Shaik Rasheed’s 72. Both players unfortunately retired hurt, but captain Yash Dull was able to lead his team comfortably over the line, with 15 deliveries in reserve. Bangladesh win warm-up contest with Zimbabwe After winning the toss and electing to bat, Bangladesh posted a decent total of 277, particularly after a tricky start when opener Iftakher Hossain edged to slip in the third over departing for just 1. But Aich Mollah got his side back on track, making 82 from 82 deliveries with three sixes along the way. Wicketkeeper Mohammad Fahim also chipped in with a timely 33, before captain Rakibul Hasan went after the Zimbabwe attack, hitting 36 before being run-out. Tailender Ripon Mondol then managed a quickfire 39 from 26 balls to take the 2020 champions up to their final total. Zimbabwe’s reply didn’t start on solid ground when opener Panashe Taruvinga went for a duck. The next man in Steven Saul, launched a counter-attack, scoring 39 from 45 deliveries, but once he outside edged to Fahim his team were facing an uphill task. They were eventually bowled out for 110 runs. England edge tight contest with the UAE England produced a middle-order rally to beat UAE in an exciting finish by two wickets. Batting first, the UAE posted a credible 191-9 in their innings, even with losing openers Kai Smith for a duck and Shival Bawa for just eight runs. However, Dhruv Parashar and captain Alishan Sharafu hit a combined 62 to keep Emiratis in the contest. Josh Boyden was the pick of England’s bowlers with figures of 5-42. But Sharafu’s team refused to go quietly, with tailenders Adihya Shetty and Jash Giyanani scoring 21 and 15 respectively. Set 192 to win, England’s response got off to a bad start when George Thomas was bowled by Sharafu with the first ball of the innings. Lancashire rookie George Bell then took centre stage to steer England back on track. Arriving at the crease with his team 23-3, Bell produced a wonderful 75 not out from 120 balls. Assisted by James Sales (29) and Tom Aspinwall (33) the 19-year-old helped his team secure a narrow two-wicket win ahead of their next warm-up game against Papua New Guinea on Wednesday. Pakistan top order shine in win over Canada Pakistan put an impress display against Canada as they build up to their Group C opener against Papua New Guinea on Saturday. The men in Green won the toss and put the Canadians into bat in Conaree and quickly reduced them to 31-4. Ethan Gibson offered some resistance with a stubborn 55, but Mihir Patel’s team were eventually bowled out for 164. Pakistan’s response started poorly when Haseebullah departed for just 3, but his opening partner Mohammad Shehzad scored 67. He was joined at the crease by Abdul Faseeh whi hit 72 unbeaten, to help his team to an eight-wicket victory.

Karachi (Sports Report):-A total of 270 boys from across the country will be engaged in National Under-13 and National Under-16 tournaments in Karachi and Multan from Friday, 14 January. The participating players will have a massive and unprecedented incentive to pursue during the tournament as up to 40 top performers from the two events will secure year-long contracts with monthly retainers. The players will be coached by a panel of high performance coaches in summer camps at the NHPC Lahore (National High Performance Centre) and academies across the country. Academic scholarships will also be provided to these players. Twelve teams will participate in the National U16 One-Day Tournament 2021-22 (45 overs) which will be played at five venues in Multan from 14 to 25 January.  The teams have been divided into two pools with all six Cricket Associations fielding two sides (one in each pool). Balochistan, Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern, Sindh and Southern Punjab Whites will form Pool A while Balochistan, Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern, Sindh and Southern Punjab Blues will constitute Pool B. The top sides from each pool will compete in the 25 January final which will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Six teams will participate in the National U13 One-Day Tournament 2021-22 (25 overs) which will be played at three venues in Karachi from 14 to 24 January.  One side each from Balochistan, Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern, Sindh and Southern Punjab will compete in the group stage, each team will play the other once in the round-robin format.  The top sides will proceed to compete in the 24 January final which will be played at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi.  National U13 One-Day Tournament squads: Balochistan: Abu Bakar, Adnan Ahmed, Ahsan Ullah, Asim-ur-Rehman, Faiq Ali, Hamza Khan, Ikram Ullah, Khan Wali, Malik Awais, Muhammad Asif, Mohammad Dawood, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Suleman , Saleem Jan, Tufail Ahmed Central Punjab: Arham Danish, Asad Naeem, Awais Zubair, Fasih Tousaeef, Hassan Ashraf, Hussnain Abbas, Mohammad Ali Sabir, Mohammad Essa Baloch, Rayyan Arshad, Sajjid Mir, Sarmad Nawaz, Sayyar Khan, Taj Mohammad, Ubaid Ullah, Zaryan Ali Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Abdullah, Adnan Khan, Akbar Ali, Atta Ullah, Ikram Ullah, Mohammad Sohail, Mohammad Adeel Khan, Mohammad Talha, Nafees Akhtar, Naveed, Rizwan Ali, Saeed Afridi, Shazad Ahmed, Shoaib, Zain Ul Abideen Northern: Abdul Ahad, Abdul Munim, Abu Bakar Minhas, Akhtar Gull, Bilal Bashir, Mohammad Asad Abdullah, Mohammad Ismail Ranjha, Mohammad Yousaf, Malik Muhammad Khizar, Mohammad Muneeb, Mohammad Musa Hasan, Mohammad Sohaib, Mohammad Zohaib Abbas, Saad Abraiz Abbasi, Salar Nazeer Sindh: Abdul Hayee, Abdul Wahab, Abdullah (Sr), Adnan Nawaz, Ahsan Khan, Ali Sher, Ghulam Ahmed, Hammad Alam, Kifayat Ullah, Mohammad Abdullah Javed, Mohammad Anas, Mohammad Azaan, Mohammad Khan, Sheikh Intiysaam, Syed Mohtashim Southern Punjab: Abdullah Latif, Abdur Rehman, Ali Haider, Faizan Riyasat, Hasnain Sajid, Hayat Khan, Mohammad Abdullah, Mohammad Babar Arshad, Mohammad Huzaifa, Mohammad Qasim Ahmad, Mohammad Usman, Maaz Ahmed, Mohsin Malik, Mohammad Umar, Talal Ahmed Khan National Under-16 One-Day Tournament 2021-22 squads: Balochistan Blues: Abdul Saboor, Anwar Shah, Bakhtiyar Khan, Gohar Khan, Hafeez Ullah, Innam Ullah, Mubashir Shah, Mohammad Adil, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Asfand, Musharaf Hussain, Sumair Ahmed, Syed Yasir Shah, Talha Shakir, Zohaib Khan Balochistan Whites: Arslan Khan, Aurangzeb, Ayaz Gul, Eshrat Ul Ibbad, Faisal Razzaq, Imran Sadiq, Mohammad Shahid, Mohammad Umar, Muzamil Ali, Shehariyar Ahmed, Siraj Ahmed, Syed Waqas Ahmed, Umair Ahmed, Usman Ghani, Zakir Shah Central Punjab Blues: Ali Hamza, Ali Raza, Areeb Arif, Faraz Ahmed, Farhan Yousaf, Ghulam Haider, Hamza Zahoor, Hunain Amir, Mohammad Hammad Asif, Mohsin Ali, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Saim, Mohammad Usman, Obaid Shahid, Rana Mohammad Sarfaraz Tariq Central Punjab Whites: Aaliyan Suleman, Abu Suffiyan , Ahmed Yaar Khan, Ali Hasan Baloch, Ali Hassan , Ali Raza, Arslan Riz, Danish Saeed, Faham Ul Haq, Kaif Ali, Mohammad Tayyab, Mohammad Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Yasin Bilal, Nauman Ali, Shahbaz Javaid Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Blues: Abdul Raheem, Abdur Rehman, Ahmed Hussain, Asfandyar, Hamza Izhar, Luqman Khan, Mohammad Umair Khan, Mian Yousaf Shah, Mohammad Ali, Shahzeb Khan, Usama Khan, Usman Khan, Zain Shah, Zubair Ahmed, Zulkarnain Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Whites: Abeel Khan, Adil Waheed, Ilham Khan, Khubib Khalil, Mohammad Awais, Mohammad Shayan, Mohammad Ansar Ullah, Mohammad Shoaib, Mohammad Haroon, Mohammad Umer, Mohammad Zubair, Naveed Ul Hassan, Riaz Ullah, Shayan, Usama Bangash Northern Blues: Abbas Hussnain, Abu Zar, Bilal Ahmed, Hassan Ijaz, Mohammad Hassan Khan, Mohammad Waleed Iqbal, Mohammad Zain Jameel, Mohammad Arshad, Mohammad Asim Kamal, Mohammad Bilal, Mohammad Nabeel, Murtaza Rehman, Raja Hamza Waheed, Shameer Ali, Syed Ali Mehdi Northern Whites: Abdullah, Ali Ashfaq, Arsh Zaman, Arslan Ali, Awais Amin, Azaan Kabir, Hussnain Nadeem, Irshad Ahmed, Mohammad Ammar Yasir, Muhammad Abdullah Sajid, Mohammad Ahmed, Mohammad Asmat Ullah, Shahbaz Khan Hurara, Shahmeer Nisar, Yazdaan Abbas Rizvi Sindh Blues: Abdul Hadi, Abdul Moiz, Ahmed Muhiuddin, Farhan Zaman, Hameed Karim, Huzaifa Ahsan, Mohammad Talha Khanji, Mawaz Zahid, Musa Azad, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Saad Baig, Saad Mahboob, Saif Ullah Khan, Sufyan Usmani, Yahya Shah Sindh Whites: Abdul Rehman Khan, Haroon Arshad, Humza Qureshi, M Danish, Mohammad Ahmed, Maaz Shah, Musab Ahmed, Nauman Ali, Owais Rehem Shah, Sajam Mohammad, Shahzad Khan, Shahzaib Ali, Shiraz Khan, Syed Rehan Ali Shah, Wajid Ali Southern Punjab Blues: Haseeb Javed, Inam Ullah, Mohammad Abdullah, Mohammad Aqib Arshad, Mohammad Jan Sher, Mohammad Saqib, Mohammad Ahmed, Raja Shehroz, Rana Adeel Mushtaq, Sameer Ahmed Minhas, Sameer Akhtar, Shahzad Ahmed, Suleman Ahmed, Waleed Raza, Zain Arshad Southern Punjab Whites: Abdul Rasool, Abdullah Tauqeer, Ali Husnain Badshah, Bilal Khan, Fahad Kashif, Haseeb Ahmed, Mohammad Farhan, Mohammad Hamid, Mohammad Noman Asif, Mohammad Umair, Rana Haseeb Nazim, Rao Kaleem Haider, Shahaz Saeed, Sohaib Akram, Taha Shabbir

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Ajaz Patel as the winner of the ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award for December 2021. New Zealand’s, Ajaz Patel made history in December, when he picked up 10 wickets in an innings against India at Wankhede, becoming only the third player in Tests to achieve that feat after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble. The left-arm spinner played just one Test in the month, where he picked up 14 wickets at an average of 16.07. Patel picked up all 10 wickets in the first innings against India and in the second innings, he picked up four wickets, including that of openers Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara. Patel finished with figures of 14/225, which are the best bowling figures in a Test match in 2021. Commenting on Patel’s performance, ICC Voting Academy member JP Duminy said: “What a historic achievement! Taking 10 wickets in an innings is a feat which needs to be celebrated. There’s no doubt that Ajaz's performance is a milestone that will be remembered for years to come.”

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Ireland have been fined 40 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against the West Indies in the first ODI in Kingston on Saturday. Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after Andrew Balbirnie’s side was ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. In addition, as per Article 16.12.2 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League Playing Conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short. Consequently, Ireland will lose two points from their points tally during the Super League. Balbirnie pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Joel Wilson and Nigel Duguid, third umpire Gregory Brathwaite and fourth umpire Leslie Reifer leveled the charge.  

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and Scotland all recorded impressive victories in the warm-up matches of the 2022 ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup continued in the West Indies. In Guyana, Sri Lanka notched a 128-run triumph over Ireland and Scotland were winners by 107 runs over Uganda, while the biggest win of the day came in St Kitts for UAE, as they were 250-run victors over Papua New Guinea. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s scheduled warm-up match against England was postponed due to delays in the Afghanistan squad obtaining the necessary visas to enter the West Indies. Sri Lanka shine in shortened match Despite overnight rain in Guyana shortening the match between Sri Lanka and Ireland to 43 overs per side, Shevon Daniel helped lead the Sri Lankans to an impressive 128-run victory. Ireland won the toss and elected to bowl but opener Daniel attacked from the off as he scored 75 from 72 balls, including eight fours and a six. Opening partner Chamidu Wickramasinghe being run out for five and No.3 Sakuna Liyanage being trapped LBW by pick of the Irish bowlers Nathan McGuire (2/40) couldn’t slow Daniel, who retired not out with the score at 122 for two. The middle order picked up the slack from there as Sadisha Rajapaksa (22), Pawan Pathiraja (25) and Ranuda Somarathne (33) all had cameos to push the Sri Lanka total to 233 for seven from 43 overs – with three of the dismissals being run outs. In response, the Ireland top order failed to build a foundation with Wickramasinghe clean bowling both opener Liam Doherty and captain Tim Tector to end with figures of two for seven from four overs before Wanuja Sahan (3/5) picked up the mantle to cheaply dismiss Philippus le Roux, Scott MacBeth and McGuire. No.3 Joshua Cox was the lone source of Irish resistance as he resiliently made 44 from 86 balls but with wickets tumbling at the other end, there was little he could do to stop his side being dismissed for 105 from 31.4 overs – Jamie Forbes the last man out when he was bowled by Matheesha Pathirana for a duck. The 128-run triumph was the perfect tonic for Sri Lanka as they continue preparations for a group that includes Australia, hosts West Indies and Scotland at the upcoming ICC U19 Men’s CWC. UAE lay down a marker United Arab Emirates impressed with both bat and ball as they recorded a dominant 250-run victory over Papua New Guinea in Basseterre. Having lost the toss and been asked to bat, UAE opener Kai Smith set about punishing that decision with a brilliant innings of 145 that came off just 139 balls. Smith plundered 19 fours and a six as he built three big partnerships with his top-order teammates, starting with an opening stand of 72 alongside Shival Bawa, before Bawa was caught by Malcolm Aporo off the bowling of John Kariko for 23. Dhruv Parashar came to the crease and made 52 in a partnership of 133 before a third-wicket stand of 77 with Punya Mehra (41 off 25) took the UAE total towards 300. Smith finally perished for 145 with just 13 balls remaining in the innings and the score on 298 before UAE took their final total up to 321 for five from 50 overs. Their bowlers then capitalised on that mammoth target as Papua New Guinea were reduced to 22 for four, with Ali Naseer taking one for three with three maidens in a suffocating five-over spell, as fellow opener Nilansh Keswani (2/16) helped himself to a pair of wickets at the other end. PNG opener Peter Karoho (14 from 18) and No.6 Christopher Kilapat (27 off 40) were the only batters to reach double figures as Aayan Khan’s three for ten helped skittle them for just 71 from 28 overs and seal a 250-run triumph. Scotland impress to beat Uganda Scotland may only have been a late replacement for New Zealand in the 2022 ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup but they signalled their intention to make some noise in West Indies with a 107-run warm-up win over Uganda. Batting first, they posted a creditable total of 219 for nine from their 50 overs, with opener Charlie Tear steering the innings as he made 50. In fact, Scotland received useful runs all the way down the order as Sam Elstone hit 29, Jack Jarvis contributed 33 before being run out and Charlie Peet added 26 late on. The Ugandan bowlers did take wickets at regular intervals with Edwin Nuwagaba (3/29) and Juma Miyaji (2/30) doing most of the damage but the Scots still gave themselves a target to defend. Uganda made a promising start with the bat, reaching 41 for none in the ninth over but would go on to lose all ten wickets for just 71 runs thereafter. It was a run out that finally broke the opening partnership as Ronald Lutaaya departed for 17 before Oliver Davidson (3/14) dismissed three of the top five and another run out left them at 63 for five. Scotland skipper Jamie Cairns went on to get himself a three-wicket haul for the concession of just 15 runs as Cyrus Kakuru (top scorer with 25), Pius Oloka (5) and Miyaji (2) all fell to the slow left-armer. Nuwagaba was the last man out for five off the bowling of Lyle Robertson in a total of 112 as Uganda slipped to 107-run defeat in 31.2 overs. Scores in Brief Sri Lanka Under 19s beat Ireland Under 19s by 128 runs, Providence Stadium, Guyana Sri Lanka 233-7, 43 overs (Shevon Daniel 75 retired not out, Ranuda Somarathne 33; Nathan McGuire 2-40, Daniel Forkin 1-21) Ireland 104 all out, 31.4 overs (Joshua Cox 45 not out, Scott MacBeth 11; Wanuja Sahan 3-5, Chamidu Wickramasinghe 2-7) United Arab Emirates Under 19s beat Papua New Guinea Under 19s by 250 runs, Conaree Cricket Field, Basseterre, St Kitts United Arab Emirates 321-5, 50 overs (Kai Smith 145, Dhruv Parashar 52, Punya Mehra 41; Barnabas Maha 1-33, John Kariko 1-40) Papua New Guinea 71 all out, 28 overs (Christopher Kilapat 27, Peter Karoho 14; Aayan Khan 3-10, Adihya Shetty 2-10, Nilansh Keswani 2-16) Scotland Under 19s beat Uganda Under 19s by 109 runs, Everest Cricket Club Ground, Georgetown, Guyana Scotland 219-9, 50 overs (Charlie Tear 50, Jack Jarvis 33; Edwin Nuwagaba 3-29, Juma Miyaji 2-30) Uganda 112 all out, 31.2 overs (Cyrus Kakuru 25, Ronald Lutaaya 17; Oliver Davidson 3-14, Jamie Cairns 3-15)

Bipin Dani Sri Lankan all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva has pulled out from the squad for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe, it is learnt. According to the highly placed sources close to him, his wife has delivered a baby and the 30-year-old DDS has requested the board to excuse him to opt out of the tournament. "His request has been accepted and the replacement will be made", one of the sources confirmed. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), in consultation with the selectors have replaced four more players from the originally selected 18.  Avishka Fernando and Janith Liyanage have tested positive and two more players-Lahiru Kumara and Kalana Perera failed the fitness tests. The four, who were not in the original squad of 18, but added are : Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis and Nuwan Pradeep.   The squad :  Dasun Shanaka (likely captain), 2 Dinesh Chandimal, 3 Pathum Nissanka, 4 Minod Bhanuka, 5 Kusal Mendis, 6 Chamika Karunaratne, 7 Maheesh Theekshana, 8 Jeffery Vandersay, 9 Kamindu Mendis, 10 Nuwan Thushara, 11 Nuwan Pradeep, 12 Ramesh Mendis, 13 Praveen Jayawickrema, 14 Dushmantha Chameera, 15 Chamika Gunasekara, 16 Shiran Fernando,  17 Kamil Mishara and 18 Charith Asalanka. Dushmantha Chameera's selection is subject to his fitness clearance and another player may be chosen if he is not cleared by the doctors. The team will be managed by Chandima Maputana. 

Sports Bulletin Dubai (January 10, 2022):-Afghanistan’s warm up matches for the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 have been cancelled, with the warm-up matches for England and the UAE rescheduled. The Afghanistan squad is yet to arrive in the West Indies due to delays in obtaining the necessary visas, whilst discussions attempting to resolve the issue are ongoing. The warm-up matches in St Kitts and Nevis against England at Warner Park on 10 January (tomorrow) and the 12 January fixture against the UAE at St Paul’s have both been cancelled. England will now play UAE at Conaree Cricket Centre on 11 January. ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said “We have been working together with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and relevant stakeholders to try and find a resolution to the problem and allow the team to travel. “In the meantime, we have rescheduled the warm-up fixtures to ensure the teams in the region are able to continue their preparation ahead of the start of the tournament on 14 January.”

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD (January 10, 2022):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the umpire and match referee appointments for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022, which will be staged in the West Indies from January 14 to February 5. Experienced English umpire David Millns will stand alongside Nepal’s Buddhi Pradhan for the opening match of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup after the officials were confirmed for the West Indies. Mills, who has been a first-class umpire for nearly 14 years, and Pradhan will oversee hosts West Indies against Australia at National Stadium in Guyana on January 14. Mills’ compatriot Martin Saggers will be the TV Umpire for the first of 48 games, with a 22-strong team of match officials confirmed by the International Cricket Council. Among those taking charge will be Pakistan’s Rashid Riaz who reprises his role from the 2020 tournament and takes charge of England’s opening fixture against Bangladesh with Ireland’s Roland Black, who also officiated two years ago. Asif Yaqoob will be the TV umpire for the same fixture which sees the defending U19 champions Bangladesh kickstart the defence of their title. Yaqoob is the third umpire who stood in South Africa last time out to again be selected. The Pakistani official is set to be in the middle for the West Indies against Scotland, England against Canada and Bangladesh against the UAE. In all, 19 umpires from 14 different countries will be on the field with five also performing the role of TV umpire throughout the first stage of the tournament. They will be joined by three referees for the duration of the tournament, with former Sri Lanka international Graeme Labrooy officiating alongside home official Denavon Hayles and England’s Phil Whitticase. Fixtures will take place across four nations, including Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago. Ten venues will be used as the Caribbean welcomes the young stars of the future to its shores for the first time in the tournament’s 14-edition history. ICC Senior Manager - Umpires and Referees, Adrian Griffith said: “The U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is a very important event in our calendar as it brings together the world’s most promising young players in a major ICC tournament, giving them the experience of competing on the global stage. “We are committed to appointing the finest officials available and I have every confidence in the team travelling to West Indies for the U19 Cricket World Cup they will do a fine job. I wish them all the best.” Umpire and match referee appointments for the knockout stages will be announced after the teams have been confirmed. The appointments for the Plate and Super League final will be finalised after the semi-finals. The officials for the tournament are: Umpires: Asif Yaqoob, Allan Haggo, Arnold Maddela, Buddhi Pradhan, David McLean, David Millns, Emmerson Carington, Heath Kearns, Jacquline Williams, Mark Jameson, Martin Saggers, Nitin Bathi, Rahul Asher, Rashid Riaz, Rizwan Akram, Roland Black, Sameer Bandekar, Sarika Prasad, Vijay Prakash Mallela Match Referees: Graeme Labrooy, Denavon Hayles, Phil Whitticase

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-A quick glance at the make-up of Group D of ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup shows just how challenging it will be to make it out of the first round. Hosts West Indies won the tournament back in 2016, Australia are three-time champions and Sri Lanka also have a final appearance to their name. Scotland round out the group in their ninth appearance in the competition, qualifying after New Zealand were forced to withdraw due to Covid-19 restrictions. Australia (13th appearance) Only India have won the ICC U19 Men’s CWC more times than Australia’s three titles, with Australia also second in terms of matches won and win percentage. In fact in 12 previous appearances, Australia have made it through to at least the semi-finals on eight occasions, they are remarkably consistent. The last win came back in 2010, a team featuring Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood, who 11 years later would play key roles as Australia claimed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. This time around, all-rounder Cooper Connolly will lead the side, and he will have fond memories of taking on the host nation. In 2020 he hammered 64 off 53 balls against the West Indies in a play-off match that was eventually abandoned due to rain. He is the only player who returns from the 2020 squad, but will not lack for support, notably from ambidextrous spinner Nivethan Radhakrishnan. Scotland (9th appearance) Scotland initially missed out on qualification after losing to Ireland in the final of the Qualifier, but were handed a reprieve when New Zealand withdrew from the competition. The Scots are yet to make it past the first round, and face a battle to do so for the first time in 2022 with the strength of the group. Gordon Drummond is the coach of the side, which will be captained by 18-year-old left-arm spinner Charlie Peet. The Scots will not lack for experience, with Peet one of five players who were also part of the squad two years ago. Sri Lanka (14th appearance) Sri Lanka will be looking for an improved showing after going out in the first round in each of the last two editions of the ICC Men’s U19 CWC. Semi-finalists in 2016 with a squad featuring Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga, they have twice finished third in their group since. The aim will be to avoid a third straight failure to make the quarter-finals, but the group in which they find themselves will not be easy. Matheesha Pathirana is back in the squad after playing in 2020 when Sri Lanka finished 10th overall. Dunith Wellalage will captain the side having previously withdrawn from a Sri Lanka U19 squad to focus on his studies. West Indies (14th appearance) An ever-present at this tournament, hosts West Indies will be looking to follow in the footsteps of the 2016 side that went all the way and won the title. To do so, they will have to overcome the odds. Not since Australia in the very first tournament back in 1998 has a host nation won the tournament, although Sri Lanka and Australia have both made it to the final on home soil. The 2016 crop that won the title were captained by Shimron Hetmyer, with another future international, Alzarri Joseph, leading the bowling attack. If recent matches against South Africa are anything to go by, the bowling may be the West Indies’ strength once again with quick bowler Johann Layne one to watch out for. Middle order batter Ackeem Auguste captains the side which kicks off against Australia in Guyana before heading to St Kitts and Nevis for the remaining two group games.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-The nominees for ICC Player of the Month nominees for December 2021 have been announced, with three men distinguishing themselves with some brilliant performances in the month. There will be no award in the women’s category in December as there were no international women’s games scheduled last month. ICC Men’s Player of the Month for December: Mayank Agarwal (India) With regular openers Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul all missing games at some point last month, Mayank Agarwal has grabbed the opportunity with both hands in the series against New Zealand and South Africa. In the two matches, he scored 276 runs at an average of 69.00, which included two fifties and a century. With India having drawn the first Test against Kiwis in Kanpur, the hosts were looking to bounce back with a win. India routed New Zealand in Mumbai and Agarwal was the architect of the win a Player of the Match-winning performance of 150 and 62 in the two innings. Batting first in overcast conditions, KL Rahul and Agarwal set the platform with a brilliant opening partnership of 117 in Centurion. Ajaz Patel (New Zealand) Ajaz Patel inked history in December, when he picked up 10 wickets in an innings against India, becoming the third player in Tests to achieve the feat after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble. The left-arm spinner played just one Test in the month, where he picked up 14 wickets at an average of 16.07. He picked up all 10 wickets in the first innings but was disappointed by the Kiwi batters who were bundled out for 62. In the second innings, he picked up four wickets, including that of openers Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara. He finished with figures of 14/225, the best bowling figures in a Test match in 2021. Mitchell Starc (Australia) Mitchell Starc has played a vital role, both with the bat and ball in hand, in Australia retaining the Ashes with two games to spare. In the three games last month, he picked up 14 wickets at an average of 19.64 and was more than handy with the bat, scoring 117 runs in the three matches at an average of 58.50. He set the tone for the whole series by dismissing Rory Burns with the first ball of the first Test. While batting, he kept Travis Head company with an innings of 35 and added 85 crucial runs for the eighth wicket. Starc was magnificent with the bat and ball in the second Test, picking up six wickets and scoring 58 runs in Adelaide. This included a brilliant four-wicket haul in the first innings that helped reduce England to 236, giving Australia a massive lead of 237 runs. In the Boxing Day Test, Starc picked two crucial wickets in the first innings, including that of England's captain Joe Root. His innings of 24* helped Australia gain an 82-run lead, which proved to be enough as England were out for 68. He picked up three wickets in the second innings as Australia won by an innings to retain the prestigious Ashes urn.