Sports Bulletin

Karachi (Sports Report):-The 67th meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) of the Pakistan Cricket Board was held on Tuesday, 21 December in Karachi. Below are some of the key outcomes and updates from the last meeting of 2021: Cricket development plans In line with the PCB’s strategy of investing in youth and pathways cricket following a bottom-up approach, the BoG backed and supported the PCB Chairman’s two new initiatives, which are: ·         Pathway Junior Contracts – Through strategic partnerships, the PCB will award 100 contracts to the most outstanding and bright cricketers under the ages of 11, 14, 16 and 19. Under this programme, the talented young cricketers will receive a stipend of PKR 30,000 per month and also earn 100 per cent scholarship, which will provide them access to cost-free education at a leading local educational institution that, in turn, will help them become wholesome individuals. ·         Pathway Cricket Foundation – Again through a strategic partnership, the PCB will appoint highly qualified resident foreign coaches at the National High Performance Centre. These coaches will work very closely with 100 teenage cricketers to nurture and develop them and prepare them for future events, including the U19 PSL, which is marked for October 2022. These coaches will also be available to assist and help elite and emerging cricketers. All discussions and details on the above initiatives with the PCB’s strategic partners have taken place and further details will follow shortly. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “In order to create a long-term sustainable process, it is essential that we continue to tap into, stimulate and motivate the youth’s passion and talent for cricket, whilst focusing on a bottom-up approach towards participation and making attempts to bridge the wide divide between pathways and Pakistan cricket journey. “We feel that our Junior Contracts and Cricket Foundation initiatives will now play a decisive role in ensuring that raw talent from even the remotest and less privileged of areas in Pakistan reaches its full potential. “Through these and various other initiatives, including an all-Pakistan Talent Hunt Programme, we aim to unearth the hidden talent and provide them absolute clarity at a very young age that the PCB will back, support and provide a clear pathway through which they can embark on their journey of representing Pakistan at an international stage.” Club scrutiny process and amendment to CA Model Constitution The BoG approved the club scrutiny procedure for 3,822 clubs, who took part in the First Registration of Cricket Clubs, across 90 City Cricket Associations in the first half of 2022. The club scrutiny procedure will be available on the PCB corporate website under Documents/PCB Model Constitutions next week. Furthermore, the BoG also approved amendment to Article 4.1(h) of the Model Constitution for Cricket Associations, which deals with Objects and Functions of the Cricket Association, now reads as: “…. coordinate cricket activities within their jurisdiction including but not limited to holding and organizing the tournaments, which may include divisional cricket, and endeavor to also organize or assist in organization of tournaments for clubs and schools …” Pakistan men’s cricket team performances Taking into consideration that a long and demanding international cricket period awaits the Pakistan men’s cricket team, an extensive discussion on the players’ workload handling took place. The BoG requested the PCB management to explore options and submit suggestions on how the elite cricketers can preserve their energies for Pakistan by remaining supremely fit, injury-free and fresh. The BoG appreciated the performance of the Pakistan men’s national cricket team and felt they came significantly close to meeting the expectations of their fans in the last quarter of 2021 through their grit, determination and positive attitude. The PCB Chairman highlighted Babar Azam’s authority, leadership and impact on the side as one of the turnaround factors. He also credited the calm influences of Saqlain Mushtaq (interim head coach), Matthew Hayden (batting consultant) and Vernon Philander (bowling consultant) as the other contributing factor as the trio were able to create a relaxed team environment that, in turn, allowed the team to excel, particularly during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. Other updates: ·         West Indies will play three Twenty20 Internationals in the build up to the HBL Pakistan Super League 2023. The West Indies are already scheduled to play ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs in June 2022 to make up for the postponed December 2021 matches due to an increased number of Covid-19 cases in their side ·         The BoG approved in-principle the construction of 60 additional (international quality) player rooms each at the National High Performance Centre in Lahore and Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi. When completed, this will resolve the PCB’s challenges around logistics, security and road commuting, as well as setting-up and handling the Managed Event Environment ·         PCB Chairman, Acting Chief Executive Officer and the PCB BOG Committees submitted their reports, while the Chief Financial Officer presented his quarterly financial statements. Separately, there were presentations on fan engagement as well as on women’s cricket. Earlier, the BoG welcomed incoming PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain, who attended the meeting as an observer and will formally start in Lahore around mid-January.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (December 22, 2021):-Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne is now the number one batter in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, surpassing England’s Joe Root who had been on top since August this year. In the second Test held in Adelaide, Marnus scored his first Ashes century and went on to be adjudged the 'Player of the Match' for his knocks of 103 and 51 contributing towards Australia's 275-run win over England. He is the ninth player from Australia to have crossed the 900-point mark with the bat, joining the elite league of gentlemen, Sir Don Bradman, Ricky Pointing, Mathew Hayden, Steve Smith, Michael Clarke etc. Within the bowlers, Mitchell Starc is back in the world’s top ten Test bowlers for the first time since this January. Whilst his compatriot Pat Cummins held onto the top spot despite missing the second Test. England’s Ollie Robinson is in the world’s top 25 bowlers for the first time at a career-best 597 points and Joe Root has made his first appearance in the world’s top 10 all-rounders after his 111th Test appearance. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings there is a tie for top spot of batters between Pakistan’s Babar Azam and England’s Dawid Malan.  Mohammad Rizwan is now at a career-best 798 points and is the second Pakistani in the top three batter’s category. Nicholas Pooran was the bright spot for the West Indies in their 3-0 T20I series defeat against Pakistan.  His 108 runs at a strike rate of 147.94 took him up to 27th place, up from his previous career best of 30th.

Karachi (Sports Report):-Central Punjab opener Abid Ali complained of chest pain during his innings against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final-round match at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi today. Abid left the batting crease at 61 in Central Punjab’s second innings. Abid was taken immediately to a cardiac hospital where he was diagnosed as a case of Acute Coronary Syndrome. He is under the care of Consultant Cardiologist who is liaising with PCB medical team regarding further treatment. He is currently stable.

Karachi (Sports Report):-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Central Punjab by 244 runs at the UBL Sports Complex Karachi in the final round match of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on Tuesday to set-up pink-ball five-day final against Northern at the National Stadium from 25 December. Right-arm fast Sameen Gul took three for 42 while Imran Khan Snr, Sajid Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed picked two wickets each as Central Punjab were dismissed for 250 after resuming this morning at 123 for no loss and chasing 495 for victory. The openers Abid Ali and Rizwan Hussain fought hard for Central Punjab. Abid scored 61 off 148 balls before retiring out. His partner Rizwan top-scored with 67 off 145, hitting 12 fours and one six. Hussain Talat coming to bat at number-five contributed a 132-ball 46, which included seven fours. At NBP Sports Complex, six wickets from leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood led Sindh to a 48-run win over Southern Punjab. The win didn’t help Sindh to qualify for the final as they finished on the third spot with 143 points. Chasing 232 to win, Southern Punjab were bowled out for 183 in the 55th over. Yousuf Babar, batting at number-five top-scored with a 124-ball 57, smashing six fours. Wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan contributed 25 off 37 balls, which included three fours. Sindh’s Zahid picked six wickets f0r 101 and ended-up taking eight wickets in the match. Mohammad Asghar with his left-arm spin bagged three for 35. Earlier, resuming their second innings on 294 for seven, Sindh were bowled out for 306 in the 77th over. Ali Usman picked four wickets for 102. At the conclusion of tenth and final round matches of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Northern topped the table with 152 points and will face Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the final who finished on second spot with 150 points. Scores in brief: Sindh beat Southern Punjab by 48 runs at NBP Sports Complex, Karachi Sindh 310 all out, 96.5 overs (Saad Khan 88, Fawad Alam 85, Sarfaraz Ahmed 34 not out; Naseem Shah 4-46, Ali Usman 4-113) and 306 all out, 76.2 overs (Saad Khan 63, Saud Shakil 63, Khurram Manzoor 59; Ali Usman 4-102) Southern Punjab 385 all out, 94 overs (Zeeshan Ashraf 108, Tayyab Tahir 69, Yousuf Babar 64, Azam Khan 48, Ali Usman 38 not out; Shahnawaz Dahani 3-61, Mohammad Asghar 2-72, Zahid Mehmood 2-153) and 183 all out, 55 overs (Yousuf Babar 57; Zahid Mahmood 6-101, Mohammad Asghar 3-35) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Central Punjab by 244 runs at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 355 all out, 95.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 76, Ashfaq Ahmed 71, Rehan Afridi 63 not out, Iftikhar Ahmed 53, Sajid Khan 51; Mohammad Ali 3-65, Faheem Ashraf 3-66) and 249-4 (decl), 67 overs (Fakhar Zaman 62, Iftikhar Ahmed 61 not out, Adil Amin 54 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 45; Bilawal Iqbal 3-45) Central Punjab 110 all out, 31.5 overs (Azhar Ali 43, Zafar Gohar 22 not out; Sameen Gul 3-30, Imran Khan Snr 3-42) and 250 all out, 101.5 overs (Rizwan Hussain 67, Abid Ali 61 retired out, Hussain Talat 46; Sameen Gul 3-42, Iftikhar Ahmed 2-18, Imran Khan Snr 2-31, Sajid Khan 2-63)

Karachi (Sports Report):-A maiden first-class triple-century by Mohammad Huraira and six wickets from Mubasir Khan lead Northern to an innings and 170 runs win over Balochistan on day three of the final round match of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium on Monday. The match was being live-streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel. Resuming their innings at the overnight score 0f 449 for two, Northern declared their innings on 631 for four in 124 overs. Huraira who resumed his batting on 243 continued to play shots all across the ground and brought up his first triple-century in the 113th over of the innings. The 19-year old right-handed batter struck 40 fours and four sixes during his innings of 311 off 343 balls faced and also became the second youngest Pakistan batter to score a first-class triple century. In reply, Balochistan trailing by 316 runs were bowled out for 146 in the 35th over handing Northern a comprehensive an innings and 170-run win over the former. For Balochistan only three players managed to enter into double figures with opening batter Imran Butt top-scoring with a 101-ball 81, hitting 13 fours. Northern’s off-spinner Mubasir grabbed six wickets for 49 in 10.4 overs, while right-arm fast Musa picked two wickets for 60. The win over Balochistan confirms Northern place in the pink-ball final scheduled to take place at National Stadium Karachi from 25-29 December. At UBL Sports Complex, chasing 495 to win, Central Punjab were 123 for no loss in 43 overs against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when stumps were drawn. Abid Ali (49, eight fours, 121b) and Rizwan Hussain (66, 12 fours, one six, 141b) will resume their batting tomorrow. Earlier, resuming their second innings on 89 for no loss, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa declared their innings on 249 for four in 67 overs. Left-handed opening batter Fakhar Zaman top-scored with a 102-ball 62, which included 12 fours and one six. Captain Iftikhar Ahmed scored an unbeaten 61 off 82 balls, hitting seven fours. Adil Amin coming to bat at number-six returned undefeated on a 78-ball 54, which included three fours. The pair stitched a 114-run unbroken partnership for the fifth wicket. For Central Punjab, Bilawal Iqbal picked three wickets for 45. At NBP Sports Complex, Sindh were leading by 219 with three second innings wickets in hand against Southern Punjab at the close of play. Left-handed batter Saad Khan returned undefeated on 63, while Saud Shakeel (63, seven fours, 113b) and Khurram Manzoor (59, 10 fours, 73b) were other significant contributors with the bat. For Southern Punjab, Ali Usman grabbed three wickets for 92. Earlier, resuming their first innings at the overnight score of 333 for six, Southern Punjab were dismissed for 385 in the 94th over with a 75-run first innings lead. The right-handed Ali scored an unbeaten 38 off 83 balls. For Sindh, right-arm fast Shahnawaz Dahani picked three wickets for 61 in 17 overs, while spinners Mohammad Asghar and Zahid Mahmood bagged two wickets apiece. Scores in brief: Northern beat Balochistan by an innings and 170 runs at State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Balochistan 305 all out, 59.1 overs (Shan Masood 190, Kashif Bhatti 68; Kashif Ali 4-49, Athar Mehmood 4-100) and 146-9, 34.4 overs (Imran Butt 81, Imam-ul-Haq 31; Mubasir Khan 6-43) Northern 631-4 (decl), 124 overs (Mohammad Huraira 311, Sarmad Bhatti 135, Umer Amin 51; Akif Javed 2-105) Points so far: Balochistan 3; Northern 25 Sindh vs Southern Punjab - NBP Sports Complex, Karachi Sindh 310 all out, 96.5 overs (Saad Khan 88, Fawad Alam 85, Sarfaraz Ahmed 34 not out; Naseem Shah 4-46, Ali Usman 4-113) and 294-7, 70 overs (Saad Khan 63 not out, Saud Shakil 63, Khurram Manzoor 59; Ali Usman 3-92) Southern Punjab 385 all out, 94 overs (Zeeshan Ashraf 108, Tayyab Tahir 69, Yousuf Babar 64, Azam Khan 48, Ali Usman 38 not out; Shahnawaz Dahani 3-61, Mohammad Asghar 2-72, Zahid Mehmood 2-153) Points so far: Sindh 6; Southern Punjab 7 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab – UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 355 all out, 95.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 76, Ashfaq Ahmed 71, Rehan Afridi 63 not out, Iftikhar Ahmed 53, Sajid Khan 51; Mohammad Ali 3-65, Faheem Ashraf 3-66) and 249-4 (decl), 67 overs (Fakhar Zaman 62, Iftikhar Ahmed 61 not out, Adil Amin 54 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 45; Bilawal Iqbal 3-45) Central Punjab 110 all out, 31.5 overs (Azhar Ali 43, Zafar Gohar 22 not out; Sameen Gul 3-30, Imran Khan Snr 3-42) and 123-0, 43 overs (Rizwan Hussain 66 not out, Abid Ali 49 not out) Points so far: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 20, 2021):-New Zealand national cricket team will visit Pakistan to play two Tests and three One Day International matches series next year in December/January 2022-23 as part of the Future Tours Programme and will tour again in April 2023 to play 10 limited overs matches to make-up for the September 2021 abandoned tour. According to media department of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the arrangement was finalised following meetings and discussions between the PCB and NZC Chairmen Ramiz Raja and Martin Snedden. The two Tests and three ODIs will be part of the ICC World Test Championship and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, respectively, while the second visit will include two additional ODIs and will now comprise five ODIs and five T20Is that will count towards the ICC Rankings. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “I am pleased with the outcomes of our discussions and negotiations, and thank Martin Snedden and his board for their understanding and support. This reflects the strong, cordial and historic relations the two boards have and reconfirms Pakistan’s status as an important member of the cricket fraternity.” NZC Chief Executive David White: “Our respective chairmen, Ramiz Raja and Martin Snedden, had very fruitful and constructive discussions while in Dubai, further strengthening the bond between the two organisations. “It’s good to be going back.” The latest announcement means Pakistan will host eight Tests, 11 ODIs and 13 T20Is against Australia, England and New Zealand in the period from March 2022 to April 2023.

Karachi (Sports Report):-A maiden first-class century by Mohammad Huraira put table-toppers Northern in a commanding position against bottom placed Balochistan on day two of the final round match of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixture at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium on Sunday. The match is being live-streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel. Resuming their innings at the overnight score of 28 for no loss, in reply to Balochistan first innings score of 305, Northern’s opening pair of Huraira and Sarmad Bhatti put up a 365-run partnership for the first wicket. The left-handed Sarmad struck his second century of the tournament while scoring 135 off 243 with 16 fours and eight sixes. His partner, right-handed Huraira, returned undefeated on 243 off 265 balls faced. The 20-year old Huraira innings included 30 fours and four sixes during 437-minute stay at the crease. Northern were 449 for two in 91.4 overs and lead by 144 runs when stumps were drawn. At the UBL Sports Complex, Central Punjab were bowled out for 110 in the 32nd over against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s first innings score of 355 and were unlikely to qualify for the pink-ball final from 25-29 December at National Stadium Karachi. Resuming their first innings at the overnight score of 305 for seven, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 355 in the 96th over. Rehan Afridi scored an unbeaten 84-ball 63 which included nine fours, while Test off-spinner Sajid Khan scored 51 off 53, hitting five fours and three sixes. For Central Punjab, Faheem Ashraf and Muhammad Ali picked three wickets apiece. In return, Central Punjab batters failed to display their skills and only three batters managed to get into the double figures. Azhar Ali top-scored with a 77-ball 43, which included seven fours. Zafar Gohar returned undefeated on 22. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s right-arm pacers Imran Khan Snr and Sameen Gul picked three wickets apiece. At stumps, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in their second innings were 89 for no loss, leading by 334 runs. Fakhar Zaman (48, four fours, one six, 78b) and Sahibzada Farhan (40, seven fours, 73b) will resume their batting tomorrow. At NBP Sports Complex, Southern Punjab’s Zeeshan Ashraf century took his side to a 23-run lead over Sindh when stumps were drawn for the day. Resuming their innings on the overnight score of 275 for five, Sindh were dismissed for 310 in the 97th over. Test player Fawad Alam could add only 10 runs to his overnight score and fell to Ali Usman for 85. Sarfaraz Ahmed scored an unbeaten 34 off 44, hitting five fours. For Southern Punjab, Naseem Shah and Ali bagged four wickets apiece. In return, left-handed Zeeshan’s 108 off 110 helped Southern Punjab post 333 for six in 76 overs at the close of play. Zeeshan’s innings included 11 fours and six sixes. Earlier, opening pair of Tayyab Tahir (69, 11 fours, two sixes, 112) and Umar Siddiq (30, five fours, 53b) added 81 for the first wicket. The left-handed Yousuf Babar coming to bat at number-five scored a 117-ball 64, which included 10 fours. Azam Khan batting at number six added a quick-fire 32-ball 48, smashing nine fours and one six. For Sindh, spinners Mohammad Asghar and Zahid Mahmood picked two wickets each. Scores in brief: Sindh vs Southern Punjab - NBP Sports Complex, Karachi Sindh 310 all out, 96.5 overs (Saad Khan 88, Fawad Alam 85, Sarfaraz Ahmed 34 not out; Naseem Shah 4-46, Ali Usman 4-113) Southern Punjab 333-6, 76 overs (Zeeshan Ashraf 108, Tayyab Tahir 69, Yousuf Babar 64, Azam Khan 48; Mohammad Asghar 2-64, Zahid Mehmood 2-140) Points so far: Sindh 5; Southern Punjab 6 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab – UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 355 all out, 95.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 76, Ashfaq Ahmed 71, Rehan Afridi 63 not out, Iftikhar Ahmed 53, Sajid Khan 51; Mohammad Ali 3-65, Faheem Ashraf 3-66) and 89-0, 25.1 overs (Fakhar Zaman 48 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 40 not out) Central Punjab 110 all out, 31.5 overs (Azhar Ali 43, Zafar Gohar 22 not out; Sameen Gul 3-30, Imran Khan Snr 3-42) Points so far: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 9; Central Punjab 3 Balochistan vs Northern - State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Balochistan 305 all out, 59.1 overs (Shan Masood 190, Kashif Bhatti 68; Kashif Ali 4-49, Athar Mehmood 4-100) Northern 449-2, 91.4 overs (Mohammad Huraira 243 not out, Sarmad Bhatti 135) Points so far: Balochistan 3; Northern 8.

Karachi (Sports Report):-Balochistan’s Shan Masood third century of the season helped his side to recover from 49 for five to 305 all-out on day one of the final round match of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy against table-toppers Northern at State Bank of Pakistan Stadium on Saturday. After Northern opted to bowl first in an uncontested toss – the match which is being live streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel, Balochistan continued to lose wickets at regular intervals with half of their side went back to the pavilion with 49 runs on the board. The left-handed opening batter Shan was joined by Kashif Bhatti, and the pair went on to add 140 runs for the sixth wicket. Kashif scored 68 off 78, which included 10 fours and one six. Shan hit 22 fours and five sixes in his sterling 172-ball 190 innings. For Northern, right-arm pacers Athar Mehmood and Kashif Ali picked four wickets apiece. At stumps, Northern were 28 for no loss after 11 overs. At UBL Sports Complex, four placed Central Punjab kept second placed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in check after opting to bowl first in an uncontested toss. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa openers Ashfaq Ahmed and Fakhar Zaman provided a solid 135-run partnership for the first wicket. Left-handed Fakhar who makes a comeback in the side after performing in the international cricket transferred his form into the domestic game with a 128-ball 76. His innings included 13 fours. His partner Ashfaq scored 71 off 120 balls, which included 13 fours. Captain Iftikhar Ahmed who recently featured in the T20I series against West Indies scored 53 off 77, smashing six fours and two sixes. At stumps, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were 305 for seven in 80.3 overs. Sajid Khan (48, five fours, three sixes, 50b) and Rehan Afridi (24, three fours, 31b) will resume their batting tomorrow. For Central Punjab, right-arm fast Mohammad Ali picked three wickets for 57, while Faheem Ashraf returned with two for 55 in 13 overs. At NBP Sports Complex, third-placed Sindh managed to score 275 for five in 88.2 overs against Southern Punjab at the close of play. After opting to bowl first in an uncontested toss, Southern Punjab bowlers put Sindh in a spot of bother with four wickets down at the score of 94 which included captain Asad Shafiq wicket who departed for naught. Saad Khan batting at number four was joined by Test batter Fawad Alam, and the pair stitched 160-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Saad scored 88 off 169, which included 10 fours. Fawad returned undefeated scoring 75 off 158, hitting six fours. For Southern Punjab, Ali Usman bagged three wickets for 98. Scores in brief: Sindh vs Southern Punjab - NBP Sports Complex, Karachi Sindh 275-5, 88.2 overs (Saad Khan 88, Fawad Alam 75 not out; Ali Usman 3-98) Points so far: Sindh 2; Southern Punjab 1 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab – UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 305-7, 80.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 76, Ashfaq Ahmed 71, Iftikhar Ahmed 53, Sajid Khan 48 not out; Mohammad Ali 3-57, Faheem Ashraf 2-55) Points so far: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 3; Central Punjab 2 Balochistan vs Northern - State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Balochistan 305 all out, 59.1 overs (Shan Masood 190, Kashif Bhatti 68; Kashif Ali 4-49, Athar Mehmood 4-100) Northern 28-0, 11 overs Points so far: Balochistan 3; Northern 3

Colombo (SB Report):-The Colombo Stars registered their fourth victory in the Lanka Premier League after defeating Kandy Warriors by 58 runs on Friday. After posting a total of 182/6 in their 20 overs, the Stars bowled out the Warriors for 124 in 17 overs. The Kandy Warriors couldn't find the momentum during their chase as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Jeffrey Vandersay set the tone with the ball for the Stars by picking up the wickets of the opening batters Kennar Lewis and Minod Bhanuka in the third over. Thereafter, the Warriors failed to string big partnerships. Ravi Bopara was the only highlight of the Warriors' batting card with an innings of 47 runs from 31 balls. He struck 5 fours and 1 six. Vandersay was the pick of the bowlers for the Stars with magnificent figures of 6/25. Earlier, Kusal Perera smashed 58 runs from 38 balls at the top of the order for the Colombo Stars. Perera smacked 6 fours and 2 sixes during his innings. Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal also chipped in with scores of 40 and 44*. Chandimal provided the final impetus to Colombo Stars' innings with a knock laced with 3 boundaries and 2 sixes.

ISLAMABAD (Sports Desk):-Mickey Arthur, the outgoing Head Coach of the Sri Lankan team under whom the Sri Lankan team showed remarkable progress, credited the Lanka Premier League for playing an impressive role in the growth of Sri Lankan cricket. Arthur guided the Island nation brilliantly in the recently-concluded ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, wherein the entire team and especially the likes of Charith Asalanka, Lahiru Kumara and Wanindu Hasaranga impressed the entire world with their performances. All of the three players showcased their talent in Season 1 of the Lanka Premier League and have continued to take massive strides as cricketers in Season 2 of the Lanka Premier League as well. "I think the Lanka Premier League is such a good tournament, particularly for the younger players, because it gives them an opportunity to play under pressure. There's a crowd and there's a good TV audience. You can go and play in the nets a million times, but you can't replicate this atmosphere at the ground. The Lanka Premier League has to allow young players to develop, the franchises have to be very competitive against each other, but the young players must be put under pressure and they have to come through that," said the former Sri Lanka Head Coach. Arthur added that one more team can be added to the Lanka Premier League. Currently, the competition has five franchises - Jaffna Kings, Galle Gladiators, Dambulla Giants, Colombo Stars and Kandy Warriors. "I think there's room for one more team in the competition. There are still a lot of good players that didn't get picked. As long as the competition stays good and sound and we get good overseas players like we have had, I think the tournament will just get better and better," said the South African. When asked about his feelings about leaving the Sri Lankan camp, he said, "The one thing I take a lot of pride in is that I think I have left the team at a far better state than I found it and any coach would like to do that. I think if they stay consistent, which I am sure the selection panel will and if the players are backed, I tell you the country will get some talent." Arthur also added that the Sri Lankan Test team had the skill level to perform away from home, "I think our Test team is in a really good shape. I think it's really well led by Dimuth Karunaratne. There are a lot of experienced players there. We have developed a really good crop of fast bowlers. Dushmantha Chameera is world class now, Suranga Lakmal is the Asian Anderson, you've got Vishwa Fernando, who bowls left-arm pace and there are so many other good young quicks. I think Sri Lanka can hold their own away from home as well. The batters have good techniques to play in overseas conditions."