Sports Bulletin

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka put their first points on board in Harare at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifiers while Bangladesh made it two wins out of two. WEST INDIES BEAT IRELAND BY 6 WICKETS Put in to bat first by West Indies, openers Leah Paul and Gaby Lewis started well for Ireland. With the Windies bowlers bowling tight lines, Paul and Lewis had to pick and choose their moments to attack. The two put on a 79-run stand for the first wicket before Anisa Mohammed struck to remove Lewis. The wicket of Lewis triggered a massive collapse. Amy Hunter was run-out off the very next delivery without facing a ball. Mohammed next scalped Paul (25) as Ireland lost three wickets in a span of eight deliveries. Hayley Matthews then got in the act and removed Laura Delany and Orla Prendergast in the same over. Eimear Richardson (32) helped Ireland go past the 150-run mark but she did not find enough support at the other end, with only Mary Waldron getting to double digits. Chasing 159, the Windies openers knocked off 61 of those runs inside 13 overs. Though Rashada Williams was not at her best in her 34-ball 8, Deandra Dottin was on song, bringing up her fifty in just 47 balls. Eimear Richardson eventually picked Dottin's wicket for 73 but the damage was already done by then. Stafanie Taylor's unbeaten 41 guided West Indies to a win with more than 10 overs to spare. SRI LANKA BEAT NETHERLANDS BY 34 RUNS (DLS METHOD) Sri Lankan openers got the team off to a flier after being asked to bat first by the Netherlands. The 93-run partnership came in just 13.4 overs with Hasini Perera contributing only 26 from 43 balls. At the other end, Chamari Athapaththu went absolutely berserk, with the fall of wickets of Perera and Prasadani Weerakkody making no difference to her approach. She brought up her hundred in just 64 balls. Caroline de Lange eventually brought an end to the whirlwind innings, claiming her third wicket of the day before picking another one her very next over. Nilakshi de Silva and Anushka Sanjeewani steadied the ship after the two quick wickets. Oshadi Ranasinghe's stuck around the tail, taking Sri Lanka to 278/9 in 50 overs. Netherlands lost Juliët Post early on with Udeshika Prabodhani hitting timber in the third over. Babette de Leede and Sterre Kalis stuck in after the early wicket, mixing caution with aggression en route their respective fifties. The duo posted 141 runs for the second wicket before Athapaththu, the star with the bat, broke through for Sri Lanka will the ball, dismissing de Leede for 77. The wicket triggered a mini-collapse as the Netherlands lost their next four wickets for just 21 runs, including the set batter Kalis. Rain interruptions in the game meant that the Netherlands fell short by 34 runs. BANGLADESH BEAT BANGLADESH BY 269 RUNS Coming into game after a stunning final over win over Pakistan, Murshida Khatun and Sharmin Akhter got Bangladesh off to a quick start, stringing a run-a-ball 96 run partnership. Khatun fell three runs short of a fifty but captain Nigar Sultana's 26-ball 33 ensured Bangladesh don't lose momentum after the wicket. Fargana Hoque and Sharmin Akhter then put on 137 runs for the third wicket, during the course of which the latter brought up her century in 117 balls. USA picked up three wickets in quick succession, with Moksha Chaudhary accounting for two of those but Akhter and Lata Mondal finished strong for Bangladesh to take them to 322/5. USA's chase of 323 got off to a poor start, with opener Mahika Kandanala run out in the second over and were soon three down inside the Powerplay. Rumana Ahmed picked up the wickets skipper Sindhu Sriharsha and Shebani Bhaskar while Khatun dismissed Isani Vaghela as USA found themselves stuttering at 26/6. Tara Norris' knock of 16, which was one of the two double-digit scores in the USA's innings, only delayed the inevitable. Once she fell, the USA were bundled out for 53, giving Bangladesh their second win of the tournament by a massive margin of 269 runs.   PAKISTAN BEAT THAILAND BY 52 RUNS Opting to bat first, Pakistan lost their opener Muneeba Ali early in the 7th over. Omaima Sohail and Iram Javed's stay at the crease did not last long either, with both the batters walking back in consecutive overs. Captain Javeria Khan and Nida Dar consolidated the innings with a 38-run stand that came in 72 balls. Once Dar fell, Khan and Aliya Riaz put on a 29-run partnership that took Pakistan past the 100-run mark but at a very slow pace. Thipatcha Putthawong scalped the wicket of Khan soon after. Putthawong then cleaned up the tail, picking up the wickets of Fatima Sana, Diana Baig and Anam Amin to complete her five-for. She finished with figures of 9-3-18-5. Defending just 146 runs for the win, Pakistan needed early wickets and their bowlers did just that. Natthakan Chantham and Wongpaka Liengprasert were back in the hut for a duck inside the first four overs. Onnicha Kamchomphu counter-attacked with a 15-ball 16 but Nida Dar scalped her wicket before she could do more damage. Just when a partnership was building between Sornnarin Tippoch and captain Naruemol Chaiwai, a change of ends for Dar proved to be successful as she broke the stand. Chaiwai's run-out few overs later meant Thailand had lost half their side for 52. There was no coming back from that position for Thailand, despite Nattaya Boochatham offering some resistance with a 50-ball 18. With the pressure of the required run rate building, Thailand's lower order fell apart as Pakistan skittled them out for 93 to get their first points on board.

Karachi (Press Release):-Pakistan's top sports journalist and Daily Dawn Reporter Khalid Hasan Khan died in a local hospital on Monday. A passionate cricket writer Khalid Khan was hospitalised after suffering a brain hemorrhage over two weeks of ago. Khalid Khan was senior member of Karachi Press Club and Karachi Union of Journalists. He was 58 and left behind a widow and four daughters to mourn his death. Late Khalid extensively covered domestic and international cricket at home. His last international assignment was in Rawalpindi where he flew to cover Pakistan Vs New Zealand ODI series which was cancelled due to mysterious security. Late Khalid Khan was an authority on domestic first class cricket which he covered comprehensively for decades. He started his career by contributing for famous monthly cricket magazine The Cricketer and later switched to daily journalism the News soon its launch in 1990. He later joined Dawn over a decade. Khalid Khan was popular reporters at National Stadium Karachi Press Box. Khalid Khan's death is a great loss to sports journalism in Pakistan. May Allah Grant Him Highest place in Jannah. PCB saddened with the passing of Khalid H Khan Our reporter adds from Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed its sadness at the passing of cricket writer Khalid H Khan. He was 59. In a condolence message, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said: “Khalid was one of the most respected cricket journalists in the country who had a long and distinguished career with the iconic Dawn newspaper. In my interactions with him that spanned more than two decades, I found him very passionate and knowledgeable about the game. “Khalid was widely respected and well-loved amongst his peers, players and administrators for his deep affection for domestic cricket and support for the emerging cricketers and leading performers. “My prayers and sympathies are with his friends and family on his sad and untimely passing.”

BIPIN DANI Prof. Arjuna de Silva, the chairman of the medical panel of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board was surprised when he received a call from Trinidad on Sunday late evening.  The unknown caller was Michael Solozano, the father of Jeremy, who was hit on the helmet off Dimuth Karunaratne's powerful shot while fielding at short leg minutes before lunch on the first day of the ongoing Test match. The 26-year-old left-handed batsman was taken off the field on a stretcher and transferred to a Nawaloka Hospital from the Galle Stadium in an ambulance for scans. The family in Trinidad woke up with the news on TV. "I spoke with the doctor (Prof. Arjuna de Silva. He (Prof.) is indeed a wonderful person. He said he (my son) is fine and when I was last updated in the morning (9.00 am Trinidad time, i.e.  6.30 pm Sri Lanka time), he was discharged from the hospital and was on his way to the team hotel", Michael Solozano, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Trinidad, said to the Reporter.   "Yes, I also got a call from him and he is better now", the father, who has been his mentor, added. West Indies debutant Jeremy Solozano is "most-likely" to be out of the first ongoing Test match against Sri Lanka. "He is better now and scan-reports are also normal. He was unconscious for a while and therefore these concussions tests were mandatory", one of the sources, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo. A neurosurgeon having specialty in neck pain , back pain and headache was looking after the player.    Jeremy Solozano, who wore a helmet while fielding at short-leg, but this has been his regular fielding position, informs his childhood coach David Furlone. "He fields at short-leg position for the Trinidad team also", he said over the telephone. The coach got Jeremy's injury news from team's wicket-keeper Joshua Da Silva, who also plays for Trinidad.

Dhaka (Sports Bulletin Report):-Mohammad Nawaz hit a four off the last ball to ensure a 3-0 series clean sweep for Pakistan in the third and final match of the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium Mirpur, Dhaka on Monday. The tourists had won the first match by four wickets and the second by eight wickets over the weekend. On Monday, Pakistan’s 125-run chase took a dramatic turn in the final over of the match. Needing eight runs to win off the last six balls, the visitors lost the wickets of Sarfaraz Ahmed (6), Haider Ali (45) and Iftikhar Ahmed (6) in the first five balls bowled by Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah. After bowling a dot ball, Mahmudullah had Sarfaraz and Haider caught in the deep off successive balls. Iftikhar smashed a big six off the fourth ball of the over to leave Pakistan needing two off the last two balls. The right-hander was however caught attempting a big shot off the penultimate ball which brought Nawaz to the crease. The left-hander hit a majestic boundary over the cover region to ensure Pakistan’s five-wicket victory. Pakistan’s chase was built on a 51-runs second-wicket stand between player of the series Mohammad Rizwan and player of the match Haider. Rizwan was dismissed for 40 (43 balls, two fours, one six). The right-handed wicketkeeper batter had earlier added 32 for the first-wicket with captain Babar Azam (19). Pakistan were cruising in their chase before the flurry of wickets in the final over. Haider who batted at number three scored his 45 off 38 balls with the help of two sixes and three fours. Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first for the third successive time in the series. Debutant pacer Shahnawaz Dahani made an immediate impression as he bowled opener Najmul Hossain for five in the second over of the match. Leg-spinner Usman Qadir accounted for Shamim Hossain (22) in his first over to leave Bangladesh 37 for two in 7.2 overs. Mohammad Naim who opened the innings, top-scored for the hosts with 47 off 50 balls (two fours, two sixes), Naim added 43 for the third-wicket with Afif Hossain who contributed 20 off 21 balls. Despite keeping wickets in hand, Bangladesh batters failed to break the shackles as Pakistan bowlers’ maintained tight control over the proceedings. The hosts finished their 20 overs at 124 for seven, for Pakistan Mohammad Wasim Jnr took two wickets for 15 runs. Usman also took a couple of wickets conceding 35 runs in his four overs. Shahnawaz and Haris Rauf took a wicket apiece for 24 and 32 runs in three and four overs respectively. Pakistan made four changes in their eleven with Shahnawaz, Sarfaraz, Iftikhar and Usman replacing Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik and Shadab Khan. Scores in Brief: Pakistan beat Bangladesh by five wickets Bangladesh 124 for 7, 20 overs (Mohammad Naim 47, Shamim Hossain 22, Afif Hossain 20; Mohammad Wasim Jnr 2-15, Usman Qadir 2-35) Pakistan 127 for 5, 20 overs (Haider Ali 45, Mohammad Rizwan 40; Mahmudullah 3-10) Player of the match:  Haider Ali Player of the series:  Mohammad Rizwan

ISLAMABAD (Sports Desk):-Shoaib Malik will miss the third T20 against Bangladesh and will leave the national T20 squad due to illness of his son Mirza Azan Malik. According to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) media department, Shoaib not be available for the third T20 International match against Bangladesh. Shoaib Malik will leave Dhaka for Dubai at 10 am local time tomorrow. He will leave Dhaka at 6.30 pm and return home via Dubai. However, the National Twenty20 Squad will leave Dhaka via Dubai tomorrow at 6:30 pm. Spinners Emad Wasim and Usman Qadir will return home after staying with their families in Dubai for a few days. The national test squad will leave Dhaka for Chittagong tomorrow at 3 pm The first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be played in Chittagong from November 26. Bowling consultant Vernon Philander will leave the squad after the first Test. He will leave for South Africa on December 1. The second and final Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be played in Dhaka from December 4

BIPIN DANI West Indies debutant Jeremy Solozano is "most-likely" to be out of the first ongoing Test match against Sri Lanka. The 26-year-old left-handed batsman was taken off the field on a stretcher and transferred to a Nawaloka Hospital from the Galle Stadium in an ambulance for scans, after being hit on the helmet while fielding at short leg. "He is better now and scan-reports are also normal and may be discharged on Monday after doing the concussion tests. He was unconscious for a while and therefore these concussions tests are mandatory", one of the sources, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo. A neurosurgeon having speciality in neck pain , back pain and headache is looking after the player.    From his hospital bed Jeremy Solozano spoke to his father Michael in Trinidad and made him aware about the injury. "Yes, I got a call from him and he is better now", Michael Solozano, who has been his mentor, said to this Reporter. Obviously, the family was anxious when they woke up with the news about the injury. The family was relieved when a phone call from Trinidad was made to Prof. Arjuna de Silva, the chairman of the medical panel, who made his father aware about the player's recovery. Jeremy Solozano, who wore a helmet while fielding at short-leg, but this has been his regular fielding position, informs his childhood coach David Furlone. "He fields at short-leg position for the Trinidad team also", he said over the telephone. The coach got Jeremy's injury news from team's wicket-keeper Joshua Da Silva, who also plays for Trinidad.

Sports Bulletin Report Harare, Zimbabwe (November 22, 2021):-Pakistan only managed to get 20 runs in the first 6 overs of Power-play and also lost the wicket of opener Ayesha Zafar to a run-out, as starting the innings after losing the toss. The runs were hard to come by for Pakistan with the bowlers keeping it tight even after fielding restrictions were lifted. Bangladesh eventually reaped the rewards for their brilliant bowling, with the wicket of Muneeba Ali triggering a mini-collapse. In a span of four overs, Pakistan lost four wickets for just seven runs. Ritu Moni scalped the wickets of Ali and Omaima Sohail in a span of three balls while Nahida Akter sent skipper Javeria Khan and Iram Javed in consecutive overs. Pakistan, who were 42/1 at one stage, had lost half their side with just 49 runs on board. Pakistan needed something special to get out of the situation. Nida Dar and Aliya Riaz answered the call, stitching together a stunning 137-run stand to bail Pakistan out of trouble. Both the batters brought up their half-centuries. While Dar got out in the 49th over, Riaz remained unbeaten on 61* to help Pakistan post a respectable total of 201/7. In response, Anam Amin struck early for Pakistan, dismissing Murshida Khatun in the Powerplay. Sharmin Akhter and Fargana Hoque put on 70 runs for the second wicket but were made to work very hard for their runs. The bowlers were splendid in the first 10 overs, giving away just one boundary. The two batters targetted Fatima Sana, who gave 17 runs in her opening two overs. Nida Dar and Nashra Sandhu bowled very well in the middle overs to put Pakistan in a strong position going into the slog overs. Bowling continuously between overs 17 and 34, they gave away only 34 runs, with Sandhu accounting for the wickets of Akhter and skipper Nigar Sultana. Bangladesh were in further trouble once they lost the set batter Fargana Hoque in the 36th over. Needed 89 runs in the last 10 overs, Rumana Ahmed and Ritu Moni finally started to find the boundaries. Ahmed found the ropes twice in the 44th over against Diana Baig while Ritu Moni smashed Sana for three consecutive fours. However, three wickets in four balls threatened to derail all the momentum as the required run rate climbed over 10. However, Ahmed calmed the nerves in the dugout, hitting Sohail for four boundaries in the 48th over. Ahmed got to her fifty in the final over with Salma Khatun keeping her company with an unbeaten 11-ball 16 as Bangladesh clinched the thriller with two balls to spare. THAILAND BEAT ZIMBABWE Thailand opted to bat first in the second ICC Women's World Cup qualifier of the day in Harare against hosts Zimbabwe. Natthakan Chantham and Sornnarin Tippoch consolidated the innings after the early wicket of Nattaya Boochatham, who was out bowled by Esther Mbofana. They looked set for their half-centuries but fell short of the milestone, with Loreen Tshuma scalping both the batters in consecutive overs. Skipper Naruemol Chaiwai and Nannapat Koncharoenkai navigated Thailand through the rest of the middle overs, adding 69 runs for the fourth wicket. Chanida Sutthiruang's 28-ball 35* helped Thailand post a solid target of 248 for Zimbabwe to chase down. In response, Zimbabwe got off to a slow yet steady start, with the openers putting on 49 for the first wicket in 17 overs. After the fall of the wicket, Sharne Mayers and Josephine Nkomo upped the scoring rate, stitching 59 runs in 70 balls. Once Mayers fell short of a fifty by three runs, Nkomo Mary-Anne Musonda started to take the attack to the Thailand bowlers. Both the batters brought up their respective fifties and brought the equation down to 65 in 10 overs with eight wickets still in hand. Suleeporn Laomi struck for Thailand in the 41st over, breaking the 77-run partnership that came in just 75 balls. The wicket derailed all the momentum that Zimbabwe had built as they struggled to find boundaries in the death. In fact, they found the ropes just once in the last nine overs. Despite Musonda batting till the end of the innings, Zimbabwe fell short by 9 runs as Thailand put their first points on board.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (November 21, 2021):-Three Sri Lanka players at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2021 have tested positive for COVID-19 and are isolating. The players tested positive following a screening of all team members after one player showed mild symptoms, as per the bio-secure protocols in place to ensure the safety of all participants in the nine-team event, which got underway in Harare today. Two of the players are experiencing mild symptoms, whilst the third is asymptomatic. All three are isolating and receiving the appropriate medical care. The remainder of the Sri Lanka squad, are negative but are currently isolating as a precaution and will be re-tested ahead of their opening match against the Netherlands on Tuesday. ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley said the event would be proceeding as planned: “We have playing squads of 15 at the event, which allows for injuries and illness, including COVID-19 to be managed, and in addition teams have had the option of bringing traveling reserves with them. As you would expect, the remainder of the squad are being closely monitored and they will all be re-tested ahead of taking to the field on Tuesday. “The event bio-security plan provides us with protocols to manage positive tests effectively with the intention of enabling the event to proceed whilst keeping all other players and participants safe.” Sri Lanka play the Netherlands in their opening match on Tuesday with their remaining Group A matches on Saturday (vs the West Indies) and Monday (vs Ireland). Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe and the USA form Group B, with three sides from each group making it to the Super Six stage, in which the final placings will be decided. The tournament decides three qualifiers for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 to be held in New Zealand from 4 March to 3 April, joining five teams who have already qualified through the ICC Women’s Championship – Australia, England, India, South Africa and hosts New Zealand. The three qualifiers as well as the next two teams will also ensure places in the next ICC Women’s Championship (IWC) along with the top five from last time, as the number of teams in the third cycle of the IWC goes up from eight to 10 teams.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (November 21, 2021):-Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi has been fined 15 per cent of his match fees for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second T20I against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday. Afridi was found to have breached Article 2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an International Match.” In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to the disciplinary record of Afridi, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period. The incident occurred in the third over of Bangladesh’s innings, when Afridi fielded the ball on his follow through and threw it at Afif Hossain, hitting him on the foot, when the batter was within the popping crease and not intending to take a run. Afridi admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Neeyamur Rashid of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees and ratified by the ICC Cricket Operations department as per the COVID-19 interim playing regulations. There was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Gazi Sohel and Sohail Tanveer, third umpire Masudur Rahman and fourth official Sharfudoulla Ibne Shahid levelled the charges. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Ali Ahmed LAHORE (November 21, 2021):-Central Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa teams have been fined for maintaining a slow over rate during their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy first-class match that ended at the Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan on Saturday evening. In the drawn game, Central Punjab were found three overs short of their target after taking into account time allowances and, as such, were charged under Article 2.22 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which deals with the minimum over-rate offences. As such, all members of the playing XI were fined PKR28,000. Similarly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were found two overs short of their target. As such, all members of the playing XI were fined PKR 16,000. Central Punjab captain Ali Zaryab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Khalid Usman accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Mohammad Javed. The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Qaiser Waheed and Saqib Khan.