Sports Bulletin

Saad Kayani KARACHI (November 3, 2021):-Pakistan star cricketer Nida Dar is eager to make the most of the three One-Day Internationals against the West Indies Women that the national women’s team will play at the iconic National Stadium from 8-14 November. These three matches serve an opportunity for both teams to get the desired competitive match practice ahead of the ICC World Cup Qualifier. When Pakistan toured West Indies in June-July earlier this year, Nida made 135 runs – including half-century in the first match – at 33.75 in five ODIs. This year has proved to be a successful one for her with the bat as the right-hander has scored 259 at an average of over 43. Pakistan, on Wednesday, held scenario-based training at the National Stadium. Speaking about the preparations, Nida said: “We are getting some great practice ahead of the three ODIs against the West Indies. The pitches here are great for cricket and the weather is also great for the game. This series is very important for us to prepare for the World Cup Qualifier.” While West Indies toured Pakistan in 2018 for three T20Is, which were played at Karachi’s Southend Club, the last time these two teams met at the National Stadium was in 2006. That is the only instance the two sides have ever faced off at this venue. So when the series begins on 8 November, Nida will play her first international fixture at the National Stadium– something she had been eagerly looking forward to.  “It has been my dream to play at the National Stadium,” she said. “The pitches here support both batters and bowlers. It gives a great feeling to play in front of your crowds. I am sure West Indies will get to enjoy a great atmosphere here and we will play good cricket. “We had a great series when West Indies last toured Pakistan. Both sides played some great competitive cricket.”

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (November 3, 2021):-Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s two successive half-centuries in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 have helped him overtake England’s Dawid Malan and grab the No. 1 position for batters in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s two successive half-centuries in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 have helped him overtake England’s Dawid Malan and grab the No. 1 position for batters in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. Babar, who scored 51 against Afghanistan and 70 against Namibia to lead the 2009 champions into the semifinals, is at the top for the sixth time in his career. The 27-year-old had first attained top position in 28 January 2018. He is presently also ranked No. 1 in ODIs. Babar’s tally of 834 rating points keeps him 36 points ahead of Dawid Malan but Babar’s career best remains 896 rating points that he achieved after scoring 65 against England at Cardiff on 5 May 2019. Malan had been at the top since 29 November last year. England’s performances in the tournament too reflect in the rankings, with both their openers Jos Buttler and Jason Roy moving up in the latest weekly update. Buttler has gained eight slots to reach a career-best ninth position after smashing his maiden T20I hundred against Sri Lanka while Roy is up five places to 14th. Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka celebrates the wicket of Jonny Bairstow of England during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between England and Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on November 01, 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka celebrates the wicket of Jonny Bairstow of England during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between England and Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on November 01, 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has topped the bowling charts for the first time in his career after two successive three-wicket hauls against South Africa and England. He replaces South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi, who was at the top since 10 April this year. The top four bowlers in the rankings are all wrist spinners, with England’s Adil Rashid overtaking Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to take third place with a career-best 730 rating points. A fast bowler who has made rapid rise is South Africa’s Anrich Nortje, who has gained 18 slots to reach seventh position. At the top of the all-rounders’ table, Mohammad Nabi has caught up with Shakib Al Hasan on 271 rating points. Hasaranga is fourth in this list. Some other notable movements: Batters Aaron Finch of Australia up three places to third Richard Berrington of Scotland up one place to 21st Rohit Sharma of India up one place to 23rd Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan up two places to 27th David Miller of South Africa up six places to 33rd Nicholas Pooran of the West Indies up nine places to 38th Craig Williams of Namibia up nine places to 44th Kane Williamson of New Zealand up six places to joint-46th Temba Bavuma of South Africa up 35 places to 52nd Bowlers Chris Jordan of England up four places to ninth Ish Sodhi of New Zealand up six places to 10th Mitchell Santner of New Zealand up four places to 17th Jasprit Bumrah of India up 10 places to joint-24th Imad Wasim of Pakistan up 10 places to 26th Shadab Khan of Pakistan up six places to 27th Dwaine Pretorius of South Africa up 65 places to 34th Shoriful Islam of Bangladesh up 77 places to 38th Mitchell Starc of Australia up eight places to 40th Trent Boult of New Zealand up 32 places to 41st Safyaan Sharif of Scotland up five places to 44th Jan Frylinck of Namibia up 13 places to 48th Jason Holder of the West Indies up 19 places to 50th All-rounders Liam Livingstone of England up 57 places to 10th

SPECIAL REPORT What has impressed me most about Pakistan at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has been their consistency. It is not usually something you associate with Pakistan. We always hear about an unpredictable Pakistan but in this tournament they have maintained their intensity, the catching has been good, the running between the wickets as well and as a unit they are performing to the standards we expect them to.  At international level, you make plans and you have to execute them. That is exactly what they are doing. A lot of the credit goes to the players who are working so hard and that is the platform that they have used to achieve what they are right now. But I think Saqlain Mushtaq also deserves a lot of praise for the work he is doing. He is not someone I have spent a lot of time with, but the one interaction I’ve had with him was a profound one. I was recovering from a back injury and was changing from bowling medium pace to bowling off spin. I used to hold the ball with four fingers and was talking about how leg spinners use the third finger and off spinners use two fingers to bowl. I still remember what he said to me. He said: “Your job is to put as many revolutions on the ball as possible and have more control, just bowl the ball in whatever way you can do these two things best.” It says a lot about his approach to coaching and the way he has empowered these players. Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander have of course been a big influence and Rameez Raja has given extra responsibility to Babar Azam as captain. When the captain has that responsibility, they feel confident making decisions. It is the same for the players. There are of course more factors in their success, but there is a freedom in this team for the players to express themselves. The environment is great for the players to succeed. I was pleased to see Pakistan decide to bat first against Namibia to give themselves a bigger challenge. Regardless of the opposition, it is not easy to bat in those conditions, but they did very well and now they are in a great position to top the group and avoid England, who are playing some great cricket, in the semi-final. Elsewhere in the group, I think New Zealand were very impressive against India. They are very good in ICC tournaments, but they still have a very tough game to come against Afghanistan, who I have loved watching. Hamid Hassan coming into their team has only strengthened their bowling and even without him, we saw how hard they pushed Pakistan. It will be an interesting contest against India. Virat Kohli talked about how India needed to be braver after the loss to New Zealand. Now they are playing the most courageous team in the tournament. Afghanistan are the only team who love to win the toss and bat. That should make for a great game and it is huge in the context of Group 2. It is not easy to get over a big defeat like India suffered to Pakistan and it felt against New Zealand that they had still not fully moved on. For their sake, they will hope to have put those defeats behind them against Afghanistan.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Abu Dhabi (November 2, 2021):-Pakistan cruised to a 45-run victory over Namibia as opening pair Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan again starred with the bat to all but confirm their semi-final spot at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night. Babar, 70, and Rizwan, 79 not out, became the first pair to share five T20I century stands with their second of the tournament as they put on 113 for the first wicket. Pakistan had started slowly but the Group 2 leaders smashed 130 from their last ten overs to register an imposing 189 for two. Namibia were always up against it and despite 40s from David Wiese and No.3 Craig Williams, fell well short of their target as Pakistan maintained their perfect record with a fourth consecutive Super 12s victory at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021. Babar chose to bat but runs were hard to come by early on as Ruben Trumpelmann opened up with a maiden to Rizwan. Rizwan continued to struggle and JJ Smit thought he had him trapped lbw for two in the fifth over only for DRS to prove the ball had pitched just outside leg stump. Babar was by far the more fluent of the pair scoring 21 of the 29 Pakistan added in the powerplay without loss. For the eighth time in 19 T20I innings Babar and Rizwan brought up a 50 partnership, on this occasion from 55 balls, and at the halfway stage Pakistan were travelling nicely at virtually a run a ball with all ten wickets still in hand. Trumpelmann returned to the attack in the 12th over, his previous two going for just two runs, and was greeted with a six by Rizwan before Babar brought up his third half-century of the tournament from 39 balls as Pakistan put their foot on the gas. Some 30 runs had come from the last two overs and Rizwan finally looked to have found his groove, launching Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton for a meaty six down the ground before Babar brought up a magnificent 100 partnership in exactly 13 overs. But Wiese finally ended Babar’s impressive knock in the 15th over when he holed out in the deep for 70 off 49 balls, curtailing an opening stand of 113. And his replacement at the crease Fakhar Zaman soon joined him back in the hutch for five after a super one-handed grab from wicket-keeper Zane Green gave Jan Frylinck a deserved wicket. However, that was as good as things got for the bowling side as Mohammad Hafeez, 32 off 16 balls, and Rizwan, 79 off 50, launched into some astonishing late hitting with a partnership of 67 from just 26 balls. Rizwan had started slowly but brought up a 42-ball half-century with a six before brutally dismantling Smit in the final over, taking 24 from it to leave Namibia an unlikely 190 to win. That task got even harder when Hasan Ali’s delivery dismantled Michael van Lingen’s stumps in the second over of the chase. Stephen Baard picked up Haris Rauf for six over the legside as Namibia reached 34 for one off the powerplay, with the required run rate already over 11. Despite diving for his ground, Baard was run out by a combination of Haris and Rizwan for a promising run-a-ball 29 after Williams slipped and sent him back, ending a partnership of 47. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus raced to 14 off 6 as Namibia climbed to 70 for two after ten overs, still needing more than two runs a ball to pull off a remarkable victory. Erasmus was given a life when Shaheen Shah Afridi spilled a steepling catch off Shadab Khan, so it fell to the aggrieved bowler to see the back of the Namibia captain for 15, taking a simple catch off Imad Wasim. Williams’ valiant knock of 40 from 37 balls ended when he plinked one to long-off from Shadab’s final ball in the 14th over, with Namibia’s hopes fading fast with 97 off six overs still needed. Smit soon followed before Wiese was rapped on the head by Haris but bravely continued to wield the willow in vain, making an unbeaten 43 off 30 balls as Namibia eventually finished well adrift on 144 for five. Scores in brief Pakistan beat Namibia at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi by 45 runs Pakistan 189/2, in 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 79 not out, Babar Azam 70; David Wiese 1/30, Jan Frylinck 1/31)  Namibia 144/5 in 20 overs (David Wiese 43 not out, Craig Williams 40; Imad Wasim 1/13, Hasan Ali 1/22)  Player of the Match: Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)  

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (November 2, 2021):-The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has approved Sharafudin Ashraf as a replacement for Asghar Afghan in the Afghanistan squad. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has approved Sharafudin Ashraf as a replacement for Asghar Afghan in the Afghanistan squad. All-rounder Sharafudin, who has played 17 ODIs and nine T20Is, was approved as a replacement following concerns over Asghar’s mental wellbeing. Sharafudin was a reserve as per the allowance for teams to travel with extra players in view of COVID-19 quarantine requirements. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 consists of Chris Tetley (Head of Events, Chair), Clive Hitchcock (ICC Senior Cricket Operations Manager), Rahul Dravid and Dhiraj Malhotra (BCCI Representatives), Simon Doull and Ian Bishop (Independent Members).

Report: ABDULLAH ASJAD Islamabad(November 2,2021):-South Africa overcame Bangladesh by 6 wickets in ICC Men’s T 20 World Cup 2021 at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. African skipper Temba Bavuma decided to bowl first after winning the toss. South Africans bowlers succeeded to stop Bangladeshi batters only 84 runs in 20 overs game. Bangladeshi Opener Liton Das scored 24 runs and wasted large numbers of 36 balls in T20 cricket game while Mahedi Hasan added 27 runs in 25 deliveries as he smashed 2 fours and solitary six. Africans bowlers did outclass bowling and pacer Anrich Nortje bowled very beautifully and picked up 3 wickets and conceded only 8 runs in 4 overs while second opener Kagiso Rabada took 3 wickets for 20 runs. Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi got 2 wickets. In reply, South African batter chased 85 runs target in 14th over with 6 wickets in hand. Captain Temba Bavuma played a highly regarded innings and scored 31 runs and faced 28 balls. He hit 3 fours and single six. One down batter Rassie van der Dussen scored22 runs in27 balls while wicket keeper batter Quinton de Kock added 16 runs only. Bangladeshi pacer Taskin Ahmed came back in the team and sent 2 batters back to the pavilion. Mahedi Hasan and Nasum Ahmed got a single wicket each. Kagiso Rabada declared man of the match. Summarized Scorecard: South Africa beat Bangladesh at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi by six wickets Bangladesh 84 all out, in 18.2 overs (Mahedi Hasan 27, Liton Das 24; Anrich Nortje 3/8, Kagiso Rabada 3/20)  South Africa 86/4, in 13.3 overs (Temba Bavuma 31 not out, Rassie van der Dussen 22; Taskin Ahmed 2/18, Mahedi Hasan 1/19)  Player of the Match: Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)   +  

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Faisalabad (November 2, 2021):-Sindh defeated Balochistan by 44 runs in the final of AS Ali Blind Cricket trophy 2021 at Boranwali Cricket Ground Faisalabad on Tuesday. Mohammad Rashid got man of the match award on his sparking innings of 212 runs. Balochistan won the toss and decided to bowl first. Sindh openers started the innings briskly and didn’t allow the Balochistan bowlers to get settled. Mohammad Rashid once played a splendid innings of 212 runs off 123 balls while Badar Munir scored dazzling 121 runs off 79 balls. Sindh piled up a mammoth total of 452 runs in 40 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. In reply, Balochistan took a bad start lost their 3 main batters in the early stage of the innings and opened the gate of success to Sindh. However, Haroon Khan and Israr Hassan tried their best to fight back but Balochistan fell 44 runs short of the target. Balochistan made 408 runs in 40 overs for the loss of 6 wickets. Haroon Khan was their highest scorer with 145 runs off 92 balls and Israr Hassan got out after scoring 100 runs off 67 balls. Ehtisham ul Haq was the pick amongst the bowlers he claimed 3 wickets while Badar Munir took 1 wicket. Col (Rtd) Ijaz Ahmed Nasir, Special Assistant to Chairman Interloop Ltd, Syed Sultan Shah, Chairman Pakistan Blind Cricket Council & President World Blind Cricket Ltd, Abdul Sattar D O Special Education Faisalabad, Anwar Ali Sial Director Finance PBCC and Syed Mohammad Salman Tariq Bukhari Director Cricket Operations PBCC were the guests of the occasion and distributed prizes amongst the players.  Best player of the tournament: B1: Zafar Iqbal (Balochistan) B2: Nisar Ali (KPK) B3: Mohammad Akram (Punjab) Best Wicket Keeper: Naseebullah (Balochistan)

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (November 2, 2021):-Pakistan and Bangladesh feature in a highly anticipated match on the opening day of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2021 to be played across four venues in Harare from 21 November to 5 December. The 10-team tournament gets off with a set of warm-up matches on 19 November, after which the south Asian rivals will play at the Old Hararians Club on 21 November. There will be three other matches played concurrently on the same day – West Indies versus Papua New Guinea (Sunrise Cricket Club), Thailand v Zimbabwe (Harare Sports Club) and Ireland v Netherlands (Takashinga Cricket Club). The match between the 2016 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup champions West Indies and Sri Lanka will be another high-profile match during the preliminary league of the tournament which sees the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea and the Netherlands in Group A, and Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe and the United States in Group B. There is no knockout stage in the competition, with the preliminary league, consisting of five teams each in two groups, followed by a Super Six stage to decide the final positions at the end of 29 matches. The Zimbabwe tournament is an important one on the calendar as it 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. All fixtures are day matches starting at 09h30 local time. Group A: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Netherlands Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA    

Sports Reporter LAHORE (November 2, 2021):-The absorbing red-ball cricket action will resume from Wednesday when the third round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 begins. The first two rounds have provided glimpses of individual and collective brilliance with 16 centuries scored, four of which were maiden, and three bowlers record maiden five-wicket hauls. Nineteen-year-old Mohammad Huraira, who was part of the national side that featured in the U19 World Cup last year, scored his maiden first-class century on the final day of Northern’s second round clash against Central Punjab, which ended in draw. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sahibzada Farhan, Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad will hold great significance as he scored his first century at this level there against Sindh. Southern Punjab’s Tayyab Tahir brought up his maiden ton in style as he smashed 221, becoming only the second batter after Faizan Riaz to score a double-century this season. Tayyab leads the batting chart with 360 runs and Faizan follows him with 342 runs. These two are the only batters in the tournament to have scored more than 300 runs, to date. Central Punjab’s Abid Ali is third with 280 runs. Nauman Ali, member of the national Test team, had scored his maiden first-class ton on the last day of round one at the Gaddafi Stadium. After Northern’s pacer Musa Khan took five wickets for the first time in the first round, Balochistan off-spinner Raza-ul-Hasan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Niaz Khan recorded their maiden five-fers in the second round. The bowling chart, however, is led by Central Punjab’s all-rounder Zafar Gohar as his left-arm orthodox has accounted for 11 batters at 37.09 runs per wicket. Twenty-one-year-old Musa has taken nine wickets at 20.67, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Imran Khan Snr, Raza-ul-Hasan and Balochistan’s Ali Usman have taken seven wickets apiece in two matches. While all six matches across the first two rounds ended in draw, Northern, who were the finalists of the 2019-20 edition, are at the top with 23 points – two clear of the second-ranked Southern Punjab. Southern Punjab displayed tactical and calculated approach when their batters crossed the 400-run benchmark inside the 100 overs of their first innings in the second round fixture against Balochistan at the Multan Cricket Stadium, which brought them maximum (five) batting points. Southern Punjab, which is captained by Mohammad Abbas, have collected seven batting points in the first two rounds, which is the joint-most with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Azhar Ali’s Central Punjab, Iftikhar Ahmed’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Imran Butt’s Balochistan are locked on 20 points, with net run-rate separating them. Central Punjab’s better net run-rate has them at third spot, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are fourth and Balochistan are fifth. Fawad Alam’s Sindh have catching up to do when they face Northern at Multan Cricket Stadium as they are at the bottom of the table with 18 points. For their third round fixture, Central Punjab will stay in Lahore as they play Balochistan, who will play their first match of the season at Pakistan’s home of cricket after playing their first round fixture at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad and second round fixture at Multan Cricket Stadium. All the action from this match will be beamed across the globe through PCB’s official YouTube channel. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will also remain stationed at Faisalabad to host Southern Punjab, who travel for the first time in this edition after playing their first two matches in Multan.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Sharjah (November 1, 2021):-Jos Buttler’s maiden T20I hundred helped England come through a test against Sri Lanka by 26 runs in Sharjah to all but confirm their semi-final place. After being put in to bat for the first time in this tournament, England stumbled to 35 for three before Buttler scored the first century of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to guide Chris Silverwood’s men to 163 for four. After Buttler’s heroics, you always felt Sri Lanka were behind in the chase, losing wickets at crucial times and eventually being bowled out 26 runs short. Having taken 12 off the opening over, it looked like it could have been business as usual for England but Wanindu Hasaranga had other ideas, bowling Jason Roy with a googly, the opener only able to make nine before having to depart. Out came MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I World No.1 batter Dawid Malan, but he could not last much longer, surviving being dropped by keeper Kusal Perera before being bowled next ball by Dushmantha Chameera to see England reduced to 34 for two. Jonny Bairstow fared even worse, going for a golden duck, as Sri Lanka correctly reviewed for lbw, and captain Eoin Morgan was needed to do a job alongside Jos Buttler. By the halfway mark in their innings, Buttler and Morgan had moved England to just 47 for three, but from there Buttler took the initiative, hitting the first boundary for five overs before smashing Chamika Karunaratne for a four and a six in back-to-back balls. Buttler brought up his fifty from 45 balls before Eoin Morgan got in on the act, reverse sweeping for four. The next over, England finally started to motor, smashing three sixes to take 22 off Lahiru Kumara and move their total past 100, Buttler adding 13 runs off just four balls. Hasaranga had gone for two for 13 from his first three overs, and having seen the ball smashed back over his head for six by Morgan he got revenge by bowling him, only after the England captain had made 40 and added 106 alongside Buttler. With Buttler needing just seven for a maiden T20I century, he launched the ball high but was dropped as Pathum Nissanka was unable to hold on to the ball. And needing six off the final ball for his hundred, Buttler dutifully dispatched a Chameera full toss on the leg side for six to move England on to 164. Buttler was straight back into the action, running out Nissanka before Charith Asalanka tried one heave too many and was caught for 21 off 16 as England got their second wicket of the powerplay. Perera was next to go, Morgan taking a difficult catch off the bowling of Adil Rashid, but Sri Lanka still ended the powerplay on 40 for three, four runs more than England, but the Lions would need a Jos Buttler. Avishka Fernando was not going to be that man as he was given out plumb lbw, sent back to the pavilion for 13 off 14 deliveries before the Lions reached the halfway mark at 66 for four. Having conceded 12 runs off the first four balls of his second over, Tymal Mills was forced to go off with a quad injury with Morgan required to rejig his attack. Sam Billings came on as a sub and was involved in a tandem catching effort with Roy to dismiss Hasaranga who had batted valiantly, adding 34 from 21 balls. Buttler was at it again, with a long-range direct hit to dismiss a stranded Dasun Shanaka before Chameera fell in the same Chris Jordan over as Sri Lanka slipped to 134 for eight. Eventually, Sri Lanka succumbed in the penultimate over, Moeen Ali finishing the job as Eoin Morgan became the most successful captain in men’s T20I cricket with his 43rd win in the shortest format. Scores in brief England beat Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium by 26 runs England 163/4 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 101 not out, Eoin Morgan 40; Wanindu Hasaranga 3/21, Dushmantha Chameera 1/43) Sri Lanka 137 all out in 18.6 overs (Wanindu Hasaranga 34, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 26, Dasun Shanaka 26; Adil Rashid 2/19, Chris Jordan 2/24) Player of the Match: Jos Buttler (England)