Sports Bulletin

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (August 4, 2020):-Cricketing icons have thrown their weight behind Pakistan men’s national cricket team ahead of their three ICC World Test Championship fixtures against England, which begin from Wednesday. Pakistan are unbeaten against England in the last four Test series (2010 onwards). They beat England in home series in 2012 (3-0) and 2015 (2-0) before levelling the 2016 (2-2) and 2018 (1-1) away series. Some of the greatest cricketers to don the golden star feel Azhar Ali’s men will provide a stiff challenge to the hosts and have an equal chance of winning a Test series there for the first time since 1996. Aamir Sohail, who scored a double-century in the 1992 Manchester Test and was part of the squads that won 1992 and 1996 Test series in England, said: “I want to wish the Pakistan team best of luck for their series against England. We are hoping and praying that the Pakistan team will do well in England. “Come on, Pakistan! Give it your best.” Abdul Razzaq, member of the Pakistan team that drew a two-match Test series in England in 2001, said: “I wish good luck to our team for the England tour. There is a lot of experience in the coaching staff and it will help the players a great deal. Pakistan batting department boasts Azhar Ali, Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq and Babar Azam. They will have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders and will be encountered by tough conditions. “The bowling department consists Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Faheem Ashraf and Sohail Khan, and they form a great combination. The spin department contains Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan. “I am hopeful this will be a very successful tour. The team is based on strong combinations and we will get to see a very good series and it will help Pakistan improve their rankings.” Mohammad Yousuf, who recorded most Test runs in a calendar year in 2006 including three centuries in four matches in England, said: “The whole country is behind our cricket team. There are great expectations from Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali. I pray that both our senior and junior players give good performances on this tour. “Good luck!” Moin Khan, who scored a century in the 1996 Leeds Test and was member of the teams that beat England in 1992 and 1996 away series, said: “We are here to back the team to the fullest in the Test series which begins from Wednesday. Our hope from the team is that they will stay positive and will play positive, aggressive cricket, which is the actual Pakistani flair. “I want to wish you all the best. Be determined and fight it out. Nothing is impossible in life. All the best.” Ramiz Raja, who scored three half-centuries in the 1992 Test series and was also member of the team that beat England in the 1987 series, said: “I wish good luck to Pakistan. The series against England brings a big opportunity and a chance to be a hero. “England might have got a head start with the three Tests against the West Indies, but they will be under pressure against Pakistan as they are a quality side. Be united when you play. Unlike ODIs and T20Is, one bad session will not cost you a match; rather you will get opportunities to overcome your mistakes. Slip catching is going to be very important, as it will put England under pressure. “There should be clarity in your purpose, which is to beat England in England.” Rashid Latif, who scored a half-century on debut in the Oval Test of the 1992 series and was part of the sides that beat England in the 1992 and 1996 series, said: “Pakistan have a world-class player in Babar Azam. Young pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are joined by Mohammad Abbas and they will give tough time to the opposition. Abid Ali has scored two centuries and is joined by Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Shan Masood. And, Mohammad Rizwan is also playing well. “I am hopeful Pakistan will perform well in England.”

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (August 3, 2020):-Pakistan players will be aiming to progress in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings as they revive their campaign in the ICC World Test Championship with a three-match series against England starting in Manchester on Wednesday. Captain Azhar Ali and his deputy Babar Azam will be among the players in focus for Pakistan, up against a side that last week completed its first come from behind three-Test series win on home soil since 1888, with players like Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad performing splendidly against the West Indies to make massive gains in the player rankings. Azhar, presently 27th among batsmen, will be hoping to regain the form that lifted him to sixth in December 2016, while Babar will be hoping to progress from a career-best aggregate of 800 rating points. Babar is currently sixth after having occupied a career-high fifth place in February. Asad Shafiq (18th) and Shan Masood (33rd) are other Pakistan batsmen to have enjoyed higher rankings in the past but will have to contend with a sharp bowling attack in order to move up again. Fast bowler Mohammad Abbas (13th) and experienced leg-spinner Yasir Shah (24th), who have in the past, been ranked third and first, respectively, and left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi (32nd) are other Pakistan players to watch. For England, Stokes displaced West Indies captain Jason Holder from the top of the all-rounders’ list during their last series and formerly top-ranked Broad rose to third position in the bowlers’ list, currently led by Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins. Stokes is also England’s top-ranked batsman in fourth position, with captain Joe Root (ninth) and opener Rory Burns (17th) their next batsmen on the list. Dom Sibley (35th), Jos Buttler (44th) and Ollie Pope (46th) get a chance to build on recent progress in home conditions, as do fast bowlers Mark Wood, Sam Curran and Jofra Archer, ranked close to each other from 36th to 39th positions. In the WTC points table, England moved up to third position after the series against the West Indies and could potentially leapfrog Australia to second place, while Pakistan have the chance of overtaking New Zealand to fourth position. Apart from the 2-1 win over the West Indies, England drew a five-match series against Australia 2-2 and won a four-match series against South Africa 3-1. Pakistan lost both matches of a two-Test series to Australia, beat Sri Lanka 1-0 in a two-match series and won their first match against Bangladesh at home, with another Test due on a subsequent leg postponed due to Covid-19. Each series of the WTC is worth 120 points, distributed evenly over the number of matches in a series. The points range from 60 for each match of a two-Test series to 24 for each match of a five-Test series.

SB NEWS LAHORE (August 3, 2020):-The PCB has explained it had included its staffers in the six Cricket Associations as a transitory and administrative step with the sole purpose of facilitating and expediting the registration process, and the staffers will resign as soon as the interim committees are constituted. The PCB has also emphasised there was no bar in the PCB Constitution 2019 on its employees being founding members of a Society for any Cricket Association to get it registered. The PCB stated on Monday this temporary administrative arrangement had been adopted as this was the most time efficient, reliable and logistically convenient mechanism for the registration of all six Cricket Associations. It reiterated no PCB staffer will be a member of the interim committees, as these are put in place to run the day-to-day affairs of the Cricket Associations till the elected personnel will not take over. This is important because PCB’s vision is that these bodies will run their cricket independently with PCB overseeing as a regulatory body and assisting where required only. Contrary to the misleading impression being created, the PCB vehemently denied it had allocated or released any funds to the cricket associations that, in turn, will be managed by the PCB staff. It said the allocation of funds, if required, will be considered by the PCB under Clause 16(9) of the PCB Constitution 2019.  “As such, the PCB believes it was unfair to malign, accuse and criticise it of breaching the PCB and Model Constitutions on selected, misleading and incomplete information. The PCB firmly believes in transparency and meritocracy, and will continue to display these with its actions and performances.” The next step is to constitute interim committees to: a) To adopt the model constitution, and b) To run the affairs of the associations till the duly elected representatives take offices. To elect the first office-bearers prior logical steps have to be completed; a) clubs registered with City Cricket Associations, b) general body elects office-bearers of City Cricket Associations, and c) the elected representatives of City Cricket Associations form the general body of the Cricket Associations. Any attempt to corrupt the proper logical steps leading to formation of the Cricket Associations will take away from the long term independent structure of the Cricket Associations and City Cricket Associations the PCB wants to ensure.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (July 22, 2020):-Pakistan men’s national cricket team completed their first intra-squad four-dayer on Monday and one of the many silver linings for the team was seasoned fast bowler Sohail Khan’s five-wicket haul. On the third day of the practice match between Azhar Ali’s Team Green and Babar Azam’s Team White, the 36-year-old returned figures of five for 50 in 20.1 overs which saw the former fold for 181 in the first innings before they staged a comeback on the final day to win the match by six wickets. Prior to the practice match, Sohail had a conversation with bowling coach Waqar Younis on the art of late swing. Sohail shared how the presence of the bowling legend in the support staff helped him gear up for the four-day match. “The conditions in England are swing conducive so every fast bowler gets the ball to move,” Sohail said “I asked Waqar bhai to teach me how to swing the ball late. It took him only two minutes to explain it to me. It is because of his tips that I took five wickets in the first innings. “I am eager to learn from Waqar bhai. I follow him wherever he goes and speak to him about the art of bowling as he has an abundance of knowledge to share. A few days back I was struggling with something while bowling, I thought of reaching out to him and even before I spoke to him about it, he said he knew what I wanted to talk to him about and he explained it to me in a minute.” On Pakistan’s historic tour of England in 2016, Sohail played a crucial role in helping Pakistan secure a 2-2 Test series draw by returning two five-wicket hauls in as many matches. In total, he picked up 13 wickets at 25 apiece and finished as the third best wicket-taker. In such a backdrop, the English side will be wary of his Sohail’s presence. The fast bowler last played a Test in December 2016 and expressed his delight on his inclusion in the squad for this tour. “Definitely, it is an honour for me to return to the side. I had taken two five-fers here against England in 2016 and now in the practice match I have started off with five wickets so I am feeling very good. We had been at our homes for the past four months due to coronavirus so starting off on a high feels nice.” Prior to Sohail’s five wickets, 17-year-old Naseem Shah made a big impact when he took five wickets for Team Green. The strength of Pakistan’s pace attack was further established as Mohammad Abbas and Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up three wickets each providing valuable support to Naseem and Sohail respectively. Naseem and Shaheen finished the match with six and four wickets respectively. Shedding light on the youngsters’ performances, Sohail said: “It gives me immense pleasure to see Naseem Shah. He bowls consistently at 150kph. Just like him, Shaheen Shah Afridi is another good bowler. I like both of them. “It gave me great happiness to see Naseem pick five wickets in the first innings. He is in rhythm and is looking great. What is astonishing is that he is playing in these conditions for the first time but still he is doing so well. Shaheen has also been phenomenal.” Scores in brief: Team White 249 all-out, 94 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 54 not out, Shan Masood 42, Imam-ul-Haq 41, Fawad Alam 24, Haider Ali 21; Naseem Shah 5-55, Mohammad Abbas 3-42, Yasir Shah 2-40) and 284-5 dec, 83.4 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 100 not out, Babar Azam 58, Haider Ali 51, Shadab Khan 39 not out; Yasir Shah 2-52) Team Green 181 all-out, 65.1 overs (Asad Shafiq 51, Azhar Ali 31, Iftikhar Ahmed 31; Sohail Khan 5-50, Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-33) and 354-4, 88.1 overs (Azhar Ali 120 retired out, Fakhar Zaman 99, Asad Shafiq 67 retired out, Iftikhar Ahmed 28 not out) Result: Team Green won by six wickets  

SPORTS REPORT DERBY (July 17, 2020):-Pakistan men’s squad will take part in a four-day intra-squad match from today at the Derbyshire County Ground. Pakistan men’s Test captain Azhar Ali will lead PCB Green, while Babar Azam, the Test vice-captain and captain of the white ball teams, will skipper PCB White. This is the first of the two four-day matches that the squad will play ahead of their three World Test Championship fixtures against England. Previously, the squad played two two-day matches during their 14-day quarantine period in Worcester. PCB Green: Azhar Ali (c), Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Asad Shafiq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Yasir Shah, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Abbas and Wahab Riaz. 12th man: Imran Khan PCB White: Babar Azam (c), Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Musa, Usman Khan Shinwari and Haider Ali 12th man: Kashif Bhatti.

SPORT REPORT ISLAMABAD (July 8, 2020):-Pakistan men’s national cricket team have started their preparations for the Test and T20I series against England with a two-day inter-squad scenario-based practice match played on 5-6 July at Worcester. The team returned to training on 30 June after a gap of more than three months and captain Azhar Ali believes the scenario-based match will prove to be beneficial for the players to ready themselves for the all-important three ICC World Test Championship fixtures against England, which commence from 5 August at Old Trafford. “We are playing cricket after a long time and it is not going to be easy to start at full-strength,” Azhar told pcb.com.pk. “We have to go step-by-step and I am very happy that the boys utilised their practice time of four days well.” “No matter how much you practice, playing matches is always more beneficial. If you spend half of your practice’s time in scenario-based matches, it gives you a lot more confidence. Playing this scenario-based match was very important for us.” In what will be their third Test series in England in the last five years, Pakistan will take on the hosts in a three-match series. The first match will be played at Old Trafford, Manchester, followed by the last two Tests at Ageas Bowl, Southampton, which start on 13 and 21 August. The Pakistan captain is optimistic that his players will be ready for the challenge when the series arrives. “Both batsmen and bowlers have adapted to the conditions. The wind was troubling the bowlers initially but they overcame it, which was heartening. Definitely, the players are going to need some time to adjust. Despite the break, they are in good shape which is a positive sign for us. “All the batsmen batted quite well especially Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq and Abid Ali seemed in total control, Shan Masood adapted well to the conditions and Mohammad Rizwan looked in good shape. “Mohammad Abbas is our experienced bowler and his presence is of advantage for us as he also keeps guiding the youngsters. He is someone who can be a very important member of the attack for us. Naseem Shah bowled very well in the scenario-based match. He will attain more control as he continues to bowl.” To prevent the proliferation of Covid-19, the International Cricket Council has introduced changes in its playing conditions which do not permit the bowlers from shining the ball with saliva and handing their sweater, cap or hat to the umpires while bowling. Azhar said that adjusting to the new regulations was a little difficult, but the practice games will help in the adaptation. “There are some areas where we have to adapt,” he said. “In this weather, it was only the fast bowlers who sweated so it was a challenge for us to shine the ball. But, that’s something which will change as the weather continues to get warm. The most challenging thing, however, was that the bowlers had to put their sweaters and caps outside the boundary rope because of which managing the over rate was getting a bit difficult. Especially, in Yasir Shah’s case he fields in the circle but had to go all the way to the boundary to put his things. But, I am comfortable that we will adapt to these changes as we still have a two-day and two four-day matches to play and they will help us.” Pakistan are currently under a 14-day quarantine period, following which they will travel to Derbyshire on 13 July.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (July 7, 2020):-Former Supreme Court judge Mr Justice (retd) Faqir Muhammad Khokhar, in his capacity as an independent adjudicator, will hear Umar Akmal’s appeal on 13 July at the National High Performance Centre in Lahore. Notices for the hearing have been issued to Umar Akmal and the PCB. The hearing was previously scheduled for 11 June but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19-enforced lockdowns in the city. On 27 April, the Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel, Mr Justice (retid) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, had banned Umar Akmal for three years after finding him guilty of breaching Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two separate incidents. The PCB will make no comment on the matter until Justice Khokhar has announced his decision.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (July 7, 2020):-The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Tuesday confirmed an updated schedule of its men’s national cricket team’s tour of England, which will comprise three Tests and as many T20Is. According to media department of PCB, the opening Test will be played at Old Trafford, Manchester, from 5-9 August, which will be followed by back to back Tests at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton, from 13-17 August and 21-25 August. The action will then return to Manchester as Old Trafford will be the venue for three T20Is, which will be played on 28 and 30 August, and 1 September. The side has been in Worcestershire since 29 June for their 14-day quarantine period during which they are training, practicing and playing scenario/intra-side matches. On 13 July, the side will travel to Derbyshire before arriving in Manchester on 1 August. The following is the training and match schedule, which is subject to any last-minute changes: 6-12 Jul – Practice, intra-squad matches and rest at New Road 13 Jul – Travel to Derbyshire 15-30 Jul – Practice, intra-squad matches and rest, The County Ground 1 Aug – Travel to Manchester 5-9 Aug – 1st Test, Old Trafford 10 Aug – Travel to Southampton 13-17 Aug – 2nd Test, Ageas Bowl 21-25 Aug – 3rd Test, Ageas Bowl 26 Aug – Travel to Manchester 28 Aug – 1st T20I, Old Trafford 30 Aug – 2nd T20I, Old Trafford 1 Sep – 3rd T20I, Old Trafford 2 Sep – Departure for Lahore  

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (July 3, 2020):-“The International Cricket Council (ICC) Integrity Unit has looked into the recent allegations regarding the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Final 2011. At this time, we have not been presented with any evidence that supports the claims made or which would merit launching an investigation under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, “said ICC General Manager Alex Marshall in a statement.  “There is no record of any letter regarding this matter sent by the then Sri Lanka Sports Minister to the ICC and senior ICC staff at the time have confirmed they have no recollection of receiving any such letter which would have led to an investigation. We have no reason to doubt the integrity of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Final 2011. “We take all allegations of this nature extremely seriously and should we receive any evidence to corroborate the claims, we will review our current position. If anyone has any evidence that this match or any other has been subject to match-fixing, we would urge them to get in contact with the ICC Integrity team.”

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (July 2, 2020):-The eighth meeting of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Governing Council on Thursday held via teleconference. The following are the key outcomes: ·         The franchisees and the PCB reiterated their most preferred option remained the staging of the remaining four matches of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 in November. Having expressed that optimism, they acknowledged there were a number of moving pieces due to the Covid-19 pandemic and agreed to continue to review and monitor the situation internally before making recommendations to the Governing Council. ·         Based on an ongoing review of the league, the six franchises and PCB agreed a framework for greater collaboration to ensure the long-term growth of the PSL and to create financial sustainability.     ·         The Governing Council appreciated the PCB for setting up an independent Pakistan Super League department, which will be headed by PSL Project Executive Shoaib Naveed. The Franchises and PCB agreed to a framework of regular contact between the teams and the PSL Department, aiming to increase consultative dialogue on various operational and strategic matters relating to the league. PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani: “Once again, it was an engaging and interesting Governing Council meeting with common interest being the wellbeing and future of the HBL Pakistan Super League. Of course, the future of the HBL PSL is critical to the PCB and the franchisees and, as such, there was a continued commitment to make it a bigger, better and stronger brand. “The PCB and the franchisees expressed determination that they will continue to work together to resolve all pending matters and ensure all parties continue to flourish and benefit from what is now one of biggest and most followed cricket leagues in the world.” Islamabad United’s owner Ali Naqvi: “The formation of a separate PSL Department is a much needed step. HBL PSL is Pakistan’s biggest brand and a dedicated team working on it year round will improve workings for all stakeholders involved in the league. We all saw what HBL PSL means to Pakistani fans this year with the entire season taking place here. There is immense potential for us to grow collectively and we are keen to work with PCB to ensure this growth." Lahore Qalandars’ COO Sameen Rana: “A key aspect of our long-standing partnership with the PCB is regular consultations at the PSL Governing Council level. We engaged in very fruitful discussions today and we are aligned with the PCB in terms of tackling challenges together, and further elevating and promoting HBL PSL.”