Sports Bulletin

 Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (May 22, 2020):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has published guidelines for the safe resumption of cricket to assist its Members in restarting cricket activity in their countries as government restrictions owing to COVID-19 start to relax. “ICC Back to Cricket Guidelines” is a comprehensive document developed by the ICC Medical Advisory Committee in consultation with Member Medical Representatives, and provides guidance for the safe resumption of community cricket, domestic professional cricket and international cricket. The guidelines do not provide answers to when the game can resume in different parts of the world, rather provide a framework with practical suggestions on how members can resume cricket in a manner that protects against the risk of transmission of or infection with the COVID-19 virus. The ICC advises its Members to use these guidelines as the basis to create their own policies for return to cricket activity in compliance, in all cases, with local and national government regulations (which should always take precedence) and to ensure the cricket community applies the necessary safety measures when resuming cricket.

Sports Report ISLAMABAD (May 14, 2020):-The PCB Cricket Committee met on Wednesday via video link under the chairmanship of Iqbal Qasim. It was the second meeting of 2020 for the group. The group discussed the appointment and review process for the appointment of the six Cricket Association and High Performance Centre coaches. The Chairman of the Committee agreed to form a sub-committee, which will work closely with Director - High Performance to create a criteria and performance evaluation process for the coaches. The committee also had a discussion on the participation of departments in the 2020-21 season. It was agreed that the committee will provide its suggestions, which will be forwarded onto the PCB management for consideration. In addition to the above, the cricket committee was apprised of the appointment process and responsibilities of Director – High Performance (who attended the session on special invitation), PCB Men’s Central Contract List for 2020-21 and also received updates on women’s and domestic cricket by Urooj Mumtaz and Haroon Rashid, respectively. PCB Cricket Committee Chairman Iqbal Qasim said: “The agenda for the quarterly meeting was in line with areas that required discussion and to get engaging feedback from all members of the Cricket Committee. On department cricket in 2020-21 season, it remains a work in progress and the committee will shortly forward its thoughts to the management. “The PCB Cricket Committee was overall satisfied with the PCB Men’s Central Contract 2020-21 list and was impressed with the concept of the Emerging Player’s Category as well as elite category in domestic cricket in which leading performers, who are unable to break into the central contracts, will be included. This will further motivate the youngsters and help uplift and improve the quality of our domestic cricket.”

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD:-The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket Ireland decided to postpone the bilateral two-match T20I series, which was scheduled in July this year 2020 with mutual understanding on Thursday, as the Ireland Government had announced that behind closed-door matches can only be possible after 10 August. This date coincides with Pakistan’s tour to England for three Tests and as many T20Is for which the side is scheduled to depart late July. The matches in Dublin were planned for 12 and 14 July. PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: “It is sad that due the current Covid-19 pandemic, we have to postpone our tour to Ireland. We were looking forward to returning to the venue, where we featured against Ireland in their inaugural Test in 2018, and country where our players have always been supported and admired by the friendly and knowledgeable fans. “We fully respect and endorse CI’s decision at this difficult time. As we have all reiterated, the safety and security of players, officials and fans comes first. It remains a challenging time for all nations that are due to be hosting home series in the coming months; we as a cricketing family will continue to rally and work closely together.  “The PCB stands firmly with CI in these difficult times and we look forward to revisiting Ireland as soon as normal services resume.” Cricket Ireland Chief Executive Warren Deutrom said: “With the Irish Government announcement on 1 May regarding the gradual process of lifting restrictions here in Ireland, it unfortunately became impossible to host the Pakistan T20Is in Dublin on the scheduled dates. “We subsequently discussed scenarios around delaying the fixtures – or even playing them elsewhere - but with numerous complications around Government roadmap timelines, bio-security, quarantining, and scheduling harmony, it just hasn’t been possible to find a way to get the matches played.” “We deeply regret this, as the cricketing bonds between Ireland and Pakistan are strong, and we were very excited to host the world’s top T20 side. We look forward to a time when we can once again meet on the pitch and wish our Pakistan Cricket Board colleagues good health during these challenging times.”

Sports Report LAHORE (May 13, 2020):-Former Test spinner Nadeem Khan has been appointed as the PCB’s Director – High Performance following a robust recruitment process. Nadeem was one of the 16 candidates who had applied for the role and was subsequently interviewed by Iqbal Qasim (Chairman, Cricket Committee), Wasim Akram (Member, Cricket Committee), David Parsons (Ex-Performance Director – ECB) and Wasim Khan (Chief Executive, PCB). Following his appointment, Nadeem has resigned as Coordinator – National Men’s Selection Committee with immediate effect. Nadeem’s replacement will be announced in due course. The position of Director - High Performance has been created during a restructuring process and following the departures of Director – Academies, Mudassar Nazar, and Director – Domestic Cricket Operations, Haroon Rashid, who will finish their time at the PCB on 31 May. Director – High Performance will be responsible for managing and overseeing both the departments as the PCB believes the new structure will serve the game and it’s cricketers in a more seamless way. Nadeem’s relevant experience for this role included setting up the Moin Khan Cricket Academy and not only reviving the UBL Sports Academy but also transforming it into a successful and self-sustaining financial proposition as well as a high-quality grooming institution for budding youngsters. While the UBL Sports Complex presently has 1200 students, the UBL cricket team, during Nadeem’s tenure, reached the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in 2015-16 and won the Inter-Departmental One-Day Cup in 2017-18. It was also during Nadeem’s time that four UBL players graduated to the Pakistan men’s national cricket team and five featured in various pathway squads. Before turning into a successful administrator the 50-year-old Nadeem played first-class cricket from 1986-87 to 2002-03. During this period, he played two Tests, two ODIs and 153 first-class matches. The highlights of Nadeem’s international career have been the wicket of Brian Lara, who was stumped by Rashid Latif during the 1993 Antigua Test, and the run-out of Sachin Tendulkar in the famous Kolkata Test in 1999. Commenting on his appointment, Nadeem Khan said: “I am delighted to join the Pakistan Cricket Board at an exciting time when major reforms are taking place at all levels that are aimed at embracing international practices in an effort to enhance the overall standard of our cricket. Having previous experience in delivering performance systems and a tournament-winning side, I am looking forward to the challenges, competitive opportunities, and overseeing the development of the PCB High Performance Programme.   “One of my key objectives will be to identify the assets at a young stage through the High Performance Centres and then monitor their growth, development and progression through our domestic programmes. I have some big shoes to fill but I am looking forward to making a significant and meaningful contribution during my time with the PCB.” PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan welcomed Nadeem Khan: “I want to welcome Nadeem Khan to the PCB family. He brings with him tremendous respect, integrity and a huge amount of cricket knowledge. Nadeem’s understanding of all aspects of player pathways, domestic cricket and high performance systems will be vital as we aim to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket through the new direction we are taking. “Director – High Performance is a critical role in the PCB’s Strategic Plan and Nadeem has demonstrated over the past three decades that he is the best candidate to help us achieve our objective of supporting a merit-based, quality focused first-class cricket and high-performance system.”

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD:-Two captains, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam along with left arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi placed in “A” category in the Central Contact List (CCL) for Season 2020-21, which was released by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday. According to Media Department of PCB, as many as 18-players are the part of central contract list in different three categories, as pacer Naseem Shah and batsman Iftikhar Ahmad are two new names in the list. Three players are in category “A”, nine in “B” and six in “C” while three players are in the Emerging category, as the contact will be effected from July 1 this year 2020. PCB also confirmed Azhar Ali as Test and Babar Azam as ODI and T20I captains for the period during which Pakistan is scheduled to play nine Tests, six ODIs and 20 T20Is, besides the Asia Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020. Naseem Shah became the youngest Test bowler in the history to take a fifer and a hat-trick in consecutive Tests against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Karachi and Rawalpindi, respectively. Iftikhar, who had the best average and strike rate in T20Is amongst the Pakistan batsmen, played two Tests, two ODIs and seven T20Is in the 2019-20 season. Shaheen, following his 18 Test and two T20I wickets, has moved up in Category A, while Abid Ali (174 runs in three Tests and 74 runs in an ODI), Mohammad Rizwan (212 runs and 16 dismissals in five Tests, 50 runs and two dismissals in five T20Is) and Shan Masood (396 runs in five Tests) have been awarded Category B. Furthermore, and as part of its commitment and strategy to reward high-performing young cricketers, the PCB has created a new Emerging Players’ Category, and the initial inductees are Haider Ali and fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Mohammad Hasnain. Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz have missed out on central contracts but will remain in contention for selection in what will be a busier cricket season as compared to the one that has just concluded, while Imam-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah have slipped one category each. In the forthcoming season, Pakistan is scheduled to play two T20Is in Ireland (July), three Tests and three T20Is in England (July-September), three ODIs and three T20Is in South Africa (October), three ODIs and three T20Is at home against Zimbabwe (November), two tests and three T20Is in New Zealand (December), two Tests and three T20Is at home against South Africa (January 2021) and two Tests and three T20Is in Zimbabwe (April 2021). In addition to these bilateral series, Pakistan will also feature in the Asia Cup T20 tournament and the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup 2020 in Australia. PCB Men’s Central Contract List for 2020-21: Category A:- Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi Category B:- Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah Category C:-Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq,       Naseem Shah, Usman Shinwari Emerging Players’ Category:-Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain.  

By BIPIN DANI Former South Africa captain late Hansie Cronje's father, Ewie Cronje passed away at his residence in Bloemfontein on Monday afternoon. "My dad went to be with Lord at 2:05 pm this afternoon. He was at peace and we are so thankful for the full life he had and wonderful dad that he was", his elder son Frans Cronje, who has sent a note to his friends including this reporter, said. "From my mom, my sister and me, thank you so much for all the wonderful messages of the last few months. We will not be able to answer phone calls today, but will read every Whats App and other message. With much love...". "We decided, due to Covid 19 not to have any funeral at this stage. We will notify friends and family of any future arrangements", he note further said. The family has also sent a photograph, which was taken in January this year, when he said goodbye's to the family. "Yes, he had kept the photo my younger brother Hansie just above his bed", Frans added.  

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (May 12, 2020):-The Guyana Amazon Warriors have announced the West Indian players they will be retaining for the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League. International retentions and signings will be announced at a later date. This year teams can retain as many players from their 2019 squads as they wish. They could also transfer players to other teams and sign emerging players. The Amazon Warriors have chosen to retain six local Guyanese players, three regional West Indian players and they have signed a Guyanese player as one of their Emerging West Indies players ahead of the CPL draft.  The following are the Local and Regional players retained and signed by the franchise for CPL 2020: Nicholas Pooran (Trinidad & Tobago) Shimron Hetmyer (Guyana) Brandon King (Jamaica) Keemo Paul (Guyana) Sherfane Rutherford (Guyana) Romario Shepherd (Guyana) Chandrapaul Hemraj (Guyana) Kevin Sinclair (Guyana)* Odean Smith (Jamaica) Anthony Bramble (Guyana) Guyana Amazon Warriors Team Operations Manager, Omar Khan, commented on the retentions and signing: “The Guyana Amazon Warriors Franchise has and will always be committed to the continued development of our local and regional players. From the inception of the CPL we included young Guyanese players in our squad as part of the franchise’s mandate to provide opportunities to young aspiring Guyanese cricketers to assist in their overall development as professional cricketers. Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford have all benefitted from these opportunities prior to them becoming full-fledged members of our team. “We are extremely delighted that we were able to retain the majority of our local and regional players, including Nicholas Pooran and Brandon King, both of whom have been hailed by the cricket pundits as potential future stars of West Indies cricket and who were members of our team last year. The Guyana Amazon Warriors wish all of the retained players great success in the CPL 2020." The CPL is scheduled to take place between 19 August and 26 September but the tournament organisers are currently watching the current situation with COVID-19 closely and are liaising with medical advisors and governments. A decision on whether the tournament can proceed as planned, or at a different time, will be made as soon as possible.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (May 12, 2020):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has today announced the postponement of two further qualifying events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier and the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Europe Division 2. As part of the ICC’s comprehensive contingency planning process and after consultation with Members and with the relevant government and public health authorities, the decision has been taken to postpone the qualifier to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 and the start of the qualification pathway to the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2022. The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier was due to take place in Sri Lanka between 3 and 19 July, where three teams were to qualify for the 2021 event in New Zealand. The start of the journey to the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2022 was scheduled to begin with the European Regional Qualifier in Denmark between 24 and 30 July. The ICC will work with all participating Members to identify when these events will be able to be staged. ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said: “In light of the continuing travel restrictions, global health concerns and government and public health authority advice we have decided to postpone two further upcoming qualifying events due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier and the Europe qualifier to the U19 Cricket World Cup 2022 have both been impacted. “Our priority during this difficult period is to protect the well-being of players, coaches, officials, fans and the whole cricket community and we will take well-informed, responsible decisions in relation to both postponing events and resuming international cricket. “These are both important events with the Women’s CWC Qualifier one step away from New Zealand 2021 and the Europe qualifier which signifies the start of the U19 Cricket World Cup 2022 pathway. We will work in partnership with the Members to find an appropriate window to reschedule these events as soon as is safe and practical to do so. I would like to thank the Members for their cooperation and continued support.” The two remaining ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Regional Qualifier Division 2 events are being monitored and kept under review: the Africa event is due to take place in Tanzania between 7 and 14 August and the Asia event between 1 and 9 December in Thailand. The Division 1 events in all five regions are scheduled to take place in 2021.

SB Report ISLAMABAD (May 8, 2020):-Chairman of the Independent Disciplinary Panel, Justice (retired) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, late Thursday afternoon submitted his detailed judgement on the Umar Akmal case to the Pakistan Cricket Board. Justice Chauhan has imposed a ban of three years for each of the two charges of violating the PCB Anti-Corruption Code, which will be deemed to have come into effect from the date of Umar Akmal’s suspension i.e. 20 February 2020. Both periods of ineligibility will run concurrently, meaning Umar Akmal will now become eligible to return to cricket activities on 19 February 2023. Umar Akmal was charged with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated incidents on 17 March. On 9 April, the PCB referred the matter to the Chairman of the Independent Disciplinary Committee after the batsman opted not to request for a hearing before the Anti-Corruption Tribunal. Justice Chauhan in his remarks said: “It appears that he (Umar Akmal) is not prepared to show remorse and seek apology, make admission that he failed to fulfill his responsibility under Anti-Corruption Code, Article 2.4.4, rather he tried to take refuge under the pretext that in the past whenever any such approaches were made, the matter was reported by him. “As far as Charge No.1 is concerned, I do not see any circumstances to mitigate the nature of offence, particularly, when the participant (Umar Akmal) has not cooperated with the PCB Vigilance and Security Department and the investigating team. “In view of the admission of the participant (Umar Akmal) that he failed to disclose to PCB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department, the details of the approaches and invitations extended to him without unnecessary delay. The charge as framed is proved and the participant (Umar Akmal) has rendered himself liable to be punished for breach of Article 2.4.4. “Charge No.2, breach of Article 2.4.4 of the Code by failing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department of the PCB, full details of the approaches and invitations received by you (Umar Akmal) to engage in corrupt conduct under the Code in respect of matches in PSL 2020. “It is also admitted by him (Umar Akmal) that he failed to report the approaches and invitation to the PCB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department, as required by the PCB Code, Article 2.4.4. In view of the above charge as framed, stood proven and participant has rendered himself to be punished under Article 6.2 of the PCB Code.”

Staff Report ISLAMABAD (May 6, 2020):-Dr Fehmida Mirza Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) distributed cheques among the players of Athletics Federation of Pakistan, who won medals during 13th South Asian Games held in Nepal from 1-10 December, 2019, on Wednesday here at Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) in a ceremony. Athletics players won 5 Gold, 2 Silver and 6 Bronze medals. Athletes Arshad Nadeem won (Javelin Throw gold), Uzair Rehman won (200 M, gold; 4x100 M relay bronze), Mohammad Naeem won (110 M hurdles gold, 4x100 M relay bronze), Mehboob Ali won (400 M hurdersls gold, 4x400 M relay bronze), Shams-ul-Haq won (discuss throw bronze),  Sami Ullah won (100 M bronze, 4x100 M raley bronze), Umar Sadat won (4x400 M relay bronze), Abdul Moeed won (4x400 M relay bronze), Nokar Hussain won (4x400 M relay bronze) and Mohammad Shahbaz won (4x400 M relay bronze). In women events, Najma Parveen won (400 M hurdles gold, 200 M silver, 4x400 M relay silver, 4x100 M relay bronze), Sahaib-a-Asra won (4x400 M relay silver, 400 M  bronze, 4x100 M relay bronze), Aneela Gulzar won (4x400 M relay silver, 4x100 M relay bronze), Rabia Ashiq won (4x400 M relay silver) and Esha Imran won (4x100 M relay bronze). In line with approved cash award policy, gold medalists were given Rs.1.000 million each, silver medalists got Rs.500, 000 while bronze medalists received cheques of Rs.250, 000 each. Total cash awards amounting to Rs.11.250 million have been awarded to the shining starts both male and female. Parliamentary Secretary Ministry of IPC Saima Nadeem, Secretary Ministry of IPC Mohammad Ali Shahzada, Mohammad Zafar Secretary General Athletic Federation of Pakistan and Mohammad Azam Dar Deputy DG PSB were present on the occasion.       Talking to the players, Dr. Fehmida Mirza Minister for IPC/President PSB congratulated not only the medal winners, who are ambassadors of Pakistan, but also thanked parents of the players who encouraged and supported their children to take part in the games. She informed that a series of meetings and thorough deliberations were held to select the contingent on merit enabling to ensure value for government exchequer and achieve better results. She shared the proud moments of the prize distribution ceremony when flag of Pakistan was hoisted and national anthem was played in Nepal. The President PSB also highlighted the role of Ministry of IPC for arranging training of athletes in China before their participation in the SA Games to gain professional skills, international exposure and match temperament. Dr. Fehmida Mirza especially appreciated Arshad Nadeem for his outstanding achievements leading to qualify in the Tokyo Olympic Games as he is the 1st ever Pakistani in the history to qualify directly in the Olympics. In other session with women players, Minister for IPC also appreciated the women players for taking active part in sports and brining glory for the country. The President PSB valued Najma Parveen for her achievements in national and international competitions. The President PSB also assured that every possible support will be rendered to the Athletic Federation and players to excel in the mega international events and their future endeavors despite limited role and transfer the subject of sports to the provinces under 18th amendment. The Secretary General Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) Mohammad Zafar on behalf of his President Maj. Gen. (R) Mohammad Akram Sahi and Federation thanked Dr Fehmida Mirza and   PSB for her untiring efforts and timely rewarding the players at this critical time. Zafar also acknowledged the role of Dr. Fehmida for making arrangements of the SA Games and encouraging the players at the venue which was a great source of inspiration for the players. Participating players thanked and highlighted their achievements before the Minister. They also emphasized that like federal government respective provincial governments may also come forward to support the players enabling them to set high goals and continue achieving laurels for the country through collective efforts.