Cricket
Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi makes a comeback in national team
PCB names T20I and ODI squads for home series against New Zealand
Sports Bulletin Report
ISLAMABAD: Shaheen Shah Afridi is all set to return to international cricket after four months when he was named in the Pakistan T20I and ODI squads for the series against New Zealand, which will be played in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi from 14 April to 7 May.
Shaheen had missed five Tests and three ODIs against England and New Zealand post the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 as he was completing his rehabilitation following a knee injury he had sustained during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in July. He had subsequently missed the second Test against Sri Lanka, ODI series against the Netherlands, ACC Asia Cup in the UAE and seven-match T20I series in Pakistan.
The 22-year-old, who has taken 99 Test, 62 ODI and 58 T20I wickets, staged a remarkable comeback in the HBL Pakistan Super League 8 when he inspired Lahore Qalandars to become the first side to successfully defend the title. Not only that, Shaheen’s own performance was outstanding both with the bat and the ball – he scored 133 runs at a strike-rate of 168.35 and grabbed 19 wickets at an economy-rate of 9.13. He was rightly named captain of Team of HBL PSL 8.
Apart from Shaheen, also returning to both the squads are Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan. All these players had rested for last month’s three-T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah.
This means Babar Azam will resume his normal services as captain in the ODI and T20I series against New Zealand, while Shadab will return to his original position as vice-captain.
Three young guns, Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub and Zaman Khan, have been retained in the T20I squad following stellar performances in Sharjah, while Ihsanullah has also been added to the ODI squad for the first time in his career. The squad will assemble in Lahore on 6 April where the training camp will commence on 7 April.
Squad (T20I):
Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Zaman Khan
Squad (ODI):
Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir. Reserves: Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Tayyab Tahir
Series schedule:
14 Apr - 1st T20I, Lahore
15 Apr – 2nd T20I, Lahore
17 Apr – 3rd T20I, Lahore
20 Apr – 4th T20I, Rawalpindi
24 Apr – 5th T20I, Rawalpindi
27 Apr – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi
29 Apr – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi
3 May – 3rd ODI, Karachi
5 May – 4th ODI, Karachi
7 May – 5th ODI, Karachi
Rawalpindi to host two One Day Internationals against New Zealand
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board today (Tuesday) confirmed Rawalpindi, along with two T20Is and the first ODI, will also host the second ODI against New Zealand. The two ODIs will be played on 27 and 29 April instead of 26 and 30 April, respectively.
Now, Karachi will host last three one day international of the 5-match series at National Stadium Karachi.
Revised schedule:
14 Apr - 1st T20I, Lahore
15 Apr – 2nd T20I, Lahore
17 Apr – 3rd T20I, Lahore
20 Apr – 4th T20I, Rawalpindi
24 Apr – 5th T20I, Rawalpindi
27 Apr – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi
29 Apr – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi
3 May – 3rd ODI, Karachi
5 May – 4th ODI, Karachi
7 May – 5th ODI, Karachi
CRICKET - 04 Apr, 2023
Sports Bulletin Report
Dubai (UAE): The United Arab Emirates have been fined 80 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against Namibia in an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off match in Windhoek on Sunday.
Owen Chirombe of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after the UAE were ruled to be four overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.
In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.
UAE captain Mohammad Waseem pled guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires David Odhiambo and Christopher Phiri, and reserve umpire Isaac Oyieko leveled the charge.
AZ Real Estate Islamabad win Naya Nazimabad Bankers Cup
Sports Bulletin Report
KARACHI: AZ Real Estate Islamabad have won the title of the Naya Nazimabad Bankers Cup Ramadan Cricket Tournament by defeating Attock Sports Karachi by five wicketsin the final on Sunday night under electric lights here at Naya Nazimabad Cricket Stadium.
Attock Sports batted first and scored 178 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted twenty overs. Jahanzeb Sultan played an aggressive innings of 64 runs with the help of four sixes and four fours off 46 balls. Shahid Mirani scored 31 runs and Shahid Mirani scored 23 runs. Zeeshan Malik dismissed two players.
In reply, AZ Real Estate Islamabad achieved their target at the loss of five wickets in the last over of the final match. Opener Owais Zia played an important role in the victory of his team by scoring 84 runs with the help of four sixes and nine fours. Zeeshan Malik scored 31 runs and Ali Imran scored 30 runs.
Chief guest Director General, Rangers Sindh Major General Azhar Waqas, Chairman New Nazimabad Arif Habib, President Bank Al Falah Atif Aslam Bajwa, President Sindh Bank Imran Samad, famous actor Fahad Mustafa, CEO Samad Habib, President Naya Nazimabad Gymkhana Syed Muhammad Talha along with a large number of fans watched the final match.
The winning team was given a trophy and prize money of 1.2 M Rs. While the run-up team was entitled to six lakh rupees and a trophy. Owais Zia was adjudged the best player of the final and tournament. Kent Warriors' Sohail Khan won the Best Wicketkeeper, AZ Real Estate's Owais Zia the Best Batsman, Abdullah Amin the Best Bowler and Umar Associates' Khawaja Nafee the Best Fielder.
Former Indian Test cricketer Salim Durani passes away at 88
Sports Desk
ISLAMABAD: Former India all-rounder Test cricketer Salim Durani has passed away at the age of 88. He was living with his brother Jahangir Durani in Jamnagar.
Durani had undergone a proximal femoral nail surgery after he broke his thigh bone in a fall in January this year.
An aggressive left-handed batter and a left-arm spinner, Durani played 29 Tests, scoring 1202 runs and taking 75 wickets.
He was best remembered for that magical spell that helped India to their first Test win in the West Indies in 1971, which is also remembered for Sunil Gavaskar's Test debut. In the space of a few balls, Durani had dismissed Clive Lloyd and Garry Sobers - the latter for a duck - at a crucial time in the second innings in Port of Spain for India's seven-wicket win. Durani conceded just 21 runs in the 17 overs he bowled.
Batters flopped as Afghanistan loses Under-19 Tri-Series Final
Sports Desk
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan Under-19 did not back up their batting heroics in the previous matches as they were bundled out for 143/10 in 33 overs by Bangladesh U19s in the final of the U19 Tri-Series, the target that was easily chased by the visitors by 6 wickets in 24th over to the win the title.
Earlier in the afternoon, Afghanistan opted to bat first and put only 143 runs on the board, thanks to another fighting half-century by Mohammad Haroon Khan who made 65 off 61 deliveries. The other batter to make a mark was the debutant Wafiullah Tarakhil who made 27 runs. But the first inning was dominated by the left-arm spinner Mahfizur Rahman who returned with figures of 6/29 off his 10 overs.
In reply, the visitors got off to a very solid start and despite losing four quick wickets, they kept scoring runs at a higher rate and chased down the total by 6 wickets with 26.4 overs to spare. Mahfizur Rahman was awarded the best player of the match for his exceptional bowling performance.
Afghanistan Skipper Noman Shah, who topped the batting chart of the tournament and scored 244 runs in 5 innings, was awarded the best batter of the tournament. Likewise, Bashir Ahmad was named the best bowler of the event with 13 wickets in four innings. In addition, Mohammad Haroon Khan was awarded the best player of the tournament by scoring 281 runs in 5 innings.
CRICKET - 01 Apr, 2023
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE: The tickets for the three T20 Internationals between Pakistan and New Zealand in Lahore will go on sale on Sunday (2 April) at 11am, as the both teams play T20 matches on 14, 15, and 17 April 2023 at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.
According to a press release of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the board has set affordable ticket prices, ranging from PKR250 to PKR3,000.
In the first phase, which commences on Sunday, the tickets will be available online at pcb.bookme.pk and fans can buy them using original ID cards. The fans will be required to bring their original ID or B-Forms (for those under the age of 18) to gain entry in the stadium.
The following are the enclosure categories and prices:
• VVIP Enclosure (Wasim Akram) – PKR3,000
• VIP Enclosures (Fazal Mahmood and Imran Khan) – PKR2,000
• Premium (Raja’s and Saeed Anwar) – PKR1,000
• First class (Abdul Qadir, AH Kardar, Javed Miandad and Sarfaraz Nawaz) – PKR500
• General (Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Majid Khan, Nazar, Quaid, Saeed Ahmed and Zaheer Abbas) – PKR250
Attock Sports and AZ Real Estate Islamabad teams reach in semifinals
Sports Bulletin Report
KARACHI: The Attock Sports and AZ Real Estate Islamabad teams have moved into the semifinals of Naya Nazimabad Bankers Cup Ramadan Cricket Tournament after winning their respective quarterfinal matches here.
The last two quarter-finals at the Naya Nazimabad Cricket Stadium were low-scoring. Attock Sports defeated Arham CC by 27 runs. Attock Sports posted 130 runs on the board. Shoaib Ahmed played an innings of fifty-three runs off thirty-one balls. Nihal Rashid and Waleed Azim dismissed two players each.
In response, the team of Arham Cricket Club was dismissed on 103 runs. Kashif Bhatti took four wickets and Shahid Mirani took two wickets. Chief guest Faisal Bank President Yousuf Hussain presented Man of the Match Award to Shoaib Ahmed of Attock Sports.
Yusuf Hussain said that his organization would continue to sponsor sports. On this occasion, Chairman Naya Nazimabad Arif Habib said that he wished that Naya Nazimabad was introduced as a sports city.
Later in the fourth quarter-final, AZ Real Estate Islamabad overcame Hella Dos team by 2 runs in an exciting contest. AZ Real Estate scored 126 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the stipulated overs. Owais Zia scored 25 runs and Rizwan Ali scored 22 runs. Tahir Wazir took two wickets.
In pursuit of the target, Hella Doss team scored 124 runs for nine wickets. Obaid Ibrahim scored fifty two runs. Mohammad Azan took three wickets while Mohammad Ismail and Abdullah Amin took two wickets each. Abdullah Amin was declared Man of the Match. The final of the tournament will be played on Sunday.
Ireland beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets in T20 International
Sports Bulletin Report
Chattogram (Bangladesh): Ireland beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets in the third and final match of the T20I Series at Zahur Ahmed Chowdury Stadium, Chattogram Bangladesh on Friday.
Bangladesh captain Shaikb-al-Has won the toss and decided to bat first. Hosts could score just 12 runs in 20 overs per innings fixture. All Bengali batters went back to the hut in 19.2 overs. Shamim Hossain was the top scorer with 51 runs, as he faced 42 balls and hit five four and two big sixes. Mark Adair (3 for 25) and Matthew Humphreys (2 for 10) were wicket-taker bowlers for Ireland.
In reply, Ireland reached on target in 14 overs after losing just three batsmen. Paul Stirling, who was declared man of the match, scored 77 runs in 41 balls. He hammered 10 fours and four sixes. Curtis Campher contributed 16 runs in the team’s victory. Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam, and Taskin Ahmed shared one wicket each.
Scorecard
Bangladesh (Batting): 124 all out in 19.2 overs
Shamim Hossain (51 runs, 42 balls, 4x5, 6x2), Rony Talukdar (14 runs, 10 balls, 4x3, 6x0)
Ireland (Bowling):
Mark Adair (3 for 25), Matthew Humphreys (2 for 10)
Ireland (Batting): 126 for 3 in 14 overs
Paul Striling (77 runs, 41 balls, 4x10, 6x4), Curtis Campher (16 runs not out, 9 balls, 4x2, 6x1), Harry Tector (14 runs, 18 balls, 4x1, 6x0)
Bangladesh (Bowling):
Rishad Hossain (1 for 19), Shoriful Islam (1 for 25), Taskin Ahmed (1 for 28)
Naya Nazimabad Bankers Cup Ramadan Cricket Tournament
Omar Associates and Kent Warriors qualified for the semifinals
Sports Bulletin Report
KARACHI: The Omar Associates and Kent Warriors have qualified for the semifinals of the Naya Nazimabad Bankers Cup Ramadan Cricket Tournament after winning their respective quarterfinal matches here at Naya Nazimabad Gymkhana cricket ground on Friday.
Real Time Islamabad scored only 91 runs in 20 overs after batting first, as Asad Afridi was the top scorer with 30 runs. Ghulam Mudassar got 2 wickets while Mohammad Asghar dismissed two batters. Omar Associates achieved the target at the loss of six wickets in the sixteenth over. Danish Aziz scored 25 runs, Usama Baloch scored 23 runs and Mohammad Nafee scored 20. Saadullah took three wickets.
The chief guest Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Managing Director Engineer Syed Salahuddin presented the man of the match award to Ghulam Mudassar. CEO Naya Naizamabad Samad Habib and President Naya Naizamabad Gymkhana Syed Mohammad Talha were also present on this occasion.
Later, in the second quarterfinal, Kent Warriors easily outclassed Passion Cricket Club by six wickets. The team of Passion Club, while batting, piled up for 84 runs in the 19th over. Lal Kumar took three wickets while Sohail Khan and Asif Mehmood took two wickets each. In response, Kent Warriors achieved the target in the twelfth over with the loss of four wickets. Akhtar Khan scored forty nine runs. Musa Malik dismissed two players. Lal Kumar was adjudged Man of the Match.
Both the semi-finals of the tournament will be played on Saturday. The final will be on Sunday.
Most Popular
