Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): New Zealand’s premier batter Kane Williamson has moved back towards the top spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings while Australia’s Josh Hazlewood is the new No. 1 ODI bowler with India’s Mohammad Siraj slipping to third. Williamson, a formerly top-ranked batter, has moved up four slots to take second position in the list led by Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne after top scoring with 215 in an innings victory over Sri Lanka in Wellington that helped seal their two-match ICC World Test Championship series 2-0. Henry Nicholls, who scored 200 not out and featured in a triple-century partnership with Williamson, has also made rapid progress, moving up 20 places to 27th position. Captain Tim Southee (up one place to 11th) and Matt Henry (up four places to 31st) are the Kiwi players to advance in the bowling rankings. For Sri Lanka, captain Dimuth Karunaratne is in the top 10 with scores of 89 and 51 while Dinesh Chandimal has moved up one slot to 17th with scores of 37 and 62. In the ODI rankings, which considers performances in two matches each of the India-Australia, Bangladesh-Ireland and South Africa-West Indies series, as well as the first match between Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, Siraj has slipped behind Hazlewood and New Zealand’s Trent Boult after India’s 10-wicket loss to Australia in Visakhapatnam. Hazlewood, whose career best second position was attained for the first time in June 2017 and which he had kept since August 2022, is No. 1 in ODIs for the first time. Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc’s eight wickets in the two matches against India see him go to joint-third position with Siraj. Other bowlers to move up the ODI rankings include West Indies’ Alzarri Joseph (up eight places to 11th), India’s Mohammad Shami (up five places to 28th) and Netherlands’ Fred Klaasen (up 22 places to 52nd). In the batting rankings, Quinton de Kock, Shubman Gill and Steve Smith have made marginal progress within the top 10 while Shai Hope and Mushfiqur Rahim have advanced after smashing fine centuries this past week. Hope’s 128 not out in East London has lifted him two places to 12th position while Mushfiqur has gained four slots to reach 18th position after smashing Bangladesh’s fastest ODI century, a 60-ball 100 not out in Sylhet. The South African pair of Heinrich Klaasen (up 13 places to 30th) and Temba Bavuma (up 17 places to 33rd), Lokesh Rahul of India (up three places to 39th) and Australia’s Mitchell Marsh (up 24 places to 55th) have also moved up in the batting rankings.

Sports Bulletin Report KABUL: Afghanistan Cricket Board’s Selection Committee on Tuesday announced a 17-member National squad for the home three-match T20I series against Pakistan, which will be played from 24 to 27 March in Sharjah. Tall left-handed opener Sediqullah Atal has been added to the squad. He could be a potential debutant for Afghanistan in the series. In addition, senior all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who led Afghanistan at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup last year, has been recalled to the squad. Nijat Masoud and Zahir Khan who were part of the Afghanistan squad during the UAE tour last month have been kept as reserves, whereas Rahmat Shah and Hazratullah Zazai have been dropped from the squad. ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said: “Our team has been working hard in training camp and selectors have selected the best available players for the series. I am confident that our team will perform at their best and make our nation proud. We wish our team the best of luck for the series and hope to see them emerge victorious.” “In addition, we look forward to an exciting competition between two great teams. Both nations have passionate fans who support their teams with enthusiasm and pride. As neighbors, we have a special bond and we hope to showcase not only our cricketing skills but also the spirit of friendship and sportsmanship. We wish both teams the best of luck and hope that cricket fans around the world will enjoy the games.” He added. Afghanistan Squad: Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Sediqullah Atal, Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq. Reserve players: Nangyal Kharoti, Zahir Khan, Nijat Masoud Series Schedule 24th March – 1st T20I, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE 26th March – 2nd T20I, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE 27th March – 3rd T20I, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

Sports Bulletin Report KABUL: Nangarhar B provincial team put on an outstanding all-round performance in the final to beat Kabul comprehensively by 101 runs and win the 14th edition of the Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan (WAK) Provincial Grade I Tournament 2023. Nangarhar B were put into bat earlier in the morning, but the call was welcomed by the hosts as they posted a huge total of 287 runs in fifty overs. Abid Mohammadi scored 114 whereas Mohammad Ishaq returned with 54 runs to his name. Allah Mohammad picked two wickets for Kabul. In reply, Kabul did not capitalize on their batting as they lost wickets regularly, only managed to score 186 runs to fell short by 101 runs in the end. Islam Zazai was the only batter to cross the 50-run barrier as he finished unbeaten on 54*. Abid Mohammadi backed up his batting effort with a terrific bowling display as well as he picked up 4 wickets. Mohammad Ibrahim also bagged three, whereas the young Sohail Khan picked two wickets. Abid Mohammadi was adjudged the player of the match for his 114 runs and 4 wickets. Baheer Shah Mahboob, who had scored a mammoth 386 runs at 128.66 with 2 hundreds and a half-century, was awarded the best batter of the tournament. A young leg spinner Ahmad Wali was named the best bowler of the event with 19 scalps in 6 innings. Additionally, Sohail Khan was named as the emerging player of the tournament for picking 13 wickets in his debut season, whereas Abid Mohammadi was named the best player of the event for his terrific all-round performance in the event. He scored 338 runs and has also picked up 12 wickets to help side to the glory. The Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Provincial Grade I tournament 2023 was the 2nd activity of the domestic cricket department in the year, which will be followed by the Shpageeza Cricket League and the regional three-day event in May and June respectively.

Faraz Ahmed Kayani ISLAMABAD: The road to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is heating up as hosts Namibia will be joined by the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Papua New Guinea, Canada and Jersey in a round-robin format where the top two teams will earn a place at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier that will be hosted in Zimbabwe from 18 June - 9 July. The Playoff, which is two steps away from the World Cup, features the teams who placed in the bottom four places of the Men’s CWC League 2 and the top spots in the CWC Challenge League A and B respectively after four years of hard-fought competition and is the final opportunity at booking a place in the Zimbabwe Qualifier. Schedule: 26 March 2023 Namibia v USA 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground 27 March 2023 UAE v PNG 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground Jersey v Canada 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 29 March 2023 Canada v USA 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground PNG v Namibia 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 30 March 2023 Namibia v Jersey 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground USA v UAE 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 1 April 2023 UAE v Canada 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground PNG v Jersey 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 2 April 2023 PNG v USA 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground Namibia v UAE 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 4 April 2023 Canada v Namibia 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground USA v Jersey 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground 5 April 2023 Jersey v UAE 09h30, Wanderers Cricket Ground Canada v PNG 09h30, United Cricket Club Ground

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and New Zealand Cricket (NC) have unanimously agreed to make tweaks to the New Zealand men’s cricket team’s tour of Pakistan for five ODIs and five T20Is, as the opening match of the series will be played on April 14, 2023 at Qaddafi Stadium Lahore. Kiwis will now arrive in Lahore and will play three T20Is from 14-17 April, before traveling to Rawalpindi where the final two T20Is and first ODI will be played from 20-26 April. The tour will culminate in Karachi with the remaining four ODIs to be played from 30 April to 7 May. Pakistan v New Zealand (schedule): April 14, 2023: 1st T20, Lahore April 15, 2023: 2nd T20, Lahore April 17, 2023: 3rd T20, Lahore April 20, 2023: 4th T20, Rawalpindi April 24, 2023: 5th T20, Rawalpindi April 26, 2023: 1st ODI, Rawalpindi April 30, 2023: 2nd ODI, Karachi May 3, 2023: 3rd ODI, Karachi May 5, 2023: 4th ODI, Karachi May 7, 2023: 5th ODI, Karachi

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed Saad Baig and Imran Butt as Pakistan U19 and Pakistan Shaheens captains for the upcoming tours of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, respectively. Karachi-born Saad had captained Pakistan U19 last year against Bangladesh U19 in Multan. In that series, Saad had scored 117 runs in the four-dayer, 30 runs in the one-day matches and 107 runs in the T20s. In the National U19 three-day Championship 2022-23, the left-hander had scored 200 runs, while in the National U19 one-day Cup 2022-23, he scored 299 runs in four matches. Ali Asfand of Faisalabad had also featured against Bangladesh in the U19 series last year. He scored 45 runs and took two wickets with his left-arm spinner in the four-dayer, contributed 26 runs and took two wickets in the one-dayers and claimed three wickets in the only T20. In the National U19 three-day Championship 2022-23, Ali scored 73 runs and took 18 wickets, while in the National U19 one-day Cup 2022-23, he scored 77 runs and took 11 wickets. Pakistan Shaheens for the tour of Zimbabwe comprise seven players who have represented Pakistan in international cricket. Imran Butt, who has been named as captain, has featured in six Tests, while the others are: Hussain Talat (one ODI, 18 T20Is), Aamir Jamal (tw0 T20Is), Kamran Ghulam (one ODI), Mir Hamza (three Tests), Sahibzada Farhan (three T20Is) and Shahnawaz Dahani (two ODIs and 11 T20Is). For the first time, two players from Quetta have been selected in a national squad. They are Abdul Wahid Bangalzai and Haseebullah, while players who have graduated from the U19 pathways cricket and are in the side are Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Huraira, Mubasir Khan, Qasim Akram and Rohail Nazir. Pakistan Under-19 Squad: Saad Baig (captain) (Karachi), Ali Asfand (vice-captain) (Faisalabad), Ahmed Hussain (Peshawar), Aimal Khan (Peshawar), Amir Hussain (Rawalpindi), Arafat Minhas (Multan), Azan Awais (Sialkot), Hamza Nawaz (Lahore), Mohammad Ibtisam (Sargodha), Mohammad Ismail (Sahiwal), Mohammad Tahir (Fata), Mohammad Tayyab Arif (Sialkot), Obaid Shahid (Lahore), Sajjad Ali (Lahore), Shahzaib Khan (Mansehra), Shamyl Hussain (Islamabad) and Wahaj Riaz (Karachi). Abidullah (Islamabad), Ikramullah Tareen (Quetta) and Mohammad Zulkifal (Charsadda) (all reserves) Tour Schedule: 30 April- 3 May – Four-day match; ZACS, Chattogram 6 May – 1st 50-over match; ZACS, Chattogram 8 May – 2nd 50-over match; ZACS, Chattogram 11 May – 3rd 50-over match; SKS, Rajshahi 13 May – 4th 50-over match; SKS, Rajshahi 15 May – 5th 50-over match; SKS, Rajshahi 17 May – Only T20 match; SKS, Rajshahi Pakistan Shaheens: Imran Butt (captain) (Lahore), Hussain Talat (vice-captain) (Lahore), Aamir Jamal (Islamabad), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Quetta), Haseebullah (Quetta), Kamran Ghulam (Peshawar), Mehran Mumtaz (Rawalpindi), Mir Hamza (Karachi), Mohammad Huraira (Sialkot), Mubasir Khan (Islamabad), Muhammad Umar (Karachi), Omair Bin Yousuf (Karachi), Qasim Akram (Lahore), Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper) (Islamabad), Sahibzada Farhan (Peshawar) and Shahnawaz Dahani (Larkana). Asif Mehmood (Hyderabad), Athar Mehmood (Gujranwala), Saad Khan (Hyderabad) and Waqar Ahmad (Peshawar) (all reserves) Schedule: 3-6 May – 1st Four-day match; KSC, Kwekwe 10- 13 May – 2nd Four-day match; MSC, Mutare 17 May – 1st 50-over match; TSC, Harare 19 May – 2nd 50-over match; HSC, Harare 21 May – 3rd 50-over match; HSC, Harare 23 May – 4th 50-over match; OH, Harare 25 May – 5th 50-over match; HSC, Harare 27 May – 6th 50-over match; HSC, Harare

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka's women's team captain Chamari  Athapaththu who recently played the women's exhibition matches in Pakistan will now be playing the Cricket Hong Kong FairBreak Invitational 2023 tournament next month, it is learnt. The tournament is scheduled to be held at the Kowloon Cricket Club (Hong Kong) between April 3 and 16. The 33-year-old batting all rounder was a part of the tournament last year, when it was held in the UAE. "So far, she is the only player from Sri Lanka to have been a part of the tournament", one of the top sources in the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed. Interestingly, 90 women cricketers from 36 countries are to take part in this tournament. The tournament has the backing of Cricket Hong Kong and the FairBreak Invitational is another step towards greater recognition and the development of the outstandingly talented players in Asia also from the UAE, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Bhutan, Kuwait and Hong Kong. Another aspect of this tournament is that all players and the umpires will be provided the sunglasses by Blenders Eyewear for their use. Founded in 2012 in San Diego California by Chase Fisher, Blenders is a leading American eyewear brand that manufactures sunglasses, snow goggles and prescription eyewear.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Najam Sethi, Chair of the PCB Management Committee, has congratulated Ahsan Raza on his promotion to the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires and has also thanked Aleem Dar for his services as an elite panelist for nearly two decades and showcasing the soft and positive image of Pakistan. Ahsan has been a member of the ICC International Panel of Umpires since 2010 and is the first to reach the 50 T20Is-mark as an umpire. Overall, he has umpired in 72 T20Is, along with seven Tests and 41 ODIs. Ahsan Raza will replace compatriot Aleem Dar on the panel, who had joined the distinguished group in 2004. Aleem officiated in a world record 435 international matches, including a record 144 Tests and 222 ODIs, and 69 T20Is. Aleem won the ICC Umpire of the Year award for three successive years from 2009 from 2011. Najam Sethi: “It is a moment of great pride and joy for the whole nation that Ahsan Raza has become the third Pakistan umpire to be appointed to the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires. I want to congratulate Ahsan on this wonderful achievement and I am sure he will continue to work hard with dedication and passion to enhance the image and profile of this noble profession. “Ahsan is a great inspiration for many young and upcoming umpires and his elevation demonstrates we have talented umpires in Pakistan who are skilled enough to break into the top category. I hope we, at the PCB, will continue to utilise his expertise, knowledge and experience in our domestic and international matches. “I also want to congratulate Aleem Dar on his successful career as an elite panelist. He was the first Pakistani to become a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires way back in 2004 and since then, he has established himself as one of the most respected and highly-qualified umpires in the business. “Throughout his outstanding career, he earned worldwide appreciation and accolades through his work ethics, undivided commitment to the game, good decision-making and excellent man management skills.  He will remain as one of the best and finest to have ever served on the elite panel. “Aleem has been a role model for umpires across generations. The PCB will be very fortunate to make the most of his presence and availability by integrating him in our system so that he can groom, mentor and tutor young umpires which, in turn, will help in significant improvement in the quality of umpiring in our domestic cricket and also produce umpires who can go on to represent Pakistan in the international and elite panels.”

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: With one eye on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and the other on ensuring the careers of their elite cricketers are extended by strategically managing their workloads, the Pakistan cricket selectors today named a new-look and highly-talented 15-player squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, which will be played from 24 to 27 March in Sharjah. All-rounder Shadab Khan will captain the side that includes four uncapped players, namely, Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan, while Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim have been recalled. Pakistan captain Babar Azam, along with Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been rested, while Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Khushdil Shah have been dropped. These nine players were part of the Pakistan squad that reached the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Apart from the Shadab, players retained from the last T20I series are: Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Naseem Shah and Shan Masood. Chair of PCB Management Committee, Najam Sethi said: “I want to congratulate Shadab Khan on his appointment as the Pakistan team captain for the series against Afghanistan. Shadab Khan has been the Pakistan vice-captain in white-ball cricket for the past couple of years and it is logical that he takes over the side in the absence of Babar Azam for the short three-match T20I tour of Sharjah. “For the short Sharjah tour and to ensure continuity, we have also appointed Mohammad Yousuf as the interim head and batting coach. Yousuf has been with the national side since last year as a batting coach and has also been working in the National High Performance Centre.” Chair of the selection committee, Haroon Rashid said: “For the short three-T20I series against Afghanistan, the selection committee has followed the standard rotation policy by resting the leading performers and providing high-performing domestic performers with opportunities to demonstrate their talent and potential at the international level. This will also allow us to test the temperament and abilities of these players and helping us to strengthen our pool of players as we look forward to building and preparing a formidable side for next year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States. “However, and in doing so, we have ensured that we select a side that is equally strong and capable of winning the series against a strong Afghanistan side for whom Sharjah is like a second home. And to achieve that, we have retained seven players from the last series, recalled four experienced cricketers and clubbed them with four uncapped players to make the 15-member side a truly mixture of youth and experience. “In this background, I want to congratulate Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan who have broken into the national side after a series of strong performances in the domestic circuit as well as the HBL PSL 8. Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim have been recalled after they too demonstrated in the HBL PSL 8 that they are capable of exceling in the shortest format and also providing experience and stability in the side. “Babar, Fakhar, Haris, Rizwan and Shaheen have been provided breaks from the short Sharjah trip to allow them to switch-off from competitive cricket so that they can complete their rehabilitations, regroup, recompose and recharge their batteries and be fully fit for the challenges in the tough and challenging 2023-24 season.” About the uncapped and recalled players: In the HBL PSL 8, Azam has scored 280 runs in nine match at a strike-rate of almost 163, Saim Ayub has scored 309 runs in 10 matches at a strike-rate of 167, Tayyab Tahir has scored 137 runs in five matches at a strike-rate of 144 after aggregating 413 runs in 11 National T20 matches at a strike-rate of 138, whereas Ihsanullah has picked up 20 wickets in 10 matches at an economy-rate of 7.36 and Zaman Khan has claimed 12 wickets in 10 matches at an economy-rate of 8.68. Abdullah Shafique has scored 193 runs in seven HBL PSL 8 matches at a strike-rate of 144, Faheem Ashraf has scored 210 runs and taken seven wickets, while Imad has scored 404 runs (strike-rate of 170) and taken nine wickets (economy-rate of 7.93). Pakistan squad Shadab Khan (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah,  Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Zaman Khan, Reserve players: Abrar Ahmed, Haseebullah, Usama Mir

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: A punishing century by Chamari Athapaththu was not enough to prevent Amazons from registering a 33-run victory over Super Women in the third match that gave them a 2-1 series win in the Women’s League exhibition matches at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Athapaththu hit a strokeful 107 not out from 60 balls featuring 12 fours and six sixes as Super Women finished at 185 for eight after being set a 219 runs target. Athapaththu raised her half-century from 32 balls with six fours and three sixes, while she reached three figures from 57 balls with 11 fours and six sixes. Athapaththu put on 90 runs for the third wicket with Iram Javed, who contributed 35 from 29 balls with four fours and a six. The Sri Lanka captain dominated the 40-run fourth wicket stand with South Africa’s Sune Luus, whose contribution was six from five balls with one four. The only time the left-hander was outshone was when Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali scored 12 of the 17 runs for the first wicket with three fours. For Amazons, Fatima Sana took three for 34, while Danni Wyatt bagged two for 43. While Super Women belted 24 fours and seven sixes in their reply, Amazons smashed 30 fours and six sixes to collect 218 for six after electing to bat first for the third successive time in the series. Amazons captain Bismah Maroof followed up her scores of one and 73 not out with a well-crafted 51 not out to top-score for her side. Her 32-ball innings included six fours and a six. Together with Tammy Beaumont, Bismah put on 67 runs for the third wicket. Tammy’s contribution in this stand was a 26-ball 39 with five fours and a six. England’s Danni Wyatt, who scored 22 and 97 in the previous matches, hit 43 at a strike-rate of 215 with seven fours and two sixes and provided her side a 65-run start in less than six overs with Eyman Fatima (19, 16b, 4x4). Maia Bouchier and Fatima Sana finished the innings like it started. Bouchier hit three fours and a six in a 10-ball 21, while Fatima’s seven-ball 17 not out included four fours. Scores in brief 3rd match – Amazons beat Super Women by 33 runs, win series 2-1 Amazons 218-6, 20 overs (Bismah Maroof 51 not out, Danni Wyatt 43, Tammy Beaumont 39, Maia Bouchier 21, Eyman Fatima 19; Aimen Anwar 2-40) Super Women 185-8, 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 107 not out, Iram Javed 35, Muneeba Ali 12; Fatima Sana 3-34, Danni Wyatt 2-43, Player of the match: Danni Wyatt (Amazons) 1st match - Super Women beat Amazons by eight wickets Match 2 – Amazons beat Super Women by 41 runs