Cricket
Sri Lanka Cricket allows family members to tour New Zealand
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has allowed the Test players to have their wives and children on the upcoming New Zealand tour, it is learnt.
According to the well-placed sources in the SLC, this permission at present is granted to the Test team.
"Yes, the players' can have their immediate family members on this tour. The immediate family members include wives and children and parents. However, generally, married players take their wives and children on a long tour. So far we have not received any intimation about any players' family joining on the tour", the source said over the telephone from Colombo.
The players' training camp is getting over on Thursday and the Test team of 17-players will leave for New Zealand on 27th morning, i.e. 10-days prior to the first Test match, which will be played at Christchurch from March 9.
The visiting Sri Lankan team will play two Tests, three ODIs' and three T-20I.
At present only the red ball team is selected.
"We still have time for the white ball matches (commencing on March 25) and the squad for the white ball game will be announced. Few of the current Test squad will return and will be replaced by white ball players", the source confirmed.
"There has been no change in the present support staff of the red ball game. Those who last travelled with the team on the India tour are retained". However, few changes in the support staff are not ruled out for the white ball games.
Romesh Kaluwitharana is a tour selector.
T 20 World Cup: New Zealand thrash Sri Lanka to boost semi-final hopes
Sports Bulletin Report
Paarl (South Africa): New Zealand crushed Sri Lanka by 102 runs in Paarl to ensure Group 1 at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will go down to the wire.
Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr combined for a second wicket stand of 110, their nation’s third-highest ever at the tournament, to lift their side to an imposing 162 for three.
Sri Lanka were meek in reply, rolled for 60 to end their hopes of progression to the semi-finals, suffering the second-biggest defeat in T20 World Cup history in the process.
The White Ferns got the big net run rate swing they desired, meaning they climbed into second with South Africa facing Bangladesh on Tuesday in Group 1’s final game.
New Zealand preached positivity in the lead-up and Bernadine Bezuidenhout epitomised that approach, crushing a series of fours through the leg side when the bowling was too straight.
She raced to 32 from 20 balls but played one shot too many off Achini Kulasuriya, spooning a catch to Chamari Athapaththu at mid-off.
Bates and Kerr dropped anchor with the former picking up where she left off in the win over Bangladesh, piercing the field beautifully with the first two balls of the ninth over.
The pair didn’t score at an express pace but Kerr chose Athapaththu’s 13th over to accelerate, cover driving for four and then whipping through square leg to make it 93 for one.
Sri Lanka’s fielding was lacklustre - Bezuidenhout was given two early reprieves, Nilakshi de Silva shelling an easy chance to get Bates and a point blank run-out missed later on.
Kerr brought up her maiden T20I half-century off 40 balls and Bates her 24th in the closing stages.
The White Ferns rattled along to a fine total despite Bates being stumped for 56 and Kerr run out for 66 in the final over.
Sri Lanka coasted to 22 without loss in reply before capitulating.
Harshitha Samarawickrama holed out to deep midwicket off Eden Carson’s off-spin and then Bates took a stunner running back from mid-on to dismiss 17-year-old Vishmi Gunaratne for a duck.
Nilakshi de Silva swiped at a yorker and was clean bowled for a duck to leave Sri Lanka floundering on 24 for three.
Athapaththu briefly remained among the rubble but the hammer blow came when the captain was trapped in front by Amelia Kerr, given not out on field, a decision overturned on review.
The collapse continued when Anushka Sanjeewani chopped onto her stumps off Lea Tahuhu and the quick got another in her next over when Kavisha Dilhari patted to extra cover.
18-year-old Fran Jonas struck in her first over, bowling Oshadi Ranasinghe for three, and Sugandika Kumari was skilfully run out by Bezuidenhout at 48 for eight.
After a brief resistance from Malsha Shehani and Inoka Ranaweera, the former was bowled by the outstanding Amelia Kerr and Achini Kulasuriya not batting due to injury.
T20 World Cup: Matthews magic steers West Indies to a thrilling victory
Sports Bulletin Report
Cape Town (South Africa): The Windies skipper struck a decisive 66 not out and, assisted by Chinelle Henry’s critical contribution, helped haul her side to a six-wicket victory and inflict a difficult defeat on the Irish under the Friday night lights.
Orla Prendergast’s impressive 61 had fired Ireland to a competitive total of 137 for nine as Shamilia Connell starred with the ball for the Windies.
But Matthews and Henry (34) delivered a second innings masterclass to patiently chase down the target and help the West Indies, without Stafanie Taylor owing to a back injury, bounce back from defeats against India and England with just a single ball remaining in Group B.
Laura Delany won the toss and elected to bat – but her side suffered an almost immediate blow when Amy Hunter was dismissed in the second over.
Trishan Holder held a simple catch after the Irish opener had miscued and top-edged a Connell delivery.
But Prendergast and Gaby Lewis set about building the foundations for a recovery, putting on 90 for the second wicket before Prendergast went for a swashbuckling 61 – off just 47 balls – in the 13th over.
And the West Indies then struck twice in quick succession as Lewis (38) and Louise Little, who was unable to trouble the scorers, were removed in the space of three Karishma Ramharack deliveries.
Delany and Arlene Kelly then went in similarly speedy fashion as Afy Fletcher’s leg breaks helped derail the end of the Irish innings.
Eimear Richardson was caught and bowled by Matthews before Leah Paul and wicketkeeper Mary Waldron were removed from the final two balls of the innings.
That left the Windies with a total of 138 to win as openers Matthews and Rashada Williams responded with a steady start throughout the opening overs.
But Ireland grabbed the breakthrough from the penultimate ball of the powerplay when wicketkeeper Williams was runout after a sudden mix-up with her captain.
Incoming batter Campbelle survived a review shortly after but was soon dismissed by Delany when the Irish skipper’s crafty medium pacers trapped her in front for just eight.
Matthews and Henry continued to chip away at the total, however, teeing up a tantalising final five overs with a composed third wicket partnership.
Kelly dropped Henry at mid-off during an economical-looking 16th over before the Windies No.4 made her pay with a much-needed boundary off the final delivery.
Henry looked in the mood to finish the job as quickly as possible but she was soon dismissed by Paul as Ireland, who spilt several chances throughout a frenetic second innings, finally held on to a catch.
That propelled Shabika Gajnabi into the heat of the Cape Town cauldron, who played an important brief cameo before being run out after another piece of confusion with Matthews.
But the Windies skipper held her nerve to clatter Delany over the covers for four and fire her side to victory.
CRICKET - 16 Feb, 2023
Sports Bulletin Report
KARACHI: To provide young cricket fans an opportunity to see the cricket stars in action up close, the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to provide 50 per cent discount to those under the age of 18 for the HBL Pakistan Super League 8 matches in Karachi.
This discount is applicable for all matches and one ticket can be bought on a B-Form. Each child will be required to bring their B-Form, on which they have bought the ticket, to enter the stadium. This discount is part of the PCB's efforts to continue to inspire the next generation to take up the sport.
CRICKET - Physically Handicap 16 Feb, 2023
Sports Bulletin Report
ISLAMABAD: Peshawar PD defeated Lahore PD by a huge margin of 139 runs to qualify for final of the 8th National Physical Disability T20 Cricket Championship here at Bhutto cricket ground on Thursday. They won their all three Pool B matches. Now, Peshawar will face Multan in the final in Karachi.
Osama, the left-arm spin bowler, was declared the man of the match by taking 6 wickets for only 12 runs while bowling brilliantly and destructively. The special guest, Regional Head Peshawar Sajid Khan, gave Osama a cash of 1000 rupees along with the trophy. Regional Head Lahore Javad Ashraf was also present on the occasion.
Playing first, Peshawar scored 188 runs for all 10 in the allotted 20 overs. Rahmat scored 39 runs with the help of 4 fours and a six, Atif scored 34 runs with 6 fours, Babar added 27 runs. Shahid Vito took 3 wickets and Bilal took two wickets.
In response, team Osama of Lahore's match-winning spell returned to the pavilion with only 49 runs for 6 wickets instead of 12 runs. And Mohammad Shahbaz could score 23 runs. Osama bowled 6 out of 12 runs while Atif got 3 wickets by giving only 4 runs.
In the second match, Abbottabad PD defeated Islamabad PD by 93 runs. Abbottabad PD scored 173 runs for the loss of 8 in the allotted 20 overs. Opener Faisal Hayat played an aggressive innings of 83 off 53 balls with the help of 5 fours and 5 sixes while batting well. Aftab Hussain hit 2 fours and a six in 31 runs.
Mohammad Naeem scored 39 runs and took three wickets. In reply, Islamabad PD was bowled out for just 80 runs in 16.3 overs, Farman Khan scored 36 off 16 balls with five sixes. Aftab Hussain took three wickets for 21 runs while Raj Wali and Mohammad Hussain got two wickets.
Blind Cricket Council announces monthly Honorarium for 17 men
Sports Bulletin Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) has selected the following 17 players for the monthly Honorarium who performed notably well in recent domestic competitions.
According to an official of PBCC, the players will receive a monthly Honorarium for the term of the next six (6) months from January 2023 to June 2023 in (3) three categories including Category A (Rs. 20,000 per month), Category B (Rs. 17,000 per month) and Category C (Rs. 15,000 per month).
Category-A (Rs. 20, 000):
Badar Munir
Mati Ullah
Category-B (Rs. 17, 000):
Nisar Ali, Moeen Aslam, Faisal Mehmood, Mohsin Khan, Mohammad Safdar
Category-C (Rs. 15, 000):
Riasat Khan, Shahzeb Haider, Mohammad Salman, Anees Javed, Ayoub Khan, Zafar Iqbal, Akmal Hayyat, Kamran Akhter, Haroon Khan, Sana Ullah Khan
Pakistan beat Ireland by 70 runs, Muneeba scores 102 runs
Sports Bulletin Report
Cape Town (South Africa): Muneeba Ali Siddique rewrote the record books on Wednesday as the left-hander’s maiden T20I century orchestrated Pakistan’s commanding 70-run win over Ireland in the Group 2 match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at Cape Town.
The wicketkeeper-batter became the only woman batter from her country to score a century in the T20 World Cup history when she breached the 100-run mark in 66 balls after Ireland inserted Pakistan.
Muneeba batted with authority throughout the innings, toying with the field placements as she shuffled many a time to smack the ball over the in-field for boundaries. She smashed 14 in total in her extraordinary 102 off 68. Prior to this epic innings, Muneeba’s best T20I score was 43.
She was the reason Pakistan got a solid start as she added 44 runs with Javeria Khan, who was run out after making six off 13 in the sixth over. Pakistan lost their skipper Bismah Maroof, who struck a defiant half-century against India on Sunday, in the eighth over, but a resilient stand worth 101 with Nida Dar (33 off 28) only to be broken on the last ball of the penultimate over helped Pakistan post their highest T20 World Cup score of 165 for five.
This was a sweet victory for Pakistan after they were beaten 2-1 by Ireland at their own backyard in November.
Ireland were all out for 95 in 16.3 overs with Nashra Sandhu’s figures of four for 18 in four overs standing out.
It was, however, a combined bowling effort that limited Ireland to a small score as Nida Dar and Sadia Iqbal took two wicket each, while Tuba Hasan and Fatima Sana chipped in with a scalp each. Hence, nine of the 10 wickets were taken by the spinners.
Only two Ireland batters, Orla Prendergast and Eimear Richardson put resistance with the scores of 31 and 28.
Pakistan’s previous best score in the T20 World Cup was from Javeria Khan, who made 74 not out against the Ireland in 2018.
Pakistan travel to Paarl for their next match against the West Indies on Sunday. They will return to Cape Town to take on England on Tuesday.
Scores in brief
Pakistan beat Ireland at Newlands, Cape Town by 70 runs
Pakistan 165-5, 20 overs (Muneeba Ali 102, Nida Dar 33; Arlene Kelly 2/27, Laura Delany 1/20)
Ireland 95 all out, 16.3 overs (Orla Prendergast 31, Eimear Richardson 28; Nashra Sundhu 4/18, Nida Dar 2/5)
Player of the Match: Muneeba Ali (Pakistan)
Imran Farhat and Rana Naveed appointed coaches for Afghan NCA
Sports Bulletin Report
Kabul: The Afghanistan Cricket Board has appointed Imran Farhat and Rana Naveed Ul Hassan, former Pakistan Cricketers, to serve as batting and bowling coaches in its High-Performance Center.
The High-Performance Center (HPC) was recently placed in the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s revamped organizational structure which provides a range of high-performance services across coaching, training, capacity-building programs, medical services and high-performance management.
The left-handed top-order batter Imran Farhat represented Pakistan in 40 tests, 58 ODIs and 7 T20Is between 2001 & 2013 and also carries a vast experience of playing 230 First Class and 222 List A matches. In his coaching career, Farhat has also been part of the ICC High-Performance Advance Level 3 Cricket Coaching Course for Test Cricketers and has also accomplished his Level 2 coaching course with England Cricket Board.
In addition, he has been involved in coaching roles with several teams including working with teams in Kashmir Premier League and Junior Premier Leagues with PCB. Before joining ACB’s HPC, he was serving the PCB as the Head Coach for Central Punjab 2nd XI, after working as head coach with Southern Punjab’s U16 and U19 from 2020-2022.
The Right-arm Medium Fast Bowler Rana Naveed Ul Hassan has also represented Pakistan in 9 Tests, 74 ODIs and 4 T20Is from 2003 to 2010 and has also featured in 156 FC, 197 List A and 126 T20 matches for various teams. He has accomplished his Level 2 and Bio Mechanics Coaching Coursed from Pakistan Cricket Board and has been involved in the coaching setup of the UAE National Team for two years 2016-2017.
As part of the ACB's goals for the players and game development in Afghanistan, it is fine to state that the Afghanistan Cricket Board is looking forward to welcoming more renowned individuals to its National High-Performance Center.
Afghanistan Cricket Board names 18-man squad for UAE tour
Sports Bulletin Report
Kabul (February 15, 2022): The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) today confirmed the final 18-player squad for the three-match T20I series against the United Arab Emirates that begins tomorrow. The three 20I matches will take place on February 16, 18, and 19 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
We don't take any team lightly and have always tended to completely prepare the squad for any event, according to Chairman ACB Mirwais Ashraf. "The team has been in the UAE for around 10 days as it was getting ready for the series," he added. "Playing UAE in their own conditions is not an easy task because they are a good team with some excellent cricketers, but we are hoping that Afghan players will do well and rise to the occasion," he continued.
The T20I series is being played in accordance with the mutual cooperation agreement that was recently signed between Afghanistan and the Emirates Cricket Boards. Based on the agreement, Afghanistan will play a series of three T20I matches with the UAE on an annual basis.
This will be Afghanistan's first international assignment in 2023 and is considered a crucial preparation for a busy upcoming season, which includes several bilateral commitments and major events such as the ACC Asia Cup in September and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in October.
Names of players:
Rashid Khan (Captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wicketkeeper), Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen Ul Haq, Nijat Masoud, Noor Ahmad, Rahmat Shah, Sharafuddin Ashraf and Zahir Khan.
Series Schedule:
16th February – 1st T20I, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
18th February – 2nd T20I, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
19th February – 3rd T20I, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
CRICKET - Physically Handicap 15 Feb, 2023
Sports Bulletin Report
ISLAMABAD: Abbottabad PD and Peshawar PD registered triumphs in the second phase of the ongoing 8th National Physical Disability T20 Cricket Championship after defeating Lahore PD by 68 runs and Islamabad PD by 7 wickets respectively at Bhutto cricket ground G-7 Markaz Islamabad on Tuesday. The championship is being played under the banner of Pakistan Physical Disability Cricket Association (PPDCA).
In the first match, Abbottabad DD defeated Lahore PD by 68 runs. Playing first, Abbottabad PD scored 194 runs for four wickets in the allotted 20 overs. On his behalf, Humayun scored 73 runs off 43 balls with the help of 9 fours and three sixes, while Ol Khan scored 43 runs, 40 runs with the help of four fours and one six, Faisal Hayat added 28 runs. Abdullah Ejaz and Shahid Vito took two wickets.
In reply, Lahore PD team was bundled out for 126 runs in 18.3 overs. Scored 65 runs from Aftab Hussain and Mohammad Hussain took three wickets for Abbottabad. Chief guest Regional Head Peshawar Sajid Khan gave Humayun a cash award of 1000 Rupees along with a trophy for Man of the Match.
In the second match, Peshawar PD defeated Islamabad DD by 7 wickets. Islamabad was bowled out for 119 runs while playing first, Mohammad Haroon scored 36 runs and Mohammad Naeem scored 30 runs on its behalf. Momin took 3 wickets for 19 runs while Aatif dismissed two players by giving 13 runs.
In response, Peshawar PD made the required score for the loss of three wickets in 16.3 overs, Wajid Alam scored 49 runs with the help of 36 balls, five fours and two sixes, Rahmat hit three fours and a six in 36 runs, captain Nihar Alam Three fours were scored in 29 runs. Mohammad Naeem took three wickets. PPDCA General Secretary and Tournament Director Ameeruddin Ansari gave Momin a trophy and a cash award of Rs 1000 as Man of the Match.
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