Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: Islamabad United’s Naseem Shah has been fined 10 percent of match fee for a level 1 breach of the HBL PSL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel during his side’s HBL PSL 9 fixture against Multan Sultans at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Sunday.Naseem was charged for violating Article 2.2 which deals with abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings. Naseem had kicked the stumps after the final ball of Multan Sultans’ innings.Since Naseem pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Roshan Mahanama, there was no need of a formal hearing. The charge was imposed by on-field umpires Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Muhammad Asif.Meanwhile, in a separate incident in the same match, Multan Sultans were fined for maintaining a slow over-rate. Sultans were ruled to be one over short of their target by match referee Roshan Mahanama, who took into consideration time allowances before arriving at the decision.As such, and in accordance with Article 2.22 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, each player was fined 10 percent of his match fee.

Quetta Gladiators beat Lahore Qalandars by six wickets at National Stadium KarachiSports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Quetta Gladiators secured their spot for the HBL PSL 9 playoffs after they defeated Lahore Qalandars by six wickets at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Sunday night. After restricting Lahore to 166-4 in the first innings, vice-captain Saud Shakeel produced a brilliant unbeaten knock of 88 runs that allowed Quetta to edge over Lahore in the last-ball thriller.Lahore Qalandars could only manage to post 166-4 on the board after choosing to bat first. Sahibzada Farhan and Mirza Tahir Baig gave a decent start to their team; after Farhan hit a four on the first delivery of the game, the two took turns breaching the boundary periodically in the third, fourth and fifth overs.Abrar Ahmed, introduced in the sixth over, removed Farhan (25, 22b, 4x4s) on the third ball and then Tahir (12, 13b, 1x6) on the last delivery to bring Lahore down to 39-2 by the end of the powerplay.Abdullah Shafique, batting at three, hit two consecutive fours against Mohammad Wasim Jnr in the seventh over to recover the damage. He then hit a boundary against Abrar in the next over. Shai Hope, who could only manage five off seven, was caught behind in the 10th over off Wasim’s bowling as Lahore got to 70-3 at the halfway mark.Shaheen Shah Afridi promoted himself up the order, taking the responsibility of boosting his side’s total. The fourth-wicket partnership between Abdullah and Shaheen yielded 91 from 57, helping the team establish a sense of control over the innings.After four quiet overs, Shaheen took on Akeal Hosein by smashing three sixes in the 15th over. An over later, he hit two sixes against Abrar to get to his second HBL PSL half-century.In the 18th over, Abdullah (59 not out, 39b, 3x4s, 2x6s) also completed his second consecutive half-century of HBL PSL 9 in style as he hit a six against Hosein on the fourth delivery.In the last over, Sohail Khan caught the ball on his second attempt while fielding at deep third to help Amir dismiss Shaheen, who had to walk back for 55 on 34, on the back of two fours and four sixes. The final over only produced six runs as Lahore finished with a competitive total.Abrar had two wickets, while Amir and Wasim had one each.Jason Roy and Saud Shakeel gave Quetta Gladiators a 39-run opening stand after the former hit Shaheen three consecutive fours on the first three balls of the innings.Jahandad Khan, bowling the sixth over, provided the breakthrough as Roy (18, 14b, 4x4s) was caught behind. Quetta ended the powerplay at 43-1.Saud was joined by his captain, Rilee Rossouw, in the middle for a 27-run second-wicket stand which was broken by Jahandad on the last ball of the ninth over. Rossouw walked back for 13 off 11, with the help of one four.The Quetta captain, however, became the first foreign batter to complete 2000 HBL PSL runs and the fifth overall, only behind Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Rizwan.Khawaja Nafay and Saud produced a dogged third-wicket stand, that yielded 70 from 53, to reestablish Quetta’s control over the game after the two initial wickets. In the 13th over, Saud brought his second HBL PSL 9 half-century, taking 42 deliveries to do so.The partnership was eventually broken by Shaheen, who trapped Nafay (26, 24b, 1x6) leg-before wicket in the 18th over. Quetta required 29 from the final two overs, with Saud and Laurie Evans on the crease. Jahandad conceded 15 in the penultimate over courtesy of a four by Evans and a six by Saud to bring the equation to 14 needed from the final six deliveries.Shaheen removed Evans (7, 4b, 1x4) on the first ball of the final over as Tahir took a spectacular diving catch at deep cover point. Saud then hit two consecutive boundaries, inching closer to the target.With four needed off the final ball, Wasim, the sixth batter in, hit a six to help his team over the rope. Saud (88, 65b, 5x4s, 4x6s) remained unbeaten at the other end as Quetta cruised to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Jahandad and Shaheen picked up two wickets each.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Bangladesh player Towhid Hridoy has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the third T20I against Sri Lanka in Sylhet on Saturday.Towhid was found to have breached Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to displaying conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Towhid’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.The incident occurred in the fourth over of Bangladesh’s innings, when after being dismissed, Towhid turned around on his way back to the pavilion and remonstrated aggressively and inappropriately with the Sri Lankan players.Towhid admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.On-field umpires Sharfuddoula Saikat and Tanvir Ahmed, third umpire Gazi Sohel and fourth umpire Masudur Rahman levelled the charge.Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points. 

Winners Islamabad United batters achieve a mammoth total of 229 runs in 19.2 oversAbdul Jabbar FaisalRAWALPINDI: Islamabad United (IU) thrashed Multan Sultans (MS) by 3 wickets in an HBL PSL cricket fixture after conquering a huge target of 229 runs in 19.2 overs here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday in a nerve-jangling contest. Overseas player from New Zealand, representing Islamabad United Colin Munro (84 runs, 40 balls, 4x9, 6x5) was the hero of the day.Islamabad United’s captain Shahdab Khan won the toss and elected to field first. Multan Sultan scored 228 for 4 runs in 20 overs per innings fixture. Usman Khan played a sparking knock of 100 runs in 50 balls with a strike rate of 200% and was the main contributor to his team’s reasonable total of 228 runs. He showed excellent batting, as he hit 13 fours and 3 huge sixes. Johnson Charles made 42 runs in 18 balls and smashed 3 fours and 3 sixes, Yasir Khan scored 33 for 16 runs with the help of 4 fours and 2 best sixes, Mohammad Rizwan could score only 20 off 17 balls with 2 fours and 1 six. Faheem Ashraf took 2 wickets, Hunain Shah and Naseem Shah snared one batter each.Islamabad United scored 232 runs with great success and wasted 7 batters in 19.2 overs. For Islamabad United Colin Munro was the top scorer with 84 for 40 runs. The left-handed batter hit 9 brilliant fours and 5 sixes. Skipper Shadab Khan scored 54 runs off 34 balls, as his inning was laced with 6 fours and 2 big sixes, Imad wasim could made 30 runs in 13 balls including 3 fours and 1 six and Farheen Ashraf made 23 runs with 2 fours and 1 six. Abbas Afridi took 3 wickets off 40 runs, Mohammad Ali claimed 2 wickets while David Willey got only one wicket in his 4 overs by conceding 30 runs.Summarized Scorecard:Islamabad United won the toss and decided to field firstMan of the Match: Colin Munro (Islamabad United)Multan Sultan (Batting) 228 for 4 runs in 20 oversUsman Khan (100 runs, 50 balls, 4x15,6x3), Johnson Charles (42 runs, 18 balls, 4x3, 6x3), Yasir Khan (33 runs, 16 balls,4x4, 6x2), Mohammad Rizwan (20 runs, 17 balls, 4x2, 6x1)Islamabad United (Bowling):Faheem Ashraf (2 for 32), Hunain Shah (1 for 29), Naseem Shah (1 for 31)Islamabad United (Batting) 232 for 7 runs in 19.2 oversColin Munro (84 runs, 40 balls, 4x9, 6x5), Shadab Khan (54 runs, 34 balls, 4x6, 6x2), Imad Wasim (30 runs, 13 balls, 4x3, 6x1), Farheen Ashraf (23 runs, 14 balls, 4x2, 6x1)Multan Sultan (Bowling)Abbas Afridi (3 for 40), Mohammad Ali (2 for 44), David Willey (1 for 30)Islamabad United (Playing XIs): Agha Salman, Azam Khan (Wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Alex Hales, Hunain Shah, Imad Wasim, Tymal Mills, Colin Munro, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan (Captain), Haider AliMultan Sultan (Playing XIs): Abbas Afridi, Johnson Charles, Iftikhar Ahmed, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (Captain/Wicketkeeper), Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Yasir Khan, David WillyMatch Officials:Umpires: Mohammad Asif (Pakistan), Ruchira Palliyaguruge (Sri Lanka)TV Umpire: Ahsan RazaReserve Umpire: Asif YaqoobMatch Referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka)Scorers: Shakil Ahmed, Zeeshan Khan

Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: Multan Sultans set 229 runs target for Islamabad United (IU) to win the match of the HBL match at Pindi Cricket Stadium here today (Sunday).Islamabad United (Playing XIs): Agha Salman, Azam Khan (Wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Alex Hales, Hunain Shah, Imad Wasim, Tymal Mills, Colin Munro, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan (Captain), Haider AliMultan Sultan (Playing XIs): Abbas Afridi, Johnson Charles, Iftikhar Ahmed, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (Captain/Wicketkeeper), Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Yasir Khan, David Willy

Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: Islamabad United (IU) captain Shahdab Khan won the toss and asked rival team Multan Sultans’ skipper Mohammad Rizwan to bat first in PSL HBL match at Pindi Cricket Stadium here today (Sunday).Islamabad United (Squad): Agha Salman, Azam Khan, Jordan Cox, Tom Curran, Faheem Ashraf, Matthew Forde, Alex Hales, Hunain Shah, Imad Wasim, Obed McCoy, Tymal Mills, Mohammad Waseem, Colin Munro, Naseem Shah, Qasim Akram, Rumman Raees, Shadab Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Ubaid ShahMultan Sultan (Squad): Abbas Afridi, Aftab Ibrahim, Johnson Charles (wicketkeeper), Faisal Akram, Reeza Hendricks, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Chris Jordan, Khushdil Shah, Dawid Malan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (Wicketkeeper), Mohammad Shahzad, Shahnawaz Dahani, Olly Stone, Tayyab Tahir, Reece Topley, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, David Willey, Yasir Khan

Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: The match between Islamabad United (IU) and Multan Sultans (MS) will roll into cation at 2 pm at Pindi Cricket Stadium here today (Sunday).Islamabad United (Squad): Agha Salman, Azam Khan, Jordan Cox, Tom Curran, Faheem Ashraf, Matthew Forde, Alex Hales, Hunain Shah, Imad Wasim, Obed McCoy, Tymal Mills, Mohammad Waseem, Colin Munro, Naseem Shah, Qasim Akram, Rumman Raees, Shadab Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Ubaid ShahMultan Sultan (Squad): Abbas Afridi, Aftab Ibrahim, Johnson Charles (wicketkeeper), Faisal Akram, Reeza Hendricks, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Chris Jordan, Khushdil Shah, Dawid Malan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (Wicketkeeper), Mohammad Shahzad, Shahnawaz Dahani, Olly Stone, Tayyab Tahir, Reece Topley, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, David Willey, Yasir Khan

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: hosts Karachi Kings defeated Lahore Qalandars by three wickets, as they registered their fourth win of HBL PSL 9 at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Saturday night. Batting first, Lahore posted 177-5. In return, Karachi chased the total on the last ball of the final over, keeping their chances for playoffs alive.The home side won the toss and elected to field first. Opening batter Mirza Tahir Baig (4, 7b), replacing Sahibzada Farhan, lost his wicket cheaply as he fell to Anwar Ali in the third over.Abdullah Shafique joined Fakhar Zaman in the middle to construct a 70-run partnership that stabilized Lahore’s innings. Fakhar got to work in the powerplay, hitting a six and a four in the fourth over and then a boundary in the sixth to help the side get to 44-1 at the end of the powerplay.Fakhar and Abdullah then hit a six each against Shoaib Malik in the ninth over, milking 15 runs from it. Shortly after, Fakhar was run out as Muhammad Irfan Khan perfected his throw at the stumps from midwicket. The left-handed batter walked back in the 11th over after scoring his first half-century (54, 35b, 5x4s, 2x6s) of HBL PSL 9.In the next over, Abdullah and Shai Hope hit a boundary each against Zahid to keep the scoreboard ticking. Zahid bowled a double-wicket over, taking out Hope (9, 11b, 1x4) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (1, 3b) for single-digit scores with the scorecard reading 122-4 after 15 overs.Abdullah brought up his first half-century of HBL PSL 9 in the 16th over. In the subsequent over, he was caught at deep square by Anwar off Blessing Muzarabani and had to walk back for a dogged 55 on 39, on the back of five boundaries and a solitary six.An unbeaten sixth-wicket partnership, producing 46 on 20, between David Wiese and Sikandar Raza helped Lahore end with a competitive total of 177-5. Wiese, who hit three sixes, contributed an undefeated 24 on nine. Raza chipped in with an undefeated 22 on 16, with two fours and a six. Zahid had two wickets while Anwar and Muzarabani had one each.Tim Seifert and James Vince, opening the batting for Karachi, gave their side an inspiring start with 58 runs amassed in the powerplay. After seeing off Shaheen’s first over, the two took on Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti to produce 17 in the second over on the back of two fours and a six. They followed that up with at least a boundary each in the remaining powerplay overs.Tayyab Abbas provided the breakthrough for Lahore, with Vince caught behind for 42 off 27, on the back of six fours and one maximum. Shan Masood, batting at three, managed to add 24 from 16 with the help of three fours, before Raza disturbed his stumps with a stunning delivery in the 12th over, breaking the 40-run second-wicket stand. In the next over, Pollard was caught behind after nicking one off Tayyab and returned for a paltry five-ball three.In the 15th over, Seifert (36, 33b, 2x4s) was run out as a result of confusion in the middle, with both the batters at the non-striker’s end as Kings required 65 off 34 balls. Shaheen conceded 15 in the 17th over, courtesy of three fours by Irfan. In the next over, Shoaib hit two cracking fours against Zaman, inching closer to the target.In the penultimate over, Shaheen rattled Irfan’s (35, 16b, 6x4s) stumps, breaking the 52-run partnership to bring Karachi five down. Defending eight in the last over, Zaman caught and bowled Anwar Ali (1, 3b) on the first ball of the over. Arafat Minhas was then run out by Raza on the third ball, to bring the equation to six needed off three.Shoaib (27 not out, 17b, 4x4s) hit a four on the final delivery to help Karachi win the close encounter. Tayyab bagged two wickets, while Shaheen, Zaman and Sikandar picked up one each.Scorecard in brief:Lahore Qalandars 177-5, 20 overs (Abdullah Shafique 55, Fakhar Zaman 54; Zahid Mahmood 2-27)Karachi Kings 179-7, 20 overs (James Vince 42, Tim Seifert 36, Muhammad Irfan Khan 35; Tayyab Abbas 2-23)Upcoming fixtures:Islamabad United v Multan Sultans at Pindi Cricket Stadium (2pm)Lahore Qalandars v Quetta Gladiators at National Bank Stadium, Karachi (7pm) 

Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: Peshawar Zalmi beat Quetta Gladiators by 76 runs in the HBL PSL Season-9 match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi on Friday night.Quetta Gladiators’ captain Rilee Rossouw won the toss, and he decided to field first. Peshawar Zalmi scored 196 for 8 runs in 20 overs. Babar Azam played a brilliant inning for Peshawar Zalmi of 53 runs in 30 balls, as he hit 9 fours and 1 huge six. Tom Kohler-Cadmore added 33 runs off 19 balls including 4 fours and 1 six, Saim Ayub made 30 runs in 12 balls with the help of 1 for and 3 sixes, Mohammad Haris added only 20 runs in 13 balls and smashed 1 four and 1 six. Akeal Hosein took 4 wickets for 23 runs from Quetta Gladiators including a hat-trick. Abrar Ahmed got 1 wicket for 34 and Mohammad Husnain 1 for 54. Saim Ayub was declared player of the match.While Quetta Gladiators’ could score 120 runs all out in 20 overs. In this team, Saud Shakeel was the top scorer from Quetta Gladiators with 24 runs and he wasted 12 balls, as he hit 2 fours and 2 best sixes, Jason Roy made 16 runs by 16 balls with the help of 2 fours. Brilliant and successful bowling by Khurram Shahzad with 2 wickets from Peshawar Zalmi. Saim Ayub and Luke Wood shared 2 wickets each.Summarized Scoreboard:Peshawar Zalmi (Batting) 196 off 8 runs in 20 oversBabar Azam (53 runs, 30 balls, 4x9, 6x1), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (33 runs, 19 balls,4x4, 6x1), Saim Ayub (30 runs, 12 balls 4x1, 6x3)Mohammad Haris (20 runs not out, 13 balls, 4x1, 6x1)Quetta Gladiators (Bowling)Akeal Hosein (4 for 23), Abrar Ahmed (1 for 34), Sohail Khan (1 for 48), Mohammad Husnain (1 for 54)Quetta Gladiators (Batting) 120 runs all out in 20 oversSaud Shakeel (24 runs, 12 balls, 4x2, 6x2), Jason Roy (16 runs, 16 balls, 4x2, 6x0), Akeal Hosein ( 14 runs, 14 balls, 4x2, 6x0), Mohammad Amir (13 runs, 8 balls, 4x3, 6x0)Peshawar zalmi (Bowling)Khurram Shahzad (2 for 21), Saim Ayub (2 for 20), Luke wood (2 for 21) 

ISLAMABAD (PR): The Australian High Commission, in partnership with the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) and Serena Hotels, supported a cricket coaching clinic and tournament for visually impaired women and girls from across Pakistan from March 3 to 8, 2024 in celebration of International Women’s Day here at Shalimar cricket ground.Speaking at the award-giving ceremony at the conclusion of the tournament, Australia’s Acting High Commissioner to Pakistan, Nicole Guihot said that Australia’s continuing support aimed to empower more women and girls with disabilities to realise their potential and broaden their horizons through sport.“We are supporting the development of blind women’s cricket in Pakistan because sport breaks down barriers to inclusion, diversity and equity, fosters understanding and builds resilient communities,” Guihot said.Coaches Abdul Razzaq, Ibrar Shah, Shahida Shaheen, and Tahir Mehmood Butt, who coached the national blind men's team, worked with the women to hone ball skills, enhance team cooperation, and strengthen leadership.The Chairman of Pakistan Blind Cricket Council, Syed Sultan Shah, said, “Blind Cricket is a sport that has gained popularity in recent years for its unique approach to inclusivity. It provides an opportunity for people with visual impairments to compete at a high level, develop their skills and confidence, and become people of vision, both on and off the field. I hope that this initiative will inspire more people with disabilities to participate in sports and lead fulfilling lives.” He also mentioned some exciting news: the first-ever T-20 World Cup for Women Blind Cricket is happening in India in December 2025! This is a big deal because it gives these girls a chance to shine on the world stage, representing their countries. It shows that all the hard work to develop women's blind cricket is paying off, and it's a great opportunity for these girls to show what they can do.In 1922, two blind factory workers invented blind cricket in Melbourne, Australia when they used a tin can containing rocks as a ball. In 1928, the first sports ground and clubhouse for blind cricket was built in Kooyong, Melbourne. Today blind cricket is played at club level and nationally throughout Australia.