Sports Bulletin

Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWALPINDI: Historical Pindi Test entered into an interesting phase, as the Pakistan will be required 263 while England will be needed 8 wickets to earn the lead in the three-match series on the final day of the Pindi Test. 90 overs will be bowled on the last day. Pakistan were 80 for 2 in 20 overs at the end of day-4 game here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday. England set a 343 runs target for hosts after declaring their second innings at 264 for 7 in 55.5 overs at the tea break. Earlier, Pakistan lost their all the ten batters at the total of 579. Agha Salam added valuable 53 runs in the Pakistan’s total on Sunday. Will Jacks captured 6 for 161 runs, were best figures for the visitors’ side. Once again, Harry Brook knocked a belligerent innings by hitting 11 fours and 3 sixes during his 65 balls innings, as all the Pakistani bowlers were helpless. Former England captain Joe Root also presented his batting class by scoring 73 runs in 63 deliveries. Zak Crawley scored 50 runs in 48 balls that supported his team to get some quick runs. He smashed seven fours. Three Pakistani bowlers Mohammad Ali, Naseem Shah, Zahid Mehmood shared 2 wickets each against 64, 66 and 84 runs respectively. Agha Salman got one wicket after giving 47 runs. On Sunday morning, Pakistani batters, Agha Salman and Zahid Mehmood resumed their innings at 499 for 8 and added 80 runs to the team’s total. Green Shirts closed their first innings at 579 after playing 155.5 overs. The visitors earned a 78 runs lead over Pakistan before starting their second innings. However, Agha Salam showed some aggression and hit some creaking strokes during his 53 run innings, which was a blend of seven fours and a huge six. Zahid scored 17 while Haris Rauf 12 runs. Mohammad Ali remained not out without scoring a single run. Summarized Scorecard (Pindi Test): Toss: England won and decided to bat England Batting (First innings): 657 all out in 101 overs Harry Brook (153 runs, 116 balls, 4x19, 6x5), Zak Crawley (122 runs, balls 111, 4x2, 6x0), Ollie Pope (108 runs, 104 balls, 4x14), Ben Duckett (107 runs, 110 balls, 4x15, 6X0), Joe Root (23 runs, 31 balls, 4x3, 6x0), Ben Stoke (41 runs, 18 balls, 4x6, 6x2)   Pakistan (Bowling): Zahid Mehmood (4 for 235), Naseem Shah (3 for 140), Mohammad Ali (2 for 124), Haris Rauf (1 for 78) Pakistan Batting (First innings): 579 all out in 155.3 136 overs Babar Azam 136 (168 balls, 4x19, 6x1), Imam-ul-Haq 121 (207 balls, 4x15, 6x2), Abdullah Shafiq 114 (203 balls, 4x13, 6x3), Agha Salman 53 (67 balls, 4x7, 6x1) Saud Shakeel 37 (93 balls, 4x3), Mohammad Rizwan 29 (44 balls, 4x3), Azhar Ali 27 (48 balls, 4x5) England (Bowling): Will Jacks (6 for 161), Jack Leach (2 for 190), James Anderson (1 for 52), Ollie Robinson (1 for 72) England Batting (Second Innings): Declared at 264 for 7 in 35.5 overs Harry Brook 87 (65 balls, 4x11, 6x3), Joe Root 73 (69 balls, 4x6), Zak Crawley 50 (48 balls, 4x7), Wills Jack 24 (13 balls, 4x1, 6x3)    Pakistan Bowling: Mohammad Ali (2 for 64), Naseem Shah (2 for 66), Zahid Mehmood (2 for 84) Agha Salman (1 for 47) Pakistan Batting (Second Innings) Target 343 Imam-ul-Haq 43 (60 balls, 4x7), Saud Shakeel 24 not out (42 balls, 4x5), Abdullah 6, Babar 4 England Bowling: Ben Stoke (1 for 20) Oille Robinson (1 for 22)

Sports Bulletin Report MULTAN: The tickets for the second Test between Pakistan and England at the Multan Cricket Stadium will go on sale today at 1400. The iconic fixture will see the return of Test cricket in the City of Saints after over 16 years and will be played from 9-13 December. To make the most prestigious format of the game accessible to more and more people, the Pakistan Cricket Board has set the prices of the tickets at nominal PKR250 for VIP and PKR150 for Premium enclosure. The VIP enclosures are Imran Khan, Fazal Mehmood, Javed Miandad and Zaheer Abbas, while the enclosure that fall into Premium category are Wasim Akram, Elahi Brother, Hanif Mohammad and Mushtaq Ahmed. The tickets will be sold in physical form only and will be available at Gulgasht Bagh and Main Vihari Chowk from 0900 till 1800 every day.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: After the conclusion of the six-match first phase of T20 Women’s Cricket Tournament, the second phase will commence from Monday, 5 December at the two venues of Lahore – Lahore Gymkhana and LCCA Ground. Four teams namely Blasters, Challengers, Dynamites and Strikers will feature in the event where Pakistan’s elite cricketers will take part. The second phase will be played on a single-league basis, where two matches will be played daily on 5, 6 and 7 December. Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium will host the tournament’s final between the top two sides on 9 December. In order to incentivise domestic performers, the best performer of every match will continue to receive PKR20,000 as they were getting in the first phase of the tournament. The player of the tournament will bag PKR50,000. The winning team will receive PKR 1 million, while the runner-up will get PKR0.5million. The first phase was a great platform for Under-19 players to perform and get a chance to be a part of the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup set to take place in January 2023 in South Africa. In the first phase, three sides Conquerors, Invincibles and Stars took part in the competition, which was played on a double-league basis. Stars led by Huraina Sajjad won all their four matches in the first phase, while Conquerors won two matches and Invincibles remained winless. In the batting charts, the 17-year-old Shawal Zulfiqar, representing Conquerors, topped the table with 161 runs from four outings, which included two half-centuries. Invincibles’ right-handed batter Gulrukh scored 133, while Stars’ skipper Huraina scored 101 from four matches. In the bowling charts, Conquerors’ right-arm leg-spinner Syeda Aroob Shah bagged nine wickets from four matches, which included one five-fer. Aroob’s teammate, 17-year-0ld Anoosha Nasir with her left-arm spin had five scalps to her name. Blasters squad: Fatima Sana (Captain), Aima Saleem, Anam Amin, Ayesha Bilal, Ayesha Naseem, Bismah Maroof, Fareeha Mehmood, Gul Rukh, Huraina Sajjad, Maham Manzoor, Mahnoor Aftab, Masooma Zehra, Shawal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin and Amber Kainaat Team management – Mauhtashim Rashid (head coach), Shahid Mehmood (assistant coach), Mahlika Mansoor (manager) Challengers squad: Omaima Sohail (Captain), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anoosha Nasir, Ayesha Zafar, Dua Majid, Ghulam Fatima, Hamna Bilal, Javeria Wadood, Khadija Chishti, Lubna Behram, Najiha Alvi, Noreen Yaqoob, Rameen Shamim and Rida Aslam Team management – Azam Khan (head coach), Nazim Khan (assistant coach), Asiya Khan (manager) Dynamites squad: Umm-e-Hani (Captain), Aleena Shah, Gull-e-Uswa, Gull Feroza, Kainat Imtiaz, Nahida Khan, Nida Dar, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Saima Malik, Saira Jabeen, Sidra Nawaz, Tuba Hassan, Waheeda Akhtar and Yusra Amir Team management – Taufiq Umar (head coach), Jawad Hamid (assistant coach), Hina Azam (manager) Strikers squad: Muneeba Ali (Captain), Aroob Shah, Ayesha Irfan, Eymaan Fatima, Fatima Khan, Iram Javed, Javeria Rauf, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Neha Sharmeen, Saba Nazir, Soha Fatima and Zunera Shah gement – Waqar Orakzai (head coach), Rehmat Gull (assistant coach), Aisha Jalil (manager)

Babar (136), Imam-ul-Haq (121) and Abdullah (114) hit tons Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWALPINDI (December 3, 2022): A nerves controlled 136 runs innings by skipper Babar Azam led his team from the front to take the team’s score 499 for 7 in 136 overs on the third day of the first Test at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi on Saturday. Captain Babar Azam was top scorer of the day, as made 136 runs by playing some cracking strokes, as his innings was included 19 boundaries and a single six, as he also contributed a line-share for the 123 runs third wicket partnership with Saud Shakeel, who was playing his first Test match of his life. Saud scored 37 runs, as he wasted 93 balls for his little innings. Earlier, opening batters Abdullah and Imam-ul-Haq built-up the innings with reasonable opening start, as the Abdullah was first man to back in the dressing room at the total of 225 runs. Abdullah’s individual score was 114 (202 balls) with the help of 13 fours and three sixes. The both openers Abdullah and Imam-ul-Haq completed their ton and strengthen the team’s position, as the first wicket fell on 225 when Abdullah Shafiq was caught behind by Ollie Pope on the bowling of Wil Jacks in 66th over of Green Shirts innings. Hosts lost their second batter at 245, when Imam-ul-Haq got out on his personal score of 121 including 15 boundaries and two sixes. Saud Shakeel 37 (93 balls, 4x3), Mohammad Rizwan 29 (44 balls, 4x3) and Azhar Ali 27 (48 balls, 4x5) were other main scorer for Pakistan. Wil Jacks snared three batter for his 132 runs was the best with the ball while Jack Leach took two wickets. James Anderson and Ollie Robinson shared one wicket each a piece for the England. Agha Salam with 10 runs and Zahid Mehmood with solitary run were not out batters of the day and they will restart their innings on Sunday morning. Summarized Scorecard (Pindi Test): Toss: England won and decided to bat England Batting (First innings): 657 all out in 101 overs Harry Brook (153 runs, 116 balls, 4x19, 6x5), Zak Crawley (122 runs, balls 111, 4x2, 6x0), Ollie Pope (108 runs, 104 balls, 4x14), Ben Duckett (107 runs, 110 balls, 4x15, 6X0), Joe Root (23 runs, 31 balls, 4x3, 6x0), Ben Stoke (41 runs, 18 balls, 4x6, 6x2)   Pakistan (Bowling): Zahid Mehmood (4 for 235), Naseem Shah (3 for 140), Mohammad Ali (2 for 124), Haris Rauf (1 for 78) Pakistan Batting (First innings): 499 for 7 in 136 overs Babar Azam 136 (168 balls, 4x19, 6x1), Imam-ul-Haq 121 (207 balls, 4x15, 6x2), Abdullah Shafiq 114 (203 balls, 4x13, 6x3), Saud Shakeel 37 (93 balls, 4x3), Mohammad Rizwan 29 (44 balls, 4x3), Azhar Ali 27 (48 balls, 4x5) England (Bowling): Wil Jacks (3 for 132), Jack Leach (2 for 160), James Anderson (1 for 47), Ollie Robinson (1 for 64) Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain & WK), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mehmood England (Playing XIs): Ben Stokes (c), Joe Root, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson Schedule of Tests: 9-13 December – 2nd Test, Multan 17-21 December – 3rd Test, Karachi    

BIPIN DANI Sri Lankan sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe has decided to appoint a 6-member Fact Finding Committee to enquire not only about the players' behaviour in T-20 World Cup in Australia but also to ascertain whether the officials showed "real concerns" for the team members. Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Dubai, where he is on a one-day visit, he said, "we have appointed a 6-member committee to report on the recent issues. The committee will be chaired by the Former High Court Judge Kusala Sarojini. One former cricketer is also in the committee. The other members of the committee are: Former ministerial secretary - Kingsley Fernando, Retired DIG in CID - Sudath Nagahamulla, Retired Rear Admiral - Ananda Peiris, Former cricketer - Nalin de Alwis and Attorney-at-Law - Shalani Roshana". "No time-frame is given to the committee but will ask the members to expedite the process". The minister also expressed his concern over the issues handled for Chamika Karunaratne. The 26-year-old has been given a one-year-suspended ban by the SLC. "He was dropped for his poor form or bad behaviour? He has been cleared to play international cricket. My opinion is that if the player is in poor form or facing disciplinary action, he should not be considered at all". The bowling all-rounder has already been named in the LPL team. "I will ensure that from next year onwards any out of form player or player facing disciplinary charges is not selected even to play league cricket". During his recent Dubai visit, which is mainly for the Rugby sports, the minister has no plan to meet the ICC at this stage. "No, I am not meeting any ICC officials now but will certainly meet them in near future", he added. The minister also denied the plan to appoint any interim committee but hinted there will be many changes in the year 2023. "We want the right people for all sports. Arjuna Ranatunga is helping me a lot and will continue to consult him for all important matters. We want to streamline everything. Cricket is a very popular sport in our country and will ensure public money put in the game is not wasted", the minister concluded.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: British High Commissioner in Islamabad Christian Turner on Friday visited Pindi Cricket Stadium here to see the 2nd day cricket match of Test and to encourage English players as well. On this occasion he said: “I am the number one cricket fan. The Rawalpindi test is going well and our boys inked a new record in the Rawalpindi Test. England team is playing Test cricket with an aggressive attitude, as the batters have the ability to play fast, I hope the result of the Rawalpindi test will be out”.

England score 657 runs in 1st innings, Zahid Mehmood takes 4 wickets in Pindi Test Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWALPINDI: Two well-composed, flawless, and unbeaten innings, Imam-ul-Haq (90) and Abdullah Shafiq (89) responded positively to England, who gathered a gigantic total of 657 runs in their first innings. Green Shirts were 181 for 0 runs in 51 overs and the duo of opening batters amused the spectators of twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. Abdullah Shafiq and Imam-ul-Haq began Pakistan's innings with buoyancy and did not try to play any needless strokes and waited patiently for the poor balls till the end of the day. Left-handed batter Imam-ul-Haq hammered 90 runs studded with 13 boundaries and a six while his partner Abdullah scored stupendous 89 runs innings, as he smashed 10 fours and a couple of sixes during his 158-ball innings. Both batsmen were unbeaten when the field umpires Ahsan Raza and Joel Wilson decided to call off the day-2 game owing to bad light. Hosts openers Abdullah Shafiq and Imam-ul-Haq will resume their first innings on Saturday morning at 181 for 0. No English bowler either spin or pacer could not impress with the ball on the day and flat batting pitch.   Earlier, on Friday morning, England restarted their first innings at an overnight score of 506 runs for 4 and the visitors threw their rest of six wickets in 125 minutes after adding 151 to their total of 657 runs. In the very first over of the day, they lost their vital wicket of captain Ben Stoke, who hit a six at the start of the innings, as it seemed that when he entered into the field the world record of the fastest Test century was in his mind, as he hit a huge six on the first ball that he faced but failed to achieve that a mindset target. Ben was clean bowled by Naseem Shah on the last ball of the first over of the day. He scored 41 runs in 18 balls. On the other side, Harry Brook continued his previous day batting pace and knocked 5 sixes and 19 fours during his 153 runs innings in 116 balls. Ollie Robinson (37) and Will Jack (30) were other main contributors in England’s total. Ollie hit six four and one six while Will smashed 4 boundaries during their 29 and 37 balls innings respectively. Zahid Mehmood was the most successful bowler for Pakistan, as he claimed 4 wickets in his first Test match after conceding 235 runs. Pacer Naseem Shah chipped in 3 wickets for 140 runs, as he hit at the backbone of England's batting line in the morning session. Naseem’s spell restricted the visitors batting to score over 700. Pacer Mohammad Ali and Haris Rauf shared 2 and 1 wicket respectively. Summarized Scorecard (Day-1): Toss: England won and decided to bat England (Batting): 657 all out in 101 overs Harry Brook (153 runs, 116 balls, 4x19, 6x5), Zak Crawley (122 runs, balls 111, 4x2, 6x0), Ollie Pope (108 runs, 104 balls, 4x14), Ben Duckett (107 runs, 110 balls, 4x15, 6X0), Joe Root (23 runs, 31 balls, 4x3, 6x0), Ben Stoke (41 runs, 18 balls, 4x6, 6x2)   Pakistan Bowling: Zahid Mehmood (4 for 235), Naseem Shah (3 for 140), Mohammad Ali (2 for 124), Haris Rauf (1 for 78) Pakistan Batting: Imam-ul-Haq 90 runs not out (148 balls, 4x13, 6x1), Abdullah Shafiq 89 runs not out (158 balls, 4x10, 6x2) Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain & WK), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mehmood England (Playing XIs): Ben Stokes (c), Joe Root, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson Schedule of Tests: 9-13 December – 2nd Test, Multan 17-21 December – 3rd Test, Karachi

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI (December 2, 2022): Pakistan were 17 for 0 runs at the lunch on the 2nd day of the 1st Test match at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, as Imam 11 and Abduulah 6 were not out batters. England’s all batters out in their first innings at 657 runs in 101 overs 30 minutes before the lunch break. Zahid Mehmood got 4 wickets. On Friday, England resumed their first innings at an overnight score of 506 runs for 4 and the visitors lost their all rest of six wickets in two hours after adding 151 runs to their total of 657 runs. , as they lost their vital wicket of captain Ben Stoke, who hit a six at the start of the innings, as it seemed that when he entered the field the world record of the fastest Test century was in his mind, as hit a huge six on the first ball that he faced but failed to achieve that. Ben was clean bold by Naseem Shah on the last ball of the first over of the day. Summarized Scorecard (Day-1): Toss: England won and decided to bat England (Batting): 657 all out in 101 overs Harry Brook (153 runs, 116 balls, 4x19, 6x5), Zak Crawley (122 runs, balls 111, 4x2, 6x0), Ollie Pope (108 runs, 104 balls, 4x14), Ben Duckett (107 runs, 110 balls, 4x15, 6X0), Joe Root (23 runs, 31 balls, 4x3, 6x0), Ben Stoke (41 runs, 18 balls, 4x6, 6x2)   Pakistan Bowling: Zahid Mehmood (4 for 235), Naseem Shah (3 for 140), Mohammad Ali (2 for 124), Haris Rauf (1 for 78) Pakistan Batting: Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain & WK), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mehmood England (Playing XIs): Ben Stokes (c), Joe Root, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson Schedule of Tests: 9-13 December – 2nd Test, Multan 17-21 December – 3rd Test, Karachi

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has shown the good gesture of allowing the "special trophy" to be taken away to Kabul. The 3-match inaugural bilateral ODI series between the Sri Lankan team and the visiting Afghanistan team was tied 1-1 (the second ODI was called off due to rain) and the physical trophy of the tournament was taken to Afghanistan. This was confirmed by multiple sources, who saw the Trophy being taken in the team bus directly from Kandy hotel to Colombo airport. Later confirmed by Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) media and communications manager Abdullah Khan Pakthani, he said, "yeah, the team will bring the trophy home". At the time of filing this report, the team was in transit at the Dubai airport. "This trophy will be kept in our museum, where other memorabilias are displayed. We feel very happy and wish our team more success in the future as well", he further added. Player of the Match award Sri Lanka leveled the series 1-1 after Asalanka, Wellalage were successful to chase the target of 314 runs. Ibrahim Zadran's score of 162 runs was almost doubled to the Player of the Match winner Asalanka. "It was an unanimous decision (to name Asalanka as player of the Match winner)", the two commentators (Sri Lankan Roshan Abeysinghe and Afghanistani Ahmad Farhad Fidai), who were part of the all five commentator adjudicators, confirmed.  The visiting commentator also had praise for all three new weds, who put on a performance for Lanka. Rajitha in his first spell, Pathum with the opening partnership and Aharith in the end. "They came to play although they got married a couple days ago, so no honeymoon for them. My view at the later stage of the game was that marriage/ wife brings  good omen as per Afghan beliefs and it seemed as marriages brought good omen to all three players and specially Asalanka and Rajitha", Fidai added. Rajitha's wife Chamaththi did travel to Kandy (from Colombo) to watch the final match on Tuesday and occupied the seat in the Players' Family Area.    

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI (December 1, 2022): The 8th addition of the National Physical Disability Cricket Championship 2022 will start simultaneously in 6 cities on the occasion of the International Day for Persons Day on 3rd December. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Communication Officer Younis Alam, PCB representative Arshad Khan, General Secretary, Pakistan Physical Disability Cricket Association (PPDCA) revealed this in a press briefing. General Secretary and Tournament Director Amiruddin Ansari and PPDCA Supporter Syed Tauseef Shah and Social Person Madam Abida Khanum addressed the press conference of 8th Physical Disability National T20 Cricket Championship at National Stadium Karachi on Thursday. PPDCA General Secretary and Tournament Director Amiruddin Ansari while explaining the details of the National Disability T20 Cricket Championship said that the 8th National Championship would be started on December 3rd, Saturday, on the occasion of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, simultaneously in six cities of the country, as the 16 teams of the cities will take part in the championship. The first round of knockout matches will be played in Karachi, in which Karachi, Hyderabad, Quetta and Quetta will participate in Bolan. The remaining round matches will be held in Multan, Lahore KPK, Islamabad, and FATA. In the second phase, the matches will be played in Karachi and Multan on league basis. Both the semi-finals and the final of the National Championship will be played in Karachi.