Sports Bulletin

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will take on arch rival India on December 7, 2022 in the 3rd T20 World Blinds Cricket Cup at Delhi, as the 7-nation international showpiece will kick off from December 6 at Faridabad and hosts India will meet Nepal in the opening fixture. Besides hosts India, Pakistan, Australia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa will be contesting for the title, as the final will be played December 17 in Bangalore. In the second edition, India had defeated Pakistan in the final. Schedule (T20 Blind World Cup): 06/12/2022: India vs Nepal 10.00 AM at Faridabad 06/12/2022: Australia vs Sri Lanka 09.30 AM at Delhi Ground A 06/12/2022: Pakistan vs South Africa 09.30 AM at Delhi Ground B 07/12/2022: India vs Pakistan 09.30 AM at Delhi Ground A 07/12/2022: Nepal vs Bangladesh 09.30 AM at Faridabad 07/12/2022: South Africa vs Australia 09.30 AM at Delhi Ground B 09/12/2022: South Africa vs Sri Lanka 09.30 AMat Delhi Ground A 09/12/2022: Nepal vs Australia 09.30 AM at Delhi Ground B 09/12/2022: Pakistan vs Bangladesh 09.30 AM at Delhi Ground C 10/12/2022: India vs Australia 10.00 AM at Indore 10/12/2022: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh 09.30 AM at Mumbai 10/12/2022: South Africa vs Nepal 09.30 AM at Delhi Ground A 11/12/2022: India vs South Africa 10.00 AM at Kochi 11/12/2022: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 09.30 AM at Bangalore 11/12/2022: Bangladesh vs Australia 09.30 AM at Mumbai 13/12/2022: India vs Bangladesh 10.00 AM at Cuttack 13/12/2022: Sri Lanka vs Nepal  09.00 AM at Bangalore Ground A 13/12/2022: Australia vs Pakistan 01.00 PM at Bangalore Ground A 14/12/2022: India vs Sri Lanka 10.00 AM at Goa 14/12/2022: Nepal vs Pakistan 09.00 AM at Bangalore Ground A 14/12/2022: South Africa vs Bangladesh 01.00 PM at Bangalore Ground A 15/12/2022: 1st Semifinal (1 vs 4) 09.00 AM at Bangalore Ground A 15/12/2022: 2nd Semifinal (2 vs 3) 01.00 PM at Bangalore Ground A 17/12/2022: Final Winners of 1st and 2nd Semifinal 11.00 AM at Bangalore

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Andy Pycroft, member of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, will lead the playing control teams for the three ICC World Test Championship fixtures between Pakistan and England in December. Six umpires, three of whom are from the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, will officiate the Tests across Rawalpindi (1-5), Multan (9-13) and Karachi (17-21). Joel Wilson, who is one of the 11 members of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, will join Ahsan Raza as on-field umpire for the opening Test, which will be the first between the two sides on the Pakistani soil since 2005. Marais Erasmus will be the third umpire and Asif Yaqoob will be the fourth umpire. Marais Erasmus and Aleem Dar, the other two umpires from the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, will take on-field duties in Multan with Joel Wilson and Rashid Riaz performing third and fourth umpire duties. The playing control team for the third Test in Karachi will be the same as the first Test with Joel Wilson and Ahsan Raza returning as on-field umpires and Marais Erasmus and Asif Yaqoob taking up third and fourth umpire roles. Ahsan Raza, Asif Yaqoob and Rashid Riaz are members of the ICC International Panel of Umpires.  

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka's 26-year-old Milan Rathnayake has been included in the training squad for the upcoming series against Afghanistan, it is learnt. According to the well-placed sources in the SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket), the head coach (Chris Silverwood) was highly impressed with fast bowler Milan Rathnayake's performance in the domestic matches, especially when the bowler did well in the recent Invitational tournament where he played for the SSC Grey team. "Milan is a regular fast bowler in our main team at Moors Sports Club and the head coach and selectors have been keeping close eye on him. They were impressed with his bowling and now want to monitor his success and groom him for the future", Chamara Kapugedara the coach at the club, speaking exclusively over the telephone, said. With injuries to the fast bowlers in the team it was a wise decision to test Milan's potentiality. "We are very happy with his selection in the squad. It is a proud moment for us. To-day he is in the standby team but I am sure the day will not be far when he also finds his name in the main squad", the player's mother RM Reeta Rathnayake said. Incidentally, Milan's father RMR Rathnayake was a soldier and is a pensioner now. Undoubtedly, the soldier's son is a well-disciplined boy in the training squad.  The team which has been sent to the sports minister for his final approval is yet to be announced.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: A total of 13 matches will be played in the T20 Women’s Cricket Tournament, which commences in Lahore from 26 November. In order to incentivise domestic performers, the best performer of every match will get PKR20, 000 and 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 tournament provides an opportunity to the players to get acclimatised to the T20 format, while it will help coaches and selection committee to select squads for the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s World Cup and ICC T20 Women’s World Cup – both events scheduled to take place in South Africa next year. The tournament will be played in two phases. In the first phase, three teams namely Conquerors, Invincibles and Stars will take part from 26 November to 2 December. Conquerors consist of U19 players, while Invincibles and Stars consist of emerging players. Each side will feature in four matches in the first phase. In the second phase, the performers of first phase will be provided an opportunity to feature in one of the four sides namely Blasters, Challengers, Dynamites and Strikers. Pakistan’s elite cricketers will feature in the second phase. The second phase of the tournament will run from 5 December to 9 December, while the squads of the four sides will be named in due course. The venue for the final of the tournament scheduled on 9 December will be named in due course. Conquerors squad: Aroob Shah (Captain), Aliza Sabir, Anosha Nasir, Areesha Noor, Eyman Fatima, Haleema Azeem Dar, Haniah Ahmer, Laiba Nasir, Mahnoor Aftab, Quratulain Ahsen, Rida Aslam, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Warda Yousaf, Zaib-un-Nisa and Zamina Tahir Team management – Mohsin Kamal (head coach), Kamran Hussain (assistant coach), Aisha Jalil (manager) Stars squad: Huraina Sajjad (Captain), Aleena Shah, Amber Kainaat, Arim Barkat, Asma Amin, Ayesha Asim, Ayesha Bilal, Fajar Naveed, Hamna Bilal, Kainat Gul, Khadija Chisty, Kinza Wahab, Masooma Zehra, Momina Riasat and Zunera Shah Team management – Hajra Sarwar (head coach), Rehmat Gull (assistant coach), Hina Azam (manager) Invincibles squad: Yusra Amir (Captain), Aima Saleem, Aleena Masood, Dua Majid, Fatima Zahra, Fatima Khan, Gull Rukh, Gull-e-Uswa, Madiha Gul, Maham Manzoor, Neha Sharmeen, Rabia Rafi, Saima Malik, Saira Jabeen and Wasfa Hussain Team management – Wasim Yousafi (head coach), Shakir Qayyum (assistant coach), Asiya Khan (manager)

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Northern suffered their first defeat of the tournament as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ended an otherwise disappointing season on a high on the fourth day of the tenth and final round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 tournament at the Shoaib Akhtar Stadium, Rawalpindi. Sindh confirmed their spot in the final for the first time under the revamped domestic season (2019-20 onwards) by playing out a dominant draw against Balochistan at the LCCA Ground, Lahore while Central Punjab narrowly missed out on a final’s berth after a stalemate against Southern Punjab at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Northern will take on Sindh in the five-day tournament decider at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore from Saturday, 26 November. Northern finished with 135 points to top the table. Sindh occupied the second spot with 128 while Central Punjab stood third with 124 points. Balochistan accumulated 114 points to finish fourth. Southern Punjab had to contend with a fifth spot with a tally of 89 points and despite their impressive tenth round win, defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ended at the sixth spot with 78 points. On Wednesday, Balochistan resumed their first innings at 240 for two. Imran Butt who had reached his hundred yesterday went onto score 195 off 314 balls (35 fours). Imran added 210 runs for the third-wicket with his captain Asad Shafiq who also crossed the three figures mark. The seasoned Test batter was dismissed for 105 off 144 balls (19 fours). Balochistan however, lost their last eight wickets for 93 runs and were bowled out for 485 in 132.5 overs. Left-arm spinner Danish Aziz who was drafted in the eleven yesterday took five wickets for 75 runs. Off-spinner Aaliyan Mehmood took three wickets. Sindh then asked Balochistan to follow-on, Balochistan were 31 for one when stumps were drawn for the final time in the match. Central Punjab were bowled out for 490 (119.2 overs) in their first innings in the first session today to hand Southern Punjab a 60-run lead. Captain Muhammad Saad was dismissed for 182 off 280 balls (20 fours, one six). All-rounder Aamer Yamin scored 50 off only 43 balls (seven fours, one six). Skipper Hasan Ali and Hassan Khan took three wickets each for Southern Punjab. Southern Punjab had another excellent outing with the bat as Usman Salahuddin finished the first-class season with an unbeaten 100 off 134 balls (10 fours, three sixes). Opener Sharon Siraj contributed 74 runs (121 balls, 12 fours). The match was declared as draw with Southern Punjab at 216 for two in 55 overs. Northern resumed their second innings at 46 for four. The lower-order failed to offer much resistance to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowlers as Northern were bowled out for 171 in 73.5 overs to hand over their opponents an innings and 50-run victory. Faizan Riaz did not come out to bat due to an injury. Wicketkeeper-batter Rohail Nazir who scored 82 in the first innings, fought hard in the second innings as well with 62 off 158 balls (eight fours). Hasan Raza scored 45 runs. Off-spinner Sajid Khan took five wickets for 50 in 20.5 overs. Mohammad Imran captured three wickets for 47 in 17 overs. Scores in brief: Balochistan vs Sindh - match drawn at the LCCA Ground, Lahore Sindh 644 for 6 (declared) 165.1 overs (Saud Shakeel 181, Khurram Manzoor 174, Saad Khan 87, Omair bin Yousuf 71, Fawad Alam 62 not out; Kashif Bhatti 3-142) Balochistan 485 all out, 132.5 overs (Imran Butt 195, Asad Shafiq 105, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 52; Danish Aziz 5-75, Aaliyan Mehmood 3-136) and 31 for 1, 4 overs Central Punjab vs Southern Punjab – match drawn at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Southern Punjab 550 for 8 (declared) 126 overs (Salman Ali Agha 158 not out, Zeeshan Ashraf 145, Imran Rafiq 117, Hasan Ali 38; Qasim Akram 3-43, Umaid Asif 2-87) and 216 for 2, 55 overs (Usman Salahuddin 100 not out, Sharoon Siraj 74; Umaid Asif 1-16) Central Punjab 490 all out 119.2 overs (Mohammad Saad 182, Qasim Akram 138, Aamer Yamin 50; Hasan Ali 3-108, Hassan Khan 3-120) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Northern by innings and 50 runs at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Northern 223 all out, 72.2 overs (Rohail Nazir 82, Mubasir Khan 31; Ihsanullah 4-41, Niaz Khan 3-59) and 171, all out 73.5 overs (Rohail Nazir 62, Hasan Raza 45; Sajid Khan 5-50, Mohammad Imran 3-47) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 444 all out, 132.4 overs (Maaz Sadaqat 91, Kamran Ghulam 81, Mohammad Imran 55 not out, Mohammad Haris 52; Kashif Ali 3-90, Mehran Mumtaz 2-86)

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: Leicestershire leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan Ahmed has been officially added to England Men’s Test squad for the tour of Pakistan. The 18-year-old, who has been with the Lions in their red-ball training camp in the UAE and is currently playing in the three-day warm-up fixture against the England Test squad in Abu Dhabi, has impressed coaches with his attitude and genuine potential to be given his first call up to the senior side. If selected during the three-match Test series, the first time England are playing in Pakistan in 17 years, he will become the youngest player to play Test cricket for England Men, surpassing Yorkshire’s Brian Close, who represented the three lions at 18 years 149 days against New Zealand in July 1949. England Men’s red-ball Head Coach, Brendon McCullum, said: “We know he’s not the finished article and has raw potential, but Ben (Stokes), myself and the rest of the coaches like how he approaches his game. The experience of being part of the squad in Pakistan will be hugely beneficial for him, and he will add to the make-up of our squad.” On Saturday, England will fly to Pakistan after their Test camp at the Abu Dhabi Cricket and Sports Hub. The first Test starts in Rawalpindi on 1 December.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD: The 3-member Selection Committee of Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) comprised head coach Mohammad Jameel, coach Mahar Yousaf Haroon and trainer Tahir Butt on Wednesday has announced the 17 players squad for the upcoming T20 World Blinds Cricket Cup, which will be held in India from December 4 to 17 in three different cities. Chairman PBCC, Syed Sultan Shah has approved the team list. Wicketkeeper batsman Nisar Ali will be the captain of the Pakistan team. Two players will be reserves with the squad. Team officials also named for the mega cricket showpiece of the blind cricket. Names of Players: Riasat Khan B1 (Abbottabad), Zafar Iqbal (Vice Captain) B1 (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Shahzeb B1 (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Salman B1 (Lahore), Mohammad Asif B1 (Peshawar), Fakhar Abbas B1 (Islamabad), Nisar Ali (captain & wicketkeeper) B2 (AJK), Badar Munir B2 (Okara), Moain Aslam B2 (Bahawalpur), Anees Javed B2 (Islamabad), Shahzaib Haider B2 (Islamabad), Kamran Akhter B2 (AJK), Mohammad Rashid B3 (Bahawalpur), Mati Ullah B3 (Lahore), Mohammad Safdar B3 (Multan), Akmal Hayat B3 (Islamabad), Mohsin Khan B3 (Peshawar) Reserves Players: Sajid Nawaz B1 (Bahawalpur) Faisal Mehmood B3 (AJK) Team Officials: Mohammed Ilyas Ayub (Manager), Mohammad Jamil (Head Coach), Maher Mohammad Yousaf Haroon (Coach), Tahir Mehmood Butt (Trainer).

Sports Bulletin Report DUBAHI (UAE): Australia openers left-handed David Warner and right-handed Travis Head have taken a big jump in the ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings after an epic 269-run partnership at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), while Steve Smith’s consistence performances in the home series against England have helped him attain a cricket career-best equaling 7th position. Warner, a formerly top-ranked batter, has gained one spot to reach 5th position in the list after a score of 106 in the final match that helped him finish with 240 runs and win the Player of the Series award. Head, who accumulated 208 runs after his Player of the Match effort of 152 at the MCG, has progressed 12 spots to reach 30th position. Smith finished third in the list of run-scorers, his 195 runs good enough to lift him three places to seventh place, a position he had held in January 2017. Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh too have moved up the list and occupy 68th and 84th positions, respectively. Fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who was named Player of the Match for a haul of four for 47 in the second ODI in Sydney, has moved up four places to take fourth position while leg-spinner Adam Zampa (up eight places to seventh) and Pat Cummins (up one place to 17th) have also moved up the bowlers’ rankings. For England, Phil Salt and Dawid Malan have entered the top 100. Salt has progressed six slots to reach 97th position while Malan has advanced 56 places and is ranked 100th. Players from Namibia and the USA have also gained in the latest weekly update for their performances in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus of Namibia (up two places to 48th) and Monank Patel of the USA (up three places to 50th) have moved up the batters’ list while Saurabh Netravalkar of the USA has reached a career-best 31st position among bowlers after taking two wickets each against Namibia and Papua New Guinea. In the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, New Zealand opener Devon Conway’s knock of 59 in the tied final match of the series against India has helped him gain one slot to reach third position while Glenn Phillips (up one place to seventh among batters) and Tim Southee (up two steps to joint-14th among bowlers) have also gained. For India, captain Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 30 in the final match has helped him reach joint-50th position among batters while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (up two places to 11th), Arshdeep Singh (up one place to 21st) and Yuzvendra Chahal (up eight places to 40th) are the bowlers to gain in the latest update. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav has consolidated his position at the top of the rankings after his stupendous 111 not out in the second match. He has gained 31 rating points from the series and his 890 points keep him 54 ahead of Pakistan’s Mohammed Rizwan.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Day-three of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tenth round was staged at three venues today (Tuesday). Sindh and Central Punjab are poised for draws against Balochistan and Southern Punjab respectively at the LCCA Ground and Gaddafi Stadium Lahore while Northern are facing a defeat after a poor day against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. The players selected for the Pakistan-England Test series were withdrawn from Sindh’s side and were replaced by reserves or by players competing in the CA Championship matches in Karachi. The players withdrawn include Saud Shakeel (replaced by Danish Aziz), Sarfaraz Ahmed (replaced by Muhammad Hasan), Zahid Mehmood (replaced by Arish Ali Khan) and Abrar Ahmed (replaced by Aaliyan Mehmood). Sindh declared their first innings at 644 for six after resuming at 607 for four. Saad Khan was dismissed today for 87 0ff 141 balls (nine fours, one six). Fawad Alam returned undefeated on 62 off 168 balls. Kashif Bhatti with three wickets was the most successful bowler for Balochistan. In reply to Sindh’s mammoth score, Balochistan finished the day at 240 for two with Imran Butt scoring an unbeaten 105 off 171 balls (18 fours). Abdul Wahid Bangalzai scored 52 while Imran’s opening partner Haseebullah contributed 44. When stumps were drawn for the day captain Asad Shafiq (35 not out) was at the crease with Imran. Central Punjab resumed their first innings at 75 for no loss. Openers Abid Ali (37) and Imran Dogar (44) perished in the first session. Tayyab Tahir fell for 23. At this stage in form all-rounder Qasim Akram joined captain Mohammad Saad. From 129 for three, the pair took the score to 351 in a super fourth-wicket alliance worth 222 runs. Qasim scored the second century of his short first-class career having also notched a century in the previous round. The former Pakistan U19 captain was dismissed for 138 off 159 balls (24 fours, one six) by Sameen Gul who took two wickets for 83.  Saad provided great support to Qasim and reached his own century, the right-hander was unbeaten on 135 off 213 balls (15 fours, one six) when stumps were drawn for the day. Central Punjab will resume tomorrow at 415 for four, Southern Punjab scored 550 for eight (declared) in their first innings. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa resumed their first innings at 241 for five, the lower-order performed superbly to take their side to an imposing 444-run total – 221-run first innings lead. Maaz Sadaqat was dismissed for 91. Mohammad Imran (55 not out), Khalid Usman (38) and Sajid Khan (23) contributed efficiently to deter the Northern bowlers. Northern were then reduced to 46 for four by close of play (175 runs behind Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). Imran followed his batting performance with a three-wicket spell. Scores in brief: Sindh won the toss and opted to bat against Balochistan at the LCCA Ground, Lahore Sindh 644 for 6 (declared) 165.1 overs (Saud Shakeel 181, Khurram Manzoor 174, Saad Khan 87, Omair bin Yousuf 71, Fawad Alam 62 not out; Kashif Bhatti 3-142) Balochistan 240 for 2, 64 overs (Imran Butt 105 not out, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 52; Aaliyan Mehmood 1-47) Toss uncontested – Central Punjab chose to field against Southern Punjab at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Southern Punjab 550 for 8 (declared) 126 overs (Salman Ali Agha 158 not out, Zeeshan Ashraf 145, Imran Rafiq 117, Hasan Ali 38; Qasim Akram 3-43, Umaid Asif 2-87) Central Punjab 415 for 4, 98 overs (Qasim Akram 138, Muhammad Saad 135 not out, Imran Dogar 44; Sameen Gul 2-83) Toss uncontested – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chose to field against Northern at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Northern 223 all out, 72.2 overs (Rohail Nazir 82, Mubasir Khan 31; Ihsanullah 4-41, Niaz Khan 3-59) and 46 for 4, 25 overs (Hasan Raza 20 not out, Rohail Nazir 18 not out; Mohammad Imran 3-19) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 444 all out, 132.4 overs (Maaz Sadaqat 91, Kamran Ghulam 81, Mohammad Imran 55 not out, Mohammad Haris 52; Kashif Ali 3-90, Mehran Mumtaz 2-86)  

Sports Bulletin Report KABUL: Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced an 18-man squad for the upcoming three-match One Day Internationals series, which will be rolled into action on November 25, 2022 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka. Afghanistan included a new face in the squad Noor Ahmed, an 18 years old spin bowler and Gulbadin Naib former skipper of the national team will be replacing injured hard hitter left-handed batter Hazratullah Zazai. The rest of the squad is on expected lines, with Hashmatullah Shahidi leading the team. He is expected to form the fulcrum of the top order alongside Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah. Mohammad Nabi, who recently stepped down as the T20 captain after a disappointing World Cup campaign where Afghanistan failed to win a single game, has also been included. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman headline the bowling unit. All three match will be played at the same venue and series will be part of the ODI Super League. Afghanistan are currently placed seventh on the Super League points table with ten wins from 12 matches. Names of selected players: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Ibrahim Zadran, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Noor Ahmad, Rashid Khan, Riaz Hassan, Shahidullah Kamal, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia-ur-Rehman Schedule: Nov 25: 1st ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Nov 27: 2nd ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Nov 30: 3rd ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium