Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Athar Mehmood’s splendid figures of six for 40 engineered Northern’s dominating nine-wicket win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on day three of what was the fifth-round encounter of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. This was Northern’s third win of the season and has furthered consolidated their position at the top of the six-team points table. After Northern scored 249 in reply of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 175 yesterday, the latter began the day with a trail of 56 with nine wickets in hand. But a brilliant display of fast bowling from Athar bowled out Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for just 121 runs as the right-armer accounted for Sajid Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Imran Khan Snr and Ihsanullah after he had sent back Waqar Ahmed in the closing moments of day two. This was Athar’s maiden five-wicket haul. Northern – set 48 to win - chased the target in 20.1 overs. Sindh captain Saud Shakeel converted his overnight 30 into his third century of the season. The left-hander was unbeaten on 187 off 387 balls and smashed 20 fours as Sindh scored 390 in 123 overs. The innings handed Sindh a 121-run lead over Balochistan, who find themselves in a precarious situation after losing three wickets for just 56 runs in 22 overs. Southern Punjab were stuttering in their pursuit of 377 as they had lost two wickets for 80. Usman Salahuddin and Sharoon Siraj batted at 20 and 12 after opening pair of Umar Siddiq (36) and Zain Abbas (11) was dismissed by Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Ali, who recorded his fifth first-class five-fer yesterday. Splendid centuries from Abdullah Shafique and Azhar Ali saw Central Punjab post 274 for three at a run rate of nearly five in 57 overs after the day began with the batting side on four for none. Abdullah smashed 15 fours in his unbeaten 168-ball 114 and Azhar struck 12 fours and a six in his 126-ball 108. Scores in brief: Northern beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by nine wickets at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 175, 38.5 overs (Waqar Ahmed 35, Sajid Khan 27, Imran Khan Snr 25, Sahibzada Farhan 21, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 20; Aamir Jamal 5-38, Athar Mehmood 3-95) and 121 all out, 37 overs (Rehan Afridi 29, Sajid Khan 21; Athar Mehmood 6-40, Mehran Mumtaz 2-20, Kashif Ali 2-40) Northern 249 all out, 61.2 overs (Sarmad Bhatti 114, Faizan Riaz 22; Ihsanullah 5-70, Imran Khan Snr 3-70) and 48-1, 20.1 overs (Mohammad Huraira 23, Abdul Faseeh 21 not out) Toss uncontested – Sindh opt to field against Balochistan at the Pindi Cricket Stadium Balochistan 269 all out, 90.5 overs (Haseebullah 67, Imran Butt 60, Hussain Talat 55, Haris Sohail 50, Asad Shafiq 27; Ghulam Mudassar 5-73, Abrar Ahmed 3-93, Mohammad Umar 2-36) and 56-3, 22 overs (Imran Butt 24) Sindh 390 all out, 123 overs (Saud Shakeel 187 not out, Fawad Alam 51, Mohammad Umar 44; Asad Shafiq 2-37, Kashif Bhatti 2-48, Khurram Shahzad 2-92) Toss uncontested – Southern Punjab opt to field against Central Punjab at the Multan Cricket Stadium Central Punjab 302 all out, 92.5 overs (Faheem Ashraf 87, Azhar Ali 61, Mohammad Saad 44; Sameen Gul 4-67, Mohammad Sadaqat 3-67, Mohammad Ilyas 2-61) and 274-3, 57 overs (Abdullah Shafique 114 not out, Azhar Ali 108, Tayyab Tahir 22) Southern Punjab 200 all out, 50 overs (Mohammad Imran 71, Zain Abbas 46, Ali Usman 43; Mohammad Ali 6-59, Faheem Ashraf 2-37, Umaid Asif 2-57) and 80-2, 27 overs (Umar Siddiq 36, Usman Salahuddin 20 not out)

faisal Islamabad: President, USA Tape-ball Cricket Council (USTCC), Aamir Siddiqui has revealed that the Canada cricket team would visit the United States of America (USA) for a bilateral cricket series in the first quarter of next year 2023. While talking to this reporter over his mobile Aamir Siddique, who is also vice president of International Tape-ball Cricket Council (ITBCC), further indulged that the series would be held in Houston, as the five different teams would play matches against visitors. “Our basic aim of the series is to promote tape-ball cricket, as it will be the first international tape-ball cricket tie, which will be played under the banner of ITBCC, ‘he added. He further said that each match would be played 10 overs per innings. “We want to provide an occasion to young blood to excel at international level. American youth is keen to play cricket at top level and has tremendous talent for cricket, “he replied to a question.  

Sports Bulletin Report Lahore: Right-arm fast Fatima Sana returns to the national side for the three-match ODI series and three-match T20I series against Ireland scheduled to take place in Lahore from 4 November to 16 November. The three ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 and will be played from 4-9 November at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The 20-year old Fatima was ruled out of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup held earlier this month in Sylhet, Bangladesh after she twisted her ankle playing for Barbados Royals Women in the Caribbean Premier League. Fatima replaces Diana Baig in both squads, as the latter is not part of the series due to a shoulder injury she sustained while playing in the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup. Meanwhile, the 15-player T20I squad unveiled by national women team’s chief selector Asmavia Iqbal also includes Javeria Khan. Javeria last featured for Pakistan in the shortest format was in July 2021 against the West Indies at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. The squads were finalised after deliberations amongst Asmavia Iqbal, interim head coach Saleem Jaffer and captain Bismah Maroof. There are only two changes in the T20I squad that featured in the recently concluded ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup and three changes in the ODI squad that played against Sri Lanka in Karachi in June this year. The players who missed out in the ODI squad are Anam Amin, Gull Feroza and Diana Baig (due to injury). Nashra Sandhu, Kainat Imtiaz and Umm-e-Hani come in as their replacements. In the T20Is, Javeria Khan comes in place of Sidra Nawaz. Pakistan ODI squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Umm-e-Hani Reserve players: Ayesha Naseem and Tuba Hassan Pakistan T20I squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Javeria Khan, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Nashra Sandhu, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and Tuba Hassan Reserve players: Ghulam Fatima, Sidra Nawaz and Umm-e-Hani Chief Selector Asmavia Iqbal: “I want to congratulate all the players selected for the upcoming home series against Ireland. The team performed well in the recent ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup and so we have not made many changes as we want a well-balanced and settled squad ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup taking place next year. “Fatima Sana’s comeback in the side will strengthen the fast bowling department after the team will be without their experienced pacer Diana Baig. I am sure the players will step up and perform, as important ICC Women’s Championship points will be up for grabs for direct qualification to the next ODI World Cup. “The experienced Javeria Khan has been included in the T20I squad, to boost the side’s batting and her presence at the top of the order will provide stability.” Both ODI and T20I squads will undergo a four-day camp in Lahore after their arrival in the team hotel on 25 October. The squads will have fielding and net sessions on 26 and 28 October at the NHPC and LCCA Ground, while they will feature in two intra-squad (50-over) practice games at the LCCA Ground on 27 and 29 October, respectively.  Player support personnel: Ayesha Ashhar (team manager), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach and interim head coach), Mauhtashim Rashid (fielding coach), Muhammad Zubair Ahmad (analyst), Rifat Gill (physiotherapist), Yasir Malik (strength and conditioning coach), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager), Hafiz Suliman (team doctor) and Kiran Ahazadi (team masseur). Series Itinerary 4 November – First ODI 6 November – Second ODI 9 November – Third ODI 12 November – First T20I 14 November – Second T20I 16 November – Third T20I

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka's women's team captain Chamari Athapaththu will play Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia this season. She will play for Melbourne Renegades team, replacing India's injured Harmanpreet Kaur. She (Chamari) is a well-experienced and hard hitting batswoman and is the right choice", the team head coach Simon Helmot said over the telephone.  "We expect Chamari to arrive in Australia on 26th October and she will be able to play her first season match on 29th October", the coach added. This however, is not the first time Chamari is representing the Renegades team in the WBBL. Last season, she had notched up her maiden entry in the WBBL with a half century, knocking 70 runs off just 42 balls, helping the Perth Scorchers to -182 against the Sydney Thunder.

Sports Bulletin Report Melbourne (AUS): Pakistan's left-handed batter Shan Masood was struck on the right hand side of his head during a practice session at the MCG on Friday and officials took no risk with the 33-year-old as they took him straight to hospital for observation. The incident means Masood's place in Pakistan's XI for their T20 World Cup opener against India on Sunday is in doubt, pending tests, with fellow leftie Fakhar Zaman in contention to replace him. The latest update overnight from the PCB team in Australia is that Masood’s neurological observations are normal. The CT scan revealed a superficial bruising in the area where he struck, but he is currently asymptomatic. The batter will undergo a concussion re-test tomorrow. Masood was likely to come in after star duo Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and bat at No.3 for Pakistan during the T20 World Cup given he appeared in this position for much of the recent tri-series in New Zealand. The left-hander only managed 64 runs from four hits during the matches against Bangladesh and the Kiwis, but has been the preferred choice for that crucial top-order spot for Pakistan in recent times.

BIPIN DANI Karthik Meiyappan's three Sri Lankan victims were a beauty to watch, according to his father Meiyappan Palaniappan. On Tuesday, the 22-year-old leg-spinner Karthik became UAE's first hat-trick achiever in T-20Is against Sri Lanka at the GMHBA Stadium, South Geelong, Victoria in the 6th match in the First Round Group A match in ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Dubai, he said, "Whilst all 3 wickets were a beauty to watch, my personal favourite was of Bhanuka's wicket. Karthik, whom I spoke to, had really anticipated what Bhanuka Rajapaksa would be doing and made him commit the error". Charith Asalanka and captain Dasun Shanaka-both golden duck victims-were part of bowler's hat-trick. "Captain's wicket was one peach of a delivery and the moment the ball was released, I was very confident he would get the wicket". "We have no words to express the feeling, the entire family was so thrilled. Thanks to the Almighty, it worked for Karthik yesterday. I felt he should not have missed the caught and bowled opportunity of the last ball of his 4th over". "More than personal accolades, we always believe in the success of the team. Unfortunately, the team couldn't pull it out in the two games so far. So, it's a mixed feeling for us", the father added.  Incidentally, Karthik Meiyappan was born in India but the family had to migrate to the UAE because of his father's profession. The father is working as Director - PMO compliance in Expo 2020. The Expo was over last year (due to the Covid pandemic it was deferred to 2021) and the event company is finishing the contract and in the process of dissolution. Karthik, who was born in Chennai, started cricket in Coimbatore. "We wish to thank all the academies (Springs Sports, Zayed Cricket Academy, G Force, ICC and Desert Cubs) that helped my son to go to this level". "Karthik went through a training program through Sports Mechanics, where he was trained by the Indian greats L. Sivaramakrishnan, Venkatramana, and Robin Singh. Even Dougie Brown, Arunabanda and Kedar Guru and maternal uncle Senthil helped him in his success journey", the father added.  "Karthik is the eldest in our family and is well supported by his sister Lobha and mother Selvi", the dad signed off. 

Sports Bulletin Report Melbourne (AUS): The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is well underway, with the Super-12 stage of the event starting on Saturday and Pakistan taking on India in their opener in Melbourne on Sunday. Last year’s beaten semi-finalists have an outstanding record in the Men’s T20 World Cup and find themselves right among the favourites again this time around in Australia. And ahead of their Super-12 opener against rivals India on Sunday – we look at the Pakistan team in focus. 2022 prospects Pakistan have been drawn in Group 2 of the Super-12, alongside India, South Africa, Bangladesh. They have also been joined by Zimbabwe and the Netherlands from the group stage. In order to back up last year’s efforts, where they suffered defeat to eventual winners Australia in the semi-final, they will need to finish in the top two of their group. They come into the tournament in form though, winning four of their five matches in the tri-series with New Zealand and Bangladesh. Prior to the series in Christchurch, they ultimately suffered a 4-3 defeat in the seven-match T20 series with England. There is no doubt that Pakistan will be among the front-runners and will be expecting to advance past the Super-12 and into the semi-finals once again – although clashes with South Africa and India will be tough. T20 World Cup history Pakistan’s Men’s T20 World Cup history is nothing short of outstanding, reaching the semi-finals in five of the seven editions. They reached the final of the inaugural competition in South Africa in 2007, losing by just five runs to India after Gautam Gambhir’s 75 inspired the Indian side to victory. Two years later, they were the side lifting the trophy, with Shahid Afridi’s unbeaten 54 and Abdul Razzaq’s three for 20 seeing Pakistan to an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at Lord’s. Despite their excellent record, that is the last time Pakistan reached the final, suffering back-to-back semi-final defeats in 2010 and 2012 against Australia and Sri Lanka, respectively. The 2014 World Cup saw Pakistan miss out on the semi-finals for the first time, and in 2016 they again missed out, meaning a long five-year wait until last year’s tournament in the UAE and Oman – in which they reached their first semi-final in nine years, but despite Mohammad Rizwan’s 67 and Shadab Khan’s four for 26, they endured yet another semi-final defeat at the hands of Australia. Best batters There are no prizes for guessing Pakistan’s best batter, as he is also the world’s best batter, with Rizwan sitting on top of the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. Averaging a phenomenal 52.34, Rizwan has one hundred and 22 fifties from just 62 innings, with a recent 69 in the win over Bangladesh last week showcasing his form heading into the T20 World Cup. That bodes well for the Super-12, with Pakistan facing Bangladesh, while against their other key opponents in the Super-12, India and South Africa, Rizwan averages an outrageous 96.5 and 62.16 respectively. Rizwan has formed what is surely the best opening batting pairing in world cricket with Babar Azam, who himself sits third in the current ICC T20I Player Rankings. Pakistan’s captain averages 43.66, slightly less than Rizwan, but he has racked up two hundreds and 29 fifties and like Rizwan, comes into the World Cup in excellent form, scoring 55 in that victory over Bangladesh, while also scoring his second T20 international hundred against England, scoring 110 as Rizwan hit 88 not out in a ten-wicket victory. Best bowlers Pakistan may have two of the best batters on the planet, but they are not short of outstanding bowling as New Zealand and Bangladesh recently found out. Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan are two to really keep an eye on, but there is plenty of bowling in the Pakistan line-up, with Mohammad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz in particular on top form in recent weeks and Shaheen Shah Afridi coming back from injury for this tournament. Haris is a man who will strike fear into top order batters around the globe though, averaging just 23.03 and taking 64 wickets in his 50 matches, but he is joined by Pakistan’s extraordinary young all-rounder Shadab. Just 24, Shadab has already been a major part of the Pakistan team with both bat and ball for a number of years, taking 87 wickets at an average of 22.29 since his debut five years ago and he is once again going to be a key member of the side, with his leg breaks proving incredibly effective.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: All-rounder Aamir Jamal recorded his first-class career’s second five-wicket haul on the first day of the fifth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 returning five for 38 for Northern against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. The right-armer accounted for Kamran Ghulam, Adil Amin, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Imran Khan Snr and Irfanullah Shah as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 175 in just 38.5 overs. Northern captain’s decision to not to contest the toss and opt for bowling paid dividends as the top-score in the innings was only 35 from opener Waqar Ahmed. Northern’s Athar Mehmood took three wickets for 95. Northern, who already dominate the six-team points table, bagged six points (three for bowling out the opposition inside 100 overs and other three for restricting them under 200). At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Balochistan were 256 for five in 83.3 overs against Sindh as Imran Butt (60), Haseebullah (57 not out), Hussain Talat (54 not out) and Haris Sohail (50) scored half-centuries. The pair of Haseebullah and Hussain had put together 108-run stand for the sixth wicket by stumps. Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed was amongst the wicket-takers once again. He took three wickets for 93 and Ghulam Mudassar had taken two wickets for 69. The first day of the Punjab Derby at the Multan Cricket Stadium saw Faheem Ashraf and Azhar Ali score half-centuries after Southern Punjab elected to bowl. Faheem Ashraf was unbeaten on 67, while Azhar made 61 before he was dismissed by Mohammad Sadaqat. Sadaqat and Mohammad Ilyas took two wickets each as Central Punjab were 244 for six after 79 overs. Scores in brief: Toss uncontested – Northern opt to field against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 175, 38.5 overs (Waqar Ahmed 35, Sajid Khan 27, Imran Khan Snr 25, Sahibzada Farhan 21, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 20; Aamir Jamal 5-38, Athar Mehmood 3-95) Toss uncontested – Sindh elect to opt against Balochistan at the Pindi Cricket Stadium Balochistan 256-5, 83.3 overs (Imran Butt 60, Haseebullah 57 not out, Hussain Talat 54 not out, Haris Sohail 50; Abrar Ahmed 3-93, Ghulam Mudassar 2-69) Toss uncontested – Southern Punjab opt to field against Central Punjab at the Multan Cricket Stadium Central Punjab 244-6, 79 overs (Faheem Ashraf 67 not out, Azhar Ali 61, Mohammad Saad 44; Mohammad Ilyas 2-41, Mohammad Sadaqat 2-52)

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: The fifth round action of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 will commence from tomorrow, 21 October, at three different venues of the country with Northern leading the table with 68 points. Defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are sitting at the bottom with 26 points. In the fifth round, Northern will take on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, fourth-placed Balochistan will take on second-placed Sindh. This match will be live-streamed on PCB YouTube channel. The third fixture of the round will be a Punjab derby, Central Punjab – who occupy the third spot – will take on fifth-placed Southern Punjab. Central Punjab’s right-handed batter Tayyab Tahir leads the batting chart with 449 runs from four matches at an average of 112.25. Tayyab has struck three centuries, which included 39 fours and 11 sixes. Tayyab’s teammate Abdullah Shafique, who has represented Pakistan in 11 international matches, is second on the batting chart, scoring 412 runs from four outings in the tournament at an average of 82.40. Abdullah has till date struck one century and two half-centuries in the tournament. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sahibzada Farhan and Northern’s Faizan Riaz are the other two batters to score 400 runs in the competition so far. In the bowling chart, Sindh’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed leads the roster with 20 scalps from two matches. He has one four-fer and three five-fers from the four innings with six for 100 being his best figures in an innings this season. He was the standout bowler for Sindh in their comprehensive 10-wicket win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the fourth round match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. Abrar’s teammate left-arm fast Mir Hamza occupies the third spot with 13 wickets from three matches. Between Abrar and Hamza is Northern’s right-arm off-spinner Mubasir Khan, who has taken 17 wickets from four games including a four-fer. Meanwhile, three matches in the fifth round of Cricket Associations Championship will also be played from tomorrow at three different venues in Karachi. Central Punjab continue to lead the points table with 75 points, bagging three wins from four outings. They will take on fourth-placed Southern Punjab at the NBP Sports Complex. Second-placed Sindh (59 points) will square off against third-placed Balochistan (55 points) at the KCCA Stadium. The two sides ranked at the bottom – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Northern will play against each other at the UBL Sports Complex. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (fifth round matches, 21-24 October): Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Northern, Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad Central Punjab v Southern Punjab, Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan Balochistan v Sindh, Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Sports Report Melbourne: Australia have made only one change to the squad that emerged victorious in 2021 and will aim to become the first team to retain the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. That brings Tim David into the fray, a burly Singapore-born batter who hit 16 of the 86 balls he faced in the IPL in 2022 for six. Finch has largely used him at six in the early days of his T20 international career, marking a subtle shift in orthodoxy that has seen power hitters traditionally placed high in the order. There is no place for all-rounder Cameron Green, a selection call that has raised eyebrows, with Australia placing faith in some of the world’s greatest multi-format players. They rightly sit among the favourites to win the whole thing with conditions suiting them down to the ground and home crowds squarely behind them. T20 World Cup history Australia didn’t start well at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. As reigning Men’s Cricket World Cup champions, their first game ended in five-wicket defeat to Zimbabwe. They recovered to make the semi-finals and their turbulent relationship with T20 continued with a group-stage exit in 2009. Australia were well beaten by rivals England in the 2010 final and reached the semi-finals in 2012, always in contention but never quite managing to produce the complete knockout performance. It looked like they had been left behind by the rest of the world when they failed to navigate the Super 10 in both 2014 and 2016 but a rousing run to the final last year wiped the slate clean. Best batters Why not start with David Warner, whose three half-centuries and 289 runs were pivotal to the 2021 triumph? This month Warner smacked 75 against West Indies and 73 against England to suggest he is rounding into form once again. The batting order is finely balanced between power and poise, with skipper Finch offering a steady hand on the tiller and Matthew Wade one of the finest finishers in the game. They will hope to see an upturn in fortunes for Glenn Maxwell and that David comes off on major event debut. Best bowlers Australia’s gun-pace attack has reinvented itself in the T20 format with the outstanding Pat Cummins capable of taking the ball in any given situation. Josh Hazelwood and Mitchell Starc combine to form a peerless battery that will make merry on fast, bouncy surfaces. Concerns remain over the spin bowling department and an over-reliance on Adam Zampa. Finch’s plans will be tested if teams manage to hit the leg-spinner out of the attack.