Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Promising wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig will captain Pakistan Under-19 in the next month’s series against Bangladesh that will be played at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium. The two sides will face off in a solitary four-day match, three One-Days (45-over) and two T20s. The two boards have made the decision to replace the last two one-day matches with T20s to provide an all-round, all-format exposure to teenage cricketers in competitive setting of international cricket. Sixteen-year-old Saad, who hails from Karachi, has had an impressive 2022-23 season. He was the second best batter in the 50-over National U19 Cup with 299 runs at a staggering average of 99.67 and a strike rate of 109.12. The left-handed Sindh Blues batter also struck two centuries in four outings with 103 being his highest score of the tournament. Behind the stumps, he was involved in nine dismissals. Four-day squad: Saad Baig (captain) (Sindh), Abdul Basit (Northern), Ali Asfand (Central Punjab), Basit Ali (Balochistan), Habibullah (Sindh), Haseeb Nazim (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Farooq (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Ibtisam (Central Punjab), Mohammad Ismail (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Nabeel (Northern), Mohammad Shoaib (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Tayyab Arif (Central Punjab), Mohammad Zulkifal (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Naveed Ahmed (Sindh), Uzair Mumtaz (Southern Punjab) and Wahaj Riaz (Sindh) One-Day squad: Saad Baig (captain) (Sindh), Abdul Basit (Northern), Ali Asfand (Central Punjab), Ali Raza (Central Punjab), Arafat Minhas (Southern Punjab), Basit Ali (Balochistan), Habibullah (Sindh), Mohammad Farooq (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Ibtisam (Central Punjab), Mohammad Ismail (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Shoaib (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Tayyab Arif (Central Punjab), Momin Qamar (Central Punjab),  Shahzaib Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shawaiz Irfan (Central Punjab) and Uzair Mumtaz (Southern Punjab) T20 squad: Saad Baig (captain) (Sindh), Ali Asfand (Central Punjab), Ali Raza (Central Punjab), Arafat Minhas (Southern Punjab), Arham Nawab (Central Punjab), Basit Ali (Balochistan), Habibullah (Sindh), Mohammad Ibtisam (Central Punjab), Mohammad Shoaib (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Tayyab Arif (Central Punjab), Mohammad Zeeshan (Central Punjab), Momin Qamar (Central Punjab), Saad Masood (Northern), Shamyl Hussain (Northern), Shawaiz Irfan (Central Punjab) and Uzair Mumtaz (Southern Punjab) Players Support Personnel: Abdul Rehman (head coach), Gordon Parsons (bowling coach), Hanif Malik (fielding coach), Imranullah (Strength and conditioning coach), Faisal Rai (analyst) and Syed Muhammad Asad (physiotherapist) Series Itinerary: 4-7 November – Four-day match; Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad 10 November – First One-Day match; Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad 12 November – Second One-Day match; Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad 14 November – Third One-Day match; Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad 16 November – First T20; Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad 18 November – Second T20; Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

Sports Bulletin Report SHEIKHUPURA:-Shahzaib Khan’s all-round performance, helped Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Under-19 Whites to a five-wicket win over Central Punjab Under-19 Blues and clinch the National U19 Cup title here at the Rana Naveed Cricket Academy in Sheikhupura on Friday. Chasing 215 to win, last year’s finalist Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites achieved the target in the 47th over for the loss of five wickets. Left-handed batter Shahzaib top-scored with a 95-ball 73, hitting eight fours. He also took three catches and was named player of the match. The 17-year old Shahzaib added an unbeaten 49 runs for sixth wicket with wicketkeeper-batter Zubair Shinwari (19 not out, 33b, one four). For Central Punjab U19 Blues, Mohammad Zeeshan and Mohammad Maooz bagged two wickets apiece. Earlier, after opting to bat first, Central Punjab managed to score 214 for eight from their 50 overs. Opening batter Azan Awais top-scored with a 125-ball 100, which included 11 fours. The last year’s player of the tournament Azan ended up scoring 267 runs in the competition – a tally which included two half-centuries. Captain Obaid Shahid was other notable run-getter with 31 off 41 balls, striking one four and one six. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites, captain Abbas Ali bagged three wickets for 34 runs from 10 overs. Jawad Ali picked two wickets for 46 runs from eight overs. In individual awards, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites captain Abbas was named best player of the tournament for his all-round heroics, managing 172 runs and picking 10 wickets. Ali Ishaq from Sindh U19 Whites was named best batter of the tournament for scoring 316 runs from five matches at 105.33. Aftab Ibrahim representing Sindh U19 Blues was named best bowler of the tournament with 13 wickets. His teammate, Saad Baig was named the best wicketkeeper of the tournament for nine dismissals behind the stumps and scoring 299 runs. The 12 teams will now feature in the National U19 Championship later this month. The PCB will announce the schedule and squads in due course. Scores in brief: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites beat Central Punjab U19 Blues by five wickets at the Rana Naveed Cricket Academy in Sheikhupura Central Punjab U19 Blues 214-8, 50 overs (Azan Awais 100, Obaid Shahid 31; Abbas Ali 3-34, Jawad Ali 2-46) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites 216-5, 46.5 overs (Shahzaib Khan 73, Sherdil Khan 44 not out; Mohammad Zeeshan 2-38, Mohammad Maooz 2-39) Player of the final PKR 25,000: Shahzaib Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites (73 runs and three catches) Player of the tournament PKR 50,000: Abbas Ali, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites (172 runs and 10 wickets) Best Bowler of the Tournament PKR 50,000: Aftab Ibrahim, Sindh U19 Blues (13 wickets) Best Batter of the Tournament PKR 50,000: Ali Ishaq, Sindh U19 Whites (316 runs) Best wicketkeeper of the tournament PKR 50,000: Saad Baig, Sindh U19 Blues (nine dismissals and 299 runs)

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites beat Balochistan U19 Whites by 10 wickets at the Saeed Ajmal Academy in Faisalabad today to make it to the final of the National U19 Cup. The other finalist team was Central Punjab U19 Blues who topped Pool A after their final group match against Sindh U19 Blues was abandoned due to rain. The final will take place on Friday, 8 July at the Rana Naveed Cricket Academy in Sheikhupura. At the Saeed Ajmal Academy in Faisalabad, after opting to bat first, Balochistan were bundled out for 56 in the 20th over. Only Tanveer Khan (10, 27b, two fours) managed to enter into double figures. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites’ Tahir Ali and Jawad Ali bagged three wickets apiece. Mohammad Tahir and Yasir Ahmed took two wickets each. In return, it took 7.4 overs for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites opening batters to achieved the target without losing any wicket. Right-handed Afkar Durani returned unbeaten on 31 off 25 balls faced which included four fours and one six. In first abandoned match of Pool B, Northern U19 Blues after opting to bat first were 99 for one in 16 overs when play was stopped due to rain and it couldn’t resume later due to persistent rain. Opening batter Hussnain Nadeem returned unbeaten on a 51-ball 55, hitting nine fours. In another abandoned match of the group, Central Punjab U19 Whites managed to score 87 for one in 19 overs when rain stopped play and the play couldn’t resume afterwards. Opening batter Ali Zoraiz scored an unbeaten 60-ball 54, hitting eight fours. After the conclusion of fifth and final round, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites kept their 100 per cent winning record and topped Pool B. From Pool A, Central Punjab U19 Blues topped the table with nine points from five matches, winning four matches and got one point from abandoned match. The final will take place between Central Punjab U19 Blues and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites at the Rana Naveed Cricket Academy in Sheikhupura on Friday, 8 July. The toss will take place at 0900, while the first ball will be bowled at 0930.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Five teams will be crowned champions tomorrow when the finals of the inaugural Cricket Associations Divisional Under-19 tournament will be played in Balochistan, Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern and Sindh. The final of the Southern Punjab will be staged at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday, 17 June. The 50-over tournament comprises best teenage cricketers from the recent City Cricket Association U19 tournament. In Balochistan, Loralai-Zhob Division will take on Quetta-Rakshan Division in the final at the Bugti Stadium tomorrow. Both teams topped the four-team table, winning two matches apiece. Naseerbad-Sibi Division and Makran-Kalat Division ended up on third and fourth position. In Central Punjab, Faisalabad Division will take on Lahore Division at Pak Lions Cricket Academy Ground in Jubliee Town. Both finalists finished with four points each along with Sargodha Division, but Sargodha Division failed to qualify on lesser net run-rate. Gujranwala-Sialkot Division finished on last spot with no wins. Hazara-Mardan Division will take on Peshawar-Kohat Division in the final of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa divisional tournament at the KMC Ground University in Peshawar.  Hazara-Mardan topped the table with three wins in as many matches, while Peshawar-Kohat Division won their two matches from three outings in the tournament. D.I.Khan-Bannu Division ended up with third spot in the tournament with one win, while Malakand Division finished at the bottom of the table with no wins. In Northern, AJK Division will take on Gilgit Baltistan Division in the final at the House of Northern, Islamabad. Both teams qualified for the final after ended up winning two matches each. Rawalpindi Division and Islamabad Division finished on third and fourth position, respectively, after winning one match each. In Sindh, the final will be played between Karachi Division and Benazirabad-MirpurKhas Division at the Academy Oval of the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi. Both teams along with Sukkar-Larkana Division finished their round matches with six points each. On better net run-rate Karachi Division and Benazirabad-MirpurKhas qualified for the final. Winless Hyderabad Division remained at the bottom of the table.

SB Report  LAHORE:-Spinners Haris Javed and Raza-ul-Hasan stole the limelight along with pacer Gufran Hadi on day one of the fourth-round of National U19 Three-Day tournament on Tuesday. At Dring Stadium Bahawalpur, Balochistan were blown away for 134 runs on the opening day of their match against Southern Punjab. Left-arm-spinner Haris Javed enjoyed a memorable day taking seven wickets for 71 runs in 18 overs. Muhammad Junaid with 24, Ghulam Sarwar and Abu Huraira with 20 runs each were the only Balochistan batsmen to offer some resistance. By close of play, Balochistan had roared back in the contest by taking seven Southern Punjab wickets, Southern Punjab ended the day at 68 for seven. Mohammad and Abu Huraira took two wickets each. Northern were bowled out for 231 runs against Central Punjab in their match at the Rana Naveed Cricket Academy, Sheikhupura. Pacer Gufran took five wickets as Central Punjab folded the Northern batting line-up, Mubasar Khan with 75 and Awais Abid with 56 were the main contributors. Abdul Fasih made 43 runs, Umer Eman took three wickets for 17 runs with his left-arm-spin. Central Punjab ended the day at 29 for one in their first innings. At Karachi’s State Bank Stadium, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 180 runs in their first innings against Sindh. Leg-spinner Raza-ul-Hasan took four wickets for 42 runs while Arish Ali Khan took three wickets for 42 runs. Sindh made a good start to their first innings and ended the day at 122 for one in 40 overs. Mubashir Nawaz fell for 60, his opening partner Taha Mahmood is batting on 39 with Kashif Ali who is 19 not out. Scores in brief: Balochistan U19 v Southern Punjab U19, Dring Stadium, Bahawalpur Balochistan U19 134 all-out, 43 overs (Muhammad Junaid 24; Haris Javed 7-71) Southern Punjab U19 68-7, 50 overs (Basit Ali 48; Muhammad 2-7, Abu Huraira 2-22) Northern U19 v Central Punjab U19, Rana Naveed Cricket Academy, Sheikhupura Northern U19 231 all-out, 80.4 overs (Mubasar Khan 75, Awais Abid 56, Abdul Fasih 43; Gufran Hadi 5-42, Umer Eman 3-17) Central Punjab U19 29-1, 5 overs (Faizan Saleem 1-7) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 v SindhU19, State Bank Stadium, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  U19 180 all-out, 56.2 overs (Maaz Sadaqat 69, Salman Khan jr 59; Raza ul Hasan 4-42, Arish Ali Khan 3-42) Sindh U19 122-1, 40 overs (Mubashir Nawaz 60, Taha Mahmood 39 not out)