Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): Pakistan icon Babar Azam on Thursday revealed the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, as well as scooping the Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year prize. Earlier, Pakistan duo Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf were named in the ICC Men’s T20I team of the year while all-rounder Nida Dar was included in the ICC Women’s T20I team of the year. Babar Azam – Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy By winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, Babar becomes the second winner from Pakistan in consecutive years, emulating the feat of his teammate Shaheen Shah Afridi, who won the prize in 2021. Babar also set new records in 2022, not least becoming the first, and still the only, player to win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award on two occasions. Picking up where he left off in 2021, Babar enjoyed another momentous year, captaining his side to two Finals, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. At the crease, he piled on the runs in all formats, scoring over 2,500 international runs across ODIs, T20Is and Tests, ending the year as the leading run-scorer in the latter. The Pakistan batter also claims the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award for a second successive year – the first to do this since Virat Kohli in 2017 and 2018. Babar consolidated his position atop the ODI batter rankings thanks to his staggering scoring consistency, registering 679 runs in 9 matches at an average of 84.87. Within these numbers came notable performances against the likes of Australia, West Indies and New Zealand. Reacting to the awards, Babar said: “I feel humbled to have been voted as winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and join the ranks of some of the most iconic and respected names who have previously won the biggest and most prestigious individual award in our great sport. I continue to look up to these players as well as champions of the past for inspiration, motivation and improvement. “As cricket is a team sport, this recognition and achievement would not have been possible without the overwhelming support of my family, team, fans and the institution, to all of whom I am greatly indebted and thankful. “Every match I played for Pakistan has been special and memorable, but the most satisfying and accomplishing aspect for me was to compete and perform in front of my home fans against Australia, England and New Zealand’s touring sides. Of course, reaching the finals of two major tournaments in the United Arab Emirates and Australia were also some of the highlights for me and my team, and we hope to do better this year, which is going to be equally demanding but highly rewarding.”

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): India fast bowler Mohammad Siraj has grabbed the top position for bowlers in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings after a superb show in the home series against New Zealand which his team won 3-0 to take No.1 position in the team rankings. The 28-year-old took five wickets in the two matches that he played in, including a haul of four for 46 in the first ODI on his home ground of Hyderabad. This followed another fruitful series against Sri Lanka, in which he had finished with nine wickets to move up to number three. Other Indian bowlers to be No. 1 in the ODI rankings are Kapil Dev, Maninder Singh, Anil Kumble, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah. Siraj’s new-ball partner in the New Zealand series, Mohammad Shami, too has moved up the rankings, up 11 places to 32nd position after taking four wickets in two matches. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and seam bowler Shardul Thakur have reaped the gains of finishing with six wickets each in the series. Yadav has moved from 21st to 19th while Thakur has progressed five places and is 35th. Opener Shubman Gill led the charge of India’s batters as he stormed into the top 10 for the first time. His Player of the Series effort of 360 runs, that included a double-century and a century, has lifted him 20 spots to sixth position. He is now the leading India batter in the rankings, one slot above Virat Kohli. Captain Rohit Sharma’s 186 runs in the series have helped him move up two slots to eighth position while all-rounder Hardik Pandya has progressed in all three lists. He is up six places to 75th among batters, has gained 26 slots to reach 80th position among bowlers and has moved from 32nd to17th in the list of all-rounders. Michael Bracewell, who was the leading run-scorer for New Zealand with 188 runs, has rocketed 71 places to 85th position while Devon Conway has moved up from 50th to 37th. In the latest weekly update which also considers performances in the three-match series between Zimbabwe and Ireland that was drawn 1-1, Ireland batter Harry Tector has advanced 12 places to 13th position after leading the series aggregate with 176 runs. Zimbabwe star Sikandar Raza (up two places to 31st) is another batter to progress after the series while Ireland seam bowlers Joshua Little and Mark Adair have both advanced after finishing with five wickets each in the series. Little has progressed 27 places to 33rd position and Adair is up 46 places to 57th.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) today completed announcements of the ICC Teams of the Year, a feature of the ICC Awards 2022 which captures the best combined XIs across the different formats of men’s and women’s international cricket after an action-packed year of competition. ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year: 1 Usman Khawaja (Aus) 2 Kraigg Brathwaite (WI) 3 Marnus Labuschagne (Aus) 4 Babar Azam (Pak) 5 Jonny Bairstow (Eng) 6 Ben Stokes (c) (Eng) 7 Rishabh Pant (wk) (Ind) 8 Pat Cummins (Aus) 9 Kagiso Rabada (SA) 10 Nathan Lyon (Aus) 11 James Anderson (Eng) ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year: 1 Alyssa Healy (wk) (Aus) 2 Smriti Mandhana (Ind) 3 Laura Wolvaardt (SA) 4 Nat Sciver (Eng) 5 Beth Mooney (Aus) 6 Harmanpreet Kaur (c) (Ind) 7 Amelia Kerr (NZ) 8 Sophie Ecclestone (Eng) 9 Ayabonga Khaka (SA) 10 Renuka Singh (Ind) 11 Shabnim Ismail (SA) ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year: 1 Babar Azam (c) (Pak) 2 Travis Head (Aus) 3 Shai Hope (WI) 4 Shreyas Iyer (Ind) 5 Tom Latham (wk) (NZ) 6 Sikandar Raza (Zim) 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Ban) 8 Alzarri Joseph (WI) 9 Mohammed Siraj (Ind) 10 Trent Boult (NZ) 11 Adam Zampa (Aus) ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year: 1 Smriti Mandhana (Ind) 2 Beth Mooney (Aus) 3 Sophie Devine (c) (NZ) 4 Ash Gardner (Aus) 5 Tahlia McGrath (Aus) 6 Nida Dar (Pak) 7 Deepti Sharma (Ind) 8 Richa Ghosh (wk) (Ind) 9 Sophie Ecclestone (Eng) 10 Inoka Ranaweera (SL) 11 Renuka Singh (Ind) ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year: 1 Jos Buttler (c) (wk) (Eng) 2 Mohammad Rizwan (Pak) 3 Virat Kohli (Ind) 4 Suryakumar Yadav (Ind) 5 Glenn Phillips (NZ) 6 Sikandar Raza (Zim) 7 Hardik Pandya (Ind) 8 Sam Curran (Eng) 9 Wanindu Hasaranga (SL) 10 Haris Rauf (Pak) 11 Josh Little (Ire)

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): India have been fined 60 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against New Zealand in the first ODI in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Javagal Srinath of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after India were ruled to be three overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. India captain Rohit Sharma pled guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Anil Chaudhary and Nitin Menon, third umpire K N Ananthapadmanabhan and fourth umpire Jayaraman Madanagopal leveled the charge.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): The Event Technical Committee of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 has approved Yashasri Soppadhandhi as a replacement for Hurley Gala in the India squad. Soppadhandhi was named as a replacement after Gala was ruled out following the laceration of her right thumb which required stitches and ruled her out of participating in the remainder of the tournament.  The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad. The Event Technical committee of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 consists of Sarah Edgar (Chair), ICC Senior Manager Event Operations, Snehal Pradhan, ICC Women’s Cricket Manager, Sivuyile Mqingwana, Tournament Director, Claire Terblanche, (Cricket South Africa), Lydia Greenway (Independent), Stacy-Ann King (Independent).

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the upcoming programme for the ICC Awards 2022, which seeks to celebrate the outstanding cricketers who excelled on the world stage during the calendar year. The year saw many memorable moments and performances across the global game, including the thrilling action which characterised the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, and the incredible drama of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. The ICC Awards 2022 will comprise a total of 13 categories, with awards honouring individuals who shone in specific formats, and also across multiple formats in the overall categories - the coveted Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year, and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. Shortlist Announcements Shortlists for nine of the 13 categories will be revealed between 28 – 30 December on ICC official channels. Each shortlist will feature four names. 28 December sees the shortlists for ICC Emerging Men’s and Women’s Cricketers of the Year revealed. 29 December sees nominees announced for the Men’s and Women’s ODI Cricketers of the Year, and the Men’s and Women’s T20I Cricketers of the Year. 30 December will see the final shortlists revealed, the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. Shortlists for these categories have been determined by a specialist panel of cricket writers and broadcasters, who identified the star performers based on statistics and overall achievements in international cricket through the calendar year. Voting Voting in the ICC Awards 2022 will then commence in early January 2023, where a wider selection of global media representatives, the ICC Voting Academy, will submit their selections alongside global cricket fans, who will once again be encouraged to vote at icc-cricket.com for their winners. Results of the ICC Voting Academy selections and the fans’ vote will be combined to determine the winner in each of these nine categories. ICC Men’s and Women’s Associate Cricketers of the Year will also be announced from the action in 2022. These categories will not feature shortlists and will be determined solely by the ICC Voting Academy. Also announced as part of the ICC Awards is the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award. This accolade honours an action, moment, gesture, or decision on the field of play in international cricket during the year which best reflects the Spirit of Cricket, with the winning entry selected by the ICC. Finally, the ICC Umpire of the Year Award will celebrate the outstanding umpire from the calendar year. This award is determined by votes collected from the Emirates Elite Panel of Match Referees, as well as playing captains from ICC Full Member nations. In addition to the individual awards, five ICC Teams of the Year will be also decided by the ICC Voting Academy, identifying the standout XIs from the international stage in men’s and women’s cricket. Following the conclusion of the voting period, winners of the ICC Awards 2022 will be announced later in January 2023. ICC Awards 2022 – categories: Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year ICC Emerging Men’s Cricketer of the Year ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year ICC Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Year ICC Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Year ICC Spirit of Cricket Award ICC Umpire of the Year

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE): England captain Jos Buttler claims the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award after being at his remarkable best with the bat in his side’s charge to T20 World Cup triumph in Australia last month, while Pakistan opening batter Sidra Ameen is named ICC Women’s Player of the Month for posting mammoth scores in the recent successful ODI series against Ireland on home soil. Buttler and Ameen secure the awards following a global vote conducted among media representatives, ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and fans registered at icc-cricket.com. England’s triumphant skipper Buttler once again underlined his reputation as one of the most fearsome batters in world cricket last month. November started with a Player of the Match performance in the dramatic 20-run victory over New Zealand in Brisbane. Making his 100th T20I appearance, the opener smashed 73 from 47 balls to provide some much-needed momentum to England’s campaign. After England had secured their passage to the knockout stages, he followed this display with arguably his highlight of the tournament. Chasing 169 for victory in the semi-final against India, he demonstrated the full array of his strokeplay in smashing 80 from 49 balls. His record-breaking opening partnership of 170 with Alex Hales saw them claim a historic ten-wicket win in Adelaide. Even though his scoring in the Final was somewhat quiet by his standards, Buttler registered a valuable 26 runs against a menacing Pakistan bowling attack. He then led the efforts in the field with his expert captaincy, forcing Pakistan to fall short, and claiming England’s second ever T20 World Cup trophy. Buttler claims the award from a field which also contained teammate and fellow World Cup winner Adil Rashid, and Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, both of whom played significant roles with the ball, guiding their sides all the way to the showpiece finale of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Reacting to his ICC Men’s Player of the Month prize, Buttler commented: “I want to thank the fans for voting for me as the ICC Player of the Month for November. This award is down to the efforts of my teammates in what was the most incredible month of cricket, culminating in winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. “It is right up there amongst the best months of cricket I’ve been involved in, and it was pretty special to lead a group of players to the ultimate accolade of becoming world champions." Former England international and ICC Player of the Month voting panel member Lydia Greenway, added: “Jos continues to show the world why he is one of the best white ball players to have graced the game. Fearless, skillful and a fantastic leader who, coming into the tournament had big shoes to fill following Eoin Morgan’s departure. Determined to do things his way paid off immensely in his own and his team’s performances.” Sidra Ameen secures the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award thanks to her dominant performances against Ireland in November’s ODI series, becoming the second successive winner of the prize from Pakistan after Nida Dar won back in October. Amassing 277 runs through the series and only being dismissed once, opening batter Ameen started the month with her highest score in ODIs, a remarkable 176 not out, as the hosts claimed a convincing 128-run victory in the first match. Ireland’s bowlers were left equally powerless to stop Ameen in the second ODI, as she posted another unbeaten score of 91 from 93 balls, this time to chase down the target in a nine-wicket victory. Despite finally losing her wicket in the third ODI, Ameen walked away with the Player of the Series award to cap off a memorable series, and a successful run of performances in 2022. Ameen claims her inaugural ICC Women’s Player of the Month award after beating two other prolific batters in the global vote – Thailand’s Natthakan Chantham and Ireland’s Gaby Lewis, who both piled on the runs in their respective matches during the month. On winning the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for November, Ameen commented: “I feel great to have won this award. It is also special following my teammate Nida Dar who won the award for October. This shows our team has displayed some great performances in the past few months in international cricket. “I would like to dedicate this award to my parents and to everyone who has always supported me and prayed for my success. My performance with the bat against Ireland which helped the side claim the sweep over Ireland in the ODI series at home will always remain close to my heart. “Individually, this year has been great for me, I have scored three ODIs centuries and all coming this year. And to top it off, ending the year by winning the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for November is just amazing.”  

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE): Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne has overtaken England’s Joe Root to grab the top spot for batters in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after becoming just the eighth player to score a double-century and a century in the same Test. Labuschagne, who was just two points behind Root before the two ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Tests completed over the past week, now enjoys a healthy lead at the top even as Root has slipped to fourth place – behind Steve Smith and Babar Azam. Smith himself has gained two slots after contributing to the win with unbeaten scores of 200 and 20, along with Labuschagne registering the fifth instance of two Australians scoring double-centuries in the same Test. Smith’s tally of 893 rating points is his highest since January 2021. Off-spinner Nathan Lyon has moved up one place to 15th among bowlers after an eight-wicket haul that helped complete a 164-run victory and consolidate his team’s top position in the WTC points table. For the West Indies, captain Kraigg Brathwaite is back in the top 20 after scores of 64 and 110 in the Perth Test while Kyle Mayers has progressed to 41st in the bowlers’ rankings. England’s epic 74-run win in the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi reflects in the rankings for their batters as well as the seam bowling pair of James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, who finished with five wickets each in the match. Centurions Zak Crawley (up two places to 46th), Harry Brook (up 90 places to 70th), Ben Duckett (re-entered at 127th place) and Ollie Pope (up two rating points) have all gained in the weekly update as have Anderson (up two places to third) and Robinson (up seven places to a career-best eighth). Pakistan openers Abdullah Shafique (up five places to 15th) and Imam-ul-Haque (up 12 places to 38th) have attained career-best rankings after slamming centuries in the first innings and figuring in a 225-run stand. Naseem Shah has progressed five places to 54th with five wickets in the match while other fast bowler Zahid Mahmood’s six-wicket haul helps him enter the rankings in 109th position. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings, India’s Shreyas Iyer has moved up seven places to joint-20th after scores of 24 in the first match of their ongoing series against Bangladesh and 49 in the preceding final match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League series against New Zealand. Charith Asalanka of Sri Lanka (up three places to 34th), Lokesh Rahul of India (up four places to 35th) and Afghanistan’s Najibullah Zadran (up four places to 41st) are among the others to progress in the rankings for ODI batters. Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan has gained four slots to reach sixth in the ODI bowlers’ rankings after grabbing four for 37 in the last match of their Super League series against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh’s star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has hopped seven places to reach ninth among bowlers after his five-wicket haul against India while Sri Lanka leg-spinner Wanindu Hasanranga and Indian pacer Mohammad Siraj are in joint-26th position. New Zealand seamer Tim Southee (up five places to 29th) and India’s Shardul Thakur (up nine places to 42nd) have also progressed.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sidra Amin have been nominated ICC Player of the Month by the International Cricket Council (ICC) today in celebration of the outstanding performances that took place across international cricket in November 2022. The shortlist for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for November features two stars of England’s T20 World Cup winning campaign. Jos Buttler was in inspired form as his side surged to glory, providing a solid platform for success both as skipper, and at the top of the order. Adil Rashid joins him in contention for the Player of the Month crown thanks to a series of restrictive and impressive bowling displays in the latter stages of the tournament. Finally, despite Pakistan falling short of claiming the T20 World Cup prize at the final hurdle, Shaheen Shah Afridi completes the lineup after his threatening spells with the ball saw him end the tournament as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker. In the ICC Women’s Player of the Month category, three opening batters stake their claim for the November prize following impressive performances in bilateral cricket. Pakistan’s Sidra Ameen celebrates her first nomination in the Player of the Month Awards as she dazzled in the victorious ODI series against Ireland in Lahore. From the opposing side, Ireland’s Gaby Lewis is named on the shortlist following impressive batting exploits in her side’s historic T20I series victory which immediately followed. Thailand’s Natthakan Chantam also enjoyed a prolific month at the crease, registering big scores in her side’s ODI series victory on home soil against the Netherlands. An independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world can now vote to decide the winners, which will be announced next week. Fans registered at icc-cricket.com/awards are invited to cast their votes until Saturday. ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for November: Shaheen Shah Afridi (PAK) Spearheading Pakistan’s bowling attack in their surge to the Men’s T20 World Cup Final, Afridi once again proved a constant threat to opposing batters. Taking ten wickets during the month at a superb average of 7.30, his stand-out figures came in the must-win battle against Bangladesh at Adelaide, where his four for 22 secured his side’s passage through to the knockout stages. Although he was withdrawn mid-way through the Final due to injury, he was key to keeping England within reach during the showpiece finale. Jos Buttler (ENG) At the top of England’s batting order, Buttler showcased his full repertoire of strokes in a series of glittering displays as his side went on to claim the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The England captain started the month in dominant fashion with a Player of the Match performance against New Zealand, registering 73 from 47 balls as his side won by 20 runs in Brisbane. He then bettered this feat in the remarkable semi-final performance against India, where his brutal 80 from 49 balls alongside Alex Hales saw them chase down the 169 target without loss. Alongside his crucial score of 26 in a tense Final, Buttler also provided leadership in the field, ending with the Trophy lift on the field at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Adil Rashid (ENG) Rashid has proven himself time and again as a world-class bowler in the shortest format and November cemented his credentials as one of the standout performers in England’s armoury. Despite having taken just four wickets across the four T20Is he played in during the month, his expert economy rate of 5.70 was pivotal to restricting opposition scores in high-pressure matches. He claimed the Player of the Match award with figures of one for 16 in the final group game against Sri Lanka at the Sydney Cricket Ground, before excelling in the Final, where the outstanding consistency he demonstrated in his figures of one for 22 was rewarded with the T20 World Cup trophy. ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees for November: Sidra Ameen (PAK) Pakistan opener Ameen enjoyed a hugely successful ODI series against Ireland last month, and will be hoping to celebrate her first ICC Player of the Month Award after scoring 277 runs across the three-match series in Lahore and only being dismissed once. She was in imperious form with the bat, recording her highest score of 176 not out in the first ODI, followed up with an unbeaten 91 from 93 balls as Pakistan claimed the whitewash victory 3-0 over the tourists in Lahore, and she walked away with the Player of the Series prize. Natthakan Chantham (THA) Chantham has been a key player for Thailand as they continue their rise in international cricket, and her first ODI appearances for her country underlined her abilities as a top-class batter. She is named on the shortlist after guiding Thailand to a 4-0 series win over a touring Netherlands in Chiangmai. Scoring 267 runs across the four matches, the Thailand opener registered her first century in this format in the first game (102 from 135 balls), and followed this up with two further half centuries in the successful series. Gaby Lewis (IRE) Ireland’s Gaby Lewis is no stranger to the ICC Player of the Month awards, and sees her name shortlisted for the fourth time. Despite losing the ODI series to Pakistan, Ireland bounced back strongly in the three T20Is which followed. Winning the first match thanks in large part to Lewis’ unbeaten 69 from 54 balls, they then secured the historic series victory in the final game with Lewis once again starring as opening batter. Her stylish 71 from 46 sealed the triumph and a Player of the Series award to cap off the memorable month.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE): India have been fined 80 percent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against Bangladesh in the first ODI in Mirpur on Sunday. Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after India were ruled to be four overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. India captain Rohit Sharma pled guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Michael Gough and Tanvir Ahmed, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and fourth umpire Gazi Sohel leveled the charge.