Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UEA):-Rahul, whose best in the format is eighth position that he attained in November 2017, struck 123 in the first innings and was associated in an important 117-run opening partnership with Mayank Agrawal (60) as India became the first Asian team to win a Test match at the venue while gaining important points in the WTC points table powered by MRF Tyres. Agarwal has gained one place for his contribution while Ajinkya Rahane is up two places to 25th in the latest update that is carried out on Wednesdays and includes all matches that are completed by Tuesday each week. Fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami are other Indians to move up the rankings. Bumrah is up three spots to ninth after finishing with five wickets in the match while Shami’s eight wickets, including a five-for in the first innings, see him move up two places to 17th. For South Africa, captain and opener Dean Elgar has progressed two spots to 14th after a fighting 77 in the second innings while Temba Bavuma is up 16 places to 39th for his scores of 52 and 35 not out. Kagiso Rabada, who grabbed seven scalps, has advanced one place to sixth position while his fellow fast bowler Lungi Ngidi has gained 16 slots and is 30th on the list after finishing with eight wickets in the match. Debutant left-arm fast bowler Marco Jensen entered the rankings in 97th position.

Bipin Dani Things seem to have turned around for Virat Kohli very fast. As if off-the-field issues with the BCCI weren’t enough, he now has to deal with an upper back spasm too. The back problem not only ruled him out of the second Test against South Africa but also will have him waiting for a few more weeks to play his 100th Test. This is not the first time Kohli is having a back problem. “I’ve had disc issues since 2011,” he’d once said. In fact, Kohli’s back pain has troubled him more in the last three years, due to which he’s even had to miss a few matches. Ramji Srinivasan, a trainer who’s worked with the Indian team for several years, thinks Kohli needs to train smart rather than train hard. He then elaborates on what he calls ‘smart training’. “Smart training is basically an understanding of the mind and body, and to sync your workout with your biorhythm and work on how you feel on a particular day. It depends on the physical and mental sync on a particular session and how you manipulate the program according to the need of the day,” states Ramji. “So, rather than doing the same routine repeatedly, which is hard training, you focus on how you train, what you train on, why you train, when you train, etc.” The long and short of back pains The short-term solution for lower back pain in sportspersons is rest. However, according to leading strength and conditioning specialist Deckline Leitão, strengthening and observation/management of overall cricket and fitness load is the long-term solution. Deckline has worked with several Olympic athletes including Badminton World Championship bronze-medallist Lakshya Sen, who also used to suffer from lower back pain. “As cricketers and sportspersons grow older, they have to focus on being physically sound by focusing on recovery, avoiding overtraining and fancy fitness exercises, and knowing that peaking at the right time for competition is the key,” says Deckline. In fact, lower back pain is one of the prime reasons for players’ reduced performance and them missing matches. “Appropriate diagnosis by a good orthopaedic spine surgeon, basic initial rehabilitation with a physiotherapist, long-term balanced strengthening with specialists and managing overall cricket practice/competition load is the way forward,” adds Deckline. “Erratic and unplanned training for older athletes and players can stifle their playing as they don’t recover as quickly. Older players must remember that their bodies have already undergone great wear and tear over the years.” Clearly, exercise can make or break your body. Balance is the key.

Sports Bulletin Report Mount Maunganui, New Zealand (January 5, 2022):-Bangladesh defeated New Zealand by 8 wickets in the first Test at Mount Maunganui, New Zealand on Wednesday, as they got their target of 40 runs after losing their two batters. New Zealand could score only 169 runs in their second innings. Lanky fast bowler Ebadot Hussain snared six Kiwis after conceding 46 runs. Hosts restart their innings today morning, as they were 147 for five at the close of day-4. Yesterday, Will Young and Taylor had added 73 runs for the third wicket as New Zealand had got down to the business of wiping out the 130-run deficit. But shortly after Young reached his second fifty in the game, he fell to Ebadot's good-length delivery, which opened up one end for Bangladesh. Ebadot struck again a ball later when he clean bowled Henry Nicholls, and in the next over, had Tom Blundell out lbw. New Zealand lost three wickets for no runs, in the space of seven Ebadot deliveries, and that was where the match was decided for Bangladesh. Bangladesh took their time reaching the 40-run target, in 16.5 overs, during an extended first session. Shadman Islam and Najmul Hossain Shanto were dismissed caught behind, with Ross Taylor taking a superb catch off Shanto's outside edge. Fittingly, Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh's highest run-getter in Tests and their most experienced cricketer scored the winning runs, with captain Mominul Haque at the other end. Bangladesh 458 (Mominul 88, Litton 86, Boult 4-85) and 42 for 2 (Shanto 17, Mominul 13*, Mushfiqur 5*) beat New Zealand 328 (Conway 122, Nicholls 75, Shoriful 3-69, Mehidy 3-86) and 169 (Young 69, Taylor 40, Ebadot 6-46, Taskin 3-36) by eight wickets

Bipin Dani Grant Flower is all set to join Sussex County Cricket Club (SCCC)-now known as Sussex Cricket-as its batting coach. The 51-year-old Flower has experience of coaching several national teams and franchises, viz. Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and Sri Lanka. His last stint as batting coach for the Sri Lankan team ended last month. He is one of the foreigners who has not reapplied for coaching in Sri Lanka. "He will be signing Sussex as its batting coach and it will be made public on January 4", one of the sources, said exclusively over the telephone. Interestingly, the Sussex team has two different head coaches for the different formats of the game.  James Kirtley is T-20 head coach and Ian Salisbury is the head coach for the red ball game. Grant Flower's elder brother Andy Flower is named as head coach for the new Lucknow franchise team in the IPL.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE (January 4, 2022):-Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been shortlisted in five categories for the PCB Awards 2021, which are held to recognise, appreciated and reward high-performing cricketers in a calendar year. The winners will be announced Thursday, 6 January 2022. The 21-year-old left-arm fast bowler has been nominated in Impactful Performance of the Year, T20I Cricketer of the Year, ODI Cricketer of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year and Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year categories by an independent 10-member jury, which comprised former international cricketers, broadcasters and respected members of the media. Shaheen had a stellar 2021 across all formats. In nine Tests, he took 47 wickets and backed up with eight wickets in six ODIs and 23 wickets in 21 T20Is. His three for 31 against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has made him one of the four candidates for the Impactful Performance of the Year award. Run-machine Mohammad Rizwan and fast bowler Hasan Ali also had a year to celebrate, which is now reflected in their nominations. While Rizwan has earned nominations for the Impactful Performance of the Year, T20I Cricketer of the Year and Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year, Hasan Ali has been shortlisted for the Impactful Performance of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year and Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year awards. Babar Azam, Fawad Alam and Haris Rauf have been shortlisted in two categories each. Babar, who won the Most Valuable Cricketer of 2020, has once again been nominated in this category, while his other nomination is in the ODI Cricketer of the Year. Fawad Alam also makes a second successive entry in the Impactful Performance of the Year, while his second nomination is in the Test Cricketer of the Year. Haris Rauf has been shortlisted in the T20I and ODI Cricketer of the Year categories. For the Emerging Cricketer of the Year, Arshad Iqbal, Azam Khan, Mohammad Wasim Junior and Shahnawaz Dahani have been shortlisted. Players born on or after 1 August 1998 or have made international debuts in this calendar year or have played in a minimum of 15 matches in the Cricket Association events and HBL PSL in this calendar year are eligible. Player(s) once nominated in this category, cannot be re-nominated. This means Haider Ali and Mohammad Huraira, despite impressive performances, were not considered as they had been shortlisted last year. Nevertheless, Huraira has been grouped with Asif Afridi, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan and Tayyab Tahir for the Domestic Cricketer of the Year award, while Aliya Riaz, who won the award last year, has been shortlisted along with Anam Amin, Fatima and Nida Dar are in contention to win the Women’s Cricketer of the Year award. SHORTLISTS: Domestic Cricketer of the Year: : Asif Afridi (59 wickets in Pakistan Cup, National T20 and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy)  Iftikhar Ahmed (1,456 runs in Pakistan Cup, National T20 and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy) Mohammad Huraira (986 runs in his debut Quaid-e-Azam Trophy) Sahibzada Farhan (1869 runs in Pakistan Cup, National T20 and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy)  Tayyab Tahir (1,670 runs in Pakistan Cup, National T20 and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Emerging Cricketer of the Year (Players born on or after 1 August 1998 or have made international debuts in this calendar year or have played in a minimum of 15 matches in the Cricket Association events and HBL PSL in this calendar year are eligible. Player(s) once nominated in this category, cannot be re-nominated).  Arshad Iqbal  Azam Khan Mohammad Wasim Jnr Shahnawaz Dahani Women’s Cricketer of the Year  Aliya Riaz (11 ODIs, 382 runs; 6 T20Is, 94 runs; 364 runs in Pakistan Women’s Cup) Anam Amin (9 ODIs, 15 wickets; 6 T20Is, 7 wickets) Fatima Sana (13 ODIs, 20 wickets; 3 T20Is, 4 wickets; 6 wickets in Pakistan Women’s Cup) Nida Dar (10 ODIs, 363 runs and 6 wickets; 6 T20Is, 95 runs and 7 wickets; 146 runs and 14 wickets in Pakistan Women’s Cup) Impactful performance of the year Fawad Alam (109 v SA, 1st Test) Hasan Ali (10-114 v SA, 2nd Test) Mohammad Rizwan (79* v India, T20 World Cup) Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-31 v India, T20 World Cup) T20I Cricketer of the Year Haris Rauf (23 T20Is, 25 wickets) Mohammad Rizwan (29 T20Is, 1,326 runs) Shadab Khan (18 T20Is, 20 wickets, Eco. 6.64) Shaheen Shah Afridi (21 T20Is, 23 wickets. Eco. 7.86) ODI Cricketer of the Year Babar Azam (6 ODIs, 405 runs) Fakhar Zaman (6 ODIs, 365 runs) Haris Rauf (6 ODIs, 13 wickets) Shaheen Shah Afridi (6 ODIs, 8 wickets) Test Cricketer of the Year Abid Ali (9 Tests, 695 runs) Fawad Alam (9 Tests, 571 runs) Hasan Ali (9 Tests, 41 wickets) Shaheen Shah Afridi (9 tests, 47 wickets) Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year Babar Azam (8 Tests, 416 runs; 6 ODIs, 405 runs; 29 T20Is, 939 runs) Hasan Ali (8 tests, 41 wickets; 4 ODIs, 7 wickets; 18 T20Is, 25 wickets) Mohammad Rizwan (9 Tests, 455 runs; 6 ODIs, 134 runs; 29 T20Is, 1,326 runs; total dismissal 56) Shaheen Shah Afridi (9 Tests, 47 wickets; 6 ODIs, 8 wickets; 21 T20Is, 23 wickets)

Sports Bulletin Report Mount Maunganui, New Zealand (January 4, 2022):-Hosts New Zealand are still in 17 runs deficit, as Bangladeshi pacer Ebadot Hossain (4 for 17), a magical piece of bowling help his side to control the Test at the end of fourth days game at Mount Maunganui, New Zealand on Tuesday. Hosts were 147 for five at the close of day. Summarized Scorecard: Toss: Bangladesh, elected to field first Day-3 (New Zealand vs Bangladesh): New Zealand Batting (First Innings): 328 all out in 108.1 overs Devon Conway 122 (227 balls, 4X16, 6X1), Ross Taylor 31 (64 balls 4X5), Henry Nicholls 75 (127 balls 4X12). Bangladesh Bowling (First Innings): Shoriful Islam (3 for 69), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (3 for 86), Mominul Haque (2 for 6). BANGLADESH Batting (First Innings): 458 all out Liton Das 86 (177 balls 4X10), Mominul Haque 88 (244 balls 4X12), Mahmudul Hasan Joy 78 (228 balls, 4X7). New Zealand Bowling (First Innings): Trent Boult (4 for 85), Neil Wagner (3 for 101), Tim Southee (2 for 114) New Zealand Batting (Second innings):- 147 for 5 in 63 overs Will Young 69 (172 balls 4X7), Ross Taylor 37 not out (101 balls 4X2) Bangladesh Bowling (Second Innings): Taskin Ahmed (1 for 22), Ebadot Hossain (4 for 17).  

Bipin Dani Sri Lanka Cricket's (SLC) Brain Centre has been closed; it is learnt.  According to highly placed sources close to the Centre, three people working there were found Covid-19 positives and the authorities had no option to close it at least for a week. One among the three cases of corona positive cases is the Center coordinator Sampath Hettiarachchige, who has also worked with the national cricketers. "He has been hospitalized and is recovering well", the source added. The other sad news is : Hashan Tillakaratne, the women's team coach too, was tested positive just six days before the Malaysia tour. He is set to miss Sri Lanka's women's team tour for the Commonwealth Games Qualifier tournament. He is set to be replaced by Lanka Silva as coach.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE (January 4, 2022):-In what was another boost for the HBL Pakistan Super League, Trans Group International today submitted the highest bid, pursuant to a public tender process, for the brand partnership rights for a four-year-term, beginning in 2022 and stretching till 2025. The brand partnership rights were divided into two categories: seven category rights and one umpire sponsorship rights. In a highly competitive bidding process, Trans Group International submitted their bids for category rights and umpire sponsorship rights at mammoth increase of 219 and 168 per cent from the last deals. PCB Chief Operating Officer and Bid Committee Chair Salman Naseer: “Trans Group International has been a supporter of HBL Pakistan Super League since its inception and I am thankful for the continuation of their immense support to the brand. “Such substantial increase in the brand partnership rights highlights how big the brand of the HBL Pakistan Super League has become and I am sure the Pakistan cricket fans will enjoy the upcoming edition.” Trans Group International Director Rao Omar Hashim Khan: “The HBL Pakistan Super League is arguably the biggest brand in Pakistan and it brings together all Pakistanis. We are proud to be once again partnering with the Pakistan Cricket Board for one of the most successful and exciting cricket leagues in the world. Our unwavering support for Pakistan Cricket knows no bounds.” Earlier, a consortium of ARY and PTV submitted the bid for TV broadcast rights in Pakistan at an increase of 50 per cent, while Daraz submitted the bid for live-streaming in the country at a rise of 175 per cent from the last deal. The seventh edition of HBL Pakistan Super League will kick off at Karachi’s National Stadium on 27 January when defending champions Multan Sultans play 2020 edition’s winners Karachi Kings. The event will conclude in Lahore on 27 February with the final at Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan’s home of cricket.

Johannesburg, South Africa (Sports Bulletin Report):- South African pacers Marco Jansen (4 for 31), Kagiso Rabada (3 for 64) and Duanne Olivier (3 for 64) restricted India on a meager total of 202 runs in their first innings of the 2nd Test match of the series at Wanderers Cricket Stadium, Johannesburg South Africa on Monday. Hosts were 35 fo1 at the close of play Day-1. Elgar and Petersen were not out at 11 and 14 with runs respectively. Earlier, India won the toss and decided to bat first. Top Indian batter Virat Kohli ruled out on the morning and Rahul took the captaincy. Duanne Olivier and Marco Jansen dented the visitors batting line at the earlier stage of the match and with the help of Rabada bundled on a too little total of 202. Rahul's masterful 50 held the top half together, even as wickets fell at the other end, and then R Ashwin's 46 led the way as the lower order pushed the score beyond 200. But none of the partnerships India strung together were allowed to take root, chiefly due to Jansen. Summarized Scorecard: India Batting (First Innings): 202 all out in 63.1 overs KL Rahul 50 (133 balls 4X9), Ravichandran Ashwin 46 (50 ball 4X6), Mohammed Shami 9 (12 balls 4X1) South Africa Bowling: Marco Jansen (4 for 31), Kagiso Rabada (3 for 64), Duanne Olivier (3 for 64) South Africa Batting (First Innings): Dean Elgar 11 not out (57 balls 4X1), Petersen 14 (39 balls 4X2), Aiden Markram 7 (12 4X1). Indian Bowling (First Innings): Mohammad Shami (1 for 15).

Ayaz Raza Afridi PESHAWAR (January 3, 2022):-Chief Executive Officer (CEO)of Romania Cricket Board (RCB) Abdul Shakoor Khan visited Jamrud Sports Complex on Monday. The top officials including Petron-in-Chief Khyaber Cricket Association Haji Taimoor Khan, Secretary General KP Athletics Association (KAA) Saif-ul-Islam Afridi, former member Governing Board of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Kabir Ali Khan, former General Secretary Abdullah, Finance Secretary Wahid Gul, Media Coordinator Ayaz Raza and the players received the Abdul Shakoor Khan. It is pertinent to mention here that Romanian cricket team is ranked 38th in the ICC T20 rankings and 10th in Europe at present. Abdul Shakoor said on this occasion that he wants Pakistani players to be part of the Romanian cricket team. He also invited Haji Taimoo to visit Romania. He said that coaches would also be called from Pakistan to teach cricket in Romania to budding cricketers. He praised Haji Timur for his outstanding services in cricket.