Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-The chief selector of the national women’s team has retained the same team - that recorded their maiden T20I series clean sweep against Sri Lanka - for their upcoming commitments in the United Kingdom during which they will compete in a tri-series in Ireland and Commonwealth Games in England. The squad was finalised after deliberations amongst Asmavia Iqbal, the national women team’s chief selector, head coach David Hemp and captain Bismah Maroof. Eighteen players have been announced for the two series, which include three reserve players: Ghulam Fatima, Sadaf Shamas and Umme Hani. Pakistan will take on T20 world champions Australia and hosts Ireland in Belfast from 16 to 24 July and play Barbados, India and Australia in Commonwealth Games on 29, 31 July and 3 August. Ahead of their departure to the UK on 12 July, the team will undergo an extensive training session in Islamabad at House of Northern from 1 to 11 July. Chief Selector Asmavia Iqbal said: “Following a successful series against Sri Lanka, we have decided to retain the same winning combination. Not only our senior cricketers in the side displayed great cricketing acumen also our youngsters were outstanding and have raised their hands whenever the team needed them to. “We are delighted with the start Tuba Hassan has had to her international career and feel her leg-spin will be a potent weapon for us in the days ahead. Ayesha Naseem produced a match winning innings in the second match of the T20Is against Sri Lanka and proved her big-hitting ability. “The tri-series in Ireland and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games will test the abilities of our players and I have all the belief in them that they will live up to the expectations and show consistent results. Head of Women Cricket, Tania Mallick said: “I want to congratulate our team for putting up a solid and dominating display in Karachi against Sri Lanka and I am sure these girls will continue their form in the ICC Women’s Championship fixtures. Our team has all the potential to do well in the United Kingdom and I wish them the very best for the tri-series and Commonwealth Games. “I want to thank the Commonwealth Games for accepting our request to accommodate our captain Bismah Maroof’s family at the games village which will allow her to focus on the task at hand without any worries about her young infant daughter.” Names of selected players: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza (wicketkeeper), Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicketkeeper), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan. Pakistan’s fixtures: Tri-series at Belfast 16 July – v Australia 19 July – v Ireland 23 July – v Australia 24 July – v Ireland Commonwealth Games at Birmingham 29 July – v Barbados 31 July – v India 3 August – v Australia

Sports Bulletin Report Quetta (Pakistan):-Attock has won the title of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2022 (Grade-2) after beating Karachi by 5 wickets in the final at Fatima Jinnah Cricket Ground, Quetta on Tuesday. Syed Sultan Shah (Chairman Pakistan Blind Cricket Council), Junaid Iqbal (CSR officer NBP), Syed Salman Bokhari (Director Cricket Operations PBCC), Aatif Qayyum (Director Education & Rehabilitation PBCC), Mansoor Khan, representative of PCB Quetta and Nusrullah Shahwani (President SQCCB) were the guests and distributed prizes amongst the players. Earlier, in the morning, Karachi won the toss and asked Attock to take guard. Attock posted a competitive total of 202 runs on the board for the loss of 7 wickets in allotted 20 overs. Muhammad Raheel was the top scorer with 59 runs and Ehtisham ul Haq made 27 runs. Tahir Ali, Abdul Wahab and Hassan Raza fetched 1 wicket each for Karachi. In reply, Karachi tried its best to reach the target of 203 runs but fell 5 runs short of the target. Karachi’s team was able to score 197 runs by losing their 6 wickets in stipulated 20 overs. Tahir Ali was their top scorer with 104 runs and Bismillah Khan made 21 runs. Ehtisham ul Haq was the pick amongst the bowlers; he took 3 wickets for Attock. Result: Attock won by 5 runs Man of the Match: Ehtisham ul Haq Player of the Tournament: B1: Mohammad Sohail (Attock) B2: Niamat Ullah (Quetta) B3: Mohammad Safdar (Multan) Best Wicket Keeper: Naseeb Ullah (Quetta)  

Ali Ahmed LAHORE:-The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League One-Day Internationals between Pakistan and the West Indies have been shifted to Multan. The games will take place on the dates announced earlier i.e. 8, 10 and 12 June, with the matches starting at 1600 PKT time.  The training camp of the Pakistan cricket team will be held in Lahore from 1-4 June before the squad will move to Multan on 5 June. Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan, who are presently playing county cricket in the United Kingdom, will arrive on 1 June and will join the camp from the next day. The West Indies squad will arrive in Islamabad on 6 June and will travel to Multan on a charter flight. Series schedule with umpire and match referee appointments: 8 June – 1st ODI, Multan Cricket Stadium: Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field umpires), Rashid Riaz (third umpire) and Faisal Khan Afridi (fourth umpire); Mohammad Javed (match referee) 10 June – 2nd ODI, Multan Cricket Stadium: Aleem Dar and Asif Yaqoob (on-field umpires), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Faisal Khan Afridi (fourth umpire); Mohammad Javed (match referee) 12 June – 3rd ODI, Multan Cricket Stadium: Aleem Dar and Rashid Riaz (on-field umpires), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Faisal Khan Afridi (fourth umpire); Mohammad Javed (match referee) Pakistan squad for West Indies ODIs: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper/batter), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper/batter), Mohammad Wasim Junior, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Zahid Mahmood. Player Support Personnel: Mansoor Rana (manager), Saqlain Mushtaq (head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant to head coach), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Shaun Tait (bowling coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saaiman (trainer/strength and conditioning coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi (media and digital manager), Col (retd) Mohammad Imran (security manager), Dr Najeeb Soomro (team doctor), Talha Ejaz (analyst) and Muhammad Imran (masseur).

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Pakistan women will tour Australia for three T20Is and three ODIs, which will be played in Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra from 16-29 January 2023. The ODIs, which will be part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-2025, will be played on 16, 18 and 21 January with the opening two games scheduled in Brisbane. The third ODI will be held on 21 January in Sydney, which will also stage the first T20I on 24 January. The remaining two T20Is will be played in Canberra on 27 and 29 January. Pakistan’s tour to Australia is one of their four away series in this competition played over a three-year period. Their other three away series are against Bangladesh, England and New Zealand, schedule of which will be announced in due course. Pakistan is presently hosting Sri Lanka, which is one of the four series that will be played in their backyard. Ireland, South Africa and West Indies are the other home series with Ireland scheduled to tour in November, while details of South Africa and West Indies to be announced closer to time. The ICC Women’s Championship is being competed by 10 sides, which include Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies. At the end of the three-year cycle, the top five teams and the hosts will book a berth for the World Cup in 2025, while the rest of the teams will have to go through the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier. In addition to the ICC Women’s Championship fixtures, Pakistan women will also participate in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (25 July-8 August), December’s ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup and ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (2-26 February). Pakistan women’s schedule of matches in Australia: ODIs 16 Jan: Allan Border Field, Brisbane 18 Jan: Allan Border Field, Brisbane 21 Jan: North Sydney Oval, Sydney T20Is 24 Jan: North Sydney Oval, Sydney 27 Jan: Manuka Oval, Canberra 29 Jan: Manuka Oval, Canberra

Sports Bulletin Report Quetta (Pakistan):-Attock and Karachi stormed into the final of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2022 after beating their challengers in the semifinals at Fatima Jinnah Cricket Ground Quetta on Monday. The final of the tournament will be played between Attock and Karachi at the same venue on Tuesday. Results (semifinals)    Semifinal-1: Attock beat Hyderabad by 23 runs In the morning, Attock won the toss and decided to bat first. Openers Ehtisham ul Haq and Zeshan toiled the strong bowling of Hyderabad and both knitted 129 runs for the 1st wicket partnership. Attock made 266 runs on the board for the loss of 6 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Ehtisham ul Haq was the top scorer with 105 runs and Zeshan made 70 runs. Hussain Bax took 2 wickets while Mohsin Ahmed took 1 wicket for Hyderabad. In reply, Hyderabad was well on the course to chase the target till the 15th over, but Amjad Mugheri’s wicket opened the opportunity to Attock and they grabbed it with both hands. Imran Sarwar tried his best in a fighting inning of unbeaten 133* runs but Hyderabad was restricted to 243 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. Amjad Mugheri was the 2nd best scorer with 70 runs. Muhammad Raheel took 1 wicket. Result: Attock won by 23 runs Man of the Match: Ehtisham ul Haq Semifinal-2: Karachi beat Quetta by 16 runs The second semifinal of the event was played between Karachi and Quetta. Quetta won the toss and put Karachi into bat. Karachi posted a mammoth total of 286 runs on the board for the loss of 1 wicket in the stipulated 20 overs. The veteran Tahir Ali played an extraordinary innings of 150 runs and Bismillah Khan made unbeaten 80* runs.  In reply, Quetta was restricted to 270 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs. Niamat Ullah was their highest scorer with unbeaten 115 runs and Naseeb Ullah chipped in with 84 runs. Mohammad Ali Akasha and Shahzad Iqbal claimed 1 wicket each for Karachi. Result:  Karachi won by 16 runs Man of the Match: Tahir Ali

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-The ODI series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka women teams will start on Wednesday, 1 June, at the Southend Club, Karachi. All three matches of the series which are a part of the ICC Women’s Championship will be staged at the same venue. After the opening game on 1 June, the next two fixtures will be played on 3 and 5 June. Prior to the start of the series, the two teams will practice for two days (30 and 31 May) at the Southend Club. Monday, 30 May: Training and practice session for both teams from 10:00am to 1:00pm Media talk with a Pakistan squad member at around 1:15pm Tuesday, 31 May: ODI series trophy unveiling for media at the Southend Club at 9:45am Training and practice session for both teams from 10:00 am to 12:30pm Pakistan and Sri Lanka captains or head coaches to hold pre-series press conferences - Southend Club media lounge from around 12:30pm

Sports Bulletin Report Quetta (Pakistan):-Besides, hosts Quetta, Attock, Hyderabad and Karachi moved into the semifinals of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Blind T-20 Cricket Trophy after showing acceptable performance in the first round at two different cricket venues in Quetta. On Monday, in the 1st semifinal Attock will meet Hyderabad while Karachi will take on Quetta in the 2nd semifinal, as the both matches will be played at Bolan Cricket Stadium Quetta. Results (Day-3): Games-1: Attock beat Quetta by 13 runs at Bolan Cricket Stadium In the morning, Quetta won the toss and decided to bowl first. Attock set a healthy total of 258 runs for all out in 19.4 overs. Ehtisham ul Haq played brilliant innings of 69 runs and Muhammad Sohail scored 38 runs. Shahid and Ehsan Ullah claimed 2 wickets each for Quetta. In reply Quetta was restricted to 245 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs. Niamat Ullah was their highest scorer with 119 runs and Talib Hussain chipped in with 34 runs. Ehtisham ul Haq and Bilal Sarwar took 1 wicket each for Attock. Result: Attock won by 13 runs Man of the Match: Ehtisham ul Haq Game-2: Faisalabad beat Sargodha by 10 wickets at Shola Cricket Ground Faisalabad won the toss and put Sargodha in to bat first. Sargodha made 133 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in allotted 15 overs. Zain Ashraf was the top scorer with 31 runs and Zaheer Ahmed made 24 runs. Danish, Ejaz Hussain, Bilal Ahmed and Bilal Hassan shared a wicket apiece.  In reply, Faisalabad chased the target in style in 8.4 overs without losing any wicket. Ejaz Hussain played terrifically and remained unbeaten on 60* runs, he was well supported by Bilal Ali who made unbeaten 59* runs. Result: Faisalabad won by 10 wickets Man of the Match: Ejaz Hussain Game-3: Hyderabad beat Multan by 2 runs at Bolan Cricket Stadium Hyderabad outplayed Multan in a sensational nail-biter. Hyderabad’s openers played excellently well and helped their side to pile up 309 runs on the board in stipulated 20 overs. Amjad Ali played master class innings of unbeaten 163* run, he was well supported by Imran Sarwar who scored unbeaten 123* runs. In reply, Multan fought hard; Mohammad Safdar and Abdul Razzaq kept their chances alive by dazzling batting but unfortunately fell 3 runs short of the target. Mohammad Safdar made unbeaten 183* runs and Abdul Razzaq made 38 runs. Multan made 307 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 20 overs. Imran Sarwar claimed 1 wicket. Result: Hyderabad won by 2 runs Man of the Match: Amjad Ali  Game-4: Karachi beat Gilgit by 9 wickets at Shola Cricket Ground Karachi won the toss and put Gilgit in to bat first. Gilgit made 148 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 15 overs. Shoeb Mir was the top scorer with 71 runs. Sher Ali and Bismillah Khan took 1 wicket each for Karachi. In reply, Karachi reached the target in 12.1 overs by losing their 1 wicket. Shahzad Iqbal was the highest scorer with 61 runs and Shoeb Khan made quick 50 runs for Karachi. Mohammad Irfan fetched 1 wicket. Result: Karachi won by 9 wickets Man of the Match: Shoeb Khan

Sports Bulletin Report Pune (India):-Supernovas were crowned champions of the My 11 Circle Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 after beating Velocity by 4 runs on Saturday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. Deandra Dottin scored a magnificent 62(44) and scalped two wickets as Supernovas sealed a final-ball victory to claim their third title.   Chasing 166 to win, openers – Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia were off to a flier and Velocity were 28-0 in the first two overs. However, Deandra Dottin dismissed Shafali Verma in the next over after the Velocity opener was caught behind. The Velocity openers were back in the hut after Yastika Bhatia was caught and bowled by Sophie Ecclestone. The left-arm spinner then crashed the stumps of Kiran Navgire and Velocity were 38/3 at the end of the powerplay. Natthakan Chantham was the next batter to depart after she was trapped LBW by Pooja Vastrakar and Velocity were reeling at 61/4 at the halfway stage. Velocity lost half their side after skipper Deepti Sharma holed out to long-on against Alana King. The required run-rate went in excess of twelve as Velocity required 91 runs in the final seven overs with Laura Wolvaardt and Sneh Rana in the middle. Wolvaardt kept the scoreboard ticking as the 100 was up for Velocity before Alana King dismissed Sneh Rana and Radha Yadav on consecutive deliveries. New batter Kate Cross creamed two fours before the right-handed batter was caught behind off Deandra Dottin, who scalped her second wicket. Wolvaardt hammered her second six of the innings and reached her half-century but the Velocity batter kept running out of partners at the other end. Velocity required 34 off 12 after new batter Simran Bahadur crunched a six over long-on. Bahadur further creamed three fours in a row which brought the equation down to 17 off the final over. Wolvaardt smacked the first ball for six but Ecclestone held her nerves and successfully defended the total after Velocity needed six off the final delivery.Earlier, Supernovas were put in to bat first by Velocity. While team Velocity remained unchanged, Supernovas made two changes after Mansi Joshi and Rashi Kanojiya were named in the eleven. After only eleven runs in the first two overs, Priya Punia struck the first six of the innings. Deandra Dottin at the other end got a reprieve before the opener dispatched consecutive sixes against Sneh Rana as Supernovas reached 46/0 at the end of the powerplay. Velocity continued their search for the opening breakthrough as the fifty partnership was up between Punia and Dottin. Both – Punia and Dottin added a six each before the 73-run partnership finally came to an end after Punia was caught by Laura Wolvaardt off Simran Bahadur’s bowling. Supernovas were 78/1 at the halfway mark before Dottin reached her fifty in style with a flat six. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur then got into the act and smacked her first six of the innings as the hundred was up for the Supernovas in the 12th over. Harmanpreet got into the action with two sixes and a four in the 14th over as the fifty partnership was up for the second wicket in just 29 deliveries. However, Velocity skipper Deepti Sharma rattled the stumps of Dottin, who was dismissed on 62. Supernovas were 138-2 at the end of 16 overs before Ayabonga Khakha knocked the stumps of Pooja Vastrakar. Velocity bounced back into the game after Cross scalped two wickets in an over including the big dismissal of Harmanpreet Kaur. Skipper Deepti Sharma claimed her second wicket after Sune Luus was caught at long-off. Simran Bahadur then dismissed Harleen Deol on the final ball of the innings and Supernovas finished the twenty overs with a total of 165/7 on the board.  Brief Scores: Supernovas 165/7 (Deandra Dottin 62, Harmanpreet Kaur 43; Deepti Sharma 2-20) beat Velocity 161/8 (Laura Wolvaardt 65*, Simran Bahadur 20*; Alana King 3-32) by 4 runs.

BIPIN DANI The idea of offering the free ropeway ride to the fans of cricket is a unique one, according to Deepak Kaplish, the Assistant Vice President of Usha Breco Limited. "The IPL final is being held at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, the largest cricket stadium in the world. Girnar Ropeway is the longest ropeway in India and wonder of Gujarat, has decided to launch a scheme that if Gujarat Titans wins the IPL Title then whoever has gone to watch IPL match with  valid ticket in the stadium will be provided a free ropeway ride at Girnar Ropeway on showing IPL final ticket. This scheme is valid for one month, from 30th May 2022", the press release says.  Later, speaking to this Reporter, Deepak Kaplish said, "the idea came to connect two wonders of Gujarat, the largest stadium and the longest ropeway".  "This new ropeway was inaugurated by our Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24th October 2020 and the IPL final is also being played at the stadium named after him". "It is a matter of pride for Gujarat to have its own team in the IPL and it is a big achievement for the team to reach the final, in its first season". The ropeway, which is constructed by Breco Limited, the pioneers in ropeway since 1969, has already carried 11 lacs passengers. "The company may have offered the ride to the players but as this ropeway is far from Ahmedabad (6 hours drive in Junagadh), it was not possible". "This free ropeway offer is non-transferable and can be used once and can not be clubbed with any other offer".  

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-Pakistan women produced one of their best fielding displays to defeat Sri Lanka women by four wickets in a last-ball thriller to win the third and final Twenty20 International in front of PCB cameras at the Southend Club on Saturday. The victory gave Pakistan a 3-0 series result. Electing to bat first, Sri Lanka were in a position of strength at 69-0 in 11 overs before they made the miscalculation of testing Pakistan fielders’ mobility, agility and athleticism inside the 30-yard circle. This ploy badly backfired as they slipped to 83-7 in 16.4 overs, including four run-outs and a smart catch in the deep by Iram Javed of Sri Lanka’s top-scorer Chamari Athapaththu (37). The visitors eventually limped to 107 for eight in 20 overs that included five run-outs. This was the 14th time in a women’s T20I that five batters were run-out in an innings and second time involving Sri Lanka. The record for most run-outs in an innings – six – is held by Singapore against Myanmar as they scored 86 for nine in April 2019. The home side was stretched to the limits before they achieved victory for the loss of six wickets on the last ball of their allocation of overs after needing 15 runs off the last 12 balls, eight off the final over and two off the final delivery. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof, batting at numer seven, brought all her experience into play when she returned not out on 15 priceless runs off 15 balls. She added 17 runs for the unfinished seventh wicket with Kainat Imtiaz who contributed four off seven balls. Athapaththu and Hasini Perera (27) provided their side a solid and confident start when they struck five fours and two sixes between them to carry their side to 69 for no loss in 11 overs. The two batters nudged and pushed the ball for ones and twos as Pakistan bowlers, while succeeded in protecting the boundaries, were unable to take wickets. But as boundaries became hard to come by and overs running out, the Sri Lanka batters decided to test the fielders and that resulted in a sensational collapse as the tourists lost seven wickets for 14 runs in a space of 34 balls. Perera started the procession when she failed to beat Bismah Maroof and was run-out halfway, next ball Athapaththu holed out to Iram that was followed by three more run-outs of Oshadi Ranasinghe, Harshitha Madavi and Ama Kanchana, while Nilakshi de Silva was trapped in front of the wickets by Tuba Hassan and Kavisha Dilhari was castled by Kainat Imtiaz as 69-0 soon became 83-7. However, a 24-run eighth wicket partnership between Anushka Sanjeewani (14 not out) and Sugandika Kumari (10) helped Sri Lanka to 107 for eight. Kumari was the last batter who was run-out, raising the total of run-outs in an innings to five. In their target chase, Pakistan had a few nervous moments as they lost wickets at regular intervals, but they were not really under any pressure as they ensured they maintained the required run-rate. Muneeba Ali scored a 33-ball 25, Aliya Riaz hit a 23-ball 17, Nida Dar contributed run-a-ball 14 and Iram Javed scored a 12-ball 10. Unlike Sri Lanka, Pakistan struck eight fours and a six. The two sides will now go head to head in the ICC Women’s Champions matches, which will be played at the same venue on 1, 3 and 5 June. Scores in brief Sri Lanka 107-8, 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 37, Hasini Perera 24) Pakistan 108-6, 20 overs (Muneeba Ali 25, Aliya Riaz 17; Oshadi Ranasinghe 3-18)