Sports Bulletin

BIPIN DANI Malaysia's Virandeep Singh, who took five wickets in five balls (against Push Sports Delhi) in Nepal Pro-Club Championship has "no regrets" on not being able to grab 6 in 6. The 23-year-old, who is also the opening batter (and wicket keeper) but also bowls spin grabbed five wickets in five balls but one batter was run out in the second ball of his last over on Monday. Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Nepal, he said, "no regrets. I’m happy I took 5 in 5 balls". "To be honest with you, I didn’t know I had taken 5 wickets in that over. Only when I was going for the Man of the Match presentation did they tell me I had taken 5 and there were 6 wickets in the entire over". "I was told to bowl the 20th over of the match by the captain and my only goal was to restrict them to as low as I could, I wasn’t really thinking about wickets at that time but the goal was to contain. It just happened for me, the wicket was very supportive for spinners and I guess it was meant to be for me", he added. "It’s an amazing feeling to achieve such a feat. I never had that in mind, as I was just focused on doing the job for my team, but of course it’s a massive confidence boost for me now as a bowler and I hope to contribute more as a bowler to the national team". "The opposition team coach was my coach during the Everest premier league when I played for Chitwan tigers last year and he had put an Instagram story the night before our match saying something along the lines of ‘when your next match is against Viran and he’s on top of his game’. It was a photo of him looking worried. He actually meant that for my batting, as I’m primarily a batsman. And the next day when this happened, he came up to and said ‘I had prepared for your batting, but what was this all about. And we just had a laugh about it". "Overall, a memorable day for me, my family, my team, and the country as well", Malaysxia-born Virandeep Singh, whose foremothers were Indians, signed off. 

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-Pakistan national women’s team will begin their ICC Women’s Championship campaign on 1 June when they host Sri Lanka for the first of the three One-Day International matches at Karachi’s Southend Club. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka will arrive in the cricket-mad city of Karachi on 19 May and will have three days of practice in the lead-up to the three T20 Internationals, which will be played on 24, 26 and 28, May 2022. The ICC Women’s Championship fixtures are scheduled for 1, 3 and 4 June. Ahead of the series, the national side will undergo an 11-day camp in which 26 players will participate. The camp will be held at the Academy Oval ground adjacent to the National Stadium. This will be the third edition of the ICC Championship. In the inaugural edition from 2014-16, Pakistan finished ahead of Sri Lanka in seventh position. In the event that ran from 2017-20, Pakistan finished in fifth position, ahead of New Zealand, West Indies and Sri Lanka. This will be national side’s first series at the venue since they hosted the West Indies for three T20Is in December 2018. This will also be the first international series in Pakistan that will be played outside the hard Managed Event Environment since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The players, team officials and match officials, along with other participants, will undergo on-arrival tests and will be expected to follow the SOPs to protect themselves from the virus. Anybody who tests positive will be required to undergo five days of isolation. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof: “It is a great privilege for us to play the ICC Women’s Championship on our home soil and the side is very excited to welcome Sri Lanka. This edition provides us an opportunity to start fresh and make the most of the home advantage. “I am sure the team will perform to their fullest potential and the Pakistan cricket fans, who have extended us great support, will get to see better and consistent results.” At the completion of the series, the national side will fly to Ireland for a tri-nation T20I series in which they will take on the hosts and T20I champions Australia, before they move to Birmingham, England, for eight-team Commonwealth Games. The T20Is and ODIs during Sri Lanka women’s visit to Karachi will begin at 1400 and 0930. Schedule (Venue Karachi): 19 May – Teams arrive in Karachi 21-23 May – Training 24 May – First T20I 26 May – Second T20I 28 May – Third T20I 1 Jun – First ODI 3 Jun – Second ODI 5 Jun – Third ODI

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-The BRB Group will sponsor 100 contracts for junior cricketers that will be awarded under the PCB Pathway Cricket Programme. The contracts are initially being awarded for a one-year period. The PCB-BRB Group collaboration for this project has been initiated with the signing of a three-year long MoU (Memorandum of Understanding). Alongside the financial support, the PCB will invest in personality development and grooming of these youngsters. The focus will be on providing quality education whilst also upskilling cricketing talent. These 100 players will be earning monthly retainers of PKR 30,000 each. Scholarships will also be provided to these players in top schools and college/universities. Technical education on the side-lines of a comprehensive cricket skill acquisition plan will also be delivered as a part of the programme. Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja: “We want to thank the BRB Group for their support for the PCB Pathway Cricket Programme that will shape the future of Pakistan cricket. I have personally taken great interest in the project and it remains very close to my heart. “One of our major objectives is to invest in pathway cricket to ensure our future cricketers get the best possible training, grooming, education and financial support. I am delighted with the progress we have made in a short span of time. We have identified talented players who are in their early to late teens and are the future of Pakistan cricket, we will now fully focus on the development of their cricket, education and basic life skills. “The investment that we are making on grassroots is unprecedented, and I am confident that these steps will change the landscape of the game in the country for the future generations.” Chairman BRB Group Bilal Khawaja: “We are very excited about our collaboration with the Pakistan Cricket Board for the training, development and grooming of Pakistan’s future cricket stars under the PCB Pathway Cricket Programme. Cricket unites us as a country and has remained a source of joy, inspiration and pride for the last many decades. “BRB Group is keen on playing a major role in shaping Pakistan cricket’s future, I am sure these cricketers will go on to serve the country with distinction in the years ahead. The PCB and BRB Group are not only focused on making these youngsters’ good cricketers but we are also endeavouring to educate them and to teach them life skills. This is an unprecedented initiative by the PCB and we are delighted to make a strong contribution.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai:-Following the recent decision to expand the ICC Women’s Championship to ten teams, the ICC Board approved a recommendation that ODI status be extended to a number of Associate Member women’s teams to enable them to progress to global qualifying events based on ODI rankings. Governance The ICC Board received an update from the Afghanistan Working Group which recommended Mirwais Ashraf as the ACB’s appointed representative to the Board. The Working Group advised the Board that the ICC was continuing to support the Afghanistan Men’s team to play international cricket while monitoring the governance of the sport in the country including the development of the women’s game. The ACB confirmed their continued commitment to developing women’s cricket and will submit a full action plan and budget to do so to the Working Group which will continue to monitor the situation and receive regular updates on its progress. Cricket Following the recent decision to expand the ICC Women’s Championship to ten teams, the ICC Board approved a recommendation that ODI status be extended to a number of Associate Member women’s teams to enable them to progress to global qualifying events based on ODI rankings. The CEC were updated on the use of home umpires from July 2020 to February 2022 due to COVID. The Committee acknowledged that the performance of home umpires was strong and had not affected games. The use of home umpires had also led to 12 members of the International Panel umpires making their Test match debut. In line with a previous recommendation from the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee, the CEC agreed that more neutral match officials should be utilised as travel restrictions are lifted while building on the success of the use of home umpires. The ICC Board approved and ratified a number of appointments to the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee: Mahela Jayawardena – Past Player representative (reappointment) Gary Stead – National Team Coach representative Jay Shah – Member Board representative Joel Wilson – ICC Elite Panel Umpire Jamie Cox – MCC Representative ICC Events The qualification pathway for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 was confirmed with 12 teams qualifying automatically for the event. The top eight teams from the 2022 event will be joined by the two host Members, West Indies and USA plus the next highest ranked teams on the MRF ICC Men’s T20 rankings table as of 14 November 2022. If West Indies finish in the top eight in Australia later this year, three teams will progress based on rankings and if outside the top eight two teams will qualify from the rankings table. The remaining eight spots will be decided through a regional qualification process with Africa, Asia and Europe each qualifying two teams and Americas and EAP one each. The qualification pathway for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 was agreed. Eight teams will gain automatic qualification into the event, comprising the top three teams from each group of the 2023 event plus host (if not in the six) and next highest ranked teams on the MRF ICC Women’s T20 rankings table at a pre-determined date. The remaining two teams will be identified through the Women’s T20 World Cup global qualifier. The qualification pathway for the eight team ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup was also confirmed. The yet to be determined host of the event will automatically qualify along with the next five highest placed teams at the end of the 22-25 ICC Women’s Championship (IWC). The remaining two teams will be identified through a global qualifying event between the four bottom-placed teams in the IWC plus an additional two teams from the ODI rankings. South Africa was confirmed as the host of the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, to be staged in January next year as a 16-team, 41-match event.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that Pakistan’s superstar skipper Babar Azam, and Australia’s run-machine Rachael Haynes have been named the ICC Men’s and Women’s Players of the Month for March 2022. Azam scoops the Men’s award following a number of thrilling batting displays in Pakistan’s multi-format series against Australia. Amassing 390 runs in the pulsating Test series, his supreme contribution was highlighted by his record-breaking innings of 196 in the second Test, salvaging a draw for his side against the odds on the final day in Karachi. At the forefront of his side’s batting outfit, his exploits during the subsequent ODI battles that took place in March also cemented his claim as the standout player in international cricket during the month. Scores of 57 and 114 – the latter helping his side chase down an imposing 349 set by Australia, saw him as a constant threat to an otherwise formidable bowling attack. Azam received the award ahead of fellow nominees Kraigg Brathwaite (West Indies) and Pat Cummins (Australia), and in doing so, becomes the first player to win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award on two occasions, after being crowned back in April 2021. Speaking about Babar’s phenomenal performances in March, member of the voting panel and former West Indies international Daren Ganga said, “Babar wins this award not only because of the significant glut of runs scored during the Pakistan v Australia tour, but also because his success with the bat across formats. Being able to fulfil the burden of expectation as a captain and batter for Pakistan as host to an Australian team visiting after 24 years is a monumental achievement.” Rachael Haynes celebrates becoming the ICC Women’s Player of the Month following a formidable set of displays on the road to Australia’s seventh ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup trophy. Scoring 429 priceless runs in eight matches at an average of 61.28, her extraordinary feats at the top of the order proved crucial to her side’s unbeaten run to the final, where they subsequently overcame England to cap a thrilling tournament. Her accomplishments at the crease throughout the month laid the foundations for her team to set imposing totals and chase down big targets, and were made even more impressive by her ability to perform during pivotal times. Her 130 against England in the opening game set the tone for a dominant unbeaten run to the final, while her other standout performance came in the form of a classy 85 during the semi-final win against the West Indies. In securing this month’s award, Rechael Haynes overcame the fellow nominees Sophie Ecclestone (England) and Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa) following their outstanding displays with both bat and ball in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. “Rachael Haynes has displayed tremendous consistency for Australia,” remarked Sana Mir, the former Pakistan international and ICC Player of the Month voting panel member. “She set the tone for the tournament with a big hundred in their first game and her contributions throughout the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup set a platform for the other batters to build on. Haynes is a quality batter and a leader in women’s game.”

BIPIN DANI Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, the recipient of the Padma Bhushan Award, who made his Test debut five decades ago (against West Indies at Port of Spain on March 6, 1971) will be felicitated in the United States of America (USA), it is learnt. This was confirmed by P.K. Guha, an ardent follower and promoter of cricket in the USA. Speaking exclusively over the telephone on Wednesday, he said, "Yes, we are going ahead with our plan to host Sunil’s 50th anniversary of Test Cricket debut celebration". Incidentally, the celebration was scheduled to be held last year in 2021 but had to be postponed because of Covid restrictions.   "The event is scheduled for July 30 (Saturday) in Farmington Hills, a Detroit suburb here". "Kapil Dev, Gundappa Vishwanath, Clive Llyod and Farokh Engineer are scheduled to join the event, other than Sunil himself", Guha further added. Vishy and Sunil are brothers-in-law. Viswanath is married to Gavaskar's sister Kavita. Gavaskar, with Vishy, Kapil Dev and Engineer have played against Clive Llyod's Windies team. In 2015, Guha had organized the biggest cricket event in Michigan by hosting cricket legends such as Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Wadekar, B.S. Chandrasekhar,  Engineer, Chetan Chauhan, Karsan Ghavri and Padmakar Shivalkar. Guha had a special bond with the late Chetan Chauhan. Cricket fans in the metro Detroit area enjoyed interacting with the cricket stars at a sold-out show in Troy, Michigan.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has thanked hosts New Zealand Cricket for the successful delivery of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022. The event, which has been one of the most competitive Cricket World Cups ever, saw Australia crowned as champions after 31 games. With eight teams competing across six host cities, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton, Dunedin and Tauranga, the event was brilliantly and safely delivered with Australia lifting the trophy for a record fifth time. ICC Chair Greg Barclay said: “We are delighted with the way the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 has been staged. It has been the most wonderful advertisement for cricket with closely fought competitive matches on superb pitches at beautiful venues. “I’d like to thank New Zealand Cricket and the Local Organising Committee for their commitment and dedication, often in challenging circumstances with COVID impacting on all areas of the event. Thanks too, to the ICC staff for once again delivering such a high-quality global cricket event and to the Match Officials for doing such a great job. “The New Zealand cricket loving public have done our sport proud, packing the Hagley Oval to make the final a great spectacle. Of course, our biggest thanks must go to the players who have made this event so memorable.” “Finally congratulations to Australia for winning the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 in outstanding fashion.”

Ali Ahmed LAHORE:-Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja has congratulated both Australia and Pakistan cricket teams for producing enthralling, exciting and competitive cricket throughout the 38-day historic tour. “The three-Test series was combative and engrossing going into the last hour of the 15th day to find a winner, while white-ball cricket confirmed the high billing and calibre of both the sides. The camaraderie and respect demonstrated by the two sides during high-pressure cricket was exemplary and a massive advertisement for our sport,” Mr Ramiz Raja said. “Players from either side, through their on and off the field behaviour, significantly enhanced the values and spirit of cricket, which is exactly what this great sport is all about. “After witnessing and experiencing firsthand what this great country has to offer, I am confident the Australia players and officials will take home fond memories and become bigger advocates and goodwill ambassadors for Pakistan than before. “World cricket is proud and thankful to both sides for the way they played this series and won the hearts and minds of the cricket fans within and outside Pakistan. There is no doubt Pakistan and world cricket is now better placed than it was before this historic series. “I would like to place on record my heartfelt thanks to Cricket Australia who made this series possible by sending their best available players, as well as the PCB staff who delivered an outstanding and flawless series at the backend of HBL PSL 7. “I am also grateful to our enthusiastic and energetic Pakistan cricket fans who made this series a big success by thronging the three venues to appreciate and support both the sides. They got behind the players and teams whole-heartedly and appreciated strong performances, images of which continue to dominate the new and traditional media. “I would also like to thank all the security agencies, local and federal governments, our valued commercial partners and the broadcasters, who ensured things worked smoothly and excellent pictures went out for the global viewers and fans.”

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-Men’s Test captains Babar Azam (Pakistan), Kraigg Brathwaite (West Indies) and Pat Cummins (Australia) have all been shortlisted for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for March 2022 following their supreme efforts during a month which was packed with outstanding individual performances around the globe. The women’s shortlist for March is comprised of stars from the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. England bowler Sophie Ecclestone, and run-machines Rachael Haynes (Australia) and Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa) are in the running to scoop the award following stellar performances during the month against the world’s best. The ICC Player of the Month nominees for March were announced on Wednesday, based on performances across formats and including matches from the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup held in New Zealand, amongst others. An independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world can now vote to decide the winners, which will be announced next week. Fans can register via icc-cricket.com/awards and are invited to cast their votes until Sunday 10 April. ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for March: Babar Azam (Pakistan) Pakistan’s skipper played an integral part in his side’s batting during the recent series against Australia. Despite not ending the World Test Championship (WTC) three-match series victorious, Babar amassed 390 runs during the month in Tests, including a record-breaking 196 in the second Test to salvage a draw against the odds. In addition, his efforts at the crease in the two ODI matches during the month saw Babar score 57 and 114 respectively, with the latter helping his side chase down an imposing target of 349 set by Australia. This is the second time he’s featured on the shortlist for the ICC Player of the Month award, after winning in April 2021. Kraigg Brathwaite (West Indies) The West Indies’ Test captain and opening batter led from the front during the recently concluded successful WTC series against England, scoring 341 runs at an average of 85.25. Brathwaite’s resolve and determination at the crease was best characterized by his monumental 160 from 489 balls in the second Test in response to England’s big first innings total. This mammoth innings ensured a drawn second Test and provided the platform for his side to clinch the series by winning the final showdown in Grenada. Pat Cummins (Australia) In a WTC Test series which was dominated by run scoring, Cummins stood out for his bowling performances in unforgiving conditions. He led his side, and the bowling attack, to victory in Pakistan playing a pivotal role in clinching the series thanks to a match-winning spell, taking 5 for 56 in the first innings and following up with 3 for 23 in the second innings of the final test. Taking 12 wickets at an average of 22.50 helped him secure his first nomination in the ICC Player of the Month awards. ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees for March: Sophie Ecclestone (England) Ecclestone’s outstanding bowling performances during the month helped steer her side to the Women’s Cricket World Cup final in New Zealand. Her spin bowling caused problems throughout the tournament for opposition batters, taking 20 wickets during the calendar month at an average of 12.85. Her prowess was capped by a magnificent spell in the victory over South Africa in the semi-final, taking 6 for 36 to ensure a 137-run victory. This is the second time she has been nominated for the ICC Player of the Month accolade (previously shortlisted in June 2021). Rachael Haynes (Australia) Scoring 429 runs in the eight matches she played during the month, Haynes was at the forefront of Australia’s unbeaten run through to the Women’s Cricket World Cup Final. Averaging 61.28 during the month, along with a healthy strike rate of 84.28, her stellar performances came at crucial times – 130 against England in their opening match and 85 in the semi-final victory over the West Indies. Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa) Wolvaardt’s endeavours for South Africa were critical to her team reaching the semi-finals of the Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. Up to the end of the semi-finals, she was the tournament’s leading run-scorer, amassing 433 runs at an average of 54.12, passing 50 on five occasions and proving a thorn in the side of many opposing teams.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Australia produced a world champions-like performance when they wrapped up their historic tour of Pakistan with a three-wicket victory in the one-off T20I in front of a packed-to-capacity Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday night. Aaron Finch finally produced a sparkling performance after three consecutive 50-over failures to hit 55, his 16th T20I half-century in 89 matches. Josh Inglis hit a 15-ball 24, Travis Head clubbed three fours and a six in a 14-ball 26, Marcus Stoinis belted five fours in a nine-ball 23 and Ben McDermott scored a 19-ball 22 not out as Australia achieved the 163-run target in 19.1 overs. Finch faced 45 balls and hit six fours. He put on 40 runs for the first wicket with Head, another 44 runs for the second wicket with Inglis, while his sixth wicket partnership with McDermott yielded 29 runs. In their run-chase, Australia had a couple of minor blips. They were first reduced from 83 for one to 129 for five and then lost two wickets in the penultimate over as they required four runs off the last over. But McDermott ensured there were no late twists to the tale. Australia needed just over eight runs per over from the very outset and were always ahead of the target. They scored 63 runs for one wicket in the PowerPlay overs, 95 for two at the halfway stage and 138 for five after 15 overs. For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Usman Qadir picked up two wickets apiece conceding 21, 30 and 33 runs, respectively. Earlier, Pakistan threw away a 67-run opening start in 7.3 overs to slip to 148 for eight in 18.2 overs before finishing at 162 for eight. Hard-hitting Fakhar Zaman (0), Iftikhar Ahmed (13), Khushdil Shah (24) and Asif Ali (3) collectively contributed run-a-ball 40 runs between them as Pakistan managed only 82 runs in their last 10 overs, including 50 runs in the last five overs. Pakistan will be thankful to No.10 batter Usman Qadir to helped them cross the 160-run mark. The left-hander slapped two fours and a six in a rapid six-ball 18 not out. Pakistan captain Babar Azam was once again his side’s top-scorer with a brilliant 46-ball 66 that included six signature fours and two sixes. This was Babar’s 26th T20I half-century in 74 matches. Mohammad Rizwan scored 23 off 19 balls with a four and a six. For Australia, fast bowler Nathan Ellis was the pick of the bowlers. Playing only his third match, Ellis returned figures of 4-0-28-4. Scores in brief: Pakistan 162-8, 20 overs (Babar Azam 66, Khushdil Shah 24, Mohammad Rizwan 23, Usman Qadir 18 not out, Nathan Ellis 4-28) Australia 163-7, 19.2 overs (Aaron Finch 55, Travis Head 26, Josh Inglis 24, Marcus Stoinis 23, Ben McDermott 22 not out; Shaheen Shah Afridi 2-21, Mohammad Wasim 2-30, Usman Qadir 2-33) Player of the match – Aaron Finch (Australia)