Sports Bulletin

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD:-Australia and West Indies were left frustrated by the weather as their 5th Place Play-Off at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup was abandoned at Willowmoore Park, Benoni. A scoreboard displays the state of play during the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 5th Place Play-Off match between West Indies and Australia at Willowmoore Park on February 07, 2020 in Benoni, South Africa. Despite rain bringing the contest to a premature conclusion, the Windies finished the tournament in fifth position based on the Caribbean islanders’ higher finish in the group stages. When there was play earlier in the day, the Australians had powered their way to a commanding 319 for eight with half-centuries from Liam Scott, Lachlan Hearne and Cooper Connolly. Liam Scott of Australia hits a six during the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 5th Place Play-Off match between West Indies and Australia at Willowmoore Park on February 07, 2020 in Benoni, South Africa. Liam Scott of Australia hits a six during the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 5th Place Play-Off match between West Indies and Australia at Willowmoore Park on February 07, 2020 in Benoni, South Africa. The 99-run opening stand from Scott and Sam Fanning as well as the 101-run stand for the fifth wicket between Hearne and Connolly anchored the innings. Matthew Patrick, with three wickets, was the pick of the mercurial Windies bowling attack as they failed to halt the consistent flow of runs from the Australian batsmen. In pursuit, the West Indies were 62 for one off 12.3 overs. The side's captain, Kimani Melius, had blasted his way to 39 before he was caught by Fanning off Scott, which proved to be the last action of the tournament for either of the sides as the umpires called the players to come off because of rain. While both teams were unable to live up to their billing on arrival to South Africa as potential favourites for the title, they still found some tournament positives. "Finishing fifth is not what we would have wanted, but the boys did play well,” said Melius. “I can also say that our preparations were good, one of the positives was being able to approach the game with more intensity.” Australian captain Mackenzie Harvey added: "We still played good cricket in the tournament despite the results and the squad camaraderie is awesome at the moment." Pakistan and New Zealand lock horns for third place The penultimate game of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup will see Pakistan and New Zealand go head to head for third place at Willowmoore Park, Benoni. Both teams will be keen to finish their tournament on a high after losing their Super League Semi Finals, falling at the second to last hurdle in their bid for silverware. Pakistan had reached the last four by finishing second in Group C behind finalists Bangladesh before defeating Afghanistan by six wickets thanks to Muhammad Hurraira’s knock of 64. But their challenge for the world crown was halted emphatically by defending champions India, who claimed a ten-wicket triumph after bowling out Pakistan for 172 in 43.1 overs. Pakistan will now hope to put right the wrongs from that performance when they take on New Zealand, who will have their own point to prove following their defeat in the last four to Bangladesh. Like their opposition, the Junior Black Caps finished runners-up in their group behind eventual finalists India, with one win, one no result and a defeat from their three matches. Despite an unconvincing route to the knockout stages, New Zealand came into their own in their Super League Quarter Final against West Indies, securing victory by two wickets in Benoni. They were unable to repeat the trick in their Super League Semi Final, however, as Bangladesh proved too strong at the JB Marks Oval to send New Zealand into the 3rd Place Play-Off. Scores in brief Australia Under-19s v West Indies Under 19s – match abandoned, Willowmoore Park, Benoni Australia 319-8, 50 overs (Liam Scott 66, Cooper Connolly 64, Lachlan Hearne 58; Matthew Patrick 3-43) West Indies 62-1, 12.3 overs (Kimani Melius 39, Leonardo Julien 14 not out; Liam Scott 1-6) ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020 Fixtures 3rd Place Play-Off: 8 February: Pakistan v New Zealand, Willowmoore Park, Benoni Super League Final: 9 February: India v Bangladesh, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom    

By Our Special Correspondent ISLAMABAD:-The HBL Pakistan Super League returns with the historic fifth edition set to be played in Pakistan from 20 February to 22 March 2020. This edition will be the first one to be played in Pakistan in its entirety. Since the advent of the league in 2016, the tournament has gradually moved to Pakistan with this year’s edition nothing less than leapfrog for the coveted league. The first edition that included five teams was played entirely in the UAE; the second edition saw the first step towards its homecoming with the final between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The 2018 edition was the first instance that two Pakistani cities hosted the HBL PSL matches. Lahore was host to two play-offs while Karachi staged the final in which Islamabad United prevailed against defending champions Peshawar Zalmi. It was also in this very season that Multan Sultans was added as the sixth franchise. The 2019 season had an unprecedented eight games in Pakistan. Karachi’s National Stadium was the host to all matches, including the three play-offs and the final between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi which Quetta won convincingly to lift the prestigious HBL PSL trophy for the first time. Below is a brief look at the four exciting seasons from 2016-2019. HBL PSL 2016: Islamabad United made history when they beat Quetta Gladiators in the final of the inaugural edition of the HBL PSL to become the first-ever side to lift the prestigious PSL silverware. Islamabad cruised past the 175-run target for the loss of four wickets with eight balls spare in the final staged at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. West Indian Dwayne Smith was named the player-of-the-match for his scintillating 73 (51 balls, 7 fours, 4 sixes). Karachi Kings’ all-rounder Ravi Bopara was named the player-of-the-tournament for his all-round contributions (329 runs at 54.83, 11 wickets at 13.81). The tournament was played on a double-league. Peshawar Zalmi topped the standings at the end of the round-robin stage but lost out on a place in the final after losing both their play-offs to Quetta and Islamabad, respectively. The Zalmi-Gladiators first play-off was settled on the last-ball in front of a packed to capacity and heaving Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Quetta prevailed by one-run to clinch a spot in the final. United’s opener Sharjeel Khan scored the first-ever century in the HBL PSL history. The left-hander’s 117 helped Islamabad to a comprehensive victory over Zalmi on their way to the title. Qalandars’, who finished fifth and final in the standings, had something to cheer about as Umar Akmal topped the batting charts finishing with 335 runs in seven innings at an average of 83.75 and a staggering 157.27 strike-rate. The right-hander hit four fifties in the tournament. United’s Andre Russell topped the bowling charts with 16 wickets in 10 games, Zalmi’s Wahab Riaz took 15 in nine games while Gladiators’ left-arm-spinner Mohammad Nawaz picked 13 wickets in 10 matches. HBL PSL 2017: Zalmi outclassed Gladiators in one-sided final played at the Gaddafi Stadium to lift the glittering HBL PSL 2017 trophy. Zalmi maintained their consistent run and topped the table at the end of the round-robin stage for the second successive time. They, however, had to endure heartbreak for the second successive time when they lost another epic play-off against the Gladiators at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, once again by a solitary run. Chasing a monumental 201 runs to win, Zalmi finished at 199 for nine. The Daren Sammy-led side made a great recovery and unlike the first season, won their second play-off to advance to the final. Batting first in the final, Zalmi posted 148 for six in their 20 overs. Gladiators were dismissed for 90 runs in reply to lose their second consecutive final. Sammy was named the player-of-the-match for his match turning unbeaten 28 off 11 balls (three sixes, one four) and astute leadership. Kamran Akmal with 353 runs in 11 games including a century in the play-off against Kings and 12 dismissals behind the stumps was declared the player-of-the-tournament. He also bagged best batsman and best wicketkeeper of the tournament awards. Kings’ Sohail Khan, with 16 wickets, topped the bowling charts, while Wahab finished on the second-spot on the bowling charts for the second consecutive time collecting 15 wickets in 10 games. HBL PSL 2018: The HBL PSL came to Karachi’s iconic National Stadium for the first time when metropolitan city hosted the final - of what was a glittering season - between the defending champions Zalmi and United. 2/8/2020United won their second title by overcoming Zalmi by three wickets in an exciting final match. Batting first, Zalmi posted 148 for nine, the 148-run final tally was the same as the 2017 final. United, however, chased down the target with 19 balls spare. Luke Ronchi capped off his player-of-the-tournament performances with a brilliant 52 off 26 balls (four fours, five sixes). He added 96 runs for the opening wicket with Sahibzada Farhan (44), a middle-order collapse brought Zalmi back in the hunt before a six-ball unbeaten 26 by Asif Ali including three consecutive sixes of Hasan Ali sealed Zalmi’s fate. Ronchi scored 435 runs in 11 games at an astonishing strike-rate of 182; he averaged 43.50 to earn the most coveted player award in the tournament. Kamran occupied the second spot with 425 runs in 13 games which also included a century against Qalandars in Sharjah. Faheem Ashraf doubled United’s joy with a bowler-of-the-tournament performance (18 wickets in 12 matches). Wahab made it a hat-trick of occupying the second spot on the bowlers chart with 18 wickets in 13 games at 19.11. HBL PSL 2019: It was a case of third time lucky for the Gladiators as they finally made their third appearance in the HBL PSL final count by overcoming Zalmi by eight wickets in the 17 March final played at the National Stadium. The low scoring final was won by Gladiators with a degree of comfort after Zalmi failed to post a sizeable total in the HBLPSL final for the third time. Batting first, Zalmi posted 138 for eight as speedster Mohammad Hasnain and the richly experienced T20 globe trotter Dwayne Bravo shared five wickets between them. Ahmed Shehzad and Rilee Rossouw saw off the chase with an unbroken 73-run third-wicket partnership to give Gladiators a much awaited HBL PSL title. Ahmed scored 58 off 51 balls while Rossouw made 39 off 32 balls. Gladiators’ Australian import Shane Watson dazzled with the bat with a 430-run tally in 12 innings at 43.00 and a strike-rate of 143.81. He hit four half-centuries to top the batting charts topping. Kamran was once again the mainstay for Zalmi producing 357 runs in 13 innings with the help of three half-centuries. United’s Cameron Delport stood third with 355 runs in 12 innings. Hasan Ali had a magnificent season for Zalmi; the right-arm-pacer took 25 wickets in 13 games. Faheem took 21 in 12 games for the United while Wahab was once again among the top three, finishing the tournament with a 17 wicket tally in 13 matches. The HBL PSL five begins in Karachi on 20 February with a dazzling opening ceremony set to keep going the tradition of spellbinding opening ceremonies of the first four seasons. Defending champions Gladiators will lock horns with United in the opening clash just like the two did in the first-ever HBL PSL match back in 2016.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 7, 2020):-The magical bowling 4 for 59 by Shaheen Shah Afridi restricted visitors on 233 runs in the first Test of ICC Championship at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi on Friday. Earlier, Pakistani skipper Azhar Ali won the vital toss and decided to bowl first in the bowling supporting atmosphere. Bangladesh lost first two wickets on just three runs. Afridi and Abbas sent each one batsman back to pavilion. Tamim Iqbal scored three while Saif could not open his account they got out on the bowling of Abbas and Shaheen respectively.     Later, two contributions Mohammad Mithun (63) and Najmul Hossain (44) have cemented the position of visitors.  Mithun hit seven boundaries and one huge six during his stay on the pitch while his teammate Najmal also showed some resistance and played a responsible innings. Laton Das and Captain Mominul Haque were other major contributors, who scored 33 and 30 runs respectively. Major damage done by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who took four wickets while Mohammad Abbas and Haris Sohail shared two wickets each. Naseem Shah got one a piece while Yasir Shah failed to show impressive performance with the ball. Pakistan will start their inning today (Saturday) Bangladesh Batting: Tamim Iqbal (lbw b Mohammad Abbas) 3 (5 balls) Saif Hassan (c Asad Shafiq b Shaheen Shah Afridi) 0 (2 balls) Najmul Hossain Shanto (c †Mohammad Rizwan b Mohammad Abbas) 44 (110 balls) Mominul Haque (c) (c †Mohammad Rizwan b Shaheen Shah Afridi) 30 (59 balls) Mahmudullah (c Asad Shafiq b Shaheen Shah Afridi) 25 (48 balls) Mohammad Mithun (c †Mohammad Rizwan b Naseem Shah) 63 (140 balls) Liton Das † (lbw b Haris Sohail) 33 (46 balls) Taijul Islam (c Yasir Shah b Haris Sohail) 24 (72 balls) Rubel Hossain (b Shaheen Shah Afridi) 1 (9 balls) Abu Jayed (run out Mohammad Abbas) Ebadat Hossain not out Extras 10 (b 6, nb 3, w 1) TOTAL: 233 all out (82.5 Overs, RR: 2.81) Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Saif Hassan, 0.3 ov), 2-3 (Tamim Iqbal, 1.4 ov), 3-62 (Mominul Haque, 21.5 ov), 4-95 (Najmul Hossain Shanto, 33.6 ov), 5-107 (Mahmudullah, 40.3 ov), 6-161 (Liton Das, 55.3 ov), 7-214 (Taijul Islam, 78.5 ov), 8-229 (Rubel Hossain, 80.6 ov), 9-233 (Mohammad Mithun, 81.2 ov), 10-233 (Abu Jayed, 82.5 ov) BOWLING                        O M            R             W            ECON    WD         NB          Shaheen Shah Afridi       21.5        3              53           4              2.42        1              2              Mohammad Abbas         17           9              19           2              1.11        0              0              Naseem Shah                 16              0              61           1              3.81        0              1              Yasir Shah                        22               2              83           0              3.77        0              0              Haris Sohail                      6 2              11           2              1.83        0              0              Pakistan (Playing XI) Azhar Ali (Captain), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Rizwan (Wicket-keeper), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah. Bangladesh (Playing XI) Mominul Haque Shaerab, Tamim Iqbal Khan, Mohammad Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Litton Kumer Das, Mohammad Taijul Islam, Mohammad Rubel Hossain, Abu Jayed Chowdhury Rahi, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD:-Bangladesh reached the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup final for the first time in their history after Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s century helped them comfortably beat New Zealand by six wickets in their semi-final showdown at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom. The right-hander struck exactly 100 off 127 balls to help his team chase down 212 in just 44.1 overs after their bowlers earlier did the business with the ball to restrict the Junior Black Caps to a modest total. The result sparked wild celebrations and set up a competition finale against India in what will be the third all-Asian final and the first in U19 Cricket World Cup history outside the sub-continent. “Today was a very special innings I played and I am proud of it,” man of the match Joy said. “This is the first time that Bangladesh have got to the final and we are all very happy.” And Bangladesh were full value for their win, dominating the game from start to finish in South Africa’s North West province. After winning the toss and bowling, Shamim Hossain (two for 31) struck with the 11th ball of the match to remove Rhys Mariu (1) and leave New Zealand on the back foot. The opening bowler, along with Rakibul Hasan (one for 35) and Hasan Murad (two for 34) then made further inroads to leave their opponents on 74 for four, before Nicholas Lidstone (44) and Beckham Wheeler-Greenall’s cavalier 75 off 83 balls helped take them to a respectable total. Shoriful Islam (three for 45) also did damage at the other end to finish as the pick of the bowlers. The New Zealanders did manage two early breakthroughs in the form of Parvez Hossain Emon (14) and Tanzid Hassan (3) but Joy and Towhid Hridoy (40) put on 68 to steady the ship. Captain Shahadat Hossain (40 not out) then helped complete the job alongside the centurion – the pair putting on 101 for the fourth wicket – to send Bangladesh through. Scores in brief Bangladesh Under 19s beat New Zealand Under 19s by six wickets, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom New Zealand 211-8, 50 overs (Beckham Wheeler-Greenall 75 not out, Nicholas Lidstone 44; Shoriful Islam 3-45) Bangladesh 215-4, 44.1 overs (Mahmudul Hasan Joy 100, Shahadat Hossain 40 not out; David Hancock 1-31)

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 7, 2020): The Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh will start at 10.00 am at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi. Azhar Ali will lead Green Shirts while Mominul Haque will lead former East Pakistani. Pakistan Squad:  Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Bilal Asif, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Snr, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah Bangladesh Squad:  Mominul Haque (Capt), Tamim Iqbal, Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Soumya Sarkar

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 5, 2020):-A 14-member Bangladesh cricket squad led by Mominul Haque arrived on Wednesday in the morning at Islamabad International Airport (IIA) to play a Test match at Pindi Cricket Stadium regarding ICC Test Championship. Test match will be played from February 7 to 11. The second Test match of the rubber will be played in April at National Cricket Stadium, Karachi. However, top officials of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) including Zakir Khan and other staff welcomed the cricket team at airport. They presented flowers to the all players. All and officials traveled via Doha, Qatar, as the air-buss landed at 8:00am at IIA on Wednesday. Later, all members reached at a local hotel and they were in tight security and they enjoyed breakfast in the hotel. They hanged “Don’t Disturb” signs on the door and took full rest.          The visitor team will hold the practice session on Thursday at Pindi Cricket Stadium. Pakistani players will also be tuned up in practice session on same day at same venue. Bangladesh: Mominul Haque (Capt), Tamim Iqbal, Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Soumya Sarkar Pakistan: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Bilal Asif, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah  

Sports Reporter ISLAMABAD (February 5, 2020):-Fans will be treated with top-quality broadcast coverage for the Rawalpindi Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh, an ICC World Test Championship fixture which begins on Friday. The broadcast coverage will done by Ten Sports, the PCB’s broadcast partner, through 23 High Definition cameras which will include two super slow spin vision cameras and one ultra-high speed camera. Renowned commentators Ramiz Raja, Bazid Khan, Athar Ali Khan, Shamim Chaudhary and Danny Morrison will bring the action to life and before and after each day’s play the fans will be served an exciting mix of analysis and entertainment through Straight Drive, a hugely popular show.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 5, 2020):-International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the officials for Pindi Test between hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh that will be kicked off from February 7, 2020 at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. Richie Richardson from West Indies will perform the duties of match referee during 5-day fixture. Richie Richardson will return to Pakistan as a match referee when he will be referee in the ICC World Test Championship, as the ICC confirmed the match officials’ appointments. Richardson’s Playing Control Team includes Nigel LIong and Chris Gaffaney as on-field umpires, Marais Erasmus as TV umpire and Shozab Raza as the fourth umpire. It is pertinent to mention here that Richardson last toured Pakistan in September 2017 for the three ICC World XI T20Is at Lahore – which was also his first visit to the country as a match official. The former West Indian cricketer toured Pakistan six times as a player and featured in six Tests and 21 ODIs between 1985 and 1996. This is the first instance that Gaffaney and Erasmus will tour Pakistan, while Llong, who has officiate six ODIs across Karachi (3), Lahore (2), and Multan (1), will return after more than a decade. He last stood as an on-field umpire in Pakistan during the ODI series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in January 2009. The first Test of the two-match series will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 7-11 February. Match officials’ appointments: 7-11 February – 1st Test. Nigel Llong and Chris Gaffaney (on-field), Marais Erasmus (third umpire), Shozab Raza (fourth umpire); Sir Richie Richardson (match referee)  

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February, 4, 2020):-All rounder Bilal Asif, who played five Test and three One Day Internationals and solitary T-20, viewed of on Tuesday that all credit would go to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for restoring the international cricket in Pakistan and it would also be a nice omen for the budding cricketers and cricket future in the country. While answering the various questions of sports journalists at the Media Center of Pindi Cricket Stadium, Off-Spinner Bilal Asif further added that he was happy to get place in the national team after a gap of one year. “I am happy to become a part of national cricket squad and now I will toil hard to produce remarkable performance in the Pindi Test and to cement the place in playing elevens in future, “he replied a question. To another question, Bilal Asif, 34, further said, “We are thankful to Allah Almighty the international teams started to visit Pakistan and we are getting occasions to perform well among the compatriot cricket lovers and they will enjoy the international cricket at their home towns. I always try to play positive cricket and according to the need of time. I love to hit big shorts to entertain the spectators but keep focus on the game according to match situation, “he said. “Weather is not in our control but we are optimistic that there will be nice weather for cricket in upcoming day and people will enjoy good cricket. Our team will play better and make no mistakes during the five-day Test encounter. We will get a better result. At domestic level my performance was good and also worked with ball and bate and hope for best in international fixtures, “he claimed.

Sports Reporter ISLAMABAD (February 4, 2020):-Rawalpindi will be in focus once again from Friday as Pakistan take on Bangladesh in the first Test of the two-match series. The last time, the city came under spotlight was in December when Pakistan hosted Sri Lanka to end the 10-year-long drought of Test cricket in the country. With the match certain to end in a draw due to intermittent showers which saw the whole of the fourth day getting abandoned, the cricket-starved fans turned out in large numbers to cheer their heroes. Babar Azam, the darling of Pakistan fans, received a resounding welcome when he arrived at the crease for the first time in Pakistan whites on the morning of the fifth and final day with the sun basking in its full glory at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. “It was a totally out of this world experience for me as the crowd chanted my name when I was walking out to bat,” Babar told PCB Digital. “When your crowd cheers for you, you want to give your everything to it.” The year 2019 turned out to be a remarkable 12-month period for Babar. Like his run in international white-ball cricket, his Test batting form surged. Three of his four Test centuries came last year and overall he had the fifth best average (68.44) amongst the batsmen to have scored more than 500 runs in the longest format of the game. Babar struggled to get his rhythm going early on. But, the presence of Abid, a veteran of first-class cricket who was playing his maiden Test innings and scored a century, at the other end helped. “It took me two-three overs to settle at the crease after which I planned my innings. I usually go and play my strokes freely, but that wasn’t happening since the ball was coming slow. I had a chat with Abid Ali, who was batting before me, and he told me to take my time.” Once settled, runs started to flow off Babar’s bat. It was when he neared the 50-run mark he realised that he could have a go at the century. But a brief chat with the umpire after Tea fazed the right-hander. “I was playing on 48 when I realised that I can get it [his first century on home soil]. But, when I went in after Tea, the umpire told me that the sun sets early here so we might have to call off the day an hour earlier. “From that instance, I had my eyes on the sun as I went about my innings.  As it started to go down I told Abid ‘it is going down and the umpires will call stumps any time now’ and I panicked a little at that stage. You tend to make mistakes when you panic, but I give full credit to Abid who kept assuring me that I will achieve my goal and that kept me from making any mistakes.” Once in his 90s Babar pierced the off-side field twice with scintillating strokes, the last one granting him the century. After punching Dilruwan Perera through covers, he had his eyes fixated at the ball as it travelled to the rope. The crowd erupted in joy and Babar roared and punched the air. “I tried to stay calm and build my innings. I keenly watched the ball go to the fence and did my celebrations once it hit the rope. You only relax once you have achieved the goal for which you have planned meticulously. So, after the ball hit the boundary, I unwound myself and celebrated my century. “That moment was an outstanding one for me because Test cricket was played after such a long time and I scored the century in the first match.”