Sports Bulletin

By Sports Reporter ISLAMABAD (February 3, 2020):-The tickets for the ICC World Test Championship fixture between Pakistan and Bangladesh at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, which commences on Friday, will go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday, it was announced today. The tickets can be purchased only from TCS Express Centres across Rawalpindi and Islamabad, details attached, from 2pm onwards. On Wednesday, 5 February, tickets will be available at the Pothohar Road branch in Islamabad.  Fans wishing to watch their cricketing stars can buy a maximum of five tickets on one CNIC card.  Keeping the convenience of the spectators at the forefront, the Pakistan Cricket Board has retained the prices of tickets for Meeran Buksh, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat at PKR50.  Tickets for Azhar Mahmood, Imran Khan, Javed Akhtar and Javed Miandad have been fixed at PKR100. The announcement in regard to the ticket prices and their sales for the Karachi ODI and Test between the two teams will be made closer to the date.  

SB News ISLAMABAD (February 2, 2020):-The Pakistan national women’s team reached Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia yesterday ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which begins later this month. As part of their preparations for the all-important tournament, Pakistan Women will play West Indies Women in three warm-up matches on 7, 9 and 11 February at Tewantin Noosa Cricket Club. Prior to their departure from Karachi, Bismah Maroof, the captain of the side who will be featuring in her seventh shorter format’s World Cup, and Javeria Khan, the former Pakistan captain, discussed the squad line-up, which comprises experience of senior players and exuberance of youth, and the excitement in the team around the tournament. Bismah Maroof, who will lead Pakistan for the first time in a World Cup, said: “As a captain I am leading Pakistan for the first time in the World Cup. I am excited for it as leading your nation in a global tournament is a different responsibility. The team has been performing well and I hope that the same pattern will continue in the World Cup. “We have a very young squad. There are three to four senior players and in such tournaments there is an added responsibility on the experienced players to deliver match-winning performances. Even our youngsters have that spark to play good cricket and deliver. “If we take a look at our victories in the recent past, they have been because of the team’s combined efforts. We have an exciting pool of cricketers and I am very hopeful that if we bring out our top game on a particular day, we will produce positive results. “My message to the fans is to keep supporting us. We will play our best cricket and produced best possible results.” Javeria Khan, who has the experience of 97 T20Is, said: “You have to control your nerves in the World Cup as this is a big event and almost every game is a knock out. I would suggest you [Bismah Maroof] to enjoy this role as one don’t get such opportunities often. The team is young and it has that spark. “As an opener my job is to provide profound starts to the team and build on them. I will look to facilitate Muneeba Ali, a young batter who is making her comeback, when I walk into the middle with her.” “I am hopeful that we will do well in the World Cup.” The Bismah Maroof-led side begin their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 journey on 26 February against the West Indies Women. They take on England Women on February 28 after which they play South Africa Women and Thailand Women on 1 and 3 March. Pakistan squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Iram Javed, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper) and Syeda Aroob Shah Officials: Syed Iqbal Imam (head coach), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach), Amir Iqbal (fielding coach), Gemaal Hussain (strength & conditioning coach), Dr Riffat Asghar Gill (physio), Aisha Jalil (team manager) and Zubair Ahmed (analyst).

SB Report ISLAMABAD (February 2, 2020):-As promised by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani, the first meeting of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Board of Governors of the year and 57th overall, will be held in a local hotel in Peshawar on Tuesday, 4 February 2020. This will be the first-ever meeting in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital. Last year, Quetta had held the 53rd BoG meeting as part of the PCB strategy to hold meetings across the country so that there was alignment and ownership of the local stakeholders. Some of the matters that will be discussed in Peshawar are: i)                    Chairman and CEO’s reports ii)                  Model constitution for the City Cricket Associations iii)                Audit Committee’s report iv)                NOC policy for foreign leagues v)                  PCB Strategic Plan vi)                Update on the recruitment process of the PCB’s Chief Operating Officer vii)              Cricket update

SB Report ISLAMABAD (February 1, 2020):-Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Elevens outplayed Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) Elevens by 12 runs in an exhibition cricket match at Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad on Saturday. PSB Eleven captain Amna Imran won the toss and elected to bat first. PSB piled up a total of 131 for 6 runs in 10 overs. Rana Nasarullah 48, Mansoor Ahmed 26 and Amna Imran 10 were best scorers. For MIB, Nadeem and Ali grabbed two wickets, each. In reply, the MIB were unable to achieve their target and scored 119 runs for seven in the allotted overs. Sajjid scored 56 runs including three 6s and four 4s while Captain Akbar Hussain Durrani remained unbeaten on two runs. For PSB, Sajjad took three wickets while Sadaqat bagged one wicket. Agha Amjad and Azam Dar performed the duties of umpires. Secretary Information and Broadcasting Akbar Hussain Durrani awarded trophies and prizes to the winning team.

By BIPIN DANI Zimbabwe captain Sean Williams was not eyeing his individual half century before declaration, according to his father Collin Williams, who was also a cricketer and played five First Class matches. On Friday, the captain did not declare the second innings at the over night score of 241 for 7 (Williams was unbeaten on 47) but declared immediately after playing the only delivery, in which he hit a six and surpassed 50. "Definitely, the half century was not in his mind", speaking exclusveily over telephone from Harare, he said. "It was all about using the heavy roller. Before the start of play he asked for heavy roller. If had declared overnight he could not have had the pitch roller with his choice of roller", he added. Incidentally, the father also sent the audio clippings of his overnight conversation with Sean Williams. "I will pick the option of using heavy roller in the morning and then declare the innings. I intend to give them a target of about 355 runs, i.e. 4 runs per an over", his audio recording said.    "Rain and weather will play important part in the matter but I can't do anything on that. We already had few delays and interruptions in the match (on the fourth day) but I am very keen and positive on winning the match", he had said this to his dad on the eve of the match. Sean Williams, however, had to be content with the draw. Kusal Mendis' ton saved Sri Lanka from losing the Test.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 1, 2020):-The national men’s selection committee has named a 16-player squad for the first ICC World Test Championship fixture against Bangladesh to be played in Rawalpindi from 7-11 February. The selectors have recalled off-spinner Bilal Asif at the back of his 43 wickets in nine Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches, while Faheem Ashraf has been drafted in the side due to his all-round skills that were backed by his six wickets in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final against Northern.  Two changes have been made in the side that was named for the two ICC World Test Championship Tests against Sri Lanka.  Kashif Bhatti and Usman Shinwari have been left out, but they remain in the red-ball plans and have been advised to continue their training and preparation.  While Kashif didn’t play against Sri Lanka, Usman made his only appearance in the Rawalpindi Test where he took one for 54.  Squad 1.       Azhar Ali (captain) (Central Punjab) 2.       Abid Ali (Sindh) 3.       Asad Shafiq (Sindh) 4.       Babar Azam (Central Punjab) 5.       Bilal Asif (Central Punjab) 6.       Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab) 7.       Fawad Alam (Sindh) 8.      Haris Sohail (Balochistan) 9.       Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan) 10.   Imran Khan Snr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 11.    Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab) 12.    Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 13.    Naseem Shah (Central Punjab) 14.    Shaheen Shah Afridi ( Northern) 15.    Shan Masood (Southern Punjab) 16.    Yasir Shah (Balochistan)  Chair of the men’s national selection committee and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq said: “We have followed the horses for courses policy for the Test against Bangladesh. I know the two players who have been left out will be disappointed, but they remain firmly within our plans for the red-ball cricket we are scheduled to play later this year.  “Kashif Bhatti has paved the way for Bilal Asif considering there are left-handed batters in the Bangladesh top and middle-order, while Faheem Ashraf has been preferred over Usman Shinwari due to his all-round abilities.  “Following our convincing victory in Karachi, I don’t envisage any major changes in the playing line-up but we have tried to cover all our bases just in case the wicket has any surprises for us.  “We ended 2019 on a high with a victory over Sri Lanka and have made a good start to 2020 by winning the T20I series against Bangladesh. I understand the Test will be a different ball game but I am optimistic we will maintain our good form and translate that into another strong performance that will contribute significantly in the overall confidence building of the Test side.  “We are aiming to collect maximum points from the two upcoming ICC World Test Championship matches against Bangladesh so that when we take the field for the Lord’s Test against England on 30 July, we are in a strong contention for a top-two finish by the end of the 2020-21 season. This is what our aspiration is and that’s what are aiming and striving for.”  The Pakistan team will depart for Rawalpindi on 3 February, where it will fine-tune its final preparations from 4 February.          

SB Report BENONI(January 31, 2020):-A half-century from Mohammad Huraira on debut secured Pakistan U19 a six-wicket win against Afghanistan U19 in the fourth quarter-final of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Benoni on Friday. Pakistan will face India U19 on Tuesday, 4 February, in the first Super League semi-final in Potchefstroom. Huraira, the 17-year-old opener from Sialkot scored with 64 off 76 balls before he was mankaded by Noor Ahmad in the 28th over of Pakistan’s run-chase. Pakistan’s chase began with a flourish as Hurraira, who hit eight fours and a six, made full use of a dropped catch early in his innings. His opening partner Haider Ali hit five spanking fours in his 34-ball 28 before he was run out. The pair added 61 runs in 11.3 overs. Captain Rohail Nazir added 56 for the second-wicket with Hurraira before the former was dismissed by Noor for a 35-ball 22. The possibility of Pakistan breaking the losing streak against Afghanistan at this level – Pakistan had lost their last four completed matches against Afghanistan stretching from November 2017 – came under threat when the batting side lost three wickets for 10 runs with their score slipping from 117 for one to 127 for four. But, an unbeaten 63-run stand between Qasim Akram (25 off 41) and Mohammad Haris (29 off 43) helped Pakistan chase the target with 53 balls spare. Batting first after winning the toss, Afghanistan were dismissed for 189 run in 49.1 overs. Captain and opener Farhan Zakhil scored for the Afghans with a 55-ball 40, hitting seven fours in his innings. Abdul Rahman provided a late flourish to the innings with a 41-ball 30 (two fours and one six). Middle-order batsmen Rahmanullah (29) and Abid Mohammadi (28) made useful contributions. For Pakistan, pacer Amir Khan took three wickets for 58 runs in his 10 overs. Leg-spinner Fahad Munir provided two useful breakthroughs in his seven over spell in which he conceded 29 runs. Qasim Akram, Abbas Afridi, Tahir Hussain and Aamir Ali took a wicket each. For his match-winning knock, Huraira was named man-of-the-match. Scores in brief: Afghanistan Under-19:  189 all out, 49.1 overs (Farhan Zakhil 40, Abdul Rahman 30; Amir Khan 3-58, Fahad Munir 2-29) Pakistan Under-19:  190-4, 41.1 overs (Mohammad Huraira 64, Mohammad Haris 29 not out, Haider Ali 28, Qasim Akram 25 not out, Rohail Nazir 22; Noor Ahmad 2-32)

BY Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 31, 2020):-Former Test spinner Iqbal Qasim will chair the revamped Pakistan Cricket Board Cricket Committee, which will meet on a quarterly basis, it was announced on Friday. Iqbal, a veteran of 50 Tests and 15 ODIs, will lead the panel that will also include Wasim Akram (former captain and now a respected commentator), Urooj Mumtaz (chief selector and representative of women’s cricket), Umar Gul (former Test cricketer and representative of current domestic cricketers) and Ali Naqvi (former Test opener and representative of the match officials). In addition to the five, PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan and Director – International, Zakir Khan, will serve as coopted members. The PCB Cricket Committee’s remit will be to advice PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani on cricket-related matters, including but not limited to the performances of the national cricket teams and their managements, domestic cricket structure, high-performance centres and playing conditions. The Committee will have the powers to invite relevant personnel for its quarterly meetings to assist as part of its evaluation, assessment and recommendation process. PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: “I welcome all the distinguished members in this PCB Cricket Committee and look forward to working with them. I am delighted we have been able to put together a wide-ranging, knowledgeable, experienced and respected group whose commitment and involvement in the game is second to none. “These members are representatives of all key stakeholders within the game. More importantly, and in line with our policy, they are completely independent, which, in turn, will assist the PCB management to further improve the health of the game in Pakistan.” Iqbal Qasim said: “I am pleased the PCB has considered me for this important assignment and will try to utilise all my cricket and corporate experience and knowledge in the successful delivery of my responsibilities. “The PCB Cricket Committee comprises members who are avid followers of the game, are on top of all matters related to the game in Pakistan and, therefore, with collective wisdom, will make recommendations that will help the PCB to improve its strategic direction. “The game belongs to the people of Pakistan and we all are equal stakeholders in this. I think anyone who thinks can make a positive and meaningful contribution to Pakistan cricket, should come forward and play their active part.” About the members: Iqbal Qasim – Played 50 Tests and 15 ODIs in which he took 171 and 12 wickets, respectively. He also took 999 first-class wickets in 246 matches from 1971 to 1992. He has previously served the PCB in various roles, including team manager, chief selector and member of Domestic Tournament Monitoring Committee (DTMC). He is one of the executives at the National Bank of Pakistan. Ali Naqvi – Hit a century on his Test debut against South Africa in 1997 in Rawalpindi. He played five Tests and 115 first-class matches, scoring 242 and 5,881 runs, respectively from 1997 to 2011. He is presently a member of the PCB Elite Panel for Match Referees. Umar Gul – Played 47 Tests, 130 ODIs and 60 T20Is from 2003 to 2016, taking 163, 179 and 85 wickets, respectively. He is still an active domestic cricket and took six wickets in five matches for Balochistan. In the National T20 Cup, he bagged four wickets in seven matches at an economy-rate of 9.35. Urooj Mumtaz – Played one Test, 38 ODIs and nine T20Is from 2004 to 2010, taking 2, 36 and six wickets, respectively. She captained Pakistan in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 in Sydney, and presently is the chair of women’s selection committee and acting head of the PCB’s women’s wing. Wasim Akram – An ICC Cricket Hall of Famer, he played 104 Tests and 356 ODIs in which he took a total of 916 wickets and scored 6,615 runs, respectively. Following his retirement from international cricket in 2003, he has become one of the most respected and knowledgeable commentators, and has worked for all the leading sport channels at all the major ICC events.

By BIPIN DANI Runs scored by the batsmen and wickets taken by bowlers in the Super Overs are not included in players' individual records. This was revealed by India's renowned cricket statistician Mohandas Menon. Explaining the logic behind this, he exclusively said, "No, they are not added in the player's career records. Because Super overs are meant just for the sake of finding out which side has to be declared a a winner in a tied game". "This happens in football too... goals scored during penalty shoot-outs are not added in players career tally", he further added. ICC reply "When ICC first created the super over, it was inserted in the regulations that no team or individual performances will count towards any official records. We took as our lead penalty shootouts in football matches which don’t count towards career goal tallies.  So no-one can score a pair in a List A match!  That doesn’t stop anyone collating such stats.  It’s just that they won’t appear in any List A records",  ICC’s statistician has said this to the MCC on a special request by this Reporter. It was the fifth defeat via a Super over for New Zealand in seven attempts in T20Is! Lucky or unlucky Having lost yet another match by a Super Over, New Zealand skipper may seem to be unlucky but he is not, according to India's sports astrologer Greenstone Lobo. Speaking exclusveily, he says, "he (Kane Williamson) has it in him to overcome all of this and do something magical by finally overcoming these hiccups". "He may win an important multi-team tournament and prove that he is indeed luck. His best is yet to come", he further added.

By BIPIN DANI Former Sri Lankan cricketer and world's highest wicket taker Muthiah Muralitharan won the hearts of the people at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Thursdayearly morning. Legendary cricketer Muralitharan and his family were waiting in a long queue to get to the counter at the immigration at the airport. He had flown down from India and was taking pictures with everyone who asked for one, while waiting. His wife Madhi Malar was by his side chatting with people she had never met in her life. The immigration staff asked him to step out of the line so they can get him cleared quickly and he could have been on his way home in a few minutes. But he politely declined the offer and waited in line for almost an hour with the rest of the other people. Speaking exclusveily over telephone hours after reaching home, his Indian wife, Madhi Malar said, "Our flight landed at night. We were with our children. Night time is very busy at the airport. There were lots of people at the immigration". "People in Sri Lanka love and respect Murali and as a token of respect offered us to go forward. Even immigration officer too offered to break the queue". "We too love our people and as a respect for them didn't want to go out of turn", she added.  "They were both so very humble and sweet. What a great duo. Such humility from such a legend", one of the ex-Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) honorary officials, Samantha Algama shared the photo. "I thought it was worth a share. Bless him and his family", he said.