Sports Bulletin

Mohammad Rizwan, and Saud Shakeel score half-tons, Saud wins “Man of the Match” awardSports Bulletin ReportHyderabad (India): Pakistan defeated Netherlands by 81 runs in their opening fixture of Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday night. Left-handed batter won the “Man of the Match” award on his brilliant knock of 68 runs.Netherlands skipper invited Pakistan to bat after winning the coin’s battle. Green Shirts started their innings with a bumpy start losing three wickets in the first ten overs. However, tables turned quickly during the middle overs when the partnership of Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel yielded 120 runs and helped the team consolidate their position.Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman did not make much of a mark scoring 15 off 19 and 12 off 14 respectively. Skipper Babar Azam entered the fray in the fourth over and only managed to get five runs off 18 balls before getting caught by Saqib Zulfiqar.The Rizwan-Saud partnership provided the team with much needed stability, taking Pakistan’s tally to 158. Rizwan managed to get 68 runs off 75 balls while Saud pulled off 68 from 52 deliveries. Iftikhar Ahmed managed to get only nine runs off 11 balls before being dismissed by Bas de Leede.Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan were able to hold their ground with Nawaz making 39 (43) and Shadab making 32 (34). Pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf made useful contributions for the final wicket to lift Pakistan to 286 all out in 49 overs.Hasan Ali dealt a blow to the opposition’s opening partnership by claiming the scalp of Max O’ Dowd when the latter had made only five runs from 12 balls. His partner Vikramjit Singh played on for 67 balls making 52 runs before being caught by Fakhar Zaman off the bowling of Shadab Khan.Iftikhar bowled out Collin Ackermann while Mohammad Nawaz claimed the scalp of de Leede who had managed to make 67 off 68 balls – the highest for Netherlands in their innings.Haris Rauf, in an impressive display of bowling prowess, claimed three wickets, that of Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards and Paul van Meekeren while Hasan walked away with two scalps, that of O’Dowd and Aryan Dutt.Pakistan succeeded at bowling out Netherlands for 205 in 41 overs and pulling off a stellar victory with a margin of 81 runs.Scores in brief:Pakistan beat the Netherlands by 81 runsPakistan 286 all out in 49 overs (Saud Shakeel 68, Mohammad Rizwan 68; Bas de Leede 4-62, Colin Ackermann 2-39)Netherlands 205 all out in 41 overs (Bas de Leede 67, Vikramjit Singh 52; Haris Rauf 3-43, Hasan Ali 2-33)Player of the match – Saud Shakeel (Pakistan) 

Sports Bulletin ReportHyderabad (India): Pakistan will face the Netherlands in their inaugural fixture of the Cricket World Cup 2023 today (Friday) here at Rajeev Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, as the Babar XIs are ready to ink history on the soil of India.Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim. Netherlands squad: Scott Edwards (c), Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.

Conway (152), and Ravindra (123) hit tons to post a massive victory against defending championsSports Bulletin ReportAhmadabad (India): A couple of notable performances with the bat, Dion Conway (152), and Richan Ravindra (123) guided New Zealand to outclass defending champions England by 9 wickets in the opening match of the ICC World Cup 2023 here at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.Kiwis acting Captain Tom Latham won the toss and decided to field first on a flat surface. Kane Williamson could not play the game owing to a fitness problem. A duo of English batters David Mullan and Jonny Bairstow started the innings and put 40 runs for the first wicket. Milan fell on the bowling of Matt Henry after scoring only 14 runs, wicketkeeper Latham collected his catch. Bairstow 33 runs.Meanwhile, veteran Joe Root played a responsible game, scoring a half-century and adding 70 runs for the fifth wicket with captain Joe Buttler. Buttler looked in good form and scored 43 runs with 2 sixes and 2 fours but was caught by the wicketkeeper in an attempt to cut an inbound delivery from Matt Henry.Liam Livingston also failed to play big innings and fell victim to Trent Boult after scoring 20 runs. Chris Woakes could also not rescue the English team and left-off the ground on score 11 runs while Sam Curran scored 14 runs and became the third victim of Henry. England scored 282 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the allotted overs. For New Zealand, Matt Henry took 3 wickets while Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips took two wickets each.Chasing a target of 283 runs, New Zealand opened the innings with Will Young and Conway. However, after the first wicket, the English bowlers were left desperate for wickets as Dion Conway and Richan Vendra starred for the English bowlers on the day on a batting friendly wicket. Both the players not only showed excellent batting but also played aggressively and scored runs at an average of about 8 runs per over and demoralized the English bowlers.After completing their half-centuries, both became more aggressive and quickly progressed towards the century. Conway soon completed his century off 83 balls and Jadeja followed him with a century off 82 balls. Both the players continued to play well and easily took their team to the target in the 37th over without any further loss to win by 9 wickets.New Zealand’s excellent batting can be gauged from the fact that there were 82 balls left when New Zealand reached the target. Dion Conway scored 152 off 121 balls with 3 sixes and 19 fours while Richan Ravindra scored 123 runs off 96 balls with 5 sixes and 11 fours.

Sports Bulletin ReportAhmedabad (India): The Cricket World Cup 2023 will kick-off today (Thursday) in Ahmedabad, India, as the finals of 2019 fixture England and New Zealand will be in action in the opening match of the mega quadrennial event of cricket world cup.England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.

45 days, 48 matches: England take on New Zealand in the tournament’s openerSports Bulletin ReportAhmedabad (India): The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 stage is set as all 10 captains gathered today at the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad on the eve of the biggest Cricket World Cup ever.Across the next 45 days, 48 matches will take place across 10 world class venues. Beginning with a repeat of the 2019 Final, as England take on New Zealand in the tournament’s opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad tomorrow.Ahead of that match the official ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 official image was taken at the Narendra Modi stadium by celebrity photographer Rohan Shrestha. The 10 captains also shared their thoughts and hopes for the next six weeks with host Ravi Shastri and England winning captain Eoin Morgan in an interactive panel session.Australia captain Pat Cummins said: I don't think there's too many events around the world where you feel like half the world's tuning in to watch and whenever India play Pakistan in a World Cup. It seems like one of those moments. So, although you're personally not involved, you feel like you want to watch it and hear about all the commentary and the passion around the game. So, it's going to be great that it's at this stadium. You can have over 100,000 people.”India captain Rohit Sharma said: “I have said it from the start, you know, every leader sitting here wants to achieve something really special for their country. It is something that is very highly prized; the 50-Over World Cup is something that I have always dreamt of growing up as a child, and I am sure it is the same for all the guys sitting here as well. One thing I can assure, which I am pretty sure everyone knows, is that people are going to love this tournament here; the stadium is going to be jam-packed because people here in India love their cricket as much as they love their team, but they love their cricket as well. But rest assured, it’s going to be a great tournament.”Pakistan captain Babar Azam said: "We received good hospitality, and we were not expecting this, but I think the way people responded to us, everyone enjoyed it. We are here for a week in Hyderabad, so we do not feel like we are in India; it was like we are at home. We enjoyed and had a lot of fun. It’s good, and I think it's a golden opportunity for everyone to give 100% and enjoy the tournament.”England captain Jos Buttler said: “The team’s been mainly together for a long time since 2015, since the start of that sort of revolution that you mentioned, and I think you said right through the game. Now in England, young players coming through play a certain way and are determined to carry on the style, and I think we know it gives us the best chance of success. We will get it wrong at times, but we’ve made peace with that, and it’s something we want to continue to strive to do, to keep pushing the boundaries. Other teams will push you and move it on further, so we always want to try and be at the head of that curve as well."Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said: "As said before, we will have more crowd and more support, we are expecting the same that the people will come there and support us in the stadium. And we have very good quality spinners and the condition is suitable for us and that will be with us and also with the batting. I believe in this World Cup we will give a statement about the batting that we can do very good, play very good cricket."Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said: “I think we have prepared well. If we talk about the last four years since the 2019 World Cup, we are probably the third or fourth team in the qualifiers' point system. So, we have done really well as a group; now it's time for us to put on a good show. Our team is ready, and the country is expecting a little more than what we did previously.”Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said: “I think all games in this tournament are going to be tricky. But obviously Pakistan's a very good side. But, yeah, for us, we're just excited to get this tournament going. That's against Pakistan in Hyderabad.”South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said: “I think that’s something that is relevant to all the teams. A lot of the teams have guys who played in India, have done well in India, so I wouldn’t really say it's an advantage for us. I think all we could do is for the guys who have that experience and knowledge; they can share it among the team or use it in terms of our strategies and plans. But I wouldn’t really say it's an advantage unique to us as a team.”Sri Lanka squad Dasun Shanaka said: “See, exciting times for us. We have been struggling a lot in the recent past with injuries, but at the same time, we have some good records with us. You know, as a group, we are looking forward to the World Cup. Everyone wants to make a statement that we are here to perform well in this tournament.”

Can India win the 2023 World Cup?Let’s talk to a crystal gazer to find that out. You need to listen to Greenstone Lobo, a popular astrologer who had predicted correctly the outcome of the 2011, 2015, and 2019 World Cups. Here is a free-wheeling chat with the ‘Scientific’ Astrologer.Bipin: Since when are you doing World Cup predictions and how do you know that your methods are correct?Greenstone: Since 1996 World Cup, I have been analysing World Cups. When I got them wrong I looked for reasons and found that the inclusion of planets which were beyond Saturn – like Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, one would get better answers. After researching 4 World Cups, I arrived at the year when the next World-Cup winning captain was born – 1981. I went all the way to Ranchi and met the mother of M.S. Dhoni and got his exact birth details. With this info, I was able to predict in my column in a leading Mumbai newspaper that India would go on to win the 2011 World Cup. Bipin: So what factors helped countries win the 2015 and 2019 World Cups?Greenstone: The greatest achievers and captains in sports are born in patches. The 1981 patch was phenomenal and produced two World Cup captains – 2011 won by MSD and 2015 won by Michael Clarke. I just had to identify these patches like these.  Bipin: How do you identify them?Greenstone - I look at clues from other sports and connect them to planetary positions. The 2018 football World Cup was won by 1986-born – Hugo Lloris. The biggest tennis great was 1981 born Roger Federer who was overtaken by 1986 born Rafael Nadal. All 1986 born have the planets Uranus and Neptune in the strongest positions at 25 and 12 degrees respectively. Bipin: So, how do you think it will play out this time? Greenstone – let's look at other sports again – A 1986 born is always succeeded by a 1987 born! The record of Rafael Nadal was better by the 1987-born Novak Djokovic, the 2022 football World Cup was won by a 1987-born Lionel Messi. So, now what is your guess for the Cricket World Cup in 2023? Bipin: India? Greenstone – Yes, you got it! My biggest astrological favourite to win this time is 1987-born Rohit Sharma going on to win the biggest prize in Cricket. Bipin: So, no competitors then? Not really – We need to be aware of 1990-born Captains – Jos Buttler of England, Temba Bavuma of South Africa and Babar Azam of Pakistan, who could have been born earlier than what his official records suggest. Bipin: What! No Australia?Greenstone: I’m categorically ruling out Australia from winning this World Cup. Pat Cummins, a 1993 born cannot win THIS world Cup. Even New Zealand doesn’t have a chance to win this time! Bipin: So what about the player of the series, best bowler etc.?Greenstone: Expect most of the best performances to come to India – the ones who are coming off from injuries will do really well – KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah etc. SKY and Hardik Pandya will rock too. The major trophies will come from these 1992-1994-born players.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The squads for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India have been locked in ahead of the tournament opener between England and New Zealand on 5 October.India will be looking to become the fourth consecutive host nation to win the tournament, a run which began when they lifted the trophy themselves in 2011. Their 15-man squad will be captained by Rohit Sharma.Defending champions England, welcome back Ben Stokes, who has come out of ODI retirement as his side look to retain the trophy, while Kane Williamson will be hoping to win his fitness battle having been named to lead 2019 runners-up New Zealand.Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Reyaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah Zurmati, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi Eisakhil, Ikram Ali Khil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan Arman, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad Lakanwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman Rahmani, Naveen ul Haq Murid.Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.Bangladesh squad: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Kumer Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto (vc), Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Surya Kumar Yadav.Netherlands squad: Scott Edwards (c), Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.Sri Lanka squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis (vc), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka.

BIPIN DANISri Lanka's consultant coach Mahela Jayawardene will join the World Cup squad soon, it is learnt. According to the sources in the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the 46-year-old Mahela did not attend the religious ceremony on the day of team departure and did not travel with the team and is not in Guwahati where Dasun Shanaka's Lanka team is playing the first warm up match against Bangladesh at Barsapara Stadium on Friday."He will certainly be there for the World Cup matches", one of the sources revealed. Sri Lanka's first match (and tournament's 4th) in the World Cup is against South Africa in Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on October 7. Mahela's contribution to the Lanka team in the Asia Cup is not known.  Mahela's trip to the World Cup in India is approved by the sports minister, along with the other 12-member support staffs. The support staff list approved by the sports minister is as under :Mahinda Halangoda (Team Manager), Chris Silverwood (Head Coach), Mahela Jayawardene (Consultant Coach), Naveed Nawaz (Assistant Coach), Piyal Wijetunga (Spin Bowling Coach), Dharshana Gamage (Fast Bowling Coach), Anton Roux (Fielding Coach), Grant Luden (Trainer), Chris Clark (Physio), Shirantha Niroshana (Analyst), Rohan Priyadarshana (Masseur), Dr. P. Kiriella (Team Doctor), and Pramodya Wickramsinghe (Tour Selector). The sports minister has also ensured that this approval is used for applying for visa only for the tournament and as a single entry. The above approval for players and the support staffs is granted subject to the condition that a security bond of specific amount is signed between the participants and the SLC. "It is a normal practice adopted for all sports federations", a sports ministry source revealed. The manager will also be required to submit his tour report within 10 days of returning home.  The sports ministry took the recommendations of the chairman of the National Sports Council.  

BIPIN DANISri Lanka's World Cup squad which reached Guwahati today (Wednesday) is without its ace-spinner Maheesh Theekshana.“The 23-year-old right-arm off-spinner had not boarded the flight", a top Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) official confirmed."He did not attend the religious ceremony (conducted on Tuesday) either,” the source further added."At present, his participation in the World Cup is not in doubt but now he has been sent to the rehabilitation centre at the High Performance Unit. His fitness is being monitored by physio Thihan Chandramohan,” the source said.The spinner had been ruled out of the final of the men's Asia Cup against India because of a hamstring injury he picked up during Sri Lanka's last-ball win against Pakistan.According to multiple sources, there was a difference of opinion between the physio and the radiologist.It was assumed to be a Grade 3 injury but it did not have a big tear, though the MRI scan was indicating it, according to the medical team.He is therefore included in the squad and likely to join the team during a later stage of the tournament. The 15-member team which reached Guwahati has Chamika Karunaratne as a traveling reserve.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Pakistan Tape-Ball Cricket (PTC) has appointed Shariq Ali to the position of Director for Sindh Region, as he has over 15 years of experience gained through leading organizations including QBBA, PMMAF, SJJA & Chain of Life Fitness.President PTC, Amir Mahboob said: “We are delighted to secure a Region Director Sindh’s caliber and experience to lead Sindh Tap-ball Cricket (STC) through the next phase of growth. His experience across different sports and the industries in which we compete will be of great benefit to STC”President of International Tape Ball Cricket Aamir Siddiqui (USA) expressed his best wishes for Shariq Ali and the development of Tape Ball cricket in Pakistan. Commenting on his appointment, Shariq Ali said “I am looking forward to taking on the leadership role at STC and working with the team at STC to ensure a bright future for the Tape-Ball Cricket in the region.