Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI: The Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Neil Hawkins met Pakistan National Women’s Cricket Team in Karachi and wished them good luck ahead of their tour of Australia. Starting from Friday 16 January, hosts and reigning champions Australia will host Pakistan National Women’s Cricket Team for an ODI and a T20I series scheduled in Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart and Canberra. The ODIs are part of the 2020-2025 ICC Women’s Championship. High Commissioner Neil Hawkins said: ‘It is a great privilege to meet Pakistan National Women’s Cricket Team. Our countries share a passion for cricket. I wish the team a fantastic stay in Australia. They will receive a very warm Australian welcome. We expect some fabulous cricket.’ The High Commissioner also met with Pakistan Under-19 Women’s squad who are also practicing in Karachi for the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in South Africa later this month.  ‘The Australian High Commission has been supporting under-19 girls’ cricket in Pakistan since 2016 as we believe cricket and other sports can help tear down barriers and stereotypes,’ he said.  Team captain Bismah Maroof said: ‘We had a good 2022 year, where we won five of the six ICC Women’s Championship matches. We are looking forward to playing a competitive series in Australia. The series against Australia will provide an opportunity to players to express their talent on the field and make new fans in the tour Down Under,’ she added. Team Manager Ayesha Ashhar said: ‘I am positive that the squad assembled here under Bismah Maroof shall give a good account of itself on the forthcoming tour, not only on the field of play but also in terms of winning friends through great display of skills, discipline and sportsmanship.

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI (January 5, 2023): Pakistan lost two wickets without scoring on the fourth day of the second Test in Karachi after New Zealand set them a target of 319. Skipper Tim Southee dismissed opener Abdullah Shafique with the a ball that kept low before Ish Sodhi spun through nightwatchman Mir Hamza’s defences in the last over of the fourth day. At the close, a shocked Imam-ul-Haq was at the crease without scoring and the home team needing 319 runs for victory, or eight wickets in hand to hold out for a draw. A loss would be their third series defeat at home in a season after going down 1-0 to Australia and 3-0 to England earlier this year. No team has chased more than 314 to win a Test in Pakistan, which the home team set against Australia in Karachi 1994. New Zealand declared their second innings ten minutes before close on 277-5 after Michael Bracewell hit a career-best 74 not out and Tom Blundell 74. The pair turned the match during their match-turning 127-run fifth wicket stand. Pakistan had the match under control when they had New Zealand struggling at 128-4 from 76-1 at lunch, removing Tom Latham (62), Kane Williamson (41) and Henry Nicholls (five). But Blundell, dropped on 21 by wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed off spinner Abrar Ahmed, punished the home team with seven boundaries and a six before holing out off Agha Salman. Bracewell, whose previous best of 49 was against England earlier this year, was also dropped on 59 by Sarfaraz off Salman. In the post-lunch session New Zealand lost three wickets in the space of 50 balls and 14 runs. Latham was smartly caught off a miscued flick at short mid-wicket by Abrar Ahmed from fast-bowler Naseem Shah. With the total unmoved on 114, in the next over Ahmed trapped Williamson leg-before. Hasan Ali had Nicholls caught soon after as New Zealand lost three wickets off 50 balls for 14 runs. Field umpires Alex Wharf and Aleem Dar had a horrible day with three of their decisions overturned. New Zealand were jolted in the second over of their innings when Mir Hamza bowled Conway with his first delivery. It was the first time Conway fell without scoring in his 12-match Test career. Pakistan wasted two leg-before referrals on Williamson when the batter was on seven and nine, while Latham overturned a decision against him on 36 -- all off Ahmed. At the start of the day, Pakistan were dismissed for 408 after adding just one run to their overnight score, in response to New Zealand's 449 first-innings total. Spinner Ish Sodhi had last man Ahmed trapped leg-before for nought, leaving centurion Saud Shakeel stranded on the other end. Shakeel was unbeaten on 125 after a marathon resistance-packed 493 minutes at the crease, hitting 17 boundaries in his maiden hundred. Spinner Ajaz Patel finished with 3-88 and Sodhi 3-95. Scores in Brief New Zealand (1st innings) 449 all-out, 131 overs (Devon Conway 122, Tom Latham 71, Matt Henry 68 not out, Tom Blundell 51, Kane Williamson 36, Ajaz Patel 35, Henry Nicholls 26; Abrar Ahmed 4-149, Naseem Shah 3-71, Salman Ali Agha 3-75) and 277-5d (Tom Blundell 74 not out, Michael Bracewell 74, Tom Latham 62, Kane Williamson 41; Mir Hamza 1-38, Hasan Ali 1-39, Salman Ali Agha 1-42, Naseem Shah 1-43) Pakistan (1st innings) 408 all-out, 133 overs (Saud Shakeel 125 not out, Imam-ul-Haq 83, Sarfaraz Ahmed 78, Salman Ali Agha 41, Babar Azam 24, Shan Masood 20; Ajaz Patel 3-88, Ish Sodhi 3-95) and 0-2 (Tim Southee 1-0, Ish Sodhi 1-0)

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI: The Pakistan men’s interim selection committee headed by Shahid Khan Afridi today (Thursday) named a 16-player squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League matches against New Zealand, which will be played here at the National Bank Cricket Arena on 9, 11 and 13 January. Uncapped batter Tayyab Tahir and wrist spinner Usama Mir have been named in the squad after producing stellar performances in the Pakistan Cup, while Shan Masood and Haris Sohail have been recalled after missing out on ODI cricket since 2019 and 2020, respectively. Kamran Ghulam, who is part of the Test squad, has also been included in the ODI side for the first time. Fast bowler Haris Rauf, who was injured during the first Test against England in Rawalpindi, has regained complete fitness and has been named in the line-up. However, Shaheen Shah Afridi, despite making good progress, has not been included as the selectors, in consultation with the medical panel, have decided to give him more time to reclaim complete fitness. He is expected to return to competitive cricket next month in the HBL Pakistan Super League 8. Shahid Afridi, Interim Chief Selector said: “We had limited ODI cricket last year and this year, we are scheduled to play 11 ODIs before we participate in the ACC Asia Cup, followed by the World Cup in conditions that will be familiar to us. So, we aim to make optimum use of these 11 ODIs by providing opportunities to our consistent performers that will enable us to select the best available players for the two important tournaments. “In this background, we have decided to recall experienced Haris Sohail and Shan Masood as we believe the two lads still have plenty to offer to Pakistan cricket. We have not only rewarded Tayyab Tahir and Usama Mir for their outstanding performances in our domestic events, they have also been identified as future prospects. These four players, along with Kamran Ghulam, have good knowledge of our conditions and have the talent and potential to excel at the highest level. “Players who could not make in the ODI side will remain in contention as the objective from this series is to have absolute clarity on the pool of players for international cricket in 2023 and beyond. For this reason, outstanding domestic performers and senior players getting back to form and fitness have been given opportunities to showcase their performances. Workload management and separate squads for red and white-ball cricket is also under consideration, which will require a wider pool of players. I urge the players to continue to work hard and be ready for a call-up. Tayyab Tahir had a successful Pakistan Cup when he won the Player of the Final award for his match-winning 71. He was also adjudged the Best Batter of the Pakistan Cup after scoring 573 runs. Prior to the 50-over tournament, Tayyab had shown consistent form in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy by scoring 708 runs at an average of 59 with four centuries and a half-century. Likewise, Usama Mir was named the Best Bowler of the Pakistan Cup after picking up 28 wickets, following his 10 wickets in four matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Haris Sohail, whose 42nd and last ODI was against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi in October 2020, has been recalled after scoring 129 runs in five Pakistan Cup matches. In the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the left-hander scored 453 runs at an average of 50.33 with a century and two half-centuries. Shan scored 111 runs with a half-century in five ODIs during his last appearance for Pakistan against Australia in the UAE in March 2019 The Southpaw has been a regular feature in Pakistan line-ups, across formats, since his T20I debut against England September-October. Apart from injured Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris and Zahid Mehmood were also part of the side that last played an ODI series against the Netherlands in Rotterdam but have not been selected for next week’s series against New Zealand. Pakistan’s ODI squad: Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir and Usama Mir

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Pindi Gymkhana opened their 20-K Cup 2023 T20 Cricket Tournament campaign on a winning note as they defeated hosts Model Town Greens by 19 runs in the opening match here at Model Town Greens ground on Thursday. Pindi Gymkhana won the toss and elected to bat first. Their batters though couldn’t start well and kept on losing wickets on regular intervals yet their middle order batted with responsibility and helped their side post a decent total of 127-9 on the board. Wasif Khan emerged as the top scorer with 21 runs off 24 while Imtiaz Ali struck 20 and Nadeem Ahmad scored 19 runs. Ahmad Arif bowled well for Model Town Greens Club and clinched four wickets for 16 runs while Mirwais Khan grabbed two wickets for 18. In reply, Model Town Greens just fall short by 19 runs as they were bowled out on 108 in 17.4 overs. Ali Annar was the wrecker-in-chief of the host club’s batting line up as he grabbed four wickets for 22 runs. He was ably assisted by Zaib Butt (3 wickets for 21) and Asfand Mehran (2 for 16). From Model Town Greens, Bilal Dar (35), Mohammad Azeem (24) and Waris Khan (16) could cross the double figures while rest of the batters failed miserably and resulting in the defeat of the hosts. Ali Annar was declared player of the match for his brilliant bowling. Before the inaugural match between Pindi Gymkhana and Model Town Greens Club, the opening ceremony of the prestigious event was held here at the Model Town Greens ground, which was graced by Nadeem Khan, Pakistan Cricket Board’s Director High Performance Centre Lahore while Test cricketer Abid Ali, former cricketer Mohammad Ilyas, Tournament Organizer Shoaib Dar and others were also present on the occasion. On Friday (January 6), two matches will be played. In the first match, Model Town Greens will take on P&T Gym while Cricket Center Club will play against Yu Slim Club in another match of the day. Both matches will be played at 11:00 am.

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI (December 4, 2023): Left-handed batter, Saud Shakeel scored his first Test century in fifth appearance but Pakistan threw away his labourious innings by losing four late wickets for 12 runs on the third day of the second Test against New Zealand at the National Bank Cricket Arena on Wednesday. Pakistan were on course for closing out the day in a comfortable position when they reached 385 for five. But as it has been a few times this season, they dramatically lost four wickets for 12 runs in 26 balls to end the day at 407 for nine, while replying to New Zealand’s 449. The home side still trails the visitors by 42 runs in the first innings. Resuming at the overnight score of 13 in Pakistan’s 154 for three, the 27-year-old local lad finished the day at 124 not out. He has been batting for over eight hours, during which he has received 336 balls and struck 17 fours. The former Pakistan Shaheens captain reached his half-century from 173 balls, while he took 67 balls to score the next 50 runs to reach the magical figures for the first time in his ninth innings and that too at his home ground. The left-hander’s only blemish was when at the score of 102, he played a loose shot but got away with it when Tom Latham dropped a simple catch at point off Tim Southee. Saud made his debut this season in the first Test against England in Rawalpindi and had scores of 37, 76 (Rawalpindi), 63, 94 (Multan), 23, 53 (Karachi) and 22, 55 not out (Karachi v NZ, 1st Test) before this Test. While Saud went on to complete a memorable century, his overnight partner Imam-ul-Haq could only add nine to his last evening’s score before being caught at the wicket off Tim Southee for 83. Imam and Saud put on 83 runs for the fourth wicket in 215 balls. Following Imam’s departure, Saud found a reliable ally in Sarfaraz Ahmed as the two batters put on 150 runs for the fifth wicket in 238 balls. Sarfaraz, who scored 86 and 53 in the previous Test – his first since January 2019 – was unfortunate to be declared stumped off Daryl Mitchell after scoring an attractive 78 off 109 balls with 10 elegant fours. Saud then put on 53 runs for the sixth wicket with Salman Ali Agha. The partnership ended when Michael Bracewell took a brilliant reflex action catch in the slip off Ajaz Patel, who later accounted for Hasan Ali (four). Ish Sodhi then dismissed Naseem Shah (four) and Mir Hamza on successive deliveries as Pakistan slipped to 385 for five to 397 for nine. Patel finished the day at three for 88, while Sodhi scooped two for 94. Southee, Matt Henry and Mitchell picked up a wicket each. Scores in brief: New Zealand (1st innings) 449 all-out, 131 overs (Devon Conway 122, Tom Latham 71, Matt Henry 68 not out, Tom Blundell 51, Kane Williamson 36, Ajaz Patel 35, Henry Nicholls 26; Abrar Ahmed 4-149, Naseem Shah 3-71, Salman Ali Agha 3-75) Pakistan (1st innings) (overnight 154-3) 407-9, 132 overs (Saud Shakeel 124 not out, Imam-ul-Haq 83, Sarfaraz Ahmed 78, Salman Ali Agha 41, Babar Azam 24, Shan Masood 20; Ajaz Patel 3-88, Ish Sodhi 2-94)

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI: (January 3, 2023): Pakistan’s top-order batting woes continued in the new year before Imam-ul-Haq rescued his side from complete collapse on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand at the National Bank Cricket Arena on Tuesday. Abdullah Shafique once again fell while hooking, Shan Masood’s aggressive approach against the spinners led to his downfall and Babar Azam was run-out in a terrible mix-up with Imam-ul-Haq as Pakistan slipped to 99 for three before finishing the day at 154 for three. Pakistan’s response came after New Zealand were bowled out for 449 after starting the day at 309 for six and having being reduced to 345 for nine. Abdullah managed 19 off 32 balls with four fours, Shan scored 20 from 11 balls with four fours and Babar hit three fours and six in a 41-ball 24 before returning to the dressing room to leave Pakistan in dire straits. However, Imam held the innings together and in partnership with Saud Shakeel, he has so far added 55 runs for the unfinished fourth wicket. The left-hander, who tuned his back at Babar after the skipper had sprinted for the third run, was batting on 74 from 125 balls with nine fours and a six, while a consistent Saud was 13 not out from 75 balls. For New Zealand, Matt Henry picked up the wicket of Abdullah and Ajaz Patel dismissed Shan. Earlier, Henry and Patel had combined to frustrate Pakistan for 92 minutes during which they added 104 runs in 149 balls for the 10th wicket to lift New Zealand to 449. No.10 batter Henry notched up his third career half-century in 18th match when he returned unbeaten on an attacking 81-ball 68 with eight fours and two sixes, while Patel was the last batter to be dismissed after scoring a Test best 35 from 78 balls and four fours. Overnight batters Tom Blundell and Ish Sodhi, along with skipper Tim Southee, were back in the hut with the addition of 36 runs as New Zealand slipped to 345 for nine before the last-wicket partnership helped the visitors reach a decent score. Blundell, who began the day at 30, was dismissed after scoring 51 from 108 balls with six fours, while Sodhi failed to add any run to his overnight score of 11 before he was castled by Naseem Shah (three for 71). Arbar Ahmed picked the remaining three wickets to finish with figures of 37-5-149-4. Abrar now has 27 wickets in seven innings of four Tests. Scores in brief: New Zealand (1st innings) (overnight 309-6) 449 all-out, 131 overs (Devon Conway 122, Tom Latham 71, Matt Henry 68 not out, Tom Blundell 51, Kane Williamson 36, Ajaz Patel 35, Henry Nicholls 26; Abrar Ahmed 4-149, Naseem Shah 3-71, Salman Ali Agha 3-75) Pakistan (1st innings) 154-3, 47 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 74 not out, Babar Azam 24, Shan Masood 20, Saud Shakeel 13 not out)

Sports Bulletin Report Auckland (New Zealand): Fast bowler Adam Milne has been withdrawn from New Zealand's ODI squad for the upcoming series in Pakistan and India in January due to concerns about his preparation. Blair Tickner, who is currently in Pakistan with New Zealand's Test team, has replaced Milne in the ODI squad. Milne, 30, had some tightness in his hamstring at the end of the home series against India in November 2022 and subsequently missed two Ford Trophy games, New Zealand's domestic 50-over tournament, for Wellington in December. He played Wellington's first two matches of the Super Smash, the domestic T20 competition, but the workload of six ODIs in 16 days in Pakistan and India was considered too much of a risk. New Zealand, drew the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan and begin the second and final Test of the series on January 2 in Karachi. The ODI players will leave New Zealand for Pakistan on January 4 for three matches on January 9, 11 and 13 - all in Karachi - before travelling to India for three ODIs on January 18, 21 and 24. They will also play three T20Is in India on January 27, 29 and February 1. New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (captain - only for Pakistan ODIs), Tom Latham (captain - India ODIs), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman (India ODIs only), Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy (India ODIs only), Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (Pakistan ODIs only), Blair Tickner.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Najam Sethi, the Chair of the PCB Management Committee, on Monday formally approved notifications for the restoration of Departments / Services Organisations, Regions and District / Zonal Cricket Associations under the PCB Constitution 2014. The issuance of the notifications mean 16 Regional Cricket Associations will now participate in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and eight departments will compete in the Patron’s Trophy during the 2023-24 season, beginning in August. In addition to these tournaments, Grade-II, 50-over and 20-over events will also be organised for the regional and departmental side during the 2023-24 domestic cricket season, details of which will be announced in due course. The Departments/Services Organisation, Regions and District/Zonal Cricket Associations were replaced by the six Cricket and 90 City Cricket Associations in the PCB Constitution 2019, which was repealed in December 2022. “In pursuance of Ministry’s notifications dated 22 December 2022 regarding repealing of Constitution of the Pakistan Cricket Board notified vide SRO 1045(1)/2019 dated 19 August 2019 and Ministry’s notification dated 22 December 2022 regarding restoration of the PCB Constitution 2014, the Management Committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board hereby formally announces the restoration of all Departments/Service Organisations, Regions and District/Zonal Cricket Association as recognised by the Board under the PCB Constitution 2014,” the notification said, adding: “and further actions will be taken in due course.” Najam Sethi said: “I am pleased to confirm the formal restoration of Departments/Services Organisation, Regions and District/Zonal Cricket Associations under the PCB Constitution 2014. “It is our endeavor, resolve and commitment to all our cricketers that we will provide them equal and fair opportunities to display their talent so that they can make their careers in the sport. This can only be achieved when we will expand our cricket canvas, which was unfortunately restricted and limited to a small number of cricketers and teams in 2019. This approach not only affected the livelihood of hundreds of cricketers and resulted in a talent drain, but also failed to highlight and produce cricketers with exceptional skills as in the past that, in turn, adversely impacted the standards, performances and rankings of our national sides in the international arena. “Although we cannot undo the wrong policies of the past four seasons, what we can do is to quickly revert to our tried, tested and winning cricket model and structure so that the sport and cricketers can excel and thrive. We are making good progress in this regard and more announcements that are in the best interest of Pakistan cricket and our cricketers will be made in due course.”

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: Islamabad have won the title of PAF T20 Cricket Trophy for the Blind after beating Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) in the final by six wickets at PAF Cricket Ground E-9, Islamabad on Monday. Islamabad won the toss and elected to field first. AJK scored 288 for the loss of one wicket in 20 overs Faisal was the top scorer with 138 runs. Islamabad chased the target in 19.4 overs for the loss of 4 wickets. Matiullah scored brilliant knock of 155 runs and awarded man of the match. Mehtab from AJK took 2 wickets. In the prize distribution ceremony of the event chief guest Air Commodore Shahid Raza Khan, ACAS (A) distributed prizes among players and acknowledges spirit of the players. Mohammad Asif from Peshawar was the best player in B1 Category, Kamran Akhtar was the best player in B1 and Matiullah from Islamabad was awarded player of the Tournament in B3 Category. Nisar Ali from AJK was named best wicket keeper of the Tournament.

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI (January 2, 2023): New Zealand opener Devon Conway became the first centurion of 2023 but Pakistan fought back strongly in the final session on the first day of the second Test at the National Bank Cricket Arena on Monday. Conway struck an elegant 122, his fourth century in 12th match, and stitched a 134-run first wicket partnership with Tom Latham (71) before Pakistan claimed five wickets in the last session as New Zealand finished the day at 309 for six after going for tea at 226 for one. Off-spinner Salman Ali Agha picked up three wickets for 55 runs, while Naseem Shah (two for 44) and Abrar Ahmed bagged a wicket each in the final 32 overs of the day to bring Pakistan right back in the Test. Conway struck 16 fours and a six in his 191-ball innings. He had reached his half-century from 78 balls with seven fours and a six, while he completed his century from 156 balls with 13 fours and a six. He was the second batter to the dismissed, caught at the wicket by Sarfaraz Ahmed off Salman Ali Agha. Sarfaraz and Salman also combined to send Henry Nicholls (26) back in the dressing room after a smart referral by Babar Azam ended the left-hander’s innings. Before Salman dismissed Nicholls, he had beaten Daryl Mitchell’s defences to pick his second wickets of the winnings. After Conway and Latham, whose 100-ball innings included nine fours, put on 134 runs for the first wicket, Conway put on 100 runs for the second wicket with Kane Williamson (36), who was excellently caught by Sarfaraz off Naseem. Williamson, shortly before his demise, had a reprieve when television replays confirmed he had edged Naseem Shah’s out-swinger, but the review was not sought. Tom Blundell (30) and Ish Sodhi (11) will resume New Zealand’s first innings on Tuesday on a wicket, which has support for both the batters and bowlers. The two batters have to date added 30 runs for the unfinished seventh wicket after New Zealand lost five wickets for 45 runs to slip from 234 for one to 279 for six. Earlier, New Zealand made one change to their side that featured in the drawn first Test, while Pakistan made two changes, replacing Noman Ali and Mohammad Wasim Jnr with Naseem Shah and Hasan Ali, respectively. Scores in brief: New Zealand (1st innings) 309-6, 90 overs (Devon Conway 122, Tom Latham 71, Kane Williamson 36, Tom Blundell 30 not out, Henry Nicholls 26; Salman Ali Agha 3-55, Naseem Shah 2-44)