Sports Bulletin

SPORTS BULLETIN Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month awards for August 2022 which sees Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and Australia’s Tahlia McGrath honoured following their outstanding international performances during August. Raza claims the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award thanks to an unforgettable series of scores against Bangladesh and India in Harare across two ODI series. The all-rounder struck two magnificent unbeaten centuries (135 not out and 117 not out) during the historic 2-1 series victory over Bangladesh, on both occasions securing victory for his side in dramatic fashion when chasing big targets. He scored another memorable century against India later in the month, albeit in defeat, continuing his sensational form shown throughout 2022. In addition to his exploits at the crease, Raza also highlighted his bowling threat in the shorter format, taking seven wickets during the month. In claiming the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award, Raza becomes the first Zimbabwe international to win the award, overcoming fellow nominees and leading all-rounders Mitchell Santner of New Zealand and England’s Ben Stokes who also starred during an action-packed month of men’s cricket. Reacting to being named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for August, Raza commented: “I’m incredibly humbled and honoured to have won the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award from the ICC. It’s even more humbling being the first Zimbabwean to ever win the award. “I would like to thank everybody who has been in the changing room with me over the past three to four months, namely the technical staff and the players. Without them this would not have been possible. Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans in Zimbabwe and overseas for all your prayers and all your wishes, they are well received and I’m forever grateful.” Former South Africa international and ICC Player of the Month voting panel member, JP Duminy said: “Sikandar has really blossomed into a fine all-rounder, and more importantly has shown supreme consistency against some of the top teams in the world. It’s exciting to see what comes next for him.” Tahlia McGrath becomes the latest Australian star to receive the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award after paving the way for her country to claim Commonwealth Gold in Birmingham. Following in the footsteps of Alyssa Healy, who claimed the award in April, McGrath amassed 114 runs at an average of 57 during the month, together with five wickets at 13.40, emphasising the crucial role she played in securing yet another success for her country. In amongst a series of strong displays, undoubtedly her star performance came in the victory over Pakistan, where McGrath scored an unbeaten 78, before her three wickets and a run out helped maintain her side’s unbeaten path to glory. On winning the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for August, McGrath commented: “I’m honoured to have been named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for August given there are so many great players who are at the top of their game at the moment. “I’m loving being back in the Australian team and being part of some really special moments, including making history as the first women’s team to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal.” Along with team success at the Commonwealth Games, McGrath’s excellent month also saw her reach a career-high ranking of 12th among all-rounders in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings. Former West Indies international and member of the voting panel Daren Ganga added: “McGrath is one of the most genuine all-rounders in the women’s game. Her skill to swing the ball with consistent control matched with her batting ability all present remarkable value added to Australia. She is only 26 years of age and has many more contributions and successes to enjoy in her country’s colours."

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (UAE):- An astonishing counterattack from Bhanuka Rajapaksa and impressive bowling performances from Pramod Madushan and Wanindu Hasaranaga set up a comfortable 23-run win for Sri Lanka over Pakistan in the final of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. This was the sixth instance of the island nation bagging the title. Sri Lanka had set Pakistan 171 to win and that they were able to manage the imposing total was because of a scintillating 45-ball 71 not out from Rajapaksa. The left-handed middle order batter rescued his team from a precarious 58 for five and added 58 and 54 runs with Hasaranga (21-ball 36, five fours and a six) and Chamika Karunaratne as 103 runs were added to the Sri Lankan total at the loss of just one wicket in the last 10 overs. It was a turnaround of epic proportions considering the start Pakistan quicks had provided to their side. Naseem Shah’s brute of a delivery that nipped back into Kusal Mendis to dislodge his stumps provided Pakistan the first wicket on just the third delivery and Haris Rauf accounted for Pathum Nissanka, the other opener, as he holed out to mid-off. Haris struck again with an incredible in-swinger to left-hander Danushka Gunathilaka that reduced Sri Lanka to 36 for three at 5.1 overs. Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s astute move to introduce the off-spin of Iftikhar Ahmed garnered his side the wicket of dangerous looking Dhananjaya de Silva, who had spanked four classic boundaries in the cover region in his 28 off 21. Haris finished with brilliant figures of three for 29. Pakistan stuttered in their run chase right from the beginning as Madushan’s double blows in the fourth over sent Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman back in the hut for just 22 runs. Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan staged a marvellous recovery with a 71-run partnership. Rizwan’s fighting innings saw him score 55 off 49 deliveries, finishing the tournament as the leading run-getter with 281 runs in six innings at an average of 56.20. As Iftikhar started to take on the bowlers, Madushan struck again and had him caught at deep square-leg for 32 off 31 in the 14th over. Two overs later, Mohammad Nawaz pulled Karunaratne into the hands of deep fine-leg and the dismissal sparked a collapse that saw them lose their next five wickets for 15 runs. Hasaragna struck thrice in one over – sending Rizwan, Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah back – and returned three for 27. Madushan dismissed Naseem Shah in the penultimate over to finish with four for 34. Karunaratne (two for 27) bowled Mohammad Hasnain on the last ball of the match as Pakistan were bowled out for 147. Scores in brief: Sri Lanka 170-6, 20 overs (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 71 not out, Wanindu Hasaranga 36, Dhanajaya de Silva 28; Haris Rauf 3-29) Pakistan 147 all out, 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 55, Iftikhar Ahmed 32; Pramod Madushan 4-34, Wanindu Hasaranga 3-27, Chamika Karunaratne 2-33) Player of the match – Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka) Player of the series - Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)

SPORTS BULLETIN Lahore:-Six Pakistan women internationals are amongst 24 participants that have registered for the six-day ACC Level 2 Women Coaching Course, which will be held at the National High Performance Centre in Lahore from 12 to 17 September. Pakistan international players include Ayesha Zafar (29 ODIs, 20T20Is), Iram Javed (21 ODIs, 51 T20Is), Nahida Bibi (66 ODIs, 54 T20Is), Nashra Sundhu (49 ODIs, 28 T20Is), Natalia Pervaiz (three ODIs, 11 T20Is) and Sidra Amin (48 ODIs, 25 T20Is). Farah Naeem, Saira Iftikhar, Samina Bibi and Shehla Bibi are other participants from Pakistan. Other participants in the course, include representatives from Bahrain, Bhutan (two), Hong Kong (two), Iran, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal (two), Maldives, Qatar (two) and Singapore. The Level 2 course participants will be taught the advance coaching skills which include batting, bowling, fielding and wicket-keeping. This also includes work on communications skills, mental and physical strength, planning and creating quality learning environments which help players graduate to the next level. The course will be conducted by National High Performance Centre coaches Mauhtashim Rashid, Mohsin Kamal, Rahat Abbas Asadi and it will be headed by Shahid Aslam. At the conclusion of the course, the participants will be given three months to complete their assignments. The successful participants will be awarded Level 2 coaching certificates. ACC Level 2 Women’s Coaching Course participants: Ayesha Zafar (Pakistan), Dechen Wangmo (Bhutan), Deepika Rasangika (Bahrain), Elnaz Parvin (Iran), Emylia Eliani Binti Md Rahim (Malaysia), Farah Naeem (Pakistan), Iram Javed (Pakistan), Janaki Bhatt (Nepal), Kary Chan (Hong Kong), Khadija Khalil (Kuwait), Mariyam Zoona (Maldives), Nahida Bibi (Pakistan), Nashra Sundhu (Pakistan), Natalia Pervaiz (Pakistan), Rochelle Sherlene Quyn (Qatar), Saira Iftikhar (Pakistan), Samina Bibi (Pakistan), Shafina Mahesh (Singapore), Shahreen Nawab (Qatar), Shehla Bibi (Pakistan), Sidra Amin (Pakistan),  Sobha Ale (Nepal), Tammy Chu (Hong Kong) and Yeshey Choden (Bhutan)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lahore:-Mohammad Javed Malik, member International Panel of ICC Match Referees, will lead the playing control team in the seven T20 Internationals between Pakistan and England played across Karachi and Lahore from 20 September till 2 October. Aleem Dar, member ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, and Asif Yaqoob, one of the four Pakistan umpires in ICC International Panel of Umpires, the other three being Ahsan Raza, Shozab Raza and Rashid Riaz, will take the on-field duties for the series opener at National Stadium, Karachi. Ahsan Raza and Rashid Riaz will be the third and fourth umpires. Five umpires will do the on-field umpiring duties in the series. Aleem Dar will stand in four T20Is, Ahsan Raza in three, and Asif Yaqoob, Rashid Riaz and Faisal Afridi will stand in two matches each. The National Stadium will stage the first four T20Is on 20, 22, 23 and 25 September. The action will move to the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore for the last three matches from 28 September. September, 20, 2022: First T20I. Aleem Dar and Asif Yaqoob (on-field umpires), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire); Muhammad Javed Malik (match referee) September 22, 2022: Second T20I. Ahsan Raza and Rashid Riaz (on-field umpires), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire); Muhammad Javed Malik (match referee) September 23, 2022: Third T20I. Aleem Dar and Faisal Afridi (on-field umpires), Rashid Riaz (third umpire), Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire); Muhammad Javed Malik (match referee) September 25, 2022: Fourth T20I. Asif Yaqoob and Faisal Afridi (on-field umpires), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire); Muhammad Javed Malik (match referee) September 28, 2022: Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field umpires), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire); Muhammad Javed Malik (match referee) September 30, 2022: Aleem Dar and Rashid Riaz (on-field umpires), Faisal Afridi (third umpire), Ahsan Raza (fourth umpire); Muhammad Javed Malik (match referee) October 2, 2022: Asif Yaqoob and Ahsan Raza (on-field umpires), Rashid Riaz (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire); Muhammad Javed Malik (match referee)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Multan:-The Multan leg of the Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23 kicked off with a scintillating contest between Northern and Sindh as the former sealed the thriller by one run on the last ball of the match with a run out. Balochistan completed a comfortable seven-wicket win over Central Punjab in the second match of the day. Huraira stars in Northern’s close win Mohammad Huraira played a brilliant innings of 86 in Northern’s one-run win over Sindh. The opener scored his runs at a quick pace (strike rate of 165), smashing 13 fours and a six in his 52-ball innings. Huraira, later named player of the match, put a profound 132-run first wicket partnership with Nasir Nawaz, who missed a half-century by only three runs as he was dismissed by Anwar Ali in the 14th over. Umar Amin played a cameo of 10-ball 21 not out (three fours) to lift his team to 190 for four. Zeeshan Malik, from the other end, provided his captain the desired support by spanking two sixes and a four in his nine-ball 19 not out Saud Shakeel, the Sindh captain, led his team’s reply with a breezy 43-ball 70 – hitting nine fours and a six – and stitched a 60-run partnership for the third wicket with Omair Bin Yousuf (20 off 19). Sarfaraz Ahmed provided impetus with his 13-bal 23 (two fours and a six) down the order. Sindh required 14 off the last six with Anwar Ali and Danish Aziz at the crease. Anwar Ali was dismissed on the third ball after hitting Usman Shinwari for a six on the previous ball. The equation finally came down to three off one and it ended with Faraz Ali’s run out as he looked to complete the second and take his team into the Super Over. Balochistan’s Haseebullah, Amad Butt add to Central Punjab’s misery Central Punjab won only one of their five matches in Rawalpindi and must have hoped for a change of fortunes in Multan, but their Multan leg got off with a demolishing seven-wicket defeat to Balochistan with Haseebullah’s 72 overhauling 170-run target with an over spare. Player of the match Haseebullah struck seven fours and three sixes in his 53-ball knock and provided a brilliant start to the run chase with a 96-run partnership with Asad Shafiq, who was another batter in the day to miss out a half-century by three runs. Asad made 47 in 34 (four fours and a six). Abdul Wahid Bangalzai played a blinder smashing 46 not out at a staggering strike rate of 192 as Balochistan closed the chase with ease. Amad Butt took four wickets for 30 runs when Central Punjab elected to bat. Shoaib Malik made his experience count, top-scoring with 44 off 30 (four fours). Aamer Yamin was the next best performer in the innings with 37 off 24 (five fours and a six). Central Punjab had made 169 for nine. Scores in brief: Northern beat Sindh by 1 run Northern 190-4, 20 overs (Mohammad Huraira 86, Nasir Nawaz 47, Umar Amin 21 not out) Sindh 189-7, 20 overs (Saud Shakeel 70, Sarfaraz Ahmed 23, Omair Bin Yousuf 20; Mubasir Khan 2-31, Usman Khan Shinwari 2-43) Player of the match – Mohammad Huraira (Northern) Balochistan beat Central Punjab by 7 wickets Central Punjab 169-9, 20 overs (Shoaib Malik 44, Aamer Yamin 37, Mohammad Faizan 26, Tayyab Tahir 21; Amad Butt 4-30) Balochistan 173-3, 19 overs (Haseebullah 72, Asad Shafiq 47, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 46 not out) Player of the match – Haseebullah (Balochistan)

BIPIN DANI World's highest Test wicket-taker Muthiah Muralitharan is all set to arrive in India next week. The 50-year-old off-spinner will be playing the Legends League, his Indian wife, Madhi confirmed.  Four teams are participating in this tournament, which is to be played from September 16 to October 5. India's son-in-law is to play for Manipal Tigers team, which will be led-by former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. Manipal team is to play its first match against Bhilwara Kings on Sunday in Lucknow. The organisers have put another Sri Lankan-Romesh Kaluwitharansa in Murali's team, however, Kalu's participation is not yet confirmed. The first edition of the League was played in Oman last year. There has been some more progress on Murali's bio-pic, which is likely to be released early next year. "A camera-men team will leave for England on October 1. They will shoot at a few grounds in England till October 20", one of the sources said. The actor to play Darrell Hair's role will be decided soon and immediately the audio tests will begin. Darrell Hair no bowled several times in the Boxing Day Test in 1995-96 and the controversy has been added in this Biopic. 

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Multan:-Multan-the city of Saints-will be in the spotlight as the best domestic T20 cricketers converge in the city for the second leg of what has been an enthralling Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23. The picturesque Multan Cricket Stadium will host the last 17 matches including the semi-finals and the final, of the 33-match tournament. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are having a near-perfect campaign winning all five matches. They have rolled over every opposition in the tournament and all five sides will be wary of the threat Khalid Usman’s men pose when the Multan leg resumes from tomorrow. Balochistan, who played the final of the 2019 edition, have won three matches of the five and lost two. With each win granting two points, they have pocketed six points. Under the captaincy of Yasir Shah, Balochistan have had a white-ball resurgence of sorts winning the Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament at the start of 2022 and they have been on song this tournament. Sindh, led by Saud Shakeel, are third on the six-team points table due to a lesser net run rate but are locked on six points with Balochistan. They had a terrific start with wins over Southern Punjab and Northern by 42 and 10 runs, but stuttered in between – losing to Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Central Punjab. They signed off the Rawalpindi leg with a solid six-wicket win over Southern Punjab by six wickets at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. Sindh will hope to build on the win against Southern Punjab and carry the momentum when they open the Multan leg by taking on Northern. Sindh have not made it to the final in any of the last three editions. Fourth-placed Northern were lacklustre at their home ground losing three of their five matches. After starting their campaign with defeats to Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, they won two of their last three matches in Rawalpindi. They beat Central Punjab by three runs, lost to Balochistan by 19 runs and sealed a thriller by five runs against Southern Punjab. They won the 2019 edition of the tournament but have not made it to the final in the last two editions. Southern Punjab are fifth in the points table. They won two of their first three matches, and had the match against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa curtailed to five overs per side due to weather and ground conditions, which the latter won by seven wickets. It was one of the four games in this edition thus far, in which a total has been chased down. Central Punjab – the finalists of the last edition – have had the worst start. It is not only that they are placed at the bottom and have only managed one win, but their captain all-rounder Faheem Ashraf has also been ruled out of the tournament after splitting the webbing of his left-hand during his side’s second match of this edition. If there’s any team that would be hoping for a change of fortunes in Multan, it would be Central Punjab. Top performers Southern Punjab vice-captain and opener Zain Abbas has been one of the most consistent batters in the tournament with 241 runs at an average of 40.17. But, it is his strike rate of over 152 which has been extraordinary. The left-handed batter has scored two half-centuries. He is followed by another left-hander Saim Ayub of Sindh, who has brought his 237 runs at even quicker strike rate of 160.13. Twenty-year-old Saim has also made two half-centuries and is averaging 39.50. Central Punjab’s top-order batter Tayyab Tahir is third on the list with 214 at 42.80 runs per dismissal. He is the only batter this tournament to score three half-centuries and his strike rate stands at 140. Experienced fast bowler Sohail Khan has made his experience count for Sindh. The 39-year-old leads the chart for most wicket-takers with 10 scalps at 17 runs per dismissal. His strike rate of 11.10 reflects that he has been getting a wicket every second over. Southern Punjab captain and off-spinner Salman Ali Agha, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Imran and right-arm fast bowler of Southern Punjab Sameen Gul have nine wickets each, while Ahmed Daniyal of Central Punjab and Imran Khan Snr of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are the next best with eight wickets each.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (UAE):-A fighting 55 not out in 48 balls from Pathum Nissanka and economical and incisive spells from spinners scripted Sri Lanka’s comfortable five-wicket win over Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday in what was a dress rehearsal for the final on Sunday. The win took Sri Lanka to the final unscathed, Dasun Shanaka’s men finished the Super-4 with three straight wins – while this was Pakistan’s only loss in the round. Pakistan, asked to bat, were bowled out for 121 with five balls to spare. Wanindu Hasaranga bowled four brilliant overs, returning three for 21. He accounted for Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who top-scored with 30 off 29, but the highlight of his spell came in the 15th over when he bowled Iftikhar Ahmed and Asif Ali on consecutive balls. Maheesh Theekshana, bowling at frugal 5.25 runs per over, returned two for 21, and off-spinner Dhananjaya de Silva’s four overs leaked only 18 runs and provided Sri Lanka the important wicket of Khushdil Shah. Right-arm fast bowler Pramod Madushan took Pakistan’s first and last wicket - dismissing Mohammad Rizwan in the fourth over and Haris Rauf on the first ball of the last. All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz gave a glimpse of hope to the Pakistan fans of setting a challenging total with his 18-ball 26 in which he spanked two sixes and a four, but was run out in the penultimate over. Intense first overs by Mohammad Hasnain and Haris lit up the Pakistani contingent of the crowd at the ‘Ring of Fire’ when the Sri Lankan run chase commenced. Hasnain, with a scorcher, squared up Kusal Mendis to induce a leading edge for Iftikhar to catch safely at the first slip. In the second over, Danushka Gunathilaka went chasing Haris’ back of the length delivery - that moved away - and edged it into Rizwan’s gloves. From there on, Sri Lanka launched a counter-attack, despite the dismissal of de Silva in the fifth over. Nissanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa stitched up a 51-run partnership and following the dismissal of the latter, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka continued the attack with his 16-ball 21. Hasnain and Haris finished with two wickets each, giving 21 and 19 runs. Sri Lanka rolled over the target with three overs to spare. Scores in brief: Pakistan 121 all out, 19.1 overs (Babar Azam 30, Mohammad Nawaz 26; Wanindu Hasaranga 3-21, Pramod Madushan 2-21, Maheesh Theekshana 2-21) Sri Lanka 124-5, 17 overs (Pathum Nissanka 55 not out, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 24, Dasun Shanaka 21; Haris Rauf 2-19, Mohammad Hasnain 2-21) Player of the match – Wanindu Hasaranga

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lahore:-Australia great Matthew Hayden will be the Pakistan team mentor for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced today. The decision is a continuation of Hayden’s involvement with the national men’s side after he inspired them to the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, defeating India, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia in the league matches. Hayden will join the side in Brisbane on 15 October, the day Pakistan arrive from Christchurch after competing in the T20I series also involving Bangladesh and hosts New Zealand. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said: “I welcome Matthew Hayden back in Pakistan colours. He is a proven performer with his credentials acknowledged and recognised world-over. He brings with him wealth of knowledge about Australia conditions and I am confident his involvement will significantly benefit our extremely talented cricketers for the World Cup and future tours Down Under. “I would like to offer my gratitude to Bank AlFalah who have once again partnered with us on this appointment and hope they will remain connected with the PCB.” Matthew Hayden said:  “I am extremely excited to be reuniting with the Pakistan team as their mentor for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia and can’t wait to join the culture again and feel the spirit of One Nation One Passion. “I have seen how Pakistan have been performing in the ACC T20 Asia Cup and Sunday’s win over India was brilliant. “I think this Pakistan side has got what it takes to excel in Australia and the conditions will really suit them, both from a batting and bowling perspective. This team has all of its bases covered and I am sure it will light up the World Cup as it did in the UAE last year. “I feel privileged to be given an opportunity to pass on all my experience and knowledge about all conditions in Australia and can’t wait to be back in the Pakistan dressing room.”

BIPIN DANI Mohammad Jamil is one of the very few who have witnessed both sixes-Javed Miandad's sixer (against India, 1986, (Austral-Asia Cup) and Wednesday's Naseem Shah's last two (against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.    Jamil, who at the age of 21, started working at the Sharjah Stadium in 1982 as an Assistant groundsman is now the chief groundsman.  "Yes, I am lucky to have witnessed both players' sixes. Miandad's six had already found a name in the record books and people here are remembering it every now and then. Now Naseem's two sixes will also become equally famous. Both players' have played a significant role in Pakistan's victories. I don't under-rate any of their sixes. I will carry the fond memories of these sixes when I retire", he said exclusively.  Mazhar Khan, the General Manager at the Sharjah Cricket had also witnessed Miandas's famous six then.    Not to forget here that Naseem Shah's two sixes won the match and qualified to enter the Asia Cup final. Asif Iqbal, who was a chief coordinator then, watched the Pakistan-Afghanistan match on TV at his home in England, where he resides.  Speaking exclusively over the telephone, he said, "Both sixes have been of great significance. Miandad’s will always take precedence as it was against India whereas Naseem Shah’s helped the team to qualify for the final which is still to be played. If Pakistan goes on to win the Asia Cup, then Naseem’s six will always be coined with the winning of the cup. Not to forget that Naseem Shah is a no. 10 batsman and was batting with no. 11. It was a wonderful game of T/20 which confirms that no match is over till it’s over and no match is won or lost till the last run is scored and the last wicket is taken".