Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced the ticket prices for the seven-match T20I series between Pakistan and England to be played in Karachi from 20-25 September and 28 September to 2 October in Lahore. Ticket prices for the Karachi matches have been fixed from PKR1,500 to PKR250. The PCB has already announced gate proceeds from the first T20I will be donated to the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund 2022. Likewise, affordable prices have been fixed for the Lahore T20Is, which now range from PKR3,000 to PKR500. When Australia played a T20I here on 5 April, ticket prices ranged from PKR4,000 to PKR500. Usman Waheed, Director – Commercial said: “England is visiting Pakistan for the first time in 17 years and these matches will be a build-up to October’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. To ensure maximum fans can attend these matches and watch live some of the best shortest format cricketers from either side, we have decided to make the tickets affordable, ensuring families also turn up in big numbers to support cricket and both the sides. “The first T20I also presents an opportunity to all the Karachi cricket spectators and fans to play their part in supporting all those affected by the catastrophe caused by the monsoon rainfall and floods. They can do this by purchasing tickets and helping the PCB to donate a substantial amount in the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund. Cricket unites our nation and this is a time to demonstrate that we stand together in these difficult and challenging times.” Ticket prices of Karachi T20Is Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Javed Miandad (VIP enclosure) – PKR1,500 Imran Khan, Quaid, Wasim Akram (premium enclosure) – PKR750 Asif Iqbal, Intikhab Alam, Iqbal Qasim, Mohammad Brothers, Nasimul Ghani (first-class enclosures) – PKR500 Majid Khan, Waqar Hasan, Wasim Bari, Zaheer Abbas (general enclosure) – PKR250 Ticket prices for Lahore T20Is: Fazal Mahmood, Imran Khan (VIP enclosures) – PKR3,000 Rajas and Saeed Anwar (premium enclosures) – PKR1,500 Abdul Qadir, AH Kardar, Javed Miandad and Sarfraz Nawaz (first-class enclosures) – PKR750 Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Majid Khan, Nazars, Quaid, Saeed Ahmad, Zaheer Abbas (general enclosures) – PKR250

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-Mujeeb Ur Rahman (3/16) and Rashid Khan (3/22) shared 6 wickets before the Zadran duo of Najibullah 43 not out (17 balls, 5 sixes) and Ibrahim 42* (41 balls, 4 fours) shared 69 runs off 33 balls between them to hand Afghanistan an emphatic 7-wicket win over Bangladesh to advance to the Super Fours stage of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2022. Earlier in the evening, Bangladesh opted to bat first but were soon put in trouble as Mujeeb Ur Rahman (3/16) did the early damage by picking up three wickets in his first spell to put Bangladesh under pressure at 24/3 in the 5th over. Rashid Khan was introduced to bowl the 7th over and struck in his very 2nd delivery as he trapped Mushfiqur Rahim for 1 to leave Bangladesh at 28/4. Afif Hussain (12), Mohammadullah (25) and Mossadek Hussain (48*) batted well but Rashid Khan (3/22) kept taking wickets as he removed Afif Hussain (LBW) and Mohammadullah (caught in the deep by Ibrahim Zadran) one after the other to help Afghanistan reduce Bangladesh to 127 in their 20 overs. Afghanistan lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz (11) earlier in the chase at 15/1, and then after a 30-run partnership with Ibrahim Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai (23) was trapped in front at 45/2 in the 10th over to leave Afghanistan in trouble. The skipper Mohammad Nabi (8 off 9b) promoted himself up the order but lost his wicket only adding 8 runs to the total. Najibullah Zadran came in at 5 and started to rebuild the Afghanistan inning as he struck a big six over the deep mid-wicket off Mahedi Hassan in 16th over before clobbering Mustafizur Rahman for two more sixes in the 17th over to bring the equation down to 26 off the last three overs. Ibrahim Zadran clipped the first ball of the 18th over off his legs for four, which was followed by another pull shot and a couple of more sixes by Najibullah to take 22 runs off the 18th over to make Afghanistan needing only 4 runs off the last two overs. Najibullah finished the game with another big six for Afghanistan as he smashed one over the bowler’s head to help Afghanistan to an emphatic win by 7 wickets. Ibrahim Zadran won the best catch of the match award whereas Mujeeb Ur Rahman was adjudged as the player of the match for his impressive figures of 3/16 in his 4 overs. With this emphatic victory, Afghanistan advanced to the top four of ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2022.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI:-Sindh all-rounder Anwar Ali has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for a level 1 offence for showing dissent at an umpire’s decision. The incident occurred in the opening match of the Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23 when Anwar, in the seventh over of the second innings, showed dissent when his delivery was deemed wide overhead. Anwar was found to have violated Article 2.8 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. On-field umpires Rashid Riaz and Nasir Hussain, third umpire Saqib Khan and fourth umpire Imtiaz Iqbal levelled the charges, and Anwar, who pleaded guilty, accepted the sanction proposed by Nadeem Arshad. Sindh beat Southern Punjab by 42 runs.  

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-Sindh will take on Southern Punjab in the opening fixture of the Kingdom Valley National T20 Cricket Cup 2022-23, which will commence from August 30 (Tuesday) at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi. The match will start at the local time 9:30 am. The Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23 will be played in two legs. Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium will host the first 16 matches till 7 September and then the action will move to Multan Cricket Stadium, where the remaining matches will be played from 10-19 September. Led by Khalid Usman, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the defending champions, will enter the tournament with the mission of securing a hat-trick of titles after winning the 2020-21 and 2021-22 editions. They have won 15 of their last 24 matches. Khalid Usman said: “There is a little pressure when you are defending the title, but, thankfully, we have a good unit that has all the potential to do the job. The atmosphere in the team is great. My message to my boys is to play fearless, positive cricket and give their 110 per cent. The new structure and introduction of CCA and divisional cricket in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has helped a great deal in nurturing the young cricketers in our region.” Balochistan enter the tournament with confidence as they ended the previous season on a high by winning the Pakistan Cup. Since playing the final of the 2019-20 edition of the tournament, Balochistan have failed to make it to the semi-finals and that’s what they would look to change when they face-off Central Punjab on the opening day of the tournament under the captaincy of Yasir Shah. Yasir Shah said: “We are looking forward to carry the momentum from the Pakistan Cup. Our youngsters – Haseebullah and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai – were terrific in that tournament, and I am sure they will continue their form. We have a good T20 side and our players have been doing well in different leagues recently.” Central Punjab faced a defeat to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Lahore last season, thanks to Iftikhar Ahmed’s whirlwind 19-ball 45 not out, in the final. It was the first instance of the side making it to the final after they failed to qualify for the semi-finals in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 editions. All-rounder Faheem Ashraf leads them this season. Faheem Ashraf said: “To captain Central Punjab is surely an honour because it is the biggest region in the country. It is a dream to lead or represent Punjab or Central Punjab. To thrive in T20 competitions, it is important to come together as a unit and develop good combinations from the onset, so we are looking to do that.” Northern were champions of the first National T20 played following the revamp of the domestic structure. They lifted the trophy at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, by thumping Balochistan in the final. They have been one of the most consistent teams in the tournament, making it to the semi-finals in the last two editions. Under the captaincy of Umar Amin, their aim must be to start good at their home, Rawalpindi, and go the distance when the tournament moves to Multan. Umar Amin said: “It is always fun to play at my hometown and leading Northern in this tournament has doubled my excitement. Our team has a good combination of youth and experience. The youngsters are quite energetic. We made some mistakes at crunch moments in the last two editions because of which we could not play the final. This time, I hope, we will not repeat them.” Southern Punjab had a last-minute change of guard after Hasan Ali was called up to the national side for the ongoing ACC T20 Asia Cup. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha, who made his Test and ODI debuts recently, has been handed the reins in the absence of the star pacer. Southern Punjab had a memorable 2020-21 campaign in which they fell 10 runs short of winning the title, but showed great grit and determination in making it to the final. Sohaib Maqsood’s stunning 81 off 29 scripted an epic run chase when they scaled the 162-run target in 10.4 overs against Balochistan to secure a spot in the semi-final, where they beat Northern by seven wickets. They couldn’t make it to the last four in the previous edition and will be hoping to stage a resounding comeback. Southern Punjab vice-captain Zain Abbas said: “This is a very important tournament for every domestic cricketer. We have prepared well for it and are coming into this tournament with a passion to do well as we have not won a major tournament for Southern Punjab yet. We want to win this tournament.” Sindh, led by Saud Shakeel, play the first match of the Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23 when they take on Southern Punjab tomorrow. Following a lacklustre 2019-20 edition, Sindh have made it to the top four and played semi-finals in the last two tournaments. Saud Shakeel said said: “It is an honour for me to be captaining Sindh. Our strength is our good combination: we have good spinners, we have hard-hitting openers, Sharjeel being one of them, and we have sloggers in the middle-order. Hopefully, we will do well in this tournament.”

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in an ACC T20 Asia Cup thriller at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday night. Naseem took a wicket on his second delivery and two balls later almost had Virat Kohli as he finished with highly impressive figures of 4-0-27-2. This included the last over he bowled while battling cramps and conceded 11 runs, as India reached the 148-run target with two balls to spare. Before Naseem started the 17th over, Pakistan were penalised for a slow over-rate and had to bring one fielder inside the 30-yard circle. But Naseem showed tremendous courage and grit to overcome all the pain to leave India requiring 21 runs off the last two overs. Haris Rauf conceded 14 off the penultimate and though Mohammad Nawaz dismissed Ravindra Jadeja on the first delivery, then conceded a single before bowling a dot ball, Hardik Pandya hit a six to seal one of the closest victories over Pakistan. Pandya remained unbeaten on a 17-ball 33 with four fours and a six, while Jadeja, promoted to No.4, scored a 29-ball 35 with two fours and two sixes. Kohli, playing his 100th T20I and dropped by Fakhar Zaman in the second slip off Naseem, scored a 34-ball 35 with three fours and a six. After Naseem bowled KL Rahul, Mohammad Nawaz picked up the wickets of Rohit Sharma (12) and Kohli as India slipped to 53 for three. When Naseem disturbed the symmetry of Suryakumar Yadav’s stumps, India were in a spot of bother at 89 for four in 14.2 overs. However, Jadeja and Pandya added 52 runs for the fifth wicket and pulled India from the jaws of defeat. Pakistan were gallant in the field and produced one of their finest performances. Apart from Naseem, Shahnawaz Dahani followed up his batting exploits by conceding 29 runs off his four overs, Shadab Khan returned figures of 4-0-19-0, Haris conceded 35 off his four overs and Nawaz finished with three for 33. Earlier, Pakistan scored 79 runs in the second half of their innings for the loss of eight wickets to be bowled out for 147 in 19.5 overs. This included a six-ball 16 from last man Shahnawaz Dahani, who belted sixes off Bhuvneshwar Kumar (four for 26) and Arshdeep Singh (two for 33). Dahani had joined Haris after Pakistan had slipped to 128 for nine in 18.3 overs after being 68 for two in 10 overs. Haris also had a little fun with the bat in front of a full house, hitting two fours in a seven-ball 13 not out as Pakistan’s last pair put on 19 invaluable runs in eight balls. Apart from Dahani and Haris’s gutsy and courageous knocks, it was an otherwise unimpressive batting display by Pakistan as their top five batters succumbed to short-pitched deliveries. Babar Azam, who played two gorgeous straight drives, was caught at short fine-leg trying to hook Kumar, Fakhar Zaman (10) was caught at the wicket trying to play an upper cut off Avesh Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed (28) was caught by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik attempting to hook Pandya, Khushdil Shah (2) was caught at deep extra-cover trying to cut Pandya and top-scorer Mohammad Rizwan (43) was found in an awkward position to Pandya’s short of a length delivery and was caught at third-man. Asif Ali, who has a reputation of being a power-hitter, was caught at mid-off off Kumar, who also pinned Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah in front of wickets in the penultimate over of Pakistan’s innings. Pandya was the India bowler who exposed Pakistan middle-order batters’ vulnerability against short-pitched deliveries and finished with impressive figures of 4-0-25-3. Kumar, who had provided the early breakthrough by dismissing Babar, came back and added three more wickets to finish as the most successful bowler with four for 26. Pakistan will now play Hong Kong in their second Group A match in Sharjah on Friday, 2 September. Scores in brief: India beat Pakistan by five wickets Pakistan 147 all out, 19.5 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 43, Iftikhar Ahmed 28, Shahnawaz Dahani 16; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-26, Hardik Pandya 3-25, Arshdeep Singh 2-33) India 148-5, 19.4 overs (Virat Kohli 35, Ravindra Jadeja 35, Hardik Pandya 33 not out; Mohammad Nawaz 3-33, Naseem Shah 2-27) Player of the match: Hardik Pandya (India)

BIPIN DANI India-born scorer Umesh Lagad, now working in the UAE for the last many years and wearing many hats of club cricketer, umpire, and coach was "more than happy" to be part of the Indo-Pak Asia Cup match, which Rohit Sharma-led team won in the last over on Sunday. The distance between Sharjah and the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) is about 50 kilometers, which can be driven within 45 minutes on any normal day but Umesh Lagad, the Manual Official scorer of the Asia Cup was well aware about the road traffic he would have had to face to reach at the venue on Sunday. He had left his house more than six hours before the scheduled commencement of the high voltage Indo-Pak. "There will be unimaginable road traffic on Sunday. You also please leave earlier", he had advised before the match.   This was the second Indo-Pak. match Lagad was scoring. "I also officiated as a scorer in the T-20I World Cup match between India and Pakistan last year".   Umesh Lagad hails from a small village called Chikhli in Gujarat. "Ramayan-famed Sita (Dipika Chikhaliya) hails from my village", he said proudly. "Compared to all other matches, this India-Pakistan match is always filled with high drama and tensions. We have to be more cautious and careful while doing duty for this match as one mistake from our side may create a big controversy".    "Focusing on the game and concentrating on umpires' signal was, however, didn't pose much of a problem to me as I have already umpired in the past". He has been a regular at the IPL and the PSL (Pakistan Super League) matches when played in the UAE. Being a regular scorer in the box, he gets an opportunity to meet the world's legendary cricketers. "I feel so proud when they come and appreciate my work after the match". "I can't wait more to work in big matches like this", he signed off. There are six different scorers-Manual Official scorer, on-line scorer, D/L scorer, Linear scorer, Media scorer and the stadium scoreboard scorer-officiating in the Asia Cup. 

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-Led by the sensational Fazal Haq Farooqi (3/11 in 3.3 overs), the bowlers set up the stage on fire to bundle Sri Lanka out for 105/10 in their first inning and set up an excellent foundation for the batters as they chased down the total by 8 wickets with 59 balls to spare. Skipper Mohammad Nabi won the toss and opted to bowl early on in the evening, the decision that proved right straight away in the first over where the left-arm quick Fazal Haq Farooqi picked up two wickets in his first over to give Afghanistan an excellent start with the ball. Naveen followed Fazal with another wicket in the 2nd over for Afghanistan to leave Sri Lanka tattering at 5/3 in 2 overs. Afghanistan bowlers took wickets regularly to reduce Sri Lanka to 105/10 in their first inning. Fazal Haq Farooqi picked 3 wickets for 11 runs in his 3.3 overs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/24) and the Skipper Mohammad Nabi (2/14) shared 4 wickets between them whereas Naveen Ul Haq (1/23) bagged 1 wicket to his name. Rashid Khan went wicket less but bowled really well as he conceded only 12 runs in his four overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai started the batting inning very well as they sat up the Dubai International Cricket Stadium firing by scoring 83 runs in the first 6 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz danced down the track to Wanindu Hasaranga but missed the ball completely and got his stumps rattled on 40. Ibrahim Zadran was run-out just a solitary run away off the target, but Hazratullah Zazai ensured to take Afghanistan home by scoring an important unbeaten 37* runs to complete a commanding performance by Afghanistan, as they beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets with a mammoth 9.5 overs to spare. Rahmanullah Gurbaz won the best catch of the match award, whereas Fazal Haq Farooqi was awarded the Player of the Match award for his match-winning bowling. Afghanistan will face Bangladesh in their 2nd game of the event on Tuesday, 30th August 2022.

Sports Bulletin Report Melbourne (Australia):-The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 is only 50 days away, with 16 international teams featuring the world’s best cricketers getting set for the global showpiece event in Australia that begins on 16 October. From one side of the country to the other, the T20 World Cup took to the skies in Perth and Sydney today as fans countdown to ‘The Big Time’. In Sydney, Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja was at Sydney Harbour as the flags of all 16 competing teams were flown over the city and its world-famous landmarks, Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. In Western Australia, The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Trophy Tour, driven by Nissan, arrived in Perth with Shane Watson bringing the trophy to local fans via helicopter from iconic tourist destination, Rottnest Island. Fan groups from all six teams that are guaranteed to feature across five matches in Perth marched to Perth Stadium and had the chance to get a live glimpse of the prized silverware. A countdown clock and mural was also unveiled in Geelong, where the opening match of the T20 World Cup will be played between 2014 champions Sri Lanka and Namibia on 16 October. The mural was painted by a local Sri Lankan artist and will remain at Kardinia Park Stadium following the completion of the T20 World Cup. Earlier this week, additional standing room tickets were sold out to the highly anticipated India v Pakistan match at the MCG on Sunday 23 October. Over 800,000 fans are anticipated to attend the T20 World Cup with childrens tickets to all Super 12 matches available for just $5, while adult tickets start from $20. ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said: “There is a real sense of excitement and anticipation now we are just 50 days away from the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. Today’s activities across Australia to celebrate the milestone highlight this is an event not to be missed. With all 16 teams confirmed and the finishing touches to event preparation being undertaken, I can’t wait for the cricket to start and to see who will claim the ultimate prize in T20 cricket. ‘There are still some tickets available for certain match days so anyone that wants to witness the world's best T20 cricketers in a World Cup should check the ICC website to make sure they don't miss out." Ambassador Usman Khawaja said;  “The T20 World Cup is a massive global event and the fact that 16 teams will all be playing across Australia at the same time is very special. What I’m excited to see as being a part of the T20 Champions programme is the fans of all the different teams coming to the stadiums to celebrate their heritage and passion for cricket.” “While Australia are the hosts of the event, this will be a home World Cup for people of all different backgrounds no matter where they are from. We’ve seen tickets sell out for the India and Pakistan match with over 80% of those fans living here in Australia. This shows how big the opportunity is for cricket to engage fans of all different backgrounds to be part of the Australian Cricket family.”  Organising Committee CEO Michelle Enright said: “With only 50 days to go until the T20 World Cup, our message is that this is a World Cup for everyone. It will be an unmissable celebration of cricket and the many different cultures that makes up its extraordinary global fanbase. “World Cups have an unrivalled ability to unite the country and to inspire the next generation.  With kids tickets to all Super 12 matches at just $5, we hope as many families as possible are able to come and see the world’s best cricketers and share in the joy of live sport.”

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-The Sri Lankan cricketers will be put on a new name on their jerseys for the Asia Cup as FairPlay News becomes the official national sponsor for the team. “We are extremely happy to welcome Fairplay News as the official sponsors of the national team during the upcoming Asia Cup and hope that this partnership will augur well for the sports site” Said Mr. Ashley de Silva, CEO, Sri Lanka Cricket.  The Director of FairPlay News stated, “We are proud to be the Sri Lankan Cricket Team Sponsors. This association has given Fairplay News the right opportunity to be able to stand true to our name and work which imbibes the virtues of sport.” Dasun Shanaka and his 20 member squad will wear the jerseys with the name FairPlay News, a part of the FairPlay Sports, a fast-growing multi-vertical group with its presence in Sports News for the Asia Cup that will be held from the 27th of August in the UAE. FairPlay News is the country's leading sports news and updates platform and a fairly new entrant in the Fantasy Sport Category. The Asia Cup was originally scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka, but shifted to the UAE due to political turmoil and the economic crisis in the nation. Sri Lanka has witnessed months of food and fuel shortages, blackouts and runaway inflation in the wake of its worst financial crisis on record. This association is extremely welcome for the cricketing body amidst this turmoil.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-Fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jnr. has been ruled out of the ACC T20 Asia Cup due to a side strain. He had picked up the injury while bowling in Pakistan’s practice session on Wednesday.  The bowler was assessed by the team medical staff, and MRI scan in Dubai confirmed the diagnosis. The findings were discussed with the PCB Medical Advisory Committee, while an independent review by a specialist physiotherapist was also sought. The medical team will closely monitor Wasim’s rehabilitation and his return to competitive cricket will be reassessed before the England tour to Pakistan. Meanwhile, Hasan Ali, has been named as Wasim’s replacement, which is subject to the Event Technical Committee’s approval. Hasan Ali was sought as a replacement player by the team management and the request was accepted by the chief selector. Hasan Ali had been working on his bowling in the National High Performance Centre for the past three weeks and is presently in Rawalpindi, preparing for the National T20, which commences on 30 August. As soon as the ETC approves Hasan as a replacement player, the bowler will depart for the UAE.