By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (May 3, 2020):-To help players learn from the cricket’s elite and remain focused on the game during the Covid-19 lockdown, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has organised online sessions for the Pakistan national women’s team with the legendary Wasim Akram and Babar Azam. The interactive sessions will be held via videoconference calls in which around 35 women cricketers – current internationals and emerging players – will be provided insights about how to strategize and approach the game in different conditions. ICC hall of famer and the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket from Pakistan, Wasim Akram, on Monday, will share his experiences and provide an overview about his learnings over the course of his extraordinary 18-year-long international career. Wasim had delivered a similar session to Pakistan men’s and a selection of emerging team players last week. The session with Babar Azam – whose stratospheric rise has seen him at the top of the T20I rankings, number three in ODI rankings and number five in Test rankings – will be attended by women batters in which the captain of the national men’s T20I side will shed light on the art of batting by sharing how he gears up for different conditions and situations. Sharing her excitement about the opportunity to learn from Wasim Akram, Aliya Riaz said: “I have grown up watching videos of Wasim Akram and how he brought laurels for Pakistan with both bat and ball from some adverse of situations. “It is a great opportunity for me and I am eager to learn from the great of the game and understand his work ethic which made him stand apart from the rest.” Looking forward to the session with Babar Azam, Omaima Sohail said: “Babar Azam is a top batsman and a session with him will help all the batters to understand what makes him different than the others and reflect on how we can continue to improve ourselves. “I will be looking to hear from Babar how he establishes his innings and navigates during the tough phases. I am sure this session will prove to be helpful.” Urooj Mumtaz, the chair of the national women’s selection committee, said: “It is extremely important that the players continue to develop during this phase when cricket is on hold and these sessions are certainly going to be beneficial in that aspect. “We keep looking for ideas to keep the players engaged and motivated. Fitness plans have been provided to both the senior and junior group of players and they have been working at home to ensure they are ready once the situation normalises.” “Sessions with Wasim Akram and Babar Azam will provide the players an opportunity to listen and learn from the best, helping them in improving their game. Pakistan has produced some of the most extraordinary cricketers in the history of the game and we will continue to bring them on board for the benefit of our players.”

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (May 3, 2020):-PCB’s Digital Pairs series for Test players has gained great popularity among the fans, current and former players, pundits and journalists. The campaign entered its third phase today Sunday, 3 May, with the followers asked to name two fast bowling pairs of their choice. Pakistan’s highest Test wicket-taker Wasim Akram made a weighty contribution to the campaign by choosing the 1954 Oval Test hero Fazal Mehmood as his bowling partner. The legendary fast bowler then singled out Naseem Shah as the bowler he would have wanted to pair with among the current generation of Pakistan Test fast bowlers. Wasim Akram said: “PCB has started a great initiative of bringing together Pakistan’s Test stars in form of pairs. I was asked to pick a fast bowler who wore Pakistan’s golden star before me as my bowling partner. “I have bowled with Imran [Khan] Bhai, Waqar [Younis], Shoaib [Akhtar] and [Abdul] Razzaq, but if we talk about the greats who have represented Pakistan in the decades before I played, two names come to my mind, the founder of reverse swing Sarfaraz Nawaz and the Oval Test hero Fazal Mehmood. “I, being a left-arm swing bowler, would like to pair-up with Fazal Mehmood since he was a right-armer and his leg-cutter was very famous especially on matting wickets. “If I think about the current stars who are bowling at the moment and considering that I had the fortune of bowling with the number one bowler of my time Waqar Younis, I will pick another right-armer, Naseem Shah. He is a youngster, he bowls at 150 plus and he will only get faster with time.” Naseem, the youngest to record a Test hat-trick taker, thanked Wasim for choosing him as his bowling partner and is thrilled by the legendary bowler’s confidence in his abilities. Naseem Shah said: “I am absolutely thrilled and honoured to know that a legend like Wasim Akram has chosen me as his bowling partner. Wasim Bhai spoke to us, fast bowlers, in an online video session last week and gave us tips that I am sure will hold us in good stead for the remainder of our careers. “Now, him choosing me as his bowling partner is simply fantastic and has provided me a great confidence boost. I look forward to reposing his faith in me and making him and Pakistan fans proud of my bowling in the years ahead.” Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi who has already snared 30 victims in mere eight Test appearances chose the famed Ws duo (Wasim and Waqar) among former stars while Naseem was his pick from the current players. Shaheen Shah Afridi said: “This is an exciting initiative by the PCB. If I had the choice, I would have loved to bowled with Wasim and Waqar Bhai, while among the present bowlers, I really like bowling with Naseem Shah. I really hope that I can continue to bowl successfully with him.” The criterion for selection of the bowlers is a minimum of 75 Test wickets. The aim of the activity is to acknowledge the services of former and present stars of Pakistan cricket. Before fast bowlers, the campaign for openers and middle-order batting pairs received tremendous response. Among openers, the 90s batting greats Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail (qualification minimum 1,000 runs as opener) came out as the most popular pair. The famed left-handed pair was followed by Saeed Anwar’s paring with Majid Khan, regarded as one of the most stylish and productive openers produced by Pakistan. Among middle-order batsmen (qualification minimum 2,500 runs in middle-order, batting positions three to seven) the famed middle-order batting duo of Pakistan highest Test run-getter Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf emerged as the most popular pair followed by Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf, a pair that remained the backbone of Pakistan Test batting in recent history. The two-day long fast bowlers’ campaign will be followed by dream pairs of spinners, all-rounders and most popular wicketkeeper and captain.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (May 1, 2020):-Australia have moved to the top of the Test and T20I rankings for men while England continue to lead the men’s ODI rankings after the annual update carried out on Friday, which eliminates results from 2016-17. India displaced from top of Test list for the first time since October 2016; Pakistan slip in T20I rankings after 27 months as No. 1 England consolidate position on top of men’s ODI rankings, increasing lead over second-placed India In the latest update, that rates all matches played since May 2019 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent, Australia (116) have taken over from India as the top ranked side in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings with New Zealand (115) remaining in second place. India are now third with 114 points. With only two points separating them, this is the second closest the top three teams have been since the Test rankings were launched in 2003. The closest for the top three teams was in January 2016, when India had led Australia and South Africa by a single point. India have yielded the top spot for the first time since October 2016. This is largely because India had won 12 Tests and lost just one Test in 2016-17, the records of which were removed in the latest update. They had won all five series during this period including against Australia and England. On the other hand, Australia had lost to South Africa as well as to India in the same period. South Africa have suffered the biggest rating fall of eight points, which sees them drop below Sri Lanka into sixth place. They had won three series in the period culled, while they have lost eight of their nine Tests since February 2019, playing against Sri Lanka, India and England. India still lead the ICC World Test Championship, a league comprising six series played by each of the top nine Test sides. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, reigning World champions England (127) have increased their lead over India from six to eight points. New Zealand remain in third place, three points behind India. The top ten rankings remain unchanged. England retain their No.1 position in ODI rankings By contrast, the updated MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings see plenty of changes. Australia (278) top the list for the first time since the T20I rankings were introduced in 2011. Pakistan, who had overtaken New Zealand to reach top position in January 2018 and then spent 27 months there, are now fourth with 260 points. England have moved into second position with 268 points while India are up one place to third, just two points behind. Afghanistan are down from seventh to 10th while Bulgaria are the biggest gainers, up 12 places to 51st in the 84-country list of teams that played the requisite six matches in the past three years. When the global T20I rankings were launched 12 months ago, there were 80 ranked teams. Since then seven teams have joined the table (Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania and Turkey), while three countries (France, Isle of Man and Israel) have lost their rankings having played insufficient matches.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (April 29, 2020):-Former Test captain and wicket-keeper batsman Rashid Latif termed a wicketkeeper an important member of any team, as trio Sarfraz Ahmed, Rizwan Khan and Rohail Nazir were mentally strong on Wednesday while delivering an online lecture to three national wicketkeepers. Rashid, who played 37 Test and 166 One Day Internationals (ODI), during his lecture termed wicketkeeper as the most important member of a cricket team. “A good run out or a catch by the wicketkeeper can turn a match on its head and in favour of the team, “he said. He, who took 119 catches in Test and 117 in ODI, emphasised on the importance of physical and mental fitness and termed them the keys to sustained performances for wicketkeepers. Rashid Latif advised the three keepers to watch videos of former England wicketkeepers Alan Knott and Jack Russell. “Balance behid the stumps is very important for a wicketkeeper, strength in feet and legs help maintain balance, “He maintained. Great Rashid Latif, who stumped 11 in Test matches and 38 in ODI, also gave batting tips to the three players, besides the trio, Pakistan senior team management members head coach Misbah-ul Haq, bowling coach Waqar Younis and Shahid Aslam were also present during the session.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (April 29, 2020):-Deepak Agarwal, one of the team owners of the Sindhi's franchise in the 2018 T10 league, accepted one charge of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Deepak Agarwal from all cricket for two years, with six months of that suspended, after he accepted one charge of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. Agarwal was charged as a participant under the Code due to the fact he was one of the team owners of the Sindhi’s franchise in the 2018 T10 Cricket League. The charge is as follows: 1. Article 2.4.7 – obstructing or delaying an investigation, including concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and / or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. Under the provisions of the Code, Agarwal chose to admit the charges and agreed the sanction with the ICC in lieu of an Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing. Subject to him satisfying conditions in respect of the suspended part of the sanction, he will be free to resume his involvement in the game on 27 October 2021. Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager – Integrity said: “There were a number of examples of Mr Agarwal obstructing and delaying our investigations and it was not just a one off occurrence. However, he made a prompt admission of his breach of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and continues to provide substantial assistance to the ACU in relation to several investigations involving other participants. This cooperation is reflected in his sanction.”

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (April 29, 2020):-The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) brings an exciting opportunity for the fans to come up with their favourite combinations in the Dream Pairs campaign, which commences on 29 April (Wednesday) at 2pm. The fans are invited to jot down their favourite batting (opening and middle-order) and bowling (pace and spin) pairs from different generation of cricketers who donned Pakistan’s golden star in Test cricket on the PCB’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter platforms. Towards the end of the campaign, the fans will also be asked to vote for a wicketkeeper who they would want to watch. Pakistan has produced some of the greatest cricket stars and legends who have gone on to make a mark on the most prestigious format of the game. The players have been shortlisted on the basis of number of runs - that they have scored on certain positions – and the number of their wickets. The criteria is below: ·         Opening batsmen (position one and two) with minimum 1,000 Test runs as openers ·         Middle-order batsmen (position three to seven) with minimum 2,500 Test runs in the middle-order positions ·         Fast bowlers with minimum 75 Test wickets ·         Spinners with minimum 75 Test wickets ·         Wicketkeepers with at least 50 Test dismissals Looking ahead to the campaign, Mohammad Yousuf, who scored 24 Test centuries in his career, said: “This is a brilliant initiative by the PCB which not only makes our young and energetic fans aware about the legends of the game but also gives them something to engage within these testing times when we all are required to stay home. Babar Azam, who has scored a century in his each of his three Test matches in Pakistan, said: “Pakistan has produced some of the best Test batsmen who have been equally good against pace and spin in home and away conditions. Amongst such an outstanding bunch of batsmen, it would be a tough call for the fans to choose their best pairs. “My favourite pair comprises Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan. This generation of cricketers have learned a lot from Yousuf bhai’s skill and class and Younis bhai’s ‘never give up’ mind-set and we will continue to learn from them. “Now, I want to know which are our fans’ favourite pairs and why.” Saeed Ajmal, who brought Test victories for Pakistan with his crafty spin, said: “It is often said that bowlers hunt in pairs and that is something we have seen on the field. I have had the opportunity to bowl with some of the most extraordinary spinners that my country has produced and we were able to record a number of wins for Pakistan together. “But, if you ask me, I would have loved to have bowled with the legendary Abdul Qadir. He was a great leg-spinner and possessed a remarkable googly. And, I had a doosra in my arsenal. So, ours would have been a great pair.”

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (April 28, 2020):-Wushu medal winners of 13th South Asian Games 2019 Tuesday received cash award in a ceremony held at Pakistan Sports Board (PSB). Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC), Dr Fehmida Mirza distributed the cheques among the national Wushu players. According to a spokesman for PSB, Wushu team had won 3 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals in the recently concluded South Asian Games 2019, which were held in two different cities of Nepal. In line with approved cash award policy, gold medalists were given Rs.1.000 million each, silver medalists got Rs.500, 000 while bronze medalists received cheques of Rs.250, 000 each. Maaz Khan, Sajid Hussain and Mohammad Amjad Iqbal won gold medals, Farhan Ali, Shahzab, Maira Karamat and Sundas won silver medals while Fatima Bibi, Abdul Khaliq, Saddam Hussan and Mohammad Dawood claimed bronze medals. Total Rs.6.000 million was distributed to the players. Secretary IPC Mohmmad Ali Shahzada, Additional Secretary IPC Amna Imran and Azam Dar Deputy DG PSB were present on the occasion. Dr. Fehmida Mirza Minister for IPC, who is also President PSB, congratulated the medal winners and urged the players to continue their struggle focusing the next edition of SA Games, scheduled to be held in Pakistan. Dates of these games are yet to be decided. She once again stated that provinces should come forward to allocate more resources as after 18th amendment of constitution; provinces are primarily responsible to deal with the subject of sports. They should also support these shining stars along-with federal government. She also directed PSB to prepare a database of the players especially of winners of SA Games enabling to connect the elite players with the Prime Minister through a sports portal. This will also facilitate the players to upload their videos on the portal to interact with dignitaries and this will also help to know the problems of the players. Minister also advised the sportspersons to remain active on the social media to learn soft skills. In view of prevailing situation of Covid-19, the Minister advised the players to take advantage of PSB’s ‘Tele-Health Service’ and also keep themselves fit for future endeavors. The players of Wushu team thanked the federal government and especially Dr. Fehmida Mirza Federal Minister for IPC/President PSB for the prize money at this critical time. One of the participating players from Quetta stated that besides the federal government provinces should also play their due role to support the players so that youth, a major portion of the country, may utilize their energies in healthy sports activities and it can also make enabling environment for the youngsters to choose sports as their profession. 

By BIPIN DANI First lot of Pakistani cricketers, who are stranded in Sri Lanka due to current lock-down worldwide will be leaving for Karachi and Lahore on Tuesday (April 28), it is learnt there. "There had been seventeen Pakistani cricketers, who came to play for several clubs in Sri Lanka and seven of them had already left in the month of Match because of their commitments with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)", the 36-year-old all rounder Kashif Naved said over telephone from Sri Lanka.   Kashif Naved (Panadura Cricket Club) is one of the five lucky, who would be leaving for Pakistan on Tuesday. The other four, who will be leaving for Pakistan on Tuesday are : Mohtasheem Ali (Kalutra Town Cricket Club), Ahsan Baig (Tamil Union), Ali Maher (Galle Cricket Club) and Qaisar Ashraf (Nugegoda Cricket Club). "The arrangement has been done for the five cricketers to travel in a Cargo. We already had Sri Lanka Airlines travel tickets and therefore given the first preference", he added. "Our High Commissioner and Dy. High Commissioner (Tanveer) made special arrangement for us", he added. The remaining five, who will be sent later are : Azhar Attari (Panadura Cricket Club), Ali Manzoor (the son of former Pak player-Manzoor Elahi: Kalutra Town Cricket Club), Faizan Khan (Tamil Union), Abid Hasan (Galle Cricket Club) and Basit Ali (Nugegoda Cricket Club). The respective clubs have made splendid arrangements for stranded players during their extended stay in Sri Lanka.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (April 27, 2020):-Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel, Mr Justice (retired) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, in a short order on Monday, handed Umar Akmal a three-year ban from all cricket. In a detailed hearing held at the National Cricket Academy, Umar Akmal decided to represent himself and was heard at length, while the PCB was represented by Taffazul Rizvi. Umar Akmal was charged with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated incidents on 17 March. On 9 April, the PCB referred the matter to Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee after determining that the batsman had not requested for a hearing before the Anti-Corruption Tribunal. PCB Director – Anti-Corruption and Security, Lt Col Asif Mahmood, said: “The PCB doesn’t take any pleasure in seeing a promising international cricketer being declared ineligible for three years on corruption charges, but this is once again a timely reminder to all who think they can get away by breaching the anti-corruption code. “The anti-corruption unit regularly holds education seminars and refresher courses at all levels to remind all professional cricketers of their obligations and responsibilities. And even then if some cricketers decide to take the Code in their hands, then this is how things will pan out. “I request all professional cricketers to stay away from the menace of corruption and immediately inform relevant authorities as soon as they are approached. This is in their as well as their teams’ and country’s best interest.”

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (April 27, 2020):-Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) distributed the cash awards, in three different sessions, to the medal winners of 13th South Asian Games, which were held on 1-10 December, 2019 in Nepal. According to Director Media PSB, Mohammad Azam Dar, during the second phase, prizes were distributed among the medal winners of Taekwondo team that had grabbed 3 gold, 6 silver and 8 bronze medals. According to cash award policy, gold medalists were given Rs.1.000 million each, silver medalists got Rs.500, 000 while bronze medalists received pocketed Rs.250, 000 each. Muqadas Ashraf, a squash players and winner of silver medal also received Rs.500, 000. On the direction of Federal Minister for IPC Dr. Fehmida Mirza, who is also president PSB, the remaining cheques of rest of the squash players namely Madina Zafar, Faiza Zafar and Amna Fayyaz were handed over to Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF). Col. (R) Waseem Ahmed President Pakistan Taekwondo Federation and Wing Commander Tahir Sultan Secretary General Pakistan Squash Federation were also present on this eve.     Dr. Fehmida Mirza congratulated to national players and official of respective federation and said that performance of Taekwondo players remained outstanding in SA Games 2019, wherein, players won total 17 medals as compare to its 2016 chapter with 7 medals in total. She urged that despite limited resources federal government was taking all possible measures to promote sports in the country. While speaking on the occasion, the national athletes thanked to federal government and especially Dr. Fehmida Mirza Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC), who is also president PSB, for inviting to receive the prize money at this critical time of need when all the sports events have been suspended due to Covid-19 and playgrounds are presenting a deserted picture. They also showed their gratitude for making all travelling and logistic arrangements for SA Games, taking care of the players during execution phase of the games and above all rewarding the players financially by the federal government. The President, Pakistan Taekwondo Federation Col (Retd) Wasim Ahmed highlighted the performance of each player and thanked the Federal Minister Dr. Fehmida Mirza for timely rewarding the players, arranging camps by PSB for SA Games and requested for future support to produce better results. He added that next edition of SA Games would be hosted by Pakistan. “National players will have to concentrate on their skill full training using latest equipments and technologies, participation and take home ground advantage aiming to win more medals to improve the overall medal tally, “he siad. In addition to the federal government support, the President PTF also requested the provinces to help the provincial sports associations to dig out talent from grass root level and train the sportspersons on modern and scientific lines. He also informed that PTF is holding a video link championship owing to Covid-19 and it will start from mid May, 2020 under the guidance of Korean Coach. While responding to the President PTF, the President PSB assured that PSB will make every effort to support the concerned National Sports Federations so that their athletes may get training under this critical situation.