Sports Bulletin

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-The shortlist for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for June is dominated by batting superstars from England and New Zealand following their recent ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series. England enjoyed a successful start to Brendan McCullum’s coaching reign in the longest format, and two figureheads of their 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root, are shortlisted after outstanding contributions in three successful run chases. The lineup is completed by New Zealand batting ace, Daryl Mitchell, thanks to several key performances through the series. The ICC Women’s Player of the Month shortlist features two icons of South Africa with bat and ball. Shabnim Ismail dazzled while spearheading the bowling attack in their One Day International (ODI) series against Ireland, while compatriot Marizanne Kapp is nominated following her fierce resistance at the crease in the Test match against England. Starring for her opponents in that same match, England’s Nat Sciver is also included among the nominees in celebration of her outstanding display with the bat in her side’s mammoth first innings total. Jonny Bairstow (ENG) Bairstow was at his brutal best during the WTC series against New Zealand, scoring 394 runs at an average of 78.80. Despite a quiet showing at Lord’s, he recorded the second fastest century for an English batter in Tests when he struck a phenomenal 136 in the second innings in Nottingham. His partnership alongside skipper Ben Stokes shifted the momentum of the second Test in memorable fashion and helped clinch victory against the odds. Bairstow continued where he left off in the final Test, bludgeoning his way to England’s second-fastest 150 which laid the foundation for the series whitewash. Daryl Mitchell (NZ) Despite their WTC series defeat, Mitchell was a constant threat to an otherwise impressive and effective England bowling attack. Frequently arriving at the crease with his side’s backs against the wall, at times he appeared in unstoppable form, ending the series having amassed 538 runs at an average of 107.60, only failing to pass the half-century mark in one innings and registering a century in each match. This remarkable series of scores sees him nominated for the first time. Joe Root (ENG) Root continued his extraordinary form in the longest format, which stretches back well over the last 12 months. His unbeaten 115 in the second innings of the first Test at Lord’s secured victory and set the tone for three successful run chases against the current WTC title-holders, with Root seeing his side home in two of them. Passing the 10,000 Test runs milestone during the series, his scores of 176 and 86 not out in the second and third Tests helped him reclaim top spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Batting rankings in June and saw him end the month with 396 runs at an average of 99.00. Shabnim Ismail (SA) Ismail was once again the key weapon in the South African bowling attack during the ODI series in Ireland, taking 11 wickets at an incredible average of 5.00. Returning impressive figures of three for 16, three for 31 and a stunning five for eight in the final match in Dublin, she led from the front to reduce the hosts to scores of 69, 213 and 89, securing comfortable wins in each of the three fixtures. Ismail is shortlisted for the first time since she won the inaugural ICC Women’s Player of the Month award back in January 2021. Marizanne Kapp (SA) Kapp also celebrates her first nomination since January 2021 following her epic batting performances that proved crucial to rescuing her side in the sole Test match against England at Taunton. Her masterful 150 in the first innings set a national record for the highest Test score by a South African female and allowed her side to post a respectable 284 in response to a big first innings total by England. She continued to frustrate her opponents in the second innings by following up with 43 not out, salvaging an important draw. Nat Sciver (ENG) Sciver’s remarkable form in international cricket continues and sees her nominated for the second time in three months. England’s batters struggled to impose themselves on South Africa early in the Taunton Test, and at one point stood at 121 for five. Sciver struck an unbeaten 169 to help set an imposing 417 for eight, which would have been enough to secure victory but for rain and Kapp’s resilience.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-The match schedule for the remainder of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifier C has now been finalised after it was confirmed that three match officials will no longer take any part in the event. Following a road traffic accident in Belgium on 1 July involving the three tournament match officials, a decision has been reached that the individuals will take no further part in the event, even though the individuals have not sustained serious physical injury. As a result the fixtures originally scheduled for today at Ghent Oval - Gibraltar against Israel and Malta versus Hungary - have now been abandoned due to insufficient number of match officials to complete these fixtures during the remainder of the tournament. It has been agreed by the Event Technical Committee in order to complete the tournament, Group 1 (3rd) v Group 2 (3rd) - Gibraltar v Malta - and Group 1 (4th) v Group 2 (4th) - Israel v Hungary - will now take place on Sunday 3 July, previously scheduled as a tournament rest day, in line with the ICC's Tournament Playing Conditions. All remaining fixtures will now take place at Royal Brussels Cricket Club.  A revised summary of the remaining fixtures is below: 3rd July 2022 Israel v Hungary 11:00, Royal Brussels Cricket Club 3rd July 2022 Gibraltar v Malta 16:00, Royal Brussels Cricket Club 4th July 2022 Loser SF2 v Loser SF4 11:00, Royal Brussels Cricket Club 4th July 2022 Winner SF2 v Winner SF4 16:00, Royal Brussels Cricket Club

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Two of Saturday's fixtures in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifier C have been postponed after three match officials were involved in a road traffic accident in Belgium on the evening of 1 July. The match officials and driver of the vehicle were taken to hospital as a precaution, but have sustained no serious injury. Therefore, the Event Technical Committee has decided to postpone the Gibraltar against Israel and Malta versus Hungary fixtures originally scheduled to take place at Ghent Oval today, Saturday 2 July. The semi-finals featuring Belgium against Portugal and Spain versus Denmark taking place today at Royal Brussels Cricket Club are unaffected. The ICC will continue to monitor the welfare of the individuals involved and a further announcement regarding the postponed fixtures and match schedule for the remainder of the event will be made in due course.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has congratulated Eoin Morgan for an outstanding international career that saw him lead England to victory in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2019. The 35-year-old, who was instrumental in England’s strong showing in limited overs games in recent years, announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday as the leading scorer for England in ODIs and T20Is. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice praised Morgan’s innovative batting and astute captaincy while wishing him all the best for the future. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “Eoin was an exceptional talent from his early days with the Ireland team and over the years he developed into a top-class batter and captain, leading England’s resurgence in limited overs cricket culminating in that quite extraordinary World Cup victory at Lord’s in 2019. On behalf of the ICC, I congratulate him for an outstanding career and wish him every success in the next phase of his career.” Morgan scored 99 on ODI debut for Ireland against Scotland in 2006 and played in all three formats after switching over to England in 2009. He was named as England’s white-ball captain in December 2014 and led the team to the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2016. He also led them to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup last year. Morgan scored 700 runs with two centuries and three half-centuries in 16 Tests, 7,701 runs with 14 centuries and 47 half-centuries in 248 ODIs and 2,458 runs with 14 half-centuries in 115 T20Is. He was the top-ranked batter in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Rankings between August 2011 and February 2012 and made it to the top 10 of the ODI rankings in January 2014.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-The New Zealand batting pair of Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell have attained career-best positions in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings as has England spinner Jack Leach, after superb performances in the third match of their ICC World Test Championship series in Leeds. Mitchell and Blundell, who were involved in century partnerships in all three Tests of the series, are both in the top 20 now. Mitchell’s scores of 109 and 56 see him advance four places to 12th position while Blundell’s knocks of 55 and 88 not out have lifted him 11 slots to 20th position. England batter Jonny Bairstow, who has been quite the centrepiece with his blistering knocks in this series, has advanced 20 places to 21st after scoring 162 and 71 not out while Oliver Pope is up three places to 49th after his 82 in the second innings of the Test, which England won by seven wickets to complete a 3-0 series victory. Left-arm spinner Leach’s Player of the Match effort of 10 for 166 has helped him leap 13 places to a career-best 25th position among bowlers while Stuart Broad has moved up one place to 13th in Wednesday’s weekly update that also includes the second Test between the West Indies and Bangladesh. West Indies skipper Kraig Brathwaite is up one place to 27th after his first-innings half-century while Kyle Mayers (up 22 places to 57th) and John Campbell (up four places to 76th) are the others to move up the batters’ list for the West Indies, who won the WTC series 2-0. Nurul Hasan (up 14 places to 84th) and Nazmul Hossain (up 11 places to 88th) are the ones to advance for Bangladesh. Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales are now joint-40th among bowlers and Khaled Ahmed is in 88th position. Bangladesh captain Shakib al Hasan has slipped behind India’s Ravichandran Ashwin to third position among all-rounders. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings, which considers performances in the third Netherlands versus England match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League series and the fifth match of the Sri Lanka versus Australia series, Australia’s Alex Carey is up three places to 23rd after his knock of 45 not out and England’s Jos Buttler is up four places to 25th after his unbeaten 86. Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is in the top five, gaining two slots for his haul of two for 22 and England’s David Willey up three places to 37th after grabbing four for 36. The MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, updated after the two-match Ireland-India series won 2-0 by India, see Ireland’s Harry Tector gain a massive 55 places to reach 66th position among batters with scores of 39 and 64 not out. India batters Deepak Hooda and Sanju Sampson have made huge movements, though outside the top 100. Hooda has galloped 414 places to 104th after smashing 47 and 104 while Samson has gained 57 slots to reach 144th with a knock of 77 in the second match.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-The battle for the two remaining spots at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 takes place in Zimbabwe next month with the match schedule now confirmed for the eight participating teams. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B is scheduled between 11 and 17 July. The event features hosts Zimbabwe, alongside Jersey, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Singapore, Uganda and USA all competing for the two spots that will take the Qualifier B finalists to the World Cup between 16 October and 13 November 2022. The Qualifier B which will take place in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club and the Bulawayo Athletic Club promises to showcase fast-paced and thrilling cricket that entertains. With only 20 T20 Men’s Internationals to be played across the event, every single ball counts, bringing the great intensity and vibrancy that has become accustomed with T20 World Cup Qualifiers. ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said: ‘We are very excited for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B to begin. This is the final step in the qualification pathway for the remaining two World Cup spots and we are looking forward to competitive and hard fought cricket, with a chance for all teams to compete for the ultimate prize in T20 cricket up for grabs. “We are delighted to be working with Zimbabwe Cricket again and wish all the participating teams the very best of luck in their quest to reach the Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.” ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B match schedule 11 July - Zimbabwe v Singapore 09h00, Queens Sports Club 11 July - Jersey v USA, 09h00, Bulawayo Athletic Club 11 July - Netherlands v PNG, 13h00, Queens Sports Club 11 July - Hong Kong v Uganda, 13h00, Bulawayo Athletic Club 12 July - Zimbabwe v Jersey, 09h00, Queens Sports Club 12 July - Singapore v USA, 09h00, Bulawayo Athletic Club 12 July - Netherlands v Hong Kong, 13h00, Queens Sports Club 12 July - PNG v Uganda , 13h00, Bulawayo Athletic Club 13 July – Rest Day 14 July - Netherlands v Uganda, 09h00, Queens Sports Club 14 July - PNG v Hong Kong, 09h00, Bulawayo Athletic Club 14 July - Zimbabwe v USA, 13h00, Queens Sports Club 14 July- Singapore v Jersey, 13h00, Bulawayo Athletic Club 15 July - A3 v B4, 09h00, Queens Sports Club 15 July - B3 v A4, 09:00, Bulawayo Athletic Club 15 July - Semi Final 1 (A1 v B2), 09h00, Queens Sports Club 15 July - Semi Final 2 (B2 v A1), 13h00, Bulawayo Athletic Club 16 July – Rest 17 July – 5th/6th Place play-off, 09h00, Queens Sports Club 17 July - 7th/8th Place play-off, 09h00, Bulawayo Athletic Club 17 July – Final, 13h00, Queens Sports Club 17 July – 3rd/4th Place play-off, 13h00, Bulawayo Athletic Club

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-The South African duo have advanced in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings after fine contributions with the bat in their final ICC Women’s Championship clash against Ireland. Wolvaardt, who became No. 1 in March this year during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, is up one place to fourth position after scoring 89 runs in the third ODI in Dublin. Luus, who top-scored with 93 in that match, is up two places to a career-best 21st position in the list led by Alyssa Healy of Australia. Lara Goodall has gained 15 slots and is 43rd after topping the series aggregate with 143 runs and Andrie Steyn is up 16 places to 67th in other notable movements for South Africa batters. Meanwhile, fast bowler Shabnim Ismail has achieved a career-best 755 rating points after a Player of the Series effort of 11 wickets. Ismail though remains in second position, which is her career best, and is 16 points adrift of England spinner Sophie Ecclestone. Medium-pacer Ayabonga Khaka is up two places to a career best-equaling fifth position while spinners Luus (up two places to 37th) and Chloe Tryon (up six places to 50th) have also progressed in Tuesday’s weekly rankings update after South Africa’s 3-0 series win. For Ireland, wicketkeeper Mary Waldron is up five places to 74th among batters and leg-spinner Cara Murray has moved from 91st to joint-82nd among bowlers. In the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings, Esha Oza of the United Arab Emirates has advanced three places to a career-best 33rd position after some handy scores in the Asian Cricket Council Women’s T20 Championship in Malaysia. Others to advance during the period include Uganda players Kevin Awino (up 34 places to 66th) and Janet Mbabazi (up six places to 69th) among batters, and Sarah Akiteng (up 14 places to 66th) among bowlers, after featuring in the Kwibuka Women’s T20 Tournament in Rwanda.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-England batter Joe Root is back at the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after smashing a second successive century in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship series against New Zealand. Root, who had reached within striking distance of Marnus Labuschagne after the first Test, has wrested back the top spot from the Australia batter, whom he now leads by five rating points. Root is on 897 points after his knock of 176 in the first innings of the Nottingham Test, 20 less than his highest of 917 points. Root first grabbed number one position in August 2015 and was last at the top in December 2021 before Labuschagne leapfrogged him. Root has been No.1 in Tests for 163 days so far. Steve Smith (1,506 days), Virat Kohli (469 days) and Kane Williamson (245 days) are the others to have had substantial vigils at the top in recent years. Root’s compatriots, Player of the Match Jonny Bairstow and captain Ben Stokes have also had major gains. Bairstow’s 92-ball 136 that led the last day chase for an eventual five-wicket win, has moved up 13 places to 39th position while Stokes’s 75 not out has taken him from 27th to 22nd position. Ollie Pope (up 22 places to 53rd) and Alex Lees (up 26 places to 86th) have also moved up the rankings for batters while seam bowler Matthew Potts has advanced 18 places to 59th after picking up three wickets in the match. For New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell’s scores of 190 and 62 not out have lifted him 33 places to a career-best 17th position while Tom Blundell’s first innings century has helped him move up four places to 31st position. Devon Conway’s innings of 46 and 52 see him inch up one slot to 23rd. Fast bowler Trent Boult is up four places to ninth. Wednesday’s weekly rankings update sees Pakistan batters hold the top two positions in both ODIs and T20Is and a number of slow bowlers make significant progress. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings that has been updated after the third Zimbabwe versus Afghanistan match, the Pakistan versus West Indies series and the first match between Sri Lanka and Australia, the Pakistan opener has moved up to take second spot behind captain Babar Azam after a Player of the Series effort of 65, 72 and 62. This is the first instance of Pakistan batters grabbing the top two positions in the ODI rankings. West Indies player Shai Hope (up two places to 11th), Afghanistan’s Hashmatullah Shahidi (up five places to 45th), Australia’s Marcus Stoinis (up four places to joint-50th) and Sri Lanka’s Danushka Gunathilaka (up six places to joint-50th) are the others to move up the ODI batters’ list. Meanwhile, Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has moved up to number two and Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi to number four in the bowlers’ list led by New Zealand’s Trent Boult. Spinners Mujeebur Rahman of Afghanistan, Akeal Hosein of the West Indies, Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka and Shadab Khan of Pakistan have also moved up the rankings for bowlers. Hazlewood has also moved back to number one in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings while Maheesh Theekshana of Sri Lanka is up 16 places to eighth in the list. Australia spinner Ashton Agar (up three places to ninth), India seamer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (up seven places to 11th) and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (up four places to 26th) are the others to gain. The rankings for batters see Mohammad Rizwan gain one position to reach second in the list, also led by Babar. Aaron Finch has moved up one place to fifth while India’s Ishan Kishan has galloped 68 places to reach seventh position after aggregating 164 runs in three matches against South Africa.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-South Africa batter Lara Goodall and captain Sune Luus have gained in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings after playing their part in a nine-wicket win over Ireland in the opening match of their ICC Women’s Championship series in Dublin. Left-hander Goodall has moved up nine places to 58th among batters after an unbeaten 32 while all-rounder Luus grabbed three for 16 with her leg spin bowling to advance seven places and reach 39th in the list of bowlers. Opener Andrie Steyn, who scored 21 not out and was involved in an unbroken 55-run stand with Goodall, has gained 12 slots to reach joint-83rd position in the latest weekly update to the women’s player rankings, which are carried out on Tuesdays. For Ireland, new-ball bowler Jane Maguire is up four places to joint-83rd. The win in Dublin got South Africa their first two points of the ICC Women’s Championship. Pakistan are currently on four points and Sri Lanka on two after the 2-1 verdict in the opening series of the championship, which provides a direct qualification pathway to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. Details on the IWC are available in an earlier media release which is available here. Goodall has also made significant gains in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings, which includes the last match of the T20I series that her team won 2-1 against Ireland and 15 matches of the ongoing eight-team Kwibuka Women’s T20 Tournament in Rwanda. Goodall has gained 28 slots to reach 71st position after her knock of 48 while Anne Bosch is up 14 places to 46th after her 44 not out. Laura Wolvaardt of South Africa (up one place to 20th), Gaby Lewis of Ireland (up one place to 22nd) and Janet Mbabazi of Uganda (up 11 places to joint-75th) are among the others to move up the rankings. In the rankings for bowlers, South Africa medium-fast bowler Tumi Sekhukhune is up two places to 25th after grabbing three for 20 while Nadine de Klerk and Nonkululeko Mlaba have reached 41st and 42nd positions after taking two wickets each. Celeste Raack of Ireland (up three places to 84th) and Nasra Saidi of Tanzania (up 13 places to 86th) have also progressed.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Sri Lanka’s batting star Angelo Mathews and Pakistan’s debutante spin sensation Tuba Hassan have been voted the ICC Men’s and Women’s Players of the Month for May 2022. Mathews was voted the recipient of the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for May after piling on the runs over the course of his side’s impressive ICC World Test Championship series victory against Bangladesh. Amassing 344 runs at an average of 172 over the course of the two Tests, Mathews registered a huge score of 199 in the draw at Chattogram, and a supreme 145 not out in Mirpur. His epic innings in the second Test enabled his side to post an imposing total of 506 and complete a 10-wicket victory, gaining valuable points in the ICC WTC standings powered by MRF Tyres. Mathews becomes the first Sri Lanka player to be named the ICC Player of the Month since its inception in January 2021, scooping the award ahead of fellow nominees Asitha Fernando (Sri Lanka), and Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh). Anglo Mathews said: “I am absolutely honoured and delighted to be the ICC Men’s Player of the Month. I would like to congratulate Asitha Fernando and Mushfiqur Rahim who were front runners for this award, on their spectacular performances. “I am grateful for the opportunity and I wish to thank the almighty, my teammates, support staff, and fans for believing in me and supporting me as always. I would like to dedicate this to the people of Sri Lanka. Let's never stop believing.” JP Duminy, ICC Player of the Month voting panel member said:  “The great grit and determination that characterized Angelo’s performances during the month has shown that he still has the hunger and desire to make the difference at the elite level.” Pakistan’s Tuba Hassan was named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month after enjoying significant success with the ball during her debut international series. The 21-year-old leg spinner was instrumental in restricting scores set by opponents Sri Lanka in the three-game T20I series in Pakistan, where she captured the Player of the Series award, taking five wickets at an average of 8.8 and an economy rate of 3.66. The highlight was during her debut international fixture in Karachi, in which she grabbed three for eight to limit the tourists to 106, setting the platform for a six-wicket win. On what was an excellent month for Tuba, former Pakistan international and member of the voting panel Sana Mir commented: “Tuba has shown a lot of confidence and skill to make an impact for Pakistan in her debut series. She has been working hard for some time and it is really heartwarming to see her celebrating success in her first series for Pakistan.” In securing this month’s award, Hassan overcomes fellow nominees in compatriot Bismah Maroof, and Jersey’s Trinity Smith. Tuba is the first female player from Pakistan to win in the ICC Player of the Month awards.