Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis, who took 373 Test and 416 ODI wickets, was formally inducted into the “PCB Hall of Fame” when he received his commemorative cap and plaque during Wednesday’s play in the third cricket Test between Pakistan and Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium. In Tests, Waqar took 50 or more wickets against New Zealand (70), Zimbabwe (62), Sri Lanka (56), West Indies (55) and England (50). In ODIs, he took 84 wickets against Sri Lanka, followed by New Zealand (79), West Indies (60), South Africa (58), India (37), England (30), Australia (29) and Zimbabwe (23). Waqar played seven Tests at the Gaddafi Stadium and took 29 wickets with seven for 86 against New Zealand in October 1990 as his best. In 12 ODIs at this iconic venue, Waqar took 14 wickets with four for 26 against the Netherlands in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 1996 as his best figures. Waqar Younis said: “I feel honoured to have been inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame with my mother and wife standing alongside me. In fact, it was an honour to receive the beautiful plaque from my mother, who has been my inspiration throughout this highly rewarding and immensely satisfying cricketing journey. Without her blessings, I would not have been able to achieve this much as a professional. “Playing for Pakistan was a dream come true and I still cherish every single moment of wearing the Pakistan colour. And to be awarded by the Pakistan Cricket Board with this honour 19 years after I last represented my country is just an icing on the cake, for which I am grateful to them. “It is indeed a very proud moment for me to be placed in the same category as Abdul Qadir, Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram and Zaheer Abbas. These individuals are absolute legends of the game and their achievements and success stories are well documented. “I would like to thank all the players I played with and against as well as all the support staff who contributed towards my accomplishments.” The PCB Hall of Fame was launched in April 2021 following the Board of Governors approval at its 62nd meeting with the sole objective being to honour and celebrate the achievements of some of the greatest cricketers produced by this proud country as well as to preserve Pakistan cricket history. The initial inductees were six members of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame – Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Zaheer Abbas. On 16 October 2021, the six stalwarts were joined by Abdul Qadir and Fazal Mahmood who were selected by an independent voting panel.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Hosts Pakistan managed 90 for 1 runs on the scoreboard in 39 overs on the end of Day-2 at Qaddafi Stadium Lahore on Tuesday. Australia all ten batters got out on 391 runs total, as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah shared each four wickets after conceding 79 and 58 runs respectively. Pakistan were 90 for 1 after 39 overs, as the major contributor was Abdullah Shafiq with 45 runs un beaten innings while Azhar Ali was also not out at 30. Pakistan lost only Imam-ul-Haq, who scored 11 runs in 41 balls. Summarized Scorecard: Australia Batting (First Innings): 391 all out in 133.3 overs Usman Khawaja 91 runs (219 balls, 4X9, 6X1), Cameron Green 67 runs (163 balls, 4X9), Alex Carey 67 runs (105 balls, 4X7), Steven Smith 59 runs (169 balls, 4X6), Travis Head 26 runs (70balls, 4X4) Pakistan Bowling (First Innings): Naseem Shah (4 for 58), Shaheen Shah Afridi (4 for 79), Nauman Ali (1 for 77), Sajid Khan (1 for 97) Pakistan Batting (First Innings): 90 for 1 in 39 overs Abdullah Shafiq 45 runs not out (117 balls, 4X6), Azhar Ali 30 runs not out (79 balls, 4X1, 6X1), Imam-ul-Haq 11 runs (41 balls, 4X2) Australia Bowling (First Innings): Pat Cummins 1 for 27 PAKISTAN (Playing XIs): Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (c), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (Wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Hasan Ali, Nauman Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah AUSTRALIA (Playing XIs): David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Lyon.  Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore             Toss: Australia, elected to bat first Match Officials: Umpires: Ahsan Raza & Aleem Dar TV Umpire: Asif Yaqoob Reserve Umpire: Rashid Riaz Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

BIPIN DANI Former Sri Lankan all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya was invited to attend the Sports Award ceremony in Maldives last week. The invitation to the former captain was sent by Ahmed Mahloof, the Youth & Sports Minister of Maldives. In recognition of the impact and highlight the amazing achievements Sanath Jayasuriya has made during his career in the sporting world he was also conferred a special award.  "It was the first time in the history of Maldives that the government had conferred the awards to various athletes", SJ, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo, said on Monday morning. Interestingly, India's Suresh Raina and Sri Lankan's another athlete Tharjini Sivalingam were also invited. All these athletes, along with Sri Lanka's sports minister Namal Rajapaksha were greatly honoured and enjoyed the hospitality.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Australia scored 232 for 5 runs on the first day of third Test match against hosts Pakistan at Qaddafi Stadium Lahore on Monday, Usman Kawaja played a responsible innings of 91 runs and missed his ton second time in the series. He was wasted his wicket on 9 in the first Test match at Pindi cricket Stadium. Shaheen Afridi started the day with a magical spell and got two wickets of visitor team, when they had only 8 score on the board. David Warner could score only 7 runs while Marnus Labuschagne went back to dressing room with a single run. Wicketkeeper Rizwan took his catch on the bowling of Afridi. Usman Kawaja and Steven Smith took the team’s total 146 after aggregating 138 runs for third wicket that stabilized the visitors’ position. Later, Nseem Shah got two wickets and spinner Sajid Khan grabbed and wicket. When the first day ended after 88 overs owing to poor light, Australia score was 232 for 5. Summarized Scorecard: Australia Batting (First Innings): 232 for 5 in 88 overs Usman Khawaja 91 runs (219 balls, 4X9, 6X1), Steven Smith 59 runs (169 balls, 4X6), Travis Head 26 runs (70balls, 4X4), Cameron Green 20 not out (48 balls, 4X2) Pakistan Bowling (First Innings): Shaheen Shah Afridi (2 for 39), Naseem Shah (2 for 36), Sajid Khan (1 for 65) PAKISTAN (Playing XIs): Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (c), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (Wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Hasan Ali, Nauman Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah AUSTRALIA (Playing XIs): David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Lyon.  Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore                                                              Toss: Australia, elected to bat first Match Officials: Umpires: Ahsan Raza & Aleem Dar TV Umpire: Asif Yaqoob Reserve Umpire: Rashid Riaz Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka's former fast bowler Chaminda Vaas has been invited to teach the basics of (fast) bowling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it is learnt.   "We have invited him to upgrade the skills of the school boys to the next level and he will conduct the sessions at two schools-Sharjah English School (SES) and Delhi Private School (DPS), Vaas' friend Presley Polonnowita, who has played the game with Vaas, said exclusively over the telephone from Dubai. Interestingly, Presley Polonnowita, who has played First Class cricket and represented the country in U-18 as an all-rounder is the founder and the CEO of the Desert Clubs Cricket Academy, which is the largest in the Gulf region.  "We are serving close to 600 kids in four centers and the majority of boys will benefit with the knowledge and experience of legendary cricketer Vaas". "Vaas will conduct three sessions (each of 2.5 hours) for three days on April 1,2 & 3". Vaas and Presley share good friendship and have spent a lot of time together at India's MRF.   "This will be a great opportunity for the kids in the UAE to learn from Vaas", he signed off.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD:-Javagal Srinath of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees has rated the pitch at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that was used for the second Test between India and Sri Lanka as “below average” and the venue has received one demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process. Bangalore pitch IND v SL Srinath said: “The pitch offered a lot of turn on the first day itself and though it improved with every session, in my view, it was not an even contest between bat and ball.” Srinath’s report has been forwarded to the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Ali Ahmed LAHORE:-Pakistan and Australia cricket boards have mutually agreed to shift white-ball matches from Rawalpindi to Lahore on the dates as announced previously. The decision was made on Saturday morning following discussions between the two boards. This means the headquarters of Pakistan cricket will host the 29 March, 31 March and 2 April One-Day Internationals as well as the one-off Twenty20 International on 5 April at the back of the third Test, which commences on 21 March. The 50-over matches will start at 1500 local time, while the first ball in the 20-over match will be bowled at 2030 local time. Australia’s white-ball players, as originally planned, will arrive in Lahore on 24 March and after one-day room isolation, will integrate with other members of their side. Pakistan’s white-ball players are scheduled to assemble on 22 March and will resume training on 25 March. The ODIs are part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League. Top seven-placed sides from this event plus ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 hosts India will qualify directly for the pinnacle 50-over competition, which will be staged next year in October/November. Australia are presently seventh and Pakistan ninth in the 13-team event, but a lot of 50-over cricket still needs to be played. Squads: Australia (ODI & T20I) - Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa Pakistan (ODI) – Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-Ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir Pakistan (T20I) – Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir    

BIBPIN DANI Dennis Lillee's leading tributes at the funeral on Thursday had mention of Bacchus for his departed wicket-keeper friend Rod Marsh. Interestingly, Bacchus Marsh is a town in Australia and there's a story exclusively described by Australia's award-winning journalist Peter Lalor on how the name Bacchus struck Marsh. "Once the players were making a trip to Ballarat with the team to play in a charity match. The train stopped in Bacchus Marsh and the great Rod (Marsh) needed to go to the toilet as they were having a few drinks on the trip. Rod had to leave the train and go into the station toilets". "He reportedly got locked in the toilet and the train went without him. Stuck in the Town where he knew no one he made his way down to the local pub “The court House” where he spent some time with the locals and told stories about cricket. A young man then offered him a lift to Ballarat in his new car. When arriving late to meet his team mates. He told his story and as he was stuck in Bacchus Marsh his teammates found it fitting to Nick Name home Bacchus Marsh", Lalor described the incident. 

Bipin Dani Former Pakistani captain Asif Iqbal has welcomed the decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to change the name of Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. The PCB is set to change the name of this stadium, nearly after 50 years purely for financial gain rather than political move. "Nothing is wrong with this idea (of changing the name)", believes former captain Asif Iqbal. Speaking exclusively over the telephone from England, where the 78-year-old India-born Pak cricketer lives, said, "I think it’s a very good one. Naming after Gaddafi had nothing to do with Pakistan cricket. That was purely political". "The amount of money PCB is going to raise from the sponsors will benefit the development of the game and the players". Changing the names of stadiums is not new.  He adds, "In England also quite a few Test as well as county grounds are named after sponsors and if I am not mistaken internationally too this is happening. In Europe and in the UK most of the football teams and stadiums are named after their sponsors".

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-National Selection Committee (NSC) headed by chairman Mohammad Wasim announced the national teams for one day and Twenty 20 matches series against Australia on Thursday, as uncapped Asif Afridi and Mohammad Haris have been included in both for the three ODIs and one-off T20I squads. According to media department of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), left-arm spinner Asif and wicketkeeper/batter Haris have earned the selectors’ attention as the result of his impressive performances in the domestic circuit. In the recently concluded seventh edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League, Asif took eight wickets in five matches for Multan Sultans, while 20-year-old Haris scored 166 runs in five matches at an impressive strike-rate of 186.5 for Peshawar Zalmi. In the ongoing Pakistan Cup, Haris has already scored 219 runs in seven matches at an average of just under 44 for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Asif has picked up eight wickets in seven matches for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with an economy-rate of 4.39. Mohammad Nawaz, who had withdrawn from participation in the Test series for the Benaud-Qadir Trophy due to a foot injury, has been drafted in the side for both the ODI and T20I formats. However, his selection in the playing line-up will be subject to fitness test. While the selectors have picked up 20 players for the ODIs, which are being played as part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League; they have chosen 17 players for the only T20I, leaving out Abdullah Shafique, Imam-Ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel. Mohammad Wasim, Chair of the Selection Committee said: “I want to congratulate Asif and Haris on their inclusions in squads for the Australia series. This is a reward for their hard work and consistent performances in the domestic circuit. Their selections are also a message for all domestic players that their performances are being followed and whenever an opportunity arises, they will be rewarded with a national team call-up. “Australia are an equally outstanding team in the shorter formats of the game and, as such, we have decided to go with the best available and most experienced players. The four white-ball matches have significant context as the 50-over games count towards the 2023 World Cup qualification and the 20-over will be a repeat of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final. ODI squad: Babar Azam (captain-Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain-Northern), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Asif Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Asif Ali (Northern), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa),     Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Imam-Ul-Haq (Balochistan), Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Junior (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh), Usman Qadir (Central Punjab) T20 squad: Babar Azam (captain-Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain-Northern), Asif Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Asif Ali (Northern), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Junior (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh), Usman Qadir (Central Punjab)