Sports Bulletin

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lahore:-The first phase of the Engro Cricket Coaching Project under the PCB Pathway Programme concluded at the National High Performance Centre, Lahore today. The revolutionary cricket camp aimed at delivering world class coaching, training and grooming for the future generation of Pakistan cricket lasted one month. The camp included 100 top performers of the PCB organized U13, U16 and U19 players. Renowned foreign coaches Gordon Parsons (fast bowling), Julian Wood (power-hitting), Julien Fountain (fielding), Nick Webb (strength and conditioning coach) and Toby Radford (batting coach) worked on enhancing the skills, temperament and technique of the participants while providing tactical awareness through various workshops and lectures held throughout the camp. The foreign coaches were supported by PCB employed local coaches including former Pakistan stars Arshad Khan, Ijaz Ahmed (Jnr) and Rao Iftikhar. Director High Performance Nadeem Khan said: “I am delighted with the progress we have made in a short span of time at the pathway level. I want to thank Engro and all our supporters who have remained aligned with us on our aims and objectives for the next generation of our cricket stars. “The first phase of the PCB Pathway Programme has remained a big success with the involvement of Gordon Parsons, Julian Wood, Julien Fountain, Nick Webb and Toby Radford who are all proven coaches at the pathway and senior levels. I am sure that the participants would have learned a lot from these coaches and their experience and skills would have also helped our local coaches who worked with them closely throughout the camp. “Four of these coaches [Parsons, Wood, Fountain and Radford] will now be involved in the Pakistan Junior League from next week, their involvement will help them ascertain the development of the players they coached at the Engro Cricket Coaching Project. “The pathway programme was linked with the PJL for this precise reason as we wanted to provide the players both a top-class camp environment as well as a world-class tournament platform for them to test their skills alongside some of the best junior talent in the cricketing world.” The players who took part in the camp will now head home for a break. The players selected for the Pakistan Junior League will return to Lahore to join their respective PJL sides on 1 October. The second phase of the camp is being planned for later this year. The details will be announced in due course. All five foreign coaches will also be engaged in the second-phase of the camp.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (UAE):-Thailand’s Rosenan Kanoh has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after the ICC’s Expert Panel confirmed that the off-spinner uses an illegal bowling action. The 23-year-old was reported by the match officials following her side’s match against Bangladesh on 23 September. The Expert Panel reviewed match footage of Kanoh’s bowling action and concluded that she employs an illegal bowling action and as such, in accordance with Article 6.5 of the regulations, she is suspended from bowling in international cricket. Kanoh’s suspension shall remain in place until such time she submits to a re-assessment of her bowling action and the assessment concludes that her bowling action is legal.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lahore:-Pakistan women’s team will fly out from Lahore for Bangladesh via Dubai in the wee hours of 28 September to feature in ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup. The seven-team tournament will be played in Sylhet, Bangladesh from October 1, the final of the tournament will be played on 15 October. The Bismah Maroof-led side had practiced and trained for 10 days at the Lahore Country Club, Muridke. The players went through rigorous nets sessions and scenario-based matches, besides undergoing bowling and batting drills. Captain Bismah Maroof said: “Our previous series didn’t go well, so we will try to rebuild our side and restart our winning streak. Our coaches have worked really hard on players in the camp and we will try to execute the practice in the matches in the tournament. “The tournament format is such that it provides a number of matches to the players which will ultimately help us to get ourselves ready for next year’s World Cup. We will not be complacent, every team in the tournament will come fully prepared, and we will try to produce good results. “Match against India is an important match, but before that we have other games. We will try to gain momentum in the tournament, and once it is with us, we will look forward to the game against India.” Before the Muridke camp, right-arm pacer Fatima Sana was ruled out of the tournament due to ankle injury. When asked how much she will be missed in the tournament, Bismah replied, “Fatima has remained a vital part of the side, her absence is a setback for us, but at the same time it is a great opportunity for other players to step up and play a role in winning matches for the side.” The seven-team tournament format is such that each team will play the other once before the top four sides qualifying for the semi-finals. The final of the tournament will be played on 15 October. Pakistan will play their opening match of the tournament against Malaysia at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on 2 October. Pakistan will take on arch-rivals India on 7 October. Pakistan Squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Nashra Sundhu, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Tuba Hasan Reserve players: Natalia Pervaiz, Umme Hani and Waheeda Akhtar Support staff: Ayesha Ashhar (team manager), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach and interim head coach), Mauhtashim Rashid (fielding coach), Muhammad Zubair Ahmad (analyst) and Rifat Gill (physiotherapist). Pakistan’s fixtures: 2 October – v Malaysia 3 October – v Bangladesh 6 October – v Thailand 7 October – v India 9 October – v UAE 11 October – v Sri Lanka

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Rawalpindi:-Teenager Abdul Faseeh’s first-class season was off to a dream start as the Northern opener scored his maiden century on the first day of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23. The 19-year-old left-hander made a sparkling 151 at almost run-a-ball, smashing 24 boundaries (20 fours and four sixes) in 158 balls against Southern Punjab in what is his only second match. Faseeh added 188 runs for the second wicket with his captain Umar Amin, who missed a century by 11 runs, scoring 89 in 151 balls (11 fours and a six). Northern finished the day at 379 for four – having already secured four batting points.Adding 21 more to the total in the next eight overs will get them maximum batting points. All-rounder Mubasir Khan, player of the tournament of the last season, was unbeaten on 74 off 98 (10 fours) and had the company of Sarmad Bhatti (35 not out) when stumps were drawn at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. Southern Punjab all-rounder Hassan Khan took three wickets for 68. He bowled Faseeh, Umar and Faizan Riaz. Abdullah Shafique was nearing his maiden double-century in Central Punjab’s fixture against Sindh at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. The star of Pakistan’s famous Test win at Galle in which they recorded the highest run chase at the venue this summer was not out on 189 (23 fours and three sixes), scored at a strike rate of 82. This is his highest first-class score. All-rounder Aamer Yamin unbeaten on 61, struck off just 66 balls (six fours and two sixes) was his partner in the undefeated stand of 120. Sindh’s right-arm medium fast Asif Mehmood, who was a touch expensive, leaking 109 in 18 overs, took three wickets on his debut as Central Punjab were 358 for six at the close of play. Balochistan were 324 for five in 89 overs against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium as Azeem Ghumman top-scored with 78 off 144. Abdul Wahid Bangalzai continued to impress as he made 69 in 83 and Ali Waqas was not out on 55 off 117. After the fall of Imran Butt, Azeem and Bangalzai added 133 runs for the second wicket. Scores in brief: Northern choose to bat against Southern Punjab at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Northern 379-4, 92 overs (Abdul Faseeh 151, Umar Amin 89, Mubasir Khan 74 not out, Sarmad Bhatti 35 not out; Hassan Khan 3-68) Innings points – Northern (four), Southern Punjab (one) Toss uncontested – Sindh opt to bowl against Central Punjab at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Central Punjab 358-6, 90 overs (Abdullah Shafique 189 not out, Aamer Yamin 61 not out, Qasim Akram 31; Asif Mehmood 3-109) Innings points – Central Punjab (four), Sindh (two) Toss uncontested - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa opt to bowl against Balochistan at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Balochistan 324-5, 89 overs (Azeem Ghumman 78, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 69, Ali Waqas 55 not out, Asad Shafiq 34, Haseebullah 32 not out) Innings points – Balochistan (three), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (one)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Karachi, 25 September 2022: Pakistan celebrated their 200th T20I with a thrilling win in a match that swung like a pendulum - the hosts ran out England’s last batter at 19.2 overs to record a three-run win. The Sunday’s victory at the National Stadium has levelled the seven-match series 2-2 and added a pinch of excitement ahead of the last three matches to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium. The 18th over of the run chase had almost settled the match for England with Liam Dawson smashing Mohammad Hasnain for a six, four off a no-ball, four, four and another four, before a dot and a single on the last two balls. The over had began with England needing 33 and the tourists needed nine off 12 at its conclusion. Haris Rauf’s marvellous death bowling - in the next over - turned the match on its head. Dawson swatted Haris for a boundary in front of square on the second ball, but Haris, undeterred, followed it up with a bouncer which garnered Pakistan his crucial wicket. Dawson was beaten by pace and ended up holing out to midwicket. Haris and Dawson had a chat about the dismissal after the match and the fast bowler told PCB Digital Dawson was anticipating a yorker after hitting him a four on the previous ball, but he pulled his length back instead. Proper mind games! Olly Stone, in his debut match, recorded a golden duck the next ball as a scorching yorker rattled his stumps and with five remaining off the last eight balls, Reece Topley could yield only one run off a leg-bye in the over. The drop-scene came in the last over when Shan Masood, the ever-alert Shan Masood, gathered the ball at mid-on, ran towards the non-striker’s end and dislodged the bails with an underarm flick when Topley attempted to sneak in a single to bring Adil Rashid on strike. Pakistan’s defence of 167 was off to a solid start with Mohammad Nawaz accounting for Phil Salt in the first over, albeit after being smashed for two fours. Hasnain bowled beautifully in the powerplay, allowing England batters to get only 11 runs in his first two overs. He got the prized wickets of Alex Hales, who returned to the side after sitting out in the previous game, and Will Jacks in his first over (the second of the match). The former mistimed a pull that Usman Qadir gathered with an athletic dive at short midwicket and the latter was bowled with a lovely length ball. Ben Duckett and Harry Brook, who set up a remarkable win for England on Friday, looked in prime touch, and launched a terrific counterattack that stunned Pakistan and the National Stadium crowd alike. Pakistan could have had England four down inside the powerplay had Nawaz not spilled a sitter at cover with Brook on four. Duckett attacked Mohammad Wasim Jnr in the fifth over, hitting him for three fours on the bounce, and added 43 runs in 5.2 overs with Brook before Nawaz had him trapped LBW in front. But that did not deter England from continuing with the attack and the pair of Brook and Moeen Ali struck a 49-run partnership off 30 balls. The England captain became Nawaz’s third and final wicket of the match in the 14th over. David Willey ramped Haris for consecutive fours to continue to lessen the difference between the runs required and the balls remaining, before Dawson took on Hasnain in the 18th over. Pakistan, for the third time in four matches, accumulated more than 50 runs in the powerplay thanks to the solid foundation that the world’s most successful opening pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam had laid. Pakistan were 52 for none at the completion of the sixth over with Rizwan playing the lead role, scoring 38 off 26, hitting seven off the eight fours. Babar Azam got in the groove in the eight over, dispatching David Willey for consecutive boundaries, but Adil Rashid’s next over tightened things for the two batters, leaking only three singles and Liam Dawson gave away eight in the next as Pakistan were 82 for none at the drinks. Rizwan smashed Adil for a six over midwicket, but Babar fell in the next over. Over next five overs, the pair of Rizwan and Shan, who had breached the 50-run mark just in his second T20I last match in only 28 balls, added 40 runs, as the hosts failed to capitalise the death overs. Masood was LBW in the penultimate over off Willey and Khushdil Shah and Rizwan fell on the first two balls of the final over, bowled by Reece Topley. The packed National Stadium, however, was in for an entertaining end, as Asif Ali hit two gigantic sixes off the three balls he faced to lift Pakistan to 166 for four. Scores in brief: Pakistan beat England by three runs Pakistan 166-4, 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 88, Babar Azam 36, Shan Masood 21; Reece Topley 2-37) England 163 all out, 19.2 overs (Liam Dawson 34, Harry Brook 34, Ben Duckett 33, Moeen Ali 29; Haris Rauf 3-32, Mohammad Nawaz 3-35, Mohammad Hasnain 2-40) Player of the match – Haris Rauf (Pakistan)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (UAE):-The qualification pathway through to the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 will resume next week, with Oman preparing to host the eight-team Asia Division 2 Qualifier across two venues at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Al Amerat. The hosts will welcome young stars from Bahrain, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Thailand for the eagerly anticipated event which starts on 29 September and features an action-packed schedule of 16 matches over nine days. The Division 2 Qualifier represents the first step on the qualification pathway to the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024, and the two teams that progress to the final match on 7 October will join already-qualified Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal and the UAE in the Asia Qualifier in 2023. The two finalists and the third-best placed team following the event’s conclusion on 8 October will join Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda in next year’s Africa Qualifier. Schedules Asia Division II Qualifier (Oman, 29th September to 7th October): Group A: Oman, Bhutan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia Group B: Hong Kong, Thailand, Qatar, Singapore 29 September 2022 Oman v Bhutan 29 September 2022 Bahrain v Saudia Arabia 30 September 2022 Qatar v Singapore 30 September 2022 Hong Kong v Thailand (Schedule of Matches) 1 October 2022 Bhutan v Bahrain 1 October 2022 Saudi Arabia v Oman 2 October 2022 Thailand v Singapore 2 October 2022 Hong Kong v Qatar 3 October 2022 Bhutan v Saudi Arabia 3 October 2022 Oman v Bahrain 4 October 2022 Thailand v Qatar 4 October 2022 Singapore v Hong Kong 6 October 2022 Semi Final 1 – A1 v B2 6 October 2022 Semi Final 2 – B1 v A2 7 October 2022 Third Place Playoff 7 October 2022 Final Africa Division II Qualifier (Nigeria, 30th September to 8th October): Group A: Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, Mozambique Group B: Nigeria, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Rwanda (Schedule of Matches): 30 September 2022 Sierra Leone v Botswana 30 September 2022 Nigeria v Rwanda 1 October 2022 Kenya v Ghana 1 October 2022 Malawi v Mozambique 2 October 2022 Botswana v Nigeria 2 October 2022 Rwanda v Sierra Leone 3 October 2022 Ghana v Mozambique 3 October 2022 Kenya v Malawi 4 October 2022 Nigeria v Sierra Leone 4 October 2022 Rwanda v Botswana 5 October 2022 Ghana v Malawi 5 October 2022 Mozambique v Kenya 7 October 2022 Semi Final 1 – A1 v B2 7 October 2022 Semi Final 2 – B1 v A2 8 October 2022 Third Place Playoff 8 October 2022 Final

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (UAE):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has congratulated former India captain Jhulan Goswami for an exceptional international career that saw her finish as the world’s most successful bowler in Women’s ODIs. The 39-year-old fast bowler, who retired from international cricket on Saturday after the ICC Women’s Championship series against England, played in five ICC Women’s Cricket World Cups including in 2005 and 2017, when India made the finals. Goswami also turned out in five ICC Women’s T20 World Cups. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice praised Goswami’s longevity and said she would be remembered as one of the greats of the game. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “Jhulan has had an incredible career over two decades, enjoying great success across formats. For a fast bowler to continue for so long is amazing and it is no wonder that she leads the list of wicket-takers in Women’s ODIs. “Jhulan’s career span included a crucial period of growth for women’s cricket and her presence helped raise the profile of the game. I am sure many young boys and girls in not just India but around the world would have been inspired by her over the years. On behalf of the ICC, I congratulate Jhulan for a wonderful career.” Goswami finished with 44 wickets in 12 Tests, 255 wickets in 204 ODIs and 56 wickets in 68 T20Is.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (UAE):-Bangladesh and Ireland have qualified for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa after winning their respective semi-finals at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 supported by Dream 11, being played in Abu Dhabi. Bangladesh completed a 11-run win over Thailand and Ireland beat Zimbabwe by four runs in matches played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium to book their berths, joining Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, who have already made it to the 10-team tournament. Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty said: “We came here to qualify for the T20 World Cup, and we did it!  We have been playing together for so many years, this is our time to show the world how good we are, how much we have improved as a side. “There are a lot of experienced and talented players in our side, and we need to show the kind of potential we have. It was a little disappointing that we could not do well in batting today. But I was confident about my bowling side, and I am happy at the way we handled the pressure.” Ireland captain Laura Delany said: “It (qualification) is massively important for the growth of the game in Ireland. We feel fortunate that Cricket Ireland have introduced full-time contracts and I think we are starting to see the benefit of that. “It is a lot of relief that we won. They run us till the last ball, it was a very competitive game. We are thrilled to be there. We have tried to veer off from focusing on the World Cup. We weren’t successful last time so wanted to do things differently. We are proud to have got over the line today. “We had a very good season, some brilliant wins against some tough sides. Qualifying for the World Cup is the next step in the journey, we will get to play against some better sides, hopefully on a more regular basis.” Papua New Guinea (PNG), Scotland, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States of America (USA) were the other teams to compete in the eight-team tournament. Bangladesh and Thailand took the two spots reserved in this tournament for the last-two placed teams from the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020, while the remaining teams came through the Regional Qualifiers. Scotland (Europe), UAE (Asia), USA (America) and Zimbabwe (Africa) won their regional competitions while PNG qualified as the highest ranked side from East Asia Pacific (as of 30 November 2021), which could not hold a competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ireland qualified as the highest ranked side from the regional competitions not to qualify.

BIPIN DANI Team India’s senior pace bowler Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has been going through a bad patch in T-20 international matches. His death overs in the last three outings were very ineffective (he gave away 49 runs) and the team lost all encounters. His performance prompted criticism from not only cricket fans but even the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. But Bhuvi has a staunch supporter in his wife Nupur. Reacting to the criticism, Nupur, who is not travelling with the team, put up a post in defence of her husband on Insta. “Nowadays, people are so worthless, that they have nothing better to do and have so much time to spread hate and envy... My advice to all those is — nobody is affected by your words or care about your existence. So please spend that time in making yourself better, though there is very little scope for that!!” she wrote. This is not the first time a cricketer’s wife has taken up cudgels against critics of the players. Take the case of Virat Kohli. His Bollywood actress wife Anushka Sharma has replied sharply to criticism of Virat’s poor form on several occasions in the past. Even Sakshi Dhoni gave a terse reply to industrialist Harsh Goenka when he criticized Dhoni’s game when he was playing for the Pune IPL team. Meanwhile, “We are not disturbed by this criticism. It is a part of the game. Even great cricketers have failed in matches”, Bhuvi’s sister Rekha said. “Before the recent Asia Cup, Bhuvi was named ‘Player of the Match’ in two different series. This T-20 cricket is unpredictable. The matches are played under pressure and expectations from players are very high. Bowlers cannot always be blamed. There are other factors such as dropped catches, dew on the pitch, behavior of the wickets, etc., which influence the outcome of the game. Bhuvi is a well-experienced player and will not lose hope. It is a part of the game,” his childhood coach, Sanjay Rustogi says.

KARACHI (SPORTS BULLETIN):-In line with its strategy and vision of incentivising high-performing domestic cricketers, encouraging them to embrace the game as a full-time professional sport and adding value to the local competitions, the Pakistan Cricket Board today announced details of the 2022-23 domestic contracts, which were approved by the Board of Governor (BoG) at its 70th meeting on Saturday. The contracts will run from September 2022 to August 2023 and the list of player names will be revealed in due course. After Ramiz Raja had announced an increase of PKR100,000 in retainers across all five categories upon being elected as the 34th PCB Chairman last September, the cricket board has again topped up the domestic retainers. However, the biggest improvement is in the match fees, which have been increased with the objective of attracting star cricketers and inspiring them to maintain high standards so that they can continue to stay in the domestic contract categories. Match fee of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy has been increased from PKR60,000 to PKR100,000, while match fee of the Pakistan Cup and the National T20 has been raised from PKR40,000 to PKR60,000, respectively. The non-playing members of the red and white-ball matches will now receive PKR40,000 (up by PKR16,000) and PKR20,000 (up by PKR4,000). Likewise, match fee of the non-first-class four-day Cricket Associations Championship has been increased from PKR25,000 to PKR40,000, whereas the white-ball Cricket Associations Challenge and CA T20 match fee has been enhanced from PKR15,000 to PKR25,000. The non-playing members of the red and white-ball matches will receive PKR15,000 and PKR10,000, respectively. The overall impact following these latest increases in retainers and match fees is that Category A+ and Category D players can now potentially earn between PKR4.3million and PKR6.1million respectively. However, to make these earnings, the players will have to maintain the expected fitness levels and perform consistently so that they can feature in all league matches of the National T20, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and Pakistan Cup. These are projected numbers and have been calculated on the basis of 30 league matches being played across the three major PCB events and without adding the impact of any prize moneys. The total prize money of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is PKR17million with the winner receiving PKR10million, the champion of Pakistan Cup will earn PKR5million from a total purse of PKR9.3million and the winner of the National T20 will get richer by PKR5million from a total pool of PKR8.7million. Similarly, players participating in the second division CA Championship (four-day non-first-class), CA Challenge (50-over) and CA T20 will have an opportunity to earn around PKR1.14million through match fees and daily allowance payments. When the players’ monthly retainers are added to these numbers, then it again becomes a substantial figure and should motivate them further to not only do better but also aspire to play in the three major events, which will not only enhance their earnings but also bring them one step closer selections in the national side. PCB Director - High Performance, Nadeem Khan said: “Domestic cricket is the backbone of Pakistan cricket and we need to continue to invest in it to make it a stronger and more attractive brand. In this relation, I am grateful to the BoG for supporting and approving the management’s recommendations. “Already, the standard and quality of our domestic cricket, as acknowledged by our elite cricketers, has become challenging and competitive. This is following merit-based selections, quality playing facilities, excellent logistical arrangements, high-quality broadcast and extensive digital media coverage. I am sure these new financial incentives will take our domestic cricket forward and assist the PCB in further reducing the gap with international cricket. “The retainers and match fees have been increased to motivate and inspire cricketers to work harder round-the-year to maintain the required and expected levels of fitness and form, which forms the basis of retaining places in the contract list. Besides, the new incentives will also encourage them to give preference to our tournament over foreign leagues. Needless to remind everyone, PCB domestic events are a pathway to selection in the national side.” 2022-23 domestic contract categories (player names to be announced in due course): A+ (15 players) – PKR300,000 (up by PKR50,000) A (35 players) – PKR200,000 (up by PKR15,000) B (48 players) – PKR185,000 (up by PKR10,000) C (70 players) – PKR170,000 (up by PKR5,000) D (24 players) – PKR150,000 (up by PKR10,000) 2022-23 domestic events match fee Quaid-e-Azam Trophy – PKR100,000 (11 playing members each); PKR24,000 (five non-playing members each) Pakistan Cup – PKR60,000 (11 playing members each); PKR20,000 (five non-playing member each) National T20 – PKR60,000 (11 playing members each); PKR20,000 (five non-playing member each) CA Championship – PKR40,000 (11 playing members each); PKR10,000 (five no-playing members each) CA Challenge – PKR40,000 (11 playing members each); PKR10,000 (five non-playing members each) CA T20 – PKR40,000 (11 playing members each); PKR10,000 (five non-playing members each)