Sports Bulletin

BIPIN DANI Bangladesh's Test captain Shakib Al Hasan is the most popular cricketer in this country. One can see the advertisement hoardings displaying his photo at the airport, malls, and several prominent places in the capital city. It is no surprise the young kids dreaming of becoming cricketers like him join his personal academy. "Yes, he is the only current cricketer running an academy (Masco Shakib Cricket Academy)", the former coach of the BCB and the Singapore Cricket Association, who is now the head coach of the Shakib's academy, says. This academy was established in 2021 in a green village site at Kanchan, Rupgonj, Narayangonj, which is about 30 km from the SBNS (Shere Bangla National Stadium). "We have a nice cricket ground with 4 center wickets and 9 outside turf wickets and 2 cement wickets, apart from an indoor cricket center, 2 floors gym facilities which cater about 60 students with their accommodation", Mohammed Salahuddin said. "There is no age limit for the students, anyone can get admission here. We have students of the age Under 10, 14, 16 and 18 then have 3 senior groups also, who all are admitted after seeing their trials". "We have different categories of elite players who also train here. The national players Mominul, Zakir Hasan, Md Mithun, Imrul Kayes and many premier players come here to train. We allow national women players to train". Incidentally, Sharmin Akhter Supta, the opening batter in the women's national team, is a student of this academy. "We have a lot of young talented players and so we are hopeful that few of them will play for the national team in future", the coach concluded. Shakib is very busy with his playing and other endorsement commitments and cannot make it to visit his own academy frequently but now as the recent bilateral series against India is over, may soon find time to visit future stars.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Mohammad Waqas’ brilliant batting display steered Ludhiana Cricket Club to a convincing 23-run victory over Apollo Club in the fifth match of the 20-K Cup 2023 T20 Cricket Tournament here at the Model Town Greens ground on Sunday. Apollo Club won the toss and asked Ludhiana Club to bat first. Ludhiana Club batters batted aggressively and posted a huge total of 168 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Mohammad Waqas was hero of the day with his superb batting display as he played 53 balls to hammer impressive 89 runs which included ten boundaries and five maximums. Waqas teammates Asim Ali Nasir (17), Zeeshan Khan (15) and Mohammad Usama (15) also batted well and contributed significant runs in the total, making it a decent one. Asad Rafique took two wickets for Apollo Club while Nisar Ahmad, Afaq Khan, Mohammad Rameez and Abyaz Rizvi got one wicket apiece. Apollo Club though started their run-chase well but their middle order failed to contribute well and despite some serious efforts from the lower order, they couldn’t reach the target, thus scoring only 145 runs for the loss of 8 wickets and losing the match by 23 runs. Hashim Ibrahim top-scored with 29 runs while Mohammad Akhlaq scored 21 and Asad Rafique unbeaten 20 runs. Fahad Munir and Danish Mushtaq bagged two wickets each for Ludhiana Club. For his outstanding batting display, Mohammad Waqas of Ludhiana Club was declared player of the match. On Monday (January 9, 2023), three matches will be played. Cricket Center will take on Model Town Whites, Model Town Club will play against Prince Club while Township Whites will compete against Lucky Star Club. All the matches will start at 11:00 am.

KARACHI (Press Release): After the completion of six successful editions of Pak-Arab Refinery Ltd (PARCO) T20 Cricket Tournament, the company inaugurated the seventh edition of the tournament in a colorful ceremony at the Moin Khan Academy in Karachi. 12 teams will take part in the tournament. Shahid Mahmood Khan, Managing Director PARCO said: “I am delighted to inaugurate the seventh edition of this exhilarating tournament as the last PARCO T20 Cup was held in 2015. The last couple of years were challenging not only just for Pakistan but for the world. Despite challenges, cricket has always been a sport which brings people together and results in sheer joy. By reviving this tournament, PARCO aims to strengthen our association as a fraternity and create opportunities for healthy engagements”. The inaugural ceremony was graced by distinguished guests from sports and media fraternity, and top executives of leading companies. The teams of Pakistan’s prominent oil and gas companies participating in this tournament include: PARCO, TOTAL PARCO Pakistan Ltd., Shell Pakistan Ltd., Cnergyico PK Ltd., Pakistan State Oil Ltd. (PSO), Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd. (OGDCL), Pakistan Petroleum Ltd. (PPL), National Refinery Ltd. (NRL), Attock Petroleum, Pakistan Refinery Ltd. (PRL), Hascol Petroleum Ltd., and United Energy Pakistan Ltd.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Brilliant bowling by Mohammad Naveed guided Golden Star Cricket Club to a thumping eight-wicket victory over Pindi Gymkhana in the 20-K Cup 2023 T20 Cricket Tournament here at the Model Town Greens ground on Saturday. Pindi Gymkhana couldn’t start their innings well and kept on losing wickets on a regular interval. Only their middle order batters Asfand Mehran and Wasif Khan made their side’s total respectable as they contributed with 32 and 31 runs respectively. Opener Aneeq Mushtaq was another batter, who scored 11 runs as no other Pindi Gym batter could cross the double figures. Mohammad Naveed was main wrecker-in-chief of Pindi Gymkhana batting line-up as he took three scalps conceding 22 runs while his teammates Asad Raza and Abrar Ahmad bagged two wickets each and Sadaqat and Ahmad Safi Abdullah took one wicket each. Golden Star Cricket Club replied strongly and reached home safely in 11.2 overs for the loss of just two wickets. Their openers Azzam ul Haq and Huzaifa started well for their side and added 57 runs for the opening stand. Azzam (20) was the first batter from the winning side, who lost his wicket at a total of 20 runs while in the very next over, Huzaifa (21) was also sent packing by Zaid Butt at a total of 59-2. After that Ali Raza (20) and Ammar Sajid (23) chased the target in 11.2 overs. For his brilliant bowling, Mohammad Naveed was adjudged as player of the match. In the only match of the day (Sunday – January 8, 2023), Ludhiana Club will play against Apollo Club at 11:00 am.

Sports Bulletin REport LAHORE: Cricket Center Club and Model Town Greens recorded victories on the second day of the 20-K Cup 2023 T20 Cricket Tournament against their respective opponents here at Model Town Greens ground on Friday. The first match of the day proved a low-scoring affair, where Cricket Center comfortably overpowered Yu Slim Cricket Club by 7 wickets. Cricket Center won the toss and elected to ball first. Their decision paid divided as Cricket Center bundled out Yu Slim Club for 81 in 15.4 overs, thanks to excellent bowling by Qaiser Ashraf 3-14, Adnan Rasool 3-12 and Said ur Rehman 2-10. For Yu Slim Club, only Safeer Azam (32) and Aamer Jamil (24) could cross the double figures. Cricket Center replied strongly and chased the required target in just 12 overs for the loss of just three wickets. Anaz Mehmood hammered unbeaten 21 runs off 22 balls while Tariq Nawaz struck 13-ball 19 runs, and Basit Ali contributed with 18 runs off 21 balls. Only Awais Munir (2 for 20) and Haider Butt (1 for 9) bowled well for Yu Slim Club. Adnan Rasool was named player of the match. The second match, of the day was a one-sided affair, in which Model Town Greens outclassed P&T Gymkhana by a huge margin of 61 runs. Model Town Greens decided to bat first after winning the toss and posted a mammoth total of 171 runs on the board for the loss of 8 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Mirwais Khan was top scorer from the winning team as he played 25 balls to smash superb 41 runs while other key contributors were Awais Zafar (35) and Usman Khalid (29) and Waleed (17). From P&T Gymkhana, Adan Mir claimed 4-35 and Asad Raza 3-30. P&T though started their run-chase well but the outstanding bowling by Model Town Greens bowled very tightly and restricted their opponents to 110 all out in 19.1 overs. Mohammad Ishaq top-scored with 42 runs while Ali Razzaq and Ahmed Bhatti scored 12 runs each. Mirwais Khan bowled brilliantly and grabbed 3 wickets for 26 runs while Ahmad Arif bagged 3 for 19 runs and Usman Khalid 2 for 15. For his all-round performance, Mirwais Khan emerged as man of the match. On Saturday (January 7), the only match of the day will be played between Golden Star Cricket Club and Pindi Gymkhana at 11:00.

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI (January 6, 2023): The first Test of the new year produced one of the most thrilling, exciting, and nerve-jangling finish in the history of Test cricket when New Zealand fell short of victory by one wicket, while Pakistan were left 15 runs shy of ending their eight-match win drought at home. Starting the day at the National Bank Cricket Arena on Friday at none for two in pursuit of the 319 runs target, Pakistan plunged into deep crisis at 80 for five before Sarfaraz Ahmed and Saud Shakeel, and then Sarfaraz and Salman Ali Agha put them back in the driver’s seat as Pakistan reached 273 for six. However, Pakistan slipped to 287 for nine in a space of 29 balls before the last pair of Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed survived 21 deliveries when the umpires called off the match due to bad light with three overs still remaining. When the match ended, Pakistan were 304 for nine with Naseem on 15 from 11 balls and Abrar on seven from 13 balls. Interestingly, Pakistan were frustrated in the first innings by New Zealand’s last pair of Matt Henry and Ajaz Patel, who had put on 104 runs. Pakistan settled that score when Naseem and Abrar denied New Zealand their first victory since 1996 when Lee Germon’s New Zealand had defeated Saeed Anwar’s Pakistan by 44 runs in Lahore. The wicketkeeper-batter scored a magnificent 118 from 176 balls in just under five hours of batting to keep Pakistan in hunt for victory. The batter not only scored at will, but his run-scoring also spread the fielders, thus, taking pressure off from the close-in fielders. Such was Sarfaraz’s dominance over the New Zealand bowlers that he scored his first 50 runs from 62 balls, while he took 73 balls to reach his fourth century in 51 Tests. Sarfaraz had also scored 78 runs in the first innings that deservingly earned him the player of the match. With scores of 86 and 53 in the first Test, he was adjudged player of the series. Sarfaraz put on 123 runs for the sixth wicket with Saud Shakeel (32), while he added 70 runs for the seventh wicket with Salman (30). Although Pakistan escaped with a draw, thanks to Sarfaraz, some of their batters’ stroke-selection left much to be desired. Imam-ul-Haq (12) was bowled after he danced down the track to miss the line of Ish Sodhi’s delivery, Shan Masood (35) unnecessarily hit in the air to be caught off Bracewell, Babar Azam (27) was caught down the leg-side off Bracewell, Saud was caught in the slip off Bracewell while trying to guide the ball and Salman was castled after attempting to hit Henry out of the park. New Zealand Batting (First Innings): 449 all out in 131 overs Davon Conway 122 (191 balls, 4x16, 6x1), Tom Latham 71 (100 balls, 4x9, 6x0), Matt Henry 68 (81 balls, 4x8, 6x2), Tom Blundell 51 (108 balls, 4x6, 6x0)    Pakistan Bowling: Abrar Ahmed (4 for 149), Naseem Shah (3 for 71), Agha Salman (3 for 75) Pakistan Batting (First Innings) 408 all out in 133 overs Saud Shakeel 125 (341 balls, 4x17, 6x0), Imam-ul-Haq 83 (165 balls, 4x10, 6x1), Sarfraz Ahmed 78 (109 balls, 4x10, 6x0), Agha Salam 41 (78 balls, 4x7, 6x0) New Zealand Bowling: Ajaz Patel (3 for 88), Ish Sodhi (3 for 95), Daryl Mitchell (1 for 11) New Zealand Batting (second Innings): 277 for 5 declared in 82 overs Tom Blundell 74 (135 balls, 4x7, 6x1), Michael Bracewell 54 not out (119 balls, 4x11, 6x0), Kane Williamson 41 (107 balls, 4x6, 6x0)    Pakistan Bowling: Air Hamza (1 for 38), Hasan Ali (1 for 39), Agha Salman (1 for 42), Naseem Shah (1 for 43), Abrar Ahmed (1 for 103) Pakistan Batting (Second Innings): Target 319 Sarfarz Ahmed 118 (178 balls, 4x9, 6x1), Shan Masood 35 (66 balls, 4x5, 6x0), Saud Shakeel 32 (146 balls, 4x4, 6x0), Agha Salman 30 (40 balls, 4x4, 6x0) New Zealand Bowling: Michael Barcewell (3 for 63), Tim Southee (2 for 39), Ish Sodhi (2 for 53) Player of the match: Sarfaraz Ahmed Player of the series: Sarfaraz Ahmed

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI: The Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Neil Hawkins met Pakistan National Women’s Cricket Team in Karachi and wished them good luck ahead of their tour of Australia. Starting from Friday 16 January, hosts and reigning champions Australia will host Pakistan National Women’s Cricket Team for an ODI and a T20I series scheduled in Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart and Canberra. The ODIs are part of the 2020-2025 ICC Women’s Championship. High Commissioner Neil Hawkins said: ‘It is a great privilege to meet Pakistan National Women’s Cricket Team. Our countries share a passion for cricket. I wish the team a fantastic stay in Australia. They will receive a very warm Australian welcome. We expect some fabulous cricket.’ The High Commissioner also met with Pakistan Under-19 Women’s squad who are also practicing in Karachi for the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in South Africa later this month.  ‘The Australian High Commission has been supporting under-19 girls’ cricket in Pakistan since 2016 as we believe cricket and other sports can help tear down barriers and stereotypes,’ he said.  Team captain Bismah Maroof said: ‘We had a good 2022 year, where we won five of the six ICC Women’s Championship matches. We are looking forward to playing a competitive series in Australia. The series against Australia will provide an opportunity to players to express their talent on the field and make new fans in the tour Down Under,’ she added. Team Manager Ayesha Ashhar said: ‘I am positive that the squad assembled here under Bismah Maroof shall give a good account of itself on the forthcoming tour, not only on the field of play but also in terms of winning friends through great display of skills, discipline and sportsmanship.

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI (January 5, 2023): Pakistan lost two wickets without scoring on the fourth day of the second Test in Karachi after New Zealand set them a target of 319. Skipper Tim Southee dismissed opener Abdullah Shafique with the a ball that kept low before Ish Sodhi spun through nightwatchman Mir Hamza’s defences in the last over of the fourth day. At the close, a shocked Imam-ul-Haq was at the crease without scoring and the home team needing 319 runs for victory, or eight wickets in hand to hold out for a draw. A loss would be their third series defeat at home in a season after going down 1-0 to Australia and 3-0 to England earlier this year. No team has chased more than 314 to win a Test in Pakistan, which the home team set against Australia in Karachi 1994. New Zealand declared their second innings ten minutes before close on 277-5 after Michael Bracewell hit a career-best 74 not out and Tom Blundell 74. The pair turned the match during their match-turning 127-run fifth wicket stand. Pakistan had the match under control when they had New Zealand struggling at 128-4 from 76-1 at lunch, removing Tom Latham (62), Kane Williamson (41) and Henry Nicholls (five). But Blundell, dropped on 21 by wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed off spinner Abrar Ahmed, punished the home team with seven boundaries and a six before holing out off Agha Salman. Bracewell, whose previous best of 49 was against England earlier this year, was also dropped on 59 by Sarfaraz off Salman. In the post-lunch session New Zealand lost three wickets in the space of 50 balls and 14 runs. Latham was smartly caught off a miscued flick at short mid-wicket by Abrar Ahmed from fast-bowler Naseem Shah. With the total unmoved on 114, in the next over Ahmed trapped Williamson leg-before. Hasan Ali had Nicholls caught soon after as New Zealand lost three wickets off 50 balls for 14 runs. Field umpires Alex Wharf and Aleem Dar had a horrible day with three of their decisions overturned. New Zealand were jolted in the second over of their innings when Mir Hamza bowled Conway with his first delivery. It was the first time Conway fell without scoring in his 12-match Test career. Pakistan wasted two leg-before referrals on Williamson when the batter was on seven and nine, while Latham overturned a decision against him on 36 -- all off Ahmed. At the start of the day, Pakistan were dismissed for 408 after adding just one run to their overnight score, in response to New Zealand's 449 first-innings total. Spinner Ish Sodhi had last man Ahmed trapped leg-before for nought, leaving centurion Saud Shakeel stranded on the other end. Shakeel was unbeaten on 125 after a marathon resistance-packed 493 minutes at the crease, hitting 17 boundaries in his maiden hundred. Spinner Ajaz Patel finished with 3-88 and Sodhi 3-95. Scores in Brief New Zealand (1st innings) 449 all-out, 131 overs (Devon Conway 122, Tom Latham 71, Matt Henry 68 not out, Tom Blundell 51, Kane Williamson 36, Ajaz Patel 35, Henry Nicholls 26; Abrar Ahmed 4-149, Naseem Shah 3-71, Salman Ali Agha 3-75) and 277-5d (Tom Blundell 74 not out, Michael Bracewell 74, Tom Latham 62, Kane Williamson 41; Mir Hamza 1-38, Hasan Ali 1-39, Salman Ali Agha 1-42, Naseem Shah 1-43) Pakistan (1st innings) 408 all-out, 133 overs (Saud Shakeel 125 not out, Imam-ul-Haq 83, Sarfaraz Ahmed 78, Salman Ali Agha 41, Babar Azam 24, Shan Masood 20; Ajaz Patel 3-88, Ish Sodhi 3-95) and 0-2 (Tim Southee 1-0, Ish Sodhi 1-0)

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI: The Pakistan men’s interim selection committee headed by Shahid Khan Afridi today (Thursday) named a 16-player squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League matches against New Zealand, which will be played here at the National Bank Cricket Arena on 9, 11 and 13 January. Uncapped batter Tayyab Tahir and wrist spinner Usama Mir have been named in the squad after producing stellar performances in the Pakistan Cup, while Shan Masood and Haris Sohail have been recalled after missing out on ODI cricket since 2019 and 2020, respectively. Kamran Ghulam, who is part of the Test squad, has also been included in the ODI side for the first time. Fast bowler Haris Rauf, who was injured during the first Test against England in Rawalpindi, has regained complete fitness and has been named in the line-up. However, Shaheen Shah Afridi, despite making good progress, has not been included as the selectors, in consultation with the medical panel, have decided to give him more time to reclaim complete fitness. He is expected to return to competitive cricket next month in the HBL Pakistan Super League 8. Shahid Afridi, Interim Chief Selector said: “We had limited ODI cricket last year and this year, we are scheduled to play 11 ODIs before we participate in the ACC Asia Cup, followed by the World Cup in conditions that will be familiar to us. So, we aim to make optimum use of these 11 ODIs by providing opportunities to our consistent performers that will enable us to select the best available players for the two important tournaments. “In this background, we have decided to recall experienced Haris Sohail and Shan Masood as we believe the two lads still have plenty to offer to Pakistan cricket. We have not only rewarded Tayyab Tahir and Usama Mir for their outstanding performances in our domestic events, they have also been identified as future prospects. These four players, along with Kamran Ghulam, have good knowledge of our conditions and have the talent and potential to excel at the highest level. “Players who could not make in the ODI side will remain in contention as the objective from this series is to have absolute clarity on the pool of players for international cricket in 2023 and beyond. For this reason, outstanding domestic performers and senior players getting back to form and fitness have been given opportunities to showcase their performances. Workload management and separate squads for red and white-ball cricket is also under consideration, which will require a wider pool of players. I urge the players to continue to work hard and be ready for a call-up. Tayyab Tahir had a successful Pakistan Cup when he won the Player of the Final award for his match-winning 71. He was also adjudged the Best Batter of the Pakistan Cup after scoring 573 runs. Prior to the 50-over tournament, Tayyab had shown consistent form in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy by scoring 708 runs at an average of 59 with four centuries and a half-century. Likewise, Usama Mir was named the Best Bowler of the Pakistan Cup after picking up 28 wickets, following his 10 wickets in four matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Haris Sohail, whose 42nd and last ODI was against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi in October 2020, has been recalled after scoring 129 runs in five Pakistan Cup matches. In the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the left-hander scored 453 runs at an average of 50.33 with a century and two half-centuries. Shan scored 111 runs with a half-century in five ODIs during his last appearance for Pakistan against Australia in the UAE in March 2019 The Southpaw has been a regular feature in Pakistan line-ups, across formats, since his T20I debut against England September-October. Apart from injured Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris and Zahid Mehmood were also part of the side that last played an ODI series against the Netherlands in Rotterdam but have not been selected for next week’s series against New Zealand. Pakistan’s ODI squad: Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir and Usama Mir

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Pindi Gymkhana opened their 20-K Cup 2023 T20 Cricket Tournament campaign on a winning note as they defeated hosts Model Town Greens by 19 runs in the opening match here at Model Town Greens ground on Thursday. Pindi Gymkhana won the toss and elected to bat first. Their batters though couldn’t start well and kept on losing wickets on regular intervals yet their middle order batted with responsibility and helped their side post a decent total of 127-9 on the board. Wasif Khan emerged as the top scorer with 21 runs off 24 while Imtiaz Ali struck 20 and Nadeem Ahmad scored 19 runs. Ahmad Arif bowled well for Model Town Greens Club and clinched four wickets for 16 runs while Mirwais Khan grabbed two wickets for 18. In reply, Model Town Greens just fall short by 19 runs as they were bowled out on 108 in 17.4 overs. Ali Annar was the wrecker-in-chief of the host club’s batting line up as he grabbed four wickets for 22 runs. He was ably assisted by Zaib Butt (3 wickets for 21) and Asfand Mehran (2 for 16). From Model Town Greens, Bilal Dar (35), Mohammad Azeem (24) and Waris Khan (16) could cross the double figures while rest of the batters failed miserably and resulting in the defeat of the hosts. Ali Annar was declared player of the match for his brilliant bowling. Before the inaugural match between Pindi Gymkhana and Model Town Greens Club, the opening ceremony of the prestigious event was held here at the Model Town Greens ground, which was graced by Nadeem Khan, Pakistan Cricket Board’s Director High Performance Centre Lahore while Test cricketer Abid Ali, former cricketer Mohammad Ilyas, Tournament Organizer Shoaib Dar and others were also present on the occasion. On Friday (January 6), two matches will be played. In the first match, Model Town Greens will take on P&T Gym while Cricket Center Club will play against Yu Slim Club in another match of the day. Both matches will be played at 11:00 am.