Author: ali.hassan

Pakistan shooters Gulfam Joseph and Kishmala Talat’s dismal run at the Paris Olympics continued as the duo failed to proceed in another event on Monday.

The duo of Joseph and Kishmala competed in 10m air pistol mixed doubles but failed to make it into the next round.

The Pakistan shooters could only manage 571 points out of 600 and finished 14th out of 17.

As a result, both Pakistan shooters Gulfam Joseph and Kishmala Talat have been knocked out of all 10m air pistol competitions.

However, Kishmala will represent Pakistan in the 25m Pistol Women’s qualification on August 2 while Ghulam Mustafa Bashir will partake 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men’s Qualification on August 4.

Remember, Pakistan had an unwanted start to their Paris Olympics 2024 campaign as their shooters Gulfam Joseph and Kishmala Talat failed to qualify for the 10m air pistol finals in respective categories.

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Joseph, one of seven Pakistan athletes competing in the games, had to finish in the top eight to make it into the next round.

But he was left far behind the other competing shooters and could finish 22nd out of 33 with 571 points out of 600.

Notably, Indian shooters Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema also failed to qualify for the next round.

Meanwhile, Kishmala Talat also suffered the same fate as she failed to qualify for the 10m women’s air pistol final after finishing 31st out of the 44 shooters. She scored a total of 567 points out of across six series.

Pakistan contingent for Paris Olympics:

Athletics: Arshad Nadeem, Faiqa Riaz, Salman Iqbal Butt (support staff), Dr. Ali Sher Bajwa (support staff).

Swimming: Mohammad Ahmed Durrani, Jehanara Nabi, Lt Col (retired) Ahmed Ali Khan (support staff).

Shooting: Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, Gulfam Joseph, Kishmala Talat), Col Junaid Ali (support staff), Gennady Solodovnikov (support staff).

Contingent officials: Mohammad Shafiq (chef de mission), Javaid Shamshad Lodhi (deputy chef de mission); Zainab Shaukat (admin officer).

READ: Pakistan swimmers Durrani, Jehanara fail to qualify for next round

Pakistan Test bowler Mohammad Ali has recently shed light on the necessary quality that is essential for every fast bowler.

Mohammad Ali, while playing for Pakistan Shaheens, bagged a six-wicket haul on Sunday, restricting Bangladesh A to 216 in the second innings on the third day of the second four-day match in Darwin.

After the match, the pace bowler talked to the media and talked about his bowling plan against Bangladesh A.

“The coaches gave me the plan to bowl in the right areas,” said Mohammad Ali. “I am happy that my six-wicket performance helped the team.”

He further emphasized the importance of patience in the longer format of the game.

“Taking a wicket in a four-day game requires immense patience and the ability to target a specific area,” he added.

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The 31-year-old bowler emphasized the importance of being able to bowl longer spells, stating that it is a crucial skill for every pace bowler.

“A pace bowler must be robust enough to bowl long spells,” Ali stated. “I have also been fond of bowling long spells and it is not a new thing for me.”

Pakistan Shaheens require 160 more runs to win after they finished day three with 136-4 in 37 overs.

Skipper Sahibzada Farhan chipped in with a brisk 70-ball 68 hitting 10 fours and two sixes before getting out. He also shared a 96-run opening partnership with Haseebullah, who scored an unbeaten 44 runs.

Bangladesh A bowlers further removed Kamran Ghulam and Umar Amin for ducks to reduce Shaheens 100-3.

Mohammad Irfan Khan (15) was the last wicket to fall on the day before Tayyab Tahir (4) joined Haseeb on the crease. The duo will resume the batting for Shaheens on the last day with an uphill task of chasing 295 runs.

Rejaur Rehman Raja picked up two wickets while Hasan Murad and Mahmudul Hasan Joy dismissed one batter each.

READ: Paris Olympics: Pakistan swimmers fail to qualify for the next round

 

The head coach of the Pakistan women’s cricket team Muhammad Wasim has expressed satisfaction over the team’s performance in the ACC Asia Cup 2024.

Pakistan women were knocked out of the tournament as Sri Lanka defeated them by four wickets in the semi-final courtesy of skipper Chamari Athapaththu’s half-century.

Wasim, who was appointed as the coach ahead of the Women’s Asia Cup, shared his disappointment over not reaching the final. However, he was satisfied with team’s overall performance.

“The overall performance of the team has been good but it is disappointing not to reach the finals. The team has played good cricket throughout the tournament,” said Muhammad Wasim.

Pakistan faced their arch-rivals India in the opening game, where they suffered a heavy seven-wicket defeat. India comfortably chased down 109 runs, losing only three wickets with 35 balls to spare.

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However, Pakistan bounced back in the tournament as they registered two dominant victories against Nepal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“After the first match, the performance of the team improved,” Wasim added.

He also praised top-order batters Gull Feroza and Muneeba Ali, who played key roles in Pakistan’s victories against Nepal and UAE.

“In batting, we gave freedom to the batters which resulted in the performance of Gul Feroza and Muniba Ali,” he further added.

Gull Feroza scored 149 runs in four games at an average of 49.66, while Muneeba Ali scored 131 runs in as many matches at 65.50.

READ: Four-wicket Ngarava puts Zimbabwe on top in Ireland Test

DARWIN: Haseebullah kept Pakistan Shaheens on top during the 296-run pursuit against Bangladesh A on the third day of the second four-day match at the DXC Arena.

Fast bowler Mohammad Ali had a field day as he bagged a six-fer restricting Bangladesh A to 216 in the second innings.

Pakistan Shaheens require 160 more runs to win after they finished day three with 136-4 in 37 overs.

Skipper Sahibzada Farhan chipped in with a brisk 70-ball 68 hitting 10 fours and two sixes before getting out. He also shared a 96-run opening partnership with Haseebullah, who scored an unbeaten 44 runs.

Bangladesh A bowlers further removed Kamran Ghulam and Umar Amin for ducks to reduce Shaheens 100-3.

Mohammad Irfan Khan (15) was the last wicket to fall on the day before Tayyab Tahir (4) joined Haseeb on the crease. The duo will resume the batting for Shaheens on the last day with an uphill task of chasing 295 runs.

Rejaur Rehman Raja picked up two wickets while Hasan Murad and Mahmudul Hasan Joy dismissed one batter each.

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Earlier, Bangladesh A could only muster 132 more runs in 43.1 overs after continuing from their overnight total of 84-3 as they were bundled out for 216 in 70.1 overs with a 295-run lead. Mahmudul (65) and Aich Mollah (58) registered half-centuries.

Mahmudul was cleaned up by Ali in the 37th over breaking a 39-run fourth-wicket stand while Shadman Islam too fell prey to the Test fast bowler for an eight-ball duck three overs later.

With half the side back in the hut, Mollah and Shahadat Hossain (33) put on a vital 63-run sixth-wicket stand to help their team extend the lead.

Khurram Shahzad struck to remove Shahadat reducing Bangladesh A to 180-6 in 59.2 overs.

The remaining four wickets were poached by Ali in a marathon seven-over spell which began in the 59th over and culminated with his figures reading 6-63 in 24.1 overs.

The assault included a double strike in the 64th over claiming, Rejaur Rehman Raja (4) and Mahidul Islam (13) followed by the dismissal of well-set Mollah in the 69th over and Ripon Mondol in the 71st.

Among other bowlers, Khurram bagged three wickets while Faisal Akram had a solitary scalp to his name.

READ: Four-wicket Ngarava puts Zimbabwe on top in Ireland Test

DARWIN: Fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani has been ruled out of the Pakistan Shaheens’ Darwin tour after picking up a back injury.

Dahani will miss the second four-dayer against Bangladesh A starting from Friday and the white-ball leg of the Darwin tour, which involves two one-day matches and the Top End T20 Series.

The 25-year-old fast bowler, who picked up four wickets against Bangladesh A in the first four-day match, will return to Pakistan immediately and will be assessed by the medical panel before starting the rehabilitation process.

Spin-bowling all-rounder Mubasir Khan has been added to the white ball squad as cover for Dahani.

Khurram Shahzad, who was set to return after the completion of two four-day match series against Bangladesh A, will now be available for selection in the two one-day matches against Northern Territory Strike and Bangladesh A on 4 and 6 August, respectively.

Shahnawaz Dahani starred on day four of the first four-day match as he and Mehran Mumtaz shared seven wickets to bundle Bangladesh A in 79.2 overs.

Requiring 408 runs to win or to bat out the day to save the game, Bangladesh A’s opening batters started the day by bringing up a fifty-run opening partnership continuing from the overnight score of 20-0. Dahani struck to remove Shadman Islam (26, 65b, 4x4s) in the 22nd over.

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Shaheens’ bowling attack toiled for another 21.1 overs when Mehran eked out the vital scalp of Parvez Hossain Emon, who had faced 138 balls for his 57 runs hitting six fours and two sixes. Mehran soon trapped Aich Mollah, for a paltry four, in the 50th over.

For the next 12.2 overs, Amite Hasan (71, 102b, 14x4s) and Shahadat Hossain put on 57 runs ringing the alarm bells for Shaheens.

Dahani made much-needed inroads in the Bangladesh A batting by removing well-set Amite in the 63rd over and Ariful Islam (4, 5b, 1×4) in the 65th over with a little over two hours’ time left in the day.

With Shaheens five wickets away from triumph, Mehran Mumtaz landed a double blow in the 71st over to end Shahadat’s (42, 62b, 7x4s) rearguard effort and removed Hasan Murad for a five-ball duck leaving Bangladesh A 221-7.

It took Shaheens 15.2 more overs to remove the remaining three batters as Ripon Mondol resisted with an unbeaten 43 off 30 balls hitting seven fours and Mahidul Islam chipped in with a 66-ball 15 with Bangladesh A scoring 279 all out in 86.2 overs.

Mehran and Dahani collected figures of 4-84 and 3-57, respectively. Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali picked up one wicket each.

The second four-day match between Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh A will start on Friday, 26 July at the same venue.

READ: ‘If not him, who else should be captain?’ Former Pakistan skipper backs Babar Azam

KARACHI: Tony Hemming, the chief curator of Pakistan, visited the National Bank Stadium here on Wednesday.

Hemming met the ground staff at National Bank Stadium and carried out a detailed discussion with the ground staff regarding the pitches and outfield.

For the unversed, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), last week, appointed Australia’s Tony Hemming as the new head curator on a two-year contract.

Hemming’s immediate tasks will be to prepare pitches for Pakistan’s upcoming five home Test matches, which are part of the ICC World Test Championship.

Pakistan will play two matches against Bangladesh in August/September, followed by a three-Test series against England, scheduled to be played in October.

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Hemming will also oversee pitch preparations for the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, which Pakistan will host from 19 February to 9 March.

Hemming is a highly respected curator with nearly four decades of experience. He has worked at various iconic cricket grounds in Australia, including Melbourne, Perth and Tasmania, as well as in countries such as Bangladesh, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where he was the ICC’s Head Curator from 2007 to 2017 in Dubai.

During his time with the ICC, Hemming also oversaw pitch preparation at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which was one of Pakistan’s home venues between 2009 and 2019.

Prior to joining PCB, Tony Hemming was involved with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), where we worked from July 2023.

READ: Ollie Pope believes England can score 600 runs in a single day of Test

DARWIN: Pakistan Shaheens bagged a hard-fought 148-run win over Bangladesh A in the last hour of play on day four of the first four-day match at the DXC Arena here on Monday.

Shaheens took all 10 Bangladesh wickets in 79.2 overs on day four with Mehran Mumtaz and Shahnawaz Dahani sharing seven among them.

Requiring 408 runs to win or to bat out the day to save the game, Bangladesh A’s opening batters started the day by bringing up fifty-run opening partnership continuing from the overnight score of 20-0. Dahani struck to remove Shadman Islam (26, 65b, 4x4s) in the 22nd over.

Shaheens’ bowling attack toiled for another 21.1 overs when Mehran eked out the vital scalp of Parvez Hossain Emon, who had faced 138 balls for his 57 runs hitting six fours and two sixes. Mehran soon trapped Aich Mollah, for a paltry four, in the 50th over.

For the next 12.2 overs Amite Hasan (71, 102b, 14x4s) and Shahadat Hossain put on 57 runs ringing the alarm bells for Shaheens.

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Dahani made much needed inroads in the Bangladesh A batting by removing well-set Amite in the 63rd over and Ariful Islam (4, 5b, 1×4) in the 65th over with a little over two hours’ time left in the day.

With Shaheens five wickets away from triumph, Mehran Mumtaz landed a double blow in 71st over to end Shahadat’s (42, 62b, 7x4s) rearguard effort and removed Hasan Murad for a five-ball duck leaving Bangladesh A 221-7.

It took Shaheens 15.2 more overs to remove the remaining three batters as Ripon Mondol resisted with an unbeaten 43 off 30 balls hitting seven fours and Mahidul Islam chipped in with a 66-ball 15 with Bangladesh A scoring 279 all out in 86.2 overs.

Mehran and Dahani collected figures of 4-84 and 3-57, respectively. Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali picked up one wicket each.

The second four-day match between Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh A will start on Friday, 26 July at the same venue.

READ: Australia’s Tony Hemming reaches Lahore, assumes chief curator role

DARWIN: Pakistan Shaheens’ pace bowler Khurram Shahzad was delighted with his performance during the first four-day match against Bangladesh A at the DXC Arena on Sunday.

Shahzad took six wickets in the first innings to help Pakistan Shaheens bundle Bangladesh A for 266 runs on day three.

While talking after the end of the third day’s play, he talked about his bowling plan which bore fruits, helping him claim figures of 6-72.

“I tried to bowl in the right place, the plan was to not let them score runs,” said Shahzad. “Today was a good day for us, Umair [Bin Yousuf] and Mabasir [Khan] also showed good performance in batting.”

Omair Bin Yousuf and Mubasir Khan put on a mammoth 177-run third-wicket partnership in the second innings to help Pakistan Shaheens extend the lead over the 400 mark.

Mubasir missed out on his fourth first-class century as he got out after scoring a gutsy 95 from 134 balls with the help of eight boundaries and one six.

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Meanwhile, Omair, playing his 50th first-class game, registered his 11th ton in the format. He remained unbeaten at 100 from 123 balls, which featured six boundaries and two sixes.

Pakistan Shaheens declared the innings, right after Omair reached his ton, with the scorecard reading 226-3 in 47.2 overs, setting Bangladesh 428 runs to win.

Khurram Shahzad believes that Pakistan Shaheens is in a dominant position and he wants to play his role in guiding his side to the victory on the last day.

“We will try to win the match on the last day,” he added.

He also shared his experience of his second tour of Australia and playing under Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie.

“This is my second tour to Australia, I am enjoying my bowling here,” he further added. “There is a lot to learn from the head coach Jason Gillespie.”

Shahzad previously toured Australia in December 2023 for a three-match Test series under Shan Masood. He played one Test and took five wickets before he got injured and was ruled out of remaining games.

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DARWIN: Mohammad Huraira struck an unbeaten century as Pakistan Shaheens finished with 375-2 off 79 overs on day one of the first four-day match against Bangladesh A at the DXC Arena on Thursday.

Huraira starred with an unbeaten 161 off 203 balls hitting 18 fours and one six while Kamran Ghulam, Sahibzada Farhan and Umar Amin struck valuable half-centuries.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh A won the toss and opted to bowl first. Sahibzada and Huraira put on a 134-run opening stand to push the Bangladesh A bowling attack on the back foot.

Ripon Mondol drew first blood for Bangladesh A when he bowled Pakistan Shaheens’ skipper in the 27th over. Farhan scored 66 runs from 83 balls with ten boundaries.

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Umar Amin, who walked into bat at three, put on a 118-run second-wicket partnership with Huraira to further strengthen Shaheens’ position on day one. Huraira brought up his ninth first-class century off 129 balls in the 44th over.

However, Amin’s stay on the crease was cut short, soon after he reached his half-century, by Mondol, who struck in the 52nd over to give Bangladesh A their second scalp of the day.

Amin played a valuable 54-run knock from 77 balls, which featured eight boundaries.

Huraira was then joined by Kamran Ghulam as the duo stitched an unbeaten 123-run partnership to add to Bangladesh A’s woes.

Kamran struck 11 boundaries on his way to an unbeaten 74 to keep Pakistan Shaheens in control at the end of the first day’s play.

For Bangladesh A, only Mondol managed to strike twice while all other bowlers toiled without managing a scalp.

READ: Australian all-rounder likely to return to Test cricket after seven years

KARACHI: Pakistan women’s cricket team is set to depart tomorrow from here to participate in the upcoming ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup, which will be held from 19 to 28 July

Pakistan team will reach Colombo tomorrow, from where they will travel to the host city of the Asia Cup, Dambulla.

Nida Dar-led Pakistan are placed in Group ‘A’ along with arch-rivals India as well as Nepal and UAE, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia are in Group B’. The top two teams from each group will play in the semi-finals on July 26.

Pakistan will take on India on the opening day of the tournament on 19 July, while their matches against Nepal and UAE will be on 21 and 23 July, respectively.

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This will be Pakistan women’s first assignment under the new coaching staff, which includes head coach Mohammad Waseem, assistant coach Junaid Khan and spin bowling coach Abdur Rehman.

The women’s team underwent rigorous training at a training camp, which concluded today, at Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi.

“We have worked out various strategic plans during the training camp. But we need to steer in a better direction,” Waseem said after the conclusion of training camp.

“We attempted to change the players’ mindset and also worked on improving their fitness levels. I am satisfied with the fitness and fielding standards of our team.”

Pakistan squad for ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup

Nida Dar (c), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab and Tuba Hassan

READ: PCB chairman makes major decisions to improve Pakistan cricket