Author: shahzad.malik

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday unveiled the new dates for the upcoming Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

“Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament, will begin from 26 October. Eighteen teams from the 16 regions will participate in the four-day tournament that will conclude on 19 December,” the PCB said in a statement.

The 18 teams include Abbottabad Region, AJK Region, Bahawalpur Region, Dera Murad Jamali Region, Faisalabad Region, FATA Region, Hyderabad Region, Islamabad Region, Karachi Region Blues, Karachi Region Whites, Lahore Region Whites, Lahore Region Blues, Larkana Region, Multan Region, Peshawar Region, Quetta Region, Rawalpindi Region and Sialkot Region.

Karachi Region Whites will defend their title this year, having won the tournament last year under Sarfaraz Ahmed by defeating Faisalabad Region in the final by 456 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium from 22 to 26 October 2023.

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“Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is the pinnacle of domestic cricket in Pakistan as it is not just a tournament but also an event that showcases the immense talent across the country and prepares them for the challenges of international cricket,” Abdullah Khurram Niazi, the Director of Domestic Cricket Operations stated.

“As always, we will continue to provide the best possible platform for players to excel and show their capabilities on the biggest stage in domestic cricket as they will be rubbing their shoulders with the best players of the country.

“Earlier we demonstrated a successful Champions One-Day Cup, and are fully committed to strengthening our domestic structure. The successful execution of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy remains at the heart of this commitment.”

The 18-team tournament was originally scheduled to run from 20 October to 18 December, however, it was postponed due to undisclosed reasons.

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The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi has extended his heartiest congratulations to the Pakistan men’s cricket team for victory in the second Test against England in Multan on Friday.

The Shan Masood-led team defeated England by 152 runs to level the three-match series and claim their first Test victory at home since February 2021.

Following the victory, Mohsin Naqvi congratulated the whole team on their dominant performance and attributed the victory to combined efforts.

“The success in a home Test match after a long time has been attributed to teamwork,” said Naqvi. “The team exhibited hard work, passion and a professional approach to achieve this victory.”

Naqvi also lauded spin bowlers Sajid Khan and Noman Ali as well as debutant Kamran Ghulam for their impressive performances.

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“Sajid Khan and Noman Ali played an important role in the victory with their brilliant bowling,” he added. “Kamran Ghulam already showed his full potential by scoring a century in his debut match.”

It’s worth noting that Noman and Sajid took eleven and nine wickets respectively, becoming only the second Pakistani pair to share 20 wickets in a Test match.

Meanwhile, Kamran Ghulam, who replaced Babar Azam in the team, played a gutsy knock of 118 runs in Pakistan’s first innings.

Mohsin Naqvi also expressed hope that the team will continue their good performance and win the series against England.

“The new players in the team justified their selection. I hope that the team will perform well in the last test match against England and win the series,” he concluded.

It’s worth noting that the final Test between Pakistan and England will be played from 24-28 October in Rawalpindi.

READ: Noman Ali, Sajid Khan become first pair to achieve THIS feat since 1972

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana is set to return home due to her father’s untimely demise and wicket-keeper Muneeba Ali will step in to lead the side in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Fatima will leave for Karachi on the first available flight today to attend her father’s funeral. The players and team management of the Pakistan women’s cricket team expressed their heartfelt sympathy and condolences to Fatima.

The chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi also expressed grief and sorrow over the death of Fatima Sana’s father. He conveyed his condolences to Fatima saying, “May Allah grant you and the bereaved family patience.”

Muneeba Ali has scored 28 runs in the two matches during the ongoing tournament so far and will lead the Green Shirts in their match against Australia tomorrow.

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It’s worth noting that the ongoing tournament is Fatima’s first as captain and she has been leading Pakistan from the front with four wickets in two games along with 43 runs at a strike-rate of 153.57.

Pakistan are currently placed in third place in Group B with one victory and one loss after two games.

Fatima Sana played a key role in Pakistan’s victory over Sri Lanka in their tournament opener and earned the Player of the Match award for her performance.

READ: England break 66-year-old West Indies record in first Pakistan Test

Fatima Sana, who is leading Pakistan in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, is set to return back home after her father’s untimely demise in Karachi on Thursday.

Fatima will leave for Karachi on the first available flight today to attend her father’s funeral. The players and team management of the Pakistan women’s cricket team expressed their heartfelt sympathy and condolences to Fatima.

The chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi also expressed grief and sorrow over the death of Fatima Sana’s father.

He conveyed his condolences to Fatima saying, “May Allah grant you and the bereaved family patience.”

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It’s worth noting that the ongoing tournament is Fatima’s first as captain and she has been leading Pakistan from the front with four wickets in two games along with 43 runs at a strike-rate of 153.57.

Pakistan are currently placed in third place in Group B with one victory and one loss after two games.

Fatima Sana played key role in Pakistan’s victory over Sri Lanka in their tournament opener and earned the Player of the Match award for her performance.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced that Mohammad Haris will lead Pakistan Shaheens in the upcoming ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup commencing in Oman on 18 October.

Before the Shaheens’ departure to Oman on 16 October, the squad will undergo a camp at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi from 11 to 15 October.

Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan will represent Pakistan Shaheens for the first time.

Samad featured for Markhors in the recently concluded Champions One-Day Cup 2024-25 and scored at a strike rate of 122.88.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Daniyal, while playing for the Lions, bagged 10 wickets. Yasir and Zaman represented Stallions in four and two matches, respectively.

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Eight teams will participate in the event with four teams divided into two groups. All matches will take place at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Muscat.

Group A consists of Afghanistan ‘A’, Bangladesh ‘A’, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka ‘A’, while defending champions Pakistan Shaheens are slotted in Group B alongside India ‘A’, Oman and UAE.

Haris-led Shaheens will take on last year’s finalists India ‘A’ in their opening match on 19 October. Shaheens’ second outing in the tournament will be against hosts Oman on 21 October, followed by their final group match will be against the UAE on 23 October.

The top two sides from each group will qualify for the semi-finals scheduled to take place on 25 October. The final will take place on Sunday, 27 October.

Pakistan Shaheens’ Squad

Mohammad Haris (captain), Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Moqim, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan

Team management: Umar Rasheed (head coach-cum-manager), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Riffatullah Mohmand (fielding coach), Usman Hashmi (analyst) and Syed Mohammad Asad (physiotherapist)

READ: Sanath Jayasuriya appointed as full-time head coach of Sri Lanka

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday announced that all-rounder Faheem Ashraf will lead the seven-member squad for the upcoming Hong Kong World Sixes.

The eight-team tournament, after a seven-year hiatus, will be played from 1 to 3 November at the Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong.

Pakistan since the inception of the tournament in 1993 have won the tournament four times, while it has remained runners-up of the event five times, which includes qualifying for the final of the last edition held in 2017.

South Africa and England lead with the most Hong Kong Sixes titles, each winning five. Sri Lanka, Australia, India, and the West Indies have each won one title.

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Chairperson of Cricket Hong Kong, China, Burji Shroff, expressed excitement about the tournament’s return.

“We are excited to bring back this iconic event that showcases our city as a truly world city and a sporting capital of East Asia to the world and our cricket credentials,” said Burji Shroff.

“The strategic plan is to develop the Hong Kong Sixes into a global series, culminating every year with the grand finale at home.”

It’s worth noting that former Test wicketkeeper-batter Saleem Yousuf will travel with the side as manager.

Pakistan squad: Faheem Ashraf (captain), Aamer Yamin, Asif Ali, Danish Aziz, Hussain Talat, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk) and Shahab Khan

READ: Pakistan spinner Usman Qadir bids farewell to cricket career

Wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan is the ‘strong candidate’ to become white-ball captain of Pakistan after the resignation of Babar Azam, ARY News reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

According to the sources, relevant PCB officials have been asked to hold consultations with Mohammad Rizwan for team selection.

Babar announced his decision on Tuesday night through social media, citing heavy workload and his intention to focus more on batting.

“Dear Fans, I’m sharing some news with you today. I have decided to resign as captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, effective as of my notification to the PCB and Team Management last month,” stated Babar Azam in a statement on his social media platforms.

“It’s been an honour to lead this team, but it’s time for me to step down and focus on my playing role,” he added.

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However, the sources revealed that there are more factors involved in Babar’s decision rather than his personal desire to focus on his individual performance.

According to sources, Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten wanted Babar Azam to continue as the captain of the ODI team. However, he was keen on replacing Babar as captain in T20I format.

The sources further revealed that Gary submitted his report after Pakistan’s disastrous ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in July and discussed his plans for a potential captaincy change with Babar as well.

However, Babar decided to quit as captain from both formats and informed a top official in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) before announcing his resignation.

READ: PCB accepts Babar Azam’s resignation as white-ball captain

Star batter Babar Azam shocked the world on Tuesday night by stepping down from his role as the captain of Pakistan’s white-ball team.

He attributed his decision to the heavy workload and expressed his intention to focus more on his batting.

“Dear Fans, I’m sharing some news with you today. I have decided to resign as captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, effective as of my notification to the PCB and Team Management last month,” stated Babar Azam in a statement on his social media platforms.

“It’s been an honour to lead this team, but it’s time for me to step down and focus on my playing role,” he added.

However, the sources revealed that there are more factors involved in Babar’s decision rather than his personal desire to focus on his individual performance.

According to sources, Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten wanted Babar Azam to continue as the captain of the ODI team. However, he was keen on replacing Babar as captain in T20I format.

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The sources further revealed that Gary submitted his report after Pakistan’s disastrous ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in July and discussed his plans for a potential captaincy change with Babar as well.

However, Babar decided to quit as captain from both formats and informed a top official in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) before announcing his resignation.

Remember, this was Babar Azam’s second reign as Pakistan captain. His first tenure ended in November 2023 following Pakistan’s dismal run at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India.

The star batter relinquished all-format captaincy but was reinstated as white-ball captain in March this year.

He led Pakistan in three bilateral T20I series against New Zealand, Ireland and England respectively before captaining the former champions in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Pakistan had a lacklustre outing in the mega event as the 2009 champions, in a first, crashed out of the tournament from the group stage, mainly due to their gut-wrenching defeats against the United States of America (USA) and arch-rivals India.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the President’s Cup One-Day tournament will commence from 3 October across five cities.

President’s Cup will feature nine departmental cricket teams. The two semi-finals will be played on 13 and 14 October, while the final of the tournament will be staged on 16 October.

All the matches will be day with the first ball expected to be bowled at 9.30 AM. The venues and start time for the semi-final and final will be announced in due course.

A prize pot of PKR7.75 million will be up for grabs as the winner of the tournament will bag PKR5 million while the runners-up will collect PKR2.5 million.

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Higher Education Commission (HEC), Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) are placed in Group A, while Eshaal Associates, Ghani Glass, Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan Television (PTV) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) are part of Group B.

SNGPL, the winners of the previous edition of the President’s Cup, will play their opening match of the tournament against Ghani Glass on 3 October at Saeed Sports City Bedian, Lahore.

The Group A matches will take place in Abbottabad, Islamabad and Rawalpindi while the Group B matches are set to be staged in Faisalabad and Lahore.

Group A – HEC, KRL, SBP, WAPDA

Group B – Eshaal Associates, Ghani Glass, OGDCL, PTV, SNGPL

READ: Zaheer Abbas demands Babar Azam’s exclusion from Pakistan squad

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday, unveiled the ticket prices for the upcoming three-match Test series between Pakistan and England.

According to the cricketing body, the tickets for the upcoming series will go on sale today online today from 1700 PST at PCB.tcs.com.pk.

Additionally, in order to facilitate fans, the physical tickets will be available to purchase from different outlets from 4 October after 0900am.

The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, with the first and second Test matches to be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium (MCS) from 7 to 19 October. The third Test match will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (RCS) from 24 to 28 October.

To encourage fans to come in large numbers, the entrance to the General enclosures (Hanif Muhammad and Mushtaq Ahmed) will be free on the opening day of both Test matches in Multan.

Furthermore, entry to the premium enclosures (Miran Baksh, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat) will also be free for the first day of the Rawalpindi Test.

For the first Test, from Tuesday to Thursday (Day 2, 3 and 4), General enclosure tickets will be priced at PKR 50, while the fans can buy Hanif Muhammad and Mushtaq Ahmed enclosures tickets for PKR 100 on the fifth and final day. For First-class enclosures (Wasim Akram and Elahi Brothers), tickets will be available at PKR 100 for four days of the first Test, while the tickets will cost PKR 200 for fans witnessing the action on the fifth day. For Premium enclosures (Javed Miandad and Zaheer Abbas), tickets will be available for PKR 200 each from Monday to Thursday (Day 1, 2,3 and 4), while fans can witness fifth day’s action from the same enclosures for PKR 300.

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VIP Enclosures (Fazal Mahmood and Imran Khan) and PCB Gallery (Inzamam ul Haq) tickets will be available for fans for PKR 300 and PKR 2,000, respectively for first four days of the first Test match. On the fifth day, VIP enclosures tickets will be available at PKR 400 and PCB Gallery (Inzamam ul Haq enclosure) tickets will be available at PKR 2,500. PCB Gallery ticket includes lunch as well.

For the second Test match between Pakistan and England, scheduled to be played from 15 to 19 October at the same venue, tickets of general enclosures for Wednesday and Thursday (Day 2 and 3), will be available at PKR 50, while general enclosures tickets for the fourth and fifth day’s play will be available at PKR 100.

For first-class and premium enclosures, fans can purchase tickets at PKR 100 and PKR 200, respectively for first three days of the Test match. For fourth and fifth day’s action, tickets of first-class and premium enclosures will be accessible to fans at PKR 200 and PKR 300, respectively.

For fans willing to watch action from VIP enclosures and PCB Gallery can get tickets for PKR 300 and PKR 2,000, respectively for the first three days of the Test, while for both places, tickets on Friday and Saturday (Day 4 and 5), will be available at PKR 400 and PKR 2,500, respectively.

For the third Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, entry to premium enclosures (Miran Baksh, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat) will be free on the opening day. For the second day, the tickets of the premium enclosures will be available at PKR 200, while for the remaining days of the third Test, the premium enclosures tickets will be available to fans at PKR 300. VIP enclosures (Imran Khan and Javed Miandad) tickets will cost PKR 400 for the first two days and PKR 500 for the remaining days.

The seats at the PCB Gallery, which includes lunch as well, will be available at PKR 2,000 for action on Thursday and Friday (Day 1 and 2), while on the remaining days of the Test match, fans can purchase gallery tickets for PKR 2,500.

READ: Pakistan to hold training camp for England Tests from 2 October