Author: shahzad.malik

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.

READ: Root, Brook hit double-tons to steer England past the 600-run mark

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.

READ: Tim Southee steps down as New Zealand Test captain, new skipper announced

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

The Pakistan men’s cricket team will kick off their training camp on 2 October for the upcoming first Test against England, which will be played in Multan from 7 October.

Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood will hold a pre-series press conference at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on 30 September (tomorrow).

Following that, Pakistan’s Test squad will assemble in Multan on 1 October where they will hold training sessions from 2 October. The first session will be held from 12:00 PM, where players will undergo rigorous batting, bowling and fielding training.

Meanwhile, the England men’s cricket team will arrive in the wee hours of 2 October. The visiting team will take a day’s rest before hitting the nets on 4 October to prepare for the three-match Test series.

The training camps of both teams will end on 6 October.

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The three-match series between Pakistan and England will run from October 7 to 28 and is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25.

It’s worth noting that the second Test, which was originally planned at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi from 15-19 October, will now be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

The match has been shifted as the National Bank Stadium is undergoing a major facelift for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The remaining two Tests will be played as originally planned, i.e. 7-11 October in Multan and 24-28 October in Rawalpindi.

Squads:

Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

England: Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

READ: Spinners shine as Sri Lanka complete clean sweep over New Zealand

Former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf resigned from his role as a member of the national selection committee on Sunday, as confirmed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The 50-year-old took to social media on Sunday to share the news, citing personal reasons for his decision.

“I announce my resignation as a selector for the Pakistan cricket team due to personal reasons. Serving this incredible team has been a profound privilege, and I am proud to have contributed to the growth and success of Pakistan Cricket,” Mohammad Yousuf said in his post on X.

“I have immense faith in the talent and spirit of our players, and wish our team all the best as they continue to strive for greatness,” he added.

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The cricket board later confirmed Yousuf’s resignation through a press release on their website.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced that Mohammad Yousuf has voluntarily stepped down from his role as a member of the national selection committee to focus on other key responsibilities within the cricket board,” the PCB’s press release stated.

“The PCB expresses its sincere gratitude to Mohammad Yousuf for his invaluable contributions during his tenure as a selection committee member. Yousuf will continue to play a pivotal role at the PCB, sharing his extensive knowledge and experience as the batting coach at the High-Performance Centre.”

Yousuf was the head coach of the Pakistan U19 side that finished third in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 in South Africa.

The former legend, who represented Pakistan in 90 Test matches, 288 ODIs, and three T20Is during his illustrious career, was appointed as selector in March 2024. He played a key role in selecting the Pakistani squad for the T20 World Cup 2024.

READ: Scotland crush Pakistan in Women’s T20 World Cup warm-up match

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday, ordered the formation of necessary committees for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

According to the details, the cricketing body held a high-profile meeting, attended by key officials, including Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer, Chief Financial Officer Javed Murtaza and all PCB directors, at the National Cricket Academy here.

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi presided over the meeting and after reviewing the arrangements for the multi-national tournament, ordered the formation of committees. He further instructed that each committee’s responsibilities should be defined to start the work in a timely manner.

“With the world’s top teams participating, our arrangements need to be flawless,” said Naqvi.

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The Champions One-Day Cup, currently underway at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, also came under discussion during the meeting. The PCB chair acknowledged Faisalabad fans’ passion and announced that the cricketing body will explore the possibility of hosting the Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in the city.

The PCB Chairman further termed it crucial to pick up the pace of the stadium reconstruction project. He emphasised that every effort should be taken to guarantee that the renovations are completed in the allotted period, in a bid to improve cricket fans’ viewing experience.

“Once the renovations are done, spectators will enjoy the matches even more,” Naqvi added.

Earlier this month, an International Cricket Council (ICC) delegation visited Pakistan to inspect the venues and preparations for the Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be played in February-March 2025.

The delegation also met PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and expressed satisfaction with the preparations for the mega event.

He also ensured that the stadiums would be upgraded in time for the tournament and that all teams would get full-proof security.

READ: Ahmed Shehzad advises Sarfaraz Ahmed to consider ‘career direction’