Author: shahzad.malik

The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday announced free entry for fans in the upcoming Champions One-Day Cup matches in Faisalabad.

After a meeting held to discuss the arrangements for hosting the Champions Cup, Naqvi told the media that fans could watch all the matches except the playoffs for free at the Iqbal Stadium.

The meeting was attended by Chief Operating Officer PCB Salman Naseer, Chief Financial Officer Javed Murtaza, Advisor Bilal Afzal, Director Domestic Abdullah Khurram Niazi, Director Commercial, Director High Performance, Senior General Manager Domestic Junaid Zia, and other relevant officials.

“The residents of Faisalabad love the game of cricket. After a long time, Pakistan’s top players will be in action in a major tournament in Faisalabad,” said Naqvi.

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“Not only will talent emerge from the Champions Cup, but domestic cricket will also strengthen. For the success of the Champions Cup, the entire team must work responsibly.”

The Best of the best cricketers from the country will feature in the single-league competition that will also serve as the homecoming of men’s seniors’ competitive cricket in Faisalabad after nearly two years.

The last domestic men’s 50-over match played at the Iqbal Stadium was in March 2022 between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Champions One-Day Cup Schedule

12 Sep – Wolves v Panthers

13 Sep – Stallions v Lions

14 Sep – Dolphins v Panthers

15 Sep – Wolves v Stallions

16 Sep – Lions v Panthers

17 Sep – Dolphins v Wolves

19 Sep – Stallions v Dolphins

20 Sep – Lions v Wolves

21 Sep – Panthers v Stallions

22 Sep – Dolphins v Lions

24 Sep – Qualifier (Team No.1 v Team No. 2)

25 Sep – Eliminator 1 (Team No.3 v Team No.4)

27 Sep – Eliminator 2 (Losing Qualifier v Winning Eliminator 2)

29 Sep – Final

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LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain and two-time ICC Event winner Shoaib Malik will mentor the Stallions in next month’s Champions One-Day Cup, which will be played at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad from 12-29 September.

Shoaib Malik was one of the five champion mentors unveiled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier this week.

Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Waqar Younis are the other four mentors, who will reveal their side names and logos in PCB-arranged media conferences as part of promotion and publicity as well as creating Champions Cup brand awareness.

The Champions One-Day Cup will feature the country’s 150 best of the best cricketers. This will be a 50-over tournament that will be played on a single-league format.

All but the 16 September match between Lions and Panthers, which will start at 9.30 am, will commence at 3 pm. There will be three playoffs in four days with the final on Sunday, 29 September.

Shoaib Malik’s Stallions will take on Lions on 13 September, followed by matches against Wolves (15 September), Dolphins (19 September) and Panthers (21 September).

Shoaib Malik represented Pakistan in the 2007 and 2019 ODI World Cups, as well as six T20 World Cups and six Champions Trophy tournaments. Under his captaincy, Pakistan reached the final of the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.

Malik is 33rd on the list of ODI players with 1,000 runs, 50 wickets and 50 catches. He also holds the record for one of the longest international careers, spanning nearly 20 years, having played in 35 Tests, 287 ODIs and 124 T20Is.

He has scored 11,867 runs and taken 218 wickets across formats and is considered one of the most sought-after cricketers in franchise cricket.

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“I am thrilled to be appointed as a mentor for the Stallions, a team with which I have shared many memorable moments as a player and captain,” said Shoaib Malik.

“Now, to return in the role of a mentor is an incredible opportunity. I am confident that I can still contribute significantly to the Stallion brand by sharing my experience and passion for the game.

“As a mentor, my role goes beyond just providing guidance from the dugout. I will also take to the field in select matches to impart my firsthand knowledge and experience.

“This will enable our upcoming cricketers to refine their skills and elevate their game, ultimately supporting the Pakistan Cricket Board’s efforts to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.

“I am a strong advocate of the Champions Cup format, which unites the best talents from our domestic cricket in a highly competitive, high-pressure environment.

“While there will be fierce battles for supremacy on the field, there will also be intense rivalries among the mentors as we strive to outmanoeuvre each other, bringing an extra layer of excitement to every match.

“In cricket, as in any field, the learning process never truly ends, but it can certainly be accelerated.

“With this in mind, I am optimistic that the Champions Cup, guided by our experienced mentors, skilled coaching staff, and live broadcasts, will significantly strengthen our domestic cricket structure. This, in turn, will cultivate more skilled and talented players, ready to take on the global stage.

“Of course, such progress won’t happen overnight, but with patience and persistence, we can achieve our shared goals.

“I eagerly anticipate the support of our dedicated Stallion fans and the media throughout the Champions Cup. Together, we can develop new champions who will bring glory not just to the team, but to our region and our country.”

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced the names of five participating teams and the schedule for the upcoming Champions One-Day Cup.

The five teams — Dolphins, Lions, Panthers, Stallions and Wolves will square off in the single-league tournament at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad from 12 September.

The opening match will be played between the Wolves and the Panthers, while the final is scheduled to be played on 29 September.

Except for the 16 September match between Lions and Panthers, which will commence at 9.30 am local time, all other 13 matches will begin at 3 pm.

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Lions and Panthers will go toe to toe in a morning match to allow Pakistan women’s versus South Africa women’s T20I to be broadcast live.

The PCB on Monday announced Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik and Waqar Younis as mentors of the five Champions Cup sides.

However, their team and the 15-player squads of each time will be revealed in the coming days.

Champions One-Day Cup

12 Sep – Wolves v Panthers

13 Sep – Stallions v Lions

14 Sep – Dolphins v Panthers

15 Sep – Wolves v Stallions

16 Sep – Lions v Panthers

17 Sep – Dolphins v Wolves

19 Sep – Stallions v Dolphins

20 Sep – Lions v Wolves

21 Sep – Panthers v Stallions

22 Sep – Dolphins v Lions

24 Sep – Qualifier (Team No.1 v Team No. 2)

25 Sep – Eliminator 1 (Team No.3 v Team No.4)

27 Sep – Eliminator 2 (Losing Qualifier v Winning Eliminator 2)

29 Sep – Final

READ: Pakistan to host South Africa ahead of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

Pakistan is set to host South Africa for a three-match T20I series ahead of the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 3 to 20 October.

The South Africa team will arrive in Multan on 13 September, with matches scheduled for 16, 18, and 20 September.

To ensure all three matches are broadcast live and give exposure to women’s cricket, the matches on 16 and 18 September will start at 7 pm, while the match on 20 September will begin at 10 am.

After the series, South Africa will depart for the UAE on 21 September, while Pakistan will leave on 23 September.

Pakistan is in Group A of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, along with Australia, India, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka, while South Africa is grouped with Bangladesh, England, Scotland and the West Indies.

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Following warm-up matches against Scotland and Bangladesh on 28 and 30 September, respectively, Pakistan will face Sri Lanka on 3 October in Sharjah, followed by matches against India on 6 October in Dubai, Australia on 11 October in Dubai and New Zealand on 14 October in Dubai.

Meanwhile, the PCB has confirmed that the squad announced for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will feature in the three-match series against South Africa.

To prepare for the home series and next month’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, the Pakistan women’s training camp will commence at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Sunday, 1 September.

Pakistan squad for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

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

Travelling reserve: Najiha Alvi (wk) Non-traveling reserves: Rameen Shamim and Umm-e-Hani

Player support personnel:

Hina Munawar (manager), Muhammad Wasim (head coach), Junaid Khan (assistant coach – bowling), Hanif Malik (assistant coach – fielding), Abdur Rehman (spin bowling coach), Imran Khalil (strength and conditioning coach), Raza Kitchlew (media and digital manager), Rabia Siddiq (physiotherapist) and Waleed Ahmed (analyst).

READ: India name squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

LAHORE: Fatima Sana has been named Pakistan women’s cricket team captain as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the squad for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.

The mega-event will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 3 to 20 October.

The decision to appoint Fatima Sana was made unanimously by the women’s national selection committee.

22-year-old Fatima, who has featured in 41 ODIs and 40 T20Is, has previously led Pakistan emerging and domestic sides.

She also captained the Pakistan side to a famous ODI win against New Zealand in a Super Over at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch, in December 2023.

Fatima will replace 37-year-old all-rounder Nida Dar, who took over as all-format captain from Bismah Maroof.

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Nida, a veteran of 112 ODIs and 153 T20Is, is part of the side that has been clubbed with Australia, India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Group A. The revised fixtures of the group will be announced by ICC in due course.

The selection committee has made only one change in the squad, which featured in last month’s ACC Women’s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.

Right-handed batter Sadaf Shamas, who was also part of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa, has made a comeback in the squad in place of wicketkeeper-batter Najiha Alvi, who will travel with the side as a reserve player.

From the 2023 edition, 10 players (Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and Tuba Hassan) have been retained, while uncapped left-arm pacer Tasmia Rubab makes it to the final 15.

Pakistan squad for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

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

Travelling reserve: Najiha Alvi (wk) Non-traveling reserves: Rameen Shamim and Umm-e-Hani

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LAHORE: Team Pakistan made its presence felt at the Asian MMA Championship 2024 as two of their fighters Eman Khan and Bano Butt secured a gold medal each in respective categories.

Bano, who outclassed India’s Khushboo Nishad via a knockout in the semi-final on Wednesday, continued her impressive run in the event.

She clinched the first gold medal for Team Pakistan by defeating Kazakhstan’s Gulnaz Abdrakhmanova in the senior women’s Atomweight category.

Team Pakistan soon got their hands on another gold medal when Eman Khan humbled Kazakhstan’s Dinara Ayapova in the first round via a rear-neck choke.

“I worked hard for more than three years for this event,” said Eman after clinching the Asian MMA Championship gold medal for Team Pakistan.

Eman also congratulated her compatriot Bano Butt on emulating the same feat before expressing her desire to witness Pakistan excel in MMA as well as in other sports.

Meanwhile, Bushra Ahmed, who earned direct qualification into the final round on technical grounds, came up short against Kazakhstan’s Adel Makhametova and thus, had to settle for a silver medal.

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In the men’s category, all three of Team Pakistan’s fighters suffered defeats.

Zeeshan Akbar glimmered a ray of hope for a third gold medal for Team Pakistan as he fought Krghyzstan’s fighter for three rounds but failed to pull off the victory.

On the other hand, Shahab Ali lost to Kazakhstan’s Neimat Assadov in the senior men’s Lightweight category while Abdul Manan suffered defeat in the final of the junior men’s flyweight category.

All in all, Team Pakistan bagged six medals, two golds and four silvers.

Team Kazakhstan and Team Tajikistan topped the medals chart of the Asian MMA Championship with seven gold medals each, followed by Team Bahrain with three, while Team Pakistan and Team Kyrgyzstan clinched two each.

The Asian Championship of MMA was held in Pakistan for the first time, while Brave Combat Federation marked its return to Pakistan after a six-year gap.

This Asian MMA Championship, scheduled from 18th to 22nd August 2024, was broadcast live on Pakistan’s first HD sports channel, A Sports, and simultaneously streamed on ARY ZAP.

A total of 12 countries participated in the Asian Championship, featuring more than 180 fighters, 120 officials, and 120 technical staff.

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LAHORE: A total of four Pakistan fighters, three men and a woman, qualified for the final stage of the ongoing Asian MMA Championship in respective categories.

An eventful Day 3 of the Asian MMA Championship, which featured 38 matches, saw Pakistan’s Abdul Manan, Zeeshan Akbar, Shahab Ali and Bano Butt emerging triumphant and taking Team Pakistan into the finals.

In the third round of the women’s Atomweight bout, Bano outclassed India’s Khushboo Nishad via a knockout.

“I worked hard for the semi-final,” said Bano after the win.

“My category was junior but my coach asked me whether I could compete in the senior’s category. I responded positively because I wanted to test myself.

Bano further lauded Indian rival Khushboo and asserted that the latter is like her elder sister.

“The Indian rival is like an elder sister to me but in the cage, nobody’s your friend.

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Bano butt then went on to express her determination to win the Asian MMA Championship Gold medal for Team Pakistan.

Meanwhile, in the Men’s Lightweight category, Shahab Ali downed Team Lebanon’s Fadi Jaber while Abdul Manan knocked out Abdulla Ismaeel to make his way into the final round of the Flyweight category.

Continuing Team Pakistan’s dominance, Zeeshan Akbar made Kutberdi Kurdutulov tap via a rare-neck choke to advance into the final round of the Bantamweight division.

The final round of the Asian MMA Championship 2024 will be comprised of 22 bouts in different divisions.

A total of six Pakistan fighters, three men and as many women, will feature in the final as Eman Khan and Bushra Ahmed had already progressed on technical grounds.

The Asian Championship of MMA is being held in Pakistan for the first time, while Brave Combat Federation marked its return to Pakistan after a six-year gap.

This Asian MMA Championship, scheduled from 18th to 22nd August 2024, is being broadcast live on Pakistan’s first HD sports channel, A Sports, and simultaneously streamed on ARY ZAP.

A total of 12 countries are participating in the Asian Championship, featuring more than 180 fighters, 120 officials, and 120 technical staff will participate in the competitions.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday confirmed that Kookaburra balls will be used during the upcoming series against Bangladesh and the subsequent home Test fixtures.

The series between Pakistan and Bangladesh is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, with the first Test commencing at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 21-25 August.

The cricket board also announced that the red-ball matches of the 2024-25 domestic season will be played with the Duke balls.

“As the domestic cricket season is set to commence next month, the PCB has announced that Duke balls will be used for all seniors’ red-ball domestic events,” the PCB said in a press release.

“Aceline and Grays will be the local brand of cricket balls that will be utilised for pathways and grassroots cricket, including the U15, U17, and U19 tournaments, schools, universities, clubs, and inter-district competitions.

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This decision follows an extensive analysis of ground and pitch conditions across domestic venues, with the Duke ball being custom-made to suit the characteristics of local pitches.”

Meanwhile, the white-ball matches during the extensive domestic season 2024-25 will be played with the Kookaburra balls.

“For the domestic 50-over and T20 competitions, the PCB will continue to use Kookaburra cricket balls, maintaining consistency with international standards, as all white-ball cricket worldwide, including ICC events, is played with Kookaburra balls,” the PCB stated.

“For the seven ICC World Test Championship fixtures, the PCB has decided to use Kookaburra cricket balls. These matches include two Tests against Bangladesh, three Tests against England, and two Tests against the West Indies.

According to ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, the home board has the prerogative to decide on the brand of cricket balls to be used.”

READ: PCB shifts second Pakistan-Bangladesh Test from Karachi to Rawalpindi

LAHORE: The consortium of ARY and Tower Sports has been awarded broadcast rights for all home international cricket from August 2024 to December 2026 in the Pakistan region, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced today.

The rights were awarded following a transparent tender process. During the 28-month period, Pakistan will host 11 Tests, including seven Tests in the 2024-25 season, 26 ODIs and 24 T20Is. The ODIs include two three-nation ODI series in the current and next season.

Salman Iqbal, Founder and CEO of ARY Communications:

“Keeping in line with our commitment to bringing the best sporting events to your screen whether local or global. Now you will be able to watch some of the most exciting cricket on A Sports. We are positive that this will add to the growth of sports in our country.

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Duraid Qureshi, CEO of HUM Network of which Tower Sports is a subsidiary:

“We are excited to be broadcast partners with the PCB. The upcoming international fixtures’ calendar is very exciting and will give Pakistan fans a chance to experience some great cricketing action over the next couple of years with an action-packed schedule.

“This is great news for cricket fans and also exudes a positive image of Pakistan as a host to many nations across the cricketing fraternity.”

Salman Naseer, PCB Chief Operating Officer:

“The awarding of broadcast rights for the Pakistan region to the consortium of ARY and Tower Sports is great news for Pakistan fans as we are set to host top cricketing sides of the world in the next two years.

“We appreciate our partnership with both ARY and Tower Sports and thank them for their support towards Pakistan cricket.”

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LAHORE: Mushtaq Ahmed has expressed his support for the spin bowlers of the Bangladesh cricket team, highlighting their potential as match-winners ahead of the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan.

The Test series will commence in Rawalpindi, with the first Test scheduled to begin on 21 August. Following that, the action will shift to the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, where the second Test match will be held from 30 August to 3 September.

During a press conference here on Thursday, Mushtaq, who is the spin-bowling consultant of Bangladesh, shared that the team combination will be decided after assessing the conditions in Rawalpindi.

“We will decide the combination after going to Rawalpindi and assessing the conditions there,” said Mushtaq Ahmed.

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“Spinners have an important role in Test cricket, their importance cannot be denied.”

The former Pakistan leg-spinner heaped high praise on Bangladesh’s spinners and the country’s overall bowling talent.

“Bangladesh’s spinners are a vital cog in their lineup and they are genuine match-winners. The good thing is that the country is producing good bowlers,” he added.

“If the condition is favourable for fast bowlers, we have good pacers too.”

He also expressed gratitude towards the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for extending an invitation to the visiting team to arrive early and engage in practice sessions ahead of the series, especially in light of the political turmoil in Bangladesh.

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