Author: shahzad.malik

LAHORE: Former ICC Head Curator Tony Hemming on Monday, reached here and assumed his role as Pakistan’s chief curator.

According to the details, Hemming visited Gaddafi Stadium and met the ground staff. He carried out a detailed discussion with the ground staff regarding the pitches.

“Tony Hemming has assumed his responsibilities as Chief Curator. He met with the ground staff at Gaddafi Stadium and inspected the pitches,” stated the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

For the unversed, the 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.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided against issuing the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi to participate in the Global T20 (GT20) Canada 2024.

According to the cricketing body, the three all-format players were denied NOCs, in light of Pakistan’s busy and packed cricket calendar in the period from August 2024 to March 2025 which includes ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

“The PCB had received NOC requests from Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi for the Global T20 event, amongst other players. After taking into consideration Pakistan’s busy and packed cricket calendar in the period from August 2024 to March 2025, which includes nine ICC World Test Championship matches and next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and following consultations with the three players as well as the national selection committee, it has been decided to decline their requests,” stated PCB.

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“The three are all-format cricketers and their services are expected to be required in the upcoming eight months during which Pakistan will play nine Tests, 14 ODIs, and nine T20Is.

“As such, and in line with the PCB’s workload management policy, it is in the best interest of Pakistan cricket and the players that they skip the upcoming event in Canada so that they are in their best mental and physical shape for the season, which commences with the two-Test series against Bangladesh.”

Earlier, the PCB had also declined permission to Naseem Shah for The Hundred on the same grounds.

However, the PCB has approved NOCs for Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, and Mohammad Nawaz as the four players are predominantly white-ball cricketers, while Iftikhar and Nawaz are centrally contracted players.

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Three Pakistan shooters departed earlier today to participate in the upcoming Paris Olympics, scheduled to commence on July 26.

Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, who will be representing Pakistan in the Olympics for the third time, departed from Karachi, while Gulfam Joseph departed from Islamabad to participate in the event for the second time.

Female shooter Kishmala Talat, who is set to feature in her first-ever Olympics, also departed for Paris from Islamabad.

For the unversed, only seven athletes were named in Pakistan’s contingent for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

The 18-member contingent, announced by the Pakistan Olympics Association (POA) on Saturday, features 11 officials who will travel with the seven athletes to Paris for the Games and will return to the country upon completion of their respective competitions.

Pakistan will compete in shooting, athletics and swimming in the Paris Olympics. Out of the seven athletes four of them earned direct qualification while sprinter Faiqa Riaz and swimmers Jehanara Nabi and Mohammad Ahmed Durrani will feature in the biggest sporting event on the basis of the universality places.

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Meanwhile, star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem and swimmer Jehanara Nabi have been chosen as Pakistan’s contingent flag-bearers for the prestigious event.

Among the 11 officials, six are the officials of the contingent, including the chef de mission, deputy chef de mission and an admin officer.

Four more officials include Dr Syed Meesaq Hussain Rizvi (chief medical officer), Kashif Jameel (NOC Olympic Attaché ), and Rizwan Ahmed (welfare officer) while the rest are either athletes’ coaches or managers.

Pakistan failed to qualify for major disciplines like Hockey, Wrestling, Volleyball, Boxing and Weightlifting.

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).

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday appointed Australia’s Tony Hemming as the new head curator on a two-year contract. The Western Australian will arrive in Lahore on Wednesday to assume his role.

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.

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.

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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: PCB Chairman announces ‘zero-tolerance policy’ for discipline violation

LAHORE: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, announced on Monday that a zero-tolerance policy will be implemented for national team players who violate team discipline.

Naqvi chaired a three-hour-long meeting with the national men’s coaching staff, members of the men’s selection committee, and senior PCB officials at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten, red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie, PCB CEO Salman Naseer, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, Director of International Cricket Usman Wahla, members of the selection committee Mohammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq, Bilal Afzal, Director High-Performance Centers Nadeem Khan and Director Domestic Cricket Abdullah Khurram Niazi participated in the meeting.

The chairman made some major decisions during the meeting to improve the team’s overall performance and one of them was to implement a zero-tolerance policy towards indiscipline.

Naqvi underscored the critical importance of discipline and team unity, emphasizing that these values are non-negotiable. He sternly announced that any player found violating these principles would face strict consequences.

These decisions were taken in the wake of recent reports of star bowler Shaheen Afridi’s misconduct during the recent tours.

The reports suggest that Afridi was engaged in a heated argument with batting coach Mohammad Yousuf during the team’s tour of England ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

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Sources asserted that the incident occurred during Pakistan’s net practice at Headingley when Shaheen engaged in a verbal exchange with the former batter.

The batting coach pointed towards Shaheen Afridi’s continuous no-balls in the nets, they added.

However, the pacer got furious and told Mohammad Yousuf to let him practice and not intervene in his bowling.

According to sources, Shaheen later apologised to the batting coach while the team management also reprimanded him for his misconduct.

The incident was later termed the heat of the moment and the chapter was closed after Shaheen Afridi apologised to Mohammad Yousuf.

It is pertinent to mention that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) axed former pacer Wahab Riaz from the position of senior team manager and as a member of the selection committee after Pakistan’s early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024.

Former all-rounder Abdul Razzaq was also sacked from the PCB selection committee.

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Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), made some major decisions on Monday during a meeting with the national men’s coaching staff, members of the men’s selection committee, and senior PCB officials at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore.

Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten, red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie, PCB CEO Salman Naseer, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, Director of International Cricket Usman Wahla, members of the selection committee Mohammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq, Bilal Afzal, Director High-Performance Centers Nadeem Khan and Director Domestic Cricket Abdullah Khurram Niazi participated in the three-hour long meeting.

The chairman chaired the meeting and gave complete autonomy to the red-ball and white-ball head coaches of their respective teams to improve their performances.

Naqvi also confirmed the formation of Pakistan’s new selection committee, which includes the head coaches and captains of the respective format along with former Test cricketers Mohammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq.

He also revealed that the selection committee will oversee a process to ensure every player’s participation in domestic cricket. Meanwhile, players will also undergo fitness tests every three months.

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The chairman also announced that the central contract will be given for a one-year period, unlike last year’s three-year contracts. The contract will be reviewed annually based on the player’s fitness and performance.

Meanwhile, a technical procedure will be made to issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the players for playing in the franchise leagues across the globe.

The chairman also announced the plans to upgrade the current high-performance centres as well as the training of local coaches. Moreover, high-performance centres will be built in Islamabad and Peshawar.

He also gave instructions to appoint separate coaches for Pakistan Shaheens and Under 19 cricket teams as well as organise consistent series and tournaments for these teams.

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Wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Haris has been appointed as Pakistan Shaheens’ white-ball captain for the two 50-over matches and nine-team Top End T20 series to be played from 4-18 August in Darwin, Australia.

Haris last captained Pakistan Shaheens in the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023 in Colombo, where Pakistan defeated India by 128 runs to successfully defend the title.

Pakistan Shaheens are already in Darwin for two four-day matches against Bangladesh ‘A’ from 19-22 July and 26-29 July. Sahibzada Farhan is leading the red-ball squad.

After the two four-day matches, Shaheens will play 50-over matches against Northern Territory (NT) and Bangladesh ‘A’ on 4 and 6 August, respectively before the T20 series commences on 9 August.

Other participating teams in the T20 series are ACT Comets, Bangladesh ‘A’, Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars, Perth Scorchers, Northern Territory Strike, Adelaide Strikers and Tasmania.

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Moreover, for the white-ball matches, seven changes have been made from the red-ball side.

Abdul Faseeh, Arafat Minhas, Arif Yaqoob, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Imran Jnr and Usman Khan will replace Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Ali, Mubasir Khan, Tayyab Tahir and Umar Amin.

Pakistan Shaheens will feature in the Darwin series for the second successive year. Last year, NT Strike had defeated Shaheens in the Top End T20 Series final by 46 runs, before Pakistan Shaheens beat PNG by 224 runs and Northern Strike by 84 runs in the two One-day matches.

Pakistan Shaheens’ white-ball squad

Mohammad Haris (c), Abdul Faseeh, Arafat Minhas, Arif Yaqoob, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah (wicketkeeper/batter), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Omair bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Khan

Player Support Personnel: Abdul Rehman (head coach), Mohammad Masroor (Assistant coach-cum-manager), Mohammad Asad (physiotherapist), Imranullah (trainer) and Usman Hashmi (analyst).

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday updated the new selection committee on their official website, following the sacking of two selectors earlier this week.

Former cricketers Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq were removed from their positions as selectors, while Riaz was also sacked as the senior team manager, along with team manager Mansoor Rana.

The new selection committee consists of former cricketers Asad Shafiq and Mohammad Yousuf, along with the captain and head coach of the respective formats.

Test captain Shan Masood and red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie will join the aforementioned selectors to form the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

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Meanwhile, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, Advisor to Chairman Bilal Afzal, Manager of Analytics and Team Strategy Hassan Cheema, Direct High-Performance Nadeem Khan and Director of International Cricket Usman Wahla are also part of the selection committee as the non-voting members.

Asad Shafiq will also serve as the selector for the women’s along with Batool Fatima, captain and head coach. Currently, Nida Dar and Mohammad Waseem are serving as the captain and head coach of the Pakistan women’s team respectively.

The ongoing changes in Pakistan cricket are a part of the “major surgery”, hinted at by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi last month.

Babar Azam-led Pakistan team were knocked out from the group stage of the T20 World Cup, majorly because of their upset defeat against the USA, followed by a gut-wrenching defeat against arch-rivals India.

READ: Sahibzada Farhan wants ‘fair’ chance as Pakistan opener

Former cricketers Mansoor Rana and Wahab Riaz have been removed from their positions as team manager and senior manager of the Pakistan men’s cricket team respectively, sources claimed.

Both managers were sacked owing to the bad discipline and dressing room atmosphere in the team during the recent series as well as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

The shakeup in the national men’s team’s selection committee is a part of the “major surgery”, hinted at by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

Wahab Riaz was also expelled from the seven-member Pakistan Men’s Cricket Selection Committee yesterday, along with former cricketer Abdul Razzaq.

Following Pakistan’s two consecutive defeats in the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, PCB Chairman Naqvi hinted at a major surgery in the team.

Addressing a press conference in New York on June 10, after Pakistan’s gut-wrenching defeat to India, Naqvi said the defeat was disappointing in every way.

“It seemed that a minor surgery would suffice for the Pakistan cricket team, but after the extremely poor performance, it has become clear that the team needs major surgery,” the PCB chairman said.

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He went on to add that he was well aware of what was happening within the team and the reasons for the defeat.

The PCB Chairman mentioned that Pakistani cricket is currently at its lowest performance level. Our biggest challenge is to improve the team’s performance.

“The nation will soon see a major surgery taking place. We have to prepare the team for the Champions Trophy, and it is time to give opportunities to the talent sitting outside,” stated the PCB chief.

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LAHORE: Pakistan men’s cricket team’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten, red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie, and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood met at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) headquarters on Wednesday.

The three coaches discussed the ongoing situation of the team and the future plans to steer the team in the right direction.

Notably, Gary Kirsten, Jason Gillespie, and Azhar Mahmood also met the chairman of PCB Mohsin Naqvi yesterday, where they discussed making a comprehensive coaching plan for the national team.

Kirsten and Gillespie put forward their plans to improve the team’s performance in their respective formats, with a major emphasis on improving the fielding and fitness of the players along with batting and bowling.

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Chairman PCB expressed his confidence in the coaches and gave them free-hand to make their decisions, ensuring complete support.

The coaches and the chairman agreed on the fact that there is an abundance of talent in Pakistan, however, there is a need to make the right combinations to take the best out of each player’s ability.

Meanwhile, in another development, former cricketers Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq were expelled from the seven-member Pakistan Men’s Cricket Selection Committee yesterday.

With Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq’s expulsion, the selection committee now features Asad Shafique and Mohammad Yousuf, who, are most likely to lose their positions too as the formation of the new selection committee is on the cards.

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