Author: shahzad.malik

LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars’ captain Shaheen Afridi has revealed his plans to get the crucial wicket of Babar Azam in his side’s first home game in the Pakistan Super League season 8 against Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday. 

Pace spearhead Shaheen said he would bowl his signature yorker deliveries to the  Peshawar Zalmi captain and try to get an early breakthrough for the side in his face-off against Babar.

“Babar is a world-class player and he is everyone’s favourite. I mentioned this earlier as well, I enjoy bowling him in the nets,” he said in a scheduled press conference in Lahore on Saturday.

“Babar and Rizwan are the players whom I enjoy bowling to, but it’s a challenge too. It’s not easy. Even coaches are giving an example of Babar’s cover drive while teaching. Of course, we will plan for him and do well” he said

When asked if he had his yorkers loaded for the Peshawar Zalmi captain, Shaheen replied in affirmation and said: “As a player and a captain, I will try to give my team an early breakthrough. This is what I try to do, not only in franchise cricket but in the Pakistan team too. You will get to see a good competition,”

Qalandars’ captain, however, debunked the perception that his side was reliant solely on Harry Brook in the batting and with his absence it turned fragile.

“We already knew that Brook won’t be able to play this season. He is doing a great job for  England in New Zealand” he said  ”

“I don’t think we are weak in any department. We scored 190+ in the last game. Of course, it’s cricket, you have to improve a lot of things.

When asked why Abdullah Shafique was yet not given a chance despite being an integral part of the Qalandars’ PSL winning team in PSL 7, Shaheen disclosed he was not feeling well and might get a chance keeping the team combination in consideration.

“I personally like him [Abdullah Shafique]. He is the second classy batter after Babar Azam. He wasn’t feeling well due to flu but he is feeling better now and batting in the nets. Our opening partnership is doing well, we will look at our combination before making a decision [about his inclusion in the squad],” he concluded.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Tuesday imposed a lifetime ban on former team manager and Olympian Khawaja Junaid.

According to the PHF, the decision was made by the inquiry committee, founded to investigate the Pakistan team’s costly error during the Asia Cup match against Japan in 2022 when the green shirts fielded 12 players instead of 11.

Due to the blunder, the national team had a crucial goal disallowed against Japan and ended up on the losing side, which, consequently seized Pakistan’s expedition to qualify for the World Cup.

Notably, Pakistan needed to make it to the Super Fours of the continental event but could only finish fifth in the six-team tournament after beating Bangladesh in the rankings match.

Meanwhile, in an official statement, PHF stated that Junaid’s blunder resulted in Pakistan facing embarrassment, while the decision to ban him is in line with the Federation of International Hockey (FIH) guidelines.

“Pakistan faced a lot of embarrassment due to Khawaja Junaid. Due to his misconduct, Pakistan failed to qualify for the World Cup,” said PHF.

“The decision to ban him has been taken in line with FIH rules,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the federation also confirmed that PHF President Khalid Sajjad Khokhar also approved the decision of banning Junaid as his mistake was irredeemable.

“The committee called Khawaja Junaid but he did not come. The misconduct of Khawaja Junaid is unforgivable,” said PHF.

“In the light of the inquiry committee’s report, after the approval of PHF President Brigadier R. Khalid Sajjad Khokhar, Khawaja Junaid has been banned for life. Khawaja Junaid will not be able to participate in any hockey activity,” the statement concluded.

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WAGAH: India’s national Baseball team has reached Pakistan to partake in the 15th West Asia Baseball Cup after a brief delay in the issuance of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan government.

According to the details, the Indian team reached Pakistan via the Wagah border on Friday afternoon and will start their campaign in due course.

Earlier, the Indian contingent faced a brief delay in the issuance of the NOC from the Pakistan government, which, however, was resolved on Tuesday (January 24).

After being granted the NOC, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India then wrote a formal request to the Pakistan Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination to seek visas for the players, poised to participate in the event.

The six-team tournament, involving hosts Pakistan, Palestine, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, kicked off in Islamabad today and will conclude on February 1.

In the opening match of the multi-national event, defending champion Sri Lanka outclassed Nepal by a score of 26-0.

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LAHORE: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Najam Sethi heaped praise on Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for prevailing in the recently-announced ICC Awards 2022.

Pakistan skipper Babar, who enjoyed a remarkable year with the bat in all three formats, bagged the ICC ODI Men’s Cricketer of the Year Award before getting his hand on the most coveted award – Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year for 2022.

The right-handed batter also featured in the ICC ODI and Test Team of the Year 2022 and became only the second cricketer to be named in all formats of ICC Team of the Year.

Following his dominance in this year’s ICC Awards, PCB management committee Chair Sethi hailed the Pakistan skipper and stated that the latter made the whole nation proud.

“Babar Azam made the whole nation proud by winning the most prestigious ICC Awards,” said Sethi.

Sethi also termed Babar a role model for all the young cricketers in the country.

“Babar Azam’s performance and achievements are a reward for his hard work, dedication and determination and he’s a beacon for all the young cricketers of Pakistan,” Sethi praised.

Furthermore, Sethi also congratulated Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan and Nida Dar for being named in the ICC Men’s and Women’s T20 Team of the Year.

“On behalf of PCB, I also congratulate Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan and Nida Dar for being named in the Men’s and Women’s T20 Team of the Year,” said Sethi.

“I am sure that these ICC awards will motivate the entire Pakistan cricket team to perform well this year,” he concluded.

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LAHORE: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee Najam Sethi on Monday, announced that he will attend the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Board Meeting in February. 

Sethi addressed the media here and announced that he will be attending the board meeting of the ACC in Bahrain on February 4 and will discuss Pakistan’s stance towards hosting the upcoming Asia Cup.

“The Asian Cricket Council board meeting was not being held for a long time and the decisions were being taken unilaterally and we also challenged some of those decisions,” said Sethi.

“So, the good news is that we’ve managed to convince the Asian Cricket Council [for the meeting] and now on February 4 in Bahrain and I will be attending it.

“So, this is a very major development and there were a lot of issues that you guys were agitating, we will be taking up those,” Sethi told the media.

It is pertinent to mention that the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) had announced that their national team will not be touring Pakistan to partake in the Asia Cup 2023.

According to the details, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, who is also the president of the ACC, said that the Asia Cup 2023 may be played at a neutral venue instead of Pakistan.

Following BCCI’s announcement, PCB wrote a formal complaint to ACC and requested to call an emergency meeting in light of the current situation.

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LAHORE: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee Najam Sethi on Monday, hinted at the potential T20I series between Pakistan and Afghanistan following the conclusion of the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8.

Sethi, while addressing a press conference here, confirmed that the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) executives contacted the PCB to play a three-match series, following Australia’s withdrawal from the ODI series against Afghanistan, citing restrictions on women’s rights in the country.

“I met the chairman and executives of the Afghanistan [Board] in Dubai. The crux of the matter is that they requested us to play three matches,” shared Sethi.

“My stance was that even if we play those matches, it would not benefit either cricketing nation, so we are not really interested in going ahead and playing those matches.

“Again, keeping it short, since I had a detailed conversation with them. We came to the conclusion that subject to the government’s approval, Pakistan and Afghanistan will play three T20I matches in Sharjah, just after the conclusion of PSL 8 and before the arrival of New Zealand.”

Sethi further disclosed that PCB and ACB will equally share the remuneration yielded from the aforesaid series and will also be outsourcing the productions.

It is apropos to mention that the ACB approached Pakistan to play a three-match ODI series following Australia’s withdrawal, earlier this month.

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LAHORE: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee Najam Sethi provided a much-anticipated update on the possible return of former national head coach Mickey Arthur, stating that the chapter has not been closed yet.

While addressing a press conference here on Monday, Sethi shared that he did not close the chapter of Arthur and is currently in negotiation personally with the former head coach.

“As I discussed earlier, I had not closed the chapter of Mickey Arthur and it still hasn’t been closed yet. I am in negotiations personally with Mickey,” shared Sethi.

The PCB management committee chairman further revealed that the negotiations too, are almost done with Mickey while also expressing his hope to welcome the South Africa-hailed coach again.

“I think, we have completed 90 percent of the journey and hopefully, very soon, we may give you the news that Mickey will be joining us. But, as of now, it’s not settled. There are some issues,” said Sethi.

Sethi further shared that if Mickey takes up the role then the PCB will give him a free hand to make his team.

“If Arthur comes in, we will give him free hand to make his team as we did previously,” Sethi said.

It is worth mentioning that Arthur coached the national men’s side between 2016 and 2019. During his tenure, Pakistan won their last major ICC event – Champions Trophy 2017 – and also rose to the top spot in the T20I rankings.

The South African coach was then removed from the position following Pakistan’s fifth-place finish in the Cricket World Cup 2019.

READ: Najam Sethi gives green signal to Amir for international return

LAHORE: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee Najam Sethi gave a green signal to experienced pacer Mohammad Amir for his potential return to international cricket, stating he will not interfere in the selection process.

While addressing a press conference here on Monday, Sethi categorically stated that he would not stop Amir from returning to the national team if the latter took his retirement back.

“Mohammad Amir can play international cricket for Pakistan if he takes his retirement back,” said Najam Sethi.

“I always took a strong stance against match-fixing. I believe no convicted player should be spared, but at the same time, a player should be allowed to resume international cricket once he has completed his years of penalty,” he added.

Notably, the speculations regarding Amir’s potential return resurfaced following the ouster of previous PCB chairman Ramiz Raja.

The left-arm pacer announced his retirement in December 2020, asserting he had been mentally tortured by the then team management.

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LAHORE: The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee Najam Sethi on Friday announced Bugti Stadium, Quetta as a potential host for the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8.

Sethi interacted with the media here after the management committee’s first meeting after taking the charge of the cricket board and announced Quetta to be one of the host cities for PSL 8 matches.

“I am delighted that seven years after launching the HBL Pakistan Super League, I am today announcing our commitment to add Bugti Stadium in Quetta as the fifth venue for our marquee event,” said Sethi.

“Bugti Stadium is the home ground of Quetta Gladiators and we still remember the incredible scenes when the Gladiators visited the city after winning the 2019 tournament.

“The passionate cricket fans of Quetta have been waiting for long to watch high-profile cricket in their backyard and I am pleased that we will now bring HBL PSL matches to their doors. In this relation, I have already spoken with influential officials in the Balochistan province, who have assured me of their complete support from event delivery perspectives.”

The Committee also discussed Peshawar as a potential venue to stage HBL PSL and international matches and agreed that subject to there being no restrictions imposed by the provincial and federal governments and the stadia boasting international standard facilities for cricket, broadcast, spectators and media, matches will be held in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital.

The Management Committee discussed the domestic cricket structure under the PCB Constitution 2014 and, in the best interest of the players and event, decided to let the Pakistan Cup complete on January 3.

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LAHORE: The newly appointed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee will hold its first meeting today, here at National High-Performance Centre.

According to the details, the meeting will be chaired by Najam Sethi, who took charge as interim head of the PCB yesterday, and will take important decisions relating to Pakistan cricket.

The committee will discuss the roadmap for the restoration of district, regional and departmental cricket in light of the federal government’s decision to revive departmental sports in the country.

The federal cabinet on Thursday approved repealing of PCB Constitution 2019 and revival of the PCB Constitution 2014 through a circulation summary to pave way for the departmental cricket.

The members of the fresh committee will review the affairs of the board and asses the selection of the Pakistan cricket team.

The performance of various departments of the cricket board will also be discussed during the committee meeting.

It is pertinent to mention here that the newly-constituted management committee will run the affairs of the PCB till the elections are held within the next four months.

The committee led by Sethi includes Shakil Sheikh (ex-PCB BoG), Gul Zada (ex-PCB BoG) Nauman Butt (ex-PCB BoG), ex-Test cricketers Haroon Rashid, Shahid Khan Afridi and Shafqat Rana, Sana Mir (ex-Pakistan women team’s captain), Aized Syed (ex-PCB director NHPC), Tanvir Ahmed (ex-president Larkana Region), Advocate Supreme Court Mustafa Ramday and Chaudhry Arif Saeed (CEO Service Industries).

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