Tag: Pakistan Cricket Board

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.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

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.

READ: Pakistan women’s head coach eyes victory against India in Asia Cup

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is conducting fitness tests, for the first time ever in 104 districts across the 16 regions in the country. Over 2,300 players are appearing in the ongoing countrywide fitness tests.

These tests are being conducted as per the Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi’s vision for incorporating a culture of fitness at the grassroots level.

In order to assemble the squads for the Regional Inter District Senior Tournament 2024-25, 23 players in each district have been shortlisted after the Challenge Cup that took place in April and May 2024.

These 23 players in each district are undergoing strenuous fitness and strength testing under the watchful eye of the respective district and regional coaches and trainers.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The players after passing the fitness test will then be summoned for a 45-day camp in their respective districts leading to the Inter District Senior Tournament in September.

The players after passing the fitness test will then be summoned for a 45-day camp in their respective districts leading to the Inter District Senior Tournament in September.

“The PCB has decided to conduct fitness tests at the district level instead of the regional level starting from this domestic season,” said Abdullah Khurram Niazi, the director of Domestic Cricket Operations.

“This initiative will surely push the players to prioritise their fitness right from the start and the culture will then expand to other domestic competitions. With more fitter players participating in the tournaments, the quality of cricket will also increase.”

READ: Two players fined by PCB for Code of Conduct breach

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to make it a must for players to participate in domestic cricket for their selection in the national team.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore on Monday, PCB said in a press release.

The meeting occurred following Pakistan’s horror run at the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. The Men in Green were eliminated from the marquee event in the group stage following two losses to the United States of America (USA) and India.

During the meeting, participants focused on strengthening domestic cricket in the country as Mohsin Naqvi gave principled approval to the plan aimed at promoting quality domestic cricket.

The PCB chairman announced a plan to organise domestic tournaments from the club level to the national level.

While directing PCB officials to groom domestic players, he emphasised the need for experienced coaches to train the new talent to enhance their skills.

“Performance, fitness, and merit will be the key criteria for advancing players,” Naqvi said.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The Pakistan Cricket Board will hold tournaments for all three formats of the game to promote quality domestic cricket in the 2024-25 season.

In a move to improve the standard of coaching, the PCB will appoint a master coach to train domestic cricket coaches.

According to the PCB, the participants of the meeting agreed that the selection criteria for the national team will be based on performance and fitness showcased in the domestic events.

The meeting participants also reviewed the domestic cricket structures of various high-performing cricket nations.

Earlier this month, Naqvi had said the defeat against India was disappointing in every way and that the team needed a major surgery.

“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 during a press conference after Pakistan’s defeat to India on June 9.

READ: Michael Vaughan labels Afghanistan ‘second best Asian team’

LAHORE: ARY Communications has won media rights for Pakistan’s upcoming men’s and women’s home series against New Zealand and West Indies respectively.

The agreement was confirmed following a transparent tender process, which was run in line with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) overarching strategy and policy to enhance the quality of international bilateral cricket broadcasts for Pakistani fans.

This agreement ensures that the five men’s T20Is between Pakistan and New Zealand, scheduled from April 18 to April 27 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, and Pakistan women’s versus West Indies women’s series comprising three ODIs and five T20Is from April 18 to May 3 in Karachi, will be broadcast live on A Sports HD – the country’s premier HD Sports Channel.

The partnership between PCB and ARY Communications had commenced in 2022 when the country one of the most popular and influential networks won the media rights for the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The latest media rights agreement represents a significant 41 per cent increase from the previous series involving these sides.

This reflects the PCB team’s adept sales skills, ensuring maximum revenue generation from the upcoming home series that can then be reinvested into cricket development.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“A Sports HD will serve as the primary destination for Pakistan cricket during these two exciting series, and I am thrilled to continue ARY’s longstanding partnership with the Pakistan Cricket Board,” said Salman Iqbal, ARY Digital Founder and CEO.

“We have curated our content portfolio to promote premium sporting events in Pakistan, and this partnership is a crucial step in achieving our mission.”

“We are delighted to collaborate with A Sports HD for the upcoming men’s and women’s series against New Zealand and West Indies, respectively,” said Salman Naseer, PCB Chief Operating Officer.

“This partnership underscores PCB Chairman Mr Mohsin Naqvi’s vision of providing our fans with high-quality broadcasts through a fair and transparent process, thereby enhancing PCB’s brand value as a national asset.

“We are optimistic that this new milestone in our partnership will be mutually beneficial.”

A Sports HD has a successful track record of showcasing various prestigious events including the Pakistan Super League (PSL), bilateral matches featuring the Pakistan men’s team, ICC Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cups, ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, South Africa’s SA20, Lanka Premier League, Major League Cricket, Canada Global T20, Abu Dhabi T10, ILT20, Fair Break Invitational T20, Formula 1, Formula E, and La Liga.

READ: Babar Azam credits Kakul fitness camp for strengthening team unity

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced umpire and match referee appointments for the three playoff matches as well as the final of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9.

The final four games of the PSL 9 will be played from 14-18 March at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

The first Qualifier will be played on 14 March involving table-toppers Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi and will be refereed by Roshan Mahanama.

Aleem Dar and Richard Illingworth will be the on-field umpires, while Rashid Riaz and Faisal Afridi will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.

Match Referee Muhammad Javed will lead the playing control team for the 15 March Eliminator 1 between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Ahsan Raza and Chris Gaffaney will be the on-field umpires, while Asif Yaqoob and Rashid Riaz will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.

Meanwhile, Eliminator 2 will be played on 16 March featuring the loser of the 14 March match and the winner of the 15 March fixture will be refereed by Muhammad Javed.

Richard Illingworth and Asif Yaqoob will perform on-field umpire responsibilities, while Ahsan Raza and Faisal Afridi will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.

For the final of the PSL 9, scheduled on 18 March, Richard Illingworth and Chris Gaffaney will perform the duties of on-field umpires, while Ahsan Raza and Asif Yaqoob will be third and fourth umpires, respectively.

Roshan Mahanama will lead the playing control team for the final.

READ: Barcelona beat Napoli to reach Champions League quarter-finals

LAHORE: The affairs of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been transferred from Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) to Cabinet Division, ARY News reported on Monday.

According to a notification issued today, the cricketing body will now run directly under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and will no longer be answerable to the Ministry of IPC.

Furthermore, the notification stated that the IPC Secretary will not be a member of PCB’s Board of Governors.

The development came after Mohsin Naqvi was elected unopposed as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The elections were held at the National Cricket Academy, Lahore, where Punjab’s caretaker CM Mohsin Naqvi was elected unopposed as the 37th chief of the PCB. Naqvi will serve as Pakistan Cricket Board chairman for three years.

Following the resignation of Zaka Ashraf as PCB chairman, caretaker PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar appointed Shah Khawar as the election commissioner of the Cricket Board.

In January, after serving for at least seven months as PCB Management Committee chairman Zaka Ashraf stepped down from his position.

In a statement, Ashraf said he was working for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.

However, expressing disappointment over the working conditions, he said he was unable to work amid such circumstances. “It’s not the prime minister’s prerogative to nominate new chairman,” he added.

READ: Carlos Brathwaite, Sikandar Raza join Lahore Qalandars for PSL 9

LAHORE: Fast bowler Haris Rauf has been penalised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), following a probe into his refusal to join Pakistan’s Test squad for the tour of Australia 2023-24.

The decision came after the PCB committee conducted a hearing and allowed Haris Rauf to explain his stance, however, his response failed to satisfy the committee.

“After a thorough hearing process conducted by a PCB committee and taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders involved in the matter, Haris’ central contract has been terminated from December 1, 2023, and no NOC (No objection certificate) to play any foreign league will be granted up to June 30, 2024,” the statement of PCB said.

“The PCB management provided a chance for a personal hearing to Haris in compliance with the principles of natural justice on 30 January 2024 and his response was found unsatisfactory.

“The PCB states that playing for Pakistan is the ultimate honour and privilege for any sportsperson.

“Refusal to be part of Pakistan’s Test squad in the absence of any medical report or justifiable reason is a material violation of the central contract.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

It is worth mentioning that the issue arose ahead of the Australian tour last year when Haris Rauf pulled out of the Test series at the last minute citing fitness concerns.

Wahab Riaz, while announcing the squad, told during the press conference that Haris Rauf was in the plans for the Test series against Australia, however, he changed his mind at the last minute.

“We spoke to Haris Rauf about this tour, and he gave his consent to participate in the Test series. However, he changed his mind later and opted to back out of the series,” Wahab Riaz said.

Wahab Riaz further explained the reason for Haris Rauf opting to stay out and his fitness condition.

“He was worried about fitness issues and workload, although we gave him assurances that we would facilitate him and accept any potential failures,” said Riaz.

“Our physio said he has no injury concerns. He is only fatigued, but we could have managed him well. However, he pulled out and is unavailable for this tour.”

Notably, Haris Rauf has represented Pakistan in a single test against England in the home Test series in 2022, where he picked his only Test wicket.

READ: PCB part ways with Director Cricket Mohammad Hafeez after a short stint

LAHORE: Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah started the final stage of his rehabilitation today at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore on Wednesday.

The young pacer was injured during the Asia Cup 2023 match against India in September as walked off the field during the 46th over of India’s innings on the reserve day.

Later, the PCB confirmed that Naseem Shah had been ruled out of the Asia Cup 2023 and was replaced by Zaman Khan in the Pakistan squad.

Consequently, he was ruled out of the ICC World Cup 2023 and Hasan Ali was included in Pakistan’s World Cup squad.

Later, Naseem Shah underwent surgery in the United Kingdom. Following the surgery, he remained in the UK for two months for rehabilitation and initial training as the PCB covered his medical costs and he received continuous care from a team of expert medical staff.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Naseem’s rehabilitation is being continued at NCA, Lahore under the care of a strength and conditioning coach, a physiotherapist and a doctor. Currently, he is doing light gym exercises and partial bowling practice and will start batting tomorrow.

Notably, Naseem Shah was traded last week from Quetta Gladiators to Islamabad United for Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Abrar Ahmed ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine draft.

The PSL Player Draft for the ninth season will take place at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore on 13 December 2023.

The retentions and trades are to be finalized before the PSL 9 Player Draft, after the conclusion of the National T20.

READ: Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s blitz powers Deccan Gladiators to a thumping victory

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday, provided an update on right-arm pacer Ihsanullah’s injury and rehabilitation progress.

Ihsanullah, who has featured for Pakistan in one ODI and four T20Is, suffered an elbow injury. The 20-year-old has been ruled out from international cricket since playing for Pakistan in the ODI series against New Zealand at home this year in April.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Meanwhile, the PCB shared that the lanky pacer underwent surgery here in the first week of September and was placed in an elbow brace for four weeks.

“Ihsanullah is on road to recovery after spending 11 weeks in a post-operative care after suffering an elbow injury,” said PCB in a statement.

“Earlier, a doctor was flown in from England to conduct the operation in the first week of September.

“After the operation, the fast-bowler was placed in an elbow brace for four weeks, with a doctor and physio attending him on a daily basis at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore.

The PCB further revealed that the doctors are confident that Ihsanullah will be able to begin functional training after the completion of the 16th week of his recovery.

For the unversed, Ihsaunallah is one of the three injured Pakistan pacers besides Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain.

Hasnain sustained an ankle injury during the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in August and has been out of action since then.

He travelled to England from Sri Lanka and had an MRI. The scans revealed the fast bowler requires rehabilitation for his ankle, which has been under process since 13 September in England

Whereas, Pakistan’s first-choice pacer Naseem Shah, was ruled out of the ICC World Cup 2023 in India due to a shoulder injury, which he sustained during the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023.

The right-arm pacer is undergoing rehabilitation in England and is expected to attain full fitness in a few weeks.

READ: Pakistan players to partake in one league apart from PSL, hints Zaka Ashraf

The caretaker federal cabinet has given a three-month extension to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman, led by Zaka Ashraf.

According to the notification issued by the Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry after the approval from the cabinet, the powers of the PCB Management Committee have been restricted.

The notification states that the PCB Management Committee cannot make any high-level appointments, the Management Committee will conduct the election of the Board of Governors and the Chairman.

Watch ICC World Cup 2023 Live on ARY ZAP

The Management Committee will deal with day-to-day affairs and cannot make policy decisions.

The notification also states that the PCB Management Committee will not get an extension beyond three months

Ashraf-led PCB Management Committee was formed in July 2023 for a four-month period, and the caretaker PM, using his prerogative as patron of the PCB, has given a three-month extension, said the PCB.

On Thursday, former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi met with Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar to discuss various aspects concerning Pakistan’s cricket.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

During their meeting, Afridi, who previously captained the national team, shared his insights and recommendations aimed at elevating the state of the game in the country.

Shahid Afridi expressed his interest in grooming young cricketers into future stars and positively shaping them into well-rounded representatives of Pakistan cricket.

He also admired and appreciated Mr Zaka Ashraf’s efforts and contributions to Pakistan cricket.

Notably, PM Kakar encouraged Afridi to actively contribute to the enhancement of cricket, particularly focusing on matters pertaining to its improvement.

READ: Pakistan sanctioned for slow over-rate against New Zealand