Day: June 14, 2023

Lahore, June 14, 2023 (PPI-OT): The Regional Inter-District U19 One-Day Tournament 2023 is set to commence tomorrow, bringing together aspiring young cricket talents from across the nation. The tournament will take place simultaneously in 15 regions, with Hyderabad region hosting the matches from 19 June onwards. This prestigious tournament serves as a platform for showcasing the immense potential and skill of budding cricketers in the country. A total of 2,080 players have been selected to participate in the tournament, featuring 104 teams, the squads of which have been selected after nationwide trials conducted earlier this year.

The performing players from the trial matches underwent a medical examination after which the top 20 players were chosen to represent their respective sides in the 104-team tournament. To be eligible for participation, players born on or after 1 September 2004 have been selected. The 16 regions include Abbottabad (seven districts), AJK (five districts), Bahawalpur (seven districts), Dera Murad Jamali (five districts), Faisalabad (six districts), FATA (10 districts), Hyderabad (seven districts), Islamabad (four zones and one district), Karachi (seven zones), Lahore (three zones; six teams), Larkana (six districts), Multan (seven districts), Peshawar (five districts), Quetta (10 districts), Rawalpindi (four districts) and Sialkot (seven districts)

The Regional Inter-District U19 One-Day Tournament follows a competitive format where the top team from each region will be declared winners. Moreover, the tournament serves as a gateway to even greater opportunities. The outstanding performers from the Regional Inter-District U19 One-Day Tournament will earn a chance to play in the Inter-Region U19 Championship (three-day) and Inter-Region U19 Cup (one-day) tournaments, a nationwide event that will be held from August to October 2023. This championship will provide a stage for the brightest talents to shine and gain recognition on a national level.

For more information, contact:

Media Manager,

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)

Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan

Tel: +92-42-5717231-4

Fax: +92-42-5711860

Website: www.pcb.com.pk

Dubai, June 14, 2023 (PPI-OT): Australia begins their defence of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) title in a high-profile series against England after winning the second edition with an emphatic 209-run victory over India in the final at The Oval on Sunday. The five-match Ashes series begins in Birmingham on Friday with Lord’s, Leeds, Manchester and The Oval hosting the remaining matches. Australia plays nine matches in this cycle away from home, which include two-Test series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka. At home, they play against India (five), Pakistan (three) and the West Indies (two), for a total of 10 Tests.

England feature in 10 Tests at home and 11 away. They host the West Indies (3) and Sri Lanka (2) apart from Australia, while playing away in India (five), Pakistan (3) and New Zealand (3). India’s two-Test tour of the West Indies, where they play in Dominica and Trinidad next month, is also part of the third edition of the WTC. The structure of the nine-team WTC remains the same with each team playing three home and three away series over a two-year period culminating in the final of a one-off Test. The points percentage system used in the previous edition will determine the leader board with teams getting 12 points for a win, six for a tie and four for a draw.

The series in the championship remain as per the Men’s FTP announced last year. The media release distributed at the time of the announcement of the Men’s FTP is available here. Wasim Khan, ICC’s General Manager of Cricket said the WTC had been great in enhancing interest in Test cricket and wished players all the best ahead of the new cycle. Wasim Khan: “The third edition of the ICC World Test Championship begins on Friday with another highly anticipated series between England and Australia.

“This championship has invigorated Test match cricket, bringing context for players and fans, and a high level of competitiveness as teams battle it out to be crowned World Test Champions at the end of the two-year cycle. “The big turnout out at The Oval over the five days and the incredible viewership levels across the globe for the final is testimony to the continued popularity of Test cricket. “I would like to thank the Member Boards for their continued support of this exciting concept and wish the players all the very best as they commence their journey towards becoming World Test Champions in 2025”.

Captains Ben Stokes of England and Pat Cummins of Australia said they were excited and hoped to start well. Ben Stokes: “We are looking forward to the new cycle of the World Test Championship, and hope we get off to a good start. “The Ashes combined with World Test Championship points makes it an intriguing series against Australia. I am sure fans worldwide will be following the proceedings with eagerness. We are excited, for what the English summer holds.”

Pat Cummins: “It has been a very enjoyable and rewarding journey through this World Test Championship and we very much look forward to the next cycle. “It was a goal of ours to reach the final and the fact we were able to win is a great outcome for the group. It’s a great start to our UK tour but there’s plenty of hard work still to be done over the next five Test matches.”

For more information, contact:

Headquarters,

International Cricket Council (ICC)

Street 69, Dubai Sports City,

Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE

Phone: +97-143828800

Fax: +97-143828600

E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com

Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, June 14, 2023 (PPI-OT): Australia batters occupy the top three places in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after the latest weekly update as Steve Smith and Travis Head join top-ranked Marnus Labuschagne following their centuries in the ICC World Test Championship Final against India at The Oval. Labuschagne holds on to his number-one position with 903 rating points. Smith has advanced one place to second position after scores of 121 and 34 while Player of the Match Travis Head’s scores of 163 and 18 have lifted him three places to a career-best third position. The race for the second spot though is very close as Smith is on 885 rating points, Head on 884 and Kane Williamson on 883 rating points.

Batters from the same side taking the top three places is a rare occurrence. The last time this occurred in the Test batting rankings was in 1984, when West Indies players Gordon Greenidge (810 rating points), Clive Lloyd (787) and Larry Gomes (773) were at the top of the list. There are also some other significant movements for Australia after their 209-run victory over India.

Alex Carey has progressed 11 places to 36th after scoring 48 and 66 not out while Nathan Lyon (up two places to sixth) and Scott Boland (up five places to 36th) have also moved up after finishing with five wickets each in the match. India batter Ajinkya Rahane’s scores of 89 and 46 see him return to the rankings in 37th position while Shardul Thakur has moved up six places to 94th after his half-century in the first innings.

Meanwhile, in the men’s ODI rankings, UAE batter Vriiitya Aravind has moved up seven places to 49th after scoring 36 and 70 against the West Indies in their home series played in Sharjah that the visiting side won 3-0. Sri Lanka players Pathum Nissanka (up five places to 62nd among batters) and Wanindu Hasaranga (up two places to 28th among bowlers) have also made headway in the latest update after their final match of the series against Afghanistan.

For more information, contact:

Headquarters,

International Cricket Council (ICC)

Street 69, Dubai Sports City,

Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE

Phone: +97-143828800

Fax: +97-143828600

E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com

Website: www.icc-cricket.com