Games – Page 273 – Newswire Pakistan

October 1, 2022October 2, 2022

Australia Women consolidate top position in ODIs and T20Is after annual update

Dubai, October 01, 2022 (PPI-OT):Australia have established a record margin at the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Team Rankings while also increasing their lead in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, after the annual update carried out on Saturday.

Australia have stretched their lead over South Africa from 48 to 51 rating points in the ODI rankings, which is the biggest lead ever by any international men’s or women’s side in any form of the game, while their lead over second-placed T20I team England has increased from 14 to 18 rating points.

There is no change of positions in the ODI rankings in the latest update, which expunges results from the 2018-19 season, weights the 2019-20 and 2020-2021 seasons at 50 per cent and the 2021-22 matches at 100 per cent.

Australia have gained three rating points and sit comfortably at 170, with South Africa (119), England (116), India (104) and New Zealand (101) the other teams holding three-figure rating points.

In T20Is, Australia are on 299 rating points, stretching their lead over second-placed England from 14 to 18 rating points. New Zealand and India maintain their third and fourth positions, while South Africa have overtaken the West Indies to fifth position.

In other notable movements, Tanzania and Nepal have progressed two slots each to reach 15th and 16th positions, respectively, Namibia have moved up from 21st to 17th and Hong Kong from 24th to 20th.

Jersey (up from 28th to 22nd), Italy (up from 38th to 28th) and Mozambique (up from 45th to 33rd) are some of the other big movers in the update.

Meanwhile, the number of ranked teams has fallen from 60 to 48 with eight teams not having played at all over the past three years and four others not meeting the requirement of six matches.

China, Fiji, Japan, Mali, Myanmar, Samoa, South Korea and Vanuatu have not played during this period while Indonesia, Mexico, Norway and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have played less than six 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

October 1, 2022October 3, 2022

Oman, Bahrain win to reach semi-finals

Dubai, October 01, 2022 (PPI-OT):Oman and Bahrain recorded their second successive victories on Saturday to assure themselves of a berth in the semifinals of the ongoing ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Division -2 Asia Qualifier at the Oman Cricket Academy (OCA) grounds. Both Oman and Bahrain had it easy in their respective Group A matches as the hosts defeated Saudi Arabia by six wickets while Bahrain beat Bhutan by 169 runs.

At the OCA 2 ground, Oman skipper Arjun Dhiman elected to bowl first after winning the toss and his bowlers justified the decision as Saudi Arabia batters were left struggling against some tidy bowling. Saudi openers were back in the hut in five overs with the team’s total only 13.

Sashwath Prasad and Zuhair then did some repair work as they shared a 34-run third-wicket partnership. Following Prasad’s departure, there were no big partnerships as Oman spinners put a firm stranglehold. Zuher top-scored with a sedate 29 off 70 deliveries.

Aryan Bisht mesmerizing spell of 4/19, including a maiden, had the Saudi batters in all sorts of trouble. Bisht was supported by medium pacer Mohammed Arafat Islam who picked up two early wickets. Glen Alexei Menezes, the left-arm spinner, claimed 2/14 as Saudi Arabia were bowled out for 103 in 37.3 overs. A sizeable contribution in Saudi total came from extras with Oman conceding 21 including 20 wades.

With a modest target, Oman lost an early wicket in the seventh over when Lakshmi Satish departed for seven. Though Oman lost couple more wickets, they were never in trouble as they chased down the target in 27 overs scoring 104/4.

Skipper Arjun Dhiman top-scored with 32 while Aditya Gurumukhi (23 no.), Devansh Loya (16) and Aryan Bisht (13) were the other run-getters. Aryan Bisht, Player of the match, said: “It was a positive approach by everyone in the team. It’s quite impressive to have performed collectively in both the games. The wicket was spin-friendly and we stuck to a plan to reap the rewards. I hope we keep this winning momentum.

“It’s great feeling to have contributed to the team’s victory and I am looking forward to more such opportunities ahead.” Captain’s knock by Bahrain’s Ashwin A skipper’s knock by Aryan Ashwin led Bahrain to a comfortable victory over Bhutan at the OCA 1 ground on Saturday. Batting first, Ashwin slammed a solid half-century (56 off 95 balls) to lay the foundation of a good score as Bahrain batters relished the rival attack.

With the middle-order batters – Rishabh Ramesh (28), Aaryan Koul (36) and Muhammad Ali (30) – making handy contributions, Bahrain consolidated their strong start. A late flurry of strokes by the lower-order duo of Abhinav Girish (27) and Vishwaesh Gurumurthy (28) saw the team end their innings at 244/9.

The target was always going to be a challenge for Bhutan as they lost quick wickets to be 25/5 at the end of the 21st over. Some late contributions by Karma Dorji (18) and Tashi Chophel (14) took the team past the 50-mark as the team was bowled out for 75 in 33.1 overs.

Shashank Shukla was the wrecker-in-chief with 4/25 while Nadith Tennakoon bagged 3/23. Muhammad Ali was economical and effective with 2/8 in his five overs. Aryan Ashwin, Bahrain skipper and Player of the match, said: “It was a team effort. A good victory that will keep our morale high. While batters did their job, the bowlers also did well to bowl out the opposition. We are all confident going into the semi-finals and feel we can win the tournament if we play to our potential.”

Both Oman and Bahrain have four points each after two successive wins and their clash on Monday will decide the Group a topper. Saudi Arabia will take on Bhutan on the same day to complete their group engagements before flying back.

On Sunday, Thailand will take on Singapore while Hong Kong will meet Qatar in Group B matches. Both Hong Kong and Singapore have won their opening round matches and a win on Sunday will assure themselves of a place in the semi-finals.

October 1, 2022October 3, 2022

PCB-BRB Group partnership for Pathway Programme unveiled

Lahore, October 01, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Pakistan Cricket Board and BRB Group partnership for the PCB Pathway Programme was unveiled at the board’s headquarters, the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore today.

Through this partnership, the BRB Group will sponsor monthly stipends of the 100 players involved in the PCB Pathway Programme. The partnership is aimed at supporting the PCB’s initiative of providing financial comfort to the participants and their parents in the pursuit of their cricketing dreams. The stipend will be of great value to the players especially the ones hailing from underprivileged backgrounds all across the country.

“The PCB Pathway Programme participants are being provided a life time opportunity of training with some of the best foreign coaches in a world-class high performance environment. “These players will now showcase their talent at the Pakistan Junior League from next week. Through the PJL platform and the partnership with BRB we are ensuring that the players and their parents get adequate financial help and support.

“Our partnership with BRB is a long term asset-building alliance. In the years ahead, these youngsters will represent Pakistan at the senior stage and compete with the best in the world. Their success will bring a lot of joy and satisfaction to the PCB, our fans and supporters of Pakistan cricket.”

“The BRB Group is delighted to associate with the PCB Pathway Programme. The programme is indeed a revolutionary concept that has the potential to shape the future of Pakistan cricket. We closely followed the progress of the first camp last month, we are very pleased with the way the programme is being run especially the involvement of world-class foreign coaches.

“This PCB Pathway Programme will bring great rewards to Pakistan cricket in the coming years as these players are set to serve us for a long time. Cricket unites the country and the team’s success is often a morale booster for the entire nation. By contributing for the development of our future stars, we are making a long term commitment which is very exciting for the BRB Group.”

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

October 1, 2022October 3, 2022

Bismah eyes momentum ahead of ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup

Lahore, October 01, 2022 (PPI-OT):After undergoing a 10-day camp at the Lahore Country Club, Muridke and three days of intense practice and preparations in Sylhet, Bangladesh, Pakistan are ready for action with their first match of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup taking place tomorrow against Malaysia at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS).

Bismah Maroof-led Pakistan are eager to showcase their talent, skill and temperament in the shortest format of the game. The seven-team tournament follows a round-robin format where each team will play the other once before the top four sides qualify for the semi-finals. The final of the tournament will be played on 15 October. Pakistan will take on defending champions and hosts Bangladesh on 3 October whereas the game against arch-rivals India is scheduled on 7 October.

Pakistan finished on the third spot in the last edition of ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2018-19. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof: “The conditions here are the same as at home, the pitches will help the spinners. We will try to make full use of the conditions and get our momentum going and start on a winning note.

“The tournament’s format gives us a number of matches, providing us a great help to prepare for next year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. “We are not going to take any team lightly and try to execute ourselves well to win tomorrow’s match.”

Right-handed batter Sidra Amin is included in the side as an opener in place of out-of-form Iram Javed. Commenting on her inclusion in the side and pairing up with Muneeba Ali, Bismah said, “We have tried a new pair in the opening position, I hope Sidra performs, her runs at the top will give stability to the batting order which can contribute in the team’s win.”

The tournament matches will be broadcast live on PTV Sports. Toss for the Pakistan and Malaysia clash will take place tomorrow at 0730 PKT while the first ball will be bowled at 0800 PKT. Squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Nashra Sundhu, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Tuba Hasan Reserve players: Natalia Pervaiz, Umme Hani and Waheeda Akhtar

Support staff: Ayesha Ashhar (team manager), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach and interim head coach), Mauhtashim Rashid (fielding coach), Muhammad Zubair Ahmad (analyst) and Rifat Gill (physiotherapist).

Pakistan’s fixtures:

2 October – v Malaysia

3 October – v Bangladesh

6 October – v Thailand

7 October – v India

9 October – v UAE

11 October – v Sri Lanka

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

September 30, 2022

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 prize pot announced

Dubai, September 30, 2022 (PPI-OT):The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed today that the team that earns glory at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 on 13 November in Melbourne, will take home a cheque of $1.6 million.

The total prize pot of $5.6m will see the runners-up assured of $800,000 and the losing semi-finalists will receive $400,000 each at the end of the 45-match tournament being played across seven venues in Australia from 16 October.

Following the same structure as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, the eight teams that exit at the Super 12 stage will receive $70,000 each, with a victory in each of the 30 games in that phase worth $40,000.

Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa are confirmed to start their tournament at the Super 12 stage.

The same structure is in place for the first-round victories – with $40,000 available to those who win each of the 12 games, amounting to $480,000.

The four teams knocked out in the first round will get $40,000 each.

Teams whose campaigns begin in the first round are Namibia, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Scotland, the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

Prize Money table

Stage – Unit – Per Team – Total

Winners – 1 – $1,600,000 – $1,600,000

Runners-Up – 1 – $800,000 – $800,000

Losing Semi-finalists – 2 – $400,000 – $800,000

Super 12 Wins – 30 – $40,000 – $1,200,000

Super 12 Exit – 8 – $70,000 – $560,000

First Round Win – 12 – $40,000 – $480,000

First Round Exit – 4 – $40,000 – $160,000

Total – $5,600,000

*All amounts are in US Dollars.

September 30, 2022

Captains share excitement for inaugural Pakistan Junior League edition

Lahore, September 30, 2022 (PPI-OT):The inaugural edition of the Pakistan Junior League begins in less than a week’s time (Thursday 6 October) at the headquarters of Pakistan cricket Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The teams will be beginning their preparations for the tournament this weekend.

Before the conclusion of the PCB Pathway Programme earlier this week – almost all local PJL players were involved in the programme, the captains spoke about their excitement of playing the PJL, captaining their side and the life time opportunity of working with some of the greats of the game who are involved as mentors in the league.

The mentor roster includes legends of the game Javed Miandad (league mentor), Imran Tahir (Bahawalpur Royals), Shoaib Malik (Gujranwala Giants), Sir Vivian Richards (Gwadar Sharks), Daren Sammy (Hyderabad Hunters), Shahid Afridi (Mardan Warriors) and Colin Munro (Rawalpindi Raiders).

Captain Bahawalpur Royals Obaid Shahid: “Being picked and then named captain of Bahawalpur Royals is nothing less than a dream coming true. I am determined to make an impression in the tournament and lead my side with grit, determination and passion. This league is an incredible opportunity for all of us and we are all excited to participate.

“Our team mentor is Imran Tahir who despite his age remains one of the fittest players around. Having Imran in the dressing room means a lot to us, we would surely benefit from his presence and his immense experience as a T2o player. He will also inspire us to raise our fitness standard.”

Captain Gujranwala Giants Uzair Mumtaz: “I was overjoyed at my selection for the PJL and the honour of captaining Gujranwala Giants. My parents and family is really happy for me and are praying for my success.

“Our mentor Shoaib Malik is a legend of the game and his presence will mean a lot to us. We all hope to learn a great deal from him and aspire to make the most of his experience and pedigree. Having Shoaib in the dugout would help us immensely considering his rich T20 experience.”

Captain Gwadar Sharks Shamyl Hussain: “It was a big honour to get chosen for the Sharks and then being named the captain was the icing on the cake. I am really excited to deliver for my team as a player and captain.

“Having a mentor like Sir Vivian Richards is absolutely incredible, his presence alone will make a big impact in our dugout and we will learn a great deal from his experience and stature in the game.”

Captain Hyderabad Hunters Saad Baig: “I am thrilled to captain the Hyderabad Hunters in the Pakistan Junior League. I have made steady progress at the age-group level and this opportunity will help me improve my game further while competing with some of the best U19 talent from around the world.

“Our team mentor Daren Sammy is a T20 World Cup winner and has legendary status in the T20 format, we are all looking forward to learning from his vast experience.”

Captain Mardan Warriors Abbas Ali: “My family was overjoyed with my selection in the Mardan Warriors team. Captaining the side in the Pakistan Junior League is a fantastic opportunity for me and I want to give my absolute best in the tournament.

“Shahid Afridi’s presence as Mardan’s team mentor will be hugely beneficial for us considering his rich experience in the T20 format. Shahid will hopefully inspire us to great success in the tournament.”

Captain Rawalpindi Raiders Habibullah: “I am delighted to captain the Rawalpindi Raiders in the Pakistan Junior League. My squad has some exciting talent and I am looking forward to leading them to success in the tournament.

“Our team mentor Colin Munro has played T20 cricket around the world and made a big name, as a batter, I am really keen on learning the art of T20 batting from him.”

The teams will practice for four days leading up to the tournament opener between Gujranwala Giants and Mardan Warriors which will be played from 8pm next Thursday.

The 19-match tournament will be played on a single league basis with the six teams competing against each other once. The top four sides will compete in the playoffs, the final will be played on Friday, 21 October.

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