Category: Games

This category covers all news related Games

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Queen’s Baton Relay Event in Karachi

Lahore, December 10, 2021 (PPI-OT):The Queen’s Baton Relay for the 22nd Commonwealth Games started it Commonwealth journey from the Buckingham Palace on 07th October, 2021. The Baton in its journey of 72 nations spread over 90,000 miles journey will reach Karachi on 27th December, 2021. The Queen’s Baton will be with the citizens of Karachi for 03 days during the Baton Relay period of 269 days.

Commonwealth Games Association Pakistan’s President, Lt Gen. (R) Syed Arif Hasan has formed the Organizing Committee to welcome and celebrate the Baton Relay and hold different programs, to be led by Chairperson Fatima Lakhani, Deputy Chairman Syed Waseem Hashmi, Organizing Secretary, Ahmed Ali Rajput, Chief Coordinator Parvaiz Ahmed, Media Coordinator Asif Azeem; other members include Muhammad Jahangir, Muhammad Shafiq, Lt Col (R) Muhammad Nasir Ijaz Tung, Nargis Rahimtoola Veena Salman Masood, Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh, Tehmina Asif, and Asghar Baloch. Sindh Rangers, Sindh Police, Administrator DHA, Representative of Commissioner Sindh, Rep of Administrator Karachi Metropolitan, Representative of Sindh Sports Board and POA will also be part of the Organizing Committee of QBR Event.

For more information, contact:
Pakistan Olympic Association
Olympic House, 2-Hameed Nizami (Temple) Road,
Lahore, Pakistan
Postal Code: 54000
Phone: +92-42-36280002, +92-42-36373753
Email: info@nocpakistan.org
Website: https://nocpakistan.org/

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Franchises finalise player retentions, trades and releases for HBL PSL 2022

Lahore, December 10, 2021 (PPI-OT):The retention, trade and release window of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2022 closed on Friday afternoon with Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi consuming their full allocation of eight retentions, while Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators retaining seven players each.

Action will now shift to the National High-Performance Centre on Sunday, 12 December, at 1500 PKT when the HBL PSL Player Draft 2022 will take place for which more than 425 players from 32 countries have registered. In the Platinum Category, Lahore Qalandars will have the first pick, followed by Multan Sultans, Karachi Kings, Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.

Each franchise can comprise up to 18 players, including three each in Platinum, Diamond and Gold categories, five Silver, two Emerging and up to two Supplementary categories.

For the 2022 event, the PCB has introduced the Right to Match Card. This means each side will have one such card they can utilise during the draft to pick a player originally released from their roster.

In their seven retentions, defending champions Multan Sultans have kept faith in Mohammad Rizwan and Rilee Rossouw (both Platinum), Imran Tahir (Diamond, Mentor), Sohaib Maqsood (Diamond), Khushdil Shah (Gold, Brand Ambassador), Shahnawaz Dahani and Shan Masood (both Gold). They are expected to be led by Mohammad Rizwan, whose stellar performances have earned him a promotion to the Platinum category.

World’s No.1 ranked T20I batter Babar Azam (Platinum) and all-rounder Mohammad Nabi (Diamond) will once again be in action for 2020 winners Karachi Kings, who have decided to keep Imad Wasim (Platinum), Mohammad Amir, (Diamond), Joe Clarke (Gold, Brand Ambassador), Aamir Yamin and Sharjeel Khan (both Gold) and Mohammad Ilyas (Silver).

Two-time winners Islamabad United, following successful trade of Azam Khan (Gold), have retained Asif Ali (promoted to Platinum), Hasan Ali (Platinum), Faheem Ashraf (Diamond), Shadab Khan (Diamond, Brand Ambassador), Alex Hales (Gold, Team Mentor), Azam Khan and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (both Gold) and Paul Stirling (Silver).

Afghanistan world’s No.5 ranked T20I wrist-spinner Rashid Khan has been retained by Lahore Qalandars in the platinum category, along with Shaheen Shah Afridi (Platinum), Haris Rauf (Diamond, Brand Ambassador), David Wiese and Mohammad Hafeez (both Diamond), Ahmed Daniyal, Sohail Akhtar and Zeeshan Ashraf (all Silver).

Liam Livingstone, a punishing middle-order batter and a wicket-taking spinner, along with Wahab Riaz (both Platinum), Haider Ali, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik (all Diamond), Saqib Mahmood (Gold, Brand Ambassador) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Silver) will be in yellow for 2017 champions Peshawar Zalmi. Hussain Talat has been traded from Islamabad United, completing Zalmi’s retention of eight players. In return for bringing Hussain Talat in Gold, Zalmi have given their Silver second round pick to United.

2019 champions Quetta Gladiators have retained four players from the 2021 tournament. They are: Sarfaraz Ahmed (Platinum), Mohammad Nawaz (Diamond), Mohammad Hasnain (Gold, Brand Ambassador) and Naseem Shah (Gold). In addition, the Gladiators had earlier brought in Shahid Afridi (Gold, Mentor), James Vince (Platinum) and Iftikhar Ahmed (Diamond) to their roster during the transfer and retention window.

Player retention list (each side were allowed to retain a maximum of eight players from the last event):

Islamabad United (8) – Asif Ali, Hasan Ali (both Platinum), Faheem Ashraf (Diamond), Shadab Khan (Diamond, Brand Ambassador), Alex Hales (Gold, Mentor), Azam Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr (both Gold) and Paul Stirling (Silver)

Karachi Kings (8) – Babar Azam, Imad Wasim (both Platinum), Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nabi (both Diamond), Joe Clarke (Gold, Brand Ambassador), Aamir Yamin, Sharjeel Khan (both Gold) and Mohammad Ilyas (Silver)

Lahore Qalandars (8) – Rashid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi (both Platinum), Haris Rauf (Diamond, Brand Ambassador), David Wiese, Mohammad Hafeez (both Diamond), Ahmed Daniyal, Sohail Akhtar and Zeeshan Ashraf (all Silver)

Multan Sultans (7) – Mohammad Rizwan, Rilee Rossouw (both Platinum), Imran Tahir (Diamond, Mentor), Sohaib Maqsood (Diamond), Khushdil Shah (Gold, Brand Ambassador), Shahnawaz Dahani and Shan Masood (both Gold)

Peshawar Zalmi (8) – Liam Livingstone, Wahab Riaz (both Platinum), Haider Ali, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik (all Diamond), Hussain Talat (Gold), Saqib Mahmood (Gold, Brand Ambassador) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Silver)

Quetta Gladiators (7) – James Vince, Sarfaraz Ahmed (both Platinum), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz (both Diamond), Shahid Afridi (Gold, Mentor), Mohammad Hasnain (Gold, Brand Ambassador) and Naseem Shah (Gold)

Some of the international stars available in the HBL PSL Draft 2022:

Platinum – David Miller (South Africa), Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Chris Gayle (West Indies), Chris Jordan (England), Colin Munro (New Zealand), Colin Ingram (South Africa), David Willey (England), Isuru Udana (Sri Lanka), Jason Roy (England), Marchant De Lange (South Africa), Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal), Shimron Hetmyer (West Indies), Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka), Tom Banton (England) and Tymal Mills (England).

Diamond – Afsar Zazai (Afghanistan), Ben Dunk (Australia), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka), Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwe), Fabian Allen (West Indies), Hamid Hassan (Afghanistan), Hazratullah Zazai (Afghanistan), James Faulkner (Australia), Johnson Charles (West Indies), Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka), Lendl Simmons (West Indies), Lewis Gregory (England), Mahmudullah Riyad (Bangladesh), Mitchell McClenaghan (New Zealand), Najibullah Zadran (Afghanistan), Naveenul Haq (Afghanistan), Niroshan Dickwella (Sri Lanka), Ollie Robinson (England), Phil Salt (England), Qais Ahmad (Afghanistan), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Reece Topley (England), Samit Patel (England) and Sheldon Cottrell (West Indies).

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

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Shahid Afridi becomes a Gladiator for HBL PSL 7 

Lahore, December 09, 2021 (PPI-OT):Shahid Afridi will represent Quetta Gladiators in what will be his farewell HBL Pakistan Super League 7 after participating for Multan Sultan’s last year, it was confirmed today.

Also moving from Sultan to Gladiators is England’s James Vince and, as part of this blockbuster trade, Multan Sultans will take Quetta’s Diamond and Silver round picks, respectively.

In another major trade, player of the National T20 Iftikhar Ahmed has joined Quetta after being part of Islamabad United for the 2021 season. He has swapped teams with wicketkeeper/batter Azam Khan, who has moved to Islamabad United from Quetta Gladiators.

Shahid Afridi: “I am excited to join Quetta Gladiators, a side that has had a roller-coaster ride in the past few events despite winning the title in 2019. In my final HBL PSL event, it will my dream and wish to sign off with another HBL PSL trophy after tasting success with Peshawar Zalmi in 2017.

“HBL PSL is an event that encourages and inspires a player to give his very best. I will use the same motivation to help my team and put up performances that can help us achieve our event objectives.”

Iftikhar Ahmed: “It has been a difficult decision to move from Islamabad United, but looking ahead to my future in T20 cricket that is linked to the Pakistan team, I thought this was the best move. I am grateful to the Islamabad United management for their support and understanding, as they have continued to stand behind me in all my decisions.

“I am thrilled to be re-joining Shahid Afridi at Quetta Gladiators after 2017, when we last played together in HBL PSL. Quetta Gladiators include a number of my contemporaries with whom I have played lot of cricket. I am sure the HBL PSL 7 will be an exciting and entertaining event, and I can make a positive impact through my batting, bowling and fielding.”

The HBL PSL Draft 2022 will be held at the High-Performance Centre in Lahore on Sunday, 12 December, with the event to kick-off at 3pm. Each side will come to the draft with a maximum of eight player retentions from the last event.

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

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Massive gains for Agarwal and Ajaz Patel in MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings 

Dubai, December 08, 2021 (PPI-OT):India opener Mayank Agarwal and New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel have made huge progress in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after outstanding performances in the second Test of their ICC World Test Championship series in Mumbai.

Agarwal’s Player of the Match effort of 150 and 62 has helped him gain 30 spots and reach 11th position in the latest weekly update to the men’s rankings which is carried out on Wednesdays and includes all matches ending on Tuesdays. He is just one spot below a career-best 10th position that he first attained in November 2019.

Mumbai-born Patel, who became only the third player to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings, emulating Jim Laker and Anil Kumble, has moved up 23 slots to 38th after finishing with 14 wickets in the match. The left-arm spinner’s previous best ranking was 53rd and he had started the series in 62nd position.

Others to move up in the rankings after the Mumbai Test are India opener Shubman Gill (up 21 places to 45th), fast bowler Mohammad Siraj (up four places to 41st) and New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell (up 26 places to 78th).

Ravichandran Ashwin has bridged the gap with top-ranked bowler Pat Cummins after finishing with four wickets in each innings in India’s 372-run victory. Ashwin has gained 43 rating points to reach a total of 883 and is 67 points ahead of third-placed Josh Hazlewood. He has moved up one place to second among all-rounders even as his compatriot Ravindra Jadeja has slipped to fourth in the list led by West Indies’ Jason Holder.

Holder has gained one spot to reach 14th among bowlers in Wednesday’s update, that also considers performances from the Galle Test that Sri Lanka won by 164 runs to complete a 2-0 series victory and remain atop the ICC World Test Championship points table powered by MRF Tyres.

Kraigg Brathwaite (up 10 places to 39th) and Nkrumah Bonner (up 17 places to 42nd) are the batters to move up for the West Indies but the one to gain the most after the Galle Test is Player of the Match Dhananjaya de Silva, who has advanced 12 places to 21st after his unbeaten 155 in the second innings.

Spinners Lasith Embuldeniya and Ramesh Mendis too have made substantial gains. Embuldeniya has gained five slots to reach 32nd position after finishing with seven wickets in the match, while Mendis has progressed 18 places to 39th with an 11-wicket match haul.

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

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ICC Player of the Month nominations for November announced

Dubai, December 07, 2021 (PPI-OT):Openers David Warner of Australia and Abid Ali of Pakistan have been shortlisted in the men’s category for the ICC Player of the Month awards along with New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee, while left-arm spinners Anam Amin of Pakistan and Nahida Akter of Bangladesh are in the running to scoop the women’s award alongside West Indies all-rounder Haley Matthews who is nominated for the second time.

The nominations for the month of November were announced on Tuesday, based on performances across formats and including matches from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

An independent ICC Voting Academy and fans around the world can now vote to decide the winners, which will be announced next week. Fans registered on icc-cricket.com/awards are invited to cast their votes until Sunday.

ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for November:

Abid Ali (Pakistan)

Pakistan opener Abid Ali was named Player of the Match after scores of 133 and 91 in the first match of their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series against Bangladesh in Chittagong. He played a pivotal role in laying the platform for an eight-wicket victory, thanks to two century opening stands in both innings with partner Abdullah Shafique.

Tim Southee (NZ)

New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee took eight wickets in the drawn opening Test of the WTC series against India in Kanpur, soon after excelling in the shortest format. He had seized seven wickets during his November matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, helping guide his team to the final spectacle in Dubai. In between these two milestones, he took three more T20I wickets against India in Ranchi.

David Warner (Australia)

Warner, who was Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup, had standout performances of 49 in the semifinal against Pakistan and 53 in the final against New Zealand. In four T20Is during the period, he aggregated 209 runs at an average of 69.66 and a strike rate of 151.44, proving to be a crucial figure as his team secured their first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy.

ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees for November:

Nahida Akter (Bangladesh)

Nahida grabbed 13 wickets in four ODIs during the period at an economy rate of 2.22. 11 of those wickets came as Bangladesh claimed a 3-0 series victory in Zimbabwe, including figures of five for 21 in the third match in Bulawayo. The spinner’s remaining two wickets came in a memorable victory over Pakistan in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2021 in Harare.

Anam Amin (Pakistan)

Anam accounted for 13 ODI scalps in November at an economy rate of 3.00. She was the leading wicket-taker in the ODI series against the West Indies with nine wickets and followed that up with four wickets in two matches during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2021, which included a haul of three for nine against Zimbabwe.

Hayley Matthews (West Indies)

All-rounder Hayley Matthews, who was shortlisted alongside her captain Stafanie Taylor in July, wins her second nomination after some consistent performances in four ODIs in which she scored 141 runs and grabbed nine wickets at an average of 13.11. She was a star in the series win over Pakistan, hitting 57 and taking three for 31 in the first match before a four wicket haul for 26 runs in the second.

The ICC Player of the Month Voting Process:

The three nominees for either category is shortlisted based on performances from the first to the last day of each calendar month. The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy and fans around the world.

The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket fraternity including well-known journalists, former players, broadcasters, and members of the ICC Hall of Fame. The Voting Academy submit their votes by email and hold a 90 per cent share of the vote.

Fans registered with the ICC vote via the ICC website, accounting for the remaining 10 per cent. Winners are announced every second Monday of the month on ICC’s digital channels.

Voting Academy for ICC Player of the Month November 2021:

Afghanistan: Hameed Qayoomi and Javed Hamim; Australia: Melinda Farrell and Lisa Sthalekar; Bangladesh: Sayeed Zaman and Mohammad Isam; England: Elizabeth Ammon and Holly Colvin; Ireland: Ian Calendar and Isobel Joyce; India: Rica Roy and Irfan Pathan; New Zealand: Mark Geenty and John Wright; Pakistan:

Faizan Lakhani and Sana Mir; South Africa: Firdose Moonda and JP Duminy; Sri Lanka: Neville Victor Anthony and Russel Arnold; West Indies: Desmond Haynes and Merissa Aguilleira; Zimbabwe: Tristan Holme and Mpumelelo Mbangwa; Others: Paul Radley and Dirk Nannes.

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

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Punjab’s male and female table tennis players are being chosen purely on merit: Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan 

Lahore, December 06, 2021 (PPI-OT):Sports Board Punjab (SBP), on the directions of Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan, conducted table tennis trials for the selection of Punjab’s U-17 male and U-16 female table tennis teams at Nishtar Park Sports Complex (NPSC) Gymnasium Hall on Monday.

More than 60 boys and girls from all nine divisions of the province took part in the trials. Punjab’s selected U-17 male and U-16 female players will participate in Inter-Provincial Under-17 Boys and Under-16 Girls Table Tennis Tournament scheduled to be staged from Dec 24 to 26 in Karachi.

Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan in a statement on Monday said that Punjab’s 14-member contingent including five U-17 boys and two officials and equal number of U-16 girls and two officials will feature in the championship.

Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan said Punjab’s male and female table tennis players are being chosen purely on merit because there is no room for anti-merit tactics in our set up. “Sports Board Punjab is providing sufficient playing opportunities to all talented male and female players belonging to all games,” he said.

Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan said that Punjab’s table tennis players are expected to excel in the upcoming Inter-Provincial Boys Under-17 and Girls Under-16 Table Tennis Tournament 2021.

For more information, contact:
Sports Board Punjab
Government of the Punjab
National Hockey Stadium, Ferozepur Road, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-99232501, +92-42-99232502
E-mail: info@punjabsportsboard.com
Website: http://sportsboard.punjab.gov.pk