Tag: (PCB)

Lahore, September 29, 2022 (PPI-OT):A total of 12 foreign players including eight from the United Kingdom, three from Afghanistan and one from Sri Lanka have arrived in Lahore to take part in the first edition of the Pakistan Junior League which begins at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Thursday 6 October.

The remaining 12 foreign players are expected to reach in the next two to three days. The local players will also arrive from their respective homes to Lahore over the weekend.

The players that reached Lahore last night and this morning include Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar (Rawalpindi Raiders), Archie Lenham (Mardan Warriors), James Ross Wood (Hyderabad Hunters), Joseph Eckland (Gwadar Sharks), Ibrahim Masood (Hyderabad Hunters), Gabriel Gallman-Findlay (Bahawalpur Royals), George Thomas (Mardan Warriors), Luc Martin Benkenstein (Gwadar Sharks), Shevon Daniel (Gujranwala Giants), Thomas Aspinwall (Gujranwala Giants), Nangeyalia Kharotai (Bahawalpur Royals) and Olly Cox (Mardan Warriors).

The players expressed their excitement at playing the PJL in the presence of some of the greats of the game who would be working as mentors during the tournament.

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).

Nangeyalia Kharotai – Bahawalpur Royals: “This is a great opportunity for us at this new and exciting platform for young players from around the world. I aim to help my team win the tournament and work closely with my mentor Imran Tahir who is a legend of the game and has a great experience of leagues and T20 format around the world.”

Thomas Aspinwall – Gujranwala Giants: “The Pakistan Junior League is a great initiative and I am thrilled to be a part of this tournament. At Gujranwala Giants we have Shoaib Malik as our mentor who is a T20 legend. I look forward to talking to him and taking his guidance which will help me in my future cricket. There are also some wonderful mentors with the rest of the teams and I look forward to chatting with them.”

Joseph Eckland – Gwadar Sharks: “This is an exciting time for all of us and I am really looking forward to playing the Pakistan Junior League for the Gwadar Sharks. We have an all-time legend of the game Sir Vivian Richards as our mentor his presence will be a huge motivation for me and my team. There are some incredible mentors in other sides and it will be great to interact with them.”

James Ross Wood – Hyderabad Hunters: “The Pakistan Junior League is a very exciting platform and I can’t wait for the tournament to begin. I am delighted to be here in Lahore and look forward to joining my team. Our mentor is Daren Sammy who has won T20 World Cups, he is one of the greats of this format and I am keen on spending time with him and learning all about this format of the game.”

Archie Lenham – Mardan Warriors: “I am delighted to be here in Lahore for the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Junior League. There is so much to gain for all our youngsters and I am looking forward to picking the brains of Shahid Afridi who is our team mentor. Imran Tahir is another mentor I would be interested to talk to as he is also a wonderful leg-spinner and I want to develop that skill of mine.”

Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar – Rawalpindi Raiders: “I am excited about playing the Pakistan Junior League for the Rawalpindi Raiders. I aim to give winning performances for my side while working closely with our mentor Colin Munro, I am looking forward to joining the team and making my presence felt in the tournament.”

The teams will practice for four days leading up to the tournament opener between Gujranwala Giants and Mardan Warriors which will be played from 2000 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

Lahore, September 27, 2022 (PPI-OT):The advertisers are dressing up the iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday. The production crew is zipping between the FC College and Pavilion End to lay their equipment at the designated areas. The hour has arrived – England are in the city to play their first match in Lahore since December 2005, an ODI affair they lost by seven wickets, and they play Pakistan tomorrow (Wednesday) in the fifth of the seven T20Is.

Pakistan and England arrived in the city yesterday afternoon after four riveting T20Is in Karachi. After what will go down as the comeback for the ages by Pakistan, the series stands level at 2-2 and it is upon Lahore, fondly referred to as the ‘heart of the country’ in the subcontinent literature, to decide the winners.

Heavy afternoon showers deprived the two sides of a first look at the ground, so they enter match five with a few unknowns, something that promises to add spice to tomorrow’s face-off.

The four Karachi matches were played in front of full houses, and the Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan’s home of cricket, promises the same electric atmosphere.

Pakistan enter the Lahore leg with momentum behind them after they pulled off a miraculous three-run victory in the final over, courtesy extraordinary death over bowling from Haris Rauf and an acrobatic Shan Masood run out.

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan – the most successful opening pair in the history of T20Is – were phenomenal in Karachi, accumulating 50 runs inside powerplay in three of the four matches.

Babar brought an end to a string of low scores in the second T20I with an incredible century in what was the highest run chase without losing a wicket and Rizwan – who has scored the most runs in the format since the start of 2021 – comes to Lahore after smashing three half-centuries in four matches. The wicketkeeper is the leading run-getter in the series with 252 at 84 runs per dismissal and a strike rate of over 142.

Shan scored his maiden half-century in just his second innings – albeit in a losing cause. But, Shan reaching the 50-run mark in just 28 balls augurs well for Pakistan.

Babar will hope that Haris continues to do what he had done in the last four matches. The fast bowler took six wickets – the most in the series to date – at a staggering economy of 7.75, considering he bowls in the powerplay and death.

It is England’s youngsters who have been one of the talking points in this series. Twenty-three-year-old Harry Brook rose to the occasion in the first T20I and helped England chase down a whirlwind 25-ball 42 not out, and he partnered with Ben Duckett in the third to set the largest total to be scored at the venue and script England’s eventual 63-run win.

The fact that the series is playing the build-up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup adds more flavour as the two teams finalise their combinations ahead of the all-important tournament. Both teams fly out immediately after the seventh match – Pakistan fly to New Zealand to play the hosts and Bangladesh in a tri-series and England take on Australia in Australia.

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

Lahore, September 27, 2022 (PPI-OT):Pakistan women’s team will fly out from Lahore for Bangladesh via Dubai in the wee hours of 28 September to feature in ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup. The seven-team tournament will be played in Sylhet, Bangladesh from October 1, the final of the tournament will be played on 15 October.

The Bismah Maroof-led side had practiced and trained for 10 days at the Lahore Country Club, Muridke. The players went through rigorous nets sessions and scenario-based matches, besides undergoing bowling and batting drills.

Captain Bismah Maroof: “Our previous series didn’t go well, so we will try to rebuild our side and restart our winning streak. Our coaches have worked really hard on players in the camp and we will try to execute the practice in the matches in the tournament.

“The tournament format is such that it provides a number of matches to the players which will ultimately help us to get ourselves ready for next year’s World Cup. We will not be complacent, every team in the tournament will come fully prepared, and we will try to produce good results.

“Match against India is an important match, but before that we have other games. We will try to gain momentum in the tournament, and once it is with us, we will look forward to the game against India.”

Before the Muridke camp, right-arm pacer Fatima Sana was ruled out of the tournament due to ankle injury. When asked how much she will be missed in the tournament, Bismah replied, “Fatima has remained a vital part of the side, her absence is a setback for us, but at the same time it is a great opportunity for other players to step up and play a role in winning matches for the side.”

The seven-team tournament format is such that each team will play the other once before the top four sides qualifying for the semi-finals. The final of the tournament will be played on 15 October. Pakistan will play their opening match of the tournament against Malaysia at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on 2 October. Pakistan will take on arch-rivals India on 7 October.

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

Lahore, September 27, 2022 (PPI-OT):The first phase of the Engro Cricket Coaching Project under the PCB Pathway Programme concluded at the National High Performance Centre, Lahore today. The revolutionary cricket camp aimed at delivering world class coaching, training and grooming for the future generation of Pakistan cricket lasted one month.

The camp included 100 top performers of the PCB organized U13, U16 and U19 players. Renowned foreign coaches Gordon Parsons (fast bowling), Julian Wood (power-hitting), Julien Fountain (fielding), Nick Webb (strength and conditioning coach) and Toby Radford (batting coach) worked on enhancing the skills, temperament and technique of the participants while providing tactical awareness through various workshops and lectures held throughout the camp.

The foreign coaches were supported by PCB employed local coaches including former Pakistan stars Arshad Khan, Ijaz Ahmed (Jnr) and Rao Iftikhar.

Director High Performance Nadeem Khan: “I am delighted with the progress we have made in a short span of time at the pathway level. I want to thank Engro and all our supporters who have remained aligned with us on our aims and objectives for the next generation of our cricket stars.

“The first phase of the PCB Pathway Programme has remained a big success with the involvement of Gordon Parsons, Julian Wood, Julien Fountain, Nick Webb and Toby Radford who are all proven coaches at the pathway and senior levels. I am sure that the participants would have learned a lot from these coaches and their experience and skills would have also helped our local coaches who worked with them closely throughout the camp.

“Four of these coaches [Parsons, Wood, Fountain and Radford] will now be involved in the Pakistan Junior League from next week, their involvement will help them ascertain the development of the players they coached at the Engro Cricket Coaching Project.

“The pathway programme was linked with the PJL for this precise reason as we wanted to provide the players both a top-class camp environment as well as a world-class tournament platform for them to test their skills alongside some of the best junior talent in the cricketing world.”

The players who took part in the camp will now head home for a break. The players selected for the Pakistan Junior League will return to Lahore to join their respective PJL sides on 1 October.

The second phase of the camp is being planned for later this year. The details will be announced in due course. All five foreign coaches will also be engaged in the second-phase of the camp.

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

Lahore, September 26, 2022 (PPI-OT):A total of 27 women U19 cricketers will undergo skills and fitness training at the Inzamam-ul-Haq High Performance Centre, Multan in the U19 High Performance Skills Camp, which begins on 27 September.

Over the course of the 13-day camp, these 27 players will train under the supervision of the academy coaches, the camp will be headed by former Test cricketer Mohsin Kamal. The regional academy coaches include Muhammad Kamran Hussain, Tahir Mehmood and Jawad Hamid.

This camp serves an opportunity to the coaches to work on the skills of U19 cricketers and identify players for the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s World Cup to be staged in South Africa in January next year.

The players will report at the Inzamam-ul-Haq High Performance Centre later in the evening.

Head of Women Cricket, Tania Mallick: “We had organised talent hunt programme across the country from which we were able to create six cricket associations teams at the U19 level and organised a T20 tournament recently in Muridke. From the tournament we were able to select 27 players which will undergo a camp at the Inzamam-ul-Haq High Performance Centre in Multan.

“The objective of this camp is to enhance the skills of the players so we are better prepared to select a squad for next year’s ICC U19 Women’s World Cup in South Africa.”

Player names (in alphabetical order):

Abeera Kaleem, Aliza Sabir, Anosha Nasir, Aqsa Hafeez, Aqsa Yousaf, Areesha Noor, Azra Abibullah, Dina Razvi, Eman Fatima, Eyman Fatima, Haleema Azeem Dar, Haniah Ahmer, Javeria Qamar, Laiba Nasir, Maham Anees, Mahnoor Bibi, Muskan Abid, Noor Fatima, Quratulain Ahsen, Rida Aslam, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Syeda Aroob Shah, Syeda Taskyn Fatima, Tahzeeb Shah, Warda Yousaf, Zaib-Un-Nisa and Zamina Tahir

Support Staff: Mohsin Kamal (head coach), Jawad Hamid (assistant coach), Muhammad Kamran Hussain (assistant coach), Tahir Mehmood (assistant coach), Aisha Jalil (manager), Rabia Siddiq (Physiotherapist), Mohammad Usman Shahid (Performance Analyst) and Saboor Ahmed (Strength and Conditioning Coach)

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

Lahore, September 26, 2022 (PPI-OT):After the successful completion of the National T20 and Cricket Associations T20, the 2022-23 season enters into next phase with two red-ball tournaments – the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and Cricket Associations Championship – beginning from Tuesday, 27 September.

The squads for both tournaments have been finalised by national men’s chief selector, Muhammad Wasim, in consultation with the six Cricket Associations.

Yasir Shah, Azhar Ali, Khalid Usman, Umar Amin, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Hasan Ali will lead Balochistan, Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern, Sindh and Southern Punjab in the two-month Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, in which each team will play the other twice in the 10-round group stage.

The first five round matches will be played at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium. Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan along with Abbottabad’s and Rawalpindi’s stadiums will be part of the remaining five round matches. The final of the tournament will be played from 26 to 30 November. The venue for the final will be announced in due course.

The PCB that has recently increased the match fees for its players featuring in the domestic cricket as part of its efforts to incentivise and reward top-performing cricketers, has put PKR17million on offer for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with the champion side grabbing PKR10million and runner-up bagging PKR5million. The top-performers – player of the tournament, best batter, best bowler and best wicketkeeper – will pocket PKR 500,000 each. The player of the final will be awarded PKR 50,000.

The first eight-round matches from Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi will be captured by nine High-Definition cameras and beamed across the globe through PCB’s official YouTube channel. The live-stream schedule for the last two rounds will be shared in due course, while the final will be televised on PTV Sports.

The squads of all six Cricket Associations are below. The defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will take on Balochistan at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad in their opening match of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Cricket Associations Championship, in which the second XI sides of the six Cricket Associations feature, will also begin from 27 September and will be played on the double round robin basis. In order to bring more competitiveness, the PCB, has introduced four-day matches instead of the usual three-day for the tournament.

The matches will be played from 27 September to 23 November at different venues of Karachi, while Bugti Stadium in Quetta will host three matches from sixth to eight round. Sindh – the defending champions will take on Central Punjab at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi in their opening round match.

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 squads:

Balochistan – Yasir Shah (c), Azeem Ghumman, Haris Sohail, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Akif Javed, Ali Waqas, Ammad Butt, Asad Shafiq, Ayaz Tasawar, Haseebullah, Hussain Talat, Imran Butt, Kashif Bhatti, Khurram Shehzad and Taj Wali

Central Punjab – Azhar Ali (c), Aamir Yameen, Abdullah Shafiq, Abid Ali, Ahmed Daniyal, Ahmed Shahzad, Ali Shan, Hunain Shah, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Saad, Qasim Akram, Tayyab Tahir, Umaid Asif, Usama Mir and Waqas Maqsood

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Khalid Usman (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Adil Amin, Arshad Iqbal, Arshad Ullah, Ihsanullah, Imran Khan Snr, Irfanullah Shah, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Nabi Gul, Rehan Afridi, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan and Waqar Ahmed

Northern – Umar Amin (c), Abdul Faseh, Ather Mehmood, Faizan Riaz, Kashif Ali, Mehran Mumtaz, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Huraira, Musa Khan, Nauman Ali, Rohail Nazir, Sarmad Bhatti, Umer Waheed, Waqas Ahmed and Zeeshan Malik

Sindh – Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Abrar Ahmed, Asif Mehmood, Fawad Alam, Ghulam Mudassar, Khurram Manzoor, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Asghar, Muhammad Umar, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saad Khan, Saim Ayub, Saud Shakeel, Syed Faraz Ali and Zahid Mahmood

Southern Punjab – Hasan Ali (c), Ahmed Bashir, Ali Usman, Hassan Khan, Imran Rafiq, Maqbool Ahmad, Muhammad Ilyas, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Salman Ali Agha, Sameen Gull, Sharoon Siraj, Umer Siddique, Usman Salahuddin, Yousaf Baber and Zain Abbas

Cricket Associations Championship 2022-23 squads:

Balochistan – Bismillah Khan (c), Aftab Ahmed, Fahad Iqbal, Gohar Faiz, Hazrat Wali, Jalat Khan, Muhammad Ibrahim Snr., Muhammad Junaid, Muhammad Shahid, Najeebullah Achakzai, Nasir Khan, Raza-ul Hassan, Shehbaz Khan, Taimur Ali and Tariq Jameel

Central Punjab – Saif Badar (c), Abdul Sammad, Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Ali Shafiq, Ali Zaryab, Ameer Hamza, Bilal Asif, Bilawal Iqbal, Fahad Munir, Imran Dogar, Irfan Khan Niazi, Muhammad Waheed, Nisar Ahmed, Rizwan Hussain and Umar Akmal

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Israrullah (c), Adil Naz, Amir Azmat, Maaz Ahmed Sadaqat, Maaz Khan, Mehran Ibrahim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohsin Khan, Muhammad Bilal, Muhammad Imran, Niaz Khan, Saqib Jamil, Usman Tariq, Zeeshan Khan and Zubair Khan

Northern – Umair Masood (c), Ali Imran, Ali Sarfraz, Aqib Liaquat, Hassan Raza, Mohammad Arham, Mohammad Ismail, Munir Riaz, Nasir Nawaz, Shadab Majeed, Syed Aqib Shah, Taimur Sultan, Umar Khan, Zaman Khan and Ziad Khan

Sindh – Hassan Mohsin (c), Ammad Alam, Arish Ali Khan, Asif Ali Jnr, Danish Aziz, Junaid Ilyas, Kashif Iqbal, Majid Asghar, Mohammad Taha, Muhammad Ali Khan, Muhammad Hassan, Muhammad Suleman, Rameez Aziz, Shehzar Mohammad and Tabish Khan

Southern Punjab – Moinuddin (c), Abdul Rehman Muzammil, Faisal Akram, Humayun Altaf, Majid Ali, Mohammad Sadaqat, Muhammad Jahangir, Muhammad Junaid Awan, Muhammad Shehzad, Muhammad Umair, Rahat Ali, Rameez Alam, Tahir Hussain, Waqar Hussain and Zeeshan Ashraf

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