Tag: PCB

Lahore, December 28, 2021 (PPI-OT):Pakistan’s top-order women batter Bismah Maroof has confirmed her availability for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 and will participate in warm-up matches to be held in Karachi as part of the side’s selection and preparation for the New Zealand event that will take place from 4 March to 3 April 2022.

Bismah, who has played 108 ODIs and T20Is each in a career that started in 2006, commenced her maternity leave in December 2020 and gave birth to a baby girl in August 2021. Bismah has already been re-integrated into cricketing activities and has resumed fitness sessions as part of her post-childbirth rehabilitation at the National High-Performance Centre. She will soon commence net practice after overcoming a thumb injury.

Bismah Maroof: “The past few months have been the best of my life. Becoming a mother and spending time with my daughter has given me immense pleasure, but it is now time to return to my passion of representing Pakistan at an international stage.

“The maternity leave helped me realise the significance of navigating the balance of raising a child and maintaining my professional cricketing career as I missed being on the field each time I saw the girls in action. But thanks to the PCB Parental Support Policy, which has greatly facilitated my return to cricket, I can now resume my ambitions and aspirations of playing for Pakistan and hope to make a useful contribution in our target of doing well in New Zealand.”

Under the policy, if Bismah is selected, she will be allowed to be accompanied by her dependent child and one support person of her choice.

Bismah will be one of the 36 probables who will feature in a seven-match tri-series at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre from 10-19 January. The women players will be split into two squads and will be joined by a local boys’ side with the New Zealand-bound squad to be named on 25 January.

Meanwhile, the PCB has confirmed Urooj Mumtaz has stepped down as Chair of Women’s Selection Committee to focus on her professional commitments as well as to pursue other opportunities within the game. Asmavia Iqbal has been named as the new head of the selection panel and will be assisted by junior selection committee members Saleem Jaffar and Taufeeq Umar.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “I want to thank Urooj Mumtaz for her contributions as Chair of the Pakistan Women’s Selection Committee. You worked diligently in your role for which the PCB is grateful and indebted. We wish you best for your future endeavours.”

Urooj Mumtaz: “It has been a wonderful experience to head the selection committee and contribute in the growth and progression of women’s cricket. I am grateful for the opportunity and thank all my colleagues, while wishing the team the very best in the 2022 international commitments and beyond.”

Urooj was appointed Chair of the selection committee in March 2019.

Probables for practice matches:

Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Anoosha Nasir, Ayesha Bilal, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Nahida Khan, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fareeha Mehmood, Fatima Sana Khan, Ghulam Fatima (subject to fitness), Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Javeria Rauf, Javeria Khan, Kainat Hafeez, Kainat Imtiaz (subject to fitness), Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Ramin Shameem, Saba Nazir, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Saima Malik, Sidra Ameen, Sidra Nawaz, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani

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

Karachi, December 28, 2021 (PPI-OT):An important meeting regarding promotion of cricket in Sindh was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah at Sindh Secretariat last week. The meeting was attended by Chairman Sindh Cricket Association Imran Husain, PCB Director High Performance Nadeem Khan, GM Domestic Cricket PCB Junaid Zia, Secretary Sports Department Akhtar Bhurgari, Secretary College Education Khalid Haider Shah and all the divisional commissioners.

In the meeting, the PCB officials announced that the PCB is going to organize Sindh School Cricket League in the province from February next year with the cooperation of Sindh government. In the first phase, 239 matches would be played in 30 districts of the province.

PCB officials added that 240 school level teams and 3850 players will be part of the Sindh School Cricket League. In the second phase, 24 matches will be played between 30 teams at divisional level. In the third phase, five matches will be played between six teams in Sindh Championship.

In the meeting, PCB officials added that the kind of talent that has emerged in cricket from Sindh is remarkable and PCB will now go to the district level in search of talent hunt. In the meeting, Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah said that Sindh government would provide full support to the PCB.

Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah further added that the Sindh School Cricket league would cost PKR 27 million which would be provided by Sindh government. During the meeting it was decided that cricket grounds across the Sindh province would be refurbished and rehabilitated by the Sindh government in collaboration with the PCB. Sindh Government will provide PKR 91 million and PCB will spend PKR 57 million annually in the maintenance of 17 grounds.

Various cricket grounds in Karachi, Hyderabad, Badin, Jamshoro, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Shikarpur and Sukkur will be restored and developed and provided facilities like advance pitch roller, nets, hybrid pitch, dressing rooms and Manual/electric score boards in all these grounds.

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

Karachi, December 27, 2021 (PPI-OT):Northern’s Mohammad Huraira has been fined 20 percent of his match fee for a level 1 offence for showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during the ongoing pink-ball final of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 fixture against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the National Stadium, Karachi.

Huraira in the 22nd over of the innings before being out LBW by the umpire showed his bat and expressed his disappointment before leaving the crease. As such, he was found to have violated Article 2.8 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.

On-field umpires Asif Yaqoob and Faisal Khan Afridi levelled the charge on the batter, who accepted the sanction proposed by match-referee Nadeem Arshad.

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, December 24, 2021 (PPI-OT):Daraz on Friday submitted the highest bid, pursuant to a public tender process, to live-stream HBL Pakistan Super League 2022 and 2023 in Pakistan, which sees a walloping increase of 175 per cent from the value for the last two years.

The live-streaming bid submission comes a day after the TV rights bid submitted by the consortium of ARY and PTV at 50 per cent more than the last two years’ broadcast rights value, to showcase the seventh and eighth editions of the HBL PSL in Pakistan.

PCB Acting Chief Executive Salman Naseer: “The growing interest of the bidders and the exponential increase in their offerings is a testimony to how big the brand of HBL Pakistan Super League has become.

“In today’s digital age, live-streaming plays a crucial role in the growth and promotion of sports, and I am sure that the next two editions of the HBL Pakistan Super League will attract even more eye balls, with the ease of access to the action. I congratulate and thank Daraz for their trust in the HBL PSL.”

Daraz Chief Marketing Officer Ammar Hassan: “We are proud to have made the highest offer to acquire the digital streaming rights for HBL Pakistan Super League 2022-23. We want to be the number one digital platform of Pakistan. With more than 25-million plus monthly active users, Daraz wants to bring democracy of entertainment and shopping to rest of digital population of Pakistan.

“Whole of Pakistan will be able to stream the matches on Daraz App for free and enjoy great prices on 20million-plus products. HBL PSL is the flagship brand for Pakistan cricket and we want to take it to the next level giving it nationwide availability.”

The seventh edition of HBL Pakistan Super League will kick off at Karachi’s National Stadium on 27 January when defending champions Multan Sultans play 2020 edition’s winners Karachi Kings. The event will conclude in Lahore on 27 February with the final at Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan’s home of cricket.

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

Karachi, December 24, 2021 (PPI-OT):The five-day Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 pink-ball, day-night final will be contested by Northern and the joint-defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the National Stadium, Karachi from Saturday.

The National Stadium staged the dramatic finale of the previous season between Central Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which ended in a tie. Another absorbing final between two balanced and well matched sides is expected from Saturday.

After an action packed Karachi-leg of Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament, Northern and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa edged out Sindh to claim the top two spots in the six team points table.

Northern topped the table with 152 points from 10 matches (four wins, four draws, two defeats). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sealed the second spot with a tally of 150 points from their 10 games (four wins, five draws, one defeat).

Sindh who were on top of the points table leading into the last two rounds, lost their way at the end and despite winning their 10th and final fixture against Southern Punjab finished with 143 points (four wins, five draws, one defeat).

The tournament came to life in the Karachi-leg after the Punjab-leg produced a single result in the first 15 matches.

Conversely, 14 out of the 15 matches played across three Karachi venues –NBP Sports Complex, State Bank Stadium and UBL Sports Complex, produced results as the teams fought tooth and nail for securing the two final spots.

Northern captain Nauman Ali: “We have peaked at the right time and due to an all-round effort secured a spot in the final. I have been hugely impressed by the fight shown by our young players in the final few rounds which resulted in us topping the table. The pink-ball final though will be a different challenge for players from both sides with conditions expected to change especially under the lights.

“However, I am confident that we possess the skills and the depth in our squad to compete at our best against a formidable side like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Iftikhar Ahmed: “This year’s tournament has proven to be as competitive as the previous two editions in the revamped domestic system. I am really pleased about our performances and how we have managed to secure a place in the final despite stiff competition. Our batters and bowlers have done admirably and raised the level of their game especially in the Karachi-leg which has produced results in almost every game.

“The pink-ball under the lights will be a big challenge for both sides and it in a way even things out. It is a bit of an unknown for both set of players so I feel the first two days will be crucial for both teams as they will seek to gain early advantage. I have full confidence in my players and I think they will rise up to the challenge as we seek our fifth consecutive domestic title across the three formats.”

Top performers:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa owe much of their top order and batting success to opener Sahibzada Farhan who presently occupies the number one spot in the run scorers chart with an impressive 924-run tally at 57.75 (three centuries, five half-centuries).

If Farhan manages to score 76 more runs in the final, he will achieve the 1000-run milestone for the season. Northern’s Mohammad Huraira has had a dream start to his first-class career, the 19-year-old right-hander who represented Pakistan in last year’s U19 World Cup in South Africa, has amassed 878 runs (three centuries, three half-centuries) in his debut season including a sensational 311 against Balochistan in the 10th and final round.

Huraira currently occupies the second spot behind Farhan, Southern Punjab’s Tayyab Tahir finished the tournament with 811 runs at 47.71.

Amongst the bowlers, Southern Punjab’s left-arm-spinner Ali Usman finished with 43 wickets and is likely to finish as the top wicket-taker of the season.

Usman is followed by Central Punjab’s pacer Mohammad Ali and Sindh’s seasoned fast bowler Sohail Khan with 32 and 30 wickets respectively.

Between the two finalists, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pacer Sameen Gul is the leading wicket-taker with 29. Northern’s promising all-rounder Mubasir Khan has taken 25 wickets.

Prize money:

Winner – PKR 10,000,000/-

Runner Up – PKR 5,000,000/-

Best Batter – PKR 500,000/-

Best Bowler – PKR 500,000/-

Best Wicketkeeper – PKR 500,000/-

Player of the Tournament – PKR 500,000/-

Player of the final – PKR 50,000/-

Match officials:

On-field umpires: Asif Yaqoob and Faisal Afridi

TV umpire: Rashid Riaz

Reserve umpire: Imtiaz Iqbal

Match Referee: Nadeem Arshad

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, December 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):Cricket fans in Pakistan will be able to watch the seventh and eighth editions of the HBL Pakistan Super League on A Sports and PTV Sports after a consortium of ARY and PTV submitted the highest bid, pursuant to a public tender process, for a TV broadcast deal with the Pakistan Cricket Board for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

The consortium of ARY and PTV submitted the highest bid, which is an increase of 50 per cent increase from the last cycle.

That the bid has such a whopping increase is because of the broadcasters’ interest in showcasing the Pakistan cricket stars, who have enjoyed a terrific run in international cricket recently, and the Pakistan Cricket Board’s efforts to galvanise the sport’s fan base.

Babar Azam’s side has won 12 of their last 13 completed T20Is to finish 2021 with record 20 wins in the short format, the most for any international side.

PCB Acting CEO Salman Naseer: “The extraordinary interest and increase in the TV broadcast rights of the HBL Pakistan Super League underscores how popular the tournament has become despite being launched just six years ago.

“I want to thank the consortium of ARY and PTV for valuing the biggest product of Pakistan cricket, which has become a source of inspiration for thousands of young children to take up the sport.”

ARY Group CEO Salman Iqbal: “I am overjoyed to have bid the highest amount for HBL Pakistan Super League TV broadcast rights for the next two seasons. I have always supported Pakistan and Pakistan’s cricket. It is an honour for me to have exceeded the reserve price for the broadcast rights and a source of joy to know this significant amount will go toward the growth of Pakistan cricket.”

PTV Managing Director Amir Manzoor: “PTV has always supported Pakistan cricket and I am proud to announce that we will once again be a part of broadcasting and promoting Pakistan’s own league, the HBL Pakistan Super League.”

This development comes following the PCB’s efforts to broadcast its marquee event around the globe. Previously, the board joined hands with Willow TV (North America), Flow Sports (Caribbean), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sky Sport (New Zealand) and Super Sport (Africa) to broadcast its international home season and HBL Pakistan Super League from 2021 till 2023.

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