Tag: PCB

Lahore, December 12, 2021 (PPI-OT):Pakistan Cricket Board and Arif Habib Group today signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the installation of drop-in pitches. This partnership is aligned to PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja’s vision of improving the quality of pitches, which, in turn, will help budding cricketers to improve their techniques and produce improved performances on overseas tours.

The partnership was signed between the Arif Habib Group and the PCB during the HBL Pakistan Super League 7 draft.

The Arif Habib Group, as part of their commitment to contribute to Pakistan Cricket by improving cricket facilities and infrastructure, will sponsor two drop-in pitches and has also offered the PCB access to its cricket stadium, which is located in the Naya Nazimabad area in Karachi.

As per the agreement, Arif Habib Group will install drop-in pitches at Naya Nazimabad Cricket Stadium and one more at a location to be identified and confirmed by the PCB in due course. The process for the procurement of drop-in pitches is expected to be completed in 2022.

Once the upgradation is complete, the PCB will host and organise domestic matches at the Naya Nazimabad Stadium including U19 and women’s matches while practice sessions and exhibition matches for the HBL Pakistan Super League franchises can also be staged at the stadium from the 2023 edition onwards.

Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja: “The installation of drop-in pitches is surely going to benefit our players both at the domestic and international levels. Over the years, we have struggled to cope with the extra bounce and pace that some of the pitches in Australia and New Zealand provide.

“Despite abundance of talent and ability, we are yet to win an away Test series in Australia while our record in New Zealand has also taken a beating in recent trips. I want to thank Mr Arif Habib for coming forward and helping us in this regard.

“The Arif Habib Group has a keen interest in cricket which is apparent from the quality cricket facility that they are developing in Karachi. I am sure both PCB and Arif Habib Group will mutually benefit from this agreement in the years to come, as this deal has enormous potential that will come to fruition in due course.”

Chairman Arif Habib Group, Arif Habib: “We are delighted to partner with the PCB for the exciting drop-in pitches plan which will help our present and future stars especially while preparing for the challenges of playing and performing abroad.

“The Arif Habib Group is fully aligned with the PCB’s vision. Soon after taking charge Chairman Ramiz Raja met us in Karachi and we were impressed with his vision for Pakistan cricket which made us commit to this initiative as we believe this is a new beginning for cricket and the cricket economy in the country.

“We have already taken significant steps for the game of cricket as we know it is the passion point for the entire country; the Naya Nazimabad Cricket Stadium is a testament of our commitment to the cause. After this collaboration with the PCB, we will step-up our efforts to ensure that the stadium meets the requirements of top-cricket in terms of the pitches, outfield, infrastructure and spectator comfort so that the stadium can host exciting cricket games.”

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 11, 2021 (PPI-OT):The ninth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 season begins at three Karachi venues from Sunday with Sindh leading the points table with 102 points.

Sindh will take on Central Punjab in their ninth-round fixture at the State Bank Stadium, Karachi will be live-streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel.

The top team in the points table will be eying to make a comeback after going down to Northern by an innings in their eight-round match. Ahsan Ali, who recently turned 28 is currently on the third number in the batting charts with 641 runs. Among the bowlers Sohail Khan is on the third spot with 24 wickets from six matches.

Meanwhile, joint defending champions Central Punjab who currently sit at number four will try to repeat their previous round performance. The Mohammad Saad-led side defeated bottom placed Balochistan by five wickets. Saad who spearheaded the successful chase with an unbeaten knock of 63 is placed fifth in the batting charts with 610 runs from eight matches. In the bowling department, Central Punjab will be relying on the 29-year old right-arm pacer Mohammad Ali, who from six outings in the tournament has gathered 25 scalps.

Southern Punjab plays Northern at the NBP Sports Complex, Karachi.

Southern Punjab is currently positioned at number five in the points table with 90 points, while Northern is occupied on the third spot with 101 points. Northern will be hoping to capitalise over the previous round win against table-toppers Sindh. Win against Southern Punjab will provide them a chance to jump inside the top two before going into the final round.

On the other hand, Southern Punjab will be pinning their hopes on right-handed batter Tayyab Tahir to continue to score runs for them. The 28-year old is currently placed second on the batting charts, scoring 685 runs from eight matches. In the bowling charts, Southern Punjab’s Ali Usman leads with 31 wickets from seven matches.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to play Balochistan at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi.

Second on the points table, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be eying valuable bonus batting and bowling points and a win over the sixth-placed Balochistan when the two sides clash in the ninth-round fixture.

Both sides played out a drawn game in their previous outing in this season in the fourth-round match held at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.

The right-handed batter Sahibzada Farhan will be the key for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as he is leading the tournament’s batting charts with 860 runs from eight matches.

In the bowling department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will rely on the left-arm spin of Asif Afridi, who currently sits on number eight in the bowling charts with 20 wickets from five matches.

Balochistan would be hoping that Shan Masood – centurion for them from the last two rounds continues to score some runs in the ninth-round.

Ninth-round fixtures:

Southern Punjab vs Northern – NBP Sports Complex, Karachi

Sindh vs Central Punjab – State Bank Stadium, Karachi

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Balochistan – UBL Sports Complex, Karachi

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 11, 2021 (PPI-OT):The HBL Pakistan Super League Player Draft 2022 will take place at the High Performance Centre in Lahore on Sunday, 12 December 2021.

Below is important information for media attending or following the event:

Event time – The event will commence inside the Bob Woolmer Indoor School at 1600PST, with the guests expected to arrive from 1500PST.

Remaining picks – Below are the details of remaining picks, while the updated pick-order is attached. Media releases from Thursday and Friday available here and here, respectively.

Teams – Platinum – Diamond – Gold – Silver – Emerging – Supplementary

Islamabad United – 1 – 1 – 0 – 4 – 2 – up to 2

Karachi Kings – 1 – 1 – 0 – 4 – 2 – up to 2

Lahore Qalandars – 1 – 0 – 3 – 2 – 2 – up to 2

Multan Sultans – 1 – 1 – 0 – 5 – 2 – up to 2

Peshawar Zalmi – 1 – 0 – 1 – 4 – 2 – up to 2

Quetta Gladiators – 1 – 1 – 0 – 5 – 2 – up to 2

Media opportunities – Franchise representatives are expected to visit the media working area for brief news conferences/interviews during or after the draft. At the end of the media interactions, unedited broadcast quality video clips will be provided to respected members of the media.

Media facilities – A dedicated media working area has been set-up. This will include live-feed from inside the Bob Woolmer Indoor School, desk seats, power-points, high-speed internet, water/tea/coffee and snacks.

Live-coverage – Live-streaming of the draft will be available on the HBL PSL YouTube Channel, while pick announcements will also be made through the HBL PSL social media platforms.

Photos and media release – Photographs of the event will be available for free download and editorial use here. At the end of the event, the PCB will put out a media release, which will include final squads and quotes.

Media accreditation – Due to limited space inside the venue, only PCB-accredited Reporters will be granted access, which will be through an event accreditation device following the display of their PCB accreditation pass. The event accreditation passes will be available for collection from outside the venue from 1400PST. For further information, please contact Mr Raza Kitchlew (03018440280)

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 11, 2021 (PPI-OT):Cricket fans from every corner of the globe will now be able to watch Babar Azam’s side in action against the West Indies as the Pakistan Cricket Board enters a partnership with ICC TV. The partnership – part of the PCB’s efforts to increase its broadcast reach – will allow fans residing in the non-broadcast partner territories (Australia, Mainland Europe, South East Asia and rest of the world, complete list below) to watch the most successful T20I side of the year in action.

ICC TV is available on web and android and iOS supported mobile devices. The countries where the West Indies tour of Pakistan can be watched live on ICC TV are: Andorra, Antarctica, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bouvet Island, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Island, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, East Timor, Ecuador, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe islands, Finland, France, French Guiana, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guyana, Heard Island, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgystan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Caledonia, North Korea, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Vietnam and Venezeula

The PCB, through its strategic planning, previously signed broadcast deals with Etisalat (Middle-East and North Africa), Flow Sports (Caribbean), Sky NZ (New Zealand), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sony (South Asia outside Pakistan), Super Sports (Sub-Saharan Africa) and Willow TV (North America) to broadcast home international season and the HBL Pakistan Super League till 2023.

Fans in Pakistan can continue to live-stream all the action of the six white-ball matches on Daraz’s official app and listen to live commentary at FM106.2.

Pakistan and West Indies will lock horns in three T20Is and three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs from 13-22 December at the iconic National Stadium, Karachi.

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 10, 2021 (PPI-OT):Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mr Ramiz Raja has congratulated the national men’s team on a successful two-month tour of the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh on which they won eight of the nine T20Is and two Tests, adding empowering Babar Azam has yielded the desired results and has brought in consistency.

Pakistan, for the first time in history, won all group matches in an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to secure a semi-final berth, where they lost to eventual winners Australia following a thrilling contest. They then outclassed Bangladesh on their home in both the shortest and longest formats of the game, which also saw them gain 24 crucial ICC World Test Championship points.

“The Pakistan team has displayed wonderful cricket in Bangladesh, and I want to congratulate them for that,” Mr Ramiz Raja told PCB digital. “In terms of cricket, Bangladesh is a tough destination, because they curate pitches on which they nullify and neutralise big sides. They have firm grip on the spin department and they also play it very well.

“We must appreciate Pakistan for not losing the focus after the T20 World Cup and for their swift shift from the T20 to Test format. In the end, the results were outstanding. The dressing room atmosphere is good and everyone is playing for Pakistan in this side.

“People say that I am catalyst for this positive change in the team, but I want to emphasis on the fact that leadership matters. When you empower a leader and give him confidence then he starts to own everything; from decisions, team, performances to disasters. He becomes brave! Because there is nobody challenging him. His position is stable and he gets clarity.

“I told Babar Azam and the team that not to worry about results, especially before the India match. As I had said ‘I want to fix Pakistan cricket’s GPS’, it meant empowering the captain and instilling fearless cricket, which is why you are seeing a positive change in the team’s outlook.

“All the credit goes to this bunch as these people have to execute meticulously decision-making. Defeating Bangladesh was no mean task as they had defeated Australia and New Zealand. We won the crucial Test championship points with a dramatic win in the last Test.

This is what Pakistan’s cricket is; they create drama, they have unlimited potential, but they only lack consistency. But, now, we are seeing them becoming consistent. We have strong and challenging series coming up. I welcome West Indies to Pakistan, we have great form in T20Is, and are a mid-tier team in the ODIs as we are ranked fifth. As a mid-tier team, you can do a lot of experimentation. And after the HBL PSL, we have Australia coming.”

Mr Ramiz Raja also stated his desire to improve the quality of pitches at the grassroots, saying that the school and club cricket are the most important elements in Pakistan cricket. He said: “We have dearth of infrastructure and we need good pitches, because unless you have good quality pitches in domestic cricket you will not see strong performances.

“My mission statement is to make Pakistan beat Australia in Australia, South Africa in South Africa and New Zealand in New Zealand, and replicate those conditions where batting and even bowling gets difficult. Bowling on a bouncy track is not an easy task, as you have to adjust your lengths accordingly.

“We want to make school and club cricket competitive as they are artery of cricket in the country. Our bowlers cannot bowl with spikes in these two formats, so I have spoken with the manufactures in the UK for hybrid pitches and we will lay a web of such wickets in the country.”

With the Covid-19 situation improving in the country, the National Command and Operations Centre has allowed 100 per cent seating capacity at the National Stadium for the upcoming three-T20I and three-ODI series between Pakistan and West Indies. To ensure that the fans have extraordinary experiences at stadia around Pakistan, Mr Ramiz Raja announced that the PCB will soon have a fan engagement department to look after the spectators.

“The fans are very respectable to us and that’s why we are opening up a department to cater them. We will better their viewing experience. We will provide the fans with better facilities at the stadium, including Wi-Fi during matches.

“We will have stalls to cater to fans during the HBL PSL 7, which will keep them engaged. We will also try to find commentary talent with the top commentators during the PSL. I will also join in to gauge talent. We will watch a video together and then I will ask you to commentate.” The PCB Chairman also unveiled his corporate vision to further strengthen Pakistan’s cricket product.

“My chairmanship will based on three pillars – organisational excellence, commercial excellence and cricketing excellence. Unless these three pillars come together, you will not see product. We want to build strong product, backed by sponsors and we will try our best to get the backing of the government as well.”

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 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