Day: June 21, 2022

Lahore, June 21, 2022 (PPI-OT):The ghosts of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final from a decade ago haunted Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi. Pakistan, in 1999, were tipped to be crowned 50-over champions for the second time in three World Cups, but their superlative campaign crashed with an eight-wicket defeat to Australia.

Pakistan, in 2009, were about to play another World Cup final at Lord’s, albeit in a different format. On the bright sunny morning of 21 June, Razzaq and Shahid, before heading to the ground, had vowed to do whatever they can to ensure the history does not repeat itself.

“Afridi and I were part of the team that lost to Australia in the World Cup final in 1999 at this very venue,” Razzaq told PCB Digital in a special interview to mark 13th anniversary of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup victory. “That was fresh in our minds. We spoke about how devastating a defeat in a world cup final can be. We promised each other that we will not let this final end as that one and alter the course of history.”

Pakistan had not won a World Cup in the last 17 years, and that remained the centre of team meetings. “The captain [Younis Khan] and the team management used to tell us how big of an opportunity this was to win a world cup and how this event in England provided us an opportunity to be heroes as there is a lot of hype surrounding cricket in that part of the world.

“After the win wherever we went – to stores or restaurants – people never let us pay the bills, saying we had given happiness to the country.”

The impact of the second World Cup win was massive in the country and Razzaq believes it played a role in increasing the fan base and attracting more people to the sport.

“I developed liking for cricket after the 1992 world cup win. That is when I decided to become a cricketer. Such events promote cricket amongst youngsters.”

Pakistan had a difficult start to their campaign with a heavy 48-run defeat to hosts England at The Oval. They thrashed Netherlands by 82 runs at Lord’s in their second and last group game to qualify for the next round. The next match, they crashed by 19 runs to Sri Lanka, whom they would meet in the final nine days later at the same venue. That would be Pakistan’s last defeat of the campaign.

A mesmerising spell of death bowling by Umar Gul, in which he claimed 5-6 to restrict New Zealand to 99 in 18.3 overs and Shahid Afridi’s epic catch of Scott Styris running backwards lifted the moral of the team. They self-belief and undying spirit that they attained from that match put them on a winning streak.

“His [Shahid Afridi’s] catch lifted the whole team,” recalled Razzaq. “Whenever a player gives such a performance, it gives confidence and boost to those who are in the field and also to those who are in the dug out. It instils hunger in every player to give the best.”

Pakistan opener and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal scored a brilliant half-century to help Pakistan settle the score with Ireland following their 50-over world cup defeat in 2007. He would provide the side quick and solid starts in the tournament, providing foundation for the batters coming in the middle to express themselves and was the leading run-scorer for his side.

Speaking about Kamran’s contributions, Razzaq said: “If an opener provides a solid start and plays positive and aggressive cricket, it sets a template for those who are to bat next. It sets the momentum for the remaining innings, and that is what Kamran Akmal did for us. He used to give us solid starts and the batters walking in next used to build on those starts.”

It was, however, the bowling where Pakistan outdid the oppositions. Three of the top five wicket-takers were Pakistanis with Umar Gul (13 at 12.15) leading the chart. Ajanta Mendis, Saeed Ajmal and Lasith Malinga were tied at 12 scalps apiece and Shahid Afridi accounted for 11 batters.

As the tournament progressed, it became a norm that the pair of Saeed and Shahid dried up the runs and took wickets in the middle overs, before Umar bulldozed the opposition line-ups in the death.

“The presence of Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi was one of the brightest aspects of our bowling unit. They were unplayable; they used to get us wickets and did not allow the oppositions to score, which created problems for whomever we faced. After them, Umar Gul used to come into the attack. He used to bowl his four overs, and especially in death, exceptionally. He did not give any chance to the opposition to score and got us wickets.”

Razzaq was called up as a replacement for an injured Yasir Arafat. He took the new ball for Pakistan, finishing with the figures of five for 74 in four matches, with his economy under six and average under 15.

His best figures of the tournament came in the final (three for 20 in three overs) and he accounted for bulk of the Sri Lankan batting department, snaring Sanath Jayasuria, Jehan Mubarak and Mahela Jayawardene.

One of the iconic moments of the final was when Razzaq fell after delivering the ball that Jayasuria chopped on. Razzaq injured himself, but his unrelenting passion made him stay on the field.

“I had decided to not to leave the field even after I had gotten injured,” he said. “I fell after bowling Jayasuria and it ruptured my muscle, but I did not want to leave the field as I still had an over left and the captain could need me any moment.”

Razzaq, who is currently the head coach of Central Punjab, enjoys an illustrious international career which spanned over 14 years. It is, however, the T20 World Cup triumph that he counts as the highlight of his career.

“Every player wants to have a moment about which he can be proud of. Winning the T20 world cup in 2009 is one such moment for me.”

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, June 21, 2022 (PPI-OT):The PCB General Body meeting took place at the National High Performance Centre on Monday, 20 June. In accordance with Clause 20 of the PCB Constitution 2019, the General Body considered and expressed their views on the audited accounts and PCB Annual Report, which are now available for viewing and downloading at the corporate website under Documents.

The General Body was also provided with a snapshot of Pakistan cricket and received a briefing on the steps and measures being taken to bolster Pakistan cricket’s foundations by strengthening grassroots cricket.

The General Body was informed the Pakistan men’s sides were presently ranked fifth in Tests and, third in ODIs and T20Is, while they are placed in fourth position on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, which is a qualifying event for the 2023 World Cup.

The General Body was updated on the busy and tough 2022-23 cricket season for the men’s side that includes the tour to Sri Lanka for two Tests and the ACC T20 Asia Cup, Netherlands for three ODIs and Australia for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in October. The subsequent home series includes split tours by England and New Zealand, while the West Indies will return for three T20Is in January/February 2023.

The women’s side will feature in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and T20 World Cups in South Africa, while their ICC Women’s Championship fixtures will be against Ireland at home and away in Australia.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja also announced rewards of PKR1million each for the Pakistan blind and deaf cricket teams in recognition of their performances at the international level. The General Body meeting was held following January’s elections of the Pakistan Deaf Cricket Association. This meant under Clause 24(1), the requisite quorum was available for convening the meeting.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja chaired the meeting, while Mr Syed Sultan Shah (Chairman, Pakistan Blind Cricket Council) and Mr Irfan Miraj (President, Deaf Cricket Association) also attended the meeting along with their office-bearers, who participated as observers on the special invitation of the PCB Chairman. PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain and Chief Operating Officer Barrister Salman Naseer also attended the meeting as ex-officio members.

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, June 21, 2022 (PPI-OT):Pakistan Cricket Board today announced 17 City Cricket Association sides of the Sindh Cricket Association and 14 City Cricket Associations of the Southern Punjab Cricket Association for the City Cricket Association Tournament 2022-23. The squads are available here.

The tournament commenced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan on 19 and 20 June. Sindh will host matches from Tuesday, 21 June, while matches in Central Punjab, Northern and Southern Punjab will begin from 24 June. The tournament will conclude on 21 July.

The sides in the Central Punjab and Northern cricket associations will be unveiled in due course.

The inter-city tournament is a pathway for selection for the Cricket Association sides who play four-day first-class, non first-class three-day, 50-over and 20-over competitions in the senior PCB domestic men’s season. The CCA squads have been selected through a robust process.

The performers of last year’s CCA tournament, players who have featured in last year’s CA U19 events and those who are not eligible to feature in future U19 tournaments have been selected. The remaining players were selected through open trials with preference given to performers of clubs’ winter league.

The winners from Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh CCAs will be declared after group leaders progress to the semi-final with the top two teams playing the final. In contrast, Balochistan, Northern and Southern Punjab CCAs will be divided into three groups each with group leaders to progress to the triangular series stage and the side with most points to be adjudged as winner.

According to the event format, each match will be of two days with 100 overs to be bowled each day in six hours and 40 minutes with a one-hour break from 1200-1300. To encourage positive and result-oriented cricket, first innings will be limited to 75 overs per side and no bowler shall bowl more than 15 overs in an innings.

Squads

Sindh Cricket Association

CCA Badin – Ali Zain, Anif Ahmed, Azlan Gul, Haris, Hassam, Muhammad Aslam, Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Khan, Muhammad Shafi, Nehal Ali Qureshi, Rahimullah Nizamani, Saqib Zahid, Sarmad Ali, Shahryar Ali, Shakeel Ahmed, Usama, Usama, Wali Ullah, Zeeshan Ali Shah and Zeeshan Gul

CCA Hyderabad – Abdul Rehman, Akbar Khan, Babar Khan, Dawood Khan, Fardeen, Fawad Ahmed, Gul Badin, Majid Asghar, Mohammad Meesam, Muhammad Aliyan Shaikh, Muhammad Awais, Muhammad Rafay Siddiqui, Muhammad Raheel, Muhammad Ramzan, Muhammad Sikandar, Muhammad Uzair Zubair, Muhammad Waqar, Mustafa Nasir, Noman and Zeeshan Khan

CCA Jamshora – Abrar Hussain, Abdul Majeed, Ahmed Hassan Khan, Ali Mala, Deenaish Kumar, Faraz Ali, Huraira Bin Aijaz, Muhammad Arbaz Khan, Muhammad Hassan, Muhammad Kashan Khan, Muhammad Shahriyar Khan, Noman Khan, Salman Khan, Sarang, Shan Ali Shah, Tarique Ali, Tayyab Ali Shah, Waqar Ali, Waseem Ahmed and Zakir Ullah

CCA Karachi Zone I – Abdul Rehman Zaheer, Ahmed Khan, Akbar Babar, Ammar Iqbal, Arib Shaikh, Bahadur Ali, Danial Mansoor, Faraz Hussain Khan, Hazrat Bilal, Irfan Ali Qasmi, Malik Zain Ul Abideen, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Haris Ali, Muhammad Mehmood Ali, Muhammad Rehan, Muhammad Taha Mehmood, Rao Waqar Ahmed, Rehman Ghani, Saad Alam and Syed Shayan Ahmed

CCA Karachi Zone II – Ahmed Khan, Ali Shah, Ali Shinwari, Hafiz Syed Aryan Ali, Muhammad Ikram, Muhammad Kashan, Muhammad Saim, Muhammad Sufyan, Muhammad Taha Waqar, Muhammad Talha Siddiqui, Muneer Ur Rehman, Nadir Shah, Noor Wali Khan, Sajjad Rasheed, Syed Ghazi Ibad Nasir, Syed Haider Abbas Ziadi, Syed Muhammad Hassan Jafri, Syed Waleed Azim, Taimur Mustafa and Wajeeh Fawad Khan

CCA Karachi Zone III – Akhter Waheed Kaiyani, Amit Ravi, Anas, Asad Akhtar, Basit Ghouri, Fuzail Uddin, Hassan Khalid, Israr Ahmed Awan, Muhammad Ahmed, Muhammad Fahad Ansari, Muhammad Haris Bin Tahir, Muhammad Sharoze Uddin Siddiqui, Muhammad Talha Alam, Muhammad Tehseen Shahid, Naveed Ullah, Rabish Muhammad Ahmed, Sahibzada Samiullah Afridi, Sufyan Yousaf, Tariq Bukht and Ubaisullah Khan

CCA Karachi Zone IV – Abdullah Fazal, Ahsan Islam, Asad Ullah Hamza, Bilal Manzoor, Faizan Ahmed, Hafiz Muhammad Zaid Khan, Imran Shah, Israr Ul Haq Malik, Muhammad Arsalan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Hanif Azad, Muhammad Suleman Saleem, Muhammad Uzair Ali Khan, Muhammad Waqas, Muhammad Waseem, Muhammad Yasir Mushtaq, Naimat Khan, Shahid Nadeem, Syed Abdullah Rafaee and Waleed Ahmed

CCA Karachi Zone V – Arsalan Bashir, Faizan Khan, Jam Muhammad Saifullah, Khushhal Khan Khattak, Moazzam Malik, Muhammad Ali Butt, Muhammad Ashar Qureshi, Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Waleed Khan, Muhammad Waqas, Muhammad Zahid, Muhammad Zeeshan Qasim, Saif Ali Ghouri, Shaheer Ali, Sheraz Hussain, Syed Shah Raza Naqvi, Tosiq Ahmed, Waseem Ahmed, Watan Dost and Zohaib Abid Hussain

CCA Karachi Zone VI – Abdul Jalil Khanzada, Abdul Rehman, Ali Umer, Ashir Ahmed Siddiqui, Fahaddis Bukhari, Hurair Shahid, Khawaja Muhammad Nafay, Mir Muhammad Ahnaf, Muhammad Asad, Muhammad Tariq Khan, Muhammad Usman Rahim, Muneeb Niaz, Nawaz Sharif, Nehal Rasheed, Osama Razzak, Ram Ravi, Saif Ullah, Syed Amin Uddin, Zaid Omer and Zain Anwar

CCA Karachi Zone VII – Abdullah Muqaddam, Arif Yaqoob, Fayyaz Hussain, Haider Razzak, Hamza Ghanchi, Huzaifa Munir, Kashif Khan, Muhammad Amir, Muhammad Sohail Khan, Muhammad Waqas, Najeeb Ullah Rehman, Qadir Khan, Saad Bin Yousuf, Saqib, Shahid Nisar, Syed Mehmood Shah, Tauqeer Malik, Umer Zeeshan Lohya, Zafar Ali Khan and Zubair Dilawar

CCA Khairpur – Aamir Ali, Aamir Ali, Akhtar Ali, Ali Asghar, Ayaz Ali, Chahat Ali, Farman Ali, Jahangir, Javed Ali, Kamran Ali, Kashif Ali, Majid Ali, Malhar Rasool, Manzar Hussain, Meer Muhammad, Mohsin Ali, Muhammad Umar, Naveed Ali, Sadam Hussain and Syed Hamza Sajjad Zaidi

CCA Larkana – Aakash, Aamir Ali, Abdullah Shah, Ali Akbar, Asad Ali, Basit Ali, Faraz Aziz, Haseebullah, Javed Ahmed, Kamran Ali, Makhmoor Ali, Mohsin Raza, Muhammad Kaif, Muhammad Rafiq, Naveed Ahmed, Raheel Manzoor Chandio, Sabgatullah, Sabit Ali, Umer Khalid and Zohaib Ali

CCA MirpurKhas – Ahsan, Ali Raza, Behram Khan, Faraz, Faraz, Farhat Ali, Hamza, Mohsin Ali, Muhammad Aaqib Baloch, Muhammad Farhan, Muhammad Saddam, Muhammad Salim, Muhammad Sohail, Nabeel Ahmed, Ramesh, Shafique Ahmed, Sher Khan, Sheran Malik, Umer and Zohaib

CCA Sanghar – Abdul Rauf (Jr), Ali Khan, Aqib Javed, Asim Zubair, Awais Khan, Azad Khan, Ehtesham Elahi, Farhan Ali, Jan Muhammad, Junaid Shahroz, Muhammad Ahsan, Muhammad Azeem, Muhammad Huzaif, Muhammad Salman Ilyas, Noor Ali, Rizwan Haider, Sajid Ali, Sameer Ijaz, Shahid Ali and Zahid Akhter

CCA Shaheed Benazirabad – Abdul Waheed, Abdullah Tahir, Abrar, Ali Shan, Arz Muhammad, Atta Ullah, Fayyaz Hussain, Ghulam Abbas, Haris Khan, Jawad Ali, Majid Ali, Mansoor Ahmed, Mujahid Ali, Oan Ali, Saddam Hussain, Sher Afzal, Siraj Ahmed, Tauseeq Haider, Yasir Ali and Zulfiqar Ali

CCA Shikarpur – Abdul Rehman, Abdullah, Adeel Sarwar, Ali Haider, Ameer Hamza, Aqib Ali, Asif Babar, Bilal Irshad, Farhan Ali, Hamesh Kumar, Imran Ali, Kashif Ali, Muhammad Bux, Muhammad Yousif, Muneer Ahmed, Rab Nawaz, Riaz Ahmed, Sajjad Ali, Sardar Ali and Zafar Ali

CCA Sukkur – Aagha Muhammad Talha, Agha Noor Ullah, Asif Ali, Asif Ali, Farhan Ahmed, Ghulam Raza, Imran Khan, Israr Ul Haq, Mansab Shaikh, Muhammad Aqeel Danish, Muhammad Ashraf, Muhammad Nouman, Muhammad Saqib, Muhammad Yasir, Muzammil Hussain, Saeed Ahmed, Sajjad Sangi, Sohail Ahmed Raja, Wajid Ali and Zulfiqar Hyder

Southern Punjab Cricket Association

CCA Bahawalnagar – Abdul Rehman, Ali Omer, Asad Khan, Faisal Mehmood, Jan Zohaib Arain, Khalid Mehmood, M. Adeel Ur Rehman, M. Amnan, M. Aqib Shafiq, M. Azab, M. Basit, M. Hammad Khalid, M. Usman Tufail, Mohib Ali, Moin Yameen, Numan Islam, Salahuddin, Shahzad Anwer, Sohaib Arshad and Waseem Mehmood

CCA Bahawalpur – Ali Hamza Wasim, Ali Imran, Ali Raza, Asad Khan, Asad Nadeem, Gulfam Aziz, Ibrar Amin, M. Abdullah, M. Amir Sohail, M. Imran, M. Muzammil, M. Naveed, Murad Rauf, Sajid Iqbal, Sher Muhammad, Umar Abbasi, Waleed Iqbal, Zahid Ul Hassan, Zeeshan Akbar and Zulqarnain

CCA D.G Khan – Ammar Ali, Huzaifa Shafiq, Iftikhar Ahmad, Imran Rafiq, M. Ali, M. Amir, M. Asif Fawad, M. Awais, M. Basit, M. Fahad, M. Haseeb Jamil, M. Irfan Rafiq, M. Jahangir, M. Saeed, M. Yousaf, M. Altaf Shakoor, Shakeel Ahmad, Shoukat Ali, Syed M. Salman Haider Naqvi, Syed Said Shah and Umair Fateh

CCA Khanewal – Abu Huraira, Aftab Niazi, Ammar Ul Haq, Arsalan Haider, Arsalan Zia, Faisal Abbas, Gulfam Iqbal, Huzaifa Ayub, M. Asad, M. Shakeel, M. Umar Masood, Najam Abbas, Saddam Hussain, Saim Ayaz, Samar Abbas, Tahir Mehmood, Umair Shakeel, Umar Bilal, Usama Hussain and Zain Ul Abidin

CCA Layyah – Afraseem, Ali Asad, Jallat Khan, Kamran Ali, M. Faisal, M. Faizan Zafar, M. Ishfaq, M. Saqib, M. Taimoor Khan, M. Tariq, M. Umair Khan, Maqbool Elahi, S. Ammar Yasir, S. Taqi Hider, Safi Ur Rehman, Sagheer Hassan, Salman Hassan, Sehram Hussain, Tanveer Hussain, Touqeer Abbas and Zia Ur Rehman

CCA Lodhran – Adnan Arshad, Bilawal Ishaq, Hanzala Mehmood, Kamran Ismail, M. Adnan, M. Ahsan Malik, M. Daniyal Khan, M. Irfan, M. Sadaqat, M. Shahid, M. Sohaib Bilal, M. Umar Farooq, M. Zahid, Mehboob Ahmad, Mubashir Ali, Rao Altaf Hussain, Sazu Din, Shahbaz Khan, Shoaib Bilal and Umair Mumtaz

CCA Multan – Adil, Ali Farooq, Arafat Minhas, Danish Nawab, Faraz Khan, Haris Javed, Haroon Amjad, M. Musab Shehzad, M. Shoaib, M. Uzair Mumtaz, M. Zahid, Mudasir Gillani, Mueez Ahmad, Raees Bashir, Rao Irfan, Saif Ul Rehman, Samiullah, Shahid Bashir, Usman Shafiq and Waseem Akram

CCA Muzaffargarh – Allah Dita, Amir Ejaz, Aun Shahzad, Awais Abbas, Ghulam Murtaza, Hafiz M. Naeem, Haseeb Ullah, M. Mansoor, M. Shaoib Aleem, M. Waji, M. Yaseen, M. Younus, Mehran Sanwal, Saad Mehmood, Shahbaz Hussain, Shahid Khan, Shahnawaz, Shayan Khalil, Umar Farooq and Umar Rehman

CCA Okara – Abdul Razzaq, Aftab Haider, Ahmad Jamal, Ali Husnain, Arbab Hussain, Daniyal Mahi, Ghulam Haider, Hammad Hussain, Hamza Ali, M. Fiaz Ur Rehman, M. Mustafa Ayub, M. Umair Yaseen, M. Sohail, Majid Ali, Raees Ahmed, Rizwan Haider, Umar Farooq, Usama Aqeel, Usama Tariq, Waqar Hussain, Waseem Ghafoor, Yousaf Babar, Zarar Shakeel and Zeeshan Ashraf

CCA Pakpatan – Abdul Qadeer Khan, Ali Afzal, Amjad Ali, Ehtisham Ul Haq, Junaid Khalid, Kamran Yar, M. Abdullah Khan, M. Abubakar, M. Imran Ali, M. Khaqan Bashir, M. Nabeel Arshad, M. Naeem, M. Umar Bashir, M. Umar Faraz, M. Zulkaif Chishti, Mansoor Ali Jutt, Mudassir Ali, Rana M. Burhan Basharat, Syed Khuram Ali Shah and Syed Waqar Ul Hassan

CCA Rahim Yar Khan – Abdul Ghaffar, Abdul Hadi, Abdul Wahab, Adeel Basit, Husnain Bilal Shafiq, Jahanzaib Razzaq, M. Abdul Junaid, M. Aftab, M. Asif Ali, M. Hasnain Ashraf, M. Shahbaz, Noman Ahmad, Noman Akram, Rahatullah, Rehan Ejaz, Sarfraz Khan, Tamir Khalid, Usama Aslam, Zain Ul Abidin and Zeeshan Ul Haq

CCA Rajanpur – Anees Ur Rehman, Aqib Javed, Asad Ullah, Essa, Fahad Ahmad, Farhat Hussain, Hassan Mehmood, Jawwad Hussain, M. Abubakar, M. Alamgir, M. Waseem Bhatti, Mazahir Abbas, Mughira Shoaib, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Nasir Hussain, Shehzad Gull, Syed Furqan Sharif, Syed Muzammil Shah, Toqeer Abbas and Wajid Hussain

CCA Sahiwal – Ahmer Ashfaq, Hafiz Ilyas Ali, Haq Nawaz, Kaleemullah, M Faisal Ashrad, M. Abdullah Butt, M. Ahsan Bashir, M. Ali Zain, M. Arslan Akhtar, M. Awais Ul Hassan, M. Hassan Hafeez, M. Ikram, M. Irfan Liaqat, M. Rameez, M. Sharoon Siraj, Maqbool Ahmad, Masood Ahmad, Qamar Riaz, Rameez Alam, Rana Abdul Nasir Khan, Rana Abdur Rehman, Usama Bashir, Usman Liaqat and Waseem Rasoo

CCA Vehari – Abdul Rahman, Adnan Ghani, Ahmad Ali, Ameer Moavia, Anjum Naveed, Farhan Sarfraz, Hasnain Hassan, M. Mubashir, M. Umair, M. Umar Daraz, M. Zohaib Arshad, Muhammad Ahsan, Muhammad Asif, Shahbaz Sharif, Shahzad Ali, Sharjeel Umar, Sikandar Khan, Tahir Hussain, Tasawar Hussain and Umar Sadiq

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