Category: Sports

LAHORE:Right-arm fast bowler Zaman Khan has replaced Naseem Shah in Pakistan’s 17-player squad for the ongoing Men’s ODI Asia Cup 2023. Zaman joined the team in the morning today and will train with the squad at the RPICS in the evening.

According PCB inforamtion on Wednesday, Naseem injured his right shoulder during the match against India. He continues to be monitored by the team’s medical panel that is taking all necessary precautions keeping in mind the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Haris Rauf, who did not bowl on the reserve day of Pakistan v India contest as a precautionary measure, continues to recover well after he felt discomfort in his right flank on the first day of the match.

Team doctor Sohail Saleem: “These two fast bowlers are our assets and the team’s medical panel will provide them the best possible care ahead of the all-important World Cup.” Fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani will join the team on Thursday morning.

KARACHI:The opening ceremony and media brief of 27th Chief of the Naval Staff Open Golf Championship was held today at Karachi Golf Club (KGC). Commander Karachi, Rear Admiral Muhammad Saleem graced the occasion as Chief Guest and formally inaugurated the championship. During the ceremony, Patron Pakistan Navy Golf (South), Cdre Rashid Mehmood Sheikh apprised on significance of the championship scheduled from 13 to 16 Sep 23 and its conduct in various categories.

This year the Golf Championship will be played in professionals, senior professionals, junior professionals, amateurs, senior amateurs, veterans, ladies and juniors categories. For professionals and amateurs categories, the tournament will be contested for 72 holes and 54 holes matches respectively. 36 holes each by KGC professionals, senior and junior professionals and 18 holes matches for seniors and ladies whereas 9 holes matches will be contested among juniors category 'A' and 'B' and veterans.

In 1995, Pakistan Navy instituted Chief of the Naval Staff Open Golf Championship at Karachi Golf Club (KGC) to add a national level golf event in the calendar of Pakistan Golf Federation. Ever since, it has become a regular and major event of national golf circuit.

Such events provide a unique opportunity to showcase Pakistan's positive image to the world as a peace and sports loving nation. This also helps in generating healthy activities in the society. The regular conduct of this event is the manifestation of PN's commitment towards the promotion of golf at national and international level. The ceremony was attended by civil and military dignitaries, sponsors, golf players and media representatives.

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board today unveiled the schedule for seven tournaments which includes two U19 tournaments in the upcoming 2023-24 men's domestic cricket season.

The schedule of the department tournaments, will be announced in due course. The 2023-24 cricket season will commence with 29 matches of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy starting on September 10 and concluding on October 26. The eight-team regional tournament will begin at Gaddafi Stadium, with Lahore Region Whites facing Lahore Region Blues on Sunday, September 10 while the other first-round matches include Peshawar Region vs Karachi Region Whites at Abbottabad Stadium, Faisalabad Region vs Multan Region at Shoaib Akhtar Stadium KRL Rawalpindi and FATA Region vs Rawalpindi Region at Pindi Cricket Stadium. The final will also be staged at the iconic Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium from October 22 to 26.

The non-first-class tournament, Hanif Mohammad Trophy, will also start concurrently with Quaid-e-Azam trophy on September 10, featuring 10 regions in two groups. The top two sides from each group at the end of the group stage will qualify for the Super 4 stage, where each team in that stage will play three matches. At the end of the Super 4 stage, the top side will qualify for next year's Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The matches of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy will be played in Mirpur, Multan, Muzaffarabad, and Rahim Yar Khan.

The one-day tournaments, Pakistan Cup and Hanif Mohammad Cup, will follow the conclusion of the red-ball tournaments, both starting on November 1. Pakistan Cup will be hosted in Abbottabad, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi. The semi-finals will be played on November 16 and 17 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, while the final will take place on November 19 at the same venue. Meanwhile, the Hanif Mohammad Cup will begin on November 1 and will be hosted in AJK, Faisalabad, Multan, and Rahim Yar Khan. Like the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, the winner of the Hanif Mohammad Cup will be the side topping the Super 4 stage.

The two-leg National T20 will be held in Karachi from November 24 to December 10. In the first leg, all 18 regional sides will compete to qualify for the Super 8, which will be played from December 1 to 8. The semi-finals of the tournament will be played on December 9, while the final will take place the next day. The venue for the three knockout matches will be Karachi's National Bank Stadium.

Meanwhile, the two U19 tournaments - National U19 Championship (three-day) and National U19 Cup (one-day) will take place from 15 September to 13 November. Both tournaments will be held simultaneously, with a one-day gap between both formats in every round. The 18 regions will be divided into three groups, with the top team of each group qualifying for the triangular stage. The top two sides from the triangular stage will play the final of the National U19 Championship at the Rana Naveed Academy in Sheikhupura from 10 to 13 November. The final of the National U19 Cup will be played at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on 26 October.

PCB 2023-24 men’s domestic cricket calendar:

10 Sep-26 Oct - Quaid-e-Azam Trophy; Abbottabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi

10 Sep-25 Oct - Hanif Mohammad Trophy; AJK, Multan and Rahim Yar Khan

15 Sep-13 Nov - National U19 Championship (three-day)

19 Sep-26 Oct - National U19 Cup (one-day)

1 Nov-19 Nov - Pakistan Cup; Abbottabad, Islamabad and Rawalpindi

1 Nov-16 Nov - Hanif Mohammad Cup; AJK, Faisalabad, Multan and Rahim Yar Khan.

24 Nov-10 Dec - National T20; Karachi

LAHORE: The ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 Trophy has made its grand arrival in Lahore, and commenced a three-day tour filled with iconic moments, engaging activities, and an opportunity for cricket enthusiasts to get up close with this prestigious trophy.

The ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 Trophy began its tour in India, the host of the tournament, since June 27. It has travelled to Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the USA, West Indies, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Bahrain, Italy, France and England.

The ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 Trophy, one of the most coveted prizes in the world of cricket, touched down in Lahore on 4 September and is scheduled to depart on 6 September. During this brief yet momentous visit, the trophy is being embarked on a swift journey, making stops at historical landmarks, cricket academies, and educational institutions, providing fans from all walks of life a chance to witness the glory of cricket up close.

To allow media personnel to capture this historical moment, the trophy will be on display at the National Cricket Academy's outdoor area on 6 September at 10 am for 40 minutes.

The ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 is all set to take place in India from 5 October to 19 November. Pakistan, currently the number one side in the 50-over format, clinched the title in 1992 under the leadership of Imran Khan when they defeated England by 22 runs in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. In the last edition of the ICC Men’s World Cup held in England in 2019, Pakistan narrowly missed an opportunity to qualify for the semi-finals, ending with 11 points from nine games and finishing in fifth place.

KARACHI:The Pakistan Cricket Board today confirmed a panel of five commentators and one presenter for the Pakistan v South Africa women series taking place at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi. The three-match T20I series will be followed by three ODIs, which will be a part of ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25.

The T20Is are scheduled to take place on 1, 3 and 4 September, with the first ball of the match to be bowled at 7:30pm. The three ODIs will be held on 8, 11 and 14 September at the same venue and the matches will start at 3:30pm. Ali Younis, Kainat Imtiaz, Lena Aziz, Sikander Bakht and Shah Faisal will be on the commentary panel through the course of the six white-ball matches; while Mehak Khokhar will be the presenter.

Meanwhile, the High-Definition broadcast coverage will include 15 cameras. During the series, both teams will have access to referrals. Cricket fans in Pakistan will be able to watch the matches in high definition on PTV Sports and PTV National. Livestreaming for viewers across the Pakistan region will be available on ARY ZAP. To avoid overlap and provide uninterrupted coverage of the series, the PCB and the management of PTV Sports have decided to shift the coverage of the women’s series to PTV National on days when matches of the ACC Asia Cup are being played.

Also, to encourage fans to come to the ground, affordable tickets prices have been fixed for the six matches. The tickets for the matches have been put on sale from Sunday, 27 August on https://pcb.bookme.pk/. Additionally, physical tickets will be made available to fans on match days at the stadium’s box office.

All VIP enclosures of Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad will be open for spectators. The ticket prices for the first and second T20I across all three enclosures have been fixed at PKR 100. For the third T20I, tickets will be available for PKR 150. Similarly, the same prices have been fixed for the ODIs. Tickets for the first and second ODI will be available for PKR 100, while tickets for the final match of the series on 14 September, will be available for PKR 150.

Pakistan T20I squad:

Nida Dar (c), Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah and Umm-e-Hani

Reserves - Anoosha Nasir, Omaima Sohail and Waheeda Akhtar

Pakistan ODI squad:

Nida Dar (c), Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar

Reserves - Najiha Alvi, Natalia Parvaiz and Tuba Hassan

Player support personnel: Nahida Khan (manager), Mauhtashim Rashid (interim head coach), Kamran Hussain (bowling coach), Taufiq Umar (batting coach), Muhammad Asfand Yar (strength and conditioning coach), Zubair Ahmed (analyst), Rifat Asghar Gill (physiotherapist) and Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager)

1 September - First T20I. Faisal Afridi and Rashid Riaz (on-field umpires), Tariq Rasheed (third umpire), Afia Amin (reserve umpire); Muhammad Javed Malik (match referee)

3 September - Second T20I. Rashid Riaz and Tariq Rasheed (on-field umpires), Faisal Afridi (third umpire), Afia Amin (reserve umpire); Muhammad Javed Malik (match referee)

4 September - Third T20I. Faisal Afridi and Tariq Rasheed (on-field umpires), Rashid Riaz (third umpire), Afia Amin (reserve umpire); Muhammad Javed Malik (match referee)

8 September - First ODI. Faisal Afridi and Rashid Riaz (on-field umpires), Tariq Rasheed (third umpire), Saleema Imtiaz (reserve umpire); Ali Naqvi (match referee)

11 September - Second ODI. Rashid Riaz and Tariq Rasheed (on-field umpires), Faisal Afridi (third umpire) and Saleema Imtiaz (reserve umpire); Ali Naqvi (match referee)

14 September - Third ODI. Faisal Afridi and Tariq Rasheed (on-field umpires), Rashid Riaz (third umpire) and Saleema Imtiaz (reserve umpire); Ali Naqvi (match referee)

LAHORE: More than two thousand traffic police personnel, including the superintendents, deputy superintendents of police, inspectors and others, will perform traffic regulation duty for three One Day International (ODI) matches of Asia Cricket Cup 2023.

The event is scheduled to be held at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore from Sep 3 to 6. The City Traffic Police Lahore issued the traffic plan and its chief Mustansar Feroze said apt traffic arrangements has been made for the event.

As many as 10 DSPs, 110 traffic inspectors and more than 2,000 traffic personnel will perform the traffic regulation duty and SP Sadar Malik Ikramullah, SP City Shahzad Khan and SP Headquarters Sohail Fazil will supervise the entire plan.

Besides, the about 20 forklifters will also be deployed on various point to tackle the wrong parking. The spectators will park their vehicles at Government College Gulberg, Liberty Parking and LDA Plaza.

“The roads will be closed for a minimum period upon the arrival and departure of the teams and soon after the movements, all diversions will be opened for traffic,” traffic chief added. Traffic will remain as per routine on Mall Road, Jail Road, Canal Road, Ferozepur Road and Main Boulevard Gulberg Road, he added.

Cricket lovers coming from Mall Road, Jail Road and Canal Road will enter the college's main gate from Ferozepur Road. He said arrangements had also been made to provide information to cricket fans through different sources including Rasta App, Rasta FM 88.6 and social media as well.

LAHORE:The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced regional coaches for the forthcoming domestic cricket season 2023-24. There are 14 Test cricketers and seven international cricketers who will be involved in the coaching panel for the domestic season starting from 10 September.

The appointments have been made after carrying out a robust review process, keeping in view the needs of the upcoming players across all formats of the game and to further upskill the coaches by challenging them in different environments. The process was carried out by Cricket Technical Committee (CTC), regional presidents and the domestic department.

The coaches include 14 Test cricketers which will coach different sides in the regional tournament in the forthcoming season. They are Ijaz Ahmed Jnr (head coach, Lahore Whites), Riaz Afridi (head coach, FATA), Arshad Khan (head coach, Peshawar), Aizaz Cheema (bowling coach, Lahore Whites), Humayun Farhat (age-group, Lahore Whites), Rao Iftikhar Anjum (age-group, Lahore Blues), Zahoor Elahi (batting coach, Multan), Shahid Nazir (age-group, Faisalabad), Azam Khan (non-first-class head coach, Larkana), Irfan Fazil (age-group, Multan), Qaiser Abbas (non-first-class Islamabad), Akram Raza (non-first-class, head coach AJK), Junaid Khan (non-first-class, head coach Islamabad) and Abdul Rauf (non-first-class, bowling coach AJK).

Also, among the coaches, seven are former international cricketers. They are Masoor Amjad, Zafar Iqbal, Shoaib Khan, Ghulam Ali, RiffatUllah Khan, Faisal Athar and SamiUllah Niazi.

The upcoming men’s season will commence from 10 September with the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy pitting top regional teams against each other, following which, top eight departments will feature in the President’s Trophy, starting December 15.