Tag: ICC

  • Devastating WTC loss leaves Indian cricketers empty handed; fined 100% of match fee

    Devastating WTC loss leaves Indian cricketers empty handed; fined 100% of match fee

    The World Test Championship (WTC) final saw Australia thrashing India on the fifth day, defeating them with a huge margin of 209 runs to lift the maze on Friday at The Oval in London. Unfortunately, both teams have been fined by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for slow over-rate.

    The ICC declared that none of the players from the Indian team will receive their match fee. Meanwhile, the Australian team has been fined 80% of their match fee for slow over-rate.

    The Indian team reduced five overs, while the Australian team reduced four overs within the allotted time. According to ICC regulations, every player is fined for a slow over rate, with 20% of the match fee being imposed for each over.

    In addition, Indian opener Shubman Gill has also been fined. Gill criticized the umpire’s decision after getting out.

    Shubman Gill has been found guilty of violating ICC Article 2.4, resulting in a fine of 15% of the match fee.

  • Australia crowned World Test Champions after thrashing India by 209 runs

    Australia crowned World Test Champions after thrashing India by 209 runs

    Australia thrashed India in the World Test Championship (WTC) in England, galloping to victory with a huge margin of 209 runs to bag the WTC mace.

    On day four at the Oval, the Indian team was unable to chase down the target of 444 runs, scoring only 243 runs, losing seven wickets on only 77 runs.
    Virat Kohli remains on top from the Indian side, scored 49 runs. Ajinkya Rahane scored 46 and captain Rohit Sharma managed to ass 43 runs to the total.

    For Australia, Nathan Lyon took four catches in the second innings while Scott Boland took 3 wickets, Mitchell Starc took two and Pat Cummins dismissed one.

    Australia had scored 469 runs in the first innings while the second innings was declared at 270 runs for 8 wickets after the Indian team was out by scoring 296 runs in the first innings.

  • PCB urges ICC to ensure India’s Participation in Champions Trophy

    PCB urges ICC to ensure India’s Participation in Champions Trophy

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials have reportedly made it clear to International Cricket Council (ICC) officials that Pakistan will only travel to India, for the upcoming World Cup 2023, if the neighboring country gives a guarantee in written form that they will send their team to Pakistan in the 2025 Champion’s Trophy.

    PCB officials placed the demand for give and take from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in front of two top ICC officials – Chairman Greg Barclay and CEO Geoff Allardice- on the second day of their tour at the board’s headquarters.

    PCB interim management committee chairman Najam Sethi spelled it out that Pakistan boycotting World Cup in India and playing their matches at a neutral venue is “very much a possibility”. This will be seen as a retaliation by the country, if India will not negotiate on Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be played in Pakistan in September 2023.

    The BCCI, so far, has also rejected the revised version of a hybrid model proposed by the PCB, in which initial group stage matches, except the matches of India, will be played in Pakistan and the rest of tournament will shift to a neutral venue. Even if the proposal is accepted, the PCB would mull playing the World Cup at a venue outside India and would provide the latter the same option come the Champions Trophy.

    Asia Cup so far, is not a matter of concern, with the ICC.

    Najam Sethi and co sat down at the table with the two top officials of ICC, but the minutes of the meeting have not been made public yet.

    PCB asked the ICC officials for a formal assurance of India’s participation in the Champions Trophy, the hosting rights of which were awarded to Pakistan two years ago.

    Barclay and Allardice’s visit, although a “scheduled” one, was a high-profile one given the scenario, but there has been silence from both the ICC and the PCB and neither have made any officials announcements so far.

    Discussions over the ICC’s expected revenue sharing model — leaked figures of which have revealed that India would take away 38.5 per cent of the body’s revenue, while Pakistan would get a mere 5.75 per cent — also continued between the PCB and the ICC officials.

    According to sources, Pakistan’s concerns on its deadlock with the BCCI will be discussed during the upcoming ICC Board meetings.

    However, given India’s stranglehold over the world’s cricket economy, it would be difficult for the ICC to entertain PCB’s asks. In such circumstances, the PCB may well consider forfeiting it’s matches in the World Cup.

  • PCB deserves respect for cricket facilities in Pakistan, says ICC Chairman

    PCB deserves respect for cricket facilities in Pakistan, says ICC Chairman

    International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Greg Barclay and CEO Geoff Aralldice have finished their tour of Pakistan, revealing why they were visiting the country Pakistan a very short period.

    The two visited Lahore Cricket Academy, Lahore Museum, Badshahi Mosque, Minar-e-Pakistan and Shahi Qilla. They also toured Punjab Safe City office to examine the city’s security apparatus for cricket tours.

    Chairman Greg Barclay said that he wants to visit every single member of ICC to examine cricket facilities in each country. He praised Pakistan on bilateral cricket arrangements. Barclay said that cricket facilities and related programs are praiseworthy.

    Now that international cricket is back in Pakistan, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is successfully playing its role in bilateral cricket arrangements.

    He expressed hope that he will see Pakistan’s men’s and women’s cricket at the next level.

    The recent tour of ICC’s Chairman Greg Barclay is the first ever visit to Pakistan. The two ICC officials also sat down with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi at the board’s head quarter and talked about the betterment of cricket and commercialism in the sport.

  • Yeh kya ho raha hay? Babar, Rizwan back in university

    Yeh kya ho raha hay? Babar, Rizwan back in university

    Pakistan cricket team skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Rizwan went back into university life as the batting duo joined the prestigious Harvard Business School’s executive education programme on the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports (BEMS), becoming the first two cricketers to join the prestigious school.

    Babar Azam on Monday night shared a picture on his Twitter account, reminding every student of hostel life, where everyone is tense and worried and studying hard just one night before an exam.

    Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan are the number two and three ranked batsman in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings. Twitter reacted hilariously when the superstars shared a picture of them studying in a room.

    It is a proud moment for Pakistan as the two stars become the first ever cricketers to take part in this business course.
    In the press release issued by the management company of the two players, -Saya Corporation- it is said that the program taught at Harvard Business School in Boston will continue from May 31 to June 3. After which both will hold meetings with various communities in America till June 13.

    Details of Harvard Business Programme

    Programme details have been shared on the school’s website, where they have stated that the programme in which Babar and Rizwan are placed is called the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports (BEMS). It is structured with new modules and techniques on how to develop new business, why some startups becomes successful and why some fail.

    It states that the need for digital technology is most felt in the entertainment industry today and the course discusses the latest approaches in this regard.

    This course will teach you how to make the best decisions, how to take advantage of market fluctuations and how to achieve long-lasting profits.

    Course fees stated on the website is $10,500 but it is not clear yet who is paying the fee of the two star players.

  • ICC Chairman and CEO all set to visit Lahore on Tuesday

    ICC Chairman and CEO all set to visit Lahore on Tuesday

    International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Greg Barclay and Chief Executive Geoff Allardice will arrive in Lahore on Tuesday morning on a two-day visit, during which they will meet Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Mr Najam Sethi (also an ICC Director), PCB Chief Operating Officer Barrister Salman Naseer and other board officials.

    While Mr Allardice has regularly visited Pakistan, first as ICC General Manager – Cricket and then as ICC Chief Executive, this will be Mr Barclay’s first visit to Pakistan.

    Mr Barclay will be the first ICC Chairman to tour Pakistan since ICC President Ray Mali’s visit in 2008. This will also be the first time since October 2004 when both the top two ICC officials will together visit the Pakistan cricket headquarters.

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced an open invitation to media to cover the arrival of ICC top officials.

    While the purpose of this meeting is not disclosed yet, speculations are rife that ICC officials are here to discuss World Cup 2023 dispute with Najam Sethi.

    Mr. Sethi has made it clear that if India accepts their hybrid model for Asia Cup 2023, then they will also propose a same model for World Cup 2023 as Pakistan cricket team also has security concerns in India.

    However, he also said that the country’s government will have the right to decide (BBC).

  • Fatima Sana will lead Pakistan in emerging women’s T20 Asia Cup

    Fatima Sana will lead Pakistan in emerging women’s T20 Asia Cup

    Women’s T20 Asia Cup will be hosted by Hong Kong this year in which Bangladesh A, India A, Pakistan A, Sri Lanka A, Thailand A, Hong Kong, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates will participate in the tournament.

    Fatima Sana will represent the green flag and lead her team in the tournament. She has played 31 One-Day Internationals and 24 T20 Internationals. The young player has been in the good books of selectors from a long time and named as captain because of her magnificent performance as skipper of Strikkersfor this squad. She also led Blasters’ successful T20 Championship campaign in Lahore in December.

    Squad: Fatima Sana (c), Anoosha Nasir, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Gulrukh, Lubna Behram, Najiha Alvi (wk), Natalia Parvaiz, Sadaf Shamas, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Yusra Amir. Reserves: Amber Kainat, Dua Majid, Fatima Khan and Rameen Shamim

    Pakistan are slotted in Group A with Hong Kong, India A and Thailand A. Pakistan will open their campaign on 13 June with the match against Thailand A, after which they play Hong Kong and India A on 15 and 17 June, respectively. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals which will be played on 19 June. The final of the tournament will be held on 21 June.

    Chief selector Saleem Jaffar said, “I want to congratulate all players who have been selected for the emerging Asia Cup and I am hopeful that they will perform to their full potential. We have some outstanding talent coming up and it was a tough call to select 14 players.

    I want to tell those cricketers who have not been selected for this tournament to keep their heads high and keep working hard and they will definitely get chances in the upcoming events.

    “We have been observing these players since the camp in Multan and we have tested them in different conditions, with their most recent challenge being the three T20 matches against our top international players.

    “Fatima Sana has displayed some outstanding leadership credentials in domestic tournaments recently, and I am sure she will lead this side with example.”

    Fatima Sana stated that it is an honour for her to captain Pakistan in the upcoming tournament.

    “The responsibility of leading the emerging side will definitely help me develop as a cricketer and I am eagerly looking forward to leading my team in this important tournament. These players are full of energy and are excited for the opportunity ahead of them.

    “We have had good practice over the last few weeks, and the Pakistan Cup Women’s Cricket Tournament provided us ample match practice against tough sides. Ahead of these matches, we had a healthy discussion as a team amongst ourselves that we have to make the most of these matches, and I am glad how every player stepped up and contributed in each game.”

    The emerging team’s pre-tournament camp will begin tomorrow, Thursday, at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance and will run until 8 June. They will depart for Hong Kong on 9 June.

    Player support personnel: Aisha Jalil (manager), Mohsin Kamal (head coach), Muhammad Kamran Hussain (assistant coach), Muhammad Usman Shahid (analyst) and Rabia Siddiq (physiotherapist).

    The national women’s selection committee includes Asmavia Iqbal, Marina Iqbal and Mohtashim Rashid.

  • World Cup 2023: ICC announces qualifier schedule for mega event

    World Cup 2023: ICC announces qualifier schedule for mega event

    Two times world champions, the once-mighty West-Indies and 1996 champions Sri Lanka will have to pass the qualifier round for the upcoming World Cup 2023. The tournament will be taking place in India, who won the coveted trophy the last time they hosted the tournament.

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the schedule for the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The tournament will be held in Zimbabwe from 18 June to 9 July 2023. The 10 teams taking part in the qualifier are split into two groups of five teams.

    Group A:

    West Indies
    Netherlands
    Nepal
    Papua New Guinea
    United States

    Group B:

    Sri Lanka
    Zimbabwe
    Ireland
    Scotland
    United Arab Emirates
    The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super Six stage, where they will play each other once. The top two teams from the Super Six stage will qualify for the 2023 Cricket World Cup, which will be held in India from 9 October to 20 November 2023.

    The full schedule for the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier is as follows:

    Group A

    18 June: West Indies vs Netherlands (Harare Sports Club)
    19 June: Nepal vs Papua New Guinea (Takashinga Cricket Club)
    19 June: United States vs Ireland (Queen’s Sports Club)
    20 June: West Indies vs Nepal (Harare Sports Club)
    20 June: Netherlands vs Papua New Guinea (Takashinga Cricket Club)
    21 June: United States vs Ireland (Queen’s Sports Club)
    22 June: West Indies vs United States (Harare Sports Club)
    22 June: Nepal vs Ireland (Takashinga Cricket Club)
    23 June: Netherlands vs Papua New Guinea (Queen’s Sports Club)

    Group B

    19 June: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe (Harare Sports Club)
    19 June: Ireland vs United Arab Emirates (Queen’s Sports Club)
    19 June: Scotland vs Netherlands (Takashinga Cricket Club)
    20 June: Sri Lanka vs Ireland (Harare Sports Club)
    20 June: Zimbabwe vs United Arab Emirates (Queen’s Sports Club)
    21 June: Scotland vs Netherlands (Takashinga Cricket Club)
    22 June: Sri Lanka vs Scotland (Harare Sports Club)
    22 June: Ireland vs Netherlands (Queen’s Sports Club)
    23 June: Zimbabwe vs United Arab Emirates (Takashinga Cricket Club)

    Super Six

    26 June: 1st Group A vs 2nd Group B (Harare Sports Club)
    26 June: 3rd Group A vs 4th Group B (Queen’s Sports Club)
    27 June: 1st Group B vs 2nd Group A (Harare Sports Club)
    27 June: 3rd Group B vs 4th Group A (Queen’s Sports Club)
    29 June: 1st Group A vs 3rd Group B (Harare Sports Club)
    29 June: 2nd Group A vs 4th Group B (Queen’s Sports Club)
    Playoff

    3 July: 3rd/4th place play-off (Harare Sports Club)
    5 July: Final (Harare Sports Club)
    The 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier is a crucial tournament for the teams involved, as the top two teams will qualify for the 2023 Cricket World Cup. The tournament is also a chance for the teams to gain valuable experience playing against top-quality opposition.

  • ICC revenue model: Najam Sethi wants clarity before approval

    ICC revenue model: Najam Sethi wants clarity before approval

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials are not happy with International Cricket Council (ICC) new revenue distribution model in which the game’s biggest financial engine India will get most of the shares.

    ICC has proposed a new revenue-sharing model for the 2024-27 cycle to be voted on at its next board meeting in June.

    According to reports, in the revenue model, India would claim 38.5 per cent, while England and Australia would pocket 6.89pc and 6.25pc respectively. Pakistan stands to earn 5.75pc of the ICC’s projected earnings, primarily from its media rights sale.

    The 12 full members of the ICC would collectively get 88.81pc, while the rest would be distributed among its 96 associate members.
    “We are not happy with the figures shared with us. We are insisting that the ICC should tell us how these figures were arrived at,” Sethi told Reuters from London.

    “Come June, when the board is expected to approve the financial model, unless these details are provided to us, we are not going to approve it,” he stated.

    Disney Star shelled out $3 billion last year to acquire the 2024-27 media rights for the Indian market.

    Sethi said that we asked ICC to explain how the finance and commercial affairs committee headed by Indian cricket board secretary Jay Shah determined the share.

    This despite the fact that all nations will get more money and despite that PCB is not happy with the model, two other test playing nations are also unsatisfied with the biased model.

    The ICC, which considered factors such as the performance of a country’s men’s and women’s teams and their contribution to the ICC’s commercial revenue, was not immediately available to comment.

    “In principle, India should get more, there is no doubt about that but … how is this table being developed?” Sethi asked

    The proposed revenue split has become a major talking point in world cricket, which is already facing a rapidly altering landscape because of the Indian-driven rise of franchise-based leagues.

    Former England captain Mike Atherton, writing in The Times newspaper on Monday, criticised the “flawed” model, which he feared would only deepen the game’s existing inequality.

    “If that distribution comes to pass, then the strong will get stronger, the weak weaker (relatively) and international cricket will continue to become less competitive — which is in nobody’s long-term interest,” Atherton wrote.

  • India wants the whole Asia Cup tournament shifted to Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka agrees

    India wants the whole Asia Cup tournament shifted to Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka agrees

    Sri Lanka is now one of the strongest contenders to host Asia Cup 2023 as the recent meeting of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman with the Vice-President of Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Pankhaj Khimji seems to have not gone as well as was expected.

    According to a report, PCB Chief Najam Sethi met with ACC officials on Tuesday, May 9, where it was decided that Pakistan would pull out of the tournament because their proposal of hosting it in the UAE was not accepted.

    Asia Cup is scheduled for September this year, but the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, who is also the President of Asian Cricket Council (ACC) had threatened that the Indian government would not allow their team to travel to Pakistan because of security concerns.

    Regardless of the current political crisis in Pakistan, the country has just concluded a New Zealand series in peace. Yet Indian media and BCCI officials have based their decision to not send their team to Pakistan on security concerns.

    In the recent meeting with Jay Shah and ACC officials, Najam Sethi proposed a revised ‘Hybrid Model’ in which four teams Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh will play their matches in Pakistan and then all the teams along with Pakistan will move to Dubai to play the whole tournament.

    ACC officials straight away rejected the proposal by raising questions about logistics, asking how broadcasters will travel between the two countries with all the crew and equipment.

    Sethi reply was that they only had to travel to Pakistan only once and then will go to Dubai.

    ACC officials said that ahead of World Cup they cannot take the risk and that weather conditions are not suitable in Dubai for playing cricket.
    Sethi reportedly pointed out that the BCCI held IPL 2020 in Dubai and also in the same season.

    An ultimatum on the matter is expected by the end of this month. Should the decision go against Pakistan, the country’s status as a participant in the Cup would be up in the air, with a boycott being likely in that event.