Tag: Pakistan cricket board

  • PSL to go pink to raise awareness on breast cancer

    PSL to go pink to raise awareness on breast cancer

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to raise awareness on breast cancer during the Pakistan Super League season 5 (PSL 5) in Lahore and Rawalpindi on March 7.

    Pink ambiance will be produced while the bails will also be branded as pink as part of spreading the message by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The match officials, all the players, and commentators will don Pink Ribbons during the match.

    Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators are to play at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, while a match between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United is scheduled at Pindi Stadium on Saturday.

    The digital screens at the Gaddafi stadium and Pindi stadium will air breast cancer awareness messages.

  • Daren Sammy’s honorary Pakistani citizenship request sent to President Alvi

    Daren Sammy’s honorary Pakistani citizenship request sent to President Alvi

    Daren Sammy, one of the first cricketers who agreed to play the PSL 2 final in Pakistan in 2017, might just get honorary Pakistani citizenship. The owner of the PSL team Peshawar Zalmi, Javed Afridi, requested the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board to help get his team captain a green passport.

    Sammy, who is active on Twitter, tweeted about how great it was to be back in Pakistan

    “We requested honorary citizenship for Daren Sammy and it is almost on the table of president,” Afridi said during the unveiling of PSL 2020 trophy in Karachi. Afridi also said that the request might be approved if the PCB Chairman pushes for it or ‘makes a phone call’.

    Afridi also said that he has Sammy’s voice notes that are, ‘too emotional for Pakistan”. A formal request has been made to the President and a decision is pending.

    Sammy is often referred to as ‘Daren Sammy Khan’ because of his loyalty to the team from Peshawar.

    Recently he tweeted in Urdu using google translate which got him into some fun trouble.

    Sammy has played international cricket for the West Indies and is a two time T20 World Cup winning captain. He plays as a right-handed batsman and a fast-medium bowler. 

  • PSL: Traders gear up for daily losses worth around Rs23 billion

    As the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) gears up to host Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Lahore, traders have said that strict security measures, such as sealing off markets and roads to facilitate the movement of the teams, are being taken by the government, which would ultimately cause a loss of at least Rs23 billion to local businesses every day, Profit reported.

    According to traders and office bearers at Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), they are not against cricket matches as these activities “are very encouraging and aid in improving the image of the country”, but the closure of Liberty Market and others in surrounding areas for just one day will cause losses worth around Rs23 billion.

    “We are frequently in contact with the government and are also putting forth proposals to make a long-term strategy that can help the business community and locals,” the reported quoted them as saying during a press conference at LCCI on Tuesday.

    The LCCI president was of the view that revival of international cricket in Pakistan was a healthy sign and would promote a soft image of the country, but economic activities carried equal importance, therefore, the government should make a plan in consultation with all stakeholders to hold sporting events without affecting businesses.

    He maintained that during cricket matches in the recent past, Liberty and other markets, as well as restaurants adjacent to the Gaddafi Stadium, were shut down, resulting in significant losses to businesses, not only to the traders, but also daily wagers.

    The LCCI president said that the business community was ready to cooperate with the government to ensure all necessary security measures during these matches, but they also wanted that adjacent markets and restaurants not be forced to remain shut because, on top of all the losses, it would create the impression that security conditions are not normal yet.

    “A state-of-the-art luxurious hotel should be built as soon as possible within the premises of Gaddafi Stadium Lahore for guest teams because it is the only solution to address all concerns,” he added.

  • ‘Where’s the fat?’ Umar Akmal bares all in fitness test

    ‘Where’s the fat?’ Umar Akmal bares all in fitness test

    The Akmal brothers are not only notorious for their on-field shenanigans but their off-field actions often make it to the headlines as well.

    And it appears that Umar Akmal has found himself in trouble once again after he reportedly misbehaved with staff during a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

    According to reports, the 29-year-old batsman exposed himself amid a bout of anger during a fitness test.

    “Where’s the fat?” questioned Akmal as he took off all his clothes after failing the skin-fold test. It is pertinent to mention here that while some reports say that Akmal completely removed his clothing, others say that he only took off his shirt.

    Read more – Hero aise zaleel nahi hotay: Kamran Akmal

    Meanwhile, Kamran Akmal defended his brother’s actions saying that the entire episode was just a “misunderstanding”, and that Umar had done it in “mischief”.

    Kamran also reportedly failed his fitness tests by substantial margins. He skipped two fitness tests, before finally making it to the third one only to fail in nearly all departments. And in an interactive session on Twitter later in the day, Kamran remarked that other than fitness, skills and performance are also important for selection.

  • ‘It was a sarcastic post’: Danish Kaneria on ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’ meme fiasco

    ‘It was a sarcastic post’: Danish Kaneria on ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’ meme fiasco

    Danish Kaneria, who is only the second Hindu to play for Pakistan after his maternal uncle Anil Dalpat, was recently involved in a meme fiasco after the protagonist Danish (played by Humayun Saeed) in the blockbuster drama Meray Paas Tum Ho passed away in the final episode. Soon after the episode aired, people began to discuss the drama serial and its end on social media.

    Amidst all that, one social media user remarked that he was upset to hear about ‘Danish Kaneria’s’ death. Kaneria responded to the user saying that he is well and alive.

    Following that, on Thursday, Kaneria decided to hold an interactive session with his fans on the microblogging website and the hashtag #AskDanish began to trend on Twitter.

    A Twitter user couldn’t help but ask the Kaneria about the drama and Danish’s death. In response, the cricketer said that it was a “sarcastic post” and that he was not aware of the drama.

    Kaneria also answered a plethora of questions and appealed to the Pakistan Cricket Board to facilitate him in his comeback.

    If things were not clear enough already.

    He shared that Test Cricket is his favourite format.

    His love for Pakistan.

    Kaneria was all praises for Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    He even spoke about the controversy that followed when Shoaib Akhtar has claimed that he faced discrimination at the hands of a few Pakistani cricketers, who were reluctant to even eat with him because he is a Hindu.

    Kaneria, now 39, was found guilty of spot-fixing alongside Mervyn Westfield while playing for Essex against Durham in 2009.

    The leg-spinner was found to have convinced Westfield to concede 12 runs during the one-day game. Westfield was handed a four-month prison sentence and ECB banned him for five years.

    Kaneria admitted to spot-fixing in 2018 after six years of denial.

  • Shoaib Malik becomes the first Pakistani to play international cricket over four decades

    Shoaib Malik becomes the first Pakistani to play international cricket over four decades

    Shoaib Malik, whose surprise return to the squad and unbeaten half century – which helped Pakistan chase down Bangladesh’s 142-run target at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday – has become the first Pakistani and eighth player to play international cricket over four decades.

    Other players who have played over four decades include Wilfred Rhodes, Brian Close, Frank Woolley, Sachin Tendulkar, Jack Hobbs, George Gunn and Sanath Jayasuriya, according to sports journalist Saj Sadiq.

    Despite earlier criticism, Malik manged to win his fans and hearts of the cricket audiences when he led the host team to victory by scoring a match-winning 58 not out in the first T20I. The win further consolidated Pakistan’s chances of hanging on to their world No. 1 ranking in the shortest format.

    Following his successful innings at the match, Malik shared a picture of himself with his Man of the Match trophy.

    The 37-year-old, who made his debut in 1999 against West Indies in an ODI, played his 434th international game on Friday in Lahore.

    Malik is, however, only the third Pakistan player to play over 20 years. The other two are Imran Khan and Mushtaq Mohammad. Prime Minister Imran played for 20 years and 218 days while Mushtaq played for 20 years and 3 days.

  • PCB will deduct players’ salaries if they don’t meet fitness standards

    PCB will deduct players’ salaries if they don’t meet fitness standards

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that it will deduct salaries of the players who do not meet the fitness requirements.

    According to a press release by the cricket board, “A player failing to meet the minimum fitness requirements will be fined 15 per cent of his monthly retainer, which will remain effective until he achieves the standards. Player failing consecutive tests will risk the chances of retaining his central contract category and may face demotion.”

    All centrally contracted players have to undergo the fitness test which will be held on January 6 and 7. The available players will attend the two-day testing, which is aligned to their contracts.

    Meanwhile, “Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir and Shadab Khan, who will be occupied with their commitments in the Bangladesh Premier League, will undergo the tests on 20 and 21 January.“

    Players will be tested in five major areas namely fat analysis, strength, endurance, speed endurance and cross-fit, with all areas carrying equal marks.

    Currently 19 top players are under contract in A, B and C categories and get monthly salaries ranging from 1.1 million to 0.5 million rupees based on their contract.

    Director of International Cricket PCB Zahir Khan said that the players have been informed about the board’s expectations and sanctions, adding, “This time we have decided to enforce penalties, which is in accordance with the contracts, as part of our objective to make the players more accountable and responsible for maintaining high fitness standards throughout the year.”

    Meanwhile, Imam ul Haq posted a picture of himself with his teammates “getting ready for the fitness test” while enjoying the winter sun and fresh oranges.

    Centrally contracted players:

    Category A – Babar Azam (Central Punjab), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh) and Yasir Shah (Balochistan)

    Category B – Asad Shafiq (Sindh), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Haris Sohail (Balochistan), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab), Shadab Khan (Northern) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Northern)

    Category C – Abid Ali (Sindh), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Imad Wasim (Northern), Mohammad Amir (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shan Masood (Southern Punjab), Usman Shinwari (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Wahab Riaz (Southern Punjab)

  • Sri Lanka appoints Mickey Arthur as head coach ahead of Pakistan visit

    Sri Lanka appoints Mickey Arthur as head coach ahead of Pakistan visit

    Sri Lanka have appointed South African Mickey Arthur as their new head coach on a two-year contract before the team’s tour to Pakistan for the two-Test match series, BBC reported.

    According to the details, Sri Lanka cricket (SLC) appointed Mickey as head coach and former fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake as interim coach in August after a fallout with coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who was criticized for Sri Lanka’s exit at the group stage of the 50-over World Cup in England.

    Arthur had been the head coach of Pakistan cricket team for three years from 2016 to 2019. Later in Ausgust, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided not to renew his contract, after the country failed to reach the semi-finals of this summer’s World Cup.

    PCB later appointed former captain Misbahul Haq as the cricket team’s head coach and chief selector.

    Arthur said: “It had been three very good years with Pakistan and I needed a little bit of time away. The Sri Lankan job became available and I started discussions”.

    “I looked at the talent that’s available and that’s the key motivating factor – to help these young players fulfil their potential”, Mickey added.

    Mickey Arthur’s first assignment will see him return to Pakistan for a two-match Test series starting on 11 December.