Brampton
With less than twenty days to go, the Global T20 Canada is all set to captivate fans in Canada and across the globe. The marquee tournament will be held at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario. Amongst the six participating teams this year are the Montreal Tigers, who will be guided by coaching maestro, Dav Whatmore.
The previous two editions of the competition have seen the Montreal Tigers secure the fifth position on the points table consecutively; however, for this year’s edition they are fielding a rejuvenated squad and are eager to catapult into title contenders.

Ahead of the eagerly awaited contest Dav Whatmore opened up on the exciting squad mix and the team philosophy. “We’ve had a great draft, and I must say we’ve acquired some incredibly talented players to form our squad, that has all of us excited.”
Dav Whatmore reiterated his confidence in his team, “cricket fans, keep your eyes open, the Montreal Tigers are all set to roar louder than ever in Season 3 of GT20.”
The Montreal Tigers will begin their pursuit of the trophy on the 21st of July, where they will take on the new entrants, Surrey Jaguars at the CAA Centre in Brampton.
Montreal Tigers Squad

Andre Russel, Shakib Al Hassan, Chris Lynn, Sherfane Rutherford, Carlos Brathwaite, Muhammad Abbas Afridi, Zahir Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Akif Raja, Aayan Khan, Dipendra Airee, Kaleem Sana, Srimantha Wijeratne, Matthew Spoors, Bupendra Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Anoop Chima

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Power-hitting coach Julian Wood and fast bowling coach Gordon Parsons have started their stints at the National High Performance Centre, Lahore for the Engro Cricket Coaching Project under the PCB Pathway Programme.

The two seasoned specialist coaches arrived at the NHPC this week to work with the U13, U16 and U19 players selected for specialised training in the PCB Pathway Programme. A total of 107 players are involved in the first batch of the programme that is aimed at providing world-class coaching, training, education and development of life skills of the future stars of Pakistan.

Wood and Parsons are working with the players at the NHPC’s indoor and outdoor nets besides delivering lectures in their respective areas of expertise. The players will also play practice and scenario-based matches in the upcoming days at the LCCA Ground and the Gaddafi Stadium.

In addition to the foreign coaches, some of the top-ranked local coaches including former Pakistan stars Arshad Khan, Rao Iftikhar and Ijaz Ahmed Jnr are also working with the players.

Fast bowling coach Gordon Parsons: “I have received a rousing welcome here and have almost felt like royalty with the affection and hospitality offered by the players, coaches and the staff. The NHPC is a coach’s paradise, the facilities are absolutely top-class, and my aim would be to contribute further to the rich heritage of Pakistan fast bowlers.

“The PCB Pathway Programme which has involved 100-odd players in their early to mid-teens is a fantastic concept that will surely benefit the future generation of Pakistan stars. As a fast bowling coach, I am delighted to see the talent of the bowlers who have converged here and their willingness to learn.

“For a fast bowler, 17 t0 18 years of age is an ideal time of development, the mechanics of an action and run-up go in tandem with the development of a bowler’s body while assessing potential injury risks. My aim would be to work on all these aspects to ensure these bowlers get the best out of this camp. Fast bowling is perhaps still the most exciting thing in cricket and there is nothing like a bowler bowling at 150kph regardless of the format.”

Power-hitting coach Julian Wood: “I have had an amazing time so far since arriving at the NHPC, the facilities are excellent and I am really excited to see the talent in the batters here. Most of the batters have solid technique, and their fundamentals are in place.

“We have some impressive young batting talent here with strong basics, technique and the desire to learn. As a specialised coach, I would endeavour to teach these players the ways and means of maximising their talent.

“The buzzwords these days are power-hitting, ball access speed, hand-speed, launch angles and creating angles while batting. In the shorter formats, the time is short, so everything needs to be done quicker but there is so much more to the concept and you need to have a touch game, a skill game and a power game and one thing I have noticed is that these young Pakistan players have all of it.”

The remaining three foreign coaches (Julian Fountain, Toby Radford and Nicholas Webb) part of the Engro Cricket Coaching Project are expected to reach Lahore in the next seven to 10 days.

After the completion of the pathway camp, the players selected for the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Junior League will join their respective sides in the lead-up to the tournament that starts in the first week of October at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

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Adelaide Oval’s chief curator Damien Hough inspected the National Stadium Karachi outfield and square today (Friday) and interacted with the curator and ground staff as part of his tour of Pakistan. Karachi is the third venue that Hough has visited after his visits to Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore and the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.

Hough would be spending the weekend in Karachi. Besides the NSK square and outfield, Hough will also take a close look and provide his recommendation and feedback on the two Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre grounds that are located inside the NSK perimeter.

Like Lahore and Rawalpindi, Hough will also deliver lectures on pitch and outfield preparation for all formats of the game. In addition to the NSK and the high performance centre ground staff and curator, the lectures will be attended by Sindh Cricket Association coaches as part of Pakistan Cricket Board’s plan of improving the knowledge and skillset of its coaches at different tiers across the country. 

Hough meanwhile has praised the passion and commitment of the ground staff in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi and has stressed on the importance of his visit which for him is all about collaboration, learning and sharing of ideas.

“This is the third Test centre that I am visiting and so far, I have really been impressed by the passion and commitment of ground staff in Pakistan and the team in Karachi is no different. For me, the trip is a lot about exchanging ideas, collaboration and figuring out how things are done in Pakistan and how they compare to Adelaide and Australia.

“A lot of credit goes to the PCB for initiating this exchange, I am very impressed by their commitment to improving the pitches and grounds. This pitch relaying project in Lahore and Karachi is a testament of the willingness that the PCB has shown and I am sure it will go a long way in developing quality pitches.”

Hough who has been associated with the Adelaide Oval for more than 10 years and is widely regarded as one of the world’s best curators with 26 years’ experience in the field. According to Hough, a good cricket pitch is one that offers a good balance between bat and ball. For long format games, 300 runs and 10 wickets is an indicator of sorts of a good cricket pitch.

“A good wicket is one that provides opportunities to both batters and bowlers. Back home we have an indicator of sorts of 300 runs and 10 wickets in a day for a long format pitch.”

Hough also expressed his excitement on the PCB’s experiment of using Australian soil for pitches in Karachi and Lahore. The soil is set to reach Karachi in a week’s time. A pitch each at the NSK, Naya Nazimabad Cricket Ground (Karachi), GSL and National High Performance Centre (Lahore) will be prepared with the imported Australian soil.

“I believe it is an exciting initiative and an experiment that is worth having a close look at. The pitches prepared with the Australian soil will provide a great opportunity to Pakistan players before a tour of Australia in terms of their preparations for the pitches there. Once again, the PCB deserves credit for this initiative, I feel that there will be a lot to learn and observe once the pitches are laid and are ready for cricket.”

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Lahore, 7 July 2022: 

Two unbeaten sides will clash against each other when Central Punjab U19 Blues take on the last year’s finalist Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites in the final of the National U19 Cup on Friday at the Rana Naveed Cricket Academy in Sheikhupura. Both teams topped their pools in the 12-team 50-over tournament.

The winning team will receive PKR One million while the runner-up will bag PKR500,000.

The tournament’s top performers – best player, best batter, best bowler and best wicketkeeper – will receive PKR50,000 each. The player of the final will be awarded PKR20,000.

Both captains have led their teams from the front as Central Punjab U19 Blues captain Obaid Shahid has scored 246 runs from four matches at 82 with three half-centuries to his name. Opposing captain Abbas Ali has scored 158 from five matches at 39.50 with two half-centuries and taken seven wickets.

Abbas Ali while talking to PCB digital on the eve of the final said: “We are really excited and geared up for the final. We lost in the final last year, but will give our all-out effort to win this year.”

“Central Punjab has also remained unbeaten in the tournament and it will be a good contest. We will try to keep it simple, play it as we have been playing in the tournament.”

Obaid Shahid said: “We have played some exceptional cricket throughout the tournament and we are confident to continue this in the final.”

“Every day is a new day, we are really proud of the way we have performed in the tournament and we will try to repeat the same performance tomorrow.”

“Being a leader it is really important to perform and to be an example for your teammates and help your team rise.”

Players to watch out for in the final:

Central Punjab U19 Blues:

Right-arm off-spinner Arham Nawab and 18-year old left-arm spinner Ali Asfand – both part of the squad for Pakistan U19 in ICC U19 World Cup 2022 have featured in four matches taking 10 wickets apiece in the tournament. Arham has bowled at an economy rate of 2.64, while Ali has an economy rate of 3.13.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites:

Right-arm fast Aimal Khan has snaffled eight wickets from four matches at an economy rate of 4.87. Aimal has four for 23 as his best figures in the match. The 17-year old Mohammad Irfan has picked seven wickets from four outings in the tournament. The left-arm orthodox has bowled at an economy rate of 2.47.

In the batting department, the 17-year old Shahzaib has scored 196 runs from five matches at 98. The left-handed batter has scored one century and one half-century in the tournament.

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Confident CP Blues to meet aggressive KP Whites in National U19 Cup final

The post Confident CP Blues to meet aggressive KP Whites in National U19 Cup final appeared first on Sportslinkpk.

Faisal Hasnain, CEO of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley, International Cricket Council CEO Geoff Allardice, and Australia Cricketers’ Association CEO Todd Greenberg, held a joint-press conference at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Friday ahead of the first Test between Pakistan and Australia for the Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

While the four senior cricket administrators shared their views on the importance and significance of the series and reflected on the work done in the background to make happen the first series between the two sides in Pakistan in 24 years, they also paid tributes to legendary Australia wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh, who sadly passed this morning at the age of 74.

Unedited broadcast quality audio/video files of the media conference are available here, and can be used for editorial purposes only.

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UAE, Dubai, 23rd February 2022: Indian-based infrastructure powerhouse, GMR Group has acquired the rights to own and operate Dubai franchise in the UAE T20 League to be held in UAE.

Having been announced earlier this year, the six-team League remains well on track to be played in 2022 where senior committee members are encouraged by the enormous interest shown from a number of high-profile individuals and well-established corporates from across the world.G.M. Rao, Group Chairman at GMR Group said; “UAE continues to impress with its progressive, positive mind-set toward sport and the business of sport, and we believe these traits align well with our group strategy to support sports from grass-roots through to international level while being effective in engaging with the community. Our group is convinced that UAE T20 League proposed structure and plans will leverage these unique traits of UAE.”

“Our team has 14-seasons’ experience in managing the franchise process, through our Delhi Capital team’s involvement in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and we will integrate the same elements of these processes into UAE T20 League and help establish it as a premier and an integral part of the global cricket ecosystem.”  

 Khalid Al Zarooni, Vice-Chairman at Emirates Cricket Board said; “UAE T20 League considers itself very fortunate to have engaged in a series of very meaningful discussions with various potential stakeholders interested in investing in our League. These discussions have proven very rewarding culminating in us being extremely honoured to welcome GMR Group as our partner. The standing of this League, across the cricketing world, is vitally important to us, and we have aligned ourselves with partners that share the same values toward the game; holding its spirit, integrity and longevity to the highest regard.”

Mubashshir Usmani, General Secretary at Emirates Cricket Board said; “As an ICC Associate Member Emirates Cricket is cognisant of the need to compete against ICC Full Members to further develop player skills and match performance. At its heart, the UAE T20 League will provide this opportunity for players within the Associate structure to play alongside world class Internationals and be provided with a much-needed opportunity to showcase their skills to a wider audience. We are confident this League will quickly establish itself as one of our pioneering events and will shape cricket to new heights.”

Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Corporate Chairman at GMR Group said; “UAE, has a world-class niche of cross-cultural individuals with a big cricket fan following and excellent cricket infrastructure. We, at GMR Group based on our years of experience in the IPL will harness to create a thriving cricket environment to budding players which will infinitely excite cricket aficionados. From our solid supportive management, we will bring best practices, processes, top-notched coaches, players, and support staff to have unparalleled professional team. That said, we will need your love and support all throughout the first season of this league as we solidify a high-calibre Dubai Franchise team.”

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– Franchise deal inked between GMR Group and UAE T20 League in Dubai
– Remaining Franchise Partnerships to be announced over the coming weeks- UAE T20 League is Emirates Cricket Board’s sanctioned, flagship professional T20 League
UAE, Dubai, 23rd February 2022: Indian-based infrastructure powerhouse, GMR Group has acquired the rights to own and operate Dubai franchise in the UAE T20 League to be held in UAE.

Having been announced earlier this year, the six-team League remains well on track to be played in 2022 where senior committee members are encouraged by the enormous interest shown from a number of high-profile individuals and well-established corporates from across the world.G.M. Rao, Group Chairman at GMR Group said; “UAE continues to impress with its progressive, positive mind-set toward sport and the business of sport, and we believe these traits align well with our group strategy to support sports from grass-roots through to international level while being effective in engaging with the community. Our group is convinced that UAE T20 League proposed structure and plans will leverage these unique traits of UAE.”

“Our team has 14-seasons’ experience in managing the franchise process, through our Delhi Capital team’s involvement in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and we will integrate the same elements of these processes into UAE T20 League and help establish it as a premier and an integral part of the global cricket ecosystem.”  

 Khalid Al Zarooni, Vice-Chairman at Emirates Cricket Board said; “UAE T20 League considers itself very fortunate to have engaged in a series of very meaningful discussions with various potential stakeholders interested in investing in our League. These discussions have proven very rewarding culminating in us being extremely honoured to welcome GMR Group as our partner. The standing of this League, across the cricketing world, is vitally important to us, and we have aligned ourselves with partners that share the same values toward the game; holding its spirit, integrity and longevity to the highest regard.”

Mubashshir Usmani, General Secretary at Emirates Cricket Board said; “As an ICC Associate Member Emirates Cricket is cognisant of the need to compete against ICC Full Members to further develop player skills and match performance. At its heart, the UAE T20 League will provide this opportunity for players within the Associate structure to play alongside world class Internationals and be provided with a much-needed opportunity to showcase their skills to a wider audience. We are confident this League will quickly establish itself as one of our pioneering events and will shape cricket to new heights.”

Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Corporate Chairman at GMR Group said; “UAE, has a world-class niche of cross-cultural individuals with a big cricket fan following and excellent cricket infrastructure. We, at GMR Group based on our years of experience in the IPL will harness to create a thriving cricket environment to budding players which will infinitely excite cricket aficionados. From our solid supportive management, we will bring best practices, processes, top-notched coaches, players, and support staff to have unparalleled professional team. That said, we will need your love and support all throughout the first season of this league as we solidify a high-calibre Dubai Franchise team.”

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The 25-year-old batsman reached the 100-run mark in 35 balls and smashed as many as nine sixes and eight fours against Sindh to set the second highest run-chase in the history of the National T20 Cup in a thrilling contest which was won on the third last ball.

This was Khushdil’s maiden triple-digit score in the format and he brought it up in extraordinary circumstances after walking in to bat with his team tottering at 32 for three in five overs in their 217-run pursuit. Soon Southern Punjab were another wicket down to be 43 for four.

Khushdil then turned things around as he paired with Hussain Talat, who scored a blazing half-century, and stitched a sparkling 127-run stand off just 55 balls for the fifth wicket. Khushdil contributed 91 runs from 31 balls – which also included an 18-ball half-century.

He was caught the next ball after registering the record as he miscued Anwar Ali’s delivery to be caught by Sharjeel Khan in the mid-on region.

Reflecting on his innings, Khushdil told pcb.com.pk: “There were some doubts about closing this game when I walked on the pitch but when Hussain joined me in the middle we planned the partnership and decided that we have to back ourselves and find a couple of boundaries every over.

“It is certainly a great feeling to have made this record. We were getting close in the matches but were unable to finish them and this gives me a lot of confidence. My aim is to play more such innings in the future. One can truly enjoy and celebrate such innings when they help your team to win. I am glad that I was able to help Southern Punjab break the losing streak.”

Following his dismissal, Hussain took the charge as he smashed Anwar for a four and a six on the next three balls. He struck three more fours before getting out to Anwar, who returned four for 47, on the penultimate ball of the penultimate over.

With nine required off the last over, Dilbar Hussain, who smoked left-arm orthodox Hassan Khan for a six on the first ball, and Umar Khan took Southern Punjab over the line.

That Sindh had posted a solid 216 for three after being asked to bat first by Southern Punjab captain Shan Masood was because of Khurram Manzoor’s fourth T20 century. The right-handed opener, who is the highest run-getter in the history of the National T20 Cup, scored a scintillating 58-ball 108, which was studded with 10 fours and six sixes.

The 34-year-old put up a 123-run alliance with Asad Shafiq – who playing his second match of the tournament scored 59 off 37 balls, which included six fours and two sixes.

Following this match, Southern Punjab and Sindh are locked on two points each.

Scores in brief:

Sindh 216-3, 20 overs (Khurram Manzoor 108, Asad Shafiq 59; Mohammad Ilyas 2-44)

Southern Punjab 217-8, 19.4 overs (Khushdil Shah 100, Hussain Talat 62; Anwar Ali 4-47, Mir Hamza 2-35)

Result – Southern Punjab won by two wickets

Player of the match – Khushdil Shah

Points table (After 16 matches):

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Northern were 24 for one after three overs when 19-year-old Haider, who made his Pakistan debut in the last of the three T20Is against England earlier this month, joined Zeeshan at the crease.

The two batsmen added 180 runs in 14.1 overs that lifted the defending champions to 242 for three, the second highest score in a T20 innings in the history of the National T20 Cup, after Shadab Khan elected to bat first.

Haider smashed five sixes and seven fours in his blazing 90 off 48 balls.

Reflecting on his performance, Haider told pcb.com.pk: “It is always a great feeling to start off a tournament on a high and this innings has provided me a lot of confidence. Though I am a little disappointed on missing out what would have been my maiden century in T20 cricket, I thoroughly enjoyed the partnership with Zeeshan Malik. Our decision to bat first paid dividends as it allowed us to make the most of the true bounce on offer.

“My aim is to now build on this start and play a vital role in helping my side defend the title.”

Zeeshan, the 23-year-old right-handed batsman, smashed a 47-ball 77, which was studded with eight fours and three sixes, before Junaid Khan, who took two wickets for 44 runs in four overs, bowled him.

Asif Ali struck three fours and a six in 10 balls during his 23 not out.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were dealt an early blow as Mohammad Nawaz, left-arm orthodox, bowled Fakhar Zaman on the fourth ball of the innings. By the first ball of the seventh over, they had lost their captain Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Hafeez, which reduced them to 46 for three.

Problems amplified for them as Shoaib Malik fell in the 13th over after scoring a 19-ball 20, following which Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost track of the run chase.

Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Nawaz took two wickets apiece for 34 and 37 runs, while Musa Khan dismissed Mohammad Mohsin (14 off 10), Shaheen Shah Afridi (0) and Usman Khan Shinwari (0) in the last over.

At the end of the 20 overs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were 163 for nine. They have a chance to avenge this defeat on 16 October when the two sides meet again at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.

Scores in brief:

Northern 242-3, 20 overs (Haider Ali 90, Zeeshan Malik 77, Asif Ali 23 not out, Ali Imran 21; Junaid Khan 2-44)

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 163-9, 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 62, Iftikhar Ahmed 28, Shoaib Malik 28; Musa Khan 3-31, Sohail Tanvir 2-34, Mohammad Nawaz 2-37)

Northern won by 79 runs

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