RAWALPINDI: Pakistan will no longer look for neutral venues to stage home international cricket matches.
“The onus will be on the other teams to tell us why they can’t play in Pakistan,” Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
“Our default position will remain that Pakistan is safe. We play cricket in Pakistan (and if) you want to play against Pakistan you have to come to Pakistan.”
Pakistan’s decade-long isolation from hosting test cricket ends on Wednesday when Sri Lanka will play at Pindi Cricket Stadium. The second test will be in Karachi from Dec. 19-23. The series is part of the world test championship.
Sri Lanka was the last team to play a test in Pakistan in 2009. Terrorists attacked the team’s bus in Lahore and eight people were killed. Several Sri Lanka players and team officials were injured. The ambush shut the door on international cricket in Pakistan. The PCB organized almost all of its home matches in the United Arab Emirates.
In the last four years, the PCB staged short limited-overs tours against the likes of Zimbabwe, the West Indies, Sri Lanka and a World XI to show the cricket world it could host tours safely. Sri Lanka agreed to play two test matches in Pakistan only after it visited Karachi and Lahore three months ago and played an incident-free series of one-day internationals and Twenty20s.
“It’s only logical that cricket comes home,” Mani said. “People have a perception of Pakistan which is very, very different to the reality of what is happening on the ground in Pakistan today.
“The concerns that people had about Pakistan, certainly for the last year or two, were not what the ground reality is.”
Top cricketing officials from Australia, England, Ireland, and the international players’ association have visited Pakistan in the last six months.
“When they see the ground reality, it’s a different attitude,” Mani said. “In fact, it was very nicely put by the chief executive of Cricket Ireland. He said, “I have to think of a reason why we shouldn’t be coming to Pakistan.’”
Mani said he’s had discussions with officials from Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket Board and he hoped that both countries will tour Pakistan in the next three years.
“I am absolutely confident that in 2021 we’ll have England and in 2022 we’ll have Australia,” he said.
“We’re not due to play New Zealand now till about 2023-24, but our default position is that Pakistan will play all its home matches in Pakistan.”
Despite the impending return of test cricket, Mani conceded there might not be a capacity crowd for the test, in stark contrast to the packed stadiums in Lahore in October when Sri Lanka whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 in the T20 series.
“Look, test cricket had been losing (crowd) support in the subcontinent, in fact around the world apart from England and Australia,” he said.
“People prefer to go and watch the white-ball cricket (T20s and ODIs) but it doesn’t mean that people don’t follow test cricket. You’ll probably find that people watch test cricket at home on television and through the telephone or whatever these days as much as they’ve ever done.
“We haven’t had much time to do the marketing for this (Rawalpindi test) but going forward we’re going to be working very hard to ensure that we can get young people in with the schools and college students, support them to come at little or no cost, give them exposure to cricket.”
Pakistan: No more international cricket at neutral venues
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Pakistan: No more international cricket at neutral venues
- Pakistan Cricket Board chief says the country is safe for international cricket
- Pakistan’s decade-long isolation from hosting test cricket ends on Wednesday when Sri Lanka will play at Pindi Cricket Stadium
Riyad Mahrez asks to be left out of Algeria squad for friendlies against Bolivia, South Africa
- Coach Vladimir Petkovic confirmed player’s decision as Al-Ahli captain assess international future
Riyadh: Al-Ahli captain Riyad Mahrez has been left out of the Algerian national team squad announced by Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic ahead of the upcoming friendlies against Bolivia and South Africa on March 22 and 26, Arriyadiyah reported.
Petkovic confirmed that Mahrez was the one who asked not to be summoned to the mini tournament taking place in Algeria, the player explaining that he was currently assessing his international future after the recent exit in the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ivory Coast.
Mahrez’s career with the national team has witnessed success and disappointment since he was given his debut by Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic in 2014.
He played against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but Algeria failed to qualify for Russia 2018.
After the arrival of Djamel Belmadi as national team coach, Mahrez led Algeria to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations title, scoring three decisive goals, including a last-minute winner in the semi-final against Nigeria. The Desert Warriors went on to claim the title by beating Senegal 2-1 in the final.
During his career with the national team, Mahrez has scored 31 goals and made 40 assists in 93 official matches.
Despite his brilliance between 2018 and 2021, the national team declined significantly after that, exiting the group stage twice in the Africa Cup of Nations, in 2021 and 2023, and also failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
Australia scraps Afghanistan T20s, citing worsening women’s rights
- Cricket has surged in popularity in Afghanistan in recent years but women are effectively barred from the game
- It is third time since 2021 that Australia has refused to play Afghanistan outside of international tournaments
Australia on Tuesday scrapped a T20 men’s cricket series against Afghanistan later this year, saying the situation for women in the Taliban-ruled country was deteriorating.
Cricket Australia said it had received advice “that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse” and so had postponed the three-match series scheduled in August at a neutral venue.
Cricket has surged in popularity inside Afghanistan in recent years, fueled by triumphs over bigger nations on the international stage.
But under the Taliban’s brand of Islamic rule, women are effectively barred from the game.
Australia’s cricket governing body said its stance continued a “strong commitment to supporting participation by women and girls in cricket around the world.”
It is the third time since 2021 that Australia has refused to play Afghanistan outside of international tournaments.
Cricket Australia canceled a one-off Test in 2021, months after the Taliban swept back into power.
“If recent media reports that women’s cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but to not host Afghanistan,” officials said at the time.
In 2023, Australia pulled out of a three-match one-day international series in the UAE, with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in Kabul describing the decision as “pathetic.”
Afghanistan’s best known cricketer, leg-spinner Rashid Khan, threatened to boycott Australia’s Big Bash League as a result.
Before the return of the Taliban, Afghanistan’s cricket board was slowly making progress growing the game among women — even contracting a small number of semi-professional players in 2020.
Most of those players would eventually flee to Australia.
The Taliban took control of the country in August 2021, renaming it the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and installing an interim government they said would rule according to sharia.
Teenage girls have been banned from attending most secondary schools and women from universities.
In November 2022 women were prohibited from entering parks, funfairs, gyms and public baths.
Women are also barred from traveling without a male relative and have been told they must cover up, with a veil or burqa, when outside.
The two countries last played at the 50-over World Cup in India last year when Australia won by three wickets en route to lifting the trophy.
Islamabad United beat Multan Sultans in last-ball thriller to clinch third PSL title
- All-rounder Imad Wasim returns figures of 5/23 to guide Islamabad to victory over Multan by 2 wickets
- United skipper Shadab Khan bags Player of the Tournament award for scoring 305 runs, taking 14 wickets
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad United became the most successful Pakistan Super League franchise on Monday night after clinching their third PSL title, edging out former champions Multan Sultans by two wickets in a last-ball thriller.
The Sultans, batting first, finished at 159/9 from their 20 overs. Skipper Muhammad Rizwan’s side were restricted to the total by clinical allrounder Imad Wasim, who returned figures of 5/23. United skipper Shadab Khan pitched in with figures of 3/32 and spectacular fielding at regular intervals to ensure the Sultans did not post a huge total.
From the Sultans, Usman Khan top-scored with 57 runs from 40 balls while Iftikhar Ahmed remained unbeaten on 32 runs from 20 balls. United chased the target on the final ball of the innings, with Hunain Shah hitting a boundary off the last ball to send the stadium into a frenzy.
“We did it! Champions once again! Huge praise to our boys for holding their nerves in a nail-biter of a finale,” United wrote on social media platform X.
United got off to a solid start in their chase with opener Martin Guptill scoring 50 runs from 32 balls. Colin Munro and Salman Ali Agha scored 17 and 10 runs, respectively, while Khan managed to make only four before he was bowled by Ahmed.
Azam Khan scored 30 runs from 22 before Wasim and Shah held their nerves to ensure the United win off the last ball. For the Sultans, Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 2/19 while Khushdil Shah ended up with 2/21. David Willey, Mohammad Ali and Usama Mir took a single wicket each.
“Believed in staying calm at the crease, focused on tapping and running,” Shah said at the end of the match. “Imad Wasim advised to keep it easy and just make contact. Beyond words right now, just overwhelmed with happiness.”
Wasim bagged the Player of the Match award for his fifer while Khan was given the Player of the Tournament award for scoring 305 runs and taking 14 wickets. The Karachi Kings’ batter Muhammad Irfan Khan was named Emerging Player of the Tournament for scoring 171 runs while Peshawar Zalmi’s Saim Ayub bagged the All-Rounder of the Tournament award for scoring 345 runs and taking eight wickets.
The Sultans’ spinner Mir bagged the Bowler of the Tournament award for his 24 wickets while their batter Usman Khan won the Batter of the Tournament award for scoring 430 runs.
Former champions Peshawar Zalmi won the Spirit of Cricket Award.
Islamabad United beat Multan Sultans in last-ball thriller to clinch third PSL title
- All-rounder Imad Wasim returns figures of 5/23 to guide Islamabad to victory over Multan by two wickets
- United skipper Shadab Khan bags Player of the Tournament award for scoring 305 runs, taking 14 wickets
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad United became the most successful Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise on Monday night after clinching their third PSL title, edging out former champions Multan Sultans by two wickets in a last-ball nail-biting thriller.
The Sultans, batting first, finished at 159/9 from their 20 overs. Skipper Muhammad Rizwan’s side were restricted to the total by clinical all-rounder Imad Wasim, who returned figures of 5/23.
United skipper Shadab Khan pitched in with figures of 3/32 and spectacular fielding at regular intervals to ensure the Sultans did not post a huge total on the scoreboard.
From the Sultans, Usman Khan top-scored with 57 runs from 40 balls while Iftikhar Ahmed remained unbeaten on 32 runs from 20 balls.
United chased the target on the final ball of the innings, with Hunain Shah hitting a boundary off the last ball to send the entire stadium into a frenzy.
“We did it! Champions once again! Huge praise to our boys for holding their nerves in a nail-biter of a finale,” United wrote on social media platform X.
United got off to a solid start in their chase with opener Martin Guptill scoring 50 runs from 32 balls.
Colin Munro and Salman Ali Agha scored 17 and 10 runs, respectively, while Khan managed to make only 4 before he was bowled by Ahmed.
Azam Khan scored 30 runs from 22 before Wasim and Shah held their nerves to ensure United won the trophy off the last ball.
For the Sultans, Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 2/19 while Khushdil Shah ended up with 2/21.
David Willey, Mohammad Ali and Mir took a single wicket each.
“Believed in staying calm at the crease, focused on tapping and running,” Shah said at the end of the match.
“Imad Wasim advised to keep it easy and just make contact. Beyond words right now, just overwhelmed with happiness.”
Wasim bagged the Player of the Match award for his fifer while Khan was given the Player of the Tournament award for scoring 305 runs and taking 14 wickets.
Karachi Kings batter Muhammad Irfan Khan was named Emerging Player of the Tournament for scoring 171 runs while Peshawar Zalmi’s Saim Ayub bagged the All-Rounder of the Tournament award for scoring 345 runs and taking eight wickets.
Sultans spinner Usama Mir bagged the Bowler of the Tournament award for his 24 wickets while Sultans batter Usman Khan won the Batter of the Tournament award for scoring 430 runs.
Former champions Peshawar Zalmi won the Spirit of Cricket Award.
How Turki Alalshikh turned Saudi Arabia into the boxing capital of the world
- British newspaper highlights role of the Saudi Royal Court advisor behind attractions such as ‘Ring of Fire’ and ‘Battle of the Baddest’
LONDON: Saudi Arabia is yet again making headlines in sports and entertainment, and the newest association the kingdom is enjoying is with world-class boxing. Just recently, the London-based Daily Mail’s sports editor Oli Gabb highlighted the topic in a lengthy and detailed piece he wrote on the topic.
The profile highlighted the efforts and achievements led by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), under the leadership of its’ chairman, Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh, who successfully delivered a series of boxing and sporting events. The matches and fights were all part of a mega six month festival, known as the ‘Riyadh Season 2023’.
“Whether you are a fan of the growing boxing scene in Saudi Arabia or not, the investment from the Middle East has forever changed the face of this sport,” Gabb wrote. He added that there is one person behind all of what has been happening on that front.
“Behind the most powerful fights like ‘Battle of the Baddest,’ ‘Day of Reckoning,’ and ‘Ring of Fire’ is Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh,” he wrote
“ He didn’t stop there; he made boxing a force to be reckoned with through promotional shows that emulate Hollywood productions, huge winning bonuses for boxers, and a significant role in overseeing major events in the Kingdom,” Gabb adding that Saudi Arabia managed to achieve what many others failed to due to egos and negotiations getting in the way.
Through his efforts and personal touch, Alalshikh is credited with bringing together stars like Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Francis Ngannou to Saudi Arabia.
“Athletes in the field of boxing have every reason to be proud of the work done by Alalshikh. Boxing is often criticized due to the presence of numerous intermediaries that hinder negotiations. However, when Alalshikh gets involved, matches are quickly settled,” said the article.
As an example, the report said that prior to Alalshikh involvement in boxing, rival promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren ‘did not speak to each other’. But now, they are now seen side by side as organizers and even planning matchups between their fighters.
Hearn and Warren were brought in to work together when each of them participated in the Riyadh Season Joshua vs. Ngannou fight. Alalshikh found a quick way to improve relations between them—through a face-off between their top fighters. He proposed the idea of a “5 vs 5” card that would bring together five fighters from Hearn’s Matchroom team and five fighters from Warren’s Queensberry team to settle the debate about who has the better team.
Prior to Alalshikh involvement in boxing, rival promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren ‘did not speak to each other’. But now, they are now seen side by side
In a joint press conference featuring all three of them, Alalshikh jokingly remarked, “I don’t like peace between them,” and wrote a comment saying, “The ultimate showdown in Riyadh! Matchroom vs. Queensberry, the giants in the boxing world, finally clash in an exciting 5 vs. 5 battle. After years of promoting their own fighters, it’s time for these giants to face off. Prepare yourselves, people of Riyadh, for a night of epic confrontations.”
Additionally, the inaugural season of the Riyadh Season tennis championship took place in December, featuring top players such as Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, who emerged as the winner.
The report also highlighted Alalshikh’s organization of the first-ever professional snooker tournament in Saudi Arabia, the World Snooker Masters Championship, which took place earlier this month and renowned player Ronnie O’Sullivan emerge as the winner.
The tournament included the introduction of the Golden Ball and a prize of $500,000. And as no one achieved the required century break to claim the Golden Ball, Alalshikh announced after the final that he would double the prize fund for the Golden Ball in the following year and offered Ronnie the opportunity to open his own snooker academy in Saudi Arabia.
While the report also discusses Alalshikh’s success in bringing events organised by UFC, and WWE before it, to the kingdom, he says the Royal Court advisor’s biggest prominence has been in boxing. This is only due to the high-quality events he organized and the high-level fighters he attracted, but also because of the quality of promotion. The teaser for the “Day of Reckoning” event, which depicted Joshua and Wilder as zombies in a video clip, wowed the audience. The same level of quality was observed in the promotion of Joshua’s “Knockout Chaos” match against Ngannou, where they were portrayed as video game characters.
The report argued that: “A lot of effort and investment have been made in the events of the Riyadh Season, led by Turki Alalshikh, and this demonstrates the seriousness of his approach in making Saudi Arabia the boxing capital of the world. With numerous major matches held in Saudi Arabia, the Saudis have provided significant financial support and shown seriousness and credibility in their dealings. So why wouldn’t boxers prefer to come here?”
The report concluded by saying, “While the debate continues over whether Saudi Arabia is good for boxing, the argument against it diminishes as long as the person leading the campaign delivers the desired results.”