Umaid Asif, Haider Ali thrown out of PSL final for violating health & safety protocols

COVID restrictions force World Cup Europe Qualifiers to be shifted to Spain

The Women’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier and the U 19 Men’s World Cup Europe Qualifiers that were slated to be played in Scotland has been moved to Spain by the International Cricket Council (ICC) due to stringent COVID-19 restricts all around the United Kingdom. The Women’s event will be the first one relocated to Spain which will be the qualification process for the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup slated to be played in South Africa. The dates of the women competition remain unchanged and it will be played between 26-30 August. The tournament will see France, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and Turkey fighting it out at La Manga in Spain. This will be the very first time that France and Turkey will take part in an ICC’s women’s event. Meanwhile, the 2022 U 19 Men’s World Cup Europe Qualifier has also been moved to Spain from Scotland which will take place from September 19 to September 25 at the same venue. Among the four nations Ireland, Jersey, the Netherlands and Scotland only one will make the World Cup cut. "The decision to move the events to Spain was taken after a period of consultation with the participating countries and relevant governments, where it was determined that it was the best possible chance for the events to take place due to COVID-19 restrictions in Scotland," ICC was quoted as saying in a statement they released. Meanwhile, the U 19 Men’s World Cup Division 2 Qualifier which includes Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Botswana and Tanzania has been called out due to strict COVID-19 restrictions. With no time left to reschedule the event, Tanzania and Rwanda will be directly promoted to the Africa Qualifier on the basis of their impressive records in the previous five editions of the qualifying event. They will be joining Namibia, Nigeria and Uganda competing for one spot.

Richard Hadlee lauds New Zealand's 'magnificent achievement' of winning inaugural WTC

Former New Zealand player Richard Hadlee has hailed the Kane Williamson-led side’s winning triumph in the World Test Championship final against India in Southampton. “This is a special day in the history of NZ cricket, a day to celebrate the magnificent achievement of winning the inaugural World Test Championship,” Hadlee said in a statement. Talking about the Tests, Hadlee said that the New Zealand side was a dominant team in the encounter. “It was a thrilling Test match, with twists and turns throughout…it was a dominant BLACKCAPS performance over a very good Indian team. Over the years NZC have built a significant depth of players, which makes us one of the most competitive teams in world cricket,” he said. The Blackcaps the Indian batting line up in the second innings after the rain-affected game had gone into the reserve day. India were bundled out for 170 and the Kiwis had to chase 139. Openers Devon Conway and Tom Latham started off the proceedings cautiously while skipper Williamson and Ross Taylor anchored the side to the win. Williamson notched up an unbeaten half-century while Taylor remained not out on 47. Earlier, India were bowled out for 217 in the first innings after Kyle Jamieson scalped a fifer during the course. New Zealand, in reply took the first innings lead of 32 runs and put 249 on the board. For India, it was Mohammed Shami who bagged a four-wicket haul.

Will reassess & bring in right people who have right mindset to perform: Virat Kohli

India were stunned by New Zealand in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship after the Virat Kohli-led side suffered a defeat on the reserve day of the match in Southampton on Wednesday, Chasing 139, the Blackcaps went over the line by 8 wickets in the last session of play. Captain Kohli has expressed disappointment and said that the team management would look to “bring in right people who have right mindset to perform”. “We will continue to reassess and continue to have conversations around what are the things required to strengthen our side and not follow or fall prey to certain patterns,” Kohli said at the post match virtual press conference. “You have to reassess and replan and understand what dynamics work for the team and how we can be fearless. Bring in right people who have right mindset to perform,” the skipper added. Kohli further talked about the alterations required and how evolving with the game is necessary. “I think evolving with the game and improving yourself with the game is very important and when you have been a top side for few years in a row, you don’t want to suddenly drop your standards,” he said. India were bundled out for 217 in the first innings while New Zealand scored 249 taking an important first innings lead of 32 runs. The Kiwis then rattled the Indian batting line up in the second innings to bowl them out for 170 and later chased down the target pretty easily. Williamson scored an unbeaten half-century while Ross Taylor notched up 42* during the course.

PSL 2021 Final Preview: Accoutred Peshawar, equipped Multan tussle for glory

The 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League would go down in the history books and the later generations from the country, especially those who will run the administration will probably have an inspiring chapter to read in the coming years. COVID-19 breaching the bio-bubbles, a halt to the tournament midway, criticism over arrangements, travel restrictions and financial loss scare were some of the many challenges that the Pakistan Cricket Board encountered before the tournament could reach the final destination. PSL was suspended in March due to the rise in COVID-19 cases within the franchise teams. The board faced a lot of heat from the cricketing circles after reports emerged that the players from several franchises had people over for dinner despite strict quarantine rules. Forced to suspend the competition, the PCB got denounced by the experts. But, they could not get bogged down. If the PCB had to save their face globally, they had to figure out how the tournament could be resumed and fit under a very tight calendar. As the governing body was looking for alternatives, it was thrown with another challenge. The PCB initially decided to resume the tournament on June 1 while the final to be played on June 20 with all the matches taking place in Karachi including the title clash. The franchises though were reluctant to play in Pakistan citing the COVID-19 condition in the country and requested the PCB to move PSL out of the nation. The board obliged and the franchises request to move the tournament to the UAE was worked upon. But the problems didn’t end here. The travel restrictions in the country became a major cause of concern for the board. In fact, few players including former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed were barred from taking the flight to the UAE because they did not have the required clearances. Not only the players, but there were also visa issues for the Indian and South African members of the Pakistan Super League’s broadcasting crew. "Five persons from this PSL contingent were cleared to fly, while the others had to return to their hotels where they have been in quarantine since May 24," read a report in ESPNcricinfo. “The quarantine period for the rest of the participants of the PSL 6 including Pakistani players is seven days but the PCB is worried about the broadcasting crew of Indian and South Africans because time is running out," a source said. Well, as they say, all's well that ends well. And it is ending in the best way for the PCB. The tournament is down to the wire now with Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans set to lock horns in the final showdown. Multan had a clear passage to the finale as soon as they reached the playoffs after the Mohammad Rizwan-led side defeated Islamabad United in the Qualifier. Peshawar, on the other hand, had to work a bit hard as they first won the Eliminator 1 against Karachi Kings and then defeated Islamabad in Qualifier 2. Balanced Multan Sultans Multan Sultans are probably one of the most balanced sides that the PSL 2021 have. Among the batsmen captain Rizwan has been among some runs while the young speedsters Shahnawaz Dhani and Blessing Muzurubani have been lethal with their pace. Dhani’s ability to ball short deliveries at express pace that hurries on to the batsmen has fetched him wickets in the PSL 2021. Apart from these two pacers, the experience that leg-spinner Imran Tahir brings to the table is immense and an example of this was unleashed when Multan faced Quetta Gladiators earlier in the league stage. It was pretty visible how Tahir had extracted the spin-friendly conditions and rattled the Gladiators batting apart. While Rizwan is one of the leading run-scorers in the competition, Maqsood, Charles and Khushdil were also among runs in their last outing against Islamabad and would be looking to carry on from where they left. With the batsmen looking in some fine touch and the bowling unit in good shape, the Sultans would be a pretty confident side when they go out in the middle. Dangerous Peshawar Zalmi In a very short stint with Peshawar Zalmi in this edition of the PSL, Hazratullah Zazai has made a good name for himself. The left-handed batsman’s ability to rip the bowling apart in the early stage of the innings has come handy for the side and he has given them a brisk start in the last few matches. All-rounder Shoaib Malik who wasn’t really looking in great touch in the recent past was back in some form after chipping in with a valuable amount of runs against Islamabad in Eliminator 2. While the batting looks pretty sorted for Peshawar, there is a decent balance to the bowling department as well. Captain Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan have the potential to rattle any batting order on their day. The aggressive opener in the top-order, an experienced all-rounder in the middle and some world-class bowlers in the ranks make this side look steady. Match Details Match: MS vs PSZ, Final, Pakistan Super League 2021 Date: Thursday, June 24, 2021 Time: 9:30 PM Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Pitch report The tracks in Abu Dhabi have been helpful for the bowlers, especially spinners in the later stage of the game. The slowish nature of the pitch has given some advantage to the spin bowlers but with the timing of the match set late in the evening, the dew is also going to play a major factor in this match. The fast bowlers though can exploit something in the initial stage of the innings but still if you win the toss, bowl first. Team News Multan Sultans: Multan Sultans look in fine form and would be looking to continue the momentum they have got in the all important finale. Dhani tops the chart at the moment for the highest wicket-takers while Rizwan and Maqsood take the second and third spot for scoring most runs respectively so far in the tournament. The team looks stable and the captain won’t be really looking to make any changes from the last match’s XI. Peshawar Zalmi: Peshawar Zalmi were left without the services of three of the important players, David Miller, Fabian Allen and Fidel Edwards who had to depart mid-way for national duties. South Africa and West Indies are slated to play limited-overs fixtures in the Caribbean islands. But Zalmi found an aggressive striker of the ball in Zazai who has been ruthless with the bat in the last games that he has played. While the Afghan cricketer is equipped enough to give the side a positive start especially while chasing, the presence of someone like Shoaib Malik adds to the strength. The bowling unit also looks in good shape with Wahab and Irfan in the side. The vulnerability Kamran Akmal Kamran Akmal has been facing an issue with the deliveries that certainly come into the right-hander. The gap between the bat and pad gives the bowlers a fair bit of opportunity to scalp his wicket with a delivery that comes into the batsman and if this continues, an early breakthrough will again be on the cards which the Zalmi can’t afford especially looking at the bowling attack that Multan have. Apart from this, another missing piece in Akmal’s batting is the foot movement. He is able to score boundaries through the covers on the deliveries that have width on offer but doesn’t really reach to the line of the ball. With someone like Dhani and Muzarabani up against him, the wicket-keeper batsman needs to make some adjustments. The fast bowlers are not the only concern for Akmal, Tahir is another bowler who can have a slight edge against him. The South African is pretty accurate when he bowls that wrong-un and looking at Akmal’s technical flaws, the spinner too can send him packing. Probable XI Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Sohaib Maqsood, Johnson Charles, Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, Sohail Tanvir, Imran Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, Imran Tahir, Shahnawaz Dhani. Peshawar Zalmi: Kamran Akmal, Hazratullah Zazai, Jonathan Wells, Shoaib Malik, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Amad Butt, Wahab Riaz, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan. Fantasy XI Shoaib Malik (C), Hazratullah Zazai (VC), Khushdil-Shah, Johnson Charles, Sohaib Maqsood, Mohammad Rizwan, Rovman Powell, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Imran Tahir, Blessing Muzarabani