Page 27 - Pakistan Link - December 31, 2021

SPORTS DECEMBER 31, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P27
DECEMBER 31, 2021 - PAKISTAN LINK
SPORTS
Australia’s David Warner eyes one more Mohammed Shami joins 200 club as

crack at England in 2023 India take charge in Centurion

CENTURION: India seamer Mo-
to get the ball to come back into us hammed Shami claimed his 200th
and away from us,” said Warner, who Test wicket and completed figures
has been a mainstay at the top of the of 5-44 as hosts South Africa were
Australian order for a decade. bowled out for 197 on the third day
“For me, it was one of those tours of the first Test here at the at the Su-
where I didn’t back my game plan perSport Park on Tuesday.
and I went too defensive and I didn’t India reached 16 for one in their
attack. That was my fault, and he second innings at the close, a lead of
bowled really well.” 146 that already looks imp¬o¬sing
Whether Warner can still be for the home side on a wicket that
competitive into 2023 remains to will get harder to bat on.
be seen, although he has been writ- First-innings centurion KL Ra-
ten off previously and come roaring hul (five not out) and nightwatchman
back, most recently at the Twenty20 Shardul Thakur (four) will resume on
World Cup. the fourth day trying to quickly move
He was dropped by his Indian to a score that allows India to declare
Premier League team Sunrisers Hy- and have enough time to bowl the
derabad ahead of the World Cup, home side out again.
leading some pundits to suggest his Mayank Agarwal (four) was the
best days were over. only wicket to fall in India’s second It was a key moment in the game
ADELAIDE: David Warner has after Australia crushed England in But Warner responded in the only innings as he edged debutant seamer that swung the momentum back in
hinted he is keen for one last Ashes the third Test in Melbourne to retain way he knows, by scoring runs, and Marco Jansen to wicket-keeper Quin- India’s favour and exposed the South
tour in 2023 to make amends for his the Ashes. was named player of the tournament ton de Kock. African lower order.
failed campaign in England two years “We still haven’t beaten India in as Australia lifted the trophy. Eighteen wickets fell on the third All the Indian seamers were
ago, drawing inspiration from veter- India, that would be nice to do. He pointed to England’s Ander- day after no play was possible on among the wickets, Jasprit Bumrah
an seamer Jimmy Anderson. The ex- “And England away — we had son, still going strong at 39, as an Monday due to rain. (2-16) weighing in despite rolling his
plosive Australian opener would be a drawn series (in 2019) but hope- example of cricketers performing at Shami led the Indian attack with ankle and being forced to leave the
approaching 37 should he retain his fully if I manage to get that oppor- their peak well into the twilight of a superb bowling display, eking out field. He returned late on to pick up
place that long and in all likelihood tunity, I might think about going their careers. every ounce of assistance from the the last wicket.
would have joined the 100-Test club. back.” England hasn’t been a happy “James Anderson sets the bench- helpful conditions. “Bumrah is fine,” Shami said.
He currently has 89 caps. hunting ground for Warner, who mark for older guys these days, we “Test match cricket is not rock- “He came back and picked up a wick-
Winning in India is also on his had a horror tour in 2019 when he look up to him getting on in our et science. Understanding the con- et. Ankle injuries are always painful
bucket list before pulling up stumps managed just 95 runs at 9.50 from days,” Warner said after Anderson ditions was crucial... it had rained a but hopefully he should be okay.”
on a Test career that has so far yielded five Tests with Stuart Broad dis- bowled beautifully in the Melbourne bit and I just wanted to hit the right Seamer Lungi Ngidi had earli-
7,551 runs at 48.40. missing him seven times. Test. “For me it’s just about perform- lengths,” Shami told reporters. er taken 6-71 as South Africa made
“Winning the Ashes here was “In terms of 2019 it was obvious- ing to the best of my ability and put- “While coming through the light work of bowling India out after
obviously a big one,” Warner said ly in England so he (Broad) was able ting runs on the board.” ranks, no bowler thinks about this the visitors resumed on 272 for three.
[getting 200 wickets]. They just
Ngidi, who took a career-best
Bismah Maroof confirms availability Sourav Ganguly dream of playing for India. It’s all 6-39 on debut against India at Cen-
about hard work... when you put in
turion in 2018, helped South Africa
for 2022 World Cup hospitalised with the work, results follow.” claim the last seven wickets for the
His haul included the wicket
LAHORE: While Pakistan batter will be split into two squads and will Covid-19 of South Africa’s top-scorer Tem- addition of only 55 runs in 15.3 overs.
“The first session tomorrow is
Bismah Maroof has confirmed her be joined by a local boys’ side with ba Bavuma, who had reached 52 going to be key,” Bavuma said. “The
availability for the 2022 ICC Wom- the New Zealand-bound squad to be when he edged to wicket-keeper intensity we brought today out there
en’s World Cup and will participate named on Jan 25,” added the PCB Rishabh Pant. with the ball is what we will require.
in warm-up matches, women chief statement. Bavuma put on 72 for the fifth Hopefully, there will be a reachable
selector Urooj Mumtaz stepped down First Urooj stepped down as the wicket with De Kock (34) before the target for the batters to chase down.
as chief selector, the Pakistan Cricket head of PCB women’s wing during latter tried to guide a Thakur (2-51) “If we cant chase it down, then
Board (PCB) said on Tuesday. Ramiz’s tenure and now she has quit delivery through gully but succeeded we need to find a way to make it su-
The PCB also announced 36 prob- as the chief selector. only in playing onto his own stumps. per hard for the Indian bowlers.”
ables for the training camp to be held Meanwhile, the PCB confirmed
in Karachi as part of the women team’s Urooj has stepped down as the chair PCB clarifies its position over sale of
selection and preparation for the 2022 of the women’s selection committee
World Cup being held in New Zealand to focus on her professional commit- PSL broadcasting rights
from March 4 to April 3. ments as well as to pursue other op-
Bismah, who has played 108 portunities within the game. LAHORE: Clarifying its position TIP also expressed surprise at
ODIs and T20Is each in a career that Asmavia Iqbal has been named as over the sale of the broadcasting why “despite the experience of 65
started in 2006, commenced her ma- the new head of the selection panel rights for the next two editions of the years of sports broadcasting, why did
ternity leave in December 2020 and and will be assisted by junior selec- Pakistan Super League, the Pakistan PTV not bid individually for broad-
gave birth to a baby girl in August tion committee members Saleem Jaf- Cricket Board issued a press release casting rights of PSL?”
2021. She has already been re-inte- far and Taufeeq Umar. on Tuesday saying that “the pre- The PCB said in its statement
grated into cricketing activities and Probables for practice matches: defined process in the Bid Document that it had invited bids for broadcast
has resumed fitness sessions as part Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam MUMBAI: Former Indian cricket was adhered to” at all times during rights through a public tender adver-
of her post-childbirth rehabilitation Amin, Anoosha Nasir, Ayesha Bilal, captain Sourav Ganguly has been the bidding procedure. tisement and had received two bids.
at the National High Performance Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Na- admitted to hospital after testing pos- The statement came after Trans- “Just before announcement of
Centre. She will soon commence hida Khan, Bismah Maroof, Diana itive for Covid-19, a senior doctor parency International Pakistan the Reserve Price set by the PCB, the
net practice after overcoming a Baig, Fareeha Mehmood, Fatima Sana said on Tuesday. wrote a letter to the PCB after re- IMC representative raised a concern,
thumb injury. Khan, Ghulam Fatima (subject to fit- Ganguly, who underwent minor ceiving a complaint about irregular- asking the PCB what process PTVC,
“Under the policy, if Bismah ness), Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Javeria heart surgery in January, was admit- ities in the procedure after the rights as a state broadcaster, had followed to
is selected, she will be allowed to Rauf, Javeria Khan, Kainat Hafeez, ted on Monday suffering from a mild to broadcast the Twenty20 league in align itself with ARY.
be accompanied by her dependent Kainat Imtiaz (subject to fitness), Ma- fever, a senior doctor of the Wood- Pakistan were awarded to a consor- The PCB advised that this que-
child and one support person of her ham Tariq, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, lands Hospital in Kolkata said. tium comprising ARY Communi- ry was better directed towards the
choice,” the PCB stated. Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Nida “His condition is stable. There is cations (Pvt) Limited (ARY) and PTVC who would be best placed to
“Bismah will be one of the 36 Dar, Omaima Sohail, Ramin Sha- no cause for alarm at the moment,” Pakistan Television Corporation respond,” the PCB said. “Bidders
probables who will feature in a sev- meem, Saba Nazir, Sadaf Shamas, Sa- the medic told AFP on condition of Limited (PTVC). were asked if there were any further
en-match tri-series at the Hanif Mo- dia Iqbal, Saima Malik, Sidra Ameen, anonymity. TIP said that that the com- concerns or objections before the
hammad High Performance Centre Sidra Nawaz, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tuba “Ganguly has been advised by a plainant had said that the granting PCB announced the Reserve Price
from Jan 10-19. The women players Hassan, Umm-e-Hani. team of medical experts of the hos- of the broadcast rights to the consor- and then opened the sealed finan-
pital because of some pre-existing tium was “a violation of the Public cial proposals. No further concerns
health condition.” Procurement Regulatory authority were raised and both bidders agreed
Media reported that his samples (PPRA), 2004 rules”. for the bidding process to continue.
had been sent for genome sequencing It that TIP had learned that Inde- “After which, the PCB an-
to confirm whether he had contracted pendent Media Corporation Pvt. Ltd nounced the Reserve Price of PKR3.
the Omicron variant or not. (IMC– the parent company of GEO 584billion for two years in the pres-
The 49-year-old, one of India’s Entertainment Television Pvt Ltd) ence of both the bidders. The IMC
most popular players ever and who “had bid Rs3.74 billion for two years offered Rs3,740,000,000 while ARY/
now heads the country’s cricket alone, while PTV and ARY consor- PTVC offered Rs4,350,786,786 and
board, was admitted to hospital twice tium had bid Rs 2.1 billion for one was therefore awarded the rights.
in early 2021 with chest pain and un- year”. “The complainant wrote if The PCB concluded saying that
derwent an angioplasty. PCB had to approve the bid of the a bid evaluation report was made
India, which suffered a devastat- consortium, then it should have been available on its corporate website
ing Covid-19 wave in April, has so Rs4.2 billion for two years but upon after the Dec 23 bidding process
far confirmed around 650 Omicron re-bidding, PCB approved the bid of while it had not received any com-
infections and several states have im- the consortium for 2 years of Rs 4.35 plaint regarding it to its Grievance
posed restrictions on gatherings. billion,” it stated. Redressal Committee.

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