Sports

PCB wants to revive women’s cricket in Pakistan: Najam Sethi

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

KARACHI: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) management committee, Najam Sethi, on Saturday said that India’s announcement of their women’s league came right after Pakistan announced the same.

In an interaction with the media on Saturday, Sethi said PCB wanted to revive women’s cricket in the country and the Women’s League is part of that plan.

Amid the ongoing eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the PCB will hold three women’s exhibition matches as a build-up to the Women’s League.

“As soon as we announced the women’s league, India and the IPL announced their own women’s league. This year we are going to launch a women’s league. There are some women’s matches in this PSL as well,” he said.

He also heaped massive praise on Pakistan women’s wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali for “scoring a magnificent century” against Ireland in the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2023 in South Africa.

During the conference, Sethi also admitted that continuing the (PSL) on home soil was a “challenge.”

Earlier, there had been concerns voiced over the future of the PSL 8 matches scheduled in Karachi, following the attack on the city’s police chief’s headquarters on Friday evening.

However, an emergency meeting was called by the PCB which was attended by franchise representatives. In the meeting, PCB, in consultation with security agencies and the provincial government, took franchises in confidence. As a result, they all agreed to continue with the ongoing edition of PSL as per schedule in Karachi.

Sethi also told media representatives: “Continuing PSL in Pakistan is a challenge. The Punjab government sent us a bill of Rs800m for security, while the bill was Rs400m for Karachi. However, after our request, the Chief Minister of Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, waived the bill. When I told this to the Punjab government, they also decided against charging us for security.”

“We do not take a single rupee from the government but pay taxes,” he added.

Sethi also revealed that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had asked him to restore departmental cricket.

“Before I came, instructions were issued to restore departmental cricket. I hope that Karachi Customs will also restore the cricket team. It is not appropriate that if the chairman changes, all the work goes to waste,” he concluded.

Schedule of women’s exhibition matches

Mar 8 — Pakistan Women’s League Exhibition Match 1

Mar 10 — Pakistan Women’s League Exhibition Match 2

Mar 11 — Pakistan Women’s League Exhibition Match 3

All three matches will be played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

Latest News

Gary Kirsten hopes to provide players with “clarity” prior to the Twenty20 World Cup.

Published

17 hours ago

Farwa

When Kirsten featured on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast, she acknowledged the difficulty of making quick adjustments but expressed optimism that the squad could establish a structure over the next three weeks, giving the players plenty of time to prepare for the World Cup.

He added that they have been communicating as a squad and praised Azhar Mahmood for his outstanding work as the “interim head coach.”

“I happen to be working on an assignment right now. Moving away was therefore challenging. I need to look over my contract right now.

But the arrangements are set in motion. In his role as acting head coach, Azhar Mahmood is performing admirably. Right now, we’re speaking with each other. I’m learning about the squad and their style of play.

It’s lovely to see them play. I have to be in the room, but I have to keep my distance. Although we communicate as a team, he is now in charge. I don’t want to take the lead from a distance because I don’t believe it is a good place to be. Actually, it’s not easy, but we’re trying our hardest.

“It’s going to be a fast turnaround (for me), we just need to acknowledge that.” However, over the next three weeks or so, we hope to implement some structures into the team to give the players the clarity they need ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Notably, Gujarat Titans, an Indian Premier League (IPL) team, have Gary Kirsten as their coach and mentor.

Kirsten will be leading the team in the following year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan, ACC T20 Asia Cup 2025, and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka in addition to the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and other bilateral white-ball series.

Pakistan

Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten discuss their candidacies as Pakistan’s next coaches.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

At a news conference held here today, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced the appointments.

After finishing his duty in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), Kirsten will assume leadership as the head coach of Pakistan’s ODI and T20I teams.

Kirsten will be in charge of the team for the following year’s ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, ACC T20 Asia Cup in 2025, and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in addition to the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and other bilateral white-ball series.

“It’s an incredible privilege to be given the job of leading the Pakistan men’s national team in white-ball cricket and to return to the world of international cricket after a long absence,” Kirsten said.

“I’m excited about the chance to support the Pakistan men’s national team in limited-overs cricket and hope to make a positive impact.”

“My aim is to bring the Pakistan men’s white-ball team together, utilizing their exceptional abilities to work toward a single goal and succeeding as a team on the pitch.

“Over time, my viewpoint on Pakistani cricket has not changed. The squad is constantly expected to perform at a high standard on a regular basis.

But in team sports, it’s not always easy to stay at the top of your game. It gives me great satisfaction as a coach to see players reach their greatest potential.

“I look forward to working with each player individually and as a team to support their development.”

In the interim, Gillespie will take over for the August home Test matches in the ICC World Test Championship against Bangladesh. In the 2024–25 season, there will also be tests at home in October against England and away in December against South Africa.

“I express my gratitude to the PCB for their belief in my abilities and for granting me the privilege of leading one of the most esteemed and accomplished cricket teams in the conventional format of the game,” Gillespie said.

“Given its illustrious history and fervent fan base, coaching the Pakistan cricket team is an enormous accomplishment for any coach.

I enjoy being able to concentrate on Test cricket because I adore the sport. The fact that Pakistan has such a large talent pool is another thing I adore.

“I like to think that I can contribute in some small manner to the players’ development. I’m taking this role because I want to win tests. I enjoy winning, and I’m confident we have what it takes to succeed.

In the end, it all comes down to playing the kind of cricket we want to play—a style that wins games for us, thrills the crowd, and makes everyone associated with Pakistani cricket happy.

“We have some excellent fast bowlers in Pakistan, and making use of them will be crucial to any success we have.”

Latest News

Saying goodbye to international cricket, Bismah Maroof

Published

6 days ago

Farwa

The decision to leave international cricket was made by Pakistani women’s cricket player Bismah Maroof on Thursday.

According to details, Maroof declared, “I am choosing to say goodbye to the sport, which I really enjoy. I have had a really memorable cricket journey.”

Saying, “The PCB, companions, family, and fans have always supported me,” she highlighted the importance of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and fans to her career.

With an average of 29.55, Maroof had scored 3369 runs in 136 WODIs while playing for Pakistan.

Throughout 140 WT20Is, Maroof averaged 27.55 and scored 2893 runs.