Comment by Riaz Haq on November 10, 2022 at 3:49pm

Pakistani players have a had a great 2021 specially in the shortest format of the game. Keeping this in view, there are numerous Pakistani cricketers who were offered contracts from multiple Big Bash League franchises. Pakistan dominated this year in T20I Cricket setting a new record of most wins in T20Is in a calendar year. Although the mainstream stars like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are not expected to feature in BBL, there are still many other Pakistani stars who will play BBL 2021-22. Following are their details:

https://www.crickyupdates.com/pakistani-players-in-big-bash-league-...

Sydney Sixers have reportedly signed Shadab Khan from Pakistan. Although an official announcement is awaited but sources close to Shadab Khan have revealed that he is all set to play for the defending champions. Shadab has already departed for Australia. Shadab Khan is the vice-captain of Pakistan’s T20I Side. He has picked up 20 wickets in T20Is in 2021 averaging just 19 with the ball.

Melbourne Stars:
Melbourne Stars have signed the most no of Pakistani bowlers this year. Death bowling specialist Haris Rauf will be seen in action for Melbourne Stars. Rauf is the joint highest wicket taker for Pakistan in T20Is this year. Melbourne Stars have had a great relation with PSL Franchise Lahore Qalandars. They have some sort of partnership which benefit both the teams. Melbourne also signed two emerging stars from Pakistan. Syed Faridoun and Ahmed Daniyal. Both are the finds of Lahore Qalandars’ player development program. Ahmed Daniyal has featured in PSL as well while Syed Faridoun is completely raw.

Sydney Thunder:
Sydney Thunder offered a contract to express pacer from Pakistan Mohammad Hasnain. Hasnain is not in such great form or rhythm. He was axed form the Pakistan’s World T20 squad and his recent numbers are not satisfactory either. Yet Sydney have shown faith in the young pacer and Hasnain will be seen playing for Sydney Thunder.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 14, 2022 at 8:21pm

IPL 2023 Auction: PCB’s googly for IPL Auction, schedules PSL Draft on 15th DECEMBER attracts 500 overseas players including many IPL hopefuls

https://www.insidesport.in/ipl-2023-auction-pcbs-googly-for-ipl-auc...

IPL 2023 Auction – On December 15, Karachi is slated to host the player draft for PSL 8. The players’ draft of the Pakistan Super League 2023 has attracted more than 500 foreign players, including Australians Matthew Wade and Aaron Finch. This came as an unexpected googly for the Indian Premier League 2023 whose Player Auction is set to take place on 23rd December 2022 in Kochi. Notably, many IPL hopefuls will also be taking part in the PSL draft. Follow InsideSport.IN for LIVE updates about IPL 2023 and PSL 2023

IPL 2023 Auction: PCB’s googly for IPL Auction, schedules PSL Draft on 15th DECEMBER attracts 500 overseas players including many IPL hopefuls: Follow LIVE
According to the list of players with Geo News, the majority of players who have enrolled for PSL are from England, where 138 players will be available for franchises to select for the league’s most recent season.

The following players have registered for the players’ draught: 46 players from Afghanistan, 16 from Australia, 30 players from Bangladesh, 6 from New Zealand, 26 from South Africa, 62 from Sri Lanka, 11 from Zimbabwe, and about 40 players from the West Indies.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 18, 2022 at 4:07pm

#India’s #Cricket Bat Business in Danger Due to Shortage of Willow Trees. #Indian bats are made from willow trees grown in #Indian Occupied Kashmir. They are much cheaper than the #English bats. 70% of bats sold in the world are made in #Kashmir https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/6874620.html

The best cricket bats in the world are made in England and India from willow trees. A bat is the long stick cricket players use to hit the ball.

The bats from India are in especially high demand. That is because they are much less costly than the English bats.

Bats from India cost between $50 and $500, while the ones made in England cost three to four times more.

The bat factories are in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir and they employ about 100,000 people.

The area makes about 3 million bats each year. The factories have customers in 125 countries. The cricket bat business brings in about $12 million to the Indian economy. The Kashmir bats make up about 70 percent of the world market because of their lower cost.

Many of the area’s factories, however, have closed because of a serious lack of willow trees.

As Indian-made bats became more popular around the world, more and more willow trees were cut down. New willow trees were not planted to replace them. Wood farmers chose to grow different kinds of wood that grow more quickly than willow trees.

Mohammad Shafi Dar is 55 years old. He is one of the skilled workers involved in making cricket bats. He takes a piece of willow and cuts it with a motorized saw. He then passes it on to another worker for the next part of the bat-making process.

Dar followed his father into the business when he was a young man. He told VOA that, for the first time, he is worried about losing his job.

“In the last couple of years,” he said, “bat production has decreased.” He said about six workers recently lost their jobs at his factory.

On the main highway that connects Kashmir with the main part of India, there are 400 cricket bat factories. Drivers see the pieces of willow trees gathered along the road. Fifty of the factories have closed because they do not have the wood they need.

The workers who lose their jobs do not have many other choices for work. Dar said they can become day laborers, work in agriculture or become sand diggers.

Fayaz Ahmad Dar is president of the Kashmir Cricket Bat Manufacturers Union. He said the willow tree shortage started about five years ago. He said the business is almost “extinct due to complete negligence.” Area factories, he said, receive just half the supply they used to.

Ahmad Dar said the tree-growers in the area are planting cottonwood and poplar. Wood from those trees can be used in making plywood, which is used in the building industry. Those trees grow faster and their wood can be sold sooner. The willow trees grow more slowly.

Ahmad Dar said he has talked with the director of commerce and industries for the Kashmir area. He told her about cricket’s growth around the world and how important the area’s factories are for the sport.

Ahmad Dar said he asked that the government set aside land that could only be used for planting willow trees so that Kashmir’s cricket bat business can survive.

After the meeting, the Sher-e-Kashmir University’s department of agriculture sent the bat manufacturers 1,500 small willow trees to plant.

Ahmad Dar, however, said that was not nearly enough. The bat-makers need many more trees than that. He said just one bat company needs the wood from 10,000 to 15,000 trees each year in order to meet demand.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 18, 2022 at 5:57pm

6 Most Expensive Cricket Bats 2022 by Popular Brands | DESIblitz


https://www.desiblitz.com/content/6-most-expensive-cricket-bats-202...

This is one of most supreme expensive cricket bats handcraft made in Pakistan from super English willow, with more 10 + straight 9+ grains. It is a world-class professional player bat, with excellent craftsmanship.

Special attention is noticeable in the sculpt of every corner and edge. The bat does not have a sticker, but instead has CA laser carving.

The CA Sports emblem is sealed on grip. A unique number is visible on the face of each bat. The toe guard part of the bat uses nothing less than Glass Protek Technology, which is good for all weather conditions.

The stylistic and innovative bat with exemplary weight balance is a creation for power hitters. Reviewing the bat through a YouTube video, Wasiq from Wasiq Sports says:

“This willow is outstanding. The pick up up is really good.”

This long lasting bat costs close to the £700 price point. Many international cricketers play the sport with a CA bat.

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 29, 2023 at 9:22pm

India And Pakistan Renew Cricket’s Biggest Rivalry In Financial Windfall For Asia Cup
Tristan Lavalette


https://www.forbes.com/sites/tristanlavalette/2023/08/30/india-and-...

You don't even have to look at the fixtures to know that bitter rivals India and Pakistan will play each other at the upcoming Asia Cup, which starts on Wednesday in Multan, Pakistan.

"The entire monetization of the (Asia Cup) broadcast is based on this one match between India and Pakistan,” Asian cricket Council head of commercial and events Prabhakaran Thanraj told me last year.

“The men's Asia Cup is where almost all the funds come from for the ACC. Monetization will help put funds back into cricket.”

With so much at stake, it's understandable that Pakistan and India have been scheduled to meet on September 2 in Kandy. Given the intense political differences between the nuclear-armed countries, which has stalled cricket's most passionate rivalry, the blockbuster contest could not be played in host nation Pakistan.

According to sources, security concerns in Pakistan were too great as India refused to tour ensuring another round of warring between the foes.

There had been talk of Pakistan losing its hosting rights - and they fired back by threatening to boycott the upcoming World Cup in India - with ever reliable neutral terrain of UAE considered as an alternative.

Eventually, common sense prevailed as a compromise was struck with Pakistan to retain hosting duties but nine of the 13 matches will be played in Sri Lanka, including all of India's games and the final on September 17.


The six-team Asia Cup will be divided into two groups with the top two teams in each go to a Super Four before the final in Colombo. There is a chance India and Pakistan will meet three times in the tournament in what will be an obvious money-spinner every time they meet.

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Their games conjure record broadcast ratings and surreal scenes such as when they last played during the unforgettable contest at last year's T20 World Cup in front of 90,000 fans in Melbourne.

There is such an appetite - not just from Indian and Pakistani fans - but the entire cricket world when these rare matches take place.

Due to the heated political situation, India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in a decade. A generation of their players have missed out on playing Test cricket against each other and a resumption is unlikely any time soon.

The scarcity, while such a travesty, does mean the anticipation is magnified every time these cricket-mad countries meet on the field. You can't blame the ACC for milking it and the benefits are enormous for the Asian region.

Established in 1983, the ACC’s goal is to develop and promote cricket in Asia while fostering better relations with its 25 member nations. A key role is to organize the Asia Cup - its marquee event - which was generally played biennially until 2018.

Under a rebrand, with all-powerful India cricket boss Jay Shah taking charge, the Asia Cup will be held annually interchanging between T20 and ODI formats. This year's event will be the 50-over format in what is seen as a perfect tune-up ahead of the ODI World Cup.

Next year's event will revert back to the T20 format in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup in the U.S. and Caribbean.

According to sources, India and Bangladesh are favorites to host the event which would again be played in August/September - as the Asia Cup has carved out precious real estate in cricket's increasingly congested calendar.

With a financial windfall guaranteed, as all eyes focus on India and Pakistan, the Asia Cup has become a major annual event while strengthening the region as the game's dominant force.

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