Hina Munawar, a police officer with a strong background in security and operations, has been named as the first female team manager for the Pakistan men’s cricket team ahead of the Champions Trophy. Munawar, who has served in the Frontier Constabulary in the high-risk Swat area, has been appointed as the Operations Manager for Pakistan’s Tri-Nation series and the Champions Trophy which begins on February 19 in Karachi. While senior retired bureaucrat Naveed Akram Cheema will continue as team manager, Munawar’s appointment has sparked curiosity among cricket fans, experts, and media.

After passing the Civil Superior Services exam, Munawar transitioned into various law enforcement and security roles.

“Perhaps her appointment is aimed at streamlining operations within the team and between players and the board, as she has worked in strategic and leadership roles, helping to streamline various operations,” said a source close to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Munawar, who joined the PCB last year, was also appointed manager of the Pakistan women’s under-19 team for the Asia Cup.

“She made history as the first female district officer in the Frontier Constabulary in Swat, breaking gender barriers in a traditionally male-dominated field,” the source added.

It is understood that PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi brought Munawar into the board on deputation, as she remains part of the Police Service of Pakistan.

The PCB aims to streamline team management and create a more organized and efficient environment, with her appointment bringing fresh perspectives to the traditionally coaching-focused and male-dominated setup.

Pakistan has started its preparations for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka by launching a player’s improvement, scouting and grooming programme called ‘strike force’, which will begin in Lahore from January 13. Initially the programme, headed by former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, was to focus on scouting for young talent with the potential to develop into power-hitters to suit the demands of the shortest format of the game. “Initially that was the idea, but, due to logistical challenges we decided to launch the strike force programme by holding a 90-day specialised camp for 25 players who have either already played for Pakistan, done well in domestic or under-19 level or in T20 leagues in the country,” Abdullah Khurrum, who heads the PCB’s domestic cricket department, said.

“In the phase which begins from 13th under Razzaq’s supervision, he will see how many players can be shortlisted for specialised roles in the T20 squad,” he added.

He said further down Raazzaq would be monitoring the domestic T20 events and also go around the country to find raw talent from local events.

For the upcoming camp, the PCB has called up batters like Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Usman Khan and Azam Khan, who have represented Pakistan without much success. It will also include notable performers in domestic T20 and ODI events such as Abdul Samad, Saad Masood, Khawaja Nafay, Mubashir Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Imran Randhawa, Muhammad Akhlaq, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Faiq and Muhammad Faizan.

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal lavished praise on Delhi-tearaway Mayank Yadav for his splendid T20I debut against Bangladesh in Gwalior. The stage was set for Mayank to test the speed gun to its limits at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium against a sturdy Bangladesh batting lineup. The 22-year-old, who blew the opposition away with his sheer pace by notching 156.7 kph, showed signs of returning to his peak after a long injury layoff.

He made waves with variation in his pace and made Bangladesh batters toil hard for each run in his four-over spell. Kamran sang verses of Mayank’s praise after the youngster made history in a memorable T20I debut for India.

“Mayank Yadav came back with fitness and bowled a maiden over in his debut. Mayank Yadav is the excitement in this series. He was the talk of the town during the Indian Premier League. India’s medical panel is brilliant. The way Mayank bowled what a brilliant debut (Kya zabardast debut kiya hai),” Kamran said on his YouTube channel.

On a Sunday night, Mayank left Bangladesh batters scratching their heads while attempting to understand his true nature.

As Towhid Hridoy failed to garner a single run in the youngster’s over, Mayank became just the third Indian cricketer to bowl a maiden in his first over in the T20I format.

Before him, former quick Ajit Agarkar and his compatriot Arshdeep Singh entered the special club by bowling a maiden in their first over in the shortest format of cricket.

Agarkar became the first Indian to achieve the feat in 2006, during India’s clash against South Africa in Joburg. Left-armer Arshdeep was the second Indian to achieve the feat during India’s clash against England in Southampton in 2022.

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav handed him the ball to bowl the final over of the powerplay. He sent thunderbolts down with his pace and delivered a stunning maiden over.

In his second over, Mayank touched 149.9 kph which was his fastest delivery of the night. He bamboozled Bangladesh’s experienced all-rounder Mahmudullah and made him his first T20I victim.

The pace itself was enough to confuse the experienced Mahmudullah. He danced around the crease, tried to slice the ball and lofted it straight into the hands of Washington Sundar at deep point. He ended his remarkable debut with figures of 1/21.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is concerned over young fast bowler Ihsanullah’s prolonged recovery from an elbow injury, which has persisted for a year. A reliable PCB source told PTI that senior officials are frustrated with Ihsanullah’s recent behavior, particularly after he contradicted a statement made by his father. Ihsanullah’s father visited Lahore a few weeks ago to meet with PCB officials, requesting that his son continue his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) rather than in his hometown of Swat. He informed the media that Ihsanullah also preferred to continue his rehab at the NCA.

However, the next day, the 21-year-old Ihsanullah tweeted that he was comfortable with continuing his rehabilitation in Swat and did not see the need to travel to Lahore, directly contradicting his father’s statement.

“The board officials are worried with the sincerity and hard work Ihsan is putting into his rehab program which was designed for him by experts after he was sent to the UK for an appointment with a specialist,” the source said.

He added that the recommendation for Ihsanullah to continue his rehab in Swat, under the supervision of an assigned trainer, was made by an independent medical panel appointed by the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

“But with fitness tests to be held before the Champions Cup domestic event there is growing concern over whether Ihsanullah himself is taking his rehab process seriously,” the source said.

Ihsanullah emerged as a promising talent for Pakistan during last year’s Pakistan Super League and was quickly integrated into the national white-ball squad for T20 and ODI matches before suffering his elbow injury.

The handling of Ihsanullah’s injury also led to the resignation of the PCB’s head of the medical panel, Dr. Sohail Saleem, after an independent panel was formed to review the diagnosis and treatment recommended for the fast bowler.

Following speculation going viral on social media which suggested that the families of players and the team’s coaching staff traveled with the team on Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) expenditure, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood has released a statement stating he will be “pursuing legal advice against those responsible for making these false allegations”. “This culture of falsely accusing and misleading people to believe a false narrative is now getting ridiculous and dangerous. Speaking without evidence and misconstruing facts is a criminal offence, and those engaging in such behaviour will be dealt with through legal action,” wrote Azhar Mahmood on X, formerly known as Twitter.

My Statement on False Allegations & Legal Action. pic.twitter.com/UQiWoOFZzP

— Azhar Mahmood (@AzharMahmood11) June 22, 2024

The men in green had a lackluster T20 World Cup which saw the side crash out of the group stage of the tournament as they were pipped by hosts USA in the points table. This is just one of many controversies brewing around the Pakistan side who are under the microscope after their World Cup group stage exit.

“Pursuing an increase in followers and media attention by spreading falsehoods is downright unacceptable. I will be pursuing legal advice against those responsible for making these false allegations towards me and my family, and strict action will be taken accordingly. We will not be discussing this matter further on social media. I urge everyone to avoid engaging with or entertaining these harmful narratives as it is essential to put an end to such behavior in our media culture,” he concluded.

This follows just days after Pakistan media reported that captain Babar Azam will also take legal action against former cricketers and YouTubers who have accused the number one ranked ODI batsman in the world of misconduct during the course of the tournament.

Bangladesh spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed heaped praise on his spinners and termed them “genuine match-winners” ahead of the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan, starting on August 21 in Rawalpindi. Ahmed didn’t reveal the playing combination for the opening match of the series and said it would be decided after assessing the conditions. “We will decide the combination after going to Rawalpindi and assessing the conditions there. Spinners have an important role in Test cricket, their importance cannot be denied,” Ahmed said in the press conference on Thursday.

“Bangladesh’s spinners are a vital cog in their lineup and they are genuine match-winners. The good thing is that the country is producing good bowlers. If the condition is favourable for fast bowlers, we have good pacers too,” he added.

Ahmed also highlighted the strength of Pakistan spinners and opined that they should have a spin consultant. He suggested taking advantage of experts like Saqlain Mushtaq, Abdul Rehman, and Saeed Ajmal, and benefiting from these coaches at the grassroots level as well.

“Pakistan has good spinners and should have a spin consultant. Taking advantage of experts like Saqlain Mushtaq, Abdul Rehman, and Saeed Ajmal at the grassroots level can be beneficial,” he stressed.

The veteran cricketer further thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for inviting Bangladesh early for the tour to hold practice sessions due to political unrest in their country.

“The PCB has set an example of good relations by inviting Bangladesh early. This has pleased everyone and facilitated training,” he concluded.

The Bangladesh senior cricket team will arrive in Pakistan on August 13 after the political unrest at home disrupted the preparations for the two-match Test series, the PCB announced on Saturday. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has accepted the invitation from the PCB in this regard. Bangladesh will face Pakistan in two Test matches which are part of the ICC World Test Championship. The first Test will be played at Rawalpindi from August 21 and 25 while the second match will take place between August 30 and September 3 at Karachi.

PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer said they were delighted that BCB had accepted their invitation.

“Sports is not only about winning and losing, it’s also about comradery. I remain confident that the extra training sessions in Lahore will allow the (Bangladesh) players to showcase their skills and talent on the global stage” said Naseer.

BCB Chief Executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury thanked the PCB for giving the Bangladesh cricket team the opportunity to have additional training in Pakistan.

“This will certainly help the players to acclimate to the conditions and prepare better for the ICC World Test Championship series,” he said.

Bangladesh will train at the Gaddafi Stadium between August 14 and 16 before traveling to Rawalpindi on August 17 to hold practice sessions from August 18.

This will be Bangladesh’s first tour to Pakistan since 2020 when they played three T20Is in Lahore and a one-off Test in Rawalpindi.