The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the brands of cricket balls to be used for the 2024-25 cricket season. This strategic decision aims to improve the quality of the game by matching the balls to Pakistan’s home playing conditions.
As the domestic cricket season kicks off next month, the PCB revealed that Duke balls will be used for all senior red-ball domestic events. For pathways and grassroots cricket, such as U15, U17, and U19 tournaments, as well as school, university, club, and inter-district competitions, local brands Aceline and Grays will be used. This decision is based on a detailed analysis of ground and pitch conditions across domestic venues, with the Duke ball specially made to suit local pitches.
For domestic 50-over and T20 competitions, the PCB will continue to use Kookaburra cricket balls, ensuring consistency with international standards since all white-ball cricket worldwide, including ICC events, is played with Kookaburra balls.
In the seven ICC World Test Championship matches, including two Tests against Bangladesh, three against England, and two against the West Indies, the PCB has chosen to use Kookaburra balls. The home cricket board has the right to decide the brand of cricket balls for these matches, according to ICC World Test Championship playing conditions.
Tony Hemming, recently appointed as the Chief Curator, will oversee the preparation of pitches to support the use of different cricket balls throughout the season. He will collaborate with relevant departments to create pitches that enhance the quality of play and maintain a balance between bat and ball.
Hemming’s responsibilities also include training and coaching local curators to develop identical playing surfaces across various regions and districts.
Abrar Ahmed and Kamran Ghulam to Join Pakistan Shaheens for Second Four-Day Match
Wrist spinner Abrar Ahmed has been released from the Pakistan Test side and will now represent Pakistan Shaheens in the second four-day match against Bangladesh ‘A’, starting at the Islamabad Club on Tuesday, 20 August.
This decision comes after the selectors chose to field an all-pace attack for the first ICC World Test Championship match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, 21 August. Instead of being benched for the Test, Abrar Ahmed has been included in the Shaheens squad to gain match practice ahead of the second Test, which will commence in Karachi on 30 August.
Uncapped top-order batter Kamran Ghulam is the other player released from the Pakistan Test side. He has been retained in the Pakistan Shaheens squad for the second four-day match and has also been appointed as captain.
As a result, the Pakistan Test squad has been reduced to 15 players but will return to its original 17-player strength after the conclusion of the second four-day match, when Abrar Ahmed and Kamran Ghulam will rejoin the side for the Karachi Test.
Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Saud Shakeel, who were part of the Pakistan Shaheens squad, have now joined the Test side. Mohammad Rameez Jnr has been left out of the second four-day match. The Shaheens squad has been updated to include Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab Asif, Awais Anwar, Imam-ul-Haq, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir, and Sharoon Siraj.
The Pakistan Shaheens squad for the second four-day match is as follows:
- Kamran Ghulam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab, Ghulam Mudas, Imam-ul-Haq, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Awais Anwar, Niaz Khan, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir (wicket-keeper), Saad Baig (wicket-keeper), Saad Khan, Sharoon Siraj, Umar Amin
