Broad hails McCullum’s England impact ahead of first New Zealand Test

LONDON AFP

Veteran England seamer Stuart Broad says coach Brendon McCullum’s focus on fun has not just revitalised the team’s Test fortunes but could grow global interest in the game.

Broad is set to return for the two-Test series against New Zealand starting in Mount Maunganui on Thursday, having missed the 3-0 series win in Pakistan in December following the birth of his daughter.

The 36-year-old said returning to the England setup under former Black Caps captain McCullum had been a pleasure.

Riding high on the back of nine wins from 10 Tests overseen by the attack-minded coach, England’s players have spent much of their two weeks of preparation focusing on team bonding, including countless rounds of golf.

“It’s been one of the best, most enjoyable starts to a tour that I’ve ever had in my time,” Broad told journalists.

“I think Baz (McCullum) has got a great mentality for the group, and life really.

“In this environment, I don’t think I’ve ever heard stats or numbers mentioned once. It’s all about going with the feel of the game and taking the positive option at all times.”

Broad said McCullum’s approach contrasted with the successful regime under Andy Flower, when England climbed to the top of the world Test rankings after winning the 2010-11 Ashes series in Australia.

“We got to number one through discipline, through organisation and knowing exactly what our roles were,” Broad said.

“Andrew Strauss was captain, he wanted everyone to go at under three (runs) an over and bat a long time. All our batters averaged over 40.

All set for grand HBL PSL 8 opening ceremony today

Multan App

All set for the most anticipated tournament in the domestic calendar as HBL Pakistan Super League is going to start from Monday (today), with Multan Sultans, the winners of the 2021 edition would clash with the defenders Lahore Qalandars at Multan Cricket Stadium. It is pertinent to mention that Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi would also host the matches of the 8th edition of PSL.

Karachi’s National Bank Cricket Arena will host the second match of the tournament when the Karachi Kings will lock horns with Peshawar Zalmi.

Quetta Gladiators will begin their cam- paign in Multan on 15 February, whereas Islamabad United to play their first match on 16th February in Karachi.

Action will move to the northern half of the country from February 26 with Lahore and Rawalpindi hosting the latter part of the tournament. Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium will host the four playoffs and the final. This would be in addition to five league games alongside Rawalpindi stadium, which will stage 11 matches.

The winner of the tournament will not only lift the Supernova Trophy but will also collect a cheque of Rs 120 million while the runners-up will receive a cheque of Rs 48 million.

Final will be played on March 19th.

The HBL PSL was conceived with the idea of providing a platform to the young and emerging cricketers who can have a flavour of international cricket – by playing high-quality cricket under pressure environment –before graduating to the apex level.

The first-ever HBL PSL match in Pakistan – the final of the 2017 edition in Lahore – brought World XI for a three-match T20I series before Sri Lanka played a solitary T20I in Lahore.

The 2018 edition reopened the doors of international cricket for Karachi as the final between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi, after the two playoffs in Lahore, was followed by the West Indies’ tour of the city for three T2oIs.

Commenting on HBL PSL, Ali Habib, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer – HBL said, “HBLPSL promotes values of healthy competition, teamwork, and sportsmanship, making a positive impact not only on cricket but also on the personal development of young cricketers. HBL PSL’s motto ‘Jahan Fans Wahan Stadium’ is derived from the idea that the game of cricket is where the fans are, whether in the stands or at home.”

FG Polo wins historic trophy of Century 99 Punjab Polo Cup

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

FG Polo team won the historic trophy of Century 99 Punjab Cup Polo Tournament 2023 after defeating Newage Cables/ Master Paints by 6-4 in the final here at Lahore Polo Club on Sunday.

Directors of Century Ventures Private Limited, Ayaz Lakhani, Kamran Afsil, Wasim Mazhar, Nazia Wasim, President of Lahore Polo Club Umar Sadiq, Secretary of Pakistan Polo Association (PPA) Lt Col Ayaz, former President of Lahore Polo Club Syed Shahid Ali and a large number of people from all walks of life were present on the occasion to witness and enjoy the enthralling final. At the concluding ceremony, the chief guests distributed prizes among the winners while President Lahore Polo Club Umar Sadiq thanked sponsors Century Ventures for sponsoring the historic polo event. Raul Laplacette emerged as hero of the main final from Team FG Polo as he played outstanding polo and exhibited excellent mallet and pony work that helped him contribute with four fantabulous goals. Ramiro Zavaleta also played well and pumped in the remaining two goals. Simon Prada thrashed in three goals and Juan Cruz Greguol converted one for Newage Cables/Master Paints. FG Polo opened their account through field goal by hero of the day Raul Laplacette to take a 1-0 lead, which couldn’t last long as Newage/Master Paints made a good comeback by firing in a field goal to equalize the score at 1-1. FG Polo then changed their game plan and started playing aggressive polo. It worked well as they succeeded in banging in back-toback goals to earn a healthy 3-1 lead by the end of the first chukker. FG Polo maintained their supremacy in the second chukker as well as they banged in a beautiful brace to further enhance their lead to 5-1. The third chukker saw both the sides scoring one goal each, with FG Polo still enjoying a 6-2 lead. The fourth and last chukker was though fully dominated by Newage/Master Paints as they scored two back-toback goals yet they lost the final by 4-6.