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Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi has announced major decisions to improve cricket and team performance.

According to Geo, Naqvi presided over a three-hour meeting at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), during which various suggestions for improving cricket were reviewed.

The board also included Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie in the selection committee. Fitness tests have been made mandatory for every player every three months.

The central contract amount will not be reduced for now; the period of the central contract will be for one year. Performance and fitness will be reviewed every year in different categories of the contract. The inclusion of the players will be as per the prescribed procedure, and the players who meet the fitness and performance criteria will get an opportunity to move forward.

Chairman PCB said, “There will be no compromise on discipline, and there will be a zero-tolerance policy against players who violate discipline. The team should have unity and agreement; grouping players will not be tolerated, and the management will take strict action.”

He said, “My recommendation about any player should not be accepted for violation of discipline. We will build high-performance centers in Islamabad and Peshawar.”

“Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie are fully empowered, have full confidence in them, have given them a free hand, hope both will deliver excellent results and present the final report in this regard.”

Muhammad Yusuf, Asad Shafiq, Usman Wahla and Nadeem Khan have been responsible for reviewing the domestic contract.

New Zealand-based former Pakistani Test cricketer Khalid Ibadullah has passed away at the age of 88.

Khalid represented Pakistan in four Test matches from 1964 to 1967 and was the first Pakistani batsman to score a century on his Test debut, a record made in 1964 against Australia in the first Test match played in Karachi.

The former Test cricketer was born on December 20, 1935 in Lahore and was known as Billy in cricket circles in England. He was associated with the English county Warwickshire for a long time.

Mohammad Haris has been appointed the Pakistan Shaheens white ball team captain.

During this tour, from 4 to August 18, Pakistan Shaheens will also play two 50-over matches and a top-end T20 series with nine teams.

Mohammad Haris last captained the Pakistan Shaheens in the ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup 2023, which was held in Colombo. In the final, the Pakistan Shaheens successfully defended the title by defeating India by 128 runs.

Pakistan Shaheens are already in Darwin, where they have to play two four-day matches against Bangladesh A, which will be played from July 19 to 22 and from July 26 to 29.

The Pakistan Shaheens’ squad, led by Muhammad Haris, includes a strong lineup of players such as Abdul Faseeh, Arafat Minhas, Arif Yaqub, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Kashif Ali, Muhammad Harira, Muhammad Imran Jr., Umair bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shahnawaz Dhani, and Usman Khan.

Spain once again took the reins of European football after defeating England. With a 2-1 victory in the Euro Cup 2024 final, Spain became the most successful team to win the Euro Cup four times.

Neither team could score in the first half of the final in Berlin, Germany, but in the second half, the game picked up, and both teams attacked each other. Nico Williams scored a goal in the 47th minute to give Spain the lead, which England’s Cole Palmer equalized in the 73rd minute.

Just before the end of the game, Mikel Oyarzabal put the ball into the net to give Spain the lead again. Spain’s second goal in the 86th minute proved to be the decisive goal, with Spain becoming the champions of Euro 2024.

This is Spain’s fourth Euro title, making it the team with the most European Championship wins. England also became the first team to lose two consecutive Euro finals.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to limit the No Objection Letter (NOC) for national cricketers playing all three formats. The policy aims to protect all format cricketers from injuries and fatigue. Due to continuous cricket this year, the NOC policy is now further restricted.

The policy for all format players was decided in a meeting between Chairman Mohsin Naqvi with Head Coaches and the International Department.

From the Bangladesh series next month to the Champions Trophy 2025, the Pakistan team has to play nine Tests, 14 ODIs, and nine T20 matches.

Naseem Shah has also not been issued a NOC for ‘The Hundred League’. Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan have contracts for the Global T20 League, but Global T20 has not yet been approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Players’ NOCs will be considered after the ICC’s approval. The Global T20 League is scheduled in Canada from July 25 to August 11. PCB’s policy is to play two foreign leagues along with the Pakistan Super League (PSL).