Saad Kayani KARACHI (November 30, 2021):-The seventh-round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 began at three Karachi venues today. The opening day was dominated by Southern Punjab and Northern batters while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowlers reigned supreme against Sindh. The toss was uncontested at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi as Southern Punjab were asked to bat first by Balochistan. Left-handed batter Zeeshan Ashraf who was included in the Southern Punjab squad for this round, made an immediate impression for his side with a stroke-filled 102 off 116 balls (13 fours, three sixes). Salman posted the 10th first-class century of his career as he took over the scoring reins after Zeeshan’s departure. The right-hander hit 15 fours in his typically stylish unbeaten 117-run innings that was compiled off 182 balls. Salman was at the crease when stumps were drawn for the day with Southern Punjab placed at a healthy 327 for three after 85 overs batting. Salman has so far added 154 runs for the unfinished fourth-wicket partnership with Yousuf Babar (45 off 117 balls, four fours). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa opted to bowl after an uncontested toss against table-toppers Sindh at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium. The match is being live streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowlers made most of the conditions and the decision to bowl first by reducing Sindh to 78 for four at lunch. Left-arm-spinner Asif Afridi made the inroads before lunch as he dismissed Sindh’s in form openers (Khurram Manzoor and Ahsan Ali) cheaply. Pacer Irfanullah Shah took over the wicket taking mantle post-lunch as Sindh were sent packing for 145 in 42.1 overs. The right-armer Irfan recorded the sixth five-wicket haul of his first-class career taking with figures of 12-2-43-5. Asif took three while pacer Arshad Iqbal took two wickets. Captain Asad Shafiq and Faraz Ali were the combined best scorers for Sindh with 31 runs each. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s superb bowling effort earned them the full six bowling points. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost their first two wickets with only 32 runs on the board. At this stage captain Iftikhar Ahmed joined opener Musadiq Ahmed. The two added 92 runs for their unbroken third-wicket stand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa finished the day a mere 21 runs behind Sindh at 124 for two. Musadiq has so far hit nine fours and one six in his 72 off 93 balls, Iftikhar’s unbeaten 34 has come off 69 balls with the aid of four fours. Over at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex, Northern got off to a steady start against Central Punjab who had opted to bowl after an uncontested toss. Northern reached 77 for one at lunch. Opener Muhammad Huraira who is featuring in his maiden first-class season scored an enterprising 54 off 108 balls (eight fours). Huraira added 96 runs for the second-wicket with his captain Umar Amin who scored 50 off 73 balls (seven fours). Both Huraira and Umar fell with the score at 119, at this stage Haider Ali was joined by Faizan Riaz. Haider took control by playing some typically aggressive shots in his stellar batting performance. The right-hander fresh from a player of the match winning performance in the third Bangladesh-Pakistan T20I hit as many as many as 22 fours and one six in his unbeaten 141 off 168 balls. Haider now has three first-class centuries to his name in only nine appearances. Haider added 204 runs in the unbroken fourth-wicket alliance with Faizan Riaz who proved the perfect foil for Haider with 57 off 131 balls (five fours). Muhammad Ali with two wickets was the most successful bowler of the day for Central Punjab. Scores in brief: Southern Punjab vs Balochistan –UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Southern Punjab 327 for 3, 85 overs (Salman Ali Agha 117 not out, Zeeshan Ashraf 102, Yousuf Babar 45 not out; Akif Javed 1-59) Points so far: Southern Punjab – three, Balochistan – one. Sindh vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa –State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Sindh 145 all out, 42.1 overs (Asad Shafiq 31, Faraz Ali 31; Irfanullah Shah 5-43, Asif Afridi 3-16) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 124 for 2, 32 overs (Musadiq Ahmed 72 not out, Iftikhar Ahmed 34 not out; Sohail Khan 1-24) Points so far: Sindh – zero, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - six. Northern vs Central Punjab – National Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Northern 323 for 3, 87 overs (Haider Ali 141 not out, Faizan Riaz 57 not out, Mohammad Huraira 54; Mohammad Ali 2-54) Points so far: Northern - three, Central Punjab - one.

Lahore (Sports Report):-International tennis star Sania Mirza visited state of the art tennis courts at Nishtar Park Sports Complex (NPSC) on Tuesday. Sania Mirza played practice tennis matches for one and half hours with Pakistan’s international tennis stars Aisamul Haq and Aqeel Khan at a nicely-built tennis stadium. Deputy Director Chand Perveen, SBP PRO Abdul Rauf Roofi, Tennis Stadium administrator Rehmat Ullah and other officials were also present on this occasion. Talking to Deputy Director Chand Perveen and SBP PRO Abdul RaufRoofi, international tennis star Sania Mirza appreciated the top standard facilities provided at Sports Board Punjab’s State of the Art Tennis Stadium. “SBP Stadium is equipped with all modern facilities and it will help a lot in producing several top class tennis players in future,” she added. SaniaMirza said: Pakistan has plenty of tennis talent and SBP’s tennis stadium and academy are playing key roles in further nurturing the emerging male and female tennis players.   

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Pakistan Juniors Hockey Team outclassed United States of America (USA) 18-2 registering the biggest goal margin at FIH Men’s World Cup, Bhubaneswar, India. Captain Rana Waheed and Abu Zar scored their international hat tricks. According to the details, Pakistan scored 18 goals against USA in FIH Junior World Hockey Cup. Registering the biggest goal margin of the event Pakistan played for the 9th to 16th position to improve the event ranking which Pakistan won. Captain Rana Abdul Waheed and Abuzar set up hat tricks for Pakistan. Captain Rana Waheed scored 4 goals, Abuzar scored 3 goals and Rizwan Ali scored 2 goals for Pakistan Juniors Hockey Team. While Umair Sattar, Roman Khan, Hammad Anjum, Mohibullah, Mohsin Hassan, Abdul Manan, Moin Shakeel and Abdul Rehman scored one goal each. Pakistani goalkeeper Abdullah Ishtiaq also got an international cap. In the event, he played his first official international match against the USA today. Pakistan has two matches left for the rankings. Pakistan will play the next match on December 2 for the 9th to 12th position rankings against South Africa.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL Islamabad (November 30, 2021):-Pakistan squash team took a brilliant start in the 20th Asian Squash Team Championship after beating Philippines and Indonesia 3-0 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday. According to media department of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), as many as 12 are participating in the regional squash event including India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Japan, Iran, Korea, Philippines, Iraq, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. India, Pakistan, Japan, Philippines, Iraq and Indonesia are in Pool-A, as the Malaysia, Hong Kong, Iran, Korea, Singapore and Sri Lanka are in Pool-B. Pakistan beat Philippines (3-0) Amaad Fareed beat Reymark Begornia 11-8, 11-5 and 11-3 Tayyab Aslam beat Robert Andrew by 13-11, 11-8 11-5 Nasir Iqbal beat David William by 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 Pakistan beat Indonesia (3-0) Nasir Iqbal beat Nur Altaftyan 11-8, 11-5, 11-1 Asim Khan beat Agung Wilant 11-2, 11-9, 11-7 Tayyab Aslam beat Satria Bagus 11-5, 11-7, 11-5.

Chittagong, Bangladesh (SB Report):-Pakistan earned 1-0 lead in the two-test match series against hosts Bangladesh after registering a comprehensive win by 8 wickets in the morning session of the final day’s play of the first Tests at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong on Tuesday. With the win, Pakistan collected 12 World Test Championship points and jumped to the second spot on the points table with 66.66 percentage of points – which is a percentage of the points gained from the total available in matches a side has feature. Pakistan openers Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique dominated the first half hour as the pair stroked the ball around the ground with ease and grace. Abdullah added 20 more to his overnight 53 before he was LBW off Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Abid Ali, not out on 56 yesterday, fell nine runs short of becoming the 10th Pakistan batter in men’s Tests to record a century in both innings of a match, when he was plumb in front off Taijul Islam. For his fighting 133 in the first innings and an elegant 91 in the second, Abid was named player of the match. The experienced pair of Azhar Ali and Babar Azam took Pakistan over the line, as they were unbeaten on 24 and 13.This marked the third instance of Pakistan successfully completing a 200-plus run chase away from home. The two teams will face off the final Test in Dhaka from 4 December. Scores in brief: Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70) and 157 all out, 56.2 overs (Liton Das 59, Yasir Ali 36; Shaheen Shah Afridi 5-32, Sajid Khan 3-33) Pakistan 286 all out, 115.4 overs (Abid Ali 133, Abdullah Shafique 52, Faheem Ashraf 38; Taijul Islam 7-116, Ebadot Hossain 2-47) and 203-2, 58.3 overs (Abid Ali 91, Abdullah Shafique 73, Azhar Ali 24 not out) Player of the match – Abid Ali (Pakistan)

Lahore (Sports Report):-The 52nd Engro National Volleyball Championships entered the last eight stage on its third day at the Punjab Sports Gymnasium Hall, Lahore on Monday. Defending champion WAPDA, last year’s runners-up Army, Railways, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Khyber Pakhtunkawa (KPK), Higher Education Commission (HEC), Navy and Punjab qualified for quarterfinals, as five matches were decided on Monday.  WAPDA faced good opposition from high-flying Railways before completing a 3-1 win, with the score-line of 25-16, 25-16, 21-25, 25-17. The Railways men showed their presence on the court and fought well against the top team of the event. Gilgit Baltistan also stunned Balochistan 3-0. The winners ousted opponents at 25-6, 25-17, 15-27, 25-20. KPK recorded an easy victory against Sindh 3-0. KPK kept the lead from start to finish with the score-line of 25-10, 25-12, 25-12 to confirm a place in the quarterfinals. Punjab defeated Islamabad in straight away 3-0 with the score of 25-13, 25-11 and 25-17 to book a place in the last eight. Azad Jammu Kashmir beat Pak Board 3-0 in a graceful style as the losers failed to score a single point, in the match, which has no bearing to make a place in the last eight.

Chittagong (SB Report):-A brilliant century stand for the undefeated first wicket between Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique had Pakistan on the verge of victory in the first Test against Bangladesh before fading light resulted in early stumps on the fourth day. Pakistan, chasing 202 to win the first of the two Tests, were 109 for none in 33 overs with Abid Ali, fresh from a century in the first innings, and Abdullah Shafique, who made 52 on day two, scoring solid half-centuries. This was only the second time in Pakistan’s Test history, which stretch 440 matches, that an opening pair recorded two century stands in a match. Imran Farhat and Taufiq Umer did it first time against South Africa in Lahore in 2003, when Pakistan came out victorious by eight wickets. Abid and Abdullah were unbeaten at 56 and 53 and will resume Pakistan’s pursuit of the remaining 93 runs on Tuesday. Earlier, a sizzling Shaheen Shah Afridi recorded his fourth Test five-wicket haul, which restricted Bangladesh to 157. The left-arm pacer returned five for 32, sending Liton Das (59) and Abu Jayed back in the hut after he had taken three wickets for six runs last day. Liton scored a fighting 59 off 89 to keep Bangladesh’s innings alive, after debutant Yasir Ali had to walk off the field after a scorching bouncer by Shaheen hit the flesh of his helmet. Bangladesh took Nurul Hasan Sohan as Yasir’s concussion replacement. Off-spinner Sajid Khan was also amongst the wicket takers as he accounted for Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nurul Hasan and Taijul Islam. Scores in brief: Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70) and 157 all out, 56.2 overs (Liton Das 59, Yasir Ali 36; Shaheen Shah Afridi 5-32, Sajid Khan 3-33) Pakistan 286 all out, 115.4 overs (Abid Ali 133, Abdullah Shafique 52, Faheem Ashraf 38; Taijul Islam 7-116, Ebadot Hossain 2-47) and 109-0, 33 overs (Abid Ali 56 not out, Abdullah Shafique 53 not out)

Islamabad (Sports Report):-Syed Mudassar Ahmad Bukhari, Azmat Bashir and Nasir Mehmood guided Shifa International Hospital XIs Islamabad to 55 runs victory against Indus Xls Lal Kurhti Rawalpindi in a friendly cricket match here at XI Star Cricket ground Islamabad. Shifa International Captain Qutab Uddin Qureshi won the toss and decided to bat first, Shifa International, Shifa International piled up 228 for loss of 7 wickets in the allotted 25 overs.  Batsman Azmat Bashir hit half century 65 runs 54 balls with 2 sixes and 5 fours, Nasir Mehmood scored fast half century 58 runs 30 balls with 4 sixes and 3 fours, while Ibrar Ikhlaq 31, Shahzad Kiani 26 and Captain Qutab Uddin Qureshi 22 were their leading run-getters. Indus Xl Danish (3 for 47), Faisal (2 for 30) and Inzimam (1 for 32) were the other main wicket-takers. In reply, Indus Xl could score 173 for eight in 25 overs. Inzimam (40) not out, Abdul Ahad Khurram (29) and Samad 23 were their main scorers. Syed Mudassar Ahmad Bukhari bowled well and claimed 4 players out for 26 runs in 5 overs, while Mohammad Asif (1 for 12), Ali Mubashir (1for13) and Aamir Sohail (1 for 22) bowled well for Shifa International.

Abu Dhabi (SB Report):-Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Judo concluded, as the players displayed excellent skills of game to win the position in the international judo showpiece. Results: -90kg Russia Sets the Pace Russia’s Mansur Lorsanov had the merit of eliminating the first seed, Uzbek Davlat Bobonov and consolidating Russian dominance in the last tournament of the season. He did it in an unprecedented way, for the first time with poise, like wanting to say that he has come to stay. For his part, Tajikistan’s Kmoronshokh Ustopiriyon had not played for a medal since the dawn of time. At 28 it seemed that his limit was the first rounds, but in Abu Dhabi he managed to separate all his opponents and get into the fight for gold in his own right.  However, in the final he had two problems. The first was the excellent kumi-kata of the Russian who nullified his strategy, if he had one. The second was his own inaction, which earned him a hansoku-make and the truth is that it was a shame because it was his first final in 19 appearances in grand slams. For the Russian, gold was a triumphant entry into the world of the elderly. Final LORSANOV Mansur (RUS) vs USTOPIRIYON Komronshokh (TJK) Bronze Medal Contests MADZHIDOV Dzhakhongir (TJK) vs SHEROV Erlan (KGZ) DAMIER Francis (FRA) vs BOBONOV Davlat (UZB) Final Results 1. LORSANOV Mansur (RUS) 2. USTOPIRIYON Komronshokh (TJK) 3. MADZHIDOV Dzhakhongir (TJK) 3. BOBONOV Davlat (UZB) 5. SHEROV Erlan (KGZ) 5. DAMIER Francis (FRA) 7. BALANTA Francisco (COL) 7. JAYNE John (USA) -78kg The Mark on the Calendar Alina Boehm is in full transition between the junior environment and the world of the seniors. The German is part of that new generation that in this category has enormous firepower, with the world number one and current world champion Anna Maria Wagner and also Luise Malzahn. The same is true in Britain, where there is a new group of young women who are gaining ground and pushing back the old guard. To this point Natalie Powell was the best Brit at -78kg. In Abu Dhabi Emma Reid displaced her compatriot to contest the gold against Boehm. They are two judoka with similar styles, good technically and with Reid superior in ne-waza. In the golden score period Boehm attacked but the British reacted explosively, nullifying the counterattack with a movement that could be considered as ko-uchi-gari with an unorthodox grip, using a change of direction. We are sure of a few things: it was quick and nice and it was worth a gold medal for Reid and spoke to us right after the final. “I was nervous at the beginning, as I usually am before competitions, but today I felt more structured in my fights. I went through what we’ve been practising at home and that hard work gave me the confidence to go all the way.” Final BOEHM Alina (GER) vs REID Emma (GBR) Bronze Medal Contests POWELL Natalie (GBR) vs TURCHYN Anastasiya (UKR) LANIR Inbar (ISR) vs BROLIH Patricija (SLO) Final Results 1. REID Emma (GBR) 2. BOEHM Alina (GER) 3. POWELL Natalie (GBR) 3. LANIR Inbar (ISR) 5. TURCHYN Anastasiya (UKR) 5. BROLIH Patricija (SLO) 7. DUDENAITE Migle (LTU) 7. BABINTSEVA Aleksandra (RUS) -100kg Third of a Kind Arman Adamian and Matvey Kanikovskiy neutralised an entire battalion of elite troops in the always tricky –100kg category. It is true that Adamian was the favourite, but it is no less true that he had to face Belgian Toma Nikiforov, who has been on the rise since he recovered from a serious injury. Nikiforov may be fearsome, but today Adamian is out of Nikiforov’s reach. A special mention for Kanikovskiy because he got rid of the French Alezandre Iddir, the Dutch Michael Korrel and the Canadian Shady Elnahas, that is, the past, present and future of judo. None of them could stop the Russian. Adamian dominated and baby-faced Kanikovskiy fought back until he couldn't take it anymore and suffered in his flesh that which began as ko-soto-gake and ended as ura-nage. Adamian ends the year with three consecutive victories, in Zagreb, Paris and Abu Dhabi and the leadership of the category. He is only 24 years old and he is already a prodigious judoka. “I had to win this medal. I couldn’t take part in the Olympics and I had to prove that I should continue towards the next Games. I won the last three tournaments I took part in and I will work hard to be in Paris in 2024,” declared Adamian. Final ADAMIAN Arman (RUS) vs KANIKOVSKIY Matvey (RUS) Bronze Medal Contests PETERSILKA Falk (GER) vs ELNAHAS Shady (CAN) KORREL Michael (NED) vs NIKIFOROV Toma (BEL) Final Results 1. ADAMIAN Arman (RUS) 2. KANIKOVSKIY Matvey (RUS) 3. ELNAHAS Shady (CAN) 3. KORREL Michael (NED) 5. PETERSILKA Falk (GER) 5. NIKIFOROV Toma (BEL) 7. KHUDOYBERDIEV Aklmurodbek (UZB)

Madrid, Spain (SB Report):-Aslan Karatsev and Andrey Rublev spoiled Spain’s party as they came back from a set down to defeat Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez 46, 62, 64 in front of a capacity crowd at the Madrid Arena on Sunday night The victory puts Russian Tennis Federation top of Group A and secures a last eight clash against Sweden on Thursday for Shamil Tarpischev’s team. Spain, meanwhile, has been eliminated and attention will turn to qualifying for the 2022 edition. As the clock struck 00:40 in the Spanish capital, Karatsev steered a backhand winner down the line much to the delight of his partner, Rublev, who stretched out his arms to hug his teammate. “We are really happy to be in the quarters,” Rublev said after the match. “We are going to do our best to go further. Two years ago we were in the semi-finals so we’ll see if we can do this result but, for sure, every player from us is giving 100 per cent so that’s the most important thing.” Karatsev added: “Thank you to everyone who came to support. It was a good atmosphere.” There was little to separate the two teams in the opening set. Spain notched the only break when Lopez drilled a huge forehand return deep into the tramlines. And it was that man Lopez again who served out the set when Rublev blasted a return long. The Russian team broke their opponents twice in the second set, which meant they served first going into the decider. Karatsev, in particular, applied pressure on his opponent’s serve with some pinpoint accuracy on the return and, despite the crowd trying to help the home side in the latter stages of the final set, the Russians upped their intensity and broke to claim the win. In the opening match of the tie, Lopez bounced back from a slow start to stun Rublev 26, 63, 64. The Spaniard made a mockery of both his ranking and his age as he put on a vintage display of attacking tennis to hand Spain an unlikely advantage against one of the hot favourites for the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals title. Separated in ranking by 101 points and in age by 16 years, Lopez played a stereotypical game of two halves. In the opening set, the Spaniard hit just 42% of his first serves, but some inspirational net play and his powerful lefty serve proved to be the difference in sets two and three. “This is over any expectation to be honest,” said Lopez. “For me it was already amazing to be here representing my country at 40 years old. I didn’t expect to be the one playing the singles and I had to take that role. Honestly, today, playing against Andrey, No.5 in the world, at this stage of my career in my home town, this is over any expectations!” Broken in the very first game of the match and again after a pair of double faults at 1-4, it looked as though Lopez wasn’t going to trouble the world No.5 but how wrong that proved to be.  The 40-year-old began to find his groove in the second set. It was a sensational point at 15-15 with Rublev serving at 2-3 that seemed to galvanize the Spaniard. Lopez bided his time to approach the net and put away a beautiful crosscourt volley. He went on to break the Russian and then proceeded to come through a long seventh game, with four deuces, to hold for a 5-2 lead. Honestly, today, playing against Andrey, No.5 in the world, at this stage of my career in my home town, this is over any expectations A huge ace out wide to clinch the second set was enough to raise the roof in the Madrid Arena and suddenly, out of nowhere, the pressure was back on the 24-year-old Russian. And it was Lopez who seized the early initiative in the final set after a loose third game by Rublev saw the Spaniard break for a 2-1 lead. With the crowd behind him, Lopez never looked back. He served with clinical precision to put himself within a game of the finish line. When two match points came and went on the Rublev serve and when he was forced to save a break point on his own serve, it looked like there might be one more twist in the tale of this match. But Lopez had other ideas. He fired down an unreturnable serve out wide before soaking up the applause from a jubilant home crowd. Rublev was honest in his appraisal of the match, giving the credit to his opponent. “Basically, the way Feli was playing in the first set is something, like, normal,” he explained. “And then the way he started to play in the second and third set, it's something that happens to him not really often. “Every time he's playing here in Madrid, he's giving his best. He's super focused. He's controlling his emotions. He's giving his best every point. That's what he was doing today, and he was playing amazing. He deserved to win.” Daniil Medvedev then kept his team in contention for the win when he overcame Pablo Carreno 62, 76(3) in just under an hour-and-a-half. The world No.2 showed why he has become one of the dominant forces in men’s tennis with some scintillating shot-making, but the victory wasn’t without its challenges. Medvedev needed just 26 minutes to take the opening set and in so doing ensured that the buoyant home crowd that had been so vocal earlier in the tie, had nothing to cheer about. Carreno started to play more aggressive tennis at the start of the second set and was rewarded for his efforts with a break and a 3-0 led. But Medvedev came roaring back, reeling off five games in a row as he showed an effortless ability to take his tennis to the next level. Carreno refused to go down without a fight and, feeding off the crowd, he broke back after a series of gruelling rallies to force a tiebreak. Once again, Medvedev produced some incredible shots as he raced to a 5-0 lead in the breaker before sealing the win with an ace out wide.  “Everybody is super happy,” he said. “Because that's how we all are in the team, all five players. I think, if I'm not mistaken, we needed to win just one game to be through. Yet we won a match, and that's all you need to know about us. “We want to win, no matter if it's an exhibition match, a match that doesn't count maybe for the tie, or an important match. Our goal is to win. I think it's very important for the confidence of the team to win against such team as Spain. Even if they didn't have their best line-up, they are playing at home, and to beat them means a lot.”