Islamabad (Sports Desk): Germany’s men and the Netherlands’ women got their FIH Hockey World Cup title defence off to the perfect start with opening day victories as the tournament kicked off across two host venues – in Belgium and the Netherlands.The German men raced into a three-goal lead in the opening eight minutes of their match against Malaysia after Jakob Brilla scored from a penalty corner in the fourth minute, Christopher Ruhr added a field goal in the fifth, and Justus Weigand finished off a great team effort in the eighth.The Malaysians did well to contain the Germans in the second quarter, which remained goalless. They then pulled one back through Abu Kamal Azrai in the 40th minute. But Germany regained their three-goal lead just before the final break thanks to a well-timed deflection from Justus Warweg and Paul-Philipp Kaufmann tapped in a fifth in the final quarter to wrap up the 5-1 win.Meanwhile, the Dutch women were given a stern test by Chile in their opening match but ultimately prevailed 2-0.It took the hosts until the 21st minute to break the deadlock, with Marijn Veen getting the perfect deflection on a Yibbi Jansen pass to put the Netherlands ahead. Jansen doubled their lead from a penalty corner in the 35th minute, but the Dutch attack was made to work for every opportunity as Chile, led by a superb performance from goalkeeper Natalia Salvador, put up a resolute defensive display.Marijn Veen was named Player of the Match and said afterwards: “It’s so amazing to play a World Cup in your own home city and in your own country. We are very grateful and proud and love all the orange people.”It was another massive defensive effort that saw the United States women pull off a brave draw against 2022 FIH Hockey World Cup silver medallists Argentina. Brisa Bruggesser put Las Leonas in front in the 11th minute before Emma DeBerdine found the equaliser just before the half-time break. The Americans then produced an impressive defensive display to hold on for the 1-1 draw and the all-important point.Earlier, in the first match of the tournament, Japan’s women did well to keep the Australians out for much of the first half of their encounter in Amsterdam. But the first goal of the FIH Hockey World Cup eventually came courtesy of an Australian penalty corner, with Claire Colwill dragging in the opener in the 27th minute. Colwill plugged in a second from Australia’s fifth penalty corner of the match in the 51st minute – again dragging the ball into the bottom right corner to seal a 2-0 victory.Colwill was named Player of the Match and said afterwards: “It’s a great start and I think to be the first game of the whole tournament is really exciting too, so hopefully the crowd liked it and got around us.”The first men’s match of the tournament saw India celebrating their Independence Day with a 3-1 win against Wales in Jacob Draper’s 100th match for the Welsh. India’s first goal came from a penalty corner with Sanjay’s flick squeezing through the keeper’s legs in the eighth minute.Harmanpreet Singh added his name to the scoresheet three minutes later from a perfectly executed penalty corner. And the prolific veteran completed his brace with another excellently taken penalty corner in the third quarter. Sam Welsh pulled one back for Wales in the 56th minute, but it was not enough to deny the Indians a confident 3-1 win.Harmanpreet was named Player of the Match and said: “I think we started very well and I’m very happy with one of our youngsters scoring a goal with a drag flick and as a team we managed the ball very well.”

Islamabad (Sports News): Top Pakistan female squash player, Sana Bahadur has clinched the title at the PSA Challenger 3K Bendigo Open 2026, held from 13th to 16th August 2026 at the Bendigo Squash Centre, Melbourne, Australia.According to Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), in an impressive final, Sana Bahadur defeated Australia’s Rechael Grinha 3-1 to lift the trophy. PSF top officials congratulated Sana on her great victory.

Lahore (PCB Report): The Pakistan Cricket Board has today announced the 15-member squads for the DP World Women’s Asia Cup 2026 and the 20th Asian Games women’s cricket event with the regular captain Fatima Sana returning to lead the team in both the tournaments after skipping the Sri Lanka T20I series due to The Hundred commitment. The eight-team DP World Women’s Asia Cup is set to be played from 28 August to 13 September at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium with all 15 matches beginning at 7.30pm PKT. Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside Hong Kong – China, India and Thailand. Group B consists of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates.Pakistan will face Thailand on 1 September, India on 5 September and Hong Kong, China on 7 September, while the semi-finals will take place on 10 and 11 September. The final is scheduled on Sunday, 13 September.In the 20th Asian Games women’s cricket event, Pakistan is seeded with Thailand and will play them in the 17 September fourth Quarter-final. India will play Japan, Bangladesh will face China and Sri Lanka will be up against Malaysia. All the matches are scheduled to take at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi.Pakistan will face either of Sri Lanka or Malaysia if they qualify for semi-final on 20 September. The Bronze and Gold Medal matches will take place on 22 September. Pakistan won Gold Medals in the 2010, 2014 editions of the Asian Games women’s cricket event and finished fourth in the recent most 2022 event.Apart from skipper Fatima, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Ayesha Zafar, Gull Feroza, Saira Jabeen, Eyman Fatima, Eman Naseer, Umm-e-Hani, Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sundhu and Momina Riasat are part of both the squads.Najiha Alvi, Waheeda Akhtar and Sadia Iqbal are a part of the Asia Cup Squad, Whereas, Aliya Riaz, Tasmia Rubab and Humna Bilal will be part of the Asian Games Squad when the team travels from UAE to Japan for the 20th Asian Games. The squad for the Asian Games was submitted in June earlier this year.Pakistan women’s team will take part in a pre-tournament training camp commencing from Sunday, 16 August and it will conclude on Tuesday, 25 August at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.Pakistan women’s squad for ACC women’s Asia CupFatima Sana (captain), Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Momina Riasat, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wk), Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar.Reserves – Tasmia Rubab, Humna Bilal, Maham Anees, Sadaf ShamasSupport StaffWahab Riaz (coach/mentor), Ayesha Ashar (team manager), Abdur Rehman (spin bowling coach), Umaid Asif (fast bowling coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Waleed Ahmed (performance analyst), Moeen (strength & conditioning coach), Dur Samand (Physiotherapist) and Raza Rashid Kitchlew (media manager)Pakistan women’s squad for Asian GamesFatim Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Humna Bilal, Momina Riasat, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani.Reserves – Natalia Parvaiz, Waheeda Akhtar, Sadia Iqbal, Syeda Aroob Shah, Rameen ShamimSupport StaffWahab Riaz (coach/mentor), Ayesha Ashar (team manager), Abdur Rehman (spin bowling coach), Umaid Asif (fast bowling coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Waleed Ahmed (performance analyst) and Tehreem Sumbal (physiotherapist)Schedule of Pakistan’s matches at the ACC women’s Asia Cup: (All matches at Dubai International Cricket Stadium; all matches to begin at 7.30pm PKT)1 September – Pakistan v Thailand5 September – Pakistan v India7 September – Pakistan v Hong Kong, China10 September – semi-final 111 September – semi-final 213 September – finalPakistan women at Asian Games (All matches at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi prefecture)17 September - Quarter-final 4 – Pakistan v Thailand20 September – Semi-final 1 & 222 September - Bronze and Gold Medal matches

Multan (Sadia Yousaf): Rivaj Pakistan Greens continued their unbeaten run in the Al Batal Presents University of Lahore National Champions Cup 2026-27 with an emphatic 192-run win over Al Batal Pakistan Blues here at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Right-handed batter Mohammad Suleman (101 not out, 103b, 8x4s, 1x6) struck his second List A century, while half-centuries from Saad Baig and Farhan Yousuf propelled Greens to 302-6 in 50 overs – their second consecutive of 300 or more. In turn, Blues crumbled after Faheem Ashraf took three wickets in sixth, eighth and 10th over, while Mohammad Hasnain delivered two wickets in the 14th over to almost seal the game. Blues were bundled out for 110 in 23.5 overs, falling 192 runs short. On Sunday, second-placed Pakistan Whites will take on fourth-placed Pakistan Gold and will need a win to secure their berth in the final or lose by a margin which doesn’t bring down their net run rate of -0.002 below that of Blues’ -1.093. Earlier, Greens won the toss and opted to bat first with Suleman coming in for Fakhar Zaman and Arshad Iqbal replacing Naseem Shah, who were both rested after their team had ensured the final berth. Green’s opening duo of Omair Bin Yousuf (33, 57b, 5x4s) and Sameer Minhas (17, 20b, 3x4s) added 39 runs 58 balls before Arafat struck to remove his brother. Suleman batted fluently and laid the foundation for the big total by stitching a strong 135-run stand for the third wicket with Saad Baig (77, 73b, 5x4s, 3x6s), who scored his fourth fifty in the format. Another brisk 90-run stand with Farhan Yousuf (51, 41b, 4x4s, 2x6s) took Greens from 200-3 in 35.1 overs to 290 in 48.1 overs. For Blues, Hasan Ali picked up two wickets, while Mohammad Faiq, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal and Sufyan Moqim dismissed one batter each. In pursuit of the target, Blues lost Maaz Sadaqat in the second over as he was run out by Arshad Iqbal. Faheem began the decimation with the wicket of Sahibzada Farhan (19, 22b, 4x4s) and then eked out Mohammad Faiq (18, 19b, 3x4s), who both had got off to decent starts. Faheem returned to also remove Muhammad Irfan Khan for two, while Shadab got rid of Tayyab Tahir for 14 to leave the Blues struggling at 58-5 in 12.4 overs. That they were able to cross the three-digit mark was due to the resistance put up by Arafat Minhas (38, 40, 3x4s, 2x6s) as he partnered with Hasan Ali for a 30-run stand. Hasnain accounted for Taimur Khan and Ahmed Daniyal, while Mohammad Salman Mirza also picked up two wickets. Shadab and Mehran had one each to their name as Blues folded for 110 in 23.5 overs. Scores in brief Pakistan Greens 302-6, 50 overs (Mohammad Suleman 101 not out, Saad Baig 77, Farhan Yousaf 51, Omair Bin Yousuf 33; Hasan Ali 2-37) Pakistan Blues 110 all out, 23.5 overs (Arafat Minhas 38; Faheem Ashraf 3-14, Mohammad Salman Mirza 2-23, Mohammad Hasnain 2-24) 

Abdul Jabbar Faisal​ISLAMABAD: Daniyal Ijaz clinched the top spot in the Singles Final of the Marka-e-Haq Azadi Cup Tenpin Bowling Championship 2026, held at Leisure City Bowling Club, Safa Gold Mall, Islamabad.​Demonstrating remarkable consistency across three games, Daniyal secured 1st place with a total score of 518 (averaging 172.67). In a closely fought contest for the podium:​Faheem finished as the runner-up in 2nd place with 514 points (171.33 average).​Zeeshan earned 3rd place with 513 points (171.00 average).​The closing ceremony concluded on a high note, featuring prominent national and international dignitaries. Ms. Natalie A. Baker, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy, graced the event as the Chief Guest, alongside Guest of Honour Ms. Afnan Mishal.​Speaking at the occasion, Ijaz Ur Rehman, President of the Pakistan Tenpin Bowling Federation, expressed his gratitude to the guests and highlighted the potential of Pakistani youth in tenpin bowling. He emphasized the need for bilateral collaboration between Pakistan and the United States to share technical expertise, upgrade facilities, and provide international exposure to young athletes.​In her address, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Ms. Natalie A. Baker commended Ijaz Ur Rehman for organizing a successful national championship. She assured support for the development and promotion of tenpin bowling in Pakistan, highlighting sports as an effective bridge between the two nations.​Following the speeches, Chief Guest Ms. Natalie A. Baker and Guest of Honour Ms. Afnan Mishal distributed prizes and trophies to the championship winners. The ceremony concluded with a shared resolve to strengthen sports diplomacy and elevate Pakistani bowling to the global stage.

Sports Bulletin ReportLisbon (Portugal): Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi retained Mix Doubles title of the ITF Masters World Championships, partnering Nina Hermann of Austria to upset the top seeds Fred Gil and Rita Freitas of Portugal 6-4, 6-3 in the final.The victory represents another proud moment for Aisam and Pakistan tennis, with the former ATP doubles star successfully defending the Mixed Doubles World Championship crown he won last year. Aisam and Hermann produced an assured performance in the gold-medal match, overcoming the top-seeded Portuguese pairing in straight sets to claim the title.There was further success for Pakistan in the Men’s 45+ Doubles, where Aisam and Aqeel Khan finished as World Championship silver medalists after a closely fought final.The Pakistani pair came up just short against the French combination of Jacques Glay and Jean-Baptist Renault, going down 1-6, 7-6, [10-7].Aisam and Aqeel began the final in commanding fashion, comfortably taking the opening set 6-1. The second set, however, was filled with momentum shifts as the French pair raised their level and stayed neck-and-neck with the Pakistanis. Once the match entered the tiebreaks, the French duo edged ahead and carried that momentum into the deciding match tiebreak, producing a strong finish to deny Aisam and Aqeel the gold.The silver nevertheless completed an outstanding men’s doubles campaign for the Pakistani pair, who had earlier produced a series of impressive victories, including a dramatic quarterfinal comeback against Spain’s Francisco Javier Martínez Baena and Pedro Nieto Orellana, saving two match points before winning 6-7, 7-6, [10-2].Aqeel Khan added another medal to Pakistan’s tally in the 40+ Mixed Doubles, partnering Eileen Aranas-Roth of Germany to claim bronze. Their run ended in the semifinals against eventual champions Gil and Freitas, giving Aqeel his second medal of the Individual World Championships.The results brought to an end an exceptional two weeks of tennis in Lisbon, spanning the ITF Masters World Team and Individual Championships. Pakistan’s players leave Portugal having been involved in four medal-winning performances:* Silver – Men’s 45+ World Team Championships: Pakistan* Silver – Men’s 45+ Doubles: Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi & Aqeel Khan* Gold – 40+ Mixed Doubles: Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi & Nina Hermann* Bronze – 40+ Mixed Doubles: Aqeel Khan & Eileen Aranas-Roth.

Rawalpindi (PR): Butt Hockey Academy Rawalpindi organized two thrilling hockey matches at Shehnaz Sheikh Hockey Stadium, Rawalpindi, as part of the Independence Day celebrations in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.The first match was played between Women XI Rawalpindi and Butt Women Hockey Academy, with Women XI Rawalpindi securing a narrow 1-0 victory.In the second encounter, Rawalpindi Hockey Club faced Butt Hockey Club, where Butt Hockey Academy produced an impressive performance to register a convincing 3-0 win.The Principal of Askaria College graced the occasion as the chief guest. The celebrations also included an Independence Day cake-cutting ceremony organized by Butt Hockey Academy, followed by the distribution of prizes among the players.In a special tribute to his services to hockey, Jameel Butt, International Coach and Referee, was honored during the ceremony. As a gesture of appreciation, Askaria College presented him with a brand-new Honda motorcycle for his outstanding services and contribution to the promotion of hockey.A large number of spectators turned up at the stadium and enthusiastically witnessed both matches, adding to the festive atmosphere.The event reflected the spirit of Independence Day while promoting hockey and encouraging young players in the Rawalpindi-Islamabad region.

Multan (Sports News):: Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz has been ruled out of the Al Batal Presents University of Lahore National Champions Cup after sustaining an injury to his right middle finger, it was confirmed on Friday. Nawaz was taken for scans on Thursday, 13 August, which confirmed a fracture to the finger, ruling him out of action for a minimum of three weeks.He picked up the injury while fielding for his team Sparco Paints Pakistan Gold in their 12 August fixture against Al Batal Productions Pakistan Blues. He did complete his quota of 10 overs in the game which, Gold lost by six wickets at the Multan Cricket Stadium. After two weeks, Nawaz will report to PCB’s Sports and Exercise Medicine Department to commence conditioning and progress through the required Return-to-Play (RTP) protocols under medical supervision.

Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) ha invited 33 players for training camp in Islamabad aiming to the preparations of the "Four-Nation Invitational Hockey Tournament" to be held in Kazan, Russia.The training camp will be established at the Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium, Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad, starting on August 15. The Four-Nation Tournament will be played from August 27 to September 1, 2026, in Kazan, Russia.According to the notification issued on the recommendations of the Professional Development Committee and the National Selection Committee of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, all selected players have been directed to report by 5:00 PM on August 15.PHF sent a letter to all relevant Provincial Associations, Sports Departments, and Service Organizations directing the players to bring a No Objection Certificate (NOC), a passport valid for at least 6 months, 8 passport-sized photographs, and their playing kits.Names of Players:Goalkeepers (4): Faizan Janjua, Mohammad Awais, Muneeb-ur-Rehman, Awais Rasheed.Defenders (6): Yasir Islam, Ehsan Khan, Usman Khan, Mohammad Zain, Asad Aziz, Bilal Aslam.Half-Backs (8): Abdul Hamid, Ahsan Nadeem, Samiullah, Aqeel Ahmed, Irfan Shah, Mohammad Atif, Abdul Wahab, Rehan Ali.Forwards (15): Mohammad Arsalan, Taha Sherwani, Sarfraz Zaheer, Awais Arshad, Shareef Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Ali Murtaza, Mohammad Bilal, Taimoor Javed, Mohammad Ahmed, Danish Tariq, Ramzan Sargana, Abu Bakar/Abuzar, Abdul Yousuf, Waseem Akram, Usman Ashraf.

Multan (Salman Khan): University of Lahore Pakistan Whites bagged a nervy six-run win in a nail-biting contest against Al Batal Blues in the third match of the Al Batal Presents University of Lahore National Champions Cup 2026-27 here at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Thursday night. Whites were spearheaded by their pace trio of Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shahnawaz Dahani and Haris Rauf as they came from behind to defend their total of 245 runs, restricting Blues to 239 in 49.4 overs. Wasim Jnr picked up his maiden five-wicket haul not just in List A but also across his competitive career by removing half-centurion Maaz Sadaqat, Tayyab Tahir, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Ahmed Daniyal and Sufyan Moqim. He was backed up by Dahani, who saved 15 runs in the last over an ended with figures of 4-43 in 9.4 overs taking his tally of List A wickets to 95 in 55 matches. Dahani got Hasan Ali to sky a full toss in last over as Usman Khan pouched it safely.Hasan had threatened to take away the game from the Whites with a brilliant 29-run knock off 28 balls including striking two of his five boundaries in the last over. He had stitched a 22-run 10th-wicket stand with Akif Javed (5 not out, 4b, 1x4) and the duo almost pulled off a memorable win. Before Hasan and Akif came together, the Blues had lost three for 19 from a strong position, slipping from 198-6 in 42.2 overs to 217 for 9 in 46 overs. Wasim Jnr took all three scalps by first breaking the dangerous 30-run partnership between Irfan and Ahmed Daniyal (9, 27b, 1x4). He first bowled Irfan in 43rd over who was striking the ball well at 37 off 34 before falling and also struck two fours, and three sixes in his knock. Wasim delivered a double-wicket 46th over to further dent Blues’ advance in the chase and also completed his memorable five-for.Earlier in the chase, Maaz Sadaqat (59, 77b, 6x4s, 1x6) and Mohammad Faiq (54, 64b, 5x4s, 1x6) had put on a 99-run second-wicket partnership following Sahibzada Farhan’s (17, 19b, 4x4s) early departure in seventh over. The duo looked certain to take the game away but Wasim Jnr and Haris removed both in a space of eight balls. Blues went from 129-1 in 26.2 overs to 158-6 losing 5-29 in a stunning collapse as Dahani got Arafat Minhas (12, 14b, 2x4s) and Rohail (8, 17b). Earlier, Pakistan Whites were challenged by the Pakistan Blues spinners, who grabbed seven wickets for 116 in 26 overs combined with Faiq’s off-spin leading the way. Meanwhile, pacers Hasan Ali and Akif Javed picked up the last two wickets to wrap up the Whites’ innings. Shahzaib Khan resisted with a consecutive half-century, while Saad Masood, along with Haris Rauf and Waseem Jnr stretched the innings from 157-6 in 32.3 overs to a competitive total of 245 all out in 49.3 overs.Faiq was given the new ball and he delivered two wickets in two overs - seventh and ninth – by disturbing timber in Saim Ayub’s (22, 22b, 4x4s) case and got Mohsin Riaz stumped after getting hit for a six. Following these two strikes Whites’ batters Shahzaib and Usman Khan (29, 42b, 3x4s) put on a 73-run stand in 15.1 overs, which was then broken by Faiq. It was a point from where Blues took four for 40 in 8.5 overs removing Usman, Shahzaib and Hasan Nawaz. Shahzaib, who hit his seventh List A half-century, was on 71 off 84 having hit three fours and three sixes when he hit Maaz Sadaqat towards long off boundary where Arafat took a spectacular catch by jumping back over the rope after grabbing the ball in the air. Maaz picked up his second wicket when he lured Khushdil Shah – facing his fourth ball – to hand him a straight caught and bowled. Arafat got one through Hasan Nawaz’s defences on the third ball of the 33rd over to leave the Whites 157-6. Haris and Saad then stitched a game-changing stand of 53 runs in 65 balls arresting the imminent collapse. Haris struck two fours and one six in his contribution of 27 runs off 34 balls. Saad’s stay at the crease yielded 35 runs off 46 balls including a six and a four. Waseem Jnr was the last batter to depart after scoring a valuable 25-ball 21 hitting two fours. Faiq’s 3-36 were his best haul in List A cricket as he took his tally to 10 scalps, while Arafat backed up his Wednesday’s figures of 10-1-36-2 with 10-1-30-1 on Thursday. Apart from Maaz’s two, Sufyan, Akif and Hasan picked up one wicket each. Scores in brief Match 3 – UOL Pakistan Whites beat Al Batal Productions Pakistan Blues by six runs at Multan Cricket Stadium Pakistan Whites 245 all out, 49.3 overs (Shahzaib Khan 71, Saad Masood 35, Usman Khan 29, Haris Rauf 27, Saim Ayub 22, Muhammad Waseem Jnr 21, Hasan Nawaz 20; Mohammad Faiq 3-36, Maaz Sadaqat 2-12) Pakistan Blues 239 all out, 49.4 overs (Maaz Sadaqat 59, Mohammad Faiq 54, Muhammad Irfan Khan 37, Hasan Ali 29; Mohammad Waseem Jnr 5-46, Shahnawaz Dahani 4-43) Player of the match – Mohammad Waseem Jnr (Pakistan Whites)