Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Khawar Hyat Khan Memorial National Ranking Tennis Tournament commenced today at the PTF-SDA Tennis Complex in Islamabad. This tournament is being held in honour of the late Khawar Hyat Khan, who served as the Senior Executive Vice President-PTF from 2015 until his passing on 26th January 2024.The tournament has attracted more than 250 entries across seven different categories including  Men's Singles, Men's Doubles, Ladies Singles, Boys 18 & under Singles, Boys 14 & under Singles, Boys 12 & Under Singles and Senior Doubles 50 & above, demonstrating the passion and dedication of tennis players from all over Pakistan. Results (Men's Singles Final Qualifying Round):Kamran Khan beat Mohammad  Talha Khan 6-1; Mohammad Ali beat Kashan Tariq 6-0 ; Mohammad Haziq Aasim beat Kamran Nisar 6-2; Syed Murtaza Hussain beat Ubaida Ilyas 6-0; Shehryar Anees beat Abdullah Azhar 6-2; Shahid Afridi beat Zain Saeed 6-0; Haider Ali Rizwan beat Saifullah 6-0; Rayan Khan beat Syed Hamza Hussain 6-4.

Abdul Jabbar FaisalRAWALPINDI: Pakistan scored 99 for 1 runs at the lunch break on the second day of the second Test against Bangladesh here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday, as the first day of the ICC Test Championship fixture was called-off due to rain in twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Earlier, visiting team captain won the toss and asked Pakistani counterpart to bat first. Shan Masood (53) and Siam Ayub (43) were not out at the lunch break at Pindi Cricket Stadium. Abdullah Shafique failed to score a solitary run, as he faced only 6 balls and bowled by Taskin Ahmed in the very first over of the match.Pakistan (Playing XI): Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakil (vice captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Abrar Ahmed, Mir Hamza, Agha SalmanBangladesh Team: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wicketkeeper), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid RanaMatch Officials: Umpires: Michael Gough (England), Richard Kettleborough (England)    TV Umpire: Asif Yaqoob (Pakistan)         Reserve Umpire: Rashid Riaz (Pakistan)Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: Pakistan and South Africa women’s cricket teams will prepare for next month’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the UAE by competing in a three-match series at the Multan Cricket Stadium.The South Africa team will arrive in Multan on 13 September, with matches scheduled for 16, 18, and 20 September. To ensure all three matches are broadcast live and give exposure to women’s cricket, the matches on 16 and 18 September will start at 7pm, while the match on 20 September will begin at 10am.After the series, South Africa will depart for the UAE on 21 September, while Pakistan will leave on 23 September. Pakistan is in Group A of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, along with Australia, India, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka, while South Africa is grouped with Bangladesh, England, Scotland and the West Indies.Following warm-up matches against Scotland and Bangladesh on 28 and 30 September, respectively, Pakistan will face Sri Lanka on 3 October in Sharjah, followed by matches against India on 6 October in Dubai, Australia on 11 October in Dubai and New Zealand on 14 October in Dubai.Names of players: Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali (wicket-keeper), Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal (subject to fitness), Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab and Tuba Hassan.Najiha Alvi (wicket-keeper, traveling reserve), Rameen Shamim and Umm-e-Hani (both non-traveling reserves) will be part of the pre-series training camp and series in Multan. However, only Najiha will travel to the UAE with the squad.Supporting Staff: Hina Munawar (manager), Mohammad Wasim (head coach), Junaid Khan (assistant coach – bowling), Hanif Malik (assistant coach – fielding), Abdur Rehman (spin bowling coach), Imran Khalil (strength and conditioning coach), Raza Kitchlew (media and digital manager), Rabia Siddiq (physiotherapist) and Waleed Ahmed (analyst).Schedule of matches:16 Sep – 1st T20I, Multan Cricket Stadium (7pm start)18 Sep – 2nd T20I, Multan Cricket Stadium (7pm start)20 Sep – 3rd T20I, Multan Cricket Stadium (10am start).

Sports Bulletin ReportGuiyang (China): Day eight of the IFSC Youth World Championships 2024 crowned new champions in both the Speed and Boulder disciplines in Guiyang, China. Japan added to their medal haul with another gold medal from Kayotani Ritsu in the men’s U20 Boulder and China increased their tally with yet another podium lock out, this time in the men’s U16 Speed.There will be gold medals heading back to Europe also as France’s Lily Abriat claimed gold in the women’s U20 Boulder and Italy’s Alice Marcelli took the top step of the women’s U16 Speed competition.BOULDER: Japan’s Kayotani Ritsu won gold at the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Youth Worlds, and he made it a three-peat by taking the men’s U20 Boulder title in Guiyang. Kayotani had looked strong throughout the final, but so had his rivals who all topped at least two boulders, but it was the fourth and final problem where the Japanese climber showed why he has so many gold medals in his cabinet. With none of the finalists even making the zone, Kayotani stepped up and took just two attempts to top the previous un-toppable boulder.In silver medal position was Germany’s Yannick Nagel who had flashed two of the three boulders up to the final one. Two attempts on the first boulder gave the German silver ahead of bronze medallist Slav Kirov of Bulgaria who took one more attempt on boulder three. France’s Kito Martini in fourth, Japan’s Tamiya Eito in fifth and Australia’s Dylan Parks in sixth all topped two boulders after making the men’s final.In the women’s competition, France’s Lily Abriat was the standout performer topping three boulders and making the zone in the other. Silver medallist Anastasiia Kobets topped two. Abriat flashed two of her boulders in her run to gold and upgraded her 2023 bronze medal from Seoul, South Korea. Ukraine’s Kobets leaves China with two silver medals following her Lead podium earlier on in the week and showing her all-round strength in the youth field.Germany’s Anna Maria Apel was one of only two, alongside Abriat, to make the zone on boulder one and flashed boulder two, despite not making the zones in either of the final two boulders, she held on for the bronze medal. Sarina Ghaffari of Iran was fourth going out on a high by topping the final boulder, Italy’s Francesca Matuella was fifth and Great Britain’s Emma Edwards was sixth.SPEED: In the U16 Speed competition there was yet another Chinese podium lock out, but unfortunately for the host nation Italy’s Alice Marcelli didn’t read the script and prevented the double-double. China won two golds in Speed on day seven taking both the men’s and women’s titles, but they couldn’t repeat the feat as Marcelli grew in confidence throughout the competition.Making it through to the final four, Marcelli beat Hong Kong’s Chen Sing Sen to set up a final with home favourite Wang Chunyouxuan who had beaten Thailand’s Ratchamon Thongbai in her semi-final. Both Marcelli and Wang slipped in the final race, but Marcelli overcame her rival with a 8.85s run compared to 10.21s. Beaten semi-finalist’s Thongbai and Chen faced off in the bronze medal match with the Thai climber coming out on top in a close race – 8.73s to 8.81s.Just like the U18’s, the Chinese U16 team scored their own podium lock out, this time in the men’s competition. Again three of the four finalists where from China so medals were always assured. Zhao Yicheng, Li Yang and Yu Zexuan had to battle USA’s Khoi Tran, and Li was the first to do so. He beat the American in the semi-final to put himself in with a shot of gold, and left Tran to fight for bronze.Zhao was to be the gold medal contender beating teammate Yu in the other semi-final, and he also went on to take the top step of the podium by beating Li 5.03s to 5.52s in the final race of the competition. Zhao had the gold, Li the silver. Yu joined his compatriots on the podium beating Tran 5.77s to 6.92s in the small final to take the bronze.

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: A three-day Under 17 Junior National Taekwondo Championship 2024 kicked off with a grand colorful opening ceremony at Nishter Park Lahore on Thursday, as the Kim Gubong Korea Business Community, president in Pakistan, Dr. Asif Tufail Secretary Planning and Development Punjab and Patron-in-chief Punjab Taekwondo Association were the chief guest on this occasion.As many as 10 teams from Provinces and Departments are participating in the prestigious national juniors’ event, being organized by the Punjab Taekwondo Association (PTA) under the banner of the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF). Pakistan Army stood on top with 3 Gold,1x Silver,1x Bronze, Sindh stood second position 1x Gold,4x Silver while third position grabbed by Wapda,1x Gold,1x Bronze.

Head coach Jason Gillespie names 12-member squad for second TestSports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: Jason Gillespie, the Pakistan men’s cricket team red-ball head coach today announced a 12-member squad for the second Test match against Bangladesh during a pre-match press conference at a local hotel in Islamabad.The playing XI for the second Test commencing tomorrow at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will be announced at the time of toss. Bangladesh are leading the two Test-match series 1-0, after defeating the hosts Pakistan by 10 wickets at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.The toss will take place 09.30am, with the first ball expected to be bowled at 10.00am.Pakistan (squad): Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali AghaMatch officials: Michael Gough and Adrian Holdstock (on-field umpires), Richard Kettleborough (third umpire), Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire) and Ranjan Madugalle (match referee).

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: The Pakistan Mixed Martial Arts Federation (PMMAF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IFSA & Thai Association of Mixed Martial Arts (TAMMA) to develop the MMA sport in both countries.The agreement was signed by Chairman Pakistan Mixed Martial Arts Federation (PMMAF) Tariq Ali and IFSA Thai Association of Mixed Martial Arts (TAMMA) Secretary General Achilleus Ralli in Bangkok.The MOU is set to provide a platform for a strategic relationship between the two MMA national federations to cooperate and exchange knowledge on a range of matters related to the MMA Sport. The MoU will be immensely beneficial for both federations and will lead to enhanced relations for the sport in Pakistan and Thailand.Also focuses on strengthening the mutual understanding and solidarity between the peoples of the two countries through cooperation, developing friendly ties, and achieving mutually beneficial results aimed at the development of MMA by establishing joint activities," a statement said.Officials have said that the partnership will include collaboration in sports research, sports medicine and support for the organisation of MMA sports events. 

Sports Bulletin ReportLondon (UK): England cricketer Dawid Malan has announced his immediate retirement from international cricket, concluding an outstanding career that includes 22 Test matches, 30 One-Day Internationals, and 62 T20 Internationals. The elegant left-hander amassed 4,416 runs for his country across all formats.Dawid Malan said: “It has been an incredible journey since July 2017. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play for England in all three formats. Cricket, like most sports, is an industry where almost everyone eventually retires wishing they had done that little bit more. Whether you’ve played ten Tests or 100, many step away regretting not playing just one more, scoring a few more runs, or winning more trophies. Right now, as I retire from international cricket, I can say I am genuinely satisfied. It has not been easy. It may be my nature, but for whatever reason, it has always seemed that I had something to prove and often felt as if I was playing for my place. The pressure goes with the territory, but it does take a mental and physical toll. Even so, I look back with pride on what I have been able to achieve.”Managing Director of England Men's Cricket, Rob Key said: “Dawid Malan retires after an excellent international career marked by resilience and determination. Early on, he had to fight for every opportunity, often facing some of the best teams in the world. His contributions were pivotal, particularly during the memorable World Cup victories in Australia, where he played an integral role in the team's success. His legacy will be remembered as one of tenacity and achievement on the international stage, traits any player would be extremely proud to have.”

Sports Bulletin ReportRiyadh (Saudi Arabia): Back-to-back Saudi Women’s Premier League champions Al Nassr secured a second successive victory in the preliminary group stage in the AFC Women’s Champions league to top Group A going into the final round this weekend.The Riyadh club, representing the Kingdom as the first Saudi side to compete in Asia’s premier continental women’s club competition, provided a dominant display on Tuesday on their way to sealing a 3-0 victory against Young Elephants FC of Laos.Algerian midfielder Lina Boussaha opened the scoring with a stunning free kick ahead of half time, before new summer signing Ruth Kipoyi doubled Al Nassr’s advantage going into the half time break. The former Galatasary attacker darted into the box before sending a stunning strike into the top corner for her first goal for the Riyadh club.Sandro Mendes’ side started the second half as they finished, with Tanzanian striker Clara Luvanga firing a low finish for her third goal in two AFC Women’s Champions League matches.Basma Al Shenaifi said: “It means so much to me to be playing at this level. The girls have been so helpful, I’m always learning from them. In every training session they always come and help me so I can improve my game. They have inspired me to play with confidence, not be afraid to make mistakes. It’s been a great start to the season for me.”Tuesday’s win sees Al Nassr sit atop Group A with two wins from two matches, setting up a table-topping clash with UAE-side Abu Dhabi Country Club in the final fixture of the Group A Preliminary Stages.Al Nassr stopper Sara Khalid sees her side continuing to build on its strong foundations following two consecutive shutouts to make progress towards the goal of achieving AFC Women’s Champions League qualification.Sara Khalid said: “Before we came into the group, we said the aim was to win the three games. We have 6 points so far so we’re working towards the next 3 points now. There has been a really strong chemistry between myself and the backline so far which is positive. We have been training well together to develop that, and with every game, we enter with the aim of keeping a clean sheet to not concede no matter who the opponent is. We’ve managed to keep the two clean sheets which has helped us build our way into the game. We have our identity, our style, and we’ll keep building on this”.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): England batter Harry Brook has moved up to fourth position while Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Rizwan have reached career-best positions in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings after their fine performances over the past week.Brook’s scores of 56 and 32 in the first match of their ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka in Manchester has lifted him three places to fourth position, just one adrift of his career-best third position attained following his second-innings century against the West Indies at Trent Bridge last month.Bangladesh batter Mushfiq’s match-winning 191 in the first Test of the WTC series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi has helped him advance seven places to a career-best-equalling 17th position while Pakistan’s Rizwan is in the top 10 for the first time after scores of 171 not out and 51.Others to move up the Test rankings include Sri Lanka batters Dinesh Chandimal (up four places to 23rd) and Kamindu Mendis (up eight places to 36th), Bangladesh’s Liton Das (up two places to 27th) and England’s Jamie Smith (up 22 places to 42nd).In the Test bowling rankings, England’s Chris Woakes is up four places to 16th after taking three wickets each in both innings against Sri Lanka while Asitha Fernando is up 10 places to 17th after also finishing with six wickets in the match.Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah (up four places to 33rd), England’s new-ball bowler Gus Atkinson (up four places to 42nd) and Matthew Potts (up five places to 57th) are the prominent movers in the bowling rankings.In the Men’s T20I Player Rankings, Nicholas Pooran of the West Indies has moved into the top 10 after scores of 65 not out, 19 and 35 in a 3-0 victory over South Africa in Trinidad. South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks is another one to gain, moving up to 13th position.In the bowling rankings, left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein of the West Indies has moved up four places to second position after taking four wickets in three matches. Gudakesh Motie, also a left-arm spinner from his team, is just one position behind Hosein after moving up 10 slots while Romario Shepherd is up to 31st position.