Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-The first edition of the FIFA Women‘s World Ranking of 2022 has seen some notable movement, in part due to the traditional friendly tournaments in this period, but also because of the AFC Women‘s Asian Cup. All told, 146 women‘s internationals have been played over the last three months. Hosts and winners of the recent She-Believes Cup, United States (1st, -) continue to lead the way, even if the North Americans missed out on some ranking points in a surprising draw with Czech Republic. Sweden (2nd, -) took advantage of that slip and, on the back of their success at the Algarve Cup, closed the gap on the leaders to just over 22 points. France (3rd, +1) complete the podium after displacing Germany (4th, -1), thanks to Les Blues’ triumph at the Tournoi de France and the Nationalmannschaft inability to win a single game in the first edition of the Arnold Clark Cup in England. In the only other changes in the top 10, Spain (7th, +2) find themselves at an all-time high after taking second place in the latter competition, swapping places with Brazil (9th, -2), who failed to win any of their three games at the aforementioned Tournoi de France. However, this edition’s biggest story comes from Asia, where the top sides battled it out for the continental title and qualifying spots at the FIFA Women‘s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™. Victory for China PR (16th, +3) secured a ninth Asian crown, a World Cup ticket and a rise of three places in the global standings. Nevertheless, the most remarkable performance was that of Philippines (54th, +10) who, by reaching the semi-finals, ensured an historic maiden appearance on the world stage, their highest ever ranking and the distinction of being the most-improved side in terms of points (+53) and places (+10). As well as Spain and Philippines, another side making strides are Slovenia, who have also reached an all-time high (47th, +1). Last but not least, three teams - Togo (115th), Cayman Islands (163rd) and Anguilla (175th) - rejoined the World Ranking, while Afghanistan lost their place due to inactivity.

Sports Bulletin Report TORINO:-Sport Climbing will be brought to millions of people across Europe after the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and Discovery Sports announced a new three-year partnership to broadcast all IFSC World Cup and World Championship events. Trojan Paillot, VP Sports Rights Acquisition and Syndication at Discovery Sports, said: “Sport Climbing proved incredibly popular with audiences watching across our platforms during the Olympic Games in Tokyo last year, proving attractive to new and different audiences than some of those who already enjoy watching the sport and demonstrating its potential for engagement and growth. "We are delighted to be able to showcase the best of the sport for the next three years on discovery+ and Eurosport’s channels and platforms. Discovery has built an enviable reputation for helping to grow sports and events and taking them to wider audiences and we look forward to taking this sport to more people across Europe in the lead-up to Paris 2024." The 2022 IFSC World Cup Series starts with the IFSC Boulder World Cup in Meiringen, Switzerland, scheduled from 8 to 10 April in the eastern Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. The IFSC will continue its delayed free streaming of events via The Olympic Channel, to be shown 24 hours after the end of each live round within each event. Schedule for the 2022 IFSC World Cup Series: 8-10 April-Meiringen (SUI) – Boulder 6-8 May-Seoul (KOR) – Boulder, Speed 20-22 May – Salt Lake City (USA) – Boulder 27-29 May – Salt Lake City (USA) – Boulder, Speed 10-12 June – Brixen (ITA) – Boulder 22-25 June – Innsbruck (AUT) – Boulder, Lead 30 June-2 July – Villars (SUI) – Lead, Speed 8-10 July – Chamonix (FRA) – Lead, Speed 22-23 July – Briançon (FRA) – Lead 2-3 September – Koper (SLO) – Lead 24-26 September – Jakarta (INA) – Lead, Speed 30 September-2 October – Wujiang (CHN) – Lead, Speed 6-9 October – Chongqing (CHN) – Boulder & Lead

Sports Bulletin Report Lausanne, Switzerland:-With just a few days to go before the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup South Africa 2021 springs into action in Potchefstroom the squads for the participating nations are now known. Among the athletes from the 16 teams are Olympians, Olympic medallists and players that have already seen top class action through the FIH Hockey Pro League. This is also the stage upon which new stars are revealed to hockey fans. It was back in 1997 that an unknown junior called Luciana Aymar led Argentina to a Junior World Cup bronze medal – we all know how that story unfolded. Today’s crop of Las Leoncitas will be hoping to retain the gold medal that the 2016 squad won in Santiago, Chile. For teams such as Netherlands, Germany and Korea, the Women’s Junior World Cup has been a traditional hunting ground for medals. Those three teams between them have won 12 medals, and all three will want to be adding to their tallies. For Germany, players such as Pauline Heinz and Jette Fleschütz will be bringing a huge amount of experience of top flight hockey, having already experienced Olympic and FIH Hockey Pro League action. In addition, the German U21 squad played two senior FIH Hockey Pro League matches against India, gaining a wealth of experience the process. Also on the hunt for medals will be the India women’s side. Having observed the rapid rise of their women’s senior team through the rankings, and the adulation to which the squad returned on the back of an Olympic fourth place finish, the India team will want to take advantage of the momentum surrounding women’s hockey in the country right now. At the other end of the experience continuum are teams such as Ireland and Uruguay who will be experiencing their first ever foray into Women’s Junior World Cup territory. Ireland's athletes are already bringing a sense of joy to the show, with their revelation that the team managers included pool-based flamingo racing as part of their early morning warm-up routines. And then there is the emotion that will be so very present at this event. For South Africa, this is the momentous occasion when they hold the continent’s first ever FIH World Cup event. For Canada, this is the place where they were caught in limbo for a while in December as a result of pandemic movement restrictions – they will be looking for a happy return to Potchefstroom.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Australia survived a scare from Bangladesh to record a five-wicket win that ensured they finished the group stage of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 unbeaten. After winning the toss, Australia took regular wickets through spin to reduce Bangladesh to 135 for six from their 43 overs after the start was delayed by rain in Wellington. Spin continued to dominate as Bangladesh took the ball, Salma Khatun reducing Australia to 41 for four at the first drinks break before a defiant Beth Mooney guided her side, who had already secured their semi-final spot, to a seventh straight win with an unbeaten 66. Having been put in to bat, Bangladesh made a steady start taking 28 runs from the first six overs before the spin of Ashleigh Gardner and Jess Jonassen was introduced. Gardner would get the first wicket of the innings, dismissing Murshida Khatun for 12 from 17 balls as Rachael Haynes held on to a good catch. That brought Fargana Hoque to the crease and she became the first Bangladeshi women to pass 1000 ODI runs before nicking Annabel Sutherland behind to Alyssa Healy for eight. Australia then smartly reviewed to have Sharmin Akhter given out LBW, DRS confirming Jonassen’s delivery was hitting the top of leg stump as Bangladesh slipped to 58 for three. The experienced heads of Nigar Sultana and Rumana Ahmed played calmly, taking five runs off the next 25 balls before Nigar departed for seven from 30 balls when trying to relieve the dot ball pressure. Bangladesh continued to build promising partnerships, Rumana and Lata Mondol adding 33 for the fifth wicket before the former was caught by Jonassen at mid-off for Gardner’s second wicket of the day to leave the Tigresses on 95 for five with 8.4 overs remaining. Lata was the final wicket to fall as Megan Schutt had her stumped after she top-scored with 33 from 63 balls, wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy whipping off the non-existent bails after they were removed due to the blustery conditions. Salma was there at the end on 15 not out from 23 balls as Bangladesh set Australia 136 to win, no easy task given the weather. But it wasn’t the wind that caused Australia problems, it was Bangladesh’s bowlers with Salma the principal architect of the initial collapse. Healy was first to go after holing out to Jahanara Alam in the deep for 15 from 22 as Salma became the first Bangladeshi bowler to take a wicket against Australia with this the first ever ODI clash between the sides. Meg Lanning’s 30th birthday did not come with a present from her opponents as she was clean-bowled for a duck by a peach of a delivery from Salma, only the fourth time the Australian captain has failed to trouble the scorers in 98 ODIs. Only three more runs were added before Haynes departed for seven from 23 deliveries as Salma single-handedly reduced Australia to 26 for three. The injured Ellyse Perry could only watch on as Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath were moved up the order and now had a real job to do. But McGrath only made three, given out LBW off the bowling of Nahida Akter. Mooney instead combined with the hard-striking Gardner to build the biggest partnership of the innings so far, adding 29 runs. But Gardner had to go when she was bowled by Rumana who broke the partnership with her 50th ODI wicket, the first woman to reach a half century for Bangladesh, repeating the feat Gardner managed herself in the first innings. Mooney steadied a rocking Australia ship with a fifty from 60 balls, scoring only four fours as she realised the aerial route spelt danger, instead rotating the strike with Sutherland as the light began to fade. The duo were there at the end after putting on the 66 runs needed for victory to see Australia home with 65 balls to spare to complete the clean sweep. Bangladesh’s very slim hopes of joining Australia in the semi-finals were ended by the loss but they have another chance to pull off an upset against England in Wellington on Sunday. Scores in brief Australia beat Bangladesh at Basin Reserve, Wellington by five wickets Bangladesh 135/6 in 43 overs (Lata Mondol 33, Sharmin Akhter 24; Jess Jonassen 2/13, Ashleigh Gardner 2/23) Australia 136/5 in 32.1 overs (Beth Mooney 66 not out, Annabel Sutherland 26 not out; Salma Khatun 3/23) Player of the Match: Beth Mooney (Australia)

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-Besides host Pakistan five countries will participate in the 1st DHA Islamabad International Squash Championship, which will commence from Saturday (March 26, 2022) at Jacaranda Family Club (JFC) Squash Complex Defense Housing Authority (DHA) Islamabad. According to an official, local guy Asim Khan is top seeded player of the championship while Syed Azlan Amjad from Qatar and Mohammad Syafiq Kamal from Malaysia on second and third seed respectively. There will be a draw of 32, as the championship is pursuing prize money of US$ 12000. The final of the championship will be played on March 30 at the same venue. As many as 14 local and 10 international ranked players will fight for the top honour during the 5-day DHA Islamabad International Squash Championship. The prize money will be disbursed amongst the players according to rules of international squash rules Players from five different countries including France, Iran, Malaysia, Qatar and Egypt will participate in the squash event. Squash legend and former world champion Jahangir Khan will grace the final match as chief guest to distribute the prizes among the players. Tournament Seeding (Top Eight): Asim Khan (Pakistan) Syed Azlan Amjad (Qatar) Mohammad Syafiq Kamal (Malaysia) Adeen Idrakie (Malaysia) Israr Ahmed (Pakistan) Khaled Labib (Egypt) Yassin Elshafei (Egypt) Darren Raual Pragasam (Malaysia)

Sports Bulletin Report AJMAN (UAE):-A magical innings by Zawar Farid (72 not out) helped Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress to lift the title of Ajman T20 Cricket Cup that concluded Malek Cricket Stadium Ajman, United Arabs Emirates (UEA). They defeated Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas by 4 wickets in the final. Chasing Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas 142 for 8, Zawar Farid scored over half his team’s total off 63 balls with seven boundaries and one six. He got timely support from Syed Haider, who hit 32 runs off 20 balls, and together they put on a crucial 65 runs for the fifth wicket. Farid also had sparkled with the ball taking three wickets to restrict Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas’s total. It was a dramatic finish to the tournament with Omer Farooq bowling the 19th over clean bowling Syed Haider with his third delivery and also had Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress skipper Umair Ali Khan with the next ball caught by Harry Bharwal at long on. Zawar Farid hit the hat-trick delivery from Farooq for a six to equal the score and then pick a single to win the game with one over to spare. The proceedings of the final began with Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress winning the toss and electing to bowl.  Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas opener and skipper Jiju Janardhanan, with a bag full of high scores in this tournament, walked in with their Under-19 player Hamdan Tahir.  Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress began their bowling attack with their Under-19 player and left-arm spinner Nilansh Keshwani. Hamdan Tahir scored the first boundary of the final off the fourth ball of the first over by hitting over mid-off. Zahid Ali bowled a tight second over giving away just three runs. Skipper Umair Ali introduced himself for the third over and gave away only six runs. Then Zahid Ali struck with the second ball of the fourth over taking the prize wicket of Jiju Janardhanan caught at mid-on for 7. Usman Khan too fell to the second ball he faced, edging to wicketkeeper Abdul Shakoor for a duck.  When Umair Ali Khan had opener Hamdan Tahir miscue his shot to Syed Haider at point for 14, Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas were reeling at 22 for 3 in 4.3 overs. Tanveer Junaid and Mohammad Afzal began the repair to the damage and took the score to 44 when left-arm spinner Sultan Ahmed had Junaid caught and bowled for 16. This brought in Shahnawaz Khan, and along with Afzal, kept the scoreboard moving.  With only five overs more to go, Maratha Arabians-Brother Gas were 79 for 4.  Zawar Farid who was re-introduced gave away only seven runs in the 16th over. Shahnawaz Khan hit Umair Ali for a boundary and a six off the second and third deliveries of the 17th over but he fell to the last ball of that over getting caught by Zahid Ali at long-off for 33. His knock off 28 balls had one boundary and a six. Afzal too followed in the next over, bowled by Zawar Farid, for 35 made off 34 balls with three boundaries and one six. Omer Farooq announced his intention hitting the first ball he faced for a six off Farid. In the next over Zeeshan Abid hit Zahid Ali’s first two deliveries for two consecutive boundaries and then hit a six off the fourth delivery. Omer Farooq too hit the last delivery for a six to take 23 runs off that over. The last over was an eventful one with Zawar Farid having Zeehsan Abid caught by Nilansh Keshwani at deep point for 18 with the second delivery. Omer Farooq hit Zawar Farid for a boundary off the fourth ball but got bowled to him with the next delivery for 16. In the end Maratha Arabians – Brother Gas posted 142 for 8 which was a fine recovery from 44 for 4 in 8.4 overs. It was a shocking start for Delhi Bulls -Future Mattress losing their opener Abdul Shakoor to the second ball off the first over caught behind by wicketkeeper Hamdan Tahir off Saqib Manshad for a duck. Shakoor was the hero of their semifinal match through a knock of 83. Adil Mirza joined opener Zawar Farid, who took three overs to get off the mark.  Omer Farooq, who was introduced for the fourth over had Adil Mirza caught at mid-on by Usman Khan for 11. Left-handed Mohammed Umsan walked in with score reading 15 for 2 in 3.1 overs. He began by scoring a boundary off Omer Farooq flicking down the leg side. Saqib Manshad bowled a brilliant fifth over giving away just one run. Mohammed Usman began to stroke fluently. Jiju Janardhanan who introduced himself for the seventh over gave away only four runs. Zawar Farid lifted Jiju in the eighth over mid-on for a boundary to take the score to 50. At the score on 54, Harry Bharwal struck by forcing Mohammad Usman on 15 to hit high and Saqib Manshad, running in from deep square leg, took the catch Mohammad Azha joined Zawar Farid with 88 runs needed off the last ten overs. Mohammad Azhar hit Harry Bharwal’s second ball of the 12th over for a might six but fell to the next ball leg before for 7. Syed Haider got off the mark with a boundary. Skipper Jiju Janardhanan who marshalled his bowling resources well introduced Omer Farooq for the 13th over. He gave away just six runs. Jiju introduced himself for the 14th over and gave away ten runs. With 51 runs needed off the last six overs, Zawar Farid kept the chase going and reached his half century in exactly 50 deliveries. Then Syed Haider began to unleash his big hits and speeded up the race to the target. Brief scores: Delhi Bulls – Future Mattress beat Maratha Arabians – Brothers Gas by 4 wickets Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas: 142 for 8 in 20 overs Mohammad Afzal 35, Shahnawaz Khan 33  Zahid Ali 2 for 33, Umair Ali Kahn 2 for 34, Zawar Farid 3 for 25 Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress: 143 for 6 in 19 overs Zawar Farid 72n.o, Syed Haider 32 Harry Bharwal 2 for 25, Omer Farooq 3 for 29 Man of the Final: Zawar Farid Best Batsman: Sagar Kalyan (Bangla Tigers-Karwan) Best Bowler: Mohammad Azhar (Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress) Most sixes: Mohammad Afzal (Delhi Bulls-Future Mattress) Player of the tournament: Jiju Janardhanan (Maratha Arabians-Brothers Gas).

Sports Bulletin Report Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the FIH Hockey Pro League participating nations have agreed on a new schedule for the fourth season of FIH’s global league celebrating ‘Hockey at its Best’. The season, which will run from 28 October 2022 to 5 July 2023, will be divided into a series of date blocks, agreed by all parties, to assist with international and domestic competition planning, within which “mini-tournaments” will be played where several teams will gather in one venue to play two matches against each other. This move will have a major positive impact on players’ welfare and the environment, thanks to a substantial reduction in the amount of travel needed for each team and the officials. Another great advantage of this revised format is that it increases the number of dates available for athletes to compete in their domestic leagues and club competitions. FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “The FIH Hockey Pro League is still a relatively ‘young’ competition. Therefore, it is our duty, together with the participating nations, to proceed to a regular review and make adjustments as appropriate for the enhancement of the experience. This new schedule will be better for athletes, better for hosts, better for fans and better for the environment!” For the first season with this new schedule, matches will be hosted in the following seven nations:  Australia, Argentina, Belgium, England, India, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-England were back to their blistering best as they defeated Pakistan by nine wickets to put themselves in a good position to qualify for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 semi-finals. Seamer Katherine Brunt was in red-hot form as she and spinner Sophie Ecclestone took three wickets apiece to skittle Pakistan for 105 at the Hagley Oval. Danni Wyatt also enjoyed a return to form to lead England’s chase as her 76 not out saw the defending champions reach their total with more than 30 overs to spare. The result hauls England up to fourth in the overall standings, one point behind West Indies – whose game against South Africa was abandoned earlier on Thursday – and ensuring another win for Heather Knight’s team against Bangladesh would see them leapfrog the Maroon Warriors and secure a semi-final spot. Brunt kept her place despite one wicket in five matches and she repaid that faith by dismissing the returning Nahida Khan for a first-ball duck, before the first run-out of the day came as Bismah Maroof went needlessly going for a single. Pakistan reached 28 for two by the end of the powerplay but a second run-out was not far away as Omaima Sohail went for 11 - off 30 balls - as Tammy Beaumont secured a direct hit. Brunt would grab another as Nida Dar - the bowling hero of Pakistan’s win over West Indies - went for four from 22 deliveries, with a review confirming the LBW dismissal. And in her very next over the England veteran dismissed the steady Sidra Ameen, who was bowled for 32 from 77 balls. Ecclestone was the first slow bowler introduced into the attack at the halfway mark – but it was captain Knight who grabbed the first wicket off spin as she struck second ball to remove Aliya Riaz, who went for a misjudged sweep to short fine-leg where Anya Shrubsole gobbled up the catch. Ecclestone made her mark just five overs later, however, as Fatima Sana nicked behind to wicket-keeper Amy Jones to depart for four. Pakistan were collapsing and lost their final four wickets for just 10 runs, Kate Cross earning her only victim of the day as she sent Sidra Nawaz’s leg stump cartwheeling before Aiman Anwer and Diana Baig were also removed by in-form Ecclestone with 8.3 overs remaining. England’s chase of their small target got off to a bumpy start as Beaumont was given out LBW on review for just two as Baig grabbed her first wicket of the day. Wyatt was impressive as she looked to find some form at the top of the order, crunching all of England’s sevens boundaries in the powerplay. She brought up her half century off 51 deliveries, triggering celebrations but remaining firmly focused on the job in hand and getting it done as quickly as possible. And she went on to do exactly that, combining with Knight for an 87-run partnership and her fluent 76 not out coming from 68 balls, including 11 fours. Knight would end on a measured 24 not out from 36, happy to play second fiddle to Wyatt who was masterful in her stroke-play as England chased down 105 in just 19.2 overs. For England, they must still beat Bangladesh in Wellington this weekend to make certain of their place in the knockout stages, while the defeat ends Pakistan’s outside chance of a push for the top four. Scores in brief England beat Pakistan at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, by nine wickets Pakistan 105 all out in 41.3 overs (Sidra Ameen 32, Sidra Nawaz 23; Katherine Brunt 3/17, Sophie Ecclestone 3/18) England 107/1 in 19.2 overs (Danni Wyatt 76 not out, Heather Knight 24 not out) Player of the Match: Danni Wyatt (England)

BIPIN DANI Bahrain's Deepika Rasangika, who created the world record for highest individual score in Women's T20Is has not forgotten to give credit to Sri Lanka Cricket. The 38-year-old Sri Lanka-born Deepika had played more than 60 international matches (ODIs' and T-20Is) before moving to Bahrain.  She scored a mammoth 161 off just 66 balls with 31 fours in the extraordinary innings against Saudi Arabia.  "What I have become as a cricketer or as a person the credit should first go to Sri Lanka, but I’ve moved to Bahrain in 2017 to have a better life for me and my family and Bahrain Cricket Federation (BCF) have given me the opportunity to play international cricket. Because of that opportunity I was able to achieve this milestone. So, I love both the countries equally", she said over the telephone from Oman, where her team would play two more matches. "I have no words to express my joy for this world record. It just happened in a few hours. From a team of amateur cricketers, my name stands against a world record. I was shocked to know that I booked the world record and feeling I am on cloud nine and living a life in paradise". Deepika broke the record of Alyssa Healey. "I have met Healey in the past and have played against her Australian team in the 2013 World Cup. It was her achievement and I am proud and honored to surpass her record. Wishing her good luck for her future cricket career". Deepika has also thanked her coach Artha and team for the support. "Artha pushed us hard and motivated us to do our best. The support I received from my team was also incredible", she added. 

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF) Secretary General Moazzam Khan Klair believes that huge rewards for Pakistan’s world champions can further motivate the future stars of the country to win international glories. Moazzam said this while addressing the ceremony to honour new Pakistan World Snooker Champion Ahsan Ramzan here the other day. He also handed over the national blazer pin to the champion and wished him, his coach and the federation best for the future endeavours. Pakistan Sports Board Director Nasrullah Rana, Punjab Cycling Association President Adnan Ahsan Khan, Secretary Shahzada Butt and Treasurer Amjad Khan were also present on the occasion.  The PCF Secretary urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to fully patronize Pakistan sports and sportsmen and provide them all-out support morally, financially as well as regarding the international-standard facilities. “Sports is now one of the biggest industries across the world and many big nations are using them to boost their finances and also to strengthen their relations with other countries.  “Not only this, big sports nations have already done 10 to 20 years of planning as they plan for at least 3 to 4 Olympics in advance and start investing, so that they may claim maximum medals in the Olympics. If we, the country of very talented youth, want to win Olympics medal, we need to invest heavily on sports and also there is a dire need to reward our world champions with huge prizes as it will encourage and motivate future stars to achieve bigger than them and ultimately, it will add honour to Pakistan globally,” Moazzam asserted.  PSB Director Nasrullah Rana also assured the new snooker champion of PSB’s all-out support and vowed that the champion will be taken care of well by the government and he will be provided with ample opportunities and the best facilities so that he may continue to win laurels for Pakistan in international events.