Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-The 1st All Sindh Muslim Sports Trophy Ranking Tennis Championship is going on with full swing under the banner of Karachi Tennis Association. Results (Day 2): Men’s Singles 1st Round Ahsan Ahmed beat Danyal Sanaullah 6-1 rtd. Shahab Khan beat Umair Anwar 6-4, 6-4 Men’s Singles Pre Quarter Mohammad Ali (2nd seed) beat Salman Ahmed 6-3 rtd Under 15 Singles 1st round Taimoor Khan beat Abdul Ahad 4-0, 4-0 Under 15 Singles Semifinal Ruhab Faisal beat Nibras Malik 4-0, 4-0 Men’s Doubles 1st Round Raheel + Ahsan Ahmed beat Faraz Ali + Mohammad Usman 8-6  Salman Ahmed + Mohammad Salman beat  Dinani + Asad Ali  8-6 Soft Tennis Ladies Singles 1st Round Qudsia Raja beat Afshan Fatima 5-2 Ishrat Zehra  beat Shumaila Naz 5-2 Soft Tennis Ladies Singles Semi Final Eraj Batool beat Ishrat Zehra 5-0 Marium Shahid beat Qudsia Raja 5-0

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-The first officially sanctioned test event of the Boulder & Lead format to feature at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is set to take place on 4 and 5 March at the Sharma Climbing gym in Gavà, Spain. Unlike the Combined format that featured at Sport Climbing’s Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 last summer, Paris 2024 will see medals awarded to Speed athletes separately, as well as to climbers in the new Boulder & Lead discipline, the rules for which were officially published last on 9 February in the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC)’s Rules 2022. The event will be open to Spanish athletes only, with Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Alberto Ginés López topping the bill. Three IFSC Officials will also attend the competition: IFSC Jury President Tim Hatch, IFSC Boulder Chief Routesetter Remi Samyn, and IFSC Lead Chief Routesetter Jan Zbranek. IFSC President Marco Scolaris said: “We are delighted to hold this test event in Barcelona, in the home country of one of our first two Olympic Champions. It is a true pleasure to meet again with a climbing legend and friend like Chris, and to see the passion that he and the whole Sharma Climbing organisation put into this event.” Sharma Climbing Gavà, located in the suburbs of Barcelona, is owned and operated by climbing legend Chris Sharma. The Santa Cruz, California native earned an enduring reputation as one of the world’s best rock climbers for record-setting redpoints and deep-water solos in the 2000s to mid 2010s. “At Sharma Climbing we are very excited to be able to carry out the first Olympic rehearsal with the new format that will be used in Paris 2024. Being able to experiment it with the Spanish team, led by the current Olympic Champion Alberto Ginés López, is a dream come true. It’s a huge honor to be a benchmark in the world of climbing and to help project the sport that has shaped me and given me the greatest joy,” said Sharma. The new Boulder & Lead format will make its official competitive debut at the European Championships Munich 2022, scheduled from 11 to 21 August. Qualifications for the test event in Gavà will be held on 4 March, with the finals scheduled for 5 March. The competition, which will be jointly organized by the IFSC, Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada (FEDME). “We are very happy to have the opportunity to collaborate with the IFSC and Sharma Climbing, and test the new Olympic format. It is of great importance for us as a National Federation, both to prepare our athletes, and to start having a national ranking in the lead up to the Olympic Games París 2024,” said FEDME Technical Manager Lluis Giner.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Over 150 men’s and women’s players from 2021 have been retained by their team 28 centrally contracted England players and 19 international names confirmed so far Women’s title holders Oval Invincibles retain most of their side including captain and last year’s Most Valuable Women’s Player Dané Van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, England stars Tash Farrant and Mady Villiers, and 2021 breakthrough star Alice Capsey. Current men’s champions Southern Brave retain ten players with Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills and James Vince all returning for year two along with Jofra Archer, who was signed last year but unable to play because of injury. Overseas stars Ellyse Perry, Lizelle Lee, Marcus Stoinis, Smriti Mandhana, Rashid Khan, Alyssa Healy, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell will join the action this summer. Heather Knight, Jos Buttler, Sophia Dunkley, Joe Root, Kate Cross and Moeen Ali among the England stars confirmed. Retained stars revealed: Birmingham Phoenix welcome back the likes of England star Moeen Ali, Tom Abell and the biggest hitter of last year’s competition, Liam Livingstone, to their men’s squad. As they have nine players retained they will be looking to fill five spots in The Draft. The women’s side have announced 12 retained players including a few of those who couldn’t make it last year due to Covid-19 restrictions. Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry and New Zealand captain Sophie Devine will join Phoenix playing alongside Amy Jones, Kirstie Gordon and Issy Wong. London Spirit have kept on England Women’s captain Heather Knight as well as breakout star Charlie Dean and England teammate Freya Davies. The women’s side will be looking to sign seven more players to complete their team whereas the men’s have six spots to fill in The Draft. Eoin Morgan will again lead the Lord’s home-side with a star-studded dressing room including Ravi Bopara and Aussie batter Glenn Maxwell. The world’s top ranked women’s IT20 bowler, Sophie Ecclestone, will remain with the Manchester Originals along with recently England-capped Emma Lamb and South African batter Lizelle Lee. The men’s team have a wealth of homegrown talent staying with them in Phil Salt and Matt Parkinson as well as England keeper Jos Buttler. Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, Faf du Plessis and Harry Brook are just a few names that have signed with Northern Superchargers for 2022. The women’s side welcomes back the top individual run scorer of the women’s competition, Jemimah Rodrigues, who stole the show with a stunning 92 not out against Welsh Fire at Headingley last year. Reigning women’s champions Oval Invincibles retain much of their side including captain Dané van Niekerk, Mady Villiers and breakout star, Alice Capsey. Sam Billings, Saqib Mahmood and the Curran brothers are also staying put this year. Men’s title holders Southern Brave retain much of their winning squad including Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills and centrally contracted Jofra Archer who missed out last year with an elbow injury. The women’s squad have retained England trio Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley as well as Smriti Mandhana. England duo Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt are sticking with Trent Rockets alongside England teammate Sarah Glenn. Meanwhile, the men’s side have retained England Test captain Joe Root, Afghanistan superstar Rashid Khan and Dawid Malan. Welsh Fire have resecured England stars Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball and Ollie Pope and the women’s squad will see the return of West Indian all-rounder Hayley Matthews, Katie George and Claire Nicholas, who returns in 2022 after opting out of the 2021 competition following the birth of her second child. Issy Wong, who will play again for Birmingham Phoenix, said: “I’m so excited to be back playing with Birmingham Phoenix this summer. Last year was incredible for us and the women’s game, it’s only going to get bigger and better with world-class players like Ellyse Perry being able to join this time around. We can’t wait to get going again and to perform in front of full houses again.” Eoin Morgan, who will feature for London Spirit again, said: “The first year of The Hundred was a huge success. We saw quality cricket in front of incredible crowds, and it was awesome to see so many families coming to watch. It was also really special to see so many fans watching both us and the women’s team and it’s undeniable that The Hundred as has a massive impact on the women’s game. Sophie Ecclestone, who has been retained by Manchester Originals, said: “The Hundred is such a cool competition to be involved in and I’m thrilled to be taking part again with Manchester Originals. We were really getting into a groove in the back end of the competition last year, so we have nothing but high hopes for this summer.” Rashid Khan, who will play again for Trent Rockets, said: “I loved taking part in the first edition of The Hundred last year. Playing a new format for the first time was a lot of fun as a bowler. The fans at Trent Bridge were amazing and I can’t wait to get back and entertain them this summer. Hopefully we can go one better and make the final.”

Captain of the Australian women's cricket team Meg Lanning speaks during a media opportunity ahead of the ODI leg of the 2022 Women's Ashes Series, at Manuka Oval on February 02, 2022 in Canberra, Australia. All captains at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 are writing columns for the ICC ahead of the tournament, which are available for free editorial use in the Online Media Zone There's no doubt that the 50-over World Cup has been on the radar for a little while, it comes around pretty rarely compared to T20 World Cups so we're looking forward to the opportunity to go and compete. It's a pure World Cup in the sense that you play everybody throughout the tournament, and once you get to the end, if you can finish on top it's a pretty amazing effort. We're all really excited about the chance to play in a one-day World Cup and obviously we're going there to win but it's going to be a pretty tough tournament to play. A lot of our players were involved in that 2017 World Cup, which didn't quite end the way we would have liked and I think since then we've changed the way we approach and play our cricket and are a lot more positive and willing to take a few more risks and I think that suited our game style. It is the trophy that we don't have our hands on at the moment and we're all very keen to try and change that. Being the No.1 ranked team, we go in there with a lot of confidence, but World Cups are extremely difficult to win. There's a lot of cricket to be played and then you need to play pretty consistently across a long period of time, which is a big challenge and there are a number of world class teams out there, who are playing really good cricket. It's really exciting for the young players in the squad to only know life as full-time professional cricketers and it's great for them to have the opportunity to really try and get the best out of themselves. We know the benefits of being full time and having access to great resources, great coaching, and being able to play a lot more cricket as well and hopefully, that continues to evolve over the next few years as well. The Women’s Big Bash League in particular has provided a really nice platform for younger players to be exposed to different scenarios and pressure situations. We've seen with our young kids coming in, Darcie Brown, Tahlia McGrath and others, they don't look overawed by the situation, which I think the WBBL has played a really big role in that. It is a strong domestic competition, and alongside the Women’s National Cricket League, it provides a great opportunity for players to get game time and learn the game, there's no doubt that that certainly helps our national team to be able to perform as we do. We want to win every game that we play, and we were very proud to reach 26 ODIs unbeaten before losing to India, but it's probably not realistic in these times with so many good teams out there to win absolutely every game but it's a good challenge for us. It wasn't a surprise to us that India played so well because they're such a great team, if anything it reinforces the fact that we need to play our best cricket and we need to make sure we're trying to push the game forward to make sure we stay ahead.

Sports Bulletin Report OMAN:-Bowlers dominated the afternoon session of day 3 in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier A, supported by Dream 11, at Al Amerat on Monday aiding Nepal and hosts Oman to advance to the semi-final of the tournament from Group A. Nepal defeated Canada by eight wickets while Oman raced to a nine-wicket win over the Philippines. Having bowled out Canada for 80 in 15 overs, Nepal were never in trouble, chasing down the target in 14.1 overs for the loss of Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Malla’s wickets. Kushal Bhurtel, who became only the third Nepalese batter to score a T20I century on Saturday against the Philippines, stayed unbeaten on 34. Along with Dipendra Singh Airee (27), the side cantered to victory.   Nepal emerged as the Group A topper with a clean slate after recording three successive wins for six points. Oman with two victories finished a runner-up with four. Nepal will take on the Group B runner-up UAE while the hosts will face Group B topper Ireland in the semi-finals, which will be played on Tuesday. Both the matches begin at 14.00 hrs (local time). At Oman Academy 2 ground, Oman missed a chance to script history. They recorded one of the largest margins of victory in a T20 International by bowling out Philippines for 36 in 15.2 overs, their lowest-ever T20 International total, the hosts chased the target in just 2.5 overs, scoring 40-1. The huge win for Oman, with 103 balls remaining was just a ball more than the world record margin achieved by Austria. On 31 August 2019, Austria had defeated Turkey in a T20I match with 104 balls remaining in Ilfov County, Romania. Electing to bat first, Philippines was rocked by the pace attack of – Bilal Khan, Kaleemullah and Fayyaz Butt. Khan gave away just seven runs in his three-over spell on a trot to build the pressure. Kaleemullah and Fayyaz Butt complimented each other as they sent back the top-order by the eighth over. Khawar Ali and Aamir Kaleem then spun a magical web as wickets fell at regular intervals. Philippines, who are making their debut in the global qualifiers, were bowled out for 36 in 15.2 overs. Ali bagged four for 11 in 3.2 overs while Kaleem had figures of 2-1-2-2. Butt and Kaleemullah also bagged a brace each. Oman lost Kashyap Prajapati off the second ball of their innings but with a small total, it turned out to be a stroll in the park for the hosts. Khurram Khan smashed a quick fire 12-ball 33, which included 5 fours and 2 sixes, and along with Jatinder Singh, wrapped up an easy win. Nepal skipper Sandeep Lamichhane led from the front with a three-wicket haul (3-12) to bowl out Canada for 80. Kamal Airee and Abinash Bohara picked two wickets apiece. The Canadian innings were rocked by two run out dismissals with in-form opener Rayyan Pathan triggering a collapse. Three balls after Pathan’s exit, Ravinderpal Singh followed him in the pavilion with the team’s total at 39-4. The Canadian batters were stifled against some accurate bowling and could never recover from the double-wicket loss in the sixth over. A procession continued as the next five batters were dismissed for the addition of just nine runs, which included another run-out dismissal [Saad Zafar]. At 48-9, Canada were in a precarious situation with nearly ten overs remaining. Dilon Heyliger and No 10 Salman Nazar adopted a counter-attack strategy to push the score to take it to 80 with a crucial 32-run stand. Heyliger smashed 2 sixes and a four in his unbeaten 22-ball 24 while Nazar made 10.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-The university town of Potchefstroom in South Africa has been home to some fantastic FIH Hockey Pro League men's matches over the past 14 days and it all came to an end with another defeat for the host nation at the hands of Germany. Germany put in a solid performance to beat South Africa 3-1. The result moves the European side to second in the FIH Hockey Pro League behind Netherlands. For South Africa, this was their eighth game in a fortnight, and each match has pushed the team to their physical limits. But, for Head Coach Garreth Ewing, the learning opportunities gained from exposure to international competition from around the world has been invaluable. South Africa v Germany (men) – Potchefstroom, University of North West (RSA) The first quarter was played at a pulsating pace and it was South Africa who first caused defensive problems as the combined forces of Nqobile Ntuli and Dayaan Cassiem combined well to cause consternation in the German defence. German Head Coach Andre Henning had spoken before the match about his team's need to focus on defence and South Africa set out to test this with some quick attacking movements. However, it was Germany who took the lead in the 11th minute as Dan Bell was unable to get his foot out of the way in front of his own goal. Christopher Ruhr made no mistake as he sent the ball past Estiaan Kriek in the South Africa goal. The second quarter saw Germany batter the South Africa defence with a barrage of penalty corners but Gowan Jones in the South Africa goal was equal to the task. A breakthrough came with three minutes left when a foul in the circle led to Germany's second penalty stroke. Malte Hellwig made no mistake as he slotted the ball home. The third quarter saw things heat up as South Africa chased a grandstand finish to the match. Both teams received yellow cards as players upped the pace and ferocity of their play, however neither side were able to add to the score-line during this passage of play. Just seconds into the final quarter and Germany finally made a penalty corner count. A variation saw Hellwig's shot well-saved but Paul- Philipp Kaufmann was able to find a way past Estiaan Kriek, who had replaced Jones in the South African goal. The home side finally found a reward for their hard work in the 47th minute. Ryan Julius made a penetrating run down the right-side of the pitch and drew a foul which led to a penalty corner. Connor Beauchamp made no mistake as he rifled the ball home. Result: Men’s Match 24 South Africa 1, Germany 3 Player of the Match: Mats Grambusch (GER) Umpires: Sean Rapaport (RSA), Wanri Venter (RSA), Ayden Shrives (RSA-video)

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-The 1st All Sindh Muslims’ Sports Trophy Tennis Championship started under the supervision of Karachi Tennis Association (KTA). The competitions are staged in different age group categories. Results (Day-1): Men’s Singles Mohammad Ahmed beat Salman Dinani 6-3, 6-2 Hasnain Khurram beat Aamir Altaf 6-4, rtd. Mohammad Umair Anwar beat Saad Ahmed 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 Under 15 Singles Ahsan Ahmed beat Syed Mahad  Shehzad 4-0, 4-0 Ruhab Faisal beat Bilal Khan 4-1, 4-0 Under 11 Singles Rahim Faisal beat Naayel Shoaib  5-3, 4-2 Soft Tennis Ladies Singles (Round-1) Qudsia Raja beat Afshan Fatima   5-2 Ishrat Zehra beat Shamaila Naz 5-2 Soft Tennis Ladies Singles (Semi Finals) Marium Shahid beat Qudsia Raja 5-4 Eraj Batool beat Ishrat Zehra 5-0.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Parkha Ijaz has won the 1st Ghazala Ansari Challenge Cup Ladies Amateur Golf Championship that concluded with a most graceful prize distribution ceremony here at Durbar Hall of the Governor House. Parkha, handicap 1, with a gross score of 227 over 54 holes, emerged as the winner of the Gross in Category A (handicaps 0-12). Her sister, Rimsha Ijaz, who was also handicap 1, was the runner-up with a gross score of 231, while Iman Ali Shah got 3rd position with a score of 244. In Category B (handicaps 13-24), Tehmina Ahmed won 1st gross, while Dr Rhubab Haider got 2nd and Tehmina Rashid 3rd gross. In the Net, Sherbano Hamdani won the 1st prize, while 2nd Net was awarded to Shabana Waheed and 3rd to Hareem Tahir. In Category C (handicaps 25-36), the 1st gross was won by Fauzia Shahid, 2nd by Nighat Akram and 3rd by Monazza Azhar. With the Net-Score, Mina Zainab won 1st net, Tasleem Hussain 2nd and Shaheen Warraich 3rd. In the Seniors Match, 1st gross was won by Ayesha Hamid while 1st net by Farida Tausif. “Their performance has certainly brought a breath of fresh air into our sporting environment and proved that Pakistani women are second to none.” The high points of the ceremony were video clips about Ghazala Ansari’s achievements and a personal message from Begum Samina Alvi, The First Lady, who expressed great admiration for the fact that this had been a totally ‘women’s show,’ right from its conception to its organisation, planning and execution. She lauded that even the Chief Referee and the sole financial sponsor were women. Two other video messages were also played containing personal messages from Gen Hilal, President PGF and Yasmin Mubarik, who had been her closest competitor. There could be no greater tribute to the golfing achievements of the legendary Ghazala Ansari. Credit for this must be given unequivocally to Dr Shami and her dedicated partners, Maimoona Azam, Bela Azam, Munazza Shaheen, Iffat Zahra, Aisha Moazzam, Shabana Waheed and Shahnaz Moeen who put their heart and soul into “making this event one of a kind."

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-France wrapped a gruelling but rewarding Pro League series in Potchestfstroom with a 2-1 win over South Africa. South African 19-year-old Mustapha Cassiem scored an absolute rocket of a goal in the first quarter to leave France chasing but a Blaise Rogeau redirection and a Victor Charlet penalty stroke sealed France’s third win of their series in South Africa. Over in Argentina, the Leones put on another show in front of a full crowd to earn a 3-1 win over England. Lucas Martinez scored two goals, while Player of the Match Lucas Toscani scored the game’s opener. England’s Nicholas Bandurak scored on a penalty corner to deny Argentina the shutout. Argentina’s women’s side went on a scoring frenzy as five different scorers got on the board in a 5-2 win over England. The Leonas put on a skill showcase with some fantastic goals and incredible display of individual stick skills. Elena Rayer and Holly Hunt scored late in the game to finally reward England for their efforts. South Africa v France (men) – Potchestfstroom, University of North West (RSA) Victor Charlet was on the start and end of France’s second goal as his long ball down the right was further deflected on to a streaking Timothée Clément. Clément took the right baseline but weathered a tough stick foul from Nduduzo Lembethe and a penalty stroke was awarded. Charlet finished stick side just over the back board for the 2-1 France lead. Late in the third quarter France were again unsuccessful from the penalty corner unit as Spooner cleared the ball of the line as France looked for an option from the left side. Charlet’s goal was enough for France to hang on and grab another three points over South Africa. Following the game Viktor Lockwood was named Player of the Match and commented: ‘We are very, very exhausted – eight games in 12 days I think. We used up so much energy in the game so we had a difficult game but before the game we said we just need to win to finish the competition (in South Africa). So, we are happy and we can have some rest now.’ Argentina v England (men & women) – Cenard, Buenos Aires (ARG) Back at the Cenard, the Argentina men again dazzled the home crowd with some spectacular play to seal a 3-1 win over England. Lucas Toscani scored the game’s opening goal and was named Player of the Match, while Lucas Martinez added two more to Argentina’s total. England’s lone goal came from a penalty corner flick at the hands of Nicholas Bandurak. Both teams traded chances in the first quarter but England struggled to get close enough to really test Argentina keeper Tomas Santiago. An errant clear from England allowed Martinez to set up Nicolas Keenan from close range but the upright shot went just wide of the England goal mouth. Argentina continued to create chaos for England. In the ninth minute Nicolas Cicileo sent a fantastically timed cross to Martinez who beat England’s Nicholas Park and finished on the back hand for a 1-0 Argentina lead. The third quarter was all credit to England who pressed hard but really struggled to put shots on net. Finally on the penalty corner Bandurak was able to flick around Habif and beat Santiago glove side high to get England within one. England were caught on their heels and a monster aerial sailed over England’s last player Timothy Nurse. Martinez was there to collect the bouncing ball and smash it into the empty net to give Argentina the 3-1 lead and final score. Argentina went to work late in the second quarter with two penalty corner goals just two minutes apart. Costa trapped the ball upright off the injection and paced a pass in that took a deflection from Martina Triñanes for the 2-0 lead. Argentina’s third goal came after England keeper Amy Tennant left a soft rebound following a penalty corner flick. Eugenia Trinchinetti buried it on a reverse stick sweep from her knees for the 3-0 Argentina lead heading into half time. Victoria Granatto made it 4-0 in the third quarter as she displayed some phenomenal stick skills up the right side only to be the eventual beneficiary of a bouncing cross. A back-hand finish from close range beat a frozen Tennant in the England goal. FIH Pro League (Potchestfstroom, University of North West South Africa) Result: Men’s Match 23 South Africa 1, France 2 Player of the Match: Viktor Lockwood (FRA) Umpires: Sean Rapaport (RSA), Ayden Shrives (RSA), Annelize Rostron (RSA-video) Cenard, Buenos Aires (ARG) Result: Men’s Match 22 Argentina 3, England 1 Player of the Match: Lucas Toscani (ARG) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), German Montes de Oca (ARG), Catalina Montesino (CHI-video) Result: Women’s Match 13 Argentina 5, England 2 Player of the Match: Eugenia Trinchinetti (ARG) Umpires: Irene Presenqui (ARG), Catalina Montesino (CHI), German Montes de Oca (ARG-video).

Abdullah Asjad RAWALPINDI:-The 14th National Tenpin Bowling Championship 2022 started on Sunday night at Leisure City Bowling Club Jinnah Park Rawalpindi under the banner of Pakistan Tenpin Bowling Federation (PTBF) in collaboration with Leisure City Bowling Club Jinnah Park Rawalpindi. As many as 10 different categories competitions will be the part of national bowing fixture that will be concluded on 25th February at the same venue. “PTBF provides a smooth platform to the youngsters, deaf peoples specially women’s without any support of government. All know that federation is facing a lot of financial problems but no one hear the voice of federations, “President PTBF Ijaz-ur-Rrehman said while talking to media at this occasion. On first day of the championship Deaf male and Deaf Female event 1st round matches were played.