Aamir Ali Janjua DUBHI:-As part of the 2021 edition of the ICC Awards, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced today the T20I cricketers of the year in men’s and women’s international cricket.  Pakistan’s ace wicketkeeper-batter, Mohammad Rizwan was voted the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year 2021, whilst England’s Tammy Beaumont was voted the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year 2021. Aggregating a staggering 1326 runs in only 29 matches, Rizwan averaged at 73.66 and had a strike-rate of 134.89. Apart from his exploits with the bat, he was as solid as ever behind the stumps, playing a key role in Pakistan's run to the semi-finals during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, where he ended up as the third-highest run-scorer. Earlier in the year, Rizwan also scored his maiden T20I century against South Africa in Lahore and ended it continuing his form with a brilliant knock of 87 against West Indies in Karachi. Commenting on receiving the honour Mohammad Rizwan, said: “I had an exceptional year in the shortest format of the game, and I am thankful to all my colleagues and peers for voting me as the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year. This award gives me further motivation and incentive to do even better in 2022 and beyond for Pakistan so that we can collectively achieve our objective of being the top T20I playing side and in the process enhancing our fan-base. “I want to thank all my team-mates and coaching staff who helped me throughout the year by preparing and training me well enough to contribute to Pakistan’s successes. As cricket is a team sport, I would like to dedicate this award to my teammates and fans.” In the women’s category, England’s all-rounder Tammy Beaumont was voted as the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year for her stellar performance in 2021. Beaumont was England's highest run scorer, and third-highest overall in the world in 2021. Earlier in the year, in a low-scoring series against New Zealand away from home, Beaumont was the top scorer and was awarded the Player of the Series for a total of 102 runs in three matches. Her 63 in 53 balls in the second match put England in a winning position after they had lost two wickets in the powerplay. Beaumont continued her form against New Zealand when they visited England for a limited-overs tour. She once again finished as the highest run scorer in the series with 113, which included a stunning 97 in the opening game of the series. Commenting on her award Tammy Beaumont said: “It’s a huge privilege to win the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year Award. I’ve worked incredibly hard on my T20 game in the last few years. My T20I career has had its ups and downs and I don’t think I’ve always been known for my T20 abilities, so this award gives me a huge amount of confidence.” “As a team we had a great year in terms of T20I results and it feels great to have contributed to team wins. We’ve got a big year ahead in all formats - with the Ashes, the ICC Women’s World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, and I look forward to continuing to work hard alongside my teammates to help us win as many games as possible.”

Sports Bulletin KUALA LUMPUR:-Scotland and Sri Lanka completed impressive victories on Saturday in the ICC Commonwealth Games Qualifier 2022 being played at the Kinrara Oval in Kuala Lumpur to decide the one remaining slot in this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Scotland vs Kenya Quick cameos from Abbi Aitken-Drummond and Kathryn Bryce propelled Scotland to 70 in a rain-reduced eight-over-a-side fixture before their bowlers restricted Kenya at the death to deliver a 16-run win. Winning the toss, Kenya elected to bowl. Sarah Bryce scored back-to-back boundaries kicking things off but got out scoring eight off three balls. A fine partnership of 38 between Abbi Aitken (21) and Kathryn Bryce (27) helped Scotland put up a challenging target. Scotland scored 15 in the final over and ended with 70 for three. Kenya’s opening batter, Q. Abel had a blazing start with consecutive boundaries. She, however, surrendered to Fraser in the second over. Fraser wasted no time in sending Veronica Abuga back to the pavilion on the very next ball. Sarah Wetoto then scored 24 not out and Sharon Juma got 10. Coming out to bat in a rain reduced game, captain and Player of the Match Kathryn Bryce said: “It is always difficult knowing what a good target is in a reduced game, so our plan was just to go out there play positively and assess as we went on. I think our bowling performance today was much more consistent and we bowled more to our fields.” Margaret Banja attributed Kenya’s loss to a slow start: “We did not take full advantage of the power-play and lost two quick wickets. We did not build partnerships in the initial stages and we gave out too many boundaries.” Malaysia vs Sri Lanka Malaysian captain won the toss and elected to field.  The experienced Sri Lankan team put up an imposing 175, and as expected, skipper Chamari Athapaththu handed a great start to Sri Lanka by scoring 30 off 17 balls. After Athapaththu’s departure, Harshita took control and scored a commendable 65 of f42. She was ably supported by Nilakshi De Silva, who scored 49 off 31.  Chasing a mammoth 175, Malaysia lost opener Wan Julia with no runs scored. Captain Winifred was the only batter who managed to play well, compiling 42. Sri Lanka’s Sugandika Dasanayaka and Oshadhi Ranasinghe went on to deliver top notch bowling by taking two wickets each, giving away 12 and 14 runs, respectively. Malaysia could only manage 82, losing by 93 runs. Athapaththu said she was disappointed not to get a big score this time. “But I had complete confidence in my batters and knew they would get us a respectable score.” Player of the Match, Harshitha Madhavi said: “We have been doing a lot hard work in the nets for the past six months. We also underwent several training camps. (And), we can get runs under any conditions. This was on full display today.” When asked about her thoughts on the match, Winifred explained: “the team had two changes and the juniors were given the opportunity to play against a very experienced team. We want to play good cricket and considered this a good opportunity for the team, especially the younger players.” Brief Scores: Scotland beat Kenya by 16 runs. Scotland 70 for 3 in 8 overs. Kenya 54 for 3 in 8 overs. Player of the Match: Kathryn Bryce Sri Lanka beat Malaysia by 93 runs. Sri Lanka 175 in 20 overs. Malaysia 82 in 20 overs. Player of the Match:  Harshitha Madhavi

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-The group stages of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 came to an end with qualification shootouts, superb centuries and a five-wicket haul. India go through as group winners to the Super League with a mammoth 326–run victory over Uganda thanks in part to the highest score of the tournament by Raj Bawa. Pakistan eased to a nine-wicket win over Papua New Guinea to set up a Super League clash with Australia. Afghanistan came out on top in a straight shootout for the Super League in Group C, securing a 109–run win over Zimbabwe to progress. Bangladesh triumphed in another winner-takes-all game, beating the UAE by nine wickets (D/L method) in a rain-interrupted Group A match. Records tumble in India’s victory over Uganda Raj Bawa and Angkrish Raghuvanshi powered India past several batting records as they set Uganda an insurmountable total of 405.  After captain Nishant Sindu fell for 15 in the 16th over, Raghuvanshi and Bawa worked together to add 206 runs in 22.4 overs. Opener Raghuvanshi was eventually dismissed for 144 runs from 120 balls, Bawa would then continue to pile on the runs as Kaushal Tambe and Dinesh Bana made useful cameos. By the time left-hander Bawa reached 150, 66 per cent of his runs had come from boundaries and at the close of the innings, he held the highest score of the tournament, surpassing the 154 not out from England’s Tom Prest, to end with 162 from 108 balls including 14 fours and eight sixes. The overall total of 405 for five marks India’s second-highest score behind their 425 for three against Scotland in 2004, in that match Shikhar Dhawan hit 155 not out, the previous highest individual score for India at an ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup. Uganda’s challenge got even tougher as opener Isaac Ategeka was forced to retire having been struck on the forearm by a Rajvardhan Hangargekar delivery.  The right-arm seamer then dismissed his replacement Cyrus Kakuru for a first-ball duck off the final ball of an eventful first over. Captain Pascal Murungi, who earlier took Uganda’s best figures of 3-72, batted bravely for 34 but could not stop the inevitable victory as Uganda ended on 79 for nine from 19.4 overs with Ategeka unable to retake the field. The 326-run victory is India’s largest at an ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, and the second-highest ever, and sets them up for a replay of the 2020 final against Bangladesh, while Uganda will face the UAE in the plate quarter finals. Shehzad on target with the ball as Pakistan dominate Papua New Guinea Opening batter Mohammad Shehzad shined with ball rather than bat as Pakistan earned a nine-wicket win over Papua New Guinea to set up a knock-out meeting with Australia. Papua New Guinea started positively as Christopher Kilapat and Boio Ray put on 24 for the first wicket. However, once the wicket of Kilapat, who top-scored with 11 fell Papua New Guinea lost the next nine wickets for 26 runs. Pakistan’s bowling was impactful as well as wayward, the bowlers contributing 19 extras to Papua New Guinea’s total of 50.  Ahmed Khan claimed the wickets of the two openers on his way to three for 10 before captain Barnabas Maha was run out having added only two to the total. Aue Oru then provided some resistance as he made seven from 25 balls but he was to be the second of Shehzad’s victims. The final four batters to get out failed to score as right-arm seamer Shehzad claimed five for seven, the most economical fivefer of the tournament so far. Chasing the modest total of 51, Shehzad was out for a duck from six balls before Abbas Ali and wicketkeeper-batter Haseebullah Khan combined to put on the runs needed for a comfortable victory. Pakistan top Group C having won all three of their matches to set up a repeat of the 1988 and 2010 finals with Australia, while Papua New Guinea will meet the hosts the West Indies in the Plate League. Afghanistan edge out Zimbabwe to progress Suliman Safi’s century helped Afghanistan to victory over Zimbabwe in the final game of Group C to earn a quarterfinal tie with Sri Lanka in the Super League. The Afghanistan captain put on 111 from 118 balls, including 14 fours and three sixes, to move Afghanistan to 261 for six as he was dismissed on the final ball of the innings. Four other batters posted scores of over 20, with opener Nageyalia Kharote contributing an important half-century from 45 balls. Alex Falao was the pick of the bowlers for Zimbabwe as he took three for 54 from his ten overs to move on to eight wickets for the tournament so far. In reply in Diego Martin, Zimbabwe opener Matthew Welch led the charge with Steven Saul contributing nine to the score before being given out leg before wicket to leave his side on one for 49. Welch’s next two partners could add only one run to the total before it was Welch’s turn to fall having made 53 from 61 balls. No one else was able to continue the run-scoring going as the required run-rate climbed above a run and ball and wickets kept tumbling as Nangeyalia Kharote took four for 30. Rogan Wolhuter frustrated the Afghanistan bowlers putting on a gritty 28 from 52 balls and did well to keep the strike and deny Afghanistan the chance to bowl at tailender Mcgini Dube.  However, Dube eventually fell for four and Falao followed soon after as Zimbabwe slipped to a 109–run defeat and will now face Scotland in the plate quarterfinals. Defending champions Bangladesh qualify for knockout stages Bangladesh’s bowlers worked in tandem to restrict the United Arab Emirates to 148 on their way to a nine-wicket victory. The UAE slipped to eight for two inside three overs as Ashiqur Zaman dismissed the two openers to earn himself figures of two for 14 from eight overs. Dhruv Parashar and captain Alishan Sharafu then combined to steady the ship for the UAE putting on 44 runs for the third wicket. Punya Mehra then top-scored with 43 off 64 balls but could not find a partner to stay with him as the final seven wickets fell for 98 runs. Ripon Mondol returned Bangladesh’s best figures taking 3-31, with three other bowlers also coming away with dismissals. Chasing 148, Bangladesh made a commanding start reaching 86 before losing their first wicket as Iftakher Hossain was caught by Soorya Sathish off the bowling of Jash Giyanani.  Hossain had added 37 runs from 70 balls, with fellow opener Mahfijul Islam putting on 45 runs before the players were taken off the field due to rain in Basseterre. Mahfijul was able to reach his half-century as the teams emerged with a new target of 107, the opener eventually reaching 64 not out from 6 balls, as Prantik Nawrose Nabil joined him in the middle as they sealed the victory and safe passage to the knockout stages. Bangladesh will be hoping for a repeat of the final last time out when they face India while the UAE will face Uganda in the opening Plate quarterfinal. Meanwhile, three Australia players have received positive PCR test results for COVID-19 through the official event testing programme. The players are currently self-isolating and are being monitored and cared for by the medical team. ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League Fixtures 26 January – Quarter-Final 1 England v South Africa; Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground 27 January – Quarter-Final 4 Sri Lanka v Afghanistan; Coolidge Cricket Ground 28 January – Quarter-Final 3 Pakistan v Australia; Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground 29 January – Quarter-Final 2 India v Bangladesh ; Coolidge Cricket Ground 30 January – Play-off Semi-Final 2 Loser QF 1 v Loser QF 4; Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground 31 January-  Play-off Semi-Final 1 Loser QF 2 v Loser QF 3; Coolidge Cricket Ground 1 February - Semi-Final 1 Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 4; Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground 2 February - Semi-Final 2 Winner QF 2 v Winner QF 3; Coolidge Cricket Ground 3 February - 5th / 6th Play-off Winners of Play-off Semi-Final 1 and 2; Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground 3 February - 7th / 8th Play-off Losers of Play-off Semi-Final 1 and 2; Coolidge Cricket Ground 4 February- 3rd / 4th Play-off Losers of Semi-Finals 1 and 2; Coolidge Cricket Ground 5 February – U19 Men’s CWC Final Winners of Semi-Finals 1 and 2; Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Plate Fixtures 25 January – Quarter-Final 1 UAE v Uganda; Queens Park Oval 25 January -Quarter-Final 2 Ireland v Canada; Brian Lara Cricket Academy 26 January -Quarter-Final 3 Zimbabwe v Scotland; Queens Park Oval 26 January -Quarter-Final 4 West Indies v PNG; Diego Martin Sporting Complex 28 January - Semi-Final 1 Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 4; Queens Park Oval 28 January -Play-off Semi-Final 1 Loser QF1 v Loser QF4; Diego Martin Sporting Complex 29 January - Semi-Final 2 Winner QF 2 v Winner QF 3; Queens Park Oval 29 January - Play-off Semi-Final 2 Loser QF 2 v Loser QF 3; Brian Lara Cricket Academy 30 January - 15th / 16th Play-off Losers of Play-off Semi-Finals 1 and 2; Brian Lara Cricket Academy 30 January - 13th / 14th Play-off Winners of Play-off Semi-Finals 1 and 2 ; Diego Martin Sporting Complex 31 January - 11th / 12th Play-off Losers of Semi-Finals 1 and 2; Diego Martin Sporting Complex 31 January - Plate Final Winners of Semi-Finals 1 and 2; Queens Park Oval

Sports Report KARACHI:-Defending champion Shabbir Iqbal maintained his lead on the second day of the ongoing 23rd Sindh Open Golf Championship with five under par score after playing 36 holes game at green lush course of the Airmen Golf Club Karachi on Saturday. Topper has started the day two with six under par. Mohammad Naeem of PGC, Zubair Hussain of PAF and Wisal Khan of PGC are following Shabbir with joint score of 145 one over par. LGG’s Mohammad Shahzad with his two over par was at 5th while Matloob Ahmed of same club LGG was at sixth with three over par. In the senior professional category Tahir Naseem maintained top position with four over par. Mohammad Akram achieved 2nd position with eight over par. Both represent Lahore Gymkhana. In the Junior Professionals, Mohammad Saqib from LGG has taken top position with seven over par, followed by Abdul Wadood from Multan and Nabeel Khan of Airmen Golf Club. Both have tied for 2nd position. Saim Shazli of KGC was ahead in Amateurs category with Gross 157, 13 over par and being followed by Salman Jahangir of LG with Gross 158, 14 over par. Omar Khalid of DHA held third position with Gross 161, 17 over par.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has named the 4 national junior tennis teams for the upcoming International Tennis Federation (ITF) international fixtures including Junior Davis Cup 2022. The Junior Davis Cup will be held in Malaysia from April 4 to 9 while rest of three juniors’ events will be taken place in Sri Lanka. According to an official of PTF, all teams are consisted of one non-playing captain and three players, as the team have been selected on merit after conducting the trials at PTF Tennis Complex, Garden Avenue Islamabad. Players were invited for trials purely on merit according to their national and international ranking, as well as performance. PTF will also conduct the trials to select the national team for Davis Cup Tennis Tie. Pakistan will face Lithuania on March 4 to 5, 2022 at the grass courts of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), Islamabad. The trials will be held on the grass courts of Cosmopolitan Club, Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore, from 16th February 2022. The top 6 players as per the latest PTF Men's Singles ranking will take part in these trials. The players will get the place in squad after producing acceptable results during the trials competitions. Top national tennis lads Aisam ul Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan have been exempted from the trials. Junior Davis Cup (Boys Under-16); Malaysia, April 4 to 9, 2022 Rashid Malik (Captain) Mohammad Huzaifa Khan Bilal Asim Hamid Israr Junior Billie Jean King Cup (Girls Under-16); Sri Lanka, February 21 to 26, 2022 Sara Mansoor(Captain) Natalia Zaman Sheeza Sajid Amna Ali Qayum World Junior Tennis (Boys Under-14); Sri Lanka, February 14 to 19, 2022 Mahboob Khan (Captain) Ahtesham Humayun Husnain Ali Rizwan Hamza Roman World Junior Tennis (Girls Under-14); Sri Lanka, February 14 to 19, 2022 Sara Mansoor(Captain) Amna Ali Qayum Zunaisha Noor Soha Ali Names of players for Davis Cup team trials: 1. Mohammad Shoaib 2. Muzammil Murtaza 3. Mohammad Abid  4. Yusuf Khalil 5. Mudasir Murtaza 6. Heera Ashiq

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-The Karachi Open Squash Championship for Men’s and Women’s with huge prize money will be held in March in the sea city Karachi, as the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) has revealed the national squash events for the first quarter of the year 2022. Karachi Open will be pursuing prize money of US$ 50,000 and US$ 20,000 respectively for the males and females fixture. According to an official of PSF, the squash activities will kick off with first satellite tournament, which will start from Sunday (January 23) at Karachi with the prize money of US$ 500, as during the first quarter of year 10 events will be organized in Karachi, Quetta, Lahore and Islamabad. Also, two courses will be part of our activities including World Squash Federation (WSF) level-1, Level-II Coaching Courses and PSF Level-1 Trainers Course, as both will be held in Islamabad. Schedule of Fixtures: 1. January 23 to24: Comkar Satellite Tournament of US$ 500 (Karachi) 2. January 24 to 27: PSF Level-1 Trainers Course (Islamabad) 3. January 26 to 29: Sindh Satellite Tournament of US$ 1,000 (Karachi) 4. February 12 to 14: DRGCC Open Satellite Tournament of US$ 1,000 (Lahore) 5. February 10 to 17: WSF level-1 and Level-II Coaching Course (Islamabad) 6. February 18 to 20: Balochistan Satellite Tournament of US$ 1,000 (Quetta) 7. February 21 to 23: Balochistan Senior Satellite Tournament of US$ 1,000 (Quetta) 8. February 26 to March 1: PSF Squash Circuit-I of US$ 6,000 (Islamabad) 9. March 3 to 7: PSF Junior Squash Circuit-I for Boys and Girls Rs 6,000 (Islamabad) 10. March 15 to 19: Karachi Open for Men of US$ 50,000 and of US$ 20,000 for Women (Karachi).

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-Sri Lanka sealed their qualification for the Super League stage with a dramatic victory over West Indies while South Africa defeated Ireland to also book their place in the quarter-finals. Dunith Wellalage and Matheesha Pathirana both took three wickets apiece as Sri Lanka restricted the hosts to 250 before Sadisha Rajapaksa (76), Anjala Bandara (40) and Ranuda Somarathna’s unbeaten 28 guided the Group D winners to a three-wicket success. Sri Lanka remain perfect with tense win Sri Lanka maintained their perfect record in the 2022 ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup with a thrilling three-wicket victory over West Indies at Conaree Sports Club in Basseterre. The hosts went into the contest knowing they needed a big win to stand a chance of qualifying for the Super League quarter-finals, with their opponents and Australia ahead of them in Group D. Openers Shaqkere Parris and Matthew Nandu ensured they made a steady start, reaching the end of the fifth over for 20 without loss before Treveen Mathew removed the latter for seven. Parris was then bowled by Dunith Wellalage for 16 before Teddy Bishop and Kevin Wickham combined for a fruitful partnership, taking the West Indies to 102 for two after 26 overs. Bishop was eventually removed on 45 by Wellalage, caught by Mathew, but Jordan Johnson picked up where his teammate left off as he raced to 26 from 30 balls. Wickham reached his half-century before falling for 56 to Matheesha Pathirana in the 38th over, although Johnson and Rivaldo Clarke kept West Indies ticking along nicely. Two wickets in three balls in the 45th over stunted the hosts’ momentum, though, with Wellalage accounting for Johnson as he fell three runs short of his fifty before Giovonte Depeiza was run out moments later by Anjala Bandara without scoring. A late cameo from McKenny Clarke of 21 from 13 balls saw West Indies finish all out for 250, with Wellalage (3-39) and Pathirana (3-67) both taking three wickets. In response, Sri Lanka lost opener Chamindu Wickramasinghe in the first opener as Nathan Edward enticed him into a flick outside off stump that went straight to Rivaldo Clarke. Sadisha Rajapaksa and Shevon Daniel got their side back on track as they reached the end of the 11th over on 56 for one before Daniel was removed by McKenny Clarke for 34. Rajapaksa powered on regardless and despite losing Sakuna Liyanage (9), he reached his fifty in the 25th over with support from new partner Anjala Bandara at the crease. Bandara contributed 40 from 52 balls before his wicket was taken by Isai Thorne, with Rajapaksa (76) also falling the same bowler in the 40th over as Sri Lanka reached 200 for five. With 51 still needed off 60 balls for victory, Shiva Sankar removed Wellalage (15) to set up a tense finale as Ranuda Somarathna and Raveen de Silva came together in the middle. Mckenny Clarke bowled De Silva (13) but a nerveless 28 from 27 balls from Somarathna saw Sri Lanka home as they secured a three-wicket victory with 10 balls to spare. Skipper Van Heerden leads from the front A blockbuster century from South Africa captain George Van Heerden propelled his side towards the Super League quarter-finals as they defeated Ireland by 153 runs in Tarouba. The two sides started their all-important final Group B game level on points, with South Africa possessing a narrow advantage in the table thanks to their better net run-rate. With India all but assured of their place in the Super League last eight ahead of their final game against winless Uganda, South Africa and Ireland faced a shootout for second place. And Ireland made a dream start when Reuben Wilson removed South African opener Valentine Kitime in the first over for a duck before Liam Doherty bowled Ethan-John Cunningham (11). At 18 for two after four overs, South Africa were wobbling but Dewald Brevis soon restored order and moved to 27 from 29 balls with two fours to take his side to 53 for two after 10 overs. Ireland responded by taking the wicket of Gerhardus Maree (14) as Wilson struck again, yet that brought Van Heerden to the crease to form a formidable partnership with Brevis. Brevis reached his half-century with a four off the final ball of the 22nd over and continued to find the boundary at regular intervals as Van Heerden provided support from the other end. But just four runs short of his century, Brevis was punished for a loose cut shot off Scott MacBeth as a diving full length catch by Matthew Humphreys at gully sent him packing on 96. While that wicket briefly halted South Africa’s momentum, Van Heerden soon took up the baton and brought up his fifty before stepping on the gas with Andile Simelane. An explosive 25 from 12 balls from Simelane, which included three sixes and four off MacBeth in the 38th over, only added to Ireland’s troubles as South Africa moved to 207 for four. Simelane was dismissed in the next over but Mickey Copeland chipped in with a high-octane 43 from 18 balls before Van Heerden brought up his century with a four in the 46th over. Van Heerden eventually lost his wicket in the final ball of the innings, which was shortened to 47 overs due to an earlier rain delay, with South Africa finishing on 315 for seven. Ireland’s response could not have got off to a worse possible start as Liam Doherty was caught by Maree off the bowling of Matthew Boast for a golden duck in the first ball of the innings. Nathan McGuire steadied the ship with 42 from 33 balls before Simelane took his wicket, with Joshua Cox and Ireland captain Tim Tector both falling cheaply to Boast. Philippus Roux (33) provided some resistance along with Humphreys (38) but a lack of support meant Ireland were always fighting an uphill battle and they were eventually all out for 158. Boast was the star of the bowlers for the young Proteas with three for 26 while Liam Alder also took three for 20, with Asakhe Tsaka and Simelane contributing two each. Meanwhile, five West Indies players and four further India players have received positive PCR test results for COVID-19 through the official event testing programme. The players are currently self-isolating and are being monitored and cared for by the medical team.

Sports Bulletin KARACHI:-Defending champion Shabbir Iqbal from Islamabad was ahead at the end of 18 holes game of the 23rd Sindh Open Golf Championship 2022 that teed off on Friday at Airmen Golf Club Karachi. Out of 41 leading national golfers, defending champion Shabbir Iqbal was leading with six under par. Arshad Rasheed of Karachi Golf Club (KGC) along with Mohammad Naeem and Matloob Ahmed were jointly at second spot with two under par. It is pertinent to mention here that Waheed Baloch of Karachi Golf Club who with outstanding performance recently won the 11th Rashid D Habib Golf 2022 is holding 17th position on day one with one over par. In the senior professional category Tahir Naseem was leading with one over par and being followed by Mohammad Akram who achieved 4 over par on day one while in the Junior Professionals, Mohammad Saqib from LGG is leading on first day with four over par, followed by Abdul Wadood who managed to achieve 5 over par on day one. Salman Jehangir of LG is leading in Amateurs category with two over par and being followed by Omar Khalid of DHA at par. Saim Shazli of KGC is holding third position with 81 at par. Tournament Referee and Secretary of Sindh Golf Association Col Zahid Iqbal said, “The strong winds in Karachi challenged the golfers, however experienced golfers proved their expertness.” “Golf Course is at best condition and visibility was helpful for both local and visiting golfers”, Col Iqbal added. The Annual Sindh Open Golf Championship is being played at Airmen Golf club & Recreational Park from 21 - 23 January 2022. The collective prize money offered is Rs. 3 Million for Professionals, Senior Professionals, Junior Professionals category. The final round of the tournament will be played on Sunday (January 23).

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-The President of the UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, made a solemn appeal to the UN Member States for the observance of the Olympic Truce for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, following the resolution adopted in December. The resolution calls for the Olympic Truce to be respected from 27 January to 20 March 2022 -– seven days before the start of the Olympic Winter Games until seven days after the Paralympic Games. Today’s solemn appeal is another demonstration of the support for the political neutrality of the Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee, reiterating the message of the Olympic Truce resolution through which all Member States were called upon “to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee in their efforts to use sport as a tool to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation in areas of conflict during and beyond the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games”. “The Olympic Movement aspires to contribute to a peaceful future for all humankind through the educational value of sport, in particular youth,” said Shahid in the appeal. “The Games will bring together athletes from all parts of the world in the greatest of international sports events as a means to promote peace, mutual understanding and goodwill among nations and peoples – goals that are also part of the founding values of the United Nations”. Shahid welcomed “the leadership of Olympic and Paralympic athletes in promoting peace and human understanding through sport and the Olympic ideal, and the commitment made by various Member States of the United Nations to developing national and international programmes that promote peace and conflict resolution and the Olympic and Paralympic values through sport, and through culture, education and sustainable development.” He went on: “As President of the General Assembly at its 76th session, I solemnly appeal to all Member States to demonstrate their commitment to the Olympic Truce for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and to undertake concrete actions at the local, national, regional and world levels to promote and strengthen a culture of peace and harmony based on the spirit of the Truce. Referring to the original tradition of the Olympic Truce practised in ancient times, as described in resolution 76/13, I also call upon all warring parties of current armed conflicts around the world to boldly agree to true mutual ceasefires for the duration of the Olympic Truce, thus providing an opportunity to settle disputes peacefully.”

Aamir Ali Janjua DUBAI (UAE):-Excitement is building for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, following the announcement of the fixtures for the October 16 – November 13 event. The world's best cricketers from 16 international teams will clash in 45 matches as the pinnacle global event in men’s T20 cricket comes to Australia for the first time. In the First Round, 2014 champions Sri Lanka and Namibia will play the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 at Kardinia Park, Geelong on Sunday 16 October. They’ll be joined by two qualifiers in Group A. Two-time champions West Indies will also start in the First Round, joined in Group B by Scotland and two qualifiers in Hobart. In the Super 12, hosts Australia are in Group 1 with world number one England, New Zealand, Afghanistan plus the winner of Group A and the runner-up in Group B from the First Round. Group 2 features India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, plus the winner of Group B and runner-up in Group A from the First Round. Hosts and defending champions, Australia will play New Zealand in the opening match of the Super 12 at the SCG on Saturday 22 October in a re-match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 Final. The Black Caps will also face England at The Gabba on 1 November in a re-match of their epic semi-final encounter at the 2021 event. Two of world cricket’s biggest rivals will go head-to-head at the MCG, with India taking on Pakistan on Sunday 23 October. It will be the first World Cup clash between the two nations at the MCG and comes before two more fierce rivals, Australia and England, meet at the same venue on Friday 28 October. The state-of-the-art Perth Stadium will host a huge Sunday double-header on Sunday 30 October with South Africa taking on India in the evening match. Earlier in the day, Pakistan will be in action against the runners-up from Group A. The semi-finals will be played at the SCG and Adelaide Oval on 9 and 10 November, respectively. It will be the first time the Adelaide Oval will host a World Cup semi-final. The MCG will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Final, which will be contested under lights on 13 November 2022. International Cricket Council CEO Geoff Allardice said: ““T20 is the global growth format for cricket and the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 will play a huge role in inspiring our next generation of players and fans as the world’s best players descend on Australia and showcase the very best of our sport. The release of fixtures is always a great moment in the delivery of a World Cup as fans start to get excited about opening games, head to heads and knock-out stages. “This schedule offers so much, from the 2014 Champions Sri Lanka opening the event, to our defending champions Australia starting with a rematch of the 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup Final against New Zealand and of course India taking on Pakistan at the MCG. We know that hundreds of thousands of passionate cricket fans will turn out to support every single one of the 16 teams across all seven of our host cities which is what makes it so special for the players. You only need to cast your mind back to the brilliant ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia to know that this is going to be a wonderful event for players and fans alike.” ICC T20 World Cup Local Organising Committee CEO, Michelle Enright said; “The release of the fixtures gives fans the opportunity to start planning their T20 World Cup experience, which is now just 268 days away.” “By having matches spread across the nation in seven host cities and making tickets accessibly priced, we are hoping as many people as possible will be able to experience the incredible atmosphere that international fans bring to global sporting events, as well as the unique, fast-paced and unpredictable nature of T20 cricket.” “World Cups are about bringing people from all backgrounds and cultures together and we hope to safely host over 800,000 fans at Australia’s iconic cricket venues later this year.” FIXTURES HIGHLIGHTS Adelaide will see 10 different teams play Super 12 matches in a festival of cricket with India to feature on the first night at Adelaide Oval against Bangladesh on 2 November. Australia will be in action on a Friday night against local Adelaide favourite Rashid Khan and Afghanistan on 4 November. Brisbane will host four Super 12 matches with Australia, England and New Zealand to feature on consecutive nights on October 31 and November 1 respectively. 2014 champions Sri Lanka will feature in the opening match of the event against Namibia at Kardinia Park, Geelong on 16 October 2022 in the First Round. Hobart will see the power-hitters of West Indies play three First Round matches at Bellerive Oval, starting on 17 October 2022.  Hobart will also host three Super 12 fixtures The state-of-the-art Perth Stadium will host five Super 12 matches with defending champions Australia to play a night match against the winners of Group A on 25 October. Perth Stadium will also be lit up on the opening night of the Super 12 with world number one England taking on Afghanistan Sydney will host a massive double-header on 5 November with England to take on the winners of Group A, before Pakistan take on South Africa in the evening match,