Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Ireland have been fined 40 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against the West Indies in the first ODI in Kingston on Saturday. Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after Andrew Balbirnie’s side was ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. In addition, as per Article 16.12.2 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League Playing Conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short. Consequently, Ireland will lose two points from their points tally during the Super League. Balbirnie pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Joel Wilson and Nigel Duguid, third umpire Gregory Brathwaite and fourth umpire Leslie Reifer leveled the charge.  

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and Scotland all recorded impressive victories in the warm-up matches of the 2022 ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup continued in the West Indies. In Guyana, Sri Lanka notched a 128-run triumph over Ireland and Scotland were winners by 107 runs over Uganda, while the biggest win of the day came in St Kitts for UAE, as they were 250-run victors over Papua New Guinea. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s scheduled warm-up match against England was postponed due to delays in the Afghanistan squad obtaining the necessary visas to enter the West Indies. Sri Lanka shine in shortened match Despite overnight rain in Guyana shortening the match between Sri Lanka and Ireland to 43 overs per side, Shevon Daniel helped lead the Sri Lankans to an impressive 128-run victory. Ireland won the toss and elected to bowl but opener Daniel attacked from the off as he scored 75 from 72 balls, including eight fours and a six. Opening partner Chamidu Wickramasinghe being run out for five and No.3 Sakuna Liyanage being trapped LBW by pick of the Irish bowlers Nathan McGuire (2/40) couldn’t slow Daniel, who retired not out with the score at 122 for two. The middle order picked up the slack from there as Sadisha Rajapaksa (22), Pawan Pathiraja (25) and Ranuda Somarathne (33) all had cameos to push the Sri Lanka total to 233 for seven from 43 overs – with three of the dismissals being run outs. In response, the Ireland top order failed to build a foundation with Wickramasinghe clean bowling both opener Liam Doherty and captain Tim Tector to end with figures of two for seven from four overs before Wanuja Sahan (3/5) picked up the mantle to cheaply dismiss Philippus le Roux, Scott MacBeth and McGuire. No.3 Joshua Cox was the lone source of Irish resistance as he resiliently made 44 from 86 balls but with wickets tumbling at the other end, there was little he could do to stop his side being dismissed for 105 from 31.4 overs – Jamie Forbes the last man out when he was bowled by Matheesha Pathirana for a duck. The 128-run triumph was the perfect tonic for Sri Lanka as they continue preparations for a group that includes Australia, hosts West Indies and Scotland at the upcoming ICC U19 Men’s CWC. UAE lay down a marker United Arab Emirates impressed with both bat and ball as they recorded a dominant 250-run victory over Papua New Guinea in Basseterre. Having lost the toss and been asked to bat, UAE opener Kai Smith set about punishing that decision with a brilliant innings of 145 that came off just 139 balls. Smith plundered 19 fours and a six as he built three big partnerships with his top-order teammates, starting with an opening stand of 72 alongside Shival Bawa, before Bawa was caught by Malcolm Aporo off the bowling of John Kariko for 23. Dhruv Parashar came to the crease and made 52 in a partnership of 133 before a third-wicket stand of 77 with Punya Mehra (41 off 25) took the UAE total towards 300. Smith finally perished for 145 with just 13 balls remaining in the innings and the score on 298 before UAE took their final total up to 321 for five from 50 overs. Their bowlers then capitalised on that mammoth target as Papua New Guinea were reduced to 22 for four, with Ali Naseer taking one for three with three maidens in a suffocating five-over spell, as fellow opener Nilansh Keswani (2/16) helped himself to a pair of wickets at the other end. PNG opener Peter Karoho (14 from 18) and No.6 Christopher Kilapat (27 off 40) were the only batters to reach double figures as Aayan Khan’s three for ten helped skittle them for just 71 from 28 overs and seal a 250-run triumph. Scotland impress to beat Uganda Scotland may only have been a late replacement for New Zealand in the 2022 ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup but they signalled their intention to make some noise in West Indies with a 107-run warm-up win over Uganda. Batting first, they posted a creditable total of 219 for nine from their 50 overs, with opener Charlie Tear steering the innings as he made 50. In fact, Scotland received useful runs all the way down the order as Sam Elstone hit 29, Jack Jarvis contributed 33 before being run out and Charlie Peet added 26 late on. The Ugandan bowlers did take wickets at regular intervals with Edwin Nuwagaba (3/29) and Juma Miyaji (2/30) doing most of the damage but the Scots still gave themselves a target to defend. Uganda made a promising start with the bat, reaching 41 for none in the ninth over but would go on to lose all ten wickets for just 71 runs thereafter. It was a run out that finally broke the opening partnership as Ronald Lutaaya departed for 17 before Oliver Davidson (3/14) dismissed three of the top five and another run out left them at 63 for five. Scotland skipper Jamie Cairns went on to get himself a three-wicket haul for the concession of just 15 runs as Cyrus Kakuru (top scorer with 25), Pius Oloka (5) and Miyaji (2) all fell to the slow left-armer. Nuwagaba was the last man out for five off the bowling of Lyle Robertson in a total of 112 as Uganda slipped to 107-run defeat in 31.2 overs. Scores in Brief Sri Lanka Under 19s beat Ireland Under 19s by 128 runs, Providence Stadium, Guyana Sri Lanka 233-7, 43 overs (Shevon Daniel 75 retired not out, Ranuda Somarathne 33; Nathan McGuire 2-40, Daniel Forkin 1-21) Ireland 104 all out, 31.4 overs (Joshua Cox 45 not out, Scott MacBeth 11; Wanuja Sahan 3-5, Chamidu Wickramasinghe 2-7) United Arab Emirates Under 19s beat Papua New Guinea Under 19s by 250 runs, Conaree Cricket Field, Basseterre, St Kitts United Arab Emirates 321-5, 50 overs (Kai Smith 145, Dhruv Parashar 52, Punya Mehra 41; Barnabas Maha 1-33, John Kariko 1-40) Papua New Guinea 71 all out, 28 overs (Christopher Kilapat 27, Peter Karoho 14; Aayan Khan 3-10, Adihya Shetty 2-10, Nilansh Keswani 2-16) Scotland Under 19s beat Uganda Under 19s by 109 runs, Everest Cricket Club Ground, Georgetown, Guyana Scotland 219-9, 50 overs (Charlie Tear 50, Jack Jarvis 33; Edwin Nuwagaba 3-29, Juma Miyaji 2-30) Uganda 112 all out, 31.2 overs (Cyrus Kakuru 25, Ronald Lutaaya 17; Oliver Davidson 3-14, Jamie Cairns 3-15)

Bipin Dani Sri Lankan all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva has pulled out from the squad for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe, it is learnt. According to the highly placed sources close to him, his wife has delivered a baby and the 30-year-old DDS has requested the board to excuse him to opt out of the tournament. "His request has been accepted and the replacement will be made", one of the sources confirmed. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), in consultation with the selectors have replaced four more players from the originally selected 18.  Avishka Fernando and Janith Liyanage have tested positive and two more players-Lahiru Kumara and Kalana Perera failed the fitness tests. The four, who were not in the original squad of 18, but added are : Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis and Nuwan Pradeep.   The squad :  Dasun Shanaka (likely captain), 2 Dinesh Chandimal, 3 Pathum Nissanka, 4 Minod Bhanuka, 5 Kusal Mendis, 6 Chamika Karunaratne, 7 Maheesh Theekshana, 8 Jeffery Vandersay, 9 Kamindu Mendis, 10 Nuwan Thushara, 11 Nuwan Pradeep, 12 Ramesh Mendis, 13 Praveen Jayawickrema, 14 Dushmantha Chameera, 15 Chamika Gunasekara, 16 Shiran Fernando,  17 Kamil Mishara and 18 Charith Asalanka. Dushmantha Chameera's selection is subject to his fitness clearance and another player may be chosen if he is not cleared by the doctors. The team will be managed by Chandima Maputana. 

Sports Bulletin Lausanne, Switzerland (January 10, 2022):-Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) have decided that the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup, which was initially scheduled to be played in December 2021 but had to be put “on hold” due to the Omicron variant outbreak, will be staged from 2 to 13 April 2022 at the originally planned venue, the North-West University of Potchefstroom in South Africa. “Since the postponement of this event, we’ve been in permanent contact with the South African Hockey Association. Based on the reports about the current evolution of the health situation in the country, the EB has confirmed its decision from its December meeting, namely that the tournament should be postponed – and not cancelled - and that South Africa should have priority for hosting it. We’re aware that the new dates are challenging for some nations – in particular because of Ramadan or the European club calendar – but it was essential for FIH to fully support the wish of the athletes to play. We’re looking forward to a great event with hockey’s female rising stars, ”FIH CEO Thierry Weil commented. Sadly however, FIH and Hockey Belgium have been forced to cancel the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup Belgium 2022. This decision has been taken on the basis of the current health situation in Belgium and after extensive consultations with and recommendation from all official and competent authorities in the country. Thierry Weil said: “The FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup is the pinnacle of indoor hockey. Therefore, considering all indoor hockey athletes and fans, it was extremely hard to cancel the 2022 edition planned in just a few weeks. But, of course, we have followed the recommendations of the local authorities. On behalf of FIH, I would like to extend our sincerest thanks to the Belgian organisers, and in particular the Belgian Hockey Association, for their tremendous preparation works and their great dedication.”

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (January 10, 2022):-Police, North Punjab, Central Punjab, Higher Education Commission (HEC), South Punjab, Pakistan Army and WAPDA registered victories in the 42nd National Kabbadi Championship (Circle Style) that kicked off Punjab Stadium Lahore on Monday. As many as 14 teams are competing for the top honour, as the final will be played on January 16, 2022 at the same venue. Police, Peshawar, North Punjab, Bannu, Central Punjab, HEC, Quetta, South Punjab, Railway, Army, Islamabad, WAPDA and Pakistan Ordinance Factories (POF) are talking part in the championship 2022. Results (Day-1): Police beat Peshawar 34-17 North Punjab beat Bannu 27-09 Central Punjab beat Sukkar 32-11 HEC beat Quetta 15-7 South Punjab beat Railway 54-38 Army beat Islamabad 41-16 WAPDA beat POF 27-12

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD (January 10, 2022):-The 11th Rashid D. Habib Memorial National Professional Golf Tournament will tee off on January 13, 2022 (Thursday) at the Karachi Golf Club (KGC) under the banner of Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) that sponsored by Bank AL Habib. According to an official, Rashid Habib Memorial Golf Tournament is one of the most prominent golf events in PGF's calendar. More than hundred top golfers will compete in the Professionals category for the coveted trophy. This year, Pakistan’s top golfer Mohammad Shabbir will defend his title. Prior to this event, a two-day match for local KGC Professionals, Senior Professionals and KGC Caddies, the 21st edition of Rashid D. Habib Memorial Golf Tournament, will be played on 11th and 12th January, with the aim to support and develop professional golf at KGC. Rashid D. Habib Memorial Golf has one of the highest prize money of Rs. 8.0 Million. The prize money also includes Appearance Money to be distributed amongst the top 5 Professionals and top 3 Senior Professionals, as per PGF current ranking. In addition, a brand new Toyota Corolla and a Suzuki Alto will also be awarded to the first player who achieves a hole-in-one in national and local categories respectively. Chief of Naval Staff would grace the occasion as a chief guest. The tournament will conclude on 16th January, followed by the prize distribution ceremony. COVID-19 SOPs will be strictly followed during the event.

Sports Bulletin Dubai (January 10, 2022):-Afghanistan’s warm up matches for the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 have been cancelled, with the warm-up matches for England and the UAE rescheduled. The Afghanistan squad is yet to arrive in the West Indies due to delays in obtaining the necessary visas, whilst discussions attempting to resolve the issue are ongoing. The warm-up matches in St Kitts and Nevis against England at Warner Park on 10 January (tomorrow) and the 12 January fixture against the UAE at St Paul’s have both been cancelled. England will now play UAE at Conaree Cricket Centre on 11 January. ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said “We have been working together with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and relevant stakeholders to try and find a resolution to the problem and allow the team to travel. “In the meantime, we have rescheduled the warm-up fixtures to ensure the teams in the region are able to continue their preparation ahead of the start of the tournament on 14 January.”

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD (January 10, 2022):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the umpire and match referee appointments for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022, which will be staged in the West Indies from January 14 to February 5. Experienced English umpire David Millns will stand alongside Nepal’s Buddhi Pradhan for the opening match of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup after the officials were confirmed for the West Indies. Mills, who has been a first-class umpire for nearly 14 years, and Pradhan will oversee hosts West Indies against Australia at National Stadium in Guyana on January 14. Mills’ compatriot Martin Saggers will be the TV Umpire for the first of 48 games, with a 22-strong team of match officials confirmed by the International Cricket Council. Among those taking charge will be Pakistan’s Rashid Riaz who reprises his role from the 2020 tournament and takes charge of England’s opening fixture against Bangladesh with Ireland’s Roland Black, who also officiated two years ago. Asif Yaqoob will be the TV umpire for the same fixture which sees the defending U19 champions Bangladesh kickstart the defence of their title. Yaqoob is the third umpire who stood in South Africa last time out to again be selected. The Pakistani official is set to be in the middle for the West Indies against Scotland, England against Canada and Bangladesh against the UAE. In all, 19 umpires from 14 different countries will be on the field with five also performing the role of TV umpire throughout the first stage of the tournament. They will be joined by three referees for the duration of the tournament, with former Sri Lanka international Graeme Labrooy officiating alongside home official Denavon Hayles and England’s Phil Whitticase. Fixtures will take place across four nations, including Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago. Ten venues will be used as the Caribbean welcomes the young stars of the future to its shores for the first time in the tournament’s 14-edition history. ICC Senior Manager - Umpires and Referees, Adrian Griffith said: “The U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is a very important event in our calendar as it brings together the world’s most promising young players in a major ICC tournament, giving them the experience of competing on the global stage. “We are committed to appointing the finest officials available and I have every confidence in the team travelling to West Indies for the U19 Cricket World Cup they will do a fine job. I wish them all the best.” Umpire and match referee appointments for the knockout stages will be announced after the teams have been confirmed. The appointments for the Plate and Super League final will be finalised after the semi-finals. The officials for the tournament are: Umpires: Asif Yaqoob, Allan Haggo, Arnold Maddela, Buddhi Pradhan, David McLean, David Millns, Emmerson Carington, Heath Kearns, Jacquline Williams, Mark Jameson, Martin Saggers, Nitin Bathi, Rahul Asher, Rashid Riaz, Rizwan Akram, Roland Black, Sameer Bandekar, Sarika Prasad, Vijay Prakash Mallela Match Referees: Graeme Labrooy, Denavon Hayles, Phil Whitticase

Sports Bulletin Report Melbourne, Australia (January 9, 2022):-Top seed pair, Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski have won the title of Men’s Doubles of the ATP World Tennis Championship after beating Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 2-0 at Margaret Courts Arena Melbourne Australia on Sunday. The final score-line was 6-4 and 6-4. Results (Men’s Doubles): Koolhof and Neal Skupski beat Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-4, 6-4.

Mohammad Rizwan ISLAMABAD (January 9, 2022):-The 6-day 14th National Tenpin Bowling Championship 2022 will start from 25th January 2022 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. According to an official of PTBF, the 14th National Tenpin Bowling Championship 2022 will be held in 10 different categories including the Master Singles, Doubles, Team, Deaf, Amateur, Women, Inter-school, Inter Colleges, Inter Universities and Media events. Top national players from all over the Pakistan will take part in the prestigious national bowling fixture. The preparations for 14th National Tenpin Bowling Championship are in progress and hopefully soon will complete according to requirements of this mega event.