LAHORE (PR): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced the appointment of Aqib Javed, a former international fast bowler, as the interim head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team until the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.During this tenure, Aqib will continue to serve as a senior member of the men’s National Selection Committee, and will be assigned additional responsibilities following the conclusion of the eight-team tournament.Meanwhile, the PCB will initiate the recruitment process for a permanent white-ball head coach, aiming to complete the appointment by the end of the ICC Champions Trophy scheduled from 19 February to 9 March.The white-ball coaching role had become vacant following the resignation of Gary Kirsten. Red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie had coached the side during the recent tour of Australia, who will now rejoin the side for the upcoming two-Test series in South Africa.The Pakistan men’s side is scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is in Zimbabwe (24 November – 5 December) and as many white-ball matches in South Africa (10-22 December). In the lead up to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan will host New Zealand and South Africa for an ODI triangular series from 8-14 February. 

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: The ITF Pakistan World Junior Tennis Championships Leg-2 got underway here at Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Tennis Complex, as the Chairman Prime Minister Youth Program Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan graced the opening ceremony as a chief guest.The prestigious tournament, which has attracted 50 foreign players from 15 countries, reflects Pakistan’s growing prominence in the international tennis community. During his visit, Mashood met with the players, extended a warm welcome to the foreign participants, and conveyed his best wishes for the competition.Mashood also met Hassan Usmani, the winner of the Ashgabat Open ATF Under-14 Championship. He congratulated Hassan and his family on this remarkable achievement, praising his efforts in bringing laurels to Pakistan and keeping the national flag high.Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi (Sitara-e-Imtiaz) President of PTF, and Col. Zia-ud-Din Tufail (R), Secretary General of PTF, expressed their gratitude to the Chairman for his support and visit. They acknowledged his role in fostering the growth of sports and thanked him for inaugurating both the tournament and the Players' Tennis Hut.Additionally, Tariq Mahmood Murtaza, Chairman of the Islamabad Tennis Association (ITA), Majeed Basir, President of ITA, and Tufail Cheema, Secretary of ITA, visited the PTF Tennis Complex. They interacted with players, coaches, and parents, extending their good wishes for the championship and appreciating the efforts behind this event.Results (Day-1):Boys’ Singles (Round-1): Ahmad Nael Qureshi (Pak) beat Louis Ellah Knese (GER) 6-1, 6-3; Mohammad Talha Khan (PAK) beat Mweckramaginhe Mudiyanselage (SRI) 6-0, 6-1: Aahil Kaleel (SRI) beat Nadir Mirza (PAK) 2-6, 3-2 Ret; Xiuyuan Guo (CHN) beat Danthal Takong (THA) 7-5, 6-1; Mohammad Salar Khan (PAK) beat Jean Pyun (KOR) 6-3, 6-0; Mohammad Haider Ali Rizwan (PAK) beat Abdul Basith Cader (SRI) 6-0, 6-0; Partham Laosakulporn (THA) beat Mohammad Yahya (PAK) 6-1, 6-2; Bilal Asim (PAK) beat Ariyaphol Leekul (THA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2; Pudit Phapatsirikul (THA) beat Amir Mohammad Khan Mazari (PAK) 6-4, 6-1; Asad Zaman (PAK) beat Tchegoun Derosa (USA) 6-1, 6-0; Ho Jun Park (KOR) beat Ahtesham Humayun (PAK) 6-3, 6-3Girls’ Singles (Round-1): Karolina Ligai (KAZ) beat Leyla-Esther Knese (GER) 6-0, 6-1; Haruhi Katsube (JPN) beat Amna Al Qayum (PAK) 6-1, 7-5; Paweenon Nualsri (THA) beat Zainab Ali Raja (PAK) 6-0, 6-0; A Hyun Jo (KOR) beat Mahrukh Sajid (PAK) 6-0, 6-0; So Yuna (KOR) beat Jingke Yan (CHN) 6-2, 6-2 ; Elizaveta Privalova (RUS) beat Fatima Ali Raja (PAK) 6-0, 6-0; Palina Huretskaya (Belarus) beat Soha Ali (PAK) 6-1, 7-5;

Tayyab, Abdullah, and Farhan earn wins, Mohammad Ashab, Nasir, and Noor get byeAbdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Tayyab Aslam, Abdullah Nawaz and Farhan Mehboob registered victories in the first round of the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS)-Serena Hotels International Squash Championship after overcoming their respective opponents here at Mushaf Squash Complex on Monday. Mohammad Ashab Irfan, Nasir Iqbal and Noor Zaman Khan got byes in the first rounds of 32-player main draw.The tournament carries a prize of money of US$ 15,000. Apart from 09 Pakistani players, a group of 15 world ranking players from Egypt, England, Hong Kong-China, Ireland, Kuwait, Malaysia and Netherland are participating. World No 62 Ibrahim Elkabbani from Egypt has been seeded as No 1 along with World No 82 Noor Zaman from Pakistan as Seed No 2.  Results (Day-1): Ibrahim Elkabbani (Egy) Got Bye, Duncan Lee (Mas) beat Wilson Chan (HKG) 11-3, 11-8, 11-6 (21 Min), Tayyab Aslam (Pak) beat Ahmed Sherif (Egy) 11-4, 9-11, 11-8, 11-4 (33 Min), Darren Pragasam (Mas) Got Bye, Seif El Shenawy (Egy) Got Bye, Hafiz Zhafri (Mas) beat (WC) Anas Ali Shah (Pak) 3-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-6 (48 Min), Yasin Shodhy (Egy) beat Heston Malik (Eng) 11-4, 11-7, 11-1 (21 Min), Nasir Iqbal (Pak) Got Bye, Mohammad Ashab Irfan (Pak) Got Bye, (WC) Abdullah Nawaz (Pak) beat Ong Sai Hung (Mas) 11-1, 9-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6 (35 Min), (WC) Farhan Mehboob (Pak) beat Aaron Allpress (Irl) 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (26 Min), Rowan Damming (Ned) Got Bye, Perry Malik (Eng) Got Bye, Ammar Altamimi (Kuw) beat Mohammad Abdul Qadir (Pak) 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (25 Min), Hazem Hossam (Egy) beat Sadam Ul Haq (Pak) 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7 (32 Min), Noor Zaman (Pak) Got Bye.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: The 3rd Khairpur Sugar National Juniors Squash Championship started on Sunday at Defence Authority Creek Club Karachi.As many as 96 players including 53 from Sindh (SD), 19 from Khyber Pukhtunkawa (KPK), 17 from Punjab (PB), 3 from Baluchistan (BL), 3 from Pakistan Air Force (PAF), and 1 from Pakistan Army are participating in the national junior squash fixture, as the championship is pursuing prize money of Rs. 600,000. The prize money has been divided equally among three categories: Boys under 9, Boys under 13, and Girls under 15, with Rs. 200,000 for each category.Results (Day-1):Boys’ U9 (Round-1):Mohammad Faiz Khan (Sindh) beat Mohammad Hamza (Sindh) 11-3, 11-5, 11-1 [3-0] Mohammad Bin Naseem (SD) beat Raeef Ahmed (SD) 11-2, 11-2, 11-1 [3-0] Atif Ali Naaz (KP) beat Hayee (SD) 11-0, 11-0, 11-2 [3-0] Abdul Hadi (PB) beat Mohammad Okasha (KP) 11-2, 11-2, 11-2 [3-0] Rahim Raza (SD) beat Mohammad Yousuf (KP) 12-10, 11-3, 11-4 [3-0] Mohammad Hasnain (SD) beat Mohammad Nazeer Malik (SD) 11-9, 11-5, 11-6 [3-0] Umar Najeeb (KP)beat Mujtaba Rao (SD) 11-4, 13-11, 11-3 [3-0] Mohammad Raihm Khalik (KP) beat Mohammad Orhan (SD) 11-3, 11-9, 11-5 [3-0] Aban Khan (SD) beat Zafeer Husnain (SD) W/O Syed Mohammad Ahmed (SD) beat A. Mustafa (BB) W/O Syed Ali Abbas (PB) beat Abdul Wasay (SD) 11-1, 11-5, 10-12, 11-1 [3-1] Abdul Wahab Bhatti (SD) beat Mohammad Mursal (SD) 7-11, 12-10, 12-10, 11-4 [3-1] Jansher Khan (SD) beat Sheryar Khan (SD) W/O  Mohammad Bilawal (SD) beat Amanullah Noor (SD) 11-6, 11-5, 11-3 [3-0] Ubaidullah (KP) beat Mohammad Talha (KP) 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-4 [3-2] Yameen Abdullah (BL) beat Abdul Rafay (SD) 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 (3-0)Boys’ U13 (Round-1):Fawad Khan (KP) beat Hasnain Ali ( SD) 11-2, 11-1, 11-1 (3-0) Shaban Khan (SD) beat Mohammad Bin Jahangir (SD) 11-1, 11-3, 11-1 [3-0] Arman Ali (KP) beat Rayan Ali (SD) 11-2, 11-1, 11-1(3-0) Mustafa Khan (PB) beat Mohammad Jasim (PB) 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 (3-0)  Danish Sikandar (KP) beat Mohammad Hussain Baksh (KP) 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 (3-0)  Aziz Ali Naaz (KP) beat Ibrahim Ahmed (PB) 11-5, 15-13, 11-1 [3-0] Mohammad Yahya (KP) beat Mohammad Mustafa Ahmed (PB) 11-6, 11-5, 11-9 (3-0) Abdul Rehman (PB) beat Suleman Khan (SD) 11-5, 11-2, 11-2 (3-0) Raheel Victor (SD) beat Mohammad Hammad Adil 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 (3-0) Arbab Fahad (KP) beat Mahad Khan (SD) 11-4, 11-1, 11-2 (3-0)  Ayan Mehboob (PAF) beat Mohammad Uzair (SD) 11-3, 11-2, 11-4 (3-0) Mohammad Safwan Gul (PAF) beat Syed Ayan Javaid (SD) 11-1, 11-0, 11-0 (3-0) Abdul Hadi (SD) beat Daim Ayan (PB) 11-4, 11-6, 11-2 (3-0) Zohaib Khan (KP) beat Iqrar Ali (SD) 11-2, 11-2, 11-0 (3-0) A  Rehman Najeeb (KP) beat Mohammad Muaaz (PB) 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 (3-0) Syed Mohammad Husnain (PB) beat Safiullah Khan (BL) 11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 11-3 (3-1)  Girls’ U15 (Round-1):Mahnoor Ali (KP) beat Hiba Imtiaz (KP) 11-1, 11-0, 11-3 (3-0) Sundas Jahangir (SD) beat Zariya (SD) 10-12, 11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 12-10 (3-2) Habiba Khan (SD) beat Fara Aziz (SD) 10-12, 11-1, 11-1, 11-2 (3-0)  Sohama Fatima (SD) beat Aima Fawad (PB) 11-9, 11-7, 11-9 (3-0) Aiman Fatima (SD) beat Tasmia Liaquat (SD) 6-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-2 (3-1) Roman Fatima (SD) beat Simradi (SD) 11-4, 11-1, 11-2 (3-0) Ayesha Shahbaz (FB) beat Wania Shahid (SD) 11-1, 11-2, 11-3 (3-0) Damia Khan (SD) beat Alifa Liaqiat (SD) 11-3, 11-1, 11-3 (3-0) Nimra Batool (SD) beat Bushra Shahbaz (PD) 11-1, 11-1, 11-1 (3-0)Maliha Shah (ARM) beat Hadia Farman (KP) 11-1, 14-12, 6-11, 9-11, 11-2 (3-2) Fajar Noor (PB) beat Arfa (PB) 11-2, 11-0, 11-1 (3-0) Vashnavi (SD) beat Hamda Moazzam (SD) 11-6, 11-1, 11-2 (3-0) Dua Nazakat (SD) beat Sitwat Zehra (SD) 11-0, 11-1, 11-2 (3-0) Hamna Moazzam (SD) beat Zoila Faitma (SD) W/O Syeda Minal Ali (SD) beat Dua Fatima (SD) 11-3, 11-3, 11-5 (3-0) Sehrish Ali (KP) beat Sadaf Afridi (KP) 11-3, 11-2, 11-1 (3-0).  

Sports Bulletin ReportBrisbane (Australia): Australia beat Pakistan by 29 runs in the rain-hit seven-over opening game of the three-match T20I series at the Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday. Pakistan managed 63-9 in the allotted overs after Australia raced to 93-4 off the 42 balls they faced.Earlier, bad weather delayed the start of play before Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first. After Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf removed the Australia opening batters for single digits, Glenn Maxwell hit five fours and three sixes in his breezy 19-ball 43.Marcus Stoinis struck an unbeaten 21 off seven balls including two fours and one six to propel Australia to a formidable total. Mohammad Abbas Afridi picked up two wickets in his solitary over.In turn, Pakistan were reduced to 24-6 in 3.2 overs before Abbas top scored with 20 not out off 10 balls hitting two fours and one six. Haseebullah (12, 8b, 1x4, 1x6) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (11, 6b, 1x6) were the other batters to enter double figures for Pakistan. Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis picked up three wickets each while Adam Zampa returned figures of 2-9.Scores in brief:Australia beat Pakistan by 29 runs at the Gabba, BrisbaneAustralia 93-4, 7 overs (Glenn Maxwell 43, Marcus Stoinis 21 not out; Mohammad Abbas Afridi 2-9)Pakistan 64-9, 7 overs (Mohammad Abbas Afridi 20 not out; Nathan Ellis 3-9, Xavier Bartlett 3-13, Adama Zampa 2-11)Player of the match – Glenn Maxwell (Australia)Remaining matches:16 Nov – 2nd T20I vs Australia; Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney (7pm local time start)18 Nov – 3rd T20I vs Australia; Bellerive Oval, Hobart (7pm local time start) 

Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) has announced a 16-player team for the upcoming T20 Blinds World Cup 2024, which would be played from November 23 to December 3 in two cities Lahore and Multan.The national selection committee headed by Masood Jan, and other members Mohammad Jameel, and Tahir Mahmood Butt finalized the squad and disclosed after the approval of the PBCC chairman Syed Sultan Shah. Nasir Ali will lead the Pakistan in the top international blinds cricket fixture while Badar Munir will act as vice-captain in the tournament.The PBCC also named three reserve players, including Mohammad Ayaz, Moeen Aslam, and Mohammad Rashid, while the team officials included Jameel as head coach, Masood as assistant coach, Malik Abrar Hussain as team manager, Naveed Hussain Abbasi as assistant manager, and Tahir as trainer. The home side will start their Blind T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against South Africa in the curtain raiser.Names of selected players:B1 Category: Zafar Iqbal, Mohammad Idrees Saleem, Mohammad Shahzaib, Fakhar Abbas, MohammadAsif, and Mohammad SalmanB2 Category: Nisar Ali (c), Badar Munir (vc), Babar Ali, Nematullah, and Haroon KhanB3 Category: Mohammad Safdar, Kamran Akhtar, Akmal Hayat Nasir, Talha Iqbal, and Matiullah

Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: A couple of notable performances, Suleman (86) and Ali Zaryab (83) not out helped Shaheens to achieve the 222 runs target against Sri Lanka A here at Pindi Cricket Stadium in the first 4-day match of Series on Thursday.Earlier, Test fast bowler Khurram Shahzad picked up the last Sri Lanka wicket on the fourth ball of the day without any addition to the overnight score of 364 to finish with impressive figures of five for 70 and match figures of nine wickets for 102 runs.Suleman and Ali had joined hands after Pakistan Shaheens had slipped to 32 for two following the departures of Mohammad Huraira (9) and Abdul Faseeh (22). When Suleman departed at the score of 190 after hitting 11 fours in a 129-ball knock with Shaheens requiring 32 runs for victory, Haider Ali belted two sixes and a four in a rapid 14-ball 19 not out.Ali returned 83 not out from 125 balls with 11 hits to the fence. The highly-rated batter had scored 55 in Pakistan Shaheen’s 258 in response to Sri Lanka ‘A’ 115.While Suleman and Ali took the second innings honours, Test fast bowler Khurram Shahzad was in sparkling form throughout the match. In his third competitive match since returning from injury after successful completion of his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Stadium, the fast bowler returned figures of 10.1-3-32-4 and 25.4-4-70-5.Khurram’s fellow new ball partner, Kashif Ali, also had a good match, recording figures of five for 31 and two for 79. The second and last four-day match will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on 18 November.Scores in brief (day 4 of 4):Pakistan Shaheens beat Sri Lanka ‘A’ by seven wicketsSri Lanka ‘A’ 115 all out, 33.1 overs (Sonal Dinusha 30, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 28; Kashif Ali 5-31, Khurram Shahzad 4-32) and 364 all-out, 96.4 overs (Wanuja Sahan 73, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 64, Sonal Dinusha 62, Pavan Rathnayake 60, Ahan Wickramasinghe 53, Nipun Dhananjaya 28; Khurram Shahzad 5-70, Mohammad Suleman 2-21, Kashif Ali 2-79)Pakistan Shaheens 258 all out, 82.1 overs (Hussain Talat 56, Rohail Nazir 55, Ali Zaryab 55, Abdul Faseeh 26, Mohammad Suleman 24; Vishwa Fernando 4-44, Isitha Wijesundara 2-49, Nisala Tharaka 2-57) and 222-3, 53 overs (Mohammad Suleman 86, Ali Zaryab 83 not out, Abdul Faseeh 22, Haider Ali 19 not out)Player of the match – Ali Zaryab (Pakistan Shaheens)Next match: 18-21 (2nd four-day, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium) 

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Two local tennis players, Mohammad Talha Khan, and Nasir Mirza marched into semifinals of the Boy’s Singles discipline of the ongoing the ITF Pakistan J30 Ali Embroidery World Junior Tennis Championships 2024 after outplaying their respective rivals here at Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) on Thursday.Results:Boys’ Singles (Quarterfinals):Mohammad Talha Khan (PAK) beat Park Dohyun (KOR) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3Sion Ji (KOR) beat Seung Woo Han (KOR) 6-0, 6-0Nasir Mirza (PAK) beat Teetawat Tavachphongsri (THA) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1Xiuyuan Guo (CHN) beat Hamza Roman (PAK) 6-2, 6-2Girls’ Singles (Quarterfinals):Karolina Ligai (KAZ) beat Chaerin Lee (KOR) 6-1, 6-3Dinara De Silva (SRI) beat Aaraa Aasaal Azim (MDV) 6-2, 6-1So Yuna (KOR) beat Hayoon Kim (KOR) 6-2, 6-1Yeon Joo Cha (KOR) beat A Hyun (KOR) 1-6, 6-4, 6-0Boys’ Doubles (Semifinals):Mohammad Haider Ali Rizwan / Abubakar Talha (PAK) beat Aahil Khalil (SRI) / Louis Eliah Kense ( GER) 6-4, 6-3Bilal Asim / Ahmad Nael Qureshi (PAK) beat Xiuyuan Guo (CHN) / Ho Jun Park (KOR) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3Girls’ Doubles (Semifinals):Yeon Joo Cha (KOR) / So Yuna (KOR) / Paweenon Nulsuri (THA) beat Paramee Tadakew (THA) 6-4, 6-3Haruhi Katsube (JPN) / Hinata Wada (JPN) beat Aaraa Aasaal Azim (MDV) Amana Ali (PAK) 7-5, 6-1

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: The Chief of Air Staff (CAS) International Squash Championship 2024, pursing prize money of US$ 15000 will start on November 18 at Mushaf Squash Complex Islamabad under the supervision of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), as the Vice president PSF Qamar Zaman, Secretary PSF Aamir Nawaz and Director Academies Iran Asgher divulged the detail during a press conference at a local hotel on Thursday.“Pakistan Squash Federation in collaboration with Serena Hotels, is organizing Chief of the Air Staff-Serena Hotels International Squash Championship at Mushaf Squash Complex, Islamabad between 18 - 22 November, 2024. The tournament carries the prize money of US$ 15,000. Apart from 07 Pakistani players, a group of 17 world ranking players from all over the world have also confirmed their entries. They include one each from Belgium, Hong Kong-China, Ireland & Netherland, 02 each from England and Kuwait, 04 from Malaysia and 05 from Egypt. World No 62 Ibrahim Elkabbani from Egypt has been seeded as No 1 along with World No 82 Noor Zaman from Pakistan as Seed No 2. It is expected that the audience would have an opportunity of witnessing some thrilling matches during the tournament, he added.

Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Duo of Pakistani rising tennis players, Ahmed Nael Qureshi and Bilal Asim posted victories in the ongoing ITF Pakistan J30 Ali Embroidery World Junior Tennis Championships 2024 after thrashing their opponents in straight sets here at Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Tennis Complex on Tuesday.In the Boys’ Singles, top seed Ahmad Nael Qureshi of Pakistan defeated Pudit Phapatsirikul of Thailand to move into the second round. Similarly, Bilal Asim of Pakistan secured a decisive victory over Abdul Baasith Cader of Sri Lanka to qualify for the second round. Also, Ahtesham Humayun of Pakistan overcame Louis Eliah Kense of Germany to advance to the next round.Results:Boys’ Singles (Round-1): Ahmad Nael Qureshi (PAK) beat Pudit Phapatsirikul (THA) 6-3, 6-2; Bilal Asim (PAK) beat Abdul Baasith Cader (SRI) 6-0, 6-0; Ahtesham Humayun (PAK) beat Louis Eliah Kense (GER) 7-6, (4), 6-3 Girls’ Singles (Round-1): Karolina Ligai (KAZ) beat Paweenon Nualsri ( THA) 7-6, (5), 6-4; So Yuna (KOR) beat Srimul (THA) 6-1, 6-2; Aara Aasaal Azim (MD) beat Jingke Yan (KOR) 6-2, 6-4; Hayoon Kim( KOR) beat Leyla Esther (GER) 6-4, 6-3; Yeon Joo Cha (KOR) beat Tanisha Kantam (SGP) 6-2, 6-3; A Hyun Jo (KOR) beat Tadakew (THA) 6-2, 6-0; Chaerin Lee (KOR) beat Hinata Wada (JPN) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.