Karachi (Sports Report):-Omer Shahid former Pakistan Ranked player who was living in USA for studies played superb match against top seed Farhan Altaf in the semifinal of Men’s Singles discipline of the ongoing 10th Essa Lab National Tennis Championship 2021 at Modern Club Karachi on Thursday. The final score-line was 6-0 and 6-3. The closing ceremony and finals will be played on Saturday at same venue, as Dr Mohammad Faiz Kidwai, Director elect Rotary International will be the chief guest. Results (Day-5): Men’s Single Semi Final Vinod Das bt Ahsan Siddiq 6-4, 6-2 U-16 Semi final Asad Zaman bt Raahim Veqar 6-3 6-2 U-16 Single Final Asad Zaman (LHR) bt Nadir Mirza 6-4,6,2,6-4 Nadir Mirza bt Ahsan Ahmed 6-1 6-2 U-14 Single Quarter Final Sameer Zaman bt Ahmed Sheikh 4-1,  4-1 U-14 Singles Semi Final Nadir Mirza bt Ahsan Ahmed 4-1 5-3 U-12 Single Semi Final Zohaib Malik (LHR) bt Ali 4-0 4-1 Sameer Zaman   bt   Ahmed Shaikh (HYD) 6-4 6-2

Karachi (Sports Report):-Following Northern’s innings win over table-toppers Sindh, the other two Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 round-eight matches also brought results with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa defeating Southern Punjab by seven and Central Punjab overpowering Balochistan by five wickets respectively. At the completion of the eight-round, the battle for the 25-29 December final at the National Stadium Karachi has intensified with Sindh (102 points) barely maintaining their top-spot (better net run-rate) against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - 102 points. Northern (101 points) are a mere point behind at number three following back-to-back wins in the seventh and eight rounds while Central Punjab (100 points) are a point behind Northern with 100 points. The ninth-round that will commence from Sunday is set to provide real excitement with the four top-ranked teams giving their all to outdo each other in order to seal one of the top two spots to ensure a place in the five-day final. Over at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium in the match between Southern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which was being live streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel, Sahibzada Farhan’s unbeaten 112 took Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to a convincing seven-wicket win over Southern Punjab. Farhan who is the season’s top run-getter, posted his third century of the tournament while taking his tally to 860 runs in 14 innings which his stupendous effort today. Farhan was instrumental in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 220-run fourth innings chase today, he added 167 runs in the match winning third-wicket partnership with opener Ashfaq Ahmed who scored 77 (151 balls, eight fours) before his unfortunate run out. Ashfaq and Farhan rescued the side after pacer Muhammad Ilyas had taken the first two wickets with only 18 runs on the board. Farhan hit 19 fours and one six in his 159-ball effort. The resounding victory earned Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 21 points, Southern Punjab had a match tally of four points. Central Punjab registered their second win of the season as they beat Balochistan by five wickets at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex. Resuming at the overnight score of 62 for one chasing 212 for win, Central Punjab crashed to 104 for five and Balochistan looked favourites to register their first victory of the season at this stage. However, Balochistan hopes were extinguished through an unbroken sixth-wicket 108-run partnership between Muhammad Saad and Saif Badar. Saad played a captain’s knock scoring 63 off 123 balls (eight fours). Saif remained unbeaten with 55 off 69 balls (five fours, one six). Akif Javed and Kashif Bhatti took two wickets each. Central Punjab collected 21 points with their outright victory while Balochistan had to settle for seven points. Scores in brief: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Southern Punjab by seven wickets - State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Southern Punjab 166 for 9, 57.1 overs (Mohammad Imran 64, Yousuf Babar 28, Tayyab Tahir 26; Arshad Iqbal 4-41, Asif Afridi 2-36) and 40 for no loss, 12 overs. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 281 all out, 89.2 overs (Arshad Iqbal 62, Sahibzada Farhan 60; Muhammad Ilyas 4-71, Salman Ali Agha 3-32, Aamer Yamin 3-54) and 223 for 3, 56.5 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 112, Ashfaq Ahmed 77; Mohammad Ilyas 2-61) Match points: Southern Punjab – four, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - 21. Central Punjab beat Balochistan by five wickets - National Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Balochistan 325 all out, 104.4 overs (Shan Masood 102, Imran Butt 65, Kashif Bhatti 53; Zafar Gohar 5-126) and 148 all out, 33.2 overs (Gohar Faiz 36, Bismillah Khan 27, Umar Akmal 27; Muhammad Ali 5-50, Zafar Gohar 2-43) Central Punjab 262 all out, 98.5 overs (Rizwan Hussain 50, Ali Zaryab 48, Saif Badar 44; Kashif Bhatti 7-85, Raza-ul-Hasan 2-99) and 212 for 5, 59 overs (Mohammad Saad 63 not out, Saif Badar 55 not out; Akif Javed 2-43, Kashif Bhatti 2-83) Match points: Balochistan - seven, Central Punjab - 21.

Colombo, Sri Lanka (SB Report):-Jaffna Kings reigned supreme in their match against Kandy Warriors in a rain curtailed Lanka Premier League match at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday as Thisara Perera's Jaffna Kings won a high-scoring game by 14 runs via DLS method. The run riot was triggered by terrific half centuries by Jaffna Kings Captain Thisara Perera who bludgeoned 53 off just 21 balls decked with 6 sixes and 2 boundaries and Avishka Fernando who pounded 53 off 23 illuminated by 7 sixes and helped their team post a total of 181 for 6 in 14 overs in the rain-curtailed contest. Leading the run chase for the Kandy Warriors was Rovman Powell with an astounding 19-ball 61 laced with 2 boundaries and 7 sixes, while Charith Asalanka smashed 42 off 19 balls. Asalanka and Kennar Lewis set up the chase with an opening partnership of 64 runs in 6 overs. Thereafter, Lewis and Powell added 81 runs for the second wicket. However, the Warriors couldn't maintain their momentum following Powell's dismissal in the 12th over and eventually fell short of their target.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 9, 2021):-Besides top seed Aqeel Khan, Yousaf Khalil, Mohammad Shaoib and Mohammad Abid moved into the semifinals of the ongoing J7 – 34th Federal Cup National Ranking Tennis Championships 2021 after beating their respective challengers at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex, Islamabad on Thursday. The 6th Seed Yousaf Khalil, the upcoming proficient caused a major upset during the course of his quarter final encounter with 4th Seed Heera Ashiq. In his pursuit of victory he added his foot speed and top spin makes him a force to be reckoned with. Yousaf certainly toned down and dispirited his accomplished adversary by upping the velocity of this serves, rallying with self assurance and showing no hesitation in rushing the net frequently. Yousaf Khalil managed to oust the 4th seed with the score-line of 6-4, 6-7(3) and 6-3. In another Men’s Singles quarter final, Mohammad Shoaib toppled Mudassar Murtaza in a thrilling match of the day 2-0 with the final score-line of 6-3, 3-6 and 6-2.  Shoaib served and returned well easing his way to move into the semi final stage. The semi finals will be batted out between Aqeel Khan and Yousaf Khalil and Mohammad Abid and Mohammad Shoaib on Friday 10th December 2021 at same venue. The top seed Aqeel Khan faced resistance from 8th Seed Barkatullah. In the opening set, Aqeel served and retuned well to finish the set at 6-4 but in the 2nd set found his young adversary impeccable and had to concede the set 7-6(8). The final set was marked with aces and long rallies and the score went up to 4-4 all as both players held their respective serves, Aqeel broke the ninth game of the final set by hitting some winners down the line forced out Barkatullah in 6-4. In the Ladies event Sarah Mahboob, Ushna Sohail, Esha Jawad and Noor Malik moved into the Semi finals by winning their respective matches. The best encounter in the ladies event played between Esha Jawad and Sheeza Sajid, Both the players showed quality tennis and long rallies were witnessed. Esha Jawad after losing the first set at 3-6, won the next two in a well contested match at 7-6(2) 6-4. The match lasted 2 hours 10 minutes. The semi final matches will be played on Friday 10th December 2021 at 10:00 AM and Doubles Final of Men’s and Ladies at 2:45 PM at the PTF-SDA Tennis Complex courts, Islamabad. Maqbool Hussain Chairman J7 Group will be the chief guest on the Doubles Final. Results: Men’s Singles (Quarter Finals) Aqeel Khan beat Barkatullah 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4 Yousaf Khalil beat Heera Ashiq 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3 Mohammad Shaoib beat Mudassar Murtaza 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 Mohammad Abid beat Hasheesh Kumar 6-2, 6-2 Ladies Singles (Quarter Finals) Sarah Mahboob beat Hania Navaid 6-4, 6-0 Esha Jawad beat Sheeza Sajid 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 Noor Malik beat Kainat Ali 6-0, 6-1 Ushna Sohail beat Mehaq Khokhar 6-3, 6-0. Men’s Doubles (Quarter Finals): Ahmed Asjad Qureshi / Ahmed Kamil beat Waqas Malik / Aabdal Haider 5-7, 6-4, 10-3. Ladies Doubles (Quarter Finals) Sarah Mahboob / Mehaq Khokhar beat Azeena Aleem / Seher Aleem 6-0, 6-1 Men’s Doubles (Semi Finals) Barkatullah / Mohammad Shoaib beat Ahmed Kamil / Ahmed Asjad Qureshi 6-4, 6-1

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 reached a global broadcast audience of more than three billion people, according to independent research conducted on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). A total of 3.05 billion unique viewers tuned in to coverage across linear TV and digital platforms. Official coverage on Olympic broadcast partners’ digital platforms alone generated 28 billion video views in total – representing a 139 per cent increase compared with the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and underlining the changing media landscape and Tokyo 2020’s designation as the first streaming Games and the most watched Olympic Games ever on digital platforms. In a survey conducted with the athletes, it was clearly demonstrated that participation in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was important to them. Regarding their motivation to compete, 93 per cent of athletes stated that it was important “to compete at the biggest multi-sports event on earth”, and 84 per cent rated it important “to become an Olympian”. “These Olympic Games were a success with regard to the athletes, the worldwide audience and the Olympic values, as demonstrated in the research. As the most-watched Olympic Games ever on digital platforms, with more than 28 billion video views in total on the Olympic broadcast partners’ digital platforms, they have really become the first streaming Games. Overall, they reached a total global broadcast audience of more than 3 billion people across linear TV and digital platforms,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.

Dubai, UAE (Aamir Ali Janjua):-India opener Mayank Agarwal and New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel have made huge progress in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after outstanding performances in the second Test of their ICC World Test Championship series in Mumbai. Agarwal’s Player of the Match effort of 150 and 62 has helped him gain 30 spots and reach 11th position in the latest weekly update to the men’s rankings which is carried out on Wednesdays and includes all matches ending on Tuesdays. He is just one spot below a career-best 10th position that he first attained in November 2019. Mumbai-born Patel, who became only the third player to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings, emulating Jim Laker and Anil Kumble, has moved up 23 slots to 38th after finishing with 14 wickets in the match. The left-arm spinner’s previous best ranking was 53rd and he had started the series in 62nd position. Others to move up in the rankings after the Mumbai Test are India opener Shubman Gill (up 21 places to 45th), fast bowler Mohammad Siraj (up four places to 41st) and New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell (up 26 places to 78th). Ravichandran Ashwin has bridged the gap with top-ranked bowler Pat Cummins after finishing with four wickets in each innings in India’s 372-run victory. Ashwin has gained 43 rating points to reach a total of 883 and is 67 points ahead of third-placed Josh Hazlewood. He has moved up one place to second among all-rounders even as his compatriot Ravindra Jadeja has slipped to fourth in the list led by West Indies’ Jason Holder. Holder has gained one spot to reach 14th among bowlers in Wednesday’s update, that also considers performances from the Galle Test that Sri Lanka won by 164 runs to complete a 2-0 series victory and remain atop the ICC World Test Championship points table powered by MRF Tyres. Kraigg Brathwaite (up 10 places to 39th) and Nkrumah Bonner (up 17 places to 42nd) are the batters to move up for the West Indies but the one to gain the most after the Galle Test is Player of the Match Dhananjaya de Silva, who has advanced 12 places to 21st after his unbeaten 155 in the second innings. Spinners Lasith Embuldeniya and Ramesh Mendis too have made substantial gains. Embuldeniya has gained five slots to reach 32nd position after finishing with seven wickets in the match, while Mendis has progressed 18 places to 39th with an 11-wicket match haul.

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-The final venue master plan and the dates for the 4th Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Gangwon 2024 have been approved by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).  Gangwon 2024 will host the 4th Winter Youth Olympic Games from 19 January to 1 February 2024. A total of 81 events, building on the sustainable overall size of Lausanne 2020, are scheduled for a fortnight of competition and celebration. The event programme was finalised with the confirmation of the venue master plan and includes the events of halfpipe (freestyle skiing and snowboard), dual moguls (only freestyle skiing), and cross (freestyle skiing and snowboard) with venues for those events now approved ( the details of the Gangwon 2024 event programme are available here ). This has been done in partnership with all seven Olympic Winter International Federations. The Games will benefit from the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. They will take place in four locations: Gangneung (for ice sports), PyeongChang (for Nordic and sliding disciplines), Jeongseon High 1 (for Alpine skiing and dual moguls), and Hoengseong (for the remaining freestyle skiing and snowboard events). The 1,900 participating athletes will stay in one of the two Youth Olympic Villages (YOVs): Gangneung-WonjuNational University YOV or Jeongseon High 1 Ski Resort YOV. This will ensure sustainable Games, an optimised spectator experience, and strong mobilisation and participation in the local youth activities and athletes’ educational programmes. In addition, with a new focus on the Jeongseon area, this master plan opens new long-term prospects for Gangwon province and Jeongseon county. Coordination Commission Chair and IOC Member Hong Zhang said: “With this plan, the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 represent a symbolic bridge between the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the empowerment of tomorrow's youth and the future transformation of an entire region.” Shin Chang-jae, President of the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (GYOGOC), said: “These future Games already prefigure the founding principle of ‘togetherness’ at all stages of creation. The Gangwon 2024 Organising Committee is honoured to have the full support of the Gangwon region and Jeongseon county. It is a promise for the future of a region, but also for a whole generation.”

Lausanne, Switzerland (SB Report):-Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) approved the participation of South Africa and Canada in the third edition of the Men’s FIH Hockey Pro League. As informed earlier, this participation is temporary and limited to this edition only. Both teams replace Australia and New Zealand, who had to pull out of the current season due to COVID-related international travel constraints. “It’s great that both South Africa and Canada are joining the FIH Hockey Pro League. Both teams are the first ones from Africa and North America to join the Men’s League, which is excellent for the growth and globalisation of hockey”, FIH CEO Thierry Weil commented. The first Pro League matches of the year in 2022 will involve the Women’s teams of China and India. They will take place on 31 January – 1 February in Thailand, where both teams will be to play the Women’s Asia Cup 2022.

Karachi (Sports Report):-Northern recorded their second successive victory of the season to ensure that they stay in the hunt for a place in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22. Placed fifth before the start of the ongoing eight-round, Northern defeated the table-toppers heading into the round Sindh, inside three days. All three matches are set to provide results with both Central Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa favourites to attain their fourth innings targets tomorrow (day-four). Northern bowlers were on song on day-three as they sent Sindh packing for 182 in 58.3 overs in their second innings to register a comprehensive innings and 39-run victory at the UBL Sports Complex. Resuming at the overnight 105 for one, Sindh folded for the addition of a mere 77 runs with pacer Ather Mahmood taking four wickets in the second innings to follow his first innings four-for. Ather’s new-ball partner Kashif Ali took three while Zaid Alam took two wickets. Omair-Bin-Yousuf with 52 runs was the top-scorer for Sindh in what was otherwise a disappointing batting performance. Northern who registered their second successive victory of the tournament are set to break into the top three on the points table after their resounding win as they earned a total of 23 points from the match. Sindh who were at the top of the table before the round began could only muster three points. Over at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium in the match between Southern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which is being live streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel, Southern Punjab scored 334 runs in their second innings after resuming at 40 for no loss to set Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a 220-run target for the fourth and final day. Umar Siddiq who opened the innings, top-scored with 92 off 176 balls (15 fours). Umar added 121 runs for the third-wicket with Salman Ali Agha who like Umar also fell in the nervous nineties. The right-handed Salman hit 14 fours in his 90 off 131 balls. All-rounder Mohammad Imran who scored a fighting fifty in the first innings made a valuable 48-run contribution in the second innings. Pacers Irfanullah Shah and Sameen Gul took four and three wickets for 68 and 98 runs respectively. Skipper Asif Afridi took two wickets. Both teams will be vying for crucial victory points on the fourth day as the game is in the grasp of both which promises and intriguing day of cricket. Over at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex, resuming at the overnight score of 178 for five, Central Punjab were rolled over for 262 in 98.5 overs with Kashif taking seven wickets for 85 runs. The left-arm-spinner collected the 23rd five-wicket haul of his first-class career in his marathon 40-over spell. Central Punjab who conceded a 63-run first innings lead, only reached 262 courtesy fighting contributions of 44 by Saif Badar and 42 not out by Zafar Gohar. Balochistan were then dismissed for a paltry 148 in 33.2 overs in their second innings with pacer Muhammad Ali doing major damage by taking five wickets for 50 runs in 11 overs. The right-armer found good support from Zafar Gohar with the left-arm-spinner following up on his first innings five-for with two wickets. Gohar Faiz with 36 was the top run-getter for Balochistan while captain Bismillah Khan and Umar Akmal scored 27 runs each. A total of 16 wickets fell in the day as Central Punjab were 62 for one when stumps were drawn for the day. They need another 150 runs tomorrow to register a much-needed victory which will keep alive their hopes of their title defence. Scores in brief: Northern beat Sindh by an innings and 39 runs - UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Sindh 98 for 9 declared, 31 overs (Omair Bin Yousuf 33, Mir Hamza 18 not out; Ather Mahmood 4-23, Kashif Ali 3-42) and 182 all out, 58.3 overs (Omair Bin Yousuf 52, Ahsan Ali 44; Ather Mahmood 4-63, Kashif Ali 3-55) Northern 319 all out, 100.1 overs (Sarmad Bhatti 145, Umar Amin 75; Tabish Khan 5-55, Sohail Khan 3-61) Match points: Sindh – three, Northern – 23 Southern Punjab vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Southern Punjab 166 for 9, 57.1 overs (Muhammad Imran 64, Yousuf Babar 28, Tayyab Tahir 26; Arshad Iqbal 4-41, Asif Afridi 2-36) and 40 for no loss, 12 overs. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 281 all out, 89.2 overs (Arshad Iqbal 62, Sahibzada Farhan 60; Muhammad Ilyas 4-71, Salman Ali Agha 3-32, Aamer Yamin 3-54) Points so far: Southern Punjab – four, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - five. Balochistan vs Central Punjab - National Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Balochistan 325 all out, 104.4 overs (Shan Masood 102, Imran Butt 65, Kashif Bhatti 53; Zafar Gohar 5-126) and 148 all out, 33.2 overs (Gohar Faiz 36, Bismillah Khan 27, Umar Akmal 27; Muhammad Ali 5-50, Zafar Gohar 2-43) Central Punjab 262 all out, 98.5 overs (Rizwan Hussain 50, Ali Zaryab 48, Saif Badar 44; Kashif Bhatti 7-85, Raza-ul-Hasan 2-99) and 62 for 1, 18 overs. Points so far: Balochistan - seven, Central Punjab - five.

Colombo, Sri Lanka (SB Report):-Opening batsman Philip Salt struck a 34-ball 62 to help Dambulla Giants defeat Colombo Stars by 18 runs in the Lanka Premier League at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The Giants posted a total of 195 for 6 off their 20 overs to which Colombo Stars replied with 177 all out off 18.5 overs. Najibullah Zadran also lit up the stadium with an innings of 54 runs from 40 balls, laced with 6 boundaries and 2 sixes. He added 31 runs with Salt before a 77-run alliance for the fifth-wicket with Skipper Dasun Shanaka, who played a brisk 25-ball 38 laced with 2 sixes and 3 boundaries. Dushmantha Chameera was the pick of the bowlers for Colombo Stars with figures of 3 for 34. The Colombo Stars began their run chase positively reaching 71 for 3 off 8.4 overs, but they couldn't keep up their momentum as they lost 2 wickets in quick succession, leaving them at 78 for 5 in 10.4 overs. Thereafter, the Stars kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually were bowled out for 177 in 18.5 overs. Nuwan Pradeep led the way with the ball for Dambulla Giants with figures of 3 for 50. Tharindu Ratnayake, Imran Tahir and Chamika Karunaratne picked up two wickets each in the match. Brief Scores: Dambulla Giants 195/6 (Philip Salt 62, Najibullah Zadran 54, Dushmantha Chameera 3-34) beat Colombo Stars 177 all out (Dinesh Chandimal 26, Tom Banton 23, Nuwan Pradeep 3-50) by 18 runs.