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New arrival: Dhananjaya opts out of series against ZW
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.
Women Junior World Cup to be played in South Africa in April
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.”
National Kabaddi Championship starts in Lahore
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
Rashid Habib Memorial Golf Tournament from January 13
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.
CRICKET - 10 Jan, 2022
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.”
CRICKET - 10 Jan, 2022
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
Wesley and Skupski win Doubles title of ATP World Tennis Championship
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.
TENPIN BOWLING - National 09 Jan, 2022
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.
MARTIAL ARTS - Taekwondo 09 Jan, 2022
Khurram Shahzad
ISLAMABAD:-President, Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF), Col (Retd) Waseem Ahmad Janjua has revealed that PTF gets Rs. 2 million grant from Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) once a year, as this amount is not enough to run the affairs of federation.
While talking to this scribe during an exclusive sitting ex-army man added that without sponsorship sports could not be moved ahead at national and international level. “However, the taekwondo federation does a lot for the players to give them maximum national and international exposure and other support like equipment helmets, safeguards and gloves, which are vital for players to learn the basic skills of martial art, “he said.
Wasim Janjua further said that he was appointed as manager with Pakistan Taekwondo Federation during the 9th South Asian Games 2004, which took place in Islamabad. “Later on, Brigadier Arif Siddiqui and General Arif Hassan guided me and I got the responsibilities as the secretary of the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation, “he further said.
Responding to a question he said, “Pakistan joined the World Taekwondo Federation in 1977 after that PTF registered with the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) in 1982. When I joined the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation, the conditions of the game were very bad. No one was serious with taekwondo. I did not give up and continued to work hard. Today, by the grace of Allah, PTF is the only federation in Pakistan that has won a bronze medal in the Olympic Qualifying Round and our athletes have achieved great success in international competitions, “he said.
“I had the opportunity to attend a course in the United States in 2016 during which my thesis was "Promotion and Development of Taekwondo at Grass Root Level". It was a great experience. After completing the 45-day course, I worked for the promotion of this sport from the grass root level in the country. The development of any sport is not possible until this sport is started from the grass root level. PTF organized the competitions at Under 7,9,12,15,17,20 age group level, “he added.
Waseem Janjua, while replying another question, said, “There are about 100 clubs registered with us in the country which are present in all the provinces. They bear their own expenses while the federation also provides food including Traveling Allowance (TA) and Daily Allowance (DA) for participation in the national and international events. We also provide helmets, gloves and jackets. There are 213 countries registered with the World Taekwondo Federation from all over the world. Asia has the best taekwondo players in the world in which Iran is number one. Taekwondo is an Olympic sport and Pakistan has not yet qualified for the Olympics but a Pakistani athlete won a bronze medal in the Olympic qualifying round. According to the rules, gold and silver medal winning athletes qualify for the Olympics, “he concluded.
CRICKET - 09 Jan, 2022
Islamabad (Sports Desk):-A quick glance at the make-up of Group D of ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup shows just how challenging it will be to make it out of the first round.
Hosts West Indies won the tournament back in 2016, Australia are three-time champions and Sri Lanka also have a final appearance to their name.
Scotland round out the group in their ninth appearance in the competition, qualifying after New Zealand were forced to withdraw due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Australia (13th appearance)
Only India have won the ICC U19 Men’s CWC more times than Australia’s three titles, with Australia also second in terms of matches won and win percentage.
In fact in 12 previous appearances, Australia have made it through to at least the semi-finals on eight occasions, they are remarkably consistent.
The last win came back in 2010, a team featuring Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood, who 11 years later would play key roles as Australia claimed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
This time around, all-rounder Cooper Connolly will lead the side, and he will have fond memories of taking on the host nation. In 2020 he hammered 64 off 53 balls against the West Indies in a play-off match that was eventually abandoned due to rain.
He is the only player who returns from the 2020 squad, but will not lack for support, notably from ambidextrous spinner Nivethan Radhakrishnan.
Scotland (9th appearance)
Scotland initially missed out on qualification after losing to Ireland in the final of the Qualifier, but were handed a reprieve when New Zealand withdrew from the competition.
The Scots are yet to make it past the first round, and face a battle to do so for the first time in 2022 with the strength of the group.
Gordon Drummond is the coach of the side, which will be captained by 18-year-old left-arm spinner Charlie Peet.
The Scots will not lack for experience, with Peet one of five players who were also part of the squad two years ago.
Sri Lanka (14th appearance)
Sri Lanka will be looking for an improved showing after going out in the first round in each of the last two editions of the ICC Men’s U19 CWC.
Semi-finalists in 2016 with a squad featuring Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga, they have twice finished third in their group since.
The aim will be to avoid a third straight failure to make the quarter-finals, but the group in which they find themselves will not be easy.
Matheesha Pathirana is back in the squad after playing in 2020 when Sri Lanka finished 10th overall.
Dunith Wellalage will captain the side having previously withdrawn from a Sri Lanka U19 squad to focus on his studies.
West Indies (14th appearance)
An ever-present at this tournament, hosts West Indies will be looking to follow in the footsteps of the 2016 side that went all the way and won the title.
To do so, they will have to overcome the odds. Not since Australia in the very first tournament back in 1998 has a host nation won the tournament, although Sri Lanka and Australia have both made it to the final on home soil.
The 2016 crop that won the title were captained by Shimron Hetmyer, with another future international, Alzarri Joseph, leading the bowling attack.
If recent matches against South Africa are anything to go by, the bowling may be the West Indies’ strength once again with quick bowler Johann Layne one to watch out for.
Middle order batter Ackeem Auguste captains the side which kicks off against Australia in Guyana before heading to St Kitts and Nevis for the remaining two group games.
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