SPECIAL REPORT  Shoaib Malik has hailed the spirit in the Pakistan dressing room as a key factor behind his side’s impressive start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Shoaib Malik of Pakistan looks on during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and New Zealand at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on October 26, 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Shoaib Malik has hailed the spirit in the Pakistan dressing room as a key factor behind his side’s impressive start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Victories over India, New Zealand – against whom Malik compiled a crucial unbeaten 26 in the chase – and Afghanistan have put Pakistan top of Group 2 going into Tuesday’s clash with Namibia in Abu Dhabi. A fourth straight win would leave Saqlain Mushtaq’s men with one foot in the semi-finals and keep the feel good factor going in a squad whose confidence is growing with every passing game. “Morale is high,” Malik said. “Obviously when you win games, the confidence level is quite high in the dressing room. “Everyone is looking forward to playing the rest of the games we have left in the tournament. “When you start the tournament, the goal is to give your best shot as a team. But since I've joined the team, I've seen Pakistan teams practise sessions and the way they have been dealing with pressure from the world until now, it's been exceptionally good. “And I guess to see consistency in Pakistan dressing room, that's the biggest thing for me so far, everyone's helping each other. “It's a team game. When you're playing a team game, then you need your teammates' help, you need a lot of support from your management. And I see all of that coming.” Namibia will go into the contest looking to bounce back after a 62-run defeat against Afghanistan on Sunday. Pierre de Bruyn’s side began the Super 12s stage with a memorable victory over Scotland and are now bidding to claim a notable scalp to keep their own semi-final dreams alive. And whatever happens in Abu Dhabi, de Bruyn has been proud to witness how his players have brought together a nation with their exploits in the tournament so far. “What this team, what these players have done in the last couple of weeks to inspire the nation back home and to inspire all the young players and kids in Namibia to play cricket has been enormous,” he said. “I can't explain how big it is, what this team have achieved in terms of inspiration and getting a lot of young people to play cricket. “It is a very good Namibian story but I also believe it's been a very good, inspiring cricket story. “We're showing as a very small nation with two and a half million people that it can be done. It can be done by really hard work, by really good planning and getting a group of players together and sharing the same vision, sharing the same culture. “I think that is what this story is about. It doesn't matter whether you always have the resources around you. You can make it happen. “The last 24 hours [since the Afghanistan match] was a matter of just trying to relax because we know how big this game is and what we're going to face. “It’s important we take the learnings from last night and improve on those points. Tomorrow is going to be a great experience for the players but we need to be 20 per cent better.”

Sports Reporter LAHORE (November 1, 2021):-As the Pakistan Cricket Board continues its efforts to strengthen grassroots cricket, it has completed the second phase of club registration in which 3,822 clubs have registered the player data. As many as 844 clubs falling under the jurisdiction of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cricket Association have provided the player data – which is the most from any of the six CAs. They are followed by Central Punjab CA (788 clubs), Sindh CA (670 clubs), Southern Punjab CA (517 clubs), Balochistan (512 clubs) and Northern CA (491 clubs). Separately, 200 clubs will submit the requisite data when the club registration will resume early next year. Following the completion of this phase of the process, the PCB will shortly begin the club scrutiny to award them memberships in accordance with the applicable regulations.

BIPIN DANI Following two successive defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand in the ongoing T-20 World Cup, perhaps Team India "needs" Daniel Jarvis, aka Jarvo 69 to bring luck for Virat Kohli's troops. Describing himself as a comedian, filmmaker and a prank-star, Jarvo 69 entered on the pitch on a few occasions during India's last tour of England and whenever he invaded the pitch, Indian team had won the matches. Last we heard was that he was sent to jail. But, now the Metropolitan Police confirmed that the ‘Jarvo’ has been released on bail without charge pending further investigation "Does India need me for the T20 World Cup? Got my full kit ready!!!", Jarvo 69 had posted a message on social media. Interestingly, more recently, he made his "debut" for New Zealand in a Rugby match.  "Where's Jarvo 69", the fans have reacted on social media in response to his "offer".

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT  Colombo: The Lanka Premier League (LPL) Colombo franchise has a new owner as 27th Investments Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President Anil Damani entered the second season of the premier T20 tournament of the Island Nation by acquiring the Colombo-based franchise in the tournament. Anil Damani is CEO & President of 27th Investments , which is one of the fastest growing investment companies in the southeast of USA. The 27th investments is a leader and a very manages several different entities under the 27th portfolio. Some of their primary investments are in Commercial Real Estate, Restaurants and Entertainment. Speaking about entering the LPL, Damani said, "I am absolutely ecstatic to enter the Lanka Premier League as the owner of the Colombo franchise. The Lanka Premier League showed propitious signs of enormous growth in its last season and therefore I am thrilled to have joined the tournament at this juncture. I am eagerly looking forward to developing the Colombo franchise into one of the best T20 franchises in the world." Welcoming the new owner, Anil Mohan, Founder and CEO of Dubai-based production giant IPG, the official promoter of LPL, said, "It's a great honour for me to welcome the CEO and President of 27th Investments Anil Damani as the owner of the Colombo franchise. I am sure that his love and passion for the game of cricket will only boost the Lanka Premier League and increase the fan following of the Colombo franchise."

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lausanne, Switzerland (November 1, 2021):-Belgium, Chile, Malaysia and South Africa all feature in Pool A, with a top two finish being the only way to secure a place in the competition quarter-finals and thus maintain hopes of Junior World Cup glory. Belgium How they qualified: 5th Place – EuroHockey Junior Championship Men 2019 Junior World Cup history: 2016 – 2nd, 2013 – 6th, 2009 – 11th, 2005 – 11th, 1997 – 12th, 1985 – 11th About the team: Following their silver medal at the 2016 Men’s Junior World Cup competition in Lucknow, India – Belgium’s greatest performance in the competition – the Junior Red Lions will be determined to go one place better this time around. A far from perfect fifth place finish at the 2019 EuroHockey Junior Championship in Valencia, Spain was enough for Belgium to book their ticket to Bhubaneswar, the Indian city where their senior team created history by winning the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2018. With the senior men’s team now also the Olympic champions, this next generation of Belgian hockey could well feel suitably inspired to make their mark. Chile How they qualified: 1st Place: 2021 Men’s Junior Pan American Championship Junior World Cup history: 2009 – 17th, 2005 – 15th, 2001 – 15th, 1985 – 14th, 1979 – 12th About the team: Chile created a little bit of history at the 2021 Men’s Junior Pan American Championship, which was played in August on home in Santiago. The team became junior continental champions for the very first time, defeating defending champions Argentina – who had won all 11 previous editions of the competition – in the final thanks to a drama-filled shoot-out after the title match finished with the scores locked at 1-1. It was a landmark moment for the young team, inspired by the goal-scoring exploits of Andrés Pizarro, who netted seven times to finish at the tournament’s top scorer as Chile qualified for the Junior World Cup for the first time since 2009. As the Junior Pan American champions, Chile have every reason to feel confident about their chances of success in Bhubaneswar. Malaysia How they qualified: Nominated by Asian Hockey Federation Junior World Cup history: 2016 – 11th, 2013 – 4th, 2009 – 12th, 2005 – 10th, 2001 – 12th, 1993 – 11th, 1989 – 6th, 1985 – 10th, 1982 – 4th, 1979 – 4th About the team: Malaysia – who will host the 2023 edition of this event – have competed in all but one of the 11 FIH Men’s Junior World Cup tournaments staged to date, with their performances being a very mixed bag. On three occasions they just missed out on the podium, finishing fourth in 1979, 1982 and 2013, but have also endured some difficult campaigns where they have finished towards the bottom of the standings. With flair players aplenty, they can hurt any team in the world and are not to be under-estimated. Malaysia’s place in the competition was confirmed by being nominated by the Asian Hockey Federation following the unfortunate COVID-19 related cancellation of the 2021 Junior Asia Cup, which acted as the qualification competition for the Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar. South Africa How they qualified: Nominated by African Hockey Federation Junior World Cup history: 2016 – 10th, 2013 – 12th, 2009 – 15th, 2005 – 13th, 2001 – 11th About the team: Like Egypt, South Africa’s Men’s Junior World Cup ticket came courtesy of a nomination by the African Hockey Federation (AfHF). Following the cancellation of the Junior Africa Cup 2021 in Namibia due to the ongoing COVID-19 global health pandemic, AfHF based their selection on the results of the 2016 Junior Africa Cup, where South Africa finished in second place. They made their Junior World Cup debut at the Hobart 2001 (AUS) event and have competed in every subsequent competition, with their 10th place finish at Lucknow 2016 being their best to date. South Africa’s senior team turned heads at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with some scintillating attacking performances. Can the juniors do the same? The opening match of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 will see Belgium facing South Africa on 24 November at the Kalinga Stadium, the outstanding venue which hosted the last FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2018. The competition final will be played on 5 December.

Ali Ahmed LAHORE (November 1, 2021):-Balochistan and Sindh stormed into the final of A.S. Ali Blind Cricket Trophy 2021 after thrashing their opponent in the last league matches at Faisalabad on Monday. Punjab Vs Islamabad AJK Venue: Cricket Ground of Sports Complex Chak No 8 Punjab won the toss and decided to bat first. Punjab played well and posted a gigantic total of 381 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in allotted 40 overs. Mohammad Akram the veteran batsman once again shined with the bat and played an excellent innings of unbeaten 140* runs off 84 balls. Moeen Aslam missed his ton and made 91 runs off 51 Balls. Mohammad Salman was the successful bowler for Islamabad-AJK, he took 2 wickets. Islamabad-AJK in reply chased down the target of 382 in 38.2 overs for the loss of 4 wickets. Anees Javed played an outstanding innings of 164 runs off 117 balls and Ayoub Khan scored 106 runs off 78 balls. Mohammad Akram, Habib Taj and Abdul Razzaq shared 1 wicket each. Result: Islamabad-AJK won by 6 Wickets Man of the Match: Anees Javed Balochistan Vs KPK Venue: Boranwali Cricket Ground Faisalabad Balochistan won the toss and asked KPK to bat first. KPK’s Captain Nisar Ali played terrific innings of 154 runs off 103 balls. He was well supported by Sanwal Shahzada, he made unbeaten 67* runs. KPK piled up 388 runs on the board for the loss of 7 wickets. Fakhar Abbas was the pick amongst the bowlers he claimed 4 wickets while Israr Hassan took 2 wickets. In reply, Balochistan team’s captain Zafar Iqbal played a marvelous innings of unbeaten 106* runs off 61 balls, helping his side to beat KPK by 8 wickets. Israr Hassan was the second highest scorer with unbeaten 87* runs off 48 balls. Balochistan reached the target in 35.5 overs by losing their 2 wickets. Mohammad Idrees Saleem fetched 2 wickets. Result: Balochistan won by 8 Wickets Man of the Match: Zafar Iqbal   

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL Islamabad (November 1, 2021):-As many as 419 international and national athletes will take part in the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Pakistan Open International Taekwondo Championship (G-1), which will be kicked off from November 6, 2021 at Liaquat Gymnasium Islamabad, this was revealed by president, Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) Col (Retd) Wasim Ahmed in a press conference at a local hotel on Monday. While unfolding the details of the international event, he further told journalists that 375 national male and female local players would be competing in the different disciplines. “Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Dr Fhemida Mirza will be chief guest on the opening ceremony on November 6, as all the arrangements have been given final touches and me and my team will make the event historical. Around 125 international players and technical officials will be in Islamabad for this mega event. Besides hosts Pakistan, Afghanistan, Albania, Nepal, Jordon, Kazakhstan, Oman, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Morocco, United Arab Emirates (UAE), El-Salvador, Croatia, and WT Refuge Team will fight for 16 gold medals, “he added. “We have international standard equipment to meet the international challenges and PTF is capable of staging such a great event. Our aim is to promote the game and highlight the positive image of Pakistan across the world through sports. We have a lot of support from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) to organize this event. I thanked all the people , especially our sponsors, “head of the federation further added. Responding to a question he divulged that PTF had also invited India for this event but they did not respond. “India has good taekwondo players, especially girls. Anyhow, we sent invitations to all countries. Many countries are not coming for this event owing to the airfares that have gone high due to covid-19. We have enough entries and a large number of players and officials will be in Islamabad for the mega taekwondo showpiece, “he said.    He said that the young boys and girls mostly aged 18 and above would be going to participate in seniors’ fixtures. “International referees from Pakistan and abroad will be joined by various other International referees for the smooth conduct of this prestigious championship. PTF will deliver, in every sense, the warmest and friendliest COAS Pakistan Open International (G1) Taekwondo Championship in sincere spirit and genuine warmth in our beautiful capital Islamabad, “he viewed. He also acknowledged and appreciated the whole hearted support provided by the South Asian President Omar Saeed. Sponsor’s played a vital role in facilitating the event. I would like to thank all my sponsors’ Combaxx Sports, Fruit Nation, Go Petroleum, Bank Islami, The Bank of Punjab, Nayyab Labs, Korean Embassy, Islamabad Serena Hotel and Shangrilla Resorts. “The athletes will compete for gold and glory across 16 male and female different medal categories, “he concluded.

Special Report LAHORE (November 1, 2021):-Teenager Mohammad Huraira finished the second round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 with an excellent maiden first-class century as the match between his side, Northern, and Central Punjab ended in a draw at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The 19-year-old batter struck 12 fours and a six, making an unbeaten 107 off 146. The right-hander from Sialkot added 89 and 110 runs with Nasir Nawaz (55 off 53) and Umar Amin (56 off 73) for the first and second wickets before the day ended with Northern, in their second innings, at 239 for two. The day had begun with Northern eyeing their first win of the season with Central Punjab trailing by 184 with a wicket in hand, but a brilliant 96-run stand for the last wicket between Bilawal Iqbal (48 not out) and Ehsan Adil (49) helped Central Punjab post 367 all out in 116.5 overs. The partnership denied Northern crucial bonus bowling points, as the Nauman Ali-captained side failed to bowl out Central Punjab in 100 overs. Central Punjab bagged eight points from this match, while Northern pocketed 11. The other two matches – played at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium and Multan Cricket Stadium – were also drawn. At the Multan Cricket Stadium, Balochistan’s Ayaz Tasawar and Bismillah Khan converted their overnight half-centuries into centuries against Southern Punjab. Ayaz and Bismillah begun the day at 65 and 56, respectively, and they went on to make 113 and 116. Ayaz smashed 14 fours in his 264-ball innings, while Bismillah dispatched 17 off the 205 balls he faced for fours. Ali Usman took two wickets before Imran Butt’s Balochistan declared at 571 for seven. Southern Punjab made 112 for two in their second innings with Tayyab Tahir, who made an excellent double-century in the first innings, top-scoring with 60 not out. Southern Punjab gathered 11 points from this match, while Balochistan bagged nine. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa added 63 runs to their overnight score before they declared innings at 503-7 on the final day of their fixture against Sindh at the Iqbal Stadium. Iftikhar Ahmed, who started the day eyeing a century, could add only one run to his overnight score as he was LBW by Sohail Khan for 82. He hit 11 fours and a six in the 148 balls he faced. Rehan Afridi, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wicketkeeper-batter, smashed 74 off 131 (10 fours) down the order. He was dismissed by Fawad Alam, the opposition’s captain. Fawad’s left-arm orthodox bagged him two wickets – the most in the innings – for 46 runs in 12.2 overs. Sindh’s Asad Shafiq and Fawad Alam scored solid half-centuries as they made 96 and 66 before the stumps were drawn. Their resilient knocks helped Sindh stage a recovery after they were reduced to 18 for three with Sameen Gul dismissing Sharjeel Khan and one-drop Saad Khan. Sindh were 180 for five in 55 overs when stumps were drawn. Sindh bagged nine points from the match, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa added 11 more points to their tally. After the conclusion of the second round on Saturday, Northern lead the points table with 23 points. Southern Punjab are placed second with 21 points. Last season’s joint-winners Central Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are locked on 20 points with Balochistan as Central Punjab are third, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are fourth and Balochistan are fifth. Sindh, with 18 points, are at the bottom of the table. Scores in brief: Central Punjab and Northern play a draw at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Northern 455-9dec, 132.5 overs (Faizan Riaz 213, Sarmad Bhatti 82, Rohail Nazir 54, Nasir Nawaz 46; Ehsan Adil 3-60, Zafar Gohar 3-141) and 239-2, 50.1 overs (Mohammad Huraira 107 not out, Umar Amin 56, Nasir Nawaz 55) Central Punjab 367 all out, 116.5 overs (Abid Ali 81, Hussain Talat 62, Ahmed Shehzad 58, Ehsan Adil 49, Bilawal Iqbal 48 not out; Musa Khan 4-81, Nauman Ali 2-127) Match points – Northern 11, Central Punjab 8 Southern Punjab and Balochistan play a draw at Multan Cricket Stadium Southern Punjab 457-5dec, 98.5 overs (Tayyab Tahir 221, Azam Khan 85, Imran Rafiq 81, Umar Siddiq 32, Zain Abbas 30; Junaid Khan 2-87) and 112-2, 32 overs (Tayyab Tahir 60 not out) Balochistan 571-7, 178.1 overs (Bismillah Khan 116, Ayaz Tasawar 113, Imam-ul-Haq 109, Imran Butt 95, Haris Sohail 49, Amad Butt 35; Muhammad Imran 2-102, Ali Usman 2-165) Match points – Southern Punjab 11, Balochistan 9 Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa play a draw at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Sindh 367 all out, 110.1 overs (Saad Khan 129, Fawad Alam 122, Sohail Khan 28, Ashiq Ali 26, Mohammad Hasan 25; Niaz Khan 5-58, Imran Khan Snr 3-58) and 180-5, 55 overs (Asad Shafiq 96, Fawad Alam 66 not out) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 503-7, 144.2 overs (Israrullah 160, Sahibzada Farhan 100, Iftikhar Ahmed 82,  Rehan Afridi 74 not out, Adil Amin 25; Fawad Alam 2-46) Match points – Sindh 9, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 11

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI (November 1, 2021):-Muslim  Club Chman and Pakistan WAPDA played 1-1 draw while  Karachi United and Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority goalless draw in the 13th Pakistan Premier Football League at Municipal Stadium, here. The first match of the day was played between Karachi United and Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. Two teams fought well and were engaged 0-0 at the end of the stipulated period. Akhtar Bachar (Goalkeeper), Affan Siddiqui  and Umair Gul played well for Karachi United  while Obaid Ullah and Sohail were played outstanding for Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. Shahzad Taj received a yellow card for Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority in the 34th minute and same was got by Mustafa in the 88th minute Karachi United. Referee Adnan Anjum supervised the match while Dilawar Khan and Majid Khan assisted to him. The second match was played between Muslim Club Chman and Pakistan WAPDA 1-1 draw. Both teams fought well and were engaged 0-0 at the end of the first half. In the 49th  minute, Abdul Kahir scored a goal for Muslim Club and Ashfaquddin equalized the score 1-1 in the 71st minute for Pakistan WAPDA. The match was locked 1-1 draw at the end of the scheduled times. Asmat Ullah played well for Muslim Club and Ashfaquddin was also played outstanding for Pakistan WAPDA. Referee Muzammil Hussain and assisted by Mehboob Ali and Shahid Hussain. Tuesday matches: Pakistan Army faces Sui Southern Gas Company at 3.00 p.m while Lyallpur Club meets Sui Northern Gas Pipeline at 6.00 p.m.

Report: ABDULLAH ASJAD Islamabad (October 31, 2021):- New Zealand trounced India by 8 wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at Dubai Cricket Stadium on Sunday night.   New Zealand’s Captain Kane Williamson won the toss and decided to bowl first. The Indian strong batting line put only 111 runs on the scoreboard. Indian top order did not start in good style, as the opening batter KL Rahul scored 18 runs in 16 balls and hit only 3 fours. Other opener Ishan Kishan scored just 4 runs. Hardik Pandya played a bit responsible innings and added 23 runs. Left handed batter Ravindra Jadeja increased 26 runs in team total. Kiwis bowlers bowled superbly against a strong Indian batting line. Pacer Trent Boult crashed Indian batting and sent 3 batters back to the pavilion and gave only 20 runs in his 4 overs while Spin bowler Ish Sodhi picked up 2 important wickets and sent out danger man Rohit Sharma and Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who had scored 51 runs against Pakistan on last Sunday, just scored 9 runs as he wasted 17 deliveries. In reply, Black Caps chased a small 111 runs target in only the 14th over and wasted only 2 wickets. Daryl Mitchell played an aggressive innings and scored 49 runs in only 35 balls as he smashed 4 fours and 3 huge sixes. Skipper Kane Williamson got 33 runs on 31 balls. Martin Guptill scored only 20 runs. Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah picked up a couple of wickets after conceding only 19 runs. Kiwis spinner Ish Sodhi got man of the match award. Summarized score card New Zealand beat India at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai by eight wickets  India 110/7, in 20 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 26, Hardik Pandya 23; Trent Boult 3/20, Ish Sodhi 2/17)  New Zealand 111/2, in 14.3 overs (Daryl Mitchell 49, Kane Williamson 33 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 2/19, Mohammed Shami 0/11)  Player of the Match: Ish Sodhi (New Zealand)