Sports Reporter KARACHI (October 9, 2021):-An emerging player, Sadd Siddique has confirmed his berth in the national camp aiming to train the national team for the forthcoming World Dodge-Ball Championship, which will take place in Egypt. According to an official of Pakistan DodgeBall Federation (PDBF), Saad Siddiqui, who presents Sindh Panthers in the national events, has made his place in the Pakistani camp for the World DodgeBall Championship after showing a notable and acceptable performance in the recently concluded All Pakistan DodgeBall tournament. As many as 13 teams had participated in the tournament from all over the country, which was organized by Sindh Dodge Ball Association (SDBA) in collaboration with PDBF. In the men's category of the tournament, Punjab Tigers won the first position while Sindh Panthers spotted at second place.  Among the women, Sindh Panthers got the first position, Sindh Eagle grabbed second position while Punjab Falcon claimed the first position in the mixed category. Punjab Tigers won the second position. The special guest of the closing ceremony, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail and guest member Sindh Provincial Assembly Khawaja Izharul Hassan distributed prizes and certificates among the players.   

Sports Reporter LAHORE (October 9, 2021):-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa notched up their fifth win in eight matches to join Sindh, Central Punjab and Northern on 10 points as semi-final qualification in the National T20 is all set to go down to the wire at the Gaddafi Stadium. On Saturday afternoon, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa defeated Sindh by seven wickets in front of PCB cameras to deny the latter an opportunity to seal a place in the last four. In the second match under floodlight, Northern can become the first side to confirm a semi-final place if they defeat Balochistan. Northern’s failure to win will mean barring Southern Punjab, the remaining five sides will stay in contention for places in the 12 October semi-finals. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan will be in action on the remaining two days of the league matches on 10 and 11 October. On Sunday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will take on Southern Punjab, while Balochistan will face Central Punjab, while on Monday, Balochistan and Sindh will go head to head and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will square off against Northern. Put into bat on Saturday afternoon, Sindh recovered from 75 for four in the 12th over to finish at 152 for six – thanks to an fine 37-ball 54 with five fours and a six by Shan Masood and 34 not out by Anwar Ali off 27 balls (three sixes). Their 32-run fifth wicket partnership came at the back of a 51-run second-wicket stand between Shan and Sharjeel Khan (26, 27b, 5x4, 1x6) before Sindh lost their way. Iftikhar Ahmed was the most successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowler with two for 25, while Niaz  Khan and Asif Afridi scooped a wicket each. In their turn at the wicket, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa slipped from 48 for one to 54 for three before Sahibzada Farhan and Iftikhar Ahmed held the innings together and took them home with 12 balls to spare. Farhan scored 49 out off 37 balls with five fours and a six and Iftikhar completed a good day in the office with a 34-ball 55 not out that included five fours and three sixes. He was later adjudged player of the match. Scores in brief: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Sindh by seven wickets Sindh 152-6, 20 overs (Shan Masood 54, Anwar Ali 34 not out, Sharjeel Khan 26; Iftikhar Ahmed 2-25) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 154-3, 18 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 55 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 49 not out, Musadiq Ahmed 23, Aamer Azmat 18) Player of the match – Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Sunday’s matches: ATF Southern Punjab vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -3pm Balochistan vs Home City Central Punjab -7:30pm

Sports Reporter LAHORE (October 9, 2021):-The three-day National Under-19 Championship and one-day National Under-19 Cup will commence on Sunday across six venues in which country’s around best 200 cricketers born on or after 1 September 2002 will get an opportunity to display their talent and move up the domestic cricket ladder. The six Cricket Associations will field two sides of 16 players each who will play in the three-day game, which, after a day’s gap, will be followed by a 50-over fixture. As such, the teenagers will experience two formats over a five-day period, which will help them to learn to adjust, adopt and tweak their game as per the required format. The 12 squads comprise players who either impressed the selectors with their performances in the recently-held City Cricket Association 50-over tournaments or through open and merit-based trials. Also part of the squads are the 32 players who attended an eight-week High Performance Camp at Karachi’s Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre under the supervision of head coach Ijaz Ahmed. The three-day National U19 Championship and one-day National Cup will also provide the PCB scouts, coaches and selectors with an opportunity to unearth the hidden talent and bring them into the national framework, thus, increasing the pool of players at the domestic level, including for next year’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2022 West Indies. With the PCB offering lucrative domestic contracts, there is further incentive for the teenager cricketers to demonstrate the talent and potential they have and try to vie for these contracts, which is a pathway to higher rewards and recognition. Six Whites squads have been placed in Pool A and will play their matches in Gujranwala, Muridke and Sialkot, while the remaining six Blues squads are in Pool B with their matches scheduled at Rawalpindi’s Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Academy and Islamabad’s National Ground and Shalimar Cricket Ground. First round fixtures (10-12 Oct three-day match, 14 Oct 50-over match): Pool A - Balochistan (W)-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (W), Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot; Central Punjab (W)-Sindh (W), Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala; Northern (W)-Southern Punjab (W), Country Club, Muridke. Pool B - Balochistan (B)-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (B), Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi; Central Punjab (B)-Sindh (B), National Ground, Islamabad; Northern (B)-Southern Punjab (B), Shalimar Cricket Ground; Islamabad

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (October 8, 2021):-It may only be 14 years old, but the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is already one of the world’s great sporting events and is set to light up our screens for the seventh time in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Whether it’s Yuvraj Singh’s golden over, Umar Gul taking five for six or Carlos Brathwaite making sure we will always remember his name, the biggest T20 moments invariably happen at the World Cup. Five different teams have lifted the sleek and slender trophy and, after this tournament, an impressive 21 nations will have appeared at some stage, making it a proven petri dish for the growth of the global game. We have seen teams score 260 and 39, combine for 459 runs in a single night, the Netherlands beat England and Zimbabwe beat Australia. It’s as unpredictable as it is compelling. Eight men who played in the inaugural tournament in 2007 are in the squads for 2021 and they have seen the game change beyond compare. The World Cup is at the heart of T20’s tug of war between bat and ball and fans are the biggest winner in that battle, with another chapter waiting to be written in the Middle East. Tournament History – 2007 The first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was always going to be special - we just didn’t know how special. Two unforgettable weeks in South Africa began with Chris Gayle striking the first-ever international T20 century in the opening game. The Universe Boss plundered 10 sixes against the hosts in a brutal 117, coming off 57 balls and in a stunning partnership of 145 for the first wicket. Two days later, Gayle fell for a third-ball duck and West Indies slipped to a shock defeat to Bangladesh, who chased down 165 with two overs to spare. The upsets didn't end there as Zimbabwe stunned Australia to claim their first win over an ICC full member in four years, with Brendan Taylor to the fore with an unbeaten 64. Pakistan won all three of their games in the Super 8 stage, as skipper Shoaib Malik led from the front and Gul was potent with the ball to down New Zealand and reach the final. Yuvraj Singh was the defining player of the tournament, starring with 70 from 30 balls in a semi-final win over Australia that set up a final between cricket’s greatest rivals, won by India by just five runs. Meanwhile, his six sixes in an over against England made Yuvraj an international superstar. Herschelle Gibbs was the only batter to have done it in international cricket before Stuart Broad bounded in to bowl to Yuvraj in their group stage clash. An altercation with Andrew Flintoff served only to fire up the Indian legend and Broad’s bowling was soon carted to all four corners of Kingsmead.  The first maximum was arguably the best, a crushing blow over wide long-on that flew more than 100 metres. Yuvraj reached 50 in 12 balls and wrote a chapter of still unmatched T20 history. Tournament History – 2009 T20 cricket was born in England and that was where it returned for the second edition of its biggest tournament. But simply saying the word ‘Netherlands’ is enough to send a shiver down the spine of any English cricket fan. For the standout moment of the 2009 World Cup, you only have to look as far as the first game when the Dutch claimed an incredible four-wicket victory at Lord’s. Later on, Gayle would be a headline act once again, thumping 88 from 50 balls against Australia with sixes that broke records for the furthest Oval crowds had seen the ball travel at the historic ground. Packed English crowds watched on as Australia were beaten by a Kumar Sangakkara-inspired Sri Lanka to fall at the first hurdle in the group stage. Ireland downed Bangladesh by six wickets to reach the Super 8 stage on their maiden World Cup appearance, where they were placed in a tough group alongside both eventual finalists. The hosts claimed a thrilling three-run win over India in the Super 8s but finished third in their group to miss out on the final four. All of the youngsters watching tried to recreate the ‘Dilscoop’ as Tillakaratne Dilshan lit up the event, making an unbeaten 96 to down West Indies in the semi-final and ending as top run scorer. Shahid Afridi hit his straps with bat and ball in the knockout stages and made half-centuries in the semi-finals and final as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets in a low-scoring Lord’s affair. Tournament History – 2010 England ended their long wait for a win in an ICC-sanctioned global limited-overs event as they dispatched arch-rivals Australia to be crowned champions in the West Indies. Kevin Pietersen was named the man of the tournament for his contribution to England’s triumph, finishing with 248 runs from six matches despite getting off to a slow start. His vital stand of 111 with Craig Kieswetter against Australia was his most decisive contribution, scoring 47 from 31 balls to help England claim their first major ICC tournament win. In the group stages, Paul Collingwood’s side progressed from Group D in second behind the West Indies after a Duckworth-Lewis induced loss to the hosts and a no-result against Ireland. But England came alive in the knockout stages, topping their Super 8s group with victories over defending champions Pakistan and one of the pre-tournament favourites, South Africa. Pietersen missed England’s final Super 8 game to attend the birth of his first child but returned for their semi-final against Sri Lanka and struck an unbeaten 42 off 26 balls in the victory. On the other side of the draw, Australia also topped their group to progress along with Sri Lanka as the West Indies and 2007 champions India bowed out. Australia then won a thrilling contest against Pakistan to reach the final where they came up short against England, who chased down 148 to take the title with a seven-wicket win. Tournament History – 2012 The first T20 World Cup to be held in an Asian country delivered another first-time champion as the West Indies stunned the host nation to clinch their maiden title. Having honed their skills in the sub-continental conditions of the IPL, Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine transferred them to the biggest stage in sensational fashion. Darren Sammy’s men were consistent from start to finish as they ended an eight-year wait for global silverware following West Indies’ ICC Champions Trophy victory in 2004. Windies finished second in their group behind Australia before also finishing runners-up in their Super 8s group behind Sri Lanka, who won their first meeting by nine wickets. The other group saw table-toppers Australia progress along with Pakistan, with the latter falling at the semi-final hurdle to Sri Lanka in a narrow 16-run defeat. The West Indies turned on the style in their last-four encounter with Australia, with Gayle’s electrifying unbeaten 75 from 41 balls helping his side storm into the final with a 74-run victory. But it was Marlon Samuels who took centre stage in the silverware showpiece, striking 78 from 56 balls in Colombo to fire Windies to a memorable 36-run success. Tournament History – 2014 Sri Lanka finally shed their reputation as the nearly men by winning the 2014 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, beating India by six wickets in the final in Bangladesh.   Since lifting the 1996 50-over World Cup, Sri Lanka had lost in the 2007 and 2011 finals while also finishing as runners-up in the 2009 and 2012 T20 editions, the latter on home soil.  It was Englishman Paul Farbrace who steered them to glory with the whole team chipping in. In the final, it was the super death bowling of Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara that restricted India to 130-4 and an unbeaten 52 off 35 balls from Kumar Sangakkara saw his side home.  Virat Kohli had made a half-century of his own with 77 off 58 in India’s innings and finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer with 319 at a mightily impressive average of 106.33.  South Africa’s leg-spinner Imran Tahir and Ahsan Malik, of surprise package the Netherlands, jointly topped the leading wicket-takers with 12 apiece. Alex Hales blasted 116 to register England’s first T20I century in a victory over eventual champions Sri Lanka but it was their only win of a disappointing tournament that ended at the Super 10s stage and included another defeat to the Netherlands. Tournament History – 2016 The West Indies entered unchartered territory with a sensational T20 World Cup win in 2016 in India, becoming the first side to claim the title twice. Marlon Samuels had blasted his nation to glory in 2012 and he was at it again four years later, scoring 85 off just 66 balls to pick up his second player of the match gong in a T20 World Cup final after the four-wicket win over England.  Samuels may have been player of the match but there was no question who had the champagne moment in the final.  Big-hitting all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite went from virtual unknown to cricketing superstar as he smoked Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes in the final over.  After 2014, 2016 was the second tournament to feature 16 teams and Afghanistan were the main beneficiaries as the only associate nation to make it to the Super 10s.  All-rounder Mohammad Nabi topped the bowling rankings with 12 scalps and bowled expertly in tandem with 17-year-old leg-spinning sensation Rashid Khan who claimed 11 victims.  India’s Kohli was again in supreme form making 82 not out against Australia to ensure his side made the semi-finals.  In the last four, he struck an unbeaten 89 and although his team came up short against West Indies, he was named player of the tournament having made 273 runs at 136.50 in five innings.  Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal pipped Kohli to top spot in the batting rankings with 295 runs at 73.75. 

Sports Reporter LAHORE (October 9, 2021): Sports Board Punjab (SBP), on the directions of Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh, conducted the badminton trials at Nishtar Park Sports Complex (NPSC) Gymnasium Hall on Saturday. Over 80 male and female athletes from all nine divisions of the province participated in the trials. Punjab’s Under-17 Boys and Under-16 Girls teams comprising 5 players and two officials each will participate in the Inter-Provincial Male Under-17 and Female Under-16 Badminton Tournament slated to be staged in Quetta from Oct 15 to 17, 2021. Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh in a statement on Saturday said that Punjab’s 5-member selection committee conducted the athletics trials on merit. He also congratulated Punjab’s selected male and female badminton players. Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said Sports Board Punjab will provide best facilities to all camp probables during their training. He directed all the selected players to work hard and win badminton title in Quetta. He said after the trials, Punjab’s selected 14 badminton players (seven male and seven female) will take part in a training camp from Oct 10 to 13 where expert coaches and trainers of Sports Board Punjab will polish their game skills so that they can offer excellent performance in the forthcoming mega event. Punjab’s 5-member selection committee including Director Sports Haheez Bhatti, Assistant Director Raees ur Rehman, Sports Department coach Zareena Waqar, Punjab Badminton Association coach Sajid Hussain and DSO Lahore office coach Shabana Akhtar supervised the trials activity. Under-16 girls selected for camp training: Tayyba Shafiq, Aysha Shafiq (Lhr), Aimen Fatima (Bwp), Kashmine Nadeem (Mul), Esha Javeed (Khanewal), Kinza (Rwp) and Aysha Noor (DG Khan). Under-17 boys selected for camp training: Saud Amir (Lhr), Ibraheem Rasheed (Rwp), Zain Bajwa (Vehari), Sanwal Shafiq (Sahiwal), Abdullah Tahir (Multan), Usman Habib (RY Khan) and Ammar Janjua (Rwp).

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (October 9, 2021):-Mohammad Sajjad (NBP), Haris Tahir (NBP), Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) and Babar Masih (Punjab) qualified for the semifinals of 46th NBP National Snooker Championship 2021 after winning their respective quarterfinals matches at National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Sports Complex, Clifton, Karachi on Saturday. Former National Champion Mohammad Sajjad registered a historical victory against Zulfiqar Ali Qadir in the first quarterfinal, as he achieved the milestone of maximum break of 147. He showed his supper form and played excellent shots. It happened for the first time by any player in a national championship, as he made this mark in the second frame of the quarter finals match. Later, in the penultimate quarterfinal, Ahsan Ramzan of Punjab ousted defending champion and top seed Mohammad Asif of NBP 5-2 in a thrilling seven frame contest. Ahsan Ramzan won the match with the score-line of 70-57, 44-83(83), 71-33, 93-45(66), 78-49 and 13-67. Results (Quarterfinals): Mohammad Sajjad (NBP) beat Zulfiqar Ali Qadir (Sindh) 5-4 (100-8(62), 147-0(147), 72-0(63), 77-52, 53-70, 1-64, 42-66, 55-35, 94-28) Haris Tahir (NBP) beat Shahid Aftab (Punjab) 5-2 (74-44, 68-24, 29-65, 43-64, 79-51(75), Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) beat Mohammad Asif (NBP) 5-2 (70-57, 44-83(83), 71-33, 93-45(66), 78-49, 13-67(56), Babar Masih (Punjab) beat Mohammad Faizan (Sindh) 5-1 (64-30, 100-27, 131-1(69-56), 74-12, 55-79, 61-8) Sunday’s Fixtures: 1st Semifinal: Mohammad Sajjad (NBP) v Haris Tahir (NBP) at 10:00 am 2nd Semifinal: Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) v Babar Masih (Punjab) at 12:30 pm

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (October 9, 2021):-Sohaib Maqsood has been ruled out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 due to a lower back injury and has been replaced by Shoaib Malik in the Pakistan squad for the T20 ICC Men’s World Cup 2021. Sohaib had undergone MRI scans for the lower back on Thursday after picking up the injury during 6 October match against Northern and consequently missed 7 October match against Central Punjab. Chief selector Mohammad Wasim: “Sohaib is devastated to miss out on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as he had worked hard for this event and was in sparkling form. We feel for him but injuries are part and parcel of the sport. I am sure after undergoing rehabilitation, he’ll fully recover to be available for future assignments. “In his place and following discussions with the team management, we have decided to include Shoaib Malik in the side. I am sure Shoaib’s experience will be handy for the entire squad.” Shoaib Malik captained Pakistan in the inaugural event in 2007 and was a member of the side that won the tournament in 2009. After missing the West Indies event in 2010, he featured in the 2012, 2014 and 2016 tournaments. The Pakistan squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will depart for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 15 October. They will play two warm-up matches against the West Indies and South Africa on 18 and 20 October, respectively before taking on India in a Group-2 fixture on 24 October at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain, Northern), Asif Ali (Northern), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imad Wasim (Northern), Mohammad Hafeez (Central Punjab), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper, Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Shoaib Malik (Central Punjab) Traveling reserves – Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh) and Usman Qadir (Central Punjab) Player Support Personnel: Mansoor Rana (manager), Saqlain Mushtaq (interim head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant to head coach), Matthew Hayden (batting consultant), Vernon Philander (bowling consultant), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saaiman (strength and conditioning coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Talha Ejaz (team analyst), Col (retd) Mohammad Imran (Security Manager), Ibrahim Badees (media and digital manager), Dr Najeeb Soomro (team doctor) and Malang Ali (Masseur)

BIPIN DANI One of the rare instances had happened in the ongoing IPL tournament in the UAE. In the KKR vs. Rajasthan Royals IPL match at the Sharjah Cricket Ground. RR batsman Shivam Dube walked out to bat. He was then asked by the team management to return and allow Anuj Rawat to walk out.  The umpires rightly disallowed it saying that once Dube has stepped into the ground he cannot go back. "Law 25.2 is clear on this matter", says Jonny Singer, the official at the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club).   25.2 Commencement of a batter’s innings "The innings of the first two batters, and that of any new batter on the resumption of play after a call of Time, shall commence at the call of Play. At any other time, a batter’s innings shall be considered to have commenced when that batter first steps onto the field of play", he said. "Once the batter had stepped onto the field, his innings had begun. The umpires were thus correct under the Laws". "There is no recourse for the fielding side to overrule the umpires on this matter", he added.  Interestingly, Kumar Sangakkara, who till recently was a president of the MCC, which governs the laws of the game is a Director of the Rajasthan Royals team and was sitting in the dug out when the incident had happened.    

Sports Reporter LAHORE (October 9, 2021):-Sharjeel Khan’s scintillating 101 off 56 and Rumman Raees’ hat-trick orchestrated GFS Sindh’s commanding win over ATF Southern Punjab by 45 runs in the 24th match of the National T20 2021-22 at the Gaddafi Stadium. The win dashed Southern Punjab’s dreams of qualifying for the semi-final. With four off the six sides with at least eight points, Southern Punjab, who have four from two wins, can go to a maximum of six points if they beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in their last group match on 10 October. Home City Central Punjab, Northern and now Sindh are locked at 10 points apiece, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have eight points. Balochistan have six points with three more matches to go. Player of the match Sharjeel clubbed Southern Punjab bowlers all over the park, displaying wide-range of strokes, after Aamer Yamin, the Southern Punjab captain, elected to field. Sharjeel spanked as many as 13 fours and four sixes as he made almost 52 per cent of his side’s 196 runs. The hallmark of Sharjeel’s innings was his fearless strokeplay. Sindh lost Ahsan Ali, Sharjeel’s opening partner, in the first over. That, however, seemed to have no impact on the southpaw, who pulled Aamer for a four facing his third ball. He put 37 off 20 in the powerplay with Shan Masood, who contributed 22 off 15 (hitting four fours) before the latter was caught behind off Mohammad Imran on the first ball of the fifth over. The highlight of their alliance was the fourth over when Shan smashed Naseem Shah for three consecutive fours, before Sharjeel pulled the teenage right-arm pacer for a six over midwicket. He then stitched a 56-run stand with Saud Shakeel, who scored 26 off 19. Sharjeel continued fireworks till his departure on the first ball of the last over, as pacers Naseem and Zia-ul-Haq, who went for 49 and 42 respectively, leaked 18 and 13 runs in the 18th and 19th overs. He brought up his century, the fourth of his career and first for Sindh, with a flick that sailed over the square-leg boundary in the 19th over. Southern Punjab’s run chase suffered a major blow in the first over when Zeeshan Ashraf handed Shan, stationed at cover, an easy catch off Sohail Khan in the first over. The first three overs brought only 12 runs for the chasing side, but Tayyab Tahir, with his three consecutive fours off Mir Hamza, breathed life in it in the fourth over. The right-handed batter would hit two more fours before he was removed by Anwar Ali in the last powerplay over after scoring 32 off 23 (six fours). From that point, Southern Punjab struggled to keep up with the required run-rate and lost wickets at regular intervals. Mohammad Imran put up a fight with 29 off 20, but the match was done and dusted in the 17th over with Rumman Raees’ hat-trick which sent back Hassan Khan (run-a-ball seven), Aamer (27 off 18) and Naseem Shah (none off one). Southern Punjab were all out for 151 with seven balls spare. Rumman finished with three for 23, while Anwar Ali, Danish Aziz and Zahid Mahmood picked up two wickets each. Scores in brief: GFS Sindh beat ATF Southern Punjab by 45 runs GFS Sindh 196-7, 20 overs (Sharjeel Khan 101, Saud Shakeel 26, Shan Masood 22; Mohammad Imran 2-32, Naseem Shah 2-49) ATF Southern Punjab 151 all out, 18.5 overs (Tayyab Tahir 32, Mohammad Imran 29, Aamer Yamin 27, Salman Ali Agha 21; Rumman Raees 3-23, Anwar Ali 2-18, Danish Aziz 2-30, Zahid Mahmood 2-40) Player of the match – Sharjeel Khan (Sindh) Saturday’s fixtures: 1500 start – GFS Sindh v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1930 start – Balochistan v Northern

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Olbia, Italy (October 8, 2021):- The third day of the 2021 Junior World Championships in Olbia ended with a good harvest from European countries which, since the start of the event, have demonstrated their power and their good preparation for this first world level event of the post-Tokyo Olympic Games era. It is a fact that the Japanese are not there, but that is their decision and it in no way detracts from the performance of the countries involved; on the contrary. After three days of competition, there were already no less than 20 medallist countries. What undoubtedly strikes the discerning eyes of all observers of these championships, whether they belong to athletes, coaches or officials, is the level of judo practised. In Olbia, of course it is a question of tactics, but it is above all and beyond everything a question of commitment and the will to throw the opponent. The juniors can be proud of their judo; it's as good as that practised by their elders. You just have to see the amount of ippon and waza-ari scores to be convinced by that. The juniors offer us a magnificent show, up to expectations, which does a lot of good and which portends some world-class World Judo Tour tournaments in the near future. It is certain that the competitors involved in Olbia will be keen to prove that they have the makings of world and Olympic heroes. This promises generational clashes of the most beautiful kind from next week, during the Grand Slam in Paris. In Zagreb, a week ago, we already underlined that the current phase is more than a phase of transition between two Olympic cycles. It is a phase of construction during which the new builders can express their full potential. Thank you to all our juniors for bringing a youthful and energetic touch to international judo and for blowing an invigorating breeze of freshness across our heads. -81kg: A Second Gold for Georgia with Sherazadishvili Georgia does not need to be presented any more when it comes to talking about judo. With world champions and Olympics champions coming from the Caucasus country, it is not a surprise to discover a new Georgian name in the final of a world championships, which today was the case of Giorgi Sherazadishvili. He faced Adam Tsechoev of Russia for the gold medal, showing the good form of the Russian delegation too, which has already won two titles in Olbia. After the first two bronze medal matches, to be reported on shortly, the final started with the same high rhythm, giving the impression that once again the match won't last four minutes. Less active than his opponent, Adam Tsechoev was penalised a first time. As this pushed him to take risks, he was countered by Sherazadishvili for waza-ari. The Georgian champion just had to control the rest of the bout to gain the junior world title. Something tells us that it's not the last time we will see Giorgi Sherazadishvili. This is the second gold medal for Giorgia in Olbia. Giorgi Sherazadishvili said, "All Georgian judoka are strong because we work hard and we help each other. We are never alone on the mat, with all of the team and a whole country supporting each judoka. There is no better motivation than that." In the first bronze medal contest, Ayan Baigazy (KAZ) opposed Eljan Hajiyev (AZE). Hajiyev quickly took the lead with a clear waza-ari that was just lacking a bit of impact to be counted as ippon. A few seconds later, everyone could feel that something was going to happen and this time it was Ayan Baigazy who scored waza-ari with a massive counterattack (te-waza) on Hajiyev's attempt to score with a sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi. It was clear that this match wouldn't reach the end and that is exactly what happened when Eljan Hajiyev performed an aerial koshi-waza technique, this time for ippon. Yesterday, Gianni Maddaloni explained that together with his son they would win the title if Bright would follow, to the letter, the plan strategised together. This almost worked, until the quarter-final, when Bright Maddaloni Nosa (ITA) lost against Eljan Hajiyev (AZE). For the Italian there was still one chance to step on the podium, when he faced Artem Bubyr (UKR) in the second bronze medal contest. Unfortunately he was quickly countered on his very first attack and then pinned down by Artem Bubyr, with the medal eventually going to Ukraine. Final SHERAZADISHVILI Giorgi (GEO) vs TSECHOEV Adam (RUS) Bronze Medal Contests BAIGAZY Ayan (KAZ) vs HAJIYEV Eljan (AZE) MADDALONI NOSA Bright (ITA) vs BUBYR Artem (UKR) Final Results 1. SHERAZADISHVILI Giorgi (GEO) 2. TSECHOEV Adam (RUS) 3. HAJIYEV Eljan (AZE) 3. BUBYR Artem (UKR) 5. BAIGAZY Ayan (KAZ) 5. MADDALONI NOSA Bright (ITA) 7. JANFAOUI Emir (FRA) 7. ABDUJALILOV Muhammadjon (TJK) -70kg: A Pure and Humble Win for Tsunoda of Spain Cadet world champion in Kazakhstan in 2019 and bronze medallist at the last European Junior Championships in Luxembourg, Ai Tsunoda Roustant (ESP) is already an accomplished junior. She also already won a bronze medal in a Grand Prix on the World Judo Tour. Today she was ready to add one important line to her prize list, as she entered the final of the -70kg category against Croatian Lara Cvjetko (CRO), who was ready to follow in the footsteps of her illustrious teammate Barbara Matic, senior world champion last June in Budapest. Being less active than Tsunoda Roustant, the Croatian competitor was penalised a first time with a shido for passivity. Unsuccessful until the last minute and a half, Tsunoda Roustant launched her own version of a reversed tsuri-komi-goshi and this time scored a waza-ari. Very confident in her capacity to control the rest of the final, Ai Tsunoda Roustant won already the second world title of her young career in pure and humble style. Ai Tsunoda Roustant said, "Yes I have won and yes I’m very happy but I made too many mistakes today; I felt them too many times. I need to solve that problem but I hope it also means that I can still progress." The first bronze medal contest saw Luana Carvalho (BRA) and Friederike Stolze (GER) competing for a medal. The alert was red when Luana Carvalho almost caught Friederike Stolze at the beginning of the match but the German competitor escaped but not the second time it happened and that’s how Carvalho secured a perfect turn-over to apply a sankaku-jime, transformed into an immobilisation for ippon and the bronze medal. Katarzyna Sobierajska (POL) and Nataliia Chystiakova Nataliia (UKR) competed for the second bronze medal. After a long sequence of observation with no score, the first one to add one waza-ari to her name was Sobierajska. It was a score that she kept alive until the final gong, to win bronze. Final CVJETKO Lara (CRO) vs TSUNODA ROUSTANT Ai (ESP) Bronze Medal Contests CARVALHO Luana (BRA) vs STOLZE Friederike (GER) SOBIERAJSKA Katarzyna (POL) vs CHYSTIAKOVA Nataliia (UKR) Final Results 1. TSUNODA ROUSTANT Ai (ESP) 2. CVJETKO Lara (CRO) 3. CARVALHO Luana (BRA) 3. SOBIERAJSKA Katarzyna (POL) 5. STOLZE Friederike (GER) 5. CHYSTIAKOVA Nataliia (UKR) 7. CZERLAU Jennifer (HUN) 7. ESPOSITO Martina (ITA) -90kg: Hungarian Safrany Concludes a Beautiful Day of Judo Following the success of Joanne Van Lieshout on day two of the Junior Worlds, the Netherlands placed another athlete in a position to win gold, with Tigo Renes facing Peter Safrany of Hungary in the final of the -90kg weight division. Peter Safrany had already had the opportunity to show his counterattack capacities and once again in the final he scored twice with what looked like his tokui-waza or preferred technique, to win the title for Hungary. It must be said that the whole final block was exceptional, as only one match went to golden score and the whole sequence was not longer than one hour and ten minutes. Peter Safrany said, "Today my ura-nage worked pretty well but I’m so tired, especially since the quarter-final. That contest was the toughest because the French guy was never tired." Russia was assured to have one more medal with both Adam Sangariev (RUS) and Egor Andoni (RUS) being qualified for the bronze medal contest. This was the first and only golden score of the final block of this third day. With athletes knowing one another so well, they could not find a simple opportunity to throw and therefore the winner was decided by the one with less penalties than the other. Bronze went to Adam Sangariev. The French athletes all showed some really great judo throughout the preliminary rounds on day three but at the end of the day, only one athlete, Maxime-Gael Ngayap Hambou, was in a position to step on to the podium, against Alex Cret (ROU). It was a really pleasant match to watch both athletes offering to the public a lot of action and scores. Alex Cret scored first but his waza-ari was downgraded. Then the French competitor scored a first waza-ari with a rolling movement, followed shortly after by a low sode-tsuri-komi-goshi for ippon and the bronze medal for Maxime-Gael Ngayap Hambou. Final RENES Tigo (NED) vs SAFRANY Peter (HUN) Bronze Medal Contests SANGARIEV Adam (RUS) vs ANDONI Egor (RUS) NGAYAP HAMBOU Maxime-Gael (FRA) vs CRET Alex (ROU) Final Results 1. SAFRANY Peter (HUN) 2. RENES Tigo (NED) 3. SANGARIEV Adam (RUS) 3. NGAYAP HAMBOU Maxime-Gael (FRA) 5. ANDONI Egor (RUS)