Lahore (Sports Report):-Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Army, Navy and WAPDA have book their berths in semifinals of the 52nd Engro National Volleyball Championships after beating Railway (3-0), Punjab (3-0), Higher Education Commission (3-1) and Khyber PakhtunKawa (3-0) respectively at the Punjab Sports Gymnasium Hall, Lahore. Results: PAF beat Railway by 3-0 (25-14, 25-6, 25-8) Army beat Punjab 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-17) Navy beat HEC 3-1 (25-13, 25-14, 24-26, 25-18) WAPDA beat KPK 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-18).

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-The classification round to decide 9-16 position at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 produced four very different matches on Day Six. A closely-contested match saw South Africa overcome a determined Canadian resistance before Pakistan bounced back to overwhelm USA. Chile were undone in the final minute by Poland before Korea and Egypt recorded a thrilling 3-3 draw which led to the sheer agony and ecstasy of a shoot-out that saw Korea break Egyptian hearts. South Africa 7-3 Canada It was a cagey first quarter of this match between two teams who were both looking for a first win of the tournament. For the first 15 minutes, Canada and South Africa defended solidly and there was little opportunity for either side to break the deadlock. The breakthrough came in the 16th minute when Player of the Match Cameron le Forestier scored the first of a hat-trick of goals. All three of his strikes came courtesy of some swift build-up play by the African team, and the striker was on hand to send the ball past Zackary Coombs in the Canada goal. Following that opening goal it was still an even match with Canada working hard to get back on terms but a second goal from Idrees Abdulla in the 26th minute and then a penalty stroke scored by captain Guy Morgan effectively ended Canada’s hopes of a first win. They did score three goals in a flurry of activity in the final quarter but by then South Africa had scored four more goals, including a second for Morgan, and for Indy Sehmbi’s team it was just too late. While pleased to have recorded a win in Bhubaneswar, Cameron le Forestier said his team were still seeking consistency in their performance: “We’re still trying to chase that 60 minutes of good hockey. But today I think we just had about 30 minutes. So, till the next game we have to focus on that. “Regarding my own performance, I think it’s just finding yourself in the right areas and then, when the ball comes to you, just take that opportunity. Our next objective is to make that 9th place finish.” Canada’s captain Manveer Jhamat said: “I’m really proud of the boys. We were resilient and able to bounce back, so I am proud of our efforts at the end. We are a much better team now than when we came here. There has been a lot of learning and growing as a team. Definitely we’re playing some of the best teams in the world, so it’s bound to making us better.” The result means South Africa will face Pakistan in the next match as they contest 9-12 place. Canada will play continental neighbours USA as they seek a first win of the tournament. Pakistan 18-2 USA There was a chasm of difference between the performances by the Pakistan team and the USA team as the Asian side set out to pick apart their opponents with a clinical precision. As the Asian side smoothly moved into top gear, the USA athletes gave the attackers far too much room and seemed unable to find a structure of their own for much of the game. That said, USA never stopped trying to find their own groove and Finlay Quaile was able to make the most of two penalty corner opportunities. This was small compensation for the fact that most of the match saw Pakistan dominating play. The match started evenly, with the USA creating their own chances but when Abuzar scored in the 14th minute, the Pakistan team seemed to reach for a new level of speed, pace and ingenuity. Six goals in the second half put the game beyond doubt but still the Pakistan team poured forwards, exploring every attacking avenue. Captain Abdul Rana scored four goals and the Player of the Match award and he was joined on the score sheet by 11 of his teammates. Pakistan Head Coach Danish Kaleem had been looking for answers after the team failed to deliver in the pool matches and, in this game, his players found the answers. Pakistan captain and scorer of four goals Abdul Rana said: “We’ve tried to correct all mistakes we did in the previous matches. The main aim was to do less mistakes and play basic hockey. The next couple of games are really important to clinch the ninth position. Today was a good game to boost our confidence.” Jatin Sharma of USA highlighted the need for his team to find consistency. “In the first quarter we played pretty well. But we have to find a way to keep consistent throughout all quarters. We all get tired but we have to keep working for each other. I think defensively we need to get better focused.” Poland 2-1 Chile Chile’s hearts were broken by a last minute goal by Tomasz Bembenek as the forward scored the winner for Poland in the final minute of play. Daniel Beroggi had given Chile the lead in the first quarter through a well-placed penalty corner before Julian Blaskiewicz brought Poland level. From that moment the game was played at a ferocious pace as both teams sensed a win was within their grasp. However, it was the calm precision of Bembenek that proved the difference and sees Poland moving on to contest 9-12 place in the next match. The result means Poland will now play Korea in the battle for a ninth place finish, while Chile will take on Egypt. “Chile played a really, really good match,” said Player of the Match Tomasz Bembenek. “They had a very good defence. So they created problems for our offensive play. But we managed to score in the last minute and I’m very happy about that. I think we have to score more goals.” His counterpart Nicolás Abujatum said: “The feeling which dominates now is frustration. We were playing a very good match. We made some mistakes and then we started to lose our heads and that’s what drove us to lose this match. We’ve been improving a lot since the beginning of the tournament but we keep on doing some mistakes that make us lose the matches. So, that’s not a good performance. We don’t get anything from playing good but losing matches.” Korea 3-3 Egypt (6-5 shoot out) Egypt’s goalkeeper Mahmoud Seleem can take comfort from the fact that he has enjoyed an outstanding tournament even if his team has yet to record a win. While Egypt has conceded 31 goals so far, with three fired in by Korea today, Seleem has made some remarkable saves, including a save from a penalty strike during this match. The teams were evenly matched in the opening quarter but Korea began to gain momentum as the game developed. Clever use of the aerial to put the Egyptian defence under pressure saw the African team gradually retreat into their own half and it was only a matter of time before Korea were able to take advantage and fire home two quick chances in the 18th and 20th minute, courtesy of Kim Hyunwoo and Jeong Jun Seong. If the first half was all about Seleem keeping the Korea attack from extending their lead, the second half was all about the Egyptian comeback. Two goals for Abdeirahman Elganayni and one for Hossameldin Ragab and a penalty stroke save by Seleem meant that Egypt were suddenly not just back on even terms but had moved into a 3-2 lead. This was not the end of the drama however; with just two minutes left, Korea were awarded a second penalty stroke, which Jeong Jun Seong converted to send the game to shoot-out. The drama was certainly not restricted to the game itself. The shoot-out was a sheer spectacle of hockey entertainment in itself. Great saves, cheeky overhead shots and a prolonged sudden death shoot-out of nine rounds apiece kept everyone on the edge of their seats until You Seung Ho broke Egyptian hearts as he fired past Seleem to claim the win for Korea. Korea’s Player of the Match Bae Soung Min said: “The first half we got the two goals but in the second half we didn’t play so well. Egypt were strong but we really wanted to win, so we are very happy with this outcome. Egypt’s Khaled Elgandy was able to take positives from the match: “If you look at all the matches, there is a trajectory and we are getting better every match. Maybe we lose today, but we played well and we will always play as much as we can until the final whistle of the final match and we will win the next match.” Results (Day-6): South Africa 7-3 Canada Player of the Match: Cameron le Forestier (RSA) Pakistan 18-2 USA Player of the Match: Abdul Rana (PAK) Poland 2-1 Chile Player of the Match: Thomasz Bembenek (POL) Korea 3-3 Egypt (Korea win 6-5 shoot-out) Player of the Match: Bae Soung Min (KOR)

Saad Kayani KARACHI (November 30, 2021):-The seventh-round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 began at three Karachi venues today. The opening day was dominated by Southern Punjab and Northern batters while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowlers reigned supreme against Sindh. The toss was uncontested at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi as Southern Punjab were asked to bat first by Balochistan. Left-handed batter Zeeshan Ashraf who was included in the Southern Punjab squad for this round, made an immediate impression for his side with a stroke-filled 102 off 116 balls (13 fours, three sixes). Salman posted the 10th first-class century of his career as he took over the scoring reins after Zeeshan’s departure. The right-hander hit 15 fours in his typically stylish unbeaten 117-run innings that was compiled off 182 balls. Salman was at the crease when stumps were drawn for the day with Southern Punjab placed at a healthy 327 for three after 85 overs batting. Salman has so far added 154 runs for the unfinished fourth-wicket partnership with Yousuf Babar (45 off 117 balls, four fours). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa opted to bowl after an uncontested toss against table-toppers Sindh at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium. The match is being live streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowlers made most of the conditions and the decision to bowl first by reducing Sindh to 78 for four at lunch. Left-arm-spinner Asif Afridi made the inroads before lunch as he dismissed Sindh’s in form openers (Khurram Manzoor and Ahsan Ali) cheaply. Pacer Irfanullah Shah took over the wicket taking mantle post-lunch as Sindh were sent packing for 145 in 42.1 overs. The right-armer Irfan recorded the sixth five-wicket haul of his first-class career taking with figures of 12-2-43-5. Asif took three while pacer Arshad Iqbal took two wickets. Captain Asad Shafiq and Faraz Ali were the combined best scorers for Sindh with 31 runs each. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s superb bowling effort earned them the full six bowling points. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost their first two wickets with only 32 runs on the board. At this stage captain Iftikhar Ahmed joined opener Musadiq Ahmed. The two added 92 runs for their unbroken third-wicket stand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa finished the day a mere 21 runs behind Sindh at 124 for two. Musadiq has so far hit nine fours and one six in his 72 off 93 balls, Iftikhar’s unbeaten 34 has come off 69 balls with the aid of four fours. Over at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex, Northern got off to a steady start against Central Punjab who had opted to bowl after an uncontested toss. Northern reached 77 for one at lunch. Opener Muhammad Huraira who is featuring in his maiden first-class season scored an enterprising 54 off 108 balls (eight fours). Huraira added 96 runs for the second-wicket with his captain Umar Amin who scored 50 off 73 balls (seven fours). Both Huraira and Umar fell with the score at 119, at this stage Haider Ali was joined by Faizan Riaz. Haider took control by playing some typically aggressive shots in his stellar batting performance. The right-hander fresh from a player of the match winning performance in the third Bangladesh-Pakistan T20I hit as many as many as 22 fours and one six in his unbeaten 141 off 168 balls. Haider now has three first-class centuries to his name in only nine appearances. Haider added 204 runs in the unbroken fourth-wicket alliance with Faizan Riaz who proved the perfect foil for Haider with 57 off 131 balls (five fours). Muhammad Ali with two wickets was the most successful bowler of the day for Central Punjab. Scores in brief: Southern Punjab vs Balochistan –UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Southern Punjab 327 for 3, 85 overs (Salman Ali Agha 117 not out, Zeeshan Ashraf 102, Yousuf Babar 45 not out; Akif Javed 1-59) Points so far: Southern Punjab – three, Balochistan – one. Sindh vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa –State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Sindh 145 all out, 42.1 overs (Asad Shafiq 31, Faraz Ali 31; Irfanullah Shah 5-43, Asif Afridi 3-16) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 124 for 2, 32 overs (Musadiq Ahmed 72 not out, Iftikhar Ahmed 34 not out; Sohail Khan 1-24) Points so far: Sindh – zero, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - six. Northern vs Central Punjab – National Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Northern 323 for 3, 87 overs (Haider Ali 141 not out, Faizan Riaz 57 not out, Mohammad Huraira 54; Mohammad Ali 2-54) Points so far: Northern - three, Central Punjab - one.

Lahore (Sports Report):-International tennis star Sania Mirza visited state of the art tennis courts at Nishtar Park Sports Complex (NPSC) on Tuesday. Sania Mirza played practice tennis matches for one and half hours with Pakistan’s international tennis stars Aisamul Haq and Aqeel Khan at a nicely-built tennis stadium. Deputy Director Chand Perveen, SBP PRO Abdul Rauf Roofi, Tennis Stadium administrator Rehmat Ullah and other officials were also present on this occasion. Talking to Deputy Director Chand Perveen and SBP PRO Abdul RaufRoofi, international tennis star Sania Mirza appreciated the top standard facilities provided at Sports Board Punjab’s State of the Art Tennis Stadium. “SBP Stadium is equipped with all modern facilities and it will help a lot in producing several top class tennis players in future,” she added. SaniaMirza said: Pakistan has plenty of tennis talent and SBP’s tennis stadium and academy are playing key roles in further nurturing the emerging male and female tennis players.   

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Pakistan Juniors Hockey Team outclassed United States of America (USA) 18-2 registering the biggest goal margin at FIH Men’s World Cup, Bhubaneswar, India. Captain Rana Waheed and Abu Zar scored their international hat tricks. According to the details, Pakistan scored 18 goals against USA in FIH Junior World Hockey Cup. Registering the biggest goal margin of the event Pakistan played for the 9th to 16th position to improve the event ranking which Pakistan won. Captain Rana Abdul Waheed and Abuzar set up hat tricks for Pakistan. Captain Rana Waheed scored 4 goals, Abuzar scored 3 goals and Rizwan Ali scored 2 goals for Pakistan Juniors Hockey Team. While Umair Sattar, Roman Khan, Hammad Anjum, Mohibullah, Mohsin Hassan, Abdul Manan, Moin Shakeel and Abdul Rehman scored one goal each. Pakistani goalkeeper Abdullah Ishtiaq also got an international cap. In the event, he played his first official international match against the USA today. Pakistan has two matches left for the rankings. Pakistan will play the next match on December 2 for the 9th to 12th position rankings against South Africa.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL Islamabad (November 30, 2021):-Pakistan squash team took a brilliant start in the 20th Asian Squash Team Championship after beating Philippines and Indonesia 3-0 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday. According to media department of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), as many as 12 are participating in the regional squash event including India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Japan, Iran, Korea, Philippines, Iraq, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. India, Pakistan, Japan, Philippines, Iraq and Indonesia are in Pool-A, as the Malaysia, Hong Kong, Iran, Korea, Singapore and Sri Lanka are in Pool-B. Pakistan beat Philippines (3-0) Amaad Fareed beat Reymark Begornia 11-8, 11-5 and 11-3 Tayyab Aslam beat Robert Andrew by 13-11, 11-8 11-5 Nasir Iqbal beat David William by 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 Pakistan beat Indonesia (3-0) Nasir Iqbal beat Nur Altaftyan 11-8, 11-5, 11-1 Asim Khan beat Agung Wilant 11-2, 11-9, 11-7 Tayyab Aslam beat Satria Bagus 11-5, 11-7, 11-5.

Chittagong, Bangladesh (SB Report):-Pakistan earned 1-0 lead in the two-test match series against hosts Bangladesh after registering a comprehensive win by 8 wickets in the morning session of the final day’s play of the first Tests at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong on Tuesday. With the win, Pakistan collected 12 World Test Championship points and jumped to the second spot on the points table with 66.66 percentage of points – which is a percentage of the points gained from the total available in matches a side has feature. Pakistan openers Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique dominated the first half hour as the pair stroked the ball around the ground with ease and grace. Abdullah added 20 more to his overnight 53 before he was LBW off Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Abid Ali, not out on 56 yesterday, fell nine runs short of becoming the 10th Pakistan batter in men’s Tests to record a century in both innings of a match, when he was plumb in front off Taijul Islam. For his fighting 133 in the first innings and an elegant 91 in the second, Abid was named player of the match. The experienced pair of Azhar Ali and Babar Azam took Pakistan over the line, as they were unbeaten on 24 and 13.This marked the third instance of Pakistan successfully completing a 200-plus run chase away from home. The two teams will face off the final Test in Dhaka from 4 December. Scores in brief: Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70) and 157 all out, 56.2 overs (Liton Das 59, Yasir Ali 36; Shaheen Shah Afridi 5-32, Sajid Khan 3-33) Pakistan 286 all out, 115.4 overs (Abid Ali 133, Abdullah Shafique 52, Faheem Ashraf 38; Taijul Islam 7-116, Ebadot Hossain 2-47) and 203-2, 58.3 overs (Abid Ali 91, Abdullah Shafique 73, Azhar Ali 24 not out) Player of the match – Abid Ali (Pakistan)

Lahore (Sports Report):-The 52nd Engro National Volleyball Championships entered the last eight stage on its third day at the Punjab Sports Gymnasium Hall, Lahore on Monday. Defending champion WAPDA, last year’s runners-up Army, Railways, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Khyber Pakhtunkawa (KPK), Higher Education Commission (HEC), Navy and Punjab qualified for quarterfinals, as five matches were decided on Monday.  WAPDA faced good opposition from high-flying Railways before completing a 3-1 win, with the score-line of 25-16, 25-16, 21-25, 25-17. The Railways men showed their presence on the court and fought well against the top team of the event. Gilgit Baltistan also stunned Balochistan 3-0. The winners ousted opponents at 25-6, 25-17, 15-27, 25-20. KPK recorded an easy victory against Sindh 3-0. KPK kept the lead from start to finish with the score-line of 25-10, 25-12, 25-12 to confirm a place in the quarterfinals. Punjab defeated Islamabad in straight away 3-0 with the score of 25-13, 25-11 and 25-17 to book a place in the last eight. Azad Jammu Kashmir beat Pak Board 3-0 in a graceful style as the losers failed to score a single point, in the match, which has no bearing to make a place in the last eight.

Chittagong (SB Report):-A brilliant century stand for the undefeated first wicket between Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique had Pakistan on the verge of victory in the first Test against Bangladesh before fading light resulted in early stumps on the fourth day. Pakistan, chasing 202 to win the first of the two Tests, were 109 for none in 33 overs with Abid Ali, fresh from a century in the first innings, and Abdullah Shafique, who made 52 on day two, scoring solid half-centuries. This was only the second time in Pakistan’s Test history, which stretch 440 matches, that an opening pair recorded two century stands in a match. Imran Farhat and Taufiq Umer did it first time against South Africa in Lahore in 2003, when Pakistan came out victorious by eight wickets. Abid and Abdullah were unbeaten at 56 and 53 and will resume Pakistan’s pursuit of the remaining 93 runs on Tuesday. Earlier, a sizzling Shaheen Shah Afridi recorded his fourth Test five-wicket haul, which restricted Bangladesh to 157. The left-arm pacer returned five for 32, sending Liton Das (59) and Abu Jayed back in the hut after he had taken three wickets for six runs last day. Liton scored a fighting 59 off 89 to keep Bangladesh’s innings alive, after debutant Yasir Ali had to walk off the field after a scorching bouncer by Shaheen hit the flesh of his helmet. Bangladesh took Nurul Hasan Sohan as Yasir’s concussion replacement. Off-spinner Sajid Khan was also amongst the wicket takers as he accounted for Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nurul Hasan and Taijul Islam. Scores in brief: Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70) and 157 all out, 56.2 overs (Liton Das 59, Yasir Ali 36; Shaheen Shah Afridi 5-32, Sajid Khan 3-33) Pakistan 286 all out, 115.4 overs (Abid Ali 133, Abdullah Shafique 52, Faheem Ashraf 38; Taijul Islam 7-116, Ebadot Hossain 2-47) and 109-0, 33 overs (Abid Ali 56 not out, Abdullah Shafique 53 not out)

Islamabad (Sports Report):-Syed Mudassar Ahmad Bukhari, Azmat Bashir and Nasir Mehmood guided Shifa International Hospital XIs Islamabad to 55 runs victory against Indus Xls Lal Kurhti Rawalpindi in a friendly cricket match here at XI Star Cricket ground Islamabad. Shifa International Captain Qutab Uddin Qureshi won the toss and decided to bat first, Shifa International, Shifa International piled up 228 for loss of 7 wickets in the allotted 25 overs.  Batsman Azmat Bashir hit half century 65 runs 54 balls with 2 sixes and 5 fours, Nasir Mehmood scored fast half century 58 runs 30 balls with 4 sixes and 3 fours, while Ibrar Ikhlaq 31, Shahzad Kiani 26 and Captain Qutab Uddin Qureshi 22 were their leading run-getters. Indus Xl Danish (3 for 47), Faisal (2 for 30) and Inzimam (1 for 32) were the other main wicket-takers. In reply, Indus Xl could score 173 for eight in 25 overs. Inzimam (40) not out, Abdul Ahad Khurram (29) and Samad 23 were their main scorers. Syed Mudassar Ahmad Bukhari bowled well and claimed 4 players out for 26 runs in 5 overs, while Mohammad Asif (1 for 12), Ali Mubashir (1for13) and Aamir Sohail (1 for 22) bowled well for Shifa International.