ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL Rawalpindi (August 9, 2021):-The two matches of ongoing Mari Petroleum Azadi Hockey Cup 2021 on Monday, as the first match was played between SSGC and Punjab while second between Pakistan Army and hosts MPCL at Mari Petroleum Astroturf Hockey Stadium Ayub Park Rawalpindi. WAPDA tide-over Pakistan Navy 1-0 in the third fixture of the day-2. The first match of day-2 was played between Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Punjab that ended in a draw after four quarters fuss, as the final score was 2-2. Rizwan Ali and Sohail Riaz scored goal for SSGC while Zain Ijaz and Abdullah were the goal scorer for Punjab. It was great of the day and both teams showed nice hockey with full skill and different moves and attacks. Later, the second match of the day was also ended without any result. Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) and Pakistan Army tried their to win the game but at the final whistle the score board was showing 3-3 level. Both teams earned each one point after playing a draw game. Aamir Sohail, Mohammad Waqas and Wasim Akram scored goal for Army. Teams: Pool (A): WAPDA, Pakistan Navy, Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), Pakistan Army Pool (B): National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan Air Force (POA), Punjab Schedule & Results: August 8, 2021 (Day-1): WAPDA beat Pakistan Army 2-1 NBP beat Pakistan Air Force 3-2 Pakistan Navy beat Mari Petroleum Company 2-1 August 9, 2021 (day-2) SSGC Vs Punjab 2-2 Draw Army Vs MPCL 3-3 Draw WAPDA beat Navy 1-0 August 10, 2021 (day-3) PAF Vs Punjab NBP Vs SSGC August 12, 2021 (day-4): NBP Vs Punjab SSGC Vs PAF Army Vs Navy WAPDA Vs MPCL August 13, 2021 (Day-5) Semifinals August 14, 2021 (Day-6) Third place match Final     

SPORTS REPORT Lahore (August 9, 2021):-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced the schedule of 2021-22 domestic cricket season in which it will hold 10 tournaments, comprising 266 matches. In the 2020-21 season, the PCB had organised 220 matches in nine tournaments to become the only cricket board to deliver a complete domestic schedule. Domestic competitions in the 2021-22 season are separate to the home international matches against New Zealand, England, West Indies and Australia, and the HBL Pakistan Super League, which will be held between September 2021 and March 2022. Not added to the 2021-22 domestic matches are the ongoing two-day CCA tournament matches, which commenced on 16 July and will conclude on 22 August, and the CCA U19 tournament that will begin on 1 September. The two tournaments are designed to provide opportunities to the outstanding performers to graduate to the Cricket Association sides for the senior and pathway competitions in the PCB Domestic Season 2021-22. The additional matches in the forthcoming domestic circuit have been added in pathways cricket for which the PCB has allowed the six Cricket Associations to field two sides each in the U16 and U19 tournaments. This means 12 sides will feature in the 62-match National U19 three-day championship and One-Day Cup, which will run side by side, from 3 October to 12 November in Gujranwala, Islamabad, Muridke, Rawalpindi and Sialkot. Another 12 sides will take part in the 31-match National U16 Cup from 8 to 19 March 2022 with Rawalpindi hosting the single-league competition. The National U13 One-Day Cup has returned to the national circuit after missing out last year due to Covid-19 pandemic. This single-league event will be held in Faisalabad from 8 to 18 February 2022. Director High Performance, Nadeem Khan: “For the 2021-22 age-group cricket season, each Cricket Association will be allowed to field two U16 and U19 sides so that we can increase the pool of players at the grassroots level with a focus on providing more opportunities and exposure to our next generation of cricketers. “This strategy is aligned to the Cricket Associations planning of reviving clubs, schools and universities cricket within their jurisdictions with the best players getting opportunities to express their talent in national tournaments. “In the U16 and U19 competitions, the players will be provided the same environment as in senior cricket which will help in their overall development as professional cricketers.” The 2021-22 season will kick-off with the eight-day Cricket Associations T20 tournament on 15 September in which the six second XI Cricket Association sides will go head to head in the shortest format of the game in Quetta. The National T20, featuring country’s best shortest format players, will be held from 25 September to 13 October. Eighteen first round matches will be held in Multan, while the remaining 15 matches, including the two semi-finals and the final, will be held in Lahore. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, a jewel in the crown of Pakistan’s domestic events, will commence on 20 October. The first half of the 10-round single-league competition will be held in Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore. The event will then move to Karachi where it will culminate with the five-day final from 29 December. The three-day double-league Cricket Associations Championship for second XIs will be held from 28 September to 14 November, while the 50-over single-league Cricket Associations Challenge for second XIs will be played from 19 to 27 November. Both the tournaments will be held in Faisalabad, Lahore and Sheikhupura. Curtains will fall on the 2021-22 season in Lahore on 30 March 2022 with the final of the Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament, which will get underway on 25 February and will be played on a double-league format. The other two event venues will be Faisalabad and Multan. Nadeem Khan: “We are excited to confirm a quality-based and competitive cricket season, which will not only test the skills, technique and fitness of professional cricketers but will help the selectors and coaches identify top performers for their inclusion in the national framework. “With the amount of international cricket across all three formats scheduled in the 2021-22 season and beyond, the upcoming season will prove to be a pathway for all those aspiring to serve Pakistan cricket and making a name at the international level. “This, like the previous season, will be a tough one that will test the cricketers to their limits. But that’s exactly what we want. We want to see our domestic system produce mentally and physically tough players who can perform in any condition against any opposition. “Most of the first XI matches will be televised and promoted digitally, meaning no performance can be ignored or overlooked. “Like the previous season, the PCB will not only create playing opportunities for these players but will also provide them quality playing facilities as well as international standard lodging and boarding so they can produce their best performances. If we want our domestic system to be robust, competitive and valued, then we need to make sure we cater for all these basic requirements, which in the past have fallen through the cracks.” Details on the tournament schedule, squads and match official appointments will be released in the lead up to the events. Schedule (subject to any late changes): First XI competitions National T20 (six teams, 33 matches) – 25 September-13 October Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (six teams, 31 matches) – 20 October-29 December Pakistan Cup (six teams, 33 matches) – 25 February-30 March 2022 Second XI competitions Cricket Associations T20 (six teams, 15 matches) – 15-22 September Cricket Associations Championship (three-day) (six teams, 30 matches) – 28 September-14 November Cricket Associations Challenge (50 overs) (six teams, 15 matches) – 19-27 November Pathway competitions National U19 Championship (three-day) and Cup (one-Day) (12 teams, 62 matches) - (3 October--12 November) National U16 Cup (One-Day) (12 teams, 31 matches) – 8-19 March 2022 National U13 Cup (One-Day) (16 matches) – 8-18 February 2022

SPORTS NEWS Yokohama (Japan):- World No. 1 Japan shut out No. 4 USA, 2-0, to win the Tokyo 2020 Olympic baseball gold medal on Saturday night at Yokohama Stadium, concluding the 16-game tournament. Munetaka Murakami’s solo home run in the bottom of the third inning would be the only run Japan would need, with winning pitcher Masato Morishita (5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 5 K) and relievers Koudai Senga, Hiromi Itoh, Suguru Iwazaki and Ryoji Kuribayashi combining on the shutout. "I'm so happy we won a gold medal," said Murakami, "and I'm so proud of being a member of Samurai Japan. Our starter was on top of the game, so when I stepped into the box in the third, I thought one run could be enough to win." USA’s Nick Martinez (6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 7 K), who was tagged with the loss, was also sharp on the mound, only surrendering the run off Murakami’s bat in the third. "The home run was just a nice piece of hitting by Murakami," said Martinez. The win represents Japan’s the first-ever Olympic gold medal in baseball and Japan becomes the first Olympic host nation to win the gold medal in baseball on home soil. "Winning the Olympics on home soil is very special,” said Japan manager Atsunori Inaba. "Winning gold shows the world the strength of Japanese baseball, and this success will bring more people to baseball in Japan, also." “I congratulate Japan on the gold medal,” said US manager Mike Scioscia, “but I don't want to congratulate Japan only. I tip my cap to every team we faced. Every day we had the challenges of game seven. All six teams represented baseball in the best way possible." Japan’s Tetsuto Yamada, who scored the second run of the gold medal game, was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the Tokyo 2020 tournament. “We won thanks to the help of a lot of people,” Inaba said. “Now I want the younger players to return to their club and share what they learned during this tournament. We want to set up a culture of international baseball for the future." Looking at future Olympic Games, Scioscia said: "It's an incredible oversight not having baseball included as a permanent sport in the Summer Olympics." In the bronze medal game on Saturday, world No. 7 Dominican Republic defeated No. 3 Korea, 10-6, as the Dominican Republic earned its first-ever Olympic medal in baseball, which is also the nation’s first-ever Olympic medal in a team sport. Dominican Republic becomes the seventh nation/territory in history to win a medal in baseball at the Olympic Games, following Cuba, Japan, USA, Korea, Australia and Chinese Taipei. Capping off the 16-game tournament, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), together with Tokyo 2020 organizers, named the Tokyo 2020 All-Olympic Baseball Team, with five of the participating six nations represented.

SPORTS DESK Islamabad (August 8, 2021):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the July nominees for the ICC Player of the Month awards, instituted in January this year to recognise the best international performances across formats for male and female cricketers. The nominees for the monthly men’s awards this time are Shakib Al Hasan (BAN), Mitchell Marsh (AUS) and Hayden Walsh Jr (WI) while Hayley Matthews (WI), Fatima Sana (PAK) and Stafanie Taylor (WI) figure in the women’s shortlist. An independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world can now vote to decide the winners, which will be announced next week. Fans registered on icc-cricket.com/awards are invited to cast their votes for their favourite ICC player of the month for July in both categories. ICC Men’s Player of the Month for July: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) Experienced star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh contributed to all three formats of the game as Bangladesh won the series against Zimbabwe last month. Shakib Al Hasan scored 96 unbeaten runs as Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe by three wickets in the second ODI at the Harare Sports Club. In the T20Is with the ball, Hasan took three wickets at an economy rate of seven leading his country to a series win against Zimbabwe. Mitchell Marsh (Australia) Australian allrounder Mitchell Marsh played three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies last month. In the T20Is, Marsh scored 219 runs with a strike rate of 152.08 and took 8 wickets with an economy rate of 6.76, making him the lead run-scorer and wicket-taker for Australia in the series. Hayden Walsh Jr (West Indies) Leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr played three ODIs against Australia last month, where he took seven wickets with an economy rate of 4.14. Walsh Jr was also the most impressive bowler in the T20I series against Australia where he picked up twelve wickets in five games at an average of 11.66, making him the leading wicket-taker for the West Indies in both the ODI and T20I series against Australia. ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July: Hayley Matthews (West Indies) West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews scored her second ODI hundred and took two wickets with the ball as West Indies cruised to a dominant series-clinching eight-wicket win over Pakistan last month. Matthews was also named Player of the Series against Pakistan. Fatima Sana (PAK) Fatima Sana was the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in the ODI series against the West Indies, and also a joint-leader for her side in the T20I series between the sides. A maiden five-wicket haul from Fatima Sana helped Pakistan defeat West Indies by 22 runs via the DLS method in the fifth ODI of the series. In the same game, with four overs remaining in a shortened innings due to a delayed start, Sana scored an unbeaten 28 off 19 balls which included four boundaries. She was also named the player of the match for her stellar performance. Stafanie Taylor (WI) Captain Stafanie Taylor contributed with both bat and ball as the West Indies won both their ODI and T20I series against Pakistan in July. In the four ODIs against Pakistan, Stafanie scored 175 runs with a strike rate of 79.18 and took three wickets with an economy rate of 3.72. Stafanie was also on top of the rankings for batters and all-rounders in the MRF ICC Women’s ODI Rankings earlier in July. The voting process: The three nominees for either category is shortlisted based on performances from the first to the last day of each calendar month. The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket fraternity including well-known journalists, former players, broadcasters, and members of the ICC Hall of Fame. The Voting Academy submit their votes by email and hold a 90 per cent share of the vote. Fans registered with the ICC vote via the ICC website, accounting for the remaining 10 per cent. Winners are announced every second Monday of the month on the ICC’s digital channels. ICC Voting Academy for ICC Player of the Month July 2021: Afghanistan: Hameed Qayoomi and Javed Hamim; Australia: Melinda Farrell and Lisa Sthalekar; Bangladesh: Tarek Mahmoud and Mohammad Isam’ England: Elizabeth Ammon and Claire Taylor; Ireland: Ian Callender and Isobel Joyce; India: Annesha Ghosh and Irfan Pathan; New Zealand: Mark Geenty and John Wright; Pakistan: Faizan Lakhani and Ramiz Raja; South Africa: Firdose Moonda and Makhaya Ntini; Sri Lanka: Neville Victor Anthony and Russel Arnold; West Indies: Ian Bishop and Merissa Aguilleira; Zimbabwe: Tristan Holme and Mpumelelo Mbangwa; Others: Paul Radley and Dirk Nannes.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL Rawalpindi (August 8, 2021):-Pakistan WAPDA, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Pakistan Navy recorded victories on the opening day of the Mari Petroleum Azadi Hockey Cup 2021 after defeating their respective opponents that started here at Mari Petroleum Astroturf Hockey Stadium Ayub Park Rawalpindi on Sunday. The top national hockey showpiece is being played under the banner of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). In the first match of the championship, WAPDA defeated Army 2-1, as the winners got the lead in the first half of the match when Rana Waheed netted the ball. Aslo, Waheed scored second goal for his team in second part of the match. Arslan Rao scored only goal for Army. Meanwhile, in the second match, National Bank of Pakistan beat Pakistan Air Force (PAF) 3-2 in a well contested match of the day, as both teams displayed excellent skills of game during ll the four quarters. However, NBP managed to defend their lead till the last whistle. Ali Hasan, Mohammad Shan and Mohammad Abubaker scored each one goal for their winner team NBP. Mohsin Hasan and Rizwan Ali were the scores for PAF. In the last match of the day Pakistan Navy defeated Mari Petroleum 2-1 in a trilling four quarters competition. Akbar Ali and Kamran Asif scored the goal for the winners while Aitsham scored the solitary goal for the losing side. President PHF Khalid Sajjad Khokhar graced the opening ceremony of the tournament. All top officials of Mari Petroleum and hockey federation were present on this occasion. The final of the championship will be played on red letter day August 14, 2021. Teams: Pool (A): WAPDA, Pakistan Navy, Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), Pakistan Army Pool (B): National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan Air Force (POA), Punjab Schedule & Results: August 8, 2021 (Day-1): WAPDA beat Pakistan Army 2-1 NBP beat Pakistan Air Force 3-2 Pakistan Navy beat Mari Petroleum Company 2-1 August 9, 2021 (day-2) SSGC Vs Punjab Army Vs MPCL Navy Vs WAPDA August 10, 2021 (day-3) PAF Vs Punjab NBP Vs SSGC August 12, 2021 (day-4): NBP Vs Punjab SSGC Vs PAF Army Vs Navy WAPDA Vs MPCL August 13, 2021 (Day-5) Semifinals August 14, 2021 (Day-6) Third place match Final  

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL Islamabad (August 7, 2021):-Ambassador Matsuda Kuninori extended congratulations to Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s premier javelin thrower, for showing his great talent by winning 5th place in the final of men’s javelin throw competition in the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday and conveyed best wishes for his future endeavors. According to media department of Japan embassy in Islamabad, the diplomat said in his message, “Though, unfortunately, you could not win a place on the medal winning podium but, I believe, you have won many hearts back home for your brilliant performance in the world’s mega event. I congratulate you for having the honor of competing in the final round played for the medals. Keep up your efforts with fresh zeal and I am sure, the day is not far when you will be on victory stand”, said the Ambassador.

SPORTS REPORT Rawalpindi (August 6, 2021):-The final round league matches of 10th Islamabad Cup Snooker Championship 2021 will start from Saturday, 7th August, 2021 at Shender41 Snooker Academy, Siddiqui Chowk, Rawalpindi. President, Islamabad Billiards & Snooker Association (IBSA) Senator Dr. Shahzad Waseem, Leader of the house in Senate has extended his good wishes for all the participating players as well as officials. The players are expected to reach at the venue before 15 minutes of their scheduled time.

SPORTS NEWS Tokyo (August 6, 2021):-The Netherlands added the Olympic gold medal to their World, European and FIH Hockey Pro League titles thanks to a 3-1 victory over Argentina, bringing a wonderful Hockey competition at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to a close. The win gave the Oranje their fourth Olympic crown, with the 2020 gold medal being added to those collected at Los Angeles 1984, Beijing 2008 and London 2012. For team captain Eva de Goede and star attacker Lidewij Welten, it is a third Olympic gold medal and a fourth in total, with both players having been part of the triumphant campaigns in 2008 and 2012 as well as winning silver at Rio 2016. It is a fitting reward for a Netherlands side that has been the dominant force of women’s international hockey for the past five years, with the team coached by Alyson Annan – herself a double Olympic hockey gold medallist with Australia - absolutely justifying their position as pre-competition favourites. Argentina made life incredibly difficult for the Netherlands in the first period, although Caia van Maasakker came close to opening the scoring when her penalty corner drag-flick rattled the Argentine crossbar. The third quarter was decisive, with the Oranje opening up a three-goal lead that would prove too great a mountain for Las Leonas to climb. Margot van Geffen’s superb penalty corner tip-in broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, before van Maasakker scored two unstoppable penalty corner drag-flicks to put the Dutch into a commanding lead. However, Argentina hit back almost immediately when Agustina Gorzelany’s powerful penalty corner drag-flick squeezed between the legs of Netherlands goalkeeper Josine Koning, giving the South American giants a lifeline going into the final 30 minutes. Argentina battled hard in an attempt to claw back the situation but found clear goal-scoring opportunities few and far between thanks to the magnificent Dutch defensive line, which only conceded four times in their eight matches here in Tokyo. It was a deserved success for a team that is without question the best in the world, with Argentina having to settle for a third Olympic silver following their final defeats at Sydney 2000 and London 2012. “It's amazing - I'm a bit speechless, I'm sorry, I just can't believe that we actually did it”, said Netherlands captain Eva de Goede after the match. “We worked so hard for it, just like every other team. My fourth Olympics, fourth time in the final, and to win my third gold medal is just something that you not even dare to dream of. “And I'm so happy that after five years ago when we won the silver medal that I can give this gold medal now to the team, to the girls who won the silver there. It's just the best feeling ever.” When asked about how proud she was to captain this team, de Goede said: “It's almost an easy job for me. It's just great to play in a team that's willing to do better every training, every time we see each other we invest so much time in each other. We are each other's friends, we have each other's backs, just can't be better than this. “You really see a team playing every single time you step on the pitch and that's what I'm most proud of, and that's why I actually started to play hockey because it was most fun to play in a team, and this is it for me.” Argentina captain Noel Barrionuevo said: “I'm feeling sad, but at the same time I'm also feeling happy because at the end we were able to reach an Olympic final, this is something amazing, and we were also able to take the silver home. It was a pretty close game. We were facing a very dynamic rival. They scored their goals very quickly, so we were not able to recover from that.” On how proud she is to win a silver medal for Argentina, Barrionuevo said: “I'm feeling proud, really proud. I'm very proud to represent Argentina here. I'm also proud of the team, and at the end right now I'm feeling like a privileged person.” Earlier in the day, Great Britain’s women secured their third successive Olympic medal by edging India 4-3 in a hugely entertaining bronze medal match. The London 2012 bronze and Rio 2016 gold medallists were given a huge test by the Indian team, fighting back from 3-2 down to win 4-3 thanks to strikes from captain Hollie Pearne-Webb and Grace Balsdon in a contest played in sweltering conditions.  It is Great Britain’s fourth Olympic medal, having also medalled at Barcelona 1992 with a 4-3 victory against Korea. It is also a first Olympic medal for Great Britain head coach Mark Hager, who took New Zealand's women to the bronze medal games at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics but suffered defeat on both occasions. It is a third Olympic medal for defender Laura Unsworth, who was also part of the London and Rio campaigns. While defeat left India’s players and coaching staff clearly heartbroken, the team captained by Rani and coached by Sjoerd Marijne can leave Tokyo feeling incredibly proud of their achievement, matching their previous best Olympic finish of fourth, which came at Moscow 1980. Final Standings – Men Gold – Belgium Silver – Australia Bronze – India 4 – Germany 5 – Great Britain 6 – Netherlands 7 – Argentina 8 – Spain 9 – New Zealand 10 – South Africa 11 – Japan 12 – Canada Final Standings – Women Gold – Netherlands Silver –  Argentina Bronze – Great Britain 4 – India 5 – Australia 6 – Germany 7 – Spain 8 – New Zealand 9 – China 10 – Ireland 11 – Japan 12 – South Africa

SPORTS DESK Islamabad (August 6, 2021):-The England and Wales Cricket Board can confirm that England fast bowler Jofra Archer underwent further scans on his injured right elbow last week. The scans revealed that he has suffered a recurrence of a stress fracture of his right elbow. In response to these findings, he has been ruled out for the rest of the year and will miss the current LV= Insurance Test series against India, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 and the Ashes series in Australia. The 26-year-old, who had an operation in May to remove a bone fragment from his elbow, returned to play last month. As part of his return-to-bowling programme, he became aware of increasing discomfort in his elbow during matches for Sussex in the Vitality Blast and a 50-over friendly against Oxfordshire. The operation is not related to the stress fracture that sidelined the player previously. He will now spend time on an extended break from cricket before returning for a medical review in early autumn.

SPORTS NEWS Tokyo August 6, 2021):-International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and a delegation of IOC guests paid a visit to the Sport Climbing competition yesterday evening at the Aomi Urban Sports Park. Together they watched the Men’s Combined final, won by Alberto Gines Lopez of Spain, and the first ever Olympic medal presentation for Sport Climbing. The Spanish climber became the first Olympic gold medallist for the sport, with Nathaniel Coleman of USA and Jakob Schubert of Austria taking the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Also part of the IFSC delegation that greeted President Bach were IFSC Athletes’ Commission President Sean McColl of Canada, IFSC Athletes’ Commission Vice President Shauna Coxsey of Great Britian, and Bassa Mawem of France. The IOC delegation – which included IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper, and IOC Sport Director Kit McConnell – was treated to some fantastic Climbing and the IOC President appeared pleased both with the action on the wall and the ceremony on the podium. The medals were presented to the athletes by IOC Executive Board Member and President of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation Ivo Ferriani. “It was a great pleasure to welcome President Bach, and the other IOC guests to witness Sport Climbing during its historic Olympic debut,” Scolaris said. “We have been overwhelmed by the great support and interest in our sport that we have received here in Tokyo and across the globe. “Our climbers – the ambassadors of our sport – are really enjoying their first Olympic experience. Once again, I would like to thank President Bach and the whole Olympic Movement for coming tonight and all those who have welcomed us into the Olympic Family.”