SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (December 16, 2020):-Noor Zaman and Ashab Irfan moved into the final Under-19 event of National Juniors Squash Championship 2020 after beating Farhan Hashmi and Khushal Riaz in the semifinals at Mushaf Squash Complex on Wednesday. Results: Boys Under-13 (semifinals): Mohammad Zaman (Sindh) beat Umair Arif (KP) 6-11, 11-4, 5-11, 11-3, 11-7 (38 Min) Huraira Khan (KP) beat Yashwa (Pb) 11-5, 11-5, 10-12, 11-5 (32 Min)     Boys Under-15 (semifinals): Anas Ali Shah (Punjab) beat Saboor Khan (CAA) 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 (18 Min) Yaseen Khattak (PAF) beat Mehmood Mehboob (Pb) 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (18 Min) Boys Under-17 (semifinals): Huzaifa Zahid (KP) beat Mohammad Ammad (PAF) 11-13, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 (58 Min) Mohammad Hamza Khan (PAF) beat Fahad Sharif (KP) 11-3, 9-3, Retired Hurt (13 Min) Boys Under-19 (semifinals): Noor Zaman (PAF) beat Mohammad Farhan Hashmi (Pb) 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-1, 11-6 (42 Min) Ashab Irfan (Pb) beat Khushal Riaz (KP) 10/12, 11/5, 11/3, 11/3 (38 Min) Girls Under-19 (semifinals): Zynab Khan (Sindh) beat Noor Ul Ain Ejaz (Pb) 11-8, 12-10, 11-4 (23 Min) Maira Hussain (KP) beat Hira Aqeel (KP) 3-11, 12-10, 3-11, 11-9, 13-11 (28 Min).    

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (December 15, 2020):-Pakistan women’s national cricket team will tour South Africa for three ODIs and three T20Is, which will be played in Durban and Pietermaritzburg from 20 January to 3 February. In consultation and discussions with Cricket South Africa, the series has been finalised to ensure women’s cricket continues to build on the momentum and successes following the trailblazing ICC Women’s Championship 2017-2020, ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cups 2018 and 2020. This additional series has also been organised to help both Pakistan and South Africa prepare for the upcoming assignments, in particular Pakistan, who will feature in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in July 2021 for the event proper to be held in New Zealand in early 2022. South Africa, along with world champions England, Australia, India and hosts New Zealand, have already qualified for the World Cup after securing top positions in the ICC Women’s Championship 2017-20. The series will start and finish in Durban with the first ODI on 20 January and the third T20I on 3 February. Both matches will be played under lights. Durban will also stage the second ODI on 23 January before action will move to Pietermaritzburg where the third ODI and opening two T20Is will be played on 26, 29 and 31 January, respectively. To prepare and select the best available side and in continuation to the Women’s High Performance Camp and the National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship, the women’s national selection committee has invited 27 women cricketers for a training and preparation camp, which will be held at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi from 20 December. From the start of the training camp until the side’s departure for Durban on 11 January, the women cricketers will remain and train in a bio-secure environment, besides undergoing routine testing in line with the PCB Covid-19 Protocols. Prior to joining the camp, each cricketer will require a negative test and another negative test after reporting for the camp before being allowed to integrate with other members of the group. The tour to South Africa will also be the first official assignment of head coach David Hemp and bowling coach Arshad Khan. While Hemp joined forces in October, Arshad was appointed in November. Mohammad Kamran Hussain will be the assistant coach at the training camp. This will be Pakistan women’s side’s second tour to South Africa within 18 months. In May 2019, Pakistan and South Africa featured in one of the most thrilling, keenly contested and exciting women’s series to date. The three ICC Women’s Championship ODIs ended in a 1-1 draw when the 12 May third ODI ended in a tie after Nashra Sandhu scored seven runs off the final two deliveries to help Pakistan reach 265 for nine in 50 overs. In the five-match T20I series, Pakistan took a 2-1 lead before South Africa bounced back to clinch the series 3-2. Women’s chief selector and head of the women’s cricket, Urooj Mumtaz: “It is critical for women’s cricket that we continue to invest in the game in these difficult times, otherwise all the efforts and hard work that have gone recently in building the profile, enhancing the standard and generating fan interest and following will be wasted. “I am delighted that Cricket South Africa have agreed to host us for a full tour despite having already qualified for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022. This is yet another indicator and reflection of our relationship with the Member boards who are willing to help and support each other in any possible way. “The PCB created activities and held a domestic event for the women cricketers to attract and inspire them to remain connected with the game during these challenging times, but nothing can replace international cricket. In this background, it is great that our women cricketers will reap the benefits of their loyalty and commitment to the game by getting an opportunity to play international cricket against a quality side. “South Africa are ranked above us, both in the ODI and T20I formats and, as such, I am sure this series will go a long way in not only assisting us to further improve our standards but also prepare for June’s ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2021 as we aim to finish in the top three and progress to event proper in early 2022 in New Zealand.” 27 probables for the South Africa tour are (18-player squad expected to be announced on Thursday, 31 December 2020 at the National Stadium press conference room early afternoon): Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana Khan, Iram Javed, Javeria Khan, Javeria Rauf, Kainat Imtiaz, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali, Nahida Khan, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Saba Nazir, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz and Syeda Aroob Shah Tour schedule: 11 Jan – Departure for Durban 13-19 Jan – Training, practice and intra-squad matches, Durban 20 Jan – 1st ODI (d/n), Kingsmead Stadium, Durban 23 Jan – 2nd ODI (d), Kingsmead Stadium, Durban 26 Jan – 3rd ODI (d), Pietermaritzburg Oval, Pietermaritzburg 29 Jan – 1st T20I (d), Pietermaritzburg Oval, Pietermaritzburg 31 Jan – 2nd T20I (d), Pietermaritzburg Oval, Pietermaritzburg 3 Feb – 3rd T20I (d/n), Kingsmead Stadium, Durban

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (December 15, 2020):-The six Cricket Association Second XI sides will feature in their third and final event of the 2020-21 domestic season when the Second XI Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament begins on Wednesday. The 50-over tournament will be held after the successful delivery of the Second XI National T20 Cup and the three-day Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The single-league tournament will be played across three Karachi venues – KCCA Stadium, NBP Sports Complex and TMC Cricket Ground – and its fifth and final round matches will be played on 24 December. In the first round, Sindh, the winners of the three-day Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, will take on Southern Punjab at the KCCA Stadium. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa play Second XI National T20 Cup winners Central Punjab at the TMC Cricket Ground and NBP Sports Complex will host a fixture between Balochistan and Northern. With the Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament for the First XI teams scheduled to begin from 8 January, this tournament provides a platform to the up and coming domestic cricketers to impress the six Cricket Association head coaches and stake claims in the top-tier teams. Squads for Second XI Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament: Balochistan – Azeem Ghumman (c), Taimur Khan (vc), Abdul Rehman Muzammil, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Awais Zia, Fahad Hussain, Hayatullah, Hidayat Ullah (wk), Israr Ahmed, Mohammad Deen, Najeebullah, Nasir Khan, Nazar Hussain, Rameez Raja Jnr and Zainullah Central Punjab – Junaid Ali (c, wk), Mohammad Imran Dogar (vc), Abubakar Khan, Asfand Mehran, Atiq-ur-Rehman, Hammad Butt, Haseeb-ur-Rehman, Irfan Khan Niazi, Kamran Afzal, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Faiq, Nauman Anwar, Raza Ali Dar, Shahid Nawaz, Sohaib Ullah and Zubair Khan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Asif Afridi (c), Mohammad Haris (vc, wk), Aamer Khan, Abbas Afridi, Abdul Rauf, Arif Shah, Asad Afridi, Ashfaq Ahmed, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Mohsin, Mohammad Mohsin Khan, Mohammad Sarwar, Nabi Gul, Sahibzada Farhan and Saqib Jamil Northern – Sohail Akhtar (c), Umair Masood (vc, wk), Abdul Fasih, Amir Jamal, Amir Shah, Farhan Shafiq, Kashif Iqbal, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Ismail, Naved Malik, Nihal Mansoor, Salman Irshad, Shoaib Minhas, Umar Waheed, Zaid Alam and Ziad Khan Sindh – Saifullah Bangash (c, wk), Faraz Ali (vc), Adeel Meo, Ammad Alam, Arish Ali Khan, Azizullah, Fahad Iqbal, Ghulam Mudassir, Hassan Khan, Hasan Mohsin, Jahanzaib Sultan, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Taha, Rameez Aziz, Saad Khan and Saim Ayub Southern Punjab – Naved Yaseen (c), Rameez Alam (vc), Ahmer Ashfaq, Ahsan Baig, Anas Mustafa, Hamza Arshad, Junaid Awan, Maqbool Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Basit, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Mohsin, Mukhtar Ahmed, Salahuddin, Waqar Hussain and Zohaib Afridi

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (December 15, 2020):-Noor Zaman of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) defeated Hamza Sharif of Khyber Pakhtun Kawa (KPK) 3-1 in the Boy’s Singles Event of the National Junior Squash Championship 2020 at Mushaf Squash Complex Islamabad. The final score-line was 5-11, 11-9, 11-8 and 11-6, as the match lasted 32 minutes. The top national junior squash showpiece is being played under the banner of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) for the teenager girls and boys. National Junior Squash Championship is a prize purse of Rs 500,000. The championship includes Boys U-13, U-15, U-17, U-19 along with Girls U-19 age groups.   Results: Boys’ Under-13: Mohammad Zaman (Sindh) beat Mubeen Khan (PAF) 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 (20 Min) Umair Arif (KP) beat Ibrahim Zeb (KP) 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (17 Min) Huraira Khan (KP) beat Azaan Ali (Pb) 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 (20 Min) Yashwa Yousaf (Pb) beat Yashwa (Pb) 12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7 (30 Min) Boys’ Under-15: Anas Ali Shah (Pb) beat Mohammad Azaan Khalil (KP) 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 (25 Min) Saboor Khan (CAA) beat Sakhiullah Tareen (Pb) 13-11, 11-7, 11-8 (29 Min) Mehmood Mehboob (Pb) beat Abdullah Nawaz (KP) 5-11, 13-11, 11-9, 11-9 (38 Min) Yaseen Khattak (PAF) beat Varun Asif (Pb) 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 (18 Min) Boys’ Under-17: Huzaifa Zahid (KP)  beat Usman Nadeem (Pb) 11-13, 11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9 (28 Min) Mohammad Ammad (PAF) beat Mohammad Azlan Khawar (Pb) 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 (24 Min) Fahad Sharif (KP) beat Nouman Khan (KP) 17-15, 11-8, 12-10 (30 Min) Mohammad Hamza Khan (PAF) beat Khaqan Malik (Pb) 11-3, 11-8, 11-2 (32 Min) Boys’ Under-19: Noor Zaman (PAF) beat Hamza Sharif (KP) 5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 (32 Min) Mohammad Farhan Hashmi (Pb) beat Huzaifa Shahid (Pb) 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 (16 Min) Khushal Riaz (KP) beat Fawad Hussain (KP) 11-5, 11-3, 11-7 (15 Min) Ashab Irfan (Pb) beat Asad Ullah Khan (KP) 8-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-6 (22 Min) Girls’ Under-19: Zynab Khan (Sindh) beat Nimra Aqeel (KP) 11-1, 11-4, 11-6 (14 Min) Noor Ul Ain Ejaz (Pb) beat Fajar Hamid (Pb) 11-0, 11-0, 11-3 (07 Min) Hira Aqeel (KP) beat Zohra Abdullah (KP) 11-1, 11-2, 11-5 (19 Min) Mira Hussain (KP) beat Sibgha Arshad (Pb) 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6 (22 Min)

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (December 15, 2020):-Top seed Aqeel Khan claimed big win in the Men’s Singles event of the 6th Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Championships 2020 after beating Ejaz Ahmed 2-0 in straight sets here at Islamabad Tennis Complex on Tuesday. Results: Men’s Singles: Aqeel Khan beat Ejaz Ahmed 6-3, 6-2 Mohammad Abid beat Faizan Khurram 6-1, 6-1 Shahzad Khan beat Sikandar Hayat 6-3, 6-2 Nauman Aftab beat Waqas Malak 7-5, 6-3 Jibran Ul Haq beat Israr Gul 6-2, 6-2 Imran Bhatti bt Zalan Khan w.o Ladies’ Singles: Fatima Ali Raja beat Farah Shah Khan 6-4, 6-0 Natalia Zaman beat Ayesha Rao 6-0, 6-0 Sheeza Sajid beat Arooj Fatima 6-0, 6-0 Oreen Jasia beat Mahnoor Sohail w.o Syeda Eraj beat Mahrukh Farouqhi 6-3, 6-0 Men’s Doubles: Mohammad Abid/Waqas Malak beat Ahmed Asjad/Shakir Ullah 6-4, 6-2 Mohammad Shoaib/Barkar Ullah beat Heera Ashiq/Yousaf Khalil 6-4, 6-4 Syed Nofil Kaleem/Abbas Khan beat Capt. Suleman/Hamza Bin Asif 6-0, 6-3 Saqib Hayat/Nauman Aftab beat Usman Ejaz/Jibran Ul Haq 6-4, 6-2 Muzamil Murtaza/Mudasir Murtaza  beat Ahmed Ch./ Abdal Haider 7-5, 6-3 Aqeel Khan/Shahzad Khan beat Israr Gul/Sikandar Hayat 6-3, 6-2 Ahmed Kamil/Ibrahim Omer beat Ejaz Ahmed/Asad Ullah 2-6, 6-2, 10-8 Faizan Khurram/Imran Bhatti beat Umair Qayum/Musa Ch 6-3, 6-1  Boys 18 & Under Mohammad Shoaib beat Shaeel Durab 6-3, 6-1 Hasheesh Kumar beat Farman Shakeel 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 Mahatir Mohammad beat Mohammad Talha Khan 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-2 Mohammad Huzaifa Khan beat Osama Mehmood 6-1, 6-3 Ahmed Kamil beat Kamran Khan 6-1, 6-2 Aqib Hayat beat Baqar Ali 6-4, 6-4 Hamid Israr beat Asad Zaman 6-1, 6-1 Sami Zeb Khan beat Ahmed Nael Qureshi 6-1, 6-3 Boys 14 & Under Hamza Roman beat Mustansir Ali 4-0, 4-0 Haider Ali Rizwan beat Amir Mazari 4-1, 4-0 Bilal Asim beat Ryyan Khan Saud 4-0, 4-0 Mohammad Ibrahim Ashraf beat Yahya Musa Luni 4-0, 4-3 Asad Zaman beat Hamza Rahmat 4-2, 5-3; Shahsawar beat Ammar Masood w.o Ahmed Nail beat Mohammad Hamza Aasim 4-2, 3-5, 5-3 Hamid Israr beat Mohammad Haziq Aasim bt 5-3, 4-1 BOYS & GIRLS U-12 Hamza Roman beat Razik Sultan w.o Abdul Basit beat Zainab Ali Raja 4-1, 4-1 Zohaib Afzal beat Uzair Maqsood 4-0, 4-0 Eesa Fahad beat Lalarukh Sajid 4-2, 4-2 Samer Zaman beat Mahrukh Sajid 4-0, 4-0 Nabeel Ali Qayum beat Haris Bajwa 4-0, 4-0 Amir Mazari beat Ammar Masood 4-0, 4-2 Ali Zain beat Mohammad Haziq Aasim 4-5 (4), 4-1, 4-1 Haniya Minhas beat Sameer Maqsood walk-over BOYS/GIRLS U10 Abdur Rehman beat Mohammad Ayan Sher Dil 4-0, 4-0 Mohammad Hassan Usmani beat Hajra 4-0, 4-0 Abdul Wasay beat Zohaib Amjad 0-4, 4-2, 4-2 Zohaib Afzal beat Rizwan Shah Khan 4-0, 4-0.

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (December 15, 2020):-Major (Retd) Majid Wasim, Zoraiz Lashari, Lt-Col Ahmed Ali Khan and Ali Raza Qureshi have been elected Chairman, President, Secretary General and Treasure respectively of Pakistan Swimming Federation (PSF) for next four-year term. The new office-bearers of PSF were elected for a 4-year term during a General Council Election meeting of PSF at Pakistan Olympic House, Lahore. Mohammad Jahangir of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and Director National Coaching Training Center (NCTC) Rana Nasrullah from Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) attended the General Council Election meeting of PSF as observers. The representatives of Sindh and Navy attended the meeting through video link.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (December 13, 2020):-Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of New Zealand T20Is after suffering a fracture in his right thumb during Sunday morning’s practice session.  World’s second-ranked T20I batsman suffered the injury during a throw-down session, following which he was taken to a local hospital where X-rays confirmed the fracture. As such, Babar will be unable to attend nets for, at least, 12 days, meaning he will not be available for the 18, 20 and 22 December T20Is to be played in Auckland, Hamilton and Napier, respectively. During this period, the doctors will continue to monitor Babar’s injury before confirming his participation in the first Test, which starts at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, on 26 December. Babar suffered the injury a day after Imam-ul-Haq had fractured his left thumb also during a throw-down session. Imam had also been advised a 12-day rest, which confirmed his non-availability for the Pakistan Shaheens’ four-day match against New Zealand ‘A’, which starts in Whangarei on Thursday, December 17. As with Babar, the doctors will continue to monitor Imam’s injury before confirming his participation in the first Test. Meanwhile, Pakistan T20I vice-captain Shadab Khan is also carrying a groin niggle, which limited his participation in Sunday’s net sessions to batting only. He had missed the Zimbabwe T20Is due to a similar injury and decision on his participation in the Auckland T20I will be made closer to the match. Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq: “Injuries are part and parcel of professional sport and while it is hugely disappointing to lose a player of Babar Azam’s calibre for the T20Is, this opens up opportunities for the other highly talented and exciting players to step-up, understand their responsibilities and try to prove that the Pakistan side is a complete package. “I have spoken with Babar and he is sad to miss the T20I series as he was fully focused and keenly looking forward to the T20Is. We have a long season of cricket ahead and we now hope that he regains complete fitness as early as possible so that he can return to competitive cricket. “The medical team is monitoring Shadab Khan’s groin niggle and we remain optimistic that he will be available for the T20Is, but we will neither risk him nor the team’s chances if we think he needs a few more days to be back to his complete fitness.” Pakistan squad for New Zealand T20Is: Shadab Khan (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir and Wahab Riaz. Babar Azam (withdrawn due to injury) Pakistan Shaheens for New Zealand ‘A’ four-day match: Rohail Nazir (captain), Abid Ali, Amad Butt, Azhar Ali, Danish Aziz, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah, Zafar Gohar and Zeeshan Malik. Imam-ul-Haq (withdrawn due to injury)

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (December 13, 2020):-Following three exciting results in the previous round, the eighth round of the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which commences on Monday, promises to sustain the momentum as teams fight for the top two slots which will enable their qualification for the five-day new year’s final. As anticipated, the points table further spiced up following Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s rise to the top after a stellar innings and 37 runs victory against Sindh, which helped them grab as many as 25 points, the most for any team in the seventh round. Central Punjab’s resurgence has put the title defenders on the fourth spot from the bottom of the points table after two back-to-back wins. Southern Punjab, who slipped to third spot following their defeat to Northern in the sixth round after spending four rounds at the top of the table, are just one point behind second-ranked Northern following their thumping win over Balochistan, who slipped one place to fifth position. Sindh continue to have a poor run of form following their win in the season opener. In their six matches since, they have lost three; two of those defeats have come in their last two matches, and drawn three. With only two rounds remaining after this one, Sindh, captained by Asad Shafiq, will be eager to accumulate maximum points and finish on a high. Balochistan v Central Punjab at State Bank Stadium: Central Punjab have staged an impressive comeback with two big wins against Sindh (by 227 runs in the sixth round) and Northern (by six wickets in the seventh round) and will be eager to further stretch this winning streak when they take on Balochistan, who also have lost three of their last six matches following their solitary win in their first match of the 2020-21 first-class season. Captain Hasan Ali regaining fitness and form and spearheading the bowling attack since his return to the side has played a vital role in Central Punjab’s change of fortune. The pacer has taken 15 wickets in the last three matches and now sits at the eighth spot in the list of the highest wicket-takers with 20 scalps at an average of 21.05. Contributions from Waqas Maqsood, who is the leading wicket-takers amongst the pacers to date with 28 wickets at 21.43, and 23-year-old left-arm orthodox Ahmed Safi Abdullah (28 wickets at 21.61) further strengthens the team’s bowling unit. Waqas is ranked third and Ahmed is ranked fifth in the list of bowlers with most wickets. Hasan, however, would be hoping that their batsmen join the party towards the business end of the tournament. Despite restricting Northern to 243 in their last outing, Central Punjab fell nine runs behind their opponents in the first innings, which underscore their batting woes, and lost four wickets in their chase of 166. Balochistan had a forgettable outing in the previous round as they slipped from 154 for two to 199 all out in their second innings, courtesy a scorching seven for 35 by pacer Zia-ul-Haq, to lose to Southern Punjab by a heavy 205-run margin. Their captain Bismillah Khan would be hoping for a better batting display. The team’s leading run-scorer Akbar-ur-Rehman, the 37-year-old right-handed batsman, has made 445 runs at 44.50 and is the eighth top run-getter in the season. However, the gulf between their best and the second best batsman, Ali Waqas (360 runs at 40), is so vast that he is 20th in the same list, which Balochistan will be eager to fill as the tournament progresses. Their bowlers have put some of the most impressive individual performances. Taj Wali leads them with 23 wickets in seven outings and their next best bowlers are Kashif Bhatti (19 wickets at 44.68), Jalat Khan (18 wickets at 26.61) and Khurram Shahzad (18 wickets at 27.89). They are ranked sixth, ninth, 10th and 11th on the list of bowlers with most wickets. Sindh v Northern at National Stadium (broadcast fixture): The National Stadium will host the teams, who are arguably the most eager to secure a win at this crucial juncture. Both teams enter the round at the back of defeats which have seen Northern getting displaced from the top of the table and Sindh slip to the bottom from the fourth position. In their last face-off, Northern defeated Sindh by 128 runs. Northern captain Nauman Ali has been in red-hot form and is the only bowler in the tournament to date to have breached the 50-wicket mark. The 24-year-old left-arm orthodox has 54 scalps at 20.67 and is the only bowler with five five-wicket hauls. He will continue to spearhead his team’s bowling attack, especially after impressive match figures of 11 for 153 in the previous match. Their batting line-up has been held together by Hammad Azam (641 runs at 64.10), Umar Amin (558 runs at 50.73) and Mohammad Nawaz (531 runs at 59) who are fourth, fifth and sixth top run-getters in the season. Sindh’s Sharjeel Khan has scored three half-centuries in last four innings and his captain Asad will be hoping that his bat continues to produce runs in front of the broadcast cameras, which will telecast action in Pakistan through PTV Sports and beam it across the globe through PCB’s YouTube channel. Twenty-five-year-old Saud Shakeel scored a fifty in his last innings which augurs well for Sindh as the left-hander has been anchoring their batting department over the course of the tournament. With 657 runs at 50.54, he is the third best batsman. Tabish Khan, the 36-year-old right-arm pacer, remains Sindh’s most successful bowler with 22 scalps at 30.82 runs per dismissal. Southern Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at UBL Sports Complex: This promises to be another exciting encounter with both teams vying for the top spot as Southern Punjab are 14 points behind the table-topper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (117 points). The match will bring two of the best three spinners in the competition face-to-face. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sajid Khan is the second best bowler with 46 wickets at 22.57 and Southern Punjab’s Zahid Mahmood has the third most wickets (39 wickets at 22.69). Kamran Ghulam and Salman Ali Agha to leading batsmen of the season will also be pitted against each other. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kamran Ghulam’s both centuries have come in his last two matches and is currently the leading run-getter with 713 runs at an average of 54.85. The 25-year-old right-handed batsman has also scored three half-centuries. Southern Punjab’s Salman Ali Agha has crunched one century and five half-centuries which has helped him amass 665 runs at 66.50. The 27-year-old right-handed batsman is the second highest run-getter in the season. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s all four wins have come in the last five matches, while Southern Punjab have won one, lost two and drawn two in their last five outings. When, these teams came face to face earlier this season, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won by 75 runs.

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (December 13, 2020):-The 6th Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Championships 2020 started on Sunday here at Islamabad Tennis Complex, as the qualifying rounds matches were played on the opening day of national tennis fixture. The main draw matches will be started from Monday at same venue, as senator Taj Haider will be the chief guest at the opening ceremony. Results: Men Singles (Qualifying Round-I): Hamza Bin Asif beat Noor e Mustafa 6-4 Yasir Afridi beat Sharyer Amjad 7-5 Mohammad Sohaib beat Saim Danish 6-4 Usman Saeed beat Hafiz Talib 6-0 Capt Sheroz beat Zaeem Ghafoor 6-2 Ahtesham Arif beat Arbaz Khan 6-2 Hamza Mazhar beat Danish Ramzan 6-4 Hamza Jawad beat Amjad Nasir 6-2 Baqir Ali beat Rizwan Khan 6-2, Men’s Singles (Qualifying Round-II): Ayyaz beat Pooyan 6-2 Hamza Bin Asif beat Osama 7-6(5) Raja Shahid w/o Uzair Khan beat Talha  Saqib 6-1 Faizan Fayaz beat Asim Israr 6-1 Usman beat Mohammad Shaib 6-2 Mosa Khan beat Mohammad Usman 6-1 Capt Sheroz beat Nalain 6-2 Mohammad Talah beat Ahtesham 6-2 Faizan beat Azan 6-1 Abbas beat Mobeen 6-0 Mahatir beat Hamza 6-1 Azeem beat Hamza Jawad 6-0 Sami Zeb beat Baqir Ali 6-2 Jibran beat Ubaid 6-0 Hasheesh beat Kashan 6-0 Subhan Bin Salik beat Farman 7-6(2) Kashan beat Abdullah 6-1 Maj Suleman beat Hasam Khan 6-2 Shaeel Durab beat Kamran 7-5 Mohammad Bilal beat Abdullah 6-3 Noman beat Huzaima 6-3 Talha beat Faizan Shahid 6-1 Ahmed Asjad beat Ahmed Murad 6-0 Farhad Ali beat Adnan Khan 6-4 Nauman beat ILham Wazir 6-1 Men’s Singles (Round-III):  Jibran beat Huzaifa 6-4 Subhan beat Hasheesh 6-4 Kashan beat Abdullah 7-6(5) Maj Suleman beat Shaeel Durab 6-2 Mohammad Bilal beat Noman 6-2 Sikandar beat Talha Bin Asif 7-6 (5).    

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (December 11, 2020):-Top seed Tayyab Aslam and Madina Zafar have won the titles of Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles of the Pakistan International Squash Tournament respectively after beating their challengers in the finals at Mushaf Squash Complex, in the premises of Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad on Friday. In the Men Singles final, top seed Tayyab Aslam had to work hard to overcome his opponent Nasir Iqbal in a well-contested five games final. The final score-line was 11-7, 6-11, 3-11, 12-10 and 13-11. At one stage Nasir was leading in the match at 2-1 after first three games while the 4th game won by Tayyab 12-10 on tie-break. Final game was also crucial for the both player that also finished on tie-break, as no one was ready to let down. Both played displayed excellent skills of the squash, Tayyab made the mark after winning the final game. The match lasted for 68 minutes. Earlier, in the women’s singles final, Madina Zafar defeated her sister Faiza Zafar 3-2. The final game score was 11-8, 11-1, 2-11, 7-11 and 11-9.  The match lasted for 31 minutes. Squash Legend and Vice President of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), Qamar Zaman was chief guest at the closing ceremony and distributed trophies and prizes to the final winning players. Results:  Men Event Tayyab Aslam beat Nasir Iqbal 11-7, 6-11, 3-11, 12-10, 13-11 (68 minutes)        Women Event Madina Zafar beat Faiza Zafar 11-8, 11-1, 2-11, 7-11, 11-9 (minutes).